Jim Connolly Marketing

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

Get more client enquiries by being approachable

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marketing approachable

How easy is it, for your prospective clients or customers to get in touch with you?

I’m not talking about how visible your phone number, email address or contact form are. I’m referring to something that is just as important and yet seldom written about: How approachable you seem to be, to a prospective client or customer.

For example.

  • When a prospect is reading your newsletter, how approachable do you sound to them? The best newsletters are written, so that the author comes across as friendly, informed and interested in helping you. The least effective are written by people who come across as impersonal, distant and only interested in what’s in it for them.
  • When a prospect reads your comments on social media, how approachable do you sound to them? Some business owners can appear patronising or sarcastic when people dialogue with them or ask questions. This is a really, really bad move, if you want prospective clients to feel comfortable contacting you.
  • When a prospect reads the about page on your website, how approachable do you sound? Many small business owners write their about page in the 3rd person, rather than speak directly to their reader. Instead of saying; ‘Hi, thanks for stopping by. My name is Jack and…’ they start with ‘Jack has worked in web design since 2012 and… ‘

Why does 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 building the human touch into your marketing, you start to nurture a positive relationship with your prospects long before you ever speak with them. This helps them feel far more comfortable contacting you, hiring you or buying from you.

The huge Google problem, which they don’t give a rat’s ass about

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Goolge content theft, crooks

Image: Pawel Czerwinski  

This brief post is unlikely to be indexed by Google. Although it’s written for humans (like you), it’s value will be determined by Google’s famously incompetent bot. The bot needs a minimum of three hundred words in order to get a handle on what the topic is.

That’s why lots of blog posts and articles read so poorly. They’re deliberately written over-long. The author is playing the Google game. If they want search traffic, they have to add unnecessary fluff. They also need to keep repeating certain words and phrases, or Google’s bot won’t know what to rank them for.

Google’s stolen content problem

The Google game is like most games. The vast majority play by the rules. Others don’t.

My posts are stolen by criminals within minutes (sometimes seconds) of publication. They use software to publish them and submit them to Google’s index.

In many cases, their illegal copy of my copyright protected work is chosen by Google as the original ‘canonical’ version. My original is then seen as a copy. I could even be penalized by Google, for Google’s own mistake. There’s no workable recourse. The bad guy wins.

Google search is broken. And for the foreseeable future it will stay like that. They’ve trained writers how to write for their extremely limited Google bot. The bad guys know how to profit on autopilot. It costs Google nothing. So, there’s no motivation for them to put their house in order.

When an service is as huge as Google, it’s beyond reproach. Yes, if a major publication complains, Google takes immediate action. The rest of us need to live with it. We need to play the Google game and accept theft of our work. That really sucks, but they’re Google… so!

BTW: This was 299 words.

Here’s an update: Google indexing scraped content from my blog: Part 2

Why I don’t use Linkedin, Facebook, Youtube or podcasts etc

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Marketing tip, blogging social marketing

Image: Dima Davi

If you find it hard, time-consuming or confusing, to be present on lots of different social media platforms, relax.

You don’t need to! In this post I’ll explain why and give you a very personal example.

This blog is now in its 14th year! When I mentioned this recently in my newsletter, a number of people wanted to know how I’ve managed to very regularly update a blog and newsletter for so long. More importantly, my answer will shine a light on how you can do something similar. If you want to.

I really don’t do much

Sadly, I don’t have some kind of productivity super power. No. It’s a lot less impressive than that.

You see, my ‘secret’ is all about how LITTLE I do.

  • I don’t have a Youtube channel.
  • I don’t have a podcast.
  • I don’t have a Facebook Page.
  • I don’t have a Facebook group, either.
  • I don’t have a Linkedin account.
  • I don’t have a TikTok account.
  • I don’t write books.
  • I don’t give many interviews.
  • I don’t have a business account on Instagram, Snapchat or Clubhouse either.

Lots of business owners do most of the things on that list. And I bet they produce at least as much information across those platforms as I produce for my blog / newsletter.

They go wide. I go narrow

Let me flesh that out a little.

front of mind

Having been involved in social media marketing since its inception, I’ve seen (again and again) how easy it is to lose your account, and audience, on any platform you don’t own.

And if a platform ceases to be popular, you can also lose your audience, or most of it, when they move to the next new, shiny thing.

Plus, it’s extremely hard to create a significant marketing impact, or foster deep engagement across multiple platforms.

That’s why I choose to go narrow.

  • I own my blog.
  • I choose where it’s hosted.
  • And I can use any commercial email provider to mail my subscribers.

The benefits of building your own platform are many and varied.

The best-known benefit

Maybe the best-known benefit is that you’re building a publishing business, which grows in value literally every day.

For example. Jim’s Marketing Blog has thousands of pages of marketing and business development information and a 14 year pedigree.

  • I could form partnerships with online training providers… promoting their courses here, for a commission on each place sold.
  • I could create a dedicated store here, providing products that appeal to my reader demographic.
  • I could cash-in. The last offer I received for this site wasn’t enough to make me think seriously. But it was huge.
  • There are multiple revenue generating opportunities, because I built everything here. Combined, they would easily create a significant enough income to become a stand-alone business.

Imagine if I’d spread my ideas and work across Facebook and Linkedin. None of those opportunities would be possible.

The least-known benefit

I think perhaps the most overlooked benefit, is the incredible focus, clarity and freedom it gives you.

With the multi platform approach, different types of ‘content’ work better on one platform and less well on another.

All of a sudden, you need to add lots of tasks to your daily workload. You’re no longer ‘just’ running your business. You need to find time to be a photographer, broadcaster, video producer, audio creator, short-form writer and networker.

You also need to be very careful how often you publish. Most platforms will make your content less visible to your audience, if you publish what they deem to be too often. Facebook and Instagram are notorious for this.

With your own platform, you publish when you have something useful or interesting to share.

That’s it.

It’s extremely liberating.

In short, I probably don’t produce content more often than you or anyone else involved in marketing.

I just put it in the same place and let it build steadily over time. Eventually, all those little molehills become a mountain (or at least a bloody big hill).

The day I started to look middle-aged

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Jim Connolly

I have a marketing tip to share with you today, which is directly connected to the day I started to look middle-aged.

I know. It sounds weird, but I promise you it isn’t.

Well, it’s not TOO weird.

It’s all about the marketing importance of your branding. Specifically today, I’m thinking about the visual impact your current branding has on your sales results.

But I need to start with my face. (That’s a sentence I never, ever thought I would write).

From fresh-faced to middle-aged

I honestly have no idea what day it was, when I went from looking like a fresh-faced young man, to middle-aged. If you’re old enough to have become middle-aged, I bet you’d answer exactly the same. That’s because the way we look changes very gradually, over time.

Hold that thought.

I believe this same gradual process also explains why so many great small businesses have out-dated / ineffective branding. And as a direct result, create a bad first impression and lose out on the clients (or customers) their business needs.

Take a look at almost any small business that’s been trading for more than 5 or 10 years and their branding is usually extremely poor. In many cases, it didn’t start that way. Here’s what happened.

When their current branding was launched, it looked fresh and compelling. It had the type of design that would impress any prospective client. Then, a bit like my face, their branding slowly started to age; along with their website, social media profile, newsletters and everywhere else their branding is seen. It happened so slowly, that they haven’t even noticed.

That’s my theory. And I think it’s a pretty darn nifty theory too. After all, no business owner knowingly turns clients away every day.

Does branding REALLY matter, Jim?

Yep. It does.

Seriously, it’s actually really important no matter what size your business is.

And here’s why.

I’m going to use a common example of the power of branding, which you’ll be able to identify with. I want you to think about the visual branding you see when you visit a website for the first time. Experts say (depending on which ones you listen to) that when you visit at a website, it takes less than a second for you to form your first impressions.

You get the almost instant impact of the overall look; the logo, colours / colors, fonts, tones, graphics, photography, typography – – and all the visual branding components on the site.

And you very quickly build your first impression.

They look competent.

They look clueless.

They look relevant.

They look out-of-date.

They look interesting.

They look dull.

They look dynamic.

They look lethargic.

They look professional.

They look amateurish.

They look sizeable.

They look small.

They look successful.

They look strapped.

They look expensive.

They look cheap.

And all this happens before you really know anything about them. Yet it powerfully changes the way you feel about them in all the ways I just mentioned, and a hundred other ways. Remember: People buy based on feelings, NOT logic. That’s how important good branding is.

Of course, first impressions are not always accurate. But first impressions always count.

Here’s why: Many lousy businesses have great looking branding that inspires confidence and attracts clients. Conversely, many great businesses have ineffective branding that creates doubt and turns clients away.

An excellent business that creates a bad first impression will 100% definitely be losing sales and clients. Especially from those who are looking for a good, quality service. Prospective clients looking for something ‘cheap’ will think they’ve found it, when they see what looks like a struggling small business.

If you’re not attracting enough sales or leads. If you’re attracting enquiries from people with small budgets. If your social marketing efforts are not getting the results you want. It could be time to invest in your branding.

Viral marketing: Here’s what you need to know

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Image: Joshua J. Cotten

Viral marketing is something I get asked about a lot. It’s actually pretty easy to understand.

Every piece of viral marketing consists of 2 things.

  1. It goes to someone. (They received it).
  2. Then it goes through them. (They share it with one or more people).

For both of those steps to happen, a marketing message needs to be easy to share and remarkable in some way.

Allow me to explain.

Easy to share

As I mentioned 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 recently, the Apple logo on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models was illuminated on the lid. Today, those logo’s are (like those on iPhones) highly polished mirrors.

Remarkable

What makes viral marketing viral, is that it doesn’t spread from the vendor to the marketplace. 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.

Here’s an example I mentioned a while ago. 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 provided her with the motivation to share what she’d found with her huge circle of friends. I’ve now shared it tons of times, too. Plus, I blogged about it.

Then there’s my friend and former client, Greg. When Greg recommends my services to his friends and contacts, he tells them; “Jim doubled our turnover in 5 months”. Greg’s experience of my results is what motivates him to tell people. And his message is just 7 words long, meaning it’s also easy to share.

What about you?

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 viral marketing 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 project. So if you can hire expert help, I recommend you do. Either way, it makes no sense to ignore the most powerful form of marketing on the planet.

A little known tip that helps service providers attract massively more clients

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Marketing clues easy

Image: Sigmund

Before someone decides to hire you or buy from you, they need to feel confident. So they start looking for clues. Clues that will tell them whether they should hire you or avoid you.

Why?

Because your prospective clients have all made bad decisions before.

They’ve been let down.

They’ve had promises broken.

Some will have even been ripped off.

This time they want to get it right. And that’s why, before they invest in you they need to know:

  • If you’re reliable and likely to keep your promises.
  • If you’re experienced at solving whatever problem or problems they have.
  • If you offer value for money.
  • If you’re approachable.
  • If you offer the flexibility they need.
  • If you make it easy to do business with you.
  • If your fees match your promises. (Promising great service for an average fee is the main way to scare them off).
  • If you seem to love what you do. Note: This is easy to overlook – but it’s really important. Here’s why.
  • If your customer service is up to their standard.

You get the general idea.

They’re looking for clues that help them build the right picture. And here’s why this matters. If it’s a picture they trust, you’re hired. If not, you lose. People are making these decisions all the time, based on the clues you have left. Let that sink in for a moment.

Where do your prospective clients look for clues?

Almost all will do the following as a bare minimum. They’ll visit your website. They’ll check your social media profiles. They’ll search for your name and company name on their preferred search engine, to see what others are saying about you. If they speak with you, they’ll obviously be looking for clues in what you say. Most will go several levels deeper. This is especially the case if there’s a lot of trust involved in the services you provide.

Depending on your industry and how cautious the prospective client is, they may dig even deeper.

What kind of picture do your clues paint?

For example, every business owner claims to offer a professional service. However, as you know, many operate from a cheap looking, outdated website. This instantly turns prospective clients a way.

Does it really matter?

Yes. It’s extremely important. And here’s why.

I’ve met with some superb service providers over the years, who leave lousy clues. If you didn’t already know them, you’d never hire them. Even if people recommended them to you, after checking them out online for a few minutes, you wouldn’t consider contacting them. They just don’t look like serious professionals. And it’s costing them a fortune.

Here’s the thing – – No business can afford to leave money on the table like that. You know you’re a capable professional. You also know you care deeply about your clients and deliver an excellent service.

But unless your clues leave prospective clients feeling confident about contacting you, you’ll lose a fortune. And it’s 100% avoidable.

Now what?

Try looking at your business through the eyes of a stranger. A stranger who eagerly wants to hire a service provider in your industry. Unless you’re fully confident that your clues paint the right picture, start leaving better clues. Make hiring you easy.