I’ve just come across a great post by robertford that is a great, quick read for all of you ditherers out there: Thinking About Experimenting with Social Media - Just Do It!
Enjoy!
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As the year gets into full swing, and I tweak my marketing plan (you ARE making time to hone your own marketing plan, aren’t you?! It’s what ALL successful entrepreneurs do, and so should you!) for the next 6 months of 2009, I can’t help but look back at 2008 — specifically, what I learned from the mistakes I made. It’s healthy to make mistakes, as long as they don’t hurt anyone and they serve a purpose . . . such as helping one to improve oneself in some way.
So here goes - my ‘business 2008 confession time’:
1. Failing to make the best use of ‘mentoring’ opportunities. I’ve had my fair share of mentors, and of course I run my own form of mentoring programmes such as my ‘Powerfully Effective Marketing‘ programme. But there is soooooo much that I overlooked; I cringe when I think of all that specific practical information and insight from solid experience that I, well, didn’t do anything with. What a huge waste!
Expand your universe: Be sure to continually cultivate . . . and IMPLEMENT . . . the real-life success and know-how of suitable mentors. It WILL make the biggest difference to your chance of success — both personally and professionally. Just DO it — I certainly will from now on!
2. Failing to set firmer boundaries. I absolutely LOVE it when people tell me they have learnt a lot from me. Which is why I’ve always been one for offering a helping hand (or recommendations) to anyone who asks. But, the downside to this is spending way too much of my time working on unpaid project or dishing out F.R.E.E. advice. Precious time that eats into my client, creative and writing time. Heck, even my ‘me time’.
Sure, offering f.r.e.e. information in the form of this newsletter or an ebook or some special project is one thing — and I see that as a valuable part of running my business — but 2008 taught me that being too f.r.e.e. with my advice has always been my biggest challenge.
So this year will see big changes in that area, including learning to say no when necessary.
3. Failing to listen to my own advice. What’s one of my favourite business chants? “You’ve got to keep marketing to be in business!” Did I pay attention to this over the past year? Not really. (Gulp!)
You see, I was enjoying a VERY BUSY spell during early summer and I quickly became complacent with my marketing. Result: When the economy started to slow down, so did my workload.
It’s hard to wear all the many hats necessary to running a successful business when you’re a solopreneur. But one thing is for sure: Marketing should never, ever, ever be last on your ‘to do’ list. It’s something that you should do habitually - every day, if possible. Don’t and you will quickly learn that your business isn’t going anywhere fast.
By creating a series of ’systems’, I can now spend less time on marketing because I have an efficient, EFFORTLESS AUTOMATED PROCESS for doing things. Which will let me spend more time IN my business and ultimately making more money.
4. Failing to schedule in ‘me time’ and have fun! Like anyone, I like to have fun. But I somehow forgot that over the past year. Not many of you know that I suffer from an incurable illness. Still, rather than making time to relax or do my ‘healing’ meditation, I actually upped my workload! (Hey, don’t you ever feel there just aren’t enough hours in the day?!) Not so in 2008. I will stop this ‘hunched over the computer, working all hours’ nonsense and schedule in ‘me-time’. Heck, I might even start taking piano lessons!
5. Failing to appreciate the power of offline marketing. This is another of those ‘not taking my own medicine’ mistakes. I’ve been happily and successfully relying primarily on online marketing for the past umpteen years. After all, why bother with old-fashioned snail mail when email is quicker, easier and, best of all, f.r.e.e.? Well, I’ve changed my tune based on several mailings I’ve done over the past year.
Also, I’ll be making more use of offline marketing to supplement my online efforts. One of the favoured techniques of the ‘masters’ of marketing is to use an offline method to drive website traffic and build an online list. It’s quickly becoming mine, too. I won’t start using carrier pigeons just yet, though!
The bottom line is that any marketing strategy that relies on just one medium WILL HIT TROUBLE sooner or later.
So there you have ‘em: The top five areas I wish to change in my professional (and, consequently, personal) life this year for the better.
What about you? Please do share your thoughts.
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If you’re wondering what all the fuss about Twitter is, or you want to leverage the best out of this medium for your business, then this post by webcommunityforum is definitely one to bookmark:
21 Ways to Market Your Business on Twitter
Here are the first 5:
You can read the rest here.
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Now that the holiday season is in full swing, your purse (or wallet) is almost certainly feeling a little bit lighter, what with all the festivities and shopping…
So, to help you out and give your purse/wallet some holiday relief — as well as to THANK YOU for all your business and support throughout 2008 — I have an early holiday gift for my newsletter and blog readers:
Save 20-50% on every digital download, from now until 19th December 2008…
While many game-boards last just for Christmas and this year’s toys are next year’s throwaways, the residual on a learning system or one of my products will last a lifetime.
So why not treat yourself or an entrepreneurial friend to the perfect business-boosting gift?
The way it works is simple. Buy one PDF digital download (including all my ebooks and TeleMasterClass transcripts) and get a 20% discount. Buy two and get a 35% discount. Buy three or more and get a whopping 50% off the price.
But here’s the catch:
You need to place your order by 5pm (GMT, 8am Pacific, 9am Mountain, 10am Central, 11am Eastern) on Friday, 19th December 2008 to take advantage of this opportunity…
So if you’ve thought about buying one of these informative, easy-to-follow-and-implement guides before, now is your chance! Start here (But do NOT order from there! You need to email the code “HOLIDAYS 08″ along with your choice of products and preferred method of payment to me first.)
BONUS #1: But that’s not all! For every order over £100, I’m going to include *complimentary*email support and mentoring (limited to four email consults per order) to help you get the most out of your new business assets.
What better time to re-commit yourself to making your dreams of taking your business to the next level a reality than now, with the New Year just around the corner?
I recommend:
You can see the full list here: http://www.mediaminister.co.uk/products.htm( But don’t order from there! You need to email the code “HOLIDAYS 08″ along with your choice of products and preferred method of payment to me to take advantage of this time-sensitive discount.) And, meanwhile, from me to you … have a safe and wonderfully happy holiday season. With lashings of seasonal joy! ~Tracey PS Here’s just a taste of what others are saying about my immediate-access, digital downloads: “I’d like to say what a refreshing change from all the hype out there it is. I found it to be very well written and accessible, with an easy to follow plan. I’ve already applied what I’ve learnt and its already transforming my business.” “Wow! There was a LOT to take in, but all of it is extremely practical. You have a way with words. And you have probably saved me weeks, if not years, of expensive and frustrating learning. Thanks so much!”
“Great value! I was delighted with the quality of information you provided - I am hoping it will help me bring in more clients.” “I’d absolutely recommend you get this great resource.”
“Among the best! It exceeded my expectations!”
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Gain press coverage and leverage media relations in such an easy way that it translates into more clients and revenue.£10
An ideal client profile is one of those secrets that solopreneurs and small businesses can learn from the corporate world for greater business success. This is THE essential ‘better-business’ cheat sheet.£50
Whether you are just starting out, or want to learn new tricks, this will give you the insider tricks to lucratively market online.£50
Lots of useful techniques, tips and new insights that you can put to use straight away to get your site working FOR you, for a change.
– Aaron Beads, Homeopath
– Andrea White
– Alex Greer, Just Too Busy
– Julie Begbie, www.keepstakes.co.uk
– Heidi Tran, www.blackbug.net
The lead article in the latest issue of MediaMinister’s Communiqué for Success shows you how to capitalise on a fast, easy and economical way to promote just about ANY business.
To read the full article and gain *hidden links* to recent CfS newsletter editions, you’ll have to become a subscriber. (That’s a good, by the way!) As well as being FREE, you’ll receive a business-building report and audio CD that can dramatically improve sales simply for signing up and trying it out.
Subscribe here.
Recent CfS newsletter issues cover:
Subscribe here.
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If there is one online marketing tool that is possibly the most underused and least understood it has to be web analytics.
At its most basic, traffic analysis involves collecting and interpreting information visitors to your website. At the more advanced level, tracking systems can provide an array of key data about the journey your visitors make once on your site, what your most cost-effective traffic sources are, which pay-per-click (PPC) or search-engine-optimisation (SEO) keywords and key phrases to concentrate on, and a whole host of other sales and ROI information.
A really fantastic resource that is FREE from Google is their Analytics program – http://www.google.com/analytics/. As well as being able to track your web visitors, page views, and more, you can also track your email campaigns, referrals, and even offline campaigns. This is definitely one to bookmark . . . and USE!
Your website’s statistics provide a LOT of clues as to what visitors make of your site. Don’t ignore them!
Adapted from: “Using Online Marketing to Your Advantage“
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I heard on the news (BBC) this morning that supermarkets are spending more on advertising and less on branding, in an attempt to lure shoppers and defeat the credit-crunch fallout.
Does this mean that you should follow suit?
Advertising – whether it’s advertising in magazines, newspapers, the trade press or online – CAN be yield a good return on business. But it’s generally more appropriate for larger brands with the advertising budget to match their size.
That said, advertising DOES work, and it can work for you . . . providing you advertise the right things to the right people in the right places and in the right way.
If you do wish to dip your toe in the advertising arena, then I would suggest spending your budget very carefully to ensure you receive maximum returns for your expenditure.
My step-by-step, lead-generation system High-Powered Ads that Generate Sales reveals where to place your ad – and where NOT to advertise – as well as how to triple the results of ANY ad you write . . . guaranteed! For more information, point your browser to: http://mediaminister.co.uk/products.htm#HPA
But back to the question of whether you should ditch your branding efforts. I think not. Branding is crucial to any business – at any time and regardless of the state of the economy.
It can reinforce your image so that you stay in your existing customers mind, as well as grab the curiosity of potential new customers.
Central to effective branding is the concept of consistency. No matter what you do, you absolutely MUST be consistent with your core marketing message. That’s because you want your business image and brand to be easily recognisable, and you want your prospects to conclude that your company is a confident, credible and stable one.
To really strengthen your brand image, as well as being consistent, you should be educating your potential customers about WHY they should buy your product or service (no one likes to be sold, right?). The use of case studies and testimonials is a great way to achieve this. You’ll find plenty of other ideas in posts here on MarketingMoment.
So what about you? How are you educating your customers to increase sales?
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The subject line is one of THE most powerful weapons in your internet-marketing arsenal. Yet it’s one of the most overlooked. So how do you get your emails recognised, opened AND acted upon? Easy, sign up to my newsletter and you’ll receive a ‘hidden’ link to the article I ran on this very topic in last week’s issue.
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Top web advertisers and marketers favour search and email marketing, according to a recent survey carried out by industry leaders ad:tech and MarketingSherpa. The annual survey is a good indicator of what’s working online and what’s to come.
Behaviorally-targeted ads rated higher than any other online performer. The advertisers and marketers questioned plan to invest more in PPC and behavioral ads this year, and move away from poorly-targeted display ads.
Other top tactics include:
- House email lists.
- Testing. Marketers are measuring, testing and split-testing more than ever in almost all categories surveyed.
- Search engine optimisation (SEO) is delivering a strong return on investment.
- Agencies are urging marketers to explore viral marketing and advertising in mobile phones, online video sites and virtual worlds.
The latter reflects the changing landscape of the online advertising world.
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According to a study by Forrester Research, the top three elements visitors look for in websites are (in no particular order):
Source: Internet Marketing Report
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