Skip to main content

Posts

Explore the United States and Write About It

  When you visit this country, you see vistas, such as Burney Falls, Calif. This breathtaking waterfalls show you what is possible throughout the United States. The twin falls pour over five smaller falls into ice blue waters. It is surrounded by pine trees, flowers and rocks. It is difficult to believe this gem is in California. Most people think of beaches and concrete when they think of California. But, the northern parts near Oregon have waterfalls, lava beds from dormant volcanoes and trees. This is how I spent my vacation this year. My tip is to use your vacations to inspire writing and recharge your business marketing. Here are some ways vacations can help you. 1. Something New -- If you choose to go to different places for your vacations instead of always going to the same location, ( I know a family who always goes to Disney World .) you will see something new that you could use to mention in a blog or magazine article. I mentioned these falls. If you write about food , you
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

Earth Day Myths: Time to Know Them

  I spent much of my journalism career studying and writing about the environment. Because Earth Day was on April 22, I thought I would share some of the myths associated with saving the environment. While I am in favor of saving our natural resources , I save the environment with balance, prayer and patience . You might not agree with me. That is fine. This country was founded on the principle that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. Here are some environmental myths. 1. Go Solar -- While it is a good idea to get solar for your home and generate renewable energy, solar power is not as simple as everyone thinks. Adding solar to your home could cost you $15,000 to $50,000 up front. There are tax credits and rebates available from the states and federal government, but those programs almost always require you to shell out the money and then get reimbursed. Also, solar panels are manufactured in plants fueled with fossil fuels. They also cost a lot of money to make one panel, w
Post a Comment
Read more

Define Your Marketing Message Before Writing

  Business owners and writers all have to market their products or services. Often, they throw mud against a wall hoping something will stick. This strategy works when you are trying to find new opportunities that you did not know previously. However, if you are trying to get your message across to potential clients, then you might be throwing money at a problem without knowing what the solution is. Writers know that they have to write to the person who is likely to read the book or novel. They are not writing for everyone. They are picking a person or type of person and writing to him or her. Business owners should adopt that strategy too and be persistent about it. They should define their message before they post on social media, in blogs or in printed materials. Here are some tips to help you define your message and earn more profits . 1. Know Your Potential Client -- So much is said about avatars and narrowing the demographics to figure out who is likely to buy from you. An easi
Post a Comment
Read more

Be Persistent, Get More Money

 I noticed that I have not been posting a regular blog. This has made me think about being persistent in marketing . Whether you are marketing books , a writing business or another business, if you are not persistent in how you market , you are probably going to not be successful. You want to use all your resources available to you , including blogs. I have been remiss in keeping up my blogs, which has been hurting my business. Sometimes, it is hard for writers to promote their own business when they are helping other companies and authors . This year, I plan to write my blogs more often even when I go on vacation . Here are reasons why you want to be persistent in your marketing. 1. Google Rankings -- When you are persistent in your marketing, you will consistently be on top of Google in search results. Regular and fresh content on your Web site is one of the criteria used to establish who comes up when people search. Without regular and fresh content on your Web site, you might d
Post a Comment
Read more

Buy Books for Holidays, Save Churches

 I did a video last night about fall colors and change . It is important that in business you change your thinking and do something new. When you change your plans, it puts new life and new energy into your business. Fall is perfect time to think about changing how you market your writing business for the next year. It is the last quarter. You know what was successful and what might need tweaking. So, I was thinking about my blog topic . To emphasize that change is never scary, I decided to write something new this time. By my calculations, my church needs about $200,000. I might be underestimating the amount, but that is a good number for now. The church needs a new air conditioning system, a new roof, a new sound system, a new sprinkler system and a new refrigerator. These are not things the church can pay with its weekly gifts . So I asked myself, "How can I help raise money for my church?" The answer was sell my books. Between now and Christmas, I am setting a goal to
Post a Comment
Read more

Olympics Suggest How to Think About Business

  The 2022 Olympics opened in China earlier this month. While the number of people watching are lower, the spirit of the Olympics remains the same. It also is a symbol of what business owners should do when they run a company or write for a living . Persistence Olympic stars do not pick up a sport and within days are the best in the world. They usually start when they are young, five or six, and continue practicing their sport until they can win the trials that get them into the Olympics. Then, they have to compete against others in their sports to win the gold and be the best in their sport. They show great persistence to become the best. Often, they fall or lose competitions. They keep at the sport. They keep at their passion until they start winning. They are persistent. To be a best-selling author or the best in your business, you have to be persistent. You have to not let setbacks stop you from being the best. You have to keep marketing your business and your books
Post a Comment
Read more

Vacations Inspire Writing, Writing Pays for Trips

   Every business owner and employee knows that to avoid burn-out and stress , you need to take a break. You could take a short trip within your state, a staycation or you could spend the money to take a longer trip. My husband and I are celebrating a big event -- our 30th wedding anniversary, so we decided that this was going to be the year we traveled to Alaska, see our natural resources and the midnight sun. We were gone for a week in June. Many people were telling us that we wouldn't want to travel that distance or that it might be cold. We went anyway. It was not cold (80 degrees most days in Fairbanks), and the plane ride was long but nothing unbearable. We wanted to do this, so we did. The point is if you work nonstop, you will quickly become stressed. You will be uninspired, and you will not want to do your job any more. Everyone needs time away from their writing and marketing. Although staycations can be helpful for some, I find that they are tempting to go back to my w
1 comment
Read more