Sherri L. McLendon, MA, OM

13 Ways to Make Your Own Luck, Leverage Your Expertise in 2012

2012-01-28T14:52:00.001-05:00

Ready to nudge your fledgling business out of the nest and give it wings? To do that, you'll want to build on the solid foundation you've established, and enhance your reputation through an integrated strategy. When consistent progress is made in these 13 areas, most of my clients experience increases of four to 10 times the previous calender year in areas such as numbers of clients, price point, and income.

2012 is moving fast, are you?

Here are 13 ways to leverage your expertise in 2012:

1. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan.
Take a look at your business plan. Do you have one? If not, create one. Short, sweet, and to the point. Translate your business plans into your annual action plan. Consider planning with the wheel of the year and the phases of the moon to accelerate your growth seamlessly.

2. Create a content calendar.
Once your major objectives are charted, add in publication dates for your blog and content marketing posts. Your social media posts for the delineated periods should enhance your content strategy.

3. Invest in article marketing.
Recycle your best content into third person point of view and edit to privilege keyword placement at a density of about 2-3% on average. Post your expert work onto leading article marketing sites.

4. Post press releases online.
Online press releases are a great way to share and syndicate your newsworthy events and achievements. Free releases, used correctly, work well to build your reputation and increase your search engine returns. But, if you want to syndicate using social media, or reach targeted print publications regionally or topically, you should expect to invest between $500-10,000 depending on the scope of the campaign.

5. Seed key words and tags.
Studies show readers don't remember information at the ends of sentences, and the same is true of search engine optimization algorithms. Add key words in heads, subheads, and at the beginnings of paragraphs for maximum, natural effect. Add no more than 5 tags to maximize returns. If you've done your research, you'll know which keywords and tags will work for you.

6. Consider your Price Point.
Chances are, you're charging about 20-30% less than you're worth right now, and some of you are still working from a wages-for-hours mentality. Take a second look at where the value is in working with you, articulate the benefits of that value for your client, and raise your price point right now. With price point, most people believe higher means better.

7. Brand your image across platforms.
Consistency is key. Everything should work together to create a unique impression of your brilliance both in-person and on the web.

8. Take advantage of advertising.
Focus your advertising dollars on solutions your clients are willing to pay for. We recommend our recent interview with national award-winning advertising expert Gary James on advertising strategies to help you maximize the advantages of this platform.

9. Networking is your safety net.
How much networking? In my experience, if you want to grow your business, about 75-80% of your time should be spent on networking activities. Don't forget the follow-up, and remember to reward referrals.

10. Jump on rewarding joint ventures.
Why not partner with others who share your niche market? Step up from co-hosting workshops, and step into your brilliance by partnering for online events which will showcase your expertise right in front of your ideal clients.

11. Act on affiliate programs.
Is that client a perfect fit for your colleague but not for you? Accept an affiliate relationship, supply your referral with a designated link, and collect the check.

12. Forget random. Get clear about media relations.
Register as an expert source, and keep an eye on reporter queries in your field. Ask your personal publicist to watch the news for important issues on which you can comment as an expert. Have a unique strategy for the way you'll create quality media relationships. Here are four good places connecting reporters and publicists.

13. Find a coach who'll hold you accountable.
By the way, is your lucky number 13? Most money goddess marketers and PR practitioners who are themselves conscious entrepreneurs have an extra advantage when they work with a coach. How do you know when the leap will help you grow? Look for opportunities which grow your perspective. Find out more here.

Tactics Time? Now's a great time to upgrade your skills

2012-01-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

January is "Tactics Time" in my world.

Let's set the scene. A new year has dawned, along with a new set of goals for growing my business. To grow my business, I need to extend the hand of friendship to my ideal clients in a variety of ways.

Let's say my name is June. I have an active practice, a few customers, and what I believe is a workable idea for my business. More or less, I feel confident in my ability to offer to assist others in ways that are relevant and valued in the world. But I'm not sure how to handle the money or do the online pieces, and the whole thing feels a bit overwhelming. I need to step it up a notch, attract more clients I really like, and step into my personal power in a bigger way.

If I'm June, I know it's time to learn new technological tactics and skills to move ahead. Strategically, I know if I want to grow my business for the entire year, I shouldn't put off until tomorrow what I can begin today.

If you're ready to become a "June," build on your existing skills, and step into building a marketing foundation online, these strategies and tactics are the ones I teach once a year in my signature program, Marketing with Moneta Moxie. It's a unique modular learning and coaching vehicle designed to kick-start conscious business growth online in six primary areas over six months. If you need help online with attracting clients, website form and function, newsletters, set up and growth of four social media platforms, and celebrating your way to success, this program may be a perfect fit for you.

Find out more here: http://www.professionalmoneta.com/programs/

Divisions of Labor: What to Do with You, Your Marketing Coach, and Your Virtual Assistant

2011-10-13T08:35:00.000-05:00

So you have hired a marketing or public relations professional to help you in your business, but you have no idea what you have actually asked them to do. If they're the real deal, you want to max out your value, and keep them focused on the results you want to achieve, and focus their attention on the strategies you need to implement in your business to achieve those results. You also want to tap their expertise to measure your successes, tweak, and test to get those results faster. That's where the value lies: in their expertise and knowledge about the flow of communication, turning strategy into planning, and creating or increasing your client engagement across platforms.

You do not want your strategist to do tactics. That is, you don't want them up to their eyeballs in the nuts and bolts of the technology. That's like being unable to see the forest for the trees. Now, if they're worth their salt, they know the ins and outs of the major online platforms, can operate them for themselves, understand the nuances and differences each medium brings to the table, and how to take advantage of those features. But that's not where their value lies.

To get the best value and results, consider dividing your marketing implementation into component parts and hire team to put your plan into action. Take, for example, your website.

In the professional media world, each component of a website can be broken out and assigned to a person who specializes in that task. Here's a short list of what to ask about:

1. Design (core visual elements, like the banner header and graphics)

2. Layout (pulling the content onto the page)

3. Art Content (photos, special graphics)

4. Content Writing (will the writing do what you need it to do?)

5. Opt in box installation

6. E-business components, such as a shopping cart or autoresponder

7. Syndication of blog posts on directories

8. Maintenance and posting content

9. Video creation, uploads, and postings

10. Social Media Syndication

Can some professionals do more than one thing? Sure. My specialties are marketing public relation strategies, spiritual marketing, creative non-fiction journalism and copy-writing and photography. That's where my unique brilliance lies. Can I do the other? Yes, absolutely. Should I? Probably not, as it's not the best use of my time.

Your takeaway: don't compromise on content, which creates all-important client engagement. If you have to cut corners in the start-up phase, invest in writing, photos, and video. Rely upon your marketing pro to help you create a strategic plan and a content plan which supports your marketing goals - and leverages your expertise. Hire a Virtual Assistant to handle the technical pieces and him or her take you away from all that. Spend the time networking and building a foundation for your business.

Work for Hire? Error correct early for long term client relationship success

2011-10-03T09:09:00.002-05:00

Did you ever wish you had a bottle of white-out for a client relationship full of error corrections?

Do you need to client error correct?

When you are a freelancer and work for hire, it's important to error correct early if you make a mistake. The ability to do so encourages long term client relationship success. Error neglect - as opposed to error correct - leads to a lot of extra work and frustration for all parties concerned. In the past year, since I made a lot of changes to my business model, those frustrating days have been few and far between. Nonetheless, at 5 a.m. this Monday morning, I found myself hovering over a hot cup of coffee and taking action on lessons learned the past couple of weeks.

Like many marketing PR professionals, one of the things I offer my clients is a range of start-up services. Despite the extra trepedation that comes with learning curves, I really enjoy helping entrepreneurs set up a foundation for their businesses on the web - especially if their goals and our working styles are a good fit. But you've got to love it when those new lessons about doing business really hit us over the head like a plank board out of nowhere in a Saturday morning cartoon.

If I were honest with myself, the warning signs were there. Too many phone consultations to define and redefine the scope of the project. Ignoring time deadlines. Adding on additional tasks not part of the original agreement. Accessing the project before it was released to make "improvements." A lack of clarity about what needs to be accomplished, and why. Trying to save money by squashing two distinct functions into one job. Sending me lots of extra "doo dads" to be added at the last minute.

I chalked it all up to a beginner's lack of understanding about what the job entailed. But as the weeks dragged on, and the work stayed on my desk because it was never "finished," I realized the fault lay not with my client, but with me. Though I'd discussed the scope of the work, I let one smal thing slide, then the next. After all, in our conversation, I'd said the content, design, editing, and SEO was "all included." I confirmed the agreement to do the work in writing, and got paid in advance. And though I had the scope of work outlined on my website, and referred to it in the agreement, I didn't get down to the nitty gritty with my client and specify exactly where the lines were. By the time I felt "complete" with the job, I'd done more than twice the amount of work I'd normally perform for the investment: multiple interviews, multiple editing requests, and double the layout and copywriting.

When all was said and done, I resented the inroads on my time, a valuable non-renewable resource, more than the money. The mother of a 5-year-old, I used personal and weekend time to absorb the overages because somehow I convinced myself I "had to" do the extra work because I didn't say up specifically front that I wouldn't. Yes, I did tell the client after the fact how much additional work went into her site, but I didn't tell her at what cost. The boundaries lesson is mine.

So this morning I hammered out a contract. Not a standard work for hire contract, but a services contract so specific it's not even funny. And I feel better knowing this fairly expensive lesson is one I won't repeat anytime soon. I'm not a trapeze artist, and I'm no longer willing to fly without a net in the prevailing market conditions - even if I have to take ME out of MY comfort zone in order to figure out where the lines are.

In the interest of sharing, here's the top 10 list of what I've learned ought to be included anytime you work with a client in any business.

1. The names of the persons and businesses who are entering into the agreement.
2. The investment agreement.
3. The terms of payment
4. Projected Start and Completion Dates.
5. Specific parameters outlining what you will and won't do in context of the job.
6. Specific parameters outlining what your client will and won't do in context of the job.
7. The financial arrangements. Exactly how and when payment will be made. I require a 50% deposit minimum, with the balance due on the release date. Clients may also pay in full in advance for a premium on their investment.
8. Signatures and Dates under the financial arrangements to make the agreement binding. The client can scan or fax an original signature, you can accept the hard copy by snail mail, or you can include language stating that their response to your emailed contract is a binding agreement and that they've authorized both the work and the charges to the their account.
9. Intials and dates on the supporting pages and/or on key paragraphs.
10. Add a Ryder for additional expectations agreed upon in advance within the scope of the original agreement, or to advise of upgrades to services for which you will charge money.

A final word of advice? Don't worry about offending anyone with clear expectations in advance. You won't. And if you do, there was likely no pleasing them anyway. Consider the loss of a client with that particular modus operandii REALLY to be a gain. After all, money's not worth your peace of mind - or that of your 5-year-old. I'll use the time gained to "play trains" and chant, "I think I can...I think I can...Whoo Whoo!" There's nothing like a child's heart-centered view to lend perspective.

The Client Conundrum: Correct the Disconnect with Best Strategies for Successful Discovery Sessions

2011-09-27T08:20:00.002-05:00

Marketing and PR pros widely agree there's a new disconnect these days between what we do and what clients THINK we do. Here is a basic problem scenario in which business leaders often find themselves, and strategies for improving your outcomes. Check out this common dilemma, and discover what you can do instead to increase the value of your investment in self-promotion.

The Problem Scenario - The "Cast a Wide Net" Client Conversation

Susie checks her free ad.

You're an entrepreneur or small business owner...

If you're Stagnant Stan, you've found your established business is stagnant or dropping in returns. Those print ads you've run for years are no longer performing at the same level, and you're not sure about all this internet stuff, even though you have a website. That's how you know you need help with marketing. Instead of accessing your network, you go at this old school, and read through the yellow pages. Then, you call up a couple of friends to see if they know someone. Maybe you even meet to talk about it over lunch. Then, at their recommendation, you call up three local folks to get bids.

Or, you're Someday Susie. You want to help people and make money doing it. So you quit your day job, hand paint a shingle to hang over the side door to your home office, and just "put it out there." A few people find you, if you put out brochures, put a free classified advertisement in the local daily, and hang out fliers in coffee shops. When you're networking, business cards always seem just out of reach, and you make a lot of excuses as you ink in the correct phone number and your jazzy email address: stanNsue at wherever.com. You know you need help with marketing, because your phone bill is past due, and how will you get clients if you don't have an answering machine? Your friends say things like, "have faith in the universe," but they're not actively sending you referrals, so that's no help.

Okay, maybe you're a Stagnant Stan or a Someday Susie, and maybe you're not. But in any event, you make a decision to seek help. But when you reach out, your questions are too general, and the professional on the other end of the phone spends an hour figuring out what it is you're really asking them to do. Depending on the level of the person you've managed to reach, they've just spent $100-500 worth of their time advising you, and they already know you likely won't call again - and if you do, you won't be worth the time investment. They'll refer you to someone less capable down the road.

Success Strategies to Try Instead

Best strategy #1: Find the Right Practitioner
Access your local network on Linked In, and ask for referrals, then use the profiles function to research individual practitioners with whom you may want to consult independently. Email or message them to ask for a strategy session or consultation and make an appointment to speak on the phone.

Best strategy #2: Communicate Value
Offer to pay for the hour. It shows you understand the basic rules of business, and that you value their opinion and their time. Often, the practitioner will waive the fees for that first hour, and you'll close the meeting with a sense of mutual respect that could actually lead to referrals and new business for both parties.

Best strategy #3: Figure Out What You Want in Advance
Make a list of all the promotional strategies you think would work well for your business. Divide them into two lists, short term and long term, then number them in order of priority. Formalize your ideas by roughing out a time line with the long term intervals on top, and the short term intervals on bottom. Place the details on the timeline in order of your priorities. Divide the work into quarterly increments. Share the entire list at the meeting, but focus only on your most pressing needs in the first quarter of your plan. Remember, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so using a graphic organizer (a timeline) or mind map (chart or diagram) accomplishes a lot, fast.

Best strategy #4: Ask Targeted Questions about the Scope of Work
To target your questions about the scope of work, decide what your primary objective is; that is, get clear about what you want to accomplish. The strategies and tactics a professional recommends depends entirely on the result you wish to achieve. That's where you start. Not with the technology.

Best strategy #5: Meet the Money Question Head On
In a recession, small business owners tend to "poormouth," as my Daddy would say. They talk about how little money they make, and how little they have to spend on promotions. Instead, make it clear that you see having a clear promotional strategy as an investment in the longevity of your business. You may have a modest budget, but suggest your willingness to break larger projects into chunks so you can plan to meet the investment.

Best strategy #6: Measure Successes
Each tactic in promotions can be measured in more than one way. There's your return on investment, the value of each client on your list, the number of click throughs from an ezine, web impressions, backlinks to your site, and more. Ask the practitioner how the success of each tactic will be measured. This informs your future choices, maximizes the success of your investment, and customizes your strategies to your unique business. If the practitioner cannot explain at least the basics of how they'll quantify results, it doesn't matter how talented they are. Seek help elsewhere.

The Long & Short Terms of Entrepreneurial Marketing

2011-09-15T09:35:00.004-05:00

A lot of buzz words and acronyms fly around in the solopreneur, small business marketing world: branding, optimization, SEO, backlinks... the list goes on. It's no wonder enterprising individuals get confused, then frustrated, when they're doing everything their marketing consultant told them to do, but their bottom line isn't showing an upturn yet.

That's because a lot of marketing is focused on the long term gain: a clearly constructed identity across platforms; the ability of your clients to find you; crafting specialized content with evergreen appeal; and increasing the traffic to your blog or website.

But if you're trying to get the bills paid, placing attention on short term marketing is a valuable strategy.

1. Start with your existing customers, and think about ways you can better serve their needs.

After brainstorming your options, pick the most crucial and choose a delivery method to get the word out. Will it be an email offer, a postcard? Will you offer phone consultations? Will you offer a special or promotion, a high-value seminar, or new product at a great investment?

2. Increase your outreach to new or inactive clients.

Consider a "pay per click" advertisement online, perhaps on Facebook, which allows for a lot of market parameters. You may also wish to consider other advertising allowing you to increase your sales online. If you haven't already, take a look at streamlining your online purchases using one-click checkout methods, such as a buy now button, or allow multiple product choices and payment methods via a shopping cart. Make it really easy for your clients to buy from you.

3. While you're at it, why not place some attention on client retention?

Email or phone former clients just to see how they're doing, or give them a quick call on the phone. You don't have to sell anything, it's maintaining a meaningful connection that's important.

You'll soon find your commitment to engaged relationships with your clients leads to more repeat business, more referrals, and more income.

Press Release: Asheville live event "Fruits of Divine" at Wine Studio Sept. 8, 5:30-7 p.m., seating limited

2011-09-02T15:48:00.004-05:00

But what do I do first?

2011-08-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been getting a lot of calls from incredible women and men who know they need public relations or marketing assistance, but they don't know where to start. This dilemma occurs with both for-profit and non-profit clients. They say things like:

My niche is everyone breathing.
My work will sell itself.
I want someone else to do it for me while I make money.
If I could just raise awareness...

And...

I know I need public relations or marketing support, I just can't afford it.

Now, don't get me wrong. Each of these persons has a going entrepreneurial business. Likely, they invest in themselves and their business regularly. They've made great strides toward creating content, producing a product, establishing their expertise, and service to humanity by making the world a better place. In other words, they're not just dreaming, they're doing.

But when it comes to investing in public relations or marketing, they're at a loss. Often, they've waited and waited, putting the moment off where they have to ask for help as long as possible - not because they are inept, instead because they are so good at the business of their business, they don't like to ask for help. When the day comes to finally send the email or make the phone call, why do these business leaders see marketing public relations support as a "cost" rather than an investment?

My guess is they don't quite have a handle on the result they want to achieve. A good communications strategy begins with the end result desired.

Most of us are not "bottomless pocket" investors. We want to know we're placing attention in the places where it will return to us tenfold as quickly as possible. That's why I recommend clients look to "accellerators" when deciding which projects to give priority.

Here's my short list of accellerator areas to consider when deciding what marketing or public relations actions are needed to increase the flow of clients and money to your business.

Selling
Product development
Marketing work
Meeting with contacts
Networking
Follow-up on Leads

If cash flow is your main concern, put a * by the area which promises to yield the resources you need the fastest. That's the area to focus on first. That way, when you pick up the phone, you'll know what you need, and the investment value will be clear to everyone involved.

6 Timeless Ways to Build Your Online Community

2011-07-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

If you are an entrepreneurial marketer with a carefully honed niche, you've already heard the ideal place to find your clients is online. But "go online" is a pretty broad statement, and your time is valuable. What is the simplest way to get from where you are now to where you'd like to be to grow a community of support for your business? Let's take a few nostalgic clues from the good old days to see how to get started.

1. Make a list, and check it twice. The jolly old guy in the red suit had the right idea, but you can use technology to simplify things. Today, entrepreneurs like you use an auto-responder to create an email list. Send your contacts an invitation and link to receive your professional correspondence, such as an e-zine. Make it a double opt-in, so they confirm their information. Use the opportunity to ask how you can help, and let them know you offer solutions. Follow up with regular correspondence.

2. Appreciate the usefulness of a hand-held fan. Remember those paper fans so popular at unairconditioned public gatherings back in the old days? Today, targeting your audience via "fans" is a little more sophisticated. Take an hour or so to set up your easy Fan Page on Face Book, and build your initial community there. Face Book makes it possible to download email addresses from your followers, so you can invite them to your mailing list later. Plus, businesses with a larger margin may want to consider an autoresponder program which links the LIKE button directly to your list sign-up. Remember, you can add value by adding your own content by using the ‘notes’ function or adding special tabs.

3. Offer a prize inside the box. Invite the people you know from your real life to join your list or social media outlets by sending them an invitation with a link. Plus, when you give them your card, tell them there's something of value that's a gift for them if they go to your site and sign up. Of course, your card should have your web address and a promo for your free prize on the back.

4. Hang out where things are "hoppin'." Look for Groups on Linked In, Google, Yahoo, Face Book or Meet Up sites where there’s lively, be-bopping discussion of interest to you. Take part in the discussion.

5. Take a cue from George Bailey's friends. George, you may recall, is the name of Jimmy Stewart's character from "It's a Wonderful Life." Make a list of at least 30 things you’ve done to help others. Then, write down the names of persons with whom you worked in those situations. Email them an invitation to connect and ask for their support.

6. Share all the news that's "fit to print." Post interesting content reflective of YOU and your ideal clients. Engage in conversation about those items, and add a link so friends can SHARE your content.

My "Increase Traffic with Blogging" Notes

2011-07-01T08:42:00.002-05:00

We all know the best nut kernals of information are those shared among professionals who are also friends. Recently, a colleague and I were discussing easy, no-cost ways we'd recommend to clients new to blogging to attract more people to their blogs. After all, if a blog falls in the forest, and there's no-one there to read it, does it make an impression? I think not. So here they are, rough and unfiltered, my unadulterated, not written for public consumption, personal notes. Now, at a public domain name near you.

Basic Guidance
For guidance type information, I like Jessica Swanson. She writes for solo-e.com. Her series on blogging is very utilitarian. 50 types of blog topics. How to generate more traffic. That kind of stuff. http://www.shoestringmarketingkit.com takes you to her freebie. Her articles are on solo-e.

Blog Indexing
I spent about 6-8 hours on this last Sunday, manually uploading two URLs. Yeow. But I have seen an increase in blog traffic, and picked up some followers. Now, I opted for the free versions so I could decide which service I like best, but here are the ones (below) I think are useful to clients.

Finding the RSS Feed
It’s the little orange box on your browser toolbar. Just go to the blog as a user instead of a writer and click that orange box. It will give the rss feed for that blog. Cut & paste.

Blog Directories and Catalogs
These guys are like a clearinghouse, and they blast to other blog directories and catalogs. Increased exposure all over. First is Technorati. All you have to do is submit the blog’s RSS feed on their form. It’s considered the ‘biggest’ one.

Other blog catalogs and directories. I researched these. The ones I did were “entry level,” aka “free.” I was pretty happy with the results. My top two: OnToplist.com – includes article marketing and *ways to get in touch with other bloggers and promote your blog*; Blogged.com – blog directory and ‘news’ feed of blogs listed. *can follow other bloggers and promote your blog*

Blog Catalog – mainly a directory, but I liked parts of it, because you can search for topics and users.
Corporate blogging – the big guys, in addition to Technorati, are Best of the Web Blog Search, Bloggeries, Eaton Web Log Directory, Blog Search Engine, and others.
Non-commercial only – Globe of Blogs
Video blogs – Blog Universe

Best article I’ve found about the blog directories and catalogs out there now:

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/20-essential-blog-directories-tosubmit-your-blog-to/5998/#ixzz1LnFAoHGL by Loren Baker, search marketing information guy. Blog #20 expired since the article was written. Most of the blog catalogs I explored, above, came from this article. He included links, so I saved the piece to my OneNotes pages and clicked through from there, then saved the doc for further reference later.

http://www.freelinksfriday.com. Don’t recall why this is in my notes, but it is. Handwritten. I’m pretty thorough, so it must have had relevance on some level.

Self-syndication Online
Self-syndication with social media – all my personal outlets, plus the one/s for my business – and a sharing policy. I share others’ things a lot. When they notice, they share mine.

Blog commentary on others’ blogs. For double duty, I put an asterisk by the ones, above, which include a means to search for other bloggers with similar niches and larger following for back-linking purposes. That’s the part I think is most useful. The “blog community” part.*

Blog carnival. Haven’t done this yet, but the person who does it best is Sarah Evans. Here’s the ‘friend’ sign-up URL for her freelance writing/pr publication. She’s golden. http://us1.forward-to-friend2.com/forward?u=f79a7fdc4b1fdc14502fd332a&id=2e947923a1&e=ec3ff05ffc

Guest blogging. I’ve been doing this lately. So far, it’s mean more exposure and visibility, but not a lot more traffic. I let the host choose the topic, and I write about it from the Professional Moneta viewpoint. I’m beginning to pay more attention to those who do have more of a blog promotion process. That’s where the extra traffic will come from. Those who know to make a ‘big deal’ out of a guest blogger.

Blurbs with links in my email newsletters out. This has been good. It keeps traffic moving back to the website (where I make my offers) and also gives me a way to send traffic to the ancillary McLendon Bylines site. I’ve seen my numbers steadily climb in both locations since I began linking the articles back to my ezine.

Check my blog for comments and respond. I have it set up to alert me by email when there’s a response.

Added my websites and a brief description to my email tag lines.

Last way I’ve increased traffic. I’ve started attending a lot of live events and networking sessions. I’m sending a personalized note and carefully worded offer to link to my freebie to every person I come into contact with – even those who are not potential clients. Most leads don’t come from people we know, but from their connections. (I understand my work is rather specialized in its audience.) But…it’s getting about an 80% sign up rate for my list. Not bad for a uniquely targeted niche like mine. This technique is probably better suited to entrepreneurs, not corporations, but I’m happy with the results so I thought I’d share.

Results

These steps alone have increased my web traffic on both sites measurably, and my list signup by about 10% in the past week or so. It was time-consuming…but as I understand how much each person on my list is worth…totally a good investment of my time. I also got some good freebies from the directory companies, i.e. search engine ranking reviews and suggestsions, and decided to stop using templates with frames on my sales pages because they don’t report search very well.

Looking forward to your adding thoughts, information to this post so everyone can benefit!

Men versus Women and the Great White Page

2011-06-16T17:59:00.000-05:00

Today, I've had the battle of the sexes duking it out across the page.

You see, somewhere a while back I came across some research about the differences between writing for men and writing for women, suggesting men prefer writing that's features driven, and women prefer writing that's benefits driven. I mentioned this to a friend and client who happens to be male, and he expressed a bit of doubt. "Everything I know tells me it's benefits driven all the way."

When I started to think it through, I realized that my experience writing for men's markets bore out the theory, right or wrong. When men produce writing for other men, they tend to focus on the features of the thing. When I was working in man-world, I hated writing only about the nuts and bolts. As a purchaser, I wanted to know how the thing would make my life better, then quantify why that was true. But that was just me. The client is always right, right? I decided to revisit the issue again.

Beginning to search for that original research I read was like finding a needle in a haystack, and I'm still sorting straws. But I'm all for information that gives me or my clients a competitive edge, so hedging my bets, I'll probably run across it at some point when the time is right. In the meantime, here's a link to a handy little video with John Carlton making the distinction quite clear and touting benefits, benefits, benefits.

http://www.videojug.com/film/copywriting-features-vs-benefits

Here's where the confusion arises. When men are asked to write about a thing, say a truck or a seminar or a winch, they tend to focus on the nuts and bolts, quantify how and why it works, or what mechanisms are included. When women are asked to write about the same thing, they tend to tell you how it's going to make their life better, and the qualitative reasons that's important. Both men and women will debate the overgeneralization in these types of statements. But when either gender makes a purchase, they definitely want to know "what's in it for me." No argument. So showing a purchaser where the benefits lie for them on a personal basis suggests finding an balance that's benefits-focused, but clear about exactly what's being offered, is an elegant copywriting solution.

Elegant Copywriting Exercise:

To see how master marketers apply this concept in their email and marketing copywriting strategies, here's an easy task.

Choose a couple of individuals with complementary audiences to your own whose work you appreciate.
Print out a few of their better emails or sales pages, the ones that really appeal to you.
Take a marker, and draw boxes around the paragraphs and label the boxes based on paragraph function.
Put stars by each of the benefits claims.
Find the problem, underline it, and label it with a P; then, find the solution, circle it, and mark it with an S.
Finally, mark the keywords with a highlighter.

This easy text analysis technique will give you the format your favorite master marketer uses successfully in specific contexts, and will give you an automatic template for your own copywriting.

In the end, getting the balance between features and benefits right is all in the right framing for your particular audience. I'll let you know when I find that original research that started this line of thinking. And if all this is just too much for you to think about when you're writing marketing copy, let me know. I love helping my clients upscale their marketing one word at a time.

Building Collaborative Partnerships that Work

2011-05-14T18:32:00.001-05:00

Today's mantra? Collaborate, don't compete, for success.

Years ago, as a tween, I first encountered Richard Bach's allegorical novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull. In the world created in those pages, the bird Jonathan became outcast when he chose to challenge the status quo of limiting his potential and fighting over resources. As an outsider, he finds a critical but detached perspective of the scrapping flock whose actions are based on the fear of scarcity and being alone. Instead, Jonathan continues to push his personal limits and build his skills as a flyer. Along the way, he finds coaches, mentors, and flys with others who make transformation possible. You know.

Consciously approaching collaborations, I am always ready to learn emerging techniques to create transformative relationships from the masters. Recently, I had the good fortune to be in the room in an intimate setting when Marilyn Ball, with 12Twelve Collaborative Solutions, for her take on what makes a successful collaboration.

First, she suggests it's wise to have a clear idea:

What you want to accomplish
What you offer a potential partner
What's in it for them - and you
How your services and products fit those of your potential partner

Second, when it comes to partnerships, there are "no hard and fast rules," she notes. When entering a business relationship, be able to:

Identify the benefits for a prospective partner
Paint a picture of how the collaboration might work
Understand the dynamics of the potential partnership
Leverage resources for maximum results
Highlight the benefits for all players

Key to the collaboration are the compatible goals and fairly shared risk factors, she says. Integral to the venture's success are commonality of customer base, compatibility, and shared objectives. Once the situation has been fully evaluated, and the terms of the collaboration put into writing, a promising collaborative partnership is well on its way.

Since enjoying this conversation with Marilyn, I've stretched my wings a bit. In other words, I've entered into what will likely be my first of many collaborative partnerships, offering a premium product to enhance the value of a colleague's first major online launch. When the time is right, she will reciprocate, also increasing the inherent value of one of my future offers. The collaboration is an easy, natural fit, and I'm excited about the exposure. Quality collaborations hold real appeal for me. I believe they're the way of the future.

Create a 'Swipe File' to Lessen Learning Curve

2011-05-09T08:59:00.001-05:00

Two or three years ago, I made a conscious decision to learn a new bag of tricks to shake things up in my business. I also decided to learn, apply, test, and teach others what I'd learned. The result? I'm constantly growing, meeting new needs, and acquiring new understandings in my chosen industry. And my business is growing, too, at a rate of about 25% in the first quarter of this year.

My friend, Amy Fowler, reminded me once that "P.R. isn't something you do. It's who you are." At the time, I needed to hear it. As the lines between journalists and citizen journalism become blurred, and convergence strategy meets e-business entrepreneurial techniques, trying to figure everything out all at once can be overwhelming. As creative souls, we can get discouraged.

So here is my solution: I started a swipe file.

Many experts give away niche expertise for free to introduce readers to their services. Whenever I came across a report or piece of information which met or exceeded my expectations, I filed it away on my hard drive. Knowing I'd be adding to it, I created a topic folder into which each document is placed. The result? An instant library of "best practices" I can use to inform my own business.

Now, I admit, I'm picky. There's a lot of information floating around out there, and a lot of people who want to be gurus. I'm wary of gurus, even in my idealistic world full of "shiny happy people holding hands," as R.E.M. would chime. So whenever I choose to consider new information, I try it on my own business. I test it, I tweak it. In a world where everything happens quickly, paying attention to real life makes a difference. Actions which yield performance renders the ideal possible.

In the mix, I've begun to use more email marketing strategies in the past year than I ever have previously, with results I enjoy. Do I pay attention to the emails I receive from others which really resonate with me or lead me to an action? As Mickey Mouse says, "You betcha!" So I have a file for stellar email campaign examples, too. They tend to be short, personal, and have a clear call to action. Do I learn a lot from examining exemplars? Quality examples certainly provide an antidote to growing pains.

Otto feels relaxed, thanks to his swipe file.

The swipe file has the advantage of inspiring a fresh sense of purpose and direction when the next steps feel murky. Occasionally, I'll share a document with a friend instead of spending a wasted hour on the phone teaching. (Come on, we all do it, because we want to see our friends succeed.) The bread crumb trail in my files also leads me to those places where I need to invest my resources in order to grow my knowledge and business - or to see places in the market where there's untapped potential.

Don't have a swipe file? In my opinion, a swipe file tops the list of communications professionals' best kept secrets. Best of all, swipe files work in every industry, at every level of expertise. And it builds. If you haven't already, start your swipe file today.

Build a Better Social Media Strategy

2011-03-21T09:38:00.000-05:00

Social media users fall into tiers of usage. When we're first starting out, learning the medium and what it accomplishes, we're in the first tier. Then, when we're ready to build a strategy converting leads to sales, the rules change a bit. We become more discriminating and move into the second tier, engagement, or the third tier, the holy grail of conversion. The seemingly mysterious mechanisms by which this occurs comprises a set of questions my clients frequently ask.

Today, I'm attaching a link to an article which provides some of the answers to the problem of a social media strategy that converts. I hope you find "Four Tips for Converting Social Media Leads" helpful and interesting.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/4-tips-for-converting-social-media-leads/

Abundant blessings,
Sherri

New! Website Launch & Optimization Packages

2011-02-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

WEAVERVILLE, N.C. - February 9, 2011 - Enterprising entrepreneurs can now easily enter the online marketplace with the advantage of new website launch and optimization packages, thanks to McLendon Bylines and its team of writers, designers, and optimization specialists.

"Many entrepreneurs want to spend their time doing what they love, not figuring out how to deal with marketing their business online," says Sherri L. McLendon, a communication strategist and copywriter. "We basically take them away from all that, providing them with the foundation they need at an investment which makes good sense from a business perspective."

Most clients ask for a website that's user friendly, that is, one which they can update themselves once it's up and running, says McLendon. "Often, they've had a starter website hosted by a designer, but found the process of getting the site updated too time consuming, tedious, or expensive." Conversely, the McLendon Bylines approach is utilitarian; if the website doesn't work for the business, it isn't working at all in our view, she explains.

In the initial meeting, McLendon personally assesses the needs of each client, and recommends the best solutions based on the client's own criteria. Then, working with an eye to the future, the website is created to attract the client's ideal customer base, including design choices, content marketing, and launch promotions.

"The bells and whistles are pretty standard for us," says McLendon. "We include the site setup, content, research, tags, SEO keyword placement, links, and an online press release when we provide this service."

What's new is the additional option of local optimization, which makes it easier for customers to find the business they're seeking. "The result of localized optimization is that it significantly increases the likelihood of the client's business appearing at the top of the page of search returns," says McLendon. "This tactic is particularly valuable when one's business serves a geographically defined area."

"This service is one which my clients have often requested, but which we did not previously offer," McLendon says. "Now, we can increase new traffic online and on the ground, and that's a good thing everyone concerned." As a bonus, clients are also listed on leading location-specific social media sites.

For more information on website launch and optimization packages for your business and location, email sherri@sherrimclendon.com.

Asheville North Carolina: McLendon launches Professional Moneta

2011-01-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Asheville North Carolina: McLendon launches Professional Moneta

Measure email effectiveness

2010-12-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

As my business depends increasingly on building online relationships based on trust and client needs, I'm taking time to reconsider my approaches to email. Like many communications pros, I shifted my focus to social networking as the industry worked to get ahead of the curve a couple of years ago. Going into 2011, I'm rethinking my marketing mix, and the word of the year is "integration."

With integration in mind, it's time to take a second and third look at my good old, taken for granted friend, email. Best emails are short, scannable, action-driven. Done well, they work, at a fraction of the costs of direct "snail" mail or dinosaur era fax machines. And my assumption is, that if you've gotten this far, you already have an email list management tool at work in your business. (If not, I strongly suggest you get one.)

So, where do I place my attention to figure Return on Investment (ROI)? Here's the short list:

Open Rate: What percentage of messages were opened?
Bounce Rate: What percentage of messages were undeliverable?
Unsubscribe Rate: What percentage of recipients asked to be removed from the list?
Click Rate: What percentage of readers were interested enough to click a hyperlink? In what links did the reader show the most interest?
Conversions: How many sign-ups did your "free taste" earn? Did your readers forward your information to a friend or a social network? How many sales resulted from your campaign?

If my results aren't what I hoped for, I change it up, paying special attention to the subject line, which directly impacts the open rate; the click rate, which indicates reader interest; and the conversion rate, which tells me my service has value to the audience. Aren't value and service really what it's all about?

Panelist "Ethical Issues in Mass Media" at UNC-Asheville

2010-10-10T11:01:00.004-05:00

Delighted to appear as a panelist for "Ethical Issues in Mass Media," sponsored by the Mass Communications Department at University of North Carolina-Asheville, and hosted by Don Diefenbach. Here's a link to the video of the event:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/uncasheville/videos/18/

Moneta-ize Your Life! at www.professionalmoneta.com

2010-09-19T17:45:00.015-05:00

Please accept this invitation to “Moneta-ize Your Life” in a new e-course that’s been written from a spiritual perspective by Sherri L. McLendon, M.A., O.M., to shift your mindset about marketing.

Click on the article title to get your copy now!

"Top Ten Ways to Power Your Professional Presence Like the Moneta You Are!"

Receive Top Ten Actionable Moneta Strategies to Help YOU Attract More Money Doing What You Love!

•Learn about Juno Moneta, and what she can do for women today!
•Find out what defines a Moneta Mindset, and how you can get one!
•How communicating from your heart can improve your bottom line!
•Get your Goddess on with new networking strategies!
•Save Moneta while marketing your business!
•Create a Calling Card fit for the Divine!
•Manifest from a Moneta Mindset!
•And More!

A Word From Sherri McLendon

Your Moneta Marketing Mentor

The video is only one part of my recent work I'm delighted to share. I hope you, too, will take advantage of this special e-course publication and join the Moneta Movement by visiting http://professionalmoneta.com/, and claim your special bonus, a subscription to our free weekly newsletter. "The Goddess' Tip Jar" is full of action steps, motivation, and inspiration. I do hope you'll join us as we manifest plenty, receive abundance, and embrace prosperity in all forms.
Here's to your every success!
Sherri

Four good places connecting reporters and publicists

2010-08-22T10:43:00.002-05:00

Working both sides of the news desk over the years, I've come to value emerging tools for connecting reporters and publicists. Keeping this short and sweet, here are my top four places on the web which are up to the task:

1. HARO, the acronym for Help A Reporter Out. Creator Peter Shankman sold out to Vocus earlier this year, but the free opt-in list with a life all its own allows journalists to post source needs and publicists to respond.

2. News Basis. This one's in real time. Take a look and see what you think.

3. ProfNet. A resource of PRNewswire, it's well respected in the industry.

4. Pitchrate.com, an outreach of Wasabi Publicity. My personal favorite. It's free, and comes with bells and whistles for users.

With time at a premium, less spent making connections means more quality content at one's fingertips. Check these out to see what they can do for you.

So you want to work with a copy editor?

2010-08-04T12:38:00.005-05:00

In a nutshell, a good copy editor does whatever is needed to improve a text for publication in a variety of mediums. The editor and author often disagree on what that may mean. The in between steps are to look for an editor who is a good fit for the project, and to take out the guess work.

Basically, three types of editing may be requested:
1. Proofreading
2. Line item
3. Substantive

Here's how the division of labor shapes up for me:

Proofreading usually refers toward the grammar basics: punctuation, commas, subject and verb agreement. As an editor, I do very little of this work except when laying the groundwork for more advanced editing.

When line item editing, the skill set goes up. I check for word choice, sentence structure, connotation, coherence, unity, and similar details in the text.

A former news editor, I am accustomed to making substantive, organizational changes or correcting problems within the proof, evidence or citations. Substantive editing, in some cases, includes fact checking. However, writers - especially those who have labored over their texts - have difficulty when this level of work is needed. The middle road is to suggest places where the changes need to be made, and leave the writer to make them. Again, the skill level of the editor becomes more advanced, and the writer's trust for the process becomes a factor.

The bottom line is to know what type of editing your text needs, and to clarify specifically which level of editing you wish the editor to perform. Expect to pay more for an editor who corrects lazy academic citations (substantive), than for an editor who places commas correctly in relationship to coordinating conjunctions (proofreading).

If you don't know for certain which type of editing is right for you, try reading the writing out loud and mark the places where you hear problems. The level of help you need will come in loud and clear.

My Aha! Moment - National Spot

2010-07-03T07:25:00.007-05:00

See the integrity and heart I bring to life and work in this Aha! Moment video presentation for Mutual of Omaha:

aha moment: creative power.

AskAsheville - Asheville Twitter - Asheville Blog - Asheville Videos - Asheville Social Media

Oil Spill Definitively a "Critical Event"

2010-06-24T17:30:00.002-05:00

As the catastrophe in the Gulf looms ever larger on the horizon, the threat of a global disaster becomes more than mere supposition. The media literate already understand what the general public does not. That is, the Gulf oil disaster is not simply a crisis; it proves readily identifiable as a critical event. Our existence may never be the same again.

According to Pride, critical events are "contextually dramatic happenings, such as economic depressions, environmental disasters, intense physical confrontations, strategic initiatives by a social movement organization, or new public policies.” An environmental disaster, on the growing scale of the BP Gulf oil spill catastrophe, certainly may be understood fundamentally as a critical event – that is, an event that threatens the survival of the people – and perhaps of the planet. In the case of oil and energy use, we now have an absolute need for an accelerated shift to ecologically sustainable systems.

Currently, Americans are galvanized to their preferred mediums, buffeted by each successive day of increasingly disturbing news. In response to the oil spill, many individuals will feel called to create pseudo-events to call attention to the problems and advocate for solutions. From the critical event perspective, the pseudo-event becomes a tool or mechanism, a proven template for challenging the social order.

Critics may find the public actions dramatic and press conferences scripted, but the experience of investing one’s energy, expertise, and influence into effecting a significant change in public opinion and action cannot be mediated. Participants and their supporters will create a stock of shared cultural meanings growing out of the processes of this response. Like the language surrounding critical events historically, we can expect criticism of the American way, the dependence on oil. Hopefully, we will also see dramatic changes as a result of the ensuing public dialogue.

In Asheville, N.C., known for its innate sense of social justice, a growing number of individuals form the Oil Spill Solidarity Movement in order to host events in response to the BP oil spill. One of them handed me a small flier as I sat in traffic last week as they picketed a local BP station on Merrimon Avenue, a primary business corridor on the North end of town. Their stated goals as a group resonate on several levels: sharing information, finding ways to help, protecting Carolina’s coast, demanding truth, advocating for accountability, grieving losses, supporting the Gulf coast, expressing anger, and rethinking energy use. Strategically, direct action may be pursued by this group or others for its effectiveness against political and economic power. Today, many individuals – not simply those in the margins – have chosen to speak out against public policies using the tactics and strategies of civil disobedience, or non-violent protest actions.

The emerging dialogue about the oil spill needs to focus around its effects. We know its causes. BP’s preventative measures came up short and failed. I doubt we’ve seen such a dramatic failure since the Titanic came up short on lifeboats – an unfortunate circumstance that changed the maritime industry forever. The long-term effects of the oil spill, and the oil-based economy justifying its occurrence, today gives birth to a dialogue about the survival of humanity as a whole. The Gulf oil catastrophe may well be a redefining moment in our histories as Americans and as members of a global community. The problems the Gulf coast and Southeastern U.S. face are contextually dramatic as befits the fallout from environmental disaster: economic depression, the possibility of dis-location from our chosen homes, the loss of health due to toxins, the eradication of the oceanic food supply and a vital part of the food chain, the wide-scale destruction of ecosystems.

Today, right this minute, what is called into question is the ultimate survival of humanity itself if we continue on the same course we have set ourselves for the past two centuries. Turning the tide will require a strategic initiative, a strong social movement organization and new public policies. Turning the tide would mean each individual would have to change his or her own relationship to consumption. It will be impossible to turn the tide if there is no ocean.

Collaboration: Effecting a Positive Shift

2010-04-18T08:44:00.003-05:00

What does it mean to “collaborate” with another individual?

Lately, I’ve examined my personal experience with collaboration. I found I have a history of collaborating with individuals who take more than they give.

Let’s say, for example, I have unique expertise in a certain area, and I agree to share that expertise in exchange for a collaborator helping me compile and publish the information. Then, once the collaborator is trained, he takes the wealth of my experience, education, and expertise, and copyrights or trademarks my concept and takes credit for all the work. He even goes behind my back and rooks my client base for the publication.

Or perhaps I agree to compile information for a collaborative work group, then, quickly find myself doing the work, and having other individuals within the group take credit for my efforts. Anything like that ever happen to you?

Every time someone else takes my hard work and profits from it, it devalues my unique process and product. Even if their actions are unconscious, unethical collaborative partners make it difficult for entrepreneurial spirits like mine to survive, to ask for the equitable monetary or energetic exchange our lifetime of experience is worth. Though I consciously work to forgive these transgressions when they occur – and still believe we should try to help one another in the world – I maintain that taking unfair advantage in a collaborative setting is a serious form of misappropriation, or the appropriation without consent of another’s time, energy, process or product related to a unique endeavor.

Misappropriation can occur in terms of knowledge, energy, money, culture, or other resources. Native peoples, such as the Lakota, constantly fight cultural misappropriation of their spiritual and ancestral legacies in the face of mainstream identification with their life ways. Scholars resist academic misappropriation of their research and work by careless copiers through copyright law. But how am I to resist misappropriation of my personal resources by someone I know and trust? When I silently internalize the betrayal characterized by misappropriation of my resources by someone I once trusted, I allow myself and my work to be devalued. And while I remain committed to conscious equal partnership in collaboration, I simply will no longer accept inequalities manifested as misappropriation. I will no longer hold myself liable for another’s actions. I will no longer keep silent.

As new, healthy collaborative partnerships unfold in my professional life, it becomes possible to see clearly the role misappropriation plays as the shadow side of collaboration. And that’s a huge realization. It means I have to commit to recognizing my own worth in the world, to spelling out collaborations up front in terms of contracts, to take measures to protect my intellectual property. By maintaining equitable flow in all my relationships, I recognize I’m shifting economic dynamics in a positive way.

One person, I become as a pebble in the pond and trust the ripple.

Making a List, Checking it Twice

2010-03-02T16:13:00.004-05:00

Recently, I was asked to do pro-bono publicity for a diversity oriented evening event. “Just a press release,” requested the contact. “Everything’s approved. If you’ll just write it and send it out for us.” Simple, right? Not really.

Thinking of taking on a pro-bono job? Check this list twice before committing. And if the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you may want to consider saying “no.”

o Do you have misgivings about the event?
o Are the areas of concern presented to you as a done deal?
o Is the event information incomplete or in disarray?
o Is the lead time before the event shorter than needed?
o If the event is mismanaged, could it damage the reputations of you or your client by association?
o Upon examination, is the event in conflict with your client’s mission?
o Is there a conflict of interest involved?
o Is this going to take more time than it’s worth to me?
o Are performers working without a contract?
o Are there inconsistencies in the messaging about the event?
o Has the program content been left up to the presenters?
o Is damage control a priority before the event takes place?
o Will web commentary need to be monitored due to probable controversy?
o Are talking points a prerequisite to the event?

These points raise red flags, suggesting the practitioner will be needed for more than sending out a simple press release to his/her media list. Good questions deserve good answers, and so do you. Good luck!

The need for a 'digital media pyramid'

2010-02-22T20:34:00.001-05:00

The need for a 'digital media pyramid'

A model to supplant or supplement journalism practice? Not certain yet, but I'll keep you posted.

AskAsheville - Asheville Twitter - Asheville Blog -
Asheville Videos - Asheville Social Media

Kathy Mattea's thoughtful interview

2010-01-20T05:19:00.004-05:00

Preparing for this interview with Kathy Mattea took longer than usual, but the results were worth it. Her comments mark a turning point in this journey tale, and most of these insights did not turn up in the research. http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2010/012010stories_of_coal

January 28, 2010 - A nice compliment and postscript to the story. I received a personal phone call from Don London, Ms. Mattea's manager, thanking me for the story and asking if she might use it to promote her presentations educating the public about work to stop mountaintop removal. Of course, I agreed, grateful the article will be used to further meaningful work in the world.

Homecoming: A Swannanoa Solstice

2009-12-18T07:14:00.002-05:00

Writing this piece for Mountain Xpress felt great. If you're in the mood for an Appalachian solstice celebration, check out my preview of A Swannanoa Solstice. http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/121609homecoming

Blogging for AskAsheville

2009-12-05T17:45:00.003-05:00

One good blog deserves another, and I've agreed to add a bit of general interest blogging to the mix at AskAsheville.com. Here's a link to a recent post about Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina and its holiday innovations: "A Holiday Tasting" with the Wine Studio of Asheville on Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 5-7 p.m. and a special holiday membership offer. Hope your holiday season is unfolding with glee!

Beginner's habits useful for experienced consultants

2009-10-10T18:12:00.006-05:00

Beginner's mind may be a Buddhist concept, but for "content consultants" like myself, it's a good place to begin every project. If we come to each project as a beginner, we're less apt to make rookie mistakes. Here are six basic habits to cultivate:

1. Clarify the request.
When a client asks you for something, clarify what he means. If he says "see what you think," ask for more definition. Does he mean he wants you to review the overall content package of a daily newspaper, or run a cost projection for producing syndicated content over time? It makes a difference.

2. Negotiate shared vocabulary.
If you're not using the same terms to refer to the same items, it's like the Fungos speaking to the Martians. No-one understands anyone. News editors use different terminology than magazine editors, and journalism jargon differs from that of public relations practitioners and marketers. With appropriate knowledge management and shared understandings, stressful misunderstandings may be avoided.

3. Confirm your understandings in writing.
When crafting the thank you note, restate the terms of the emerging relationship and be specific. "I have been retained by your corporation to provide two line teasers and subheads for your email newsletter, with an emphasis on calls to action. For this service, your company will remit (the agreed amount) with payment on publication." Short, concise, clear.

4. Agree on a system of communication.
For example, will you receive the copy request via email? Will you confirm receipt by email or phone? How will emails need to be tagged for expeditious handling? Confirm those understandings as well.

5. Set deadlines, meeting dates, and review sessions in advance.
Write appointments in your calendar, etch them into your smart phone, whatever works. And once in the room, be open to changes needed for the successful evolution of the client relationship.

6. Confirm payment arrangements at the first meeting. While industry standard has remained consistent about paying consultants using federal tax forms 1099 or W-9, the current economy has some businesses looking way ways to cut costs and corners. "Industry standard" may no longer be the practice. Check your comfort level with the payment arrangements before you agree to do the work.

Though new media daily changes the communication landscape, the rapidity of these changes necessitates increased clarification of collaborative objectives and methods. Thinking like a beginner, and going through relationship building basics time and again with every new project and client, increases flexibility and ability to meet market demands.

One may never be too experienced to learn to think like a beginner!

Study: New PR Hires Must Blog, Tweet, Use SocNets - MarketingVOX

2009-08-30T10:49:00.001-05:00

Study: New PR Hires Must Blog, Tweet, Use SocNets - MarketingVOX

Shared via AddThis

Enriching Lives: Jack Jarvis' Garden

2009-07-01T07:48:00.007-05:00

For Fathers Day, our family decided to attend a quiet fundraiser, a public showing of Jack Jarvis' private Japanese-style gardens in Madison County. No hard sale, no advance tickets, no networking. Simply an open garden gate and a tin can with donations to benefit the local non-profit Eliada Homes. The four acres spread out before us like opportunity, full of surprises: bonsai, true lotus and water lilies, elegant visual landscapes of flowers, trees placed as scultural notes to draw the eye. Mr. Jarvis took a few moments to talk with us, pointing out the koi and shark pool to our 3-year-old, and talking with us about lotus. The afternoon passed quickly; we left our donation as raindrops arrived, happy, relaxed, uplifted, and connected. Reminder to self: not all events have to be high maintenance to yield the desired results.

Announcing my engagement (with convergence media)

2009-06-28T08:04:00.010-05:00

I want to announce my engagement.

No, I'm not getting married. After nearly a decade after becoming stymied with the lack of change in print journalism, and bored with the act of writing or reframing the same story repeatedly over years, it's happened. I'm in love.

With convergence.

My sexy new companion has given me the freedom to release the old-fashioned conception of the generalized ideological marketplace, looking instead to my specific audience. How and why do they consume media? When my interests align with theirs, we connect.

Connection is good.

Today's media savvy environment requires a marriage of old and new skills, a newsmaking collage of the iconic and the iconoclastic. No substitutions may be made for quality of content; reliability and accuracy remain the hallmarks of a news-making professional. But convergence media requires flexibility and innovation that print media does not. Meaning is no longer written in stone, so to speak, but negotiated. Readers connect with breaking news in real time in relevant ways. News is rendered personal, immediate, responsive.

Simply having an online version of the print product is no longer enough. A few publishers get it right. Patrick Yost, publisher of the Morgan County Citizen/Madisonian, a top-ranked newspaper by the Georgia Press Association, is one of those. I worked with Patrick in the Citizen's early days, and I've learned two core strategies I've never forgotten. First, surround yourself with people who are more gifted than you are at their jobs, then build a team dedicated to excellence and innovation. Second, know your audience and go local, local, local. Readers who connect with content are loyal subscribers and advertisers. Shrinking newsroom staffing and dwindling resources render impossible effective print competition outside the local news market.

Connection yields a "getting to know you" period, then engagement follows. Engagement is a heady thing.

When a reader connects directly with content, they respond. Back in the olden days, when I made my bread and butter as a newspaper editor, we'd count letters to the editor and multiply their viewpoints by ten to get an idea of how many readers we'd upset that week. Today, newsmakers measure success by the click of the comment button or the link, concretely using electronic measurement. Plus, we gather an accretion of reader response for further analysis.

Print journalists are struggling with the reality of "all this." Here's why. The power of the fourth estate has shifted from the reporter to the publicist. The publicist's ability to connect with breaking news in multiple markets for diverse audiences trumps the reporter's ability to "scoop" a story. In its evolution, news reporting has shifted from news hunting to news gathering. Publicists don't wait for the story to break; they quite literally make the news as it happens. Storyteller to the media Michelle Tennant, with Wasabi Publicity, Inc. in Saluda, N.C., rides the wave of client needs and new media immediacy. Mable Chan, Good Morning America producer, calls Michelle a "five star publicist." That means Michelle provides the expert, the information, the resource at the exact time for the reporter, anchor, or segment producer. Her clients regularly appear on national news, talk shows, or other venues. She links news gatherers to information fast, takes the hunting out of the equation.

The possibilities of convergence are as exciting as all get out. Engagement? I'm ready for marriage, can't wait for the honeymoon!

Marketing to Members

2009-06-27T08:38:00.004-05:00

This week, when working on membership strategies for Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina, I found myself taking a look at notes from a presentation by Linda Brandt, owner of LB Marketing Services in Arden/Asheville, N.C. I remembered having an "Aha!" moment during her speech, and jotting down notes of HOW I planned to use her suggestions in the non-profit arena.

The Aha! moment boils down to this. Quite simply, members ARE clients. And when you're marketing to individuals who are members of the profession, the basic rules of marketing become the golden mean.

Members, like clients, want value, professionalism, and a superior product. In the case of the non-profit, the product is the organization itself and what it can do for the member as consumer. In the case of an industry specific organization, increased opportunities for networking, collaboration, recognition of excellence, and knowledge of hot trends gives one agency or practitioner a competitive edge in the rapidly changing marketplace.

Personally, I'm a fan of data-driven decision making. Intuition and creativity have their place, but when my goal is serving the member, I need to profile and analyze current shareholders within a geographically centered region. By the creation of a rich database, I know where to place my focus regarding new member recruitment/activation, and current member retention/ reactivation. The organization's message reaches members of its audience on their own terms. Gotcha!

After all, the right message is relevancy. The highest concentration of the membership base tells me where my members place their priorities. When member priorities become my priorities, and the priorities of my organization, then that magical spark of engagement occurs.

Where there's magic, there's meaning.

Responses to Current Media Issues

2009-06-23T18:10:00.003-05:00

Rethinking Media Writing
Is the overview course a thing of the past? See what I have to say.
http://aejmc.org/topics/2009/06/rethinking-media-writing/

The Barbecue Data Structure
Gotta take a byte of information, sauce it up a bit...
http://xark.typepad.com/my_weblog/example-a-draft-bbq-data-structure.html?cid=6a00d8341c5d3453ef01156faeb4cb970c.

Student Liason for PRAWNC 2009-2010

2009-05-17T08:10:00.002-05:00

As a board member for Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina, I agreed to take on the responsibilities of student liason to area colleges and universities with degrees or concentrations relative to journalism and mass communications fields. Those efforts will be focused in the fall and spring, at the turn of the semesters.

Funding advanced education for gifted practitioners is more important now than ever. So it is my intention to track scholarship offerings on the FaceBook discussion board for McLendon Bylines, my business entity.

First up, the American Copy Editors Society has released applications for its 2010 scholarships. Anyone can sift through their site, which is super useful, or click on my discussion board for the link straight to the scholarship information, instructions, and forms. Graduating seniors and graduate students committed to a career in quality copy editing will want to check out their jobs board. And there are interfaces for FaceBook and Twitter...

Becky Stone's performance on USA Today video

2009-05-16T10:01:00.004-05:00

A small hurrah!

My press release for Cane Creek Middle School's Black History Month performance by actress Becky Stone (2009) was picked up by the Asheville Citizen Times. Their photographer shot the video. As the ACT is a Gannett paper, the video was chosen by USA Today for their Video offerings.

Just the kind of thing I like to see!

Shifting sands of consumerism

2009-05-02T06:24:00.002-05:00

Americans, collectively, may think they're living in an economic wasteland, but perhaps we are simply entering a new phase in the evolution of the consumer. The impact of social media means the role of the consumer has shifted. Instead of marketers windstorming the landscape with a brand identity, we find the wind of public opinion via the internet has given consumers control of brands.

Today, the buzzword heralding this shift is "engagement." Whether in corporate communications, customer relationship management, or education, the question is how to engage the consumer. When individuals interact with representatives from their brands, the result is customer loyalty.

As a communications professional, my job is to build communities for learning, sharing, and a feeling of inclusion. I want my readers to buy in.

Old media, new tricks

2007-12-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the past five years, I see real difference in the skills journalists need to interface information with technology. Since graduate school, I've learned a few new tricks: blogs, wikis, web page design (still learning), groups, domain names and hosting, and publishing on the Internet. I still love print, it's my speciality, but it's costly. I'm using my skills to teach persuasive writing, to create an online magazine, share public relations materials, run a project, and enhance a community of adult women writers, among others. New media gives me opportunities to create news.

pressed into service

2007-12-06T05:55:00.001-05:00

Black History Month arrives in February, and I have agreed to coordinate the media end of things: the fundraising kit, letters to presenters, press releases, media contacts, thank you letters, print jobs, coaching for television and radio appearances, and other responsibilities. And we must not forget the need for a web site to hold all our information, photos and contacts.

Do I need to have my head examined? This is my idea of fun!

Jesus, Mohammed and the mouths of babes

2007-12-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

The chat around Asheville this week focused in part on the British school teacher who regrettably allowed her students in an Islamic country to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." Though certain adherents of Islam demanded her death as forfeit for this crime, the young woman was held in a prison until pardoned and released into the custody of embassy officials.

While many in these parts have difficulty understanding that sort of extremism, one must wonder the response of these same individuals to news that the BBC had been sued by evangelical Christians in Great Britain for airing a comedic episode featuring Jesus in "nappies," or diapers. The BBC was not censured by the courts for the decision to air the programming in question.

In unrelated news, Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass in its movie form awaits release for the holidays. In response to this event, controversy regarding the religious significance or lack thereof dominates certain segments of the media and of conversation.

In each of these examples, religion and "societal norms" dictate the way the media reports the news of these occurances. At first glance, it is fairly obvious that my counterparts of the mainstream journalism world frame their treatment of the issues as though they write for a conservative Christian reader. Apparently, the norms of news are American, middle class, and pulled from the playbook of the Eisenhower administration.

Everywhere I look, news reporters miss the story. By segmenting a series of Asheville murders into isolated occurances, reporters are missing the fact that gang wars between affiliates of the Bloods and the Crips over drug territory likely account for a number of these deaths.

In today's media climate, news on paper no longer comprises current events. Reporters who used to depend on deadlines can now post at any moment to their publications online site. Readers born since the 1970s, do most of their reading online or on a hand-held device. News professionals should embrace shifts in the medium to get out their message.

the joy of extended metaphor

2007-12-01T16:28:00.000-05:00

Ah, how I enjoy extended metaphor. To take a comparison, elongate and extend it, twine it with an apparent opposite, in order to reveal qualitative truths, is a luxury of words, the mink coat of linguistic outerwear. While many writers know an extended metaphor when they see one, the crafting of such a descriptive passage may be a different matter. The length of an extended metaphor may be a single paragraph, or may thread throughout a longer work, lend it cohesiveness and deliver the thematic message through its use of symbol. When teaching, I begin with the classic overlapping circles of Venn diagrams, and a brainstormed list of free-associated concepts with words of saturated meanings. Then, I craft the comparison, sometimes verbally, sometimes in writing, but always with intentionality and instinct. Somehow, it works, though I am often naked under the coat.

Publishing the book...

2007-09-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

The process of publishing "Alcatraz is not an island: panindianism in media accounts of the 1969-71 occupation" as an academic book is ongoing. My friend Nadja (NL Gassert) Depape tells me it may take two years of active searching to find the right publisher for the project. With the 30 year anniversary of the occupation in the offing, I'm in the midst of the search. While many writers try simultaneous submissions, I was taught those are a bad business move and are looked at in askance by the industry. I am choosing one publisher at the time, and a response can take upward of six weeks. Patience is indeed a virtue.

new media and old news makers

2007-09-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

This week I enjoyed a short, meaningful interaction with my old friends, Observation and Speculation, while watching C-Span2. A panel of journalists was rehashing the news coverage of the Virginia Tech tragedies and how it could have been improved. On the panel was a very youngish twenty-something journalist who'd broken one of the top stories about the survivors for Time.com. How did she do it? By logging onto the student network in her Facebook account, and working with two other college student journalists, she was able to account for each student survivor and victim. And she and her colleagues left the big guys standing outside the front door holding their pants.

In another instance, the recently debuted movie, Redacted, is making waves for its highly realistic footage of the war in Iraq (filmed in part on a home video camera). The film recounts the rape and murder of a young Iraqi girl by U.S. soldiers. Where did the director get his inspiration? From film clips posted by soldiers in Iraq on YouTube - perhaps the only source of uncensored footage of American activities there.

An information age generation gap is emerging in the journalism industry. Those who know new media and how to use it are on the edge, riding the wave.

Goal: Learn to use new media and surf for information.
I started with my Facebook account; then I figured out how much of my personal information is posted to the world, and I rendered it inactive within 36 hours. Better: a professional identity (or a social identity) without merging the two. And post nothing you wish to remain personal or private.

Goal: Consider the ways virtual learning communities could be constructed using new media outlets such as Facebook or YouTube. What are the implications for Journalism in Education programs?

Goal: Close the gap by using mined information to research and break stories other writers my age aren't getting. Could be working with teenagers has given me a fresh perspective that was lacking in my earlier work. I notice that this week a notable Washington Times correspondent also created a Facebook account. Hmm. Even I can put two and two together.

an econarrative memoir

2007-09-03T09:42:00.000-05:00

My current project is a personal, book-length version of my family stories of life in the Okefenokee Swamp. Through the writing process, I examine the ways these embedded hopes, fears and values inform my own existence. I call this work an "econarrative" because it draws its structures, metaphors and mythologies from the swamp itself, as well as from memory. Associations with nature writing and autobiography are apparent. However, this memoir's organization is thematic, or associative, rather than chronological, differentiating it from its closest kin. In essence, the work is highly personal, travelling to the places only the heart knows and can reveal.

the white refrigerator

2007-05-26T06:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I ran across a book by Natalie Goldberg, Long Quiet Highway, which deals at some length with teachers and the process of teaching writing. The first time I read this work, and its companion work, Writing Down the Bones, I was blown away by the concept of applying the work of the body-mind in writing. In that first flush of discovery, I whipped out my dry erase markers and began writing quotations and illustrations of my discovery all over the sides of my ancient refrigerator with its smooth-sided, whiteboard spray paint finish. When the fridge gave up the ghost a few weeks later, imagine the response of the maintenance man! I requested a new fridge with smooth sides, but the new one that arrived had a ridged exterior. This time, as I read, I realize how far I have come. I no longer want to cover the fridge with anyone's ideas but my own.

blog rhymes with bog

2007-05-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

The first thing I have to say about blogging is that it's fun. The second thing is that it's a bit addictive. The third thing I might add is that it's been interesting seeing what of my writings are recoverable from the web. I have learned a couple of interesting things about myself and my work that I did not know previously. For example:

the Rajni Shah Theatre Group (London) uses a quote from one of my reviews to promote its company on its web site.
the city of Atlanta quoted my 1999 story "Parking Lot or Paradise," for Flagpole Magazine, Athens, Georgia, as an expert source in a report on developing a sense of place through historic preservation, in 2003.

Somehow, seeing pieces of my work surface on the web is both reassuring and disappointing. Reassuring because, like me, the work I crafted has survived. And disappointing because so little of it is out there. My file cabinet at home is filled with clips (should I scan and catalogue them all?) Others were never salvaged during a relocation in 2000. I am loathe to dig into all that history, and equally reluctant to abandon the load by the side of the road like our flowered sofa, sagging under the weight of time.

For now, I have added links to some of my published work at right. Feel free to browse.

welcoming a new reality

2007-05-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

This blog will celebrate my return to a profession that I love and at which I excel.

A lot of work awaits along the journey. Business plans, networking, implementing, writing, publishing, organizing, funding, tweaking, envisioning... and that's just in my professional life (aside from my current teaching job).

The joy of tending 14- month-old Riley, his laughter dancing on my ears like sunshine on burbling water, lends its sweetness to my everyday existence with my partner, Scott.

These words, they are a beginning, albeit an important one. They start where the old words left off: with a wiregrass basket woven from memory. My basket is full to overflowing, and I am ready for whatever comes next.

In my master's thesis (2004), I wrote that "I listened and heard this song. As my ancestors taught, I wove a net of wiregrass to catch it in. It is hard to dance with all these words in my basket, so I am telling this song to you now. So it is said."

A new song is coming. Can't you hear it in the wind?