Smart Simple Marketing - Practical Strategies for Creating a Highly Successful Service Business » Online Marketing

The #1 Marketing Tool Successful Entrepreneurs Use

Sydni Craig-Hart — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:00:15 +0000

Let's face it. You can't be taken seriously as a business owner in today's marketplace without having a strong presence online. (this is not true, many businesses do NOT have an online presence. You need to clarify this and narrow it down to your audience. Perhaps say, "You cannot be taken seriously as a virtual business owner without...")

Whether you want to admit it or not, prospective clients ARE going to look for you online and you need to be in control of what they find.

The foundation of your online presence is, of course, your website.

If you don't have a polished, professional, client focused site now, or your current site is out of date, you likely have wondered how to go about go about creating a quick and easy, money making website.

I am all for having a custom designed site that reflects your brand and has all the "bells and whistles" needed to make it an effective marketing tool.

But, I also recognize that for some folks, creating THAT kind of website seems completely overwhelming.

If that sounds familiar, you'll appreciate these two resources I recently discovered that can help:

In both cases, you can setup a polished, professional (albeit somewhat minimalist) website in just a few hours. You won't necessarily have all the extra cool features you could have, but it is a place to get started.

NOTE: I have not personally used either of these sites, but if I was starting from scratch I would strongly consider using either resource as a place to get started. Just make sure you maintain control of your hosting account by using a company such as HostGator or Bluehost.

If you are feeling really ambitious, you might check out my friend Christina Hill's Website Creation Workshop, where she'll walk you through creating your own customized WordPress website. WordPress is THE platform to use if you are serious about leveraging the Internet to increase your income.

You can learn more about Christina's workshop at:

http://smartsimplemarketing.com/recommends/wordpress-workshop

The bottom line is this: There is NO, I mean NO excuse for you to NOT have a polished presence for your busines online. I know you are a serious business owner. I know you are committed to your work. Please don't undermine that by not paying attention to your online "digital business card".

My grandmother used to say (actually, she still says it), "better to let them think you're stupid than to open your mouth and confirm it". The same princple applies here. Better to control what your prospective clients are finding about you and your business online, than to have them wondering if you are really a serious entrepreneur.

'Nuff said.

How to Use Video to Build Relationships with Your Ideal Prospects (SSMS Episode 66)

Sydni Craig-Hart — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:00:47 +0000

How often have you viewed a great business video and thought – “I wish I could do that”? You can! In this week’s episode I show you just how easy it is to implement video marketing into marketing your business. From the simple tech tools to sources of content, I share the 5 simple steps you need to get started and succeed. Yes, even YOU can do it!

A Simple Marketing Strategy to Build Trust and Increase Sales (SSMS Episode 64)

Sydni Craig-Hart — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:11:25 +0000

There's one simple, inexpensive and reliable way to develop a relationship with your audience that will lead to more sales. By growing an email marketing list you can stay in touch with your target market and turn interested traffic into eager buyers. In this week's article you'll learn how to implement a simple email marketing plan that will help you connect with your audience and show them exactly how you can help them with their needs.

3 Time Tested Online Marketing Strategies

Sydni Craig-Hart — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:57:47 +0000

Creating visibility for your business online can seem like a daunting task. There are many different options to choose from and you’ll likely find yourself in “analysis paralysis" if you try them all at one.

That said you simply can’t ignore having an effective strategy for marketing your business online. It is quite simply one of the most reliable and affordable ways to let the world know “Here I am! Here’s how I can help you.” Even if you primarily do business in person with people in your local area, I guarantee you your prospects are looking for you online. So you want to make it easy for them to find you and to say yes to what you have to offer.

Top 5 Reasons Why Social Media is an Essential Tool

Sydni Craig-Hart — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:00:08 +0000

Social media – it’s one of the most overhyped words in online marketing – so much so that many service professionals have thrown the baby out with the bath water and given up. However, when you learn to use social media consistently and correctly it can be a great boon to your business.

Here are five reasons why social media should be an essential part of your marketing toolbox:

Social media is here to stay!
Social media has grown exponentially in the past few years, but few realize the sheer speed at which it’s grown. Food for thought – it took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users and it took television 13 years to do the same. Facebook doubled that amount in less than nine months – they added 100 million users in less than a year! So many people are involved, it’s impossible to ignore any longer.

Social media is simple to learn.
Unlike other forms of marketing online that require a lot of technical details and understanding, social media is relatively easy to implement once you learn the basics. It’s just a matter of defining your message, finding your audience and spreading the word. And most importantly, being social!

Social media can connect you directly with your target market.
Small business owners are always looking for ways to meet the needs of their market – and there’s no better way to do that than through social media. It might take months or years to develop a relationship with a member of your target market via email marketing. But social media is like personal networking on hyperdrive. You can connect with your market in real-time on issues that they care about and become part of their trusted network of friends and advisors.

Social media helps build consistency.
When it comes to marketing your business online, consistency is key. Inconsistent marketing efforts will produce disappointing results. Fortunately, social media makes it easier than ever before to be consistent with marketing. You can set up your updates ahead of time – a week at a time – and let them run automatically. This consistent presence helps build your brand and produces better results.

Social media makes businesses more personable and approachable.
Other forms of online marketing can put layers between you and your ideal customers. But with social media – you’re right there! You get to see what they are up to, what they are reading and what they care about, and they get to know you too. It’s win-win!

What does this mean for your business? When used correctly, social media can create more visibility, opportunity and profits for your business. Take the time to research your target market and see how they are interacting on social media so that you can determine how best to use this tool to achieve your goals.

How to Find Out EXACTLY Where You Should Be Promoting Your Business

Sydni Craig-Hart — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:00:22 +0000

I recently reviewed my client list over the past 18 months to see where my clients had come from so that I could fine tune my marketing efforts. You see, Smart Simple Marketing is not about doing more. It's not about doing the "latest and greatest thing". It about doing what works and doing that consistently.

After I completed my analysis, I found the statistics fascinating:

27% of my clients came from FREE Teleseminars I'd hosted or participated in
25% came from Online Marketing
19% came from Referrals
15% came from Networking

The other three areas, speaking (live), webinars and social media all yielded results of less than 10% of my overall client base.

What does this tell me? Exactly where I should be focusing my efforts! Based on the numbers, I should focus my time, energy and resources on the four strategies that yield the greatest return. I should refine my messaging so that it's more appealing and relevant when I am hosting free calls, marketing on the web, encouraging referrals and networking.

What does this have to do with you? That you should do the exact same thing. Set aside an hour to review your client list over the past 12-18 months. If you haven't had a lot of clients, review your prospects list (those who were interested in your offerings but for whatever reason didn't convert) and see where they REALLY came from. You may be surprised by what the numbers show and now see a clear path as to where you should focus your attention.

With the myriad of marketing options available to us as service professionals these days, it's easy to become overwhelmed. That makes it very hard for us to make a decision about what we should be doing to grow our businesses. So, one easy way to move past the overwhelm is to stop, analyze what's working vs. what's not working and re-group to just focus on the activities that make sense for your business.

I'd love to hear what you discover about your marketing efforts from completing this exercise. What does your analysis show that YOU should be focusing on? Do tell by posting your comments below.

Use Teleseminars and Webinars to Boost Your Profits

Sydni Craig-Hart — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:15:35 +0000

Hosting virtual events such as teleseminars (essentially a conference call) and webinars (which is basically a PowerPoint presentation delivered via the Internet) are a great way to boost your business. They are both easy and highly effective tools to create more visibility and new profit streams for your business. Using these tools to promote your services and educate your market can be a regular piece of your marketing strategy.

With teleseminars and webinars you can give your audience an opportunity to sample what it’s like to work with you live and see how quickly they can benefit from your expertise. You offer them solutions and prove your value in a an hour or less.

Are Your Marketing Materials Helping or Hindering Your Business?

Sydni Craig-Hart — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:18:35 +0000

One of the most important considerations in creating your version of a successful business is having a brand that reflects the high quality services you provide.

Just because you have a small business, doesn't mean your brand should look "homemade". Everything you do from participating in social networks, to your website and how you show up at networking events should reflect a polished professional image. There is NO second chance for a first impression.

Therefore, you’ll want to give careful attention to your marketing materials and what they're saying about you. No matter what it is: your website, email newsletter, headshot, social media profiles, etc., your marketing materials should be first class. They speak to your audience even when you aren't there or long after you've met. What are your marketing materials saying about you and the services you provide?

A Simple Way To Educate Your Target Market and Attract More Clients

Sydni Craig-Hart — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:30:56 +0000

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.

Using Simple (and Highly Effective) Email Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

Sydni Craig-Hart — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:30:03 +0000

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?