Category: Online Marketing

February 12, 2017

How to be social in an unsocial world

Connecting with an audience that is avoiding social media.

If there is anything we’ve learned in the past few months, it’s that the online world seems a little less friendly.

Our social platforms are a firestorm of politics and fake news.

Are you stressed about connecting with an audience that is either:

Busy debating politics, or 2. Avoiding social media?

I know a handful of people who have removed the FB app from their phones. *gasp*

So now what?

As entrepreneurs, what are we supposed to do? We’ve come to rely on social media to connect with our clients and fans.

Hope is not lost.

First, it’s important to remember a few things.

You must think about who your audience is. Are they even bothered by the current state of affairs? Are they still happily scrolling their Facebook or Twitter feed.

Have you considered the social media platform you are on? Is your audience even on Facebook? If you are in the B2B space, you may be better suited to focusing your marketing energy on LinkedIn.

The volatile discussions taking place on social media are a clue into what people are thinking and feeling. Rule #1 of talking to your ideal client is to know what keeps them up at night. What are they worrying about and can you solve that problem? It may feel painful to read the discussions, but, it could be very beneficial to your business IF you can help or offer your expertise. Note: I’m not saying to private message them and say “Hey, I saw you arguing with so and so; I’m a coach and can help you”. I’m suggesting that you use the information as a way to tap into your audience’s minds. Then, blog, do a FB live, send an email blast sharing your valuable wisdom.

Here are some great ways to connect with your audience even if they are avoiding social media.

Can you do a few live in-person lectures?

Before social media came along, this was one of the tried and true ways of reaching your audience. It still is. People more than ever would love to connect.

Reach out to a local co-working space.

Find out if they are looking for speakers.
Or rent one of their conference rooms. Ask if they would promote your event to their list if you split the ticket sales.

Call you local library. See how to get on their monthly events list.

Research local business groups that are a match to your products or services.

Do you have an email list that you aren’t leveraging?

If you have a list of subscribers that you haven’t emailed in a while, see if you can re-energize the relationship.

Warm up the list before selling or promoting to your subscribers. Otherwise, you will see rapid “unsubscribes” if you start selling before saying hello.

Start by being honest with them. “It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been busy working on, (fill in the blank). I’d love to hear how you are doing. Yes, I read my emails, so if you respond I’ll get it”

Here are some other suggestions from Infusionsoft (an email marketing program) on warming up a cold list:

Make it personal

Remind them of how they opted in and why they should stay

Provide value

Follow general email best practices

Include a CTA (call-to-action)

Once you start to warm up the list again, make sure to stay consistent in engaging with them. You may get some unsubscribes anyway, don’t worry. Think of it as a way of cleaning house. You only want subscribers that are aligned with what you do.

Blog

Blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and engage with new customers or clients. When you blog you can offer a ton of value. Not sure where to start? Blogging When You Hate Writing (or You LOVE to Write But Don’t Have Time)

TIP: Always have a CTA (call to action) in your blogs. Have the reader sign up for a resource guide that will go deeper than your blog content. Ask them to join your Facebook group. Set-up a free consult call. You get the idea.

Where to blog:

You can post a blog on your own website, but you’ll have to put some marketing efforts into promoting it.

You can also submit or post a blog to online sites:

Also, look at sites that your audience may be interested in. See if those sites are looking for guest bloggers.

Dust off the rolodex (a rolo-what?)

Yes, remember those things that had everyone’s contact info, written down on paper cards? Send your contacts a note.

Everyone loves getting a genuine and thoughtful card in the mail. It’s actually very rare these days to get something other than an email.

Let’s say you are a business coach and you’d like to add a few more clients. Reach out to some past clients and see how they are doing. Send them a card to let them know you are thinking about them. Offer them a free check-in call. No obligation, a quick hello. Tell them you’d love to hear what they are up to. Tell them how to connect with you—email or cell.

You may not want to do this for a lot of people but if you are willing to invest a little time and money this could make a big impact.

Try a service to do this: Send Out Cards – or Ink Cards (Ink Cards is an app, you can do it from your phone). Either one of these will handle the entire process for you.

Don’t give up on social media completely.

Your customers and clients are still out there. They still need your help. They are a little overwhelmed right now. Put your thinking cap on and think about creative ways you can help them (free of charge). What can you offer to them that shows them that you care about them and you’re ready to step up?

Be a human talking to other humans. Be genuine, be yourself and put out the best work possible.

Your true fans will really appreciate you re-connecting!

If you are feeling stalled and don’t know how best to get re-connected, let’s set up a clarity call and we’ll figure it out together.

Nancy

January 12, 2017

3 Super-Simple Marketing Planning Steps (and free templates)

Embrace simple and get it done. That’s the best advice I have when it comes to creating and executing your plan for marketing your business. While there are tons of ways to complicate this, there are a few easy steps to follow when “simple and done” are the goal. If you’ve been overwhelmed (and who hasn’t?) by all the options and to-do lists, you’re going to love this approach.

I promise.

Disclaimer: This process is super simple. That doesn’t mean it won’t take some focus and time. Put 30 minutes on your calendar at least once a week and make this a priority. Simple? Yes. Magic? No. At least, not yet.

Super-simple step one: Get your ideas out of your head. Many of us are idea machines. We think of so many things that we don’t know what to do first. If that’s you, then the first step is getting the ideas for your marketing out of your head and into a format you can refer to later and add to often.

Use the “Your Ideas” template if you’re a pen and paper person, or use your favorite app. The technology doesn’t matter.

If you fall into the “I have no ideas” category, then use your first 30 minutes to brainstorm. Start here:

What would you love to tell people about your industry?
What are common myths or misconceptions that need busting or correcting?
The last time you were inspired—what did you do, and what happened next?
What have your learned from your clients/customers?
Where is the best way to meet/reach your ideal clients?
What events are strategic for you this year?
What trends are you loving/sick of?

Super-simple step two: Create a plan. Since we’re not going to complicate this, I’ve made a “Your Year” template you can download and keep handy. Start filling in the months with events, promotions, and campaigns. Don’t forget any seasonal times that occur in your business.

Some of you may be thinking…

“That’s all fine and dandy, but I don’t have campaigns; I’m not sure what to promote, and don’t even get me started when it comes to events!”

I hear you. Since we’re all about simple, just start with the next month or quarter. Is it back-to-school time, or the snowy days of winter? What events are happening that drive activity? If you’re still stuck, just look at the next month and start there. Review your idea list and find something that resonates with you. Use that as your focus for the month. (If you are feeling extra organized, then you can go a step further by mapping out your weeks in detail using the “Your Month” template here.)

Super-simple step three: Now that you’ve got a focus, it’s time to execute. How do you reach your audience? By sharing information where they are. Showing up in their email, their Facebook feed, at events they attend, etc. Write a blog post, tape a video, record a podcast, attend an event, or even better, be the speaker at the event.

Hint: It’s not necessary to do everything. It is necessary to do one or two things really well – and BE CONSISTENT!

Do what’s natural and easy for you. Not a writer? Then use voice-to-text. Don’t let technology (or lack thereof) keep you from sharing the information with your audience. I know someone who launched an entire business writing advice in Facebook posts. It’s not my go-to recommendation, but if that’s all you’ve got right now, then use it!

Rinse and repeat. It really is that simple.

Like most things in life, it gets easier when you know how. It also becomes part of your daily flow if you schedule the time to get it done. If you need more customers, you can’t NOT do this. If you’ve got more clients than you can handle, then hire someone to do it for you.

Ready? Let’s go!