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Welcome to the latest issue of Write for You
News & Notes
with some words of wisdom on
writing, business, and life. If you'd like to
share any books or favorite links with our
readers,
send us an
e-mail. And be sure to check
our website
for ways that we can help you
with your
business. Remember -- when you need words that work for you, I can write for you!
Nancy Passow
| No Resolutions, But Still Looking for Change |
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It is January and a new year. So, have you made and broken your New
Year's resolutions? I decided to do something different this year,
based on a blog I read by Chris Brogan. Every year, he chooses three
words to shape the year. My three words for 2011 are Caring,
Integrity, and Joy. To read more about why I chose these words (and to
learn more about Chris Brogan), see my blog "My
Three Words for the New Year".
This new approach doesn't guarantee success, of course. There is still
the need to work at making changes and following new paths. And for
help doing that, I turn to the Heath brothers (Chip and Dan; for a
review of their book Switch,
see my September,
2010 newsletter). In their December newsletter, they listed "Five
Tips for (Finally) Getting Your New Year's Resolution Right":
- Don't be ambitious -- you don't have to accomplish everything at
once, start slow, pick something that is doable.
- Watch for bright spots -- don't focus on what goes wrong, look at
what you're doing right and then keep doing it.
- Make simple tweaks in your environment -- make it easier to do
the right things (e.g., lay out your exercise clothes the night before).
- Rely on planning, not willpower -- plan how you're going to make
changes to the way you used to do things.
- Publicize your resolutions -- "peer pressure works".
You can learn more about these five tips in the Heath's newsletter.
And for more on how and why this works, read Switch.
In future e-letters and blogs, I'll let you know more about my three words and how I'm doing (see -- I'm publicizing my unresolutions.)
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| The Top 10 Overused Buzzwords on LinkedIn |
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In December, Manu Sharma, Senior Research Scientist at LinkedIn, posted
on the LinkedIn
Blog their Analytics Team's results for "the most clichéd
and overused phrases for [2010]". The list, for the USA, is:
1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial
I know you've seen these phrases before. Did you use any of them in your LinkedIn profile? Need
some help sounding more original? Let me help you find the right words. And if you aren't on LinkedIn yet,
I can help you set-up your profile (without using any of the
buzzwords). Make an appointment today and let LinkedIn start working for you.
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| E-mail Marketing Made Easy with Constant Contact |
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Are you interested in trying e-mail marketing? I am now a Certified Constant
Contact Expert and a Constant
Contact Solution Provider. Which means I can
help you with your e-mail marketing --
whether it's helping with set-up, writing the
content, or doing something more advanced. I
can even set up your contact lists, help you
choose a template, and develop your e-mail
schedule. To learn more, click
here.
E-mail marketing is a way to stay in front of your customers. Whether it's an e-letter (like this one), notice of a special event or sale, or just a holiday greeting, e-mail marketing should be a part of your marketing package. Let me help you get started.
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Book of the Month . . . UnMarketing |
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The tagline to Scott Stratten's great book UnMarketing is: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Actually, Scott isn't saying don't do any marketing, he's saying that
we need to do it in a different way -- no cold calls, no direct mail,
no advertising (at least less of it). The one line he says you need to
follow in order to UnMarket is, "If you believe business is built on
relationships, make building them your business." Scott describes,
using short chapters and lots of examples, how to build those
relationships and connect with people (i.e., customers -- current and
potential), with a focus on using social media. I have learned so
much from this book (I already implemented his suggestion for blog
comments). And it is funny (make sure you read the footnotes)! Whether
you already use social media or are still waiting to try it, you need
this book.
Quote of the Month: "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. [G]et up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed." -- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
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