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
twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK

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7 Social Media Time Savers

There’s no two ways about it, social media marketing is time consuming – if done properly. However, if you read and apply the seven tips I’ve provided in this article, you’ll feel like Dr. Who (apparently he’s the ‘Time Lord’).

The Excuses Reasons

Some excuses as to why people don’t have time to market their business through social media are entirely valid, but only some. The majority of excuses are, in fact, products of laziness and a lack of creativity. The good news is you’re about to get the answers to both sets of excuses.

I understand fully that some are trying to start/run a business along-side running a family or working a 9 till 5. Purely fitting in the time to service clients can be difficult, but it can be done. Pretty much all other excuses don’t merit a mention. Don’t be lazy is all I can say.

One health warning I’ll give straight off the bat is: rushed social media marketing can be detrimental to your business and reputation.

So to the 7 Tips

A few of these may seem like common sense to a lot of you, but guess what: common sense aint that common. Remember that.

1. Create a Post Planner

Your post planner should be linked to the decisions you made in your monthly strategy. This can be as simple as a spread sheet with the days of the week on it, and then under the days the types of posts you intend on creating that day. For example:

Monday: 1. Motivational video, 2. Post monthly offer.

Tuesday: 1. Engaging question, 2. Staff/location picture, 3. Upcoming events.

Wednesday: 1. Expert article – And so on…

You get the picture.

A good rule of thumb is 2 – 3 posts per day. You don’t want to flood your audience’s News Feed, and want to give each post time to be affective.

2. Use Scheduled Posts

Scheduled posts are awesome; purely and simply. It is a very simple tool that Facebook provides, and for other channels such as Twitter, I advise hootsuit.com.

Set your posts up for the day and they’ll be released at the times you have set. Bingo.

Facebook Scheduling

3. Use Pinterest or Evernote

Everyone should have somewhere to store inspiration at all times. As I carry my phone with me 90% of the day, I use Evernote – a great app that allows you to store notes, voice notes, web-links and images. Pinterest, if you don’t already know, is great for storing useful web-links etc.

This stored data can then be reviewed when it comes to creating content for your social media channels.

4. Time Block

Time blocking is simple, so I’ll keep this explanation short.

Block off a time period when you’ll work on a selected task, and turn off all distractions during this time (phones, internet etc.). You must only focus on this task and nothing can interfere with this time period.

Here is a useful link I posted on Facebook recently which explains time blocking perfectly:

http://www.wikihow.com/Time-Block

5. Link Facebook with Twitter with LinkedIn

By linking up your social media channels, anything you post on Facebook will be repeated on Twitter, and Twitter with LinkedIn etc.

I do warn you however, do not solely release content on one channel and neglect the others. This reeks of laziness. The types of content required for each channel varies. Treat Twitter like a bar, Facebook like your lounge and LinkedIn like a conference room.

6. Sleep Less

This can be nicely described using a famous quote by a hero of mine – Arnold Schwarzenegger:

“There’s 24 hours in a day. You sleep for 6 hours and you have 18 left. Some of you out there say ‘well, I sleep 8 hours or 9 hours’. Well then, just sleep faster!”

Due to my current business/life situation I have to get up at 6am every morning in order to get things done. And before a busy day it might be 5.30am; whatever it takes.

7. Stay Healthy & Exercise

A good diet coupled with regular exercise increases concentration and your ability to learn. With a poor diet and a lack of exercise, 1.You run the risk of feeling sluggish and 2. your brain will not work at its optimal performance.

For those who are interested this is why exercise helps your brain:

1. As you exercise, your muscles contract.

2. This releases chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1.

3. IGF-1 travels to the brain and stimulates the release of several chemicals, including brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF).

4. Regular exercise increases levels of BDNF.

5. BDNF stimulates neurons (brain cells) to branch and connect in new ways.

6. New junctions between neurons are the basis of learning.

And that’s that.

To Wrap it Up

There is never really an excuse for why something can’t be done. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve a goal.

Hopefully this article has given you some actions to take away and add in to your daily routine. If there is anything you’d like to discuss further then leave a comment bellow, or on Facebook, Twitter, Google +… where ever suits you best. All of the links are below:

F: https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited

T: https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK 

G: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103777485746000148812/posts

www.dreamtheatremarketing.com

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Don’t be Afraid to Ask

You’ve heard of the saying “It pays to be nice” yeh? Well I’m going to change that for the sake of this article to: ‘It pays to engage’. I suppose engaging is kind of being nice anyway…

There will come a time when every business needs the help of those around it.

An example of this is one of our clients, Future Fitness – a gym in the south side of Glasgow. They are currently trying to fight against a juggernaut, soulless gym chain opening up right beside them, as it could completely cripple their business. So, what are we doing about it?

Well many things… One being: gather the support of their totally awesome social media community! We’ve spent a lot of time and effort communicating successfully with their community, and created an effective monthly engagement plan. The result of this has been a 400% increase in weekly engagement. So with all this action on their social media channels they can afford to ask for some help and reciprocation, because everyone feels like they’re part of the soul of the gym.

I think an example of this type of request may help some people. So, here’s what we posted:

“Are you aware that a 24 Hour unmanned Gym is planned for the Shawlands Arcade?

As I'm sure you'll understand this will have a load of negative consequences for our gym and fight club.

* The Future of our gym could be jeopardised.
* Increased noise levels at night.
* Anti-social behaviour and safety.
* Car parking issues - planned 7000 targeted members.

We don't often ask, but we need your help...
We have a fantastic community at Future Fitness and The Griphouse Southside. So please help us win our fight and grow our gym!

Please show your support, and have your say on this proposed application, by letting the Strathbungo & Shawlands Community Council know your views, as well as your local Councillors. 
See the links below:

Facebook Strathbungo & Shawlands Community Council: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/25227713255/?fref=ts

david.meikle@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
hanif.raja@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
norman.mcleod@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk

Thanks guys!! Please share this post.”

So what was the reaction?

The Future Fitness social media community have stood together like bare chested, blood thirsty Spartan warriors to fight against this potential attack to their beloved gym. People have been emailing councilors, commenting on the community council page etc. It’s amazing to see a team spirit such as this; the members will be dearly thanked and repaid for their support.

I hope this story can inspire others, either in their time of need, or to create a similar community spirit and loyalty with their followers.

For tips on how to create a loyal, supportive and engaging social media community follow us in the usual places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=256415385&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic

www.dreamtheatremarketing.com

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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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Ignore Social Media and you’ll be nowhere on Google

There are still some that don’t buy in to social media as an effective marketing tool for their business. I know this sounds mad (it is mad), but it’s true. These people have “various reasons”, none of which are very well informed, and are usually due to a prehistoric mind-set. We’ve been over these reasons before, so I’ll not bore you by repeating them. 

So, what if I dropped this infobomb*: Your Google ranking also relies on your business having a social media presence? In fact, not just a presence; having an effective, high performing presence!

“Oh shit! Really?” 

So let’s discuss what needs to be done in order to be highly ranked in Google searches.

*I’m of the opinion that the creation of new words is clever… and cool.

Call to Action

The majority of business owners probably fall into one of the following two categories:

1.       They have bought into the importance and effectiveness of using social media to market their business, but don’t understand that it affects their Google ranking. They may have invested a significant amount of money into SEO using keyword optimisation, but don’t understand why they only topped Google’s search ranking for a few weeks and are now falling down the list.

2.       They don’t use social media at all. However, they invested in SEO using keyword optimisation and don’t understand why their website is sliding down Google’s search results page.

Now I’m not saying you should forget about your keywords and meta tags. These are still important factors in Google’s latest algorithm. However, unless you constantly update your website by adding valuable content (not just information about your company) this method alone will fail. 

So let’s introduce the key metrics that Google’s latest “Penguin” algorithm looks for, and hopefully after reading this article today you’ll have a list of things to do that will improve your online presence.

Penguins Love Social Media

Here are the 3 most meaningful metrics that you must consider in order to be highly ranked in Google searches:

1.   Build your keywords portfolio

Repeating the same keyword over and over is pointless. Google see this as spam, and Penguin was introduced in order to weed out these websites that offer no value.

You must write your website content using many keywords. Google have reported that over 20% of search queries are new, unique queries. So create real, valuable content that uses the keywords that explain your service, but also other words that are related to what you offer.

Take Away: Don’t forget the keywords that explain your service, but don’t flood your content with them either. Include many words and phrases that explain your service.

2.    Quality over quantity 

This title is actually true in almost every facet of life other than money and assets. No one gives a shit that you go on 3 holidays a year if they’re in Benidorm, Blackpool and Tenerife. I wanna to talk to the dude that saved for two years to travel through South America coast to coast!

That very random anecdote actually explains this point quite well. Google now measure the quality of your content using the following two metrics:

·         How unique the content or topic of your site is.

·         How resourceful and information rich it is (not thin content).

Take Away: Provide useful, interesting or unique content that will highlight your website as a valuable one.

3.    Social Media Promotion

Here it is ladies and gents. The biggy! You need to promote your business and website through social media platforms. Google’s wee Penguin loves businesses with social media!

“Social Signals” was accepted as a valid ranking factor that shows how valuable a business/website is. Google are looking for shares, likes, re-tweets, mentions and +1’s. So you must engage with your community through social media platforms. This means having a social media presence for businesses that don’t already.

Remember to include links to your website on your social media platforms, because the more people that link to your website through Facebook, Twitter, Google + etc. the higher up the rankings you’ll climb. The Penguin algorithm is weighted this way. 

Take Away:  Get active on social media!

As always folks It’s great to hear your opinions, so leave your comments under this article or join the Dreamtheatre community on Facebook, Twitter and Google +:

https://www.facebook.com/DreamtheatreLimited

https://twitter.com/DreamtheatreUK

https://plus.google.com/u/0/103777485746000148812/posts

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