Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

A wonderful opportunity or a nasty problem?

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be prepared for success, wonderful business

Things can improve exceptionally fast when you own a small business. Often so fast that they catch the business owner unawares. And a wonderful opportunity is replaced with a nasty problem.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

So here are some common things you should consider preparing for.

  • Talk with your bank manager, in anticipation of a future, major project. Make sure you have access to the cash flow required, for what can be a sudden, huge spike in your outgoings.
  • Contact your suppliers. Find out how quickly they can scale up if you have a sudden, vastly higher demand than usual.
  • Keep your financial information up-to-date, clear and detailed. You’ll then be in the best position possible, if a serious party asks about acquiring your business. Keeping detailed information makes everything transparent. This encourages trust and can help you get the best price.
  • If you’re hoping to go ‘viral’, contact your web host to make sure it has the capability to handle huge volumes of traffic. I’ve seen what happens when a server can’t cope, and masses of valuable sales and enquiries are lost. [I use these and they’ve been extremely reliable for years].
  • And get some media training, before you need it. Learn how to speak on camera, how to talk with clarity and how to overcome any fears about there being a huge audience.

You get the idea. Be ready in advance.

All wonderful. No problem

The longer you’re in business, delighting your customers or clients and building your reputation, the more likely it is that something wonderful will happen.

So be ready. Get the maximum from the opportunity.

Because you’ve earned it!

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The biggest lie in marketing isn’t what you think it is

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biggest lie marketing

The biggest lie in marketing is almost certainly not what you’re expecting.

Here it is.

If you ask the average small business owner about marketing, they will tell you the following: “I don’t have enough time for marketing”.

That’s an unintentional lie. 

They have the time. And they’re marketing their business all day, every day.

And here are over 30 examples to prove it

In no particular order.

  1. The level of enthusiasm you demonstrate, when speaking about your business.
  2. The way you and your team dress.
  3. The way you speak — from the words you use to the warmth of your welcome.
  4. The flexibility you show when a client or customer has a unique challenge.
  5. The range of services you provide, especially in relation to how similar they are to what your competitors offer.
  6. The eagerness you demonstrate for helping your clients or customers.
  7. The cleanliness and age of your company vehicles.
  8. The experience you give your clients or customers, which they share with their friends.
  9. The way you handle phone calls.
  10. The causes that you or your business publicly support.
  11. The prices or fees you charge.
  12. The reliability your business provides.
  13. The confidence you inspire in people when you connect with them.
  14. The type of offers you use to attract new clients.
  15. The way you respond to email enquiries, both in the speed and tone of your response.
  16. The content you use on your website.
  17. The places you choose to advertise.
  18. The type of advertising messages you use.
  19. The groups your business belongs to.
  20. The energy you have for your business.
  21. The way you connect with people on social networks.
  22. The time it takes you to make a decision.
  23. The quality of the photos and other graphics you use.
  24. The type of clients or customers you choose to work with.
  25. The type of clients or customers you choose not to work with.
  26. The leadership you demonstrate.
  27. The guarantees you offer.
  28. The consistency of the products or services you provide.
  29. The professionalism of your marketing copy.
  30. The working atmosphere you provide.
  31. The way you communicate with your clients or customers.
  32. The way you handle problems, both internally and external (client) problems.
  33. The regularity with which you achieve deadlines.

It’s all marketing

Everything your business does is marketing.

That’s to say, it’s giving people a story about your business. It’s setting their expectations. It’s building confidence in your services or creating doubt. It’s telling the world what your priorities are.

In short, if you run a business, you are already engaged in marketing. And you’re doing it all day, every day.

So, the question is never if you market your business or not. The question my friend, is whether you’re doing it effectively or not.

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Ten times ten, times ten

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colorful plastic numbers for kids to learn from

Ten times ten, times ten is a thousand.

Do that another three times and you get a million.

Those who manage to make a million are the ones who can get motivated when it’s just $10, and then stay motivated when it’s only $1000, or $10,000.

Because the jump from $10,000 to $100,000 isn’t that hard. And from $100,000 to $Million it’s even easier. And from a $1Million to $10Million is even easier than that.

Whether someone is building a business, building a fortune or building a subscriber base, there is a common thread.

The work at the beginning is disproportionately hard and unrewarding.

That’s a major reason why so few people achieve massive success with their business, their finances and their subscriber base.

The way you navigate that difficult, early period is critically important. It’s what determines whether you reach the part of the journey, where everything is easier, and the rewards are earth-shattering.

Grab yourself an unfair competitive advantage

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bike chain number one

There’s a balance required if you want to rise above the competition. Yes, you should strive to be the best provider you can be. But that’s only one side of the scales. You also need to be the best marketed.

Think about it. There’s a world of difference between being the best… and the best selling.

Here are just a few very common examples.

  • The best selling movie is never the best produced movie. It’s the best marketed movie.
  • The best selling sportswear brand is never the best quality sportswear brand. It’s the best marketed sportswear brand.
  • And the best selling album is never the best recorded album. It’s the best marketed album.

It may sound unfair, but your best selling competitor is the one with the best marketing. This doesn’t mean their marketing is outstanding. It only means that they do more of the right things than you and their other competitors. So they get noticed more than you. And they are better at converting that attention into paying clients or customers.

Give your business the advantage

If you’re sick of watching competitors doing better than you, you need to decide to outperform their marketing, the way you already outperform their service. Because an average service that has great marketing, will beat a great service that has average marketing — Every. Single. Time.

Fortunately, if you decide to fight back, you’ll have better marketing and a better service. That’s an unbeatable combination. I’m telling you, your competitors won’t know what’s hit them.

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Don’t rush the process

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time lapse photography of brown concrete building

One of the best pieces of business advice I ever received, is just 4 words long. And today I’m going to share it with you, so you can apply it to your marketing. It’s simply this: Don’t rush the process.

I know. Without a little context, it doesn’t sound particularly useful. But over the years it’s helped my clients achieve amazing results.

Don’t rush the process (with context)

Business owners tend to be a pretty motivated bunch. We have to be, right? Not only are we motivated, we also believe in the value of our product or service. When you combine motivation with belief, you create a potent mix. An essential, high energy blend that keeps us moving forward and inspires us to persist even when things are tough.

And that’s great!

However.

Sometimes that mix of belief and motivation can work against us.

Really?

Yes, really.

For example, we speak with a prospect and immediately see that our product or service is the perfect match for them. We know we can provide exactly what they need. So we’re eager to help them make the right decision.

Here’s the thing.

There’s a thin line between encouraging someone to make the right decision, and rushing someone to decide.

When that line is crossed, it seriously damages how the prospect feels about us. It quickly lowers their confidence, creates uncertainty and makes them feel extremely apprehensive.

How to avoid this, before it happens!

Based on almost 30 years of experience and observations, I’ve found that this is most likely to be a problem during the follow-up process.

You need to be very mindful regarding how soon and how often you follow-up with an email or call. That’s because there isn’t a universally ideal time or frequency. Different industries and different cultures have different expectations. So, you’ll need to test and measure. Take into account things like the size of the decision your prospect is making financially, plus the number of people involved with the decision-making process, the size of the overall risk, etc.

Don’t rush the other processes

Obviously, the ‘don’t rush the process‘ advice has much wider utility than the example I’ve mentioned here.

Important note: Don’t confuse rushing the process with being appropriately proactive. There are times when we need to be swift. To move quickly. Most opportunities in life and business come with a use-by date. If we take too long, we’re often too late.

The advice is don’t rush the process.

Fast is fine.

Too fast is rushing.

I hope you find this idea useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with it.

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How to access proven marketing ideas

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people walking inside building

Today, I’m going to show you how to access an endless supply of powerful marketing ideas. And that’s not all. You will have already, personally seen them working, before you even use them! It’s a process I call engaged observation and it can massively improve your sales results.

Here’s a very quick example of how engaged observation works. It can be applied to every type of marketing. However, here I’ll show how you could apply it to improve your social media marketing results.

Engaged observation example

The next time you’re scrolling through LinkedIn, Facebook, X, etc., and notice that you’ve stopped to read one of the posts, as an engaged observer you would look for what it was that motivated you to stop and take notice of that post.

  • Perhaps it was the kind of image used.
  • It might have been the audio.
  • Maybe it was the relationship you have with the person or brand posting it.
  • It could have been the headline.
  • Or the topic of the post.
  • And it may have been something totally different.

Whatever it was, you personally witnessed its effectiveness when you were motivated to stop and give it your attention. You know for absolute certain that it works.

Once you’ve identified what attracted you, for instance the kind of image used, you have a starting point. You now have an opportunity to improve your marketing, based on what you experienced. In this example, you can try using a similar kind of image. Then, test and measure the results.

Engaged observation can be used on anything, where you have been motivated to take action. For example, ask yourself:

  • What motivated you to fill in the enquiry form on a website?
  • What motivated you to spend more than you had budgeted on a new product?
  • What motivated you to try a new brand of shampoo?
  • What motivated you to add more items to an online shopping cart?
  • What motivated you to believe the product reviews on a certain website?
  • What motivated you to listen to a whole advertisement, rather then press skip?
  • What motivated you to hire your last adviser, coach, trainer or consultant?
  • What motivated you to try a different restaurant?
  • What motivated you to click on a call to action link/button?
  • What motivated you to tell your friends about a service provider or brand?
  • What motivated you to subscribe to a newsletter you receive?
  • What motivated you to call a particular service provider for a quote?
  • What motivated you to trust the last service provider you used?
  • What motivated you to buy the latest book, from an author you’ve never read before?
  • What motivated you to switch to your current phone network?

Behind each of those actions is a motivating factor. Something that inspired you to take action. Something that could inspire your prospects to take action. Something you can identify, adapt, test in your own marketing and measure the results.

Each time you use engaged observation, instead of starting from scratch with a new marketing tactic, you start with something you know is effective. This saves you time and helps you get it right, faster.

What I’ve done here, is show you a tiny number of examples, to open your mind to the huge number of marketing improvement opportunities open to you.

I hope you find it useful. Because if you use it correctly, it can profoundly improve your sales results.

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The BIG tactic behind every successful business

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photo of man leaning on metal railing looking into the distance

You deserve a successful business that rewards you financially and on every other meaningful level. A business that motivates you to do your very best. A business, which is so inspiring that when you tell other people about it, they feel excited.

That’s why I’m going to give you a proven, BIG tactic, which could be exactly what you need right now. And the best part? It makes sense on every level and is spectacularly easy to understand.

It starts with this.

The BIG tactic

Think really big! No, this isn’t just positive thinking. It’s a proven, proactive, measurable, business tactic. Before I give you an example you can use, here’s an overview of how it works.

  1. By thinking really big, you find yourself making bigger plans than before.
  2. The power of making bigger plans, is that they inspire you to make bigger decisions.
  3. The power of making bigger decisions, is that they motivate you to take big, meaningful action.
  4. And big plans, big decisions and big actions lead you to big rewards.

Here’s how it works.

Try this

Think of a really big financial goal for your business. So big that it would improve not just your business, but your quality of life. Here’s an example to get you started.

Instead of thinking about how to increase your business by 20% in the next 12-months, add a zero. Shoot for 200% growth. This will cause you to elevate your thinking, like in the 4 steps above, in order to match the elevated target.

You might be saying to yourself that you can’t grow your business by 200% in just 12-months. And for most small business owners reading this, that will be true.

But it doesn’t matter.

Not one little bit.

Here’s why.

Sure, you may miss your target by 50%. If so, congratulations! Your business will have doubled. And if you miss your target by 75%, you’ll still have absolutely smashed that original 20% target!

If you want more from your business in 2024 than you got from it in 2023, you’ll need to improve your thinking, planning and actions accordingly. This simple tactic can get that process started and keep you moving forward — breaking you free from limitations that have blocked you previously.

How successful can the big tactic be for you and your business? There’s only one way to find out. Give it a try.

Photo by Chad Witbooi on Pexels.com

Read this and improve your advertising results, fast

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improve your advertising results, better ads, white mug on red background

A lot of small business owners spend a ton of money on advertising. Often with pretty poor results. So, I put this post together, to help you avoid the most common advertising mistakes.

Here they are in no particular order.

  • You’re using brand advertising (ads that contain no obvious call to action), when you should be using direct response advertising (ads that contain a direct call to action). Almost all small businesses should use direct response.
  • You’re advertising on a platform your prospects don’t use / don’t pay attention to.
  • Your advertising is online, when it should be in print media. Or the other way around.
  • You’re buying advertising on platforms that people don’t trust, rather than advertising on highly trusted websites, podcasts, etc.
  • You’re advertising at the wrong time in your prospective client’s (or customer’s) buying cycle.
  • You’re advertising to get maximum click-throughs, rather than targeted click-throughs from actual prospects.
  • Your advertisements are not written by a proven copywriter.
  • Your advertisements are bought based on what they cost, rather than their potential effectiveness.
  • Your advertisements are in places where lots of your competitors are advertising.

There are lots more common reasons why advertising doesn’t work.

For example, your advertising message is irrelevant to your target prospect, or it’s lacking in targeted motivation, or it points to a poorly converting landing page, or it points to a landing page that loads too slowly, or the special whatever you’re offering isn’t as special as you think, or it explains too much, or it sounds too similar to an advertisement they’ve already clicked on, or it sounds too good to be true, or your target prospects are privacy conscious and your landing page requires cookies, or you are not bidding for your advertisements correctly, or your advertisement is reaching just a fraction of the number of people you think it is… seriously, I could go on and on, but you get the drift.

In most cases, small and medium-sized business advertising makes lots of these mistakes simultaneously. These simultaneous mistakes are more damaging than the individual damage each one causes.

That’s because they compound together. Think of compound interest, but working in reverse!

Do you even need paid advertisements?

For many small and medium-sized businesses, their biggest advertising mistake is that they’re buying them in the first place! I don’t buy advertisements. My clients have no need to buy them either. It’s an increasingly expensive, complex game. And you don’t need to play. It’s just one form of marketing. Nothing more.

I hope you found this useful, my friend.

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For next-level success, swap your fears. Here’s how!

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success mindset, winning mindset

The most successful investors buy, while the crowd is selling.

The most successful leaders speak out, while the crowd stays silent.

The most successful CEO’s make decisions, while the crowd makes excuses.

I could list dozens of examples like those above. But you already know the pattern well. We all do. Including those who choose to follow the crowd. So, what causes people to follow the crowd, knowing it will damage their business, and how can you avoid it?

I’m glad you asked.

The power of fear

The reason small business owners choose to follow the crowd, is fear. They fear stepping out of the crowd, more than they fear limiting the success of their business. Fear is, after all, an exceptionally powerful motivator. Even when the fear is working against them and their business.

Can someone overcome that kind of irrational fear?

Yes. Absolutely.

Here’s one technique that works extremely well.

Swapping fears

What you do is swap your fears, so fear motivation is propelling you forward, rather than pushing you back. It’s about using fear the way it’s intended, to protect you and help you.

For example, you decide to attach massive fear to wasting your life in an underperforming business. That’s a very real and fully-rational fear to have. Such businesses are always dangerously close to failing, as they lack the financial clout and robustness of a successful business.

Does that work for everyone?

No, not everyone.

Some small business owners have become too comfortable with just getting by. It’s unintentional. They start off in their business with big plans and dreams of a better life. But over time, their plans and dreams slowly fade. They begin to settle for less than they want. They lower their lifestyle choices to offset their underperforming business. It’s heartbreaking and it’s 100% avoidable. They know it’s avoidable too, which creates additional stress.

However, for those interested enough to summon the courage — interested enough to leave the crowd and show the world what they’re truly capable of, it can produce life-changing improvements.

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Grab. Focus. Urgency: How to vastly increase your sales

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marketing motivation, deadlines, sales

When it comes to making sales or getting clients, deadlines are extremely effective. That’s because deadlines tap into one of the strongest motivators in business. The principle of scarcity.

Here’s what makes deadlines such a powerful marketing tool.

  • They grab attention.
  • They focus the mind.
  • They create urgency.

Attention grabbing

It’s no wonder deadlines grab our attention. People hate to miss out. The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is activated the moment we see a deadline attached to something we have an interest in. FOMO grabs a prospect’s attention in a way that isn’t possible, when you don’t attach a deadline to your offer.

Focused

Our mind is then immediately focused on the actual date or time of the deadline. We start to work out the amount of time between now, and the cut-off point. Within reason, the shorter the deadline, the greater the motivation. However, too short a deadline will actually result in fewer sales/enquiries. There’s a balance required. For example, when marketing an event, 1 month is usually too short. But for a flash sale, 48 hours is often too long.

Urgent

The deadline presents us with a limited amount of time to make our decision. This sense of urgency will immediately inspire some people to take rapid action. Others will find the urgency grow and grow as the deadline approaches. Either way, the deadline creates a level of urgency that just isn’t there, when the prospect thinks they have all the time in the world.

So, look for opportunities to add a deadline date or time to your marketing. Then see how all that increased attention, focus and urgency improves your response rates.

Photo by Justin Veenema