Image by Lune Rambler The following is a guest post by Erica Mills. She created a low cost tool called the Marketing Tree that forces you through a strategy process. I thought it was pretty cool, and asked her to blog about it. Please welcome her. Bonus miles, the three best comments will get a Marketing Tree process mailed to them. Since we don’t really know each other, it’s probably rude of me to say that your marketing stinks. Fair enough. The thing is, I’ve taught thousands of organizations and businesses how to do effective marketing and here’s what I can say: your marketing might not stink, but you’ve probably got some Extreme Marketing Mayhem going on. Why the mayhem? …

Image by hashmil Writing two unpublished novels, two business books, and a graduate thesis teaches you a thing or two about long writing projects. Long form writing can be grueling in nature, lasting six months or even a year. When beginning such a project, it helps to have a writing program, very similar in nature to a training program that an athlete dedicates him/herself to prepare for a marathon or a long season. Here are some methods that helped with these five projects: Use a Blueprint Image by emanueleED Many authors use the table of contents as their blueprint. Some business writers like larger arcs — themes like the Fifth Estate — that guide their overall effort. This is analogous …