Boomer Babe Web Marketing Blog

When I tell people that I work from Spain a few months a year, the typical reaction is “Yeah, RIGHT!”  People think that I come here just to play.  I wish!

My Spanish friends get a little irritated with me when, during the week, I almost always (politely) turn down  invitations.  I’ve learned that even the strictest promise to get me back to my work promptly is calculated in Spanish time.  But this trip I’ve learned the value — both personal and professional — of being flexible.

 First, my Spanish “daughter” Irene introduced me to a a fashion photographer named José Manuel Sáiz (website is under construction — his work appears in several major European fashion magazines).  I was lucky enough to be invited to two fashion shoots with  José Manuel, and since he knew that I do a lot of my own photography for my work, he shared several professional photography tips, and made it clear that I could consider him a valuable business contact.

Then, over (a very long) lunch I learned that José Manuel shares my interest in wine.  And as luck would have it, he is close friends with a local wine maker. All I had to do was show a little bit of interest and the next thing I knew I was scheduled for a private tour at one of the country’s oldest and best respected wineries. 

So far this story is still sounding a lot like a vacation, right?  Jiminy Cricket kept reminding me of that as we drove an hour and a half to the winery on a Tuesday afternoon.  “You should be working!”  I shushed him up and reminded him that we were 8 hours ahead of the US and that the day hadn’t even begun there — so I would still have time to work later. 

When we arrived at the Salvador Poveda Bodega I was startled to see an ultra-modern, huge winery in the middle of miles of grape vines;  I had imagined a quaint little Spanish farm house.  We were welcomed into the winery after normal business hours and our host, Rafael Poveda Bernabé, greeted us with a big warm smile and the customary double kisses. I knew right away that this was going to be a treat – but I still couldn’t get my conscience to shut up — “You should be WORKING!”

Rafael took us through every nook and cranny in the beautiful new winery, explaining the extensive history of the family-owned winery, which boasts 5 generations of wine makers. Rafael went into great detail about the unique, traditional method that they use to make their wine.  He beamed as he showed us a special collection of wine barrels, each with their own nickname, that have been in the family for over 200 years.  He also told us about his search for more earth-friendly ways of bottling and labeling his products, and the techniques that he is pioneering to reduce waste. 

When it was finally time to say goodbye and tear myself away, Rafael asked me if I would be willing to assist him in negotating distribution contracts in Colorado.  I tried not to leap around the room, screaming “Yessssssssssssss!!!!!!” But somehow I think he got the idea.

We arrived back in Dénia late that night – too tired and too late to complete the work that I had slated for that day.  But instead of feeling guilty about it, I set my alarm clock earlier and went to bed with the knowledge that I had made two very valuable business contacts — and both in areas that coincide with the things that I love in my personal life. 

And the moral of the story is…. all work and no play is bad business.   

On a recent jaunt to Chicago with the family (about an hour from home) we ended our visit with a surprise trip to Hershey’s Chicago.

The kids were ecstatic and Mom and Dad were pretty excited too.

Imagine 3,600 square feet of floor to ceiling Hershey’s products! There was a kids’ birthday party going on while we were there and it was fun to watch each child get a turn at a large contraption that would pour random assortments of candies down a chute as the child turned the crank.

Each member of our family was able to leave with a cache of their favorite Hershey’s chocolates and a great memory (request to the Hershey company — more Special Dark options for we dark chocolate fans!!!)

As we exited the Hershey store my husband and I saw that the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop was right across the street (the kids didn’t notice, thank goodness!) We hesitated — looked at each other — and shook our heads “no.” That adventure will have to wait until next time…

Ahhh… passive revenue. What a concept. Passive = without effort. Revenue = $$$. What’s not to love about this? Entrepreneurs and business owners around the globe love the idea of making money while they’re catching some z’s. You can imagine how rewarding it would be to open your email inbox, first morning coffee in hand, and listen to the pings of message after message coming in - each filled with sales from around the world.

Creating products has the potential to bring you to this point, but as Lou Bertone points out on the Guerilla Marketing Blog, building a passive income is not your key to earning huge money without any effort. It takes hard work, skill and ’stick-with-it-ness.’ That’s the only way to make sure you hear the ping of success in your morning inbox.

Ok people, I’m a little cranky, so brace yourselves.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to one of the Boomer Babes and I was telling her I thought maybe a blog post about who-controls-what might be in order. She agreed. Then I forgot.

But today I’m back on the topic with a vengeance. Amazing how an annoying experience suddenly gives you the urge to spout your mouth off.

Deep breaths.

OK, the original topic was this: “Major Tom to Ground Control: You may be driving this spaceship — but I OWN IT!” And don’t you forget it! When some slick web developer comes along and tells you “I’ll take care of your domain registrations and hosting,” the first thing YOU say is this: “OK, but set up everything in MY name, and send me all the account and login information immediately.” If you’re in a good mood you might throw in a “please.” But insist. And if your web developer doesn’t follow your instructions — ditch ‘em. Fast!

It amazes me how many people hand the keys to the kingdom to a web person that they barely know. Then 6 months down the road when they can’t get Wonder Webbie to update their website, they come to me.

Me: “Ok, I’ll be happy to change those three words on your website. Please send me your hosting account information.”

Client: “Hosting account information?”

And here we go. The client and I both dig through what little documentation they have (or not) and then we call the host provider (IF the client even knows who it is!). And the 10 minute web update becomes a half day chore. If we’re lucky. We just hope that the previous web person doesn’t get ticked off and go and do something nasty to the website.

But if you think that’s bad, pull up a chair, honey. Today I went through this scenario with a flustered client. But it got way worse. After phone calls to the previous web person and the hosting company, the client was informed that her hosting account was set up in the name of the WEB PERSON and SHE (the client who paid all the bills) had no right to access or change her OWN ACCOUNT!!!

Get a grip on your own business, people! Don’t let some slick talkin’ webbie convince you that they know better than you. That website may be a one page brochure, or it may be the life blood of your business, but YOU need to have the ownership and login information at all times. And that goes for domain names, too!

I need chocolate.

In my view, the saddest thing about marketing is that many small business owners think it’s all about advertising and promotional efforts. Now, I’m not saying that there’s no place for advertising and promotion in marketing – that would be wrong, yet some of the most successful businesses with the highest profit levels, spend very little on traditional marketing methods. It is more than possible, in fact often preferable, to use a more values-driven methodology with your marketing efforts. By marketing your business based on your company mission, corporate values and authentic beliefs, you can easily multiply profits, gain a bigger chunk of market share and at the same time feel fulfilled and rewarded by merely running your own business in a way that feels good to you.

Sound too good to be true? It’s well within your grasp. Frankly, truly great marketing only occurs when it’s an authentic expression of your company values and when it brings your company’s brand to life by showing the world who you (and your company) really are. Clearly, the core of any company is the value system that it stands for. What does your company stand for? What sets it apart from all the other businesses looking for attention?

How can your company show its “true self” to the world? For starters, try introducing the following practices into your business today:

• Stand for something. If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing. And let the world know.
• Run all daily operations and the communication strategies of your organization by the values you’ve set and believe in.
• Create your central offerings in the form of a tool for social change.
• Find your company’s unique way to embody social responsibility and change the world.
• Empower your business and its people to help clients make a positive impact on their communities.
• Let social responsibility be the core of your company values. Select employees, partners and vendors who live by the same values you’ve built within your own business. Be the change you want to see.
• Connect your company (genuinely and without a separate agenda) to a charitable organization that you believe in. Use your business and your own business skills to shine a light on a worthy cause.

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or traditional to bring powerful results. You can simply take the opportunity to make a difference. Understanding how to responsibly use the power and reach of your company brand, your internal and external relationships, your presence within a greater community and your similarly-minded strategic alliances can bring you everything you need for profitable and sustained business success.

MJ says she is not going to do all the work on this blog. She says I have to start posting too. Who does she think SET UP this blog — me, that’s who! That’s MJ for you, always thinks she’s the only one working hard.

I’m Grace and I’m the “techie” here at Boomer Babe. MJ likes to call me her technical wizard, but that just embarrasses me. I prefer something more along the lines of web developer.

All of us here at Boomer Babe like to work hard, but also enjoy ourselves. Since this is the holiday season, I thought I’d share my favorite recipe for chocolate fondue. If your household is anything like ours you’ll need to double the recipe!

Chocolate Fondue

serves 6 (ha!)

1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the cream in an electric fondue pot or a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot (3 or 4 minutes). When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is melted and smooth. Add vanilla and stir. If you used a saucepan, at this point you can transfer it to a warm ceramic fondue pot (or not!)

The dippers can be anything that strikes your fancy. Favorites in our house include:

• strawberries
• pound cake
• banana chunks
• marshmallows
• mini-brownies (a big favorite of the kids…)

Mmmm… I’m getting hungry just writing about it. Hope you enjoy!

I mentioned a few posts ago that while I was in Spain, I introduced my Spanish daughter to blogging. A couple of days after that post I peeked over her shoulder to find her poring over her blog statistics. Within THREE days she had NINETY readers (yes, that’s 90) to her new blog. I nearly fell off my chair. How in the world did she achieve that? Instinct. Pure and simple.

This is somebody who knows absolutely nothing about websites, blogging, or marketing. But she loves to chat on the internet, so she did what was a no-brainer for her; beside her instant messenger user name she inserted a little note: my blog: blognamehere.wordpress.org. One friend read the blog, liked it, told other friends, and within hours she was something of a hit. Now that’s viral marketing that I can support!

When I saw what she had done, I realized that I have yet to hear a single blog or web guru suggest this cost-free, effective method of marketing. Before you send email to tell me it’s been done before, I’m sure you’re right. It’s just that I haven’t seen it before.

If you’re wondering why I’m not providing a link to her blog, it’s because it’s in Spanish. But if you want to know how to pull off this nice little piece of marketing, in Windows IM you’ll find it under Tools > Options > Display name.

I think that sometimes we get so focused on trying the latest, greatest marketing technique that we overlook the obvious tools that are right at our fingertips — and FREE!

I wonder what else I’m missing?????????

My daughter sent me an email and said “Mom, this is what I’m getting you for your birthday.” I wish I could give credit to the author. You’ll soon see why. This is dedicated to all us Boomer Babes.

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 48 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer
named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics
instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started and
encouraged me to keep a diary to chart ! my prog ress.

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was
well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting
for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blonde hair, dancing
green eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Before long I assume
I’ll resemble Belinda. Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the
machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted
her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was
encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching
from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a
FANTASTIC week-!!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee and I finally made it out the door.
Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air
then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the
treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the
counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a
hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to
steer or stop, so I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other
club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning
and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the
stair monster. Why the Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate
activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help
me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other crap too.

THURSDAY :
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her
thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help
being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.
Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I
ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me.
Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.

FRIDAY :
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any
other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic,
anorexic little tramp. If there was a part of my body I could move
without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to
work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want
dents in the floor, don’t hand me the damned barbells or anything that
weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on
a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone
softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?!

SATURDAY :
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly
voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me
want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the
strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven
straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY :
I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and
thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my
daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun –
like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me
to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds.

AMEN, SISTAH!!!

I introduced my “Spanish daughter” to blogging a few days ago and now I can’t drag her away from the computer. But I have to admit, she’s giving me great food for thought. Below is one of her first posts:

Yesterday, spending time with my best friend, we came across a piece of writing that was very interesting, about the relative age of people. And I say relative because the book in question extended the hypothesis (or maybe better said, “game”) of calculating the age of people according to their merits and abilities. So, I started doing the calculations:

OK, let’s see. I’m 23 years old, but if we add my facility for languages (I speak a few), my great savoir faire, and my incredible taste in fashion, that makes me 40!

To which my friend responded:

Aha… BUT, if we take away points for your terrifying driving, your disastrous love life, and your complete lack of skill with anything related to the home — or anything else that doesn’t interest you — well, now you’re back in high school.

Hmmmm… well….

And that’s without admitting to my um…. culinary skills. That lands me at less than 15.

I have to admit, she’s totallly right.

I figure that with my capacity to butcher the Spanish language, my nonexistent fashion sense, my distaste for housework, and my addiction to chocolate, that things pretty well even out at my actual chronological age — 35.

And the beauty of this game is that unless she decides to read this post, she won’t be able to add any points! Or tell my real age…

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not crazy about the sweets in Spain. Except they make incredible dark chocolate. And last night I discovered an upside-down chocolate sundae that blows all the ice cream competition out of the water. I just have to share.

Dama Blanca (White Lady)

1/3 Cup of dark chocolate cocoa - the type that is used for dipping churros (buy at Tienda.com and other online stores)

2 Scoops of high quality vanilla ice cream

Fresh whipped cream

Prepare the chocolate and be sure it’s still warm. Pour the chocolate into a deep sundae bowl (see photo above). Put 2 generous scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of the chocolate (the ice cream will be floating in the chocolate). OMG! Top with whipped cream, if you dare.

This sounds like way too much chocolate and way too sweet, but trust me on this one, girlfriends. If you use high quality, dark chocolate and good vanilla ice cream, the bitterness of the chocolate cuts the sweetness of the ice cream, and vice versa. The whipped cream, for me, is optional, so skip it if if you don’t want to overdo it. Who am I kidding? You can’t GET much more overdone than this! When my friends ordered La Dama Blanca I rolled my eyes. But when I tasted it - WHOA!