September 18, 2008

Get Discovered While Slacking Off

I wanted you.
And I was looking for you.
But I couldn't find you.
-- Laura Anderson,
Walking And Falling

Another place without a bath robe? Maybe I should bring my own. Unlike last week's packing disaster, I'm prepared. I remembered everything. Well almost. I meant to bring walking shoes. 

Less Posts Without Less Readers
Because I've been on the road, I've fallen behind in my blog posts. Here's the puzzle. Readership has stayed steady even without new content. That's good. Relatively more readers -- 77.22% -- found articles via search engines. Here are the top 5 search terms this week:
  1. influential words
  2. marketing actuary
  3. communication jokes [?!?]
  4. actuary linkedin
  5. most influential words
Surprisingly, readers who explored the deepest used keywords "milevski CALU 2008" (see CALU 2008 - Sharing The Wisdom). If you take a look, you'll see I only mention Moshe Milevsky as one of the best speakers (winning my coveted Most Actuarial Presenter award). Even so, those visitors stayed here 9:33 minutes on average and explored 14 pages. Maybe they've become regular readers.

Here's the lesson. If you're online, you're accessible all the time. Old articles get rediscovered. You leverage both your time and your old work. People can find you. Doesn't familiarity breed business?

Update on LinkedIn
A meaningful profile on LinkedIn can help you get found (see Get Foundin Linkedin To Keep Growin). My network has grown and I'm showing up in over 5 searches a day. Here are the latest statistics
  • 41 connections (was 10)
  • 14,700 friends of friends (was 180)
  • network of 2.2 million (was 18,200; may be useful for direct marketing)
You can achieve results like these and increase your revenue --- even while you're far from home. A bathrobe is optional.

September 10, 2008

$499/Night But No Bath Robe

Do you remember the first time you stayed at a hotel with bath robes? Even if you wouldn't wear a bath robe at home, you put it on to enjoy the thick, comfortable warmth. Getting hot? Rather than taking off the robe, you lower the temperature. 

At some point, you put your hand in a pocket and pull out a card which says the robe isn't yours to take and if you do, you'll be charged. Really? Luckily, the towels have no such warning. So you stuff them in your suitcase. You like the desk lamp but fearing damage in transit, you leave it behind.

My hotel room doesn't have bath robes. I need one. I packed badly for this overnight trip. I forgot essentials from my travel checklist. Last night, I packed the following
  • dress shirt
  • tie
  • dress socks
  • shaver
This morning, I thought my luggage was too empty. What's missing? I know. My toiletries bag. I check that the toothbrush and toothpaste are inside. They are. I wear my suit and leave on my trip.

The day's meetings went well. I'm now in my hotel room, ready to change into my casual clothes. But I forgot to bring them. My pyjamas are at home too. Here's all my clean clothing
  • underwear
  • socks
  • tie
Wonderful. That's why I need a bath robe. Luckily, no one will see my predicament. Unless the fire alarm rings overnight ...