Jim Connolly

Networking and numbers

One of the biggest mistakes people make when building a commercial network, is that they focus too much on numbers. However, the size of a network by itself is of limited value. Building a large, low value commercial network is actually a low leverage activity and counter-productive!

Networking isn’t just about numbers

This is because the value of a commercial network is always based on 3 things:
1. The calibre of contacts in your network.
2. The quality of your relationships with your contacts.
3. Having the right number of people in your network.

The reason for this is simple. Firstly, as human beings we are obviously all of equal value. However, in each industry or profession there are some people who are more influential than others. If you know these influential people, you can benefit from their influence. If you don’t know them – you can’t!

Secondly, if you network with a group of people, even influential people, but they don’t really ‘know’ you and you have no real relationship with them; they are highly unlikely to be of any tangible value to you or your business. People recommend, partner with, support (and buy from) people they know and trust.

Thirdly, you need to be connected with as many of these influential / credible people as required; in order for you to get the help, support or referrals etc you need. The correct size for your network will depend on the industry or profession you are in and what you hope to achieve.

Twitter and targeted networking

Ironically, by engaging like-minded people (rather than focusing on numbers), I’ve attracted over 18,000 followers on twitter; my primary online network! Because I tend to keep my conversations around marketing and social media, I have attracted people into my twitter network, who by default are interested in my areas of expertise.

Little wonder that I now regard my network of twitter associates, as one of my businesses most valuable assets.

Over to you!

What are your tips for developing effective networks, either online or offline? Share your tips and ideas in the comments section below.

Trust your instincts

Written by Jim Connolly

After running a successful business for 13 years, I have come to understand and appreciate the power of trusting my business instincts.

Trust your instincts!

Whenever I have gone against my natural business instincts, it’s almost always been the wrong thing to do! Even if I sometimes think on a conscious level that my ‘hunch’ must be wrong – it has an uncanny knack of being right. Interestingly, when you read the biographies of successful businesspeople and leaders, you will often find that they too have learnt to follow their instincts.

I have done some studies into why our instincts / gut feelings can be such useful indicators and it seems opinions are split. Some people believe it’s a throwback to skills we developed when living in caves. Others believe it’s our brain tapping into something more spiritual. Whatever you believe, there’s no doubt in my mind that your instinct can be a powerful business development tool; so long as you listen to it.

I experienced the power of my own instincts earlier today. I was due to start working on a project with someone next week, yet all along I instinctively knew that this person was just a time-waster. They said all the right things and tried their hardest to appear super-motivated, yet I knew instinctively that they were never going to proceed. Thus it came as no surprise, when they called me this morning to confirm that my instincts were right.

Marketing and science

Marketing is a very scientific process, based around testing and measuring. We know that if we do the correct things in the correct way, we can get a very predictable response. However, I believe there is also real value in listening to your gut feelings, hunches or instincts too!

Over to you!

Do you trust your instincts in business or do you think it’s a waste of time? Let us know, with a comment below.

Google and me!

Written by Jim Connolly

As any of my regular readers will know, me and Google have a very strange relationship! I decided to write this blog exclusively for people and develop it’s readership via ‘social media marketing.’ As a marketing professional, I wince when I see blogs, which are clearly written primarily to score SEO points; with the actual readers needs placed second.

So, I decided to develop this blog around a ‘100% human-focused approach’ – rather than writing for SEO and then relying on Google to provide me with a readership.

This saw me break a few SEO rules. For example, I provide do-follow links to people who comment here, even though I was strongly advised NOT to, because it would harm my Google ranking (It didn’t by the way!) I also decided to only write posts when I have something I want to share – rather than posting every day just to keep Google happy with the “regularly updated content” we are often told it needs.

Google rewards quality content

When I announced how I was going to build jimsmarketingblog.com‘s community, a few SEO professionals said that because I was focusing on providing good quality content, Google would actually still provide ‘targeted traffic’ to the blog. They said that Google was getting a lot better at identifying high value content.

After looking at the stats for the past month, I can confirm that these SEO professionals were 100% correct! Even though I write in my natural style and often don’t blog for a few days at a time, Google now sends legions of people to this blog every day, with very relevant search enquiries. Moreover, it has given the blog a revised PageRank of 4 (up from 3), after just 4 months of blogging and with me offering do-follow links.

Writing for Google and SEO

The lesson here is that despite what some might tell you, it seems that there is no real need to “write for Google” in order to attract new visitors via their search engine.

My experiences have shown that if a blog is SEO friendly and well written, lots of people will link to it. Once you get the links and you keep your focus on high quality content, it seems Google will figure the rest out!

It also shows the effectiveness of good SEO and the importance of the work provided by SEO experts, like those who have guided me in recent months. I especially want to thank Gregor Spowart from MMD.

A new year or the same old year over again?

Written by Jim Connolly

For most businesses, the first week in January is not the start of a New Year – It’s simply the chance to live the same old year over and over and over again!

They carry on investing their time and money in all the wrong places and thus, they get the same kind of results. Such businesses reach a plateau after a few years and tend to stay there. Like a truck that’s stuck in the mud, the harder they try the deeper they seem to get trapped.

The owners of these businesses complain about their lack of results, but fail to make the changes required for success. This fear of change is what psychologists refer to as The Homoeostatic impulse. It’s best demonstrated in the human desire for things to “be the same – but better.” However, as we all know, improvement can only come as the result of change. Things don’t “just magically get better” – we have to make them better.

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got!

So, as we enter the first full working week of 2009, let’s embrace the opportunity to learn from what we did in 2008.

Marketing in a recession

Written by Jim Connolly

Last month, I interviewed some business owners, who not only survived the last recession but actually grew their businesses; whilst those around them saw their businesses shrink or go broke.

I wanted to know what their secret was, so I could share it with you!

It became apparent very quickly that there was a single, common thread, which was shared by each of the successful businesspeople from the last recession.

Here’s what they told me

The successful businesspeople continued to invest in the key areas of their business, whilst their competitors stopped investing in those same, key areas!

Marketing lessons from past recessions

During the last recession, many of the businesses that went backwards or went broke, decided to invest as little as possible in anything. They chose to hunker-down and wait for the recession to finish. As a result, they cut back on things like service contracts for their cars, office equipment etc. They also stopped most or all of their marketing.

Even in a good economy, a business with creaking infrastructure and no marketing is really going to struggle. In a recession, that approach is going to make it almost impossible to survive!

Recession marketing

During the recession, your prospective clients / customers are looking for the best value for money possible. This requires super-effective marketing, as you will need YOUR message to stand out and then convince people, more powerfully than your competitors, that YOURS is the best value for their money!

Your existing clients / customers will be hurting financially too. They will be looking for better deals and for ways to reduce their outgoings. You need to make sure they don’t go to a competitor or simply drop your service, thinking it will save them money.

This is clearly not the time to forget about your marketing.

Marketing opportunities

I believe 2009 will present some amazing opportunities. The months ahead will be a time of great change and those with the vision and courage to adapt to these changes, will get the rewards.

Use the challenges of the year ahead to position yourself in your marketplace as a provider of answers. During times of flux, people want answers and we are attracted to those who we believe have the answers we need.

Listen to what your marketplace is saying to you. Keep in regular dialogue with your clients / customers and also your prospective clients / customers.

Find ways to match the benefits of your products or services to their changing needs and ensure that you and your business are an essential resource for them!

Movement or progress?

Written by Jim Connolly

As we move into a brand new year, I would like to share one of the simplest, yet most valuable pieces of advice I know with you.

Don’t mistake movement for progress!

Progress is not the result of hard work. If hard work were the secret to success, our grandparents would have been millionaires!Progress only comes when we work hard doing the right things. However, if we keep rowing that boat in the wrong direction, no matter how hard we row; we will never get where we want to be.

Before you invest your time or money on any marketing activities in 2009, make sure you are doing the right kind of marketing for your business – before you worry about doing it correctly. For example; you ‘might’ be doing a mail shot correctly – yet by using email marketing instead of paper-based mailings, you can see better, faster results for a fraction of the cost and time of a traditional mail shot.

You might be doing that mail shot correctly, but it may not be the right form of marketing for what you want to achieve – your outcome!

Making progress

I suggest you look at all the marketing activities you currently engage in and then, one by one, find out if there isn’t a better, higher-leverage alternative for you to use in 2009. There’s a list of marketing ideas here, which are extremely effective, just to get you started.

Over to you

What have you found to be the most effective forms of marketing for your business over the past year? Share your experiences and leave a comment below.