Cara Lumen | Sing a Deeper Song

Sing a Deeper Song

Content Development

The Remarkable Relief of Unsubscribing

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take-it-easyIt took less than four minutes to unsubscribe from 17 mailing lists.  What followed was an immediate sense of relief from the overwhelming demand of reading emails many times during the day. Was it a matter of working up the nerve, or the final one-too-many emails that sent me over the edge?  Whatever the cause, the relief was immediate and the freedom it provides continues to open up new opportunities. 

I kept thinking I would read them

 
I had subscribed to these blogs and newsletters over the years because I thought I wanted or needed the information they provided.  However, because I had no filter system, the number grew and grew. There came a time when I found myself overwhelmed.  I couldn’t possibly read that many emails every day. What did I really want to read?  Who brought the most value through their posts?  Which ones were the most relevant to my current needs and plans?
 
When I realized I was deliberately deleting around 50 emails a day that I had no intention of reading I decided to act. Rather than beat myself up for not reading all those emails I could simply unsubscribe to those that no longer met my needs.  If I’m not reading them, I don’t need them.  If I find I need more information in the future, I can Google what I’m looking for and fresh, current information will show up. 
 
One other important realization appeared.  I had simply outgrown the content.  Either I already knew how to do what they were describing or I had eliminated it from my consideration.
 

What will you read?

The question was, what do I need in my life now and what have I outgrown or no longer holds my interest? I examined my reading habits. At the core were six sources that meet my core needs that I take time to read or at least open and browse daily. 
 
That allows me room to add some special interest blogs that add to my areas of interest.
 

My interests have changed

 
The next level of unsubscribing took some careful thought.  There are some people I will continue to follow because they have developed in new directions that interest me.  However, the basic how-to-blog providers are targeting beginning bloggers.  That’s no longer where I fit in.  I can consider unsubscribing to them. It’s inevitable that you will have outgrown some of the bloggers you follow or you have mastered what they teach.  Even though they are doing good work, you don’t have to keep subscribing to their emails.  Be selective in what you keep and what you add.
 
The bottom line is that interests change. For the most part, I have learned what I need to know from a majority of the blogs I was following.  I did keep one or two blogs that are aligned with my business interest in helping people develop information products. I kept the blogs I had recently added that reflect my current interests and satisfy my insatiable passion for learning.  I kept blogs on vegetarianism (Summer Tomato  and Vegan Coach  ), natural living  , aromatherapy and Zen living . I’m aware that some of these are current interests and they, too, will need to be unsubscribed to at some point.  However, for now I have whittled down my list to emails that interest me and that I have time to read every day.
 
What are your criteria for keeping a blog?  Which ones are you actually reading?  Which authors make you think?  Or get you excited?  Follow those and unsubscribe to the rest.  If you don’t read a newsletter, you don’t need it. 
 

Unsubscribing opens up new learning time

 
I turned my freed-up on-line time into Discovery Time.  I used the extra time I used to spend deleting those unread emails every day to explore more about a specific topic or learn some new skills. Get on Google and start typing in keywords. You may choose to explore what others are doing in your field, you may find yourself moved by a personal development concept you want to add to your life, or you may seek to develop a new skill set.  It’s all there waiting for you. Use your freed up e-mail reading time to go exploring wherever your curiosity leads you.
 

You may feel lonely

 
When the results of unsubscribing to so many RSS feeds first kicked in, I felt a little lonely.  Checking my emails three or four times a day felt like I was connecting with people.  But the truth is, if I didn’t read them there was really no connection. 
 
I realized how often I had been checking my email every day. With the lessened number of in-coming emails I found that when I did check I was no longer overwhelmed by the sheer volume.  I am relieved that I am no longer deluged with sales pitches.  I do not feel guilty when I don’t take time to read a post. What I do subscribe to I enjoy reading. Be patient with yourself. Lowering your email intake is freeing.  See what new connections you have made room for in your life.
 

Give yourself a week

 
Start unsubscribing today.  Watch your emails every day for a week.  Unsubscribe to everything you don’t read.  In two days I had whittled my emails down to a more manageable and comfortable size. I was amazed how much lighter I felt.  There were no more feelings of being overwhelmed, or wasting time reading emails. I am now subscribed only to people who inspire and motive me and give me the specific information I need for my business today.
 

Review your subscriptions quarterly.

 
I know I’m going to build my list again as I go exploring and find new people to follow.  However, I have resolved to review my emails every quarter.  What do I need now?  What have a learned that I no longer need to learn about?  What new interests do I have?  I will go through this same process of unsubscribing every three months.  Emails are meant to inform and entertain and make you think.  Get rid of those that don’t. The process of unsubscribing is incredibly freeing.

 

Your New Statement of Solution

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close-lookSeth Godin suggests that we can attract new prospects simply by rewording our statement of the problem and providing a new statement of solution.  I began to consider how I would apply that to my own business.
 

People don’t buy unless they recognize their need

If I don’t know that I have a problem, I certainly won’t seek out a solution. For instance, a proffered telecourse described some of the characteristics of an introvert, a label I had never applied to myself.  However, words like “loner” and “needs big personal space” resonated with me.  Those descriptive phrases helped me recognize myself as a potential participant in the course and the solution the course offered helped me realize that the course could help me learn to modify those tendencies. How can you restate the need or want you meet so people will recognize themselves?
 

Your headline must indicate who you serve and tell what problem you solve

As a consumer, I have to be able to recognize myself in the headline.  I personally am not going to read more if the headline speaks to young people who want to learn to salsa because I’m not young and the salsa is not of interest to me.  But I will read more if a specific need is met, like a product that helps me see the need for a strong opt in offer and how to craft one  or understanding why I should write my landing page first  Why did you create this product or service in the first place?  What was the need or desire that you saw that you meet? How can you reword it so people know it is meant for them?
 

What’s in it for me?

The most common error we make in our content is to talk about ourselves – our process in developing a product, the reason we created it.  The hard fact is that people don’t care about us; they don’t care how we created it or how many pages or classes it contains.  They care about what’s in it for them.  Tell them what’s in it for them in your headline and in your landing page content.  Talk about the recognizable results they will achieve.
 

A new statement of their problem

Write down what you see as the problem you will solve or the needs you will meet in as many ways as you can imagine.  Approach it from the emotional comfort it will produce, the physical results to be gained, and the personal growth it fosters.   Brainstorm 10 or 12 statements of the problem. Then choose the statements that have the most emotional appeal to include in your content.  People identify through their emotions.
 
I prefer to state problems in the positive but the negative approach does work.  For instance rather than a headline that says, “Do your knees hurt when you go down stairs?” I’d rather hear, “Think how great it will be to take long walks with your dog again.” Tell me what results I will achieve. If I learn to format my book for an ereader will I be more attracted to your offer if you show me how easy it is to format for an ereader or that that process can make me more money? That’s two different reasons for wanting to engage. Know the needs and desires of your target community. If I buy your product, what is it going to do for my business? What’s in it for me?
 

A new statement of the solution

Now write 10 to 12 new statements of the solution.  Is the solution to invest in a new software program or is it to learn a few simple, repeatable steps for creating compelling content?  the solution an easy way to craft an ebook or does it offer ideas on how to hire a ghostwriter?  What results can I expect if I purchase your product or service? What solution to my problem do you offer?
 

The product promise

For every product or service I write a product promise.  “At the end of this… (book, course, video, coaching series) you will… (what?).”  Before I even begin creating my product, I have to know what results I want my participant to achieve. What is the compelling need or burning desire that I am answering?  The product promise for this article is that “at the end of this article you will understand the need to express the problem you solve with your product or service in a way that emotionally connects with your prospect so that you can improve your results when you look for new ways to express the statement of solution.”
 

Rethink your landing page. 

Look at your landing page from the viewpoint of the first time visitor.  Will they recognize themselves as the exact type of person this site addresses?  Is the problem that you solve one that they have? Is the need that you fulfill a need they have? Is the solution doable? Do the results seem achievable? Get empathetic.  Put yourself in their place.  How would you feel?  Would you be drawn to the person who offers this solution?
 
How can you more effectively state the problem you solve and the solution you offer?
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© 2012 Cara Lumen

  

What If You Simply Moved It From Here to There?

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magicianI just learned an important lesson about the value of looking at what you have from different angles.  On the physical plane, it involved the interchange of three pieces of furniture.  In my business, it applies to ideas I already have and how I might reposition them.

Do you already have what you need?

I wanted a microwave cart.  It would free up counter space and make my kitchen a lot more efficient.  I looked on line and I looked in stores.  I kept focusing on the fact that I wanted a microwave cart. 

One day I looked more consciously at what I already had.  Within minutes, I had the solution.  It involved rearranging three pieces of furniture. A baker’s rack that held the television became the microwave stand.  The bookcase that had been in the kitchen moved to the living room to hold the plants that had been on the third table involved in this swap. Then I moved that plant table to hold the television.  And presto I had a new look and a new level of efficiency. I was very proud of myself.  I had solved my problem without spending any money.  And I had my “new” microwave cart.

What do you have in place in your home or in your business or even in your life that you simply need to move to a new location or put to a different use?

Move one thing and see what it opens up.

What do you need next?  Where does it fit?  What is its new function?

Let’s say your next step is that you want to learn to give a telecourse.  That’s the function – for you to learn how to create, market and present a compelling telecourse.  What do you already teach/coach/know that can be turned into a short course that will add value to your community while it allows you the opportunity to learn how to create a compelling teleclass?  Keep it simple.  Start with a one or two session course.  Schedule it.  Write the landing page. Create it. Make your Power Points. Create your handouts.  Set up your shopping cart. If you keep it small, you’ll learn the steps without being overwhelmed by the process. Keep your initial objective in mind. You want to learn to create, promote and teach a powerful telecourse.

What do you need to reposition?

As I moved my three pieces of furniture, I had a lot of put-abouts and books to rearrange. When you make a new choice take that opportunity to rethink and reposition everything you keep. Do you need to present an idea in a different format?  If you give a telecourse, do you have time to write another ebook?  What blog posts need to become videos or ebooks or part of a course? 

Do you need to take a big idea and chunk it down into smaller pieces?  Do you need to figure out something by writing a blog post about it?  Do you need to reposition one product for different markets?  What tweak can you make in what you already have going on that will create something new?

Give an idea a different function 

Just as my baker’s rack went from holding my television to providing a new home for my microwave, you can make some important changes simply by changing the function of an idea or product. You can write an ebook as an opt in offer then expand it into a series of ebooks.  You can write a telecourse and then expand to an advanced course on the same topic. One of my teleclasses expanded into an eight-book ebook series.  You can take information you teach and turn it into coaching handouts.  You can write articles and make videos that teach a specific step.  Look around.  How can you fill a current need simply by moving something from here to there?

© 2012 Cara Lumen

 

Why You Should Start Writing Ebooks

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check-listAccording to the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales rose nearly 190 percent in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period for the previous year.  190 percent is huge.  It’s all because of the growing popularity of ereaders like Kindle, Nook and iBook. A 2011 report from Aptara, a digital publishing solutions provider, said one out of five e-book publishers generate more than 10% of their revenues from e-books and publishers’ own e-commerce sites generate the greatest percentage of sales for all publishing market segments other than Trade — up to 18%. Even the public libraries now offer digital lending.

Why should you care?

Ebooks are easy to write and they cost nothing to produce.   In addition they add huge value to what you offer your target community. So what’s holding you back?

I have nothing to write about

Wrong, you have a life time worth of unique experience and knowledge to share. You just have to figure out what people want and give it to them.
You might want to take your years of experience and your passion for a field and share it with others.  You might want to record your family history.  You might need to educate your target community about your product or service. Information products in their many forms are a perfect format.

Write from your passion

 Writing is my passion. I have always written.  It’s what I do.  It’s how I express myself.  65 years ago I was managing editor of my high school newspaper.  I was always the one who wanted to write the newsletter for whatever organization I belonged to. I wrote poems and plays and short stories.  I wrote from my passion, my need to discover, my need to explain and my need to teach.   I always write from my heart and my curiosity.
I also love to organize. And I particularly love to organize ideas.  You can imagine my elation when I realized that in my personal journey of coaching and writing and teaching, I had developed a system of organizing ideas into content that I could teach others.  It was like coming to the end of a long journey and discovering you have been on the right path all along.  I can combine my love of writing with my gift for organizing.  What service do you see rising out of your passion?

Share what you discover with others

One of the most exciting aspects of creativity is scooping the ideas out of thin air and bringing them into a tangible form to share with others.  All these wisps of ideas floating around in your imagination suddenly become a play, a poem, or an inspirational article.
When I have a problem I need to solve, I often sit down and write about it. Writing out my thoughts helps me explore the possible choices and solutions.  Often my questions and my problems reflect that of my target community so I share it with them.
When I realized that others might want help turning their ideas into information products it became a specialized part of my coaching practice.
What have you discovered that you can teach others?

Let your ebook topics come from what you need to know

When I need to learn something, I inevitably write about it – in a blog post or a new worksheet for my clients, a telecourse or a video.  Writing about it helps me dig deeper into the topic, examine my beliefs around the topic and find the best ways to teach what I know to others.
 
My Magnetic Content Development System was created because I needed a repeatable way to write strong landing pages for my new products and I wanted to create a system to teach my coaching clients.  I first taught it as a teleclass and later expanded that content into the How to Craft Series of nine separate ebooks..
What do you need to learn that you can write an ebook about?

What does your target community need?

When I learned how to put my ebooks on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and Apple I thought about teaching a digital publishing class.  If I needed it, other people did.  I made a template for my clients that outlines the specific steps I took so they will have an easy time publishing. I could write a blog post about it, or an ebook, or make a video.  All from something I learned that I can teach others.
The core concepts of what I teach can be expanded into an ebook series. I have separate ebooks on writing opt in offers, crafting mini-courses, writing articles and blog posts, giving telecourses, and writing how-to books.  Break your system down into teachable steps and write about them.
Turn your Cornerstone Content into an ebook.  Expand the checklist you offered as an opt-in offer into a bigger ebook.  Write answers to the questions you are most frequently asked and turn that into an ebook.  Plan a series of articles, write them one at a time and then turn them into an ebook.  If it interested you, if it will be of value to your community, write it!
What does your target community need and want and what can you offer them?  Create it for them.

The Digital Platform

The entire publishing industry has changed.  There are no longer gatekeepers to contend with.  Anyone can get their ideas out on a digital platform.  Many people are giving their ideas away free with the sole purpose of having them spread.  Others are busy creating the 99 cent ebook, which is about 30 pages long.  That’s a great way to learn the elements of writing a good book and the technical part of posting them for ereaders.  What short ebooks can you write for your community?

What information products will do for you

Spread your ideas: For me the most valuable aspect of digital publishing is the ability to share my ideas with the world and see them make a difference in the life of someone else.
Help you keep learning:  Creating information products helps you continue to explore and develop your own system and core philosophy.
Create passive income: The fun part is that information products can create passive income.  You post them on your web site and people buy them while you are off doing something else.
Add to your expert status: Publishing any sort of content adds to your expert status, it makes you the natural go-to person in your field.
Inexpensive to produce: The primary investment is your creative time.  It is easy to put your ebook on Kindle and Nook and iBooks.  And depending on what you write, your work may go viral and bring you new prospects.
Fast to produce: You can have a new product up in a weekend.  I wrote 5,000 words in four and a half hours. That’s nearly enough for a small ebook.  You don’t have to wait on anyone, you can make a cover, format your content and publish!
Easy to market: Write something relevant and not only promote it to your own community but get your fellow bloggers to promote it to theirs.  The author has always been responsible for marketing their own book.  Call on your own community to help you spread your idea. An article or blog post about your book can be picked up and put on someone else’s site and you will reach a whole new audience.
Is today a good day to write an ebook?
©2012 Cara Lumen

 

Are You Missing a Great Opportunity?

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Have-a-planLife is like an adventure.  You plan a trip, make some detours, get lost, and meet some fellow travelers who help you move ahead.  I’m not certain we end up where we think we are going, but the journey is the fun part.  And our unique path is constantly being opened up and guided by the Universal Mind in the form of signs and signals that show up in every facet of our life.
 
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to offer a problem to the Universe and have it come back with an answer that day?   

Would you like to have your next steps laid out for you?

You can, when you ask for, notice, interpret and apply
the signs and signals in your life every day. 

 

How to Read the Signs and Signals 
That Help Build Your Business 
From Your Inside Out

The subtle and not-so-subtle signs

We miss out on a huge source of aligned guidance when we ignore the subtle and not-so-subtle signs and signals offered by the Universe.  Once you learn to notice and interpret this ever-present guidance your choices expand.  A sign or signal may be as small as the look someone gives you or as big as a new job offer out of the blue.  It can be life-changing and it can be moment changing. 
 

How to Read the Signs and Signals 
That Help Build Your Business 
From Your Inside Out

How to Read the Signs and Signals That Help Build Your Business From Your Inside Out helps entrepreneurs who want to connect more deeply with their target community learn to listen and interpret the Universal signs and signals the show up in their lives every day so that they can easily align themselves with their destiny and attract the people they are meant to serve.

Signs and signal can prompt positive action

I love to be alert to sign and signals and see where they lead me.  I received an email from a friend inviting me to be on her radio show again.  That was the sign.  As we looked for a topic I wrote her back some of the books I was working on.  She thought this one sounded interesting but it wasn’t quite finished.  The signal given by her interest was for me to get on the ball and finish and publish this book. Many signs and signals become motivators.  Others are simply guides to help you map out your journey. Learning to both recognize and interpret these signs and signals will keep you moving forward and on track.
 

How to Read the Signs and Signals 
That Help Build Your Business 
From Your Inside Out

Table of Contents 

  • How to Notice the Signs and Signals Meant for You and You Alone
  • How to Interpret the Signs and Signals that Show Up Every Day
  • How to Ask for Signs and Signals in Order to Answer a Question
  • Learn to Visualize Your Answers
  • Signs that Suggest New Relationships in Your Business
  • Signs that Suggest a Change in Direction
  • Signs that Inspire New Work
  • Signs that You Should Take the Leap
  • How to Make an Intuitive Decision
  • How to Practice Reading the Signs and Signals
  • How to Get Out of Your Own Way
  • Make Your Choice and Take Action
  • How to Apply the Guidance You Receive from Signs and Signals
  • Intuition is a core part of my life.
I have been consciously working on and with my inner life since I learned Transcendental Meditation over fifty years ago.  I am a metaphysician trained in such energy techniques as a Reiki Master Teacher, Certified Bach Flower Counselor, Falun Gong practitioner, T’ai Chi Student, yoga student and crystal intuitive.
 
In my coaching work I constantly create new processes and worksheets that help my clients access their Inner Guidance so that they can successfully build their business from their inside out.

Look for the guidance offered to you throughout your day

Our days are filled with insightful nudges, some big, some small. We always have the Universe listening to us, watching us, and offering suggestions.  We have free will, of course, but who doesn’t want the guidance of a wise mind?
 
If you can’t see it or interpret the signs and signals that are present throughout your life you lose out on powerful insights and awareness that could make your path, shorter, easier, more direct and definitely more effective.
 
It is simple to learn to notice the signs and signals and once you set up your criteria for interpreting them it will be a little like opening a direct line to spiritual guidance.
 
If you think you have a ton of ideas now just wait until you start listening to the Universe.  But the difference is that you can also use your intuition to make a decision about what you should do next.  It’s like hiring a whole team of incredible advisors who are there to help you with every choice you make.
 
The more you practice this awareness the more alert you will be to the subtle signals that surround you.  Your options will increase and your choices will be more on target because they are energetically aligned with who you are
You can apply this awareness today.
 
Everyone can do this.  It just takes a little practice. This is a short book. You can read it right now and start reading the powerful land insightful signs and signals that move consistently through your life. By the end of this book you will be able to notice and interpret the signs and signals that surround you and use them to make the best choices for your life and business.
 
Buy this book but more importantly READ THIS BOOK.  It’s how you begin to build a stunning business from your inside out.

 

 

How to Read the Signs and Signals 
That Help Build Your Business
From Your Inside Out

$3.33

  
 
 

 Also available for Nook and Kindle