The irony is that as an SMB owner, you are better at creating high-quality content than you think. After all, no one knows your business story better than you. And all those fancy visual tools may help, but even a rough, unpolished video can be highly effective if it’s sincere and helpful. When you know your stuff, and you’re genuine, that ‘roughness’ actually translates to authenticity.

Whether it’s video content, writing a blog post, or launching a social media campaign, content creation can be your secret weapon for standing out in your market. Just being willing to commit to consistent content can be a huge differentiator. It also happens to be the fastest way to improve your digital content creation skills.

First, why digital content?

It’s all about logistics.

In case you need convincing, here are just a few reasons why digital content is so powerful:

1) It’s free! You have zero upfront costs.

2) Instantaneous availability. Your target audience will see your message immediately – without having to wait days or weeks for print publications to publish their articles.

3) Plenty of distribution options.  Simply pick the social channels where the conversations you want to join are already in progress. Facebook Live videos, Instagram Stories, Snapchat stories, YouTube channels, and Tik Tok are among the most popular. Take your pick and always be testing.

If you consider digital (online) content as inventory, then as a marketer, you are in the digital assets distribution business. And your digital asset inventory takes up virtually zero physical space.

Adopt a simple approach

It can be intimidating to face a blank screen, a blinking cursor, and such a wide variety of content options.

But the truth is, when writing a blog or video, you don’t need to agonize over every word. Look at it as a way of sharing about the work you do and what it does for your customers. You’re immersed in your business and have far more knowledge about it than your audience. Use it as a platform to demonstrate your expertise and empathy.

A great way to leverage that knowledge is to address the most common questions and concerns you hear from customers. For example, think about recent or recurring conversations where prospects tell you why they hesitate to buy. Use this knowledge to anticipate and address those objections and concerns with your content. It shows the reader that you are listening and tuned in to their world.

How to outline quick quality digital content

For any content you create, a simple structure or outline can be a huge time saver and a wonderful way to organize your thoughts. Do just enough to get yourself motivated to write. H

ere’s a three-step framework for keeping it simple:

1. Start with a simple sentence about the issue or problem you’ll address and why it matters. Let your audience know right away that this is for them and their specific situation.

2. Agitate on the problem you’re highlighting before. you share your solution. Create tension by describing the problem and the pain. Then let the reader or viewer know they are in the right place to resolve that tension.

3. Summarize and close. Always put a bow on your presentation by summing up the most important takeaways.

Applying the three-step framework

Let’s take a closer look at each of the three steps.

Step 1 – Start with a simple sentence

Let’s say you run a Software as a Service (SaaS) company. Your experience is there’s one primary reason your prospects put off transitioning to software and opt to stick to Excel and outdated paper systems instead: They think the learning curve is too steep.

Use that objection to tee up your opening sentence. Then, use it to give the reader a preview of the problem and how you will address and resolve it.

This simple sentence lays the groundwork for everything that will follow.

Let’s say your competitors are all using videos and tutorials to help users learn their software. But you’ve done your homework, and you know that users don’t complete the training. They also complain that it takes too long and it’s too hard to find the information they need.

So, you’ve developed a different approach. You film modules and write posts tailored to the most common use cases. So, customers can choose from step-by-step examples for the specific work they plan to do with the software.

With that in mind, here’s what your simple starter might look like:

Most traditional software training is time-consuming and ineffective, but it doesn’t have to be.

Step 2 – Use questions and objections to agitate the problem further

Draw on the customer’s queries and complaints so you can create the necessary tension. This is key.

Quick quality digital content must effectively create and resolve tension for the audience.

Let’s face it; people are driven to solve problems, but not until they recognize and acknowledge the need to do so. One way to create that need (agitate the problem) is to describe the gap between what they have now and what they want instead.

Take our software example. You could start by saying something along the lines of “Traditional software training takes hours to complete, but it isn’t effective because it doesn’t account for the specific use the client has in mind. As a result, users either spend too much time searching, or they give up.”

Then, you’d continue by asking a question like “What if I showed you an easier way?” or “What would it mean for your business if you could train users faster and easier?” Again, this shifts the focus to what they stand to gain with your solution.

Using this gap/gain approach, you’ll create a sense of need along with the desire to fulfill that need. This is where you can finally provide the details about your solution. A series of bullet points will do the trick. Just enough for them to get the gist of it and why it works.

Step 3 – Summarize and close

You’re almost done, but not quite.

So far, you began with a simple sentence that set up the specific problem you’d address. Then, you expanded on the problem and offered hope by way of a solution. Now it’s time to review what you’ve covered (like we just did in the previous two sentences) and wrap up.

But first, here’s a question to ask yourself; it’s called the empathy exercise.

Ask yourself, “If I were a client or prospect who had read this far, what reservation might still be lingering in my mind?”

This is the place to put a bow on your article by addressing that reservation. You may not have to think too hard to come up with it either.

Take our software example. A lingering doubt may be that it sounds too easy, or it sounds too hard. Whatever the case, it’s just a matter of using a sentence or two to dispel this hesitation.

The real reason the quick quality digital content approach works

It demonstrates and builds authority.

In our “simple sentence” opening to this article, we suggested that you don’t need to be a professional writer or media expert to create quick quality digital content. In fact, if it’t not a strong suit for you, you can actually use this perceived weakness to your advantage because your content is coming straight from the source.

Don’t underestimate the power of your working knowledge of the product or service you provide. When you match it with the understanding you have of your customer; you create instant credibility.

Excellent writing helps, and at some point, you may choose to have someone help you craft your messaging. Or, you may choose to explore some of the other tech tools available, such as AI or online editing.

But don’t forget that the real secret is you, your hard-earned expertise, and the way you leverage it to provide value to your customers with digital media.

The post A Small Business Owners Guide for Creating Quick Quality Digital Content appeared first on Platform Creator.

For example, if you’re a Software Developer or a SaaS (Software as a Service) company, you need to confront a stark business reality: no one wants your software.

They don’t want to know how much you know about coding, or APIs, or Python. You could even be the next Guido van Rossum (the person who created Python). You could even have Guido himself on your team, although he’s busy as a “Distinguished Engineer” at Microsoft currently.

Your sales prospects still won’t care.

Your clients want solutions to their business problems and they won’t care about your software until they know you understand those problems. Then your task is to demonstrate why y our solution makes sense.

So, it’s time to quit trying to sell software or development and start coming alongside those customers struggling with the kind of problems you solve. You do this in three simple (not easy) ways:

Spend more time teaching, less time selling

Start by focusing on the customer and what they need. If you can teach your audience something of value, they’ll reward you with their loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.

Create engaging content that demonstrates your grasp of their industry, trends, and challenges. Communicate an experience-based vision for success by using stories from customers you’ve helped solve similar problems. Use this “notes from the field” approach frequently so they know this isn’t just theoretical stuff.

Don’t be afraid to blow your own horn about customer successes. Better yet, let them blow it.

Position yourself as a Sherpa, not an expert.

An expert tells you how to climb Mt. Everest. A Sherpa shows you. And they help you navigate the hazards along the way.

Of course, you have the expertise to offer, but present it in as practical a way possible. If you’re a software developer, use the customer’s real-world data whenever possible. Map out processes with their own internal systems in mind. Show them where the danger is and the safest path to success.

Coach your team to embrace the language of the Sherpa.

Explain your solution as simple as possible, but no simpler.

Tailor your messaging for the low-tech listener. Leave it to the eggheads to hash out the minutiae later.

Talking to an ordinary person without any background in your industry or expertise in your product demands that you speak their language. The first thing you need to do is understand how your prospect speaks and what they want most from a solution.

Avoid jargon, acronyms, and insider language. Not everyone in any given room is up to speed, and the last thing you want is for someone to lose the flow of the conversation at a critical point because they’re stuck on a technical term.

To summarize, if you’re a software developer, your clients need your help more than they want your software.

Create engaging content and you’ll have the opportunity to give them both.

The post An easy way to create engaging content on your website appeared first on Platform Creator.

If you think you don’t need more good ideas – that what you need is better implementation – you’re still saying you could use some ideas for how to do better implementation. Good ideas are part and parcel of content marketing.

The problem is without a solid marketing plan and a calendar of topics for upcoming videos, articles, or social media posts, you’re going to run short on content ideas now and then. Here’s a quick recipe that will help you out in a pinch.

First, curate a list of content marketing ideas that matter

The tool at the heart of this search for helpful content topics is the google incognito page. Most folks use incognito for private searches, but it’s also helpful as a way of searching anonymously to find search results that are not tied to your own browser history. That way, the results you see are what the average users are typing in.

One of the sections on page one of the search result is “People also ask.” This is your bullseye for topic ideas, but it only works if you enter the right kind of search. 

For example, if I search “ideas for blog posts about software,” here’s what I get:

Basically, my search is too generic – folks are asking the same questions I am. 

Not helpful.

However, one little twist can change everything. 

For content to be relevant, make it specific to a problem. That problem could be related to an industry or a particular aspect of a product or service. By simply typing in the software type and the word “problem,” you’ll see a much different result.

Here’s what it looks like when I refine my software query to the phrase “enterprise software problems”:

Now we’re getting somewhere!

Any one of the above questions, “People also ask,” is rich with implications for content marketing ideas. In fact, with a few tweaks, a couple of these questions could serve as excellent headlines.

A few more searches, or better yet, a few conversations with clients or your sales team, will fill in the subtopics for your excellent piece of content.

If you know something about SEO, you can take it to a whole new level. Start with some keyword research and when you come up with your keyword phrase, add the word “problem” to it when you do that initial search.

Even if you don’t know what a keyword phrase is, you now have a method for using it in a simple, effective way. However, don’t procrastinate on educating yourself about SEO. There are plenty of great resources available, like this one.

And you can always ask us, of course.

All that’s left now is to add some intrigue to the endeavor. 

The cat killer rides again

(Platform Creator does not condone feline violence)

Curiosity may kill a cat or two here and there, but it happens to be one of the most powerful emotions you can draw on when it comes to capturing attention. 

Remember, it doesn’t matter how great your content is if it’s ignored.

Now that you have some content marketing ideas, use curiosity as the shiny wrapper. 

People react to content that suggests something they can do to improve their situation and then wonder if they can do it. 

Make this your mantra as you work on the structure of your headline and the structure of your content.

That’s it. Quick and simple. Go forth and create content your readers want instead of guessing what they want.

The post How to uncover sticky content marketing ideas appeared first on Platform Creator.

Marketing and selling have changed dramatically for businesses. Gone are the days when the salesperson was the primary source of information that customers relied on for information about a product or service.

Customers might talk to several salespeople to get a better perspective, but, essentially they were stuck with a sales-biased resource. This model has been upended by the fact that every customer now has access to the biggest, fastest, and most readily available information repository ever invented – the internet.

This good news for customers, may not seem so good for you. But it can be if you tweak your marketing aim.

Marketing is what happens before the sale (Ideally it happens after the sale too, but that’s for another post). It’s typically defined as the process of getting people interested in the goods and services offered. Teaching prospects what’s in their best interest is the best way to get them interested.

The ability to inform and enable decisions early in the buying process is critical.

Too many decisions!

Think about the last laptop you purchased and all the questions you had to answer before you felt ready to buy. Unless you’d already been sold on a product and seller – a “repeat sale” – you had a huge number of choices related to the product itself.

Mac?
Windows?
Chromebook?
Which brand?
Which model?
New or refurbished?
Consider a tablet instead?
Do I want a bigger or smaller unit?

In addition to the product options, you also had a number of product-related questions to answer.

How to back up and transfer data to the new one?
What to do with the old laptop?
Is it time to move to the cloud?

You get the idea. The point here is that as a buyer, you were immediately thrust into the role of learner. An even bigger point, as a marketer who believes your product is the right choice, you must see yourself as a decision enabler by teaching them how to make all the little decisions that lead to the big decision; you!

Marketing is about teaching prospects how to decide

In a 2012 Harvard Business Review article, the authors refer to “decision simplicity index” as “a gauge of how easy it is for consumers to gather and understand (or navigate) information about a brand, how much they can trust the information they find, and how readily they can weigh their options.”

With all the decisions your prospect faces, it’s vital that you simplify the decision process.

The word “trust” also appears in the definition above, and in the past, we’ve shared a framework for creating trustworthy content. But here we’d like to introduce our own for determining how well you teach and inform your client.

Adopt A Decision Enabler Index

Use these three questions to determine how much of your platform messaging is related to teaching your clients and helping them along the decision path.

1. Does your web copy answer similar questions about your product to those posed in the laptop example above?
2. When you put together a proposal for a client, are you making a deliberate effort to educate them about your product or service, as it relates to the primary problem you will solve?
3. Do you have an ongoing, consistent campaign for teaching your prospects and customers about your product or service, using video, social media, articles, or courses?

Are you ready to teach?

If you don’t already see yourself as a decision enabler, simply adjusting your approach could be a catalyst for you and your organization. There’s an important side benefit to add here: it’s been said that the best way to learn is to teach.

Remember, if you’re not learning, you’re not growing.

The post Want to grow your business? Become a decision enabler. appeared first on Platform Creator.

When I left a global logistics company (UPS) in August of 2018 and pivoted to a content marketing and copywriting career, I thought I was done with logistics. Turns out I needed to get back to my roots in order to get my creative game on.

For most of my adult life (I started as a delivery driver in 1986) I lived in the get-the-goods-delivered world of logistics. Forecasting volume, packages per hour, time studies, daily reports, and on-time delivery, were all a part of daily life.

Logistics is about the management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption (Wikipedia).

“The art of war is about legs, not arms.”

– General Maurice de Saxe

And logistics doesn’t just make the world go round by keeping everyone fed and stocked. It wins wars. As Robert Hilliard Barrow put it, “Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics. Professionals talk about logistics…”

Creatives are in a war.

A war against a mishmash of enemies with evil intent to snuff their spark. On the propaganda front, one of the most nefarious campaigns has to do with overstressing the importance of the creative spirit, and how it must be fanned to flame by inspiration and whisperings from the Muse.

Truth is, the war of art is won by logistics too. In this case, managing and maintaining the flow of creativity – from origin to consumption.

• From pen to paper to post
• From brush to canvas to showing
• From idea to outline to speech

The plotter and the plodder

One morning over breakfast, I asked my friend, Ed, how he had accomplished so much and remains so active at the age of 84. His response? “I’m a plodder. I just keep going.”

His answer intrigued me. At the time, I was more a plotter than a plodder when it came to my creative pursuits. I entertained this romantic notion that the breakthrough idea would come to me if I read enough of the right books or found the magic method.

I’ve learned that the breakthrough rarely comes to me. I have to go find it.

While I’ll admit, that I don’t know the mysterious origin of my best ideas, I do know that they wear off quickly or don’t see the white of page without some plodding. It’s during, after, or between long bouts and slow methodical campaigns of persistence that a work of art finally starts to take shape.

Picasso was a plodder. Leonardo was a plodder. Both of them created tens of thousands of sketches – thousands of failed attempts – before the art emerged from their plod.

When it comes to painting or writing, or selling or marketing, there is a complexity to be mastered, and our brains don’t learn it in a snap. It has to simmer slowly in a soup of patterns and repetition and rote.

Of course, logistics has an element of plotting, but in business, it’s all in service of the plod from point A to point B. Between hubs, through borders, and customs clearance, and finally the last leg to the consignee’s front door.

It’s no wonder we creatives resist the plod:

• It exposes our inefficiency
• It imposes the stress of when and where we’ll show up with our art.
• And besides, it just sounds so stinkin’ uncreative

But by avoiding it, our focus shifts to the dissatisfaction of unfinished work, rather than the positive tension of finishing.

Logistics is all about delivering the goods

The whole point of logistics is delivery. Everything else is secondary. It doesn’t matter how efficient or polite, or cost-effective you are if the package doesn’t make it to the customer’s front porch.

As a creative, output is the point of your activity. Without it, you won’t progress and learn as quickly.

When I began as a UPS Driver, the iPhone and GPS were still years away. Delivery records were handwritten, and we navigated from printout sections of city maps.

The training was rigorous and repetitive. I can still hear the “cadences”:

“Keyring on the left ring finger”
“Attach seatbelt with the right hand – release emergency brake with the left”
“Look left-right-left at intersections”
“Plan 5 steps ahead”

My trainer had drilled these habits into my brain, knowing that over time they’d become automatic and ensure efficiency. But those first days alone were bumpy. Without the reminders and coaxing and coaching, I found out quickly what I lacked and what I needed to learn. And it was in the daily doing (logistics) that I learned it.

Here are a few guidelines I’ve found helpful when it comes to getting logistical about creativity:

⏱ The stopwatch (pace)

World-class logistics companies time everything. Without knowing how long it takes to complete a task, it’s nearly impossible to plan and dispatch work.

As a new delivery driver, I was constantly calculating the number of stops per hour to determine whether I was on pace to complete the day’s assigned deliveries.

Now, as a writer, I occasionally count my words per hour. Especially if I’m working on a large writing assignment. It helps me to track it against the deadline. Also, I’m a slower writer than I’d like to be, so it’s helpful to monitor pace.

As Moshe Feldenkrais wisely observed, “You cannot do what you want until you know what you do.”

🕰 The clock (progress)

A logistics operation is driven by deadlines. The clock is always ticking on milestones and commitments. For most, it’s a 24 hour a day endeavor of systematic progress

As a driver, I established a few critical progress checkpoints throughout the day. After a while, my customers could tell what time it was by seeing me pull up to the door. It also helped me to know if I was on track, or needed to make adjustments.

When I’m writing it’s easy to get lost in the work and forget the time. I’ve found it very helpful to decide in advance where the day’s milestones and checkpoints will be. It also helps me leverage energy and measure progress.

📅 The calendar (planning)

Forecasting and planning are at the core of successful logistics. Each hand-off is a critical link in the supply chain. It’s simply not possible to execute consistently without the ability to think ahead.

During training as a driver, I was taught to plan 5 stops ahead. This became easier, the better I got at marking my progress and monitoring my pace. Having a clear plan freed me to focus on other aspects of the job, like service and positive customer interactions.

Blocking out writing time on the calendar has been key to my development as a writer. The better the plan, the more bandwidth freed up for the creative work. Otherwise, I find myself undone by the unknown or unexpected.

As an added bonus, each day I do my best will set me up for a better tomorrow.

Whether you’re a poet or a plumber, at some point you have to start showing up publicly with your work. You have to become logistical.

The good news is you can get from mediocrity to creative competence if you submit to the plod. It’s not easy and it takes time, but it helps to know you’re on the right road, even if the scenery is not stunning at the moment.

You will get better. And better is the path to good. And sometimes even great.

The post How to Get Logistical About Your Creativity appeared first on Platform Creator.

We get a lot of web design questions from our clients and people who call Platform Creator. Where do I start? Do I need several different domain addresses? What is web hosting? If you have a business in Dallas, Fort Worth or any metro area, chances are there is a wealth of freelance web design, SEO and brand strategists near me and you. In addition, there are several free online marketing tools that can help get you started with your online platform.

However, if you’re on a tight budget, here’s a free step by step web design resource that utilizes several professional tools and answers many of these web design questions. Even though we, at Platform Creator, are in the business of serving our web design and video production clients, we understand that not every business or individual has a large enough budget to launch a stunning website.

Nine Web Design Questions.

1). What change are your trying to create? Why is this critical? It’s important to know the reason why you are creating a website in the first place. This will determine your strategy for how it’s designed and on which platform it will be designed. A website should help accomplish many things. It should help you: build trust with whoever visits your site, get found, inform, engage, tell your story and differentiate from others. 

2). What platform should I use to have my website created? Many of the top websites in the world use WordPress. It’s where a large pool of talented web developers create and exchange ideas and tools to best bring businesses from a brick-and-mortal presence to a well-designed graphical representation of their brand online. Here’s another resource to help you determine which website platform to use.

3). Who is your persona? Not just age, income and gender demographics, but dig a little deeper into who your typical customer is. As an example: ‘What does their typical day look like?’, ‘What do they value most?’, ‘Where do they go for information?’, etc. Some of this information can be gathered through Google Analytics. Other info can be gathered through surveys (online and in store) and online research.

4). Once you find out who your ideal persona is, how are your going to develop your website (design, content and functionality) to create a positive user experience and to accomplish your goals? 10 Quick Fixes to Build Killer Landing Pages

5). How often will you need your website updated? This is were local talent comes in. It’s fine to work with someone outside your trade area, but it’s helpful if they understand your market. What’s good for web design in Dallas may not cut it in New York. But, it’s convenient to have a face-to-face meeting on occasion.

Consider price, quality and timing. Normally, you can have two of the three (low price, high quality, fast turnaround). If you want it done fast and at a low price, often the quality will suffer. If you want quality work and at a low price, it might not happen as quickly as you’d like. However, if you’re willing to pay the standard $100 – $175 an hour to keep your website properly maintained and secure, you should expect quality work with a fairly quick turnaround (24 – 48 hours, depending on the complexity of the request).

6). Are you using your site as a lead generation tool? If the answer is yes, it’s best to engage a digital marketing agency or freelancer who has multiple capabilities such as: building lead generating landing pages, designing your email marketing campaigns, marketing to and engaging your ideal persona with social media tools, optimizing your website with an effective SEO strategy and measuring progress through Google Analytics.

7). How will you know if it’s working? Creating your online platform is much more than just building a website. You are competing with hundreds or possibly thousands of other companies online who have had an established online presence for many years. It takes time, at least six to nine months, to make even a small impact online. Of course, it depends on your digital marketing budget.

If you don’t have that kind of time or thousands of dollars to spend on your monthly digital marketing budget, you might want to start with a free website builder like Wix or Strickingly. Are you trying to generate sales or donations online? What’s your baseline for sales now and by what percentage do you expect your sales or donations to increase. Consider times of the year and doing a year over year comparison.

8). How long before you lose patience? As mentioned in number 7, building an audience online takes time and money. Set reasonable goals, possibly a 10 – 15% increase over 6 – 12 months, depending on your ad budget.

9). Who is responsible for messaging? Are you hiring an agency to compose your story or are you handling this on your own? Does your content have good flow throughout each page (reading like a story)? And a bonus question, does your messaging help you accomplish your goals in question 1? Is your content telling your story in an engaging way, with keywords for effective SEO and does it help differentiate yourself from the competition? The message map below can assist you in getting started with your content strategy.

Help For Creating Your Message Map

Platform Creator is a Dallas Ft. Worth area web design and SEO company that also provides video production, social media and SEM services. Give us a call with your web design questions or email us if you are interested getting started with your online platform.

john@platformcreator.com

972-672-8805.

The post 9 Critical Web Design Questions appeared first on Platform Creator.

There are two kinds of platforms, one is the digital form, as in software like WordPress, twitter, Facebook, etc. The other is more conceptual and harder to define. Basically it’s the body of thought – principles, objectives, and discussions that you use to appeal to your customers or constituents.

One of the great benefits of having a platform is the capability to communicate clearly and consistently about the value or positive change you offer your clients. If you’re new to the process you’ll likely find it harder than expected, but there’s a process involved, and it’s vital to establishing your conceptual platform.

Some call this process “finding your voice,” but ultimately it’s not so much about finding as it is developing one’s voice. The distinction may seem subtle, but it’s key. While it’s true, that the voice you use to communicate is critical to your success;

you don’t find your voice in order to write clearly. You write – not always clearly – in order to develop your voice.

For example, my friend Tom says he needs to find his voice in the posts he writes on behalf of his moving company. The way I put it to Tom was, “You already know how to talk to your customers about moving. You know how to calm their fears and concerns, while at the same time gaining their commitment to be ready when your movers arrive.

In other words, Tom, you already have a voice. You just need to develop it.”

Tom may want to become a better writer (me too!) or come up with new, unique ways to get his points across, but these things will come as he develops his voice.

The reason this distinction is important is that if Tom thinks he’s on a voicefinding expedition, he’s liable to search for it in ways that aren’t helpful. Ways that don’t involve him sitting in front of a keyboard or a piece of paper and doing the hard work of writing and thinking.

The voice finding mentality can even be detrimental if Tom decides to wait until he’s found it to get started. At some point he just has to start, choose that first topic and begin the ongoing process of iterating and figuring out what resonates. The same is true for you.

There is a tension to not knowing exactly what it is you want to say and how to say it. But it helps to realize this tension is a natural part of the process, and not allow it to cause undue paralysis of the vocal muscles! As you begin, focus on exercising those voice muscles consistently and value that as meaningful progress.

Develop a routine for voice development training, and the results will come. Keep a schedule for this training the same way you would for training your muscles at the gym. The more regular you are, the more you will see the appreciable gains.

Those of us who were part of the phonics generation, learned to read by recognizing patterns of letters to sound out the words. It’s much the same with the process of making sentences and paragraphs make sense. It’s not entirely unlike using phonics in order to sound out the words, except it’s not just words, but sentences and paragraphs you’re sounding out for the meaning and value you want to convey. As you practice, these things will begin to take shape.

Your client has a voice too. In a very tangible sense, your voice has to be tied to theirs. You’ll need to become acutely aware of your client’s voice so that your communication can anticipate and answer their questions.

What is the main problem you solve for them? What are the opportunities your value offering make possible? What are the questions they have about that offering?

To begin, select one problem or opportunity to address, and  let’s walk through the process with one of your most basic communication formats: the blog post. As you consider the topic, make a list of the questions your post will answer. For example:

Why is this topic important?

What is the client’s current perspective of the problem, and how do I want to reframe it for them?

What’s the hard part for them in dealing with the problem?

What are some of their most common misunderstandings?

What’s next? Or, what is a practical next step they can take to address it?

Stick to this regimen. Dig deeply, and you’ll begin to gain a sense of what needs to be said and how to say it. You’ll not only begin to write more clearly, but you’ll also start to think more clearly about who your work is for and what it does for them.

Keep in mind that our first ideas are not necessarily our best ideas, so resist the impulse to see your first draft as pristine. One way to do this is to invite feedback from knowledgeable, trusted sources. Part of finding your voice is developing a sense of good taste. Feedback is vital to that process.

Remember, you already have an idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you see yourself as starting from zero, you’ll be waiting to get to one before you publish. And pushing the publish button is something you need to get comfortable with from the start.

Experiment. Take risks. Early on, when your readership is small, you have the latitude to make a few mistakes. Similar to the way a voice coach might have you practice things like intonation, phrasing, and voice fluctuation, consider such things as you develop your own voice.

Perhaps most important, believe that you have something of value to say, and begin the work to make it even more valuable. More than a search, it’s a process of discovery. Somewhere – God only knows where – are the words you’re after, already in existence but not yet manifest in the world. By seeing your voice as a work in progress – a development process rather than a treasure hunt – you’ll free yourself to stop searching and start developing and discovering.

The post Why You Don’t Need to “Find Your Voice” appeared first on Platform Creator.

I’m a platform creator. I help others tell stories and create marketing platforms worth sharing. However, most of my career has been spent failing; working on advertising campaigns that have very little substance and very few social media shares. Many times my focus has been in the wrong area. Yes, some of the feature and benefit campaigns sold a lot of mobile phones and some of my ideas helped sell candy bars and sodas and even tell creative stories. However, I’m not sure many of them were memorable.

Memorable campaigns are ones that really connect with people and their inner most compassion towards those who are hurting.

Remember the Nissan 2015 Superbowl commercial? This helped us connect the pain of being away from ‘Dad’ uniquely with the Nissan brand. For many of us, this ad also helped us reach a point of thankfulness for whatever time we spent with our own dad or kids.

Most Americans have a lot in which to be thankful. Personally, living in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area, I enjoy a thriving economy with job growth and profitable companies and generally a pleasant climate and joyful people (except when driving in traffic).

However, Dallas County is home to more than 675,000 children. Of those, 24.9% live below the federal poverty level – exceeding the state and national average –  and are less likely to receive medical care. Most of these children show up in a hospital ER, resulting in added cost to everyone.

Sadly, these children face additional dangers, too. Since the year 2000, infant mortality has increased by 35% in Dallas County. These are Third World problems right in my own backyard!

This is unacceptable to me. It’s a good thing that our local economy is strong. It gives us access to people and resources that can provide jobs, goods and services, and a pleasant environment. However, the story of people like Behrane and others who struggle every day to provide basic care for their children, make the story of The Doctor Spot one that I feel urged to share.

Will you join us and help equip The Doctor Spot?

If not, what stories challenge you to make a positive impact on others? How can you stretch your clients’ expectations beyond just asking about who they are and how they stack up to the competition? How can a home loan or an automobile company create a positive impact on others or simply remind us how thankful we should be for our fathers?

Read more about how The LifeSavers Foundation is helping families in The Dallas / Ft. Worth Metroplex.

Thank you to The LifeSavers Foundation for giving Platform Creator a chance to share the story of The Doctor Spot.

The post Pain Paints a Powerful Story appeared first on Platform Creator.

Who cares about how to start a blog. Why start a blog? For one, search engines keep a record of everything that is posted online. The more content you have, the more bridges you are building, helping customers find your website. Blogs have now become an integral part of the marketing strategies of companies big and small. Regardless of their industry or niche, blogs have plenty of impact with visitors, followers, and customers. Content marketing is key if you want to become a platform creator.

If you’ve yet to embrace this marketing strategy because you’re not sure how to start a blog, there are several ways to do so. You can create a blog on a blog-hosting platform like WordPress or Joomla.Or, you could embed a pre-existing blog into your website, or devise your own “blogging” application. We’d be happy to walk you through the process. While most blogs are theme-centric and focus on providing information that is relevant to specific subject matter, you can actually blog about whatever you like. For marketing purposes, however, you’d want it to revolve around your company, brand, products, or services. You would want to bring more attention to what you’re offering to the public and to your customers.

Blogs are the perfect way to establish more intimate relationships with your audience and to strengthen existing ones. Why? Because they give you a platform for connecting that isn’t limited by a product description, sales pitch, or pre-formatted “about us” page. In addition to relationship building, blogs are an excellent way to become more involved in the social and community-based aspect of online marketing and to establish yourself as an industry thought leader. In addition, they can show you as an authoritative voice, which only serves to elevate your standing and visibility even further.

Aside from creating your blog, there are a few key things to remember if you are working toward having a successful blog. Posting regularly is essential because people enjoy fresh information and a “stale” blog appears neglected or inactive. It’s not enough to just write posts and wait for readers, either; your content needs to be original and informative, with engagement and appeal that makes people want to read more. You’ll also need to market your blog to bring attention to it and drive more traffic your way. One great way to market your blog is to use cross-platform marketing tactics and include links to your blog posts on your social media networks and in other locations where you’ve established an online presence.

Once you start writing blog entries on a consistent and regular basis, you’ll be able to determine which types of content are most appealing for your readers based on comments, shares, backlinks, and other signals. When you know what blog content is most popular, you can include more of that in your blog to keep the interest level high. Acknowledging feedback or customer comments through well-written blogs that address customer needs, answer questions, or solve problems is another great way to use your blog to appeal to and retain your readers and customers. You can also use your blog to promote your social networks, introduce customers to new products or services, or demonstrate through video tutorials how certain things should be done or could be done more efficiently.The sky truly is the limit with regard to what you can include in your blog and what your blog can do for both you and your customers.

Whether you’re new to blogging or you’ve been doing it for years, it is an invaluable tool for your company’s marketing efforts and an ideal information delivery system for connecting with your customers and target audience. You will quickly find your blogging voice and tone, as well as the ideal content to publish to your blog, and be on your way to successful blogging in no time.

Blogging Tools

How to Grow Your Online Platform without SEO

The post Blog to Delight New Customers appeared first on Platform Creator.

So after a few prods, I decided to attend. After all, it’s hard to say ‘no’ to Bob, one of the most-connected, kind, and intentional men I know. I’m glad I did and I would encourage you to attend as well.

There is something magical about attending an event that connects people live from places around the world.

Hearing the infectious laugh of the influential and peaceful Bishop Desmund Tutu, live from South Africa, or internalizing the inspiring story of former advertising executive, Laura Schroff’s encounter with an 11-year-old panhandler, or connecting with Braveheart’s screenwriter, Randall Wallace’s testimony. In a word, it’s a powerful and welcome attack on your senses.

If your leadership is not all about you it will live beyond you.

–         Andy Stanley

Leadercast is focused on building Leaders Worth Following.

Leadership is not reserved for those with a ‘C’ in their title. We need better leaders in our communities, businesses, organizations, and in homes across the world. Leadercast exists to serve individuals and organizations across all sectors who want to become intentional about raising their standard of leadership.

Leadercast believes that certain behaviors serve as the framework of a leader worth following:

• • Simplicity – brings clarity to the complex.
  • Creativity – fosters an atmosphere that allows others to dream.
  • Bravery – possesses a posture of unrelenting boldness.
  • Beyond You – leverages influence for the sake of others.
  • Insight – resolves to consistently do the wise thing.
  • Vision – moves towards a preferred future with little deviation.
  • Culture – architects the conditions to win.

Leadercast exists to positively change the way the world thinks about leadership.

The 2015 theme — The Brave Ones — challenges leaders to lead with a sense of Bravery, possessing a posture of unrelenting boldness. Join Atlanta’s best leaders at Leadercast Live on May 8, 2015 and discover what it means to be a leader worth following.

Now I can stay focused on SEO, Social Media, advertising, and blogging. But now, I can focus with better simplicity, creativity, insight, bravery, and vision, in a way that connects with and serves our culture for the sake of others. I’ll see you in 2015 in Atlanta or maybe from a satellite event in the  Dallas, Ft. Worth Area!

Thank you for the invite, Bob. Want to get to know Bob? His blog is www.leadingwithquestions.com.

The post Key Behaviors of a Leader Worth Following appeared first on Platform Creator.