With most things in life, there's a balance we need to adhere to if we want to get a desired result. Marketing is no exception! I was speaking with a motor mechanic yesterday, who explained to me the importance of balance in high performance cars. He said that ...
I just fell back in love with Twitter! As some of you might remember, I was once one of the world's top 40 most followed people on Twitter. Then, in January 2009, after being swamped daily with hundreds ...
How many Internet users have the same name as you? For most of us, the answer will be in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or more. Right now, this represents a challenge for a growing number of consultants, entrepreneurs, trainers and authors etc, who trade or work in their own names. That's because ...
I would like to know what you think about this... When someone you follow via Twitter, Facebook or blogging etc, suddenly changes their avatar (the picture in their profile), do you find it causes you any confusion? I see some ...
I switched my computer on this morning and was amazed with what I saw!
Last night, while I was sleeping, there were interesting conversations going on here; across 4 different posts and with dozens of comments. That kind of feedback or interaction, is one of the things I value most about blogging and yet another reason why I believe blogs have a bright future, as a marketing tool.
Here’s why you should include a blog in your marketing mix…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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….
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…
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 ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
