Drew McLellan, Author at McLellan Marketing Group

Write for SEO success

May 31, 2009

One of the most common questions I get asked is…how do I get more people to my site/blog?

Assuming you're writing good, valuable content and you don't have a big budget to buy your traffic, the answer is: write in a way that makes the search engines love you.

This is where Jon Wuebben’s new book, Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web comes in.

I have to admit, when I got the review copy of the book in the mail I sort of gritted my teeth. This did not look like fun reading.

But I'm happy to report that I was wrong. Wuebben's writing style is engaging and accessible. Even an absolute novice will be able to follow his train of thought and examples.

The book is written in three parts;

Part 1 covers the basics of SEO copywriting and lays the groundwork of what search engine optimization copy is, how the web analyzes content and basic keyword analysis tools.
Part 2 gives you all the options you have on the web from basic web sites, to wikis, newsletters, press releases, blogs, etc.
Part 3 offers real life examples of SEO copywriting that you can use as templates and guides as you create your own pieces.

Whether you want to be an SEO copywriter by trade or you just want to attract more visitors to your site — this book is worth the read. There are some excellent case studies and plenty of pointers to put into immediate play.

This is a very practical and pragmatic book. Lots more how to than theory — which is how it should be.

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What’s your defining sentence?

May 29, 2009

We hosted (along with Jeff Garrison) a very laid back networking event last night. Basically, we opened the doors from 5 – 7 pm, people showed up with a couple bottles of their favorite beverage (we provided ice and coolers) and everyone hung out, met new people and chatted.

It was excellent — 100+ people showed up and mingled. A good time was had by all and I'm hoping some new connections were made.

But, as I watched the room I got to thinking. If each of these people only had one sentence they could utter…what would they say? Would they fall into the rut of describing their job. "Hi, I'm Bob and I'm a financial planner." Or would they have a sentence at the ready to tell us how they're different from all the others in the crowd?

The goal is to pique someone's interest. To get them to say "tell me more" or to ask a question.

As you might know — my self-intro would be: "Hi, I'm Drew. We help businesses create authentic love affairs with their customers."

What would your sentence be?

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How to burn a reporter and a bridge

May 26, 2009

If you have a story to pitch to the media, choose the reporter or media outlet that is best suited for the story. But don’t pitch the same story to competing media or more than reporter at the same media outlet.

Even if you score the story in two places…it will cost you in credibility. And the next time you pick up the phone with a hot lead – the reporter you burned will never bother returning your call.

If you have a story or event that you think is worthy of everyone’s attention – then at least give each station or paper a different angle to cover, so that they all get to report a fresh story.

Just like any relationship – a relationship with a reporter will quickly sour if you lie or make them look stupid. Remember, the more you help them do their job, the more they can help you do yours.

P.S. You can substitute the word blogger for reporter and voila, a bit of your blogger outreach program!

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How will you be remembered?

May 25, 2009

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. Not just remembering the person but remembering their legacy, their gifts to the world, their community, their family. We tell stories. We look at pictures. We are touched again by these people who have gone before us.

There are moments in time, like Memorial Day, my 40th birthday, a visit to ground zero in NYC that give me pause. I get off the merry-go-round long enough to wonder if I am making the right choices and how I will be remembered.

The 9-11 tragedy and the images that now surround ground zero should give us all pause. The people who died that day started off their morning thinking it was just another day. Just like we do, every day.

I found myself wondering what they would have done or said differently. All the things that at the moment mattered — really didn't.

What if it had been you?

Would you have shouted at the driver who cut you off?
Would you be at the office and miss saying good night to your son or daughter?
Would you worry about those five extra pounds?
Would you panic at this quarter's sales numbers?
Would you cling to that grudge?
Would you worry about your blog's ranking?

Who would you think about? What would you do? What would you say? Why don't you say it today?

Here's my question for myself this Memorial Day. And for you.

How do you want your life to be measured? What if today was the day?

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
Measure a year?

In daylights – in sunsets
In midnights – in cups of coffee
In inches – in miles
In laughter – in strife

In – five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died

It's time now – to sing out
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year
In the life of friends

Remember the love
Remember the love
Remember the love
Measure in love

Measure
Measure your life in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Note: I took all of these photos on Memorial Day '07. The 5th, 6th & 8th photos are of pictures that hang in the memorial area. (So they are my photos of someone else's photos) The rest are of artifacts in the area. One of the most striking realizations as you walk around the site is the deep hunger people have to leave notes or messages. They've written on signage, walls and anywhere they think their voice might be able to linger.

It's not graffiti, it's grief.

The photos are mine, the lyrics belong to Jonathan Larson from the musical RENT.

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Five Sales Pitch Fundamentals That Win Business in a Recession (Joey Asher)

May 22, 2009

Drew's Note: As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Joey Asher. Again. Enjoy!

I attended many high school parties where there weren’t enough girls. Competition for dance partners was fierce. That’s what the marketplace looks like in today’s recession. New business is scarce. And competition is fierce.

Just as when there aren’t enough dance partners, when business is scarce you need to hone your pitch. In your next sales presentation, focus on five fundamentals to separate yourself from your competition.

Fundamental #1. Present a solution and nothing else. Many of your competitors start presentations by talking about themselves. “Before we start, let me tell you about how our company began . . .” Blah. Blah. Blah. Who cares? Your prospect only cares about is how you can save them money, grow their revenues, or reduce their risk. Detail your plan to help your prospect and tell stories about how the plan has worked for others.

Fundamental # 2. Keep it simple. I watched three construction firms pitch to build a new school. No presentation had less than 10 points. None of the messages were memorable. Instead, you should hammer at three messages. “We’ll build your project on time. We’ll meet your budget. We’ll deliver quality work.” Simplicity separates you from the competition.

Fundamental # 3. Speak with passion. If you’re one of three firms competing, you know that your competition can do a great job. Personal style can be the separator. “When it’s close, many of the decisions just come down to who connects with us best,” one CEO told me. Passion in the voice helps you connect.

Fundamental #4. Leave half of your time for questions. Questions address your prospect’s hot buttons. Your competition often makes Q&A an afterthought. Avoid that mistake.

Fundamental #5. Rehearse. “I can always tell who has rehearsed,” said one CEO who has heard hundreds of sales presentations. Most people don’t rehearse much. Practicing sets you apart.

In a recession, the pool of new business is small. Focus on fundamentals to grab your share.

Joey Asher is Joey Asher is President of Speechworks, a communication and selling skills coaching firm that has been helping business people communicate more effectively for over 20 years. This post is adapted from Joey Asher’s new book “How to Win a Pitch: The Five Fundamentals that Will Distinguish You from the Competition. You can also read Joey's blog at Talking Points.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

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Word of mouth: Who are your talkers?

May 20, 2009

In Andy Sernovitz's new book on Word of Mouth Marketing (and in his old book too) he talks about the 5 T's of Word of Mouth. I thought it might be useful for us to dig into each of them over the next week or two.

If you've been wanting to get a bit more viral and work on your word of mouth efforts — you'll be able to use these posts as a guide to drafting a simple WOM marketing action plan. (download the planning chart)

The first T is Talkers. Talkers are people who spread the gospel about your product or service. They're going to tell their friends, co-workers, and other people about you.

The trick is identifying who your talkers really are. Most people assume it would naturally be their biggest, best customers. But that's not always the case. You need to think about your customers and who has a natural tendency to share their experiences with others.

One of the things I really found myself nodding at was when Andy debunked the myth that talkers had to be "influencers" ala Malcom Gladwell's theories in the Tipping Point. Anyone can be a talker. Ever had your hair cut? Man, are those people plugged into what's going on. Don't think movers and shakers — think natural talkers!

Who might be your talkers? Don't take this list as gospel — but more of a jump start.

Employees
Vendors
Happy customers
Reporters
Bloggers
Social Networkers
Passive "free" customers (like the ones who subscribe to your e-newsletter)
Neighbors
Active networkers (they have to connect their peeps to someone!)

So what do you think….who are your talkers?

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Logo contest – first drafts of logo submissions

May 18, 2009

As you will recall, thanks to an offer from LogoInn, I was able to offer one lucky reader/company a free logo. After accepting entries for about a week, we eventually selected Colfax Main Street as our winner.

We're going to go through the entire process here on the blog, so everyone can learn along. Here's what's happened so far.

So today, we're going to take a look at LogoInn's first round of logo options. I'm going to reserve my comments for a day or so, to see what you think.

A reminder — critiquing and asking questions is perfectly fine. Being rude and getting personal…not so much. Please be honest, objective and share your opinion. But be respectful.

Okay….remembering that the entire town was built around their history of supplying mineral water to many bottling companies and visitors — let's see what LogoInn has done.

You can click on the images to see them a little larger.

What do you think? Remember, these need to reduce down to business cards, lapel pins and who knows what else. They also need to blow up to outdoor signage, vehicle designs and work in all media from the web to traditional print.

Once we get the final logo design done/selected — we'll delve into color.

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Some very worthy additions to my blogroll

May 17, 2009

I have been incredibly remiss in updating my blogroll. There are so many good blogs out there…and I haven't been doing as good a job as I should in introducing you to some of them.

So you may look down this list and say, "Geez, Drew…I have been reading this blog for months." I know, I know. So sue me. ;-}

Anyway….without further ado, these are all blogs that I think you will find intriguing in one way or another. I'd love to get your thoughts and feedback on any of them…as I am sure would the authors.

The Business Insider: This is a team blog that covers a wide range of topics, mostly marketing but some other business thoughts/ideas as well.

The Harte of Marketing: Beth Harte is a marketing and social media consultant who brings common sense and great storytelling to her blog.

Altitude Branding: Amber Naslund is infectious. She writes about social media and branding as she serves as Radian6's Director of Community.

Jeff Garrison: Jeff writes about extraordinary sales habitudes and teaches all of us how to build better relationships which lead to better sales.

All you need is a good idea: Jay Heyman is a smart agency guy who speaks in plain language about things every business should know. He's also written a book you should read.

Increasing Employee & Client Engagement: Chad Rothschild is new to the blogging scene but brings a great deal of marketing savvy to his new venture. You'll enjoy the read.

Enjoy!

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My pep talk for 2009

May 15, 2009

Bloggers around the world today will be participating in a global half time report…talking about how they see the first half of 2009 and what we can look forward to for the next six months. All of this is part of the 24 hours of innovation. You can read the other bloggers thoughts here and watch as new ones get added throughout the marathon.

The project asked: Let’s all share our views on 2009 up until now. What is your advice to the world? Which projects have surprised/disappointed you so far (in your industry or in general)? Are people motivated enough to start new projects? Which solutions can innovation bring?

I asked readers to add their thoughts to the mix as well but here's my take.

I've owned my own business, packed with the same joys and woes of any business owner, since 1995. And in that time span, have endured some of the worst economic times the US has seen in decades.

I can vividly remember the period right after 9/11 when it felt like our entire world simply froze in time. Finally, as businesses and our nation realized we could not stand still and mourn forever, even though that is exactly what we wanted to do. Many business people bemoaned that they wanted and needed things to go back to normal. The reply was….this is the new normal, learn to be successful in this economic environment or you won't outlast it. Your business will be stronger for it.

And so it was.

Now today, it seems as though the recession has the entire world and the business owners within it in that same sort of mournful stupor. The media pounds us with the dismal news every day and for many, they sit frozen in time, glued to the bad news just like we were glued to the horrific images of 9/11 that we literally sat and watched for days on end back in 2001. All too often, I hear business people talk about "waiting for things to get back to normal."

Guess what….this is the new normal. And if we don't turn off that TV (computer, radio, newspaper) and look around us, by the time the economy recovers, we'll be irrelevant.

As I travel around the country, speaking at conferences and conventions, I see and hear a different kind of news. I meet business owners and leaders who say business is good. Or picking up. Or they are trying something new (out of necessity) that is really catching some traction.

Typical of the media, they are focusing on the few and the huge. Are those industries (auto, big bank) having some trouble? No doubt. But, were they also bloated and inefficient and the shake up will make them better.

This can actually be an amazing time of innovation, business growth, improvement and profit. If we pick up our head and really see what's real, rather than what is being reported.

My pep talk? Whether you are an employee, business owner, solo entrepreneur or leading a huge corporation — you can't wait for "normal." This is our new normal. Learn how to thrive in this time by asking new, better questions, by creating collaborations in fresh ways and by behaving our way out of this recession.

I truly believe that it is the small and medium sized businesses that are going to save the day and bring back better economic times through sheer will power, their drive to serve and bigger, better ideas. And, we'll all be the better for it.

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Avoid Crash and Burn: Check! (Nicolas A. Boillot)

May 15, 2009

Drew's Note: As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Nicolas A. Boillot. Again. Enjoy!

Launching a marketing initiative that successfully reaches your intended audience and delivers a spot-on message in many ways resembles a perfect, incident-free flight. Before every phase of a flight, pilots perform a series of checks to ensure that all systems are in order.

This happens before starting the engine, before takeoff, before landing, and when shutting down the engine. The procedure ensures a successful flight, and when in trouble, checklists abound for each kind of trouble a pilot faces. But sometimes a small detail missed at any phase of flight – be it on the ground (full fuel?) or before landing (gear down?) can create a “domino-effect,” which could lead to disaster. After all, you can’t pull over to the side of the road when you’re flying.

Similarly, in marketing and communications initiatives, a “flight plan” enables you to map out key check-points where you can check whether you’re on track or likely to miss the mark. The ideal flight plan for a communications project requires a review of each phase of a project or campaign at specified intervals, measuring against original direction as well as new information recorded along the way.

Whether creating an ad campaign, pitching a story to a publication, or developing a brand, dividing your plan into phases, or “legs” where you must check in and review progress to date, can make all the difference in arriving safely at your destination.

We have all left client meetings thinking, “We’ll knock this one out of the park” as we already envision the outcome and how to get there. And most of us have experienced that awful feeling a month later, when we discover that we’re not even close to meeting the client’s expectations. Or, the real client was the CEO, but nobody told us that – and she hates all the work that’s been developed so far. With the deadline approaching, we trudge back to square one, desperate for a winning solution that will rescue us from endless revisions and a death spiral for the project.

How did we get so far off course?

With our eyes on the prize, we easily switched to auto-pilot and turned a blind eye to potential barriers. Instead, our checklist might have included meetings with key decision-makers at every phase of the project. In fact, our pre-takeoff checklist might have included figuring out who the key decision-makers were.

As marketers, we generally take to the creative process more easily than the project management. That’s why a checklist makes so much sense. It relieves us of the burden of figuring it all out again with every new project.

Try it some day – take a type of project that you do on a regular basis, and make a checklist of key considerations to address along the way. Use it on the next project, and edit for anything that’s missing. And don’t make it too complicated – even a simple check, such as ensuring you have enough fuel for your flight, might dramatically cut the number of times you have to land at alternate airports.

Here's an example of a project checklist for writing an article.

Nicolas A. Boillot is Managing Partner and co-founder of Hart-Boillot, LLC a full-service advertising and public relations agency specializing in higher education, medical, clean- and high-technology markets. Since Hart-Boillot’s founding in 1999, Boillot has managed significant communications campaigns for brands such as HP, Gore Bike Wear, EMC, Fairchild Semiconductor, Vicor and NanoHorizons.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

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