My life recently brought one of those “twists,” when I was diagnosed with cancer.  Totally unexpected.  Totally unanticipated.  And, of course, as an entrepreneur and writer, I knew it would affect my business. 

I also knew that it did not have to destroy it.  That it was up to me to assume responsibility for managing my business in much the same way I have always done with my life…meeting whatever challenge is presented with a positive attitude and total belief that I was in charge of the outcome.

Not alone.  I knew it was time for help.  I started first by outlining the “who, what, when, why and where’  for both my personal and business life.

• Who…could help me manage my home life immediately before and after surgery and who could help me manage my business life until I am able to return full-time?
• What…needed to be done.  With as much detail as possible, what were the priorities?  Personally, I knew I would need to arrange for someone to help my wonderful husband with home care.  For my business, I needed to make sure all my client relationships were cemented, and that any work that was pending was either completed, acceptably postponed, or outsourced.
• When…would I need to have everything set up?  As soon as I knew my surgery date, and what recovery might look like, I contacted my clients, and worked through the details of  how to best proceed, ensuring all of their needs would be fully met in my absence.
• Why…should I share what was happening?  While I could have simply asked for postponements on pending work, or outsourced without providing additional information, I thought it was important to continue to build on the level of trust I have with my clients, and work together to build a good interim solution set.   And I have to say the support I got was AWESOME.  When you have a good relationship, either personal or in business…empathy, cooperation, and a great plan for success are readily achievable.
• Where…should I start…and end?  For this, I made a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day plan.  To accommodate unanticipated twists and turns, both for my home and business, I set a flexible schedule to cover what needed to be done, when it had to be done, and the most important versus the least important tasks.  I will continue to work on updated plans if it becomes apparent my full-time return to work will be delayed. 

At this time, I don’t have all the answers.   Will I survive?  If I require more long-term care than I anticipate, will my business survive?  Fortunately, in both cases, I have been proactive.  For my health, I have added numerous supplements to strengthen my immune system and to hasten my recovery time.  For my business, I had already established multiple streams of income to help smooth out the “bumps in the road” that business can have at any time.

Life’s twists and turns can be….either…disaster or discovery.  Being ‘your own boss’ can add a few extra twists when the unexpected arises.   I choose discovery over disaster.   And what I am finding is a shared adventure…the beauty of friendship and the value of lasting personal and business relationships.

Life…or business…come with no guarantees of success.  The best we can do to come back from the brink is to set a good plan in place…and have absolute faith that we are all meant to succeed.

Maybe you’re thinking that’s a little over-dramatic, but think about it for a minute.   Are the destructive cancer cells in your business activated just like the destructive cancer cells in your body?

There is a school of thought, that if you can abstain from “the blame game” can move you fairly quickly to a solution set.  Let’s start with cause and consequence.

What does it take to have a healthy business and a healthy body and what happens when any of the basics are missing?  Would you agree, the basics are: 

• A healthy environment in which to grow
• Good nutrients
• Focus and attention to maintain balance

In a business, you create a healthy environment when you work in a business or a niche that truly interests you, and inspires you to help others…to have a better business themselves, to be healthier, to look better…or any other reason.

You add good nutrients to your business when you continually look for better, faster, more effective ways to resolve the problems or fill the needs of your cliente, and providing those solutions.

When you are focused on providing the best resolution or the best product possible, and your attention is directed to filling the need…without “overmarketing” (too much pushing or pulling), you maintain balance and enhance your relationship.

A failure in any one of those areas can result in a cancerous growth…a malignancy that can spread quickly throughout your business and take it down. 

So if your business is faltering, and you are wondering what to do…consider attacking it like a cancerous growth in your body and design a way to kill it.

Cause and consequence.  Cause…not  enough attention in one or more critical aspects for business success.  Consequence…business failure.  Unless…

You discover the cancer, and attack it vigorously.   Just as new discoveries are made every day for better ways to kill cancer in the body, new discoveries are made every day to kill cancer in a business.   The media is a constant and continual “cancer spreader.”  If you buy into how “awful” things are in the world, it’s easy to begin to believe you are a victim…and like every other business…doomed to failure. 

• So…cancer buster #1: Don’t buy into the media hype.  Entreprenuers have always been the backbone of this country.  People helping people…building relationship.   If you want to help the economy, stay focused on all the positive things you can do to create better solutions, to create a better environment within your own niche.
• Cancer buster #2:  Add nutrients.  Maybe you’re a lightbulb salesperson, and you’re offering great deals on regular lightbulbs but with all the conservation efforts, your sales are declining.  Look around…can you expand to help yourself and your clients?  Are there lightbulbs now available that you can offer that are “greener”…better for the environment…more cost effective…use less wattage and last longer…and can you make them available to not only your clients, but your clients’ friends…thereby increasing your sales while offering a better solution set?
• Cancer buster #3:  Focus on what your cliente wants and needs.  Direct your attention to listening closely.  Ask…surveys, feedback and real person-to-person conversations…what you can do to help.  Then, find solutions.  They are there.  You can find them.  Together with your clients and prospects, you can be a part of the solution set…a part of the economic recover.

Never believe that you are a victim.  Don’t let cancer grow in your online business or in your body.  Be vigilent, be proactive…and be happy.  Everything really is going to turn out fine.

In fact, most successful marketers have at least seven agents.  And the best part is, you can employ them all to achieve greater levels of success than you ever dreamed possible.

Am I tweaking your curiosity?  Are you wondering who you can afford to hire that will guarantee your success…and not just one agent but seven?  If so…keep reading…’cuz here they are:

Agent #1:  Curiosity.  That’s right…when you employ your curiosity you will open up your mind to look for new ideas and new ways to serve your prospects and clients.  Curiosity may have killed the cat, but without it…the grand adventure would never have occurred…the mountains crossed or the vast horizons discovered.  When it comes to what you can do to increase your value to those you serve, be curious about everything.  Be curious about your competitors, new innovations in the niche you serve, and what people who hold opposite views and beliefs are saying and doing.  From curiosity comes great discoveries.

Agent #2:  Consistency.  When you consistently do what you say what you’ll do; when you show up every day to serve and respond immediately to requests for service, you’ll be appreciated.  And even when you’re not (you know that occasional party that will never be happy no matter how much you do), you’ll still know you did your best, and used your skills in the same consistent fashion that brings you so much success with others.

Agent #3:  Contemplation.  Before you start a project, think about the end result.  What does your client (even when you’re the client) need to be done to get the best result in the least amount of time?  Design and framework and stick to it to accomplish what needs to be done efficiently and effectively.

Agent #4:  Consultation.  Do what you do best and hire out the rest.  Consult with your client, your business partners, and anyone else who can help you achieve the very best end result for your client.  If this is a marketing job that needs expertise in areas that aren’t your forte, don’t hesitate to find a partner or partners to help you achieve optimal success for your client’s project.

Agent #5:  Criticism.  Never be afraid of constructive criticism.  Ask for it.  Be open to it.  Respond appropriately.  Not everyone thinks like you do…a very good thing by the way…and you don’t have to act on every piece of constructive criticism that comes in.  Some methods of marketing… your unique style and signature …may be why your clients love you and keep coming back.  Always seek feedback and constructive criticism,  however, to keep your methods fresh and refreshing.

Agent #6:  Non-Conformity.  That’s right…when it comes to marketing, conforming to tradition will seldom catapult you to the top.  Don’t do what everyone else is doing…instead look for how the problem can be solved in a fun, unique way that brings the end user greater satisfaction than what everyone else is offering.

Agent #7:  Clarity.  No other agent of success will bring you greater return on investment.  There simply is no better way to get a message of any kind across than being clear and straight forward.  There are many methods of communication.  Successful communication…whether written, spoken, or verbal…is crisp, clear, and to the point.   When you’re adding logic to support an emotional decision…the true definition of marketing…the easier it is to grasp, the more successful it is.

There you have it…seven agents you can employ now to better serve your clients, prospects and yourself.

If you’re an Internet entrepreneur, and just getting started, this can be a real challenge.  You know you should have a social media presence to get your business name  spread around, but you just don’t know how to go about it.  Both personally and in business, we want others to like us.   We tend to behave in ways that we believe are most socially acceptable to the people or groups we want to be accepted by.  In business, we understand how important that is…it puts food on the table and clothes on our backs. 

You’re passionate about your product, and you’ve just put up a website.   Now, you want to take advantage of some free advertisement through social media.  What can you say on social media…facebook, twitter and the myriad of other sites…that will attract visitors…especially buyers…to your site?   How do you present your ‘best face’ in 140 characters or less?

Well you can relax a little…the rules may be modified for the new social media, but they really haven’t changed.  People who are searching for a good business relationship, on-line, or in a brick and mortar store, are still looking for the same basic things:

• Relationship…can we communicate in a way that makes both of us richer in some way?
• Honesty…can we trust the relationship?  Be your authentic self…regardless of the environment, because pretending to be something you’re not will always show through in the end. 
• Consistency…will you treat me the way I want to be treated every time we do business?

When you’re trying to get a business off the ground through communication, especially social media, who you are is what you say…succinctly.  People searching for information on line are usually looking for a quick solution to a problem they wish to solve.  If you have a solution for losing weight, for example, and you can convey it well in 140 characters or less on Twitter, you are highly likely to be able to draw attention to your website.  For example, if you were to tweet “Left Behind…60 pounds in 6 weeks” followed by a website address, you would undoubtedly draw visitors.  However, if those visitors found a website that either did not convey weight loss information, or did not convey that information honestly, your communication would fail.

I’m not saying that dishonest communication doesn’t occur on the Internet.  It does…and a small percentage of it is very successful…in the short term.  If you want to have a long-term business relationship, however, the same tenants for success that have always worked will still work…

1. Care about your customer.
2. Focus on your customer’s needs.
3. Always do the best you can for them.

What’s different in the new social communications world, is that you must rely on a few words to make a strong connection with your audience.  To be well-received socially on Twitter, for example, you’ll need to know what your customers…or potential customers…care about so that you can sing the right tune.  Focus your very short message on their needs…something that can show them where and how they can meet that need.   With only 140 characters, your message needs to be powerful…and short. 

For a long-lasting relationship, and to build new relationships, your message will need to be repeated in multiple ways multiple times.  At the same time, the message needs to remain fresh and relevant. 

Learn the art of new social media communication.  It can be fun and creative.  It will hone your skills as a communicator and increase your ability to develop relationships with a larger and more diverse group of people.  Just remember…to be well received in the new social environment as well as the old, it’s still all about building relationship…in a brave new world of ever-evolving communication styles.

This Friday Follies isn’t going to focus so much on my follies…lack of understanding, good sense of foresight…(though I’ve certainly committed my share) as on one that has gained the attention of nearly every person in America as well as globally…the Gulf oil crisis.

What happened?  To condense it to my perception of the short version:  Someone (BP employee or contractor)  didn’t properly check the plumbing during the drilling process.  The proper method or product wasn’t used or failed.  Then, someone  else (another insignificant ordinary worker)  noticed that something didn’t seem quite right and reported it.  However, the project was well behind schedule, and delays were already costing “big bucks.” The person to whom the potential error was reported “decided” it was insignificant, and convinced enough others to ignore it that the drilling proceeded until…kaboom!

Then…all hell broke loose.  And in the truest, and most fervently followed political fashion, finger-pointing began in earnest.  “It’s not my fault“  followed thereafter, and continues.  The theatrics have been followed, summarized succinctly, and well characterized by comedians, political cartoonists and satirists globally.   None of which changes, of course, the devastation that occurred or continues to occur, but which does help to vent the excessive frustration felt as we all gain understanding of just how damaging this is.

The questions of”

• Who’s responsible?
• Who’s going to fix it?
• How long will it take?

will be around for the next couple of decades at least.  Assessing damage and negotiating settlements will keep hundreds, if not thousands of attorneys fully employed for at least that time period.  A lot of money will change hands…most of it, of course…going to the attorneys, who will get bonuses for minimizing settlement costs.

Who remembers the 1986 Space Shuttle Disaster and the subsequent investigation where it was finally determined that the scientist who saw the disaster (potential O ring failure)  in the making was ignored?  While the story line is different, the result and the cause are really not.  We continue not to learn from our mistakes.

Enough lamenting.  At this point, we simply can’t turn back the clock.  Another disaster has happened.  We can complain…we can moan and groan…we can wail about corporate greed and government’s failure to have strong enough safeguards or (again) to react quickly and firmly once disaster struck.

We can also do something entirely different.  We can share responsibility and we can choose to help shape the future.  Is it possible that in some way, each one of us (and I certainly include myself) has been a part of making this disaster? 

When we look at the ways in which we create energy needs…heat, air conditioning, lights, appliances, and vehicles, do we really reflect, for even a moment, the real cost…the cost to the environment…the potential devastation that incidents like this can cause?  Do we stop to think that our own over-consumption is a contributor toward the rush for greater and greater demand for oil and other fossil fuel  production…where supply is much less available, harder to find and harder yet to produce?  Do we realize that this demand contributes to inadequate safeguards and production shortcuts?

And…do we realize that we have options?  Instead of feeling victimized by this disaster…as the families of lost loved ones in the recent coal mine disaster, and the Gulf disaster certainly are…along with the pelicans, turtles, turtles, and fragile ecosystem of the area…we can effect a change. 

We can begin right where we are.  We can drive less, we can turn off lights we’re not using, turn the air conditioning up and the heat down…if only a few degrees.  We can explore alternative, renewable energy sources, both individually and by supporting utility grid application of renewable energy sources.  Sunshine, wind, and ocean waves are renewable…forever available to us to harness. 

We can start taking responsibility…individually and collectively…by making our own changes, as we hold others (the fossil fuel industry and our government) accountable for cleaning up this mess…and not creating another.   Let’s let this be ALL “Oil” there is.

I call it neon networking.  It’s bright, bold collaboration.   Here is the essence of what it is and how you can do it:

Find others in your field who are selling a similar…but different…product.  If you’re not sure what that looks like, take a page from the self-help field.  There are numerous modalities of products and services that are available.  They all focus on helping you find a solution to an issue that may be keeping you from leading a full and satisfying life…be it spiritual, mental, or physical.  They offer many different approaches for you to consider, and many are now networking to support the overall field and one another.  You could, for example, get an email from a newsletter to which you subscribe that endorses another person’s book.  If you buy the book through the link they provide, you get the book…and bonuses from others in the field. 

How does it work and who benefits?  Actually, everyone benefits.  You, for starters,  get more than the book…often the bonuses are worth far more than the dollar value of your purchase.  Next, the person or company who sent you the email gets a commission from the book sale under an affiliate or other agreement.  Then, everyone who added a bonus that came with the book offer gets a lead…an opportunity to sell you one or more of their products.  In order to get the bonus (whether you decide to buy something from them or not), you have to provide an email address.  Then, in nearly all cases, there is an offer of an upsell that is included in the link to the bonus.  Or, you may be asked to subscribe to a newsletter which provides another opportunity to offer you their product.  Everyone wins.

Now…how could you make it work for your business?  What are your good “connections and collections?”   Let’s say you have a website that sells flea collars and other accessories to dog owners.  Approach a  group of… similar but different… entrepreneurs including groomers; someone who sells grooming tools; someone with a great book on dog grooming and/or training;  a veterinarian; a dog sitter;  a dog walker and a kennel.  Put together a list of offers that could feature a product or service from each entrepreneur, with bonus gifts from everyone else in the list, and an agreement on commission or affiliate percentages for each product sold.  Then, agree on timing and rotation of the various offers, hire a professional writer to put the package together for each entrepreneur’s email list, set the timing, the auto-responder sequence for each email letter, and you have networked to win.  The purchaser gets the product plus bonuses, and the seller, whether as the direct seller, the affiliate, or one of those offering a bonus, gets the opportunity to sell…repeatedly.

Some say these are hard economic times.  I think it’s more accurate to say these are great creative times…these are the times that, when we are willing, we can find new and better ways to fill the needs of our customers and prospects.  These are the times that allow us to show new strengths, make new friends, and work together to build prosperity for everyone.

And once again, this will bring a volley of criticism and alarm for the young women and their instructors who happen to like cheerleading….just as it is, thank you very much…and are willing to accept the associated risks.

Yes, cheerleading is a sport.  Gynmastics is a sport…and oh, by the way, so is football. Yes, they all have an element of danger…of risk. 

But how much do we hear about how dangerous football is for the young men who participate in this dangerous sport? How often are the statistics brought out and touted for how many high school football injuries there are…and how dangerous a sport football, or baseball or all the other sports are for boys?

I’m not saying we should ignore the risks associated with either one. MSN headlines today, however, cast cheerleading clearly as a villain: “A new study shows the sport accounts for 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in girls high school athletics. Some girls end up sidelined with grave injuries.”

And I ask, how many injuries are we actually talking about here? How does it compare to all catastropic injuries in boys high school athletics?

Given just a little more adverse publicity, cheerleading can probably be banned…for good. Or…all those naysayer protectionists…could just give it up!

Let’s get real. “Girls”…young women…love to be cheerleaders.  For some, it’s a coveted position in high school, and often subject to intense competition. Like sports for “boys”, cheerleading can build character and leadership…determination and discipline.   Not to mention…once again…the potential for scholarships leading to an education some “girls” might otherwise have to forego.

Some girls, like some boys, like to compete in sports.  They enjoy the exercise, the competition, and the showmanship.  They accept the risks that are associated with competitive sports.

On the other hand, if there’s a way to reduce the risk in this, or any other competitive sport without taking away from the sport itself,  maybe there’s room for a little compromise.  Let me say clearly, I absolutely refuse to suggest that cheerleading should be diminished in any way. However, just to keep the naysayers from succeeding, and stopping, or severely hampering the progress of what is not only a fun, but creative team-building endevour, maybe a few alternatives could be considered.

One thing to consider might be mats…something soft enough to help protect young bones from injury, similar to what many gymnasts use. I know, it could be an aggrevation pull them quickly on and off the court, but not impossible…with a little teamwork.

And, what about having a gymnastic coach do flexibility and coordination assessments to help the cheerleading team determine placements for their various routines?

I’ll still march…I’ll carry my picket gladly to the Superintendent’s office and elsewhere…if I see cheerleading disappearing from the sporting events in my neighborhood.    Young women deserve the same right of choice, the same opportunity to compete, the same opportunity to excel as do young men.  Cheerleading gives them that opportunity.

On the other hand, if a few simple corrections can be made to help prevent serious injury, I think it’s worthy of serious consideration.  As I am sure the parents of any young person who wants to try out for cheerleading…or baseball…or football…or any other sport would tell you…you can’t protect young people from everything, but minimizing risks is a good thing.

As I am sure you can tell from this, and my previous article on “Dare you Let Your Daughter Be a Cheerleader, ” in the Friday Follies section of my blog, I am an advocate of letting young women choose.  It’s how well all grow and succeed…choices and consequences.  That’s what life is about. 

My advice to girls…dare to be who you are…and who you want to become.  You’ll have plenty of supporters, including me, to lead the cheers, whether you decide to be a cheerleader, a football player, or a violinist.

And no one wants to miss that heart-stopping, drama-laden moment in the movie when the hero swoops in at the last possible moment to rescue the heroine from the imminent disaster.

If you want to stay on top with email marketing, that’s the experience your subscribers are looking for.  Saying the right thing…at the right time…in the right way will keep your subscribers coming back for more. 

Take a look at what your subscribers have been doing lately.  How many of them are making repeat purchases?  How many are asking for more information?  And how many want to know when your next product is coming out?

Here are a few tips to keep your subscribers happy, anxious for more, and ready to buy:

• Use all three means of communication designed to engage…writing, video, audio.  Yes, it’ll be a little more work on your part, but your subscribers,  they’re worth it, aren’t they? 
• Use engaging words in all three formats.  Tell me…which would you rather read, see, or hear…”See Spot Run”…or Wow, you should have seen Spot, that little wiener dog with those super short legs and long body take after that big scary burglar in the black ski mask that tried to get into our house.  He’s my hero.” 
• Build a relevant relationship.  OK, now that you’ve got their interest up, you’ll need to tell them why that story is even relevant to them.  Maybe you sell alarm systems, so you can take that story and add in “If I had my alarm system installed before this occurred, poor Spot wouldn’t have been at risk of being hurt by the burglar.  And I wouldn’t have nearly had a heart attack.  Save yourself from this type of incident,  by watching this video (have link here to video), which describes in detail how are alarm systems work, how many different kinds there are to meet your specific needs, and how to get the best price available by ordering yours now.
• Make sure you’re providing exactly the right product, at the right time.  Ask questions like: “Is there ever a better time than right now to update your security system?  If you know you should, and really want to get this done, but just aren’t sure if you can fit it into your budget, call us.  We want to make sure you get your security needs met…now…before you’ve been robbed.  We want to work with you to make sure you’re comfortable with a payment option that exactly fits your financial needs as well.  We’re here to help you save the day…your way.”

Staying on top in email marketing doesn’t have to be hard.  In fact, the more relaxed and entertaining it is, the better it is…and the easier it is to stay on top.  

When the emails to your subscriber list start to sound like the same old thing over and over, your subscribers get bored and drop off your list.  When they’re entertaining, fresh, and always relevant, the next installment…the next email…is anxiously awaited.

Yes…you can do it.  In a Universe as vast as this, there is always some fascinating new tidbit of information, or some scintillating historical relic that in some way can touch the hearts and minds of your subscribers.  Something that has a relationship to your product or service and helps to illustrate the value you provide to each and everyone of your subscribers. 

It’s a left-handed sort of compliment.  I liked the sound of Friday Follows, and the crowd it attracted.  I thought it might be fun to collect my own crowd…people who had an odd sense of humor.  Or, people who, like me, sometimes just liked to know about other people’s trivial trials, passionate pursuits, green greed, or other optional oddities that might glean a giggle or tweak a twinkle.

Since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, today’s Friday Follies seemed the perfect time to share a few things about my mom, stories about others’ moms, about being a mom, and other things sort of “mommish.”

Let’s start with the fact that as a child I wasn’t perfect.  Even though every time my sister accused me of doing some Mom wouldn’t approve of I automatically said “Did not”… because I was building my perfect child image.  

I was a curious child.  “What’s this?  What’s in there? Why can’t I have that? When are we leaving? Why don’t we eat dessert first?”  Questions like these came naturally to me.  I simply could not understand why my mother found them so challenging.  Nor why her answers were so vague…and dictatorial…”It’s for me to know and you not to find out. Because I said so.  When I say so.  Because I said so.”

Being a curious child, however, I was not easily discouraged, and would continue to ask more questions, and get the same answers…until, in total frustration, I would finally give up and leave. And…come back later to start all over.   What my mother taught me was patience. 

Going to other people’s homes to visit, I was often told not to interrupt when adults are talking, to “sit like a lady”, to play quietly, and to say “please, thank you,” and “may I be excused?” before leaving the dinner table.  More stuff that I found totally frustrating…but…she was bigger than me…and could remind me of that with a single glance.  What my mother taught me was manners.

My mother taught music…still does…and made my sister and me suffer through years of painful piano lessons.  We learned about all the classical composers, as well as many other musical genres, and yes…even though I thought it was painful at the time…I still play the piano now and enjoy it.  We went to lots of music programs, learned to dance, and make fools of ourselves with glee.  What my mother taught me was a love of music and motion.

I began earning my own money at a very early age.  I will give credit to both my parents for this. They were always happy to give me advice…”I know someone who’s looking for help with something…and they’ll pay you.”  The hints started early…about the time I started “wanting stuff.”  I swear they never heard of child labor laws.  What my mother taught me was responsibility.

There were several quotes today on what celebrities’ moms taught them…”Tuck in your shirt.” “Don’t play sports, you’ll get hurt.” “Suck it up and be tough.” “My mom was into yelling.” to quote a few.  It was a reminder that even celebrities have moms…someone who influenced them… and gave them advice they may at times have ignored ( to their detriment of course).  Somewhere through the thread of all that, though,  I heard “My mom loved me enough to pay attention to me.”  That’s a good thing. 

Being a mom isn’t easy.  I know.  I am one.   I’m not a perfect mom…just like I wasn’t the perfect child…despite my sputtering protests to the contrary.  And my curiosity remains as active as ever…”Why did you do that?  How come you didn’t pick that up before I tripped over it?  Why isn’t that plate cleaned up yet?  What’s wrong with you?  What time did I tell you to be home?” 

Sometimes, the best you can do…is to love your kids.  My mom does.  I do.  Kids and moms just have this special kind of bond that asks really for only one thing…”in some way…tell me you love me”…and let me show you that I deserve it.  And kids…if you’re wondering…all moms really want…or need…is to be loved back.  A phone call on Mother’s Day, breakfast in bed (toast is good) …a vacation in Paris…ok, ok…I’m dreaming now.

“Thank you for all that you taught me and for Sunday…Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. You’re the BEST.”…to all the moms and all the dads who are moms…and all those in between who influence and provide parenting to those of us who need it…and always will.

Email marketers, when you watch the news, find relevant topics and links to share…and build a connection…you bring value to your subscribers. 

One of today’s top internet news topics is  Justin Beiber.  And he’s bungee jumping in Austraila.  Just in case you’ve been hiding in a dark corner somewhere in the world for awhile, and don’t know who Justin Beiber is…he’s the young Canadian heartthrob pop/R&B singer who’s taking on the world…one YouTube moment at a time.  In fact, that’s actually where he was discovered.  He’s an overnight sensation…so popular his performance in Australia was severely curtailed because of the security issues his popularity raised. 

Now…maybe that’s not a big deal to you.  But…if your passion…and your business…revolves around video making, video marketing…or all things video…, it’s a big deal for your subscribers…and you.

Why?  Because it’s timely, relevant news that you can use.   It’s a clear demonstration of the power of video (OK, maybe talent has something to do with it as well) and a perfect way to begin a conversation about how video can help launch a career or a business…and skyrocket anyone from the unknown to the…well-known. 

If  you market to business owners who want to add video to their websites, or create YouTube videos exclusively, something like this can seriously tweak their interest…especially their interest in your ability to help them get something they need, want or desire…now.

Even if this isn’t your niche, it’s still possible to use this news to inspire your subscribers.  Besides being a great video ad,  it’s also a good description of what happens once you hit the “big time.”   If I went bungee jumping tomorrow…trust me…nobody would notice, let alone care.  But…at the level Justin Beiber is at now…it’s hot news. 

Hmmm…maybe I’ll qualify that statement before I start sounding like a pitiful self-loathing writer.  (although some say that’s when we’re at our best) and state that I do have my followers, and maybe a few people would care…especially if I broke my arm and couldn’t write…or fix dinner…or clean the cat commode…but it just wouldn’t be newsworthy.

The point, however, is that when you’re watching for it, there’s always something in the news that in some way is connected to your subscribers.  If there weren’t people who would be drawn to whatever is being published, it wouldn’t get published.  Truly.  And, when you look for a bit, there’s always a connection.

Right now, for example, there’s another headline that reads…”Times 100 Most Influential People.” Talk about something to work with.   Whatever business you’re in, I’ll bet you can pull something from that article that relates directly to your subscribers’ interests. 

Let’s see here…the first picture up is Sarah Palin.  So…what might your subscribers find of interest about Sarah?  Her espoused conservatism, her “homespun” colloquialisms, her glasses, clothes, hairstyle; her family?  There is so much to pick from I could go on all day. 

If you’re sure your subscribers just aren’t “into” ” Sarah Palin…with 99 other candidates to pick from, I know you can find something that one of them has…does…or is…that relates to them.  Something they would find of interest and of value. 

Maybe you won’t make another sale…today…by sharing.  As long as you share something relevant…timely…and valuable with your subscribers, however, you’ll continue to impress upon them your desire to add value…and interest…to your relationship.

Isn’t that what it’s all about…relationship?  And in today’s busy, digital world…for business, you’ve got to be there in a more  timely, relevant way to keep the relationship alive.