Laura’s Blog

How to Grow Your Business through Giving Away Great Content (Review of ‘Launch’ and Book Giveaway Contest)

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Michael A. Stelzner doesn’t come right out and state the Golden Rule in his new book, Launch, but the Bible verse from Luke 6:31 is at the heart of every concept he teaches.

For those of us who’ve been targeted by oily marketers whose philosophy is, “Give as little unto others as possible while taking as much of their money as quickly as you can,” Stelzner’s principles are a welcome blast of fresh air.

6 Critical Components of Your Online Marketing Plan

A novelist who writes romantic suspense has her first book deal in the works. Her primary goal is not what you’d expect. Instead of fretting about editing her manuscript, she’s focused on growing a strong brand identity. “I need a website, a blog and a Facebook page, and I need them now,” she announced to […]

8 Customer Service Lessons I Learned from ‘The Grocer’s Son’

When Antoine’s father has a stroke, Antoine – the prodigal son – reluctantly returns from life in the city to his rural French village and takes over the family store. None-too-happy to be time-warped to the past from which he’d tried to escape, the surly Antoine drives his father’s grocery van around the sparsely-populated countryside, […]

Most Popular Blogging Bistro Posts of August 2010

If you look at the publication dates of my 8 most-visited posts from August 2010, you’ll notice that many of them were published a year or more ago. Just goes to show that people DO read posts from your blog’s archives. Make sure you highlight your most popular posts from time to time, in a […]

The 1000 Most-visited Sites on the Web (according to Google)

Trying to figure out where to establish your social media presence? Check out Google AdPlanner. Every month, Google updates its list of the 1,000 largest sites worldwide, based on unique visitors. The site is intended to help you choose sites on which to target Google ads, but it’s also helpful for overviewing sites within your […]

How to Recycle Blog Articles for Trade Magazines

My son and I were in the waiting room of his physical therapist when we spotted Horse Illustrated, a magazine for equine enthusiasts (the cover horse was quite handsome!). What’s your specialty? Chances are, there’s a trade magazine or newsletter (either print or online) for that industry. Here are a few “trades” I discovered: Today’s […]

New Site Publishes Detailed Personal Info About You

TMI. Too Much Information. That’s what people are saying about a new site called Spokeo. The site bills itself as “Not your grandma’s phonebook.” I’ll say. Spokeo says it is “a search engine specialized in organizing people-related information.” It “aggregates data from hundreds of online and offline sources, including but not limited to: phone directories, […]

How to Become a Social Media Superstar

Well, folks, it finally happened. I am now a Cover Girl. It’s not Glamour or Vogue, but it is a magazine cover! Here’s a sneak peak at the cover for the May issue of the Snohomish County Business Journal. For those of you who don’t have the slightest idea of where Snohomish County is, or […]

Four Easy Steps for Creating a Great Promotional Campaign

What’s In It For Me? WII-FM. Every marketing piece you produce must answer this question.That’s because your customers don’t care about you. They’re far more interested in themselves. If you hope to sell them your product or service, you must set your dial to WII-FM. In the March issue of SpaRetailer, a trade magazine for […]

Social Media Icons for Your Web Site or Blog

If you have a profile at multiple social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., it’s helpful to upload clickable icons to your Web site, blog, or e-newsletter.  That way, if someone wants to follow you on Facebook, for instance, they can click the icon and jump instantly to your Facebook page. I’ve been […]