5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Posted on 01. May, 2012 by in bazaarvoice, Blog, ian greenleigh, influencer outreach, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

ian greenleigh 150x150 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

badge guest post FLATTER 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Ian Greenleigh (@be3d) is a social media and content strategist. He’s writing a book titled The Social Side Door: How Social Media Has Rewritten the Rules of Access and Influence, and he works at Bazaarvoice in Austin, TX.

Social side doors are avenues of access and influence made possible by society’s adoption of social media. It has never been easier to avoid the gatekeepers and engage with decision makers in meaningful ways. It no longer makes sense to compete for attention by traditional means alone, or to stand in line for a chance to be heard. Social side doors are all around you. Here are five ways to open them.

1. Get there early.

Early adopters are given unique access to others. New tools and platforms tend to be more open and barrier-free, encouraging reciprocal communication. The basis of this engagement is shared interest in the medium; it has little to do with the status one has before she enters the new circle. New communications technologies tend to be democratic, access is open, and attention is earned. As more users arrive, some abuse the privilege, and access is constricted.  Think about all the technologies and personnel we use to block unwanted access by phone (including voicemail, DND and executive assistants). The circle grows; ease of access diminishes—so get there early!

2. Show up in unexpected places.

iStock 000010843667Small 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Even the best marketing emails, resumes and cold calls are given short shrift today, and it has more to do with the medium than the message. We’re trained to ignore these expected approaches.

Standing out through social is about making oneself known in an entirely different context. I learned just how effective this was when I took out a Facebook ad and targeted decision-makers at the company I currently work for, Bazaarvoice. My resume had been passed on by recruiters, but my ad caught the attention of a senior marketing exec that happened to be browsing Facebook and I soon had the job. Another effective tactic is to find out where the people you’re trying to get in front of go to learn, and who influences them. Leave thoughtful comments on these blogs, build relationships with their influencers, and eventually submit a guest post. If you do this well, you’ll be demonstrating your expertise as you build visibility—the killer combo of influence and access.

3. Write Rocket Content.

It never makes sense to focus only on the decision maker. They’re the ones with the highest barriers to access, and they’re quickest to say “no thanks” to outside approaches. That’s why you need to write kick-ass content that helps others in their decision ecosystem sell for you. The right content is irresistibly shareable, makes the person sharing it look great to those above them, influences at every rung of the ladder, and ultimately convinces those at the top to take you seriously as a vendor, job seeker, or whatever you’re going for. What I wrote in 2010 is still true, but let’s give it a social update: “If you can’t easily imagine your readers emailing [or tweeting, sharing, LinkedIn messaging, Chattering, Yammering] what you’re writing to their bosses, it’s probably not rocket content.”

4. Be three-dimensional.

“I’ll be interested if you’ll be interesting,” read a poster at this year’s SXSWi. People have more than one dimension, but they often choose just one boring, incomplete version of themselves to show the world. Social side doors open when your online presence truly conveys who you are—not just your area expertise and authority, but also your personality and values.

We like to do business with (and hire) people we genuinely like. Each touch point should convey some of who you are. When I was in sales, I found that people were far more interested in what I had to say after we had interacted through more than one medium. If we had tweeted, for example, they would reply to my emails more often, or pick up the phone when I called. When people associate the “from” line in an email or the name on their caller ID with someone they’ve had pleasant, authentic interactions with across social channels, that feeling cascades into other mediums and areas of conversation (like what you’re selling or why they should hire you).

5. Understand ego capital.

Normal people like to be praised and recognized, and that’s good news for you. Ego capital is, “anything that we feel will help us look better in front of others.”

Two things happen when ego capital is properly “served.” First, the subjects of your positive coverage tend to make themselves more accessible to you. If they know that you ask great interview questions that position them as an expert, you’ll have an easier time reengaging with them later. Second, they are extremely likely to share content that makes them look good, and they’ll often link to it as well.

The perfect person to reach out to is someone that is a highly-regarded authority on a subject with a large following of people in your target space. The most effective ways to leverage ego capital are quote requests and interviews. After all, who doesn’t want to have third-parties featuring them as experts in their respective field? And if it were you, wouldn’t you share it? (Perhaps you’d add #humblebrag to it, but you’d still share it, right?)

But ego capital can absolutely be abused. Always make sure you’re developing content that will actually be enriched by an expert quote or interview, and that it will still stand on its own if your request isn’t met. And don’t treat it like a numbers game, racking up as many expert quotes as you can cram into a blog post. Be selective with your ego capital, treat people with respect, and see what it does for you.

These are just a few of the ways to use the changing social landscape to build access and influence. What social side doors have you found in your life?

5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Posted on 01. May, 2012 by in bazaarvoice, Blog, ian greenleigh, influencer outreach, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

ian greenleigh 150x150 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

badge guest post FLATTER 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Ian Greenleigh (@be3d) is a social media and content strategist. He’s writing a book titled The Social Side Door: How Social Media Has Rewritten the Rules of Access and Influence, and he works at Bazaarvoice in Austin, TX.

Social side doors are avenues of access and influence made possible by society’s adoption of social media. It has never been easier to avoid the gatekeepers and engage with decision makers in meaningful ways. It no longer makes sense to compete for attention by traditional means alone, or to stand in line for a chance to be heard. Social side doors are all around you. Here are five ways to open them.

1. Get there early.

Early adopters are given unique access to others. New tools and platforms tend to be more open and barrier-free, encouraging reciprocal communication. The basis of this engagement is shared interest in the medium; it has little to do with the status one has before she enters the new circle. New communications technologies tend to be democratic, access is open, and attention is earned. As more users arrive, some abuse the privilege, and access is constricted.  Think about all the technologies and personnel we use to block unwanted access by phone (including voicemail, DND and executive assistants). The circle grows; ease of access diminishes—so get there early!

2. Show up in unexpected places.

iStock 000010843667Small 5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships

Even the best marketing emails, resumes and cold calls are given short shrift today, and it has more to do with the medium than the message. We’re trained to ignore these expected approaches.

Standing out through social is about making oneself known in an entirely different context. I learned just how effective this was when I took out a Facebook ad and targeted decision-makers at the company I currently work for, Bazaarvoice. My resume had been passed on by recruiters, but my ad caught the attention of a senior marketing exec that happened to be browsing Facebook and I soon had the job. Another effective tactic is to find out where the people you’re trying to get in front of go to learn, and who influences them. Leave thoughtful comments on these blogs, build relationships with their influencers, and eventually submit a guest post. If you do this well, you’ll be demonstrating your expertise as you build visibility—the killer combo of influence and access.

3. Write Rocket Content.

It never makes sense to focus only on the decision maker. They’re the ones with the highest barriers to access, and they’re quickest to say “no thanks” to outside approaches. That’s why you need to write kick-ass content that helps others in their decision ecosystem sell for you. The right content is irresistibly shareable, makes the person sharing it look great to those above them, influences at every rung of the ladder, and ultimately convinces those at the top to take you seriously as a vendor, job seeker, or whatever you’re going for. What I wrote in 2010 is still true, but let’s give it a social update: “If you can’t easily imagine your readers emailing [or tweeting, sharing, LinkedIn messaging, Chattering, Yammering] what you’re writing to their bosses, it’s probably not rocket content.”

4. Be three-dimensional.

“I’ll be interested if you’ll be interesting,” read a poster at this year’s SXSWi. People have more than one dimension, but they often choose just one boring, incomplete version of themselves to show the world. Social side doors open when your online presence truly conveys who you are—not just your area expertise and authority, but also your personality and values.

We like to do business with (and hire) people we genuinely like. Each touch point should convey some of who you are. When I was in sales, I found that people were far more interested in what I had to say after we had interacted through more than one medium. If we had tweeted, for example, they would reply to my emails more often, or pick up the phone when I called. When people associate the “from” line in an email or the name on their caller ID with someone they’ve had pleasant, authentic interactions with across social channels, that feeling cascades into other mediums and areas of conversation (like what you’re selling or why they should hire you).

5. Understand ego capital.

Normal people like to be praised and recognized, and that’s good news for you. Ego capital is, “anything that we feel will help us look better in front of others.”

Two things happen when ego capital is properly “served.” First, the subjects of your positive coverage tend to make themselves more accessible to you. If they know that you ask great interview questions that position them as an expert, you’ll have an easier time reengaging with them later. Second, they are extremely likely to share content that makes them look good, and they’ll often link to it as well.

The perfect person to reach out to is someone that is a highly-regarded authority on a subject with a large following of people in your target space. The most effective ways to leverage ego capital are quote requests and interviews. After all, who doesn’t want to have third-parties featuring them as experts in their respective field? And if it were you, wouldn’t you share it? (Perhaps you’d add #humblebrag to it, but you’d still share it, right?)

But ego capital can absolutely be abused. Always make sure you’re developing content that will actually be enriched by an expert quote or interview, and that it will still stand on its own if your request isn’t met. And don’t treat it like a numbers game, racking up as many expert quotes as you can cram into a blog post. Be selective with your ego capital, treat people with respect, and see what it does for you.

These are just a few of the ways to use the changing social landscape to build access and influence. What social side doors have you found in your life?

About the Ian Greenleigh:

Ian Greenleigh (@be3d) is a social media and content strategist. He’s writing a book titled The Social Side Door: How Social Media Has Rewritten the Rules of Access and Influence, and he works at Bazaarvoice in Austin, TX.

5 Ways to Open the Social Side Door and Build Relationships is a post from: Convince and Convert Blog: Social Media Strategy and Social Media Consulting

7 Quick Ways to Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Social Media Marketing Workhorse

Posted on 19. Oct, 2011 by in Blog, Featured, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

image of linkedin icon

In my opinion, the most powerful social media profile you can use is the LinkedIn profile.

Most powerful that is, if you are looking to do more business and/or achieve your professional goals.

There’s a certain mindset LinkedIn members have when they spend time there.

They don’t browse through pictures and videos of their friends.

They don’t go there to share 140 characters of their current status.

And they don’t go there to watch panda bears sneeze or talking dogs say “I love you”.

Although other social networking sites have their place and purpose, none of them have the professionally directed power of LinkedIn.

LinkedIn means business!

Your LinkedIn profile says everything about who you are professionally.

And since it tends to rank well on Google for your name, people will read your LinkedIn profile when they want to do research on you, your product, service, or company.

In other words, what you say on your profile will have an impact on the amount of business you do on LinkedIn.

Here are 7 ways to enhance the copy on your profile to ensure that you get everything you want from LinkedIn:

1. It’s all about the headline

Headlines are everything in newspapers, magazines, and on blogs.

They are just as important on your LinkedIn profile, because the headline is the first thing that shows up anytime someone does a search online. A simple way to ensure your headline doesn’t suck is to follow a simple formula.

Tell people specifically:

  • Who you are
  • Who you help, and
  • How you help them

Tell them in the fewest words possible. Make your headline compelling and you’ll increase your chances of more meaningful profile views.

2. Get personal

Although LinkedIn is the “professional” social networking site, you want to reserve the first part of your “Summary” to add a personal note about yourself.

People don’t want to look at a resume with bullet points of past sales achievements (barf!), they want to know a little bit about your background. They want to know who you are.

To achieve this, add a personal intro about your goals, what you’re passionate about, and what you love to do in life.

This small touch of transparency will help you connect on a personal level with anyone who views your profile.

3. Spell check. And then check again.

You probably have no clue how many deals are happening day in and day out on LinkedIn.

I hear success stories all of the time about people landing their dream job, getting hired for a major consulting deal, finding 7 figure investors, receiving major sponsorships, selling out tickets to live events, and more.

The potential for what you can accomplish on LinkedIn is nearly unlimited.

However, I also hear about people who are completely turned off by a prospect with a bare-bones profile, or worse — spelling mistakes. Make sure to spell check everything and have others review it to give you their feedback.

This small step could make all the difference in your interactions on LinkedIn. You know what they say about those first impressions.

4. Make a call to action

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not having a call to action on your LinkedIn profile.

If you spend all of this time crafting a great message but don’t lead the viewer anywhere, all your work will have been for nothing.

In your “Summary”, or in your LinkedIn welcome video make sure to tell people what site they should go to for more information, what number to call to get a free consultation, or the best way to email you.

Don’t leave your potential customers and clients hanging. Give them a place to go next (and a reason to go there).

5. Social proof is powerful proof

Social proof helps influence others into making a “buying” decision.

LinkedIn makes this step easy by providing 3 primary sections to add social proof:

  • Education. Adding the college or university you attended provides your education credentials, and increases the value of your personal brand.
  • Awards. This section is the one place you can brag about yourself a little. Include any past accomplishments or industry awards you can think of that will increase the value of your profile.
  • Recommendations. The more recommendations you have on your profile the better. This is the best form of social proof, as it conveys credibility and authority. The best way to receive recommendations is to give them first.

6. Improve your search rankings

If you want to get more leads and sales, then the easiest thing you can do is become easily found on LinkedIn for keywords in your niche.

Think about what people would be searching for on Google to find your business, service, or product (for example, mine would be “sports” or “LinkedIn Tips”). Make sure you add your keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile in five main places.

Learn more about where to include your keywords and increase your LinkedIn SEO here.

7. Stand out from the crowd

With close to 130 million LinkedIn profiles, many of them look the same.

Don’t join the herd of boring “glamour shot” profiles. Instead, do something creative in your copy to market yourself on LinkedIn, stand out, and keep people coming back for more.

Add LinkedIn’s blog application, sync it with your twitter updates, or include other advanced applications to help your profile stand out from the rest.

Take your profile to the next level

As LinkedIn continues to grow in numbers and gain more media attention, it will prove to add more value to your brand and business.

If you want to get the most out of your efforts with LinkedIn, take the time right now to implement these 7 steps and watch your profile take off.

About the Author: Lewis Howes is the author of two books on the topic of LinkedIn and the creator of the #1 LinkedIn training course Linked Influence. Receive his free LinkedIn marketing tips and connect with Lewis at lewishowes.com.

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Caring, Consistency, and the New Relationship Marketing

Posted on 15. Sep, 2011 by in Blog, Book Reviews, content curation, content marketing, interviews, Mari Smith, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media books

Jay: Hey, everybody. It’s Jay Baer from Convince & Convert. I’m joined
today by a very special guest, my pal Mari Smith, live from
San Diego.

Jay: You are always awesome. You are always awesome. I want to see you all bummed out and sad sometime because no one has ever seen it. It’d be like seeing a narwhal or a unicorn or something like that.

Mari: Occasionally. I have my moments.

Jay: So, you’ve got a new book coming out in mid-October. Tell us all about it.

The New Relationship Marketing How to Build a Large Loyal Profitable Network Using the Social Web 9781118063064 Mari Smith Books Caring, Consistency, and the New Relationship MarketingMari: I do. I’m very excited about it. It’s called The New Relationship Marketing Caring, Consistency, and the New Relationship Marketing

I’m really, really excited because it’s the fusion of what we all know is the technical aspects of social media, what buttons you press, what tools, what stats to measure, all the kind of left brain hard skills as well as something that I’ve really honed a lot over the years, which is the soft skills, the people skills, which is crucialfor real success, in my opinion, in social media online and offline. It’s having skills like empathy and really being able to listen and read between the lines and expressing genuine care and compassion for people, regardless of where they come from. It’s really interesting.

It’s like the whole essence is about leveling out the playing field, if you will, so that brands, businesses of all sizes literally can friend their customers and prospects. I like to think of the acronym B2C and B2B as really being more like P2P now, people to people.

Jay: Do you find that as more and more people gravitate towards social media and start to use the tools and the shortcuts that we lose some of those soft skills, that we misplace those? Look, I can set it on HootSuite or Buffer and forget it, and it’ll fire out automatically, and then we start to lose some of that human touch. I feel like, in some ways, it’s becoming more about the media and less about the social.

Mari: Yeah. I 100% agree, and it’s really interesting. As you and I both know, social media as an industry per se has matured or is maturing. It’s so very young. Actually, Gary Vaynerchuck has this great metaphor. I think he says the Internet, not just social media, is a baby but it has a maturity. I heard him say
this once at an event: It’s a baby with a mustache.

Jay: It’s true. I started online in 1994, which is really early in this game, and that’s a long time, kind of, but it’s fewer than 20 years.

Mari: Right. Well, but the social aspect of it actually was the paradigm shift because businesses are missing out if they think they can just use these tools. There are some terrific tools, HootSuite for example, but if you think that you can just automate, set and forget, you’ll get some results. But it really will not be the same kinds of results if there can be some genuine interaction and someone in charge of that in the company, that could be outsourced, who’s listening and paying attention because you know why, the consumer has come to expect it. They will take their dollars to the company that engages with them and treats them like a real human being, not just a number on a list.

Jay: Yeah. What’s really interesting though is my book, in part, is about speed and having to do things faster as a company. I find that those two things tend to sometimes work at cross purposes. So, customers expect us to be faster as a company, but yet they also expect us to engage with authenticity and with empathy and with caring. It’s hard to do both of those things at the same time, isn’t it?

Mari: It is. It actually is, and there are some tips that I talk about in my book that would be rapport building skills, like using people’s first names. Believe it or not, a person’s first name is the sweetest sounding word in their entire vocabulary.

For example, if somebody’s Twitter handle includes their name, you can still say, “Hi, Jay @JayBaer. It was great chatting with you today, Jay. I really, really appreciate you.” Using people’s first names in any correspondence where it feels natural. If you do it every time and always at the beginning or whatever, it’s going to look forced and contrived. But, naturally, you’re doing your best to communicate online, the same way that you would in person chitchatting with a friend. And even, it’s not necessarily as you scale and get larger as a company or a brand or a person, not having to think that you have to respond to everybody because it’s not humanly possible. It’s not really scalable, but if you respond to enough people in a day in a warm, friendly, sincere way and with the rapport building tips, people can really feel when you’re genuinely giving and helping them versus like, oh yeah, by the way P.S. we can help you and buy our product, and here’s a link, always turning into a sale.

To me, you can accomplish a lot in a short period of time when you are consistently showing up as that genuine and caring person. There are many, many people and brands that do a great job of this.

Jay: I’m glad you mentioned consistency, because a lot of people spend a bunch of time in a row on social media, and they lock it down for two hours or three hours. Then, they go away for the rest of the day or for a week, and it becomes this very staccato participation wave where they’re overwhelmed by it and then they’re not involved at all. I suspect that you recommend the opposite, more of a sustained level of involvement. Is that true?

Mari: A hundred percent. It’s funny. I was just doing a session earlier, and one of the questions I got asked was about how much time a day should you spend. I always find that an awkward question.

Jay: That’s a hard one, yeah.

Mari: Well, it just depends on how much time you have available, what your goals are. What resources do you have available? But, I’ll guarantee you this. If you focus more on consistency versus the amount of time where it is a certain amount, literally you are showing up, it’s more of a consistent presence.

Jay: One of the things that I do to sort of take advantage of how people do dive in and dive out of Twitter, in particular, is a lot of times when I’m tweeting posts of my own, my own blog posts and things like that, I typically tweet those within three minutes of the top or the bottom of the hour, because I figure more people are checking Twitter right before their next appointment or right after their appointment ended.

So, I’ve actually tested it, and I’ve seen a lot better results in that six or seven minute window right before and right after the top of the hour than at 4:22 or 4:44, things like that, when people are probably involved in some sort of a meeting.

Mari: That’s a great tip. That’s an awesome tip. I love HootSuite for Twitter. I use it every single day because you don’t necessarily get penalized or anything for using a third party on Twitter. You do a little bit on Facebook, but it’s great for that scheduling.

Another tip right on the back of what you just shared is one time recently, and I think it’s maybe KISSmetrics that had done this infographic. I’ve lived in the States for eleven and a half years now, and I never knew this. It said 80% of the American population lives in the Central and Eastern time zones, and I’m in Pacific so I maybe start tweeting around 8:00 a.m. Well, it’s already 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast. So, I started to back it up a little bit and program some tweets to go out at 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. my time, and noticed like you better traction for that, too.

Jay: One of the questions that I think is on a lot of people’s minds right now, especially with the release of Google+, is more more? Is doing more in social media, or participating more with relationship marketing, is it a linear relationship? The more time I spend, the better off I’ll be. If I’m in Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn and Google+, is that inherently better than just being in a couple? I get that kind of question from thought leaders and business owners all the time, and it’s a hard one to answer. What do you think?

Mari: Brilliant question. I love where you’re going with this. Ultimately, it is a personal choice, and the great equalizer is time. We only have 24 hours in a day. Unless you’re a brand or you’re doing real well financially and you just feel like forking out tons and tons of money to community managers so that they can be responding on your behalf, not necessarily as you but for you,
great, my hat’s off to you.

I have great admiration to mention Chris Brogan’s name again. I was a little shocked at first, but I did have some admiration that he just put a sign up on Facebook when Google+ came along. He’s like, “I’ll move. If you want to interact with me, I’m over here.” He’s the first to admit, he never really fully embraced Facebook. For myself, it’s totally different.

Jay: Yeah, almost the opposite, right? That’s always been your place.

Mari: Exactly. I’ve always just been madly in love with them. They are my first love. It was challenging for me in the last – what’s it been now – about six to eight weeks since Google+ really first launched because I was excited. I was saying to people, my God, I’ve never been this excited since May of ’07 when I first got on Facebook.

The cool thing I found, even though there are many, many thought leaders, many experts are on Google+ and they’re sharing voraciously, I found to get some tremendous mileage at one post a day. One post a day, that’s it. That’s the thing we were just saying. The consistency is there.

So, right now I am managing my own presence on Google+ and Twitter. I do all my own tweets. But Facebook is where I implemented a whole new campaign recently, thanks to something I learned from Jeremiah Owyang about scalability. He talked about how it’s really challenging for brands and businesses to use social media as a customer service mechanism because it’s a bottomless pit.

You keep throwing money at more community managers, and it just keeps scaling and scaling. His recommendation was to create a customer advocacy program. I’ve actually recently implemented what I call my MVPs or Mari’s Valuable Peeps. I have about a half dozen members of my community, who totally for free, out of the goodness of their heart, are answering questions for me on my fan page.

I give them exposure in exchange. I drive people to their sites and their pages. They get business because they’re in a slightly different business, doing fan page design. You’ve got to find what works for you.

Jay: The thing is those people will rise to the challenge. They’re hungry for an assignment, and that is very much what AOL did back in the day when AOL found themselves with tens of thousands of chat rooms, back when that was the thing, pre-Facebook, pre-Twitter, pre-MySpace.

So, you can’t, as a company, have 10,000 paid moderators, right? It just doesn’t pencil out. So, they said, “Okay which of you people who are totally into goldfish or Harley-Davidsons, or whatever this is about, wants to be the king of the geeks? Raise your hand. Congratulations, you’re the moderator.” It makes a lot of sense. It’s a smart strategy.

Mari: You can do that. You do that on a fan page on Facebook because people can post as their own fan page.

Jay: One of the things I like a lot about the book, and I’ve had a chance to read most of it, is you talk a lot about having a brand positioning for yourself, right? So, knowing what role you play, not in an artificial way, but what role do you play in these communities? In your case, you are the relationship marketing expert. You are the Facebook marketing expert. Everybody who knows you knows that, and you are extraordinarily good at staying consistent about what it is that you do and the value that you offer. However, I see a lot of people doing that poorly, as I’m sure you do as well. So my question is: What do you think is the bigger mistake, inconsistency of effort or unfocused branding?

Mari: I would probably go with the latter, because I think you literally only have a few brief seconds to make a first impression. If you’re all over the place, you’re saying you wear six different hats, you’re an expert in this, you also do that. You have 40 million links for people to check out. It’s like too much already. You look like someone who is not focused and is not clear. People will much prefer to do business with a specialist than a generalist. Once you get that piece locked down, you know what you stand for. You’ve got your focus in place, which I always love to have the acronym focus stand for “follow one course until successful.”

Jay: To be a true relationship marketing expert, can you do that as a content curator, or do you have to be a content creator? Curation is all the rage now. Everybody wants to go out there and show people what are good resources versus what are not good resources. It’s valuable, and I do a lot of it, as you do as well. But can you really get to where people want to get by just doing curation, do you think?

Mari: Well, it’s a brilliant start. Somebody who may be making a career transition or they really want to establish themselves as a thought leader and become an authority. I love how the root word of authority is author. If you want to be an authority in a niche, author more, write more. It doesn’t mean you have to have a published book. Eventually, you might, but write more content for blogs, for your social profiles, for commenting, etc., but in addition you want to be a great curator.

The key distinction from the relationship marketing standpoint is you want to put yourself into the curation. Don’t just hit retweet, retweet, retweet, and forward, forward, share. Actually make a little comment.

Jay: Fantastic. The book is amazing. People are going to benefit from it so much. I’m looking forward to it hitting the bookstore shelves
(in mid October) it’s The New Relationship Marketing from Mari Smith.

The root of authority is author, everybody remember that. And follow one course until successful. Everybody remember that. Thank you very much for the time, and I really appreciate it.

Mari: And you, likewise. Thank you.

You Already Know How to Write an Ebook … So What’s Stopping You?

Posted on 01. Sep, 2011 by in Blog, Blog Psychology, Collaboration, content marketing, Copywriting, editing, Entrepreneurship, personal branding, productivity, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

image of bookstore sign

There are plenty of great reasons to write an ebook.

A short, free ebook could be precisely the cookie you need in order for your email list to grow beyond a handful of members.

A big, paid-for ebook could be an important part of your revenue stream — and the first product in your sales funnel.

Being able to say, “I’m an author.” could give your credibility a massive boost.

So what’s stopping you? I think I know …

Maybe you think you don’t know how. Sure, you’re comfortable with writing blog posts, but an ebook is a totally different animal.

Or is it?

Everything you know about blogging applies to ebooks too

Think of your ebook as a series of blog posts.

Content-rich, in-depth posts that readers can’t wait to read and share.

When you look at it that way, your ebook suddenly seems less … daunting.

You already know how to write an ebook. Everything you’ve learned from blogging still applies. Just think of your ebook as a series, and each post as a chapter within that series.

That way:

  • Your ebook won’t become a bloated, “everything I’ve ever learned” guide to your whole field. It won’t sell — and you won’t have any room for your second ebook. Pick one topic, just as you would for a post series
  • Your writing style can stay friendly, informal and engaging. You don’t have to come across all stilted and academic just because it’s an ebook. Your readers will want to hear your voice, just like they do on your blog
  • Your chapters can be concise and information-packed — just like your blog posts. You don’t need to waffle on and on to fill the pages. After all, what would your readers prefer: straight-up information or a ton of padding?
  • Your content-creation routine doesn’t have to change drastically. You don’t need to lock yourself away for two weeks in order to finish your ebook. You can just write a couple of short chapters each week — in the same way that you write blog posts on a regular basis

You can use your current blog content too

If you’ve been blogging for a while, you could repurpose some of your existing content for the ebook.

For lots more on this, see Carol Tice’s excellent post, 12 Ways to Turn Your Old, Dusty Blog Archive into Cold, Hard Cash.

For instance:

  • You might use one of your popular posts as the introduction for the ebook
  • You could turn a “how to” post into a worksheet
  • A case study post could become a vivid example
  • Your readers’ comments might inspire new chapters or a Q&A section

Formatting matters just as much in ebooks as in blog posts

Some bloggers seem to ignore formatting completely when it comes to ebooks.

They’ll produce dull, grey documents densely packed with text … and they’ll wonder why no-one’s interested.

If your ebook is going to be a pdf (and most info-products are), then you can use all the same formatting features that you’d use in blogging:

  • Add images to grab attention, break up the text and show concepts that are hard to describe in words.
  • Include subheadings to help signpost the way through the text
  • Add hyperlinks so that readers can jump straight to the chapters that they need
  • Use bullet-pointed lists to display information more clearly
  • Create a style for block quotes so that these stand out from the text

You already know how to do all of this

You know how to write regularly.

You know how to make your style engaging.

You know how to use formatting to hold the reader’s attention.

So let me ask you again: what’s stopping you from writing your ebook?

About the Author: Ali Luke is a blogger, writer and writing coach. She’s just released a brand new ebook in her popular Blogger’s Guide series: The Blogger’s Guide to Irresistible Ebooks. If you’d like to write an ebook that your readers can’t wait to snap up, click here and check it out today.

The 7 Essential Elements of Effective Social Media Marketing

Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by in Blog, content marketing, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

image of social media icons on a smart phone

So in the past few weeks, we’ve told you it’s a bad idea to be a digital sharecropper, building your business entirely on someone else’s land (like Facebook, Tumblr, or any other third party you don’t control).

We also poked a pin in the sacred cow of social media authenticity, telling you that your audience and customers don’t want an unedited version of the “real” you.

So you may be asking yourself — OK, what should I be doing with social media marketing?

How are savvy businesses using social media effectively to find more customers, boost their reputations, and make more sales?

Here are the seven essentials that will turn your social media marketing from an annoying time-waster to an effective bottom-line booster.

1. Get your home base together

Your home base is your blog or web site. It’s on a domain you own. You control the user experience — from the content to the site design to the user interface.

This is where you show that you know your stuff. That means building a nice cornerstone of high quality content that demonstrates your expertise in a likable, accessible way.

First impressions matter, so make sure the design is clean, professional, and smart. It can still be stylish or funky, if that’s your thing, but it shouldn’t look amateurish or confusing.

Your home base is where you post content to answer your readers’ questions, give them interesting tips, and help solve their annoying problems. When someone wants to know more about you, this is where you send them.

Your home base is a marketing tool, which means you need to be communicating primarily with customers, not with other experts in your topic. Don’t just pontificate to show what you know — tie your news and opinions back to how those things affect your customers.

2. Who’s the face of your business?

If you want to use social networking platforms like Twitter, Google+, or Facebook, you need a human face to make your social media marketing work.

So does that mean potential customers want to know about your personal struggles finding high-quality organic dog food? No. (Unless your company sells organic dog food, that is.)

Just like people have always done in public settings (work, church, volunteer activities), you’re going to adopt a persona — a selected range of your thoughts, emotions, and observations.

You’re going to be social and informal, but in a way that’s relevant, appropriate, and interesting to who you’re talking with.

Just like you don’t (I hope) wear your “I spent the night in Paris, Hilton” t-shirt to your grandma’s house, you’re also not going to share absolutely everything about the “real” you with your social media connections.

That doesn’t mean I want you to be a fraud. I want you to be friendly and genuine. Sound like a human being, not a corporate robot. And you certainly don’t have to stick to business all the time. It’s fine and good to show that you have a life. It’s not so good to show the world you’re careless, rude, or boring.

The truth is, the definition of “appropriate” depends on your audience. Lisa Barone has a very different persona from Ann Handley’s. If it works for your customers, it’s appropriate.

Authenticity for a business doesn’t come from oversharing or boring your audience to death — it lies in doing what you say you’ll do.

3. Who else has your customers?

Social networking platforms were designed to make it easy and fun for people to hang out together. That means you’re going to use them to build relationships that will help your business.

Look for people who have healthy-sized audiences who are a good fit for your product or service. They may be bloggers, they may be authors, they may have a popular podcast or column in mainstream media. They may simply be social media mavens who have lots of friends and like to share good stuff.

These are the people you want to share and promote your excellent content.

Cultivating professional relationships isn’t rocket science. Stick to the basics — link to them from your content, comment intelligently on their blogs and on social platforms, and be a nice person.

Don’t think that picking fights or manufacturing controversy makes you stand out. It doesn’t, it just makes you look like a troll. If you’re going to take a controversial position, make sure it’s one that really matters, and express it with respect.

4. Pick a primary platform

Again, think about where your customers are.

If you love Twitter but your customers spend hours every day on Facebook, you need to recognize that Facebook is probably a better venue for your business. It may not be as fun for you — but that’s why they call it work.

Only move beyond your primary platform when you’re sure you’re handling it well. A lot depends on the industry you’re in. If you’re a copywriter, social media consultant, or online marketer, your customers spend a lot of time in these venues, which means you probably will, too.

5. Manage your time

If you don’t decide how much time and focus you’ll put into social media, the default will be “all of it.”

Sites like Twitter and Facebook are seductive places to drop in and just check what’s new. When your five-minute check turns into 25 minutes, and you’re doing that 4 or 5 times a day per site, you’re going to find your productivity taking a dive.

Remember your home base. That (and actually delivering whatever it is you do) are where the bulk of your time and energy need to go.

The best tool I’ve found for managing social media time is a $3 kitchen timer. Decide in advance how much time you’ll spend checking in and being social, and stick to that.

6. Content first, conversation second

You’ve been told again and again by social media “experts” that your entire business should revolve around something called “The Conversation.”

Too often, this form of Conversation leads to business owners spending hours every day chattering with potential customers and hoping someone will buy something. (Or, more often, chattering with peers and friends and hoping this counts as work.)

Yes, be personable. Yes, keep an ear out for customer complaints so you can respond appropriately. And yes, network with peers in your industry to keep your links healthy.

But if it feels like goofing around all day instead of working, it probably is.

Instead, spend the bulk of your time on content, whether it’s on your own base or used as a guest post to find a wider audience. Use content to educate your customers about what they need to know to make an intelligent purchase. Focus on customer objections, questions, and problems.

When you find someone else’s content that your customers will find valuable, share that too — and add a few insights of your own, if you like.

Even a 100-character tweet can have content value. Think about what you can say that makes readers’ lives better, rather than just filling up time before you run to Starbuck’s. Make sure your reader has a good experience every time she hears from you. Keep it both useful and entertaining.

Social media conversation is a seasoning that makes your content more appetizing. It’s not the main dish.

7. Don’t forget SEO

Too many people think that social media sharing means they don’t need SEO any more. The fact is, social media marketing is a superb complement to SEO.

Play the long game. The same elements that make social media work (content that’s both useful and user-friendly, doing what you say you’ll do, healthy relationships with others in your industry) are the elements search engines would prefer to serve up. Search engines want to find the content that’s a widely-valued resource, and one of the signals they use for that is social media sharing.

Twitter and Facebook are already search engine signals, and there’s no doubt that Google+ is, too.

For too many businesses, social media is a time-wasting ego game. But use the tools strategically, with a focus on content and on getting a useful message in front of a wider audience, and it can be brilliantly effective.

How about you? What do you consider the most essential element of social media marketing?

Tell us about it in the comments.


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6 Design Tips That Will Have Your Audience Licking Their Screens

Posted on 30. Aug, 2011 by in Blog, Blog Psychology, content marketing, conversion, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Headlines, Online Product Launches, personal branding, persuasion, selling, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing, Traffic

image of dog licking chops

We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.

~ Steve Jobs

You’re creating great content to attract an audience. A loyal audience that comes to know, like and trust you.

But what if you never get the attention of that audience in the first place?

What if your blog visitors take one look at your well-written words and move right along because your page looks bland, boring, and amateurish?

You lose them at hello. Your words never had a chance to take root.

That’s where design can help.

Design creates a welcoming first impression.

It engages your site visitors and draws them in so they’ll actually spend time with your information.

It’s the difference between throwing some fast food on the table in front of your guests, and presenting a meal that’s carefully prepared, beautifully plated, and smells delicious.

Want to build up an appetite for your content?

Today’s post shares 6 tips to make your blog so luscious looking, you’ll need to warn people not to lick their screens.

1. Think about your guests

Delicious design starts with an understanding of who you’re cooking it up for.

Knowing your target market and what they’ll respond to is crucial if you want to pick typefaces, colors and images that will resonate with them.

What do you need to know about them?

Ideally, you have a grasp of their age group, predominant gender and education level.

Bonus points if you are aware of psychographic details like what motivates them, what their beliefs are, and what other companies they’re attracted to and buying from.

And just like you’d want to know about food allergies before you prepared a meal, it’s important to be aware of what your target market finds unpleasant or repulsive so you can avoid it on your pages.

2. Speak their language with typography

Custom typography allows you to break out of the Helvetica-Times Roman-Georgia-Verdana fonts our sites marched in lockstep to just a few years ago.

You can express your brand or your blog’s personality through your typefaces’ personalities.

Serif typefaces — the ones with little “feet” — are classic and traditional.

Sans-serif typefaces — those with streamlined letters — are contemporary and modern.

There are exceptions within these major categories, so trust your eyes to tell you what your typeface choices are saying.

It’s easy to use custom typefaces on our blogs now. There are several good commercial offerings that will “serve up” unique fonts to your site. The Google Font API will even do it for free.

It’s an extra step, but will make your content stand out, and give your words personality.

Here’s more on choosing and combining typefaces.

3. Use colors that make sense to your market

If you’ve carefully researched your target market as outlined in step one, you may already have an idea of what colors will work for them.

To start, I recommend you choose two main colors to represent your brand.

For you, two colors are simplest to work with — you’ll have a short list to choose from every time you need to make a color choice.

For your audience, two predominant colors will make it easier to recognize and remember your brand.

How can you pick just two colors from the millions available?

Start by looking at the consumer goods your target market already buys. What colors already appeal to them?

You don’t need to walk around your local shopping mall with a swatch book, but keep your eyes open to color combinations that sell to your particular market. Take inspiration from what’s already working.

4. Tell your story with enticing images

I’ll be the first to admit it: finding a good image to work with your posts is a huge pain.

It adds to the time it takes to finish your piece, and — because you typically look for an image after you’ve finished writing — it feels like just One More Thing To Do.

But, it’s worth it.

As wonderful as your carefully-crafted words may be, they’ll sit there limp and lonely on the page if you don’t pair them up with a compelling image.

A great image is like the cover of a dinner party invitation.

It gives people an easy “in” to start engaging with your writing. Images are processed quickly, and if you’ve picked one that’s attractive and creates just a little bit of curiosity, it will draw readers into your headline and the first paragraph of your post.

5. Order your information hierarchically

Visual hierarchy helps your visitor navigate through your page and absorb your information in the order you prefer.

Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Here’s how to make it work …

Look at the information on any given page of your blog. What do you want your site visitors to notice first? It’s probably your site name.

Then what do you want them to see? It might be your headline, or the image you’ve used with your first post.

Once they’ve taken in the name of your site and you’ve drawn them into your content, then where do you want them to look?

Visual hierarchy directs the viewer’s eyes through your information by giving it an order of importance by where it’s positioned, how bold or bright it is, and how much white space it has around it.

The most important information? Make it larger, bolder, and brighter. Give it some breathing room, too: white space draws eyeballs.

The next-most-important information? Make it a bit smaller, less bold, and not as bright.

As you move down the ladder of visual hierarchy, remember: the less important the information, the less visual “weight” it should carry.

6. Keep it together with a style guide

OK, you’ve used color, typography, gorgeous images and visual hierarchy to create lickable, luscious pages.

Now what?

Keep up the good work!

Maintain consistency with a simple style guide. It doesn’t have to be a complex 20-page document.

Try this:

  • Open any word processor, and note your official colors
  • Log your typefaces, and which font you use where
  • List the file name for your official logo or header artwork, and where it can be found
  • Note any resources for photography so you know where to find more of a style you’ve used in the past
  • Continue to add to this document as you make design decisions about your site

Once you’ve created an attractive blog, keep people coming back to it by serving up beautifully-presented content consistently over time.

Make good design decisions, then continue applying them using your style guide notes as a reference.

And don’t forget the “please don’t lick your screen sign.” You’re going to need it!

About the Author: Pamela Wilson teaches small businesses to grow using great design and marketing at Big Brand System. Get her free Marketing Toolkit and follow her on Twitter.

6 Takeaways From 23 Years as a Consultant

Posted on 29. Aug, 2011 by in Blog, jay baer, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

This is an interview I did for my friend Debra Ellis for her blog series Lessons Learned and Learning. I write a lot about the importance of humanization here at C&C, so in an effort to follow my own advice, I repost the interview here, hoping you’ll learn something about me you didn’t know.
——————–
6 Takeaways From 23 Years as a ConsultantI am what the professional sports community would call an “old” 41 years old. I have a lot of business and professional miles on these tires, because I started my consulting career when I was just 18, and have started or owned six companies since then. Other than time off to finish my university degree, I’ve been working as a professional for 23 years.

I’m also not a big self-help guy. I don’t read many books on personal growth. I don’t go to seminars. It’s not that I don’t want to “Awaken the Giant Within” it’s just that I’m an experiential learner, and prefer to figure it out my own way – on my own timeline. It’s a slower, more dangerous, sometimes frustrating process. But it works for me.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned:

Some days you’re the pigeon. And some days you’re the statue.

Seriously, it’s never going as good as you think it is. And it’s never going as bad as you think it is. Letting yourself get emotional about short-term successes and failures is a waste of energy and will wear you down mentally.

Happiness is a process of elimination

Especially from a career standpoint, it’s easier and more reliable to figure out what you don’t like to do, than to figure out what you do want to do. Until you’ve done something (worked for yourself, worked for the government, joined a circus) it’s impossible to really know whether you’ll like it day-to-day.

You may be seduced by the IDEA of that occupation or style of work, but you may find the reality doesn’t match your expectation. That’s why I encourage young professionals to change jobs often, as long as the jobs are meaningfully different.

I know I don’t want to work for a big company, or the government, or a lot of other things, because I’ve done them.

Become friends with whom you hire, but don’t hire your friends

Some of my most rewarding relationships have been and are with people I’ve hired to work for or with me. You end up spending as much or more time with those people than you do with your family, so it’s natural for bonds to be built.

Conversely, hiring your friends to come work with you is a recipe for having fewer friends, and a struggling company.

No is more important than yes

If you’re any good at your profession, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved in projects, take on new clients, volunteer, take a leadership role, etc. But just because you could do something doesn’t mean you should.

Most of the worst projects I’ve ever been involved in were times when I forgot this lesson and agreed to participate when it wasn’t my core strength – or a core strength of my company.

Try to live by the rule Derek Sivers espouses in “Anything You Want”: if the project or opportunity doesn’t make you say “hell, yeah!” then say “No, thank you.”

The inequality of dollars

Your top line revenue is irrelevant. Profit is all that matters. Taking a huge project where you don’t make any money can absolutely kill your company, especially if you’re small. Chasing new business at the expense of keeping your current (perhaps less sexy) clients happy, is another move that’s very risky.

Understand as quickly as possible what represents “good dollars” to your company, and focus your attention there.

Speed wins

train 300x200 6 Takeaways From 23 Years as a ConsultantI built my largest company based on two principles: telling the clients the truth about Web strategy and online marketing, even if it’s painful; and being the fastest firm in the business.

We live in a world of NOW, and people want their needs met as quickly as possible.

I know it’s all the rage to be a lifehacker and only check your messages a couple times a day. I hope those principles get even more popular, because they just create more opportunities for me. Whenever possible (when not on an airplane) I try to reply to emails, tweets, calls, etc. as quickly as possible. In under a minute in some cases. By being faster and more responsive than the other guy, you’re sending a strong message that you CARE MORE than the other guy. And that’s a profitable differentiator.

A 7-Step Guide to Mind Control: How to Quit Begging and Make People Want to Help You

Posted on 25. Aug, 2011 by in Blog, Blog Psychology, Collaboration, content marketing, conversion, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Headlines, Keyword Research, Landing Pages, List Building, Online Product Launches, personal branding, persuasion, productivity, selling, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing, Traffic

image of black and white spiral

Well, why not?

They are the problem, right?

Here you are with a blog or a product or a charity you believe will change the world, and yet no matter how excited you are about the possibilities, no matter how much faith you have in yourself, you can’t help being worried:

  • If you ask a popular blogger for a link, will you get a reply?
  • If you ask a partner to email a product offer to their list, will they agree?
  • If you ask a friend for a donation, will they write you a check?

You don’t know. You can’t know. And it bothers you.

Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just close your eyes, pop over into their mind, and seize control?

Yeah. Too bad it’s not possible …

Or is it?

A Brief Introduction to Mind Control

As it happens, mind control is possible. Sort of.

No, you can’t turn your customers, partners, and in-laws into mindless zombies, but you can influence them.

In fact, there’s a science to it.

Back in the 1980s, a researcher by the name of Dr. Robert Cialdini wrote a book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. He outlined different principles scientifically proven to influence people, as well as suggestions for how to do it.

Since then, it’s become maybe the most important book in the field of marketing. If you haven’t read it, you should, as well as the sequel.

Here’s the bad news:

Mind control isn’t about magic powers, arcane arts, or even shaving your head and gallivanting around in a wheelchair (although, I’ve been tempted). The truth is it’s about something that makes a lot of people squeamish: marketing.

The Truth about Marketing

The core of marketing isn’t customer profiling or market segmentation or any of the other complicated nonsense taught in most business schools.

It’s infinitely simpler than that, and it can be encapsulated in one word:

Yes.

You ask a blogger for a link, and they say, “Yes.” You ask a partner to promote your product, and they say, “Yes.” You ask a customer for a testimonial, and they say, “Yes.”

If you get enough yeses, your blog/business/charity succeeds. If you don’t, it fails. It’s so simple, and yet so few of us really understand how to do it.

The good news?

You can learn.

What follows is a marketer’s guide to mind control. Use these seven strategies wisely.

1. Do all the thinking for them

The worst mistake you can make when asking anyone for anything is telling them to “Think it over.”

Here’s why: people already have too much to think about.

Between their jobs, their family, and their own hobbies and friends, their mind is already stuffed, like a suitcase bulging at the sides. Add one more sock, and the whole thing will explode.

To avoid it, they “forget” about things that aren’t very important to them, or if they do think about you, they don’t think very hard. It’s not because they are lazy or stupid. They’re just busy, and you’re probably not very high up the priority list.

And so the best strategy is to not ask them to think.

Do it for them.

  • Instead of expecting them to see how your blog post will benefit their audience, explain it, and offer examples of similar posts that have done well in the past
  • Instead of asking them to host a webinar for you, setup the webinar, landing pages, and emails yourself, and send them as part of your pitch
  • Instead of begging a customer to write a testimonial from scratch, send them a dozen different examples to use as a guide

Be specific. Explain your reasoning. Offer proof. Tell them what to do next and why.

If you do it right, it won’t feel like asking at all. It’ll be more like advising.

And they’ll say yes. Not because of magical powers of persuasion, but because you’ve thought through everything, and it’s a no-brainer.

2. Start an avalanche

Creating a successful marketing campaign is a lot like starting an avalanche.

First, you climb up the mountain, and then you find the biggest boulder at the top, and then you sweat and grunt and strain to push the boulder over, and then you sit down and watch happily as the boulder goes crashing into other boulders, eventually bringing the whole side of the mountain down.

The lesson?

The first big yes is a pain in the butt to get, but if you get it from the right person, then getting all of the subsequent yeses is easy.

For example:

  • Getting a popular blogger to tweet your post is hard, but once they do, dozens or maybe even hundreds of people will retweet them
  • Convincing a leader in your niche to promote your product is tough, but once they do, everyone else will want to promote it too
  • Persuading a celebrity customer to give you a testimonial can be tough, but once you do, sales skyrocket, and getting further testimonials is easy

Of course, a lot of marketers recommend taking the opposite approach.

They tell you to start from the bottom and work your way up because it’s easier.

But really, it’s just an illusion. Yes, pushing over a small rock is easier than pushing over a boulder, but the boulder is a lot more likely to cause an avalanche. So while it’s more work in the beginning to get top people to help you, it’s actually less work in the long run, and the results are far, far greater.

3. Ask for an inch, take a mile

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile,” right?

It’s supposed to be derogatory. It’s supposed to be a warning against appeasement. It’s supposed to protect you against getting taken advantage of.

But it’s also great marketing.

Whenever you’re asking for anything, never start by asking for everything upfront. Instead, start small. Make it easy to get started. Reduce the risk if it flops. Let them see the results for themselves.

And when it goes well, ask for more. And more. And more.

You might think that’s unethical, but if everything is going well, why not push for more? It’s not manipulation. It’s common sense.

For instance:

  • If you want to write a guest post for a popular blog, start by pitching the idea in one or two paragraphs, and then send them an outline, and then write the full draft of the post
  • If you want do a JV promotion with a leader in your field, start by asking them to email your launch content to only 10% of their list, and than 50% of their list, and then 100%, and then a direct mail campaign
  • If you want your customers to give you case studies, start by asking for a 1-3 sentence blurb, and then ask for a half-page testimonial, and then talk about doing a two-hour webinar going in depth about their success

    • It’s not psychological trickery or anything like that. It’s smart business. No one likes to risk everything upfront, and by offering progressive levels of commitment, your chances of getting them to say yes go through the roof.

    4. Always have a real deadline

    The keyword is “real.”

    All of us have had salesmen tell us, “Well, you’d better get back to me fast, because I have three more prospects coming this afternoon, and I don’t know how long it’ll last.” It’s BS, of course.

    There are no clients, and there is no urgency. The salesman is just so desperate he’s willing to lie, not only costing him your trust, but probably the sale too.

    And it’s not just salesmen.

    How many times have other people handed you completely artificial deadlines, thinking it will motivate you to act? Our teachers do it, our bosses do it, our family does it, and without thinking about it, you’ve probably done it too.

    Stop.

    Not only is it ineffective, but it’s totally unnecessary. Real urgency is easy to create. With a little thought, you can build it into your marketing. For example:

    • Instead of leaving a free report on your blog forever, tell everyone it will only be available for seven days, and then you’re going to start charging $7 for it. Not only will you get a lot more downloads, but other bloggers will be a lot more likely to promote it during the window
    • Instead of letting JV partners dictate when they will promote your product, schedule a launch, announce it to your list, and then forward partners the announcement, inviting them to participate
    • Instead of asking customers for testimonials whenever they get around to it, show them the timeline for an upcoming launch, including a specific date to send out testimonials. You need it by then, or you won’t be able to include it

    Will some of them bow out, saying they are too busy right now, and they’ll catch you next time?

    Sure, but it’s better than never getting started it all. And if you let other people dictate timelines, that’s exactly what will happen.

    5. Give ten times more than you take

    You know you’re supposed to give before you get, right? But what you might not know is how much to give.

    A lot of marketers mistakenly assume it’s a 1:1 ratio.

    Before you ask for a link, you should give a link. Before you ask for promotion, you should give a promotion. Before you ask for a testimonial, you should do one thing that deserves a testimonial.

    But that’s wrong. Smart marketers use a 10:1 ratio, and not just in action, but in value:

    • If you want 100 visitors, send them 1,000
    • If you want $1000 in product sales, sell $10,000 of their products first
    • If you want one testimonial, do ten different heroic acts of customer service worthy of a testimonial

    This isn’t about “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” It’s about generosity so overwhelming they can’t say no.

    Yes, it’s a lot of work, but that’s the price of influence.

    6. Stand for something greater than yourself

    Imagine there are two homeless guys standing on a street corner.

    The first guy has a normal, run-of-the-mill sign saying, “Spare a few dollars? God bless you.” The second guy, on the other hand, has a much more unusual sign: “Can’t afford to feed my family, and it’s tearing me apart. Please help, so I can stop feeling like such an awful Dad.”

    Which one would you be more likely to help? The second one, right?

    Forget giving him a few bucks. With a sign like that, you’d take him to the grocery store and buy him $200 worth of groceries. I know I would.

    That’s the power of standing for something bigger than yourself. It makes people care.

    And it applies to everything:

    • Instead of writing yet another how-to post, take a stand on an important issue, arguing with both passion and unassailable logic
    • Instead of starting yet another me-too consulting business, create a movement, working tirelessly to change the lives of your customers
    • Instead of selling yet another step-by-step manual, sell a philosophy, filled with heroic examples to inspire your customers

    Those are the types of things people want to talk about. They feel grateful just for having the chance to help you spread the word.

    7. Be completely and utterly shameless

    You want to know what separates a great marketer from a mediocre one?

    Shamelessness.

    I’m not referring to a lack of conscience, having a gregarious, extroverted personality, or any of the other ways we traditionally look at marketers. For the most part, those stereotypes are myths.

    No, by shamelessness, I mean this:

    An unshakable belief that what you are doing is good for the world and the willingness to do anything to bring it into being.

    When you believe in your content, you don’t publish it and forget it. You promote it day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, working tirelessly to spread the message to everyone who needs to hear it, and refusing to rest until they do.

    When you believe in your product, you don’t balk at sales. You revel in it. Not because you’re greedy or desperate or egotistical, but because you know your product will help them, and so it’s your duty to get them to buy. Whatever it takes.

    When you believe in your charity, you don’t beg for donations. You demand them. You grab people by the shoulders and look them in the eyes and tell them what you’re doing is changing the world, and it’s time for them to step up and do their part.

    It’s not about money. It’s not about glory. It’s not even about legacy.

    It’s about falling in love. It’s about being enchanted. It’s about seeing a vision so beautiful you can’t help but fight to make it real.

    Do you have a vision like that? Something worth getting up every day and fighting for?

    If you do, you can accomplish damn near anything.

    And if you don’t, well …

    What’s the point?

    About the Author: Jon Morrow is Associate Editor of Copyblogger. If you’d like to learn what it really takes to become a popular blogger, check out his free videos on guest blogging.


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    How to Build a First-Class Email List in 30 Days — from Scratch

    Posted on 23. Aug, 2011 by in Blog, Blog Psychology, Collaboration, content marketing, conversion, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, List Building, personal branding, persuasion, productivity, selling, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing, Traffic

    image of postmark stamps

    If you want to quickly build a responsive email list in the next 30 days — especially if you’re just starting online and don’t have a lot of money — the following strategy can get the job done.

    Here’s the story:

    Several years ago, I was struggling to build my email list and nothing seemed to work.

    I wrote hundreds of ezine articles. I tried setting up joint ventures with other list owners. I even added loads of fresh content to my site hoping to attract search engine traffic and leads.

    All of these things were helpful, but they didn’t deliver the big “hit” I wanted.

    Then one day, I decided to try something completely different. Something entirely obvious …

    Hardly anyone was doing what I was going to attempt (must less teaching it).

    The simple 30-day email list strategy

    What I did was “trade” writing a half dozen press releases to a marketer I knew (who had a big email list) in exchange for plugging my site a set number of times to his list over the course of a month.

    Did it work? Oh yeah!

    In fact, it only took a few hours to write the press releases, and every time he plugged my site a new batch of leads came in like clockwork. Before long my list was up and running with dozens of fresh, new responsive subscribers.

    The total cost? A few hours of my time doing something I enjoyed.

    And guess what?

    You can do the exact same thing.

    You probably have a skill other email list owners in your industry want.

    It could be writing … web design … programming … SEO … editing audio/video … building websites … or just about anything a list owner in your industry can use.

    If you simply find these email list owners, you can leverage your time and skills to build your list by trading that skill for endorsing your website.

    Of course, the “devil” is in the details, isn’t it?

    How — exactly — do you find deals like this?

    Here’s 5 ways you can get going on as early as today:

    1. Intentional social media networking

    Mostly, I think social media is overrated as a marketing tool.

    But one thing I do like about it is how easy it is to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise get to know.

    With FaceBook, for example, you can friend someone and get to know them (by chatting them up about common interests, responding to their updates, etc). Sometimes that can naturally turn into a valuable contact.

    That contact may or may not have a list of people who would be interested in your joining your list. But he/she probably will know someone who does and can give you an intro.

    2. Ask your colleagues

    Chances are you know other business owners.

    It can’t hurt to ask them:

    “Hey, I want to build my list and am wanting to trade my XYZ service/product in exchange for other list owners plugging me to their list. Do you know someone who needs an XYX service/product?”

    All it takes is one referral like that, and you’re off to the races.

    3. Forums are not dead

    Go to online forums where list owners in your industry hang out and look for people asking questions you can answer.

    Don’t try to pitch them your offer. Just answer their questions and be helpful.

    Eventually, you’ll create relationships with people you help.

    And when the time is right, simply make them your offer to trade.

    4. Starting small is not a waste of time

    Don’t poo-poo the smaller email list owners!

    Someone with a small list is FAR more likely to accept your offer. And, after you’ve helped them, simply ask if they know someone who might be interested in the same deal … and would they mind giving you an intro?

    Again, it’s simple referral marketing.

    Starting small lets you leverage social proof to the hilt as you work your way up the food chain to bigger list owners.

    5. Excel at what you do

    Finally, as the great negotiator Jim Camp says:

    “The more effective people are, the more we respect them.”

    When you’re starting out, it’s tough getting anyone to take your calls. But as you rack up successes … and as people on the lists you’re promoted to see your name … and as word spreads about how groovy you are at what you do …

    People will eventually start promoting you without you even asking them.

    They’ll want to do it.

    It makes them look good to their lists.

    Believe it or not, this happens all the time, and it can happen for you, too.

    Get good. Then, get better.

    Start implementing the simple tips in this article.

    Of course, building your list is just step #1. The next step is to monetize your list by mailing offers to your new subscribers.

    To learn 24 proven ways to write emails people love reading and buying from, click the link in my bio below and subscribe to my email list.

    About the Author: Ben Settle is a direct response copywriter and email marketing strategist. Although Ben no longer accepts clients, he gives away over 700 pages of his bestselling ideas and insights free at BenSettle.com.


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