by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 29, 2021 | Market Research
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,...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 29, 2021 | Market Research, Marketing Strategies
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 29, 2021 | Branding
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 28, 2021 | Branding, Community & Relationships, Writing Tips
Your "Secret Sauce" is your personality. It's the flavor that you bring to everything you do. And it comes across in many ways -- your voice, your style and your sense of humor. When you interact with real-live human beings, your secret sauce is pretty evident. Most of the time, people can "get" who you are after just a few brief conversations.
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 28, 2021 | Book Reviews, Branding, Podcasts
Karen Post, aka the Branding Diva, has a great new book called “Brand Turnaround: How Brands Gone Bad Returned to Glory…and the 7 Game Changers that Made the Difference.“ I spoke with her earlier this week on the Word Cafe podcast. Here are the highlights....
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 28, 2021 | Branding, Ideal Heroic Client
If you’ve ever been camping in bear country, you know the drill. Lock up your food. Keep your trash safely stowed. And for cryin-out-loud, don’t feed the bears! When it comes to your business, it’s also a wise idea to safeguard something...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 28, 2021 | Branding, Storytelling, Writing Tips
Your writing is tight. Authoritative. You're already speaking directly to one reader. Not using jargon. And yet...It still sounds like it could've been written by anyone in your industry. Here are 10 ways to make sure YOUR voice and personality shine through your writing.
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 27, 2021 | eMail Marketing
November is National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). And, even though I won’t be working on my novel, I want to push myself to create some new writing habits. At first I thought I’d try my hand at short stories. But then I remembered my Box... I have...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 27, 2021 | Market Research, Marketing Strategies, Working with Marketing Professionals
I’m currently conducting a 13-week teaching/gamification experiment called “Prosperity’s Kitchen.” It’s an online class for solopreneurs to learn the ins and outs of marketing themselves in the digital world. The twist? It’s...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 27, 2021 | Book Reviews, Podcasts, Social Media
Beth and I met last year in a guest blogging class taught by Jon Morrow, and it wasn’t long before we’d hit it off. We’ve even managed to meet up in person a few times, and it’s always an energizing exchange when we get the chance to talk. This...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 26, 2021 | Branding, Writing Tips
You’ve seen other people do it. Stephen Colbert used to do it all the time. George Bush (Jr) is probably still doing it. Both of them got pretty famous for their efforts (although, for different reasons). That word they create is sometimes called a portmanteau,...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 26, 2021 | 12 Days of Branding, Branding, Case Studies
Four Calling Birds… It’s Day 4 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment we’ve got an awesome case study on how to do things that work, plus I give you four new ways to...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 26, 2021 | eMail Marketing, Social Media
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,...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 26, 2021 | Branding, Case Studies, Storytelling
Every hero has one: an origin story. Bruce Wayne watched a mugger brutally kill his parents when he was just a child. Peter Parker found his inner hero after a radioactive spider bit him. Buffy discovered she was “The Chosen One” and learned to leverage her slayer...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 26, 2021 | Community & Relationships, Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Writing Tips
Troll the interwebs and you'll find plenty of advice on how to avoid killing your business relationships with email and other technologies.
We've all gotten so used to texting, tweeting and tagging each other, that we've forgotten how important it is to actually use our phones.
And I'm just as guilty as the rest of you.
So how do you bridge the gap? How do you turn an online lead (like a Facebook Fan) into a paying customer?
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 25, 2021 | Branding, Creativity, Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research
When you’re really hungry, it’s easy to opt for fast-food. It’s cheap and it’s quick, and it gets the job done. But a Whopper isn’t beef bourguignon. There’s about a 2-hour difference in the time it takes to create them. The Whopper...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 25, 2021 | Branding, Community & Relationships, Social Media
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 24, 2021 | Branding, Ideal Heroic Client
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....
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 24, 2021 | Market Research
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 24, 2021 | Branding, Storytelling
Humans. We all love a good story. Especially if they’re true. Ever watched a movie based on a true story? This weekend, I found myself engrossed in “Big Miracle.” It’s based on the true story of the international effort to rescue a family of...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 23, 2021 | Branding, Case Studies
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 23, 2021 | Branding, Case Studies, Marketing Strategies
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 23, 2021 | Branding, Creativity, Marketing Dish
“New mouth, New rules!” — The Doctor Worried that your marketing sounds a lot like everyone else’s? It happens. To the best of us! Usually because we’re too insecure to throw away those sales page blueprints and email templates and create...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 22, 2021 | Marketing Strategies, Productivity
When I meet with a potential client, one of the questions I usually ask is, "What does your sales funnel look like?" The blank stares and nervous coughing I get in response would almost be funny. Except when I try to ask it another way, and I can still hear crickets. "Okay, then tell me about your sales process -- how do you get and nurture your leads?"
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 21, 2021 | 12 Days of Branding, Branding, Marketing Strategies
Seven Swans a-Swiming! It’s Day 7 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment we’ll dive into the Marketing Rule of 7. Never heard of it? Read on! Let’s start off today with a visualization...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 21, 2021 | Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research
Meet Joshua Bell. He’s HUGE in the classical music world. A few years ago, he posed as a street musician in in Washington DC, and nobody paid him any attention. Normally, if you want to see this guy play, you have to shell out a minimum of $100 (that’s for...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 18, 2021 | Marketing Budget
A guest post by Nicole Fende, the Numbers Whisperer™ We’re going to start by talking groceries. Don’t worry, I’ll sneak in the finance. Since Tea is the Chef, groceries seem appropriate. When you go to the grocery store you may be like me, and have a list. Big shout...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 18, 2021 | Social Media
Have you met this guy? He’s a very sneaky sort of villain. He’s what we call around here an Evil Chef Robot. And he’s just one of several marketing-type enemies that could hurt your solo business. Let’s take a look-see, shall we? How to Spot...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 18, 2021 | Branding, Storytelling, Writing Tips
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 17, 2021 | Creativity, Market Research, Working with Marketing Professionals
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 16, 2021 | Branding, eMail Marketing, Social Media
It happens about the same time every year. We all get a barrage of emails and see a tsunami of ads, blog posts, and offers for a certain program that starts with a B. Affiliate marketers — even people we trusted! — were hawking their bonuses left and...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 15, 2021 | Ideal Heroic Client, Marketing Budget, Marketing Strategies, Storytelling
I must confess: beyond the pleasures that come with watching a slew of manly men in tight pants run around and get sweaty, I’m not really a fan of football. I watch to support Mr. Perfect’s interests and because (let’s face it) he’s holding the...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 14, 2021 | Community & Relationships, Marketing Strategies
Have you ever tried to do something big? No, I mean, massively huge -- something even a little audacious?
If you haven't, you're missing out on one of the best adventure of your life.
But if you have, then you know you can't really pull off something enormous without the help of other people. Which is why my Entrepreneur's Manifesto calls you to "Collaborate in the Kitchen.
Here's a story about one woman who is doing just that...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Aug 13, 2021 | Branding
“Clarity is power.” (author unknown) Over the years, the one challenge most of my consulting clients have in common is still the same: a struggle to define themselves. Sound familiar? Most of them know what their business is about and what they have to...
