22 Things to do for your Marketing Now, Soon and for the Long Term Gain
This week we are taking a different approach. Hopefully you attended the First Annual Marketing Connection with NBG yesterday (if not, no worries! This will still help you out.)
From my experience as a speaker and thought leader strategist, and as the Founder of NBG, I have noticed that many business owners and professionals focus too much on what they do and how they do it, and are constantly changing, improving, or even creating new products and services, instead of doing lead generation.
They do spend time on marketing and prospecting (to a point) but it is not fun and if something doesn’t pan out quickly they give up and retreat back to tasks that are more comfortable, including ones that have no hope of bringing in clientele.
They research, they write, they compile lists, they get more certifications, they produce content, they create new stuff to sell…but none of that matters if they don’t also become amazing at getting clients.
Here is the reality – when you went into business for yourself (or as an independent agent) you signed up to wear the marketing and prospecting hats, at least part-time. So… get good at it!
Today I want to give you several things to evaluate and define for yourself and your business. Then go “all-in” with the marketing strategies that work for you.
These are in no particular order of importance – but I have categorized them into sections to make it easier for you!
What you can do today, right now, without anyone’s help:
Evaluate your unconverted leads and past connections. Who have you lost touch with that expressed at least some interest? Establish a mulit-media follow up system to reconnect and get started with that ‘dead lead’ list. If they didn’t say yes before it doesn’t mean that it was a no. Maybe they never decided!
Create a Referral Culture. I know, it is hard to ask for referrals, so don’t! Just create an environment where referrals are part of the culture. It is in how you talk and how you behave.
Talk: Instead of saying “I was working with a new client the other day” you should say “I was working with a referred client the other day”. Now your networking connections and strategic alliances know that you receive referrals and that others think enough about you to refer you.
Behavior: Give referrals to others. Thank people who give you a referral both privately and publicly if appropriate.
Start using the US Postal Service as part of your marketing strategy. Send ‘bulky’ mail (a book, a gift, etc.) Handwritten notes or postcards have a 100% open and read rate! Invest in stationary and stamps – it will be worth it!
Resort to good ole Ma Bell. The phone (believe it or not) can still be used to make phone calls. Even if you have to leave a voice mail – it is more personal than a text or even a video email.
Instead of expanding your products and services consider expanding your geography or your ‘niche’. Find the parallel segments, even the spin off segments, and go after that ‘niche’.
Optimize your networking efforts. This is by far the most underused asset most businesses have. Get involved, get to know the other members of the groups you belong to (social or business groups), have a strategy to follow up and connect with each person you meet (doesn’t have to be a 1:1 coffee chat – be creative). We have many resources dedicated to this topic in the articles and video library inside the Community.
Let them get to know you quicker through video emails instead of always text. Use Loom or BomBom = They are easy to learn, fun to send and quick for people to view.
Reengage with past clients. Hopefully you have stayed in touch and relevant with everyone who has done business with you, but if you have not, now is the time. Many people stop using you or referring you simply because they feel ignored, or you are no longer top of mind. Fix that!
Short Term Tactics
Better define your Portfolio of Attraction (all the ways you want to market your business). List all the ways you are attracting people to you now. Evaluate which are working and which are not. Double down on the ones that are working. Eliminate those that do not. Once you have determined your Portfolio of Attraction then rework your time so that you spend at least 30% of your work hours on those activities. It is important to define the portfolio but useless if you don’t put actions behind it.
Revamp your website – a little, don’t make a science project out of it. A website should not feel like a stagnant billboard. They should be able to engage with it, look around and get questions answered. It should not feel like you built it and abandoned it. Make sure you are highlighting the benefits of what you do – not just the features and delivery methods. You also want to look at the technical side of things: SEO, the use of cookies, accessibility, and retargeting avenues available.
Increase your conversion rates by eliminating objections. One of the best ways to do this is to have your top 10 objections listed along with your best answer to that objection readily and easily available. Maybe it is a downloadable PDF on your website or via an email, or maybe it has a dedicated FAQ page or area on the website.
Add a social proof section to your digital assets (website, social media profiles, etc.). Cite testimonials, ratings, etc. for others to see and read. Consider an RSS feed to keep them fresh and current. Repurpose the excellent ones on social media with a shout out to the sender if approved or appropriate.
Have a more compelling ask…to have a meeting, to give a proposal to, to ask for a sale. We can all continuously work on how we communicate our ask. Keep evolving it. Ask past clients what you said that compelled them to work with you.
Use photos or videos instead of graphics on posts. This might encourage the slowing of their scroll and possibly a click or two.
Find an event or group to sponsor. You can do this through a sponsorship or by being a vendor at a local event. Being a vendor at an event takes some planning – you need to have a ‘draw’ to your table, a reward for them coming (give them value), and a follow up with an incentive or offer they can’t refuse. Plus, you have to make the booth look good! Being a sponsor is less work – write a check – but won’t give you results unless you have a strategic plan to engage with the group and get involved. If you are sponsoring an individual event or a group/comminuty….be visible.
The Longer Game
Set up some Joint Ventures, Strategic Business Alliances, and collaborations with other professionals who are already doing business with the people you want to reach. Think about who/what they need before your products and services as well as after, or even at the same time. Consider those that do exactly what you do! Many times they have an overflow, or someone they are not a good fit with, and they need/want to be able to refer that prospect to someone else – why not you? Or maybe they didn’t buy – who knows the reason…you could set up a reciprocal exchange of prospects who didn’t buy.
If you use Permission Marketing (which usually starts with some form of an opt-in) as part of your Portfolio of Attraction, then send more of value and less of obvious sales. Be funny, possibly a bit controversial, use good copy skills, be intriguing and interesting. If you haven’t read Leslie Cramer’s Article on WORDS be sure to!
Become a great public speaker and showcase your expertise. This is not for the faint of heart, or the ‘wing-it’ speaker who spoke once and everyone told them they should be one, or for those that simply have a “passion” to be a speaker. It is hard work. Persuasive public speaking is an art and a science, not just a natural talent, not just ‘I have a story to tell’. It is about content strategy, techniques of stagecraft, use of voice and more.
Host events, seminars, or webinars. These are a great way to showcase your expertise. But beware – you can’t just throw it up on social media, Meetup and Eventbrite and expect to get butts in the seats. It takes weeks of hard work to create a valuable event, spread the word, and get enough people to attend. Not to mention the art of speaking and the post-event follow up that needs to happen.
Pay for traffic. There are a variety of different way to accomplish this – here are a few:
Pay to have a featured article written about you in a local magazine
Pay Per Click ads
Use Banner Ads on social media and Google
Newspaper and Magazines need advertisers, and you can sometimes get a good deal closer to their print time if they still have spots to fill.
Obsess (a bit) on click rates. If you use any analytics this is a good one. When you send out an email campaign, or automation, be sure to analyze the good, the bad and the ugly on your click rates. That way on the next blast you can adjust to hopefully improve your numbers.
Look for PR opportunities. Many news channels and radio stations have hours and hours of air time to fill. Learn the art of the pitch and get your 15 minutes of fame (then repurpose the heck out of it!)
Public Speaking, podcasting, article writing, and PR set you up as the Expert or Authority in your space. Great place to be for credibility and lead generation. We call this thought leader marketing (it is what we specialize in) and can be used by anyone in any industry. It is a long-term commitment however, not a short term gain.
Don’t get overwhelmed
By now you might be thinking – UGH, no way! Too much information. From yesterday’s event (if you attended) and all the checklists that many of the marketing services professionals provided to you, to this long list of things to consider you might be ready to go hibernate.
Don’t. Just do one thing each day and pretty soon you have a great new Portfolio of Attraction, you are smoothly running great marketing campaigns and the leads will be pouring in!
Here are a BUNCH of articles on the Network Build Grow BLOG page all about Marketing!
Responses