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Day 5 of the 30 Day Content Challenge-3 blog posts

Getting' blogs done!

Day 5 of the Metathinq 30 Day Content Challenge
 
Today is a quick one. In the office for the majority of the day to day and as a result I leveraged the batch processing methodolgy to record 3 blog posts and send them out for transcription with Rev.
 
This evening I willl edit the transcription and add the Blog artwork and schedule publishing on the Metathinq blog.

I have also started the formal content calendar for the remaining 25 days of the challenge. If you recall on Day 1 I did the branstorming piece in which I identified all of the content and supporting distribution that I would require for this challenge. this calendar outlines the production shcedule.
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Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge-Batch Processing

Batch Processing for Podcast Success

Today was another client focused day, but again this doesn’t mean that progress was not made.  Today my focus was on getting ready for some batch production.  for those not familiar with batch processing for content it is a tactic that is employed by many of the top bloggers and podcasters in the market today.  One of my favorite guru’s is John Lee Dumas of EOFire.com who is the host of a daily interview format podcast run daily.  Yes, 365 shows a year!  He gets it done in just a few days each month by scheduling the interviews back to back on those recording days.  With less than a weeks worth of effort he produces a show that runs every day, every month.  That is an example of batch processing.

Now John has been at this a long time and he has refined the formula.  I on the other hand, am just embarking on this journey and I know I cannot wing it.  I need to prepare.

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Day 3 of the 30 Day Content Challenge-Quizzes

Build a quiz or is it an ad?

I went into this 30 Day Challenge completely aware it would not be easy.  Creating content on my in-person consulting days was going to be a challenge. My strategy is to create some tasks that are short and sweet to keep the train chugging on my client visit days.

To fill the days where I knew my content creation would be limited I figured I would focus on my content distribution plan.   I mentioned in my Day 1 blog that I have a tool I like, bucket.io, a quiz tool that can be leveraged as a fun ad or landing page for lead capture.  This tool is pretty cool in the sense that people engage with the quiz and I can provide them with a result or short video solution that provides value to the quiz taker.

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Day 2 of My 30 Day Content Challenge-Rev

Getting a little done even when you are flat out

Today I share how to get content done even when there is little available time using my favorite writing hack, Rev.  Reve is a transcription service that allows me to create a blog post or any other content by simply recording and sending to their transcription team.  I usually get my transcription within a couple of hours and I have been amazed by the accuracy.  All for a $1/minute (for me a 300 word blog ran about $3).  Now all i need to do is some simple editing and add any external links and we are off to the races.

So what did I create today.  I got a future blog post recorded and transcribed.  I also recored some content for a couple of new pages on the main Metathinq website.  The final piece of content I created was the FB Live video included in this blog.  Please watch to hear more about my content journey on Day 2 and my simple content hacks that you can use.

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Day 1 of My 30 Day Content Challenge-Kickoff

Content Creation Made Easy

In this challenge, I will be sharing how I create content to support my two brands Metathinq, my Managment Consulting Business, and my upcoming project Virtual MSP Coach, an online coaching and content resource for IT Service Providers, representing an industry that I spent a good part of my career. If you wish to track progress in this challenge you can do so here or by liking my Facebook page .

 

My goal in doing this is to show people the process of creating content and being a domain authority in your industry is not as hard as one might think. I will be sharing how I prepare, organize my content and distribute through a number of varied channels (i.e Social Media, Email Campaigns, Website, etc.).

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When Company Morale is Low Leadership is Often Last to Know

5 Signs that the ship maybe sinking

ThinqOutLoud-When Company Morale is Low

Have you ever been in this position?  You are working for a company and the general work vibe has become negative. Or maybe your peers have become indifferent and are starting to go through the motions.  When company morale begins to sink it is usually felt by the staff long before their bosses. It can be months before it is recognized at the leadership levels.

I have been in this situation in the past.  A couple of times it was driven by temporary condition brought on by a tough economy, or a big client loss. Those situations tend to right themselves over a period of time.  The team can rally and bounce back.

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Falling Out of Love with your IT Service Provider?

How to repair the relationship and avoid the "7 year itch"

Falling out of Love With your IT Service Provider

Most of the companies I work with have an existing IT Service Provider. Their role is to help support their network and assist in making IT decisions.  Coming from that background myself I know this relationship can be invaluable to a growing company. Especially in times of trouble.

I have also found that just because the relationship has been long term, it does not mean that it is necessarily a thriving or healthy.  Like a bad marriage sometimes these relationships continue because “it’s just easier” than making a change.

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10 Simple, Low Cost things you can do to recognize staff

It isn't hard to say thanks!

ThinqOutLoud-Guy celebrating

Let’s start with a quick question…

When was the last time you recognized an employee?  More than a month ago? More than 6 months? A year?

If it has been a while since the last time you recognized members of your team you are missing a great opportunity.  Studies have shown that when employees get recognized or even a simple “thank you” from their boss they are more loyal and productive.

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7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Office 365

Features to lower cost and improve security

ThinqOutLoud Office 365
I bet when you think about Office 365 you think about e-mail.  It is the service that Microsoft used in launching the service and is the primary reason people buy Office 365, but the service goes way beyond email.  There are three primary flavors of Office 365 and the comparison of features can be found here, but I want to focus on the features of the Business Premium version which is $150/year per user ($12.50/mo.).  At the end of this article I will show you an ROI that proves it is one of the best deals around.
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5 Ways Leadership can Impact Corporate Culture

Culture cannot be faked, it has to be genuine

ThinqOut Loud-Corporate Culture

Everyone wants to believe that they have a great corporate culture within their business.  The hard truth is that senior management can be walking around wearing blinders totally unaware that the empire can be on the brink of collapse!  Okay, maybe a bit extreme. It doesn’t change the fact that often the last people to know that culture of your company has become toxic is the leadership team.

Many studies link corporate culture to a company’s overall performance. Jobsite surveyed 1000 workers correlating job satisfaction driven by strong peer relationships.  Forbes profiled a Duke study surveying 1,400 CEO’s and CFO’s over a 13 month period. 90% of those surveyed felt corporate culture was important to their firms. However, only 15% felt their firm met their culture goals.