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 Great Email Experiment (or, Why Your Inbox is the Best Social Media Channel to Grow Your Biz)
Last month, a couple of folks I know (yep...Carney folks!) were lamenting the fact that there seemed to be an unusual number of people unsubscribing -- or, worse! complaining about SPAM -- every time they sent an email to their lists. Feelings of panic, fear and...
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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...
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A Business Paradox: Slow Down to Speed Up
You've seen the marketing hype and heard all the promises: Build a Six-Figure Business in just 60 Days! Or, Fail Fast, Succeed Faster. There's even a magazine called Fast Company. And it's true: most of us want that income NOW. We've got bills to pay. Kids to send to...
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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...
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Vision and Mission: Your Two Brand Messengers
Two turtle doves... It's Day 2 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed Day 1, you can find it here. In today's installment we talk about two important foundations for any brand: The Vision and Mission. If you could wave your magic wand and create a perfect world,...
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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...
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Engagement from Scratch: An Interview with Danny Iny
Danny Iny, co-founder of Firepole Marketing, has put together a fabulous new book called "Engagement from Scratch: How Super-Community Builders Create a Loyal Audience and How You Can Do the Same!" Contributors to his book include folks like Brian Clark of...
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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...
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Spinning Your Plates: How to Find Balance and Order
A guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis. For those of you just tuning in, this is the latest in a series of posts for The Zeus Experiment, whereby I chronicle my learning curve and ups and downs in developing my own successful online business. Tea Silvestre is my mentor in...
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A 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...
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Strut Your Stuff: 9 Examples of Edutainment Branding
Nine Ladies Dancing! It’s Day 9 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment I've got 9 great videos for you. These are excellent examples of how you can use the strategy of "edutainment" to...
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My Personal Battle With Comparisonitis (and How I’m Making Peace)
She's a gnarly bitch that Comparisonitis. She and I bump heads at least once or twice a year. (When I was younger, it was more like once or twice a month.) You'd think I'd be less surprised now when she sidles up beside me. And not-so-innocently whispers in my ear,...
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We’re Brokenhearted and Helpless. Here’s How We Turn that Around…
"Sometimes I wish the apocalypse would get here, already." My younger sister said this to me while we were talking about the state of the world. She's pregnant with twins. Boys this time. (She's already got five kids -- four are girls.) The twins should be arriving on...
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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...
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A Solid Brand Begins with One True Passion
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree... Welcome to Day One of my 12 Days of Branding series. Each day -- from now until Christmas* -- you'll be gifted with branding advice, case studies and more. If you like what you see,...
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The Downton Abbey Guide to Building a Passionate Tribe
You may not know Lady Gaga from Lady Grantham. Yet. But the odds are good that you do. Why? Because Downton Abbey is one of the most popular British sensations to hit the US (and the world) since...well, The Beatles. And it’s not just because the characters have funny...
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Game-Changers Wanted: I Need Your Advice
Note: Recently, I published a post about blowing things up. That post literally got more comments than any other post I've ever received on this site. Clearly, I'm not the only one frustrated by the system as it exists. I've been getting a lot of questions and...
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10 Ways to Spice Up Your Writing and Let YOUR Voice Shine Through
Book Review: “Uprising: How to Build a Brand and Change the World” (Plus a chance to win a FREE copy)
I love to read -- it's one of the reasons I do book reviews here (so that I have access to all the latest and greatest business books). But this, my friends, is a book you absolutely must read if you're serious about building something bigger than yourself. I know...
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7 Ways to Use Facebook to Find and Research Your Target Market
Back in the day, if you wanted to really understand your customers, you'd need to pay dearly for the information. Market Research firms around the world still command a pretty penny for conducting statistically valid research projects for the big corporations who can...
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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...
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Wanna Be My Plus One? Why I’m Falling in Like with Google + (and Why You Might, Too)
About a month ago, I made a conscious decision to spend more time over on Google+. I did this knowing that the odds are you're not hanging out there (yet) -- even if you do have a G+ account. I did this even though I have no desire to learn some newfangled social...
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Copy Writing that Sells: The Starter Recipe
This post was originally published on WPProBusiness.com During the Gold Rush, the Boudin family, well known master Bakers from France, came to the San Francisco area. They discovered that the sourdough yeast cultures there were very unique and they eventually became...
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How to Stand Out from the Crowd and Build Something that Matters
I have news for you. I'm not Brian Clark. I don't have his name recognition or his mad copy writing skillz. I'm also not Danielle LaPorte or Marie Forleo or even Danny Iny. Nor am I looking for World Domination. And it's not that I don't want to be successful. I do....
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Deep Fried Kool-Aid: a Marketing Parable
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...
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The 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...
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