How Social Media is Changing the Sales Process
There is a fundamental shift in sales today; and your competitor knows it. Old marketing methods are producing old results. It obviously isn’t working the way it used to. There is a gold rush for education as companies scramble to sell to a more knowledgeable buyer. Smart marketing and inbound marketing principles are beginning to move into traditional markets. This leaves a narrowing window of opportunity for brands to get onboard. [Tweet “Effective use of social media shortens sales cycles and wins more deals.”] Socially-Adept Websites Smart companies are changing their websites from simple online brochures to complex marketing platforms that display contextual content based on the individual visitor. Yes,…
Why Do I Only Hear From You When You’re Selling?
“We’re Back!” That is the subject line from a company haven’t heard from in ages. They were announcing their latest widget and telling me to buy now. Was I important to them prior to the launch? Why didn’t they warm me up? Why didn’t they court me? Why didn’t they woo me? Successful sales has always revolved around successful relationships. Successful relationships have always revolved around a successful balance of give and take. Selling to your customers is a relational withdrawal. Are you remembering to make deposits?
How to Write an SEO Post that Is Optimized for Google and Ranks on the First Page
Search engine optimization (SEO) is like a cat-and-mouse game between Google and content creators. Writers are always trying to meet Google’s search algorithm to make it on the first page and Google is always changing its algorithms to ensure that only the best content ranks. [Tweet “Google wants us to find what we’re looking for and as a result, it will display high-quality content over keyword frequency or backlinks.”] So, how do you win with Google? First, you must change your perspective on SEO writing. You are not writing a shell of a piece to merely meet Google’s requirements and include a keyword X amount of times. You need to…
23 Industries That Are Ripe For Growth with Content Marketing
Sometimes I wish I were in a different industry. Why? It’s not that I dislike marketing — just the opposite, actually. [Tweet “With inbound marketing, there is so much potential to out-maneuver your competition. Are you?”] But I’d really love to apply what I know about content and inbound marketing to promote my new business in another industry. There is so much potential for brands to outmaneuver their competition and dominate their industry if inbound marketing strategies are applied. Off the top of my head, I can think of 23 industries that could attract more customers, generate more revenue, and increase lifetime value of customers: 1. Beauty & Makeup 2.…
Four Elements of Social Selling
Last week, LinkedIn opened their Social Selling Index (SSI) to the public. I find scores like this fascinating, we have so much social noise out there, sometimes it is hard to know what is working and what’s not. It is nice to see the data to prove (or disprove) the sales and marketing trends we’re seeing right now. While this particular Index is still new, I don’t think it is a novelty scoring system. Social Selling is a very real aspect of modern sales. So, don’t think of this as another Klout. In fact, if I had to choose to increase my LinkedIn score or my Klout score, I’d pick LinkedIn. The last thing…
What Is Content Marketing?
Big data, native advertising, vlogging, content marketing. With new buzzwords cropping up every week, how do you know which new marketing strategy is actually worth pursuing? And which ones will just fizzle out and die, à la MySpace? While you don’t have to immediately start video blogging (vlogging), we do recommend that you pay closer attention to “content marketing.” This strategy is not a trendy, temporary buzzword, this is a tried-and-true strategy to attract, engage, and ultimately convert potential customers. [Tweet “Content marketing is basically a fancy way of saying, “Writing helpful stuff for your target audience.””] Content marketing is basically a fancy way of saying, “Writing helpful stuff for…
Professional vs Personal Social Media Profiles: How to Differentiate
Who are you? And who do you want to be? This is no ordinary existential crisis. This is a 21st century question we should all ask ourselves. Who do you want to be on social media? What is your brand? What do you want to broadcast to millions of people over the Internet? With social media, we truly have the power to impact how we are perceived. And, like it wasn’t difficult enough, we now have to answer these questions for our two identities: personal and professional. [Tweet “Professionals must be intentional about separating work and personal social media profiles”] Whether you are a freelancer, agency owner, or entrepreneur, you…
The Costly Misstep Agencies Make When Pitching A Prospect
Eight out of ten agency owners I speak with are making the same fatal mistake when pitching their services to prospects. That’s a full eighty-percent! Even more concerning is the misstep is so easily correctible. Once freelancers, consultants, and agencies realize how to fix this, they experience larger contracts, longer retainers, and higher close rate. Who wouldn’t want those things!? [Tweet “When you lead with value to the client, you close more sales at higher rates.”] So what do so many agencies do that cause them to lose the sale? They show the value for themselves, not the prospect. It sounds simple, yet nearly every agency I work with makes…
The Biggest Mistake You Can Make When Networking
Networking is not easy stuff. You’re constantly putting yourself out there in potentially uncomfortable situations, meeting strangers for coffee or amping up your small talk game at a conference or networking event. Then, you finally break through and meet that one connection who introduces you to his or her friends, and everything falls in place. You get a new job, you learn about your passion, you get a new mentor, you land a new client. [Tweet “Make a habit out of following up and staying on contact with your network.”] These relationships are hard earned and extremely valuable. And the single, worst thing you can do is let these relationships…
How and When to Start A Blog For Your Brand
I talk a lot about blogging. A lot. In fact, I have written nearly 400 blog posts about the benefits of blogging. I know my professional success would only be a fraction of what it is today without blogging. Simply, blogging is the reason I can pursue my passion of helping others grow their own business. Now that you know how important blogging in my own business, it may not be a surprise to learn that I think you should start a blog for your business immediately. You see, just like investing in the stock market, investing in a blog pays dividends over time. The sooner you start, the sooner you…
How To Develop a Social Media Strategy
Whether you care to accept it or not, social media is here to stay. It is becoming a powerful marketing tool for businesses all over the world to connect with their customers. The questions is no longer, “should we be doing social media?” It is now, “are we doing social media right?” One way to do it right is to have a strong social media strategy. Many brands are simply using social media as a way to promote themselves. They’re not using it as it was designed: as a communication platform. Social media is a two-way street of dialog between a brand and the consumers. Unlike traditional marketing platforms – like…
Social Media Marketing for Coffee Shops
Social media is a relationship-based form of technology that has been adapted to market to people. Never before in the 150 years of marketing history have we seen such wide adaption of two-way marketing. When you think of TV, radio, newspaper, and billboards, they push a message to the consumers. Social media has changed that to a two-way style of communication and marketing. Advertisers and brands are no longer pushing a message to consumers, but consumers are pulling information that they are seeking. Large and small brands alike are able to benefit from building this relationship with their current and prospective customers. For coffee houses, using social media is a…
3 Major Reasons Your Marketing Efforts Are Not Successful
NOTE: This is written to the forward thinking marketer who has overcome the first hurdle of getting stuff done: the excuse. “It didn’t work.” “We tried that already.” “Our previous web guy / consultant / designer / gardener didn’t understand us.” Congratulations, you’ve made it through the hardest part. Kudos for accepting a level of responsibility for a previous marketing campaign failures and your genuine interest in seeing the fruits of your labor and improving. Now, my people, let’s get to the nitty-gritty! Here are 3 major reasons your marketing efforts are not successful: 1. Not Consistent Consistency in marketing wins the race. Look at megabrands like Coca-Cola, Ford, Budweiser,…
How To Separate Your Work and Personal Life as an Entrepreneur
As entrepreneurs, it is really hard to not think about your business or your ideas. There is always so much to work on, it may seem like the To Do list gets longer the more you’re away from “work”. You may even feel guilty for not working when you’re at home or — on vacation (gasp). You’re not alone! Here are some recommendations for how to separate your personal and work life as an entrepreneur. First, let’s clarify that it should be hard to turn off your work mind. This is your life’s purpose. Don’t fight it. Instead, be intentional about how your approach your work and personal life. If…
Informational Interviews: Get the Inside Scoop About Your Passion
What if you could get the inside scoop about your passion from someone who has years of experience? What if you could learn the challenges associated with your passion ahead of time and prepare yourself? What if you could get connected to a whole network of people in your dream industry in just 30 minutes? Take the guesswork out of your passion with informational interviews. Informational interviews are one of the most effective, easiest ways to break into an industry. And, not only will you make connections that may very well lead to your dream job, you’ll also get the inside scoop and expert advice on the industry you’re pursuing.…
Passion or Hobby? Take This Quiz to Find Out
What’s the difference between a passion and a hobby? They can seem very similar — both are what you enjoy, what you spend a lot of time doing, and what you would do even if no one paid you. But, how do you know if you are a recreational blogger or if you should pursue writing full time? Or, if you love cooking meals for friends or if you should go to culinary school? First, I have to say: if you are wondering if your interest is a passion or a hobby, take a moment and recognize how lucky you are to be in this predicament. The majority of people…
Using Webinars to Generate Revenue
Have you ever attended a webinar? That is, a live meeting or presentation held on the internet. Most webinars are either sales or training-related. The best ones deliver a high amount of value to the participants. Chances are, you came away from your last webinar experience with a great deal of respect for the presenter and viewed them as an expert in their field. That is because webinars, like television or radio, position the speaker as an authority. Someone obviously vetted them and selected them based on their credentials and knowledge. Have you ever considered using webinars for your own sales campaigns? When Should Webinars Be Used in Sales One…
Want to Quit Your Job and Follow Your Passion? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
“I Quit My Six-Figure Corporate Job to Pursue My Passions.” “How I Quit My IT Job at 35 to Pursue My Passion.” “How I Quit My Job and Found Myself.” We’ve all seen the headlines. Someone making great money quits his job to follow his passion. And, lo and behold, he finds the same degree of success when he turns his dream into his career. (By the way, all those headlines above are real). Boy, do they make it sound easy. Why would you have to think twice about leaving a stable, well-paying job to find a completely new career path? These folks sure found success. Unfortunately, like most things…
How to Overcome The Biggest Challenges of Social Media Marketing
Social media is quite the beast. From corporate boardrooms to home-based hobbyists, the idea of “social media marketing” can cast fear into the hearts of even the most courageous marketers. There are many misconceptions surrounding social media — especially as it relates to marketing or promoting your business. [Tweet “Today’s marketers must understand that social media is not built for brands. Rather, social media is about relationships.”] There is an incredible amount of noise happening because the barriers of entry for social marketing is nearly nil. All brands — regardless of size, marketing budget, or clout — can promulgate their message in the social realm. This simplicity, however, leads to…
How to Weave Your Passion into Your Everyday Life
You’ve already done the hard part. You’ve identified your passion. You’ve experienced that euphoric high when you’re in the zone and love what you’re doing. And, let’s be honest, as soon as you pinpoint that passion and let your mind wander to your dream job, there’s no going back. And why would you? Over 80% of people don’t enjoy their work and nearly 75% of people don’t know their passion. You’re part of the lucky group of people who have found their passion. Like I said, the hard work is over. But you have to keep that momentum going and make the effort to exercise that passion each and every…
How to Increase Traffic to Your Website With Little to No Budget
Regardless of your industry or product, we all want to increase the amount of traffic to our website. Right? After all, more visitors usually means more sales. But what happens when you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall in terms of website traffic? The easiest way to increase website visitors is to pay-to-play. You can buy ads on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter to send more targeted traffic. You can also pay Google to appear in the search results more often. [Tweet “Investing in your website today will result in new customers tomorrow.”] But money does not grow on trees and this model is not always sustainable. If…
I Need Your Help [Survey]
Every day I hear from folks in various stages of their business — the one thing they have in common: they all feel “stuck.” I want to help overcome that feeling and have decided to develop a brand new training course that addresses the common problems brands are facing right now in the world of social media, content marketing, and generating new business online. I need your help I have a couple of topics with nearly complete outlines, but I want to hear from you. Which of these courses would you find most valuable to your current position? The Topics 1. Social Selling: The art of building a profitable audience 2. Webinars:…
How to Find and Identify the Right Mentor
The first rule to finding a great mentor: you do not talk about finding a great mentor. Seriously. We often think of finding a mentor like finding a job. You search online for a couple hours, make the ask and “apply” to be someone’s mentee, and wait to hear if you’ll be accepted. If you go about mentorship this way, you will never, ever find a mentor. Maybe this is why so many people don’t have one — the majority of people are looking at it the wrong way. A mentorship doesn’t happen after one email exchange. It doesn’t happen after meeting for coffee. And it doesn’t even happen after…
5 Tips for Asking for LinkedIn Recommendations (and Two Scripts)
We all crave social validation. When we want to try a new restaurant, we instantly turn to Yelp and read the reviews. If a restaurant doesn’t have any reviews, we probably won’t go there. The same goes with clothes, technology, outdoor equipment and more. Basically, if an item is sold on Amazon, we take the time to read the reviews. And those reviews can have a real impact on our purchasing decisions. The same goes with your agency’s services. Your potential clients want to read testimonials from your other clients and see validation for their choice to hire you. It’s one thing to see a portfolio of your work, but it’s…
Why LinkedIn Company Pages Are a Waste of Time
When social media became a “thing,” companies scrambled to create Facebook profiles, Twitter pages, Google+ pages, Pinterest boards, and LinkedIn company pages. Why did they do that? What was the reasoning behind a B2B company creating a Pinterest board or a doctor’s office making a Twitter page? [Tweet “Before you start creating original content or buying ads, you need to define your goals identify ROI.”] It’s simple. Because everyone else was doing it. And, honestly, after working in social media for more than five years, that is one of the most ridiculous and frustrating things I have ever heard. Don’t get me wrong. I am a big proponent of social media for brands,…
5 Little-Known Ways to Maximize Your LinkedIn Presence
How well do you really know LinkedIn? Yes, you can join groups, publish on LinkedIn Pulse, and customize your profile, but that’s just scratching the surface. The majority of LinkedIn users do the bare minimum. They add their resume to their profile, upload a picture, and connect with former colleagues. But, by spending a little more time upfront on your profile, you can be found more easily, get more connections, and ultimately find more clients. And, we’re not talking about spending hours on your profile — these simple tricks take minutes, but have a powerful impact on your LinkedIn presence. [Tweet “Get found by new prospects by taking the time to…
3 Tips for Managing Your To-Do List & Boosting Your Productivity
“Too much month at the end of the money” I first heard that quote in 2004 when I was involved in a round-the-world internet marketing conference circuit. Over the years, I’ve found it to be an incredibly succinct statement that can be applied not only to our finances, but our time. [Tweet “Your schedule is yours to control. Are you intentional about how to spend it?”] In America, we live in a culture that seems to celebrate “being busy” and even over-working. In fact, a recent study found that some marketing agency partners were manufacturing timecards that exceeded 80 hours per work week to get promoted. We are rewarding the…
How to Use LinkedIn Groups to Land New Clients
What’s the last group you joined? No, I’m not referring to a weekly running group or Spanish language group. I’m talking about LinkedIn Groups. As every marketing professional knows, one of the biggest challenges we face is finding “our tribe,” the perfect group of people that fit our target audience. We can create killer content and compelling ad copy, but if it doesn’t find the right audience, it can be all for nothing. Identifying that focused, niche segment of people is the sweet spot for growing your agency. And luckily for us, LinkedIn Groups has already done all the hard work. [Tweet “Finding your tribe – that ideal audience –…
LinkedIn Pulse 101: Everything You Need to Know
Anyone who has written a blog post or guest article knows that writing the actual piece is only half the battle. The real challenge is getting your post in front of your target audience. Sure, you can post the article on social media and send it out in an email, but that will only reach so many people. How can you get new eyeballs on your content? LinkedIn Pulse may be the answer for all writers, from frustrated bloggers to aspiring thought leaders. The self-publishing platform offers a win-win for everyone involved. For writers, they get the opportunity to reach a huge audience of people, for free. For LinkedIn, they get great content that increases engagement on their…
36 Places To Get Free Images for Your Blog
They say a picture is worth a thousand words — and with our diminishing attention span, using visuals in our marketing is becoming even more important. And I think we can all agree that traditional stock photos are pretty bad… I mean, really? That said, where do you find the best images for your blog? Copyright Concerns First, it is important to note that, while it may be easy (and tempting) to just use Google Images, those images are owned by someone, not Google. So simply finding them does not entitle anyone to use them. You must look for images where the owner has given express permission for those photos…
In Remembrance of Those Who Gave Their All
Today is more than BBQs and a day off work. Today, we remember the service men and woman who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom enjoy each day. This country was founded on certain beliefs – the idea that we have the right to worship, express our thoughts, and be active in the direction of the land. Our homes are private, our trials are fair, and our public squares are open. Those beliefs are expensive. To the approximate 664,440 American soldiers who have laid down their life for us: thank you. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John…
5 Networking Disasters You Can Make on LinkedIn
With more than 360 million professionals registered on LinkedIn, it can feel like you struck networking-gold. After just a couple keystrokes, you can find dozens of potential clients in a certain city, with the right title and at the right kind of company. As an agency owner, it sure can be tempting to connect with every single person and start making your sales pitch. After all, you’ve identified your target audience and you can send these influencers a direct message, for free. Why wouldn’t you connect with them? [Tweet “”I’d like to add you to my professional network” is a horrible way to start a professional relationship.”] Networking on LinkedIn is…
How to Know Exactly What Your Prospect Is Thinking
Wouldn’t it be helpful if you knew exactly what your next customer was thinking? Believe it or not, your prospects have a lot of questions about your product they want answered before they contact you. We know from studying the behavior of buyers, that they progress through three stages of the buying process: Awareness > Consideration > Decision As salespeople and marketers, we want to enter the process as early as possible. But how do we know what they are thinking? How can we get helpful insights early in the Awareness Stage? [Tweet “Your next customer is telegraphing exactly what they want you to tell them. Are you listening?”] Understanding…
Should You Charge Late Fees?
“Our bookkeeper is on vacation!” “It must have gotten lost in the mail!” “I never saw that invoice…” Here they come. The never-ending stream of excuses for late checks. Getting your clients to pay you on time is one of the most frustrating and most common issues you will face as an agency owner. But, however annoying it can be to constantly nag clients, managing late invoices comes with the job. If you regularly have to deal with the same group of late-paying clients, it may be time to consider imposing a late fee as part of your pricing model. Chasing checks every month costs you time, which will cost you money…
The Best Way to Approach New Clients
Client outreach is a huge part of business development. Yet most sales folks are stuck using methods that are outdated or just ineffective. Should you continue cold calls? Mass emails? The best way to approach a new client is to look for ways to genuinely build a relationship with them. Here are some tips on how to attract new clients Use Content To Share Your Expertise First, start with blogging about the needs of your clients. I would encourage you to create a blog schedule and begin publishing regularly. The topics of those blogs should be very, very specific to the needs of your ideal customer. For example, “3 Ways Your…
Why You Should Publish Your Prices Online
You can find anything online. From stalking former high school friends to ordering your groceries, we have grown accustomed to accomplishing any task we want on the Internet. With millions of search queries right at our fingertips, we expect to find the information we need in seconds. And, when that information isn’t available, we move on to something else. Case in point: restaurants. I bet that you are more likely to go to a restaurant with 50 Yelp reviews than a restaurant with zero reviews. In the absence of information, we grow suspicious. When information just can’t be found, we immediately start having doubts. [Tweet “The fear of being undercut is an advantage…
How Blogging Helps You Rank Higher In Google [Webinar]
Please join me for an upcoming webinar co-hosted with the Agency Growth Formula. I will be discussing how blogging can help you rank higher in Google and other search engines. The webinar is free, but seats are limited to the first 250 participants. I expect this webinar to fill up quickly! The webinar is at 10am (Pacific) on Thursday, May 14th. You can register here Blogging Helps In the Sales Cycle When prospective clients start their buying process (we know that they progress from awareness to consideration stages before finally reaching the decision phase) they often go to the web to gain education and research. Like you or I, their search often begins at Google. By blogging, you…
The Best Social Media Platform For Promotion is….
Which social media platform is best for promotion? …all of them. Or none of them. Frankly, this popular question is only one-half of the right question. A better question is Which social media platform is my audience on? [Tweet “Don’t just seek out the best social media platform to promote on. Seek out the platform where your audience wants to form a relationship with you.”] Marketing to teens on LinkedIn is likely to result in failure. Teens aren’t flocking to LinkedIn. Similarly, marketing to the VP of Sales of Ginormous Corp on SnapChat will result in a goose egg. Asking only half of the question is like asking, “which car is…
How to Tell Your Clients You’re Raising Your Prices
It’s hard enough asking your boss for a raise. But, it’s a whole new ballgame when you’re the boss and you decide to increase your rates. First, it can be hard to tell if you are really justified in charging more for your services (you don’t have someone like a boss to “approve” the raise). You also don’t want to come across as greedy to your clients. And, it can be really challenging and uncomfortable to figure out how to tell your clients you’ve essentially given yourself a raise. Well, it turns out, these two scenarios are more similar than they may seem. In both cases, you have to be…
So, What Is It You Do?
I’m not sure if my grandma could articulate what I do, exactly. And I know my folks have a good idea, but, in general, it’s a bit of a mystery to those around me. They know I do “internet stuff” and help companies, but that’s about it. What Do You Do? This is a question that is asked countless times at networking events, in an effort to try to establish some semblance of a relationship — ultimately, though, it is just a polite way of filling the time before launching into our own prepared speech about what we do and how the other person can help us. Perhaps a better…
The 3 Biggest Pricing Mistakes
Pricing is one of the trickiest things about starting a business. Why? Because we all get scared about setting prices. If you charge too much, you’ll lose clients. If you charge too little, you’re leaving money on the table. If you’re charging the same rates as your competitors, you’re just being a copycat (and you’re not placing enough value on the unique services you provide). With something so important as pricing, you can’t afford to be scared or unsure. Your agency’s success and growth depend on the money you’re bringing in. Period. You could provide the best content creation services in the whole city, but if your pricing is off, you just won’t…
3 Scripts: Asking Clients for Referrals
You can spend hours Googling the best tips, tricks and best practices for asking clients for referrals, but one thing is missing from all those articles – the actual words that are supposed to come out of your mouth. We’ve all been in that situation, whether professional or personal, where we spend hours researching how to do something, but when it comes to go-time, we just can’t find the right words to say. Or, we never really knew what to say in the first place. That’s especially true for asking clients for referrals. Many of us are shy or feel too pushy when we essentially have to ask current clients…
[Webinar] 3 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads Through Social Media
Hey everyone, I will be presenting a brand new webinar next Thursday, April 23rd at 10am PST. I encourage you to sign up! I will be talking about 3 Simple Ways to Generate Qualified Leads Through Social Media. Registration is now open here. I look forward to meeting you on the call! -Shaun
Someone Referred You…Now What? How to Turn Referrals into New Clients
Everyone talks about how to get referrals — the ways to get your existing clients to refer you to a new pool of people. We’re guilty of this, too. We’ve written about how to build your agency through referrals, the wrong ways to ask for referrals, and how to do the work for your clients so they’ll be more likely to refer you. Well, that’s all great to know, but what the heck do you do once you actually get a referral? There’s not a lot of information out there about how to turn your referrals into new clients. It’s like everyone is more focused on getting names and contact…
Progressive Profiling: What Carnival Cruise & Shopify Teach Us
Raise your hand if you hate filling out forms. I’ll bet a lot of hands are up right now, heck, I am even typing this one-handed… In sales and marketing, collecting data online is incredibly important. When the web was first introduced and became a primary pillar of marketing, we developed online forms to help collect that information from our website visitors. It was basic, it was effective, and it accomplished the goal. No one particularly liked filling out forms, but it was all we had. Fast forward to 2015 and marketing has evolved, the web has evolved, and consumers have evolved. But most forms have not. Why Use Dumb…
How to Get More Referrals by Doing the Work For Your Clients
We all like simple. In an era where we can order just about anything with the touch of button on our smartphone, we have become more and more accustomed to easy. Remember when we used to have to call to order a taxi? And wait on hold for minutes, and then wait outside your pick-up location for an indefinite amount of time? Now we just tap a button and our taxi calls us when it’s time to go. That’s the kind of simplicity we’re used to. And we need to operate under this way of thinking whenever we want people to do something for us. If it’s not easy, they…
Respond Within 10 Minutes for Best Results
“Respond within 10 minutes for best results.” That is the helpful tip found on the bottom of every email notification real estate giant Zillow sends to agents. It is no surprise that a quick response to a prospective client, regardless of the industry, results in improved close rates and overall customer satisfaction. The early bird gets the worm, as they say. Here are 3 quick tips to improve your response time to prospective customers 1. Use Marketing Automation The use of automated marketing has up-ended the sales process in recent years. Tools like Marketo, HubSpot, SalesForce, and ActOn have made it fairly easy to create workflows and triggers to separate…
The Wrong Ways to Ask for Referrals
There’s a right and wrong way to do just about everything. With client issues, the right way is always to vocalize concerns and solicit feedback. The wrong way is to ignore issues until they go away. With missed deadlines, the right way is to communicate ahead of time and warn your client that the project will be late. The wrong way would be to avoid the client and scramble to get the work delivered, even if it’s sloppy. And, just like every other facet of business, there’s a right and wrong way to ask for customer referrals. And, it’s especially important that you ask for referrals the right way, as…
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Confidence is extremely sexy. Just ask anyone in the dating scene, a mate with confidence is attractive. In fact, a recent survey from Men’s Fitness Magazine found that nearly 80% of women identified self-confidence as the sexiest trait a man can possess. (Men, let’s be careful not confuse confidence with arrogance. One is desirable, the other is repulsive.) Obviously confidence is a big deal in the dating scene. But what does it have to do with running an agency? Turns out, the parallels between developing a romantic relationship and a business relationship are quite similar. That said, it stands to reason that a prospective client wants to see confidence exuding…
3 Lessons Learned from the Top Podcasts
Millions of listeners can’t be wrong. From Serial to This American Life to Fareed Zakaria GPS, these podcasts have achieved success in all forms – millions of downloads, hundreds of broadcasts, and perhaps most important of all, a loyal, engaged following. So, what makes a podcast about foreign affairs so popular? Why was Serial, a show about yet another murder mystery, catapulted into iTunes history? Why is it so interesting to hear about every day stories from every day people? Here are three lessons learned from these top podcasts, and what you can do with your podcast to achieve the same level of success: Lesson learned: Be a good storyteller…
How Highly Regulated Industries Should Use Inbound Marketing
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Best Practices: Dos and Don’ts in Podcasting
Don’t miss deadlines. Do listen to client feedback. Don’t be late to a meeting. Do think outside the box. Everything we do is made up of “dos” and “don’ts.” Ever since we were young, we were taught, “Don’t chew with your mouth open” and “Do say thank you.” The same goes with our jobs — we eventually learn the best practices for dealing with clients or the common pitfalls to avoid. But, when you’re starting something new, it can be almost impossible to know what is right and what is wrong. This month is all about setting you up for podcasting success, so we’re sharing the biggest do’s and dont’s…
5 Free Ways to Promote Your Podcast
You’ve submitted your podcast to iTunes and thousands of listeners come pouring in, right? Does the whole “If you build it, they will come” saying apply to podcasts? If only it were that easy. In some ways, making content for your podcast is easier than promoting it. It’s fun to think of new ideas, interview interesting people, and talk about a subject you’re passionate about. The real challenge comes when an episode is ready to go live. How do you motivate people who have never heard about you to give up 30 minutes of their day to listen to what you have to say? It’s not easy, but it definitely…
9 Ways to Be More Productive Today
Are consumers getting a good deal or a bad deal? That was the question posed in an article I read earlier today. I found the article interesting until the very last point, where the author said that a “lack of time and mental bandwidth” basically excused the personal responsibility of these busy consumers — who don’t realize they are getting a bad deal. Thereby placing the fault on the industry for making things unfair. Unfortunately, buying into the belief that you are disadvantaged because of a ‘lack of time’ only feeds a victim-like mentality. And winners do not participate in this type of thinking. When I read that quote, I…
5-Minute Guide: Getting Started in Podcasting
If you thought podcasting had its 15 minutes of fame and became outdated, then you obviously haven’t been following the explosive fame of “Serial,” the fastest podcast to reach 5 million downloads in the history of iTunes. The show centers around a journalist’s re-investigation of a 15-year-old murder story. “Serial” has consistently topped the iTunes chart since it debuted in early October 2014 and averages 1.5 million listeners per episode. Podcasts are coming back. According to Edison Research, 15% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month, up 9% from 2008. And podcasts are up 25% year-over-year. With its growing popularity, you don’t have to investigate a…
Money on the Table: How to Price Your Agency’s Services
Isn’t it funny how much of a difference pricing can make? A t-shirt that costs $12.00 may seem overpriced, but $9.99 seems so much more affordable, even though the actual difference is only two dollars. Pricing is so much more than numbers and monetary value. It can say a lot about quality of services, competition, and value. And, it’s a tricky thing. If you price too low, you may not be able to sustain growth and you’re less likely to go the extra mile. If you price too high, you get beat out by a lower-cost competitor. [Tweet “Pricing is so much more than numbers and monetary value. It can…
How Top Producing Real Estate Agents Use Blogging [Quick Tip]
The key to using a blog to attract new customers is to identify the burning questions your customers are asking — and answer them. “But what about giving away all of my trade secrets?” “What if my competitors read what I’m writing?” You will never cannibalize your business by providing valuable information to your prospective client; in fact, just the opposite. The more you share, the more trustworthy and credible you are in the eyes of your visitors. Hint: if you can give away all your knowledge, you are 1) not continually learning, 2) not an expert. [Tweet “Hint: if you can give away all your knowledge, you are 1)…
Setting the Course: Creating a Strategic Plan for Your Agency
To say agency life is busy may be an understatement. Work isn’t confined to the normal 9-5 schedule, and it can feel like there are never enough hours in the day to find new business, make sure existing clients are happy, contribute to projects, and lead a team of employees. Oh, and you still need to make time to think about the future of your agency and where you want to be in the next five years. Creating a strategic plan for your agency can easily fall on the backburner. It can seem like there are more pressing issues in the present, like an unhappy client or an impending deadline.…
5 Out-of-the-Box Questions to Identify Your Purpose
While discovering the “true you” and your “place in life” can sound like themes to a Disney movie, these favorite childhood characters may be on to something. Finding the passion and purpose of your agency is a real journey, one where you’ll learn more about yourself, get in touch with your inner child, and break away from reality. Why is it so important to identify your agency’s passion? Not only will it give you a competitive advantage and allow you to dominate a niche space, it will also help with your overall brand and messaging. [Tweet “Passion can go a long way in differentiating yourself and developing your brand’s identity.”]…
9 Keys to Finding Your Agency’s Passion
I believe each day is a blank canvas of opportunity or disappointment. Sure, there are days when nothing seems to “go right”, but there is an overarching joy found when you actively pursue your passion. When things get hard, it is important to maintain focus on that internal passion to overcome the challenges you’re experiencing. There are some things you just can’t teach, like passion and excitement. – Laurie A Meacham As an agency owner or leader within your organization, the job is even harder because your team expects you to fearlessly lead and keep the course. If you find yourself wavering, or lacking that internal drive, I’ve outlined 9…
8 Tips to Build Your Business With Referrals
If you want anything in life, your best bet is simply to ask for it. You may be surprised at how successful this easy (yet bold) approach can be. I’ve seen it work in dozens of scenarios, from being upgraded to first class to receiving a higher salary to getting free samples at a bakery, all from simply asking. The same goes in our professional lives. Do you really want to work with a certain company? Do you want more referrals? You guessed it; just ask. In the business world, client referrals are one of the most lucrative sources of growth. People are more than 30% more likely to trust…
The Perfect Pitch: How to Excite Customers and Close Deals
As Don Draper of Mad Men once said, “You are the product. You feeling something. That’s what sells.” When you pitch potential clients, you embody your agency and the services provided. Your confidence, manner of speaking, body language, and personality can build long-lasting relationships or come off as a sleazy sales pitch. [Tweet “When you pitch potential clients, you embody your agency and the services provided.”] Not all of us can be as smooth as Don Draper, with his immaculate suits and Old Fashioneds. But, we can learn how to excite potential customers and close the deal: How to Excite Potential Clients Case studies Customer success stories and case studies…
I Have a Dream
The year was 1954, and a 25-year-old named Martin Luther King Jr radically reshaped the culture of America. Sixty-one years later, I also have a dream. One that would cause a change in the culture of our businesses. One that would lead more young people to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit. King spoke out about his belief. He was up against significant challenges, such as limiting beliefs, available tools and resources, and our personal ability to enact change. Sixty-one years later, we have made strides towards racial equality and treatment. For young entrepreneurs, I encourage you to to break through limiting beliefs, understand that you have the tools to reach your goals,…
Establishing Agency Thought Leadership and Authority
Would you like your agency to be seen as the ultimate expert in your space? Do you want to improve brand awareness and visibility to new audiences? Do you want to uncover exciting data and trends? All of that can start with a blog post. Well, it’s not as simple as that, but it’s a great starting point. Establishing agency thought leadership requires a well thought-out strategy to write helpful content, establish your voice on social media, and build up your brand through guest posting and original research. [Tweet “Establishing thought leadership and authority attracts the right clients to your business.”] The key to branding yourself as an authentic thought…
An Agency Roadmap for 2015
As we kick off 2015, I am excited to introduce a series revolving around the success of your agency. Over the next 6 weeks, I will be delivering real advice for agency owners and independent consultants. My true passion is helping others unlock their passion. I believe when you are aligned with your calling, there is a unique fulfillment that cannot be manufactured. It comes only from living out your calling. Going forward, I will be talking about unshackling the chains that hold us back as agency owners and consultants. Ultimately, we are called to be leaders for our employees and families; with that in mind, we need to be…
10 Timeless Marketing Resolutions for Agencies
Around this time of year, it is easy to make “New Years Resolutions”, but what about resolutions in general? Here is a list of 10 marketing resolutions agencies should consider regardless of the time of year. 1. Make your agency website the authority for prospective clients. 2. Create a content marketing strategy that centers around the client, their needs, their business, and their problems. 3. Get out of the traditional agency advertising mentality. If you need to try something new, do it. Experiment. 4. Always be thinking mobile-friendly (seriously, we still have to talk about this?) 5. Explore new platforms: video, podcast, interviews, skywriting, book publishing, or collaborations. 6. Always be…
27 Metrics for Monitoring Your Agency’s Health
How are you doing? No, really. How are you doing? How is your agency doing? Here are 27 metrics for measuring the health of your agency going into the new year: Sales revenue Referrals Pageviews Time on page Bounce rate Page load time Conversion rate Ranking key-phrases Social media advocates Customer attrition / churn Number of blog posts published Mailing list subscribers Premium content offers Employee satisfaction Cost of client acquisition Operating productivity Gross margins Monthly profit / loss Overhead costs Inventory on hand Hours worked per process Client lifetime value Product metabolism (how fast you release updates) Customer support / helpdesk scores Year-Over-Year sales Product revenue percentage Accounts Receivable…
What Is Your Story
Every business has a story; a unique tale of how you achieved what you achieved. A compelling story of why you focus on the particular subsection of the market. The reason you get up each morning and what motivates you. The key is to perfect the telling of the story; to deliver it in a way that resonates with your audience and transfers the passion you have to them. The primary differentiating factor among most competing brands is their ability to convey their story in a way that attracts new customers and solidifies the loyalty of existing customers. Tell your story with such conviction that people begin lining up to…
Merry Christmas
Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season! I hope you’re able to take some time to reflect on 2014 and look forward to a prosperous 2015. “Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” ― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings Thank you for being a part of a fantastic year for me and Never Mind Marketing! Merry Christmas, -Shaun
If Everything Is Expedited, Nothing Is
Overheard: “Our rep just told me that we have over 2000 expedited cases right now … ” In the mad rush to close sales opportunities, and hit the aggressive year-end goals, salespeople are promising to “expedite” the sale to slip in before the deadline. While this sounds great, as a customer, the problem becomes evident when too many people are allowed into the express lane. Even in a restaurant, there is an “expedite” button; one that moves the order to the front of the line (usually reserved for incorrect orders). When sales reps use this as their hard close, the “front of the line”-line gets very long. If you can…
Habits of Unsuccessful People vs. Successful People
Success is not defined by your socioeconomic status, race, gender, location, or bloodline. Rather, success is often found in traits within. The decision to exercise healthy habits is what differentiates successful from unsuccessful. Here is a look at the Habits of Unsuccessful vs. Successful People [one_half] Habits of Unsuccessful People Easily give up Fear change Act before they think Think they know it all Criticize Waste their time Horde information and data Talk before they listen Try to bring others down to their level Stop learning Never set goals Get distracted everyday Blame others Take the easy way out Secretly hope others fail Think, say and do negative things Don’t know what…
The Definition of Success
Some extremely worthy causes (saving the environment, world peace, or efficient public healthcare for example) will never succeed; simply because the definition of their success is undefined. [Tweet “Some extremely worthy causes will never succeed; simply because the definition of their success is undefined.”] Your ability to accurately articulate “success” directly correlates to its achievement. Moreover, your ability to empower your tribe to spread such a message enables you to reach your goal faster. All that to say, clearly define what you want and how you want it shared. To your success. About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014.…
Proposals? Statement of Work? Quote? Agreements?
What does your agency call the document you send to clients before starting work? According to a survey of agencies by the team over at Podio, the actual terminology varies greatly, but “Proposal” took the lead with 73% of the votes. Does it matter if the document is called a proposal? Quote (44%)? Statement of Work (23%)? Recommendation (8%)? Agreement (26%)? Contract? Something else entirely? The varied responses point to a “sense of an organic, evolving process that varies from agency to agency, client to client, and project to project” the Podio team reported. I hope agency owners can take away a key lesson here: There is no right or…
5 Key Elements to a Winning Sales Pitch
When creating a sales pitch or slide deck, it is easy to start with information about your company. It is natural, since we want to convince the prospect that they are in good hands and can trust us. Scratch that. You must understand the client’s hierarchy of needs and create a succession of ‘yeses’. 5 Key Elements to a Well-Structured Sales Proposal 1. Emphasize The Client’s Needs, Goals, and Objections Clearly repeat the needs of the client to reinforce that you have their interest in mind. Articulate the goals, as you understand them, and the objections they are facing. This establishes the issue and sets a clear starting point for your…
How I Blog: Trips & Tricks I’ve Learned From Publishing Every Day
Writing a blog post every day for 90 days is not an easy task. It is one I set out to do for a number of reasons, the primary reason, however, is probably to prove to myself that I could do it. Creating original, high-quality content on a consistent basis is the best and most effective way to attract new visitors to your website. Search engines like Google and Bing are in the business of getting visitors to the best resources available. Consistently publishing content that centers around a particular topic is a huge signal to those search engines that your website is an authority on that topic. Gone are…
Asking a random person…
…for a shoutout/follow/like/RT on any social platform is like walking up to a stranger on the sidewalk and asking them to tell all of their friends how amazing you are. Just don’t. First, build a relationship by adding value to them. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy sales and marketing world, it is easy to lose track of why you do what you do. Ultimately, I believe that relationships will transcend the daily grind we face in sales and marketing.…
Strive To Be Better Than Average
You will not get ahead at work by simply showing up. In your career, client pitch, consultation, or calendar; you must outperform the competition and those around you. Be better than average and let your results speak for themselves. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy sales and marketing world, it is easy to lose track of why you do what you do. Ultimately, I believe that relationships will transcend the daily grind we face in sales and marketing. Every day,…
Don’t Make My Product Launch Mistake
Twice I have made the same mistake. The third time, I am learning. 🙂 In two different businesses, in two different places, in two different markets, I made the same mistake. That is, not talking about the project soon enough, loud enough, or often enough. There is a balance between keeping a lid on a project, leaking just enough information at just the right time, and operating in stealth mode. When you are working on your next project — whatever it may be — consider your realistic timeline for announcing it. If prospective customers don’t know you exist, they won’t know to buy. Jeff Walker, Michael Hyatt, Seth Godin (here,…
How To Be Intentional With Your Time
I believe time is our most valuable asset. I feel fortunate to have realized this at such a young age. It seems that each day brings on new challenges, demands, and pressures that divert our attention from the things that really matter, like family, friends, and enjoying life around us. Each day, we are given an allotment of time that cannot be stretched, saved, rolled over, or repeated. Our time is a finite resource and our responsibility is to spend it the best way possible. As business owners, the demands on our time seem to be more amplified. For that reason, we must be intentional about how we spend our…
What Will Kill Your Agency
Most agencies have likely performed a SWOT analysis; it seems almost like Business 101, by now. But what about answering the question, “What will kill us?” What does your business truly depend on? What is the root source of your success? While reading Arun Sundararajan compare and contrast the cultural differences between Airbnb and Uber, I was reminded of insane lengths Airbnb will go to for their customers. Adam Jackson discovered that one of his guests had stolen a pizza cutter from his kitchen, so he tweeted about it and Airbnb overnighted a new one to him with this cute apology note. You see, Airbrb understand that their business relies on…
The Invisible Gorilla
If we are paying very close attention to one thing, we often fail to notice other — even very obvious things — in our field of vision. Research physiologists, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, explain this phenomenon as “unintentional blindness” in their book, The Invisible Gorilla. For example, when searching for reading glasses, we become so focused on the search, that we fail to notice that the glasses are on our head. Or that our car keys are not where they are usually placed. We overlook them in obvious places because we are not expecting to find them there. In marketing, it is possible to become so fixated on the problem (or, more…
Hope For The Best
“It used to be, you would take an ad out in the Yellow Pages, get a few signs, and hope for the best.” Except times have changed; and ‘hoping for the best’ is not a strategy. Any marketing strategy, regardless of your marketing budget, product, brand, reach, or target, should be: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely What is a SMART Goal? Specific includes what you want to accomplish and how you intend to accomplish it. Who, what, where, when, how, and why? Measurable means a quantifiable unit to gauge the overall success of the campaign. How will you demonstrate that the goal was met? Attainable means understanding the current limits of…
Sincere and Sincerely Wrong
The world is flat Bulls hate the color red Goldfish have a 3-second memory The sun revolves around the Earth Each of us views the world through a unique lens. Our perspective is made of a culmination of our experiences, likes, dislikes, habits, biases, pleasures and hurts. Naturally, we view our perspective as the truth. In fact, we sincerely believe our view to be the truth. Yet, our perspective can be wrong. Sincerely wrong. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy…
The Last Chapter
Today marks the beginning of the final chapter of 2014. What legacy did you envision? What goal or challenge did you accept 11 months ago? Today, I challenge you to look back on the home runs of 2014 — the big wins. Where did you and your team crush it? Additionally, where did you do alright? Where did you hit solid singles? Lastly, perhaps most importantly, where did you strike out? Where did you fall on your face? For 2015, the last column holds the most opportunity. How can you do better? How can your agency set up your game to win 2015 and achieve a record-breaking year? If you haven’t…
How Answering Frequently Asked Questions Can Be A Sales Asset
Likely, in the course of your daily business, you answer the same questions over and over. Perhaps you have answered them on the phone or via email to customer inquiries. Take a few moments to format these responses into blog posts and publish them on your website. These new frequently asked questions will serve as entry points for new sales prospects as they search the web for answers; the posts also serve as a quick resource to send to customers – freeing up you and your staff to keep the business moving. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of…
An Attitude of Gratitude
With the omnipresence of smart phones, social media, tablets, and computers, it is easy to get wrapped up into the electronic world and miss things going on around us. [Tweet “This Thanksgiving, spend time focused on the real life emotions, events, and relationships surrounding you.”] This Thanksgiving, spend time focused on the real life emotions, events, and relationships surrounding you. This is a season to reflect upon what is important to us. I encourage you to make a list and be intentional this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving! This year, I am most grateful for: – God’s continued faithfulness and provision – Family & friends – Financial freedoms – Restored relationships…
Write First For Humans
When thinking of SEO (search engine optimization) on your website, speak to the human readers about topics and ideas. Don’t get bogged down with specific keywords. Conceptual websites will always outlast and out-perform sites dedicated to a specific keyword. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy sales and marketing world, it is easy to lose track of why you do what you do. Ultimately, I believe that relationships will transcend the daily grind we face in sales and marketing. Every day,…
The Job Only You Can Do
Seth Godin talks about doing the job only you can do. I could not have said it better myself. One of the milestones every entrepreneur passes is when she stops thinking of people she hires as expensive (“I could do that job for free“) and starts thinking of them as cheap (“This frees me up to do something more profitable.“) When you get rid of every job you do that could be done by someone else, something needs to fill your time. And what you discover is that you’re imagining growth, building partnerships, rethinking the enterprise (working on your business instead of in it, as the emyth guys would say).…
Are You Marketing to a Prospect or a Person
When we design any marketing campaign, it is easy to de-humanize the prospect. Consider the person to whom you are marketing. Better yet, consider the person you are marketing for. Don’t fall into the trap of marketing to prospects; intentionally personalize your marketing. Would you respond to the marketing you are creating? Would your mother? — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy sales and marketing world, it is easy to lose track of why you do what you do. Ultimately, I believe…
Why Blogging Generates Quality Sales Leads
A buyer has made almost 70% of their buying decision before they talk to you. Seventy percent! Todays buyers are self-educating; they are coming to the table armed with more product knowledge than ever before. For sales teams, this means that the prospect is almost ready to buy, you just have to answer any last minute questions and close the deal. But what about the process that leads to that 70%? A large part of that comes from the consumer self-educating and researching the product or service they intend to buy. Brands who embrace sharing content can control the narrative. Blogs work to generate sales leads because buyers are already…
The Importance of Client Onboarding
Onboarding, the “getting started” process of bringing on a new client, user, or member, is perhaps the most critical element to the long-term success of that user. As agencies, we spend a considerable amount of time focused on acquiring leads, nurturing them to prospect, and closing them as a new customer … … then what? The Onboarding Phase of your organization sets the tone for the balance of the relationship. The client deserves to know what to expect next. What are the expectations? What do they need to do? What are you going to do? What happens if someone fails those expectations? [Tweet “Onboarding a client sets the tone for…
Don’t Build Your Castle In Another Man’s Kingdom
Online, it is easy to chase the latest platform. For brands, it is especially easy to drop everything to explore uncharted territory to be the first to market. This exploration, however, often causes brands to abandon their previous outposts in search of a new promised land. [Tweet “Social media platforms are outposts. Use them to reach new lands, new markets, and new followers.”] Worse still, is building your entire castle where an outpost ought to be. An outpost is a listening station; used to observe and report back to the main castle. Outposts can be won and lost in the changing tides of war. Castles are controlled and owned for…
Tell Your Story: How to talk about yourself in a way that makes people care
There is a fine-line between too self-promotional and delivering a powerful, well-deserved description of yourself. For professionals, self-promotion is critical to success, but doing it wrong can drive away partners, customers, and prospects. To maintain promotional balance, consider the following exercise: Step 1: Set the Stage Before you start, know what you want you to communicate. Specifically, who do you want to target? Who is your ideal audience? What do you want them to learn? What do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel? I recommend taking the time to answer each of these. The writing process will help unlock what you really want to…
The Single Biggest Mistake Brands Make On Their Blogs
“I wanna talk about me.” More than just a song by Toby Keith, “I wanna talk about me”-mentality is the number one mistake brands make on their blog. Take a step back, read your last 5 blog entires. Are they brand-focused or buyer-focused? When you write for your audience, you transform the relationship from buyer-seller to buyer-advisor. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy sales and marketing world, it is easy to lose track of why you do what you do. Ultimately,…
5 Quick Wins for Brand Leaders on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the social hub for B2B networking. In fact, it is the number one source for referral traffic to the Never Mind Marketing site. So how can you use your LinkedIn profile to attract new visitors, close more sales, and build deeper professional relationships? Look at these five LinkedIn tips that you can tackle before lunch: 1. Profile Picture Members with a profile picture get 14x the number of views. Have a crisp, clean headshot that shows the real you — not some posed, awkward, fake smile. People want the real you and, as humans, we are able to detect deceptive smiles in an instant. 2. Accurate Headline Use…
The Invisible Link Between Social Media and Sales Conversions
For modern marketers, simply being on social media is not enough. There are too many gimmicks; too much noise; too much drama. Instead, ask yourself, “What are we going to do with social?” The answer is to introduce call to action to drive intentional outcomes. Using social media with measurable purpose is the invisible link between social and sales. Without a purpose, and a way to analyze your efforts, you are adding to the noise and drama. — About the Daily Marketing Minute The Daily Marketing Minute is my project for the last quarter of 2014. Each day, I will deliver bite-sized, fat-free nuggets of sales and marketing insights. In an increasingly noisy…
9 Quick Ways To Segment Your Customer List
One size does not fit all. Customer segmentation is an incredibly powerful way to nurture your existing list. Segmenting your customer base is like classifying each customer in a bucket with other similar customers as a way to tailor your marketing message to each group. I’ve spoken before about how my friend and I match many of the same basic demographic criteria, but are worlds apart in our marketing triggers. Here are 9 quick ways to segment your customer list 1. Demographics The gender, age, and geographical location are important to segment. Marketing snow shovels in January in Hawaii doesn’t make sense. Nor does promoting women’s fashion accessories to me.…
What is Keeping You From Shipping?
Of course, shipping is just a placeholder for: Publishing your work Calling that client Requesting the referral Writing the blog post Sharing your expertise Booking that speech Asking for the promotion Enrolling in continued education Creating your own learning series Seeking out the ideal customer Reaching out for a donation What are you waiting for? It is easy to come up with excuses and many reasons why not — but they are never the root cause. They are innocent victims easy to pick on. They don’t fight back. They are vague. They are opaque. No, ultimately it is the fear of not being perfect that holds us back. If you…
How To Solve The Biggest Problems For Your Ideal Customer
“How Have We Helped You, Today?” That is the question I ask each time I see these faces. They represent our customers. The people we exist to connect and help. It’s a big mental shift to adjust marketing from “about us” to “about them.” The customer. More specifically, your ideal customer. Consider challenging yourself for 6 weeks to look your ideal customer in the face each day and become obsessed with making their biggest problems disappear. The transformation will be evident in both your organization and theirs. How have you helped your ideal customer today? Have you defined your ideal customer persona? If not, join my free email course to do just…
Getting Serious About Your Email Marketing
Sixty-six percent of American consumers over the age of 15 say they made a purchase as a result of email marketing. For you, this means your email marketing efforts need to be optimized and finely tuned to elicit a positive response from your followers. To fully optimize your email marketing, consider these essential elements: Optimal Subject Lines Nearly 30% of emails are opened because of the subject alone Fresh Subject Lines Don’t repeat subject lines, otherwise, your open rate drops with each message Compelling Message Clearly convey how your offer benefits your readers Personalized Messages Nearly half of email marketing messages are marked as spam because they are irrelevant Enticing…
