Feb 10

Leveraging the Power of Consistency in your Marketing

Marketing ConsistencyAre you following a consistent strategy to build your business?

Or do you have a hit and miss strategy?

Unfortunately for many business owners, they are not marketing their business consistently.

Take a look at your bottom line results. Are you achieving your goals or falling short?

Improving Marketing Results

If you want to improve your results, then you need to get serious about marketing and sales.

You need to focus on revenue producing activities.

You need to create a marketing plan and stick with it. Yes, you can adapt your plan. But, there is a value is selecting a series of strategies to utilize over a 2-3 month period and working consistently to implement them.

You need to get the word out about your business.

Here are some of the marketing activities to do consistently:

  • Making calls
  • Attending events
  • Email marketing
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Posting videos on YouTube
  • Publishing articles
  • Posting to a blog
  • Send direct mail correspondence
  • Mail a thank you card
  • Email newsletter
  • Host a teleseminar
  • Host a webinar
  • Trade shows
  • Free consultations

What other activities do you need to accomplish?

Establish Daily Marketing Habits

It’s a good idea to decide how much of a specific activity to complete and how often.

For example, you might set a goal to make 10 calls a day, 5 days a week.

Or send one thank card per day.

Or send 5 private messages on Facebook per day.

There is a value in establishing a daily habit and then doing consistently over time.

Will you track your results to make sure you accomplished your goal?

Superstars take the time to track their activities and their results.

It’s time to step up your game and improve your results.

Put a focus on improving your consistency in marketing your business.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Build your Email List

It’s not enough to increase your activity level on social media, you need to make it a priority to build your email list.

You need to have the ability to communicate with potential clients consistently over time. Email marketing is a great way to do this.

I encourage you to download my FREE Report on 33 Simple Strategies to Build your Email List.

Set Email Marketing goals and then select strategies to implement each day.

Feb 03

Keeping up with the Competition

Excel Against Your Competition
We are facing global competition, the likes of which we have never seen.

As a smaller business owner, you not only have to worry about competing against the business down the street, but the business across the world.

Many business owners are seeing that first hand. The fact is that you can’t afford not to pay attention to the competition and attempt to outrun them.

You need to keep on your toes. You are not only competing based on product, but on service as well. How you treat your customers and clients matters.

And don’t forget that you need to market your business online, each day and every day. And you have to show up on social media. Unfortunately, many business owners cycle between being present and being absent on social media. They will show up for a few weeks and then all of a sudden, they disappear for a few weeks.

People pay attention to how interactive and responsive you are.

If you are not on top of things, that will cause people to look elsewhere.

Here are 3 quick tips to help you excel against your competition:

1) Offer a better experience

Do you offer a product or a service? Whatever you sell, you have an opportunity to deliver an experience. You can make the process more enjoyable. That will encourage people to buy again.

What can YOU do to improve the experience people have when they buy from you?

2) Create leverage so you can reach more people more quickly and more responsively and more often

There are only so many hours in the day. There are only so many people you can talk to or meet with. At a certain point, you need to create leverage if you hope to reach more people.

Email is a great way to create leverage. You can write one message and then send it to thousands of people. Of course, you need an email list and you need to build your email list.

Video gives you an easy way to talk and share a message. Once you record a video, you can post it online and then share it. Plus, people searching based on your keywords will find your video and watch it.

Like most strategies, you will benefit from doing this consistently over time. Can you commit to recording one video per week? Or even once per month?

Finally, social media is one of the most powerful ways to reach people these days. But, you can’t have a non-stop stream of promotional messages. You need to add value and engage in conversations.

3) Create content that adds value

One of the best ways to get your message out there and attract people is to create content. Write blog posts and articles. Post videos. Create content and post it quickly. And then share it and share it often.

The good news is that your competition has the same challenges you do. They have obstacles that slow them down from time to time.

If you expect to win, in the form of being able to stay in business, do what you want and earn enough income to live on and then some, then you need to spend some time working on how to overcome your competition.

This is worth the effort. By the way, compare yourself to where you were in the past. It’s more helpful to evaluate your performance against yourself than against your competitors.

It’s important to keep a positive attitude. You will feel better knowing that you have progressed and made improvements in your results.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 23

Simple Techniques to Develop Personal Relationships through Social Media

Social Media RelationshipIs it harder to develop relationships online than offline?
Yes it is.

When you meet someone in person, you can look into their eyes and talk to them. You can really get a sense of the person.

When you meet someone online, you are limited to seeing just what they have posted online.

So, if you want to develop relationships online, then you need to do something more.

I have seen many posts lately on Facebook indicating that people are tired of the superficial nature of communication on social media. People are looking for opportunities to connect personally with people.

In my own business, I spend much of the day talking to people over the phone. I understand the value of having a personal conversation to really get to know someone and what they are struggling with. And that is the basis for understanding how you can help.

Here are a few quick tips to develop personal relationships online:

1) Develop relationships one at a time

How do you develop relationships?

One at a time!

One of the most effective ways to communicate with people on Facebook and other social media sites is to send them a private message.

Keep your messages short and end with a question.

I get too many messages from people who just spew details about their business in the first message.

Keep your messages brief and focus on making a connection.

When you ask a question, it starts a dialogue. You want to have a series of short messages back and forth. This allows you to develop trust and rapport.

2) Have a system for contacting people

You need a simple system that will help you keep track of who to contact and who you have contacted.

I love spreadsheets for their simplicity.

Make a top ten list of people to contact and get started.

Add to your list over time.

Make a note after you have made contact.

Depending on the results, follow up in 60 to 90 days.

3) Move conversations offline over the phone

You can only accomplish so much online.

At a certain point, it makes sense to take the conversation offline.

Suggest that you talk by phone.

This is a great way to develop the relationship and accomplish more.

Begin the process of making personal contact with your friends and followers.

Move beyond the superficial nature of online conversations.

Step into the role of taking an interest in people and learning how to best help them.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 18

The Power of Creating a Sequential Video Marketing Campaign

Sequential Video Marketing CampaignI want to share an advanced strategy with you.

Every year, small business owners decide to start recording videos to post online.

It’s a great strategy. It will help to build trust and rapport. Videos can help to generate leads.

One day, I was talking to one of my clients who is a Sales Coach. He decided to create a series of 52 videos to offer online. It’s an ambitious strategy. It’s not for everyone.

Setting a goal to record videos will help motivate you to take action.

Don’t worry about trying to record 52 videos though.

Why not create a series of 7 online videos?

A video series can be designed for lead generation or to sell a product.

You can set up a Lead Capture Page for people to opt in to receive the video series.

When people opt in, you can subscribe them automatically to an autoresponder series.

This is a great strategy to create leverage.

As I said, it is an advanced strategy. Not everyone is ready to implement it.

But, it might be something that would be good for you to implement in the next 6 months.

Sometimes, you have to take on a more advanced strategy. You will learn a lot from the process.

Stretch yourself and you will grow.

Here are 4 tips to create a Video Marketing Campaign:

1) Remember that you don’t have to accomplish everything in one video

Think about your outcomes for the video series. What do you want to accomplish?

Then, set individual outcomes for each video in the campaign.

The first video might simply have a goal to build trust and rapport with your audience, deliver value and encourage them to watch the rest of the videos as you send them.

2) Record the videos as you go

You don’t have to record all of the videos at once.

If you have a short series, then it might make sense to record them all at once. If you have a lot of videos to create, then record them one or two at a time.

3) Don’t worry about making a perfect video

Many business owners have an intention to create videos and stop short of uploading a video because they are not satisfied with how they look or what they said. Get over it! Record a video and publish it online!

You are who you are. You have a message to share with the world. Focus on the value you will deliver. Take action to record your video and then publish it online.

4) Structure the sequence of videos to build toward your end goal

Have a plan for where you want to lead people. You can lead people to your end goal in multiple ways.

If your goal is to sell a product, then refer back to the product at the end of each video. Remember, repetition helps to reinforce your message.

Would you like to leverage video in your business more effectively?

Then, take time to make a plan to create a Video Marketing Campaign.

Make it happen!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Photo Credit: http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/mkjRdp2/Domino

Related Posts:

How to Use Videos to Educate Potential Customers

3 Keys to Use Online Video to Drive Traffic to your Site

Dec 04

Downsizing your Network of Facebook Friends

Do you have too many Facebook Friends? Periodically, it’s a good idea to eliminate friends on Facebook that are not a good fit.

Learn simple tips to downsize your network of Facebook friends.

In the video below, I will teach a simple technique you can use every day that will allow you to review and cull your list of friends to a more manageable level.

I also recommend you pay attention to who posts comments on your page and make note of anyone who doesn’t play nice.

Click Play Below to Watch the Video

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 03

Creating your 2015 Sales and Marketing Plan

Rick Cooper and Eric LofholmWe’re almost at the end of the year and it’s time to start planning for 2015.

Have you started your sales and marketing plan for the New Year yet?

I’ve got an amazing opportunity you don’t want to miss!

Introducing my Mentor Eric Lofholm…

Eric Lofholm, is one of the top sales trainers in the world and he just let me know about something he’s doing I thought you should be part of.

Every year he does a Sales & Marketing Planning series for his students.

Last year, over 500 people submitted their COMPLETED Sales & Marketing Plans to him after the event!

With the amazing results he got last year he’s decided to open up registration to the public and see if as a group we can complete over 1,000 Sales & Marketing Plans BEFORE December 31st.

Complete your Sales and Marketing Plan

How cool would that be! To have YOUR sales & marketing plan for 2015 done before the New Year even starts!

If you want a specific actionable plan to help you create your sales & marketing plan for the New Year, then you don’t want to miss this one.

Join Eric Lofholm for a FREE Webinar Series!

Get registered now so you can be sure to lock it in to your calendar.

Click here to sign up

This could be the breakthrough you need to make 2015 great!

Please feel free to share this blog post with anyone else you know who might benefit as well. I’d love to help Eric reach his goal with this!

Click here to register

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 02

4 Tips to Create Content to Attract Customers Online

content-creation-tipsMarketing is about communication. It’s about sharing a message that connects with your audience.

People like to do business with people they Know, Like and Trust.

How do you build Trust and Rapport?

One simple way is through creating content. You need to create information (written, audio and video) and post it online. Content is information that adds value. It’s information that educates and informs.

What messages do you want to communicate?

Here are 4 tips to create new content:

  • Share tips and strategies
  • Solve a common problem
  • Answer a burning question
  • Write about a topic that will start a conversation with your ideal clients

When you post content online, it will naturally attract your ideal customers. If you optimize your site for search engines, people will find your site simply by searching.

You can also drive content to your site by using strategies like article marketing.

You can post an article (another example of content) on an article directory and include a link back to your site. This will create a backlink and will also give people an opportunity to click and visit your site.

What content would you like to create?

Here are some examples of content you can create on the internet:

-Blog posts
-Articles
-Special Reports
-Ebooks
-Audio
-Video
-Infographic
-Worksheets
-Templates
-Checklists
-Top Ten List
-List of websites
-ecourses

Set a goal for what content you want to create.

Pick one of the above items and start working on it.

Send me a quick email once you have posted it online. I like to see what progress you are making. Email me at Rick(at)SocialMediaOutcomes.com.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 01

7 Advanced Social Media Marketing Tactics

Social Media Marketing TacticsSocial Media Marketing can be easy or complex. It just depends on what your goals are. If you don’t have expectations for what you want to accomplish, then your social media marketing may be simple.

At a certain point though, you might decide that you want to accomplish more using social media.

Here are some compelling reasons to step up your social media marketing:

  • You want to prospect people through social media
  • You want to invite people to events using social media
  • You want to create viral marketing to drive more visitors to your website
  • You want to generate more leads online
  • You want to share a promotion through social media
  • You want to attract potential Joint Venture Partners
  • You want to create social currency with other people

As you can see, there are many reasons you might want to step up your game.

So, what tactics can you use?

7 Advanced Social Media Marketing Tactics

I created a short, one page guide to share a few of the tactics you can use to get results.

This is meant to be an idea generator.

I encourage you to download this guide and print it out.

Keep it as a handy reference.

Right-click on the PDF icon below and download the file:

Download PDF

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Or click here to open the Advanced Social Media Marketing Tactics Guide

Social Media Goals

What are you doing to set goals for social media?

I encourage you to start simple with goals that you can easily track and measure. This will help you to get into action to determine whether you are moving in the right direction.

As you set goals, then look for new social media strategies you can implement that will help you to accomplish those goals.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 25

Establishing Online Marketing Goals for your Business

Online Marketing GoalsHave you set your online marketing goals for the next quarter?

Many small business owners don’t take the time to write down their goals. How can you know whether you are making progress unless you know what you are trying to accomplish?

Goals help to drive activity. They keep you motivated and on track. Goals assist you in avoiding distractions.

Here are 3 specific online marketing goals you should set for your business:

1) Revenue Production

First and foremost, you need to focus on revenue producing activities. And that starts with getting clear on your revenue goals.

Identify how many sales of each product you want to earn for the next quarter. If you have a lot of products, then just pick the top 5 products or services to focus on them when you set your goals.

2) Lead Generation

It’s critical to build a permission-based email list. Email marketing is still one of the best online marketing strategies to help you develop an ongoing relationship with customers and prospects.

Set goals for the number of new leads you want to generate each month, as well as the number of new prospects.

3) Social Media Results

Social media results can be difficult to quantify. And yet, there is a value in setting goals for what you want to accomplish using social media.

Set goals for the number of new friends or followers you want to add.

Determine how many people you want to respond to your social media promotions. This can be difficult to track and measure but by setting a goal it helps you to find a solution.

You can also set goals related to developing Joint Venture relationships. How many new JV partners do you want to find and what results will that give you?

It’s not always easy or practical to track results received through social media, but you can leverage online tools to help in the process.

All in all, getting clear on your online marketing goals will help you increase your results.

My mentor Eric Lofholm says, “Wherever you focus your attention, you will see an improvement in results.” Eric is correct!

Establish goals for the next quarter and then track your progress.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Related Posts

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Achieve your Goals and Become More

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