I just joined the Apple family by getting my first iPhone a couple of months ago! I’ve been having so much fun with all the cool features and completely understand why when you go Mac, you never go back! 
If you are a new user like me or considering getting an iPhone, I wanted to share a few nifty tricks I’ve discovered on how to grow my business using my trusty device:
Sydni Craig-Hart, founder of Smart Simple Marketing, announced that they will be hosting weekly expert conversations with professionals who will help small business owners implement simple, profitable marketing strategies in 2012. These "Take 10" ten minute coffee breaks will be offered free on the company blog and podcast channel.
Emeryville, CA (PRWEB) January 05, 2012 - Smart Simple Marketing, a San Francisco Bay Area marketing coaching firm, will be featuring industry experts over the course of 2012 to offer free, ten minute "coffee break" interviews. These interviews will provide expert marketing advice to small business owners and service professionals who want to increase their profits and get new clients this year.
Sydni Craig-Hart, the founder, said, "Small business owners are looking for actionable and practical ideas that they can put into place right away to get new clients or increase their profits. They don't always have 45 minutes or an hour to spend learning from their mentors. This is a way to get simple, practical, actionable information into their hands FAST!" [Read more...]
I’m happy to announce that I am one of 7 experts taking part in The Productive Business Owner Telesummit, Oct. 17-21 (http://smartsimplemarketing.com/pbo). We each take a different approach but will all share solid information that can immediately be implemented for increased productivity.
Some of the things the speakers will share: [Read more...]
Blogging has been by far one of THE most effective strategies I've used to drive traffic to my website and build my list of pre-qualified leads.
I strongly believe that every business should have a blog because it allows your target market to get to know you, like you and trust you, which then encourages them to seek out your expertise. Hence, I often recommend this strategy to my clients and students to help them create more visibility for their work.
Often one of the first questions new bloggers ask is, where do I set up my blog for the best results? Excellent questions. There are many, many options available and which one you choose really depends upon your personal preferences and level of comfort with online technology. Read more about How to Choose Your Blog Platform
Meetup.com is one of my favorite marketing resources for many reasons. Perusing the various groups listed on the site will allow you to locate a specific demographic of people who are interested in specific topics. Not only can you join and interact with the groups online you can actually "meet up" in person for networking, sharing resources and more. It's the perfect tool to help you with your market research!
I've met a number of fabulous business people through Meetup and attracted a few new ideal clients as well. After learning more about Meetup, what if you decide you want to step up your networking a notch and attend an event? And instead of just attending a Meetup, what if you decide you want to host your own?
I have just the resource for you! Check out this article published by Mashable.com: [Read more...]
If you are looking to start a coaching or consulting business, or if you've been in business for a while and want to make sure you've got the basics covered, I have JUST the resource for you!
My good friend Kathleen Gage, The Street Smarts Marketer, has prepared a content-rich special report on this very topic and she graciously has allowed me to share a copy with you!
There's no opt-in required and no obligation! Just top notch content delivered by one of the industries leading experts.
I've learned a LOT from Kathleen over the years and truly appreciate her no-nonsense style, so I'm just tickled to be able to share her expertise with you. Just click on the following link to download your copy and please, stop back by and let me know what you think after you've read it!
What You Need To Know to Start Your Own Coaching/Consulting Business
Enjoy!
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!
We all collect business cards. When you're out networking and meeting people, you get their business card and you give them yours. Then you get home or back to the office, you put their business card in a nice little pile and often never look at it again unless you need something, right?
How can you make sure that this doesn't happen to YOUR business card?
One of the most important pieces of marketing collateral you can have is a high-quality business card. Take the time and effort to make this an impressionable marketing tool so that it will talk to your ideal client, even when you're not there.
Traditionally, the problem with most business cards is that they are boring. They have a logo, a name, a phone number, physical address, email address and website...that's it. So no one really gives it a second look or wants to keep it around because it doesn't really "say" anything. There's nothing on that business card that makes someone stop and say, "I need to save this card because I'm going to need these services soon."
Here's how to ensure your business card isn't thrown away or forgotten:
After you've designed a great business card and have them printed on high quality card stock, the next step to ensure your business card isn't ignored is to follow simple business card etiquette. That is, don't give your business card to a person unless they ask you for it.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are out networking and meeting people, is that they automatically shove their business card in the other person's hand. They haven't even had a chance to find out their name or what kind of business they are in and they are already "assuming" the other person "needs" them and their services.
Wrong.
Networking is as much about building relationships as it is about building business. But you have to have a good relationship first. Make sure to wait for someone to ask you for your nice new business card before you give it to them. You will be glad you did. This gracious gesture helps create a solid foundation for the beginning of a great relationship. And, it ensures that people will want to remember you and keep your card because of their positive experience with you.
Sometimes, the most difficult part about being a solopreneur is keeping yourself accountable. When you're the boss of yourself, there's no one looking over your shoulder to see if things are getting done. Of course there are clients, but since they pay the bills, getting their work done isn't usually the challenge.
Growing your business and achieving your goals is often the biggest challenge solopreneurs face.
As a business owner, you know all (or almost all) of the things you need to do to make your business successful and prosperous. For example, you know you should:
...and the list goes on.
But, while your to do list and wish list get longer, there's often no one holding you accountable to make sure you get things done. That's where a mastermind group comes into play and can be the critical piece you are missing to move your business ahead.
The basic principle of a mastermind group is that like-minded professionals join forces and commit to helping each other accomplish their goals. As a group, you celebrate each other's victories and support each other in times of need. One of the essential players in a successful, profitable mastermind group though, is a strong leader.
The leader of the mastermind group should be someone whose success you admire. In other words, they need to be successful themselves first to be able to give you the direction you need to create the same type of success in your business. Think about it, would you want to learn from a ski instructor who's never been on the slopes?
Here's what you want to look for in a potential mastermind group:
There are many benefits to participating in a mastermind group. First, you receive ongoing support in your business from people who know and understand what you are going through. While your family may be cheering you on, even the most supportive family can't understand all the moving pieces in your business.
Second, you have friendly yet professional accountability. While you won't get beat up over not accomplishing your goals, a good accountability partner and/or mentor will help you identify why you didn't reach your goals and then help you overcome those challenges.
Third, you get real life education while avoiding common pitfalls. Working with a successful person as the mentor of the mastermind group will save you time, money and needless aggravation. Their insights and experience will help you avoid common pitfalls and give you the support you need if you've made a few mistakes. And, ultimately knowing someone who has "made it" is a great motivator and will keep you inspired.
At the end of the day, you are still solely responsible for your success. However, that doesn't mean you have to do it all yourself. Consider joining a mastermind group to reap the benefits of collaboration and help you leap ahead towards accomplishing your business goals.
Have you participated in a mastermind group? Or are you interested in participating? Contact me at Info@SmartSimpleMarketing.com to find out about the programs we offer. We offer ongoing enrollment and certainly have space for you!
Subscribe by RSS or receive the latest and greatest from the Smart Simple Marketing Blog right in your inbox! Simply enter your email below to subscribe.
"Within the first month of working with Sydni, I secured contracts for $14,000... and I don’t have any of the other insecurities that a lot of new businesses have."