Welcome to the Story Bistro blog!
Our most recent posts have been cued up for your enjoyment. This month, our focus is on blooming and deepening our online relationships.
(See the footer at the bottom of this page to browse by category.)
Uncorked: Michelle Radomski Says Your Voice Matters
Welcome to Corkers Uncorked. These are some of my most treasured interviews -- mostly because I get to know my readers (you!) on a whole different level. We focus on your astounding biz-related superpowers and origin stories. Bonus: you get to learn more about your...
read more
We’re All Guinea Pigs Now: Life and Business as Continual Experiments
A guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis. What if, underneath it all, your carefully planned and wished-for life was nothing more than an adventurous experiment? Would that free you or strike terror into your heart? What if you were both the guinea pig and the dude in the...
read more
How to Eat Your (Marketing) Artichoke
10 Solid Tips for Marketing Your Online Courses
This is a guest post from one of our Digital Dining Room members, Abe Crystal of ruzuku.com. If there’s one question we hear at ruzuku over and over again, it’s, "How do I effectively market and promote my online course?" Fundamentally? Marketing your course is STILL...
read more
SSC 1.1 :: The Invitation
Julia stood in the same spot she always came to when she wanted to disappear. The young adult stacks were in the far corner of the upstairs level. It was the quietest section of the store and easy to hide there. Usually. She stared at the...
read more
Your Secret Sauce: 9 Steps to Create an Addicting Brand
If you've been a freelancer or a small business owner for even a few months, I'm sure you've heard the advice, "Differentiate, or die." The experts are like a dog with a bone: "Nail down your USP, if you want to succeed,” they say. But when you're struggling to even...
read more
Tell a More Engaging Brand Story: Use a Villain!
One of the things I have my clients do over the course of our time together is create a persona (or three) for their customers' Big Challenge/Desire. (It's part of the Biz Story Outline.) We ask the question: Who, or What stands in the way of your client...
read more
10 Ways to Spice Up Your Writing and Let YOUR Voice Shine Through
The Ultimate Branding Quiz (It’s NOT What You Think)
Wondering which branding quiz will give you the definitive answers about what makes you unique? It's true, you've got options. Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've undoubtedly been harassed by at least a dozen "Which _________ are you?" quizzes in...
read more
Simplify a Complicated Branding Story
In preparation for the launch of Story Bistro, I reached out to my readers and asked for your best storytelling questions. At least half of the ones you sent were a variation on this one: I work in two distinct areas. How can I incorporate them both into my story? Or...
read more
Uncorked: Holly Higbee-Jansen Leads Landscape Photography Adventures
Welcome to our bi-monthly series: Corkers Uncorked. These are some of my most treasured interviews -- mostly because I get to know my readers (you!) on a whole different level. We focus on your astounding biz-related superpowers and origin stories. Bonus: you get to...
read more
Marketing: It’s Not What You Think (and, Why Knowing the Truth Matters)
During our mentoring wrap-up call last week, I asked Zeus for some feedback. I wanted to know what I might've done better or differently during our time together -- something that could've possibly made a bigger difference to him and his marketing efforts. One of the...
read more
The Fiery, Naked Approach (and How to Use it)
My friend and colleague, Danny Iny (of Firepole Marketing) recently published a marketing manifesto titled "Naked Marketing" -- and it's been getting quite the reception around the interwebz. So much so, that people are creating lists of valuable resources around the...
read more
How I Grew Site Traffic by 60% in Three Months: A Peek into the Small Biz Branding Contest
As many of you noticed, we recently wrapped up the First Annual Tastiest Small Biz Brand Award campaign. The event/marketing efforts lasted nearly three months and worked to accomplish (or surpass!) several goals. These were: Help establish Word Chef authority in the...
read more
How to Launch During the Holidays without Crying in Your Wine
This is a guest post by Michelle Nickolaisen. Launch stress is awful at the best of times, but it's definitely not something you want to have mess with your holidays. There are a lot of factors to launching during or after the holidays without ripping your hair out or...
read more
Stop Talking and Listen! Making Sales by Fulfilling Customer’s Needs
This is a guest post by Gina Smith So, you've perfected your pitch. You've spent hours understanding the needs and desires of your customers. You've created the best possible products and/or services. You've rehearsed in front of family, friends and colleagues. Maybe...
read more
10 Best Books for Learning the Art of Business Storytelling
Unless you live under a rock, you've likely heard by now that using stories in your marketing is the Golden Ticket to business success. There are scads of blog posts and books out there all telling you WHY storytelling is so important: Stories help our brains make...
read more
Get ‘er Done: Write Your Marketing Copy and Content
You're just like me. A small business owner who doesn't have their own marketing department (or who can't afford to hire an expert). Who wears all the hats and later wonders why you have a "bad case of hat head" (as one of my clients likes to say). And whose arms are...
read more
Solopreneurs and Online Marketing: What’s Working, What’s Failing
Just last month, we wrapped up a survey here on the topic of Solopreneurs and their online marketing practices. The goal? To find out exactly what folks are doing, what's working for them and what's failing. To establish some benchmarks -- not necessarily of best...
read more
Why Mistakes aren’t as Evil as You Think
This is a guest post by one of our own Word Chef tribe members, Matthew Turner. Mistakes have a really bad reputation, and that's something I hope to change. I'm not suggesting you make them on purpose, because trust me, you don't have to -- they'll find you...
read more
From the Heart: How to Get the Best Testimonials (So You Can Attract a Hungry Crowd)
Hear this truth: Your people love you. You're conscientious. You over-deliver. You care about your clients' success. You're a big-hearted entrepreneur with the best of intentions. And hear this...
read more
Why Your Business is Stuck and How to Move it Forward (Especially if You’re Flat Broke and Jonesing for a High-Priced Program)
Are you like Julia? She signed up for every free e-course that she could find. She's downloaded just about all the free templates, e-books and worksheets that are out there (and most -- if not all -- are languishing among digital dust bunnies on her hard drive)....
read more
Is Your Ideal Client Trying to Tell You Something?
Last month in the Digital Dining Room we focused on Market Research. Specifically, how the heck do you find out what your Ideal Client is ready and willing to pay for? Because there's a difference between them needing and wanting something. Traditional business folks...
read more
Behind the Scenes of AmyTV
Some of you may have seen Amy's video series, Content Marketing Stripped. She's created a total of 20 videos so far -- each one a gem filled with storytelling, humor and value. Perhaps (like me), you found yourself giggling out loud and sharing the videos with your...
read more
Case Study: Creating an About Page that Works
Did you know that your About Page is one of your website's most important tools? For some of us, it's probably one of THE most-visited pages on the entire site. And that's because people want to know who they're about to do business with. Are you trustworthy? Do you...
read more
5 Marketing Lessons from Celebrity Chefs
No, You’re NOT Stupid (Or, How to Keep Your Brain from Melting When Things Don’t Work)
A guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis. Is it possible for a Ph.D. in education (me) to take a half-day getting his website email up and going? (Drum roll…) Yes, it is. You’re kidding. I mean, c’mon, this should take a few minutes, right? Umm, not exactly. I know what you...
read more