Professional development Archives - Page 77 of 91

5 Simple ways to make your day amazing!

By Jim Connolly | May 10, 2017

Here’s an idea: Why not make today a day to remember?

Consider doing one or more of the following. Then just watch the kind of impact you create.

Send a handwritten note of thanks, to a person who has helped you or inspired you in some way. The power of something as personal as a handwritten message, is far greater than an email, text or tweet.
Send flowers to someone you care about. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can pick some wild flowers, wrap them yourself, add a card and deliver them in person.
Write a blog post or article, which shares something that has been useful to you. If it was a website, include a link. That way, your readers will benefit AND whoever or whatever you’re recommending will get some recognition too.
Go to your primary social network and recommend a person or business, which you really appreciate.
Contribute either some time or money to a charity or cause, which does work you appreciate.

One of the wonderful things about contributing this was, is that it’s cyclical. It makes the people you are showing your appreciation to feel great and it makes you feel great too. This makes you want to do it again… thus the cycle repeats.

Try it!

What you know about link building is probably wrong

By Jim Connolly | May 3, 2017

And it’s not your fault.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to marketing your business, there are 2 types of link, not 1 as many people seem to believe!

There’s the type of link you already know about. This is where a website links to your website or blog. This is sometimes called a backlink.
However, there’s another type of link, which is seldom mentioned. This link has just helped me attract a wonderful new client. And it has nothing to do with hyperlinks, link building or backlinks.

In today’s post, I’m going to share how you can make that second type of link work for you and your business. Let’s start with a little clarity.

The type of link you already know about

You’ve been told a million times about the value of getting a link, from a highly respected website to your site. In short, if your site has lots of links pointing to it, especially from high quality websites, it will rank higher on search engine results pages. This kind of link building is the backbone of SEO.

It’s why infographics are all over the internet (they usually have link code embedded in them).
It’s why people will write guest blog posts for popular websites like The Huffington Post and Forbes, without payment, in return for a link.

Those links are valuable. However, they’re not the only type of link that’s of value to you and your business!

A very different type of link

I was contacted by The Wall Street Journal a while back. Business Editor, Chris Gay, wanted some help with a marketing article. I was happy to contribute. More than anything, I was delighted to have been approached for my expertise, by someone from such a respected publication.

You can read the article here: Four Marketing Strategies That Paid Off for Small Companies.

Yesterday, Grant emailed me. He wants a place on my Marketing Mentor Program. In his email, he explained how he first discovered my work because of the Wall Street Journal article.

Although there are no links pointing to me from that article, he was impressed enough with the idea I shared, that he searched for me. He found me and then subscribed to Jim’s Marketing Blog. Fast forward to this week and he decided he is ready to invest in my services.

That article didn’t have a traditional link to me or my website. Nothing for Google to follow. Nothing for Google to index. Nothing for Grant to click.

However, it DID provide a highly valuable link, which turned Grant from a stranger into a client.

Links and the power of association

Never underestimate the value of having your name or brand positively referenced in an A-List publication, even if they don’t link to your website.

Grant is a Wall Street Journal reader and he trusts what they have to say. Though The Wall Street Journal didn’t say they endorsed me, they did use my work as a positive example of a marketing strategy that paid off. Grant was then able to naturally associate [or link] my name, with the article and the source of the article — The Wall Street Journal.

That kind of link is powerful. Really powerful.

The combination of Grant valuing what I said in the article, with the trust he has for the publication, inspired him to go to Google and find out more about me and my work.

My point here is simple: When your name or brand is positively referenced by a trusted source, people will feel positively about you.

You need to be visible on search

Of course, had I been hard to find, Grant would never have visited my blog and subscribed.

To benefit from having your name mentioned in a publication that doesn’t link to you, you need to be easy to find via search engines. The same is true when you’re mentioned on radio or TV. Naturally, this is where SEO comes in. It’s why lots of good quality backlinks are important.

Grant is based in California and searched Google for Jim Connolly marketing. Anyone doing that search within The U.S. today, will find me listed as the first few search results; (either my blog, Facebook Page or my Twitter account). If people search for you after reading about you, they will have your name and they will almost certainly figure out your industry. Your job is to make sure you’re easy to find when people do that. This is easier for some people than others. You may have a very popular name and work in a huge industry.

I suggest you search for yourself, using your name and a 1 or 2 word industry category. If you’re not happy with what you find, make sure you optimize your website, blog and social networking accounts so you’re visible. If you are not sure how, get expert SEO help. It’s worth it.

Why none of this would have worked without a blog or newsletter

Think about it: When Grant visited my site all that time ago, he wasn’t in need of my services. He was curious. That’s all. Because I write a blog, he was able to subscribe and receive regular email updates.

This means I had a way to maintain regular contact with him, through my posts. It also allowed him to learn my approach to marketing and the value of my ideas.

Note: If Grant had initially found just a website, with no blog or newsletter, I’d have lost him.

Think about that for a moment. This will help!

SEO matters

It really does. And backlinks are essential if you want your SEO to work.

The point of this message is simply that you shouldn’t ignore opportunities to promote yourself online, just because there’s no backlink to your website.

If a highly respected publication asks you to contribute to an article AND they position you as an expert, you will be linked mentally in the mind of their readers, to a publication they trust.

That’s of huge value to you and your business.

3 Proven ways to quickly attract more clients

By Jim Connolly | April 26, 2017

Your service is better than most of the other providers in your niche. And it’s far, far better than many.

This begs the question: Why don’t more clients hire you?

The challenge is that offering a great service, by itself, isn’t enough. (I explain why here). And telling people you offer a great service in your marketing isn’t enough, either. After all, that’s what every business claims to offer.

To attract the quality and quantity of clients you deserve, you need a better approach. So I thought I’d share a few ideas with you. I hope you find them useful.

1. Make it easy for people to tell their friends about you.

Some services are massively easier to recommend than others. As a result, they get the word of mouth recommendations, when their equally good competitors don’t.

Here’s why: The best-marketed businesses understand that clients need help, when it comes to spreading the word. The rest just work really hard, provide a great service and wonder why they get so few client referrals.

Rather than try and cram what you need to know into this section of this post, if you’re not getting the referrals you deserve, I recommend you read this.

2. Publish a podcast, blog, vlog or newsletter.

Then showcase your knowledge by answering relevant questions. Don’t leave your prospective clients wondering how knowledgeable you are. Show them! Remember: Actions speak louder than words.

This approach gives you a valuable, added benefit too. If you turn up regularly with answers, for a long enough period of time, you also demonstrate your reliability. You show the marketplace you can be relied upon to start a project and stick with it.

That’s marketing gold dust! Why? Because it helps you build trust in the mind of a prospective client, before they’ve even spoken with you.

3. Get your stars out.

If you have any awards, notable media mentions or quantifiable achievements, don’t keep it a secret. Put them where prospective clients will see them. I use my blog’s About page.

Some business owners struggle with this. They don’t want to appear boastful. And I totally get it.

However, you need to look at yourself through the eyes of a prospective client, who has never heard of you. This person will arrive on your website and immediately start building a picture of you in their mind. They won’t know you’re being humble when you fail to mention any meaningful achievements. They’ll simply build that picture, with those key, trust-building facts missing.

I hope you found those ideas useful. More importantly my friend, I hope they inspire you to take action and start achieving the results you deserve.

The answers you need are all around you

By Jim Connolly | April 24, 2017

Hard work is not the secret to success. If it was, our grandparents would have been millionaires. Instead, we know that success comes from doing the right things, correctly.

This means a business owner who wants to improve their results has just 2, relatively easy challenges ahead of them.

1. Acceptance

We need to accept that our current business development strategy isn’t working. Or at least that it isn’t working the way we want it to. Our current strategy may feel comfortable. It’s certainly familiar. However, if it isn’t leading to the results we want, we must accept that we need to move on.

Until we accept the need to improve, we’ll simply carry on wasting time. We’ll carry on working hard, for too little reward.

2. Adopt a proven strategy for success

Once we’ve accepted the need to improve, we’re ready for the second challenge. This challenge is easier than the first. We need to find a strategy that will work for us. A strategy for success.

And thankfully, success leaves clues.

We are surrounded by examples of successful businesses. Everywhere we look, there are businesses that are getting it right. Every area of our business development that needs to improve, is already working spectacularly well for another business. The answers we need are out there. We just need to follow the clues.

Your task here, is to do the research. Look at what the businesses that are succeeding are doing, which you can adopt into your own business.

Here’s an example of what I mean. If your business needs to improve its marketing, what might you learn from the following success clues?

The last service you used, which impressed you so much you told your friends.
The last marketing email you received, which persuaded you to take action.
The last blog post you read, which you were inspired to share.
The last social network update, which motivated you to take action.
The last advertisement you encountered, which compelled you to make a purchase.
The last newsletter you received, which you were motivated to forward to your friends.
The last website you visited, which impressed you with its professionalism.

Once you have done that, it’s time to look below the surface.

Don’t just copy what you find. Instead, consider how you can adapt what you discovered, so that it works for your business.

Make no mistake, the answers you need are out there. Success leaves clues. And the clues are all around you.

Should you promote an issue you care about, via your business?

By Jim Connolly | April 13, 2017

Emma recently emailed me with a great question. She wanted to know if it was wise for her to raise awareness of a social issue she’s passionate about, via her business. She’s concerned that by taking a stance, she might lose potential customers.

As this is something that can apply to almost every business owner, I thought I’d share my answer with you.

For clarity, when I refer to a stance here, I’m talking about standing up for something that’s important to you, which is outside your business. Something you believe in. Something others will either agree with or disagree with. For example, a social issue, environmental cause or the work of a certain charity, etc.

Here are my thoughts, purely from a marketing perspective. As you’ll see there are upsides and downsides.

Is it always a bad idea to alienate a subset of the marketplace?

No. No it isn’t. Allow me to explain.

As this article from Fast Company confirms, “Customers care not only about what companies sell but also about what they stand for.”

By taking a stance on something that really matters to you, you send some powerful signals to your marketplace.

You show them that there are ethics behind your business. This is true whether they agree or disagree with your stance.
You show them that you’re willing to stand-up and lead. Again, this is true regardless of their opinion of your stance.
You show a segment of your marketplace that something they care passionately about, also matters to you. This forms a strong emotional connection between you and them. It transforms how they feel about you. This kind of connection is enormously valuable. That’s because people make decisions based on how they feel.

In fact, feelings will usually have a more powerful influence on a buying decision, than facts.

If you’ve ever used proven facts, to try and convince someone you are right and they are wrong, you’ll know how powerful feelings are, compared to facts.

A missed opportunity?

Typically, small business owners avoid taking a stance. Yes, they have strong beliefs. We all do. However, they choose to keep them separate from their business.

Why?

Because they don’t want to risk alienating any prospective clients, who may hold opposing beliefs. So rather than allow a segment of their marketplace to form a powerful emotional connection with them, they remain silent about what truly matters to them.

They strive to be vaguely relevant to everyone. And as an unavoidable result, they become directly relevant to no one.

And it’s hard, really hard, to grow a business that’s only vaguely relevant.

Marketing to everyone?

I once asked a small business owner, who her ideal client was? She replied:

“Anyone with skin”.

And she was wrong.

For someone to become your client, they have to want (not necessarily need) what you provide. That’s an emotional decision. Sure, they may need a new website, but if they don’t want a new website or they don’t want to hire you to design their new website, they won’t hire you.

By taking a stance, by developing that stronger emotional connection, you give a segment of your marketplace a reason to want to hire you.

social issues, marketing tips

Does this mean that you’re guaranteed they will hire you? No. Of course not.

However, if (for example) they’re passionate about helping children in developing nations to have access to clean drinking water, and they see you are too, they’ll know you’re a kindred spirit. They’ll see that what matters to them, matters to you — that you share a worldview. And people prefer to do business with people, who share the same worldview. This is really important. Seth Godin’s value creation checklist placed worldview right at the top.

Big brands already get it

Almost every major brand, visibly supports causes close to them. For example, Walmart takes an environmental stance and donated almost a third of a billion dollars last year alone. Google (Alphabet) takes a stance by supporting the Equal Justice Initiative. And Coca Cola takes a stance by supporting Africa’s Global Environment and Technology Foundation.

I was unable to find any major brand, that doesn’t visibly take a stand in support of a cause they are passionate about.

Your stance can be part of your story

Taking a stance is about making the things that matter most to you, a relevant and visible part of your work. It’s about building a story, which is consistent with your business and your guiding values / passions / ethics.

It isn’t easy. And it isn’t right for every business.

This is especially the case, if your stance is polarizing. That’s to say, a stance that most people will either strongly agree with or strongly disagree with. It’s not uncommon for businesses that take a polarizing stance, to receive abuse / trolling, from those passionately opposed to their stance.

Equally, if your business relies on customers from your local community and your stance is massively unpopular locally, the financial cost can be huge.

In short, there’s no universal right answer. Whether it’s right for you and your business depends on a number of factors. As with every business decision, it pays to do the research, get the feedback you need and then decide.

You!

By Jim Connolly | April 10, 2017

Worth remembering.

You should focus on what’s important to you, not that bastard who upset you. Whilst you are getting angry, they’re out dancing!
You look better when you smile. It’s the fastest and least expensive way to get a facelift.
You are almost certainly more talented, more admired and more loved than you think you are.
You can either get a day older, or a day better. Each day the choice is yours.
You will be amazed how good you feel, after you tell someone how much you appreciate them. Your kind words may also be the only sunshine they get that day.
You will sell zero copies of the book you never write.
You are able to improve any element of your life or business, which you are unhappy with. It’s all about intelligent activity. Get the information you need. Then use it.

Have a great day. You deserve it.