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.)
Tipping Sacred Marketing Cows and Changing Stories: “The Money’s in the List”
Want to be different and stand out from the crowd? One of the best ways to do that is to challenge the status quo. And over at the Business Luminaries' Roundtable, that's exactly what we're doing. Talking about the elephants in the various rooms of our industries....
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The Hero of the Story: How to Keep Your Dinner Guest in Mind
Lovably Unpopular: An Interview with Erika Napoletano and a Chance to Win Her New Book
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that around here, figuring out your Secret Sauce is a pretty huge deal. That's why I was so excited about the chance to talk with Erika Napoletano (the person behind the persona at RedHeadWriting.com). She's got her own...
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Solopreneurs and Online Marketing: How Do You Compare to Your Peers?
Do you make your money independently? As a solo professional, freelancer or "solopreneur?" If the answer is yes, please read on... Wearing all the hats AND looking good while you do it isn't as easy most people think. Your marketing hat might be one of those. Or, it...
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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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True Confessions: I’ve Used and Abused My Body (and it’s Finally Caught Up With Me)
For those of you who don't follow my personal exploits (yes, I've got a blog for those), I was recently diagnosed with not one, but FIVE potentially chronic issues: Vitamin D deficiency Gall stones (I'm one episode away from having it out surgically) Fatty, enlarged...
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Book Review | Body of Work: Finding the Thread that Ties Your Story Together
The Big Promise: Your entire life has created something unique and beautiful. This book will help you understand how to find and build on that information -- whether that's in a job or a business. This is a topic that's near and dear to my heart. And it's at the...
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Find Your Purpose in the Tiny Details and Make a Big Difference
Ever wonder what the heck your purpose is? You've got a little business that you'd like to grow and sometimes you wonder if anyone really cares, right? If what you're doing matters in the larger scheme of things? If what you have to offer would ever prompt someone to...
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August Blog Prompt: Tutorial
Tell us a story! Sometimes finding inspiration -- at least where your business blog's concerned -- can feel a bit like trying to touch your elbow to your nose (frustrating at worst, just plain laughable at best). I hear from a lot of you that you're not sure what you...
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Case Study: How the Jansens Regularly Fill Their Virtual, Local, and Global Workshops
Meet Holly and Mark Jansen. This husband and wife team owns and runs a photography business: Jansen Photo Expeditions. Specifically, they teach photo enthusiasts how to get just the right shot, with just the right equipment, no matter where in the world their cameras...
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The Manifesto: Why Your Business Needs One and How to Write It
I always encourage my clients to write a manifesto for their business. And no, I don't want you to write something creepy a la The Unibomber. This isn't about blowing people up. (Just their minds.) What I'm talking about here is clarity. Clarity for you. Clarity for...
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How to Make Your Call to Action a Call to Adventure
Are you ready for an adventure, Storyteller? Or is your life already so full of strange and crazy that you only long for a quiet house and some peaceful chain-napping? Either way, I have a special invitation for you. But first, let's talk about your biz story and The...
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The Remarkable Purple Carrot: A Marketing Parable
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...
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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...
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If You Had Clients Like These…
...You'd Be in Love, Too Few business owners are as lucky as I am. I don't talk about them often enough, but I have some of the BEST clients in the world. Each of them are doing amazing things -- changing and shifting, growing into more confident and glowing versions...
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Seditious Much? Why Your Industry Needs You to Rock the Boat
When was the last time you said something provocative? That you knew might make waves with your peers and colleagues? Or with your clients or potential customers? And not just in your head, but out loud? If you're like me, you're probably -- mostly -- watching your Ps...
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How to Tell a Compelling Story with Your About Page
Do you dread writing your About Page (like you dread cleaning out the fridge)? You're not alone. We all know we need one. And yes, it's probably one of THE most-visited pages on your entire site. (Have you checked your Google Analytics lately? Go do it. I'll wait.)...
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Get People to Hate You
This post is part of the 30-Day Bloom Your Online Relationships Challenge. If you'd like to play along, you can sign up here (don't worry -- it's FREE). We're all working through these small, powerful actions together and sharing our questions, learnings and...
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The Nemesis: Tell Your Marketing Story Better with a Character (or three)
One of the things you want to do is personify the problems of your customers. Why? Because it helps you tell better stories about how you fix those problems. I've done this for my own business, and was able to identify almost a dozen evil characters that stop my...
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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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From Struggling “Jill-of-all-Trades” to Master of One: A Case Study
This week, we take a close look at a Digital Dining Room member and learn what’s possible when you focus like a laser on “one thing.” Meet Colleen Conger of Think.Web.Go. In June 2012, she was a struggling freelance graphic designer who’d never even heard of a thing...
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Writing Prompt: Your Soap Box
What do you stand for? Questions to get you started: What's bugging you about how your competitors operate? What do you see happening that needs to stop? What positive changes need to be made in your industry or line of business that everyone else seems to overlook or...
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How to Stand Out, Stand Up, and Help Change the Business World
Do you look the same as your competitors? SOUND the same? You might find this hard to believe, but even with my branding background, I've had a blind spot about HOW to stand out from the crowd. Differentiation -- that fancy word for your Unique Value Proposition -- is...
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The PB&J Guide to Building a Tasty Brand
Peanut Butter and Jelly. Two simple, timelessly appealing ingredients. Like most of us, you probably became a fan in childhood. Of the PB&J, I mean. I know it was the only thing my little brother would eat. Period. White bread, creamy peanut butter and grape jelly...
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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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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...
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