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superlinguo · 4 years ago

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Practical advice if you want to start a podcast

I wrote a post for the RED team at La Trobe with some general advice for podcasting, but I’ve found there are some recurring questions that I get about setting up a podcast. This post is here to answer those questions.

If you’re not interested in starting a podcast, but want to listen to more linguistics podcasts, I’ve got a list for you!

I last updated this post in June 2021 - if you find this post a few years after this you might want to search for some more up to date specs. I’ll continue to update this from time to time as new questions (or answers) come up.

Picture your audience

Before you make any decisions about your show, know who it is for. Your topic might be incredibly niche and have an audience in the hundreds, which is very different to a potentially larger but less engaged audience. See the classic blog post from Kevin Kelly on the power of 1000 true fans. Knowing your potential audience, where they hang out online, and how they’re likely to support you, will help your decision making. I have a self-guided slide set for refining your project before you start working on it. It’s also ok to know who you don’t want as your audience, and make choices that don’t actively include them. Do this early and clearly so people aren’t disappointed. For example, having a show with clearly noted explicit language selects away from young kids and their parents.

The length and format of your show are a product of your aims

I personally like shows in the 25-35 minute range. But, having said that, I love Shortwave, which regularly clocks in at 10 minutes, and I’m disappointed when an episode of You’re Wrong About is less than an hour.

Know your audience and the level of depth you want to explore a topic in. The frequency of episodes and the amount of time you have to prepare and edit will also affect how long episode end up. Record a few episodes first and share them with people you trust will give you good feedback.

The best interviews are conversations

Good interviews are just conversations that are intentionally lopsided, and good interviewers make the conversation feel like it’s not lopsided. Do your homework, write out some questions, and then take a step back and actually listen to the person you’re interviewing.

Anyone who has done even a few interviews has already faced most of the questions you first think of. There are some fixes for this: push through your initial brainstorming, think about the specific angles on their topic that are most relevant to your audience and (again) listen to what the person is telling you. Like many podcasting skills, good interviewing takes practice, and you can practice by staying curious about humans you interact with in any area of your life, not just your podcast guests.

Use the best mics you can, but don’t over-invest

You don’t have go and buy the fanciest tech. If you have access to a studio, great! If you don’t, then decide what your budget is. When we started Lingthusiasm, Gretchen recorded into her phone, because we were running the show on no budget and had no idea if we’d stick it out more than 6 months. When we started making money we got Gretchen a Zoom H4n to match mine. It’s still not the fanciest, but it’s rugged and adequate, especially if you make sure you’re in a closet with some blankets. Do I regret the earlier episodes of Lingthusiasm don’t sound amazing? Not as much as I would have regretted investing hundreds of dollars in a podcast that had 4 episodes.

Edit your show

Even a light edit will make the show easier for your audience to listen to, and show respect for the people you interview. I know people believe there’s an aesthetic of authenticity that comes with not editing, but all podcasting is a performance. Editing is a politeness to your audience.

Editing means a very wide range of things. You can do full production editing, including the addition of music, multiple different voice-overs and voices reading parts (e.g. getting someone else to read author quotes to bring them to life) and additional sound effects. Or you might just edit out the start and end of the recording, and any false starts and errors throughout the show. A lot of the pauses and fillers we use in conversation are designed for an audience who is in on the conversation and can reply, and can feel like they’re holding up a conversation when you’re a passive listener like a podcast audience. Many of the best conversational podcasts are given an edit to make them easier on the ears.

I use audacity to edit

Audacity is free to use. It takes a little longer to learn than something like GarageBand, but once you know how to use it, you’ll be much faster at editing. I appreciate that it has stayed pretty much the same since I started using it almost 15 years ago.

Get your levels right

Once you’ve edited your show, making sure there aren’t too many loud laughs, or your two hosts aren’t unbalanced in loudness. You’ll also need to make sure your podcast isn’t too loud or soft compared to others in people’s list. You need to regularise it. A lot of podcasts regularise to -16 LUFS. A few other numbers bounce around (-14, -18), but this is what we use and no one complains. Audacity can’t do it. You can process a certain number of hours of audio for free each month using the web-based Auphonic. It’s great.

There’s lots of great free music to use

You want to look for music that has a license that’s free to use. Even if you don’t plan to make money from your podcast, make sure the license includes commercial use so you don’t limit your future options. SoundCloud and YouTube have lots of options, as does Kevin MacLeod - who has created royalty-free music in a massive range of genres.

Web hosting is different to getting your show on iTunes

We use SoundCloud to upload and share our audio. It’s fine. I have no complaints. Once you’ve uploaded a few hours of audio you’ll have to pay annually for a pro account. Anchor seems to be a good new competitor, it’s free - I assume they make money off people choosing to run ads on their podcasts. You then generate an RSS feed, which is the thing that points all the podcast players to the place you’ve uploaded your recording. You’ll then have to add your show to major podcast platforms (Apple Podcast, Google Podcast), smaller ones will pick it up from there.

It takes a few days for your show to get picked up on all the podfeeders

Launching a podcast is a bit of a mess - it will go live on your hosting site but then you’ll have to set yourself up with iTunes, Google Podcast etc. and that can take a few days to update and populate. The sites that are popular, and the process of linking into those spaces, changes often enough that you should just google advice when you’re ready to launch, and give yourself a few days. This is part of why some podcasts launch a short ‘episode 0′ or a trailer, it gets the show set up.

Transcripts should be one of the first things you fund

Not every podcast has the time or funds to make transcripts. I do think they’re important though; for people who can’t or don’t want to listen, for discoverability and for your own record when you can’t remember when you talked about a specific story. If you have any time or money and want to be taken seriously at all, this should be one of your earliest priorities. This is even more true for educational podcasts, where a transcript ensures all students can appreciate the content of your show.

You don’t neeeeed a website, but it’s handy

You can run a show using a hosting platform and some social media. Having a website does allow you to add more information about the show and yourself. The Lingthusiasm page has grown over the years as the show has; we made a page for our liveshow events, we provide a list of episodes by topic, information about our Discord community, and our marvelous wall of supporters. The website was much more minimal when we started, but compared to just having a SoundCloud it gave the show room to grow.

You probably want socials, but be selective

You need to make your podcast discoverable by people who are likely to be your audience. Social media is one way to do this, but it’s better to be actually engaging on fewer social platforms than overextend yourself. Focus on platforms that are the intersection of where your possible fans are likely to be and where you enjoy being.

Funding a podcast takes time, and takes work

There are three main revenue streams for podcasts: advertising, crowdfunding and merch. A fourth option is institutional support (through your university or business), but then you’re beholden to the funder. Whichever revenue options work for you, think about them and plan towards them early. Part of that is making sure your podcast gets in as many ears as possible. Most successful podcasts spend as much, if not more, time on marketing, audience engagement and business planning as they do podcasting (it’s just not very glamorous to admit that!).

Choose whether each episode can stand alone

Some podcasts build a narrative over multiple episodes. Others allow listeners to jump in at any point and listen in any order. Whatever you choose, make this clear to your audience. This choice is going to influence a range of choices around what information to include in the opening and closing, how topical to make the show, and how you promote your podcast.

Seasons are a great structure to keep a podcast manageable

Regardless of whether your show runs in a sequence, planning a season with a fixed number of episodes allows you to take some time off, to maybe change some things that weren’t working, or to step away from the project with a podcast that hasn’t been left hanging.

#podcast #podcasting #podcasts

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hyucksong · 5 years ago

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nct dream as roommates

a/n: *romantically calls you bro*

lee mark

the roommate that walked in on you taking a shower on the first night you moved in and avoided you for a week afterward

he even went as far as browsing different apartments to live in because baby boy was too afraid to face you

sometimes wakes up before you and he always prepares your coffee or tea and sets it by your bed for you when you wake up…sometimes sits on the edge of your bed to watch you

asks you to do his laundry because he doesn’t know how to separate the colors

you’re fine with doing them because he tries his absolute bestest with everything else, and it’s so cute

the first time he did the laundry you were sick…and you got a whole new wardrobe of pink clothing the next day

always does the dishes and you do the laundry…he’ll clean the living room and kitchen if you clean the bathrooms…he’ll go grocery shopping…only if you go with him

asks you to do his hair when he meets up with his friends, and if you say no he says “okay” and then pouts until you agree

you really like photography but hiring models is expensive so you always ask mark to model for you

and he always agrees, blushing while doing so

make-up artists are expensive too, so you also get him dressed up and add whatever you want to his face

(once you did a fairy photoshoot and he had freckles and pink cheeks and your heart did the thing)

this time you need him to sit still for hours because it's supposedly a big photoshoot with a few other photographers coming too, so there’s a lot of looks to get through

you do the first look before you get to the photo site to save time

he thinks nothing of you curling his hair until he looks up at you and time slows as his heart stops…

because you smell like vanilla and your nose is scrunched in concentration…because your breathing is heavy as you run to the bathroom to get more things before you’re late…

because you’re biting your lip while looking at him, admiring your own work, proud of the way the make-up came out, but a little disheartened because it looked like you put a little too much blush (even though you only put a little)

and mark thinks,,, oh no

fuck

huang renjun

your best friend since you were a child

you’re used to ‘living with him’ because you practically lived with him as a kid; you were always at his house spending the night or vice versa

he wakes you up an hour after he gets up because ‘he needs his peaceful time’

claims that ‘you’re the worst person to live with’ but refuses to look for another apartment because ‘no one else can handle you but me’

(in reality, he knows that there will never be anyone else he’ss comfortable with as you)

he wakes you up by throwing a pillow in your face and or flopping on your bed next to you and bouncing a few times

once got really scared because you weren’t waking up no matter what he did, and when he started to tear up you opened your eyes and pushed him off the bed

you just didn’t want to be woken up that day and tried to ignore him, but apparently, you ignored him for too long because he genuinely freaking out on the inside

he’s watched ‘what’s eating gilbert grape’ okay he was SCARED

he didn’t talk to you for three days after that....only started to wake you up again because you made the effort to wake up before him and make him breakfast in bed with hot tea

he expected you to leave his room after you gave it to him, but you just looked at him for a minute before sitting on the bed next to him, getting under the covers with him

he focused on the fact you were taking up all the space instead of the now-familiar thrum of his heartbreak against his ribcage

(he’s felt it for the past fewyears, he’s gotten used to drowning it out)

“y/nnnnnnn what are you doingggggg”

“shut up i made the breakfast, can’t i at least sit next to my favorite boy?”

...he’s your favorite boy?...okaythatwasreallycutebuthe’llneveradmitit

“o...kay...”

blushes when you lay your head on his shoulder in bed, watching whatever he’s doing on his phone, because your cheek is warm against his shirt and its bleeding through onto his skin and weiowioegfhowieh

but also yells at you when you take a bite of his toast and bolt out of the room, giggling

“yAH y/N”

lee jeno

the roommate that was awkward for the first month because he didn’t really want to room with a girl because then he can’t spend saturday with the boys

then he brought them home one day without telling you and was expected to get his ass Whopped but you were drinking vodka and crying while watching Cars so

yeah you were the perfect roommate for him

you drink together

saturday may be for the boys but sunday is for drinking your problems away with your roommate

can’t cook but will make BOMB desserts for you both every friday...also fridays are pizza nights and you both order a large cheese pizza with ranch on the side and a pint of dr.pepper

yall have the same diet but he has a six-pack and you don’t so you call bullshit on health and everything it is

both of you fall asleep on the couch all the time, TV still playing the game soundtrack with the controllers on the floor, blinking from low battery

jeno alwayswakes up before you, and he doesn’t admit it, but he loves to watch you sleep

you just look so...ethereal

even with the drool

ANYWAY

you are one of the bros...he’s even taken a shit when you took a shower before -- that’s how close you are

then one day you get dressed up real pretty and he’s making fun of you, laughing “you never look this nice who’s holding you at gunpoint”

“i’m going on a date jeno hop off my DICK”

“,,,what”

immediately felt defensive and was questioing who could like you and why you were going on a saturday night when it was busy on the streets and also please call the guy and cancel the date because he wants to watch toy story with you and eat pasta why are you going out with someone has he met him why haven’t you told jeno about this guy you know what you should just not go

and it’s when you walk out the door rolling your eyes, promising to be back home before 9pm with a cute shirt on and nice perfume on when jeno realizes

that damn he hates to see you leave,,,but he loves to watch you go

(and he might have the teeniest, weeniest crush on you)

lee donghyuck

the type to never clean the dishes and always makes you do them even if he cooks because he hates the feeling of wet food

then one day he sees you v e r y stressed over school work and he just...cleans the whole house

you come back from the library and you’re like,,,the fuck where’s haechan and what have you done with him

in turn, you buy him a headset that he’s been wanting for the past year...and you think he’s about to propose to you after you give them to him

but in all reality he’s just so happy that you even remembered something so trivial...like he talking about them once (1) and you remembered?

...cute bitch

he’s a big prankster, but in an endearing way, so whenever he goes too far you never really stay mad because he’s just a little unaware of the anger his pranks cause

plus you always get back at him

always :)

you both are basically the same people; you’re passionate about your studies and he’s passionate about gaming and dancing

yall are the bad bitches that no one messes with

BET that yall wear matching fits whenever you two go out together

you get together to watch his favorite youtubers do let’s plays of popular games

one day yall sit down to watch some outlast 2

and boy

did you underestimate the scare factor

so now you’re three episodes deep into the let’s play and your head is buried in haechans stomach because you’re laying down facing away from the TV, clinging to the poor boy

he doesn’t know if his heart is beating so fast because of the jumpscare or because of the way you look up at him when you ask if the scary part is over yet

he doesn’t like seeing you scared with tears in your eyes...but the way you’re clinging to him makes him want to watch a thousand more scary episodes...

...if it means you’ll cuddle with him

na jaemin

the best roommate you could ever ask for

he loves to clean and cook, not to mention he’s an absolute sweetheart!!!!!!!

you started to live with him because you had posted an ad on a website for a roommate and he sent back a reply

but the texts used so many of (=｀ω´=) these emojis you just assumed it was a girl

he was not

every night before you go to bed, he’ll walk into your room and whisper “good night, sleep well” to you before petting you head and walking out

people always wonder if you’re dating, but you always reply that it’s just the way he is

until one night you invite your (asshole) project partner to your apartment and she flirts with him endLESSLY,,, not doing her work or anything, just talking with jaems

like it’s pissing you off, and you think it’s pissing him off, and you’re about to send her home when you notice the storm outside and you realize,,,, you’re too good of a person to do that

so she sleeps on the couch, and you do the same, just so you can keep an eye on her and so that she isn’t left alone with jaemin at any point (poor boy looked like he’s about to combust if she tries to talk to him again)

and jaemin does his usual routine even with the extra company, stroking your head and even going as far as to place a kiss on your forehead

“what about me, do I get a kiss” the girl annoyingly asked

“no, you’re not yn” and hE WALKS AWAY AND CLOSES THE DOOR TO HIS ROOM

there’s silence in your head as you process his words, a little shocked and confused as to what he means, but most of all, your thoughts consist of;

oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit

you might have just fallen for him (let’s face it, you’ve been in love with him (just not as long as he’d been in love with you))

zhong chenle

not going to lie, you two did NOT get along in the beginning

you were each other’s first roommates, and you knew he was extroverted, but you underestimated the differences between your personalities

like,,, no please don’t invite the dreamies over again for the eighth time this week I can’t focus on homework with all the screaming

but even with all the head-butting, the chores are split evenly because he’s practicing to ‘be marriage material for his future wife’

you don’t care as long as he just does what he’s supposed to, and you two aren’t exactly the closest

but there are times when you connect, like on lazy Sunday afternoons where you both just relax on the couch...anywaY

and he always rolls his eyes, telling you that ‘you need to stop being a hermit and make some friends’

‘get some confidence’

‘why don’t you put any effort into how you dress’

it hurts a little...you know you’re not the prettiest and you don’t really try anyway

but to have it pointed out to you just...stings

and after a guy rejects you (after you built up courage for a whole years to confess to him) your confidence is at an all-time low (he said no because ‘you were too bland’ like wtf fUCk you)

and you’re just crying and eating spaghetti o’s, telling chenle as oon as you walk into the door that you’re ‘too sensitive for his bullshit today’

to which chenle doesn’t care... then he sees your puffy eyes and asks wha happens

you tell him, and he just gets...angry

(and jealous?)

he goes on a tangent, mocking the guy, saying that ‘you’re the most doen-to-earth natural beauty’ he’s ever seen and that ‘any guy who doesn’t fall in love with your cute sarcastic personality’ is dumber than a rock

he grumbles for the rest of the night, sitting and watching movies with you; it makes your heart swell that he’s getting so mad for you

and at the end of the mini-movie night, and he strokes your hair saying that you’re ‘his little introvert’,

you decide that ‘opposite attract’ is 100% true

(and chenle notices that you have very pretty lips)

park jisung

you two are dorm roommates at a dance school, and y’all are so cute all the teachers LOVE you

like you both just spend so much time together it’s ridiculous

yall walk to class together, then from class to class together, eat lunch together, after school activities, walk back to the dorms, meet each other’s friends, go out on the weekends together...everything

it feels weird to not be with him

(the teachers have a bet that you’ll be dating before your senior year)

the dorm is just a studio apartment with two bedrooms (your parents both pay a lot for space)

so chores aren’t too hard, in fact, you both usually spend the last few hours of daylight on Sunday nights straightening up your apartment from the hectic week before, to start off completely fresh and new

nothing big ever happens on Sundays around the home, but one day jisung (who went to hang out with chenle (he invited you but you pouted and said you had too much hmwk)) found a little puppy on the side of the road

and then proceeded to sneak into the dorms with it, hiding it under his shirt

when he showed you what he found, you couldn’t be mad...it was just so cute (both jisung’s little smile and the puppy)

but you noticed it was shivering, and you whined, ‘jisung you didn’t even notice it was cold oH My GoD, go get it some water and food’ while you set up a nest of blankets for the little guy

hours later when the puppy had eaten and subsequently fallen asleep in your lap, you turned to jisung

‘let’s name it mousie’

‘what that’s dumb’

‘it’s not dumb! i wanna name it that because it looks like you whenever you sleep! it's so cute hehehe’

you thought jisung was WHAT when he slept

jisung didn’t talk for a whole minute, drinking in your words and thinking about them over and over again, in the meantime you were just smiling down at the puppy

your cheeks were red with happiness and your nose was a little red from sneezing (because the puppy was covered in pollen from being outside) and your gaze was filled with such love that jisung shivered

you let out a sigh and plopped your head on his shoulder, and all his feelings he’d ever had for you exploded in his chest, and he tensed (though if you noticed, you didn’t day anything)

you just kept and petting the dog

and damn did jisung want to be that dog

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mediacalling · 6 years ago

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8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders

This week we’re taking a journey through time and uncovering some of the greatest, yet most unexpected marketing lessons from some of history’s most influential thinkers, philosophers, and leaders.

You may not realize it now, but there is so much we can learn from leaders like Socrates and Oprah and Cleopatra. Much of what they would consider their mantra has a ton of implications on marketing today.

In episode 141 of the Science of Social Media, Brian and Hailley break down concepts like the Socratic Method, transparency, rhetoric, and lots more.

8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders

What follows is a detailed summary of the episode transcript. Feel free to jump around and explore each of these top marketing lessons from history’s most influential leaders in this week’s Science of Social Media:

1. Aristotle

2. Socrates

3. Oprah Winfrey

4. Abraham Lincoln

5. Catherine the Great

6. Martin Luther King Jr.

7. Cleopatra

8. Eleanor Roosevelt

Let’s dive in!

1. Aristotle

One of the most well-known philosophies of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle (born in 384 BC), is his idea of persuasion, otherwise known as rhetoric.

He breaks down persuasion into the three categories: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos.

These three concepts can be valuable for content marketers, writers, and bloggers. After all, isn’t persuasion one of the most important parts in marketing?

Logos: The application of logic in efforts to persuade. Logos tries to persuade an audience using logical arguments and supportive evidence.

Pathos: Playing to human emotions. Using anecdotes and stories, marketers can connect with their audience, adding a human element to content.

Ethos: The concept of ethics. It works off the idea that it is impossible to persuade anyone of anything if you’re not credible.

You must establish your credibility and reputation as a writer. This is done through personal branding and your ability to build a following. Ideally this would results in brand building and thought leadership.

2. Socrates

Next up on our list of marketing lessons from historical leaders, born 90 years before Aristotle, is Socrates.

Those that took a middle school science class learned about the Socratic Method. The Socratic Method is used in asking questions and posing theories to investigate and to stimulate the foundation of new ideas.

The Socratic Method applies to the interactive aspect of marketing. Get your readers involved by asking them questions or looking for their ideas on certain issues and engage them with interactive content.

Invite your audience to engage in a lively debate. Actively involve them in your marketing process so that your team can generate new product ideas, marketing campaigns, and content topics based on the feedback you’ve received directly from the people that matter most.

Most of all, don’t forget that the Socratic Method applies internally as well. Your team should be debating and questioning trends, norms, traditions, and ideas at all times.

3. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has built much of the rapport she has with fans by being honest throughout her career.

Oprah stayed true to herself and was honest to her audience through ups and downs. She also held her guests to this standard as well – ensuring that honesty was always the number one priority.

The benefit of this honesty and transparency in marketing is that it helps to build trust with your customers. Think of all of the brands that create a memorable customer experience by being genuine, human and transparent.

A modern social media strategy demands authenticity and being transparent is something you can’t ignore. That is one of the most important marketing lessons Oprah has taught us from her success.

4. Abraham Lincoln

As the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln became famous primarily because of his contributions to the abolition of slavery and the American Civil War. But aside from his political and human rights achievements, Lincoln is also known for his oratory skills.

He has articulated some of the most memorable lines throughout his political career. In fact, his Gettysburg Address in 1863 became the most quoted speech in US history.

His words live on as we apply them in the perspective of marketing, particularly when it comes to planning and preparation.

Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

Marketers should understand that the more time spent on preparation, the less work they have to do in executing.

In addition, Lincoln taught us that it’s not about the amount of hours you work or the number of projects you launch, it’s about the quality of those hours and projects.

Focusing on fewer, but more impactful projects and campaigns will improve your brand’s results and most likely make you more successful in your career as well.

5. Catherine the Great

One of the most influential political leaders of the Eighteenth Century, Catherine the Great was said to have played an important role in improving the welfare of Russian serfs.

She placed emphasis on the arts and helped to cement Russia as one of the dominant countries in Europe.

Catherine the Great is a shining example to modern marketers that it often takes incredible courage to make your vision come true.

In Catherine the Great’s time, smallpox was a terrible problem throughout what is now the united kingdom and Russia. Catherine heard of the new inoculation treatments in England and risked the entire dynasty to travel and get her and her son inoculated.

We know that creativity requires original thinking and transcending traditional ideas, yet we’re so inundated with incoming information, that it becomes harder and harder to truly think for ourselves.

6. Martin Luther King Jr.

Very few people in American history are as celebrated as Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and social activist who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

When examining King from a marketing perspective, he teaches us that not only carefully crafting, but truly believing in and embodying your brand message is critical for people to buy into what you’re saying.

As marketers, it’s only when we truly believe in our message and stand behind it 100% that can it be successful.

Carefully crafting your message is time well spent and pays ten-fold in the long run.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is world-famous still today. We might compare that world-famous effect with going viral. Messages that are particularly well-crafted spread like wildfire throughout the Internet.

The marketing lessons bestowed from MLK Jr. include saying what you want to say as quickly and clearly as you can.

Use words everyone understands. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech isn’t an hour long or even 30 minutes. It’s 17-minutes in total and something that changed the course of history forever.

7. Cleopatra

One of the more interesting, yet fairly unknown historical leaders on our list is Cleopatra. C

Cleopatra ruled ancient Egypt for almost three decades. Well-educated and clever, Cleopatra could speak 6 different languages and was known as a strong and charismatic ruler. During her reign, she forged political alliances with Roman military leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony – which helped to hold many regions together over decades.

In terms of marketing lessons, Cleopatra had an incredible knack for seeing the bigger picture.

As marketers it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day: writing articles, posting to social media, analyzing our efforts, and everything that comes with the role.

Sometimes we forget to look up and ask: “why”? Why are we doing this? How does what we’re doing at this moment contribute to the greater goal?

We need to understand how our tactics relate to the strategy and matching our behavior to that understanding.

8. Eleanor Roosevelt

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is a perfect example of a leader that practiced creative innovation – including helping redefine and shape the role of the First Lady.

She not only participated in radio broadcasts, she also authored a daily syndicated column, held press conferences to discuss women’s issues, and was an active supporter of civil rights policies and New Deal social-welfare programs.

Her ability to redefine expectations is a reminder that great marketers always look for opportunities to break the mold. To get to the next level in marketing, we must think outside the box to what seems unimaginable.

Make space to think. Make space to challenge assumptions. Make space to break things.

So what is it that you hope to accomplish? Does it seem too big or too scary to do?

We hope you challenge that notion and set your goals as high as they can go.

How to say hello to us

We would all love to say hello to you on social media – especially Twitter!

Hailley on Twitter and Hailley’s Website

Brian on Twitter and Brian’s Website

Thanks for listening! Feel free to connect with our team at Buffer on Twitter, Buffer on Facebook, our Podcast homepage, or with the hashtag #bufferpodcast.

Enjoy the show? It’d mean the world to us if you’d be up for giving us a rating and review on iTunes!

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About The Science of Social Media podcast

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing tactics from brands and influencers in every industry. If you’re a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you’re sure to find something useful in each and every episode. It’s our hope that you’ll join our 27,000+ weekly iTunes listeners and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders posted first on http://getfblikeblog.blogspot.com

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mariemary1 · 6 years ago

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8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders

In episode 141 of the Science of Social Media, Brian and Hailley break down concepts like the Socratic Method, transparency, rhetoric, and lots more.

8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders

1. Aristotle

2. Socrates

3. Oprah Winfrey

4. Abraham Lincoln

5. Catherine the Great

6. Martin Luther King Jr.

7. Cleopatra

8. Eleanor Roosevelt

Let’s dive in!

1. Aristotle

One of the most well-known philosophies of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle (born in 384 BC), is his idea of persuasion, otherwise known as rhetoric.

He breaks down persuasion into the three categories: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos.

These three concepts can be valuable for content marketers, writers, and bloggers. After all, isn’t persuasion one of the most important parts in marketing?

Logos: The application of logic in efforts to persuade. Logos tries to persuade an audience using logical arguments and supportive evidence.

Pathos: Playing to human emotions. Using anecdotes and stories, marketers can connect with their audience, adding a human element to content.

Ethos: The concept of ethics. It works off the idea that it is impossible to persuade anyone of anything if you’re not credible.

2. Socrates

Next up on our list of marketing lessons from historical leaders, born 90 years before Aristotle, is Socrates.

Most of all, don’t forget that the Socratic Method applies internally as well. Your team should be debating and questioning trends, norms, traditions, and ideas at all times.

3. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has built much of the rapport she has with fans by being honest throughout her career.

Oprah stayed true to herself and was honest to her audience through ups and downs. She also held her guests to this standard as well – ensuring that honesty was always the number one priority.

A modern social media strategy demands authenticity and being transparent is something you can’t ignore. That is one of the most important marketing lessons Oprah has taught us from her success.

4. Abraham Lincoln

He has articulated some of the most memorable lines throughout his political career. In fact, his Gettysburg Address in 1863 became the most quoted speech in US history.

His words live on as we apply them in the perspective of marketing, particularly when it comes to planning and preparation.

Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

Marketers should understand that the more time spent on preparation, the less work they have to do in executing.

In addition, Lincoln taught us that it’s not about the amount of hours you work or the number of projects you launch, it’s about the quality of those hours and projects.

Focusing on fewer, but more impactful projects and campaigns will improve your brand’s results and most likely make you more successful in your career as well.

5. Catherine the Great

One of the most influential political leaders of the Eighteenth Century, Catherine the Great was said to have played an important role in improving the welfare of Russian serfs.

She placed emphasis on the arts and helped to cement Russia as one of the dominant countries in Europe.

Catherine the Great is a shining example to modern marketers that it often takes incredible courage to make your vision come true.

6. Martin Luther King Jr.

Very few people in American history are as celebrated as Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and social activist who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

As marketers, it’s only when we truly believe in our message and stand behind it 100% that can it be successful.

Carefully crafting your message is time well spent and pays ten-fold in the long run.

The marketing lessons bestowed from MLK Jr. include saying what you want to say as quickly and clearly as you can.

Use words everyone understands. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech isn’t an hour long or even 30 minutes. It’s 17-minutes in total and something that changed the course of history forever.

7. Cleopatra

One of the more interesting, yet fairly unknown historical leaders on our list is Cleopatra. C

In terms of marketing lessons, Cleopatra had an incredible knack for seeing the bigger picture.

As marketers it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day: writing articles, posting to social media, analyzing our efforts, and everything that comes with the role.

Sometimes we forget to look up and ask: “why”? Why are we doing this? How does what we’re doing at this moment contribute to the greater goal?

We need to understand how our tactics relate to the strategy and matching our behavior to that understanding.

8. Eleanor Roosevelt

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is a perfect example of a leader that practiced creative innovation – including helping redefine and shape the role of the First Lady.

Make space to think. Make space to challenge assumptions. Make space to break things.

So what is it that you hope to accomplish? Does it seem too big or too scary to do?

We hope you challenge that notion and set your goals as high as they can go.

How to say hello to us

We would all love to say hello to you on social media – especially Twitter!

Hailley on Twitter and Hailley’s Website

Brian on Twitter and Brian’s Website

Thanks for listening! Feel free to connect with our team at Buffer on Twitter, Buffer on Facebook, our Podcast homepage, or with the hashtag #bufferpodcast.

Enjoy the show? It’d mean the world to us if you’d be up for giving us a rating and review on iTunes!

—

About The Science of Social Media podcast

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

Thank 8 Unexpected Marketing Lessons from History’s Most Influential Leaders for first publishing this post.

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freelygrandwasteland-blog · 6 years ago

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yourlittlestarlight-blog · 7 years ago

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The Plan - 4 Steps To a Website Brand

Do you have a plan? Most companies spend a reasonable amount of time, energy, and money planning what to do and how to do it.

Let's say you need a website, so you develop a plan, present it to a bunch of website designers, and get quotes or proposals. You're not going to get caught with your pants down like the last time by some nerdy geek, you know the skinny kid with the scraggly beard, who techno-babble gave you a head, or the bizarre young lady dressed in Gothic chic with the black lipstick and tattoo to match – yikes, no thanks, not this time, this time you got a plan.

Human Motivational Optimization

You read all the blogs on website design, you know all the ins-and-outs of search engine optimization, and Google AdWords. No one is going to pull a fast one on you. You know your business, your market, and your needs. Or do you?

How much do you really know about how real people interact with your website? How much do you really know about what we call Human Motivational Optimization? All the stats, logs, and number crunching analysis that forms the basis of many website development plans does not really give you the visceral understanding of how to connect to an audience, and is not that what you want your website to do?

So maybe your plan is the wrong plan; it's like planning a trip to Home Depot to buy a cabbage; it just does not make sense. So how about a plan that does make sense, something simple, understandable, easy to implement, that is if you hire the right people to do it. But before we tell you the four steps to creating your own Website Branding Plan, let's talk about Don LaFontaine.

Every Company Needs A Movie Trailer

Chances are you do not know who the late Don LaFontaine was, but you've heard his voice many, many times. Don was the most famous and influential voice behind thousands of movie and television trailers. He had a distinct deep, gravely voice, and a writing style that reinvented the entire movie trailer format. But why should you care? Simple. Movie trailers are the ultimate elevator pitch, a short memorable performance that compels you to action, kind of like what a mission statement is suppose to do, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning, or rather, the end.

Branding Starts With Thinking Backwards

Most people like to start a project at the beginning and work their way through until they reach the end. Makes sense, or does it? If you do not start with where you want to end-up, it's illegally you'll ever get where you want to go. Remember our cabin? Planning a shopping to trip to Home Depot because they got cool stuff, does not help if what you want is a cabbage.

Branding is no different. If you do not start with how you want your audience to think about you, they will probably never think about you at all. So now that we got that straight let's start our plan where it makes sense, the end.

The 4 Step Web-Branding Plan

1 The Slogan

Your slogan, you know the thing that sets underneath your logo, that simple little phrase someone in your office came up with that makes you sound important, stuff like "the cool air conditioning company." Most small and medium size companies do not think too hard about this little marketing gem, and as a result they either have something really cheesy, or some meaningless platitude that has no meaningful meaning at all, like "the best people for the best job . "

Just because you're small and do not have millions of dollars to spend on television ads promoting your pithy little motto, does not mean you should not have one. That catchphrase is who you are, and how you want people to remember you, short, memorable, and to the point. I remember my sons arguing over some complicated bit of business when one of them in frustration finally said, "Enough already. Give it to me in one word or less!" a demand to articulate what was important without all the peripheral issues; a lesson all businesses should pay attention to.

2 The Story Line (Logline)

To my mind, mission statements are a totally dysfunctional marketing element, misused and abused by a bean-counter attitude, born out of trying to squeeze every last drop of information into a statement that will not offend anyone. A wise man once said, "If what you're saying does not offend anyone, maybe you're not saying anything" and most mission statements that are full of meaningless platitudes and toned-down adjustments, fall into the category of not saying anything, at least, anything worth hearing.

Okay so let's forget about mission statements, after all this is not the military, and we're not planning the next Desert Storm. Instead let's think loglines, or what you can think of as your brand story line.

You know those short statements you find in TV Guide, or your weekend television insert, prompting you to watch the next episode of 'House,' or 'Desperate Bimbos.' They are a short form text version of a trailer, intended to get you to watch the movie or television show. For our purposes, we want people to go to our website, and stay-tuned long enough to get our core marketing message, and not walk out half way through the presentation. So, how do we do that?

The Six Elements of Effective Web Trailers

In order for us to come up with a compelling statement that prompts people to view our website presentation, we need to refer back to our old pal Don LaFontaine. What if Don LaFontaine wrote our website trailer. How would he do it?

Don had a very distinct style that you've heard a thousand times for a thousand different movies, but they all followed a similar format. Each trailer needs to cover six distinct elements, who, what, where, how, why, and when. All the things businesses should be presenting in their elevator pitch, but with one extra ingredient, personality.

Here's the format used in many movie trailers:

"In a place (where), one man (who) brings stability to chaos (what), in an epic tale that will both amaze and inspire (why)! Coming soon (when) to a theater near you." Sound familiar?

Let's take our air conditioning example, you remember, "the cool air conditioning company." Let's say our fictitious company is called Kool Air Conditioning, their website trailer maybe sound something like this:

"In a town where summer heat melts the cool of the coolest homeowners, one air conditioning company comes to the rescue. masses. The Kool Guys will amaze you with their prompt service and installation know-how. The heat is on. It's coming sooner than you think; it's coming this summer to your town, your neighborhood; your house. Kool, the cool air conditioning company. "

Over-the-top? Maybe, but we've covered all the bases, we know who (Kool), what (air conditioning), when (this summer), where (your house), why (the heat) and how (prompt service and installation know- how). Now that's a mission statement; one with a little style, panache, and personality; one that will get you remembered and prompt your audience to action.

3 The Personality

Movies like businesses all fall into certain genres or categories. There's the action movie format that's suitable for sports related businesses, the chick flick style that's ideal for cosmetic or fashion industry businesses, and the family comedy format suitable for entertainment and recreation based companies, and of course the kids movie version perfect for any business selling things for children. The point is that every company and website has to have a personality.

Many hard nosed business executives scoff at the idea of spending money on such seemingly trivial marketing concepts as company personality, but ignoring your website persona, is a big mistake. You can either invest a little in developing, creating, managing, and promoting this personality or you can let the marketplace decide for itself, or worse, find you completely redundant and irrelevant.

4 The Delivery

You may be asking yourself, this sounds good on paper, but can it really be done, and can it be done for my business, on my website? The answer is damn straight it can. Like most things in life, and in business, it's not saving the concept that so hard, it's implementing it.

With a little investment and a willingness to take some chances, you can be the market leader. But if you thought you could simply take your newly created movie trailer style website elevator pitch and slap it onto your website in text form, you would be mistaken. How you deliver the message is as important, and in many cases more important, than what you say.

Whether you sell lipstick, licorice, or lingerie, you probably have lots of competition, so how you deliver your message is what's going to make the difference.

You want your website presentation to motivate people to email or phone. You want to deliver a compelling performance that is more than a sales pitch, a presentation that uses voice, visuals, words, and music to create a website personality, a lasting impression; one that is going to allow you to stand out from the crowd and give you a competitive advantage.

Nothing will convince better than seeing an actual example, and guess what, we just happened to be able to provide you with one: check out SonicPersonality.com and see what an effective website presentation sounds like. If nothing else, you may get a chuckle or two.

Ata Rehman

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yourabsentgod-blog · 7 years ago

Text

The Plan - 4 Steps To a Website Brand

Do you have a plan? Most companies spend a reasonable amount of time, energy, and money planning what to do and how to do it.

Human Motivational Optimization

Every Company Needs A Movie Trailer

Branding Starts With Thinking Backwards

The 4 Step Web-Branding Plan

1 The Slogan

2 The Story Line (Logline)

The Six Elements of Effective Web Trailers

Here's the format used in many movie trailers:

"In a place (where), one man (who) brings stability to chaos (what), in an epic tale that will both amaze and inspire (why)! Coming soon (when) to a theater near you." Sound familiar?

3 The Personality

4 The Delivery

Whether you sell lipstick, licorice, or lingerie, you probably have lots of competition, so how you deliver your message is what's going to make the difference.

Ata Rehman

0 notes

punkwhodrinkstea-blog · 7 years ago

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Been a While and EA’s Dumb

Hey there… it’s been awhile. I would say I’ve been too busy to write here but that would be a lie. I have gotten lots done on my website and a few other minor things. But honestly I haven’t been very productive. I haven’t been feeling great lately and simply not feeling super motivated. During my slow time I finished an Anime my girlfriend suggest I watch… this was a year ago. The Anime was very intriguing at first but then had about 10 episodes at least which seems to slowly move the story. As much as I wanted to like this Anime, I just wasn’t hooked. As someone who does like to dedicated much time to watching TV I drifted away to watch shorter Anime because thinking about how long 64 episodes would take to watch opposed to 2ish episodes. I basically stopped watching it. But I knew I wanted to finish it so I started watching this Anime again and it would seem that I stopped watching just as things start to get really intense. I was quickly hooked and I couldn’t stop watching. I gave up so much sleep to watch this anime. I got very attached to the characters and I laughed when they laughed, cried when they cried… and now… now it’s over. I finished it and now I have a bunch of spare time back and my motivation to continue working on things. Just in case you’re wondering the name of the Anime it’s called “FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. It seems to be very popular in the Anime Subculture and I can see why. It’s very well done in every way. Sadly I don’t find the characters very relatable but at the same time I don’t live in the early 1900’s in a world where Alchemy exists. Shucks. Anyway I want to talk about this awkward uhhhh, thing, that game developers are trying.

So folks if you’re not a Gamer this may fly over your head but if you know anything about why the new Star Wars Battlefront 2 game got so much Hate. Then maybe you’d like more insight on this awkward situation.

This situation that happened with Star Wars Battlefront 2 was that EA (the game’s makers) put in a loot crate based progress system. So to upgrade your characters, unlock new things and level up, you open “Loot Crates” basically loot crates are bought with points that you get in the game and each one (depending on which loot crate) can have 3+ items inside. EA added microtransactions which means that players can pay real world money to open these loot crates. This is theoretically a good idea if done right. But EA screwed it up really bad. The purpose for allowing players to pay real money if they want is to help fund EA to make more post launch content for free (well sorta for free). This means the lazy rich people pay more money and they fund EA to make more content meanwhile the poor gamers don’t have to and yet everyone can still enjoy the new DLC. The system was suppose to be balanced so that players who have more time than money can play more and earn things that way. Meanwhile the players who have more money than time can throw some more money at the game and earn stuff that way. This isn’t good but it’s not too bad. Myself and most other gamers don’t think that a player should get anything that improves their characters by paying more money. The real problem began when we learned that it would take over 4 thousand hours to unlock everything in the game or a ton of money. This is a real shame because most people even the most dedicated gamers aren’t going to be putting 4 thousand hours into a more casual shooter (casual-ish). Also people don’t want to play that much Star Wars Battlefront 2 when you progress so slowly. It’s too bad because the actual gameplay and graphics and weapon balancing was super well done. I loved playing the beta and I really wanted to buy this game but then… EA ruined it.

The only thing that should be paid for in a video game should be new maps, levels and cosmetics. However players don’t want to pay over a hundred dollars on a game to get new maps in the future, it’s simply too much money. So EA tried the microtransaction system to use rich people to fund them. But like I said, they screwed up. Now Player’s do not mind paying extra money for things if the game is free. In the world of PC gaming there are hundreds of games that are free to play but you can use money to help level up faster or you have to pay for expansion packs and DLC. This isn’t frowned upon unless the game is considered “pay-to-win”. As the saying implies, it means that if you do pay you will have unlocked all the best gear and weapons giving you an unrealistic advantage over others. This quickly kills a game’s fan base.

Sadly we’re in this strange state where game developers sometimes seem to leave out certain content at launch and then try to get players to pay a little extra for it later or they make a game which really only has 60% of the content that it should and then sell the other 40% later over the course of a year. However due to how complex and big these games are getting we are actually getting more for our money then we used too… sorta. We get better graphics, bigger worlds and better optimized games but there is a decreasing in how much we get to actually do in these games. Less maps, fewer levels, less variety and often crappy stories. Finding a game with a good modern game with a good story is very difficult these days.

Sadly though these game companies need more money to fund these games. They are big projects with hundreds, even thousands of people making them and it costs a lot of money. So to try and make money we either need players to pay for extra content or they put in microtransactions and then some sort of incentive to get people to pay more. Here’s the problem with making players pay for new content. The issue occurs when some players buy the new content and some don’t, the servers are instantly split between those who paid and those who didn’t. Suddenly it’s harder to find matches or you get kicked when the server goes to a level you didn’t pay for. All sorts of crap happens and it’s annoying for everyone. Even those who do pay still have less players to play with than before the DLC was released. Everyone suffers and it slowly kills the game over time. The best thing that developers have done yet is to make new content come out a few days or a week early for those who have paid or make the content purely cosmetic. This way it can’t be Pay-to-win or exclude players. It simply gives them more freedom to customize their characters and stuff. Any money that the developers get from this can go directly into funding more content for the game and everyone is happy. Long story short. Don’t do what EA did.

A perfect example for microtransactions is a game I like called Heroes of the storm. This game is completely free to play and there is always new content coming out for it. But players can pay to unlock characters faster or get new skins and mounts but it’s strictly cosmetic and doesn’t give anyone an advantage over another. But that game is free. A better example would be OverWatch which was a paid for game which also had a loot crate system but for only cosmetics. Players liked this. Also in both of these games you can earn cosmetics for free but it takes a long time but it’s still there. So it’s actually hard to spot the difference between a player who has paid and one who hasn’t. It’s a wonderful thing.

Anyway I think I’ve rambled on enough about this and I’ve got other stuff to do and I hope to get more done tonight. Plus I need to at least try and catch up on sleep tonight. Peace out folks.

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constructionaccounting · 7 years ago

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0219: Unique Proven Marketing Tips For Your Contracting Company

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0219, And It Will Be About Unique Proven Marketing Tips For Your Contracting Company

For Most Construction Contractors Your World Is “Hurry Up” And “Wait.”

Hurry up and answer the Call from the Customer.

Wait to make the appointment.

Hurry up and get to the job.

Wait for the Customer to come home, to be available.

Hurry up and create the proposal.

Wait for a decision.

In some cases, the Customer says “Yes” and then it is Wait for the Job Deposit.

Wait to Start The Job

Contractors doing Insurance Work are expecting to wait for Approval from the Insurance Company

Wait for the 1st Installment from Insurance Company

Wait for Inspection By Insurance Company

Wait to collect Homeowner’s Deductible

Wait for Final Payment By Insurance Company

All of this Hurry Up and Wait for activity makes it hard for The Contractor to schedule other jobs. Many contractors are only holding a place open for the customer once a job deposit has been received.

There Is A Better Way - Fill The Funnel And Let Them Clamor To Get On Your Schedule!

Unless your Construction Contracting Company has lots of work stacked up, there will be times when there is nothing to do, and that is the best time to think about Strategic Marketing and following the adage:

"Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty"

Everyone over a certain age remembers the Big Telephone Book with Lots of Yellow Pages

The Telephone Books was so thick that it was the first thing used as a “Booster Seat” for little kids at Holiday Dinners. Those days are gone along with the Full Page – Triple Truck Ads. Today’s telephone book is small, thin and looks closer to an oversized paperback book. Remember the Thomas Guide Map Books. Everyone had them and bought a new copy every year. Today it is the world of internet marketing and phone apps. When in doubt – Google It, Bing, Safari, or search on Yahoo. There are other places, but these are the most common.

While waiting for something to happen here are few companies that may help generate leads Here are a few of my favorite companies that provide services that are helpful to contractors

Home Advisor – Marketing Nationwide - http://www.homeadvisor.com/

The best part is that you choose the areas you want to work and the types of projects you'll service.

They have resources on the pricing your construction services HomeAdvisor is the place to be found - here's why:

• Over 12 million project requests in the last 12 months • More than 5 million reviews submitted by homeowners • Nearly 140,000 service pros in their network

Houzz.com - Marketing Nationwide - https://www.houzz.com

The website for Contactors to Market to Homeowners and upload pictures of past project

Footwork Express – Marketing to Real Estate Agents - http://www.footworkflyers.com

Real Estate Agents need the assistance of contractors to put their listing in the best light

Footwork Express Provides Real Estate Marketing in King & Snohomish Counties

They deliver flyers, postcards, counter card promotions to Real Estate Offices

They work with Builders, Agents, Marketing Cos, & Companies with Services which Help Agents List & Sell Homes

Deliveries are Posted on their Home Page with the link to our client's website if available

They also post the Flyers on their Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter

Postcard Mania – Marketing Nationwide - http://www.postcardmania.com/

Business Cards and Matching Postcards that you can pass out or mail

Business cards never go out of style – the just seem old fashioned

When the internet goes down, or customers do not have Smart Phone that trusty business card comes in handy

Your Construction Company Business Card Should Have:

Your Company Name

Your Company Address

Your Contact Info

Your Company Web Address

Your Company Phone Number

A business card is two sided – print something on both sides. Add a Flyer-like the one you used with Footwork Express and do a little “toe & heel work.” In other words Market, Market, Market.

Pick a neighborhood that is profitable to you.

Pick a neighborhood you know.

Pick a neighborhood that is developed with sidewalks.

Get in the Habit of passing out cards.

Our Marketing Favorite is called “Six Pack Marketing.”

Warning! Contractor Six Pack Marketing Can Put You In A Higher Tax Bracket!

Because of all the money, it can make you if you do it right...which means if you do it at all!

Contractor Six Pack Marketing is extremely powerful so be very careful with this one...several years ago in one of our construction companies we would send a crew to do a small two or three-day project, and they would wind up staying in the area for several months at a time.

What a scheduling nightmare! We had to hire more workers, train them using our documented process and send them out to a new project in a new neighborhood and BANG! More often than not they would plant the flag and set up operations and be there for a very long time.

Here is how it works: Your crew shows up to a house to do construction project and before things get really busy you go to three houses on each side of the place where you are working (six pack) and introduce yourself to the people living there by handing them a business card and in your own words say something like "Hello, my name is ----- and we are doing a construction project for your neighbor ------ and I just wanted to let you know that if any of our trucks or vans get parked in your way or if you have any concerns about what we are doing you can contact me personally and I will handle it."

WOW! You will amaze and delight them! Now do the same for the six houses across the street and when you are finished if nobody has asked for you to "stop by and see about a construction project" at their house you re-visit them and ask if he or she were inconvenienced in any way. This works because most people are curious about what is going on their neighborhood.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers! In baseball, if somebody hit home runs 30% of the time they went up to bat they would earn a lot of money. Most of the time you will not find new work in the neighborhood; however, if it works just 10% of the time and one more person hires you then repeat the six pack again, and in most cases, human nature is "Me Too, Me Too!" Nobody wants to be left out, and very quickly you are getting a backache hauling all your money to the bank!

Now for the big news Figure out how much money it costs to "Mobilize" get your vehicles, labor, material, tools and equipment to a job site and how much does it cost to "Demobilize" or reverse the process. Now add an increased efficiency of at least 1% to the bottom line because the crew is familiar with the people and the neighborhood.

Every time your contractor six pack works you just put that "Mobilize and Demobilize" money and the 1% increase to the bottom line in your "vacation, retirement, kids college fund or whatever makes you smile fund."

If you would like to try the contractor six pack but need someone to do it with you and if you are within 20 minutes driving distance from my office in Lynnwood Washington and offer to buy me breakfast ahead of time I could be persuaded to do it with you at no additional charge other than breakfast because I always enjoy a good meal with a contractor! Contact Sharie 206-361-3950 or by email [email protected] and let her know you are interested in Six Pack Marketing.

Alternate Method For Six Pack Marketing

If it is a nice friendly neighborhood, the neighbors will be watching your work and come over. Why they might want something done at their house. Neighborhood with sidewalks – walk the block. Years ago we made up packets that consisted of a Door hanger, Flyer, Free Marketing pieces from the supplier, business card and a coupon. Paper-clipped together and bundled in groups of ten:

Hired High school kids to work in pairs put out door hangers

One driver and one person to pass out

They changed who drove and who walked or parked the vehicle

Sometimes both of them walked depending on the neighborhood

Gave them a street map, a highlighter to keep track of where they had been

Usually worked 2-3 Hours productively several days a week

Be sure your truck is lettered because it and mobile billboard advertising your contracting company

Add a few Yard Signs for the job sites

When you see a New Construction Project, there are signs everywhere on the project

Why – The Contractors want to have a “Next Job” to go to before this one is finished

Coolfront – Invoicing Software Nationwide - http://www.coolfront.com/

The World's Smartest Service Businesses Use Coolfront Mobile.Coolfront is a Mobile Flat Rate Pricing App for Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC. Has the ability to customize for additional services. Designed for especially the Mechanical Trades doing Service and Repair. Anyone who has had to build a Flat Rate Pricing Guide appreciates all the built-in features.

Construction Document Collection and Management System

We are always looking for a software to use internally, and you help you. Clients love the new Document Management System that links to their Bank Account, Credit Cards and can send other documents to it and they can view 24/7 previous documents sent.

Hubdoc automatically pulls your bills and statements into one secure hub. This means you have one login to view and manage the documents from all of your accounts. No more logging into ten different sites each month to gather your recurring bills.

Already A Client? Click The Logo Below

To Login To Your Hubdoc

Three ways to collect paperwork to Hubdoc:

1. Snap a Photo with the App

Simply take a photo of your receipt, invoice or bill with the mobile app. Hubdoc scans, extracts, and stores your documents, ready to be published.

2. Forward your Email Paperwork

When you become a client, Hubdoc automatically creates a personalized email address just for you. Email in your documents, and we'll do the rest.

3. Scan/Upload your Documents

If you've already scanned your receipts, invoices, statements or bills, you can upload them directly to Hubdoc and the software will extract the key data for you.

Safe and Secure!

Hubdoc uses bank-level security to ensure your data is safe. This includes 256-bit encryption, SSL/TLS, and a Premium Extended Validation certificate -- as well as monitoring and verification from McAfee & TRUSTe, the trusted industry standards in data security.

Simplify and Go Paperless!

Your important financial records are organized automatically for you, backed up forever and available on any device. Hubdoc is your digital filing cabinet in the cloud.

TSheets – Time Cards Construction Contractors And Their Empolyees Love - http://www.tsheets.com/

Whenever possible, we try to use the services before recommending them so yes, We use T-Sheets.

Coming Soon

We are currently testing a Dispatch Software with built in estimates, invoices and merchant services. It is a game-changer in the world of dispatch software because IT ACTUALLY WORKS! This particular dispatch software works with QuickBooks Desktop on your desk or in our QuickBooks Desktop in the cloud, and it will be a help to all contractors and the technicians and customers.

Fast Easy Accounting Store - QuickBooks Setup and QuickBooks Chart of Accounts For Construction Contractors

We are adding content to www.FastEasyAccountingStore.com to meet the needs of the Do-It-Yourself Contractor. This is helpful to our US, Canadian and other international contractor friends who want to purchase QuickBooks setup Templates and QuickBooks Chart of Accounts for their specific construction company.

Short List Construction Contractors We Serve

Brand New Construction Company Handyman Company

Cabinet Installer HVAC Contractor

Carpentry Contractor Insulation Contractor

Carpet And Tile Contractor Interior Designer

Commercial Tenant Improvement Contractor Land Development Company

Concrete Contractor Landscape Contractor

Construction Company Masonry Contractor

Construction Manager Mold Remediation Company

Contracting Company Moss Removal Company

Contractor Painting Contractor

Custom Deck Builder Plumbing Contractor

Custom Home Builder Pressure Washing Company

Demolition Contractor Remodel Construction Company

Drywall Contractor Renovation Contractor

Electrical Contractor Restoration Contractor

Emerging Contractor Roofing Contractor

Excavation Contractor Spec Home Builder

Finish Millwork Contractor Specialty Contractor

Flipper House Contractor Subcontractor

Flooring Contractor Trade Contractor

Framing Contractor Underground Contractor

General Contractor Utility Contractor

Glass Installation Contractor Construction Employees

Gutter Installation Company Construction Support Specialist

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates Consulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

As summer is approaching here is wishing you a safe trip as you go about your adventures.

Enjoy your day.

Sharie

About The Author:

Sharie DeHart, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on how to manage the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/sharie-dehart/ 206-361-3950 or [email protected]

I trust this podcast helps you understand that outsourcing your contractor's bookkeeping services to us is about more than just “doing the bookkeeping”; it is about taking a holistic approach to your entire construction company and helping support you as a contractor and as a person.

We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations

We understand the good, bad and the ugly about owning and operating construction companies because we have had several of them and we sincerely care about you and your construction company!

That is all I have for now, and if you have listened to this far please do me the honor of commenting and rating podcast www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast Tell me what you liked, did not like, tell it as you see it because your feedback is crucial and I thank you in advance.

You Deserve To Be Wealthy Because You Bring Value To Other People's Lives!

I trust this will be of value to you and your feedback is always welcome at www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast

One more example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that, and a lot more valuable to construction contractors like you so stop missing out and call Sharie 206-361-3950 or email [email protected]

Contractor Bookkeeping Done For You!

Thinking About Outsourcing Your Contractors Bookkeeping Services?

Click On The Link Below:

www.FastEasyAccounting.com/hs

This guide will help you learn what to look for in outsourced construction accounting.

Need Help Now?

Call Sharie 206-361-3950

[email protected]

Thank you very much, and I hope you understand we do care about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever hire our services. Bye for now until our next episode here on the Contractors Success MAP Podcast.

Warm Regards,

Randal DeHart | The Contractors Accountant

Our Workflow Removes Your Paperwork Frustrations

For Contractors Who Prefer

To Do Your Bookkeeping

Fast Easy Accounting Do-It-Yourself Construction Accounting Store Is Open

Most Contractors Setup QuickBooks Desktop Version In One Of Three Ways:

#1 EZ Step Interview inside QuickBooks Setup #2 Asked Their Tax Accountant To Setup QuickBooks #3 They Attended A How To Setup QuickBooks Class Or Seminar

And QuickBooks Does Not Work The Way They Want It Too!

The Answer:

#1 Click Here To Buy An Entire QuickBooks Setup For Your Specific Contracting Company

#2 Click Here To Buy Just The Chart Of Accounts For Your Specific Contracting Company

Short List Construction Contractors We Serve

Brand New Construction Company Handyman Company

Cabinet Installer HVAC Contractor

Carpentry Contractor Insulation Contractor

Carpet And Tile Contractor Interior Designer

Commercial Tenant Improvement Contractor Land Development Company

Concrete Contractor Landscape Contractor

Construction Company Masonry Contractor

Construction Manager Mold Remediation Company

Contracting Company Moss Removal Company

Contractor Painting Contractor

Custom Deck Builder Plumbing Contractor

Custom Home Builder Pressure Washing Company

Demolition Contractor Remodel Construction Company

Drywall Contractor Renovation Contractor

Electrical Contractor Restoration Contractor

Emerging Contractor Roofing Contractor

Excavation Contractor Spec Home Builder

Finish Millwork Contractor Specialty Contractor

Flipper House Contractor Subcontractor

Flooring Contractor Trade Contractor

Framing Contractor Underground Contractor

General Contractor Utility Contractor

Glass Installation Contractor Construction Employees

Gutter Installation Company Construction Support Specialist

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates Consulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

If you are a blogger, who writes about construction we would like to hear from you.

https://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/guestblogger

Contractors_Success_MAP, Contractors_Success_Marketing_Accounting_Production, Contractor_Bookkeeping_Services, QuickBooks_For_Contractors, QuickBooks_For_Contractors,Contractors_Success_Map_Unique_Proven_Marketing_Tips_For_Your_Contracting_Company

Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

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