Is your profile optimised?

LinkedIn was originally a platform set up to provide employers and job hunters with a means of getting connected and, through their intermediate connections, to create a ‘warm’ referral.  Then, with the advent of Facebook, the LinkedIn managers stepped things up to compete on the social spectrum.

Even though LinkedIn was bought by Microsoft a couple of years ago and has had a facelift, the personal profile still resembles a CV.  If you’re aiming to get a job or get head-hunted, that’s great, but if you’re an employee or a business owner, it’s less helpful.

Each of these groups of people will have a different viewpoint on what they want from their LinkedIn profile.  That means that optimising your profile will require different strategies.  There are a few common issues though:

1. Don’t add anything to your name.  If you’re Robert Smith, but everyone calls you Rob, then put Rob Smith.  If you have a PhD (of which you should definitely be proud), you don’t need to put that on the end of your name (or in front of it).  Dr is a title, like Mr or Ms and you wouldn’t put Mr Rob Smith.  Use the name people would introduce you by in a face-to-face meeting. DO put your own name – not your business name or anything that isn’t your name.  That’s what the professional headline is all about.
2. Your professional headline is that line of text that comes under your name.  You have 120 characters to get people’s attention – use them wisely!
3. Your photograph should be a headshot – not a full length or even a head and chest shot.  Remember that when it becomes avatar size it will become unrecognisable if your face is any smaller than the full frame size. Aim for ‘friendly and approachable’ (that means smile) and look directly at the camera.  If you want to be seen as professional, invest in a decent photograph.  Don’t crop a party shot or a photo with other people in – it just looks amateurish and, if you want to use LinkedIn properly you don’t want that image.
4. Write something in your summary.  It’s an opportunity to make even more of an impact.  You’ve got 2000 characters to play with – use them!
5. Write in the first person (I), not in the third person (Rob).  If you use the 3rd person it sounds a little pompous – or as though someone else has written your profile!

Job hunters

If you’re looking for a job decide what kind of role you are aiming for and optimise your profile with that in mind.
Clearly if your current employer doesn’t yet know you’re looking to move, you will need to be circumspect about what you say.  That doesn’t mean you can’t ensure your summary and the text under your current and previous roles focuses on the skills you have under your belt that are relevant to your perfect job.

Employees

If you’re an employee and not actively job-hunting you have a balancing act to achieve.  As it is a personal profile your profile needs to be about you, but it will win you lots of brownie points if you include some positive information about your employer’s business too.  Clearly if you’re the marketing manager or director you might want to read the next bit.

Business owners

If you own your own business your LinkedIn profile is a marketing tool.  However, remember that people are not interested in what you DO, they’re interested in what they GET, so make sure you write about benefits, rather than products or services.
Use your key words (no need for keyword stuffing though) and remember that, with millions of people on LinkedIn every day, your LinkedIn profile is likely to rank higher than your own website in searches.

Make your website work harder

Here’s one way to make your website more current and engaging – schedule new seasonal copy each month.  This may sound onerous, but it doesn’t have to be.

The secret is a little planning – have a monthly schedule set up so you know what the subject of your fresh content will be.  In some cases you can even write this material ahead of time and give it to your web people or someone in-house to upload on a specified date each month.

You’ll need to identify a small amount of copy to change.  Most websites have an introductory paragraph or two somewhere near the top of their home page – this is ideal.

Corporate v. personal

It doesn’t matter how big your organisation is, your reader is an individual.  The more you can speak directly to them, the better they’ll engage with your website – that means they’ll stay around longer, explore further, take more on board.

Here’s an example:

Corporate

We offer highly professional accounting services to businesses of all sizes.  Ask us about Tax, Payroll services, auditing and anything to do with business finance.

Personal

When you need help with your business finances you’ll want someone who understands what you’re up against.  You’ll find our team are friendly, helpful and live in the real world.  Don’t be afraid to ask any question (even if you think it’s a silly one – we don’t expect you to be an expert in accounting stuff – that’s our job!)

That’s longer, but much more accessible and personal.

Now to change it up for different months:

January

The last thing you want to think about over the festive season is business finance – but now it’s January and time to look forwards.  If you’re planning to grow your business, let our friendly team help you to get your financial planning sorted out so you can get the year off to a great start.

Imagine how much better your connection to the reader will be with something tailored and focused on them.

Just changing a little piece of text once a month will make a huge difference to your website – and will put you ahead of your competitors.

And a small P.S.  When your website is due for an update – take a look at the copy throughout – is it reader-focused or all about you and your company?

What makes a good newsletter?

Quite a few of my clients question whether a newsletter is worth doing.  There’s no hard and fast answer to this, it depends!

I don’t recommend a newsletter should be sent, just because everyone else is doing that.  There are very few really good newsletters these days – and to keep subscribers, your newsletter needs to deliver value in EVERY issue.

There are plenty of blogs about what NOT to write in a newsletter (tip: hit the Newsletters category on the right to read some of them), but what ensures your readership stays connected and actually reads them?

Lead with value

What is value?  For most readers it’s something that will help them in some way.

This might be a free download that provides a checklist or some tips around your area of expertise.  It might be sharing your knowledge to make life easier or recommending contacts that have given you great service – with details of how.

It might also be on opportunity to join a free webinar, watch a ‘how to …’ video or attend an event of value (obviously geography may influence this).  It doesn’t have to be your material, but might be from someone you really rate.

3 tips

1. Spend some time on creating a compelling headline (and use this for your newsletter subject line too).
2. Don’t make your lead item too long – everyone is time poor and they need to ‘get it’ quickly.  The longer it is, the fewer people will read it.
3. Make sure there is real value for your reader.

Add an offer or promotion

The second item can be a special offer, just for your newsletter readers or promotion of a product or service that you want people to know about.

If you make an offer – make it a real one.  Don’t be tempted to boost the ‘actual price’ and then discount it to what you usually charge – someone will catch you out!

This is a good way to promote products and services that fewer people are aware of, even if you don’t want to offer a discount.

3 tips

1. Keep this item short, 2-3 paragraphs at the most.
2. Include a short testimonial from a client who loved whatever you’re promoting.  Third party testimonials are very powerful.
3. Don’t forget to include a call to action – and a link to where they can take action.

Something personal

Make your newsletter readers feel like you’re talking directly to them.

3 tips

1. Use a program that allows you to personalise the salutation.  If you can start off with ‘Dear Jo’ or ‘Hi Alan’ rather than a global ‘Hello everyone’ or no salutation at all, you’ll get more engagement up front where it matters.
2. Tell a story – if you want to add something about what’s happening in your company, tell it as a story (and it comes last, not first).
3. Always address your comments to ‘you’, not’ ‘you all’ or ‘everyone’.  Make your tone friendly and personal.

And one final tip: plan ahead.  The more planning you do the less likely it is you’ll keep putting off this month’s newsletter!  Get your offers and promotions planned for the year and have the lead item subject in mind.

Good luck with creating great newsletters that build your reputation as an expert.

Talking to or talking at?

When social media really got going with Facebook and Twitter (and eventually LinkedIn), everyone was excited about these new tools that allowed them to connect with and talk to anybody.

It was more than just messaging people, it was enabling conversation between anyone who was interested in joining in.  But things have changed.

Today most people are less interested in getting into a conversation – they’re more interested in telling people about themselves and their lives.  There’s much less in the way of conversation, more people ‘like’ posts or ‘retweet’ than actually respond.  We’re becoming a broadcast world.

Typical posts include:

Sales pitches from business people

Some are more subtle than others ranging from promotion to outright ‘buy this now’ posts – and I admit to having bought from sponsored posts (with varied results from ‘Wow’ to ‘disappointing’)!  There are advantages to this for the reader as it opens you to information and offers you may otherwise not have seen.

‘This is my life’

I’ve seen people who are in a bad place getting amazing support from their online friends, and some very funny images and comments from quirky individuals – but also some tedious posts that would be better not shared in a public forum.  If you share the micro-detail of your life, consider whether it’s something you would want to read on someone else’s profile – especially someone you may not know very well.

Rants

It’s always good to let off steam and online forums are good places to find like-minded people.  Unfortunately, not everyone thinks and rereads what they’ve written before hitting the ‘publish’ button.  Some people forget that their boss/partner/children/parent/best friend may read their comments.  While that may not be an issue, it could impact on your reputation and relationships if you haven’t held back – and those nearest and dearest (or that pay your salary) are in the firing line.

Sharing of other people’s posts

There are lots of thoughtful, funny, interesting posts that appear on various social media – these include everything from cat videos to amazing feats of artistry.  The popular ones keep popping up again and again as everyone likes and shares.  Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with sharing something you think others will appreciate, but be selective.  If you share 20 posts a day, some of your connections may get frustrated if their phone alert pings every few minutes with another non-urgent post.

Requests for help

This is one place social media really comes into its own.  If you’re looking for information or advice, social media is an excellent forum to consult.  You’ll get a wide range of responses, from really useful to somewhat flippant, but almost always there will be a few nuggets of gold in there.

If you do ask for help – remember to thank those who offer it and be willing to return the favour for others by making the effort to help a few people as part of your social media strategy.

I’m not suggesting that NOBODY has conversations on social media – but they are in the minority.  So take a look at your social media activity – are you a broadcaster, a lurker or a conversationalist?

Multipurpose writing

When you write an article there are many applications for your carefully constructed article.  Don’t miss out on getting the last drop of value from everything you write.

Let’s blow some misconceptions away first.

An article has to be quite long

You don’t need to write 1000 words for a piece to be considered an article or a blog.  I’ve seen blogs as short as 70 words!  Aim at around 300 words for starters.  If you find you have more things to say then carry on until you’ve said what you have to say.

You need to be a great writer

You should write correct English and use good grammar and punctuation – but that’s what the spell, grammar, punctuation checkers are for!  If you can talk about your subject, you can write about it.
 

You need to use formal language

The more formal your language the less energy your article will have.  Correct grammar doesn’t mean boring!  Aim to write more like you speak than the way your English teacher dictated.  Read your work aloud – you’ll soon find what works and what doesn’t.

OK so you’ve got 300 words – now what?

• Post it on your blog
• Add it as an article on any social media profiles where you’re active (LinkedIn is the obvious one, but it could be a long post on your Facebook Page).
• Take quotes out of it and use them as social media posts – linked to your blog post.
• Save it up and maybe put it with other articles you’ll write to create an ebook.  You can give this away as an addition to any written proposals that go to clients or as a thank-you for new clients or you could use it as a lead magnet. 
• Look at the journals and industry publications that your clients read, would they be interested in it as an article?  (You will need to edit it a bit and rewrite it so it’s not a carbon copy of your blog, but that shouldn’t take too long.)
• Break it up and use it as an email campaign.
• Use it as the lead item in your newsletter.

One small article can go a long, long way.  So that time you spent writing your 300 or so words will keep on marketing your business in all kinds of ways!

Perfect clients

One of things that small business owners struggle with is identifying exactly who they can best serve.  In fact, quite a few bigger organisations haven’t really nailed down their ideal customer, either.

It looks pretty straightforward, until you sit down and try to write that all important client profile.  Then you’ll almost certainly get diverted by all the different types of customer you could help.  I’m not suggesting that there’s only one perfect client – but you can’t be everything to everyone.

Why is it important?

I have lost count of the people I’ve met networking who, when asked what an ideal referral would be, say ‘Anyone who wants what I do’.

There’s nothing in that statement that will ring any bells with me.  Who do I know who looks like an ‘anybody’?  Answer – lots of people – so it’s much too big a task for me to tackle.  I need more details or at least a few key words. 

For instance, when I met a recruitment consultant who was looking for a junior hedge fund manager, I took action – because I knew someone who wanted to work with hedge funds.  If she’d said ‘Anyone who is looking for a job’ I wouldn’t have done anything as I wouldn’t have joined up the dots.

Make it easy for people to help you.

There’s another reason too – and one which is much more exciting!

When you know exactly what your ideal client looks like you’ll find that people/companies that match your ideal profile are attracted to you.  That means that marketing gets easier and more referrals flow your way.

When you are up front about who you want to work with people who match your perfect customer will start to self-identify.  Especially if you include the kind of clients you want to help on your website and on your LinkedIn profile and company page.

How to identify your ideal client

Consider the clients you’ve worked for in the past.

• Who did you really enjoy working with?  
• Who loved what you did for them and why?  
• What problems did you solve for them?

That’s probably a good template for an ideal client for starters.  The bonus is that you’ll end up working with people who value what you do, doing work you enjoy.

If you need more help with your ideal client profile download the Perfect Client worksheet from the Treasure Chest (it’s free)!

Writing a book for non-authors

Being the author of a book gives you an edge.  If you’ve written a book and your competitor hasn’t, it can make a difference.  You have that additional authority as a thought-leader in your industry.

But what do you do if you are not a natural writer?

If your grammar and punctuation are best described as ‘variable’ or your spelling is pants, does that mean this isn’t an option for you?

There are always ways around the non-writer problem!

1. Does it have to be you?  Is there someone else in your business who could put a draft together?
2. I’ve written books with co-authors who haven’t written a word – but they’ve talked a lot!  Could you talk to someone (or record your thoughts) so they could put your words into writing?
3. You could outsource it.  There are plenty of people who will ghost write your book (we do this for some clients).  It costs more, but it depends on how much influence you think it could have and whether investing in a ghost writer would be offset by a couple of high value contracts.

What to write about

This is often a challenge, but almost every business owner has a wealth of knowledge and experience that they can share.

Start with the conversations you have with current and previous clients. 

• What questions do they often ask?
• What are they surprised to discover?
• What are you surprised that they don’t know?

The answers to these questions should give you plenty of material to get started.

Remember that a book is not a sales pitch, it’s sharing valuable knowledge.  Your aim is to make life easier for your readers.

• You could use a Q&A format tackling the answer to a question in each chapter.
• You could use a tips format, putting all the tips around one subject in a section.
• You could build a system one chapter at a time.

If you are selling products rather than services, you might want to take a different approach using a series of case studies or stories, even humorous ones!

Remember to get permission if you use a client’s case study.  If they’re a recognisable organisation, even if you don’t name them, be careful with their reputation as it will affect yours!

If you want help to get started ask me for the Pipedream to Proposal document.

Finding your market

There are any number of marketing strategies and finding the ones that work best for your particular business is a challenge.  Most marketing activities need to be tested for a while – months usually – to find out how well they’re working, or if they’re working at all.  This is time consuming and slow.

So what’s the alternative?

To generate warm leads you need a list.  Not just any list, but a list of people who have already shown an interest in what you have to offer.

Sounds like the holy grail, but it’s not that difficult to create this list.

You will need:

• A document that has some of the gold nuggets that you are happy to share to help potential clients (sometimes known as a ‘lead magnet’ or an ‘ethical bribe’)
• A landing page on your website.  This is just a page that people go to that is only there to get them to provide their name and email (in return for your free document)
• A means of gathering their data.  Maybe MailChimp, AWeber, ConstantContact, GetResponse, Infusionsoft – or one of the many other online data management tools.
• A way to deliver the document.  Generally, this will be a hidden page on your website where people are taken when they’ve opted in.  Sometimes it will be an email with the document attached that is triggered when the person has confirmed their email address.

Landing pages

Very long landing pages with carefully constructed sales letters used to be common, but today these have been replaced with much shorter messages and/or video content.  People have a much shorter attention span and are used to flicking down content until they find something that catches their interest.

Typically a landing page will list the key headlines from your free download document, without giving anything away!  Followed by a form asking for a name and email.

Some people add other fields to their form – but my experience is that for every field you add, you decimate* those people willing to complete the form.  Ask for a phone number and many people will simply exit.  They don’t want unnecessary phone calls.

How do you know that these people are potential clients?

If they’re interested in the document – and that document is relevant to your business offerings – they’ve self-identified. 

Not all of them will buy, but they’re interested.  That means that some of them will buy and some of them may not buy this time, but may buy in the future.

There’s a saying ‘the money is in the list’ – and it’s true!  If you create a good quality lead magnet, that gives people a taste of what you can offer, you’ll certainly start building a strong list.

*Decimate – reduce by one in every ten

When is an award not an award?

It’s always good to receive an award.  When you’ve worked long hours and kept going, seeing your efforts acknowledged brings a welcome glow – and is a great motivator for your team.  But some awards aren’t really awards.

Most local awards are free to enter, but some national and industry awards have an entry fee involved.  This is usually to cover the administration costs, sometimes also to pay the fees of the judges who have to read all the submissions and, perhaps, meet to discuss the short list and winners.  So having to pay to enter doesn’t necessarily make an award invalid.

However, there are some organisations that invent their own ‘awards’ and not only do you have to pay, but there is a whole package of costs too.  These may include:

• An advertisement in their ‘special awards publication’
• Promotional material for the awards ‘event’
• Email campaigns promoting your business to their database
• A minimum number of seats at the award dinner

Of course, you will be promised exposure to lots of potential clients as part of your investment, but this is really a marketing service masquerading as an award.

Does this mean you should refuse anything that is beginning to look like more of a marketing service than a bona fide award?  Not necessarily, but first do your due diligence.

If you don’t have the money in your marketing budget for this kind of investment – then don’t be tempted.

If it seems like a good deal anyway ask for their audience demographics, circulation numbers and results for entrants into previous awards they’ve run.

If they can’t give you numbers think twice before parting with your money.

If they’ve run these awards before ask to speak to a couple of former entrants.  They should be pleased to put you in touch – if they can’t or won’t, then walk away.  Actually, if previous winners are showing on their website, it should be pretty straightforward to contact them directly.

Don’t forget the additional costs

• Your award submission will need writing – you’ll have a better chance with a professional writer putting this together
• An article for their award publication needs writing – copywriting fees
• An Ad needs writing – copywriting/ad agency fees
• An Ad need laying out – graphic designer fees
• If you want people to take action you’ll need a web page  - copy and web set-up fees
• If you’re aiming to grow your list you may need a giveaway – cost of production and fulfilment (even if it’s a download, rather than an actual product).

That ‘too good to be true’ fee will now have escalated.  It still might be very good value if it reaches your ideal audience and results in sales, but don’t just say ‘yes’, without doing your sums first.

Taking the work out of customer relationships

When it comes to relationships it takes effort.  You can’t have a relationship with an organisation, it’s always with someone within it.  You want to talk to a human being.

However, now technology has taken over the planet, things are moving faster and faster and there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

If you’re in a dedicated customer service role, you probably have plenty to do just reacting to incoming enquiries – and complaints, without a spare minute for proactive relationship building.

If you’re a small business owner or sole trader, it gets even tougher.  There’s always something critical that needs doing and gets in the way of your best intentions.  There’s the sales activity to ensure there’s enough work coming in, there’s the accounts to do so you stay on the right side of HMRC (and your accountant), there’s the actual delivery of your products or services – who has time to chat with customers and potential customers?

It’s ironic that the very technology that has made things easier has also sucked up all our spare time – just because we’re all dealing with vast amounts of information and expected to manage many more tasks in far less time.

So it’s time to make that technology work for its living!

First, you’ll need to do a little research - some information you’ll have internally, some you may need to ask your customers about.  You may already know the answers to some of the questions you need to ask.

• When someone first becomes a customer what paperwork do they need?
• What are the most common questions a new customer asks?
• Are there any issues that many customers face in the early stages of using your product or experiencing your service?
• What have customers said was the most helpful information you’ve given to them – and at what stage did they need this?
• Are there any reminders that customers would benefit from receiving?
• What do customers worry about most in relation to your product or service?

You’re beginning to get the idea.  Ask your sales team, your customer service people, maintenance and support and, of course, a selection of customers, old and new.  If you’re a small business then you may already have anecdotal evidence yourself.

Now create an email for each issue and put them in the order that will be most useful for the customer.  Set them up with a welcome message as message 1 and a P.S, on every one that they can pick up the phone and call you at any time (or put your business hours).

You’ve now created an autoresponder series.  Set this up in one of the many online data management platforms (e.g. AWeber, ConstantContact, GetResponse, MailChmp, etc.) and simply add each new customer to the list as they come on board.

Initially, they may get emails almost daily as they get started, then they can be at longer intervals – as long as the customer gets the information they want at the appropriate time.  It takes the pressure off customer service and allows you to spend time helping those customers who need your focused attention.

Is email marketing still OK?

Now the GDPR panic has passed many companies are wondering if email marketing is still OK.  The answer is that, providing your list has opted in, yes.

So, if you’re going to run an email marketing campaign what will keep people away from that unsubscribe link?

Time to go and sit in the chair your email recipients will be occupying when your email lands in their inbox.

Get them to open the email

Your subject line has to generate enough curiosity in the recipient to make them want to open the email.

Take a look at the emails that are in your own inbox.  Apart from the ones from your clients or team, which subject lines make you want to take a look at what they have to say?  I guarantee that anything with ‘October Newsletter’ won’t make the cut!

The only exceptions to this are the ones you’ve been reading for years and always offer something interesting.  However, as new people may be joining your list, don’t rest on your laurels – always take trouble over your subject line.

See it from their perspective

When it comes to the content, be careful about the sell, sell, sell approach.  OK the big online retailers – clothing, home improvements, etc. – are trying to sell their products, but the good ones always have something that makes you want to at least take a peep at what they’re offering.  They tap into your materialistic nature.

Whether you’re selling a product or a service you want to think like your reader.

• What do they WANT to read?
• What will interest them?
• What will help them?

If you can deliver something that ticks these boxes you’ll have cracked it!

What action do you want them to take?

When they’re read your email, do you want your reader to call you, visit your website, download something, read a blog, sign up for a webinar, complete a survey – or something else?

Every email must have a call to action – and you must make taking action literally a knee-jerk reaction.

So if you want them to call you – tell them ‘Call me know for a no obligation chat on 01234 567890’.  Even if the phone number is in the footer of your email don’t make your reader work hard to take action.

If you want them to visit a webpage, a blog or survey, embed the link so they can just click and get where you want them to go.
I’ve never understood people who say ‘call me now’ and only give you a website address.  Why would I make the effort to search round your website for a phone number?

One is not enough

A good email campaign has continuity.  That means that there is more than one message, 3, 5 or more.

They will all be with the same focus, but with different words.

For instance if you want someone to sign up to a self-help programme on your website, you might deliver some useful tips around the subject.  You might even link these to a blog with a call to make the purchase at the end of the blog too.

Remember that one email – however good it is – may not be read by people who are particularly busy when it arrives.  Give them a second chance (and third) to benefit from what you have to offer.

Keeping up with the Zuckerbergs

Using Facebook as a business tool becomes more challenging every day.  It’s getting like Google – the algorithms and filters change almost daily.

Even my Facebook expert sighs in exasperation sometimes.  “Every time I go on Facebook, something has changed.  If I miss a couple of days, I have to go searching for where something has moved to or why posts aren’t performing as usual.”

Facebook for personal use has changed too – the way the posts are filtered and presented is different – and the aggressive monetizing of the platform means that users have to put up with far more advertising and sponsored posts than previously.  Even if they’re tailored to my online browsing history that can be irritating, but the fact that I only see material from friends I have responded to recently is even more annoying.

If Facebook is trying to encourage interaction, surely it would make more sense to present users with posts from people they haven’t talked to recently, rather than more from those they have.  It’s easy to lose track of all the people you’ve connected to over the past 12 years or so.

However, on the business front, to reach your target audience it seems that the only way to go is to pay for it.

Facebook ads are a very smart tool – and, if you get it right, an affordable source of income, especially if you’re selling direct to the consumer.

Testing, testing

The secret of getting ads right is testing.  Facebook ads are set up so you can test different images, different headlines, different content.  The ad system is smart too.  The more people click on an ad, the more often that ad is presented.  Effectively the best performing ads self-select.

Yes, of course clicks cost money – and that may be a case for getting someone who is an expert to create and manage your ads for you.  But there are ways to ensure you only pay for clicks that convert.

The pixel you insert on your website that tracks clicks from Facebook that land on your website, just need to be installed on the right page.  You may pay more per click, but you’ll be paying per sale, not per curious clicker (or competitor)!

You can use the ads campaigns to:

• Increase the likes on your Page
• Build your permission-based marketing list
• Sell products
• Get people into your sales funnel with a low cost purchase
• Fill webinars (free or paid for)
• Get bums on seats for events

It’s all a case of getting your ad on target and setting up your process well.

If you want help with getting your ad campaign set up, get in touch – it’s one of the things our team can do for you.  Call 01245 473296 or email lesley@insidenews.co.uk

Working to rule

If you own your own business you almost certainly are doing something you love (and, if you’re not, maybe it’s time to sell the business and do something else).  The challenge for most business owners is that they end up working long hours and the business pushes the other things in your life into second place.

Even if your family are 100% behind you, eventually they’ll get fed up with sharing you with the business, especially if their ‘share’ is tiny.

If you’re a sole trader or an independent consultant, it’s easy to find the hours flash past and it’s got dark and you’re still slaving over a hot computer.  If you work from home it’s even more of a challenge as it’s all too easy to ‘just’ do a bit more on that presentation, course, proposal, client report – etc. etc.  When you emerge from wherever your work area is – are you surprised to find everyone has gone to bed?

I’ve been there and made the mistakes.  I worked in a converted garage and it was easy to pop into the house, cook dinner and pop back into the office to finish writing a training programme.  By the time I’d finished the kids were in bed and I was too tired to be good company.

My solution at that point was to move the office to somewhere about 8 miles away, so I couldn’t ‘pop back into the office’ after dinner, unless there was a really, really good reason.  I also had other people working with me so it was easier to go home around the same time as the others.

Then I moved and was back working in the spare bedroom.  I knew that there was a danger of spending all my time in the ‘office’ again so I made a rule that I would quit work at 5.30pm and close the ‘office’ door behind me.

That worked well and, although I’ve since worked in external offices, I’m back working from home and I pretty much finish work at somewhere between 5-6pm.  Actually, these days I only work about three hours a day – and only do the things I really love to do and do well – everything else is outsourced.

And there lies another challenger for the solo-preneur; doing everything yourself.

Yes, in the early days of growing a business it’s going to cost less to do it yourself, but you will have to be prepared to do the things that you don’t enjoy and also to apply skills that aren’t in your current portfolio.  I’m a writer, I don’t do numbers – but to start with I had to keep track of my income and expenditure on a spreadsheet, even though I had an accountant to do the final accounts.

As your business develops there’s a danger that you’ll keep saying ‘but I can do that myself, why pay someone else?’  The answer is that if you don’t enjoy doing it, it’s probably going to keep getting pushed to the bottom of your to do list – and it’s probably going to take you much longer than it would to outsource it to an expert.  If you earn £100 an hour and your accountant charges £100 an hour, for example.  You could earn upwards of £200 (in my case much more) in the time it takes to struggle through the accounts.  But your accountant will do what’s required in half the time and cost much less.

You can outsource telephone answering, administration, posting social media, writing content for marketing, accounts, filing, following up proposals, customer liaison (at least some of it) and more.  This leaves you free to do what you love and give your clients exceptional service.

Time to make some rules – and work to rule.  You’ll find life gets a lot easier and your business grows faster.

What do your clients want to know?

Getting into the press may be an excellent way to raise your company’s profile, but finding good stories for regular press releases is tough – and there is never any guarantee of getting published.

However, putting a good article full of information that your ideal client will find useful into their trade journal is not as hard as you might think.  You may need to make a few phone calls or send some emails to find out where the opportunities are, but, if you can deliver a good article, there’s the potential for getting more items published in the future.

What should you write about?

Your article needs to engage the reader – ideally, those readers who would make great clients for you.  If you have clients that already like what you do, they’re an ideal source of content.

What do your clients want to know?
You should know the answer to that question, but think carefully.  What you want to tell people and what they actually want to know about your business are not always the same.

However, there are probably plenty of questions that your clients do ask about your products or services, almost always in relation to how that will work for them.  These are not the simple things that might feature on an FAQ section, but the more in-depth questions.

Focus on added value

• How does your product or service help your clients?  What are the benefits they get from it?  How does it add value for their business?
• What does your product or service offer that people don’t always know about?
• What advice do you find you often give to clients?

These are all excellent subjects for an article.

Tone and style

Never write for a publication that you’ve never read.  Read two or three issues before attempting to write for a new publication.  What you write will need to fit with the other items so the reader feels comfortable.

However, within those parameters, aim to write conversationally, use straightforward language and the active tense so your article has life and energy.  You don’t want to submit a bland, wordy, article – the editor won’t thank you for it and, even if they’ve indicated an interest it may not get published.

If you haven’t written an article for publication before (and even if you have) a plan is always a good place to start.

List the points you want to make, note any anecdotal evidence relating to each point or examples you want to add, then write using the plan as your structure.

Stick to short (3-5 line) paragraphs and sentences that don’t run to more than two lines.

Always ask how many words the editor would like – and stick to it.  You won’t win any prizes for delivering 500 words when you’ve been given a word count of 400 words.  The more articles you write, the better you’ll get at getting your message into the word allocation.

The key point

Read your article when you’re finished and ask yourself ‘Will this give my clients information they want?’  If the answer is ‘no’ – back to the drawing board!!

Less is more

When you start to create marketing material the temptation to fill the available space is strong.  You often feel that you need to ensure the reader has ALL the information they could possibly need to make a buying decision.

But, when the tables are turned, do you want to read gobs of information in someone’s marketing flyer?

Unfortunately, the answer is ‘probably not’!

What makes marketing flyers connect with potential customers?

A good headline:  One that gets their attention and touches a hot topic for them.  While there is a belief that headlines need to be as long as necessary to make their point, be careful.  The longer the headline, the fewer people will read it.  If you can keep it short and snappy, it will work better.

Benefits:  What’s in it for me?  Pick out the feature on your service or product that really make a difference to your customers and talk about those differences.  One short sentence each – and no more than five points, three would be even better.
Reason to take action:  This can be scarcity (only 10 left), immediacy (offer ends on 30th), exclusivity (availability for just two new clients).

CTA:  The famous call to action, often mentioned and frequently forgotten!  When people have read your marketing flyer what do you want them to do?  Email, visit your website, register for something, pick up the phone?  Make sure you present them with the information they need to take action.

Some people say ‘call us now’ and then provide a web address.  Why should your customer make the effort to visit your website to find your phone number?  Don’t make it hard to take action.

A note about web addresses

If your website address is long and you’re putting on hard copy marketing material you might consider buying a shorter domain name and pointing it at your main site.  People don’t like typing in long URLs and the potential for typing errors increases with every letter!

The best way to present your message

So many people decide to put their flyer on A4 – because they can create it and print it off themselves.  Unfortunately, unless you’re a graphic designer, it’s probably going to be evident that you’re going ‘cheap and cheerful’.  That may not be the underlying message you want people to get.

A5 paper flyers are also popular, often 2-sided.  There are three challenges here.

1. Paper flyers often don’t get turned over, despite the pressure to save the planet, most of us instinctively read the front and forget to look at the other side of printed paper documents.
2. Unless you print on fairly heavy paper, double-sided print can often be seen through the paper.
3. A5 size doesn’t fit into pockets, bags and gets scrunched up in the bottom of briefcases.

Trifolds (often A4 folded into three) work quite well – as long as you know how people read them and ensure your messages are in the right places.  They are not an opportunity to cram loads of material in though!

Personally, I like card rather than paper.  It’s less easy to screw up and throw away.  I find a DL size works well for handouts – and, for some strange reason, people are more inclined to flip a card over and read the reverse.  It also fits easily into pockets and bags.

One of my clients has produced A5 cards along with attractive coloured envelopes and sent them out by post.  They look great, even though the message is brief.

If you’re aiming at the top end of the market a glossy gatefold in a less common size – maybe square and bigger than usual – could work well.

Whatever you choose, good quality stationery always makes an impression.

Remember that a marketing flyer needs to work hard so ensure you match a strong message with great presentation.

LinkedIn – corporate or personal?

LinkedIn is considered to be a business network, rather than a more personal network (like Facebook), so does that mean that your focus should be on your personal profile or your company?

Networking is about people.  You meet, you get to know each other and when you have established a relationship you may work together.

People do business with people they like – and you can’t have a conversation with an organisation – only with an individual.

Yes, of course, there are times when someone is desperate for your kind of expertise, and you just happen to make contact at the perfect point in time.  However, that’s quite unusual.

Let’s be honest, most business owners already have established relationships with providers of the wide range of services and products they require to conduct business.  Large organisations have suppliers in place, although they may have acquired the account through a tender process or ‘beauty parade’.  There are very, very few ‘blank canvasses’.

Businesses do change suppliers – for a whole variety of reasons.  Surprisingly often that’s as a result of a relationship that the purchaser has established with someone.

Create a personal personal profile

No, that’s not an error – your personal profile needs to give anyone reading it a flavour of who you are and what you have to offer.  It’s the equivalent of meeting someone at a networking event and introducing yourself and your business.

When you meet someone at a networking event you use conversational English (or whatever your native language happens to be).  You don’t refer to yourself in the third person and you don’t use formal business-speak – so why would you write your opening ‘nice to meet you’ on LinkedIn that way?

There is a fine line between professional personal and intimate personal.  While Facebook members are more than happy to talk about their families, their hobbies and their friends – LinkedIn is more business-focused.  So adding your hobbies, how many kids you have or indicating whether you are single or not is unnecessary.

If you do volunteer work or are working on a research project or something that isn’t directly to do with your business, but impacts on the community or business world, that’s different.  It adds a layer of information about the kind of person you are.

The Company page

It’s good to have a company page – it allows you to pull the logo into your personal profile when you enter your current position.  It also gives you a place to refer people for further information.

If you have specific products or services, adding Showcase pages for each of these also offers an opportunity to add information.

This not only provides information that you can link to directly on LinkedIn, but also adds information to feed the search engines.  LinkedIn ranks very, very high due to the massive amount of activity on the site.  Your business information on LinkedIn may rank even higher than your company website – for that reason alone.

So the answer to the question Corporate or Personal is personal first, corporate second – but both are important.

Who’s it for?

When you put pen to paper (or more likely, fingers to keyboard) to write the copy for your website what’s going on in your head?

If you’re writing for your own company you’re probably focused on presenting your professionalism, skills and knowledge to impress the reader.  Your website is all about you, after all - or at least about your company – isn’t it?

And that’s where the first problem raises its head.  Your website is to present your services or products to interested people, but it’s not going to work if all you talk about is you and your products.

People are not interested in what you do – they’re interested in what they get.  And there’s a subtle difference in how you get your message across.

It’s not me, it’s you

Actually, that would read more accurately ‘it’s not WE, it’s YOU’.

When people read ‘you’ they immediately relate to it.  This has been written for them.  Their connection to the message is much stronger than reading about what ‘we’ do,

This isn’t conscious, it’s instinctive.

When you read:

“We have high quality products that have undergone rigorous testing’

It’s reassuring, but not very exciting.

When you read:

“You can experience the very best products in the world, confident that you’ve made an excellent choice”

You start seeing yourself doing exactly what is described.  It creates emotions and positive images of yourself in conjunction with the products mentioned.

Which words will generate a stronger pull to make a purchase?

Would you like me to cut your hair?

I can operate a pair of scissors, but I have had absolutely no training as a hairdresser.  So, would you let me loose on your hair with a pair of scissors?

No? I thought not.

What has that got to do with the copy on your website?

Well, you’re literate, you can write – but are you the best qualified to write the copy to influence customers to take action?

It’s a science and an art – and one that requires training.  If you really want your website, your marketing material and other written material to work hard for you – consider undergoing training – or employ an expert to give you top quality results.

Read all about it!

Let’s be honest, nobody signs up to a newsletter these days.  We’re all busy and our inboxes are bulging without adding any additional email.

That doesn’t mean you won’t get any newsletters.  You get on people’s lists because you’ve signed up to get their free information document and now you’re on their list and newsletters turn up, willy nilly.

Firstly, if the newsletter doesn’t deliver useful information, use the unsubscribe link and get off the list.

Secondly, if the newsletter is all about the sender, unsubscribe.

You’ve almost certainly had more boring newsletters than interesting ones.  What does that tell you?

Right!  To engage the people you send your newsletters to you need to give them information they’ll find useful or interesting.

So your content needs to include:

• Sharing your skills to make their lives easier in some way
• Hot off the press information that impacts their business
• Statistics or the results of a survey that give them useful information
• Opinion or commentary around a subject or in response to a recent relevant news story
• Something new, different or unusual that will interest them

And as a secondary item an offer, promotion or other item that is just for newsletter readers, so they feel privileged to get something others don’t.

It doesn’t have to be an uphill struggle, especially if you write regular blogs.   You can use the most useful blog you’ve written recently and use it as your lead item.  Most of your newsletter list won’t have read it on your website yet, and even if they have, they’ll probably just think ‘Oh yes, that was a good article’.

The most important thing is to focus on your audience and deliver what they want – not what you think is important.

• A new mission statement isn’t exciting for readers – unless you can explain how this benefits them.  
• A new member of staff isn’t going to thrill them – unless you can explain how this person will make their life better in some way.
• A new product isn’t going to amaze them – unless it solves a problem they’ve been struggling with for ages.
• A change of address isn’t a big deal – unless you’re inviting them to a launch or they need to visit you to do business (like a retail outlet).

You get the idea?

Think like a reader and your newsletter will improve with every issue.

Social media: DIY or outsource?

Social media seems to be a bit like Marmite.  Some people love it and are happy to spend time uploading pictures, making video, posting the latest snippet of info, sharing interesting posts and more.  Others think it’s a massive time-eater, is hard work for questionable return and is impossible to keep up with the rapidly changing filters, rules and regulations.

The challenge for businesses is that social media is here to stay.  It’s no longer a fad, a five-minute wonder or only for teenagers, it’s a powerful business tool.

Without a social media presence, you could find your visibility suffers, your reputation isn’t as good as it could be and you’re dropping behind competitors.

I know people who have tried to get to grips with it and have decided that it’s never going to happen and pretty much given up.

I know people who love Facebook to chat with friends, but don’t get on with LinkedIn at all and can’t see the point of Twitter.

I know people who have the best of intentions, but find it’s always at the bottom of their to-do list – so never gets done.

Do it, delegate it or dump it

If you want to harness the power of social media the secret is to choose one platform – ideally the one where your potential clients are most active – then learn how it works.

TIP:  Put time in your diary to do social media e.g. daily 12 noon for 

15 minutes and Friday afternoon for an hour.

Choosing just one social media platform avoids overwhelm.  Scheduling time in your diary will help to ensure you take action.

Once you’re comfortable with one platform you can always add another.

If you know you’re just not going to get around to it, delegate it to either a member of your team or a virtual assistant or social media agency.

Bear one thing in mind – unless someone knows you very, very well and shares your expertise, they can’t be you.  They can post on your behalf, they can monitor comments and engage with other members of the platform, but they can’t answer questions, respond to enquiries or provide your expertise, so there’s likely to be times when you’ll simply have to grit your teeth, go online and respond.

If you decide you just can’t face social media in any shape or form then dump it.  By dump it, I mean take your profiles down, remove or close your accounts.  There’s nothing worse than people doing a search and finding accounts that aren’t maintained.  There’s a subliminal message that you can’t be bothered and don’t take your marketing seriously.  It’s better to not have an account at all.

Before you take this radical action consider that most business people use the search engines to check out potential suppliers, possible customers, people coming for business meetings and potential candidates.  Social media platforms are so active that, if you have an account on LinkedIn, for example, that will probably come further up the ranking than your About page on your company website.

It doesn’t have to be as onerous as you think – it just takes a little planning and you might find it easier than you think.  If you get really good at it, you could find social media an excellent source of leads and third party recommendations.

To blog, or not to blog; that is the question!

I love writing – not surprising for someone who earns a living scribbling away.  However, lots of people find it hard to write to order.  That’s good for me as some of these people delegate their writing to me.  I do what I love and they do what they love!

For anyone who isn’t into writing, blogging is an area that has a big ‘NO ENTRY’ sign on it.  After all, it means writing and if writing a page of narrative takes you all afternoon, it’s probably not the best use of your time.

The dilemma is that the World Wide Web is content driven.  The more content you have out there, the more access people have to you and your expertise.  Of course, you could create video material if you’re more comfortable talking than writing, but you’ll still need to plan your message so you don’t just ramble for a couple of minutes!  Bear in mind that we speak at about 120-150 words a minute.  So one A4 page is only about 3 minutes of video content.

What’s the problem?

I know some people just struggle to get their thoughts out of their heads and onto paper/screen, but you have lots of valuable information inside your head.  Only by sharing some of it will you demonstrate your expertise to potential clients.

Is it time, fluency, focus, blank screen syndrome or something else that’s causing the problem?

Once you know what the problem is, solving it gets easier.

If you’re time poor and feel you write slowly consider delegating or outsourcing the writing to someone else.  You might be surprised at how little time you’ll need to invest to talk through your thoughts to give someone enough to write a short article.  You can do this face-to-face with a member of your team or by phone with a professional copywriter.

If you find your thoughts don’t come fluently try mind mapping your article.  No matter what order your thoughts come in, a mind map will get your thoughts organised into a structure so you can write a well-put together article.

If focus is a problem you need somewhere to start – at the least a subject to work on.  I often find that picking either a problem your clients have that you can solve or something you’re often asked about is a good place to start.  Imagine you’re explaining an issue to someone – use conversational language and you’ll have a very readable blog.

Even the best copywriters get blank page syndrome from time-to-time!  If every time a blog is needed you sit there with a blank screen (and a blank mind), help yourself to get started by listing all the services or products you offer.  You might be surprised at how many there are, but this will give you a list of subjects to write about.

If you just hate writing, talk to a recorder and get someone else to transcribe and edit it.  If you have a team working with you put together a rota and get everyone to write a blog.  You might have to grit your teeth and take your turn, but at least it won’t be as often as it would be tackling it alone.

If you’re still struggling – give me a call on 01245 473296 and let’s see if I can help.

Fail to plan … plan to fail

When you’re running a business, no matter how small or large, you need to plan to ensure your business flourishes and grows.

What happens if you don’t plan?

You get offered opportunities – and you don’t know if they’re right for you or not, because there’s no frame of reference to fit them into.

Let’s take an example.  A local publication offers you a rock-bottom rate for a display ad – let’s say that it would normally be £500 and they’re offering it for half price.  Is this an offer you can’t refuse?

With a plan you can:

• Look at your target audience, what the publications they typically read and what they are interested in 
• Check out the reader profile of the publication and decide if it will reach your audience
• Review your marketing budget and see if this fits into it – and what you might have to compromise on to make this investment

Without a plan your decision will be based on a knee-jerk reaction – after all, you’ll be saving £250, won’t you? 

Maybe, but not if your target audience aren’t reading this publication or if your ad doesn’t deliver what they want or if spending £250 will leave your cash flow depleted when you need it.

Seems obvious, but I meet business owners who haven’t got a proper marketing plan and budget and know how additional expenditure will impact on both.

The dominoes will start to fall

There’s another issue that is often overlooked.  What do you want people to do when they’ve read your ad? (You have included a call to action, haven’t you?)

Do you want them to:

• Visit your website?
• Pick up the phone and call?
• Go to a landing page and sign up to your marketing list?
• Buy a product or service?
• Book a free or reduced price consultation?

Are you prepared for them to take action?  Have you got the right information on the website to engage them?  Are you staff prepared for extra calls and know what to say?

If you need a landing page someone will have to create that, load it and put a data capture system in place.  This might also require the creation of a free giveaway document to encourage sign ups (nobody signs up to a newsletter these days).

If you’ve got an offer on, have you got sufficient supplies to fulfil the demand?  If you’re offering your time free or at a low price, how many appointments can you fit in?

This is just the beginning and all these have costs attached, so in addition to the £250 for the ad, what will it cost to deal with the response?  Your marketing budget may be struggling to keep up if you haven’t considered these things.

It may be a cliché, but fail to plan … plan to fail!  A simple plan, with some numbers attached, reviewed at least quarterly will make a big difference to your decision making.

You don’t have to write a book …

Just because you know stuff doesn’t mean you have to become an author, so why do so many marketing people recommend writing a book as a promotional activity?

Being an author does carry a certain kudos.

• It says that you have enough wisdom and knowledge to help other people.  
• It’s a good way to show potential clients the wealth of expertise you can put at their disposal.
• It may get you invitations to speak about your topic at conferences and business events.

But if the idea of labouring over a whole book of at least 40,000 words makes you rush to the fridge for comfort food (or whatever your preferred displacement activity is) don’t worry, you DON’T have to write a book.

I’m not suggesting that you outsource it to a ghost writer – there’s nothing worse than not being intimately familiar with your ‘own’ book.  Maybe Robbie Williams can get away with admitting that he hasn’t read his own autobiography, but it won’t do you any favours to follow his example.

What to do instead of writing a book

• If you don’t mind writing, then write blogs.  Share your expertise in short bites of 300-1000 words to help your readers to learn something that will help them.
• If you hate writing, but don’t mind talking, create podcasts.  You can have a podcast channel or simply load your audio file onto your blog.
• If you are comfortable in front of the camera, get yourself a little tripod and set up a video recording (there are ways of doing this with your mobile phone – but probably worth investing in a plug-in lapel mic for decent quality).

Sneaky ways to write a book anyway

Give your blogs to an editor and ask them to edit them into a book.

Give your podcasts or videos to a transcription service and ask them to transcribe them – and then give them to an editor to edit into a book.

Start small and write a short ebook around a specific topic – again you can edit a handful of blogs into shape for this.  An ebook doesn’t have to be any particular length so it could be 3,000 words or 30,000 words or anything in between.  Most people have a short attention span so short is good, as long as it’s got a strong message and really useful tips with your narrative alongside them.

Remember that you may not have any new ideas, but you have your spin on things.  Your experiences and case studies will bring your tips to life.

So you don’t have to write a book – but you could create a book over time writing or speaking your ideas in short bites.

Are you a winner?

These days there are many different opportunities to enter business awards, industry awards and other awards relating to specific skills or types of business.  If you haven’t ventured into this area yet, it’s worth taking a look at.

Start local – there are usually business awards for your nearest city, town or perhaps county in several categories.  There are even awards for start-ups, so you don’t have to have many years of trading to call on.

Doing an online search for ‘business awards essex’ (if you’re based in Essex) or for ‘PR awards’ if you’re in the PR industry will produce a good list to start out.

Some awards have an entry fee, while others are free.

Get your entry right

Read the entry criteria carefully.

Enter the right categories.  Don’t enter an award you aren’t well-qualified for or you’re likely to be disappointed.  For instance, if you’re looking to enter marketing awards, ensure they are for businesses, not for the marketing agencies.

Research the last winner and who made the shortlist.  How do you match up to them?

Understand what the process is.  Most awards start with a written narrative or written answers to questions, but some involve a visit from the judges for short-listed entrants.

Answer the questions asked – not the one you would have liked to have been asked.  When you’ve written your answer review it in relation to the question and make sure your answer is well-targeted.

Even if you’re completing an online form always write your entry in Word and keep a copy.  Firstly, it will give you a word count – and if they say 200 words max, don’t send in 250.  Secondly, keeping what you’re written somewhere accessible means that you have material you can edit for future submissions, instead of having to start from scratch.

Plan ahead

Work to meet the deadline comfortably.  Awards are judged and presented at different times of year.  Sometimes this year’s awards aren’t presented until early next year, sometimes they are presented early in the year.  Don’t leave it until the last minute or your presentation is likely to be rushed and not as good as it could be.

Keep a list with the award category, the awarding body, the deadlines, a link to online forms or information pages, the date of the presentation event (if there is one) etc.  This will make it easy to keep up with what needs to be done if you are aiming to enter more than one.

WIIFM

The well-known radio station ‘What’s In It For Me?’!  Why bother going to the effort of entering an award?  Winning an award is validation of your business having reached a high standard for the award category.

• It’s reassuring for potential customers to see you’ve won a recognised award – even a local one.
• It can be inspiring for your staff to know they’re working for a successful company – and may provide an opportunity for a staff night out to the award ceremony!
• It will get you press coverage as a winner (or even if you make the short-list) and maybe an opportunity to be interviewed by local press or industry journals.

Then it’s up to you – you can add it to your stationery, website, email signature, brochures, etc.

Good luck!

7 ways to use an autoresponder

Autoresponders are seriously under-used.  So many people miss opportunities to keep people who have already shown interest engaged and lose potential subscribers.

If you don’t know what an autoresponder is – it’s simply a series of emails that are triggered by an opt-in form and are sent out at the intervals you set, this could be daily or at irregular intervals as you wish.

There are so many ways to build loyal subscribers who love getting your communications and may even, eventually, buy.  These are just a few ways you could use an autoresponder:

1: Post-training follow up

If you’ve run a training event, you want people to use what they’ve learned from you, but as you probably know, ‘life’ gets in the way and even the best-intentions fizzle out.  You need them to take action as soon as possible to get the most benefit from what they’ve learned so ensure you give them reminders.

The day after the event thank them for attending and remind them to put their action list together, then a day later suggest they transfer time to take action into their diaries.  You can remind them of key points over the next days and weeks to job their memories.

People who have put your teaching into action are much more likely to recommend others to attend the training.

2: Post webinar

If you have run an online webinar to promote something, some people will have signed up to buy whatever you’re promoting, but many won’t, it’s the law of averages.

Instead of letting those people slip through the net, add them to an autoresponder series that expands on the points you made during the webinar and gives them enough information to start taking action.

Clearly you won’t give away the in-depth stuff people will get when they pay for it, but most of us have plenty of basic level good practice advice that we can share.

A short ‘how to’ email every few days with the revised offer from your webinar will get a few more sign ups.  Some people just need to think about things for a bit!  Those that don’t buy will still be on your list and getting great quality information – some may become customers in a few months or even longer.  Without the engagement they’d forget you!

3: Free short course

If you are often asked ‘how do you do that?’ by networking connections and social media friends, you could have a short course.  Could you break down something you do into 5 or 7 bite-sized steps?

Create a course and use it to both grow your list and build great relationships with people who want more.

4:  Tips

Create a series of tips – this could be a one-week series My 7 top tips on X or a weekly tip that goes out on the same day each week, or a month (30 days) of useful ideas relating to your area of expertise.

Clearly you will need to create the material – but this kind of email doesn’t have to be long, in fact, the shorter the better.  People are more likely to read it.

5:  eCourse

This may seem to be the same as #3, but this could be something in much more depth – and paid for.  Get people to subscribe and set up your autoresponders to deliver the modules at specified points in their subscription.

For instance, someone might pay £10 a month and receive a module every two weeks.

You could offer the basic course and a version with feedback as a limited offer – a much higher cost (as you’ll need to invest time) and add rarity value by only have 5 places available for the coached version.

6: Promotion

If you’ve got a special offer, the launch of a new product or service or something seasonal you want to promote, set up a series of emails maybe to go out on day 1, day 4, day 10, day 18 and day 25.  Then let the autoresponder do the work once you’ve hit the ‘go’ button.

7: Combinations

You could combine some of these.  For instance, if you offer a free download on your website, you could funnel opt-ins to not only get the freebie, but also get your tips series as a bonus.  You can also give them your free short course too.

Be creative, you can be making sales while you sleep!

Grow your list on social media

If you know how to use it effectively email marketing can be a powerful way to create ongoing sales. 

If you’re on any of the ‘big boys’ lists you’ll get regular emails promoting the latest products they’re offering.  Tescos, B&Q, Wilkinsons, etc. all email their subscribers regularly to let them know the latest offers and promotions.

So if you’re not a ‘big boy’ how do you get a list of people who have demonstrated an interest in what you offer and given you permission to send them information?

Something for nothing

We all like a freebie, especially if it’s something useful.  Regardless of what your core product or service is, you have a wealth of information that could help potential clients.  All you need to do is to create either a ‘how to’ free download or a slide series demonstrating something useful.

That’s just step one. 

• Create a landing page where you can send people to download their free download with an opt-in form (that’s GDPR compliant)
• Then you need to write an article that tells people about this free download
• Find or create an attractive image that represents what your free download is about 
• Start the article with instructions on how to claim the free item – ask people to comment, maybe by asking them a question about their challenges around the subject area of your article.  Add how it will help people who download it and why it’s important information for them to have.  Repeat the instructions on how to claim their free item at least once more
• Add the link to your download page
• Load it on your LinkedIn account and publish it on Facebook
• Post on all your social media in the first hour after the download goes live and your article is published to let people have the link to the article

Building connections

Don’t forget to check into your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts and respond to comments if you want to build loyal followers.

If you really want to get more sign ups quickly, make it a limited time offer – and run it for a specified period – a week, until the end of the month, etc.

Adding value

Don’t forget to email your current list first to let them know about it – and invite them to share the link with their friends and contacts.

Consider investing a small amount in a Facebook ad campaign – you could be surprised at how many additional clicks you can generated with just £20-50.  And with a considerably bigger list that could be well worth the investment as some of them will buy your products later on.

You could also ask some of your close network to promote it to their lists too.  There’s nothing like giving other people a freebie to generate positive vibes!  Everyone wins.

You could also post the link in those Facebook groups that allow self-promotion.

At the end of the exercise your list should have swelled considerably.

Get expert help

Before I get started – I am NOT a Facebook expert.  I admit that it’s not my preferred platform for business, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know its value.  That’s why I have a Facebook expert in my team.

If you’re selling products or services directly to the consumer Facebook is a fantastic platform to use, but it’s not magic – it requires a plan and effort.

If you’re using Facebook for business remember that it’s a business strategy and avoid getting side-tracked with dancing cats and your friends’ holiday pix (you can find an hour vanishes quickly if you start wandering through social posts!)  Put a plan in place that includes:

What you want to achieve

Do you want to build an audience or a community?  How many people would give you the kind of start you think will give you traction?  What do your audience/community want?

How many likes, follows, comments, testimonials will measure your success?

The activities will help you to achieve your goals

What kind of content will you post?

Do you have images that will enhance your posts?  Better still do you have short (30-90 second) videos that will put your message across well – or the facility to create these?

What are the core subjects that you will post about?  How will you stay topical and up-to-date (if this is relevant)?

How often will you post?

How often will you monitor your Page to respond to comments, questions, etc.?

Who will be responsible for keeping the Page up-to-date and managing it?

Will you use Facebook Ads to help grow your audience, send people to your website, promote a product, a giveaway (to grow your list) or an event?

Schedule time in

If it’s not scheduled in as a business activity it’s going to be much easier to push it down the to-do list and soon it will fall off the bottom and just not get done.

Most business activities get done when they become habitual.  That means that your Facebook marketing needs to become a habit.  I was once told that the easiest way to learn a new habit is to attach it to an existing one.  Most of us do email every day so tag your Facebook marketing onto your email habit!

You’ll need to include planning time and doing time.  You might have:

• A monthly plan to decide what the themes or subjects will be this month and to resource some of the material so it’s ready for posting. 
• A weekly review of likes, follows, comments, engagement, testimonials, etc.
• A daily post and monitoring comments. 

Put your marketing time into your diary and try to stick to it.

Taking a structured approach to Facebook marketing will enable you to have a much clearer idea of what works and what doesn’t.