PHYLLIS SMITH: Good for you. Look for opportunities, blog content, and I want to say also about blogging. I love blogging, but it’s important there is a strategy around blogging in that it’s not throwing up a bunch of text. I would advise people to hire you or you can do some Google searches on best practices, because it’s important to have certain headlines, pictures and be aesthetically pleasing as well. Those are some of the things you can do. Right? Then you link your picture, you must name them and use alternate text for your pictures. There is a method to gain SEO because otherwise you could be writing something, and nobody is reading it. Let’s face it folks, if you want visibility you have to work for it. Am I right?
KATHLEEN GAGE: One thing about when you blog, I have 2 blogs, I have TheMarketingMindset.com and PassionForThriving.com. The Marketing Mindset is pretty much focused on the experts who write books who want to get visibility and they want to know how to market. Passion for Thriving is really for older women, and by older, I mean 50+, and that want to live a life with a lot of juice. With every blog post that I do I make sure it goes on Twitter, it goes on groups in Facebook that are specific to the blog post, I put it on LinkedIn if it’s appropriate, and I send it out to my list. I really give it the push to get some visibility. It’s not about being a stagnant post. It’s about being very robust and viral.
PHYLLIS SMITH: You can’t be shy. Folks don’t be shy. You have this magnificent message and you want to change the world or at least your community. So, let’s start with your blog. The point is you must get the word out. If you’re working in your house and writing your blog, you must get outside the door.
KATHLEEN GAGE: Can I give another little tip of something I did recently?
PHYLLIS SMITH: Yes. Go.
KATHLEEN GAGE: In my local community I’m looking to work with companies that are involved with health and fitness. I go to 2 gyms. I go to a gym to do my regular workouts and then I have gym where I have a weight lifting trainer. They had an annual party recently and I went up to the owner and said, “You know, you need to do a media release about this because you could get some great coverage for your business.” He goes, “Ah, I just don’t have time.” I said, “I’ll tell you what. Let me gift that to you. I will write a media release and send it out to the media.” I immediately sent it out to him and said, “Give me your thumbs up and I’ll send it out to the local media.” This was just a few days ago so we don’t know what the result will be, but I made sure it went to the right editors for the local publications, the news channels, and all of that. What I’m hoping will happen is that he gets a story out of it or at least a good mention and I can use that as the fuel to open up other opportunities. Sometimes, you must get out there and take the action and use that as a springboard to what comes next. Don’t sit by and wait for opportunity to show up at your doorstep. Go out and create that opportunity. That’s the bottom line.
PHYLLIS SMITH: My background is in television, radio, and news and having been a reporter, a producer, and an assignment editor. You name it, I did it. Albeit, more in the news business. I would’ve been the one that you’d be sending the press release to. It’s very important when you write a media release, or someone writes it for you that you tell a story. You want a story that’s relevant. You don’t want to write something that’s like, “Oh, I have a new business, or I have a new book out.” This is great but how is that book relevant to something that’s going on in the world, the community, or where you are putting that out. It’s important that you have a good hook. Right? Otherwise, that media release goes in the trash or gets the delete button.
What Holds Women Back?
One of the things Kathleen, you also talk about even in writing this book, Power Up for Profits: The The Smart Woman’s Guide to Online Marketing, you say that for women entrepreneurs for some reason they tend to hold themselves back. Why do you think they do that instead of playing full out?
KATHLEEN GAGE: Girls should be seen and not heard. That was something that a lot of us where taught in childhood and carried into adulthood. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of judgement, and I will tell you the bigger you get or the more visible you get the more you’re going to be judged.
When I had an opposing point of view from Sher people attacked me and then suddenly I’m involved in these conversations that had nothing to do with my original comment. I would write back to people and say, “What does that have to do with me as I didn’t even form an opinion on that?” So, I had to be prepared for that kind of backlash. The thing that people need to realize is if you believe in something enough you are willing to get those broad shoulders to weather the storm if you will. Because you will get judged and some people say well I don’t want to be judged. No matter what you do, no matter what it is you’re going to be judged. You may as well be judged for something you believe in.
PHYLLIS SMITH: I love it Kathleen, we’ve ran out of time. Can we sum this up with one piece of advice people can do today to start gaining more visibility?
KATHLEEN GAGE: That’s a great question. I would say the number one thing people can do to get more visibility is make a commitment to it. When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had their first book published they submitted everyday requests for interviews to at least 5 shows. 5 shows a day was the minimum and at the end of the year that was over 1500 requests and it just started snow balling. Be willing to take the action and make the commitment. That would be my recommendation.
PHYLLIS SMITH: Beautiful! Kathleen Gage, if you want to reach out to Kathleen, PowerUpforProfits.com is her website. You can reach out to her there. Thank you, Kathleen, for your time and wisdom, for sharing all the success that you’ve had, and inspiring us as well to plow through, fight through, overcome the challenges and you’ll get through to the other side.
KATHLEEN GAGE: Thank you, Phyllis! It’s been great!
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