If you’ve read my Twitter profile or my Dream Big feature on Well in LA, you might’ve already figured this out. If not, I’m sorry you had to find out this way. Please don’t judge.

Very rarely does my reality TV habit produce anything useful or productive. But, when it does, I feel almost obligated to blog about it. So, when I was watching The Next Food Network Star a couple of weeks back and heard a nugget of wisdom, I actually jotted it down on a piece of paper.

On the show, existing TV chefs are training the next generation of cooking superstars. Contestants not only have to be talented in the kitchen, they also have to be dynamic in front of the camera. One of the mentors, Bobby Flay, was coaching his team on the importance of connecting with your audience when he told them to select their words wisely. To paraphrase the grill-master, the word “delicious” really means nothing. It carries no weight because it doesn’t actually describe anything tangible. Use instead words like salty, juicy, sour, sweet, creamy…

This got me thinking about how many weightless words we use every day in our marketing copy (on websites, blogs, social media and in print). I am guilty of this all over the place. “Amazing” “awesome” “fantastic” pop up in my copy on a very regular basis. Do these words really mean anything? Do they add anything specific to my copy or value for my reader? Not really.

Today I’m posing a challenge for all of my meaningless word friends. Take a look at everything you post today (from your blog to your Tweets) and try to omit descriptors that don’t have tangible meaning – something you can touch, taste, see, hear or smell. I already know this is going to be a tough challenge, but I’ll be taking it on too and will report back!

What are your favorite meaningless words?

Have you ever noticed that the more things you have to think about – whether you’re taking action on them or not – the more overwhelmed you become? As task lists grow, it can often become difficult to prioritize creativity and those moments where your mind wonders become few and far between. I’ve been finding myself in the position a lot lately – trying to find a balance between structuring my day (which is necessary if I want to get anything done) and giving myself the freedom to think outside the box.

So, today’s post is a little different. I really want to know your tips. How do you tame your creative brain? What little things to you to to stay productive and creative? I’ll share a few of the things I’m trying and I hope you’ll do the same!

• I’m a big believer in work/life balance, so I’m pretty good at walking away from the computer in the afternoon and not checking email on the weekends. But, that doesn’t mean I ever really stop thinking about my clients or my business. I’ve taken to keeping a notebook with me so that I can jot down all the brilliant ideas I have during my off time.
• I’m trying to schedule time when I walk away from my desk for 30 minutes a day and do something else. Often, when I sit back down I’m re-energized and ready to work!
• My favorite thing to do – talk to smart people! Having a buddy (or two, or three) who you can bounce ideas off of and get inspired by is a great way to schedule some creative time into your day.

What works for you?

Need more tips? Check out this great piece on Taming the Wild Mind. 

1. This week, Nailah Blades and I announced our new four-week, small business workshop The Launch Sequence. If you’re in the LA-area and are looking to start or build a business, this is for you. Check out the site for all the details, and contact me directly if you have any questions!
2. I’m co-hosting a super fun, girls only, entrepreneur-filled event on Thursday, May 17. It’s going to be an evening of mixing, mingling, networking and wine! Who doesn’t love that? Click here to get the details and register for the event. 
3. I was featured on a couple of blogs recently. I love writing for other bloggers (by the way, I also love featuring guest bloggers. So, if you’re interested and have a fun topic, just shoot me an email!) First, Meghan Christine Photography featured a post that I wrote for photographers with Tips on Getting More out of Facebook Marketing. Then, I was featured as part of the Well In LA Dream Big series!

Ok, so you get the point… lots of good stuff going on around here.

That brings me to the actual topic of this blog post. In my craziness lately, I’ve been looking for ways to stay organized and downsize the clutter. I’m a big handwritten note taker. I’ve got notebooks, post-its, planners, journals and tons of great intentions. I jot down ideas as I’m talking to and thinking about clients and then they disappear into the great abyss. The problem isn’t so much the clutter, it’s the fact that all the notes I take for one client or project are never in one easily accessible place.

That’s where my handy Arc notebook comes in to save the day. (By the way, I know this totally sounds like an ad and I wish Staples was paying me to say this, but they’re not. I just really like this product!) The cool thing about this notebook is that you can tear pages out and reorganize them again and again. Plus, it has pretty dividers and lots of fun accessories. It even has graph paper (if you can’t tell, I went a little wild with the accessories when I bought mine).

Anyway, it’s been keeping me nice and organized and as I start working with more coaching clients to talk them through the marketing process, it keeps notes from each session so I can quickly and easily refer back. If you’re a note-taker, make sure to pick one up.

What are your go-to organization solutions for those crazy, busy times? I’d love to get more handy tips!

This video gives you a quick look at how-to engage with people on Twitter and get the most out of your new profile. If you’ve been struggling with how to use the site and just don’t understand the lingo… this will provide you with a great run down of what’s going on!

And visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/MarketingOptimist to get access to my Twitter cheat sheet, with even more tips and tricks for starting out.

The writer of the Yahoo! piece, Charyn Pfeuffer, was a joy to work with and has tons of experience writing for some well-known media outlets. Over the past 15 years, her work has appeared in more than 100 media outlets including AOL, Condé Nast Digital Media, DailyCandy.com, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, FoodandWine.com, Marie Claire, National Geographic Traveler, San Francisco Chronicle, SPA, Sunset, TravelandLeisure.com and Yahoo! She’s very much a think-big-and-make-things-happen kind of gal (and you know I love those kind of gals) who loves to use media tools to share experiences and cultivate engagement.

When I started thinking about the perfect pitch, I knew I had to ask her. Like I said, Charyn is awesome, so she’s provided us with…

5 Tips for Pitching a Reporter

• Ask the journalist how she prefers to be pitched. I don’t like talking on the phone, nor do I like interrupting a productive groove for unsolicited pitches. If you’re in my inbox, I can read and respond at my own leisure.
• Know what the journalist covers and who they write for. Nothing says you haven’t done your homework like pitching me for publications I haven’t written for in a decade.
• When you’re using HARO, read the query and pitch what is requested and only if it’s a good fit. Unless otherwise stated, assume the journalist is on assignment and is looking for specific information. If he/she is looking to interview a doctor, now is not the time to pitch your dentist client. Ditto for suggesting an entirely new angle that better suits your client’s needs.
• Don’t follow-up incessantly. I frequently receive dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of responses to HARO queries. This is in addition to the dozens of unsolicited pitches in my inbox on a daily basis. As much as I’d like to thank every person who pitches me something, I don’t have time. So, I try to acknowledge pitches from people I have relationships with and put a disclaimer on my HARO queries that says I’ll respond if and only if the pitch is a good match. Don’t be the publicist that follows up within an hour of emailing a HARO pitch (or three times in as many hours like someone recently did).
• Personalize your pitch. Nothing makes me hit delete faster than a generic “To whom it may concern” greeting or misspelling my name.

Thanks, Charyn for sharing with all of us.

If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up for HARO today. And, if you’re on the mailing list, check all three of today’s emails and see if there’s something worth pitching (and use these tips). For all you guys and girls that have this PR thing down, share your tips with us in the comments section!

That's me in the pink. You can tell I was super active and cool by the headband and the Band Aid on my knee. Oh, and that's my awesome mustachioed dad and dorky little sister, Nicole.

I don’t think I’ve told you much about my childhood. Well, I’m the oldest of three loud children; I had one loud father and a poor mother who endured all of us. I was a pretty active kid (I learned to walk when I was 8 months old) and I was extremely inquisitive. My mom says she can’t remember a time when I didn’t know how to talk.

I was one of those adorable (some people might say annoying, but I’m an optimist) children who loved to ask, “why?”

Fast forward a couple of decades and not much has changed. I can still walk and talk (a lot) and I still love to ask “why?” And the more clients I work with, the more I find myself asking that very question.

You see, I get a lot of companies come to me and say they want to start “social networking.” “Awesome,” I say. “Why?”

I typically get some variation of, “Because we need to reach our clients online.”

“Makes total sense. But, why?”

“Well, everyone is online now so people need to know we’re there too.”

This back and forth goes on and on until we get to something like, “You know what, I don’t really know why we should be on Facebook, I just know we should.” I’ve got to admit, this is an unfair exercise because if they had all the answers they probably wouldn’t need me, but I like to do it because a lot of companies start with explaining the tactics they’d like to use without first thinking of the goals and strategies they’re hoping to reach.

So, since I’ve been torturing everyone with this little lesson, I’m going to give you the cheat sheet.

Five Reasons to Use Social Networking as a Marketing Strategy

1. A fast and effective customer service tool – Social networking by definition is social. Networks provide brands open forums to address customer concerns and provide timely responses to inquires. Plus, you can even monitor what your competitors’ clients are saying and capitalize on their issues.
2. A platform to forge new partnerships and business relationships – Often a brand’s focus turns solely to customer acquisition, but there are many people and companies who can have a big impact on a business without making a single purchase (think possible vendors, publicity opportunities, employees, partners…). Don’t limit your interactions.
3. A good way to track what you’re doing – The very best thing about working online is the ability to track and report on what works and what doesn’t. I’m always surprised when people tell me they don’t read their analytic reports. These reports hold the keys to how your consumers find, share and engage with your company online.
4. A platform for multimedia content sharing – Remember the days when you could hand someone a business card and that’s all you needed to create a new relationship? Well my nostalgic friend, those days are over. People want to be able to watch videos, see pictures, scan barcodes and talk back to you. Social media provide destinations for all of that great content. The best part? The overhead and time that used to be spent hiring fancy videographers has succumbed – in many cases – to more simple and cost-effective solutions and free hosting on sites like YouTube.
5. You should be there – At the end of the day, your instincts are right. If you want to find new consumers in the places they’re spending time, you should be considering social networking as part of your marketing plan. But don’t assume that social marketing is a one-size-fits-all approach. Take the time to identify those networks that speak to your target market.

There are a million more reasons to use social media in your marketing strategy (including monitoring your competition, positioning yourself as an industry expert, providing timely content to your consumers…) What are your favorite reasons for being a social networker?

Last week was – without a doubt – the worst week of my life. 

I crawled into my hole and, for a few days, I thought I might just pull the covers over my head and never come out again. I like to look on the sunny side, but last week there was no sun to be found. I had retreated and there was no sign of me making a comeback.

But, for some annoying reason, people just wouldn’t let me hide. Being a daughter, sister, wife, friend and business owner can be super frustrating like that. Every time I felt myself slipping down my rabbit hole, someone came along and yanked me back out. Then, the weekend rolled around.

I had a commitment on Sunday. But, this was the worst week of my life – I shouldn’t be held to anything. I spent the day on Saturday convincing myself that I didn’t have to, wasn’t expected to, and was entitled not to attend the conference. This would be the day that my descent into the abyss would be finalized – without interruption.

But, for some reason, I woke up at 6:30 on Sunday morning, got in the car, drove to USC and attended the FIERCE Leadership Summit.

I knew the conference would be good. It was the brainchild of Nailah Blades who is one of the smartest, most inspirational women I know. Plus, I know a few of the speakers and they are all equally fabulous. I saw a friend, sat down next to her, put on a smile and ate my continental breakfast.

Nailah gave a great introduction and her excitement for the day radiated throughout the room. Then, something happened. One after another, strong, amazing women got up and they talked – right to me. They talked about fears and dreams, about living an unapologetic life, about being wise, about love and leadership and work. They talked and talked. And, with every word, I felt that deep dark hole start to close. I felt like I was making a comeback and, like some of the great comebacks before me (think Robert Downey, Jr.), I was going to be even better than before.

The hole in my heart began to fill with inspiration and motivation to live a big life – a FIERCE life.

I was at the FIERCE Leadership Summit all day and I can’t begin to detail everything I learned, but I do want to point you in the direction of some of the amazing speakers who inspired me. Look them up, follow them on Twitter and Facebook and apply their lessons to your life.

Nailah Blades: If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a huge fan. Women, do you own your own business (or are thinking about taking the leap)? Get on her site ASAP!

Dyana Valentine: I’m honestly obsessed with this woman. She tells it like it is and doesn’t apologize. I am so thankful to have heard her words.

Jodi Womack: She didn’t like other networking events, so she did something about it! I loved her passion and the fact that she didn’t wait for “somebody” to do it for her. Not to mention, I spent about 15 minutes talking to her and her husband and they are genuinely two of the nicest people I’ve met.

Danielle Dowling: She is someone I’d love to have a cocktail with! Her presentation was engaging, funny and emotional. She’s giving women the low-down on relationships (dear friends – you know who you are – expect a link to her site in the next few days. You’re welcome)

Brittney Castro: This lady knows her stuff when it comes to finances. I don’t know anything about investing, but you better believe I’m going to learn. Let’s stop being scared of money!

Samantha Bennett: Hilarious. She gets creative minds organized. Her worksheets got me thinking about the things that are most important to me (SHOCKINGLY – it’s not working out!) I loved her style and her message.

Danielle Leslie: She totally inspired me. She’s a woman who knows what she wants and then she goes out and gets it. She’s working to help people do what they love (which, is what she loves).

Alaia Williams: This girl knows her stuff when it comes to personal brands. She shared some great tips about building, growing and maintaining your personal brand online. If you’re still figuring out your “story” make sure to check her out.

Erin Haslag: Erin is one of my all-time favorite people, and I love to hear her wellness tips and tricks. I’ve got the music on in the office today, thanks to some of the great ideas she shared with us.

Melanie Mills: Beautiful inside and out, Melanie shared her secrets to success and her road to launching her own beauty line.

I want to thank all of these women, as well as the other attendees who I got to connect with. Sometimes you don’t know how your words can truly impact someone’s life, but I promise you that your words really moved mine yesterday.

Before you launch your next business profile, take a few minutes to think about your brand’s voice and its consistency across channels.

When it comes to your brand’s personality, you need to be consistent. All of your communications are on display and many of them link from one to another. It’s confusing to your consumers if you’re outspoken and sassy on Twitter, but reserved on your blog. What does your brand really stand for? All of your company communications should have similarities in tone, language and personality. In 2012, people are connecting with brands on a personal level, so a well-defined brand voice is more important than ever.

Here are five tips to help you get consistent before you speak for your brand:

• Are you an “I” or a “we” This one is a pet peeve of mine. There’s no shame in being a single-person operation. If that’s the case, use “I” and use it consistently (social media, website, brochure…). There’s nothing more confusing than when people say “we” to refer to themselves. A tip for brands with multiple employees – in order to establish a more personal connection with consumers, you can designate one person to make updates, just let people know who’s in charge and let their voice shine through (just make sure that voice is a representation of the brand as a whole).
• Define what you want to be known for. If you are a consultant who wants to be known as a dependable expert, it’s probably time to put down that glass of wine and stop tweeting about your ex. But, if you’re establishing a humorous relationship column, keep the sassy ex comments coming. There’s a fine line between being honest and sharing too much. Keep your brand focused on business goals and not personal shenanigans.
• Know who you’re talking to. Part of what you’re saying depends on the person you’re saying it to. Having a strong understanding of your target market will help authentically shape your conversations.
• Be careful. This kind of goes back to the wine comment, if you don’t want your clients or potential clients to see it, read it, think it or associate it with you – don’t post it.
• Being consistent doesn’t mean being boring. Don’t let these tips make you feel confined. Being confident in your brand’s voice doesn’t mean that you need to feel boxed in. Don’t reuse content from one place to another – just make it clear that the same voice is “speaking” no matter where we find your brand.

So, what do you think? Does your brand have a personality? Is it your own?

Mine is a pretty strong reflection of myself. I love to help people and throw my two cents in (admittedly, even when it’s not asked for). So far, my company is just me and I’m proud of that. I try to make everything I post conversational because I can’t stand talking to myself. The more I work on my brand and my company, the more I realize I am talking to small business owners and entrepreneurs. I find that the people who work with me relate to my personality and don’t take themselves too seriously. I don’t use the words expert, guru or ninja to describe myself. I get excited whenever someone comments on my stuff or tells me they read my blog. I love creating things that help people.

As I grow and learn, I change. My brand is no different. Being cognizant of your voice is the first step to consistency. But, that doesn’t mean that from year-to-year or even day-to-day things will be exactly the same. Keep developing your voice until you’re happy with its representation of your company.

This was an exciting week for me because I was featured on Yahoo! Education. A while back I was interviewed about a day in my life as a small business owner and online college student – and this week the article was finally published. Check it out to get an idea of how I (try to) balance my life!

As tremendously interesting as my day-to-day life is, you probably came here for some marketing tips, so I’ll give you a few of those, too.

21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (Updated 2012)
This is an extremely comprehensive list of tips and tricks to getting your blog ranked well in the search engines. Some of it is time-consuming and might not be the perfect fit for you, but, as the article points out, “20% of the effort and tactics to make your content optimized for search engines will yield 80% of the value possible!”

Optimize Your Social Media Schedule: 4 Tips for Avoiding the Social Media Time Suck
This is something I get asked about a lot. And, frankly, there’s no simple solution to managing your time – especially online. But, If you’re cognizant of the fact that you’re not maximizing your time, there are steps you can take to be more effective. This article has some great tips and stats to help you know the best times of the day and days of the week to get the biggest impact out of your social media efforts.

How Patch Helps Small Businesses Reach Local Consumers
If you’re running a localized small business, you should know about Patch. It’s a great site for getting in touch with your community and it provides small business owners a number of ways to promote their businesses. Have a local event coming up? You can promote it on your local Patch calendar to attract interested parties in your city.

Customize Facebook’s Cover Picture – Dimensions and Template
I haven’t talked too much about timeline because there are so many resources all over the internet – including this one. But, if you’d like some information about how to use the timeline for your business, just let me know, I’d be happy to help. In the meantime, if you haven’t switched already you’ll need to get on that before the end of the month. This resource provides a nice template for laying out your page so you can get the most out of the space provided. To see a timeline in action, click on the image above to visit my page!

Then, I start asking questions. I’m really annoying like that. I ruin everyone’s plans with my annoying questions.

“Who is your target market?” I annoyingly ask. Wasn’t I listening to anything this poor person just told me? Her target market is any person who uses Twitter and Facebook. Duh.

“What makes you different?” This question is the absolute worst. It’s like when you make your boyfriend list 10 things he loves about you. There might be a million things he loves, but being put on the spot like that is terrifying.

Then, just when I couldn’t possibly be any more horrible to this kind person, I ask something like “What obstacles do we need to overcome?” At this point, it’s time for a cocktail.

Tactical execution is an extremely important part of marketing your business. But, it’s not the only component. From my experience, large, expensive marketing plans are often a waste of time and money. But, skipping the 40-page marketing plan does not mean that you should skip the strategy. Before you start marketing your company, take some time to find the answers to these questions.

Here are just a few things you should include in each of your answers:

Target Market

• For targeting consumers: Age, sex, primary language, location (get specific), income level, personality and/or motivations
• For targeting businesses: company size, maturity of the brand (start up, established, expanding), industry, principles and/or values
• What does the consumer/company need that you can provide?
• Take a look at your best clients, what do they have in common? What do they love about you?

Differentiation

• What makes you stand out in a crowd? What’s your signature?
• What do people say is great about you? About your brand?
• What experiences (work, education, life) have you had that set you apart?
• Why did you decide to go into business? What did you see that was missing for your target market?
• Who are your direct competitors? Is there a lot of competition in your market?
• Are people willing to pay for your product/service?
• Do you have resources (time, money) to dedicate to managing and marketing your business, as well as providing your product/service to consumers?
• Are there institutional limitations to your offering? (I run into this a lot with my health and wellness clients, since many of their services are not covered by insurance and people don’t like to pay out of pocket)
• Is there a stigma against your industry? What is the media coverage about your industry?

Obstacles

• Who are your direct competitors? Is there a lot of competition in your market?
• Are people willing to pay for your product/service?
• Do you have resources (time, money) to dedicate to managing and marketing your business, as well as providing your product/service to consumers?
• Are there institutional limitations to your offering? (I run into this a lot with my health and wellness clients, since many of their services are not covered by insurance and people don’t like to pay out of pocket)
• Is there a stigma against your industry? What is the media coverage about your industry?

If you spend a day doing some research and answering these questions, you’ll be able to streamline your communications and really reach the people who want and need what you have to offer. Try not to assume the answers. Take some time to research and get data to support your conclusions.

So, can you answer these questions off the top of your head?