A Marketing Shape Up Plan

We just spent a glorious week at Disney World with our children and grandchildren.  It was one of the best vacations I've had in a long time.  But even though I had started this trip with the best of intentions, I noticed a couple of things when I got back home.

The first one hit me the morning after our return.  I was getting ready for my day and as I was, I stepped on the scale for a quick peek.  I was prepared for at least a small drop in weight considering all of the walking we did around the different parks each day.  I was actually hoping to see a rather substantial decrease.  Instead I discovered I had gained seven pounds!  How did that happen?

I immediately determined to get back on track towards my weight loss goals.  Though I had done quite a bit of walking, I also had to admit I had done quite a bit of cheating.  Many Disney World restaurants have wonderful food and we had purchased the deluxe meal plan which includes dessert with your meals.  True, I didn't have to eat them, but I was on vacation after all.  What harm could a couple of extra desserts do?  Plus snacks. 

The second discovery happend later that night.  I was online checking stats on websites and sales figures and I noticed a small drop.  Nothing huge, but enough that it caught my attention.  How did that happen?  The same way the weight gain did - by cheating.  I had taken my laptop to Disney World with me.  I had every intention of working a couple of hours a day.  But then the kids wanted to go to the park early so they could spend more time there.  And they wanted to stay late to see the fireworks.  And my daughter wanted to get together for a quiet talk after the kids were asleep.  Or my husband wanted to have some couple time.  So I skipped a few days of marketing.  (Okay, I skipped a week's worth of marketing!)  But what harm could a few days do? 

As I was sitting at the computer looking at the data, it hit me.  Just as I needed to a shape up plan to lose the extra weight I had gained and get back on track, I also needed a marketing shape up plan to make up for my total absence from my business and get it back on track.

Step one was to set a goal for each.  Once you have a goal, it is much easier to plan a course of action to reach it.  Trying to create a plan without a goal is like starting a trip without a final destination in mind.  It's hard to keep on track if you don't know where you are going.

Now that I knew where I was going, step two was to create the plan to get there.  Since I already have an active marketing plan, I just needed to tweak it a bit to make up the lost ground from by vacation.  I am in the habit of doing at least three marketing activities a day.  I decided to double this for the next two weeks.  Six marketing activities a day should be more than enough to shape things up.

Once I had the basic plan in place, it was time for some spot toning.  Not every weekly activity needed to be done with increased frequency.  For example, Monday is the day I usually review to see what's working and what's not.  I take a look at all of my marketing efforts for the previous week and identify the areas that need more attention as well as those that are shaping up as planned.  I wouldn't want or need to do this any more frequently.

On the other hand, I usually write and submit at least one article a week.  Increasing this to two for the next couple of weeks would certainly be beneficial.

Yes, it's going to be an intense two weeks.  But by making the committment to rebuild my muscles now - both physical and marketing - I will soon be able to slow down to my normal pace and get back to doing what I love to do - spending my time helping others!

Web Design No-No's

Everyone knows I am not a web design expert.  That's why I use SBI!  I did outsource a designer once but discovered that I am WAY to controlling for that to work well.  Now I just outsource my graphics with PopArtDiva and use SBI! for my site.

I don't need to be an expert, however, to tell my clients when something just doesn't work.  And after a knock-down, drag-out session with my newest over his site, I thought I might share some of those here. 

1.  If I have to wear sunglasses because the colors on your site are blinding, I am not going to read it.  Likewise, if there are so many different colors it looks like the Skittles rainbow.  Granted, bright colors can be eye catching if used properly.  The key word there is properly.  Use them to draw your visitors to a particular place on your site or to highlight something of importance or interest.  Too many colors just looks busy.  Keep it simple.  Two or three but definitely no more than four colors is enough.

2.  Skip the splashy intro pages.   If I am at your site, I am looking for something.  I do not want to sit through a production number featuring flashing lightening bolts and horrible canned Muzak while the name of your company scrolls across the screen.  I'm going to skip the intro anyway so save yourself the time and effort of creating it.  Because if it's too annoying, I might not just skip the intro.  I might just skip your site altogether.

3.  Ditto for Flash.  It's cumbersome.  Not everyone has a flash player on their computers.  If I have to download something extra just to visit your site, I probably won't if I have other options (i.e. other websites). 

4.  Use a font that I can read.  I'm old.  My eyes have had lots of use.  They don't work perfectly anymore.  So if I can't read what you have written even with my reading glasses, I'm moving on.  This doesn't mean you have to use Arial or Times New Roman exclusively or a 24 pt font.  But do use a legible font in a size that most people with normal vision can see.  I don't mind wearing my glasses as long as I can see when I do.

5.  Don't make your site so difficult to navigate that I need a road map just to find my way around.  If I get lost on the first couple of tries, I will go someplace easier to get around.  One or two clicks should get me anywhere I want and it should be obvious where I am and where I'm going.

6.  My first question when I get to your site should not be "How do I turn off this music?!"

7.  Don't even bother to put up the site if you aren't going to maintain it.  Nothing is more frustrating than to think you found the site you need only to find all the information on it is out of date.  It will make me wonder if you are even still in business.  And that will send me looking for someone I know is still around. 

A website needs to be easy to navigate, easy to read, and easy to understand and current.  Catch my attention with a great page title.  Lead me to the information I want quickly and easily.  Show me how to contact you if I need to or give me the opportunity to purchase your goods and/or services with a few clicks.  Leave the gimmicks, noise, and flash for someone else.

Let's Swap Ideas

Do you have an idea that would help someone out? This is the day to share it!


I'm not sure how Swap Ideas Day originated, but a day devoted to creativity and productivity sounds like a good idea. If you have a good idea, why keep it to yourself? And if you hear a good idea, why not try it out? Swapping ideas, whether in-person or on an online forum can foster a sense of community and be totally invigorating.


I think this is an awesome idea.  Imagine the wealth of inspiration each of us could accumulate just by swapping a few ideas!

So let's do just that.  Share your ideas with us, either by posting here in the comments or on Twitter (#swapideasday). 

Read a Book Day - These are my Faves!

Today is Read a Book Day.  It's a day to curl up in a comfy chair with a nice cup of tea, pick up that book you've been meaning to start, and spend the day - or at least a few hours - relaxing, learning something new, or just being entertained by a good book.

If you are looking for some good reads to help you with your business, here are my top ten favorites.  These are in any particular order (other than the order they appear on my bookshelf!)

1.  The Impact Factor (Ken McArthur) - Ken's book is loaded with advice on how to get your message heard. Step-by-step plans, lists, and bullet points are provided to help you put his advice into action. He illustrates everything with personal examples from his own experience and the experiences of others.  A must read for anyone trying to stand out in the online business crowd.

2.  Testosterone Free Marketing (Denise Michaels) -  One of the best business books I have ever read.  If you have ever dreaded having to get out there and ask for the sale, this is the book for you.

3.  Guerilla Marketing (Jay Abraham) - My business bible-every small-business owner should have it on their bookshelf.

4.  Conversatons with Millionaires (Mike Litman) - The first business book I ever read.  It is filled with secrets from successful millionaires that will help you skip lots of struggle and wasted time and help you get started making money.

5.  Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki) - I didn't read this until I heard Robert Kiyosaki support network marketing as a viable business model.  Since that's how I got my start, I had to read this book at that point.  So glad I did.  It taught me a lot of things I didn't know (like my house is not an asset!). 

6.  Multiple Streams of Income (Robert Allen) - Creating more sources of income.  What a concept!

7.  The E-Myth (Michael Gerber) - Just because you have a skill or knowledge or a great business idea, doesn't mean it will be a success.  If your business is totally dependent on you being there to make money, it's not much better than a normal job.  This book will show you how to turn your business into a system, like Starbucks or McDonalds, that anyone can run.

8.  Duct Tape Marketing (John Jantsch) - Practical advice on creating a marketing system that won't cost you a fortune to implement.

9.  UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging (Scott Stratten) -  I admit it.  The only reason I read this book the first time is because I follow Scott on Twitter.  When I saw his book on Amazon, I figured what the heck.  Let's see what he wrote.  Now it is one of my all time favorites.  Why?  Because he told me I could stop all of the traditional marketing techniques I so hated (cold calling, putting up flyers, posting hundreds of ads), and taught me that it's actually all about connecting and building relationships with my customers.  Thank you!

10. Take Action! Revise Later: A Simple Guide to Success in Business (Bob Jenkins) - Ditto.  I bought this only because I met Bob at a jvAlert event.  So once again I saw the book and since I learned quite a bit from him at the event, decided it might be a worthwhile read.  And it was.  Not only did he show me I didn't have to get it exactly right the first time because I could always change it later,  it is filled with tips to help you take the action necessary to get your business going.  I even have TARL posted on the wall in my office as a reminder to Take Action! Revise Later.

Do you have a favorite business book?  I need something new to read for Read a Book Day.

Make Marketing a Habit

I'm trying to get back into an exercise habit.  I am setting my alarm so I will get up at the same time every morning and exercise.  By doing this, I hope to reap the benefits of participating in a regular exercise program.

Marketing must be a habit also.  If you truly want to build a successful business, marketing is something you must do regularly.  Much like exercise, there won't be any long term benefit if you only do it when you feel like it.

Almost every morning I get up when the alarm goes off, lace up my running shoes, put one of the dogs on his leash, and go for a morning walk. (Sorry, all you avid runners, but this gal is too old and banged up to try running anymore.  Those days are gone!).  We've been doing it long enough that I am beginning to feel the difference when I miss it.  And the days that I do miss it are steadily decreasing in number.  It's becoming a habit.

Likewise, almost every day, I do at least 3 tasks to market my business.  Just as I schedule my exercise for first thing in the morning, I schedule my marketing tasks as part of each day as well.  If I miss one of my regularly scheduled tasks, my business feels it.  I've been doing it long enough that I can see the difference.

How can you develop the marketing habit?  Easy.  Repetition.  Doing the same thing over and over until it is part of you.  So pick a marketing task.  Anything will do.  Do you write well?  Make it a habit to write and submit two articles a week.  Do you enjoy making videos?  Schedule time each week to create and post one video.  Are you a Twitter and Facebook fanatic?  Set aside time each day to tweet or post about your business.

Once you are in the habit of doing this one task, add another and do it repeatedly.  And then another and another.  Soon your marketing habit will be such a part of you, you will feel the difference when you skip a day.

Psychologists say it takes at least 6 months of repetition for something to become a habit, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you will see results.  And you will see results.  I've lost 14 pounds, just by walking the dogs every morning.  And my business continues to grow, just by marketing every day. 

Promoting Your Site

Business plan - check.  Catchy business name - check.  Business cards - check.  Website - check.  Traffic - oops!  No traffic.  What's an online entrepreneur to do?

Fortunately, there are many ways to get traffic to your site.  We will cover some of them here.

The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is to provide visitors with content.  A good content-rich site is like a traffic magnet.  Make sure your keywords are included in your content so the search engines will find you.  In fact, you really want to make a list of all your keywords and then develop a page devoted to each one.  Put your keyword in the first paragraph of the page, preferably within the first 90 characters.  Use it in a text link or hyperlink.  Help the search engines find your keywords in every way possible.

Does your website have a site map?  If not, you need to build one.  A site map is another way for search engines to find you.  And since it has links to all of your pages, it will help your visitors find their way around more easily.  The easier your site is to navigate, the more likely you will get - and keep - visitors.

Market, market, market.  Too many would-be online entrepreneurs put up a site, then sit back and wait for traffic to find them.  When it doesn't they get very upset, declare it's all a scam, and quit.  You have to let prospects know you exist.  You do that by marketing your site both online and offline.  Place ads, send emails announcing your new site to your lists, blog about it on your blog if you have one,  Tweet about it, announce it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the myriad social networking sites. 

Write articles for others to use as content for their sites.  Just make sure that when they do, they include a link back to your site.  Many websites are looking for good content for their readers.  My personal favorite is EzineArticles.com.

Get some PR.  You are an expert in your chosen area.  Participate in or host a press worthy event of your own, and let the local media know about it.  It can be something as small as hosting a business workshop for teens or teaching newbies how to use social media.  I have done both of these and both got me great press and new business.  Plus the media now knows me and frequently contacts me to get my input on other stories and events.

Earlier I mentioned using your blog to promote your site.  I assume you have one.  If you don't, you need to start.  It is one of the fastest and easiest ways I know to get exposure online.  I like Blogger.  I have clients who prefer WordPress.  It doesn't matter which one you use.  Just use one of them and get started. 

Is your website listed on your business cards and letterhead?  Sounds simple but not everyone thinks about it.  I have at least three business cards right sitting in front of me right now from a networking event I attended this morning that don't have a website listed or email address.  Since I like to look at a person's website before I call to find out more about their business, these three have just lost out.  And while we're talking about adding your site to your print media, don't forget to add it to your email signature as well.  If you're like me, you send a lot of email every day.  Each one carries a link to my sites at the bottom.

SEO and meta tags, optimizing your videos and images - these all have a place in promoting your site.  But for most beginners, it's a bit complicated.  I don't even pretend to fully understand SEO.  That's why I have someone else do it for me.  Meanwhile, the tips listed above will help you get started.  Once you have some traffic coming to your site, you can learn the rest.  Or hire someone else to do it for you...  

Holy &%*#! What a Ride!

An accident.  Rehab.  A death in the family.  Rattlesnake bite.  Tornado.  Flooding.  Raising your teenage granddaughter.  Sounds like the plot to a bad disaster movie, doesn't it?  Well, unfortunately, it's been all too real.

The past year has been difficult for me and my family.  I will spare you all of the depressing details.  Let's just say it was enough to make me withdraw from all except the most essential interactions.  I desparately needed time to heal - physically and emotionally. 

But heal I have, thanks to God and the support of my family and many friends.  And I'm back now, and ready to get back to work.

Now I wasn't completely absent.  Still needed to make a living after all.  So I have kept in touch with my network marketing teams, worked with some of my coaching clients.  But I didn't reach out to anyone new or share with anyone I was not well acquainted with.

This down time was actually very beneficial.  Of course, I would rather have not had to go through some of these experiences.  But they did cause me to step back and take a good hard look at where I was heading.  And the conclusion I came to was - I was going the wrong way.  It took me a while to figure it out, but suddenly there it was.

With that in mind, I am making some changes.  This blog will remain.  I still think it serves an important purpose.  Don't Trip Over Your Brain is expanding.  Since I have started two other network marketing businesses in addition to FHTM, it will focus more on network marketing techniques anyone can use and less on FHTM specifics.

Bob has recovered from his run-in with the rattlesnake.  But between that and the fact that he is 15 years old (that's like 105 in dog years!), he is no longer as spunky as he used to be.  And so he will be retiring from traveling.  He will still be blogging.  But we are revamping his entire site.  The traveling will be taken on by Austin and Bob is going to devote his energies to a new adopt-a-pet segment.  The Adventures of Traveling Bob is now going to be a new expanded site.  Look for our launch in mid to late August 2011.

As for me, I've also been working on something new.  It's not completed yet, but I'm very excited about it already.  So much so, that I don't want to wait until it is finished to share.  Boomer Biz Coach is becoming more focused, starting with the launch of our new site:  Boomer Business Ideas (http://www.boomer-business-ideas.com/.) 

Lots more coming.  I'll keep you posted.  It feels good to be back in the world again.  I missed all of you.  Now let's get to work!