Business

Build your platform

by Amy on May 14, 2013

My husband is an audio engineer.

I could not be more proud of him – over the last 5-or-so-years since we moved back to Los Angeles he has hustled his little tail off getting recording clients, honing his mixing skills, networking at concerts (when he really would rather have been at home with the cats) and just getting his name out there in the music scene that he wants to work in. He’s recorded some great bands and is constantly getting great word-of-mouth referrals for new clients.

My cousin is a sports writer.

He may just be in high school, but he’s been writing about the Clippers on a major basketball website for years. He runs online discussions during games, and most other participants don’t know he doesn’t even have a driver’s license yet. He’s been interviewed by media in other parts of the country (not many writers specialize on the Clippers) and he has started building up a solid portfolio for his college application.

I’ve followed Elsie Larson’s blog for something like 8 years.

I’ve watched her evolve from a scrapbooker, to a scrapbook product designer, to an artist, to a vintage seller to a fashion designer to a media empire mogul. I’m sure I missed a couple other jobs in there. She has been able to pursue what she loves for years, and recently announced that she and her sister have a book coming out and will be turning their focus to their website.

What do these 3 people have in common?

Totally different industries. Totally different job descriptions. But none of the three work in an average, skill-less job.

And all 3 have (or are setting up) an online platform.

If you are a regular reader of Lemon and Raspberry, you are in no way average. You read this site because you believe you can do something special and have something GREAT to offer the world. You read this site because you recognize you have something to offer.

Which means you ALSO need an online platform.

Your platform can be just a site with your credits – we’re working on a redesign of my husband’s site which will prominently feature his past credits because we know that is what potential clients look at first.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, your platform could also be a frequently updated blog – A Beautiful Mess is a media powerhouse that works as the perfect leverage for Elsie and Emma’s upcoming books, showing publishers they can create fantastic content regularly, with a growing audience that wants to read it.

So what do you want to do? And how can an online platform help?

Maybe you want to work on the social media team for an animal-focused non-profit? Start a blog highlighting various animal-focused events, companies and non-profits, using your social media skills to bring attention to their causes.

Maybe you want to write a book about New England gardening? Write a blog on the topic, attracting readers and demonstrating your knowledge.

Maybe you want to be a reality TV star? Start a website and post regular video clips of your dramatic life, attracting viewers and demonstrating your on camera personality.

Assuming you want to do something with your life that is NOT average, you can definitely use an online platform.

P.S. I’ll be announcing details of my big big blogging ecourse next week! Be sure you’re subscribed to L&R posts or to the newsletter for the latest!

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email marketing resources

by Amy on February 12, 2013

Are you on the L&R email list?

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creative small business resources

by Amy on December 20, 2012

Are you ready to ramp up your small business in 2013? Here are some resources to get you started:

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twitter resources

by Amy on December 19, 2012

I love Twitter. LOVE. It’s the only social media I really use consistently – you can find me here @amytschubert

Here are some tips I have found to make the most out of Twitter:

*looking at this list again – apparently I get most of my Twitter tips from Campfire Chic!
Make sure you follow Kam for more social media ideas and tips

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Weekend Project: using Facebook for your business

by Amy on October 4, 2012

I am NOT an expert on using Facebook for your business.

In fact, I only JUST figured out how to add an RSS feed to Lemon and Raspberry’s Facebook page.

But I have been collecting quite a few Facebook-business resources.

Take a look, pick a project, and start using Facebook for your small creative business this weekend

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resources for monetizing your blog

by Amy on October 2, 2012

There are several different ways to start making money with your blog … That’s a post for another day, but here are some resources from around the web with tips and discussions about making money online:

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creative small business resources

by Amy on August 30, 2012

If you run an Etsy shop or other handmade business, the bulk of your income for the year is probably coming in the next few months …… Are you ready?

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SEO resources

by Amy on June 19, 2012

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Now available: CONNECT: A simple template to getting the most out of guest posting

by Amy on May 15, 2012

For the last few weeks we’ve been talking a lot about guest posting here at Lemon and Raspberry … From an overview of how to craft and pitch a guest post to why you would even want to.

(and yet I’m still getting those generic emails from spammers offering “developing content partnerships with good quality blogs and websites like yours” …. with ZERO specifics as I have pointedly requested.)

I love the practice of guest posting – both giving and receiving. In the 6+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve have DEFINITELY found guest posting to be one of the most effective ways of promoting my site.

Guest posting can be used for

Marketing. Growing your audience, gaining a few more customers, increasing your visibility.
Networking. You will start to connect with new readers and other blog authors and start to gain name recognition in your little industry
Practice. Practice practice practice. Writing well takes practice and the more you do it the better you will be.

I try to brainstorm a guest post whenever I’m sponsoring a site, as well as every couple months in between sponsoring a site.

But any guest post I write, I always have a goal. I always have a reason for the guest post. And I always give that new audience a reason to come visit Lemon and Raspberry. And it has WORKED. Worked to grow my audience (in REAL numbers). Worked to make sales (tracked directly to guest posts).

I figure, if it’s working for me if can work for you too ….

So today I am releasing my super-simple guest posting template: Connect

Written by me and designed by Allie Trumpower, Connect contains the basic structure to help you build a guest post that both connects with new readers, and guides them to follow-up with you to help grow your business or blog audience.

The simple structure outlined in this pdf is easy-to-use and perfectly adaptable to any subject or niche you may be blogging about.

This new guest post template – Connect – gives specific steps to crafting a guest post that is both promotional for your new product or service, but also intimately connects with the reader in a way that does not feel “salesy”.

TODAY ONLY (May 15, 2012) – Connect is 30% off

Click on through, download the template, read it today and send me your guest post pitch. One of the easy ways to improve your business right now!

You will be well on your way to growing your blog audience, connecting with new customers and increasing your sales.

Let me know if you have questions and how guest posting has worked for you!

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5 easy ways to improve your business right now

by Amy on May 1, 2012

What are you doing this weekend?

All of these you can do in an hour or so. So! If you have some free time, here are some easy ways to boost your business right now ….

Write a guest post

Brainstorm, pitch and craft your guest post. If you’re in the habit of writing blog posts anyway, a guest post can be one of the easiest ways to bump your marketing. Make sure whatever subject you write about naturally leads back to your site or business. No sense in pitching a guest post without links.

Plan your next email campaign

This could be anything from an exclusive DIY project to a teaser of your next release. If you are just getting started with email marketing you can check out my tips here. Brainstorm some exclusive content you can share with just your email subscribers, make note of all your ‘news’ to share with them, or even just send out a coupon or other special.

Your email subscribers want to hear from you – so send them the goods!

Take time to comment on other blogs/tweets/Facebook statuses

By supporting your fellow artists/bloggers/business owners with your comments and ReTweets you are not only making their day by showing that you care about what they are creating, but also putting your own name/link out there to make additional connections.

Really put in the time to build the relationship. You’ll never know how it will turn out. Example: I met Allie Trumpower a year or more ago because she started commenting on my blog posts on a regular basis – sincere, thoughtful, friendly comments. And just this week I hired her to design my next ebook. Relationship building – not just for offline.

Re-do your ABOUT page

If you don’t have an About page on your site, make one now. If you haven’t looked at your About page in several months, take an hour or so and just spruce it up a bit. There are all kinds of little tweaks you can make to ensure your About page is as effective as possible – and as it is one of the top pages new readers will visit, you want to MAKE SURE it’s effective.

Learn something new

At the beginning of the year I posted some ideas for self-education. It only takes 5 minutes to request a book from the library, or download that new ebook. Teach yourself some html for you next blog design, or read up on how to make your blog content better. You don’t even have to implement anything right now, but LEARN what your next step will be.