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Secrets of successful independents

Donna Papacosta — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:32:04 +0000

Last year, a colleague of mine who is an independent PR practitioner was lamenting the state of his business. “I’m not making enough money,” he said, “and my spouse wants me to contribute more to our family.” I could understand his concern. He felt he wasn’t pulling in enough revenue. Where he lost me was his next statement: “I think I am going to give up my independent practice and get a ‘regular’ job.”

If this person had asked me for advice, here’s what I would have said:

Before deciding to give up your own business and abandon your existing clients and future prospects, have you tried to build up your business and expand your revenue?
Do you have a viable marketing plan?
Do you know your target market well, or are you trying to be all things to all people?
Have you increased your rates in the last two years?
Do you charge by the hour or by the project?
Does the marketplace view your service as a commodity or as a valuable offering?
What steps have you taken to put yourself in front of clients and prospects?
Are you exploiting the benefits of content marketing for your business?
Have you been sending out a regular newsletter, filled with useful information that people enjoy sharing?
Have you been blogging? Tweeting? Perhaps podcasting?
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date, with strong key words?
Do you use LinkedIn to connect with potential clients in your network?
Do you post helpful updates to LinkedIn?
How many networking events have you attended in the past year? How many meaningful connections did you forge at these meetings?
Are you known as a leader in your field?
Have you spoken at any industry events lately?
How many articles have you written for trade publications this year?
Do you ask your current clients for referrals and recommendations, including referrals within a client organization?
Have you made alliances with other practitioners, and outsourced where it makes sense?
Have you joined your local board of trade or chamber of commerce, or a relevant professional association? In my case that’s IABC and the Halton Peel Communications Association, as well as the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Don’t just join; get active and volunteer.
Is your website optimized for search?
Have you created information products that can generate passive income for you?
Are you constantly learning new things about your field, by attending seminars, reading blogs and listening to podcasts?
Have you considered that an employer can cut your “regular” job without much notice?
Have you calculated the genuine cost of being on salary, keeping in mind the tax breaks for independents, and the cost of suits and lunches out for employees, among other things?

Of course no one can do everything on my list. And I’m not saying that there is never an occasion where it’s wise to shut down your own business and join someone else’s. However, I do believe that insufficient revenue is not reason enough to jump ship. It’s important to look at the big picture and the long term.

What do you think? What would you add to this list?

UPDATE: I added the point about joining associations, which I had inadvertently left out of the post.

Network and learn from other indies in Toronto
If you’re looking for inspiration and practical advice on being more successful as an independent, come to our IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators meeting on Wednesday evening, March 7, 2012. For details and registration, visit the IABC/Toronto website.

In the meantime, you can listen to a short podcast with our guest speakers Dawn Boshcoff, principal and trainer, BOSHnewmedia Communications; Cathy Ledden, R.G.D., chief designer, Ledden Design; and Paul Lima, freelance writer and business writing trainer.

Content marketing for your small business

Donna Papacosta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:35:22 +0000

First in series

You have a website for your small business. Your site may even be optimized for search. And yet, when prospects use their favourite search engine to find a business in your category, you’re on page 7. Or 19. Do you ever flip through to the seventh or 19^th page of search results? Me neither.

No one wants to be the proverbial needle in the haystack. So how do you improve your odds of being found? First, be sure that your site truly is search-engine friendly. Have a neutral third party analyze it for you. (If your web developer inserted your company name or the word “home” as the title of your main page, your site may not be as optimized as you were led to believe.)

But let’s move beyond what the search engines care about. What about your prospective customers or clients? When they discover your site, whether via search or by directly keying in your URL, what do they find? Lots of fluff about your company history and the awards you’ve won? A list of product features?

Let’s face it: No one cares about your company history except you, and many awards are meaningless to the typical client. As for product features – they do belong on your site, but more important to the prospect are the benefits of your product or service.

What your prospect wants to know is this: Can you help solve their business problem?

Content marketing allows you to accomplish this by enabling you to demonstrate your approach to business, your leadership in your industry and your track record of solving clients’ problems.

In this series of blog posts, we’re going to explore:

The benefits of content marketing
How to get started with content marketing
How to use social media to amplify your content marketing
How to keep your content marketing efforts going
How to add content curation to your content marketing program
And more

Feel free to send me your questions about content marketing.

Other posts in this series:
Content marketing defined
How to get started with content marketing

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

How to get started with content marketing

Donna Papacosta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:13:20 +0000

Third in series

Links to previous posts in this series:
Content marketing for small business
Content marketing defined

Let’s assume that you have a marketing plan for your business, and you’d like to add content marketing to your existing programs so you can reap the rewards of inbound marketing.

Before you begin to create content, be sure you have your target market in mind.

What do they need? What have they asked for in the past? Can you identify their future requirements? If you have crafted a buyer’s persona, now’s the time to use it.

Remember that you are not creating marketing materials per se. You are producing freely available content that is all about THEM, the customer, not about YOU.

Start by looking at content that you’ve already produced that can be repurposed and repackaged, as long as it’s fresh.

Do you have a recent case study? An interview that you did with a customer? Have you ever put together tip sheets or informational (how-to) materials for your clients? Have you given a speech to an industry association? You may have a treasure trove of content just waiting to be shared. Do edit it to make sure it’s up to date and outwardly focused.

And please, don’t be afraid of free. You want as many people as possible to consume and then share your content, and the fewer layers of friction between the content and them, the better. (This means no filling out forms with their mother’s maiden name, etc., just to access your content.)

So what kinds of content are we talking about?

The simplest way to start is a blog, particularly one that’s integrated into your website and highlighted on your home page.

You can also create audio or video podcasts, case studies, white papers or eBooks. Think about running a webinar, and then recording it to be shared. Do you have some excellent presentations? Post them on Slideshare and embed them in your blog. A whole new audience might discover you via Slideshare. (When I posted a presentation on content curation last fall, I was astonished to see the number of views skyrocket past 7,000 within weeks.)

To be sure to reach your prospects who aren’t as web-savvy as others, you can also publish your content in a newsletter. Just be sure that you let subscribers opt in, lest you be labeled a spammer.

In the next post, we’ll delve deeper into how-to tips for creating content that people love to share.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Recap of “Optimize your LinkedIn presence” with Anita Windisman

Donna Papacosta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:52:24 +0000

If you missed our IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators meeting last night, here’s a quick recap of the Tweets of Anita Windisman’s excellent presentation on how to use LinkedIn for business.

Can a 20-something be a social media expert?

Donna Papacosta — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:49:25 +0000

At last night’s IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) meeting, Anita Windisman did a terrific presentation on LinkedIn, which I’ve blogged about here. In reviewing the tweets generated during Anita’s session, I noticed a single criticism:

Great networking & presentation at #pictips tonight. Some good tips, but I was surprised by 1 of the comments …

Ppl under 30 aren’t all ‘kids’. Just b/c someone has their MBA doesn’t mean they’re more of a ‘SM expert’ than someone younger #pictips

Let me put this in context. Anita mentioned that she has an MBA and 18 years of marketing and business experience. She made an offhand comment that she’s not a “kid” doing social media training.

[I did not write this down verbatim, but I think I’ve captured the spirit of what she said.]

I’ve always maintained that a social media “expert” is not someone who merely can train you in the mechanics of Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or GooglePlus or Hootsuite or TweetDeck or whatever. Anyone can learn how to retweet, how to tag, etc. These are necessary skills, but they do not in and of themselves yield business results.

Plenty of my clients attend seminars on social media, then walk away saying, “OK, so now I know how to do the mechanics, but what do I tweet about? Do I have to be on Facebook? Why would I connect with someone on LinkedIn? What do I say? How is this stuff relevant?”

These are important questions about business strategy.

So, yes, one does not need an MBA or any other degree for that matter to be a social media “expert.” [You’ll note I keep putting the word in quotation marks because I’m not sure that the word “expert” is even appropriate.] But I do believe that business people want to work with a marketing specialist or a communications consultant who can help them solve problems, using social media or some other tactic.

In a field as young as social media, there are bound to be many young practitioners. Last year I attended an event where I met one such woman. She described herself as a social media trainer who’d been in business about a year. When I asked her what she’d been doing before then, she said she was a wedding photographer. In fact, she still was.

I’m sure she’d be proficient at explaining how to retweet on Twitter or tag someone on Facebook, but I doubt she’d be able to advise a senior executive on a blogging strategy or a content marketing campaign.

After a decade or so in business, one’s degree is largely immaterial. I don’t think I’ve mentioned my own Masters in Public Administration to a client, with the exception of some of those in the public sector, who like to see consultants with these particular letters after their names.

But business experience is another matter. It’s a prerequisite, in my humble opinion, before one can advise another person.

One’s age is not a prerequisite. Someone can be 40 with two years in business. But I doubt that a 25-year old, unless he’s a prodigy of some kind, could have more than a couple of years of real-life business experience.

I’d love to know what you think. Does a person need business experience to be a social media “expert”?

Please share your thoughts on this. Am I off base?

Content marketing defined

Donna Papacosta — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:46:01 +0000

Second in series

In the previous post I talked about the importance of content marketing for small businesses. Much of this is true for medium-sized businesses too. Heck, large brands use content marketing, but they often have large agencies to help.

Let’s focus on your small- to mid-sized business.

Perhaps we should define content marketing before we proceed further. When I speak to clients about content marketing, I describe it as: The creation and sharing of information that’s valuable to your prospects and customers. Content marketing is worthwhile because it can help establish or build your brand, cultivate thought leadership within your niche or industry, and ultimately generate leads. It’s like a magnet drawing prospects to you.

But content marketing is not advertising! And it’s not sales-y. This is an important distinction. After all, if a prospect wants to read your sell sheets, they can probably find them on your website.

How do we define effective content marketing?

When we measure results, we can see the needle moving. People discover your company, and feel that you are the one who can solve their problem. And then a funny thing happens. Prospects call you. Isn’t this type of inbound marketing every business person’s dream? To be freed of the burden of cold calling?

When your content is effective, people consume it and then share it, because it’s practical and usable, and targeted to your market. Yes, it showcases your expertise, but in a subtle way. When you publish a case study about the success of one of your clients, for example, the narrative should be written in a way that shines the spotlight on them, not you.

In the next post, we’ll expand on this idea and talk about HOW to create excellent content so that you can enjoy the benefits of inbound marketing.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Podcasting answers: What’s the maximum number of guests for a podcast?

Donna Papacosta — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:20:26 +0000

Part of the series of answers to students’ podcasting questions. For more about this series, read this post.

Question from Andrew P.

What number of guests is considered to be too many in a single podcast? Also, how do you control the flow of conversation within the group so that the discussion comes across as natural and not contrived/scripted?

Answer

How many is too many podcast guests?

Let’s think of the listener first. If the voices are distinct, we humans can do a pretty good job of figuring out who’s who. But if we’re listening to five people speak, and their voices are similar, that’s a problem. One of the podcasts I listen to, InsidePR, is helmed by a group of three people, and their voices are quite distinct. The Gillmor Gang, a popular podcast, regularly featured four or five people at once.

For your own podcast, think of how many people you need to get a good conversation going about the topic. Two? Three? Four? More? I’d say if you have more than four, you might find it challenging to keep everyone on track and not have people speaking on top of each other.

Natural flow of conversation

As for the second part of your question, make it clear in advance that guests can know the general themes to be discussed, but that they should not expect precise questions in advance, and they should definitely not prepare detailed answers ahead of time. Why not? I can guarantee you that the guest will start to read his or her answers. I’ve heard this many times. Stop them in their tracks. No one wants to hear someone reading (unless he’s a trained voice actor).

So the best way to encourage a natural conversation is to have one! Don’t set the stage for a stilted podcast by providing questions in advance and allowing your guest to read “on air.” Another tip: Before you start to record, warm up the guests with some informal chatter; it will help to relax them. Some people get nervous before being interviewed.

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For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Podcasting answers: What do podcast listeners value?

Donna Papacosta — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:04:30 +0000

Part of the series of answers to students’ podcasting questions. For more about this series, read this post.

Question from Neha M.

My question is based on Trafcom News Podcast 82: Five tips for podcasting success. Apart from the niche and the use of proper sound recording gear, what does a podcast listener value and look for the most in a podcast? Is the main goal of a podcast simply to speak and take a stand on an issue, hobby or interest?

Quality above all

I’ll start by answering the first part as an avid podcast listener. Most important to me is high-quality content. That’s why I faithfully listen to For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report (which I mentioned when I was a guest lecturer in your class). I learn from this podcast, and it makes my time on the treadmill or other torture device fly by quickly. Fortunately, this podcast has excellent production values so it doesn’t strain my ears or my brain.

I do listen to other podcasts in the public relations and communications realm, such as Inside PR, Marketing Over Coffee, Six Pixels of Separation and others. And from time to time I enjoy entertaining podcasts that are not related to work. Check out some of the offerings from CBC and NPR.

But beyond my own tastes in podcasts, my conversations with podcast listeners, and surveys I’ve been involved in, reveal that the majority of podcast consumers are looking for relevant content delivered in a way that’s easy to listen to.

Hobby podcast vs. business podcast

As for the goals of a podcast, I think there’s a big difference between hobby podcasts and podcasts that are produced to meet business goals. If you simply want a platform for sharing your views on your favourite TV show, political party, sports team, vegan recipes or whatever, then you can create a podcast and have a lot of fun with it. You might not be too concerned with listenership. Of course, if your passion shines through and your content is great, you may just find an audience anyway.

The podcasts that I produce for my own consulting practice and for my clients do have a business purpose. They are designed, for example, to demonstrate thought leadership, or showcase expertise, or spark a discussion about an industry topic, or highlight an event, or encourage donations to a cause. In this case, we do set goals for the podcast, and try to measure our success against those goals. And overall, we do want to podcast with passion and create content that our intended audience will consume with enthusiasm.

Let me ask you, Neha: What do you value in a podcast?

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Podcasting answers: Reading a script naturally

Donna Papacosta — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:10:13 +0000

Part of the series of answers to students’ podcasting questions. For more about this series, read this post.

Question from Austin W.: When reading a script for a podcast, or any sort of recording for that matter, I tend to sound like I’m doing exactly that – reading off a piece of paper. This probably has to do with the fact that I am not a very good voice actor. What are some tips or tricks you do for adding emotion to your voice while reading a script to make it sound more interesting?

Answer: Most people don’t realize that there truly is an art to voice acting. When I studied voiceover years ago, some of my friends chuckled at the idea of my “practising” reading. Then I encouraged them to try it themselves, and they stopped laughing. It’s not easy.

As you know, I don’t recommend routinely scripting all your podcasts, but there are times that we need to do this, whether we script lightly or fully. In some previous posts, I have outlined some of my methods for reading a script naturally:

How to write a podcast script (blog post)
How to read a podcast script and not sound like you’re reading (blog post)
Faking it: How to read a podcast script and sound natural (audio)

Preparation is the key
You’ll notice that all these techniques can be boiled down to one word: preparation. If you’re scripting, you need to first ensure that your script is written for the ear, not the eye. Keep in mind that your listeners don’t have visual cues in front of them, so try to use devices such as numbered lists: “Let’s talk about the three ways to…”

Use the active voice when never possible and keep sentences short. Be sure to add transitions between your points, and a recap at the end, using your numbered list as a structure.

After you’ve drafted the script, you next have to practise, practise, practise. I begin by marking up the script so that when I read it, I remember where to pause, emphasize, slow down, speed up etc.

I would add this tip: I have heard of some voice actors pinning a photo of a friend near the microphone. The voice actor then pretends to be speaking to the friend, not just to the mike. This might work for you.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Podcasting answers: Getting good audio quality without expensive equipment

Donna Papacosta — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:31:30 +0000

Part of the series of answers to students’ podcasting questions. For more about this series, read this post.

Question from Hilary R: In Trafcom News Podcast 83, you list four things to get the best audio. One of the things you said was not using a built-in microphone to record your podcast as it doesn’t have the best audio quality, but you also talk about minding your surroundings and thinking about using noise and silence to your advantage. If you don’t have a microphone available and use a built-in microphone, but you take into consideration the room you’re recording in and the method of recording you’re using, do you think the podcast will be just as effective if the material and context is good? Do you think it’s possible to have a good podcast without having the best equipment possible?

Answer: Yes, I think you can have a very good podcast without using the best (i.e., expensive) equipment. You’ve already pointed out one factor: ambient noise. You definitely want to avoid recording in a noisy environment. Secondly, you want to make the best of what you have. For example, the built-in mic on my MacBook Pro is pretty good. If I experiment and learn where to position myself, and how loud I should speak, I will sound OK.

Before you decide to employ your built-in microphone, answer this: Do you have an iPhone? Remember that you can use the mic/headset gizmo that came with your iPhone, along with an app like iTalk or Voice Memo, to capture pretty good sound. You must be sure to position the mic properly and speak at the right volume, but that’s true with any microphone.

Keep in mind that if your content is truly excellent, people will forgive less-than-sterling quality. However, as a listener I get annoyed when supposedly influential organizations publish podcasts that sound like they were recorded in a tin can. To me, this is akin to sharing your first draft with someone. It’s not polished.

So, overall, I believe that anyone who wants to podcast professionally should invest in decent gear, but I do realize that students don’t always have the resources to buy microphones. So make the most of what you have! You might want to check out this interview with voiceover pro Joe Cipriano on Trafcom News Podcast 46. He shares some great tips for capturing audio.

Related posts

Trafcom News Podcast 66: Sound check (comparing different types of audio)

Trafcom News Podcast 46: An interview with voiceover pro Joe Cipriano

Trafcom News Podcast 83: Why does my podcast sound so bad?

salescount.com » Trafcom News

Secrets of successful independents

Related Posts:

Content marketing for your small business

Related Posts:

How to get started with content marketing

Related Posts:

Recap of “Optimize your LinkedIn presence” with Anita Windisman

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Can a 20-something be a social media expert?

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Content marketing defined

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Podcasting answers: What’s the maximum number of guests for a podcast?

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Podcasting answers: What do podcast listeners value?

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Podcasting answers: Reading a script naturally

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Podcasting answers: Getting good audio quality without expensive equipment

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