Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

The step by step guide to marketing your business

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Lawrence from New Jersey emailed me with a great question. He wanted to know why I don’t provide any step-by-step marketing guides.

Here’s my answer. It contains an exceptionally valuable marketing tip, which I hope you find useful.

The thing about cookie cutters

Cookie cutters are extremely effective when you’re making cookies. They let you produce lots of identical looking cookies, very fast.

Conversely, a cookie cutter approach to marketing is of very little value.

Why?

Because by using the same marketing approach as your competitors, your marketing becomes identical to theirs. You become camouflaged. This makes it very, very hard for prospective clients to find you. And when they do find you, you’ll seem way too similar to your competitors, so there’s no reason to contact you. Oh, and if they do contact you, they’ll be price sensitive.

Throwing away the cookie cutter

Successful marketing is about standing out. It’s about being noticed by the right people and giving them a compelling reason to hire you or buy from you. And for that you need an individual approach.

  • You need marketing that sets you apart from your competition, so you are the one who gets hired.
  • You need marketing that gets you noticed for all the right reasons, by all the right people.
  • You need marketing that’s specific to you; your unique business, your unique situation and your unique goals.

However.

The marketing guides available via blogs, websites, seminars, webinars, and books, etc., are designed to be used by a wide range of business owners. This means you end up with the same generic marketing ideas as everyone else.

That’s the recipe for how to be ignored! It’s also the total opposite of what you need. And it explains why I don’t provide step-by-step guides.

Instead, I strive to encourage you to stand out. To get specific. To take your marketing seriously. Because that’s the only way to get the attention you need, the sales you need and the results you need.

There’s only two ways to grow a business. You need to choose one

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marketing help, marketing advice

It’s becoming harder and harder to sell the average product or service.

Why?

Because when something is average, the lowest price wins. And there will always be someone lower priced than you. Plus, your prospective customers can find these lower priced alternatives, on Google or Amazon, in seconds.

There are only two, proven ways to build your business today. Here they are.

Option one

You can decide to try to cut your costs back to the bone and undercut the competition. Lower prices attract attention. Lower prices get people talking. Average products or services do neither.

And if you can get the efficiency savings right, with a significant increase in sales, you can make a very nice profit. This guy sold a UK retail outlet where everything cost just £1, for £50,000,000.

Option two

Alternatively, you can decide to turn your back on average. There are more, wealthy customers out there than ever before. And they want to be treated differently. They’ll very happily pay for that premium difference, too.

That’s why luxury brands thrive in every industry and profession.

The important thing my friend, is to decide.

Either aim for low profit, high turnover or aim to be a premium provider. Then market your business accordingly. Don’t position yourself somewhere between the two. Because it has never been harder to succeed in the middle-ground, than it is today.

I’m getting enquiries from idiots

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marketing advice, marketing help

I was emailed by a service provider recently, about a problem he has encountered with his marketing. It’s something a lot of business owners struggle with. So, I’m sharing it with you along with my reply.

Here’s part of his email, published with his permission.

“I needed to boost traffic to my web site and the number of people who read my newsletter. […] I was advised to start using attention grabbing headlines and dumb down my content so it was more inclusive. It worked in a way because I get more traffic but now I’m attracting enquiries from idiots!”

Before I reply…

Enquiries from idiots?

Up front, let’s deal with his use of the word idiot. I’m extremely uncomfortable about the use of that word, in this context. If your marketing attracts the wrong type of people, this doesn’t make them idiots.

It means your marketing sucks!

That type of inaccurate labelling of people disavows your responsibility. It passes the blame from you, to them. It’s extremely unhelpful.

Okay. Now we’re free to look at the actual problem.

The cause

In order to increase the reach of their work, build their list or get more social media shares, many people swap meaning, for clicks. Before they know it their message is no longer resonating with the right people.

It’s being seen. But by using mass-appeal, clickbait headlines, their marketing is no longer attracting the right people. And when you combine that with a message that’s “more inclusive”, you end up with a toxic mix of the wrong people and the wrong message.

In short: Poor targeting + Poor content = Poor results.

A better approach

Focus on the right thing.

If you want to get more traffic or build your list, there are thousands of places offering ways to do it. Most use a version of what the guy who emailed me described. And if you’re selling ads on a website based on clicks, this may prove (somewhat) useful.

However.

If you want to attract more clients, you need a strategy designed to attract more clients. First, you determine exactly who your ideal client is. Next, you focus like a laser on being as useful as possible to this niche. Then, make it extremely easy for them to hire you or share your work. It works. Really, really well.

Just don’t confuse the two. Because those 2 different challenges require 2 very different strategies.

How to crush the competition!

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marketing help, marketing advice

Joe emailed me with a very direct question. As lots of you may have a similar challenge, I’ve shared the question below, along with my answer.

Hi Jim. What’s the best way for me to crush my competitors?  I’m going to lose my business soon unless I turn things around and I’m sick of missing out to competitors that are no better than me.

I think crush is a strong word, but it certainly gets Joe’s frustration across.

How to beat the competition

There are a couple of proven options. I’m going to highlight them, then offer a more powerful alternative.

1. Most business leaders will tell you that the best way to beat the competition, is to outsmart them. This means spotting or creating opportunities before they do. This is a very effective approach.

2. Some enlightened business leaders will tell you that the best way to beat the competition, is to out care them. This means focusing heavily on customer care. It means truly going the extra mile. It means showing the marketplace that you care enormously about what matters to them. This is also very effective.

However, I’ve uncovered a 3rd and massively more powerful alternative. You can out manoeuvre your competitors by doing both of the above!

By outsmarting them and out caring them, you leverage 2 enormously powerful strategies. You set yourself apart from all the rest. This makes you a lot more visible. Moreover, it makes you more visible to the right people; those who value what you do. And as my clients can confirm, it’s a spectacularly effective way to build a high-profit business.

Is the out manoeuvre approach easy? No. It takes a little additional effort.

Is it possible? Yes. Of course it is. I do it every day.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. You see, this approach not only helps you attract great clients or customers. It helps you retain them. And a business that’s regularly winning great new clients, and seldom losing any, is pretty-much unbeatable.

[P.S. Here’s a recent interview I did with the team at The University of Northern Iowa. I hope you find it useful!]

We need to talk about your entitlement mindset

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content marketing, trust

There’s a very common mindset among small business owners. It’s the entitlement mindset. And almost NO small business owner is aware of it, until it’s explained to them. That’s what this post is about, along with lots of ideas for how to put things right.

What does the entitlement mindset look like?

The mindset tells the small business owner that they’re entitled to success. They think they can be average, yet still succeed. They believe they can just keep on doing the same ineffective stuff, and over time, things will “somehow” just improve.

It’s little wonder the vast majority of small business owners fail, and the vast majority that survive are going nowhere. Spinning their wheels. Waiting for the break they never earned, to arrive.

The wake-up call of our age is this: We’re not entitled to anything! We have to earn it. And that includes the attention of our prospective clients. They call it paying attention for a reason.

Remember when I shared this with you?

Your blog doesn’t have subscribers, your newsletter doesn’t have readers, your Facebook Group doesn’t have members, your podcast doesn’t have listeners and your Youtube channel doesn’t have viewers.

You don’t own anyone’s attention. It’s borrowed. You have to earn it. Then re-earn it.

As this blog approaches it’s 10th birthday, this is something I’m focusing on a great deal. If I decide to commit to an 11th year, I will also need to commit to digging deep, to find ways to re-earn your attention. Again and again. That means I need to be as useful as possible to you. Knowing that if I fail to be worthy of your attention, you’ll take your attention back.

In other words, your attention is not something I am entitled to.

Okay. [Imagine dramatic music in the background] Now the bad news!

The same is true of your marketing

Sorry. But if your marketing fails to offer something worthy of your prospective client’s attention, they’ll take it elsewhere. You only have their attention on loan. And if you lose their attention, you’ll also have lost the opportunity to do business with them. You can’t afford that. It’s low leverage. It’s unsustainable.

In short, once you’ve earned the attention of a prospective client, it makes way more sense to work on retaining it. This is how you build a spectacularly valuable communication channel with them.

So share ideas, stories and suggestions with your prospective clients, which THEY will find useful. 99.9% of small business marketing doesn’t do this. It’s self-serving, from the entitlement mindset. It doesn’t attract attention and it certainly doesn’t re-earn attention. It’s usually a dull series of thinly disguised sales pitches and special offers.

They think they are entitled to the attention of people, when in reality, they’re not entitled to shit!

A quick look at the way things were

Old school marketing was all about interrupting people. It was about sales pitches. It was about big brands paying fortunes to get their ad in front of you while you were trying to watch TV or listen to the radio. The huge problem with that model, was that you had to start from scratch every time. It was expensive. Really expensive. This put it beyond the reach of small businesses. However, it was the backbone of the highly lucrative advertising industry for over a century.

The advertising industry today is undergoing a huge change. Brands are embracing the value of earned attention. They’re shifting from demanding your attention, to commanding it. They’ve moved from pestering you, to sharing stories with you.
Read this» Demanding attention versus Commanding attention.

The anti entitlement mindset alternative

Focus on what matters to your prospective clients. Then, use your marketing to share useful ideas with them. Here are just a few suggestions.

  • Show them how your product / service can save them money.
  • Show them how your product / service can save them time.
  • Show them how your product / service can help them attract more customers.
  • Show them how your product / service can make their life easier, less stressful or both.
  • Give them useful industry insights.
  • Give them useful tips, which have worked for others in their industry (or situation).

This model turns your marketing into a valuable asset for your marketplace. Guess what? That’s the kind of marketing that people share and talk about. It’s the kind of marketing that builds trust and generates sales. It’s an anti-entitlement approach to marketing.

It’s also the kind of marketing you need to embrace.

Why?

Because pushing sales pitches at prospective clients, who are already suffering from information overload, is less and less effective.

And unlike the past, your prospective clients have technology today that lets them block you, filter you from their inbox or unsubscribe from you.

What about marketing to your existing clients?

You’re not entitled to the repeat business of an existing client or customer, either. You need to re-earn it, again and again. So a similar, them-focused approach is required. Only this time, create marketing that’s useful for your clients, which includes (but isn’t limited to) how to get more from your products or services.

Apple provides us with a world-class example of how to do this right. Their dedicated Apple Support YouTube channel doesn’t sell stuff. Instead, it adds value to the Apple products you already own. This makes you more inclined to stay with their brand.

Here’s why this works so well.

Let’s assume you’re an iPhone user. When you fully understand how your iPhone works, via those helpful videos, you’ll get more value from it. This makes it massively more likely your next tablet will be an iPad, (which uses the exact same operating system). And with an iPhone and iPad, the Apple Watch makes more sense than buying a different, less compatible brand.

Can you see what Apple are doing? They’re marketing to existing customers, sharing useful information, because they know they’re not entitled to the repeat business of their customers.

Apple are the most valuable company on the planet. However, unlike the average small business owner, Apple does not have an entitlement mindset.

In summary

Your business and mine share one thing in common, my friend. Neither of them are entitled to anything. It’s when we accept this reality, that our mindset to marketing shifts from entitlement to earned attention. And when that shift happens, it manifests itself with a totally different approach to marketing.

So get out there and contribute to your marketplace. Bring radical value. Be as useful as you can as often as you can. And take absolutely nothing for granted.

Move along… there’s nothing to see here

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Marketing forward

Their social media presence is a familiar, dull mix of quotes from famous people and self promotion.

Their branding is really average.

Their pricing is pretty-much the same as their competitors.

Their range of services is boring and formulaic.

Their customer service is nothing special.

Their marketing promises are utterly predictable.

And as a direct result, prospective clients ignore them. There’s nothing worth paying attention to. So people move along… and a competitor gets the client enquiry.

Don’t be like them. Seriously. Just don’t

If you want people to care about what you have to say. If you want people to care about what you offer… give them something worth caring about. Then communicate it effectively.

Here’s a question worth asking, “What’s your story and is it attracting the attention of your marketplace”?

This will help you get it right: Why storytelling is the cornerstone of successful marketing.

I hate marketing. Yes. Really!

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marketing tips, ask better questions, ideas

I once heard a comedian make an unexpected, yet interesting statement. He was being interviewed on the radio. The interviewer asked what the comedian’s pet hates were. High on his list was marketing and people who worked in marketing.

The interview was part of a media campaign, to promote (market) his latest stand-up comedy tour. He seemed genuinely unaware of the irony… as he took every opportunity to share the venues, dates and ticket prices. All of which was, of course, marketing.

I think I know what the comedian meant, though. And he had a point.

Some marketing really sucks

Hate is a strong word. However, there are parts of marketing that I hate. For instance, I hate the way junk food is deliberately marketed at kids. I hate the way tobacco companies market cigarettes, to encourage more people to smoke. And I think pretty-much everyone is sick and tired of all the spam emails and cold calls we receive, from people pushing junk at us.

In each of those cases, marketing is (mis)used to motivate people to make bad decisions. There are lots more examples too. And it sucks. It really sucks.

As a result, many business owners feel conflicted about marketing. Their negative feelings about much of the marketing they experience, becomes a barrier to the promotion of their own business.

It would be easy to hate marketing, if that’s all marketing did. But it isn’t.

Marketing is so much more than that

Marketing is also used for good. And we see powerful, positive examples all day every day.

Marketing is used to encourage people to make better lifestyle choices, through public health campaigns. It’s used to motivate people to use their democratic right to vote. It’s used to promote the good works of charities. It’s used to educate children on how to stay safe online. It’s used to encourage people not to drink and drive.

And it’s also used to help small business owners, like you, build successful, rewarding businesses.

In reality, marketing is neither good or bad. It’s what you market and how you choose to market it, which defines how people feel. If you want your marketplace to embrace your marketing and connect with what you have to say, market your business accordingly.

That means stepping away from sucky, predictable marketing. Then crafting your own, value-driven marketing — marketing that people WANT to receive.

GoDaddy top 10

If you don’t think that’s possible, remember that every message you receive from me… is marketing.

Marketing that people email me to thank me for. Marketing that they share with their friends. Marketing that’s linked to by some of the world’s leading websites and brands.

The bottom line here is simple. The way you feel about marketing your business will have a direct impact on your success. So make sure your attitude to marketing is aligned with what you want to achieve.

What a difference 20 minutes can make

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A reader emailed me with some great news. He used the advice from one of my blog posts and it’s worked extremely well. There’s a powerful idea behind what he did, which I’m going to share with you. It can help you achieve similar (or even better) results.

Here’s what happened.

Danny is a partner in a medium-sized accountancy firm. After reading this, he decided to open for business 20 minutes earlier than his competitors. So, instead of 9:00am, he and around half the team are there from 8:40am. He then emailed all his clients to let them know.

The response was immediate.

He said, “I had replies back in minutes Jim. Clients loved that they could call us before their own businesses opened. They also said it was really useful, that they could pop in on their way to work. It created a wave of good feeling toward us. In the 3 months since we started, client recommendations have increased by 87% on the same period last year.”

Why it worked

Danny increased the value of his service, in a meaningful way.

Clients were immediately able to see the benefit. Most of his clients are in retail. They could now speak with an accountant, not a call-handling company, before the client’s own business opened its doors. It was a story worth sharing. So his clients told fellow retailers, knowing they’d find it useful too. Some of these retailers switched. Danny’s team bought into it too. They appreciated the flexibility of being able to start and finish work, 20 minutes earlier.

That’s an 87% increase. For the sake of 20 minutes. Think about that for a moment.

How to make it work for you

The real lesson from Danny’s story is NOT about opening 20 minutes earlier. That’s just a tactic.

No.

It’s about understanding the importance of constantly looking for opportunities to make your service remarkable. Remarkable enough to get people’s attention. Remarkable enough to talk about. Remarkable enough for your clients to truly value the extra something you provide.

The end result is massively more referrals, far better client retention and never having to sell based on your fee again.

Here’s the post, which gave Danny his idea.

Consider increasing your fees by at least 500%. Yes. Really!

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marketing advice, marketing help

Would you like to develop a new and extremely (I mean EXTREMELY) profitable service? If you would, here’s a great place to start.

I want to begin by asking you to imagine something. I want you to imagine that a new client comes along and they’re paying you between 500% and 1,000% more than your current fee.

  • What kind of additional customer service would you be able to give them?
  • How much more of your attention would you be able to give them?
  • What additional problems would you be able to solve for them?

Here’s a suggestion: Consider building a new, premium version of your service, which offers those amazing advantages. Then charge for it accordingly and market it correctly.

Why?

Because there’s an extremely profitable niche in every marketplace, who are very happy to pay a premium fee, for a premium service. Plus, value-focused clients are the best people to work with because (in a very literal sense), they truly value what you do.

And you deserve clients like that.

Outstanding service… isn’t!

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What was outstanding last year, isn’t outstanding today. And what seemed like great value, now isn’t. As a result, people’s expectations are constantly rising.

This is great news for that tiny minority of small business owners, who continuously seek to raise the bar.

But not for the business owner, who thinks it’s okay to just work hard doing the same old things, the same old way.

The power of thinking big. Really BIG!

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There’s real power in thinking big. For a business owner, it looks something like this:

  • Thinking big leads to big plans.
  • Big, exciting plans are motivating. They motivate us to take action.
  • When we take action, we make things happen.
  • And because the things we make happen are big and exciting, we make truly meaningful progress.

If you’re not feeling motivated, if you’re not making big exciting plans, if you’re not seeing meaningful progress — Start thinking BIGGER.

6 Ideas to make people fall in love with your business

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marketing tip

Small business owners often tell me that they struggle to get noticed by potential clients or customers. So, here are some ideas that can help you attract the attention you need and get people talking about your business, too.

  1. People love to talk: What could you do, to give them a story that’s worth sharing?
  2. People want to succeed: What could you do, to help them achieve their goals or dreams?
  3. People need to feel valued: What could you do, to show them your appreciation?
  4. People love to save time: What could you do, to help them get more done in less time?
  5. People want to avoid stress: What could you do, to make them feel more comfortable, secure or relaxed?
  6. People love to learn: What could you do, to educate them in a meaningful way?

Think about each of the ideas above. Then, consider ways you can incorporate them into your marketing (and the service you provide).

What every business owner needs to know about optimism

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marketing enthusiasm

It’s great to feel optimistic about your business. That’s so long as your optimism is justified. You see, there are 2 types of optimism. One is essential. One is toxic.

I’m referring to justified optimism and unjustified optimism.

  • Justified optimism is born from knowing that your business is making measurable progress in reasonable time… seeing your plans come to fruition.
  • Unjustified optimism is very different. It comes from ignoring the reality of your situation and hoping things will ‘just get better’.

Here’s the challenge

Unjustified optimism has the same effect on your mind as justified optimism. If your business is stagnating or shrinking, yet you choose to believe everything is great, it acts like a narcotic.

A narcotic?

Yes!

It takes away the pain (or urgency) you need to feel, in order to motivate yourself to fix what’s wrong. Here’s an example.

It’s like seeing black smoke bellowing from the back of your car, but choosing to ignore it and instead, telling yourself that your car is doing GREAT. The engine then gets trashed, because you didn’t take heed of the warning signs and take action when you should have.

Optimism is essential for business success. And business owners tend to be optimistic. Let’s face it, we have to be! The very act of starting a business, with no guarantee of success, requires a lot of optimism. The key here is to make sure that the optimism we feel is justified.

On track or off track?

If things are on track for your business, your optimism is justified. It’s an indication you have exciting things to come. And that you should do more of the same. (You may also want to share your ideas with new business owners or young entrepreneurs. It’s a wonderful feeling.)

If things are off track, your business is spinning its wheels and you’re doing more of the same, yet you’re feeling optimistic, your optimism lacks justification. Don’t see that black smoke and ignore it. Instead, use it as motivation. Motivation to put better plans, strategies and tactics in place.

If you’re off track, this may help you: Here are dozens of free marketing tips and ideas – around 4,000 words worth of information-rich content.

How to successfully launch a new service

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marketing, usp, different

Have you launched a new product or a new service, only to be disappointed by the interest you attracted?

If you have, then today’s post is just for you. It will explain why this often happens, along with some ideas on how to make your next launch a success.

Danny from New York emailed me with a great question. His accountancy firm launched a new profit improvement service 5 months ago. They contacted existing clients and also advertised it to the local marketplace. Very few people have expressed any interest. He wondered why.

A common and costly mistake

I took a look at the marketing his firm used and was quickly able to identify a common mistake. A marketing mistake that many small business owners make.

It’s all about how ineffective (and potentially damaging) the word “new” is, when marketing something.

Sure, when you’ve just created or launched something new, you’re excited. You may even have a lot riding on the success of the new product or service. However, that newness is only exciting to you.

As far as the marketplace is concerned, something that’s new isn’t necessarily that interesting. In fact, newness can carry huge drawbacks, which will turn people away.

For example.

  1. To a lesser or greater degree, a new service is going to feel like a risky bet. And your prospective clients hate risk. They want peace of mind. This is the opposite. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the more established alternatives.
  2. A new service is never the best. That’s because, by default, it lacks all those improvements that only come with time. It lacks the robustness of a more mature, proven service.

There’s nothing wrong with introducing something new. Far from it. Just don’t assume that because something is new, your marketplace will be interested in it or attracted to it.

Instead, you need to combine the fact it’s new, with additional benefits.

Benefits that your marketplace will find attractive. Benefits that reassure them. Benefits that are compelling. Benefits that are motivating. Benefits that will inspire them to want to know more, to hire you or buy from you.

Here are some proven examples you can use.

Our new (whatever) service provides you with:

  • a faster way to.
  • a safer way to.
  • a greener way to.
  • an easy way to.
  • a friendlier way to.
  • an enjoyable way to.
  • a guaranteed way to.
  • a more stylish way to.
  • a relaxing way to.
  • an ethical way to.
  • a proven way to.
  • an exciting way to.
  • a cost effective way to.

In summary

Newness by itself has limited marketing power. You need to combine it with compelling, client-focused benefits. This will make it massively more attractive.

And always be mindful when launching a new service, that it will be perceived as somewhat risky. So, give people the reassurance they need. Provide guarantees. And if a risk-reversal is possible, use it. If you’re not sure what risk-reversal is, I use it here. It’s extremely powerful, because it makes hiring you a zero risk.

Keep these ideas and suggestions in mind, for your next (or current) launch. Because “new”, by itself, isn’t that attractive.

Today’s your day. The day everything improves. And here’s the proof!

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marketing, business development, success

Today’s a very special day for you and your business. I’ll explain why (with 100% certainty) in today’s post.

Okay. Let’s go!

There’s no question about it, the marketplace needs providers from your industry.

As a business owner, the question is, why do they need you specifically? After all, your prospective clients can find dozens of alternative providers, on Google, in seconds.

Here’s the thing: The most successful business owners set themselves apart from the rest. They focus on being directly relevant (and thus highly compelling) to a profitable section of the marketplace. They may be the fastest provider, the cheapest, the most expensive, the most fashionable… whatever. The key here is that they’re not like the average provider.

They pick a profitable slice of the marketplace. Then they focus like a laser on being directly relevant to that niche.

The average provider doesn’t do that

So, they’re forced to compete for business against all the other, average providers. And that’s a really tough way to try and build a business. Here are just a few reasons why.

  • You have too much competition.
  • You struggle to get your business noticed.
  • You get too few enquiries.
  • You get too few referrals.
  • You attract fee sensitive clients.
  • You have to pay for advertising.
  • You have to network.

In short, you have to do all the soul-destroying things the average business owner does.

Yes, there are average providers in every industry. But I know for certain that you don’t want to be one of them. (I’ll explain why I know for certain in a moment).

You can choose to be meaningfully different from the average provider. You can make building your business so much easier and massively more rewarding. You can move your business away from the over-crowded average section of your marketplace. You can work with better clients, earn better fees and build a spectacularly better business.

Here’s the challenge.

You also have the freedom to stay where you are

And the average business owner will do exactly that. They will work too many hours. They will earn too little. They will decide to settle for less than they’re capable of.

But that’s not for you. I know for an absolute fact that you’re not average and that you want more from your business.

How do I know this about you, with 100% certainty? I know because you’re right here, right now, reading this!

You’re looking for ideas, guidance, clarity or answers. Maybe all of those things. That means you’re ready. It means the desire is there.

Don’t waste it!

Why?

Because this could be the defining day for you, which every successful business owner has. It’s the day where they decide to be the best they can be. To explore their potential. To finally find out what they’re truly capable of. It’s the day they choose the right path. The day they take action to build a business that excites and rewards them on every level.

I know that’s where you are right now. You’re ready. But more importantly, I hope you don’t waste this moment. Decide now to make this your day.

The death of blogging

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marketing blogging

Photo: Shutterstock.

I’d like to share something with you, which has greater potential to improve your marketing, than anything I have ever known.

Imagine you were able to communicate with your prospective clients. Not through advertising. Not through pestering them for attention. But through building a relationship with them, where they value your expertise. So they look forward to you communicating with them. And they want to hear from you.

Does that imaginary scenario remind you of anything?

Here’s a clue: You’re reading this. You’re a business owner. I provide services to business owners.

Blogging isn’t dead

Every year since I started blogging, people have claimed that blogging is dead. It isn’t. In fact, it’s vastly more effective today than it was 10 years ago, when I wrote my first marketing blog post. And back then, it was already the most powerful marketing tool I had ever known.

Blogging is so much more powerful now.

Why?

Here are just a few reasons.

1. People are eagerly looking for blog posts

There are close to 2 billion people using social networks. Many millions of them are actively looking for relevant information to share with their friends. And that’s exactly what they do. If a post is interesting and marketed correctly, it will be shared.

This sharing increases your reach, as new people subscribe to your blog. And not just “people”, but new people who are interested in what you do. Yes, prospective clients and customers!

2. The power of email

Email distribution of blog posts allows people to have a one-to-one communication channel with the blogger. If you’re reading this via email, hit reply and your email will arrive in my inbox. Readers do this every day. Think about that for a moment.

How useful would it be for your business, if prospective clients were reaching out to you every day?

And how valuable would it be, if you had a growing email list of thousands of prospective clients, who eagerly want to hear from you?

3. Your prospective clients or customers read blogs

People wrongly assume THEIR prospective clients don’t read blogs. And they’re wrong. (I wrote about this here.)

Did you know, Wordpress blogs alone account for almost 30% of ALL INTERNET traffic? Well, it’s true! Here are some you may have heard of: CNN, Time, The New York Post, Variety, USA Today, The Star Wars website, Sony Music, MTV News, BBC America, The Walt Disney Company website, The Harvard Gazette, The New Yorker, The Mercedes Benz website… all these sites (and millions more) are built on the same WordPress blogging software as mine.

If you’re serious about growing your business today, you need a blog and a darn good blogging strategy. Otherwise you’ll miss out on the world’s most powerful marketing tool.

How to regularly attract motivated clients

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marketing tips, marketing ideas, marketing tips and ideas

I shared a proven success factor with you in my previous post, which is common to every successful business owner (read it here). Today, I’m going to share another.

This tip is very easy to use. And the results come extremely quickly. Let’s go!

The basics

One of the absolute basics of marketing, is that people buy based on feelings rather than logic.

It’s often said that the decision to buy a house, the largest purchase most people will ever make, is based on the way they feel about the house in the first 60 seconds!

This begs the question: How can YOU make people feel that way about your business?

The feel good factor

Unsurprisingly, people are extremely attracted to things that make them feel good. We call this the feel good factor.

The iPhone is a great example of the power of the feel good factor. It explains why so many people on low incomes go without things they need, in order to own the latest iPhone. They feel good about ordering the iPhone. They feel good about collecting their new iPhone. They also feel good about people seeing them with their iPhone.

As a result, this luxury item broke sales records every year, during the last economic recession. Think about that for a moment. It makes no logical sense. After all, fewer people could afford it. Yet more and more people bought it.

In fact, they not only bought iPhones in record-breaking numbers, but they started upgrading their phone every 12 to 24 months. Previously, people replaced phones when the phone became unreliable or stopped working.

That’s how powerful the feel good factor is. And why your business needs it.

Creating your feel good factor

Clearly, there are some very good reasons for you to create a feel good factor, around your business or brand. When I work with a client, I give them very specific advice on exactly what to do and how to do it, based on their industry, marketplace etc.

However, this post will be read by business owners from over 100 countries. So, here’s a very general strategy, based on just one element of the feel good factor.

The feel good factor is fuelled by positivity. When we hear good things and see good things coming from a business, it quickly improves how we feel about them. You’d assume every business owner knows this. Yet, when you look at the dialogue coming from them, you see it’s usually neutral or negative.

Look at the typical small business website, blog, newsletter, social networking accounts, etc. The messaging is bland. It’s predictable, low energy, lacking in personality and devoid of passion. As such, it totally fails to fire-up the marketplace with a feel good factor. It’s woefully ineffective. It’s easy to ignore.

Businesses that benefit from the feel good factor are very, very different.

  • Their overall messaging is based around the positive things happening in their business and their marketplace.
  • They build a picture of a business that’s productive, happy and helpful.
  • When you speak with people from these businesses, their energy and passion is infectious.
  • When they talk about their business and their plans, it leaves you feeling so motivated, you wish you were involved.
  • People want to work there. And it shows. It really shows.
  • When you visit their website, blog or read their newsletter, you quickly feel that theirs is a business that’s thriving.

It’s no wonder that these feel good businesses earn the attention of their marketplace, get people talking and attract the best clients.

I’d like to leave you with a couple of important things to ponder. Firstly, is there a powerful internal and external feel good factor around your business? And if there isn’t, what do you plan to do about it?

As my clients have discovered, getting this right doesn’t just increase your revenues and profits. It also makes business massively more exciting and enjoyable, too.

What every business owner needs to know about influence

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bad business advice

I’ve worked with and met some spectacularly successful business owners. Here’s something I’ve found, again and again: Successful business owners are extremely selective, regarding who and what they pay attention to.

It makes sense. After all, everyone and everything we give our attention to, influences us. Some more than others. But they all have an impact on how we feel and how we think. And our feelings and thoughts control what we do.

In business, we know that by associating with successful businesspeople, you massively increase your own potential.

Why?

Because their influence will have you thinking and feeling, in a way that’s consistent with commercial success. Your focus will improve. Your outlook will improve. Your energy levels will improve.

Your outcomes (results) will then improve, accordingly.

How a fee increase can attract more clients and boost your profits

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marketing gimmicks work, stunts gimmicks, best marketing gimmicks

When marketed correctly, it’s possible to massively increase your fees and attract more clients, than you did at the lower fee.

It sounds counter intuitive. But it makes perfect sense. Allow me to explain.

I was prompted to write about this, after speaking with one of my clients. We talked about what’s happened since she tripled her fees. Yes, it took a lot of courage, however, not only is every client now massively more profitable to her, she has never been busier with new clients.

So, why did a 300% increase in her fees result in more clients, rather than fewer clients?

My client is highly experienced and provides an excellent service. However, her fees used to be around the average for her industry.

In other words, she was claiming to offer a top quality service for what sounded like a bargain basement fee. She was giving people a mixed message. Mixed messages create doubt. And doubt destroys marketing.

The kind of people who seek out excellent service and are willing to pay for it, would have ignored my clients former marketing. They would see the service being offered, compare it to her cheapo fee… and get suspicious. They’d assume she was another bargain basement provider making claims she couldn’t back up.

Of course, those looking for a cheap provider were not attracted to her either, as they shop around for the lowest fee and hers were close to average.

So, my client had previously failed to attract the best clients and the worst clients. She was left with the overcrowded middle of the market, where it’s exceptionally competitive, low profit, and very hard to stand out.

A lesson. A challenge and an opportunity

The lesson: If you genuinely provide an excellent service and want to attract lots of great clients, you need to make sure that your prices match your promises. Remember, people are told from childhood to avoid offers that sound too good to be true.

The challenge: You need to market this correctly. Simply increasing your fees is unlikely to achieve anything much. The value needs to be clear. The marketing needs to be compelling. It needs to inspire prospective clients to trust you and motivate them to hire you.

The opportunity: As my client discovered, if you get the marketing right the rewards can be huge.

Stop trying to build a great business, with low quality clients!

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marketing scale

You can’t cook an delicious meal with low quality ingredients.

You can’t construct a high quality building with low quality materials.

And you absolutely can not create a successful business, with low quality clients.

Work exclusively with the best clients

The definition of a truly great client will differ somewhat, depending on your industry. However, in general, the best clients are those who give you the freedom to do your best work. They pay you what you’re worth and they pay you on time. They are professionals themselves, so they value your professionalism.

Whilst every human being is created equal, their value to you as a client varies massively. Some are outstanding. Others are not just of zero commercial value… they’re of sub-zero value to your business. In other words, your business is worse off because of them. This includes clients who are late payers, insulting to you or your team, over-demanding, unreliable or dishonest.

This is why you have to be highly selective who you choose to work with. When I share this advice with young business owners, I often get the same reply.

“I hear what you’re saying Jim, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

I remind them that they’re not beggars. They’re business owners. I explain that if they think they can’t afford to turn low value clients away, it’s only because they haven’t seen the huge cost of working for low value clients.

No one sets out to attract low quality clients. It’s simply what happens, when a business isn’t using an effective, focused marketing strategy. Instead of regularly attracting high quality, targeted enquiries from their ideal profile of client, they get sporadic enquiries from a mixed bag of clients.

In short, their ineffective marketing leaves them feeling forced into accepting low quality clients. And that cycle continues, until they choose to take the marketing of their business seriously.

Make 2018 the year you refuse to settle for less than you deserve. Take your marketing seriously. And give yourself the freedom to work exclusively with great clients.