The business landscape has changed fundamentally; tomorrow’s environment will be different, but no less rich in possibilities for those who are prepared. McKinsey & Company, worldwide (former) Managing Director, Ian Davis

A lesson from the (original) Great Depression – opportunities always exist!

Many years ago, I heard a story of a man who became a millionaire during the (original) Great Depression. This banker had lost his fortune and had watched many of his friends capitulate to the circumstances. Faced with unemployment he learned a trade and became a tile layer, he eventually worked his way back up, and was hired to work on the the construction of the Holland Tunnel in New York and got the contract to supply the tiles for the inside of the tunnel….. in the process regaining his wealth.

The Great Depression was a terrible time for many, some would compare today’s economy and the Nation’s battered spirit to that time. I have thought about this story many times lately, and the lesson. In the US, there are always opportunities to make money in ANY economy, you just have to have a little vision and be prepared to grab them.

Your own “Reinvention plan”

Continue Reading “Where are the opportunities in the “New Normal” economy”

In Washington, the anti-piracy Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act probably seemed like a great idea: tough on crime, shut down Internet pirates, protect copyrights, that kind of thing. A few weeks ago, the Senate tried to fast-track the bill, with sponsor Patric Leahy (D-Vt.) apparently thinking it could sail through before the November elections.

But Silicon Valley had other ideas, and the bill was shelved last week after 96 Internet giants jumped in with a letter of protest. No matter how tough on crime the Senate wants to appear, when phrases like “fragmenting the Internet’s global domain name system” are being thrown around, they stop and pay attention.

The bill would create a whole new way to go after Internet pirates. The Justice Department would have the authority to designate some copyright-infringement sites (movie downloading sites, mostly) as “dedicated to infringing activities” and shut down their domain names.

They want to shut down domain names! Cracking down on illegal downloading is one thing, but shutting down domain names is pretty extreme. The Internet Engineers’ letter is all about censorship and destabilizing the global DNS, but it’s also worthy of note that the bill recommends punishments far out of proportion to the crime. In the physical world, after all, the FBI confiscates your bootleg DVD and leaves the rest of your stuff alone. Why the double standard?

I’m glad the letter from our 96 rock stars had such an impact. The bill isn’t dead, and will likely be taken up again when the Senate reconvenes in the new year, but the Senators are listening to both sides now.

What do you think of the anti-piracy bill?

You’re running (or working for) a business and want to get the word out, but you don’t have the time or writing skills to get your point across.

What to do? Here are three things you may want to consider:

• SEO (search engine optimization): Writing with specific keywords in mind is a key to search engine success. Search engines pick up on the words you designate crucial to your business, to help place you at the top when a potential client is searching for you or the kinds or services or products you offer. Don’t be afraid to blog or write multiple articles centering on similar topics – this will only boost your business in the search engines.
• Ghostwriting: Having a professional writer is like having a partner in business you never knew you had. Ghostwriters will work closely with you to successfully market your product. Whether it be for a website, press kit, marketing materials or other services, a good ghostwriter will learn the ins and outs of your business and will be able to get your point across more effectively (and free you up to do what you do best).
• Press Kits: It’s safe to say that e-mailing has become a mainstay of communication, and not just for sending pictures. Building an electronic (“e”) press kit offers a complete PR kit for your business in an easy-to-send file (usually a pdf). Press releases, press clippings, interviews, your bio and other components are compiled in one convenient file. You won’t have to struggle to get the word out about your business – a click of the mouse is all it will take!

Being “green” or going ‘green” is all the rage, from clothing and toys to homebuilding to food to all areas of business, so why not for writing?

Want your marketing writing to be more eco-conscious?  Here are some tips:

Reduce. There’s tons to read on the web right now, almost too much for many business people to handle. How do you have your business’ voice heard? Writing distinct, short, easy-to-scan copy allows readers to really understand what you have to say (or what you’re selling), without being long-winded.

Reuse. Have something important to say? Say it more than once! If you want clients to have your message in their heads, put it there and keep it there. Blog posts can turn into informational website articles, and can be submitted to the almost infinite number of article submission sites that go out to the masses every day.

Recycle. This may seem similar to “reuse,” but recycling isn’t always about your own content. Finding information from other sources allows you to expand on subjects you’re most passionate about. Ask experts and colleagues to post guest blogs and write guest columns. Find information and ask the contributor or writer if you can re-print and it for your audience. The Internet is a great source of shared information – use it (honestly, of course) to your benefit for business success!

Last week, I defined SEO copywriting.  Here are some tips to help you ensure that your SEO copy is good.

To make the Google cut, your copy needs to be:

• Relevant: To the topic, to your customers, to the search engine. Google wants to see that you are actually writing about what you say you are writing about, so if you list “travel to Mexico” as a keyword for your page, make sure that travel to Mexico is a theme or idea you discuss on that particular page.

  Trust me, Google will know if you are being tricky – it won’t work and you and your site will be penalized.

• Updated: If the last time you revised your web page or site was 2004, it’s not new or up-to-date. Google likes recency. And that’s the beauty of the online medium – it can be added to or updated almost instantly and constantly.

  News, information, tips, new ideas – whatever you have to say, you can say it. Just make sure you keep your search engine ranking goals in mind at all times.

• More quality than quantity: Good SEO copy is not about making sure that your page or article has XX number of words or XX% of keywords. (Though you will meet tons of people who give you all sorts of percentages and density numbers.)

It’s about using the words you know you need to have in a way that is consistent, relevant, well-written and logical. It’s about following through – focusing on what you are telling Google through your meta tags that you’re going to focus on.