Tag Archives | small business marketing plan
Create a Facebook Ad

Using Facebook Ads for Added Exposure

By on August 31, 2012 in Affiliate Marketing, Business Success, Internet Marketing, marketing, Sales Skills, Social Media

Things have changed – I’m doing Facebook Ads! I am in the processing of embracing a new marketing strategy that I have to admit, I had never been interested before.  I’d seen all the ad’s down my Facebook page but hadn’t yet considered the concept of Facebook Ads for my own business.  After reading IM Revolution by Matt Lloyd, I knew that I just had to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace this new advertising opportunity.  I believe Facebook advertising is still in its early days and those who master it now, will be leaps and bounds ahead of their competition.

I’ve committed to a very intense mentoring structure and paid some big $ to learn this process and I want to take you along the journey with me so you can too can learn to generate leads into any business.

Why Do Facebook Ads?

Did you know that more than 1/3 of Facebook users earn more than $100k per year?? And 30% earn $60-100k! That means more than 60% of Facebook users earn more than $ 60,000 per year?? So… did you THINK you might want to consider doing some Facebook Ads?

Facebook offers an advertising service that has a price attached to it but could be worthwhile to test in an effort to increase fans to your  Facebook Ads, Facebook page, promote an event, your product or service.

You can create Facebook ads using your own text and images, and you can target who will see your ads based on location, occupation, and a variety of other demographic criteria.  Ads are displayed to users who meet your criteria.

That’s why you will have noticed that all the ads that appear on your page are relevant to your interests, likes, location etc and will be completely different from another user who has different interests, likes and location.

What Do Facebook Ads Cost?

When you create Facebook ads, you determine how high you’d like to bid for space to display your ad.  Facebook uses your ad-targeting criteria and your maximum bid price to serve ads to Facebook users.  You can set up your ad so you either pay whenever someone clicks on your ad (pay per click) or whenever your ad is served (pay per impression.)  You can control your budget, so the risk is limited.  I recommend starting out at $1.00 per bid, and then adjusting this down as you get good results.  To start off with you need to keep your bid price around the $1.00 mark so that you are able to compete against others for the advertising space.  As your Facebook ads start to get show and gets clicks, then Facebook will reward you by still showing your ad, even if you reduce your bid price.

To create Facebook ads, simply click on the Advertising link at the bottom right side of any Facebook page.

Create a Facebook Ad

The Facebook Advertising page opens up.  Next, click on the Create an Ad button near the top right of your screen to open the Advertise on Facebook page when you can enter the text for your an and upload your ad image.  Once your ad is set up, you can set your budget and configure your targeting criteria.  Facebook offers a variety of reports to help you track the performance of your ads, and you can make changes at any time in order to maximize the return on your investment.

My Results With Facebook Ads So Far..

I have been promoting two different products using Facebook Ads.  The first has had 24 new opt-ins that will be lead into a sales funnel for a $997 product.  The second lead capture page has had 22 new opt-ins and will be lead into a $297 product.    Would you like to have had 46 people join your list in the last two weeks?

My Fanpage ‘likes’ has gone from 357 to 680 and my audience reach on this page has skyrocketed from 178 people to 48,874 people.

Facebook ads results

It’s important to track your statistics and I’ll be looking forward to getting an even better conversion rate for my dollar spent, but for the moment I’m happy with my first results.

Would you like to learn to generate your own leads for ANY business?

Would you also like to learn how to do Facebook Ads, as a beginner, learning step by step strategies that not only work but save you A TON of money along the way? I’ve put together everything I’ve learned so far in this video series The Secrets to Success With Facebook Marketing as part of Ellen Britt’s special event (that finishes this Sunday!)

Feel free to share this post with a ‘like’, ‘tweet’ or ‘google+’ so that your friends can start to understand and embrace this new opportunity too!

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It’s Time To Crank Up Your Marketing

By on July 5, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, marketing, Sales Skills

With the start of a new financial year, it’s a great time to decide where you want to take your business in the next 12 months.  For your business to thrive, you must have an effective marketing plan. This can be a difficult thing for solopreneurs to maintain.  Marketing consistently will keep your client pipeline full with ideal clients who value your services and will pay you what you’re worth.  If you want your profits to increase over the next twelve months, you MUST consistently market your business.

It’s always difficult for solopreneurs and small business owners to find the time to work ON their business. As you continue to serve the clients you already have at a high level, it can be easy to get consumed in this and other daily tasks of operating your business. What happens is that consistent marketing can be unintentionally pushed aside.

Imagine you’re riding a bike. The wheels can turn slowly, or you can turn them at a faster pace.  Either way, if you want to move forward, they need to be constantly going around.  It’s the same with your marketing.  If you’ve found that there are times where business is very slow, it’s likely your marketing efforts have become a bit hit and miss.  Good news is, it’s easier than you think to get back on track!

To crank up your marketing systems, I suggest you take a quick assessment of your business and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Which marketing strategies have been the most effective in attracting ideal clients? – Has it been your regular ezine that has sparked constant enquiries?  Do you get regular comments on your blog? Have you done some guest blogging that has driven traffic to your website? Are there some joint venture projects that have been particularly fruitful? Look at what has worked really well, and see how you can increase your focus in that area.
  2. What’s working well in my business? – Review the activity in your business over the past 6-12 months.  Checking on what is going well and to acknowledge your achievements will boost your confidence and give you the motivation you need to make any adjustments that may be needed.
  3. What can you improve on? – As you look over your marketing you will see aspects that haven’t run as smooth as they could have. Make a list of these and also the reasons why.  It may be that you need assistance or systems in place to change your results here?
  4. What’s keeping me from marketing your business consistently? – It’s time for the truth here! Could it be that you don’t manage your priorities or time as well as you could? Do you need more knowledge on how to implement a particular strategy? Would accountability help you to take more action?  No matter what your answers are, get up, get over it and get on with it! And decide NOW to do things differently from today onwards.
  5. Where am I meeting resistance in relation to marketing my business? – Is there a little voice in your head telling you, “Marketing is too hard”?  Or “I can’t afford to market my services”?  Perhaps the excuse is I’m too busy for marketing”.  Every one of us meets resistance that requires strength to breakthrough.  Whatever your resistance happens to be, two things are for sure:

a. You can ignore it and take action anyway. (Successful people do whatever it takes, even if it feels uncomfortable.)

b. If you push through that resistance and get to the other side – that is where you will find success!

These two affirmations will serve you well for the next time you find yourself meeting with resistance along your path. Acknowledge the moment, but keep moving forward by taking action! Remember you didn’t learn to ride a bike the first time. What we’re looking for here is consistent effort.  Even baby steps will keep the momentum towards your goals.

Once you’ve taken the time to assess your marketing strategy, I would love to hear what you find.

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  1. Set aside half an hour to do the quick assessment above
  2. Give yourself honest answers to work with
  3. Share your results with a trusted or supportive friend, colleague or mentor.
  4. Assign a time to brain dump thoughts on any changes you want to implement in your marketing, and list the results you want to achieve.

What Did You Think?

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Successful People Do Whatever It Takes, Even If It’s Uncomfortable

By on June 28, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset

 

 

When solopreneurs are struggling to get new clients, I ask them what they are actively doing to market their business.  Some times I get a dead silence back, or simply a blank stare and shoulder shrug to indicate “nothing much”.  One of the easiest ways to instantly get more clients is to start taking more action to promote your business and your services.  This could be in sales conversations, creating videos, doing a teleseminar, holding an event or even writing that book you’ve always wanted to write.

One of the biggest reasons why people don’t take more action is they are worried about what other people will think of them.  Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be an issue for a two year old who decides to throw a tantrum in the middle of the supermarket! But as we get older, we begin to get more and more aware of other people’s thoughts. We allow this to stop us from taking the action necessary to get what we want.  Does this sound familiar?  I bet it does, because I know it’s been the case for me too.

So I was really thrilled as I stood in the middle of a city park and watched two of my friends take a break at the 38 kilometre mark of the Perth Marathon, to take their wedding vows. This took about 30 minutes.  Then they signed the registry, had some photos taken before continuing on their merry way for the final 4 kilometres to the finish line.

For Rob and Zita, running is a big part of their life and a passion they share together.  They ran their first marathon together almost 10 years ago and have often explained the exhilaration they feel each time they complete another one. They knew that getting married would also be an exciting experience. For most people, to do either a marathon OR get married would be quiet sufficient in one day.  Not for this fun loving, sporty couple – they decided to bundle the two events into one!  Rob and Zita’s plans were a complete secret to all the wedding guests until the final moment they arrived at the grassy spot in front of the marriage celebrant.  Rob ran the entire marathon in his waistcoat, bow tie, top hat and finished off nicely with glossy black running shoes. Zita had full makeup, her hair done beautifully, a veil and carried a bouquet of flowers the whole way.

Do you think they got some funny looks along the 42 kilometre track?  Do you think there were people that held their own opinions of their decision to get married this way?  Do you think there would have been people try to talk them out of taking this action if they had know about it? Of course there would have been!  It’s only natural.  The key here is that Rob and Zita had the confidence to go ahead with this seemingly crazy idea anyway – because they wanted the end result – to run a marathon AND be married all in the same day. This might not be what YOU want – but I want this to be a marketing lesson for you to take the action you need to take to get the results you want to get in your small business.

Don’t listen to nay-sayers; don’t share your ideas with people who are non-supportive.  It doesn’t matter what other people might think. In fact, they probably aren’t even thinking anything about you because they’ll be too busy thinking about themselves!  Instead, consider all the people whose lives you know you can make a difference to by sharing your gifts.  What is it you need to do to market your business?  What action steps do you want to take to get more clients and increase your profits? Getting out of your comfort zone is most likely the starting point.  Go ahead; have that sales conversation you’ve been putting off.  Make the video that shares your message. Map out the contents and take the first step to creating a teleseminar.  Whatever it is that you’ve been putting off for fear of what other people think – go ahead and take just one action step to make it happen this week. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to make your business stand out from the crowd and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you will get more clients and be helping more people.

Rather than wait for everything to be perfect, I want to remind you of my favourite saying: “Just take imperfect action”.

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  • List down all the things you’ve been thinking of doing to market your business, but for one reason or another you’ve been delaying taking action.
  • From your list, decide what TWO items you are going to get moving on this week, and what are the action steps you are going to take.

Calculate the income that can be produced from the activities you have listed. Also list the number of people who you may be able to help, if you put get these projects off the ground.  Use these numbers to motivate you to stop thinking about what other people might say, and instead – take action.

 

 

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How To Have a Full Client Pipeline

By on June 20, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset, productivity

“I need more clients!”  Have you ever made this statement?

“If you build it they will come” is probably one of the biggest myths ever published and believed when it comes to business.

It’s possible that you have the most amazing offer or business. Unless your ideal clients know about it, you will stay as the best kept secret in your industry. The biggest challenge for so many self employed professionals is consistently attracting new and ideal clients into their business.  Unfortunately, they simply underestimate how much exposure they really need to keep a full pipeline of clients. By consistently implementing a few simple steps, you will be well on your way to achieving your business goals.

Clarity, focus and planning are often the root causes of why this struggle to attract ideal clients is an issue. Remember, when you are crystal clear about the vision for your business, it becomes easy for your ideal clients to see it as well. The first thing you need to know is exactly WHO your ideal client is, why you consider them ideal, and what problems they have that you can provide a solution for. It’s tempting to be broad with your responses for fear of ‘losing’ a prospective client.  After all, I’m sure what you do can actually help soooo many people.  The more specific you can be with your focus, the more effective your marketing strategies can be. You will save time and money. Plans without action are useless. So you do need to have a marketing plan outlined so that you’re confident what your actions need to be on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  This way, you will connect with your ideal clients regularly, rather than your marketing being an ad hoc event.

“But I am already working so hard”  I can almost hear you say.

I know. And that’s why the strategies that really take your business to the next level need to leverage things you already have:

Once you’ve got clarity on your ideal client (I even give my ideal client a name!) and what they need, it’s time for the action to begin.  Here are three simple strategies that I’m using that are working for me that you can use to attract ideal clients to your business NOW:

  1. Powerful Partnerships – Teaming up with someone you may currently regard as your competitor can in fact create a triple win situation (you, your JV partner and your clients/subscribers) and is a great way to get more clients. There are other professionals who service your ideal client before and after you. For example, if you are a graphic designer, it’s possible that people like virtual assistants, web designers, and business coaches all connect with your ideal prospects too.  This is great!  You have enormous opportunity to get in front of your ideal prospects if you leverage of these networks in a partnership arrangement by cross promoting each other’s services.
  2. Reconnect with previous clients – Studies have shown that it’s much easier to re-engage an existing client than a new one.   This is where your low-hanging fruit is!  Right NOW you have a great opportunity to reconnect with past clients and catch up with them.  Have a chat about what’s going on, whether they are meeting their expectations and goals on their own and offer to help support them to the next level of success. It would be a good idea to create a special package or incentive to acknowledge their commitment to you in the past and encourage them to take on your services once more.
  3. Networking – You must go fishing in the right pond!  The fish you are after is your ideal client. This means targeted, focused networking is an excellent way to get in front of a large group of your ideal clients that have already been gathered in one place.  A mistake many solopreneurs make is to go randomly attending networking events just because they can.  This can also be a huge waste of your time – and remember, your time is precious.  When you are confident in who your ideal prospect is, you can research exactly where this type of person ‘hangs’ out and only spend your time at events where they are congregating in large numbers.  When you show up, your intention is to be helpful, an informed resource, friendly and listening to how you can solve your prospects problems more than talking heaps about yourself.  A key to successful networking is QUICK follow up. Actually mark into your diary within the following 24 hours to do this.

Consistency in your marketing is much easier when you know where you are going and what you want. When you can almost taste your success, you’ll be prepared to put in whatever time is takes and come up with loads of creative ideas. Having clarity on your next step will grow your enthusiasm to a point where you become energized by your marketing efforts.  Other people pick up on this high energy – and you will attract others who want the same for themselves!

Implementation is the key – so which of these strategies will you action in your business this week?

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  • Revisit the qualities you want in your ideal client and their profile. Brainstorm everywhere you can think of that they hang out – for both their personal and professional needs, and both online and offline.   Pick out one or two key networking events where you can position yourself as a useful resource and increase visibility.
  • Gather all the information about your past clients. When did they last use your service?  (In fact I always recommend you keep this information about your past clients well maintained right from the start.) Block out a time to call and reconnect with them. Create a special re-enrolment offer.
  • Create a list of who has your ideal prospects before you and after you. Schedule time to meet with these potential joint venture partners to discuss how you can work together to serve each other’s community in a win, win, win situation.

 

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How Much Do You Really Want It?

How Much Do You Really Want It?

By on June 13, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset

How Much Do You Really Want It?

How Much Do You Really Want It?

Have you ever wanted something so badly but you couldn’t have it?

You wanted this thing so much it felt like something was tearing you up inside. Your desire was so strong that it hurt because you weren’t able to have what it was you wanted so desperately. Perhaps it was a house you had your eye on, or a prize in a competition, or holiday. Maybe there’s been a special someone you dreamed of being with that you never could.

Whatever it was for you that gave you that desperate aching in the pit of your stomach, this is the same feeling, the same irresistible longing that is necessary for you to own so that you reach your goals.

Many people say they want life to be different. They say they are serious about their dreams, their future and their possible lifestyle. But realistically very few possess this burning desire to achieve.  Successful people do whatever it takes, even if it’s uncomfortable. If this desire, this burning need to get your message out and help more people is missing, success will be hard to achieve.

So what IS the BIG reason you do what you do?

Let your answer sink in for a moment. Feel the power of the meaning of success for you.

It’s this feeling that you should start each day with. This is the feeling you must have constantly to achieve success.

Why?  Because let me tell you this: Success is NOT without its roadblocks and obstacles. You will meet with resistance. You will have people telling you ‘it’s crazy’. There WILL be times when you feel like throwing in the towel because it all feels too hard. These are the times when you must feel that burning desire inside.

Recently there were some activities that I was meeting resistance on. During a call with my mentor this week, it allowed me to re-ignite with the BIG reason I do what I do. I am so passionate about people being the best they can be and creating the life they dream of. I know this is possible for every one of you.  Is it always easy?  Heck no! But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  This ride is exhilarating and fun.

Just last week a friend married the love of his life after being on his own for well over 40 years. If he had given up on finding love, he would never have found the girl of his dreams.  I had another friend who had an idea for a business and 4 years went by until she found the missing piece and the money started flowing her way.

Both these people would have eventually given up if it had not been for their burning desire to achieve.

You have choices…. You can stay right where you are now (or worse) or you can decide to create a business that is prosperous and fulfilling.

For now, how much do you want it, whatever “it” means to you?

Do you merely wish you had it?

Or are you prepared to do whatever it takes to get it?

Let’s chat! You can share your current marketing challenges, and we’ll go over several options for a simple action plan that you can follow.

All you have to do is send me an email at fay@theaussiebusinesscoach.com for details.  Let’s talk soon !

 

 

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lazy marketing

Did You Get Lazy in Marketing? (If You Want More Clients, Do What You USED To Do)

By on June 6, 2011 in Blog, Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, productivity

lazy marketing

I’m going to be open and vulnerable here.  I’ve really let my fitness slide over the past 18 months while my business has been growing so much.  After our holidays, I decided “That’s it!” I wanted to get help to get me back into great shape. So I was thrilled to find that Mark, my favourite personal trainer had moved back into town while we had been away. I went straight down there and signed up! And I’m proud to say that my health and fitness has once more taken its rightful place at the top of my priorities.

While I was huffing and puffing my way through my workout this morning, Mark was telling me all the things he was doing to promote his new business and get the word out. And I got to give him some great tips on how to get more new clients that he hadn’t even thought about.

I began to see how keen and enthusiastic Mark was to do WHATEVER it takes to get out there in a big way. To tell the community about his awesome services, in a super excited kind of way.

What tends to happen to most people after being in business for themselves for a few years is they become lazy in marketing.  They rest on their laurels, and then often stop doing what they used to do to attract clients. Networking takes a back seat (like my fitness!); introductory offers stop; some no longer look for speaking opportunities like they used to.  As money starts to tighten, the marketing slows down too, and then confusion sets in as they discover their client pipeline is empty.

Oh, there’s always great excuses as to why these things aren’t happening. I’ll hear “I’ve tried that once and things are different now, it won’t work again,” or “I’m not interested in doing that any more,” or perhaps “That sounds too much like hard work.”  Someone I spoke to last week in fact was even beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t just give up, and return to employment.

While these excuses hang around, the well dries up and they are very thirsty!!! (This is NOT a fun feeling!  This is the beginning of worry, stress, financial strain and sleepless nights.)  Next, fear appears and they scurry for NEW ideas to use, or get attracted to the latest and greatest ‘thing’ that is the rage. Ever done that?   Always looking for new, exciting ways to reinvent the wheel, while ignoring the proven strategies behind.

I’m not saying new ideas aren’t good, but ignoring the tried and true, proven strategies is simply asking for trouble.  The new ideas don’t always create quick results. There is a learning curve that takes time to get new systems in place.

So rather than spending loads of money creating BRAND new strategies, often, by going back to what’s proven to work really well in the past is just the trick. It’s about going back to Marketing 101.  The very things we cover in our Marketing Action Plan.

Why reinvent the wheel when all the hard work has been done for you already, and it’s proven to work?

There’s two places you can be on this: You either have EXCUSES or you have RESULTS.

So, I would ask you:

  • What USED to work for you to get new clients, that you been UNWILLING to do recently?
  • Are there things you did regularly at the beginning that you no longer do now?
  • Where have you dropped the ball and become a little lazy?
  • In the early days, what was your best way to get new clients?
  • Are you doing this now?
  • Are you WILLING to do this now?


If you need to boost your client load now, then stop everything and take a look at your Marketing Action Plan. Which pieces of the plan are you implementing regularly and thoroughly? Has the consistency of your marketing slipped?

It’s time to start with the foundations again. And, it’s time to recommit. The funny thing is, when you recommit and reconnect with your clients, and you start doing these things again, they WORK. Then what you discover is, you start getting more clients, the bank account starts to get fat, and you begin to LIKE doing these things again. How FUN your marketing begins to be again.  This changes your whole demeanor. And, clients will instantly become magnetically attracted to you as a result. THEN, after the foundation is well and truly in place, new stuff can start to be added in. Have a go. It always works for me and my clients.

Now, if you’re struggling with what to do to fill your business right from the start, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and dependable. The Client Building Blueprint Home Study System avoids the “Shiny Bright Objects” and instead gives you piece by piece, the most important things to do so that you consistently build your community and constantly get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, and very easy to follow. So, you complete each step of the system before you move on to the next one.  There are tools, templates, scripts and examples are handed to you on a golden plate. Easy. You can get it here: Client Building Blueprint

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Procrastination

Write Blog Posts Without Getting ‘Writer’s Block’

By on May 23, 2011 in Blog, Branding, marketing

Procrastination

When people come to me as a small business coach, the thing they want most is to get more clients. It makes sense; without a flow of clients you can’t make the money you need for your lifestyle.  One of the tools for business that most folks get in place pretty quickly is their blog. And from that point on your business can sometimes feel like really hard work.

It might sound crazy coming from a room full of high achieving entrepreneurs, but one of the conversations we had over dinner with our Mastermind group recently was that over half of these solopreneurs still found themselves staring at a blank screen when it comes time to write their blog posts!  I bet that makes you feel a bit better doesn’t it now?  Don’t worry – it hits all of us at one stage or another – what I’m talking about is ‘Writer’s Block”.

Why is this one client attraction tool so difficult when there is no doubt about the depth of knowledge you have on your area of expertise? I’m going to recommend some ways to help you create a list as long as your arm. So long that you will never wonder what to write about again!

It’s easy for you as a small business owner to dismiss the power of your blog.  Instead you should understand that you can actually blog your way to the bank. Your blog is a key driver for traffic to your website.  Google loves fresh and relevant content. So by writing several new blog posts each week, you can easily see an improvement in your organic search rankings. You can check this out by tracking your site with www.Alexa.com . Your blog is the ‘hub’ of your small business. In fact, to get more clients and make more money, as my mentor says,  “all roads should lead to your blog”.  By this I mean that any published posts, links, articles etc should all include a link to your blog where you also have the ability to capture visitors’ details.

To help you to attract more readers your blog posts can be informative, inspirational or humourous.  If you include a little of each of these, you will touch all of the different personality types. Places to draw inspiration on what to write about is easier than you think. Here’s three of the best:

  • Listen to your clients!! This is so obvious that most business owners overlook it.  Read the comments your clients leave you on Facebook, read the emails they send in with questions, read carefully what they are saying in any comments they leave on your current blog posts. What questions do you always get asked when you are at networking events?  All of these places offer an opportunity for you to expand or clarify topics in your niche.
  • Check out sites such as www.yahoo.answers.com and industry forums to see what questions are being asked by your target audience and then write a blog post to answer them from your perspective.  Search www.ezinearticles.com for articles in your niche and look for those with the highest searches. This shows that the topic is popular, so you can write your own post about it.
  • Personal experiences provide you with a perfect opportunity to attract clients through your own compelling message. Write about the things that you are passionate about and relate that to your topic and your readers will devour your posts like irresistible hot bread.

After your content is decided, the next thing is to make sure you maximize it for the search engines.

Be sure to include several of your keywords or phrases throughout your blog post. ‘Stacking’ keywords will get you in trouble so be sure the keywords you use are relevant and used in context.

There is ONE more simple strategy I want to tell you about that will boost your organic rankings by effectively using your blog post. Rather than tell you about it, I want to show you an example…..

I want you to scan up through this blog post and notice there are at least four keywords that have been hyperlinked to other blog posts on my site. This is often referred to as internal linking. This strategy encourages readers to click on these hyperlinks and browse further into your site. By readers staying on your site for longer, Google will give you a ‘thumbs up’ for relevancy and this will boost your organic rankings.

Client Building Action Steps:

  • Set aside a regular time that you commit to writing at least 2 blog posts per week
  • Follow the blogs of leaders in your field and contribute to the comments
  • Research using the strategies above to make a list of 30 new blog post titles to have ready to go

You can now easily add your comment below and tell me if you found any of these tips helpful…

 What Did You Think?

Let us know your thoughts on today’s issue.
Post your comments below.

Remember – sharing is caring…

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Use Client Feedback for Small Business Success

By on May 17, 2011 in Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, Sales Skills

Imagine you spend time creating a program that you feel is just what your clients need only to find that no one buys or registers interest. You can’t understand why… it’s everything you know they need.  The thing is – it’s not about what your customers need, but rather what they want.   This is a critical factor in making sure you continue to keep your existing clients happy, and how you will attract new clients.

You might ask, “How do I know what they want?” There is no point guessing or trying to figure it out on your own, that’s for sure. This can be expensive and disheartening.  One of the easiest ways to find out what your clients want is by doing a survey or asking for feedback. Or in other words – simply ask!!

While I have been away these past weeks, I’ve been amazed and impressed with how many times I was asked to provide feedback on the service I received. This happened in our hotel in Kota Kinabulu (Malaysia) and again in several of the large stores I went shopping in while in Chicago. (A girl can’t be in Chicago without doing at least a little shopping!)  The Americans do generally tend to provide more personal attention because they rely on receiving tips as part of their income. Nevertheless, I was impressed with the way companies in both countries were striving to improve how they could better serve their clients by asking them what they wanted, what they liked and what thought should be improved.

The way we do business today is changing. It’s more and more important to remember that you are not your customer. This means that what you believe will be a great program, product or service, may in fact be a total flop if it isn’t exactly what your clients want. Or, it could be the small, simple changes to the way you do things will keep clients happier for longer.

By getting client feedback here’s what can happen:

You will know exactly where to invest your time and effort when creating new products and programs. I’m sure you all have heard of someone who still has a garage full of books or CD products they produced for their clients before asking them what they really wanted.

It becomes very easy to mirror exactly the language your clients use in their comments to you. You can then go ahead and create a sales page, or email series, and be speaking the exact words that will resonate with your ideal client. In fact, they’ll think you’ve been reading their mind. This will make a huge difference in your small business success.

Feedback is the breakfast of champions. A champion athlete won’t get better results if they ignore the tiny and often smallest changes that help to improve their performance. Unfortunately some small business professionals prefer to keep their head in the sand and see feedback as criticism. They get upset, shake their head in disbelief and generally dismiss with offence, any constructive comments they might receive about their clients’ business experience.  Don’t let this be you!

Be open to comment and constantly ask your clients how you can be of better service to them. You will be respected for your efforts. This alone will make you stand out from the crowd and you will get more clients.

As well as the more formal surveys or feedback forms, today you are fortunate to have the ability to ask clients to quickly jump over and leave you comments or feedback on Facebook. This is quick, easy and informal. It’s a great place for you to really take notice of what your clients are saying to you. You can easily ask questions each day as you post.  Things like:

“Who else has trouble with……”    “What would you most like to hear about ….”  “I’m thinking of teaching a class about X – what do you think?…. “

Client Building Action Steps:

  • Commit to asking at least ONE question to your audience on your Facebook page every week and look carefully at the language they come back to you with.
  • Decide on one other way you will get feedback from your existing clients. What questions will you ask, what service will you use (Survey Monkey is really easy!).
  • Get excited because your clients will have told you what product or program you need to create next!

Oh, and one last action step:  Pop below now and share with me what your biggest challenge in business is right now…

 

 

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Social Media – 3 Tips How to Manage Your Time

By on May 9, 2011 in Business Success, marketing

18 months ago, if you had told me I would be attracting new clients to my business from Facebook I would have said you were crazy!  Back then I was not a prolific user of Facebook. In fact, I rarely used it at all. So you can understand how dismayed and annoyed I was when I logged onto Facebook one day and discovered that there in my message box was an invitation from my nephew to his daughters first birthday.  “Who on earth sends an invitation to anyone through Facebook!” I blurted to Murray.  Well, haven’t times changed!

Now, of course, like so many, it’s one of my favourite and most effective ways of staying in touch with family, friends, my clients, business colleagues and people interested in what I do.

I’m now at the point where I can sometimes assume everyone else has a handle on Facebook and the other major social media streams. But as I speak with my clients, it seems that there is still a long way to go in helping everyone to be educated on the benefits and the ease of using Social Media to create credibility, visibility which will attract more clients and grow your business.

I have had months where I can directly attribute over $10 000 of income to Facebook alone. Like it or not, it is here to stay for the time being. Yes, there may be something else around the corner (there always is), but for now it’s important to embrace the fact that there are over half a billion users, and it MUST be seriously and strategically used as a potential way to get more clients to your business.

I read a great book recently “30 Minute Social Media Marketing” by Susan Gunelius.  I want to share some of the steps to getting started ‘right’.

1. Determine Your WHY and be disciplined

What do you want to get out of your social Web participation? Why are you doing it? Are you trying to generate direct sales? Are you trying to offer a form of customer service? Do you want to build relationships with customers and clients and boost loyalty? Which media is the most appropriate for the audience you are trying to target?   Your answers to these questions greatly affect the type of content you publish and the activities you participate in on the social Web.

I’m not sure if you’ve experienced something similar, but many people find themselves running all over the place…. You click on a link that catches your attention, then you find yourself on a new page and something else interests you here and before you know it; several hours have passed!  This is the reason you need discipline. It helps if you schedule a certain amount of time in your day, even set a timer if you need to.  In that limited time you want to check in, do what you need, and then get the heck out.

The time you need to spend will be determined by your focus and goals, but the important thing is to maintain the discipline and not get distracted.

2.  Know your audience:

Where does your target audience spend time online?  It can be overwhelming to try to create a presence on all social media platforms. Determine which is going to be the most effective for your audience and focus on building your presence deep here first.

What kind of content and conversations do the audience members get most vocal about? What kind of information do they want from you?  What do they dislike? Remember, you’re not just publishing marketing messages on the social Web. You need to find out what your audience wants and needs, so you can provide the kind of content they find useful and interesting. However, you also need to be personable, so they actually want to interact with you. Building relationships is one of the most valuable results you can get from effectively using Social Media.

3. Use the Tools Wisely!

I’ve mentioned how important it is to be disciplined and limit your time on social media; so when people see my presence they will often ask “Do you sit on there all day??” – The answer is simply no.  As well as interacting personally regularly throughout the day, I make great use of some tools that will leverage your time in this department.

I really love using Hootsuite but I will share others here with you as well. Hootsuite allows me to manage my personal Facebook profile, my business Fanpage, my Twitter account and my LinkedIn account from one central location. When I say central location, Hootsuite is a web-based application and you do not physically have to login to each individual social media site to “see” what is happening with your account. Hootsuite also has a app for smart phones that you can install on your phone. This allows you to literally manage your social media from anywhere!

Other social media management platforms include TweetDeck, Ping.fm, and a relative newcomer; Social Sprout.

You can never stop listening and learning. For success in social media marketing, you need to be flexible and accept that change is good.

Client Building Action Steps:

  • Identify what you desire from your marketing efforts
  • Use the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time posting non self promotional information and no more than 20% of your time on self promotional activities
  • Create a schedule – allocate specific times of your day to devote to social media marketing – and then stick to it!

Social media should be fun!  If you would still like to learn more about this incredibly simple way to market and grow your business, I’d like to invite you to get a copy of a special FR*EE report I’ve got especially for you. “Learn how to unleash the power of Facebook in your online business.”

Grab your copy:    ==<Click Here>==

 

 

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How To Easily Take Time Off From Your Business

By on May 2, 2011 in Business Success, mindset, productivity



 

As a good business coach and mentor it’s important for me to make sure you understand the importance of taking breaks that leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated as an individual.  Without this kind of personal fulfillment, your ability to constantly attract new clients will fade and your business success will be at risk.

Many people are bought up with the old beliefs that ‘working harder will mean more money’. And this is evident when so many people I speak to tie themselves to their desk for 10 or 12 hour days, week in week out. The thought patterns seems to be “I must work long and hard over many years before I get to a certain level or am ‘entitled’ to take time out of my business. “

You work your tail off and the minute you get to make a lot of money without working so hard, you get to feel guilty about that too!

This is a huge breakthrough that you have to overcome.

Here’s a word from Ron LeGrande who was able to attract clients like crazy -  “The less I do the more I make.” Another amazing marketing mentor Dan Sullivan once said “Time off is a prerequisite for success, not a reward for success.”

The old belief system is to work hard, work your tail of and then you get to be rewarded. This is the biggest pile of phooey that I know! It’s also one of the reasons I have such a passion to walk alongside you and let you see that you do have other options.

If you don’t believe me, work 12-14 hour days for a week and then go to the bank and tell the teller “Listen, I haven’t slept for this week, I’ve worked hard 24/7 – can I please deposit my hard work in the bank?” It just doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, it matters what results you create at the end of your work.

The point is, is there a book that is written somewhere that you can only make x dollars per hour?  No – so put yourself out there and create a simple marketing plan that allows you to get more clients in a way that you can make a lot of dollars and that is going to give you the income that will allow you to have the freedom you are wanting so badly.

 

I know right not it may seem an impossible dream to be able to have the money and time to take 3 or 4 weeks off and do some international travel or find a sleepy beach to hide out on for a while.

I have to be completely honest and say that even in the days when our main family income barely met our basic needs, it was the extra income from my home business that allowed us to have regular family holidays.

The secret is that our holiday breaks are a main focus.  They are the reason we wake up each day, the reason why we get past the challenges.  They are the FIRST things that get scheduled into our yearly planner.

The next phase is letting go. I know you think you need to do everything yourself, or that someone else can’t do the job as well as you can. These thoughts must be tossed out the window!  It’s important to establish a team that will support your business success. These are the people you can delegate current projects and tasks to so that business doesn’t come to a stand still while you are away.

One of the biggest reasons you may be resistant to letting go is that you’ve tried it in the past, and not had such great results.  I can understand that – I’ve experienced that too.  As time has gone by, here is what I’ve learnt as the essential tips to effective delegation:

  • Explain exactly what needs to be done
  • Be certain you are understood
  • Explain why you want it done how you are telling them
  • Teach them how to do it – without micro-managing
  • Be sure they understand the ‘how to’ process
  • Set the deadline (ASAP is NOT a deadline)
  • Have an agreement to the time and method

Your Action Steps:

  • Make sure you have regular breaks scheduled into your annual planner.
  • Build your marketing plans so that important dates and events are scheduled around your break.
  • Be sure to delegate to team members who can support you to implement current projects while you are away.

 

If you implement these simple action steps you will reap the rewards of both personal rejuvenation and business success!

 

 

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