There is NO Marketing Department

Do you have a Marketing Department? If not, good! If you do, don’t think these are the only people responsible for marketing. Accounting is a department, marketing isn’t. Marketing is something everyone in your nonprofit or business is doing 24/7/365. Every time you take a call, it’s marketing. Every email you send is marketing. Every time someone uses your product or service, it’s marketing. All of the content on your website is marketing. If you own a restaurant, that mint you provide with the check is marketing. For retail businesses, the point-of-sale checkout counter is marketing. Even for a service business, your invoice is marketing.

You should realize that all these little things are more important that what you throw into a bag to hand out at a conference. Marketing is the total of everything you do but don’t let that scare you.

I help nonprofits and small businesses review their marketing to make sure it’s consistent across all of your tools like your website, print materials, digital materials and your communication channels like email and social media. I offer Marketing Services. You want to be sure you have a consistent message and that your entire organization knows your mission and your values.

If you’d like a quick review to see where you are at and if you are on track to make the best impression on your current and future clients and customers, give me a call. I’d be happy to work through your offerings and fine tune your efforts.

I think the most critical tool you have is your website. Always make sure your site is the most up to date as possible. This is the place where you have unlimited space to talk about your product or service in your own words. After all, you put your website on everything hoping to drive traffic there. Make sure your prospects know exactly what you are offering now. Keep in mind, the media and other companies use your website as a way to get to know you before they pick up the phone or send an email to “raise their hand” that they could use your product or service. Learn about my website services.

Call me to get started 952-484-6015.

WordPress, Weebly & Squarespace website design services
Marketing Consulting
Nonprofit Membership Management Implementation
Virtual Administrative Services

View all services.

Michelle Aspelin
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services
Learn more about me on Linkedin.

by Michelle Aspelin

Marketing Tips

5 Ways to Make Money Blogging

What’s a blog?

In very simple terms, blogs (short for web logs) are websites where a series of messages, or posts, on particular subjects are posted in chronological order—newest to oldest. Most have an area where blog visitors can post comments as well. Blogs are intended to be updated and read often. Some are solely informational, others are sales driven, and others are somewhere in between. This flexibility is just one of the reasons to choose a blog over a more traditional website more and more often.

I create blogs for my clients using WordPress. You can browse a few examples and learn more on my Website/Blog Services page.

For this post, I’d like to share some insight with you about ways to make money blogging, publishing models and traffic strategies. This is geared towards beginners and therefore its very simple and straight forward. I’ll get right to the point and you can post your comments or questions below.

3 Steps to Starting a Blog

Build Your Systems. That includes products or services you’d like to promote, affiliate products you’d like to promote, and a way to capture your visitors, build your “list”. I recommend using a third party vendor like Constant Contact or MailChimp for email marketing. Open Rate Tips post.
Create Content. Determine which type of blog you’d like to create, see below. Start to write your fantastic content and publish it on your blog.
Get Traffic. Connect with influencers and other bloggers who speak on your same or related topic. Get into forums and social media. Add comments on other blogger’s posts.

5 4 Ways to Make Money Blogging

Sell physical products you have created like books, CDs, etc.
Sell services you offer like design services, coaching, consulting, etc.
Sell information products. Teach your users something, sell ebooks, access to videos and audios.
Sell affiliate products. Make a post and include a link to someone else’s product who agrees to pay you a commission. This can be a standard article style post where you mention the product or you can review and compare several products with a link to all the affiliate sites.
There is one more way to make money with your blog, but I don’t recommend it. You can sell your list of subscribers. Some choose this option, but make sure you disclose!

3 Blog Content Publishing Models

Expert Model. This is where YOU do all the writing. You are the teacher.
Host Model. Think Oprah. You showcase the talents of others, typically interview style.
Publisher Model. This style is for the networkers and connecters. Promote guest writers on your blog. Think Mashable. Good for business groups.

80/20 Rule. You should spend 20% of your time writing your blog posts and 80% of your time promoting and sharing your posts in order to make money from your blog.

3 Traffic Strategies

Forum Marketing. Get active in your topic and area of expertise on forums. Become an active community member on those forums. Be the expert.
Blog Comments. Find blogs related to your topic and start making comments. Be sure to have your Gravatar profile completed before you do. This will show your image/photo next to your comments on other people’s blogs vs the generic avatar.
Social Media Marketing. This is the most obvious. Once you make your post on your blog, promote it by providing a link and some compelling copy to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, send a tweet, add it with an image to Instagram, etc. Remember, you can’t sell or promote a business on a personal Facebook page, it’s against their rules. Post it to a business page, then you can share that post on your personal page if you’d like, but I don’t recommend doing it for every post. You can start private or public Facebook groups and post there, or find other groups and share with them.

So, this was just a quick list of things to consider when you want to make money with your blog. When I create WordPress blogs I add many search engine friendly keywords and fields to help out as well. You can browse my site for more Marketing Tips.

As always, call or email me with your questions. I’m here to help. It’s what I do. I love to TEACH!

I hope you enjoyed this article about Ways to Make Money Blogging!

Michelle Aspelin
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services LLC
Cell: 952-484-6015

The info above is consolidated from a one hour learn to blog webinar I recently participated in. I watch and participate in these webinars and share info with my clients so YOU don’t have to commit an hour (or more) of your time listening, and be subject to an expensive sales pitch. I hope you find the checklist useful and it sparks some actionable ideas for you!

by Michelle Aspelin

Educational Articles, Marketing Tips, Resources and Inspiration

Email Marketing vs Social Media to Capture Clients

What do Unilever, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Lush have in common?

In 2020 or 2021 they have all put their social media advertising on pause to take a stand against hate speech and misinformation. More recently Facebook has been under fire for it’s business practices leading some companies to close their accounts with the social media giant or pause making any posts or buying ads.

That leads me to ask you, what would happen if you decided not to use any social media accounts? How would you communicate with your clients and customers? Every company has to review their own values and the values of the providers they choose to support and then make an educated decision.

When you use social media accounts, you really haven’t captured your audience because if the platform goes away, where’s your client list? Your database of your customers, followers and prospective customers? It’s lost.

Consider Adding or Strengthening your Email Campaign System

My recommend is to look again at email marketing vs social media. Look at your email database. I always recommend businesses and nonprofits use a third party email provider so you can comply with CAN SPAM laws and allow followers to unsubscribe at any time. I am most familiar with MailChimp and Constant Contact, but there are many email providers and lots of blog posts comparing them on the Internet.

If you don’t have an account with a third party provider, I suggest you start researching which one will fit your needs and your budget as well as integrate with your website. Many times I put a button (or link) on a client’s website so anyone on their website can subscribe to their emails (capturing your prospects). To entice people to subscribe, you can offer a free gift like a PDF with tips, educational information, fun facts, do’s and don’ts list, whatever you think would be meaningful to your audience. When they subscribe, they get your free offer automatically.

When you have captured your client’s email address, you have it. You can always download your email list and upload it to another provider. They key is, it doesn’t go away like your social media followers could. In fact, your emails stay in your client’s inbox until they read them, whereas posts may be off their radar in just a few hours as they slide down their social media feed.

Something to consider

I just wanted to share this idea with you as something to consider for your nonprofit or business. If you already have a system set up, great! Take some time to review it and make sure you are keeping your subscriber list up-to-date. If you don’t have a platform to manage your email campaigns, consider adding one in December so you can hit the ground running in 2022 and share your message with your clients, customers and prospects.

As always, if you would like some help getting this implemented and integrated with your website, let me know. We can import email addresses from a database if you have one, even if that’s just your accounting software. You have to start somewhere!

Here’s a link to the Resource page on my website. I provide a little more info about MailChimp and Constant Contact and explain how they are different, costs, etc.

https://growyourmindshare.com/resources

Reach out to me with your email marketing vs social media questions!

by Michelle Aspelin

Educational Articles, Marketing Tips

10 Basic Rules of Copy Writing

The 10 Basic Rules of Copy Writing

I help my clients with copy for their websites and marketing materials. I always start by asking them who their ideal client is. I want them to envision an actual consumer or business. I ask them to write as if they are having a conversation with their ideal client. It helps them clarify their message and encourages the sort of authentic communication that everyone values.

I have a book called Phrases That Sell by Edward Werz and Sally Germain. I reference it when I have a client looking for new ways to describe their products or services. The book also outlines key elements to copy writing, here they are:

Know your audience (what I refer to as your ideal client)
Understand your product or service. People buy BENEFITS not features. The more you understand your benefits, the more powerful your message will be.
Find your principal selling position (PSP) or unique selling proposition (USP). Do you know how you are different from your competition? What makes you stand out?
Write benefit-orientated copy (how it will feel, results). Effective copy is action-provoking, be descriptive.
Choose active vs passive words (flowers brighten the room vs the room is brightened by the flowers).
Short sentences and short words can add up to big ideas. Don’t say “It exhibits a user-friendly interface.” Instead say, “It’s easy to use.”
Use formats that promote like strong headlines, bullet selling points, offers, and numbered lists.
Use offers that sell. Can you offer a guarantee? Maybe a 30-day trial? Incentives should be 20% or more to be effective. Consider BOGO (buy one, get one free) or additional products or services with a purchase.
Tell your reader what to do. This is so important. Your readers need to know exactly what you want them to do. Call, email, visit, signup, or follow.
Tout your name. Every time you create an ad or promotion, you have the opportunity to build recognition for your company by including your business name or brand.

Let me know if you have questions. If you’d like a list of “phrases that sell” specifically for your business, let me know. I can also help you create a memorable tagline and 30 second introduction too!

Michelle Aspelin
Entrepreneur and Professional Implementer
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services LLC

by Michelle Aspelin

Marketing Tips, Working with me

StrengthsFinder 2.0 – Using Your Talents

Have you taken the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment yet? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it! I originally took the assessment in October 2007. See my update below when I took it again in June 2018. I republished this post December 2019.

The book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Jim Rath is a #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 BusinessWeek bestseller that introduced the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment with features that include a personalized Strengths Insight Report, an Action-Planning Guide, and a web-based Strengths Community. The Gallup organization recently re-branded the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment to CliftonStrengths. The CliftonStrengths assessment is the same one featured in StrengthsFinder 2.0 and their other bestselling books.

The online assessment will bring your top 5 strengths, they call talents, to the surface. Knowing these strengths is powerful because it can help you stay focused in your job, business, organization and your personal life. It helps you understand what you like, how you work with others, and what makes you happy!

Learn How I Work as well as about my strengths!

My Top 5 are Activator, Communication, Ideation, Focus and Futuristic …

So, what does that mean?

The book (and now their online reports) explain all of the talents in great detail and what careers or roles you will be good at naturally. It suggests people to partner with who have opposite strengths to help you meet your goals. Knowing your strengths helps you focus on your job, business, team, or organization. Its fun to ask others what their talents are too to help create stronger relationships and improve teamwork.

If you fully understand what my Strengths are, then that will give you a clue as to the type of service I offer my clients.

1 Activator

“When can we start?” This is a recurring theme in my life. I thrive on action. Action makes things happen and leads to performance. Action is the best device for learning. I enjoy start-up or turnaround projects. I can transform innovative ideas into immediate action. I work with creative and innovative clients to help move their ideas forward. I can easily energize the plans my clients have already created or develop a plan from scratch. I have the ability to create motion and momentum in others.

2 Communication

I like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. I energize events and ideas to make them exciting and vivid. I believe most people have a short attention span, they are bombarded with information and very little survives. I want information I create with my clients – whether an idea, print material, website, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery – to survive. I love blogs, newsletters, podcasts and online communication tools.

3 Ideation

I am fascinated by ideas and concepts. I am always looking for connections, I am energized by connecting people and fulfilling their needs for one another. I get a jolt of energy when I get a new idea for a workshop, a group, a blog post. I love start-ups who have lots of questions and need lots of ideas to get their business started. I like working with clients who need a makeover too, new ideas to infuse their business with fire! I love to read and learn more about marketing, business and finance. I love to create a list of ideas and let my clients pick the ones that resonate with them, then focus in on those and make them a reality.

4 Focus

I often ask, “What’s the plan?” I like to know where I’m headed, I need a clear destination. I set goals that serve as my compass, helping me determine priorities and make the necessary correction to stay on track. My Focus is powerful because it forces me to filter; I instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will help my client move towards their goal. Those that don’t, we ignore. Having a Focus strength helps me be efficient naturally. During meetings and sessions, I am the one who brings the group back to focus on the task at hand. I have the discipline to balance my work and home life, business and family, community and travel. I enjoy roles where my clients give me independence. I build their trust so when they have an idea or a project to be completed, they can comfortably say, “Can you just take care of it?” They don’t need to hold my hand and constantly check-in on my progress. They know I provide results, and do it efficiently. Having focus as a talent helps lead me to solid and long-lasting success.

5 Futuristic

This talent surprised me at first, but after I fully understood its meaning, I get it. Being Futuristic means asking the question, “Wouldn’t it be great if…” I do love to peer over the horizon and am fascinated with what the future holds. What can be developed or invented by my clients? I am a dreamer and I love to learn about the vision my clients have for their business or organization. Visions energize me and, with my other skills, I can energize others too! Again, this is why I like new ideas, new products, start-ups and makeovers. I like to get the ball rolling. I love brainstorming about ideas to make them better, I inspire others with my ideas and images of the future. Some say I make a great coach and teacher. I love helping clients move forward.

So, if you are looking for a marketing person with talents like mine, I’d love to hear from you! AND…I’d love to know what your Top 5 Strengths are too so we can maximize our time together.

Learn more about the CliftonStrengths Assessment and the Gallup Organization.

Update: December 3, 2019 – New Assessment Results

A good friend of mine is certified in CliftonStrengths and she coaches people and organizations on the subject. In June of 2018, I retook the assessment to see if my priorities, and how I view myself, changed as I got older and moved into a new stage in my life. My top 5 Strengths did indeed shuffle a bit, and I also paid an additional fee to open up my full 34 talents in order to see what happened to the ones that dropped out of my Top 5 and where the new ones ranked last time. It’s taken me a while to embrace my new Top 5. It’s like finding out you aren’t who you thought you were and it’s taken some getting used to. I know my original Top 5 off the top of my head, still learning to recite my new Top 5 but they do make sense given what I focus my time on these days.

1 Maximizer (previously #7)

I focus on strengths as a way to stimulate excellence in my clients and their organizations. I seek to transform something strong into something superb, like revamping a website! I routinely use my insights into people’s strengths to energize and inspire them to do what needs to be done, like teaching my clients how to keep their website updated. I honor the special and rare qualities in people and I try to position them to attain ever higher levels of excellence. I invest time thinking about people’s good points rather than agonizing over their shortcomings. By nature, I have an ability to talk with people. I savor conversations in which ideas or feelings are freely exchanged. I am always excited to learn about my client’s needs.

2 Learner (previously #10)

I have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than outcome, excites me. I long to know more so I can remain on the cutting edge in my field and areas of interest, I research a lot! I like it when my clients ask “Can you make my website do x?” My inventive mind usually generates more possibilities than I can handle sometimes. Nevertheless, I am committed to acquiring knowledge and skills. I enjoy a quiet room to do my thinking and my research so I can focus. I regard education as an ongoing activity.

3 Activator (previously #1, see above)

4 Futuristic (previously #4, see above)

5 Relator (previously #11)

I enjoy close relationships with others and I find a deep satisfaction in working hard with friends and clients to achieve a goal. I do my best work when I can bring my expertise to my client or a group. I am often referred to as a counselor, people keep coming back to me for words of wisdom, opinions and advice, I’m approachable. I enjoy learning what others want to accomplish and often find myself digging into their subject by reading books or blogs to learn more. I feel fulfilled when I am performing tasks to further my client’s goals.

Communication moved to #8, Ideation to #15 and Focus to #19. I still lead with Influencing CliftonStrengths themes, they help me to take charge, speak up, and make sure others are heard. I enjoyed learning my new Top 5 Strengths. Do you know what yours are? It’s so insightful to learn your own because you can start to determine what strengths your teammates have when you work together and it creates stronger relationships and respect for others.

Michelle Aspelin, Entrepreneur and Professional Implementer
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services, LLC

by Michelle Aspelin

Educational Articles, Marketing Tips

One Question Survey

Use Feedback To Your Advantage

There are two kinds of feedback—negative and positive. We tend to prefer the positive, it feels better. It tells us we are on course, that we are doing the right thing. We tend not to like negative. However, Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles says,

“There is as much useful data in negative feedback as there is in positive feedback. In fact, it’s so valuable that one of the most useful projects you could undertake is to change how you feel about negative feedback.”

Instead of thinking of it as negative, think of it as the world telling you how you can improve what you’re doing. How to make your product or service better. Many folks don’t normally volunteer feedback, you have to ask for it. One way to do that is with a simple one question and follow-up question survey. I have recommended this numerous times to my clients as a quick and simple way to get really good feedback. It works for businesses, organizations, nonprofits, groups, clubs, committees, and personally too.

The Most Valuable Question You May Ever Learn

Jack even says in his book, if the only thing you get our of reading his book is the consistent use of this question in your personal and business life, it will have been worth the money and time you invested in the book. So, what’s the question?
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being best), how would you rate the quality of our (product, service, relationship) during the (last week, two weeks, month, quarter, season)?
There are a number of variations you can use, the idea is to ask overall how happy are they with what you provide? Here’s the kicker…
Any answer less than a 10 gets the follow-up question: What would it take to make it a 10?

This is were you get some really valuable feedback. Knowing in detail what would make them more satisfied gives you the info you need to create a better product, service or relationship. Why not end every project, meeting, class, training, consultation, installation this way? I recommend adding a second follow-up question.

If you answered 10, what do you like best about our (product, service, relationship)?

I feel like asking this follow-up question to your already happy clients will help you find out some skills you might be very good at that you hadn’t recognized. Depending on what answers you get, you might incorporate this information into your print and online marketing materials. You learn what you do best and that it makes a difference to your clients, customers, participants, volunteers, etc.

You can send your survey question via email, ask it in person, or make it anonymous by using a free tool like SurveyMonkey.com. The key is to frequently ask for feedback, review what they say and take action with the feedback for even better results.

If you have questions about getting valuable feedback, give me a call or send me an email. I’m here to help.

Michelle Aspelin
Marketing Consultant
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services LLC
Victoria MN 952-484-6015

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
Coauthors of The One Minute Manager

by Michelle Aspelin

Marketing Tips, Working with me

Feb 29 FREE Consult

FREE 30 Minute LEAP DAY Consultation

LEAP into your next project or idea with a FREE 30 minute Consultation only offered on LEAP DAY, February 29, 2016. Sign up for a 30 Minute Communication Consultation by completing the form on my website that tells me what you need right now for your business. At the end of the form, it will ask you for a couple of times that work for you and let’s get it scheduled. We can meet in person at my Victoria office or via phone. Leap Day consultations are available from 9am to 5pm only on Feb 29, 2016. Booked already is 10-11am.

I will meet with as many people as I can fit into my schedule.

We can use the time to brainstorm on a problem you are facing, an opportunity you’d like to pursue, review your marketing plan, get tips and ideas for social media marketing and paid ads, talk about your LinkedIn strategies, whatever you need, just let me know. The faster you sign up, the more time I have to prepare for your FREE 30 minute consultation.

To get started, visit my Communication Consultation page and fill out the form!

I can’t wait to see who wants to take advantage of this special Leap Day Consultation.

If you aren’t available Feb 29, consider scheduling a regular consultation for another time. The FREE session is only offered for Feb 29.

Michelle Aspelin

My office is in the Clocktower Building in downtown Victoria MN
1750 Tower Blvd. Suite 200 Victoria MN
Phone: 952-484-6015

by Michelle Aspelin

Educational Articles, Marketing Tips

Open Rate and Click Rate Tips from Constant Contact Webinar

Hello! I just attended a one hour webinar from Constant Contact and I want to share the tips they offered with you. The data they compiled is from ALL of their customers, covering ALL industries. Keep in mind, the best practices for your specific industry may vary from these recommendations. The webinar was called The Art and Science of a Great Email.

How to increase OPEN RATES:

Keep subject lines to 50 characters or less, about 5-7 words. Sometimes subjects like “December Newsletter” will work for your subscribers. Or you might want to get more creative and use something like “December Must Read Highlights” or “What to know from XXX for the month of December”.

Highest amount of OPENS occurs for emails sent between 6-7AM on Monday mornings. The open rate declines as the week progresses.

How many emails should you send a MONTH? 1-20. After 2 or more, the open rate decreases. More emails = less opens.

Keep in mind, this information was from ALL Constant Contact customers across ALL industries. Some of these practices I agree with 100%, others I think are open to more flexibility. I will however, go back and review the results I’ve been getting for myself and for my clients and see how they compare to these recommendations based on their statistics.

How to STRUCTURE your email:

Clean Up Your Messes and Incompletes

How To Get Your Stuff Done!

Jack Canfield, author and motivational business guru, encourages entrepreneurs to clean up their messes and incomplete. Sounds easy, right? But why isn’t it then? Jack is the author of one of my favorite books, The Success Principles. See other books I recommend on my Resources page

Many of us have piles of receipts to organize, year-end entries for our bookkeeping, unfinished projects and marketing materials. Many of us are great at making plans, but what good is your plan if you don’t follow through? I know it can be challenging, I struggle in certain areas too. I know everyone has their strengths. If completing marketing related tasks is on your to-do list but you’d rather have it DONE than incomplete, let me know.

There are many services I provide to my clients that I don’t include on my website. Here, I keep it focused to Facebook, LinkedIn, Websites and Blogs, Videos and my ebook called How to Start a Networking Group and Make Money Too.

But, I also help clients with…

Bookkeeping (I use Quickbooks or Peachtree)
Trade Show or Expo Preparation
Copy Writing and Editing
Blog Content and Ideas
Partner Marketing Coordination
Training and Teaching Marketing Skills
Creating Brochures or Postcards
Call me with your specific need

So, don’t go it alone. If you have a mess or incomplete project that’s been nagging you, call me for help.

Call me your Little Christmas Elf Michelle 🙂

I’d like to hear about your needs! You can reach me at 952-484-6015 or fill out the Communication Consultation Prep Form and let’s get your stuff DONE!

Michelle Aspelin
Entrepreneur and Professional Implementer
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services LLC

by Michelle Aspelin

Educational Articles, Marketing Tips

What About Weebly?

So, why Weebly?

Because I want to offer my clients exactly what they need. What I have found is that for SOME of my clients, WordPress is just too much. It is so robust and offers so many features and settings, that it becomes too much for them to edit, update and manage moving forward. I got turned on to Weebly from a fellow website developer who noticed the same thing and is now making Weebly vs WordPress websites for her clients.

I am still a firm believer in WordPress. I believe it will continue to be popular and the right choice for some of my clients. But, having this secondary option, is refreshing.

Weebly has about 100 themes to choose from vs WordPress’s 1200 themes, and then there are enhanced WordPress themes you can purchase.

Weebly offers a simple “drop and drag” building interface that makes it easy to see exactly what your site will look like once published.

WordPress is King when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Plus, it offers almost an unlimited assortment of plugins you can add to the platform to give your site extra functionality. Weebly is a good option if SEO isn’t vital to your site, like you aren’t trying to attraction readers from the entire world, maybe just your geographic location.

As far as price, it’s less expensive to host a WordPress site than Weebly. $4.95/month vs $8.99/month (using BlueHost.com)

There are tons of other, more detailed comparisons I could make, but I prefer to meet with my clients and listen to what they want from their site FIRST before I recommend one or the other. See my page about How I Work.

If you are considering a new website or blog, or updating a current site, give me a call. We can meet, with no obligation, to determine what’s best for you.

Here’s some info on Website/Blog consultations

by Michelle Aspelin