PPB February 2019

Better Blogging Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, a former distributor and supplier, and now president and CEO of Cliff Quicksell Associates and director of af liate marketing and business development for distributor iPROMOTEu, offers tips on in uential blogging. PPB Your blog, 30 Seconds to Greatness (30STG), is now in its third year. What inspired you to start your blog, and how did you move from conception to creation? Quicksell Actually, I am about to start year four—very exciting! My inspiration came from being a regular recipient of Seth Godin’s blogs. What I loved about his blogs, and still do, is the simplicity of the presentation. He never tells you what you need or should do, rather he offers suggestions through thought-provoking questions and comments. While I am certainly no Seth Godin, I believe I have many life and business experiences that should be shared with others; experiences that, I feel, are the foundation of what many people experience on a day-to-day basis. I was further inspired because when I would share anecdotal stories with my clients, they seemed to really resonate. I received a ton of positive comments and I thought, ‘Maybe there’s an idea here,’ so I reached out to a buddy of mine and I shared my idea. He thought it was tremendous and he encouraged me to launch the blog, so I did. In fact, he was the one that came up with the blog name, 30 Seconds to Greatness, and the logo. PPB In many posts, you have shared personal experiences in relation to a given topic, which is followed by rhetorical questions for the readers to ask themselves. With so much buzz going on in the promotional products industry, how do you select which content to share? Quicksell I do two blogs weekly, 30 Seconds To Greatness and a private one I do for iPROMOTEu called Jumpstart Monday. Most of the topics come from past situations I’ve experienced or issues that other people are experiencing on a day-to-day basis. All my blog posts are meant to show people that you’re not alone and to look at life with a positive bent, especially in a world that’s always looking to cut the legs out from underneath you. Being positive is healthy! What inspired me to write about a speci c topic on a particular day is probably something I heard that really stuck with me, or some issue or topic I read about. I write every Monday morning. PPB How has transparency helped readers connect with your content? Quicksell When I speak, I never want people to think I’m better than them. I’m not. The transparency shows, I believe, that I’m real and I’m fallible. Hopefully people see that as genuine and authentic. PPB What strategies do you use when writing, marketing or sharing your content? Quicksell I just try and keep it real and relevant. As far as marketing and sharing, I e-blast it out. Currently I have a database of 75,000 names that receive this weekly and have been for the past three years. I was recently approached by several companies that expressed interest in sponsoring the blog, which is nice. So, I am looking at that to see if it makes sense. With sponsors, the likelihood is we could reach more people, and that’s a great thing. PPB The thought of starting and running a new blog can seem like a tall order, especially for individuals and business that do not currently have one. What advice would you give to these people? Quicksell Make it about your readership and keep it relevant, simple and interesting. The other key point is it must be consistent. That’s why I am so intrigued with Seth Godin’s blogs. They all have these features—pure elegance and simplicity. I believe that’s why his posts are so impactful. I would love to meet him some day and thank him—he seems like a great guy! PPB How can blogging help businesses in the promotional products industry? Quicksell If the information you’re pushing out helps people, gives them encouragement or sound advice and is relevant in their personal and professional lives, people come to view you as a thought leader, someone who is ‘in the know’ and hopefully highly respected. I do know I receive many thank-you emails and calls, or messages saying, ‘I really needed to hear/ read that today. It truly motivated me.’ That’s the fuel for me to keep going, knowing that I helped make a difference in someone’s life that day, at that very moment! It helps me in FIVE MINUTES WITH Cliff Quicksell, MAS+ CEO, Cliff Quicksell Associates | FEBRUARY 2019 | 63 THINK