Category Archives: twitter

Social media rock stars? Get real!

March 8, 2010
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I have already had several books sent to me this year for review, written by social media experts or gurus. One thing all of them have in common, is that they contain a version of the following advice, which is, in my opinion totally incorrect: Build a following and market to that following.

Here’s what I have found to be better advice: Don’t build a following. Build a community instead!

FOLLOWERS are like the audience at a rock concert. They are set apart from the rock star on stage. They see the rock star as distant. They are part of the event, but a very small part. The rock star might get the crowd to sing the occasional verse, but we all know they are REALLY just broadcasting THEIR VOICE to the crowd! I really don’t see a lot of value in positioning yourself as a rock star, if you actually want to get involved with people. Ironically, the people I see using this approach all the time, are social media experts!

COMMUNITY members are like…

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What do you think about this email?

March 4, 2010
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I wrote recently about copycat marketing. That’s where someone copies the marketing of someone else, hoping that it will work.

After writing that post, I received a lot of email and comments, from people who had personal experience of copycat marketing going wrong.

Here’s one email, which I would like to share with you and hear your thoughts on….

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10 ways to get massively more sales leads!

March 1, 2010
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Sales leads or enquiries, are an essential part of the marketing process. After all, a steady flow of good quality sales leads, when acted upon correctly, can lead to a regular stream of lucrative business and allow business owners to plan ahead with confidence.

SO, this post gives you TEN 10 popular and powerful lead generation ideas, to add to your marketing arsenal…

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Marketing & Business: It’s all about the people!

February 19, 2010
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Successful marketing is all about people.

It’s not about; brands, venues, websites, companies or social media tools – Marketing is all about people. You see, without people, none of those things matter.

I met with a friend of mine this morning, who owns a large and very successful nightclub. We had our meeting this time, in the nightclub itself, rather than his office, and the sensation was amazing. I have only previously been there, when it’s been packed with hundreds of people, having a great time and enjoying the music. This morning, you could have heard a pin drop, as we sat, drinking coffee and talking about his marketing.

You see, it’s not the building, fixtures or fittings that makes his nightclub a success; it’s the people who work there and party there. Without people, the place means nothing. The value is in the people…

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Marketing tip: Stop shouting for attention!

February 15, 2010
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Is your marketing shouting at people?

If you go into Starbucks today and start shouting at the people around you, you will definitely grab their attention. However, it’s not the kind of attention you want to attract. Many small businesses use a very similar approach with their marketing. In an effort to capture attention, they act in a way that gets them noticed, but for all the wrong reasons.

They not only fail to generate new business; they can permanently damage the reputation of their business too.

Some examples of how companies shout at people with their sales and marketing:

* Adding people to their newsletter list, without permission. It’s spam.
* Spamming people on Twitter.
* Meeting people at networking events and using that transparent crap; “tell me about your business and how I can help you.” Wake up, it’s not 1985 any more!
* Asking people to join their Linkedin network, claiming they worked with them (when both parties know it’s a lie.)
* Unwanted telemarketing calls to people’s homes at 8pm. Just what you need when getting a young child to sleep or relaxing after a hard day….

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Want to massively improve your marketing? Then get specific!

February 10, 2010
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There’s a big difference between learning something and learning something of value. When I speak with people about my services, I often say;

“Some coaches teach so others can learn – That’s not me!
Some coaches teach so others can accomplish – That IS me!”

This is because not all information is the same. I meet with businesspeople all the time, who tell me how much they enjoyed a certain book or how interesting they found a seminar or workshop they attended – BUT that they still have the same problems or challenges. They were educated, but with the wrong information for their unique situation…

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Your feedback please!

January 30, 2010
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I have had an idea, which I would like your feedback on.
I get quite a bit of email from people, asking me the same marketing and business development questions. Some of these questions are brilliant.
So, rather than reply to each one by email, as I do now, and share that answer with just one person, [...]

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Giving oxygen to your marketing

January 28, 2010
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One of the secrets of great communication, is to pick the correct delivery method, to get the maximum, targeted exposure for your message.  We refer to this as “giving oxygen” to your marketing.
Marketing oxygen
Some of you will have noticed that when I made my BIG announcement here yesterday, I closed the comments section for that [...]

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Jims Marketing Blog – Now with added love!

January 16, 2010
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Here’s some good news for those of you, who are kind enough to comment here and share your opinions with my readers and myself.  As from right now, when you leave your comments, you will be able to share YOUR most recent blog post with MY readers!
How come Jim?
The CommentLuv Wordpress Plugin
I have just installed [...]

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Pay to enter? I don’t think so!

January 15, 2010
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Have you ever thought about offering a paid version of your website or blog?  Ever wondered what the advantages or challenges might be?  If so, then you may find this brief post interesting!
I asked a question on Twitter yesterday. I wanted to know if people had paid to access a blog or site, for [...]

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Funny: What is a social media expert?

January 12, 2010
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Someone studying marketing at university, recently asked me what I thought a social media expert was.
I told her that I see social media experts as people, who understand how to make social media platforms deliver results for organizations and individuals.
However, she had a better answer, which I ‘think’ she intended as a joke.  I just [...]

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Why bloggers post every day – Part 2

December 17, 2009
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Do you write a blog?
Are you thinking about blogging or taking your blog more seriously?
In either case, I believe you will find this post really useful.
As regular readers will recall, I wrote a post last month about the results I have seen, since I increased the frequency of my blogging from around 1 post a [...]

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Make 2010 your best year ever – 8 simple ideas!

December 16, 2009
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Why not decide right now, to make 2010 your best business year ever?
This post contains 8 common sense, buzzword-free ideas, intended to help you achieve better results for your business in 2010 and beyond.  You will already be acting on some of these – You may already be acting on all 8 of them; in [...]

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All you need is a laptop and a phone line

December 15, 2009
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I was speaking with the engineer who came to fix our heating system yesterday.
As I made him some coffee, he asked me what I did for a living, so I explained a little about what I do.  Afterwards, he said;
“So, you run an marketing business, with clients all over the world, and all you need [...]

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How to discover what your prospective customers want

December 14, 2009
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If you want your marketing to succeed, it’s essential that you understand exactly what your customers and prospective customers want.  This feedback allows you to develop your services and market them; with an accurate understanding of what your marketplace actually needs, rather than what you think or hope it needs.
Listening to the marketplace
Sadly, the majority [...]

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3 ways to quickly improve your results

December 9, 2009
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Here’s one of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me:
Don’t just learn from your own experiences; learn from the experiences of others.
Learning from the experiences of others, is also one of the most effective (and fastest) ways to grow your business successfully.
That’s because:

It’s a LOT less expensive to learn from the mistakes [...]

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Who do you listen to?

December 7, 2009
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As someone who has worked in marketing almost all my adult life, I am a keen student of human behaviour.  You know what?  After 23 years in the business, I am still often amazed at what I see.
Take yesterday for instance
Following the sad death of Jim Rohn at the weekend, I wrote a brief tribute.  [...]

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Why Google means so little to me (and you mean so much!)

December 4, 2009
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One of the first rules of business is not to rely too heavily on any 1 client or customer, for the majority of your income.  If you do, and that customer goes broke or takes their business elsewhere, you’re in BIG trouble!  Even if that customer just decides to pay you late, it can kill [...]

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Successful blog marketing – 3 things to consider!

November 25, 2009
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Here’s a quick example of the kind of results that can be achieved with a well-marketed blog.  If you are either thinking of starting a blog or you already have one, but wonder if it’s worth marketing it more effectively, you will find this extremely useful.  It’s based on 3 key areas you need to [...]

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The X Factor, sneezing & your business

November 22, 2009
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One of the many things people find really strange about me, is that I don’t watch reality TV shows.  That’s because, as an experienced marketing professional, I know what’s happening behind the programs and they become predictable.
However, I DO LOVE watching how some people respond to these shows.  That’s why, no matter how busy I [...]

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