Online marketing success strategies

Most of the people I talk to are busy running their businesses and, whilst they know it's important to do marketing, it's often the first thing to fall off the edge when time is tight.

The problem is that it's often seen as 'non-essential'.  If you skip marketing activities for a week or two the business won't grind to a halt.  That's true, but if you don't do consistent marketing you'll quickly find that business drops off and it becomes a struggle making ends meet and paying all the bills.  It's known as 'restuffing the sausage machine'!

This is particularly important if you're a small business as there may not be people to delegate marketing to so you really need a robust plan to ensure that, even when you're busy, marketing doesn't stop altogether.

Step one is to decide who your ideal client is.  If you have a very clear idea of this you'll find everything else gets easier.

For example: not 'professionals', not' lawyers', not 'family lawyers', but something really specific like 'family law firms with fewer than 4 partners based within 30 miles of Exeter'.

Obviously, you will need to tailor this to your business and target clients; the more specific you can be the easier it is to find the type of clients you want.

Step two is to identify where these ideal clients are found online - are they active in LinkedIn, do they tweet, do they chat on Facebook, are they posting content into Google+ or images on Pinterest?  Doing your research up front will ensure your messages are posted in the right places.

Step three is to have a plan of action - what content are you going to post to which platforms?E.g.

• Post to your blog twice a month (one sharing knowledge, one case study)
• Create a set of daily tips for posting in relevant social media - enough for a month (these can be reposted monthly
• A monthly newsletter to your list

Your plan may include articles, email marketing, webinars, YouTube videos and more, but always think about what you will do if time runs out.

Step four is to have tools that will help you with all this.  Things like:

• Hootsuite (www.hootsuite.com) to manage and schedule your posts will save you hours and maintain visibility
• sxc.hu for stock images that are free to use (never use Google images if you want to avoid big fees and fines for using copyrighted images unknowingly)
• Camtasia (or the free version Jing) to allow you make short videos for YouTube and then add to other social media and your website
• AnyMeeting, GoToMeeting or Webex for webinars or tutorial sessions

Step five is to have a plan showing who does what and when.

As a minimum you need to invest 5 minutes a week in posting your value-led social media, it's the easiest and quickest way of staying visible.  It's not a substitute for real-time engagement, but at least ensures you're still visible even if you're run off your feet and don't have time for anything else.

If things are really busy and look like being that way for a while then get help.  It's worth paying a professional to write your content for blogs, articles, email marketing and even some of your social media if you can earn more in the time it would take to do it yourself.

It takes about three months before you'll start to see real results - and the same applies if you stop marketing; it can be three months before you suddenly realise that business isn't going so well.  Don't get to that stage or you'll have another tough few months whilst you get everything up and running again.

How to banish social media overwhelm

I teach people how to use LinkedIn and Twitter and my colleague teaches people how to get the most from their Facebook Page and we’re often get asked how we manage our social media.

The main questions people ask are:

How do you decide which platforms you should be on?

That depends on who you’re trying to reach.  If you know who your target market is everything gets easier; all you have to do is find out where they hang out and concentrate on that place. 

However, let’s filter down a bit; if you are selling direct to consumers (B2C) you’ll probably find very social sites like Facebook and Pinterest are great places to reach them.  This is because they are in social mode and interested in anything that might enhance their lifestyle.

If you’re aiming at a business audience and your products or services are for other businesses, you’ll probably find LinkedIn is exactly what you need.  Possibly also Google+ although take the figures Google quote for members with a large pinch of salt! 

Anyone who has ever signed up to use any of the Google tools (gmail, Google analytics, Google alerts, etc) has a Google+ account by default, but large numbers of these people have not completed theirs profile or actively visited this platform.  That doesn’t mean it’s no good, but it is worth exploring a bit to see who is active on it and whether they’re the people you want to reach.

Of course, there are dozens of other social media platforms, but none of them have the level of activity of the big 3 – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

What about Twitter?  I think you can include it whoever your audience might be.  Twitter is pretty random and is a ‘joining-up-the-dots’ exercise.  The more useful material you share, the more people will retweet (share) it and the more people will see it.  If you only have a few hundred followers on Twitter, but someone with +100,000 followers shares your post your audience expands dramatically.

Next filter is to decide where on your chosen platforms your ideal client is likely to be found in numbers.  This is probably on Pages dedicated to what their core interest is or in Groups.  Both Facebook and LinkedIn have groups, find the ones dedicated to things that interest your perfect customer and contribute as much value as you can.

If you’re trying to bring people to your Facebook Page you’ll need to give people a compelling reason to come and like your page.  A competition, Facebook Ad or being visible in similar communities are all ways of doing this (find out where there are Facebook ladders that will bring you more ‘likes’ and make your posts visible to more people.

How do you create good content?

I believe you should always lead with value.  When you’re trying to think of what to post it’s common to find your mind goes completely blank!  Here are a few things to get you started:

• Jot down a list of tips for each of your areas of expertise.  You should have lots of things you already tell people to help them – use these as a good place to start.
•  Answer questions people often ask you (like this blog) and either answer it in a post or write a blog and then post a short update to let people know where the question is answered.
• Thank clients for testimonials.
• Thank suppliers for great service.
• Do a case study explaining how you’ve overcome a client’s problem.
• Give something away and do posts to let people know where to get it.

This should give you a place to start.

How do you find the time?

I don’t always!  However, I do have a system that posts regularly so that I don’t have to be constantly glued to the computer.  Personally, I use Hootsuite.com and pay for a Pro account to let me upload content in batches pre-scheduled for the week ahead.  However, there are several other tools that do similar things.

I try to look at my Twitter feed after I check my emails – I’m a believer in linking habits so I don’t have to work too hard to remember things.  I usually do this on Hootsuite too as it lets me see who has mentioned me or sent me a message so I can respond.  It also lets me see groups of people I’m following in one place so I can engage quickly rather than spend time searching.

I tend to look at my Facebook page later on in the day when I’m feeling like finishing work and it only takes a short time to respond to comments or post things.

LinkedIn is more of a lunchbreak activity when I’m still in business mode and I spend a short time responding to messages and invitations and having a quick look in the groups I’m active in to see what’s going on.

The secret is in the system

To really succeed at social media you need a system – one that works for you.  This is how I do it, but you may operate differently.  The secret is in HAVING one – and sticking to it.  Five or ten minutes here and there are relatively easy to fit in for most people and are a great way to change gear and refresh your energy for bigger tasks.  Get planning!

7 ways to use social media for marketing

If you're running a business, online or offline, social media is a great way to let more people know about what you do - but you hate it when other people sell at you, don't you?  So, you don't want to do that, but how can you use it effectively without selling at other people?

Here are 7 ways you can use social media to market your business - without irritating your readers!

1.  Share your expertise

Give people good advice by posting tips, suggestions, ideas and anything else that shows off your expertise.  Blog regularly explaining how to do things (like this) - on your own blog and as a guest blogger on other people's blogs and sites like LinkedIn that let you post blogs onto your profile.  Write articles and post them on sites like ezinearticles.com or make a short video outlining your content and post onto YouTube.  Then share the blog links on social media with the appropriate catchy title.  You'll soon become known as the expert in your area.

2.  Answer questions

Most people get asked questions about their area of expertise, particularly from clients who often ask similar questions.  Make a list of the questions that you often get asked and answer them (in jargon-free user-friendly language).  You can do this on your blog, as an article on LinkedIn, on sites like Google+ where longer content is acceptable or in your FAQ section on your website - then post a link into your social media.  You'll get a reputation as someone who talks good sense.

3.  Become a curator of great content

You've probably got a few favourite blogs or people you follow who post good information - share it! You can do this by either retweeting, liking or sharing posts they've made (use Hootsuite or a similar tool to pick all their posts up in one list) or by tweeting, liking or sharing from the blog when you read it.  This will get you known as someone who is an authority in your industry.

4.  Tease people

Selling directly in social media posts is a big 'no-no', but subtle promotion is an art.  Think about the things you do for your clients; make sure you have a web page that covers the subject (with a strong call to action) and then tease them in the post.  For instance a health and safety consultant might post: What is the one thing you should never do when you're creating a health and safety policy? [URL link] If people are interested in the subject that teaser should be enough to get them to click on the link to find out more.

5.  Ask controversial or challenging questions

Get people engaged by challenging them with questions - or making statements - that demand discussion.  For example a HR consultant might post: Why do you need to give your staff an employment contract? What don't the HR experts tell you OR Do you lease your car? Why choose to lease instead of purchase? If you don't get responses - try a better question or get some friends/business connections to comment and start the ball rolling.  If you do this you need to keep a close eye on your social media feeds so that you respond to answers.  This will give you an opportunity to show your knowledge off.

6.  Host a regular chat on your subject

This is part of being real and not just a 'bot' that sends stuff out.  Pick a time that you are able to be in front of your screen with internet access and promote your session for the week leading up to that time.  Invite people to join the chat and ask questions that you will answer.  You can do this on Twitter, your Facebook Page, Google+ or LinkedIn.  You choose whether you make this monthly, fortnightly or weekly - and be clear about the date and time of the next session.  Bear in mind that long answers on Twitter are not possible, so you might have to consider this when deciding which platform will work best for you.

7.  Be human!

 Whilst you can automate some of your social media to share your knowledge, you can't automate getting into conversations with people.  Put aside some time daily and comment, chat and respond to other people online on the platforms that are most aligned with your business.  If you're selling products or services to consumers then a Facebook Page (and sometimes Pinterest) work really well, whereas B2B is usually more successful on LinkedIn (and sometimes Google+).  Whichever you choose, don't overlook Twitter and the power of random connections.

The secret of success is to get started with one of these - and build from there.