Article marketing is one of the very best ways to market your business and your services by sharing your expertise.  By writing and submitting articles on a regular basis you are sharing your knowledge with your target audience and giving them a chance to get to know you and your work.  Articles are short (about 500 words) but informative pieces that give specific information to your readers.

Writing different types of articles can be beneficial to your target audience.  For example, the “how to” article can show them how to do something very specific.  It outlines a task, how to complete the task and a call to action.  Even if the “how to” article is actually one of the services you provide, it’s OK to give this information away because then your target audience will see how knowledgeable you are, they will start to build trust, and sometimes when they try to do it themselves, they realize they can’t and call you for your expertise.

Individuals searching for information online on the topics you write about will find your articles and appreciate the tips and strategies you share to help them solve pressing challenges.  In each article, you’ll include a “resource box” which includes a brief bio about you, a link to your website and ideally an offer for some free information.  By making the resource box really appealing, you’ll consistently drive traffic your work website and attract pre-qualified leads to your business.   The best part is since articles stay online “forever”, they continue to work for you 24/7 without any additional effort on your part.  Talk about Smart Simple Marketing, right?!

Article marketing is just like any other marketing – it takes consistent effort to yield results.  Posting articles regularly establishes you as the expert and builds your credibility.  If you don’t do it consistently or often enough, people forget about you and won’t take you seriously when you try to position yourself as the “expert” down the road.

Getting into a rhythm of getting your article done takes some planning.  But most importantly, it’s about developing a system to create the articles and publish them.  You’ll be happy to know that once you get the system in place, writing the articles doesn’t take much time and the process can flow smoothly.  This helps you to get the articles done in an efficient manner. Thus you will be consistently sharing valuable information with your target audience, while attracting ideal clients to your business and creating more revenue.

But actually sitting down to create the system can be a daunting task if you aren’t sure how to do it.

That’s why my colleague, Joshua Zerkel and I are offering a FREE call to both of our communities on Wednesday, September 8th, at 5PM (PST)/8 PM (EST).  We’re going to break down exactly how to create systems in your business so that you can apply the process to any marketing activity you choose! We both feel strongly that marketing should be simple and easy to implement and are looking forward to sharing the proven strategies we’ve developed with you.

If you are struggling with consistently doing your article marketing or implementing any other part of your marketing plan, you MUST to be on this call.

Register now at :

==> http://smartsimplemarketing.com/market-your-business/

Josh and I will be finalizing the content for the  call this week.  If you are struggling with any other part of your marketing plan, please post your comments or questions here.  We’ll cover as much as we can on this information-packed FREE call!

As you consider which marketing strategies to pursue that fit your voice and your message, it’s important to remember that offline marketing is just as powerful as having a strong online presence.  In some cases it can even be more powerful.  One way to position yourself as the expert and attract your ideal clients is to host your own fr.ee event.  People are always looking for fr.ee resources, seminars and training opportunities.  Maybe they just want to learn a little more about a particular topic, or maybe it’s the way they entertain themselves.  Either way, fr.ee events can help fill your practice.

Think about fr.ee events kind of like your blog and ezine, you give out lots of fr.ee content to attract visitors and get them interested in your expertise. Then you give them an opportunity to learn more and get one-on-one support from you by means of your programs and services.   Fr.ee events are the same thing, but they just take a little more planning to be effective.

To create your own lead-generating event, follow these simple steps:

1. Find a location: Check with your local chamber of commerce, the library, your local SBDC office and other shared office or meeting spaces regarding availability and pricing.  Here in the Bay Area we have a company called Sandbox Suites that rents meeting space inexpensively.  You may also try Regus who has meeting space available worldwide.  Of course, the size of the space you reserve will dictate how many attendees you can host.
2. Set a date and start marketing:  You’ll want to give yourself at least six weeks to setup and market the event.  Distribute press releases to local media, secure radio interviews and maybe even do small direct mail campaign (Modern Postcard can help you with this).  This is in addition to your online marketing strategies.  I also suggest collecting a registration fee (you can refund the monies at the event) so that you have an accurate headcount and eliminate "tire kickers".  To do this, you can setup a simple online registration form at EventBrite. (You can certainly charge an inexpensive fee for your workshop too, perhaps $49 or $99, but for the purposes of our example we’ll focus on hosting a fr.ee event).
3. Plan your presentation:  Start off small, maybe a 90 minute talk with 30 minutes for questions.   Be sure to include exercises and some type of handout to encourage participation.  It’s best to teach in a step-by-step format that is easy to follow.  You want your audience to walk away with information they can implement that will make a difference in their life and their business. You can have documents printed at Mimeo or FedEx. Practice your presentation and be well prepared so that you create a positive learning experience for your audience!
4. Prepare a comfortable workspace:  Make sure you have everything you need so your audience can get the full benefit of your presentation including a microphone, projector if you’re doing a presentation, good air conditioning in the summer, or a good heater in the winter, etc. You’ll want to check all logistics and materials about 48 hours before the event.
5. Get some help:  You’ll want a door greeter to welcome guests and guide them to the registration table.  The registration table should be simple:  a form to fill out with their name, phone number, physical address and email address is fine.  You might want to also include a "how did you hear about this event?" question so you can track your marketing efforts.  You’ll also want to have name tags available to make networking a little easier. You should not be doing these tasks yourself – you should be fr.ee to roam the room and meet your guests.
6. Craft your offer: Your attendees will probably want to learn more from you than you’ll have time to present during your event. So make it easy for them to get access to your expertise! Create a special offer for your products and services that is only available on-site that day.  Ideally the offer should be a continuation of the topic you presented so that it’s an easy next step.  Be sure to offer a payment plan to make the offer affordable.  This is how your "FR*EE" event can become highly profitable for you!
7. Follow-up: You can call your attendees, send them an email or a personal card.  Regardless of how you decide to contact them, make sure it’s within 24-48 hours of your fr.ee seminar so they don’t have a chance to forget about you.  Then, put all attendees on a monthly follow up list so you can keep in touch.  That way when they need your services or know of someone who needs your services, you will be on top of their mind.

Hosting your own live workshop gives you a chance to connect with your prospects live and in person. It could take months of online marketing to develop a deep connection with them, but the same results could be had in one afternoon at a live event.  Thus, you create a win-win for you AND your audience.  They get access to your expert advice and solve pressing problems they face.  You create a new revenue stream and attract new clients and raving fans.  What could be better! 

Let me know how you plan to apply this smart, simple strategy to your own business by commenting here on the my blog!

How different would your business be if every time you offered a product, program or service your ideal client jumped at the opportunity to work with you? How would you feel? And how would that make a difference in your life? It would be pretty awesome, right?

I’ll let you in on a secret. Turning this scenario into your reality is completely possible and has nothing to do with what YOU think your clients want. It has everything to do with what THEY want! Discover how to determine what that is in today’s episode.

 

 SSMS Episode #11 – I Hate To Break This To You...But What You Want Doesn't Matter! [11:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (26)

The cornerstone of successful (i.e. profitable) email marketing strategy is having a responsive list.  Many Internet marketing “gurus” talk about having a large number of subscribers and liken that as the link to their success. But when you’re building a community within your target audience, it’s really less about the quantity of email subscribers and more about the quality of subscribers on your list.  Building a strong, trusting relationship with ideal prospects in your target market is important because when you do make an offer, they’ll be more likely to respond.

The only way to get your email subscribers to respond to you is if you earn their trust.  And one way you can do this is to keep in touch with them consistently.  Sending an email only when you have something to promote will not yield the results you expect.

Why?

Because they know all you’re trying to do is sell them something – no one likes to be sold.  If you have tried this in the past, you probably saw a large number of people unsubscribe from your list shortly after the offer was mailed, right?

The key to building a responsive email list is to keep in regular contact with them.  Emailing your list at least once a week with a tip, or links to your weekly blog posts or even a newsletter, is a good start to building a relationship with them. Once they see you’re working hard to interact with them, build a rapport with them and share helpful information/resources, they will be more receptive to your offers.

Consistency is critical.  And the only way to achieve consistency is to create a system for staying in touch with your email subscribers.  My favorite way to create a system is to use technology to work for you so that you can maintain the level of communication from week to week and month to month.

This is a really simple strategy, but I often see folks getting stuck on the “how to” details and therefore, it just doesn’t get done.

I want to help you get over this obstacle.

Join me and my colleague,  Joshua Zerkel  on Wednesday, September 8th at 5 PM (PDT) for a FREE call on how to create systems for your marketing your business.  We’ll teach you the actual skill of creating simple systems  so you can APPLY it to any strategy you choose to grow your business.  This is a lifelong skill you will be able to use over and over again.   But most importantly, it will show you the steps to create an effective and consistent email marketing campaign to produce long-term results.

Register at http://smartsimplemarketing.com/market-your-business/.

If you have any questions about email marketing in general, please post them below!  We’ll try to address any common questions we get during the call.

Have you ever wondered how some business owners are busy all the time and have a steady stream of clients and others don’t? Maybe you’ve even compared yourself to other businesses and thought, “How come they are getting all the new business and I’m not?”

The answer is simpler than you think.

If you want to have a full practice and a steady stream of clients regardless of the economic climate, then you have to market your business consistently. This means, continuing to market your services even when you aren’t taking on any clients. By doing so, there will be no “economic crisis” for you, because the fact is people are still spending money. They are just more selective and cautious about how they spend it. But they are absolutely looking for solutions to their problems, the solutions that you already have readily available.

Marketing your business consistently helps you achieve many things at once:

1. Keeping the sales funnel “full”: Prospective clients might have to go on a waiting list, but keeping a steady stream of potential clients helps to ensure you’re never “desperate” for new business. Even if something unexpected comes up, you have a reserve to tap into to find more work and earn more money.
2. Meet prospects where they are: I’ve talked before about the importance of having different packages and programs available for your prospective clients to choose from. You should have options that fit their needs, not one “all or nothing” service. Having various options available, such as a group program or self-study training course, allows you to serve your ideal clients whether or not they work with you privately and develop multiple streams of revenue. Then, when you do have space available to take on new private clients, you have a group of folks you can invite to apply who are already familiar with your services and have benefited from your work.
3. Staying top of mind: Even though a prospective client might not need you now, they might need you in a week, a month or a year from now. By “reminding” them of your business and your services, you are staying on top of their mind so when they do need you, you are the first and only one they call. You’ll also be the one they refer to friends and family if they mention they need your services.
4. Ongoing market research: By keeping a pulse on what’s going on with your target audience, you’ll always be “in the know” about their current challenges and needs. This puts you in prime position to offer the services they need, exactly when they need it. You’ll be their hero because you will be able to solve their problem quickly and efficiently.
5. Creating a “go to” list: it’s happened to all of us at one time or another – you need more revenue ASAP. Keeping up your marketing efforts helps you to create a list of warm and hot leads to call if you need to make additional income. You can even create a special promotion for these clients to help close the sale immediately.

As you can see, your daily/weekly/monthly marketing efforts should not be taken lightly. Don’t think of marketing as a temporary event when you need more clients, think of it as an investment in your future. Planting the marketing seeds now ensures your business will be in full bloom all the time…not just when you “spring” into action.

It’s all too easy for entrepreneurs to be stuck in their business and NOT take consistent action because of feeling like each step has to be “perfect”.  The truth is “perfect” (a term I use loosely) action doesn’t create results.  What DOES create results is taking consistent (even if imperfect) action on the right things.  Last week we talked about creating your marketing plan and this week it’s all about HOW to work the plan and achieve your goals.

 

 SSMS Episode #10 - How To Create More Profits In Your Business While Taking Imperfect Action [13:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (72)

Keeping in contact with your target audience is an essential piece of creating your marketing plan.  By knowing exactly what’s going on with your ideal clients and knowing what their challenges are, you can provide the solutions exactly when the need it.

Sometimes the solutions you provide are free – either in the form of answering a question in a social network or in a blog post or an article.  Not everything you do to serve your target audience should be a “paid” service.  Remember, your target audience needs to get to know you and sample your work.  They are more likely to move to a paid service or product when they’ve had a chance to build trust in you and to “try before they buy.”

One key to positioning yourself as the expert in your field, is making sure you absolutely know what problems your target audience are facing and what solutions they’re looking for.  The ONLY way you can know that is to do your market research – consistently.

You’re not going to know everything you need to know by doing a yearly or bi-annual survey.  Really you should be researching what’s going on with your target market weekly, even daily, at the very least monthly.  Doing so will allow you to stay abreast of current trends, what’s new with key industry players and allow you to tailor your offerings just so to address current challenges and problems.

Now, in saying that, I know how challenging it can be to manage a market research campaign.  It could seem overwhelming  even just getting started.  But, the good news is, researching your market is much easier than you think.  And it can be actually (gasp!) FUN!

The key to doing your market research consistently is to follow a system.

Following a system allows you to methodically and easily implement a market research campaign, review the results and follow up with some kind of action such as blog posts, new programs, teleseminars, etc.   A lot of folks get “stuck” when it comes to creating that system though.  It’s almost like you need a system to create a system.

If you’ve ever felt like that, I’d love to help you get “un-stuck” in this area.

My colleague, Joshua Zerkel and I want to help you master the skill of creating systems.  Over the last few months, we’ve created systems in our businesses that have allowed us to improve our marketing activities tremendously, with LESS effort.  Learning how to create systems is a LIFELONG SKILL that you can apply to ANY part of your business.

So, join us on Wednesday, September 8th at 5 PM (PDT) for a FREE teleseminar to learn how to create simple systems for marketing your business.  You’ll walk away from that call knowing exactly what to do to create a system to implement your marketing research campaign – and all the other parts of your marketing plan, consistently.  Thus you’ll be well-equipped to attract more clients and create more revenue, because you’ll  know exactly what solutions to create that your ideal clients are looking for.

Don’t worry if you can’t join us live, we’ll be recording the call so you can review it when you have a chance.  But, you have to register for the call to receive the recording.

Register now!  http://smartsimplemarketing.com/market-your-business/

Oh, and by the way, this week we’ll be putting the finishing touches on our outline for the call.  If you have any specific questions about how to conduct your market research or creating systems in your business, please post your questions below.  We’ll try to answer as many questions as we can during the call and look forward to having you there!

Did you know there are pockets of money “hidden” in your business that you don’t even see? It’s true! For EVERY single client that I work with, the first thing I do is assess the opportunities in front of them (that they are too close to their business to see) and then create a “Money Map” to help them dig out the additional profits they’re looking for. You can do the same for your business…starting NOW! Listen to today’s episode as I share details on the importance of creating your own marketing plan, what benefits you can expect to enjoy in doing so and how to get started.

 

 SSMS Episode #9 – How to Find The Hidden Profits in Your Business [8:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (80)

Upselling is not a new concept.  It’s actually deeply rooted in "regular" sales techniques.  Think about how many upsell opportunities you encounter when purchasing virtually anything. 

For example:

• "What size fries would you like with your burger?"
• "How many ink cartridges would you like for your new printer?"
• "What type of car wash would you like with your oil change?"
• "What kind of dessert would you like from our wonderful dessert menu?"
• "You can get a discount if you get your auto and home policy with us; let’s run the numbers real quick."

You can see from this short set of examples how often the upsell strategy is used.  In these examples, I purposefully used an "assumptive close", which is an open ended question that can’t be answered with a yes or no.  While this is somewhat of an "advanced" selling technique, you can apply the same general lesson in your own business.

Once you have established a relationship with a new client, you know exactly what their challenges are and the solutions they need.  A great way to create more revenue is to upsell them to an offering that further supports them in solving their problem.  This can be in the form of one of your own products like an eBook or additional services, or, it can actually be an affiliate product that closely aligns with your business strategy.

Affiliate marketing is a common practice in the Internet Marketing world.  It’s simply a way for you to earn money (commission) from promoting another person’s product to your clients.  As long as the product fits your clients’ needs, then it can be a win-win-win situation.  Your client gets the additional help they need, you and your partner get more revenue. 

Another great benefit to affiliate or partner marketing is that you show your client that you are truly interested in helping them solve their problems.  While you may not be able to help them with everything they need, you are going out of your way to provide them with other solutions.  This saves them time from having to research other options and creates more trust in you as a problem solver.  You also automatically position yourself as an expert because you intuitively know what they need. 

An example of this type of marketing upsell is an interior designer who offers her clients an eBook from a professional organizer on how to make a home office more efficient.  Or the designer could offer her client an introductory session with the organizer at a discounted rate.  (She would likely receive a commission on the sale and the organizer is introduced to a new client he/she might not have connected with).  While the interior designer has designed and decorated a beautiful office, the professional organizer can share tips and techniques on how to make that office function more efficiently.  With the knowledge from the eBook or the introductory session, the client can then use that information to transform their home office into a primo working environment.  While the interior designer may not be an "organization" expert, she can provide the resources for the client to do it themselves. 

The most important aspect of upsell marketing is that it is done with the utmost professionalism and respect.  If you choose to partner with an affiliate, make sure you take the time to get to know the provider and ensure they meet your professional standards.  Don’t endanger your relationship with your client by providing shoddy "referrals" to make a quick buck.  This will reflect poorly on you and ultimately impact your relationship with your client.  Which in the end means less revenue for you.

There are many different upsell strategies to use in your business.  Do you use any in your business right now?   Which is your favorite one?  If you don’t use an upsell strategy in your business now, what could you do?  Let me know how you can apply this smart, simple strategy to your own business today!

Have you set a goal for yourself and your business and find yourself struggling to make it happen? Are you wondering why having the business you desire seems just out of reach? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of solo service professionals feel this way. The good news is the answer is very simple. And it has nothing to do with the economy, how long you’ve been in business or what type of business you have. Listen in as I share the secret and how to overcome this common challenge.

 

 SSMS Episode #8 – The #1 Thing Holding You Back from BIG Profits in Your Business [6:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (85)