by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 15, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 15, 2024 | Book Reviews, Ideal Heroic Client
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 13, 2024 | 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 | Mar 13, 2024 | Book Reviews, Ideal Heroic Client, Social Media, Working with Marketing Professionals
Meet Brandon Mendelson (aka BJ Mendelson), an ex-marketer whose recently published book, “Social Media is Bullshit,” has been getting mostly favorable reviews. (A lot of the flack comes from folks who make a living from social media.) You can listen to the...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 13, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Marketing Budget, Marketing Strategies, Working with Marketing Professionals
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 11, 2024 | 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 | Mar 9, 2024 | Features and Benefits, Ideal Heroic Client, Storytelling, Writing Tips
The $64,000 question is: Do your customers want to buy what you're selling?
If you've done your homework (i.e., market research), and you know without a doubt that your product or service is something people need and/or want, yet you still fail to generate sales, then there's something missing in your marketing messages.
In short, you're not "speaking" your customer's language (either online or in person).
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 9, 2024 | Case Studies, Creativity, Ideal Heroic Client, Marketing Budget, Marketing Strategies, Podcasts
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 8, 2024 | 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 | Mar 8, 2024 | 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 | Mar 6, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client
In today’s post, I address a question from Caroline Nash of Carolee Crafts (at least 2 other readers asked about this, so I knew it was really important): I’m very shy and fine on a keyboard, but face to face I freeze. Small talk and I do not mix, and I...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Mar 3, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Marketing Strategies
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 29, 2024 | 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 | Feb 28, 2024 | Book Reviews, Branding, Ideal Heroic Client, Writing Tips
I love to read (duh). And when I’m not reading supernatural romances, I’m devouring nonfiction business and self improvement titles. (Amazon loves me!) The following list encompasses some of my favorite, and most recommended titles in the field of...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 25, 2024 | Book Reviews, Branding, Community & Relationships, Ideal Heroic Client, Podcasts
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)....
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 23, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Storytelling, Writing Tips
If you're the kind of host who cares about your Aunt Sally, you don't knowingly serve her shellfish when she's allergic.
By the same token, any marketing message you try to deliver should also be created around your knowledge of your prospect.
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 21, 2024 | Branding, Case Studies, Community & Relationships, Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research
Except for my client Rebecca Joseph (aka The Rabbi Chef), your goal is probably not to be the Next Food Network Star.
But there's a whole lot that celebrity chefs can teach us about working in a crowded marketplace. The successful ones truly excel at building their brands and growing their fan base. How do they do it? Here are five of their marketing strategies that you can (and should) adopt today:
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 18, 2024 | Branding, Case Studies, Ideal Heroic Client, Podcasts
Earlier this week, I talked with Abe and Rick of Ruzuku.com — an online platform created to make it “ridiculously easy” to teach better classes on the web. Ruzuku first came onto my radar when Abe posted this question on my “It’s All...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 18, 2024 | Creativity, Ideal Heroic Client
Ever get so frustrated with the way things are that you’d like to blow it all up and start over? Mmm, hmmm. Me, too. Especially lately. (Fair warning: This is gonna include a bit of a rant.) Why my fuse is lit: Marketing successfully — whether online or...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 18, 2024 | Features and Benefits, Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Marketing Strategies, Writing Tips
When I was still a youngster (in the days before the Internet was considered a valid way to get your message out), I spent my nights and weekends at the UC Davis Extension learning the "official" rules of "Product-Price-Place-Promotion."
One of my first professors (I think his name was Mr. Aguilar) had a strange attachment to the term "pasta marketing." He must've used this term at least twice in every class. His point was that lots of people do their marketing like they cook their pasta: they throw it against the wall to see if it's done. If it sticks, they think it's good. And if doesn't, well...you go back to the drawing board.
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 16, 2024 | Branding, Case Studies, Ideal Heroic Client, Marketing Budget, Working with Marketing Professionals
When I first started my consulting practice I used a combination of just three funding sources: savings, credit cards and a little thing called barter. Bartering can be great fun — especially when you find someone who has what you need and who needs what you...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 15, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Marketing Budget, Marketing Strategies
Question: My corporate training business has been doing well in the local markets where we live. But how to do we get national clients and expand our business? On a small budget of course. How can we get that kind of reach to potential corporate clients without...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 15, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Writing Tips
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...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 12, 2024 | Ideal Heroic Client, Market Research, Marketing Budget, Marketing Strategies
This is a guest post by Jessica Oman of Write Ahead. Did you hear the one about the entrepreneur who hired bikini-clad models to market a delicious organic barbecue sauce to moms with young kids? …Didn’t think so. This is a typical example of what...
by Téa Silvestre Godfrey | Feb 7, 2024 | 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...