Monday, 16 December 2013

Festive posting

Some of my clients have questioned whether they should continue to post business tips over the festive season.  Their rationale is that people will not be in business 'mode', but will be busy partying and taking a break.

This is true, but often when we are less pressurised we have more time to browse around.  I guarantee there will be plenty of people visiting their Twitter feed, updating their Facebook profiles and taking the time out to bring their LinkedIn profile up to date.  Simply because they are relaxed people are more likely to read more and take on board good value information.

It's probably not the time to sell your stuff or launch a new offer (although New Year is a good time for special deals) - but is a great time to remind people of your knowledge-based blogs and to give away 'How to ...' documents and free ebooks, when people have a bit more time to actually look at what they download.

A 12 days of Christmas tips series with a bit of a festive slant will attract attention or a countdown to 2014 for the last 10 days of December with a thought for each day will get people looking for the next one (so make sure they all go somewhere they're easy to find - like your Facebook Page).

If you're writing a blog focus on the issues that businesses are faced with around the holiday season and share your knowledge to help others.  The occasional Christmas anecdote to demonstrate your point will encourage reading - we all love stories.

So the answer to whether to post or not over the festive season is - yes, do post, but make sure the content of everything you post is appropriate to the season and save those tempting offers for the New Year.

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Reaching the right people

When you're marketing online it's easy to think that simply putting a lot of information out will make you highly visible and bring lots of eager customers to your door.  Unfortunately, that's not true.

It IS important to be visible, but if you're not visible in the places where your target audience are looking, you might as well not bother.

In the days before the world wide web, people depended on advertising in the press and direct mail.  You wouldn't waste time sending direct mail for products that therapists would be interested in to car manufacturing companies; nor would you expect to get results from advertising in an industry journal for personnel managers if you were trying to reach plumbers.

The same applies online.  Just because there are lots of platforms where people are active, doesn't mean that they are all the right forums.  Some of them may be, but you need to do your homework and find out who is looking in each place before investing time and effort in promoting yourself.

For instance, if you're selling direct to consumers you might find Facebook a good place to be active, whereas if you're targeting the corporate market LinkedIn may be a better bet.  If you're selling products to consumers having them on Pinterest with quirky comments could also be an excellent place to put your items.

However, just posting on any of these platforms isn't enough.  You'll need a Facebook Page and will need to work hard getting people to come along and Like it.  The power of LinkedIn is in the groups and you can't just go in and sell, you'll need to spend time getting known and demonstrating your expertise.  Even though Pinterest may appear to be a big online pinboard, you do need to keep your boards fresh and organise them well.

Instead of going for quantity, aim for quality - talking to just a few perfect customers means you'll follow a much more direct route to getting new clients.  This means you can invest your time in marketing with complete focus.

So who exactly are you trying to attract?  Where do you find them?  What are their problems and how can you solve them?

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

One size does NOT fit all

Social media sites are many - and you could spend all day, every day trying to keep up with all the opportunities they offer you to present your business profile.  So how do you choose where to direct your efforts?

There's a really simple answer - find out where your ideal client hangs out and make yourself visible there.

Now, that seems pretty easy and logical, but in reality you're going to have to do some serious work.

Here is your checklist to help you to pick your platform:


  1. Decide what your ideal client looks like.  Not just a general description - 'Lawyers', but very specific details of the client 'Lawyers between 30-45 who specialise in company law and are either a partner in their firm or are likely to become so shortly.'  You can take this further by describing the size of the firm they work for, their annual fee-earning level, the type of car they drive, the type of client they work for, etc.
  2. Be very clear about what you can do for these people that will make a difference to them - and how.
  3. Find out which groups, forums, social media platforms, institutions and associations they are active in.
  4. Join the groups and forums they are active in, offer to speak at their institution or association events to share your expert knowledge.  This is NOT about selling your services, but about sharing your insights and helping people as much as possible with advice, tips and suggestions.
If you are targeting people who are selling to consumers you'll often find them on their Facebook Page and they will appreciate you joining their community and contributing to it to help them to keep it live.

If you are targeting business-to-business organisations you are probably going to find them on LinkedIn - and will need to do some research into which groups they are most likely to be in.  If you can join the group, respond on threads and offer advice you'll soon get noticed.

If you are trying to reach creative people you may find them on Pinterest and can repin their designs and choices to make them aware of you, as well as connecting with them elsewhere.

There are many activities that you could engage in - but the key to everything is to really know who you are trying to connect to inside out, it will make finding them much easier!


Monday, 2 September 2013

Social media for business

There are opposing views about whether it's OK to use social media for business.

Of course, it's OK, there are no rules that say otherwise, but does it work?

Camp One says social media should only be used for 'social' activities and it's all about getting to know people, not selling your stuff.

Camp Two says that social media is a great way to promote your business, products, services, etc. and is not just social.

So who is right?  And who is wrong?

Camp One is right because it IS all about getting to know people and building relationships, not selling.

Camp Two is also right because social media is an excellent way to promote your business, products and services.

Camp One is wrong that social media should only be used for social activities - or LinkedIn would have failed back in 2003.

Camp Two is wrong in that if you ONLY promote your business etc. people will switch off.  Nobody wants to be sold at.

Confused?  No wonder!

It depends on what you are trying to achieve.  There are a number of purposes for using social media:


  • To become a thought-leader
  • To encourage people to visit your website
  • To help people learn more
  • To provide opportunities
  • To get to know other people who may become clients, partners or advocates

These are not all exclusive, but each outcome needs to be approached in a different way, choosing the material and platforms that will get you the best results.

If you just keep posting 'buy our stuff', 'special offer on widgets; just $10 for 5000', 'we offer fantastic consultancy services for small business owners', you'll soon lose followers on Twitter, and won't get engagement on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and others.

However, if you post more engaging content e.g. 'Did you know that the auto industry uses 735.203 widgets an hour across the UK?' - with a link to an interesting blog on this subject, most people will:

a) read the post
b) click the link
c) follow/connect with you

Tips, advice, links, controversial statements, challenging concepts, interesting blogs and intelligent comments on other people's posts all attract attention and get links clicked.  (So don't forget to put relevant links into your posts so people can find out more on your website).

Broadcast only is not good news - engagement and conversation is the only way you'll start building relationships.  So, leave the camp and go out exploring in the social media forest!




Monday, 5 August 2013

Create systems that succeed

Online marketing is as much about systems as it is about activity.  Of course, you need to be active, but without a system that is sustainable you'll find your activity becomes inconsistent and then fades away.

The secret of a system is to plan what you want to achieve and work backwards.  For example:


  • If you want to increase the number of followers you have on Twitter from 100 to 200, what do you have to do and how often to achieve that?  
  • If you want to appear in more LinkedIn searches, what do you need to change on your profile and what activities will affect that outcome?
  • If you want 500 people to sign up for your free report how can your persuade them to do so?


Once you have identified what needs to be done the next step is to work out how long these things will take to do and how often you will need to repeat them if they are things that are ongoing activities.  For instance:


  • To increase your followers on Twitter you need to follow more people yourself - and they need to be the right people.  This means that you need to search for appropriate people and follow - say 20 new people - each day.
  • To appear in more LinkedIn searches you will need to optimise your profile and to be more active in the groups where your target market are found.  Optimisation is a one-off activity so you will need to set aside half an hour to do that; activity in groups is a regular activity and you'll need to do that two or three times a week.
  • Getting people to sign up for your report means tell more people about it, promote it on social media, ensure it's highly visible on your website, maybe in a pop-up and add it to your email signature and, perhaps, your business card.

Now you know WHAT to do, work out how long this will take and - this is the important bit - put appointments in your diary to block out the time and pop reminders up to ensure you don't let things slide.

After a while this will all become part of your daily routine and will just be how you work.  The best systems are habits that are almost automatic.

Monday, 3 June 2013

Three and a half simple steps to a successful online marketing system

If you're trying to use online marketing without spending hours in front of your computer then you'll love this system.  It's all about one blog going MUCH further than simply being posted on your blog page.

When you've put the effort into writing a blog it's madness to just post it on your website and then maybe send a couple of tweets out when it can work so much harder for you.

Here's what you need

  • A blog facility on your website (or on a blogging platform like this)
  • A Twitter account
  • A Facebook Page
  • A LinkedIn account (optimised)
  • A Hootsuite account (if you really want to save time it's worth investing US$9.99 a month in a Pro account)
  • A MailChimp account
Here's how it works

Step 1:  
Write a blog of around 300-500 words on a subject you're an expert on and share your knowledge.  Extract 3-7 soundbites from the blog

Step 2: 
Post the soundbites - with the blog URL to your Twitter, Facebook Page and LinkedIn account using Hootsuite (to save time and effort).  Spread them out over the course of a day or two.
Repost these every 2-4 weeks to keep traffic coming to your blog and website

Step 3:
Once a month take the best blog and create a newsletter in MailChimp.  Add titles and links for other blogs posted during the month and add your offer, promotions, etc to the end.  Email it to your list.

Step 3½:
Use the MailChimp sign up form on your website or blog to gather more people onto your list.

Because you're adding massive value by sharing your expertise people will appreciate your blogs, posts and newsletters and your list and reputation will grow. 

Monday, 22 April 2013

How many posts are 'too many'?

I post a lot to social media for my business and when I tell people that I post 15-20 times a day, some people are surprised.  Many ask me 'Don't people get fed up with so many messages?'  My answer is usually to ask them a question.

'Do you sit in front of your computer all day watching every post?'

The answer is usually 'Of course not'.  Nobody has the time, certainly not people with a business to run, a job to do and a family to look after.  Yes, most people look at their social media on the run, via mobile phones, tablets, notebooks and so on, but how long does it take for one post to disappear down the list?  Usually no more than a couple of minutes, and the more people your connected with the faster a post disappears into oblivion!

As long as you spread your posts out throughout the day few people will see more than one or two.  Obviously, if you post 10 posts at a time, people get irritated.

If your posts have value and offer advice, tips, good sense and useful information people will be happy to read, retweet, share or promote them.  If they are inconsequential trivia about:


  • What you're eating/drinking
  • How bored/tired/upset you are
  • Your social life and activities

People won't have more than a passing interest and are unlikely to respond in business mode.  If you're trying to use online marketing as a business tool, then you need to have some solid content with real value to your readers.

I'm not suggesting you should never post any social comments or chat to other people in your online networks, but choose your platform carefully and think about what you say - particularly if your Twitter feed happens to be streaming on your website.  When business people come to your website 'I'm just off to take the dog for a walk' may not be what they expect to read; unless you're a professional dog walker and even then you should be posting something that promotes you better, e.g.

Taking my 3 canine charges for a great walk along a bridleway where they can explore interesting smells in the hedgerows. [link to your website services page].

Use the tools available - such as Hootsuite - to post to your Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and other social media accounts and schedule your knowledge based content so you aren't tied to your computer.  This kind of material can be recycled so if you invest some time developing it until you have enough posts to last a month, most of this can be used again.  Nobody will remember what you posted last week, let alone what you posted last month.

Give good value information and people will appreciate your posts.

Monday, 15 April 2013

Social media - to automate or not?


The issue of automation is one of those things that generates lively debates and there are many people who think it is completely false to use automated systems to post for you.  In a business world where one of the key words is 'authentic' it simply goes against the grain.

On the other side of the fence are a band of people who think that it's unrealistic to expect a business person to be tied to the computer for enough time to post regularly throughout the day.  They quote things like 'if we weren't using tools like this we'd still be washing clothes by hand and writing everything by hand.'

There is a case for both.

You need to be authentic - you should only post material that reflects you, your business and your beliefs.

You have a business to run and it is immensely time-consuming to be on social media all the time.

However, there is a happy medium - where you can get the best of both worlds.  Let's look at how this might work.

If you use social media as a marketing tool part of your activity is likely to be sharing your knowledge in the form of tips and advice.  You need to generate this material so it reflects your expertise and knowledge, but you don't need to write each tip out again and again.  This is where, once you have a bank of information, it's reasonable to use an automated system to share this on your main social media platforms.

Most of us repeat our core messages frequently, it's how people get to know what our expertise is.  To rewrite the same information over and over would be a bit like writing 100 lines in school - a punishment, with little point!

So messages that are not topical and are simply sharing information can be automated.

However, if you only broadcast people will tune you out.  This means that you do need to monitor your various social media feeds regularly and respond and engage with people.  If this is just a few minutes once or twice a day, it's better than not at all.  I do my social media at the same time I look at my email - it's all part of my communication activity.

There's a place for both automated posts and live interaction - as long as you use them intelligently.





Monday, 18 March 2013

Who inspires you?

If you want to help people it's important to share your thoughts, knowledge and skills.  However, sometimes it's hard to feel inspired when you sit down to write.

I like Sarah Arrow's blog where she quotes Peter DeVries 'I only write when I'm inspired, and I make sure I'm inspired every morning at 9am'.  What inspires you?  Do you know?

In today's busy world many of us simply don't have time to think.  We process information, make decisions, analyse situations, but don't stop to think creatively.

A great place to start is to find blogs that you really like to read regularly.  My personal favourites are Seth Godin, Dinah Liversidge and Michel Fortin, just because they give me food for thought and start me thinking in a different way to my normal logical left-brain approach.

But it doesn't have to be a blog, it could be a YouTube video, an AudioBoo recording, a piece of music or - dare I suggest it - a real book!  A friend of mine used to say "I need to read something motivational every morning for about 20 minutes to have a really good day."  Her take on motivational included people like Zig Ziglar and Morris Goodman.  I know other people who swear by Tony Robbins, Tom Peters and Joe Vitale; everyone has their favourite stimuli.

If this is something you haven't discovered yet, the secret is to find the people who resonate with you and explore their thoughts regularly.  You'll find it triggers ideas, your own spin on things and gets those creative juices flowing.  When you start to see things from a different perspective your own creativity will blossom.

Don't ever underestimate the value of just sitting and thinking - or even daydreaming - it will power your progress and performance!

Monday, 25 February 2013

Don't be a one-way street!

If you're using social media for marketing then you should be:


  • Creating and publishing content that has value for your readers - e.g. hints, tips, advice
  • Encouraging people to visit your website by giving them a reason to go there - e.g. interesting content, useful information
  • Telling people what they could achieve with a little help (subtle promotion) - teaser posts that dangle a possibility.

If you've been mentally adding a satisfying tick to each of these, then what about these activities?


  • Retweeting or sharing posts from other people that you find interesting or of value.
  • Commenting on other people's posts to add value.
  • Promoting other people's blogs that you've liked.
  • Getting into conversation about something that interests you.
  • Demonstrating you're human!
Of course, the first batch of activities require a little effort to create the content, but then this can be reused and posted automatically using a scheduling tool (like Hootsuite).  The second list requires you to be active in real time and to make the effort to read content, posts and blogs and comment or respond in some way.

If you're wailing "I'm too busy"; you are telling me that you're too busy to market your business.  This is all part of your marketing activity and need not take more than 10 minutes a day.  The problem is that, if you only send information out and don't interact, people can get fed-up with trying to communicate with a 'Broadcast system'.

Most businesses are built on relationships and you can't have a relationship with an automated system.  It doesn't mean you shouldn't use one; it does mean you shouldn't ONLY use it.  Start building your relationships and people will not only connect, but, in time will also recommend and refer.

Monday, 28 January 2013

Is social media a marketing tool?

The views on how social media should be used are wide-ranging from 'it's a social network and people don't want to be sold at' to 'it's a great way to get your marketing message out to a huge audience'.  I think both are right!

Although some social media networks are more business-oriented, such as Linked In, nobody wants to be sold at; you don't, I don't, so why would anyone else?  However, marketing is not just sales, it encompasses education, knowledge sharing, information and opportunities.

The secret is to take the time to get to know the social media platforms you use and build your network on them up. Providing good quality information in a form that is appropriate to the platform is an excellent way to develop your reputation as an expert.  Facebook is fun, personal and light-hearted, whilst Linked In is more business focused, Pinterest is highly visual and Twitter is focused on the short, highly focused bite-sized comments.

Choose your social media platforms and get to know them and the people you connect with and you'll find that most people appreciate good quality information.

Having a social media strategy regarding what you post, where, when and how often is essential and, even if you are using it for marketing it's important to interact with people.  If they comment or connect with you, respond, don't just be a broadcast-only person.

Look at the comments on your Twitter feed, Facebook wall, Linked In status update feed etc.  Be generous in retweeting, recommending, liking and generally acknowledging  content you like or have something to say about. Get involved - it need not take hours, a few minutes a couple of times a day should be enough.

When you've developed your presence people won't mind if you occasionally post special offers, teasers (find out how to ... or did you know that ...) that link back to your website.

Make sure that your short posts connect with more in-depth information on your website or blog.  Capture interested people with an offer of a free report or tips sheet and your list will grow, giving you a database to whom you can send more marketing messages.

Social media is a marketing tool, if you use it intelligently as a funnel to bring the people who have an interest in your products and services to your website.




Monday, 14 January 2013

7 Steps to Better Blogs


If you want to use the internet to market your business effectively you need to become a blogger.

Why?

Because:

  • If your blog is on your website you’ll be adding fresh and relevant content – which the search engines love.

  • If your blog is a stand-alone – like this one – you’re creating an online presence that develops an information bank around your area of expertise and will help you to be found by the search engines.

  • If you search out other people who blog to the same kind of audience as you, but are not in competition (perhaps in an allied business) you can guest blog on each other’s blogs and reach a much bigger audience.

Tips to help you to blog better

  1. Pick up a pen and a piece of paper and write a list of subjects that you could write blogs about.  Keep them related to your area of expertise.  Having a focus will help you to get started.
  2. Take each subject and jot down a list of points you want to make about that subject then organise these into a logical order.  A structure to write around will make writing easier.
  3. When you’re writing try to keep it as concise and focused as possible.  People lose interest in long rambling posts.
  4. Write your item first then create the headline.  It’s best to write several headlines before you find one that works.  Writing guru, Ted Nicholas, says you should spend 80% of your time on the headline and only 20% on the article.  If your headline isn’t good people won’t be interested enough to read the blog.
  5. Write a list of 3-5 key terms that you think people will search for that your blog addresses.  These should be included somewhere in the blog if possible – and they should also form the tags or labels that you attach to the blog.
  6. Get into the habit of writing weekly until you just do it.  Set aside a regular time and day to do this.
  7. Learn to edit.  A good way to do this is to write and then leave it for a day or two before posting, you often see it more objectively and can trim and sharpen it up effectively.  Alternatively, get a friend or colleague to give you some honest feedback.

You don’t have to write perfect English to be a good blogger, but it’s wise to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation so that you don’t turn people off.  I often write in Word and use the checkers there, before posting a text version into my blog.

Consistency is the key – happy blogging!


Monday, 7 January 2013

Online marketing that works

People get confused about Online Marketing, "Is that social media?" I get asked.  The answer is that social media plays a part in online marketing, but there's more to it than that.  The key to success is to have a strategy to share your knowledge and raise your profile in a number of online locations.

So what should be included in your online marketing portfolio?


  • Social media - but don't just put information everywhere you can find, choose the networks where your target audience hang out and then post information that those people want.
  • Blogs - your own, where you can share your knowledge, give advice, provide tips and 'how to' items, and other people's blogs either by intelligent comments in related subjects or by guest blogging.  Don't overlook inviting people with a similar target market to yours to guest blog for you.  They'll promote it to their followers who will learn about your expertise at the same time.
  • Articles - placing appropriate articles on sites such as ezine Articles is a great way to raise your profile, but remember they need to be unique for each post.  It's worth submitting articles to the online journals that your target market reads too.
  • Newsletters - it's rare that people will voluntarily sign up for a newsletter on your website, but if you offer them a tempting report or 'How to ...' download they are usually willing to part with their contact details.  A well-written, lively, focused - and short - newsletter is a great way to keep those people warm, until they're ready to buy what you're offering.
  • Reports and White Papers - a report or white paper is simply a collection of information on a specific subject that explores the current thinking, research, state-of-play and can position you as a thought leader.  However, remember to keep a check on the reports or white papers you offer to ensure they continue to be up-to-date.
  • Ebooks - Creating an ebook around your area of expertise is a great way to gain a reputation as an expert.  If you get it published on Amazon for Kindle too you'll be opening it up to a huge marketplace. 
  • Elearning material - If you know how to put together courses that can be shared using either video clips, pdf files or webinars then you've got a valuable tool to engage people.  You can offer free tasters to tempt people to sign up for a paid programme.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but certainly it reaches far beyond Facebook, Twitter and Linked In!