Without question, you love your business.
But, how can you convey that love to your prospects in a way that not only piques their interest, but also makes them take action and become a paying customer?
It’s all about marketing and promotions. That is, the work you put into raise awareness about your brand, increase demand for your product or services and boost sales.
The problem is, there are literally dozens of different promotional strategies being applied by businesses. How can you know which ones would get you the biggest return on your investment?
There’s no magic formula or perfect answer. There are, however, six core strategies that have been proven to be highly effective, regardless of the industry.
Let’s take a close look at each of these core strategies in greater detail.
Networking Strategy
95% of today’s consumers [1] consider face-to-face meetings essential for long-term business relationships. Would you agree that networking is pretty important?
But it involves going much deeper than just shaking hands and passing out business cards. If you want your in-person meetings to truly be effective, you have to be strategic about it. You have to show up where your perfect clients are hanging out.
The best way to make strong connections is to show personal interest by getting to know the people you meet when networking. When you do, your conversation partners will naturally want to continue that conversation.
Direct Outreach Strategy
Thanks to the web and social networking, direct outreach is easier now than ever before.
Now you can learn all about a person online without having to spend weeks or months getting to know them. You can see their professional experience on LinkedIn, discover their interests and specialties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This allows you to listen and learn first and determine how you can add value before you even reach out.
Take note, however, that direct outreach isn’t about sending an email to pitch yourself, your company, your services or your products. It’s about finding common ground and making a connection.
Referral Strategy
If you think customer referrals are becoming a thing of the past, think again. In fact, word-of-mouth marketing remains one of, if not the most effective tool for gathering more qualified leads. Just consider the following stats:
- 92% of today’s consumers [2] say they trust referrals from people they know.
- People who are referred by a friend are 4 times more likely to buy. [3]
- 77% of consumers [4] say they are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends or family.
From a promotional standpoint, referrals are invaluable. Just keep in mind, however, that there’s a right way and wrong way to approach this strategy.
Remember, the best way to get referrals is to give them first. Identify the benefits your clients have to offer and be generous with your recommendations. This builds reciprocity so that when the time comes, they’ll return the favor.
Speaking Strategy
The same principle of networking can also be applied to speaking engagements. It’s not random. It’s strategic. It’s targeted.
If you want to reach your perfect clients, you have to speak in front of the right audiences.
Thanks to technology, speaking doesn’t even have to be in person anymore. You can deliver powerful messages virtually through things like online presentations and video conferencing.
It’s important to point out that speaking should be viewed not as just a one-time opportunity, but the chance for many future communications. When you speak, do so with the objective of making lasting connections and building long-term relationships.
To make your speaking most effective implement follow up system before you hit the stage so that you can keep in touch and continue the conversation long after the event is over.
Writing Strategy
Writing is more than just publishing the occasional blog post or article. It’s about developing and implementing a content marketing strategy. That means consistently posting on your blog and having downloadable content available on your website. It may also involve other activities, such as guest blogging or getting published in trade publications.
Writing is powerful because it gives you greater visibility and allows you to establish credibility. Over time, the content you share will help to establish and nurture relationships. To achieve this, your content must be focused on sharing solutions that address the specific pain points of your perfect clients.
Web Strategy
On a broader scale, your online marketing activities can also be leveraged to promote your brand, products or services.
Start with your website’s design, keeping your customers in mind. Your website is really your 24-hour business partner. Its goal is to start or continue a conversation with people who need what you have to offer. Make sure it is easy for your website visitors to take action whether it’s downloading a tool, signing up for your newsletter, connecting with you on social media or, of course, buying your product or service.
Your online marketing efforts should also include establishing and maintaining a strong presence on social media as well as video marketing, whether it’s incorporating video directly into your website, sharing on sites like YouTube and Vimeo, or creating a vlog (video blog). The more effort you put into reaching, connecting and engaging with your prospects online, the better results you’ll get over time.
Ok, we couldn’t resist…
We had to add one more strategy that is sure to help you get high paying clients over a long period of time. It is …
Keep In Touch Strategy
Not everyone you meet will be ready to buy the first time you connect. In fact, experts believe it can take 6 to 8 “touches” to successfully convert a lead and close a sale.
A touch can come in many forms. It can be a quick call or email. It can be a text or a message on social media. It can even be a handwritten note (which, by the way, can be super effective since hardly anybody does this anymore).
The point isn’t how you reach out; it’s that you do so consistently. This will keep you top of mind so that when they’re ready to pull the trigger and book your service or buy your product, your brand will be the first they think of.
In conclusion, if you want your small business to thrive, you have to find a way to raise your prospects’ interest and influence their buying decisions. That’s where a strong promotional strategy comes into play.
It’s important to recognize, however, that business owners don’t necessarily have to leverage all of the strategies listed here, nor should they. Once you determine who your ideal customer is, you’ll be better able to choose which 2-3 techniques to pursue that would be the most effective in achieving your business goals.
Join us on Friday, December 9th in San Francisco and we’ll walk you step-by-step through each strategy. You’ll walk away with a customized plan to Book Yourself Solid with perfect clients in 2017.
