Have you ever stumbled upon a business that just impressed the pants off of you?

These folks all have something in common.

They have a super-duper brand.

And by brand, I don’t mean you have to have fancy pants graphics placed all over your website. I mean having a brand that makes people so over-the-top delighted to work with you that they are barely able to catch their breath.

How can you unleash the same branding as these masters without shelling out a bunch of cash? Check out these four easy ways to get cracking on creating your own killer brand.

Blend Lifestyle and Business

Grace Kang of Retail Recipes helps entrepreneurs make their products retail-ready. Even though she has plenty of street cred as a former buyer for Bloomingdale’s, Saks and Barney's New York, Grace doesn’t stop there when trying to draw you in. Her brand uses food comparisons to explain different concepts like reliable inventory (aka “Your Meatball”). Grace is a self-proclaimed foodie and a killer baker. Her ideal clients are also food lovers, so this branding is the perfect mixture of business + life.

Infuse Personality

The minute you stumble on Lora Sasiela’s Financially Smitten website you feel like you’ve entered a chic, fashionable world of finance. Her ideal clients can feel “at home” on her website, which rivals their favorite fashion blog while providing a safe space to divulge all of their money secrets. My favorite line from her site? “If you are afraid you will spend your retirement years as a bag lady with sacks full of designer shoes, you need Lora Sasiela.”

Deliver Juicy Content

Coach Marion Chamberlain is top dog when it comes to creating content that her customers devour like a juicy novel. Knowing that her folks are most interested in gaining independence, freedom and connection, her weekly newsletter delivers little pops of goodness like “Five Ways to Flick on your Energy Switch" and, my personal favorite, "How to Score the Black Eyed Peas’ Energy." Her stuff is so rocking that the media has her on speed dial when they need quotes. Now that’s branding goodness.

Star in your own Ad Campaign

Companies spend millions of dollars to hire celebrity spokespeople for a reason. But, if you don’t have the budget to score Halle Berry or Jennifer Aniston as your company spokesperson, go for the next best thing. Do it yourself! Angela Jia Kim of Om Aroma & Co. uses her gorgeous mug to grace the pages of her website. She also expertly uses her personality to star in videos to demonstrate how to use her skincare line. And her spa ritual bath with daughter Sienna is just adorbs. To watch it, CLICK HERE

Which brands inspire you? Post a comment below with a link to your favorite brand.

Ok, I admit it. I’m kind of a TV junkie.

That’s right. In my house – our digital recording device is constantly filled to the brim, and I’m frequently nudging my husband to watch and delete some of his Dog Whisperers.

I get flutters just thinking about the new episode of True Blood. I love most shows on HBO and Showtime, my NBC Thursday night comedies, and a handful of other random shows like Pawn Stars.

Obviously my TV watching schedule eats up a large chunk of my time. So, how can I manage to run a successful business while rationalizing my time in front of the tube?

Because watching TV makes me better at business. Here’s how:

Pay Attention to Previews

I’m equally obsessed with TV previews (also referred to as teasers or trailers), especially those with that epic music playing in the background. These previews are so specifically targeted to a niche audience that their demographic of viewers nearly leap off of their couch in anticipation for the next episode. This attention to detail in defining your target market is equally important for us entrepreneurs. While we may want to have a product or service that “appeals to the masses” – in most cases when you market to everyone, you market to no one.

By clearly identifying WHO your target customer is, you can create little marketing teasers that cause them to burst out of their seat with excitement – just like when they watch a preview on TV.

Here's one of my favorite previews – just for fun:

Story is Everything

I know. I’m constantly hammering home how important it is to use stories in your business. By watching scripted television, reading novels, and gleaning inspiration by these master storytellers, you’ll pick up some pointers on how to create captivating stories that sell.

Stories help people connect with your business and, most importantly, urge people to BUY. This is why advertising copywriters are paid the big bucks – because they can wrap a clever story around a business. It’s also why testimonials are so powerful, people are sharing their “story” about your product or service – encouraging and inspiring others to want to share that same experience.

Revamp your “High Concept”

A high concept is a “brief statement of the TV show’s basic idea that is felt to have tremendous public appeal.” As you know, several shows are axed after one episode because there wasn’t enough public interest.

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes feel married to a concept, or a service or a product – even though it doesn’t have enough public appeal to be successful.

Instead, go back to the drawing board and rewrite your high concept (a.k.a. survey your ideal customers to find out what they really want and make changes necessary to your business to appeal to this demographic).

Cast Well

The casting process is arduous for a TV series. As a ‘sometimes’ actress, I’ve been through the ringer auditioning for parts. I can only imagine what it’s like on the other side of the camera. Casting the wrong actor or actress can mean suicide for your passion project.

The same goes for your business. If you “cast” the wrong people – employees, service providers, partners – you are on the fast track to being cancelled (aka closed).

But looking for people that share your same values, that reflect the tone of your business, and that share your passion are critical factors for success. Taking the same care that a casting director and production team does when casting a show creates a blockbuster team.

Build to Last

We see a lot of TV shows that kick off with a bang, only to be cancelled after a few seasons. What went wrong?

The series was unable to hold onto that hardcore fan base. To avoid this kind of flop, you want to constantly reinvent your business, surprise your customers with innovation, and continue building without a conclusion in sight.

What lessons do you learn from watching TV? What are your favorite shows to watch? Don't be shy – share in the comments below!

I don’t know about you, but at the beginning of summer I have all of these grandiose ideas of taking more time to lounge by the pool, take my dog swimming, or hit the beach.

But then, before I know it, the summer is over and I’m back to raking leaves while simultaneously kicking myself for not taking enough “me” time.

If this sounds anything like you, then you’ll love this post, which is dedicated to serving up smiles all summer long. How? By giving you back some precious time.

Here are my four favorite time-saver tricks to shave off an hour (or more) of your time so you can spend it having fun in the sun.

Social Media Time Suck

Boy, if I added up all the time spent over the years on Facebook and Twitter I probably could have taken a summer off traveling Europe.

But ever since I discovered the magic of Hootsuite (http://www.hootsuite.com) I began doing somersaults around my social media efforts and saving tons of time. Just sign up for a free account and feed your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts through the system. You’ll be able to view, update, and socialize all on one convenient screen. Plus you can schedule updates – for example sending tips or quotes or links to promote your blog. Voila! Instant time saver.

Front Load your Month

Have you ever agonized over blog topics? Or threw your pen in frustration while you were trying to come up with pitch ideas? This run-around way of coming up with ideas is a true stinker.

To never have the “I don’t know what to write about” feeling again, take the first day of each month to come up with 10 media pitch ideas. Even if this takes you some time, you’ll be done in less than one day. Then recycle any of the ideas you don’t actually pitch to the press as blogs, newsletters, or other content for your customers.

Avoid Content Overload

Do you have a blog and a newsletter? If so, STOP. It is not necessary to have both and you’re only wasting precious time trying to fill the space while you could be doing other things (like sipping iced tea while devouring a juicy novel). You do want to maintain regular contact with your list, so feel free to mimic the strategy I use for newsletters/blogs. Every week I write a blog and then send short, text-only newsletter that sends you there to read.

Get Help

College is out, and that means there are thousands of guys and gals scrambling to make a little dough or score some experience and college credit. Interns are a fabulous way to hand off things that you KNOW you shouldn’t be spending time on to someone that would be happy as a clam to do. Plus you get the feel-good experience of mentoring a future star.

Contact your local college to ask if they have a place to post internships and also use sites like Craigslist to post for free. Keep in mind interns do not need to work in your office – with all of the fabulous tools like Skype and Google applications, it’s easy as pie to have a virtual intern.

So now that you have carved out some spare time, what will you do to chalk up your best summer yet? Post a comment below with the “me” time activities that you are planning this summer. Here are a few of mine:

• Take my dog jogging on the beach
• Visit the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met
• Make a baby quilt for my friend (due in July!)
• Watch and re-watch each episode of True Blood Season 4 (yes, I’m an obsessed fan)
• Shoot independent film – I’m co-starring in one right now in Philadelphia and having a blast!
 

Do you feel like you’re drowning in a pool of media pitching, Facebook updates, Tweets, blogging, list building….?

Yup, I’ve been there.

There was a time when I seriously did everything wrong. My first website was built on some weird platform that a developer controlled, which meant that every time I needed to update something I had to pay a minimum of $50. One time I paid that just to have him erase an extraneous “the” from my website copy.

Even worse, it had this horrible flash picture of a boardroom that took up almost the whole homepage. The rotating photo would start with a wide view of a boardroom with a shiny wooden table, white walls, and black chairs. There wasn’t even anything on the actual table. Not a pen, piece of paper, or projector in site. Then the photo would change from the wide view to a close up of a chair and the corner of the desk.

Riveting.

And that was just one of the many, many things I did that made my marketing + publicity a steaming hot mess.

Then, after lots of blood, sweat and tears (ok – really, after lots of really good coaching, testing, and trying) I changed my marketing + publicity efforts from hot mess to totally amaze-balls.

Here are four ways you can do the same.

Plan Accordingly

I know I keep hammering this home, but it’s absolutely essential to have a plan. Otherwise you’ll be throwing spaghetti at the wall, and I guarantee nothing will stick. Commit to trying three things to publicize your business for the next three months. I don’t care what they are (traditional press, blog tours, Facebook campaign, Twitter campaign, speaking engagements, networking events, Google Adwords). I’ll leave that part completely up to you. Now commit to doing JUST those three activities and evaluate them after 90 days.

Ideally you will get in the habit of doing this every quarter for your business.

For all of the other great ideas you have to publicize your business during that time, add them to a list for the future. After the 90 days, eliminate the strategies that aren’t working for you and substitute in one of your hot new ideas. Rinse and repeat.

Stop Idolizing

Have you ever thought: “I’m not going to contact that person to partner, guest blog, carry my products, affiliate with me, or give me media coverage – because I’m not good enough?”

Idolizing is the worst thing you can do.

Hey, we all have people we admire and respect, that are absolutely killing it in business. But when we idolize them, we immediately institute the “F” word – FEAR. We immediately start to say “oh I’m not good enough to contact them.” “They’ll never like my product or want my advice.” We put them on a pedestal, ensuring we’ll always lack self confidence when we even think about contacting them.

Take a note from a reformed idolizer. View everyone as an equal – a peer – rather than a rabid fan.

Focus on Relationships

Think about any relationship in your life and how it started.

When I first went into business for myself, my interactions with professionals would go something like this:

“Hi, my name is Melissa. I have an idea that I think you’ll like – here it is. What do you think.”

Business person would churn out a hesitant “yeah, I’ll call you.” And conveniently forget to call me, and send my calls to voicemail.

A simple introduction can go a long way. Instead of shooting right out and asking for something, I started approaching business relationships as I would personal relationships. Simple, laid back, without expectations of what they would do for me.

I recommend my clients do this with the media especially. The media are so used to being barraged by pitches and ‘when are you going to cover me’ syndrome.

Relationships are the name of the game.

And if you don’t think you have enough time to create these relationships, or plan, or do any publicity, then…

Hire Someone

Don’t let budget and time constraints stop you from carrying out a publicity campaign. There is plenty of amazing talent out there ready and willing to help you grow. These folks are anyone from virtual assistants, to college interns, to your stay-at-home-parent neighbor looking for a part-time gig. I had an assistant from day one of my business (possibly the only thing I did right from the beginning).

If you’re wondering when you would even find the time to train an assistant to do any publicity for you, I even offer private coaching packages where I can teach you AND your staff (assistants, interns, anyone) how to implement an effective publicity plan in just 30 days. Feel free to email me for more details!

Is your publicity a success or a hot mess? What things are you working to fix in your business? I’d love to hear. Share with a comment below!

As entrepreneurs, we spend a lot of time second-guessing ourselves.

We try a host of different things to publicize our business. We tweet. We blog. We send endless pitches to the media. We plow through even the most boring networking events.

Inevitably there will come a day when you look at everything you’ve done to promote your business and want to throw it all in the trash can and start over.

Your blog sounds lame. And the fact that no one is commenting makes you feel even more lame.

You just spent hours crafting new pitches for the media and following up on old pitches and now are waiting breathlessly for someone to call or email you back. And then…nothing.

You scour your Twitter feed and try desperately to think of something intelligent or pithy to say in 140 characters. And then no one responds except someone named “xxxstaciexo”

Somehow all of your hard work now looks like a pile of poo.

However, when we go crazy trying to change everything in a desperate attempt to make something…anything…work, we can often make it worse. We stop doing things without knowing if they really ARE working. We pick new ways to market our business just because someone else told us we “have” to try it.

And while we navigate deeper into this mess, we aren’t putting any more money in our pocket.

So, what do you do when your publicity efforts are in the sewer?

Create a Plan that Sticks

I get it. You’d rather stick needles into your eyeballs than have to sit down and plan.

But hear me out.

Planning can actually be fun. But you have to create a plan that you can stick to.

I hear from many folks that they wish they had more time to pitch, or to write a book, or to blog, or to attend events. A good first step is to identify where you are spending your time and if you’re spending it efficiently. I like to make a list of all the tasks I do during the day. Do it for one day, or for a full week.

Then you’ll start to identify pockets of time that you might be wasting, or specific tasks you can outsource to free up more of your time.

Now make a plan of action – which marketing and publicity activities will you try in the next three months and how much time do you want to devote to each? This way you can chart out ahead of time how much time you’d like to invest for specific tasks (example: 5 hours per month for blogging, 10 hours per month for media pitching, etc)

Find Out What Really Works

You should have some formal process to measure all of your marketing and publicity efforts. At its most basic, you should ask where your customers heard about you – whether they are buying online or if you have your sales staff asking in person or on the phone. Also, check your website analytics monthly. Where is your traffic coming from? Which pages of your website are they reading (and which page are they leaving your website from)?

Having a measurement system in place to align with your individual marketing strategies will help keep you on track.

Get Help

It sucks doing it all alone. And it can be tough to run things by family and friends (who love your business, but can’t be your only customers).

Plenty of well-intentioned fellow entrepreneurs will share their success strategies, but that doesn’t mean those strategies will work for YOUR individual business.

That said, I’d love to help get you out of the weeds.

WORK WITH ME FOR FREE

I LOVE working with small business owners and get all giddy hearing about your business. As soon as I hear your challenges, my brain starts popping out ideas like fresh-buttered popcorn.

So, this week, I’m hosting a deliciously-awesome contest where you can win a 45-minute phone consultation with me (a $250 value).

All you need to do is post a comment below describing your biggest publicity or marketing challenge. Please also share your business name and website link (if you have one).

I’ll pick FIVE lucky winners by next Tuesday, May 3rd. WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR WINNERS! THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Ready to try your luck at a private coaching session with yours truly? Post your comment below for a chance to win!