Catherine Seda is a 12-year Internet marketing veteran, Entrepreneur columnist and author of two books: How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders and Search Engine Advertising.

Cat is (obviously) a very busy woman! I interviewed her by email to pick her brain about how does she does what she does and to get the inside scoop on her suggestions for building a powerful online presence and strengthening a personal brand.
You write for some pretty impressive publications – how did those relationships manifest?

Marketing! As I share in my new book, five years ago an Entrepreneur columnist recommended me to write a new “Net Sales” column for the magazine. When the Articles Editor e-mailed me about this opportunity, I immediately e-mailed her a sample of my newsletter and links to web articles I had written. I was offered my own column within 24 hours. I still can’t believe how fast it happened. Just start writing on the web and journalists will find you. Write articles, comment on influential bloggers’ blogs, write your own blog, send out press releases—just get your message out there.

What is one thing that small business owners could do (or not do) to see some business growth results within the next 30 days?

My #1 favorite is still pay-per-click on Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search. It’s the quick and easy way to bring in new business NOW. I was interviewed by Dr. Ralph Wilson just recently and I shared three of my valuable secrets:

What is the biggest mistake of most “do-it-yourselfers” in terms of:

Building their website

Not clearly stating WHAT you do and for WHOM. You’ve got less than 30 seconds to get your message across. If you don’t do this, visitors will hit the “back” button and leave your site.

Writing content

Not writing for prospects, press and search engine spiders. Your site needs to appeal to all three to bring you the most business opportunities.

Promoting their website

Not starting simple. You can’t do everything at once or you’ll die! Start with pay-per-click or blogging, for example. Set goals for the campaign, create an action plan, and dedicate time to doing it every week (1-3 hours a week can be a great start). By being consistent, you’ll soon see if that schedule works for you, if you should invest more time into it, or if you should outsource this task.

In your opinion, after speaking to audience and consulting with different companies, are there one or two main things that companies are doing (or not doing) that limits their growth and earning potential?

First and foremost, set goals for your marketing campaigns. Identify primary goals (get more sales) and secondary goals (grow e-mail list). If you can get more specific, GREAT. For example, “Attract 2 new consulting clients within 30 days” or “Make $10,000 in sales.” Doing this helps you establish benchmarks for measuring the success of your campaigns before you even start. Plus, writing these goals down helps you see new marketing opportunities as well as stay away from ones that you can tell won’t come close to delivering your goals.

When you first discover your passion for writing?

In elementary school, I’d write short stories for fun. Hey, I wonder if my mom kept those? I’ll have to ask her.

Writing a book is a monumental task – and you’ve written two! How did you organize the project so that it was more manageable? Any lessons learned during the writing process?

Um, I’m not going to lie—some crying was involved. My fellow authors can probably relate. When working with a publisher, your deadlines can be intense, your work days long and your own critical voice can make you obsess over your writing. Here’s my advice to future writers (whether you self-publish or work with a publisher): after you develop your unique angle, flesh out as much of a detailed Table of Contents as you can. This will probably change as you write. However, the TOC is your road map. It’ll keep you focused.

And as best as you can, schedule times to check e-mail and do your daily tasks. While you’re writing, turn off your phone and ignore e-mail. Do these things on your scheduled breaks. I wish I had done this a bit better.

Finally, give yourself an incentive for completing your book—like a fun vacation. You deserve it!

Why did you decide to try skeleton? You say you like speed – that’s interesting! Why?

Probably because I have a hard time slowing down! After writing my first book, I needed to let loose. About six months earlier, I was on a tour of the Utah Olympic Park. I was sold on skeleton training. It’s like luge, only you’re on your stomach sliding head-first on your sled…at 70 mph. That was my incentive for finishing my book. Uh, it was an unforgettable experience, that’s for sure! I survived three days of training. Some of my fellow sliders weren’t so lucky: three needed facial stitches, others suffered concussions, cracked ribs, chipped teeth and massive bruises (I even have photos). Although I’m pretty sure I won’t ever slide from the top of the track again, it’s still one of my favorite stories. Any thrill-seeker should check out the adventure camps at the Utah Olympic Park or Lake Placid Olympic Park.

If I write a third book, I’ll celebrate at a spa.

Thank you Cat for these gems of wisdom!

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