Spring Clean Your Marketing For Success

Just like closets and cupboards, marketing strategies and assets can accumulate clutter over the course of the year – It’s time for some spring cleaning. Marketing Spring Cleaning

My friends over at PR Web shared with me three great tips on how to make sure your marketing is current, polished, and efficient:

1. Clean up your lists

Bounced back and duplicate emails are ineffective and can damage your goodwill with customers, journalists and other stakeholders. Go through your lists to verify that names, email addresses and other information are still current. Delete inactive addresses as well as duplicate or incomplete entries.

This is especially important for your media list. Journalism is a fast-changing world and writers move to different outlets and cover different topics. Ensuring that you’re contacting the right people with your news is critical when it comes to generating publicity for your business.

2. Revisit your social strategy

Take stock of how you are using your social media channels and content. If you’re neglecting certain channels or networks, consider deactivating them until you have the time and/or resources to maintain them regularly. Focus on cultivating the channels that serve your business best.

Check that your content still aligns with your overall marketing goals.

  • Has your strategic message changed at all?
  • Have your social media goals changed?
  • Do your analytics show any weak areas that need improvement?

Answer these questions to evaluate whether you need to update your social strategy.

3. Update your boilerplate and website

It’s easy to forget about your company boilerplate. Take stock of your accomplishments and milestones from the last year and update your boilerplate accordingly.

The same goes for your company website. Have you hired new team members? Secured killer press coverage? Launched a new product or service? Now is the time to update your website to reflect your recent growth.

Don’t let out-of-date information and content weigh down your marketing. Spring-cleaning your strategy is crucial to long-term success.

Tap Into Your Unstoppable Potential (Yes, you do have it!)

self-doubtSo often, it isn’t a lack of knowledge that prevents service professionals from achieving their business and marketing goals.

Instead, a lack of focus and motivation are more often the culprits.  You may be a person who knows exactly what you need to be doing. You possess the knowledge, but not enough confidence in your ability to make it happen and succeed as an entrepreneur.

Throughout the many small business communities that I belong to (both online and offline), I often see a LOT of untapped potential.  I see service professionals who have the potential to command top dollar for their work, to create businesses that truly give them the flexible schedule they crave and work only with clients who respect them and value their contributions.  I see this in them, but many times, they just can’t see it for themselves.

"WHY is that," you may ask? Read more about Tap Into Your Unstoppable Potential (Yes, you do have it!)

Stop Being Overwhelmed and Start Marketing

reach your goalsFeeling overwhelmed with marketing your business?  We've all been there at one time or another.  But you don't have to stay there! Being in a constant state of overwhelm is a choice.  It's a choice one makes partially as a result of a limiting belief that being successful in business is hard and can't be done with grace and ease.  It's also partially a result of poor time management and disorganization.  Whatever may be contributing to your overwhelm, let's get you out of there!

You can’t possibly tackle every aspect of your marketing plan at once. But doing nothing to create awareness about your business is not an option, either. [Read more...]

No Cost Marketing Strategies That Work (SSMS Episode 43)

Subscribe to Sydni's PodcastDo you feel stuck in your business because you don’t have enough money to devote to marketing? While there are great marketing programs out there that are worth an investment, you don’t have to have a huge budget in order to get more clients and generate more revenue. In this week’s podcast, I share five specific ways that you can market your business using the smallest of marketing budgets.

No time, no money and too overwhelmed to market? No problem!

time is moneyThe success of your service business depends on your ability to consistently and effectively market your solutions. So why is it that so few solopreneurs are spending the necessary time and energy on marketing? In my coaching work, these are the excuses I hear most often:

  1. "I don't have enough time to market"
  2. "I don't have enough money to market my business"
  3. "I'm too overwhelmed to market"

If you find that you have similar thoughts running through your mind, I have good news for you! There are simple strategies you can tap into to bust through these excuses and find the time, money and organization that you need to market consistently. Once you put these excuses behind you, you’ll be able to create the successful business that you’ve always wanted. Read more about how to effectively market with little time and a small budget

How To Make Your New Year’s Resolutions a Reality

One of my favorite quotes comes from Basil S. Walsh, who simply asks, "If you don’t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?"

Do you know where you are going in 2011? Have you drawn out a ‘road map’ for the direction you plan to take and assembled all the tools necessary to assure you will reach your business goals in the coming year?

I know people who refuse to ask for directions when traveling. They think they will be able to eventually figure out where they are and where they need to be – and they may – but at what expense? An extra cost in gas? Arriving late to their destination, perhaps missing out an important opportunity? Or at the very least, experiencing more frustration and stress than necessary, potentially spoiling what could have been an otherwise enjoyable journey. Wouldn’t it be easier to just stop, regroup, and ask for help from someone more familiar with the area?

While you alone are responsible for following through on your New Year’s Resolutions – here are some simple strategies for service professionals which are sure to assist in making that resolution a reality:     [Read more...]

SSMS Episode #8 – The #1 Thing Holding You Back from BIG Profits in Your Business

Subscribe to Sydni's PodcastHave 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.

Leap Ahead to Achieve Your Goals With the Support of a Mastermind Group

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:

  • Keep your website up to date
  • Network strategically
  • Have a plan for marketing your business
  • WORK your marketing plan
  • Stay abreast of trends in your industry
  • Outsource non-revenue generating tasks
  • Keep your financial records in order
  • Invest in continuing education opportunities
  • Apply what you learn

...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 doneThat's where a mastermind group comes into play and can be the critical piece you are missing to move your business ahead.

Round conference tableThe 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:

  • A strong, seasoned and dedicated leader that has created the same results in their business that you want to create in yours.
  • A group of like-minded professionals - While they don't all have to be from the same industry, it helps if there is some common ground for support and they are at the same general place in their business.
  • Regular access to the leader and other members - A forum is a great way to interact with the group and get fast answers to your questions.  It needs to be a safe place, where no question is off limits.  You also want to have regular interaction with the group through virtual and live meetings.
  • A structured program designed with your needs in mind - Having structure is necessary to ensure that each individual receives what they need.  There needs to be clear expectations for the leader and each group members, which creates a supportive environment where each entrepreneur can thrive.

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!

SSMS Episode #5 – Reconnect With Your Goals and Start Creating Results

Subscribe to Sydni's PodcastWe've just passed the mid-way point of 2010.  How are you doing with achieving the goals you established back in January?  If you're not quite where you want to be, not to worry, there's still plenty of time to regroup.  Check out this week's episode for a simple 3-step plan to get back on track!