Successful Blog

How to make your own rules

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Rosemary O’Neill

Why you must ignore the food police AND the social media police

Eggs, coffee, wine, chocolate. This is just the short list of items that have been forbidden by the food police and then discovered to have benefits (thank heavens).

Automation, daily posting, subscriber popups, list posts. Social media gurus will jerk you around too.

The bottom line is that any prescriptive formula is not going to work for everyone.

I’m freeing you from the police.

When I was in the final weeks of my pregnancy with twins, my doctor prescribed a pint of premium brand ice cream nightly. (Let that sink in.)

What the heck?

Turns out that a pint of Haagen Dasz contains protein and calcium, as well as a big chunk of the calories that unborn twins consume. So while the “food police” would tell you NEVER to do that, I’m convinced that my preemie babies had fewer problems at birth because of ice cream.

Tweetable: When it comes to social media, do what’s right for your own business goals, not anyone else’s.

How to make your own rules

Write before you read – First thing in the morning, review your mission/goals, then do some content creation free of other people’s musings.

Look at your own data – Google Analytics can be intimidating, but it’s worth learning how to use it. As a free tool, it offers crazy good insights into how your website and your social content is resonating.

Pay attention to who has your ear – It makes a great headline to say, “8:00AM is the best time of day to Tweet,” or “Why you should NEVER post on weekends.” But is that advice right for you specifically? What if your audience is working moms, and you catch them with free time to read on the weekend?

Gurus are people too – Remember that the so-called experts are writing from their own perspective, based on their own experiences, which may not match yours. Also, they can be wrong.

Take a moment today to ask yourself why you are doing things a certain way. If it doesn’t move you toward your business goals, kick it to the curb!

Is there any social media advice you’re following blindly right now?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Why Conventions and Conferences Are Worth It: Top Events Left in 2012

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Amanda DiSilvestro

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Why Conventions and Conferences Are Worth Your Time

One of the most important things you can do for your business is continue to be informed -— learn the strategies of the top industry leaders, keep up on the latest news, and do what you can to understand how Google works and how you can improve your company website. Knowing what is buzzing in your industry, the Internet landscape, and the overall economy will help ensure that you’re prepared for anything. One key way to make sure that you are present and informed about your industry is to attend quality seminars, conferences, and conventions.

Unfortunately, many companies are still not taking advantage of all that these meetings have to offer. Attending conferences takes time, energy, and money. Business owners are typically so busy that they barely have time to go home and be with their families let alone attend a conference, so it simply doesn’t get done. However, most business owners who do attend one to two conferences per year find them to be extremely valuable for a few reasons:

  • You make great connections.
  • Speakers usually give advice from experience, so you can learn from others’ mistakes.
  • Conferences often discuss strategies and tactics that are new to most.
  • Typical question and answer sessions allow you to make the experience personal.
  • Customers and clients love to hear that you’ve been to a conference with some of the top industry leaders. It proves to them that you are just as authoritative as those popular names, and it proves that you have the same information at your disposal as they do.

The important thing about attending conventions is making sure you attend the right conventions. Try to go to a convention or seminar that has a good reputation and has been going on for a few years. There are conventions that occur in all different parts of the U.S., so chances are you will not feel as though you need to travel to attend.

Top 5 SEO and Social Media Conventions Left in 2012

Some of the most popular conventions occurring in 2012 revolve around SEO and social media. These lessons can transfer over into every industry and work for any company with a company website. Fortunately, there are still a few left in 2012:

1. Event: SES Chicago; Date: Nov 12-16; Location: Chicago, IL

This is by far one of the most popular and talked-about SEO events of the year, and it’s coming up quickly! A great variety of industry leaders will be speaking at the event, and there are so many different seminars that occur that you can really pick and choose what you need to learn about the most. People come from all over the world to go to one of the many SES conventions, and Chicago is the last one in the U.S. this year. Prices differ based how many different presentations and/or workshops you want to attend (you can also get a discounted price if you sign up early!).

2. Event: Search Marketing Expo (SMX); Date: Oct 1-4; Location: New York City

This convention has workshops including International Search Summit, aimClear Facebook Marketing Intensive, Advanced Adwords Training, and Bruce Clay SEO training. Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land is the co-chair of the event, so you know you’re getting top information and a personalized experience. If you sign up before August 31 you can earn Early Bird specials, which will save you an average of $150. The price will depend upon whether you’re looking to attend the entire weekend or just one day, so you can click here for more details.

3. Event: Pubcon; Date: Oct 15-18; Location: Las Vegas, NV<.h4>

This is another one of the most famous seminars for small businesses because it offers very specific information about technology and how you can use technology to your advantage. Many attend this event only to attend what is called an “interactive site review,” which is where you can talk with several industry leaders about your website specifically. This isn’t something many conventions of this size offer, so it’s a huge benefit. If this doesn’t interest you, Matt Cutts of Google will be speaking, so have your questions ready! There is a huge range of prices, so visit the Pubcon website to decide which itinerary is right for you.

4. Event: Under the Radar; Date: Nov 15-16; Location: San Francisco, CA

Despite the name, this convention has been around since 2003 because it is always so successful. According to the Under the Radar website, 67% of their presenters have gone on to raise funding or be acquired by top names like Google, Yahoo, Cisco, BT, Microsoft, Twitter, Fox Interactive, and more. Naturally, hundreds attend this convention to follow in their footsteps.

5. Event: Content Marketing World; Date: Sept 4-6; Location: Columbus, OH

Many of the conventions discussed above are very broad and allow you to choose different seminars you’d like to attend. Content Marketing World, on the other hand, is very specific. This convention is all about SEO and content marketing, which is something that is becoming increasingly important for companies looking to improve their SERP ranking. Visit the website to learn more about prices and options.

**Bonus Event** SOBCon; Date: Sept 28-30; Location: Portland, OR

I know I said this was a top 5 list, but I couldn’t leave out the convention coming to you from our own Successful Blog. This seminar is full of interactive sessions and features some of the top industry leaders, including Liz Strauss. The conference is mainly focused on starting a business or re-starting your business. With so many looking to go in a new direction for the New Year, this is one of the best conventions to attend. You can sign up now by visiting the website.

I tried to find conventions that were spread out across the U.S., but there are certainly more to be found. Do you know of any great SEO or social media conventions in your area? Would you go back again? Let us know in the comments below!

Author’s Bio:
Amanda DiSilvestro gives small business and entrepreneurs SEO advice ranging from keyword density to recovering from Panda and Penguin updates. She writes for Higher Visibility, a nationally recognized SEO consulting firm that offers online marketing services to a wide range of companies across the country. Connect with Higher Visibility on Google+ and Twitter to learn more!

Big Brand Advice for Small Business from Paul Smith, Consumer Research Dir of P&G

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by Paul Smith

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One of the luxuries afforded big brands at multi-national companies is their million-dollar consumer research budgets and large teams of trained researchers.

Leaders of smaller companies and startups also recognize the importance of understanding their consumer. They just don’t always have the resources to hire swarms of research experts or commission an endless string of expensive studies. If that describes you and your company, the post below from Procter & Gamble consumer research director Paul Smith offers some big-brand sized advice, for a small-company sized budget.

Big Brand Advice for Small Business from Paul Smith, Consumer Research Dir of P&G

One of the pitfalls of consumer research is that people aren’t always able to accurately portray what goes on in their own lives, or even explain their own behavior. As a result, researchers often use multiple ways to get at the same piece of information so they can triangulate on the truth. The story below is often told at research conferences as an example.

A breakfast food maker wanted to understand if and how moms were providing healthy breakfasts for their families. So they sent a survey to a dozen women asking about their morning routine. The general consensus was that their families were enjoying healthy meals in the morning. The company then followed up with each woman asking if they could come to their homes one morning to observe.

Arriving at the first home at 6:30am, company personnel find mom is downstairs already, dad is in the shower, and the kids are still asleep. True to her word, mom is in the kitchen preparing a healthy breakfast for her family. She then turns her attention to getting the kids up and dressed. The little one needs help brushing her teeth, and the bigger one needs help choosing clothes that match. As each child is finally ready for breakfast, mom releases them to the kitchen and turns to the next child and task. After the last one is ready, it’s mom’s turn to ready herself for the day.

As a result, most of the actual eating happens in an unsupervised rotation—except, of course, for the company observers. They see everything. They see children pick at their “healthy” breakfast before feeding the lion’s share to the family dog. They see dad race out of the house, grabbing only a cup of coffee and the muffin that was easy to throw in his briefcase. Mom, who’s late herself at this point, covers her dish with plastic and explains that she’ll eat hers at the office. The team leaves the house along with the family, thanks them for their help, and makes arrangements to follow up with a few questions later in the week.

During that follow up phone call, the company observers described to mom what they saw: the kids eating only half their breakfast, dad taking only coffee and a muffin, and her packing her meal to go. That wasn’t exactly what she said happened in the initial survey. Was mom surprised? “No, not really. The school has a breakfast program, and sometimes the kids eat there. And John was running late, otherwise he would have eaten at home. And I’m normally more on top of things myself. I never did eat what I packed, by the way. My eggs were cold and runny by the time I got to work.”

“How often,” they ask, “does that happen to at least one of you? In other words, how often is somebody leaving home without eating the healthy meal you’ve prepared?”

Mom thinks about the question for a moment, and then sheepishly admits that most days at least one of them is too busy or distracted to eat their breakfast. In fact, it’s rare that all four of them eat the full breakfast she’s prepared.

One Story, Two Deep Lessons

Our memories are often constructed after the fact to cause the least distress to our sensibilities and concept of who we are. That’s the first lesson in this story. The three-part technique described above is designed to uncover the true behavior and the reasons behind it.

  • First, ask the consumer what she does.
  • Second, observe what she does.
  • Third, discuss with her the difference between the two.

In this case, the breakfast food makers learned there was a real need for healthy breakfast food that appealed to kids’ taste, was already prepared, and was portable enough to be eaten in the car or at work. The plethora of on-the-go breakfast bars and drinks on the market today are a result of this kind of research.

But there’s a second lesson to learn here. Sometimes a single story can teach you more than a whole semester at business school. In this case it was about consumer research techniques. But it could have been about anything. Imagine how much less effective the lesson would have been if delivered textbook style instead of via a story. You probably wouldn’t have even gotten this far reading it.

Experience has always been the best teacher. But a good story is a close second. All other forms of communication leaders use at work—like email, policy memos, and PowerPoint slides—are a distant third. Master the art of storytelling, and you’ll be a far more effective leader no matter what line of work you’re in.

Author’s Bio:
Paul Smith writes about leadership and storytelling at Lead With a Story. He is the author of Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. You can find him on Twitter as @LeadWithAStory.

What to Know Before You Meet to Negotiate A Strategic Partnership

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Strategic Partnership Series

What Is a Strategic Partnership?

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When two business parties agree to build something they can build better together than they can build alone, you have a strategic partnership. The advantage of strategic partnerships is that partners can do more with fewer resources. Knowing ahead of time that you’re building the same basic product together means that some parts of it will serve both parties and won’t have be built twice.

Let’s say you are in Fashion and I’m in Fitness. We both have a core audience of recently graduated college students. We might decide to take the place where our Venn Diagram overlaps — Fitness Fashion — to offer a clothing line through your distribution and mine.

That shared “We” on the diagram points to the areas where we can lower costs and increase resources by working in partnership. With two teams working one clothing line or one fashion-fitness event, we’ll enjoy:

  • the ability to split costs and spread the work
  • a wider resource of experience and fresh ideas from another industry
  • a better chance to focus on what we’re good at — if you’re good at staging events and I’m great at marketing, we can specialize and give our best to the team.

A strategic partnership can be formed between any two parties who can align their goals to work together for mutual benefit. How to Identify the Highest Potential Strategic Partnerships tells what I’ve learned about how to identify the right partners. For the strongest partnerships, look for partners who share your values and philosophy of business but have different strengths and skill sets.

Don’t overlook partnerships with the folks in other departments, with your vendors, with potential customers and sponsors. Anyone whose goals align with yours can be a strategic partner. Small partnerships offer the same advantages a big ones and are sometimes easier to manage.

Once you’ve decided a strategic partnership is a good idea.
Do a little preparation before you try to negotiate one.

What Is Negotiation?

Let’s be clear on the question, What is negotiation?. The goal I set for initial strategic partnership meetings is a viable answer:

Negotiation is two parties to agree to a workable and positive outcome.

When you first meet with a potential strategic partner, you should know how you can help each other, but they may not even know you. Even if you do know the folks you’re meeting with, the idea of a partnership may be alien to their usual way of doing business. That means a discussion — a meeting. Few folks have longer than about an hour or so. That’s not much time for negotiating first impressions, new ideas, deals and relationships.

On my trip to London, I had to introduce myself and our business. I needed to make business deals and wanted to establish long-term business relationships. Most importantly, I hoped to start an international network — a collaborative effort — publishers working together to build our businesses in a way that no one publisher could have achieved alone.

What to Know Before You Negotiate Any Strategic Partnership

The best first impression and the best first meeting reflect and demonstrate how you the strategic partnership will work. If you want an open, honest, equal partnership based on mutual growth, structure a meeting that offers the best possibility of that outcome.

Strategic partnerships are relationships not transactions. A first meeting is more than just selling or “going fishing.” Relationships are established by building solid foundations.

Have a Goal, Have a Vision, and Articulate the Fit

  • Set a Realistic First Steps Goal. Great relationships take place in stages. A test case of a process establishes whether the communication has been effective. The first steps goal should be small, set in time, and easily measured.

    Time was tight. Urgency was high. The first goal was to identify, license, and bring back existing products that we could version and get to market quickly.

    In the example of fashion and fitness, it might be that I might ask you to put some of your fitness fashion in my fitness centers for distribution.

  • Have a Vision for the Relationship. Great partnerships collaborate to grow both businesses over a longer term. It’s important to know what the next stage will be.

    When I went to London, the ideal partnership would be with companies from whom we would first buy, and then collaboratively partner on products in the areas where we served similar customers (in non-competitive venues).

    In the fashion-fitness example, the future might be that we collaborate on an exclusive fashion line that is only offered in my fitness centers.

  • Articulate Why the Partnership Is a Good Fit. No partner wants to get the impression that you’re working with them by accident. It’s important to articulate why it’s them not just anyone. It’s important that potential partners in business (as in romance) know that we’re making an informed and conscious decision.

    On my London trip, I could point to products that fit the values of my audiences and how easily I could promote them with over 900,000 color catalogues to my market.

    In the fashion-fitness example, I might point to how our customer groups were the same people, how our companies shared the same values, and how well our skill sets complimented each others’ skill sets.

Preparation was a foundation to solid success of those 8 or 9 days of meetings and the resulting strategic partnerships. Having a goal, having a vision for the relationship and being able to articulate why this partner and not just anyone made it easier to keep the tables even when I walked in the door to discuss strategic partnerships with that would grow both of our businesses.

It started a chain of irresistible events.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Watch for more on negotiating strategic partnerships.

Surprise Yourself

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Timing Isn’t Everything.

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They say that

  • opportunity happens when we’re prepared for it.
  • when we’re ready the right teacher appears.
  • Winning isn’t getting ahead of others. It’s getting ahead of yourself.

I say that trying is what happens right before succeeding begins.

Timing isn’t everything.
Knowing our place in time is.

We can stand in the perfect place in time with opportunity right within our reach. How we’ve used our time to prepare, what brought us here, won’t be enough, the outcome will still be affected by how we think. Despite the fact of our top-notch abilities, if we think we’re ready, we’ll take on that chance, if we think we’re not good enough, we’ll let it pass.

Surprise Yourself

Some days, some Mondays, we may be ready for the week to begin. Some days, some Mondays, come with challenges that mean a lot and we wonder whether we’ll win.

Wondering allows those voices and doubts in your head to say things like,

  • you’ll never be able to do that.
  • you’ll never be as good as he is.
  • who are you for thinking you should that?

Don’t wonder.
Dig in and do something about those doubts.

Consider replacing those old voices in your head with a few voices that I’ve heard in the last week or two …

  • You never know until you try.
  • Never underestimate your own value.
  • People could be saying nice things about you.

Refill your positive opinion of you. Remember when you’ve helped someone, answered a question that someone asked or passed on a kind word that was shared with someone who never knew good things were being said about him. Inside those moments you’ll find fuel to face a new challenge or even a plain old Monday again.

Then spend a while doing thinking about how you might do the same things for yourself. People who can cheer themselves, help themselves, and keep themselves are inspiring to be with.

Be inspired!
And don’t be shy about showing it!


Let a sunrise surprise you and inspire you!

Have faith in your ability to surprise yourself.
Surprise yourself with the ways you can make good things happen for you and everyone else.
Believe in what you’ll make, not what you’ll break!
Your subconscious will do the rest.

Every winner believes in winning.
Every leader knows to believe.
Surprise yourself with believing.
It’s irresistible.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

When The Boss Is Away, Are Leaders Missing An Opportunity?

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by Brian Hackerson

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When the Boss Is Away

We all know the old saying, “when the cat is away, the mice will play!” In recent weeks I have been pondering this idea, as my own boss has been gone for an extended period of time. As I did that, I found myself asking the question, “am I missing a big opportunity?”

In my experience, the presence of the boss creates a level of overhead on a day-to-day basis. He/she may schedule meetings, have “drive-by” conversations, send emails, delegate items that come up. When that energy source is temporarily out of the picture, much of that overhead is subsequently temporarily relieved. So, I ask again, is there a golden opportunity available to leaders when their bosses step away for vacation?

I say, absolutely, yes!

The Leadership Opportunity

In my situation, my boss’ absence allowed me to create a very detailed execution plan for my #1 key strategy for the year (the strategy, by the way, had just been authored a few weeks prior). The extra (overhead) time I picked up allowed me to free my mind from clutter and see the plan clearly, and begin executing it. By the time he gets back, I will have been well on my way to delivering on the strategy, and the momentum will be hard to stop. The advantage here is that the energy and direction was directed my me, not the boss’ day-to-day agenda.

My advice: when the boss is away, do something important that moves the rock. Moving the rock implies activities intended to impact the bigger picture for the good, as opposed to checking off items on the everlasting to-do list. Strategic plans, personal goals, developmental planning and idea generation and examples of activities with that broader type of implication.

Remember, the opportunities only come around a few times a year, so leaders should take advantage of this down time. I think your boss will be delighted if you do.

How do move things forward when the boss is away.

Author’s Bio:
Brian Hackerson is a software engineering manager in the Corporate Research Laboratory at 3M Company in St. Paul, MN. He is responsible for driving development of new and innovative products and systems for the company. He writes about his experiences and observations at thebigplaysblog.com. You can find him on Twitter at @bhackerson.