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

By Jim Connolly | March 5, 2018

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.

I have a confession to make

By Jim Connolly | March 2, 2018

business lesson, mistake

I have a confession to make: I haven’t sold my services to anyone in over 20 years!

Sure, people hire me. When a business owner needs what I do, they get in touch. Then, if it’s a good fit, if I can help them achieve their best results ever, I’ll work with them. It’s a zero-pressure approach to marketing that’s saved me massive amounts of time and money.

Did you know?

Did you know, that’s exactly how marketing should work for all service providers (including you)? Your marketing should be attracting a predictable flow of clients.

If it isn’t doing that, it isn’t marketing.

At best, it’s a kludge of stuff. Stuff the business owner copied from a competitor, saw on a website, heard on a podcast or endured on some webinar. This stuff is then stuck together with duct tape and wrongly labelled as marketing.

My point?

The first stage in solving a problem, is to correctly identify the problem. Once you’ve done that, you’re able to look for the correct solution. This can save you years of frustration, years of wasted opportunities and years of unnecessary stress.

Outstanding service… isn’t!

By Jim Connolly | March 1, 2018

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!

By Jim Connolly | February 26, 2018

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.

21 Tips to build a better business

By Jim Connolly | February 16, 2018

business tips

In no particular order:

  1. You don’t have any clients, customers or subscribers. They’re not yours. You simply borrow them. This means there’s no room for complacency. You need to earn and then re-earn their custom, attention and trust.
  2. People buy what they want. Not what they need.
  3. People buy for their reasons. Not yours.
  4. The word ‘Webinar’ carries a huge amount of negative baggage. It’s purely toxic. If you want to use video marketing, call it something less sleazy.
  5. When you want to generate high quality cash flow fast… find new products for your existing customers. It’s far quicker and a lot more profitable, than finding new customers for your existing products.
  6. Your brand is either working for you or against you. Tip: If you haven’t intentionally created a brand for your business, it’s working against you. It’s losing you money. Fix it. Fast.
  7. Low quality customers or clients are the unavoidable result of bad marketing.
  8. Keeping your promises is a proven way to build a great reputation.
  9. Everything your business does, is marketing. The way you answer the phone, your payment terms, the suppliers you choose, they way you reply to emails, your location, the way you write, the design of your website, your prices or fees, your guarantees, your social network updates… it’s all marketing.
  10. Build an email list of prospective clients or customers. Don’t rely on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or any 3rd party, for your communication channel. It’s like building a house on rented land. Attract people via 3rd party platforms. Then, encourage them to subscribe to your email list.
  11. A confused mind always says no. So keep your marketing as brief and clear as possible. Fewer options. Fewer words.
  12. Businesses with a small marketing budget tend to go broke. They dabble with DIY marketing, whilst their savvy competitors eat their lunch.
  13. The most powerful marketing is permission based. When people subscribe to your list, your message is treated very differently, than an unsolicited email from a stranger.
  14. Don’t lower your prices or fees. Increase your value. Here’s how.
  15. Stop waiting for the right opportunity. Make it happen. Create it.
  16. Learn how to make your marketplace curious. Why do prospective clients call you or email you? It’s because they need to know something and their curiosity motivates them to get in touch. So, you get a sales lead or client enquiry. And a chance to convert them into a new client or customer. Don’t explain everything in your marketing, unless you want very few sales enquiries.
  17. The more your services or products resemble what your competitors offer, the less visible your business is.
  18. Embrace brevity. Shorter messages are more powerful. Most marketing I see is at least 75% too long.
  19. Avoid using buzzwords. Those who don’t understand them will be confused. Those who do understand them, will cringe.
  20. Tell the truth. It’s the easiest, least stressful way to build a great business and your marketplace will respect you.
  21. If your business isn’t attracting regular sales leads or client enquiries, your marketing is broken. The very thing that feeds your business isn’t working. It’s costing you a fortune. Needlessly. Why are you allowing this to happen? Think about that for a moment.

What every business owner needs to know about optimism

By Jim Connolly | February 8, 2018

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

By Jim Connolly | February 6, 2018

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.

Exposed: The golden opportunity right under your nose

By Jim Connolly | February 5, 2018

Marketing new products services

You’re living in THE golden age for small business owners. You have opportunities available to you today, which previous generations of business owners couldn’t have imagined.

Just think about it for a moment:

  • Social networks provide you with free access to a global audience.
  • Podcasting gives you the opportunity to have your own radio station. Many podcasts have larger audiences than traditional radio shows.
  • YouTube offers you your own free, worldwide TV channel. They’ll even pay you a cut of the advertising revenue.
  • Digital publishing allows you to publish books, videos, training courses and audio programs, without the need for a book deal, agent or publishing contract.
  • WordPress provides you with a free magazine plus free global distribution. They even look after the hosting, internet security and software updates for you. Plus, it costs nothing to get started. (I started Jim’s Marketing Blog almost 10 years ago on a free version of WordPress).

And those are just a few of the tools available to you.

In short: Everything you need, to grow a massively successful business is right under your nose. So, the only thing that can stop you today… is you.

Get out of your own way

Despite all the opportunities in front of them, the average business owner today still struggles to build the business they want. Are you one of them? Do you see the opportunity, but are confused about exactly what you should do?

If so, what you need is clarity. The clarity that comes from doing the right things correctly. Because in this golden age of business, once you decide to equip yourself with the right strategy, your potential is pretty-much limitless.

Movement is replaced with productivity.

Activity is replaced with achievement.

And frustration is replaced with progress.

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

By Jim Connolly | February 2, 2018

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.

What every business owner needs to know about influence

By Jim Connolly | January 17, 2018

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

By Jim Connolly | January 16, 2018

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!

By Jim Connolly | January 12, 2018

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.

How to avoid low value clients. And you must avoid them. Seriously!

By Jim Connolly | January 5, 2018

fee sensitive, small budget

Debbie is a freelance trainer. She emailed me with a great question. I said I’d answer it here, as I know many of you will find it useful.

Debbie wanted to know what to do, when someone enquires about her services… then says they don’t have a budget or almost no budget.

Here’s why it happens and how to totally overcome it.

Costs and investments

If a business owner tells you they have no marketing budget, or just a small marketing budget, there’s a reason.

It’s simply this: They believe the service / product you provide is a cost and not an investment.

Think about it.

  • When a business owner encounters a worthwhile investment, they invest.
  • When a business owner encounters a cost, they limit or avoid expenditure.

When I explain this to young entrepreneurs, I put it like this:

If Bob says, “I’d invest more in my marketing, if only my business was doing better”, we know Bob’s got things the wrong way around. Nothing in the world works like that. The world works through cause and effect… not effect and cause.

That same guy wouldn’t go to the gym and tell the fitness trainer, “If you transform my body, weight, fitness and health today, I promise I’ll come here regularly for the next 12 months and work really hard”.

So what’s behind this bizarre mindset?

Knowing and accepting are 2 different things

Every business owner knows the difference between an investment and a cost, on an intellectual level. However, many haven’t accepted it on an emotional level. And it’s a long, frustrating, usually fruitless task to try and convince them, when they just don’t get it.

If you have a lot of spare time and a great amount of patience, you could try and change their mindset. I don’t recommend it, though.

You see, even if you manage to change their world-view. Even if you manage to get them to pay you. You’ll almost certainly end up regretting it. In my experience, the end result will be a fear-focused client, who’s a complete pain to work with.

There’s a better solution

Much better in fact. The solution is to attract so many high quality enquiries, that you don’t have to waste time dealing with people who are not willing, ready or seriously interested in what you offer.

So, focus exclusively on marketing to your ideal profile of client. Do this correctly and you’ll build a great business, doing your best work for wonderful people.

In short: If you want to stop attracting low quality clients, you need to stop using low quality marketing.

How to feel inspired every day

By Jim Connolly | January 3, 2018

how to be inspired

Though we have entered a new year, January is just another month.

That’s because the whole year presents us with the potential to improve. Every month is packed with possibilities, not just January. Every week is a chance to start anew, not just the first week in January.

Maybe the best resolution you can set for yourself, is to treat every day as a fresh opportunity.

Think about it. Just imagine how much more progress you’ll make, with 365 days to set targets and work on achieving them.

And consider how much more motivated you’ll be, fuelled with the inspiration that approach will bring you… all year long.

Fact: You choose how successful you want your marketing to be

By Jim Connolly | December 28, 2017

business success, choices

There are just 2 things you need in order to attract massively more sales.

  1. The right marketing strategy.
  2. The motivation to put the strategy into play.

With the right strategy and the motivation to use it, you can achieve at levels you never knew you were capable of. Your potential is pretty-much limitless.

Business becomes enjoyable.

Stress is replaced with excitement.

Apprehension is replaced with eager anticipation.

Choices

Every small business fits into one of the following 2 groups.

Group 1: The majority of small business owners choose to have no formal strategy. They want to succeed, but opt for trial and error instead. They dabble. They work hard and hope things will improve. They seem unaware that hard work is not the key to success. (If it was, our grandparents would have been millionaires).

Group 2: Successful business owners choose to follow an effective marketing strategy. This gives them confidence and clarity. They know what to do. So they do the right things correctly. And it works. Not some of the time. But every time.

No business owner intentionally chooses to be in that first group. It’s the default position, when you fail to choose to be in the second group.

So, choose today to get intentional about your business. This means choosing to succeed. Then backing that decision up with intelligent action, based on an effective marketing strategy.

Let’s make your marketing totally irresistible

By Jim Connolly | December 26, 2017

marketing copy, content marketing, copywriting

If you want to enjoy massively better marketing results in 2018, you’ll find this really useful. It starts with an important question.

Do you ever wonder why some businesses push dull sales messages at you, over and over again?

The answer is simple: It’s because they are getting a poor response. Then, rather than improve the quality of their message, they increase the volume. Their thinking looks something like this: ‘Maybe if I send another marketing message out, SOMEONE will respond?’  They get another poor response. So they repeat the process.

We need to be smarter than that. You see, more volume isn’t going to help. In fact, it usually does the total opposite. Allow me to explain.

The volume problem

It’s not that people can’t hear what these small businesses are saying. The challenge is that the message isn’t interesting enough. It doesn’t motivate prospective clients to get in touch. It doesn’t grab people’s attention or interest. It doesn’t get people eagerly telling their friends about the product or service. And it’s losing these businesses a fortune.

Increasing the volume of ineffective marketing isn’t just ineffective. It’s also toxic! That’s because it not only fails to generate business, it also damages the reputation of the sender.

Overcoming this challenge

Here are some better places to look, when people are ignoring your marketing messages:

  • Check that your message is reaching the right people. Know who your ideal client or customer is. Then focus your message exclusively on what matters most to them. Don’t try to be of wider, general interest. That will make your marketing message way too vague. And vague marketing won’t motivate anyone to buy from you or hire you.
  • Make sure your database is up to date. Always use clean data.
  • If it’s an advertising message, check that you’re using the correct medium and media.
  • Then, before you publish your next marketing message, be certain that it’s motivating enough. Ensure it has the power to inspire the reader to take the action you require. Without a powerful message, nothing will happen. This is true, no matter how great your product or service is.

The message here is simple. If you want to massively improve your results, increase the quality, not the volume.

Alternatively, I can do it all for you. And do it really, really well. Here’s how it works.

What every business owner must know about Enthusiasm

By Jim Connolly | December 23, 2017

marketing blogs

When you’re enthusiastic about your business, everything improves.

  • Enthusiasm builds confidence. This is essential if you want people to hire you, buy from you or recommend you. Enthusiasm also builds your self-confidence, as it changes your internal dialogue from neutral or negative, to positive.
  • Enthusiasm gives you energy. This is essential if you want to have the drive required, to build a great business. It’s impossible to feel energetic and inspired about your business, unless you’re enthusiastic.
  • Enthusiasm is highly attractive. This is essential if you want to become a leader within your marketplace or community. Your enthusiasm makes others feel positive. It inspires them to believe in you.

So, how enthusiastic are you?

Inwardly and outwardly, how enthusiastic are you?

This may help you decide: If you have lots of energy. If people get excited when you tell them about your plans. If you attract the people and situations your business needs, you’re working from an enthusiastic mindset.

If not, you’re probably like the majority of business owners, who lack energy, but have an abundance of stress.

Here’s the thing: As a business owner you have 2 choices.

  1. You can focus on what you want. This fuels your enthusiasm and leads to all those invaluable benefits above.
  2. You can focus on what you fear. This kills enthusiasm. It’s toxic, both to you and your business.

The power of enthusiasm

The moment you consciously decide to live and work with enthusiasm, everything improves. Your decision making will be based on what you want, so you and your business will move in the direction of what you want. Your energy, drive and determination will soar. You will become a magnet for the very things you need the most.

And it all begins with the commitment to live and work with enthusiasm.

So, what are you waiting for?

Would people miss you?

By Jim Connolly | December 21, 2017

attraction marketing

So, would people miss your marketing if it stopped?

That’s a tough question. However, it’s an important one. The reason it’s so important, is that the most effective marketing is value driven. Value driven marketing focuses on the needs of the prospective client or customer. It provides them with what they want and it does so, in an engaging, effective way.

In short, it’s something they want to receive, unlike most marketing, which is an annoying intrusion. I’ll give you 2 examples in a moment, of how people are creating valuable marketing for their marketplace. First, let’s look at what people are attracted to.

We know that people value marketing that delivers:

  • Useful, targeted information.
  • Solutions to their most pressing problems.
  • Helpful advice from trusted sources.
  • Genuinely special offers, which provide real value based on their wants / needs.
  • Truthful, honest engagement.

We know that people dislike:

  • Cold calls.
  • Being pestered on social networks.
  • Spam emails and junk mail.
  • Uninspiring sales pitches.
  • Selfish marketing pitches, poorly disguised as special offers.
  • Impersonal outreach.

Great marketing doesn’t really feel like marketing

I was thinking about this recently, after reading a blog post from Evernote. The post was all about how to be more productive with their app. As an Evernote customer, the more value I can get from their app, the longer I’ll remain a client. And not only that, by getting more value from their product, I’m massively more likely to recommend it. (Which I do).

But it goes even deeper.

I follow Evernote on Twitter. This means they have access to me whenever I check Twitter, with my permission. Why do I give them my valuable permission and attention? Simple. Their Twitter feed is filled with useful ideas, tips and advice on how to be more organized and productive. In short, I’d miss Evernote’s marketing if it stopped. Their marketing is useful. It’s permission based. It adds value.

Compare Evernote’s approach, to the usual push and pester style of marketing, used by small business owners. There’s no comparison. One is the opposite of the other.

It works for me too

I’ve used the value driven approach to marketing since the 1990’s. Initially via an email newsletter. Today, via my blog and the email version of the blog. And not only is it effective, it’s increasingly effective. That’s to say, it produces greater and greater results every year.

Plus…

I haven’t had to sell my services to anyone in over 20 years! Yes, people hire me all the time. But I never have to sell to them. The difference is huge. One is about attracting clients, the other is about chasing them.

If you’re not already doing so, make your marketing so valuable in 2018 that people would miss it if you stopped. Put a strategy in place to attract clients and customers. It’s more effective, more fun and less stressful than chasing them!

Marketing Tip: Get your business talked about for all the right reasons

By Jim Connolly | December 15, 2017

Here’s something we know for certain about 2018.

Your clients and prospective clients will carry on having conversations. They’ll continue to chat about the things that grab their attention. They’ll talk with their friends and contacts about the things that delighted them. They’ll carry on recommending products and services.

This means that it’s time for you to start developing a plan for 2018. A plan to ensure your business is a part of these super-valuable conversations. So you can benefit from an ongoing flow of word-of-mouth recommendations.

What’s next?

Don’t worry. I have you covered. This free resource will help you make your business totally remarkable. And remarkable businesses are the ones that people talk about, for all the right reasons. I hope you find it useful, my friend.

Stop trying to appeal to everyone. Really. Stop it!

By Jim Connolly | November 25, 2017

Today, I’d like to show you how to avoid one of the most common (and costly) marketing mistakes.

Let’s go!

One of the cornerstones of successful marketing, is to identify exactly who your customer or client is, then focus exclusively on them. This is the opposite of what we see most small business owners doing. They try and be a little relevant to everyone, only to find they become directly relevant to no one.

Don’t do that.

Really.

Stop it.

It’s hurting your business!

So, here’s a smarter and massively more effective alternative.

Insiders

In order for your marketing to work, you need to determine exactly who you want to provide your services to. These people are your insiders.

Insiders are the ones you should focus your time and effort on. They are the ones you need to have in mind, whenever you make a marketing decision.

Of course, you can’t have insiders without outsiders.

Outsiders

It sounds a little risky to regard some people as outsiders. However, it’s the safest thing you can do. That’s why every successful business has outsiders. For example, if you’re Apple, your outsiders are people who want cheap technology. If you’re Gap, your outsiders are people who don’t care about fashion.

By deciding who your insiders are, you can create marketing that’s directly relevant to them. This is really important.

Why?

Because in order for your marketing to motivate someone to buy from you, it needs to be compelling. This means it needs to talk directly to them. Vague marketing, which tries to appeal to as wide a group as possible, lacks the impact required.

Ironically, this means that the wider range of people you try and appeal to, the fewer people you will reach with the impact required.

Decide what your ideal customer profile is

Then market exclusively with them in mind.

For example:

  • Compose every piece of marketing as if you were talking directly to them.
  • Use their language.
  • Study what matters to them.
  • Be where their attention is.
  • Uncover the problems facing their industry.
  • Offer answers.
  • Become a useful resource.
  • Build services that address their specific wants and needs.
  • Become known as a specialist provider to their industry, rather than a generalist. (Specialists earn more, attract better clients and are always in high demand).

In short, make your marketing directly relevant to your ideal profile of client. This one step, will give you a powerful marketing advantage over the vast majority of your competitors.

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Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

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