Today’s LESSON FROM THE FIELD comes from Jessica Swanson the Shoestring Marketer. Take your business to the next level with lessons from your local kiosk salesperson. Just remember the success of your transaction still rest on the basic principle–find the people for whom your product/service is the right thing for them right now.
Target your market then show them how your product or service works for them.
Need to look at the same old thing with a fresh perspective? Look around. There is always something amazing going on. See how you can recreate or repurpose your business or product or attitude.
Here are 3 ideas you can be on the look out for if you want to change your out look.
It occurred to me that putting a team together is more about letting each person’s natural talent shine than it is about drawing up a list of needed skills and then finding the right person.
I recently worked with a group of people at a local community event. Team members volunteered to work the event. We were all from the same company. The event ran so smoothly, it amazed me. Don’t get me wrong, there were delays and problems that popped up along the way. But, we didn’t fall apart. We didn’t give up. Left alone, each member came up with brilliant ideas on how to make the event successful.
Picture if you will, a team of 6 people from the same company. The goal is to increase brand recognition and serve our community. Our job is to serve our sports drink to participants in a weekend-long community sports festival. There were marathoners, 1/2 marathoners, 10K/5K runners and walkers, inline skaters (recreational, advanced and elite), and bikers. continue reading…
Don’t work your fingers to the bones. Get the word out about you and your business in less than 90 minutes a day. Set a timer so you don’t spend all day surfing and chatting.
TIP: Split your time. 30 min in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, add 5 minutes here and there. You can always find a few seconds to tweet no matter where you are. Social Media can be addicting. Remember to put it aside so you can give your complete attention to the task at hand.
35-40 minutes write a blog post, or create an audio or video or presentation from your post. Get ready to push your posts out to your other platforms
20 minutes update facebook–reply to comments and friend requests, update status, invite prospects to your business page
10 minutes to update twitter–reply to tweets, give a shout out, retweet something your followers would like, share a link, tweet about your blog post, video, event, workshop, etc.
10 minutes to post blog links on LinkedIn, upload a presentation, comment on the latest discussion, join a group, connect with a colleage or friend
Keep in mind that Social Media is the way you meet people, build relationships, and showcase your work. When someone is interested in what you have to offer, take the conversation offline. You can direct message them on Twitter, and give them additional contact information. Of course they can always go right to your shopping cart and purchase your product or sign up for a workshop or teleconference from your landing page or website.
You are doing all of this so you can make the online sale, book a party, sign up a new client, get the speaking engagement, or set an appointment. Keep it clear in your mind the difference between your marketing tasks and your income producing tasks.
Let Social Media energize you. You have a few good conversations, find that link to a great article, get a shout out, make some new friends, and sign up a new client.
Now you’re ready to pick up the phone and follow-up with other customers and send that proposal to the prospect you met at the local Meetup.
Let your offline marketing and networking be the fodder for your online posting. It works both ways.
If you are doing it right, it makes your life a little easier. If you are overwhelmed…
How do you organize your day so you can get it all done? Are you exhausted at the end of the day or energized by what you accomplished?
Expand your reach–go from a local business to a world-wide business. Add Social Media to your marketing mix. It doesn’t replace your offline marketing and networking, it enhances it. Learn how all the pieces fit together to make a comprehensive marketing strategy.
If anything, look and see how active you can be in building relationships and your business. There is lots to do. Only do a little at a time. Start with a blog, add a social media platform that makes the most sense to you. When you get the hang of it, add another one. Move only as fast as you can manage the work and the relationships.
Your Blog is the hub of your operation. It is where the conversations happen. It is where you showcase your expertise and introduce your products. Drive traffic from other Social Media platforms to your blog. It’s where people decide if they want to do business with you.
Facebook is where you build your business relationships. You share links, articles, tips, photos and videos. People get to know you, how you run your business, what you value, how you treat people. You don’t have to be an expert; you can point them to the experts in your posts. Little by little you’ll build your credibility, and people will be pointing to you as the expert.
Know what your readers want to read, learn about, view, or hear about.
Twitter is an up-to-the minute communication tool. You build a list of followers and keep them updated with the business happenings and some personal events in your life. With 140 characters you can post a link to your blog, give a shout out to people who wrote a great article or delivered an over-the-top presentation. You meet like minded individuals with whom you want to learn from or do business together.
LinkedIn is a business networking tool. You can look for a job, connect with colleagues, join a business group, and join in on the conversation. It is a real-time resume.
Ezine Articles is an article submission website. Build your credibility in your niche. Write articles and post them on your blog or post a link on Facebook, Twitter, orLinkedIn driving traffic back to your blog.
You Tube is a video sharing website. You make the video and you upload it to their website. You can post the videos on your blog, and share the link on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Create your own channel – with short tips and how to info, interviews
It is always good to have a list of online experts to tap when you need help with your business. It is extra special when you find out they are your next door neighbors.
Getting to know the local community takes some extra work, but it can be fun. Like anything else, know your goals or you’ll get pulled in many different directions.
Karen Clark got local and online exposure when she created a Meetup group around the topics in the guidebook Direct Selling Power. As a Co-author, she is a natural draw. With 20 chapters in the book she has most of her monthly topics lined up. Add a few local experts, testimonies, get togethers, and the Meetup calendar is mapped out for the whole year.
There’s a group in my area that meets once a month at a local restaurant. They have lunch and bring their laptops so they can work on their own projects. You have a group of people that you can chat with, ask a question, or review your ideas. It’s good for the group and it’s good for the restaurant. It is a power lunch!
Another variation of this is Karen Clark’s Websites and Wine. You bring a laptop and work on your online presence with the help of the host. The host is on hand to answer questions and give advice.
Yes, there is wine. If you bring wine and a dish to share you get $10 off the work shop fee. I’d bring some bruschetta and a bottle of Chardonnay. Sounds like fun.
Partner with the local chamber (or other local groups) and offer a summer speaker series. Pick a general topic and invite local business people to share their expertise. Offer it once a week for six – eight weeks.
Promote the event in Chamber newsletters, online on Facebook, LinkedIn, and definitely tweet about it before, during, and after. Use a recording of the series to sell online after the event.
There are many creative ways to get the word out about you and your business. Do you have any favorites to share?
Getting started on twitter is easy. Here’s a step-by-step video to guide you through the setup process. Always something new to learn.
It’s good to check your profile and settings now and then. Especially remember to update your Twitter Connections (applications that have access to your account).
The first step to better blogging is to blog. The more you blog the better you get at blogging, and the better you get at blogging the more you want to blog. Whew!
Stay focused on the reason you blog.
Keep your reader in mind when writing.
My reader is a busy professional turned work-at-home woman, and is looking for guidance from someone who has been there and done that. She balances faith, family, work and community. She is educated and computer savvy. She has her priorities straight (in her head at least) and looks for simple ways to get the word out about her business. My reader is a team player. Joining in on the fun is no problem for her.
Write to express not to impress. Keep your sentences short, and free from flowery prose. Learn to love bullets, lists, and white space.
Keep on blogging. Why not take a moment and share your favorite blogging tips.
Your Simple 5 Step Marketing Plan: Step 4 Track It advice comes from our marketing and social media field experts. Learn how to manage your marketing activities. Your time is important. As you map out your goals, you’ll need some place to keep track of everything.
First, let’s go to entrepreneurial coach Bonita Richter. She has some brilliant advice on managing your marketing activities.
Bonita Richter suggests separating calendars into into 3 activities–list building, marketing, and promotional. It keeps the mess down to a minimum, and assures project completion. She tells us… continue reading…
Step 2 of the Simple 5 Step Marketing PlanYour first step in your Simple 5 Step Marketing Plan is to set your goals. Stop and set your goals before jumping into Step 2.
Now lets “Map It.” Take a vague goal like “Increase Customers” and turn it into a very specific and actionable goal. continue reading…
