Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.

Professional Services Marketing

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Guest Post from Jeanette Cates: Should I Buy This Product?

cates-headshotToday’s Guest Post is especially valuable now because we’ll be seeing a lot of Memorial Day specials targeted to customers celebrating US Memorial Day. Guest Posts are presented by invitation only. 

leftquotemarks-small Should I Buy This Product? 5 Questions To Save You Money And Reduce Information Overload
By Jeanette Cates.

One of the exciting things about doing business online is the rapidly changing landscape. There are new technologies, new tactics, and new products coming onto the market daily. It’s a constant parade of new offers.

But do you need the latest and greatest offering? Or will it just become “shelfware?”

Here are five questions to ask yourself before you purchase the next product that arrives in your inbox.

1. Does this fit my business model? If your primary business model is split between consulting and selling your own info products, you may not need the “hot” new Private Label Rights product. Regardless of how easy it sounds, how much passive revenue you can earn or how few copies are left, if it doesn’t fit into your business model – skip it. [Read more…] about Guest Post from Jeanette Cates: Should I Buy This Product?

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Online Marketing With Images – 3 Tips

paintsIf you were marketing on the Internet awhile back,, you probably remember that images were an expensive, time-consuming luxury.

 If you wanted to make your own, you could use The Package – Adobe Photoshop. It’s never been cheap and the learning curve was steep.  You could hire a designer to make one image or graphic at a time. An of course your herder required a web designer (often a temperamental type who charged a lot and disappeared on ski vacations when your site went down).

Today we have so many options. Almost anyone can work with images.

On the other hand, we also need images more. We’re more visual and graphically oriented. Just about every blog post, presentation slide, and ebook requires illustration. My first ebooks didn’t have a single image and they sold very well. Not today!   

Here are 3 tips for creating and using images in your online marketing:

1 – Your website needs a professionally designed graphic header.

But if you call a designer and say, “Make me a header,” you might be surprised … and not always in a good way. You’ll get far better results when you give your designer a clear idea of what you want before you place your order. You can do this in two ways:

— Go to Fiverr.com and order a handful of WordPress headers; usually your $5 will get you a few variations from each designer. You’ll have a pretty clear idea of what you don’t want. You might be able to use your design “as is,” but that’s rare. Usually you’ll need some revision and probably a professional designer who charges more than five bucks.  

– Play with a graphics package and sketch out your own design. The professional will sharpen it up and make it look, well, professional. This solution works for my clients (I can often do the draft) and for me too.

2 – Logos  can backfire. 

Recently I worked with a client who chose a logo when she started her business about seven years ago. She’s totally identified with that logo. Unfortunately, the logo’s clarity disappears in smaller sizes and the color doesn’t go with anything except maybe lime green or pale pink.  Trying to incorporate this logo into a bright graphic header has challenge more than one designer.

Many profitable, high-profile online businesses don’t have logos at all. If you choose one, test with different backgrounds, colors and sizes. That’s not hard to do with a basic graphics package.

3 – Your widgets will “pop” when you create a graphic message to announce an event, webinar or program.

An announcement “New webinar” can disappear but a colorful file will fit nicely into your widget, with big bold type and bright, tasteful colors.

If you’d like to get started right away, you can take advantage of this special offer from Nicole on the Net – a cool graphics package priced less than three cappuccinos.

The special ends tomorrow (although the regular price is still pretty much of a no-brainer).
Sticky Social Media, from Nicole Dean. She’s been around awhile and she’s one of the Internet’s good people.

It’s a good implementation product with several videos showing how to use tools to create and customize graphics, using free and paid packages. You’ll also get a handy collection of graphics that usually cost a lot more than the whole package, plus bonuses.   

Get the special before tomorrow Wednesday, October 9th: Click here:  http://coachglue.com/products/aff/go?r=3024&i=37

 

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Speaking to Get More Clients: Video 2

In Video 1 (see previous post) we talked about choosing a venue for your talk. In this video we’ll concentrate on getting the gig.

A few years ago you could just send a few emails and get calls from organizations who were eager for speakers. Today’s market is so much more competitive.w.

 Now … Listen to the video and share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Branding Myth #4: “Your brand is like a luggage tag.”

luggagetag

Branding Myth #4: Your brand is like a luggage tag. It goes on EVERYthing: your get-acquainted calls, membership levels and workshop modules.

 This video explodes the myth that you have to brand EVERYthing, including steps in your coaching program and levels of your membership sites. For instance, what do you call your discovery sessions and get-acquainted calls? How do you name modules of your signature program and workshops?  Coaches and consultants (as well as other solo-preneurs and independent professionals) actually get SO hung up in these fine points of content strategy that they delay implementing programs … sometimes for months.  

copywriting tip for the new yearDon’t forget to leave a comment after you’ve viewed the video! Scroll down below the video and you’ll see a comment box.