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Christian

Here’s a List of Awesome Blog Post Ideas for You to Steal

By Christian

One of the concerns I hear so often is that you don’t know what to write on your blog. The idea of sharing ideas with your readers on a consistent basis can seem daunting when you haven’t done it. You never struggle with what to say when you’re talking with a customer or client though, right? You talk casually. You have fun. You share ideas. You answer their questions. It’s all very natural.

Your blog is the same. It’s very natural. It’s just a different format. If you’d grown up in the 1800’s, the idea of talking to someone on the phone would have been strange indeed. If you grew up in one of the past few generations, having a cell phone you can carry around in your pocket…strange indeed. We don’t think twice about these things now. Your blog is the same.

Brainstorm out some ideas to share with people, and before you know it you’ll find you have more to share with people than you ever thought possible. You have more value to give than you think. I promise 🙂

Here’s a quick list of blog post ideas to get you started. Please take these and use them as you see fit:

  1. Video or written review of the your favorite tools you use in your business.
  2. Talk about a book you’ve read that relates to your industry and what you’ve learned.
  3. Share your thoughts on an article or blog post you’ve read.
  4. Predict where your industry is headed and share why you feel that way.
  5. Describe something specific you do in your business that sets you apart, and share how you came to do it that way.
  6. Share a problem with your industry or a concern you have about the market.
  7. Share testimonials and case studies. Has a client taken your advice recently and had great results?
  8. Give a step-by-step system for how to accomplish a specific result in a specific amount of time.
  9. Video and/or pictures of your office, your team, your family, your town, your hangouts, etc.
  10. Showcase a member of your team or one of your favorite clients.
  11. Rave about your favorite blog, magazine or writer. Share what you love about them and thank them for helping you.
  12. Share something you’ve learned lately? What are you doing differently now than you were this time last year?
  13. Have you responded to an inquiry from one of your customers or clients lately? If one person has that question, it’s likely others do too.
  14. Have you ever made a mistake? Share the details and what you’ve learned.
  15. Do you consistently see clients or customers making the same type of mistakes? Identify a common mistake and educate your readers to save them a bit of heartache and hassle.
  16. Share why you love your business. What motivates and excites you about doing what you do? What got you into your business to begin with?
  17. Share your to-do list. What are your 5 biggest goals in your business in the next year? Where are you going? Get your readers involved.
  18. Publish your reading list. What do you have on your list to read that will motivate, inspire or educate you?
  19. Ask your Facebook friends a question, and share the feedback you get.
  20. Interview someone in your industry. Post the audio or video as well as a transcribed version on your blog. This is a great way to educate your readers, yourself and meet awesome people all at the same time 🙂

 

Define, Learn, Do!

By Christian

This is a post written by Jodi Keck. We work together behind the scenes here, and if you’ve worked with me as a client, there’s a good chance you’ve talked with Jodi at some point. He has a lot of great marketing and PR experience in both business and politics, and he’s a great asset to the team. He asked to share some thoughts with you on the blog, and I think there are some great ideas here. He addresses a few of the biggest areas we usually address with clients. Getting traffic to your site, generating leads from your website and earning business and sales from your subscribers after they sign up to your list. Let me know what you think 🙂

This whole concept just makes sense:

  1. Define what you want.
  2. Learn from someone, or someone’s, who have already done what you want to do.
  3. Then do what they did to get there.

Sounds simple right? Unfortunately, most people tend to operate using the reverse of this theory. They do (go to college or learn a trade), learn something based on other people’s criteria (counselors, parents, etc.), and then only later, when it’s too late, do they ever take the time to think about what it is that they really want to do. So many of us go through life shooting success arrows randomly and getting frustrated that they never seem to hit the target. The problem is that so few of us ever take the time to set a target. It’s pretty hard to hit something you’re not aiming at.

Getting better results from your blog or website

The same principles hold true when generating leads on the internet. Most sales people and business owners set up a website, learn a few tricks as they go, and then only later, when they aren’t seeing results, do they truly attempt to define what it is they’re trying to accomplish. By following the define, learn, do philosophy you can eliminate most of the frustrations associated with your website. Simply define what it is you want to accomplish, learn from someone (like us) who has already done what you want to do, and then do what we did to get there.

There are a couple basic steps to follow. The main focus of most of our clients’ web pages is lead generation. You want to direct traffic to your site, have them either buy something or sign up for a mailing list of some sort, and then use these contacts to follow up and generate more sales. Let’s start with the first step, traffic.

The Biggest Misunderstanding about Getting Traffic to Your Website

Many of you are under the impression that more traffic always equals more leads. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me ask you question. Would you rather have 2000 hits on your web page and get 10 leads, or 200 hits to your page and get 40? It’s a no brainer right! The idea is that quality trumps quantity every time. One way to make this a reality for you is to find a focused keyword or words, like a niche, and direct a much more qualified group of prospects to your page. There are several ways to go about doing this and Christian has covered most of them in previous posts. You can get an entire series of videos here on how to set up and optimize your website in fact.

An Important Point about Getting Leads from Your Website

The second thing is all about calls to action. I’ve found that the reason most websites aren’t generating the leads people want is because they’re not asking for them. Most sites have one, maybe two, calls to action on the entire site. Usually it’s a newsletter or something similar and has a conversion rate of around 2%. Ask yourself this question. Why? Why should they sign up for your email list or newsletter? What do they gain? Are you really so invigorating that people should simply want to sign up just because you’re you? Maybe this is truly the case for some of you but it most definitely hasn’t been that way for me. Our site has multiple calls to action on every page. Many of them are offers for a free report or a training video that requires them to submit an email address in return for getting the item. By offering value in return for information we often generate about a 40% conversion rate compared the 2% mentioned above.

An important point on earning business from your email list

The third thing is follow through. Sure it’s great to build an email list with thousands of names, but how are you ever going to follow up with so many people over an extended period of time? Most sales people and business owners follow up once, maybe twice, and think that the sales should just start rolling in. Unfortunately, it rarely works out this way. Many prospective clients can take weeks if not months before they are ready to buy. In order to take advantage of these leads and not have them fall through the cracks we have to find ways to maximize our effort without spending exorbitant amounts of time. The most effective tool that we’ve found for doing this is blogging.

I know, I know. You don’t have time to blog. I hear it all the time. The problem with that is that you don’t have time not to. Blogging is an effective means of staying in contact with multiple people with one action. Every blog post can be sent to every person on your email list, facebook page, or twitter account with the click of a button. Every time a client asks you a question and you write an email answering it, you have a blog post. It makes sense that if one person has a question many others will have the same question, right? Whether you’re out with clients, reading a book, or just doing what you do; there are always thoughts, questions and ideas that can be written out on a smart phone and sent out into that wonderful space called the internet. Like I said before, maximize your effort while minimizing the time spent. Blogging doesn’t have to be a chore. Christian has an entire video series on how to create, utilize, and maintain a blog. It’ll get you well on your way towards hitting you’re target!

Remember:

  1. Define what you want.
  2. Learn from someone who has done it.
  3. Then do what they did to get there.

A simple concept that will completely change your outlook and your results!

Is This Common Mistake Holding You Back?

By Christian

Lions don't get the "lion's share" because they're cute. They get it because they're badass 😉

FACT: Most professionals and business owners earn just enough to get by. Very few excel in their field.

FACT: 80% of the profits in your industry are earned by only 20% of the competitors. This means of course that 80% of you must fight for what’s left over. And that’s a pretty lame gig, no?

FACT: There is one commonality nearly all the top 20% of your field hold. They have a trait which enables them to get to the top and stay there. What is this trait? It is an attitude of consistent, continual growth. They never stop learning. They never stop working on improving themselves, their approach to their business. They never let up.

Some are born with advantages. It’s true. But those willing to work hard are more than willing to dethrone those privileged few as soon as they see an opportunity. You may be lucky enough to be on top through some lucky draw of the cards, but it’s a limited engagement unless you are willing to do what it takes to stay there.

What Separates the Top 20% in Your Field…What Makes Them Different?

Constant learning. Constant growth. With an attitude like this, consistent improvement is simply unavoidable. The top 20% simply won’t have a choice but to admit you at some point. Some of you may take a few years to get there. Some of you may have the chops to get there in just a few weeks.

Not all of you have what it takes to be in the top 1%. This may or may not be in the cards for you. But the top 20% where the bulk of wealth and opportunity lie? No doubt. You’ll get there if you do the work. And if you didn’t get into business to build wealth, why the heck did you?

Are You Making This Mistake?

One mistake I keep seeing lately is business owners asking me to do everything for them. They don’t want to touch this “internet stuff” at all. They want me to create their website, write their blog, build their links, manage their ad campaigns, manage their social profiles, etc. It’s true that most anything can be outsourced to an extent, but it’s gonna cost you.

I don’t work with big business. I work with small business owners. You don’t have a five or six figure monthly marketing budget. Good news…you don’t need one! You need to learn a few things. That’s all. You need to learn how to competently market yourself online. You can learn what you need to know in a short amount of time, and then it’s simply a matter of executing. That’s it. It’s really as simple as that!

And that’s what this blog is about. You know me. I’m happy to answer any dang question you email me. Fire away. If you want to work with me one on one, hit me up. We can do that too. And yes, I’m happy to build you a site or anything else you need. But let’s get one thing straight. None of this is set it and forget it B.S. You can have all the best rock star tools out there (and that’s all I use…the best stuff out there), but if you don’t put them to use, you might as well go home.

Food for Thought

Not too long ago, none of us we dependent on email, contact database management, digital cameras, smart phones…the list goes on. But now they’re second nature to you. I promise, your blog is nothing more than a new smart phone. You just need to set it up and spend a little time learning to use it. Unfortunately there are a lot of idiots out there selling this stuff, telling you a blog will make you millions without effort, on autopilot. Unfortunately, there are a lot of idiots promising to get you to #1 in Google…guaranteed, for $100. But you’re smart enough to ignore these idiots.

Your blog, Twitter and Facebook (Pinterest, LinkedIn and others too of course) are just tools. And it’s an opportunity. A really big, profound opportunity. While the rest of your competition sits on their hands complaining about how there’s all this new stuff they need to learn, YOU can dive in. This is what will set you apart. This is the work you’ll do that others aren’t willing to do. This…this exact work we talk about on this blog…is what puts you in the top 20% of your field. Flat out. Hands down. This is where we can start talking and take your business to an entirely new level.

 

7 Ways to Make Sh*t Happen and Get Your Business on Track

By Christian

This is the time of year that small business owners start thinking about whether they’re going to hit their first quarter goals. It’s time to reassess, make a few small tweaks to your plan and make sure you’re on track. If you feel your business needs a bit of an overhaul, or if you really want to step things up a notch, I have 7 quick ideas to share with you…

7 Ways to Make Shit Happen
Does it feel like your business is missing the mark? Get back on track with these 7 ninja tips. Let me know what you think! Subscribe and hit me up via email. Let's talk 🙂
  1. Put learning aside for a minute. Start doing. Doing is the ultimate teacher. So you end up learning and accomplishing things at the same time. So many of us get caught up in “learning mode”. As a result, it’s easy to spend all your time trying to figure out the best way to do something, instead of just doing it.
  2. Stop striving. Start being. All of us have an idol or a mentor. You’re not your idol. Whoever inspires you does so because they are being themselves. If you truly want to follow in their footsteps, then do what they really do. If your idol or mentor is someone worth following, they don’t simply copy someone else. They do their own thing. I promise you…whatever you love or admire about your mentor is their authenticity. Their originality is undeniable, isn’t it? They didn’t get that from anywhere but within themselves. It’s a way more ballsy and scary thing way to go, but it’s worth it. If you want to model someone that’s truly successful, start by being yourself. It’s the only thing that actually wins. It’s why they win. And it’s how you can win.
  3. Don’t question yourself. Yes, you will make mistakes by simply taking action. You will crash and burn. The sooner you get that over with, the sooner you will find out what you’re made of and where you can truly excel. But none of this happens if you question yourself. Dive in head first. Take the blows that come your way…and yes, they’re coming your way. When you come out the other side, you have what no book or course or lecture or conference will ever be able to give you. You’ll have wisdom and self-confidence. This is a “how to get shit done” prerequisite.
  4. Don’t take on other people’s goals. Living someone else’s vision is a sure way to feel like hell every day. It’s easy to see a celebrity or successful internet guru and think their life must be awesome. The truth is you don’t know them and have no idea what their life is like. Set your own goals, without reference to anyone else. It’s fine to want fame, a Lamborghini or a big house (or whatever), but where did that goal come from? Why do you have that goal to begin with? Does your goal serve you? Or does it serve some false, idealized version of life that you picked up somewhere along the way? It’s helpful to take a minute and make sure you’re not just doing something because you saw someone else do it.
  5. Enjoy the  journey. When you enjoy yourself and are having a blast, it’s so much easier to be effective. It’s so much easier to put in the hours and do the work necessary to excel when you’re having a lot of fun in the process. How do you know if you’re on track? You should feel fantastic about where you’re going, but you should also feel fantastic about where you are…right now. The journey itself should be a blast. If you’re pushing prosperity into the future and saying things like “as soon as I get…this or that…then I’ll be where I want to be”, then you’re not enjoying the journey. If you’re not enjoying the journey, it means you’re grinding your gears and you’re on your way to burning out. This is the universe telling you it’s time to switch things up.
  6. Make goals that matter. Spend time working toward a goal that will really mean something to you when it’s accomplished. All too often we think getting more Twitter followers or a bigger email list will make our business more successful, but it doesn’t work that way. Not really. I’ve seen people obsessing about their Klout score and spending loads of time learning CSS just so they can make their website look a certain way. So many things can either be outsourced or forgotten altogether. Be careful of your time, because it’s flat out the most valuable asset you have.
  7. Minimize. Of all the things on your “to do” list, there are 3 that will actually help grow your business, and the rest is just busy work. I promise; it’s actually this simple. Forget about everything else until those three things are done. The funny thing about busy work is that it will take up your entire day, but it doesn’t pay you anything. Yet this is where most of us focus. And ironically, by relegating this kind of work to the back burner you end up finding out which of these tasks even need to be addressed at all. It’s amazing how few things end up being important when it’s all said and done. If you have a “to do” list a mile long like I do, identify 3 high level things at the beginning of the day, and simply do that. It takes a little bit of faith here, but if you’re growing your business and forcing yourself to only work on tasks that build your business, the stuff that’s a waste of time simply disappears on it’s own.

Web Graphic Design Tutorial

By Christian

What’s up friends? How are ya? One of the questions I get a lot is how to create the graphics I use on Dangerous Tactics. If you’ve had a website critique or worked with me as a consultant, you know that one of the big things I advocate is the creative use of graphics to engage visitors and help you get more leads from your website.

This video shows you how I create the graphics I use. Honestly…I’m not a graphic designer, and I barely know how to use Photoshop. These graphics are totally custom and really easy to make actually. Here’s how I do it…

[jwplayer config=”YouTube” mediaid=”2719″]

By the way, if you are reading this post somewhere other than my site, and you don’t see the video, you’ll need to click here to see the video. Peace out 🙂

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