Month: February 2026

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Establishing Your Business; Website and Workspace

Business; Website and Workspace

Whether you’re a solo consultant or a retail giant, a digital home and a physical base are the two non-negotiables that turn a “side hustle” into a legitimate entity.

Today, these aren’t just places where you work; they are the foundation of your brand authority. Here is the breakdown of why these two pillars are your first priority.

1. The Website: Your 24/7 Global Ambassador

Think of your website as your Master Salesman. It never sleeps, never takes a holiday, and is often the very first impression a customer has of you.

  • Proof of Legitimacy: In today’s market, if you don’t have a website, you don’t exist in the eyes of the consumer. A social media page is “rented land”; a website is land you own.

  • The Conversion Hub: This is where the magic happens—where a curious browser turns into a paying customer via a checkout page, a booking calendar, or a contact form.

  • Data Sovereignty: Your website allows you to track exactly how people find you, what they look at, and why they leave. You can’t get that level of granular data from a physical storefront alone.

2. The Location: Your Operational Engine

Whether it’s a spare bedroom or a downtown office, your physical location dictates your workflow and overhead.

Option A: Home-Based (The Lean Start)

  • Low Risk: You eliminate the #1 killer of small businesses: High Rent.

  • Tax Efficiency: You can often deduct a portion of your home expenses (utilities, internet, square footage) from your business taxes.

  • The Challenge: You must be disciplined about “Work-Life Separation.” If your desk is your kitchen table, your brain never truly leaves the office.

Option B: Commercial Location (The Growth Move)

  • Visibility: You get “passive marketing” just from people walking or driving by.

  • Professionalism: It’s easier to host high-level clients or manage a team in a dedicated professional environment.

  • The Challenge: High fixed costs. You need a validated customer base before signing a multi-year lease.

The “Launch” Checklist: Foundations First

Step Action Item Why it Matters
1. Domain Secure your .com or .ai name. This is your digital real estate.
2. Licensing Check local zoning for home/commercial use. Avoid “unexpected” fines from the city.
3. Infrastructure High-speed internet + Ergonomic setup. Your health and speed are your ROI.
4. Google Business Pin your location (even if home-based). This is how you show up on “Near Me” searches.

The Reality Check

You can have the best product in the world, but if your website is broken or your location is disorganized, you are essentially building a house on sand.

Expert Insight: Start with the minimum viable version of both. A clean, one-page website and an organized corner of your home are better than a fancy office and a complex site that you can’t afford to maintain.

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Learn to Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

That is the unofficial motto of every successful entrepreneur. In business, “the unexpected” isn’t a glitch in the system—it is the system.

Whether it’s a sudden shift in the economy, a competitor launching a surprise feature, or a global supply chain hiccup, your ability to pivot defines your longevity. Here is how to move from just “expecting” chaos to actually building a business that thrives on it.

1. Build “Anti-Fragile” Systems

Author Nassim Taleb coined the term Antifragile to describe things that don’t just withstand shocks, but actually get better because of them.

  • Diversify Revenue: Never rely on one “whale” client. If one customer makes up more than 20% of your revenue, you aren’t an owner; you’re an employee who can be fired at any moment.

  • Multi-Channel Presence: If your entire customer base is on Instagram and the algorithm changes tomorrow, your business “breaks.” Build an email list—it’s the only audience you truly own.

2. The “Pre-Mortem” Strategy

Instead of waiting for things to go wrong, conduct a Pre-Mortem.

  • The Exercise: Imagine it is one year from today and your business has completely failed.

  • The Question: “What happened?”

  • The Result: By visualizing the failure (tech crash, bad hire, legal issue), you can build safeguards now to prevent those specific “unexpected” events.

3. Financial Optionality (The “Peace of Mind” Fund)

Cash is the ultimate shock absorber. In 2026, the cost of borrowing can fluctuate wildly.

  • The 6-Month Rule: Aim for at least six months of operating expenses in highly liquid accounts.

  • The “Pivot Fund”: Keep a small percentage of profit set aside specifically for “unplanned opportunities”—like a competitor going out of business or a sudden new software that could double your efficiency.

4. Cultivate “Decision Velocity”

When the unexpected hits, the biggest killer isn’t the problem itself—it’s indecision.

  • Agile Culture: If you have a team, empower them to make small decisions without a board meeting.

  • The 70% Rule: If you have 70% of the information you need, make the call. Waiting for 100% certainty is just a fancy way of being too late.

Mindset Shift: The “OODA” Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act)

Developed by military strategist John Boyd, this is how you handle rapidly changing environments:

Step Action Business Application
Observe Gather raw data. “Sales dropped 15% this week.”
Orient Filter the data. “Is it the economy, or is our website broken?”
Decide Form a hypothesis. “It’s the checkout page; let’s fix the UI.”
Act Test the decision. “Patch the site and monitor for 24 hours.”

Reframing the Chaos: Every “unexpected” disaster is also an unexpected opportunity. When the market shakes, the businesses built on sand fall over, leaving more room for those built on rock.

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How to Build a Customer Base

How to Build a Customer Base

Building a customer base today is less about “shouting the loudest” and more about precision and trust. With AI-driven search and highly skeptical consumers, you need a strategy that moves fast but stays human.

Here is a blueprint for building a customer base from zero to scale.

Phase 1: The “First 25” (The Manual Grind)

Before you automate, you must validate. Today, the fastest way to get your first customers is through high-intent, low-scale actions.

  • The “Niche-Down” Offer: Don’t sell “Marketing Services.” Sell “Lead Generation for Sustainable Fashion Brands.” A hyper-specific offer cuts through the noise instantly.

  • The “Proof of Work” Strategy: Instead of a cold pitch, send a “Value Gift.” For example, if you are a web designer, send a screen recording of a 2-minute audit of a prospect’s current site.

  • Borrow Trust: Partner with “Ecosystem Anchors”—businesses that already have your customers but aren’t competitors. A local gym and a healthy meal-prep service are perfect partners.

Phase 2: Acquisition (Turning on the Tap)

Once you have proof that people want your product, use these modern channels to scale:

  • Short-Form Video (The Hook): These days, video is the primary way people “discover” brands. Use TikTok or Instagram Reels not for ads, but to show behind-the-scenes and customer transformations.

  • AI-Enhanced SEO: Traditional keywords are dead. Optimize for “Answer Engine Optimization” (AEO). Focus on long-tail conversational questions that AI bots (like Gemini or ChatGPT) use to cite sources.

  • The “Lead Magnet” 2.0: E-books are out; interactive tools are in. Offer a free calculator, a mini-audit tool, or a “Project Template” in exchange for an email.

Phase 3: Retention (Building the “Moat”)

Acquiring a customer is expensive; keeping one is where the profit is.

  • Hyper-Personalization: Use first-party data (info they gave you directly) to send “Nudge” emails. Instead of “We miss you,” send “We noticed you haven’t used [Feature X] in 10 days; here is a 30-second video on how it saves you time.”

  • Gamified Loyalty: Move beyond “Buy 10, Get 1 Free.” Create tiers (Silver, Gold, VIP) and offer experiential rewards, like early access to new products or “Member-Only” Q&A sessions.

  • Community over Audience: An audience listens to you; a community talks to each other. Use platforms like Discord or specialized forums to let your customers connect. When they help each other, they become “sticky” to your brand.

Comparison: 2022 vs. 2026 Strategy

Feature Old Way (2022) New Way (2026)
Ads Mass targeting / Broad reach Hyper-niche / AI-targeted
Content High volume (Daily blogging) High Value (In-depth, AI-proof)
Trust Five-star reviews Video testimonials & Case studies
Email Weekly newsletters Behavior-triggered “Nudges”

The “Golden Rule” for 2026: If your marketing feels like a robot wrote it, a human will ignore it. Use AI to do the data heavy lifting, but keep your brand’s voice personal and “unpolished.”

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Marketing Expert Roadmap: Skills and Strategy

Marketing Skills and Strategy

Becoming a marketing expert isn’t about memorizing a single textbook; it’s about mastering the intersection of human psychology, data analysis, and creative storytelling. Since the landscape shifts faster than a viral TikTok trend, you need a mix of foundational theory and hands-on experimentation.

Here is a roadmap to move from a beginner to a high-level strategist.

1. Build a “T-Shaped” Skill Set

The most successful marketers are “T-Shaped.” This means you have a broad understanding of many disciplines (the top of the T) and deep expertise in one or two specific areas (the stem of the T).

  • Breadth (General Knowledge): SEO, Content Marketing, PPC (Paid Ads), Email Marketing, Social Media, and PR.

  • Depth (Specialization): Pick one to master first. For example, becoming the person who knows Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) better than anyone else.

2. Master the Fundamentals (The “Why”)

Before touching a Facebook Ad Manager dashboard, you must understand the “evergreens” of marketing:

  • Psychology: Read up on persuasion triggers and consumer behavior. Why do people buy?

  • Copywriting: This is the most undervalued skill. If you can write words that sell, you will always be in demand.

  • Segmentation & Targeting: Learning how to identify a “Persona” is the difference between a surgical strike and shouting into a void.

3. Get Your Hands Dirty (The “How”)

Theory is great, but marketing is a “proof of work” industry.

  • Start a Side Project: Launch a blog, an e-commerce store, or a niche newsletter. Spending $50 of your own money on ads to see what happens is worth more than a $5,000 certificate.

  • Get Certified: While not strictly required, these provide a structured path:

    • Google Analytics 4 (GA4): To understand data.

    • HubSpot Academy: For inbound marketing.

    • Meta Blueprint: For social media advertising.

4. Learn to Love the Data

Marketing used to be purely “vibes” and billboards. Today, it’s math.

  • The Basics: Learn what $ROI$, $CAC$ (Customer Acquisition Cost), and $LTV$ (Lifetime Value) mean.

  • Testing: Become obsessed with A/B testing. Never assume you know which headline will work—let the audience tell you through their clicks.

5. Stay Ahead of the Curve

The tools change, but the principles don’t. To stay an “expert” in 2026:

  • AI Integration: Learn how to use LLMs for research, content drafting, and data synthesis.

  • Network: Join communities (like Demand Curve or Exit Five) to see what’s working for others in real-time.

Comparison: Generalist vs. Specialist

Feature Generalist (Jack of all trades) Specialist (The Expert)
Best For Startups / Marketing Managers Agencies / High-level Consulting
Pros Understands the “Big Picture” Command higher rates for specific results
Cons Can be “master of none” Risk of niche becoming obsolete

Pro Tip: Don’t just follow the “gurus.” Follow the data. The best marketers are usually the ones quietly testing things in the background, not the ones shouting about “one weird trick” on your feed.

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Social Media Growth Strategies

Social Media Growth Strategies

Gaining followers has shifted from “going viral” to building a niche community. Algorithms across TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn now prioritize “watch time” and “shares” over raw follower counts, meaning your content needs to provide immediate value to be discovered.

Here is the blueprint for growing your social media presence today.

1. Master the “Search-First” Strategy (Social SEO)

Social media platforms are now used like search engines. To get discovered by people who don’t follow you yet, you must optimize for Social SEO.

  • Keyword-Rich Captions: Don’t just use emojis. Write captions that include keywords your audience is actually searching for (e.g., “Best ways to bake sourdough” instead of “Sunday morning vibes”).

  • On-Screen Text: The algorithm “reads” the text on your videos. Use clear, bold headers that hook the viewer in the first 2 seconds.

  • Spoken Keywords: Say your main topic out loud in the video. AI-driven transcripts help platforms categorize your content for the right viewers.

2. Leverage High-Engagement Formats

Not all posts are created equal. Certain formats are “algorithm favorites” because they keep users on the app longer.

  • Vertical Short-Form Video: Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts remain the #1 growth engine. Focus on “Watch Time”—if someone watches your video twice, the algorithm will push it to thousands more.

  • Educational Carousels: On Instagram and LinkedIn, multi-slide posts are making a comeback. They encourage “Saves,” which is the highest-weighted engagement metric for growth.

  • The “Human” Touch: “Raw” and spontaneous content (behind-the-scenes, unpolished updates) is currently outperforming highly produced ads. People follow people, not logos.

3. Platform-Specific Growth Tactics

Each site requires a slightly different “vibe” to attract followers:

Platform Growth Secret for 2026
Instagram Focus on Shares. Create content that someone would want to send to a friend via DM.
TikTok Niche Consistency. If you post about 5 different topics, the algorithm won’t know who to show you to. Stick to one lane.
LinkedIn Personal Authority. Personal profiles get 5–10x more reach than company pages. Share “lessons learned” or industry takes.
Threads Reply-First Strategy. Growing here is about being the first to leave a thoughtful, witty comment on a large account’s post.

4. Community Over Content

The fastest way to grow is to make your current followers feel seen so they become your “street team.”

  • The First Hour Rule: Respond to every comment within the first 60 minutes of posting. This tells the algorithm the post is generating a “conversation,” not just a “broadcast.”

  • User-Generated Content (UGC): Share photos or videos from your followers. It builds massive trust and encourages others to tag you so they can be featured too.

  • Collaborations: Partner with “Micro-influencers” (1k–10k followers) in your niche. Their audiences are often more loyal and likely to follow you than a celebrity’s audience.

 

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5 Rules of Social Media Engagement

5 Rules of Social Media Engagement

Social media is the place to talk with clients about your brand, neighborhood expertise, and insights into the current and future real estate market. With more than 5 billion social media users worldwide ( 63.9% of the global population), according to the Global Social Media Users Statistics 2025, published in partnership with Hootsuite, it’s important to know the rules of engagement for growing your following—and thus, your business.

  1. Respond quickly to all direct messages you receive on all social media platforms. Think of them as live chats. Clients and prospects expect a same-day response, or else they’ll move on to the next agent or broker.
  2. When advertising on social media, make sure to set specific, timely goals. Measuring these goals can help you justify or recalibrate your ad budget. Track your ad growth using each platform’s specific analytics tools, such as clicks, shares, likely sales, etc.
  3. Use a social media calendar to plan your posts. If you have a team member who’s responsible for social media management, make him or her accountable to the calendar. Alternatively, you could automate your posts, which can save you time and help you target optimal user browsing times. But be careful: Automation can be a drag on authenticity.
  4. Make sure your content, voice, and tone are distinctive. While this can include slang when appropriate, limit the usage of such words so as not to undermine your professionalism. To be a standout on social media, know what your competitors are sharing on their channels and fill a void their content doesn’t. Also, consider using social media channels your competitors aren’t. You can own a platform they’re not using.
  5. Make sure your social profiles are consistent and your user names, images, copy, links, photos, and videos match across all platforms. Plus, every one of your profiles should link back to your website.

Source: magazine.realtor ~ By: Tim and Julie Harris ~ Image: Canva Pro

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How to measure internet marketing results

This is the shortest module, but in some ways it is the most important. If you don’t know what aspects of your marketing efforts are working, you cannot have an efficient online marketing strategy.

It is kind of like going to the doctor, and before you get to see the doctor, the nurse checks (and documents) your temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure. Over the long term, any changes in those vital signs help the doctor assess your health and body functions.

In the same way, measuring and documenting your internet marketing results will give you an idea of whether your internet marketing efforts are working, or not. And, it will also give you a pulse rate on your target market – whether you are actually addressing the issues that are relevant to your prospects/clients, or not.

What we are going to cover…

  • Where to find social networking statistics
  • How to set-up website statistics
  • What is Klout and why is it important
  • How to document statistics
  • How to determine what type of content is engaging

Where to find social media statistics

Website Analytics

You need to know how many visitors you are getting to your website, what keywords they are using to get in, what page they came in on, how many pages they visited and how long they stayed on the site.

Google Analytics will give you all of that information and much, much more. If you have a google account, just sign in and set up an account, add your website and get the tracking code. It is usually recommended that you add that code to the html of evey page that you want analytics for, before </body>. Here is the link to a YouTube video that you might find helpful – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5AHWFGJl04

At Google Analytics you have access to:

  • # of visitors
  • # of Pageviews
  • Duration on site
  • New visitors vs returning visitors
  • Bounce Rate
  • Traffic Sources
  • Content

Jetpack for WordPress.com lets you know how many visits your site gets, and what posts and pages are most popular. It is a much simpler analytics tool that shows up right on your WordPress dashboard. Here is a link to the YouTube video that you might find helpful –

http://youtu.be/yaYvaIe7Bv8

At Jetpack for WordPress you have access to:

  • Site Stats
  • Referrers
  • Top Posts & Pages
  • Search Engine Terms

Social Influence Analytics

Klout, Kred and PeerIndex try to determine how influential a person is in comparison to other persons, AND how influential that person is about particular topics. These systems index a lengthy list of circumstantial influence components and then use mathematical equations to assigns a score number that serves as a literal and figurative measuring stick of influence.

You can easily sign up for these sites, just login in using your Twitter account, then set up your profile and check back frequently to see what score you have achieved… the higher your score, the bigger your social influence.

What is Klout & why should you care?

  • Klout is a social media grading system
  • A high Klout score indicates that you have built a following on social media
  • A professional in a specific field should have a Klout score of at least 50%
  • If you have a Twitter Account you have a Klout score, just sign on and add other social networks
  • Decision makers check out a Klout score before deciding to do business (or hire) with you

Social Networking Analytics

Social Networking Analytics give you the data you need to improve your social media engagement, make marketing decisions and tie social media to your bottom line. 

Businesses are using the power of social networking to gain a better understanding of their markets, however, they need analytics to discover what customers are reacting to and to predict customer/prospect behavior.

Hootsuite statistics report. If you are using hootsuite.com, if you click on the analytics tab, you can create Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn reports that tell you the number of times that people have clicked on your links.

goo.gl If you use this tool to shorten the URL’s of the content that you are sharing, you also have access to some the number of click-throughs, and what social media site they clicked from

Email Marketing Statistics If you are using a Contact Relationship Manager (CRM), aka email marketing service, you have access to information that will not only tell you how many people opened your email. You can also find out exactly who opened your email and who didn’t, and what your open rate percentage was, and what is the industry average open rate.

Monitor Online Statistics

Once a month you need to go to all of your online monitoring sites to monitor what types of content is working for you, and what content is not working. At the very least you should keep a jounal to document your marketing results, both positive and negative. However, I recommend setting up a spread sheet (like the example below) and keep track of your marketing results that way.

How to determine What Works

Pay attention to:

  • What posts people engage in
  • What articles people read at your website
  • What keywords people use to find you
  • What social networking sites work for you
  • What days of the week work best
  • What times of the day work best

And, then organize your marketing efforts around these statistics.

HOMEWORK

8:1. Access your Klout account and add your social networks

8:2. Add Analytics to your website

8:3. Monitor & Document your Online Statistics. Know what is working & when it is working.

8:4. Review your results and create more content that is obviously relevant to your prospects/clients based on what they are responding to.

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Write and eBook and gain new Prospects

Write and eBook and gain new Prospects

How to measure internet marketing results

This is the shortest module, but in some ways it is the most important. If you don’t know what aspects of your marketing efforts are working, you cannot have an efficient online marketing strategy.

It is kind of like going to the doctor, and before you get to see the doctor, the nurse checks (and documents) your temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure. Over the long term, any changes in those vital signs help the doctor assess your health and body functions.

In the same way, measuring and documenting your internet marketing results will give you an idea of whether your internet marketing efforts are working, or not. And, it will also give you a pulse rate on your target market – whether you are actually addressing the issues that are relevant to your prospects/clients, or not.

What we are going to cover…

  • Where to find social networking statistics
  • How to set-up website statistics
  • What is Klout and why is it important
  • How to document statistics
  • How to determine what type of content is engaging

Where to find social media statistics

Website Analytics

You need to know how many visitors you are getting to your website, what keywords they are using to get in, what page they came in on, how many pages they visited and how long they stayed on the site.

Google Analytics will give you all of that information and much, much more. If you have a google account, just sign in and set up an account, add your website and get the tracking code. It is usually recommended that you add that code to the html of evey page that you want analytics for, before </body>. Here is the link to a YouTube video that you might find helpful – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5AHWFGJl04

At Google Analytics you have access to:

  • # of visitors
  • # of Pageviews
  • Duration on site
  • New visitors vs returning visitors
  • Bounce Rate
  • Traffic Sources
  • Content

Jetpack for WordPress.com lets you know how many visits your site gets, and what posts and pages are most popular. It is a much simpler analytics tool that shows up right on your WordPress dashboard. Here is a link to the YouTube video that you might find helpful –

http://youtu.be/yaYvaIe7Bv8

At Jetpack for WordPress you have access to:

  • Site Stats
  • Referrers
  • Top Posts & Pages
  • Search Engine Terms

Social Influence Analytics

Klout, Kred and PeerIndex try to determine how influential a person is in comparison to other persons, AND how influential that person is about particular topics. These systems index a lengthy list of circumstantial influence components and then use mathematical equations to assigns a score number that serves as a literal and figurative measuring stick of influence.

You can easily sign up for these sites, just login in using your Twitter account, then set up your profile and check back frequently to see what score you have achieved… the higher your score, the bigger your social influence.

What is Klout & why should you care?

  • Klout is a social media grading system
  • A high Klout score indicates that you have built a following on social media
  • A professional in a specific field should have a Klout score of at least 50%
  • If you have a Twitter Account you have a Klout score, just sign on and add other social networks
  • Decision makers check out a Klout score before deciding to do business (or hire) with you

Social Networking Analytics

Social Networking Analytics give you the data you need to improve your social media engagement, make marketing decisions and tie social media to your bottom line. 

Businesses are using the power of social networking to gain a better understanding of their markets, however, they need analytics to discover what customers are reacting to and to predict customer/prospect behavior.

allmyplus.com for G+ provides you with information on your most popular posts and pictures, shows the number of comments, plus’s and reshares for any of your posts. This give you an idea of what your audience is responding to.

Hootsuite statistics report. If you are using hootsuite.com, if you click on the analytics tab, you can create Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn reports that tell you the number of times that people have clicked on your links.

goo.gl If you use this tool to shorten the URL’s of the content that you are sharing, you also have access to some the number of click-throughs, and what social media site they clicked from

Email Marketing Statistics If you are using a Contact Relationship Manager (CRM), aka email marketing service, you have access to information that will not only tell you how many people opened your email. You can also find out exactly who opened your email and who didn’t, and what your open rate percentage was, and what is the industry average open rate.

Monitor Online Statistics

Once a month you need to go to all of your online monitoring sites to monitor what types of content is working for you, and what content is not working. At the very least you should keep a jounal to document your marketing results, both positive and negative. However, I recommend setting up a spread sheet (like the example below) and keep track of your marketing results that way.

How to determine What Works

Pay attention to:

  • What posts people engage in
  • What articles people read at your website
  • What keywords people use to find you
  • What social networking sites work for you
  • What days of the week work best
  • What times of the day work best

HOMEWORK

8:1. Access your Klout account and add your social networks

8:2. Add Analytics to your website

8:3. Monitor & Document your Online Statistics. Know what is working & when it is working.

8:4. Review your results and create more content that is obviously relevant to your prospects/clients based on what they are responding to.

Module #8             All Rights Reserved, 2014  Lynn Albro, SEO & Social Networking Coach                    

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How to Add Curated Content to your Website

What is Content Curation?

Content curation is the process of sorting through and analyzsing huge amounts of content on the internet relevant to a specific market niche and presenting this information onto a platform (or format that your audience can understand.

A content curator cherry picks the best content to share that is relevant to their audience. As a content curator, you will find (and share) a customized, pondered selection of the best and most relevant resources on a very specific topic or theme.

For instance, if your website is focused on ‘Reversing Diabetes’ then you would look for articles that pertain to diabetes and a lifestyle that that promotes the process of Reversing Diabetes.

A content curator continually  seeks,  makes sense of,  and shares the best and most relevant content on a particular topic online. And, if you curating for a specific audience, you are always on the look-out for content that meets the criteria that you have established for your website. In fact, you will have integrated the skill of content curation into your daily routine.

Why is Content Curation Valuable?

Since the average Facebook user creates 90 pieces of content each month, people create 571 new websites every minute, tweet 58 million times per day and upload 100 hours of new video each minute, a curator’s work is never done.

Simply put, we are living an era of content abundance. A content curator offers high value to anyone searching for quality content on a specific subject because finding that information (and making sense of it) requires more and more time, attention, and focus.

Content Curation Provides Value from the Inside Out

What does that mean for the content curator?  I can speak from personal experience… I learn new (and relevant) information about the fields that I curate content for. For instance, when I am searching for content for one of my websites, I find content that is not only relevant for my visitors, it is current, and also cutting edge for myself AND my audience.

The role content curation plays across the social Web

Finding curated content doesn’t have to be a time suck.

As you all know, it takes a lot of time to produce high-quality and compelling content from scratch. So if you are struggling with trying to produce a lot of content on a daily basis, it is a good idea to search the internet for well-written, relevant content that will appeal to your audience. This does not diminish the importance of original content, which is still the most powerful form of content marketing. However, curated content can save you time and help you stay on track with your content calendar when time is limited.

As a general rule, 80 percent of content shared is curated, and 20 percent is original. I personally try to keep that percentage at 50/50 which means for every article I curate, I also produce an article with relative and compelling content from scratch.

Curating content is a a human attempt to organize content that is available on the internet.

We all know that Google is amazing when it comes to serving up results when we need them. However, when humans locate and share relevant (and compelling) content, they are providing their audience with exactly the information they need, in a cost-effective manner. And, when they take the time to share their curated content (at social media), they drive traffic to their website. If that content is evergreen, they could be driving traffic to their website for some time. I personally have seen the traffic stats referring to curated content up to a couple of years down the road.

Curated content is the ultimate form of Social Media giving

Essentially, using curated content is a win-win situation… you are providing relevant content to your audience, not only driving traffic to your website, but also the the original content creator’s website.  In other words you are promoting someone else’s content and that ‘sharing’ is appreciated at the other end. Another benefit associated with curated content is the increased opportunities for engagement and interaction – which can help exposure over time.

Types of Curated Content

Top 10 Industry Articles

In it’s simplest form, content curation can be as simple as writing a blog post with snippets of the curated content, with links back to the original webpage where it was published. Over the years I have written many of these; Top 10 Real Estate News articles of the Month, The Year in Review, the Best Social Networking articles of 2018, or The Top 10 Internet Marketing Predictions for 2019, etc.

Newsletters

When I write a newsletter for my real estate clients, I usually include at least 5 pieces of curated content, usually in their entirety; Local Events for the coming month, an industry article that will benefit their target market, an article on home maintenance, an article on home improvements or interior decoration and an article on local real estate marketing statistics.

Videos

This may be the simplest form of Content Curation… go to YouTube and search for an expert in your industry. For instance, I found a Persuasion specialist, Jim Fortin. He shares a series of YouTube videos on the Art of Persuasion and how to use persuasion during the process of selling real estate.

Infographics

If you find infographics on the internet that are pertinent to your industry, copy and paste the image file, post them at your site and then take the time to write a detailed description of the information (in your own words) the infographics contain. Be sure to use relevant keywords when writing the description and include a source link to the original creator of the images. 

Local Community Events

If your target market is in a specific geographical location, this type of curated content is especially effective. For instance, if you are a real estate agent and a large part of your audience is not going to buy a home for at least 5 years, then providing them a website where they can get the latest information on local commuity events can be very effective. If you take the time to share snippets of upcoming community events (with all of the details) your audience will know to drop by your website for the specifics on upcoming events; farmers markets, concerts in the park, county fairs, etc.

Expert Tips

One of the great things about curated content is that anyone with good online research skills has the ability to curate. For example,  recently I was having trouble with a virus trying to take over my computer – so I Googled the phrase ‘remove conduit toolbar’. The first article that popped up was very useful by malwaretips.com. I haven’t done it yet, but based on the fact that people are always fighting viruses on their pc’s I could actually curate that article and maybe file it under PC Resources. Or, I could aggregate tips from various experts in the industry on a given topic into a list for one great piece of curated content.

Quotations

Years ago, probably one of the first blogs that I ever curated was written in celebration of Thanksgiving. At that time, all I did was put up about 10 Thanksgiving quotations (found at quotegarden.com) and added a Thanksgiving picture. Of course besides the quotations I added a couple of paragraphs of fresh content that talked about the season and why it was important not only to me, but also to our culture. Today, I would add value to the quotations by taking the curated content to the next level by adding images and overlaying the content to the quotations.

Books/Ebooks

Another great idea is to create a list of the Top books or eBooks in your specific industry. If you are actively learning in your industry you probably already have a stack of (printed) eBooks that you could reference (along with access links) to in an article.

Industry Examples

Recently I created a Construction website using curated content. I was having a hard time getting content from my client, so I just curated content from around the internet, sharing pictures (and sometimes written content) of the types of projects he is involved with on an ongoing basis. And, in every instance of curated content, I included gave credit the the website that I borrowed the pictures and description from.

FAQ’s and Glossaries

Many times I have curated Frequently Asked Questions and Glossaries. Oftentimes, when you are in an industry where the terminology feels like a whole new language, you can usually find someone who has taken the time to create a page of FAQ’s and/or a Glossary.This type of curated content is evergreen and may bring visitors back to your website over and over again, especially when your visitor is unfamiliar with your product or service.

Importance of Quality & Relevance in Curation

Final thought: no matter what type of content you’re curating, quality and relevance should always apply. No one wants to access a list of ten mediocre industry blogs. They want the best . The individual content elements you choose, therefore, should represent the utmost level of quality. In addition, make sure the content you’re curating is relevant to your audience. That aggregated list of funny viral videos may very well be funny, but if you’re not in the business of humor or marketing, it doesn’t belong on your blog.

Example of Curated Content (below) that could be posted in it’s entirety at your website.

NOTE: I included a link back to the source, and a reference to the author – Steven Rosenbaum and I also included (at the bottom) Comment by Lynn Albro to explain to the visitor why I thought the content was important to share.

5 Tips for Great Content Curation

Source: Mashable.com ~ By Steven Rosenbaum is the CEO of Magnify.net and author of Curation Nation.

You’ve heard the buzz word — curation — being thrown around like it’s a gadget we all know how to work. In reality, good content curation isn’t as simple as pushing a share button. It’s actually a combination of finding great content and following some simple best practices on how to successfully share that content.

If you’re a curator looking for some boundaries in what feels like the Wild West, here are five best practices to consider.

1. Be Part of the Content Ecosystem

Be part of the content ecosystem, not just a re-packager of it. Often, people think of themselves as either creators or curators as if these two things are mutually exclusive. What a curator really should do is embrace content as both a maker and an organizer. The most successful curators include sites like The Huffington Post, that embrace the three-legged-stool philosophy of creating some content, inviting visitors to contribute some content, and gathering links and articles from the web. Created, contributed, and collected — the three ‘c’s is a strong content mix that has a measurable impact. Why? Because your visitors don’t want to hunt around the web for related material. Once they find a quality, curated collection, they’ll stay for related offerings.

2. Follow a Schedule

Audiences expect some regularity, and they’ll reward you for it. It doesn’t need to be a schedule that you can’t keep up with. If you want to curate three new links a day, and write one big post a week, that’s a schedule. Make sure to post at the same time each week. This is so readers know when to expect new material from you. Consistency and regularity will also bring you new users, and help you grow a loyal base of members who appreciate your work.

3. Embrace Multiple Platforms

It used to be that your audience came to you. Not anymore. Today content consumers get their information on the platform of their choosing. That means you should consider posting short bursts on Instagram, images on Pinterest, video on YouTube, and community conversations on Facebook. And don’t leave out established sites and publishers. If your audience hangs out on a blog, you may want to offer that publication some guest posts or even a regular column. Essentially, you have to bring your content contributions to wherever your readers may be.

4. Engage and Participate

Having a voice as a curator means more than creating and curating your own work. Make sure you’re giving back by reading others and commenting on their posts. A re-tweet is one of the easiest ways to help build relationships with fellow bloggers and curators. And your followers will appreciate that you’ve pointed them to good content. One word here, I never hit an RT without clicking through to read what I’m recommending. You can also lose followers if you don’t put in .the effort to recommend material that you really think merits their attention.

5. Share. Don’t Steal.

Take the time to give attribution, links back, and credit. The sharing economy works because we’re each sharing our audiences, and providing the value of our endorsements. If you pick up someone’s work and put it on your blog, or mention a fact without crediting the source, you’re not building shared credibility. You’re just abusing someone else’s effort.

The important thing to realize is that we’re increasingly living in a world of information overload. So when people choose to listen to you it’s because you’re able to separate signal from noise. You provide a clear, contextually relevant voice within the topic or topics that you create and curate.

Lynn Albro’s Comments: Lots of good ideas here, I especially like #4. Engage and Participate. The author shares ideas for building relationships with the authors behind your content curation. Not only will your audience appreciate a well written curated article, they will also appreciate the fact that they didn’t have to search for it around the internet. And, if you share curated content at your social media sites, you will most certainly drive traffic to your website.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Curating Blog Content

NOTE: I couldn’t say this better, so I curated it to share with you here…

Source: kunocreative.com ~ By Barb Schmitz

Curating content is a great way to stock your blog with fresh topics and increase traffic, but as with everything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.  But first things fist. What is curated content? Content curation is the process of sorting through the seemingly endless amount of content on the web, selecting what is relevant to your audience and presenting it in a thoughtful, organized manner structured around a specific theme.

Right and Wrong Ways to Curate Content

Don’t just collect. Anyone can collect and gather online content. As a content curator, your job is to handpick the content most relevant and important to your community. This involves searching, vetting, organizing and presenting a customized selection of content on a particular topic.

Do position yourself as an authority. For organizations and brands, curating content is a great way to establish thought leadership and become the go-to authority on an important topic or issue. Visitors don’t want to waste time hunting around the web for info; they want to go straight to a source of customized content selected based on a common interest, niche or industry.

Don’t get content fried. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the daily over consumption of content directed at us. Digesting content in a meaningful, thoughtful way takes time, patience, discipline and perseverance. Reduce distractions and budget time slots for researching so you don’t succumb to data overload.

Do know your audience. It’s impossible to deliver content of value and interest to your visitors unless you know who they are. Taking the time to learn about their world, their pain points and their concerns will enable you to better research, collect and present topics of value to them.

Don’t just repost. Add value by making sense of the information for your audience. This can be as simple as how you annotate shared links or writing a blog post using links or summarizing key points from a presentation. Be sure, however, that your opinions support your organization’s communication objectives.

Do play follow the leader. Find the best content curators in your industry and follow them. You will learn a lot from experienced curators: how they have honed their craft, established ows, tools to use, and general how-to tips.

Don’t steal. Curating content isn’t about stealing someone else’s work. Be sure you take the time to attribute work, give links back and credit to the original creator. Providing a link to the original piece not only drives traffic back to the original site but also provides all kinds of back-end website value when it comes to web and search engine rankings.

Do use the right tools. Curation tools, such as Storify, enable you to pull content from blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and other sources and then export to WordPress, Tumblr or Posterous blog or share it on social media.

Don’t just repackage. Remember, the best content curators are also content creators. A good content mix that offers measurable impact requires you to create, contribute and collect content.

5 Ways to Engage Readers Through Curated Content

NOTE: Again, I couldn’t have said it better, so I curated it.

Source: marketo.com ~ By: Pawan Deshpande

Creating fresh content is a vital part of any content marketing strategy, but you don’t always have to start from scratch. Curated content – content written by other people, which you then organize and share – is a great way to show off your subject matter expertise. “Best of” lists, trend highlights, and news round-ups can all be completely curated, but still appeal to your readership.

The hard part is getting your audience to engage. Without audience engagement (comments, shares, likes, and so on), curated content isn’t doing all that it could be for your brand, or your blog.

Here are five ways to curate content that drives engagement:

1. Curate from a variety of sources.

Yes, you should be following and curating the major players in your niche (for instance, TechCrunch if you curate tech and startup news, or Apartment Therapy if you’re into home décor). But don’t limit yourself to the big names. If readers see the same three or four sources week after week, they may lose interest. Keep them on their toes by introducing readers to smaller, but still credible sources they may not know yet. These smaller, up-and-coming sites may be more likely to engage with you or share your stuff than the big A-list bloggers. The discovery of a new gem may also prompt regular readers to chime in too.

2. Think multi-platform.

Readers consume content in different ways, so don’t limit yourself to your own blog and social media channels. Think about ways you could repurpose your curated content into a webinar, ebook, white paper, or other materials. Brainstorm topics for guest blog posts you could contribute to other sites. Consider starting a podcast or web series to discuss the most interesting content you’ve curated and invite guest experts to weigh in.

If you have a high concentration of readers in one geographic area, host an in-person event so you can engage with readers (and they can engage with each other) offline. If your readers are scattered around the world, why not host a Google Hangout or a meetup at a major industry conference? Anything that gets people interacting in new ways is likely to drive deeper engagement, and repurposing content across multiple platforms allows you to get more mileage out of every idea.

3. Get reader input.

When readers are involved in helping to create content, they’re more invested in you and more engaged with your content. You could publish well-written guest posts from readers or create a poll to find out what type of curated content they want to read in the future. If you publish an email newsletter, encourage subscribers to email you with suggestions on topics they’d like you to curate, or with links they suggest your share.

This type of input also encourages your followers to become customers. Say that you’re publishing a book. Why not post a few different design options for the cover, and have readers vote on the final cover design, or even on the title? This makes readers feel included in the process, which also boosts the likelihood that they’ll buy the book when it comes out.

4. Say something unexpected.

Annotation – or incorporating your own opinion instead of simply summarizing someone else’s piece – is a key part of content curation. Without your unique perspective, there’s no need for readers to visit your blog or website. After all, they can always read the original piece elsewhere online.

To compellingly annotate your curated content, try to say something fresh and new. If everyone is singing the praises of a hot new self-help book, can you think of a few challenges to the premise? If the original content creator predicts that Gmail tabs will destroy email marketing, why not post a few ways marketers could use Gmail tabs to their advantage? Always be respectful of other peoples’ opinions, but don’t be afraid to play devil’s advocate from time to time. You may have readers who agree, but are shy about voicing their opinions. Also be ready for a lively debate with readers who think differently.

5. Include a strong call to action.

Data shows that tweets using the phrase “please retweet” get four times as many retweets as other types of tweets. Calls to action are also a key component in blog posts, where you can encourage readers to share, comment, or take another action. Without this call to action (or CTA for short), readers may simply click over to a new window. Many blog posts conclude by asking readers for their opinions. Do they agree or disagree with the point of view you’ve just shared? Why or why not? These simple questions can spark conversations with your readers.

HOMEWORK

6:1. Choose a aggregate tool such as feedly.com

6:2. Choose at least 3 different types of curated content to share, find the content and then add 3 new posts to your website, see Curated Content Template

6:3 Share your curated content at your social media sites

Posted on

Set up Local Marketing and Getting Reviews

These days Local Marketing is more important than ever…

  • 74% of business searches are conducted online

  • 61% of local search results in a purchase

  • Local marketing feeds information to Mobile

  • Consumers who perform local searches are ready to buy your products

Some Background…

Back in 1989 I went to work for Western Temporary Services, they asked me to open a branch for them in Modesto, CA.

What that meant was, right from the get-go, I had to create a marketing system that worked, my job depended on it! In fact, I needed to not only hire 100’s of employees I needed to find work for them.

Finding employees was not the problem because unemployment was averaging between 15%-18% in Stanislaus Co (California) at the time. Back then all you had to do was spend a few bucks on a newspaper ad and people would line up outside your door to fill out an application.

But finding work for those employees was a little more difficult. I had an assistant, and we started telemarketing… between us about 200 – 300 phone calls a day. We followed up with direct mail; marketing letters, fliers, brochures and postcards.

At the same time we sent one of our temporary employees in the field to drop off brochures, and pick up business cards.

This type of marketing brought us about a 2% return. In other words, for every 100 contacts we made, we got 2 work orders. Within one year we were showing a profit. And, that was during a recession!

Fast forward to 2007, and we find ourselves in another recession and the family construction company is struggling. So I went to work…making phones calls, about 200 a day, following up with a sales letter and more phone calls.

After 2 months and about 10,000 calls later – NOTHING happened. No work orders, no return phone calls, no 2% return.

WHY? Because not only were we in a recession, the methods of marketing had changed. No longer were people using phone books and news papers – they were turning to the internet to get their information quickly.

Of course… we did not have an internet presense, so I decided to fix that problem. Over the next couple of years I learned how to get our little construction company onto the first page of Google Maps.

Back in 2009 it was fairly easy to get your listing on the first page of Google Maps, today there is a lot more competition, so it takes a bit more work.

What is Google Places and why should you care?

Take a look at how Google Places works

→ Go to the Google Search bar and type in a keyword… like: Dentist Modesto CA

→ Scroll down and you will see a list of 8 Dentists in Modesto, CA – A through G and a map

→ Click on the words ‘See results for Modesto Dentist on a map’

     NOTE: If you don’t see a map, then click on Maps

→ In this screen you see a map with about 18 Dentist markers

→ Now click on List all Results and in the next screen you will see 10 results for Modesto Dentists

→ At the bottom of the screen click on NEXT to view 10 more results for Modesto Dentists

There are a number of factors that affect your Google ranking on this page;

  • How complete (or incomplete) your Google profile is
  • The number of pictures you have in your profile
  • The number of reviews people have written for you
  • The number of places your business is listed around the web
  • The number of people that have circled your business page

The Google algorithm is fairly complicated, so I am sure there are many more… however, if you work on getting all of the above factors right, you have a better chance of getting found locally (and organically) by the search engines.

Let’s start with the Google Places Listing.

Go to www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter

You are going to use your gmail UserName and Password.

1. Fill in the Country and the Business phone #

2. Fill in your business name. If you are an independent contractor, just fill in your name. If you have a dba, fill in that business name. Don’t add any keywords or descriptions, you will have time for that later.

3. Fill in street address, it must be a physical address, not a P.O. Box. If you don’t want people to know your physical address, don’t worry you can hide it.

4. Add your City, State and Zip code.

5. You can add more phone numbers. A word of caution, do not add a phone number that other people use.

6. Enter your email address and your website address.

7. Copy and paste your business description (200 characters max). Make sure you include your keywords in this description.

8. Enter your business Category. The first category has to be one of the default categories provided for you by the system. Add up to 4 more, and they don’t have to be in the system.

Service Area and Location

9. Unless you are a brick and mortar store, and all of your clients come to you, be sure to click on “Yes, this business serves customers at their locations”

10. Check the box – Do not show my business address on my Maps listing – if you don’t want your physical address to show.

11. At the Distance from one location, if you add City and State, then type in the service area miles, the map will show a radius of how far you will travel to sell products and provide services.

12. If you click on List of Areas Served and add in City, State, or just add the zip codes of all the areas you serve that map will again show how far you are willing to travel to sell products and provide services.

Hours of Operation

13. Click on I Prefer not to Specify my Hours, or,

14. Click on My Operating Hours are, and fill in the hours, or,

15. You can click on I’d Like to Enter two sets of hours for a single day, and add a second shift to your available operating hours.

Payment Options

16. Specify how customers can pay you for your products and services

Photos

17. Add photos of your store front, your personal photo, photos of your products, up to 10 photos. NOTE: Make sure that your keyword is in the photo title.

18. Add your YouTube Videos (up to 5) to your listing. Again, make sure your keywords are in the Video title.

19. Additional details – don’t ignore this, it is important. You can add more of your keywords and services here. For instance:

    • Short Sales:Yes
    • Foreclosures: Yes
    • Residential Real Estate: Yes
    • Parking: Yes
    • Free shipping: Yes

20. Click Submit, in the next screen, Google lets you know that they are going to send you a post card in the mail to verify the information you have given them. When that notification comes, you will need to go to your Google Places dashboard and enter the code provided in the post card.

NOTE: You can’t just put your listing up and forget it. In order to stay on the first page you have to put some time into maintaining your place. You need to monitor your Dashboard and where your listing is indexed to make sure you stay indexed on page one of Google places.

Presenting you Business to other Local Directories

Did you know that there are other local directories? Like Yahoo, Bing and Yelp? Signing up at a number of these local directories not only makes it easier for you to get found, but will also improve your Google indexing, thus enhancing the placement of your listing.

In fact, I highly recommend getting listed at 20 local directories.

Let’s start with Yelp.com

1. At the bottom of the page Click on Business Support Center

2. In the Start by Finding Your Business, type in your business name location.

3. If you business is there, you may want to Claim your Business and edit the details. If your business is not there, then click on Add your Business to Yelp.

4. Fill in all the blanks and click ADD.

5. In the next screen Yelp advises you to go to your email and confirm your listing.

6. After you click to confirm your email address, Yelp advises you – Once our customer support team has reviewed your submission you’ll receive instructions on how to unlock your free business tools.

Now, go to https://www.bingplaces.com/

And, http://listings.local.yahoo.com/

There are a couple of places that you can go to that supply your business information to other local directories – http://www.expressupdate.com/search, and http://www.neustarlocaleze.biz

Set up a Google+ Business Page linked to Google Places

If you have already presented your business to Google Places, it’s easy to add a Google+ Business page to your Google+ Profile. This will not only increase your search engine visibility, it will also make you more visible at Google Local and mobile devices (for on-the-go prospects.

1. Open your Google+ Profile

2. Hover over the HOME link on the left-hand side of the screen and in the drop-down menu, choose Pages

3. Click on the blue Create a Page button in the upper right-hand corner.

4. Click on the Local Business or Place box

5. Agree to the terms and conditions

6. In the Search for your business box, enter your business phone number.

7. In the next screen, choose your business.

8. Google will ask you to verify your business either by phone or by mail, if possible, choose by phone.

9. Once Google gives you access to your Business page, fill out the profile completely including; Business Name, Address, Contact Info, Category, Hours, and Description.

10. When complete, click Finished Editing.

HOMEWORK

5:1. Present your business to Google Places, Bing Places and Local Listings

5:2. Present your business to ExpressUpdate and NeustarLocaleze

5:3  Present your business to at least 20 more Local Business Directories

5:4. Link your Google Places listing to a Google+ Business Page

Getting Online Reviews

Getting Reviews is at the heart of this type of marketing, and it is going to be even to be even more important in the future.

Research your competition at Google Places, and take a look at how many reviews your competition has. Your goal is to get at least as many reviews as your competition.

If you have put up your business listing (using all of your important keywords), AND, you have signed up with at least 20 local directories AND you are still not on the first page, there may be a couple of reasons why:

1) Google ranks businesses on how old their listing is.

2) Google also ranks businesses on how many reviews that a business has, not only at Google, but all over the internet; City Search, Insider Pages, Yelp, etc.

3) Google also ranks the quality of those reviews according to how they relate to the keywords, and whether or not they are good reviews with 4-5 stars or bad reviews