Writers - Adam's Current Favourites

So as I sat reading in my red, leather rocking chair, I had a thought: "maybe people would like to know my, current, favourite writers...".

Now, you maybe don't give a shit... but you're getting them thrown at you anyway.

Each of these four men have very unique writing styles that I believe makes great reading for young, or new writers; you'll learn a lot. The connection between each writer is the subjects of business, productivity and lifestyle.

So without further ado: 

#1: John Romaniello 
John’s Blog: http://goo.gl/cH5qJr

 John is, in his own words, "an angel investor, author and ranks between journeyman and expert in fields ranging from fitness to writing to marketing. He is the author of hundreds of articles, dozens of e-products, and one New York Times bestselling book.” Definitely a guy I’d like to chat with over a pumpkin spiced late (the best winter coffee available at the moment, and I aint a Starbucks guy).

 If you enjoy reading personality spilled on to a page, give some of John's stuff a shot (unless you’re not a fan of profanity). He writes mainly about health and fitness, but often includes articles on lifestyle and business. All subjects that he is an expert in.

#2: Seth Godin
Seth’s Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Seth Godin is an extremely illustrious author, with 17 best sellers all around the world. Books such as Linchpin, Tribes and Purple Cow are some of his better known.

He writes passionately about the ‘post industrial revolution’, where he believes we must get back to the way of creating and innovating, as opposed to being financially supported by one company for life.

The beauty and USP (unique selling point) of his books is their length; they are noticeably short. Seth’s writing style gets his points across quickly and effectively. This is also true for Seth’s blog, which is one of the most popular in the world (type the word ‘Seth’ into Google and see).

Seth is a maverick; a true original of recent times.

 #3: Tim Ferriss 
Tim’s Blog: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/

Do I even need to introduce this guy…?

No actually, I don’t.

If you don’t know who Tim Ferriss is, I assume you can’t read and aren't interested in business, productivity or lifestyle changes. If this is in fact the case, I think you’re reading the wrong blog. See ya pal.

#4: Duncan Bannatyne 
Duncan’s Blog: Doesn't have one… He’s old school.

 Duncan Bannatyne is the no nonsense, straight talking Glaswegian who makes Dragon’s Den worth watching. I know this may seem like a very strange choice compared to the previous trio, but I started reading Duncan’s books because I greatly admire his journey to the top and opinions on business (for the most part).

Duncan is a hard-working millionaire (I won’t use the phrase self-made ever, as every successful person is self-made. Success takes hours and hours of hard work), who’s expertise lie in the service industry. His career journey is an extremely interesting one, which makes his writing very believable. This short video might encourage you to try reading one of his 5 business advice books.

His writing style: no nonsense, straight talking and Glaswegian, i.e. no bullshit.

So...

If you’ve read and enjoyed, or not enjoyed, the works of these 4 men, leave your thoughts below in the comments section. Better yet join the conversation on our Facebook page: facebook.com/DreamtheatreLtd

Now get back to work!

www.dreamtheatremarketing.co.uk

facebook.com/DreamtheatreLtd
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The Art of the Video Blog

So guys, welcome back to ‘the dream theatre’.  I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long and haven’t had a chance to post many articles; it’s been a busy time at Dreamtheatre with lots of exciting opportunities popping up. However, I now plan to repay you with an innumerable amount of awesome stuff that will have you overwhelmed with social media success!

To start with I’d like to talk to you about video blogging… 

What’s the Deal with Video Blogging?

You can build connections with your audience through video like no other format.

Contemplate this: You’ve been travelling for a while and you want to get in touch with your partner (obviously this isn’t always the case). Would you rather: read a letter they sent you, talk to them on the phone, or actually see and hear them on a video call or Skype?

It’s far easier to convey passion and excitement through video than by writing it down. These are two very important ingredients in the recipe for charisma, and as we’re all attracted to charisma (it’s human nature*) people are more likely to connect with a charismatic person.

*Studies have shown that people with higher levels of charisma tend to be noticed, listened to, respected, and followed.

Research, recently carried out by b2bmarketing.net, has indicated that video promotion is, in fact, six times more effective than print or online articles. Moreover, Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research says: “one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words”.

As true as I believe Dr. McQuivey’s statement is, I would whole-heartedly encourage you not to put the pen and paper down just yet. And definitely do not stop reading!

Reading is one of the most important things to regularly do in life. Reading makes you more intelligent, better at writing; it makes you a better thinker by focusing your concentration, and it makes you an interesting person.  To surmise, it makes you a more useful human being.

However, marketing is about variety in audience connection. Make sure you’re coming at your audience from all angles.

So, if you produce semi-regular video blogs and promotions; because people will feel more connected and loyal to you, they will be more likely to frequently read your blog articles. Win Win dudes!

A list of Pros

Now we’ve covered the phychology behind video blogging, I’ll introduce you to the full list of benefits it can have in your marketing campaign:

It’s Personal

As we’ve discussed; when you’re on video you can connect with an audience on a more personal level. As the audience can see and hear you – they feel like they know you.

 Project your feelings and emotions through video and you’ll create a loyal and zealous fan base.

Easiest Way to Engage

It takes less effort for people to watch a video than it does to read an article – people are getting god-damn lazy! Therefore you’ll engage with a more captive audience, as their interest can be held for longer. Undoubtedly they’ll come back for more (unless your information sucks).

It’s Useful

In a video you can hold up objects to talk about and show people how something’s done. "One look is worth a thousand words", Frederick R. Barnard*.

*This is, in fact, where the saying: ‘a picture is worth 1000 words’ comes from.

It’s Convenient

If you have thoughts in your mind it doesn’t take long to ‘blurt’ them out on camera. You can use your mobile phone now to film your thoughts and upload them to your site on the go - Your audience will love spontaneity. We all do.

Your Confidence Will Grow

Throwing yourself in front of a camera will do wonders for your confidence. Heck, it takes big balls to get on screen and start talking.

Confidence is one of the most important traits to attain for the following reasons:

1.  If you’re confident when talking about your chosen subject it projects that you’re competent in that subject.

2.  Confidence aids effective communication.

3.  We are more likely to trust someone who is confident.

4.  Confidence helps you get what you want out of life.

“If you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you're worth”, Rocky Balboa.*

5.  Confidence is another key ingredient in charisma.

*We can learn a lot from Mr Balboa. Type ‘Rocky Speeches’ into YouTube and listen carefully.

My girlfriend has a serious antipathy for Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), so I have to frequently remind her that she’s wrong and should fix that opinion.

Let’s Wrap It Up

To bring the curtain down on this article I’d like to explain how simple a video blog can, and should, be.

There is no need to spend hours producing/editing videos with branding and a sound track etc. This stuff can be cool, but also kind of annoying… I would suggest it’s better kept for promotional videos. You should treat your video blog like a video diary- this will create a far better connection with your audience.

An example of someone who produces fantastic video blogs is John Romaniello. John is a strength coach, Angel Investor, model, and author; he has a fantastic blog on www.romanfitnesssystems.com/. Thousands of people from all over the world follow John and look how simple his video blogs are:

I’ll be recording a video blog soon, so in the comments section let me know if there are any topics you’d like me to talk about.

You can also post your suggestions on either:

https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited

https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK

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