Way down there.

Did you notice that nifty toolbar at the bottom of this page? It was developed by a company named Wibiya, and I think it’s got some good Mojo that you can put to use on your site as well.

Basically, the Wibiya add-on toolbar works on most blog platforms -Joomia, Drupal, Wordpress, Blogger and Typepad. It saves space if you have troubles finding a place for your search toolbar, recent posts, social marketing links and the like. More often than not, you’ll find the right-hand side of your pages serving as a catch-all for everything but the kitchen sink. Ahem. Kinda like our site.

You can choose your applications from a growing list of handy utilities -live notifications, translation services, your RSS feed, 3D photo galleries, Facebook and Twitter connections, and a bunch more. (See them here.) And you add and remove applications in just one click. Of course, you can choose from a nice color palette so it fits nicely into your site design, too.

I’ve seen a few of these types of toolbars around lately -but this one is free. Not only that, in most instances, there’s no coding necessary; you just install it like you would install any blog plugin.

I think the toolbar can help set your blog or website apart from your competition. I’ve read reports that it actually increases clickthrough rates. People like to push buttons -and it certainly provides you with that option. Best of all, if you don’t like it, you can always quickly deactivate the plugin and poof! -it’s gone; no harm, no foul. Pick it up here.

What’s your opinion? Tool? Toy? Or both?

Related posts:

1. 9 Tips for Going Viral on Twitter

If you’re looking for a way to take your business to the next level, you might want to consider starting a business blog of your own. Of course, it’s not for everyone. And it’s not the same as a personal blog.

It has its own unique pitfalls and strengths. And here are some of each.

Comment? Love to hear from you.

Related posts:

1. Color Is Your Friend!
2. Be there. Or be square.
3. 9 Tips for Going Viral on Twitter

Here’s a bit of Mojo I discovered years ago.

Just two words that’ll get you moving in the right direction.
“Who Cares?”

:::

Yes. “Who Cares?”

Let me explain this.

When I was an ad agency creative honcho, I drove more than one art director or designer to the point of madness by asking this question about every headline, every graphic, every subhead, every color choice and every paragraph of copy on our clients’ brochures and marketing collateral.

It got to the point that one Christmas, the bozos in the creative department (and being one myself at that point, I call them that with great respect and fondness) even had a “Who Cares?” rubber stamp made up for me -to save us all the time of my asking them that question over and over.

I didn’t do it to be difficult.

I did it to keep them focused on the task at hand -which, pretty pictures and carefully polished words aside, is to communicate your message to your clients and prospects as clearly as possible.

And it’s not just a rule for newb writers and print designers; I do it to my own stuff constantly, too -even after decades of full-time writing.

:::

“Who Cares?”

If you can’t justify the headline, the picture or the sentence or the graphic…if you can’t figure out its relevance to your target audience…

…it’s the wrong thing.

THEM: “We have digital camcorders!”

ME: “Who Cares?”

THEM: “Well…they’re better cameras.”

ME: “Who Cares?”

THEM: “The clients will care because we are able to capture their presentation with flawless, network-quality equipment.”

ME: “Aha! Now we’re getting somewhere.”

:::

Asking “Who Cares?” as you work on your own promotional materials will keep you focused on the benefits that your clients receive from utilizing your products and services, rather than on the features; which, by themselves, don’t provide much of a compelling reason for people to sign that contract or toss a purchase order (or credit card) on your desktop.

:::

Try it yourself.

Apply the “Who Cares?” question to your own blog posts, your brochures, every page on your website, your AdWords campaigns, even as you develop your business slogan and your letterhead.

Focus on the benefits your clients will reap when they work with you…and you can rest assured that everything you do to promote your business will stay on the right track.

> Talk to me! Comment here

Related posts:

1. 8 Great Ways To Promote Yourself For Free
2. Are You Caught Up In A Feeding Frenzy?
3. My #1 Secret To Selling Any Product Or Service.