February 4, 2012

Blog Ghostwriting with no time-sucking Ghost

I know I’ve mentioned Shortcut Blogging to you quite a few times, but we’ve finished our web site and have our infrastructure in place to take on new clients in bigger numbers than onesy-twosies.

Many business owners know that they should be blogging. Why? Because, blogging creates relevant content on your site, gives you increased credibility as an expert and gives people a reason to talk about you in a good way.

Trouble is, most business owners are so time-deprived that they just can’t make writing a priority.

Hiring a ghost writer for your blog won’t save you much time. You’ll have to spend a lot of time with the writer just making sure he/she understands your business and then going over revisions before posting.

We’ve made it simpler. Think about it this way…if the local radio station called you up and asked you to go on the air for 10 minutes to talk about your favorite subject, would you hesitate to say “Yes”? Of course not.

What if you were able to brainstorm a year’s worth of “favorite” topics and then have a weekly interview where you covered each one? Yes, again? Of course!

Paul Boomer and I have taken that idea and made it a service for business owners. We’ll produce weekly interviews, post them as podcasts on your site, create articles based on your spoken words and post them as accompanying blog posts. All you have to do is show up for the interviews…and we’ll batch them in once-a-month recording sessions.

Our guiding mantra has been, “How can we make blogging so easy for a business owner that they will feel like their contribution is really a break in their work instead of something that adds to the load?”

The business owner shows up for the interviews, we do the rest. All of it.

Yes, this is a shameless plug. But, I’ve been telling you to blog for almost 8 years now. Have you done it?

To sweeten the pot, we’ll even buy you a microphone just like the one pictured here. You’re gonna sound like a million bucks.

BrandingBlog Radio: Veteran’s Day Guest – Joe Perez

Joe Perez makes me proud to be an American. I’ve known Joe for about 6 years. We first met at an event at Wizard Academy. I always knew him as the operator of a landscape architecture company in San Antonio. We’d run into each other now and then, when we were both in Austin. It wasn’t until we attended the Awesome Sauce class this August that I found out about his military adventures and his new company.

Turns out Joe spent the last days of the Cold War chasing Soviet agents across Europe. He was in Berlin when the wall came down. When I mentioned that his resume read like a character in a Tom Clancy novel, he said, “funny you should mention that,” and proceeded to tell the story of how his unit was involved in Clancy’s research for Clear and Present Danger. Wow. [Read more...]

BrandingBlog Radio: Hello Houston, it’s Charlie Moger

Charlie Moger is a Wizard of Ads Partner based in Houston. One thing that’s always impressed me about Charlie is that he either goes big or goes home. I don’t know if it’s a Texas thing, or just a byproduct of his upbringing. He’s accomplished a lot as a radio pro, an ad guy and for many years following the death of his wife, a single dad. He got himself married again a couple of weeks ago, and I can assure you that if he took the time to ramble for nearly an hour with me, the honeymoon’s over. (Just kidding Sandie)

I told Charlie that among other topics, I wanted to discuss the correct pronunciation of his name. We did manage to accomplish that one in the first few minutes of our recording…and then by the end, I said it wrong again.

I’ll be having Charlie back again soon to discuss how he is doing some pretty specialized video for his clients. For now, I hope you’ll enjoy just getting to know him.

BrandingBlog Radio: Shortcut Blogging Announcement

This podcast is an announcement. The multi-talented Paul Boomer and I are starting a business. It’s a podcast/blogging business designed to help people who simply don’t have the time or energy to blog.

You can click on the image above to go check it out. You can listen to us talk about blogging. (You can skip ahead to about 23 minutes in to hear about the business.)

Here it is in a nutshell:

  • We’ll create a 10-minute podcast for you each week, transcribe it, and post it to your blog.
  • The recording will be done by a professional radio announcer interviewing you on the topics of your choice.
  • The transcription will include some light editing to make it read smoothly.
  • Our editors will post the entire enchilada to your site for you, paying attention to headlines, keywords and linking.
  • Your only responsibility is to show up once a month on Skype and be interviewed (and pay the bill).
  • Cost: $597/month…no long-term contracts.

At the end of a year, you’ll have enough written words to turn into a book, a seminar, etc.

We are taking email addresses of people who desire to know more. That’s the only way to sign up for right now. Just go to our little web site and pop your email into the little box. We’ll do the rest.

Shortcut Blogging: Easy Blogging for Busy People

BrandingBlog Radio: Anna Cummins and The Evil Wiener

I had a blast recording this week’s episode. The Evil Wiener is a mobile food truck business in Austin, started by Anna and Jeff Cummins and their partner Roger Zapata. Jeff and Roger have impressive professional foodie credentials. The idea for The Evil Wiener was hatched (as you probably guessed) over a few beers one evening. Anna had no choice but to sign on as den-mother and Chief Marketing Officer.

The double entendres flow freely in this interview and also through the menu and the cult following that the Wiener has developed in just a few short months of operation.

They’ve already been featured in a segment on The Food Network’s Eat Street and they are winning new accolades and followers every day.

We talked mainly about how they built the business from conception to launch. I hope you enjoy it and that you get a chuckle out of the humor.

“I can’t wait to come to Austin and get my hands on a Naked Cowgirl.”
-Dave Young

Follow the Wiener…

The Evil Wiener on Facebook

The Evil Wiener on Twitter

Photos:

Weekend Video Assignment: Think about what YOU can control!

After watching this video, you can start to understand the forces that can cause the stock markets to plunge to a depth that wipes out all of your earnings for the year. The simple fact is that you are not in control of money that you might have invested in the markets. We’ve turned it over to the machines.

I don’t mean to upset you for the weekend, but you might want to consider safer ways to hang on to your cashola.

BrandingBlog Radio: Zig Zag Principle with author Rich Christiansen

This week I had a chance to catch up with my friend, Rich Christiansen. Rich is one of those guys who just can’t sit still without building a business. McGraw-Hill is publishing his latest book on business building and business growth strategies. It’s called The Zig Zag Principle and it’s coming out on October 4, 2011. What I really like about Rich’s books is that he bases everything on strategies that he uses every day. You won’t find un-tested academic theories, just great advice on what actually works to build a business.

Pre-order it by going to The Zig Zag Principle web site.

Your Weekend Assignment: IBM Centennial Film

Back in 1984, I was working as a communications intern at the IBM Research and Manufacturing plant in Boulder, CO. It was an amazing place to be, 5,000 employees working at a single facility on the Diagonal Highway. Heck, there were only 6,000 in the town I grew up in.

I was there when the PC came out. I remember our department getting the first PC at the entire plant. People would come in just to look at it.

I watched this video and got choked up a few times. You’ll see how IBM was there for so many of the key moments that define the times that we live in today. Most of these innovations are things that we take for granted today. Making an airline reservation, calling 911, barcodes, motherboards, personal computers, space flight and even beautiful fractals from Benoît B. Mandelbrot.

So, I admit to being a bit biased. But, trust me, this is 30 minutes well spent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please…let me know your favorite moments in the comments.

Don't Believe Everything You Read

Out for a walk this morning. I decided this sign would make a good blog post.
You write it. In the comments…ready, set, go.

Don't Believe Everything You Read

Helping Your Customers

Portland-roofing-company
Here’s an example of a local business that is helping their customers make the homes look better this spring. The marketing goal is simple. Help people come to some conclusions about what would improve the curb appeal of their home. Most of us become blind to our own faults…and this includes the appearance of our own abodes.

One of my clients, a Portland Roofing Company is simply giving away their curb appeal checklist. You might even want to grab it. They are not even requiring you to “opt-in” to their email list to get it. They’d rather just have you improve the appearance of your home.

Seems like we’ve been waiting a long time for spring to arrive where I live. Maybe a little work on the house would push it along.

What are you giving to your customers this spring?