With my first blog on Blogger, I was just exploring what blogging was all about one day when, in less than a half-dozen clicks, I had a live blog.

I was kind of stunned. I hadn’t expect it to be so easy. Suddenly I was face-to-face with a blank blog and figured I should say something.

That was January 19th, 2006.

The topics I’ve focused on as a blogger have evolved, but my desire to help people has remained the same. Helping people in my own small way has always been a foundation of my blogging activity.

And from that foundation, blogging has led to podcasting, a book, speaking and more.

All of that has been a boost to my business, so it’s been the best of both worlds… helping people and increasing my business opportunities.

Having just finished the six month series on Content Sharing and Repurposing, and realizing the Magalog Guy site is in desperate need of a make-over, I’m putting this blog on hiatus.

As I’ve considered taking this break, it’s been interesting to be aware of a bigger picture and see how others are looking at their social networking activities.

It wasn’t that long ago that business people (especially small business) felt they needed to live on social media or be blogging multiple times a week. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re seeing benefits to it and have something of value to say.

But more and more I’m seeing people put the brakes on, or at least take a more leisurely pace. They realize their world – and their business – won’t come to an end if they slow down a bit and aren’t feeling obligated to be seen every day on Twitter, or blog multiple times a week.

Make no mistake… I’m still high on blogging, social networking and content marketing in general. Blogging alone is responsible for the majority of hits to this site and has led to some fantastic opportunities.

And as I’ve said before, you might have an amazing sales letter on your homepage, but people aren’t going to come back week after week just to keep reading it.

It’s that custom content designed to help that engages people and builds that deeper relationship I’m always talking about.

So if you’re not blogging, I strongly encourage you to consider it.

But after six years and a to-do list that is in need of serious attention – not to mention a packed schedule with clients – a break is in order.

While I’m taking a break from the blog and – fingers crossed – getting this website whipped into shape over the coming months, I’m hardly disappearing or halting my content marketing activities.

The Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections Podcast continues on the 1st and 15th of each month.

You can also join me on the Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections Facebook page.

And if you’ve signed up for my free book on mikeklassen.com, you’ll be automatically subscribed to my Extending Your Virtual Handshake newsletter which is a once-a-month quick blast of links that point you to helpful information that will enhance your own content marketing efforts.

When I do restart the blogging activities, the link will likely be different. But I will update this blog at that time to let you know the new link. If you’re a subscriber to this blog, you’ll get an e-mail update.

I want to sincerely thank you for reading, whether you’re new or you’ve been following me since 2006. I don’t take that for granted.

I hope you’ll follow along in the other places I mentioned, and rejoin my blog activities when the new version is up-and-running.

Thanks!

When I got my first Apple 2e – or Apple ][e for those old enough to remember – I had no idea who Jobs was.

But as a happy owner all these years later of an iMac, iPhone and iPad, I sure learned to appreciate his vision and drive.

While he is rightly praised for the company’s product successes and their impact on people around the world, I want to point you back to an article I wrote about two years ago.

There’s been lots of talk in the last week of how we can emulate Jobs… whether it’s through the products we deliver, our passion for excellence, or the way we lead others.

I would add to that an adoption of their customer service practices. I imagine Jobs was just as interested in providing great customer service as he was everything else related to the way Apple operates.

While most of us don’t have the financial resources to do what Apple did for me (and has done for others), the question to ask is how can we provide the best customer service experience within our own resources?

I hope you find a way to apply something from this article: What a free Apple computer reinforced about great customer service

(By the way, this photo was taken on my trip to Sydney earlier this year. Even with so many new and unique sites to see in Australia, I couldn’t resist a visit inside this three-story Apple store.)

That is the goal behind the Neanderthal Marketing Radio Show… sharing real-world business experiences so you can adapt the successes to your business, and avoid potential pitfalls.

I’ve mentioned the show a couple of times here on the blog, but wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the topics my co-host, Traci Hayner Vanover, and I have covered.

This week we’re wrapping up a three-part series on getting more mileage from your content. Regular readers will know how important I believe repurposing your content is.

But telling you it’s a good idea isn’t as good as sharing how to do it. So on the podcast, we tell you how.

We’ve also talked about social media tools you’re probably not aware of. We’ve felt some have been worth our time, others haven’t. This is a case where you can learn from our journey.

QR codes, do-it-yourself print design tips, making networking events more successful, affiliate marketing (the right way), protecting your content… these are just a few of the topics we’ve covered on this weekly podcast.

What we talk about isn’t difficult to implement. That’s why our tagline is “Rock Your Business Without Reinventing the Wheel.” Reinvention isn’t bad, but many times just making some small changes, or being aware of resources you don’t have time to go looking for can make a big difference in your business.

So I invite you to subscribe to the Neanderthal Marketing Radio Show in iTunes, or listen directly from the Neanderthal Marketing website.

“We do a good bit of direct response, but find most advisors are all about ‘pretty’ and not ‘results’. Mike, your input was dead-on. We happily adjusted our copy and graphics according to your advice, ending up with a piece that looked and performed fantastically. Plus, you were fun to work with. Looking forward to our next project!”

What always stands out to me in a testimonial like that are the comments that relate to personality. In this testimonial, it was “Plus, you were fun to work with.”

Looking back at other testimonials, there’s a similar theme:

We really enjoyed how easy it was to complete our Magalog.

You’ve been so easy to work with.

I’ve never prompted a client about what they should say in a testimonial. And while all have talked about being happy with the work I did, I’m most proud of the comments about being easy to work with.

I point this out, not to brag about what has been said about me, but because it can be easy to forget that your personality and how you work with a client or interact with a customer is just as important as you being able to do the task, or the quality of the product/service you sell.

I’ve been brought in on projects where another designer had started the work. But there was a personality conflict of some kind and the client felt that, even though the designer could do the task, the conflict wasn’t worth it.

Unless no one else does what you do or sells what you sell, you can always be tossed aside for another company or store that can fill the need.

You’d think being polite, professional and responsive is a given. It’s not. You could probably give me a number of examples where your interactions with a business were less-than-ideal.

Do a quick evaluation this week. Is there room for improvement in this area?

Satisfying customers isn’t only about a quality product/service, or the best price. The feelings that people get from you, and the interactions they have with you, play a part in whether people want to do business with you or not.

This is especially true when it comes to magalogs.

If you’ve never done a magalog before, all the things that have to be considered can drive you crazy. But they’re important issues that have to be discussed, and worth it since a well-done magalog can really boost sales.

Recently, I started thinking about ways to make it easier for the prospect, especially on that first phone call when I’m gathering information and they’re looking for answers to important questions.

My solution is simple and it’s something you may be able to apply to your business. In fact, lots of businesses already do it in some form.

The idea is this: Create a short PDF checklist that you can e-mail to the prospect, and then go over it with them on the phone.

This does a few things.

First, it makes it much easier for the prospect to see what needs to be done or questions that need to be answered.

Second, for my clients who do their own layout work in-house and hire me to consult, it gives their team a great way to ensure their magalog has all the components for success.

Third, it’s a time saver for the prospect who only needs to jot down a few notes vs. writing down everything I say.

This idea isn’t new. But it’s another one of those things we might miss because we’re so busy with other tasks.

As a guide for your own checklist, let me give you a brief rundown of how I structure mine:

1. I try to keep it to three pages at most, and the first page is just a title and brief introduction.

2. I list items that are important for the prospect to know, and try to keep each point to about 3 or 4 sentences.

3. As simple as it sounds, I include a checkbox next to each item so it’s easy for the prospect to know what still needs to be done or discussed later.

4. I don’t go nuts with colors and graphics. It’s likely this will be printed, so I created something that won’t burn through their printer ink. You can see the cover page of my magalog checklist. Avoid things like full-page background colors.

5. I end with a quick note about my free book that expands on some of the points in the checklist, and invite them to join me on Facebook and Google+. Beyond that, I don’t go crazy on a sales pitch. Here’s why…

These PDFs are only given to prospects I’m talking with on the phone. So it’s not a traditional lead-gen piece. The lead has already been generated which is why we’re talking on the phone in the first place.

Plus, by e-mailing the PDF, I can ensure that my e-mails actually get through to the prospect in these days of over-aggressive spam filters.

So let me ask you… do you have products or services that would benefit from a short PDF to offer prospects you’re talking with?

I can’t imagine any scenario where a prospect wouldn’t love something that would help them better understand what you do, understand what they need to do to work with you, answer common questions, or just save them some time in taking notes.

It shows you’re making a sincere effort to be respectful of their time and make their life as easy as possible.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn’t extend an offer to talk about your direct market layout projects, whether it’s a magalog, book, sales letter or something else. I offer a free “get-to-know-each-other” call where we can talk about your project and determine if we’re a good partnership. Contact me to setup a call.

But if you offer a free consultation, have you included testimonials from people who took you up on that free offer?

I’ll state upfront that I haven’t done that. It simply never occurred to me before seeing the idea in an article recently.

I don’t think testimonials for free consultations are very common. If businesses even thought about it, they’d probably be tempted to ask: Why do I need a testimonial for something that’s free?

Well, here’s what I think we’re battling against…

I offer a free consultation or project analysis to talk with prospects about their needs. Obviously, the ideal outcome for me is to convert prospects into clients.

However, I’m the no-pressure type. If I don’t think there’s a good fit – or the prospect doesn’t – I don’t try to force it. Part of the reason for the call is to see if we’re both in sync personality-wise.

On the other side, people who agree to a free consultation aren’t dumb. They know that most people offer a free consultation to try to generate an eventual sale. So they’re naturally hesitant to schedule a call unless they have a strong feeling that there’s going to be value during the exchange.

Of course, in your mind, you offer tremendous value. And you probably do. No doubt you talk about that value on your site.

But your word isn’t always good enough. That’s why you know it’s important to offer testimonials for your products or services. People aren’t going to part with their money just because you say they should. They like to hear from others as part of their evaluation process.

With a free consultation, people don’t need to part with their money. But they do have to part with something they may feel is equally valuable. You know what it is… it’s their time!

And they’re not going to part with their time if they have suspicions that your free call is simply a hard-core sales push and an automatic addition to your mailing list, no matter what you say on your site.

Remember, unless a prospect has been following you a decent length of time – perhaps through social media – you haven’t had the chance to build trust with that person. While you may think the trust factor only applies to an actual purchase, I think it also can apply to your free consultations.

This past week it struck me what I like most about Google Plus (G+) and why it’s quickly becoming my favorite social media platform.

Simply put, G+ gives me room to actually be social.

Long-time readers of this blog or people who have followed me on Twitter or Facebook know that I hate the character limits on how much you can write in a Tweet or Wall post.

I understand the rationale behind setting limits. And in some cases, it’s a good thing. But it’s not my style. (I’m also not suggesting everything you write on social media platforms should be mini-essays.)

I had a great conversation last week on G+ about traditional publishing vs. self publishing. It’s a conversation that would have been a pain in the rear to have on Facebook and near impossible on Twitter.

We talk about social media being used for more than just plugging our products and services, yet we’ve had some barriers in communicating in a totally natural way. So far, in my mind, G+ has removed a huge barrier from making better-quality connections and engaging in conversations where people can be clear about their point of view on a topic.

Of course, for most of us there needs to be a business reason to invest any time on social media. Just being able to chat without limits isn’t enough.

Because so much has been written about G+ already, I’m not going to rehash the business justification points here except to say that when the leader in search creates a social platform, it’s the wise businessperson who keeps his/her eyes on it.

Obviously, G+ isn’t perfect. It’s still taking its first steps and lacks what many might feel should be obvious features. Fair enough. But what I’ve seen so far makes me hopeful changes/additions/fixes are just over the horizon.

By the way, I did a podcast a few weeks ago with Traci about Google+ at Neanderthal Marketing.

If you’d like to create a G+ icon like the one I created for this article, visit: http://gpluspic.com/

Finally, I hope you’ll connect with me on G+.

…have any examples of people who have taken a beautiful magalog that you’ve done and made it into a website.

When he says website, he’s referring to a simple, single-page sales site. We’re not talking a full-blown corporate type of site with lots of sub-pages.

The quick answer to his question is No. But let me give you a more substantial answer.

In the history of magalogs, I’m sure some company has done what he’s asking. But I haven’t personally experienced it, nor do I think it’s that common.

If anything, it’s more common with my clients to convert website copy (that you can test over time to find a winner that generates sales) into a magalog, not convert a print magalog into a website.

Here’s why…

Print usually has the reader’s undivided attention, even if just for a few minutes.

We have to take into account, though, that they can flip around. That’s the reason for sidebars and making sure every two-page spread has something of visual interest because you can’t guarantee where they’ll be tempted to stop and read.

With a website, you’re competing with e-mail, Twitter and FB updates, music they might be listening to, etc. So it’s best to move people through your website copy as quickly and efficiently as possible before they’re tempted to click away.

That doesn’t mean a landing page can’t incorporate some elements of the magalog, but I think it’s more important to get them to the order form ASAP. So, we’re normally stripping things back for online usage with these types of sites, while in print we’re usually adding design elements to the copy.

The other thing is that online we can take advantage of video and audio. Some of these single-page sales sites start right off the top with a video or audio recording to engage the visitor.

If there’s video or audio we don’t want to then overwhelm them with extra visuals on the page. Instead, keep them focused and moving from top to bottom before they click away.

Another issue to keep in mind is something that is becoming more and more important: keeping your sites mobile-friendly.

Mobile-friendly sites need to load quickly and be readable on smaller screens. Some of the stats I see from time to time about the percentage of hits to a site coming from mobile devices are staggering. But the more elements on the page to load, the slower the load time which does not make mobile users happy.

The bottom line for most people I work with when it comes to their online activities is getting prospects from the top of the page to the order form as easily as possible. I think that goal has prevented them from trying to totally recreate their magalog online.

I’m not saying you can’t recreate a print magalog online. But I think there are some strong reasons not to. Some of the reasons I’ve outlined are probably why you don’t see it done too often.

He offered a tip during that interview which, as you can tell by listening, immediately got my brain cells buzzing.

Dave was talking about taking an audio podcast and turning it into a video to place on a site like YouTube or Vimeo. It was such a brilliant and simple idea, I had to try it myself with one main challenge: make the process simple.

One of my most popular articles is Here’s a Novel Idea: Connect With Your Connections. It was based on an experience I had when looking at my connections on LinkedIn and realizing I didn’t know many of those people.

Since that article came out, I’ve repurposed it, turning it into a PDF download and creating an audio version for my podcast.

Doing that alone was getting good mileage off of one article. But based on Dave’s idea, I wanted to spread the article further.

Ideally, I would have turned on the webcam and recorded myself telling the Connect With Your Connections story.

But if you’ve followed my journey, you know that putting myself on camera is always more of a challenge than it should be. It takes me forever to get a take I like, and I sometimes manage to create new words as frustration sets in. Perhaps you can relate.

Instead – and to save myself a lot of grief – I wanted to experiment and take the existing audio podcast and match it with some simple slides that reinforced the story. Then, using a free platform like YouTube, I’d get that story in front of an even larger audience.

You already know the power of video. As a marketing tool, it’s fantastic. We should be leveraging it as much as possible.

Here’s the resulting video. (And I’m happy to say no new words were created in its making.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCsmmdnUMs4

It’s important I explain some behind-the-scenes stuff with the video so you can appreciate how easily it was created.

Being a designer, I could have gone crazy and made it really fancy… cool backgrounds, flashy transitions between slides, a video of cats doing something clever since that’s all the rage these days… you’re limited only by your imagination. Or I could have even used some service to animate the story.

However, most people wouldn’t bother… they don’t have the time, the tools or the inclination to make it into a big production. They have more important tasks to do in the running of their business.

For that reason, I wanted to show you that this can be done without too much fuss. Here’s the outline of steps I took.

1. I already had the audio from my podcast. I didn’t want to redo that since, as it is, the audio tells the story perfectly. Might as well save time and use what I already have.

2. I dropped that MP3 audio into Camtasia, a reasonably priced desktop video program. There are other programs out there, often offering a try-before-you-buy option. On the Neanderthal Marketing site, we offer a free version of CamStudio Internet Marketing Edition and you’ll find that link in the Episode 14 article. It’s Windows-only. Mac users may be able to use iMovie which is usually included free on Macs. Personally, I bought the Camtasia version from the Mac App Store which was much less expensive than the boxed version.

3. I created the slides in InDesign, but even that was overkill for this. Camtasia allows you to create text slides within the program. But since I live in InDesign during my working hours, I was more comfortable there. (A screenshot like the one I used for LinkedIn is something you can grab with any number of simple, free or inexpensive tools. On my Mac, it’s built-in.)

Originally, I was going to use some inexpensive stock photos to help tell the story. Then I thought, “Nah!” Stock photos would take more time and cost a little bit of money. This video was all about getting it done quickly.

4. The slides are simple… just large text and a plug for my site at the end. I’m using the most basic layout possible. Being too clever can get in the way. And when viewed in mobile devices, subtitles are often lost. Readability is important.

5. I exported the slides as JPGs, dropped them into Camtasia, and synced them up to the audio. It’s basically a drag & drop operation. I didn’t even read the instructions, it was that simple.

This step isn’t required if you’re creating the slides in Camtasia which has a built-in slide editor.

6. Camtasia has a built-in function to upload to your YouTube channel. (And getting a channel is free if you don’t already have one.)

Obviously there maybe be some initial challenges if you have no experience with software like Camtasia. But what I hope I’ve gotten across is that it’s not rocket science. You can see that from the video… it’s about as basic as it can be.

And that’s a good thing because if it’s too complex, you won’t do it. You’ll avoid it at all costs. But if find some excuse, you’ll be missing out on a free and relatively easy method to repurpose your content. Or create new video content if you’re not already doing any sort of audio podcasting.

It’s that custom, personalized content that is going to help drive more people to you and your business.

I’ve tried to explain this so that you can tackle it on your own. But if you’d like help repurposing your audio into video, or with creating slides, contact me so we can get you leveraging your content to be seen by even more people.

Dave is know as The Podcast Guy and is always trying out the latest technologies in this area. If you follow him on Facebook, you shouldn’t be surprised if you see a note from him saying that he’s going to do a live audio/video podcast from his home studio in mere moments, in addition to his regularly scheduled podcasts.

I’ve written before about 10 reasons I think your business should have a podcast. And putting my money where my mouth (or my keyboard) is, I have two of my own.

But just because Dave and I think it’s a good idea doesn’t mean it’s something you’ll automatically dive into. There is time and effort involved. On the positive side, the financial cost is virtually nothing to get started. (My own costs were under $100.)

So while most of our interview is about how to create a successful podcast, Dave makes a strong argument about how podcasting can cut through the digital clutter with your prospects and customers.

I also loved his comment about the ideal length of a podcast if you don’t have a specific time frame you have to work under. It’s a great example of how you can easily repurpose your podcast content and one I hadn’t thought of before.

As businesses, one of our goals is finding ways to stand out, especially compared to our competitors. By standing out, you stand a better chance of getting the sale, or at least being the first one called. Your voice builds a deeper connection with folks and can give you that edge.

Listen to what Dave has to say and see if it makes sense to you. You can listen in your browser at the Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections podcast page. Or you can subscribe in iTunes. (This interview is episode 4.)

As you’re probably aware, I’m big on content marketing and repurposing. It’s one of the easiest thing you can do help drive more traffic to your site and give people a reason to keep returning to your site.

Blog content is great, but as older articles slip off into the archives, they’re not getting the love they should. Most of those “old” articles contain information that is still just as relevant today as the day your wrote it.

So my belief is that you should always be looking for ways to breathe new life into those older articles.

That’s what I did last week and they’re now on the Resources page of my companion site, mikeklassen.com.

I want to mention them here for three reasons:

First, I know they contain helpful information and it’s important to me that I offer a certain amount of content free of charge.

Second, it gives people another reason to visit my site, or a reason to invite people to my site. As fascinating as you think your sales copy might be, it’s rare you’ll tell someone, “Hey, you have got to visit my site and read my sales copy! My subheads are stunning!” You’re more likely to get someone to your site with, “If you’re having a problem with _____ I have a free guide on my site that I know will be helpful.”

Third, it’s a lesson in repurposing content. What content do you have that can be repackaged into a free report or guide? Even if you’re not interested in the topics I wrote about, look at them from the angle of, “How can I do something similar with my content?”

As you can see, the guides aren’t fancy. I create a simple cover that is relatively easy to read when I put the cover graphic on my page. I get right to the point with the content. And I wrap up with a sales component on the last page. Depending on how much time I have, I might throw in extra graphics in the copy. It’s a nice addition, but not mandatory.

Because computer monitors tend to be landscape (wider instead of higher), my guides are usually 11″ wide by 8.5″ high.

So this roll I was talking about? I went through and pulled out three of the most popular articles from my blogs and created these guides. The three guides (you can see their covers on the right) are:

Benefits of Content Marketing

Here’s a Novel Idea: Connect with your Connections

12 Steps for Networking Event Success

One other subtle thing to note about these guides… their titles make it pretty clear what the content covers. Just some food for thought if you’re creating guides of your own.

Again, you can grab these free guides – and more – at mikeklassen.com.

Need help creating these useful marketing pieces? Let me know. I can do the layout for you and even help you decide what would make good content if you’re unsure. Don’t let your great content go to waste.

Contact me today so you can start giving people more reasons to come to your site and interact with you.

As we pulled away from the gate getting ready for take-off, the plane stopped a few dozen yards from where we started. I figured we were just waiting for other planes to taxi by.

About 10 minutes later, the captain said one of the navigation displays shut off, so we were heading back to the gate to have a maintenance guy look at it. The captain had tried to fix it on the spot without success.

After the maintenance guy worked on it for a while, the captain said it was fixed and we were ready to leave. About 6o seconds after that, the display went out again.

It was eventually fixed and an hour after our scheduled departure time, we were finally in the air and heading home.

I have no complaints about delays to fix faulty equipment. And the cabin crew apologized for the delay a number of times. For all the passengers, it was an inconvenience, but “stuff” happens, right? Most flights go off without a hitch, so I know this was an exception.

But I was fascinated by how doing a little extra would have made a huge difference in how the whole incident was perceived by the passengers. And believe me, when you’re stuck in a plane that’s going to be late to its destination, you quickly learn what passengers around you are thinking.

The first thing I noticed is that the flight attendant didn’t think how her typical flight speech would go over. Like just about all airlines, the attendant took a moment to thank the “MVP” and “Gold” members for their business. These are the folks in First Class or Business Class who are actually comfortable in a plane.

Normally, no one thinks about that message in Coach. But when we’ve all been sitting on the plane for an hour in the Arizona heat, you darn well better go off script and thank everyone for their business, not just the dozen or so people in the comfy seats up front.

The attendant was just following her usual script. It never occurred to her that she might need to take some initiative and make sure any “Thank you” message was all-inclusive this time… not just for the people who paid more.

The attendant also explained how those of us in Coach could buy a meal for about $6. Again, under normal circumstances, this isn’t a big deal.

But in this case, how much good will would have been created if they said, “Since we had this delay and since a number of you will need to rush to either make other tight connections or book different flights, we’re offering everyone a free meal as a ‘thank you’ for your patience and loyalty to Alaska Airlines.”

My quick math shows that if they had done that, it would have cost the airline under $900. Nothing to sneeze at, but I’d hope the airline isn’t so cash-strapped that a gesture like that would break the bank.

The point here isn’t to dump on Alaska Airlines, or to weasel myself a free meal in the future. (I rarely eat airline food, even when it is free.)

Here’s the point… and this is why you should take note: You’re going to experience problems that affect your customers. How you deal with that will determine which customers stay and which customers become more receptive to your competitors.

There’s always a small group of customers you can’t win with. No matter what you do to fix a problem, it won’t be enough for them. Try to sway them if you can, but don’t waste too much effort on them.

For the majority of people, however, a little extra goodwill on your part goes a long way. They’ll probably still tell their friends about the problem, but the story will end with how you went out of your way to make it right. That’s what you want in these circumstances… a happy ending to the story.

With Alaska Airlines, my story doesn’t end with me bragging out how great they are like I did when I told you what a free Apple computer reinforced about great customer service and  how small, positive actions create loyal and happy customers.

I completely understand how my suggestion has risks. Alaska Airlines is a big business. Perhaps yours is, too.

It’s a scary thought giving your employees personal discretion to improvise when it could cost you big bucks. This is especially true if your business is scattered around the globe and the head office finds at the end of the day that lots of these little gestures created a huge cost.

But I’d argue that it’s a solvable problem. In your business, you know most of the things that can go wrong because it’s already happened. Do you have that documented with suggested fixes for your front-line team to implement if need-be?

If you’re a large company like Alaska Airlines, do you have a central emergency number your team can call to get immediate permission to turn a negative into a positive with your customers?

Those of you with small businesses, or solo operations, aren’t off the hook. Sometimes fixing a problem is a relatively huge cost compared to a large company with deep pockets.

But somehow you must find ways to make it right by the customer when something has gone wrong or you’ve inconvenienced them.

Be nimble enough, flexible enough, and aware enough when problems occur so that customers end their stories about you with how well you treat them when those unavoidable problems occur.

While the video is intended for visitors to that site, like a lot of people I find it easier to upload (and store) the video on YouTube, then embed the video on my site.

I have to admit that I was close to doing something pretty dumb. Since the page on my site dealt with consulting, the name I was going to give my video was Klassen Communications Consulting. After all, no one on the site would notice the video name since it doesn’t show up.

As I said… pretty dumb.

The fact that the video was being hosted on YouTube meant that I needed to think more strategically about the title. After all, if the video is going to be on one of the most visited sites on the Internet, I might as well leverage it.

So instead of the the accurate, yet boring, Klassen Communications Consulting, I named it, The Value of a Consultant for Your Marketing Material which was the idea behind the video in the first place.

Big difference, eh?

I’ve talked to other people who have made the same mistake… thinking too logically about what to call something instead of considering what keywords might lead to your video coming up in a list of search results. That’s especially true if the video is primarily intended for their own site.

I can’t imagine Klassen Communications Consulting is a popular search phrase on YouTube or anywhere else.

But value, consultant and marketing? That’s a lot better.

As you read this the results could be different, but I just did a search on those terms and my video came up on the third page. Nothing to brag to about, but considering those are popular, generic words, page three isn’t bad.

And in this case, it’s just a happy bonus. As I mentioned earlier, the video is mainly intended for my own site.

Someone with more experience in SEO could probably come up with a far better title than what I came up with. But you’re not always going to have time to consult with an SEO expert when you quickly want to get a video posted.

So when using a service like YouTube or Vimeo to host your videos, take some extra time to consider a name that weighs more heavily on your ideal keywords, even if the video is just intended for your own site.

You’d think that when people are contacting you because they’re interested or ready to buy, you’d spring into action. Another potential customer… All hands on deck!

Yet I’m stunned by how often I get no response these days. Or, I do get a response, but one that makes me wonder whether anyone actually read my question.

These haven’t been isolated incidents, and I know I’m not the only one bothered by this.

Recently, I contacted two companies by e-mail that I wanted to buy from. (Neither provided phone numbers, so it was e-mail or nothing.)

These weren’t boutique or mom & pop businesses. I probably would have had a better response if they were. Instead, these were medium-sized businesses that depend on people buying again and again.

In the first case, it was very clear that I wanted to spend money with them. In fact, I was a current customer, but had questions before continuing the relationship. I’d love to share their response, but I never got one.

In the other case, I asked a very specific question about a whether a site was going to offer video in a format compatible with the iPhone and iPad. Here’s their response:

We take all feedback seriously and endeavour to improve the site wherever possible.

As you can see we have a brand new site which is constantly being developed and new features are being introduced frequently.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions or enquiries.

So I guess that would be a No?

Would it have been so hard to say something like, “Thanks, Mike. Unfortunately that feature isn’t available now. We’re not normally informed about upcoming features until they’re actually available. You might want to join our mailing list so that when new features are announced, you’ll be the first to know. Here’s the link…”

Or, if they knew the answer was, “No, and I wouldn’t count on it any time soon“, just come out and say it.

I completely get that resources can be tight and personalized answers take time. I understand that some companies are overwhelmed by questions that are already clearly addressed in an FAQ.

It’s true… customers can be a real drain on time and resources. You’re constantly having to balance how they’re allocated. And sometimes customers can be very unrealistic in their expectations. They’re thinking of themselves and not sensitive to the challenges you may be going through.

I just want to re-focus you on the fact that every contact (or non-contact when you choose not to respond) with a customer or prospect who wants buying information creates a perception about your business. You know, deep down, whether you’re hitting the mark or not.

If you’re asking customers or prospects to contact you in general, then dropping the ball when it comes to responding to any questions they might have, what message does that send?

I’m not seriously suggesting you stop asking customers to contact you with questions. I am suggesting that you get really serious about how you handle it when they do.

If you haven’t been hitting the mark, perhaps you could gather your team together this week and brainstorm ideas that, while not totally solving the problem overnight, might get you heading in the right direction.

As a Thank You for buying the book, the authors included a link where readers could sign-up to get about a half-dozen bonus items from the profiled speakers. Since I enjoyed the book so much, signing up was an easy decision.

I expected to get a link where I could download all the bonuses at once. Instead, the bonuses were spread out over the course of two weeks. Every three days I received an e-mail pointing me to that day’s download, and reinforcing things I had read in the book.

Their explanation for spreading things out was that people are often overwhelmed getting lots of bonuses at once. Perhaps you look through or listen to bits of each one, but none of them really have your undivided attention as they land on your computer like an avalanche.

I’ve certainly found that to be the case in the past. But what struck me was how this method allowed the authors to continue to contact me with e-mails I was going to pay attention to. In other words, it was great marketing.

As marketers, isn’t that what we want… for prospects and customers to look forward to our messages?

Obviously, it helps if you’re offering free gifts. Realistically, though, you can’t do that all the time.

But this “spread the bonuses” idea is something to keep in the back of your mind the next time you’re doing some type of promotion that includes free gifts.

Use the multiple contacts to build up a connection with the reader, reinforce what they’ve already learned from you, and become a trusted resource that encourages people to stay on your list long after the bonuses have been delivered.

This isn’t a new idea… it’s been done for years. However, I don’t see it used that often.

I think we naturally fall into the routine of offering all bonuses at once. Or perhaps we fear people will get upset if we spread them out because, probably just like you, they’re used to getting everything NOW! We’ve all become conditioned to expect that.

Perhaps, though, breaking out of that pattern is a really good idea for you to try out in the future.

I mentioned earlier that it’s not realistic to offer a free gift with each e-mail you send to your list. But is there something you can offer beyond your sales message? Maybe it’s a report of some kind, a video, an MP3. Think about what add-value content you might be able to offer even if you don’t have a traditional “bonus” to send.

By the way, I’m often doing the layout of bonus material and downloadable reports. If you want your pieces to have a professional look that elevates you in the eyes of your prospects and customers, contact me so we can put that experience to work for you.

I wanted to take a moment to bring you up-to-date with my podcast activities… a change with one, and the addition of another.

Last year I started the Magalog Guy Podcast. The original idea was to talk about magalog marketing, something I’m obviously passionate about.

But it didn’t take long before I realized there were other topics I wanted to cover. It’s the same with this blog which was originally going to just be about magalogs.

Once the type of topics I covered broadened, it was suggested I include some interviews. I took that advice and will be doing more this year.

But last week I rebranded and rebooted that podcast. Part of it was to avoid any confusion about what I was wanting to cover. The name, Magalog Guy Podcast, is nice for tying the podcast to this site. But it’s not a name that tells you anything really meaningful.

So I took the name from my book and relaunched the podcast as the Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections Podcast. The intent is the same as the previous one, just under a new name.

On a technical note, when I created the first podcast, I was making it harder on myself to produce each one. Now, I use a WordPress-based system that automates the process of getting each new podcast on iTunes. Not a big deal for you, the listener, but a huge time-saver for me.

Earlier this year, I started another podcast with a guest from the Magalog Guy Podcast, Traci Hayner Vanover. That’s the Neanderthal Marketing Radio Show.

While the Increase Sales podcast is primarily just me talking for a few minutes (unless it’s an interview), the Neanderthal podcast is Traci and I talking about topics of interest to small businesses in a more casual, back-and-forth format. We also plan to include interviews.

Among the topics we’ve covered so far:

• How to avoid having your marketing content ripped-off
• Expanding your business boundaries
• Kick-starting your copy
• Free… a four-letter word

Both podcasts illustrate two valid formats… a single speaker, or multiple hosts. If you listen to both, you’ll notice a very different dynamic. I’m more straight-ahead and to-the-point on my podcast, especially since it’s shorter. With Traci, the podcast is much looser.

As I outlined in the 10 Reasons Your Business Should Have a Podcast article, podcasts are marketing tools. So I’m not going to lie and say I do them without any hope of it, in some fashion, leading to more business.

But I believe, as much as possible, your marketing efforts in the social media realm should be fun. If it’s just a chore I think it’s going to show. And your results will likely be less than ideal. So while podcasting is a business tool for me, it’s a fun one that I really enjoy.

I hope you’ll subscribe to both podcasts to get ideas and strategies you can apply to your business.

By the way, if you need an iTunes-compatible graphic for your podcast, please get in touch with me.

The idea behind an elevator speech is finding yourself in an elevator with a prospect you’d like to land. You have a short amount of time to make your pitch before the prospect reaches his or her floor and gets out.

The elevator speech is probably more often used in a networking environment where you have 30 to 60 seconds to tell someone what you do and how you can help them.

But here’s the potential downside of a traditional elevator speech: You may be spending too much time talking about a problem the prospect doesn’t have.

When I started my business in 2003, I went to a lot of Chamber of Commerce networking events. I had my elevator speech down and it was pretty good if I do say so myself.

However, it soon occurred to me that I was doing too much talking, even in that brief moment, and potentially wasting time saying things that weren’t as applicable to the prospect as they could be.

These days, while I can talk for any given amount of time about what I do and what I can offer a business, I try to spend a lot of my “elevator speech” listening. Then, when I feel I have a better handle on their needs, I can address them far more accurately.

We tend to like to talk about ourselves and our own situations. In fact, you’ve probably heard it said that while someone is talking, the other party is often thinking of what they’ll say next instead of listening.

It’s not difficult at all to get someone talking about what they do and discussing what their current challenges are. When I have that information, it’s very easy to zero in on how I can help.

At that point, my comments are very targeted to their exact situation. How interested do you think they are when I’m being that specific? From my own experience, I can tell you they’re extremely interested.

Suddenly, in their minds, I’m the only one in the room worth paying attention to.

It’s not that I couldn’t give my elevator speech, listen for feedback, then drill down based on what I’m hearing. But you don’t always have that amount of time, especially in a room full of people bouncing around to meet as many others as possible.

And all this assumes I can help.

I’d love to think that I’m a good fit for every prospect. But I’m not. Neither are you. Maybe the best gift we can give them is to not waste their time with a pitch of our own and instead point them to someone we think can help.

Finally, I want to mention one technique that many people use: The bold statement that gets people to ask you more.

It goes something like this:

Prospect: “What do you do?”

You: “I blow away controls and quadruple sales for my clients.”

Prospect: “Really? Tell me more.”

That strategy works, but I don’t like it. If you use it and it works for you, by all means, carry on using it.

To me, it feels like I’m trying to manipulate people into responding the way I want them to respond. I’m probably in the minority on this point, but I wanted to be completely honest with you.

And even though I don’t prefer this technique, if you’re not using it I want to bring it to your attention in case you want to try it out.

The idea behind this technique is that you’re piquing someone’s interest with something you’re pretty sure they’re interested in. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in quadrupling sales?

So, it’s a completely valid technique, just not one I’m personally comfortable with.

The idea of an elevator speech that relies more on listening than talking is tough for some to embrace. We usually have the feeling that we just have that brief moment in time to make our case. If we don’t spew out our prepared speech, the opportunity is gone.

Perhaps it is. However, my own experience is that there is time to get your message out if you’ve shown a sincere interest in knowing what the problem is before trying to solve one that may not exist.

When I talk to prospects during my free project consultation, I try to do as much listening and asking of question as possible. If I think that I’m a good fit, I’ll explain why. If not, I’m happy to refer you to someone else I may know.

If that’s the sort of non-pressure conversation you’d like to have, I’d encourage you to contact me today to setup a time to talk.

Here’s the link to see the Magalog Guy in Australia if you’re interested in the overview and seeing some pictures.

During the magalog discussion, I was really impressed with the questions, especially considering that magalog marketing was a new idea for many of the people I talked to.

One question in particular stuck out: What are your thoughts on including third-party ads in your magalog?

Most of the magalogs I work on for clients are selling a single product or service. For that reason, ads by other companies could distract from the main message and potentially takes sales away from them. For those clients, the focus needs to remain completely on the product/service being sold.

But remember… there are usually no concrete rules with magalogs that apply in every situation.

While I don’t remember the details, I believe the person asking the question was creating a magalog selling educational products to teachers and parents.

As I listened to her talk about the purpose of her magalog, I could see that ads (the right type of course) could be a benefit. In the arena of educational products, there are certainly a ton of complimentary businesses that she could partner with and who would love to reach her audience.

But there would obviously need to be a benefit to her for including any ads. So we discussed a few potential options.

1. Straight sale for the ad space. This is pretty obvious. If someone wants an ad in your magalog, they could pay for the space just like they’d pay for ad space in a newspaper or magazine. That money could help offset the production costs of the magalog.

2.  A cut of sales generated from an ad. Instead of paying for ad space, the ad would use a unique URL related to the magalog or your business. A percentage of sales generated from that URL goes to you, the magalog producer. This could be ideal for a new company that doesn’t have much of an ad budget. It probably goes without saying that you’d want to be really sure you have something in place to track how much money is being generated from the ad.

3. You get access to their mailing list. Instead of any money changing hands, ask the third-party for permission to mail to their list if they have a significant list and it’s one that is complimentary to your product/service. I was going to say a good list is priceless, but they do find a way to put a price on it, don’t they? The better the list, the higher the cost. But if you believe you can generate more sales and add new customers from their list, an ad in your magalog to get that list for free or deeply discounted is worth considering.

Now I know the details of making this work is more complex than I make sound in this list.

The point is that third-party ads should not always be immediately dismissed. Just the opposite… it may be something you want to actively pursue if you determine that it won’t be a detriment to your own sales and that you get a useful benefit from it.

I recently saw this question asked: What is the single most important element when it comes to creating effective direct mail?

A number of opinions were given… the list, the offer, the response mechanism, the main message, the mailing option, etc.

A popular answer tends to be the list. And for the longest time, I would have said that.

While it would be nice to rank things like this, I’ve stopped believing there is a “single most important” element in direct mail.

For example, if the list is determined to be most important but the offer stinks, you wasted a good list and it’s #1 ranking doesn’t matter. But a great offer to a bad list can fail just as easily. You can’t separate them from each other.

Sure, you may get some sales, but you’re hurting your chances and probably not achieving as much as you could.

It’s like asking what’s the most important part of a car? Maybe it’s the engine. But if the steering or brakes are shot, a great engine doesn’t do you much good… the car is going to have issues.

I’ve had to teach some of my clients that it’s all connected. In a simplistic example, if one of the legs of a table is too short, the whole table wobbles because it’s all part of the same table. The short leg doesn’t exist in its own universe.

So rather than ranking items and believing something is more important than something else, I think it’s best to ask, Am I confident that all areas of my promotion are as strong as possible?

In other words, I’d put equal weight on each component.

If you’re having trouble putting all these vital components together, contact me. I offer a free project analysis so we can objectively looking at your next promotion.

Think of this as Magalog Marketing 101… what a magalog (slim jim, bookalog, issuelog) is, magalog samples, successful traits of magalogs, and much more.

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89v1PvvAPEk

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DnrgGHVbGs

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq4YQVJI0S8

Part 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6LsgT7L7c

If you have questions or want to talk about how to put this powerful marketing format to use for your product or service, let’s talk. I offer a free project analysis to first discover whether a magalog is right for you. If so, we can get the ball rolling.

If a magalog isn’t right for you, we can discuss other options that will have the best impact.

That free phone chat is yours for the asking. Contact me so we can schedule a time to talk.

I also consult on magalog copy and layout if you’re planning to tackle a project like this in-house.

And feel free to contact me if you’d like this Magalog Marketing 101 webinar given to your group.

(For those reading this on the Kindle, please visit this blog directly to view the videos: http://www.magalogguy.com/blog)