JustWrite

Having spent a couple years in cattle country, I couldn’t help imagining this scene when it came time to brand myself.

Amidst editing my book, choosing a printer and finalizing other details necessary before I’ll Do It Myself goes to press, I am also progressing through the Mega Marketing Makeover. Currently, I’m working with Suzanne Falter-Barns of Get Known Now to develop my brand – how I’ll be known in the marketplace. After some discussion and brainstorming, “I’ll Do It Myself” emerged as my brand. Imagine that! When Suzanne googled “I’ll Do It Myself”, she was excited to see I have the top three spots. Apparently, that is pretty sweet! I now have my brand.

The next step is to nail down the description of what I actually do, my expert line. For the past few years, I’ve been using Web Accessibility Specialist. In this field, I have enjoyed the championing role -– enabling and encouraging people to see the need for accessible websites -– more than the hardcore technical stuff. I would like to expand upon this role by providing able-bodies (ABs) a safe forum to address their heebee-geebees about interacting with people with disabilities. Once my book is released, I envision accomplishing this by continuing to write and to podcast, offering webinars, e-courses and such.

I also want to offer hope and encouragement to those affected by disabilities, either directly or indirectly. I stumbled across this blog post, which so perfectly demonstrates what I want to do. By sharing my story, I touched this father of a special needs child in a way that he needed in that moment. What could be greater than that? That is what I aim to do.

But how do you put that into a nice, short, snappy phrase? There is where Suzanne and I have bogged down. We aren’t sure how to define what I do. We have brainstormed many ideas, but none really appeal to me for various reasons; some of which are obvious.

1. Every Persons Guide to Understanding the Life of the Disabled (the disabled what? The word “disabled” is an adjective, not a noun. An adjective needs a noun to describe, i.e. “disabled people”. However, that phrase breaks the first cardinal rule when writing about this segment of the population: put the person first, before the disability, i.e. “people with disabilities” or “writer with cerebral palsy”, etc.)
2. Champion for the Disabled
3. Disability Access Expert
4. Disabled Access Expert and Author (Is the access disabled? That is definitely not what we want, as there is enough of that!)
5. Heegee-Geebee Remover (Apparently the media doesn’t have a sense of humour. They wouldn’t get this. Drat!)
6. Disabled Person’s Liaison
7. Liaison for the Disabled
8. Advocate for the Disabled
9. Author and Advocate for the Disabled
10. Supporter of Disabled People
11. Disabled Person’s Acceptability Coach (Something with acceptance/acceptability definitely has possibility as it gets at something I dubbed the AAA Principle - accessibility also involves awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities - all disabilities. However, coach may not fit because, according to Wikipedia, coaches rarely offer advice. Me not offer advice? Where is the fun in that? Perhaps leadership is a more appropriate term. The Wikipedia offers R. J. House’s definition of leadership: “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members”. The words influence, motivate and enable definite fit with what I do and would like to do. Hmmm, Acceptability Leader – Inspiring People to Embrace Differences???)
12. Web Accessibility Expert for People with Disabilities (I would like to grow beyond web accessibility.)
13. Web Access Champion for People with Disabilities (Actually, web accessibility benefits more than only people with disabilities. There are numerous carry-over or auxiliary benefits to universal design.)
14. Disability Liaison Champion (This has some potential.)
15. Champion for All with Disabilities (This may perpetuate the stereotype that the disabled community is a homeogenous group. I can see the headlines now: Champion for All of Us? Who Does Glenda Watson Hyatt Think She Is? Uhh, no. Next!)
16. Disability Liberation Expert (Ugh, no!)
17. Disability Rights Champion (Sounds too political.)
18. Disability Motivation Expert
19. An Inspiration Source for People with Disabilities
20. Diversity and Inclusion Specialist - the Only DIS in Disability (Although I never really did like the way some people played with the word, i.e. disAbility - too disability movement-ish for me.)
21. Attitude Adjustor (This one appeals to me. Would the media get it?)

I welcome your ideas and thoughts on this topic. Looking forward to another lively round of comments!

Tags: Branding experts, branding on the web, branded web presence, marketing

And, finally, here is the third part of the Marketing Makeover winnings:

Phase III: Keep the Momentum Going

1. Joan Stewart ~~ one half hour of consulting and 3 free special reports of my choice. Apparently, here’s where I can start building my offline, traditional publicity strategy. Joan is the expert for that.
2. Dan Janal ~~ PR Leads package. I’ll receive three months free of media leads that I can send to my media page, once the media page is built. Hopefully if I build it, they will come!
3. Susan Harrow ~~ Women’s Supersaver Bundle (CD and transcripts) plus “Get a 6-Figure Book Advance”. I have already received this prize and have read through much of Susan’s book. Very interesting stuff! Once my autobiography is safely nestled in its rightful place in the Library of Canada, preserved as Canadian heritage for future generations, then I’ll kick ass to find a foreign publisher and, hopefully, a six-figure book advance. Can you say “retirement fund”?!
4. Wayne Kelly ~~ 30 Days to Radio Success Class plus coaching session. This should be interesting, given my Glenda-ish. But if this non-verbal red-head can podcast, why not radio?! Wayne says he is up for the challenge!
5. Marc Harty ~~ PR Traffic package. This is a info product that teaches me a system for optimizing press releases for better search engine ranking. Apparently good for when I’m ready to connect with traditional media and will bring in more general traffic. I will need my media room in place for this.
6. Milana Leshinsky ~~ Licensing Revenue Secrets. According to Suzanne, this package is “when you’re ready to develop a workshop based on your book, here’s the product that will help you license it and get it out to all kinds of people who become your representatives in the marketplace.” I’m not sure how this will pan out. I’ll keep you posted.

Obviously, it is a fairly intensive makeover package, worth over $12,000, for which I would like to thank all of the contributors. I look forward to connecting with all of you.

This is an awesome opportunity and I can only imagine where it may take me. It could really launch my book into orbit! I’m looking forward to diving into all these goodies. My first session with Suzanne is in a few minutes. My session in “Get Known Now”. Stay tuned…

Tags: Marketing experts, marketing strategies, marketing tips

Continuing with the list of prizes from the Mega Marketing Makeover, here is the second part.

Part II: Online & Offline Publicity

1. Andrea Lee’s Multiple Streams of Coaching Income ~~ Pink Spoon Marketing Binder.
2. Andy Wibbels ~~ Instant access to Business Blog Basics, Easy Bake Weblogs and RSS Essentials plus a consultation with Andy on a blogging strategy as part of the marketing makeover. I’m really eager to get my new blog set up, so that I can dive into Andy’s courses and Go Blogwild! For me, in my situation, I think blogging will be a key strategy in building my platform, and subsequently, creating interest in my book.
3. Claire Communications : Newsletter Package (Value $250) This is great for setting up your ezine and beginning to build your list.
4. Travis Greenlee ~~ One VIP seat in the Industry Leading Virtual Practice Builder. Apparently, this is an excellent program that will help me develop more traffic to blog and site, which definitely woul be good. Rumour has it his techniques are different and generate a lot of excitement.
5. Michael Port ~~ One month of coaching (3 - 30 minute sessions). The focus here will be on booking my practice solid, attracting clients. I guess this will first entail creating a practice so that I have one to book solid. Stay tuned for details!
6. David Wood ~~ Explode Your Coaching Practice Online audio set. Apparently more general good stuff on building traffic, and expanding reach that can be applied to practices or regular businesses.

Tags: Online publicity, offline publicity, getting national publicity

Back in July, I won the Mega Marketing Makeover, sponsored by Suzanne Falter-Barns of Get Known Now. This landslide victory was due to awesome support from friends and strangers alike. I sure felt the love that week. Pam Slim’s blog post is only one example of the amazing support I have received, for which I am truly appreciative.

Suzanne has broken the $12,000 prize package into three parts. Here is the first part.

Part One: Create the Branded Web Presence

1. Lena West ~~ Technology Diet Summer Intensive and 3 hours of one-on-one consulting. The coaching sessions are done and I will participate in the next offering of the Technology Diet Summer Intensive. I’m curious to see what this is all about.
2. Suzanne Falter-Barns ~~ Get Known Now Boot Camp - Suzanne’s private coaching program of 3 one hour sessions over 6 weeks to establish my brand, plus 2 half hours to assess. Her objectives here are to do some brand chat, some online image development like refinement of site, setting up of a media page and kit, and clarification of market. We can also do a little work on how best to set up a product stream off of the book and get offline publicity for the book. And we’ll set up a tandem website and blog that can work together to give you a full range of online motion.
3. Nancy Cleary ~~ Custom web banner for website.
4. Shari Horne ~~ Blog design using Nancy’s banner. I sense my blog will move to a more permanent home rather soon.
5. Peggy Murrah ~~ Website Design using Nancy’s banner. Of course, this design will need to implement accessible web design principles.
6. Jill Chongva ~~ Complete shopping cart setup and 2 e-covers.
7. Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero ~~ Red Hot Copy Complete Copywriting Kit.
8. Kristie T ~~ Complete Website Evalution ($150 value) to determine whether my newly branded blog is working as powerfully as it can.

I will blog about Part II and III over the next few days. My intention is also to blog about my progress as I work my way through this Marketing Makeover. Stay tuned!

Tags: Branding experts, branding on the web, branded web presence, marketing