This week I was able to work in the flower garden for this first time since last fall.

It seems like every time I work in the flower beds I get new encouragement as a copywriter and entrepreneur.

Even when none of the flowers are blooming yet, as was the case this week.

There was something satisfying about clearing away the dead branches and debris from last year’s garden to make way for the new shoots pushing their way through the dirt.

An early spring garden reminds me of a business that has hunkered down after going through a difficult time.

On the surface there aren’t many signs of life.

There is evidence of the successes of the past (last year’s dead blooms and branches)… but it’s hard to take encouragement from that.

So what are the upsides?

Here are 3:

*It’s obvious what you need to clear away and what’s not working.

When a garden is in full bloom it’s not always easy to tell the weeds from the regular flowers. And even when you can, it’s difficult to pull out the weeds because they have deep roots. Also, there are so many weeds it’s often hard to take them time to get rid of them all.

Whereas in early spring it’s easy to scoop up the dead blooms and leaves and throw them on the brush pile. The dead weeds pull out effortlessly.

So it is in business. When your business is thriving it’s easy to ignore the stuff that isn’t working. But when you go through a dry spell, it’s far easier to cast out the dead products and ineffective ad campaigns.

*There are fewer distractions. As wonderful as it is to gaze at a beautiful garden, a certain complacency kicks in.

Sometimes there are so many flowers that it’s hard to appreciate them all, as I discovered last December. And one starts taking the flowers for granted.

Not so in early spring. Or in your business if you’re struggling right now.

When you no longer have the distractions of a successful business you have the freedom to experiment and try new things.

Maybe that will include letting a copywriter write your copy instead of taking the DIY approach.

Perhaps it means developing that new product you’ve had on the back burner for a long time.

Whatever it is, take full advantage of the silences in your business and let yourself try new things the busier businesses don’t have time to do.

*Nothing fancy is required. I used a small clippers and my bare hands to totally clear my garden and get it ready for spring.

I didn’t need a lawn mower, weed eater or the assistance of family members, like I do later in the season.

As a result, I was able to get results quickly and can now see the shoots that are poking through the dirt, which give me encouragement about the possibilities ahead. I wasn’t able to see them before.

So it is in your business if it’s not realizing its full potential right now.

Inexpensive low-tech things like a blog, social media campaign or local Meetup group will get you some quick results to help motivate you as you move forward and see the new possibilities start to appear on the horizon.

I hear this all the time and you probably do too: the money’s in the list!

As an email copywriter you might expect me agree with that.

I do agree that a list is of great importance to your business. Whenever I send an email I get many more visits to my website than when I put a link to it on Twitter or Facebook.

Except there’s one problem… this “The money’s in the list!” attitude usually results in endless emails that are just boring pitches.

So what should be in your list?

Your art.

Your gifts (no, I don’t just mean free reports or ebooks….I also mean the generous sharing of your ideas).

Your superpower.

Your stories.

Your magic.

Notice I haven’t said anything about open rates and click thrus and opt-ins and opt-outs.

That’s because the people on your list aren’t buying your products…

They’re buying relationships and stories and magic.

When you send an email your sole motivation should be to connect with your reader and make a difference in their lives.

Respect the bond that exists between you and the people reading your email.

The irony is, if you remember that it’s your magic that is in the list, not money, then it’s likely that the money will follow eventually.

When I look out at my bird feeder the scene out there often
reminds me of an online business in action.

You see, when I started feeding the birds a few months ago, everything was peaceful for a few weeks.

Only the best kind of birds showed up at the feeder.

The cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, flickers,
etc.

Then the house sparrows discovered the feeders and emptied an entire feeder in one day.

Argh!

The house sparrows are the rodents of the bird population.

In fact, it’s even permissible to shoot them because they
are considered an “invasive species” and are a threat to native birds.

But I’m no Emma Peel and don’t know how to use a gun (and my neighbors would take issue with that anyway).

So I did some research and figured out how to scare away
the house sparrows while still attracting the desirable birds.

All you have to do is hang a few strands of fishing line
from your feeders.

But before I could feel smug about my success the squirrels found my feeders.

The squirrels knocked down the feeders and made my life
miserable for a while as I tried to outwit them.

They weren’t baffled by the “baffle” on my feeder.

Duct tape with the sticky side facing out didn’t work
either.

Putting vaseline on the post has seemed to do the trick
so far.

It’s fun to watch the squirrels hop in a flower pot
after they get vaseline on their paws and furiously roll around in the dirt in a desperate attempt to wipe it off.

It reminds me of prospects who find out my rates (which are
pretty modest) and run away.

Feeding the birds and outwitting squirrels is a good metaphor
for any online business.

Before I figured out how to keep the squirrels and house
sparrows away, my feeders had a ton of traffic.

There were more birds in my yard than any other yard near my house.

But traffic is overrated, as I soon discovered. If you aren’t
attracting the right prospects, all the traffic in the world doesn’t mean much.

So how do you attract them? With copy, of course.

Good copy will filter out the wrong prospects as effectively
as fishing line and vaseline.

And it will attract the right ones like the Nut ‘N Berry
seed blend the birds around here love.

See, marketing really is for the birds.

VN:F [1.9.11_1134]

please wait...

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

VN:F [1.9.11_1134]

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)