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.)
The Baconomics of Branding (or, How to Bring Home More by Being Different)
True story: Mr. Perfect and I are moving in together in 3 weeks. Sure. It's just across town. But the headaches are still the same: find just the right place; do gobs of paperwork; make tons of phone calls to various utilities; simultaneously pack-sell-or-trash...
read moreThis Week’s Marketing Dish: Apple Nachos
Keith Pillow of Caddy Marketing submitted the first dish up for examination in my new weekly series that answers the question, "What the heck can we learn about marketing from our favorite foods?" An expert on marketing and communications, career advancement, and...
read moreSimplify 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 moreSurprising Advice for Honing Your Storytelling and Blogging Skills
Have you seen the above rules before? It's super-smart advice! [Get more writing and content marketing tips from Copyblogger.] Here's Step #11: Don't Write in a Vacuum. It's simple: if you want to get better -- no matter what your experience level -- you should also...
read moreThe 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 moreFeed Us a Story
Stories are food. Feed everyone and be willing to let them feed you, too. Remember humans love stories — it’s hardwired into how we learn and grow. Why did you start your business? That’s a story. Who are your best customers (and what makes them the best)? That’s...
read moreBook Marketing Lessons from a Finance Rockstar
As the President of Small Business Finance Forum, Nicole Fende, aka the Numbers Whisperer™ is a credentialed actuary with experience as a Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, and successful entrepreneur. She's also the author of the new book, "How to be a...
read moreReturn on Influence: The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring and More (an Interview with the Author)
Mark Schaefer stopped in at the Word Café last week and we had a chance to talk recently about his new book, Return on Influence. Here are the highlights: Q: How did you decide to write this book? I have to be honest...I've been watching this whole Klout thing from...
read moreThe Secret Way To Grow A Successful Business Really Fast With No Effort At All*
This is a guest post by Carol Lynn Rivera. *That was a lie. Just like it is every time you read it in a headline or on a blog or in an email and every time you hear it in a webinar or hinted at in a sales pitch. But did I get your attention? Ok, I admit to a teensy...
read more5 Ways to Keep Your Marketing Costs from Boiling Over
This is a guest post by Samar Owais Marketing is a lot like cooking— easy for those who enjoy it and hell on earth for those who don’t. Until a couple of years ago, I sucked at both. While I didn’t kill my business or food poison anyone in my family, I came...
read moreRevamp vs. Rebrand? 10 Considerations for Your Business Website
Most people don’t know that my parents named me Christina. I changed my name to Téa in college (I'll share why at the end of this post). Yes, it’s my legal name. Believe me, the IRS, the DMV and every government office between Los Angeles and Portland can verify this...
read more10 Ways to Spice Up Your Writing and Let YOUR Voice Shine Through
Storytelling à la Reality TV: What The Next Food Network Star can teach you about marketing
10 Totally Unique Ideas for Your Next Blog Post
Nobody ever wants to "phone it in." Our blog posts reflect who we are as a brand and a small business. The more you're able to think creatively about your content, the more you'll be able to generate engagement and interest, right? So I asked some of the brightest...
read moreYes! You CAN Stop Pigging Out on All That Information
This is a guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis, a reader who responded to a recent PB&J newsletter with this bit of helpful advice. (If you're a reader, too -- keep that in mind the next time you're bold enough to reply to my emails!) Okay, you and I do it all the...
read moreHow to Get 5-Star Referrals From Your Peers and Colleagues
Most of the advice out there about referrals is related to your customers (i.e., getting them to send you new ones.) In short, make them happy and they'll want to tell their friends about you. But you can also get some fabulous referrals from your peers and colleagues...
read moreA Business Storytelling Manifesto
This isn't just another bandwagon. This is truly important stuff. Especially if you're a mission-driven entrepreneur who has some world-changing ideas, products, or services. You know that business IS personal. That it SHOULD be personal. How else will we ever fix...
read moreYour Business is Like an Artichoke
Have you ever been seduced by a vegetable? I have. And her name is Artichoke. What is it about her that draws me in? She's beautiful, sensual and earthy all at once. She has hidden mysteries, layers of "meaty" stories, and a delicious interior that can only be...
read moreSSC 1.2 :: The Meeting
Julia stood on the sidewalk, the letter in her hand. She looked at it again and then searched the storefronts for a matching address. There IS no 404. Am I even on the right street? She craned her neck to read the street sign. Hmm. West...
read moreWe’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 moreWhy 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 moreHow to Reach Your Target Market in a Down Economy
Recently, I wrote a post called It’s All About YOU. (That’s the page you might want to bookmark and visit later as it was made especially for our readers to share themselves and their questions -- no expiration date!). Today, I address a question from Karen Vaisman of...
read moreAfter the Sale: How to Create Strong Client Relationships
Everything is about relationships. (Marketing, too.) That extends to things we do after the sale. After all, it's much easier to keep a client than to find a new one. If your client relationships aren't as strong as you'd like them to be, it may be time to put your...
read moreMy Big Why: On Motives, Mentors, and Defining Moments
This post first appeared on TheWordChef.com in October 2013. When our Word Carnival group decided an homage to parenthood and business was in order (congrats on your new son, Nick!), I felt a little lost about how I might approach this month's theme. Then I remembered...
read moreAuthor Marketing Club: An Interview with the Founder
Jim Kukral, the founder of the Author Marketing Club (a great resource I found while marketing my new book) was my guest recently at the Word Café. I've pulled the highlights together for you here. Q: What's the Author Marketing Club about? And why did you start it?...
read moreA Pumpkin with a Plan (Or, How to Quit Being a Slave to Your Business)
Every once in awhile, a book comes along that really makes sense. This? Yep, this is definitely one of them. If you've read Mike Michaelowicz's The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, then you're already familiar with his friendly and accessible style, his sense of humor,...
read moreDon’t Read the Instruction Manual: It’s Time to Improvise
Growing up in a Mormon family, I was encouraged to learn things that would develop me into the perfect wife and homemaker. How to make jam. How to sew. How to play with barbies. You know, girly things. And there were always lots of instructions for these things. A...
read more