Photo: cottonbro studio
The infinite space on the Internet encourages overlong writing.
And people have never had shorter attention spans.
Write tight.
Keep it short.
Be understood.
Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business
By Jim Connolly |
Photo: cottonbro studio
The infinite space on the Internet encourages overlong writing.
And people have never had shorter attention spans.
Write tight.
Keep it short.
Be understood.
By Jim Connolly |
A reader shared an interesting observation with me. She told me she had “found out the hard way that email marketing doesn’t work“.
She asked me for my thoughts on why email is so ineffective. I said I’d share them here, as I’m sure some of you will find it useful.
Email marketing works. In fact, email marketing works extremely well. Better than ever.
Just ask any business owner who’s using it correctly. Whether it’s used for newsletters or promotions, the return on investment is off the charts.
Email marketing also works more predictably than just about any other form of marketing. And the tiny financial investment required for email marketing makes it the most cost effective form of marketing out there.
What doesn’t work is ineffective email marketing. Just ask anyone who’s doing it incorrectly.
Here’s the thing: ineffective email marketing can’t work.
Here are just a few, very common examples of how small business owners get email marketing wrong.
You get the idea.
In short, before you reject any form of marketing as ineffective, make sure you’re using it correctly.
So, instead of telling yourself that email marketing doesn’t work, ask yourself why YOUR email marketing doesn’t work. Otherwise, you’ll needlessly miss out on one of the most powerful forms of marketing on the planet!
Image: Shutterstock.
By Jim Connolly |
Photo by KOBU Agency
Here’s a quick marketing tip, which can help you attract more customer (or client) enquiries. I hope you find it useful.
It starts with a question: How easy is it for your prospective customers to get in touch with you?
I’m not asking how visible your contact information is on your marketing materials. I’m referring to something that is almost as important and yet seldom written about; how approachable or friendly you seem, to prospects who don’t already know you.
For example.
Why should this matter to you?
Here’s what we know for absolute certain. The less comfortable someone feels about approaching a potential service provider, the less likely they are to contact them.
By including a friendly, human touch in your marketing, you start to nurture a positive impression in the mind of your prospects, long before you ever speak with them. This helps them feel far more comfortable contacting you, hiring you or buying from you.
By Jim Connolly |
Viral marketing is something I get asked about a lot. It’s actually pretty easy to understand.
Every piece of viral marketing consists of two things. Two things that all marketing, including yours, needs in order to go viral.
For both of those steps to happen, your marketing message needs to be easy to share and remarkable in some way.
Allow me to explain.
As I have written previously, the Kentucky Fried Chicken strapline is an excellent example of an easy to share message. It’s just 3 words long. Finger lickin’ good. That’s easy to remember and share.
The marketing message from Apple is even easier to share. When someone is using one of their products in public, there’s a highly visible Apple logo pointing at everyone who can see them. Until 2015, the Apple logo on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models was illuminated on the lid. Today, those logos are highly polished mirrors. The illuminated Apple logos and the mirror logos both work extremely well.
What makes viral marketing viral, is that it doesn’t spread from the business owner (or vendor) to the marketplace. After the initial push from the business owner, it spreads from person to person.
This means viral marketing not only reaches a lot of people, but unlike advertising, the people sharing the message are those we know and trust. That makes it far more powerful.
Here’s an example from my friend Jennie. Jennie knows I take lots of notes. So, when she discovered a note-taking app that blew her away, she emailed me with a link so I could see it. Within 10 minutes, I’d bought it too. Jennie’s remarkable experience with the iA Writer app provided her with the motivation to share what she’d found with her huge circle of friends. I’ve now shared the app tons of times, too. Plus, I blogged about it.
And then there’s my former client, Greg. I regularly get client enquiries through his recommendation, and the prospects are always very motivated. I asked Greg what he tells people. He said that he recommends my services to his friends and contacts by telling them; ‘Jim doubled our turnover in 5 months’.
Greg’s remarkable sales results are what motivates him to tell people about me. And his recommendation is just 7 words long, making it easy to share. There’s a lot of power there. Think about it: Imagine you are a friend of Greg’s and your small business wants, or seriously needs, to get great sales results, fast. His recommendation would be highly compelling to you.
If you want to go viral, or you want to attract massively more word-of-mouth referrals, your message needs to do the same. To go to people and then through people.
If you want to attract massively more word of mouth referrals or go full-on viral, your message needs to do the same. To go to people and then through people.
Take some time to review how clear, easy to share and memorable your message is. Then look for ways to improve it as much as you can. The more remarkable it is, the more widely it spreads. If you don’t already have one, create one. The fewer words the better. Greg’s is 7 words long. KFC did it in just 3 words.
This is not an easy marketing project. So if you can hire expert help, I recommend you do. It makes absolutely no sense to ignore the power of viral marketing.
Photo by Melissa Askew
By Jim Connolly |
Photo: Shutterstock.
Have you ever considered selling your services to huge corporations? If you haven’t, then maybe it’s time that you did. I’m going to show you how to remove the main barrier, and make it far easier for you to land extremely valuable clients.
Once you understand what I am about to share with you, you may find it easier to gain a $10,000 client than a $500 client.
Allow me to explain.
I was prompted to write this, after remembering an email I received from a friend. He’s a head of department for a massive software corporation. He had just sat through what he called a “cringe-worthy” motivational talk from a former, professional sportsperson.
Apparently, the speaker:
My friend wanted to know, why do such people get hired as speakers by massive corporations?
The reason people like that get hired to speak is simple. More importantly, it also explains what motivates massive corporations to spend money on any kind of product or service.
That speaker may have been a waste of company money, but he was a very safe bet. An easy hire, with no risk attached.
Hang on Jim, if the guy is a waste of money, how can hiring him possibly be a very safe bet?
That’s a great question! :)
Here’s how it works:
I think there are a couple of lessons.
Corporations need to stop rewarding decision makers, for making lousy, but safe, decisions. Instead they need to reward courage. They need to reward decision makers for advancing the company with smart investments.
Until then, former sportspeople (or influencers, faded TV celebrities etc.), can fill their boots with very easy money. At least until their impact is measured and they are no longer a safe bet for decision makers.
If you’re selling into a billion dollar corporation, remember that the decision maker is frightened. They will only buy from you if you can convince them that you’re a super-safe bet. If they see you as a close to zero risk, they will pay you thousands, maybe tens of thousands. And if you’re really good on the day they’ll pay you regularly, too.
Of course, in order to sound as safe as possible you need some supporting evidence. Former sportspeople have their fame.
If you’re not a former, professional sportsperson, influencer or celebrity etc., you will need to work on building your brand, like the rest of us.
If the decision maker hasn’t heard of you, you’ll sound risky. So get your name out there for all the right reasons. Highlight notable media mentions, accomplishments and anything else that will reduce or eliminate the decision maker’s fear.
Then remember the following before you market your services:
Lasting success comes from achieving the balance of being a safe bet… AND being someone who provides measurable value.
Get that balance right and you’ll build yourself a world-class reputation. You’ll also find yourself able to attract the most valuable clients, again and again and again.
By Jim Connolly |
I receive a lot of questions from business owners, who want advice on how to grow their lists. And I usually start by explaining the absolute cornerstone of list-building, which is very seldom mentioned.
It’s simply this.
The idea of growing your list is based on a fallacy. You can’t possibly grow your list or build your list.
That’s because your list is never yours.
You simply borrow it.
We don’t own the attention of subscribers; readers, viewers, listeners, or followers, etc. We have to earn their attention… and then keep re-earning it. Never, ever take it for granted. Consistently strive to provide useful information.
When we stop thinking of subscribers as our subscribers, we operate from a them-first mindset. This motivates us to produce our best work. As a result, we find that we retain far more subscribers for far longer. We also find they proactively recommend us to their friends and contacts.
The pay-off is huge.
The pay-off from this approach is huge. With greater retention, plus a faster growth-rate, your lists will grow like a snowball. It’s the list building equivalent of compound interest.
Photo by Melanie Deziel
By Jim Connolly |
Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash
One of the best-known sayings in business is, time is money. Business owners tend to say this when referring to the financial value of their time. And rightly so. However, there’s another reason why time is money for you as a business owner. Today, I’ll explain what it is and why it’s critically important to your sales and marketing results.
Let’s go.
Many important decisions your prospective client or customer will make, are well on their way to being made within seconds.
Think about it.
In the same way that you and I start to form our opinions within seconds, so do your prospects. That’s why you need to create a strong first impression.
Take some time to consider what you want your prospects to feel about your business, in order for them to buy from you or hire you. Universally, you will need prospects to feel they can trust you and regard you as professional. Other feelings will vary depending on your industry, the type of prospects you seek to serve and the way you’ve positioned your business. For some of you that will be exciting, creative, cutting edge and dynamic. For others that will be safe, consistent, secure and established. Or anything in-between.
Then think of all the places where your prospects are likely to encounter you or your business. The places where initial opinions are formed within seconds. For example; on your website, at your premises, on your social media accounts, at a networking group, through an advertisement, on a webinar, at a conference or event, etc. Make a list. Write it down.
At this point you know how you want your prospects to feel, and the places where they’re likely to encounter you.
It’s now time to check out how consistent your business/brand is with those feelings, in those places. Anything that’s inconsistent needs to be removed, or replaced with a consistent alternative. As you go through this process in each of the relevant places, you’ll make it easier and easier for prospects to choose your business.
And remember, your prospects are already forming their initial impressions of you and your business, regardless. So take control. Help them to feel that you’re exactly what they’re looking for. The best fit. The obvious choice.
By Jim Connolly |
You’re reading about a product or service.
It sounds amazing.
Then you spot it!
You spot the dreaded *asterisk. And your heart sinks.
You know you’re about to be disappointed. You’re about to discover the exclusions, restrictions, omissions and conditions, which means that offer isn’t as good as they said it was.
They could have told you the truth without hiding it behind the asterisk. However, they deliberately chose not to. They intentionally concealed it from you, hoping you wouldn’t dig deeper. And in a split second, they’ve totally changed how you feel about them.
You wonder what else they’re hiding from you.
Your guard is up.
Your trust is diminished. Perhaps totally diminished.
If a business owner feels they need to hide something behind an asterisk, there are always better alternatives.
The most effective alternative, is to make the product or service as good as you said. This eliminates the need for an asterisk. Plus, it simultaneously pumps more value into your offering, making it more attractive and giving you a huge competitive advantage.
Another powerful alternative is to openly state, in honest and clear language, exactly what you’re offering. And include whatever would have been behind the asterisk, out in the open.
For example.
Imagine it’s an introductory deal, offering your service at a reduced price for the first 3 months. Rather than quote the introductory price (and hide the fact it increases after 3 months, behind an asterisk), tell them up front. Let people know that you’re so confident they’ll love your service, you’re offering it at a super-low discount, so they can discover for themselves, why it’s outstanding value at the regular price.
Social networks give your prospects a powerful voice. That voice can either be used to tell everyone how great you are, or how disappointed they are. Thankfully, you get to choose the kind of experience that’s being shared.
That’s why the smartest brands aim for honesty and transparency at every opportunity. It’s also why they refuse to hide the truth behind an asterisk.
By Jim Connolly |
If you’ve ever wondered, how some people are able to regularly produce effective content marketing; newsletters, blog posts, articles, podcasts, etc., and how you can do the same, this post is for you.
I’ve divided it into 3 core tips.
There’s a sign on the wall in my studio. It’s a small sign, containing just 3 words: “Is this useful”. That’s the mark I set for everything I create. Nothing gets published unless I believe you’ll find it useful. I don’t try and be clever. Just useful. And as long as I think you’ll find an idea or observation useful, I share it.
Some small business owners are put off creating content, because they over-complicate things. They dig into minute detail. And try to make everything as close to perfect as possible.
The thing is, your prospective clients or customers want something useful, not perfect.
Once you stop aiming for perfection you’ll find it a lot easier. You’ll also get massively better results.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that most of the ideas you get are pretty average. Most of mine are bloody terrible! But maybe 1 in 5 or 1 in 10 are good enough, to be turned into a valuable (useful) piece of content marketing.
The challenge is that in order to get that 1 useful idea, you need to allow yourself to have the crappy ones… without getting disheartened.
The way I overcame this, was to deliberately give myself permission to think of lots of crappy ideas, knowing that something useful would come from it.
When you view the duff ideas as essential steps in the development of better ones, they switch from being disheartening to highly motivating.
We often overestimate the ideas and the work of others and underestimate the value of our own. Here’s a great example of what I mean.
A business owner told me how she was taking some files off a computer for archiving, when she discovered an old documents folder. It contained loads of articles, which were really interesting. She looked to see who wrote them and found they were all her own work, from 9 years earlier!
She didn’t publish them at the time, because she thought they weren’t good enough. It was only when she thought they were written by someone else, that she saw them for what they really were. Your work is almost certainly way, way better than you think.
So get it out there!
In short, if you’re looking to improve the quality and quantity of your content marketing, focus on being useful. See your crappy ideas as necessary steps to your useful ideas.
And give your work the respect it (and you) deserve.
By Jim Connolly |
You now have free access to every prospective client or customer on the planet. And that’s a provable fact.
This means the potential to grow your business is literally limitless.
This means that in June 2023, a start-up business with no budget, can reach every city on the planet, in a way that previously cost millions and was only available to the world’s biggest corporations.
It’s truly a spectacular time to be a small business owner.
With an idea and a plan, the world is yours. This is true even if you’re struggling right now. Isn’t that amazing?
So, all the tools you need are freely available to you. The question is, what will you do with all this potential?