Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

Business Book Review: The Ultimate Sales Machine

doit marketing business book reviewsHere's another in my series of marketing and business book reviews - but not just any old business books.

Fire starters...

Game changers...

Show stoppers...

Books that will transform the way you think about your work, about your business, and - yes - about your life.

Ready? Take a look...

What do you think? Please leave a COMMENT below to share your experiences with this book, with this author, or with other game changing books that YOU recommend...

business book review

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, marketing book, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, small business marketing expert, professional speaker marketing, marketing strategist, motivational speaker marketing, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, sales and marketing, small business marketing coach, business book review

10 Rules for Building Long Lasting Email Marketing Relationships

email marketing tipsGuest column by Ryan Pinkham, Engagement Marketing

Engagement marketing is a lot about relationships.

Your current customers are the lifeblood of your business. These are people who know you, the products and services you provide, and who return week after week and month after month to see you again.

Your current customers are also your best source of new business—especially those who you’ve built a relationship with in the past.

That’s because when you build a relationship with your target audience, they’ll not only be more likely to do business with you again, but will also feel more comfortable referring you to a friend, family member, or colleague.

Email marketing is a powerful tool in your toolbox for building those relationships online.

[Ed: The email marketing software we use at Do It! Marketing is Constant Contact. Click here for a 60-day free trial.] 

By connecting with customers in their inbox each month, you’ll stay top of mind with your target audience. And by delivering content they enjoy, can use, and want to engage with, you’ll build trust with the people who already know you best.

Here are 10 tips for building long lasting email marketing relationships:

1. Get to know each other before things get serious

You should never start any relationship until you really get to know each other. You may think that you know your customers, you might even see them every day, but until they are comfortable enough to share their email address with you, don’t assume anything.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask. Having a sign-up sheet at your business or a Join My Mailing List feature on your website or Facebook Page is a great way to start things off.

2. Make sure you have something in common

Without common interests, your relationship is never going to work. If someone has signed up for your email newsletter, that means you have at least something in common, but you have to make sure the content of your emails remains relevant to keep the relationship going long term.

Keep an eye on whose reading and who’s opting out. It’s a good way to see who’s engaging with your content and who is not. Just keep in mind, sometimes it’s just not meant to be and it might not always be your fault.

3. Don’t take them for granted

Your customers should be the most important thing to you … or at least to your business. They aren’t just names on a list; they are people who want to be appreciated. Once your subscribers start to feel like they aren’t being valued, they’ll be packing their bags.

Show that you appreciate them by getting exclusive with content, whether that’s an informative article or a coupon. Also keep an eye on how often you’re sending emails. Be careful not to smother your list by overloading their inbox—remember, sometimes less really is more.

4. Be yourself

Think of every newsletter as a first date. It’s your chance to make a first impression and to show your list what you’re all about. You already know they’re interested, they said “yes” to joining your list, didn’t they? Be confident. Don’t be afraid to have fun with it.

5. Make sure your signals are getting through

Your relationship’s not going to go anywhere if your signals are getting lost in translation. When you get someone’s number for the first time, you better make sure you get all the digits, right?

It’s the same thing with your emails, make sure your recipients have an easy way of giving you accurate contact information so your messages get to where they are meant to go.

6. Earn their trust

Trust. It’s the most important part of any relationship. The best way to prove your customers can trust you is by showing them you can keep a secret. That means never EVER sharing your customer’s contact information with someone else. They trust you to protect their email addresses and once you break that trust, it’s tough to get it back.

7. Set realistic expectations

A great way to set expectations for your customers is by sending a welcome email. It helps make a good first impression and gives you a chance to show your intentions. Just don’t make promises you can’t keep. If your newsletter is going to be a monthly newsletter, it needs to be a monthly newsletter.

8. Dress the part

This should be an easy one. All you need to do is find the best “clothing” store for email newsletters.

Constant Contact has plenty of outfits to fit any business or organization and they’re easy to customize to fit the look and feel of your brand. Not only that, it's easy for you to use the same template for each of your newsletters. That way you don’t have to worry about showing up wearing two different colored socks. 

9. Be responsive

Just because you’re the one sending out your newsletter, that doesn’t mean you’re the only one who has something to say. Like in any relationship, you need to be good at listening.

Send out a question in your next email or use a survey to get customer feedback. This is a good way to show you care - and to get valuable feedback on what your buyers want!

10. Pay attention to the details

I don’t mean that you need to clean your fingernails and brush your hair (although you probably should anyway). I mean you need to be aware of how things are going AND pay attention to how your relationship is progressing.

Keep an eye on your email reports. Watch your open rates, click-through rates, and opt-outs. They’re a good way to see if things are really going as well as you think they are.

Build relationships online and off with a WOW! experience

Remember: the best way to build relationships is by providing a WOW! experience online and off.

Make sure your email marketing reflects the type of service you provide and you’ll build long lasting relationships to help grow your business.

What rules do you follow with your email marketing relationships? Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice and insights...

Originally posted on the Engagement Marketing blog.

Tags: marketing for coaches, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, email marketing, small business email, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, small business marketing, marketing for authors, small business marketing coach, marketing tips, email newsletter, technology marketing

Marketing Coach: Top 12 Marketing Tips of 2012

doit marketing best marketing tips13In this final installment of New Year Goodness... you're getting my top picks of marketing must-read info, strategies, templates and tools. 

Why?

Simple... 

So you CAN (and WILL!) make 2013 your best year yet. 

Is this just more smoke and mirrors and hokey motivation?

Nope - it's a 12-pack of "Real Deal" marketing tools that you can review over a weekend (ahem... maybe even THIS weekend?) and start to implement bright and early Monday morning. 

Ready? 

Here we go...

Most popular posts:

  1. Marketing Coach: 17 Ways to Drive More Traffic FAST
  2. Email Blast: Creating subject lines that pack punch
  3. 23 things to say when you're asked for "free consulting"
  4. Small Business Marketing Coach: Developing Customer Intimacy
  5. Referral Blurbs - Marketing Coach Tip
  6. Marketing Coach: How to Write Your Kickass Bio (12 Tips and Example)
  7. Social Media Scripts: Tips from a Marketing Coach

Hidden treasures:

  1. Marketing Coach: 33 Ways to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet
  2. Professional Services Marketing: Speaking to Attract New Clients
  3. Marketing Concept: Use these headline techniques if you dare
  4. 5 Signs that Your Prospect is Giving You Too Much Bullsh*t
  5. Business Coach: 50 Reasons People Should Buy from YOU

Ah, heck - I can't resist giving you THIS one...

The (REAL) Idiot's Guide to Social Media Marketing

And one more for good luck:

Marketing Speaker Tip: Erase. Start Fresh. Kick Ass

p.s. As you review these, please share YOUR advice, insights and recommendations in the COMMENTS section for each of these blogs. Even if the posts are older, I always see new comments as you post them -- so I'd love to generate discussions with YOU on how you can max out these ideas in 2013 for YOUR business!

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing coaching, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, success tips, small business marketing, marketing for authors, social media marketing, business blogging, small business marketing coach, social media scripts

Why Your Business Needs to FLOP

Business flop doit marketing

Your business needs to FLOP.

Truly.

And no, this is NOT another one of those goofy semi-inspirational posts that tell you that all entrepreneurs need to FAIL before they succeed. 

FLOP is an acronym for one of the most powerful marketing concepts you can use to grow your business FAST and EXPONENTIALLY:

FLOP: Feature and Leverage Other People.

Marketing 101: If all you talk about is YOU - your company, your book, your blog, your brand, your programs, your products, your services... people will ignore you, tune you out, and dismiss you for the self-centered schmuck that you are

FACT: Experts promote other experts. 

More Examples:

1. As you may know, I'm in the process of publishing the DO IT! Marketing book with AMACOM. Notice I didn't say "my" book. Because it's really not just mine. In the writing process, I asked a dozen of the sharpest, most successful marketing experts I know to contribute a "success strategy sidebar." They did. Now my book is truly "our book." That's FLOP.

2. My pal, Avish Parashar, is not only a top-notch opening and closing keynote speaker... he's also a speaker marketing guru. Hmmm... competition? Nope. FLOP partner. He regularly shares my content with his newsletter readers and I do the same for him. He promotes my programs. I promote his. We're not only friends, we seek each others' professional advice and exchange referrals. That's what you might call FLOPPY.

3. My friend Carol Ritter writes for a Chamber blog and local paper. Her holiday column included these words: "My gifts to all the entrepreneurs and non-profits who are working so hard to be successful is the gift of resources. I work with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country; their ideas and success will inspire you and give you concrete ideas for 2013..." and she proceeded to list a great sales culture expert, a great video production company, a great marketing resource (from yours truly), and a great motivational speaker from North Carolina. There's FLOP in action again.

Grow up. Step up. Be a real expert and learn once and for all - it's not about YOU.

The more you FLOP, the more YOU will succeed.

What do you think? Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and experiences on featuring and leveraging other people...

p.s. Can you find the 2 awesome clients, 2 great friends, 1 respected colleague and a semi-nude woman in the graphic above? Here's some help: 

New Orleans motivational speaker Marvin LeBlanc

Healthcare keynote speaker LeAnn Thieman

Conference Catalyst keynote speaker Thom Singer

Presentation skills expert Laurie Brown

Meetings technology speaker Corbin Ball

Lingerie models (nice holiday savings too)

FLOPPED again!

Grab your FREE copy of the Ultimate Resource List!

And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

Tags: marketing for speakers, professional services marketing, small business coach, professional speaker marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, small business marketing coach

Marketing Coach: 3 Ways to Get Corporate Sponsors NOW

get corporate sponsors sponsorship strategy blueprintYou're invited to join me December 19th for the Sponsorship Strategy Blueprint. This is a FREE teleseminar training call.
Register here

Corporate Sponsors: 3 Ways to Get Corporate Sponsors NOW

You've heard of sponsorship - they're everywhere. From professional sports stadiums to your local chamber of commerce golf event to most everything you see on TV. Awards shows have sponsors. NASCAR has sponsors. Non-profit organizations have sponsors. Conferences, tradeshows and conventions have sponsors. 

Seems like that sponsorship gravy train is chugging mightily along throughout our economy. The only place you might not think of sponsorship is... 

For you. 

And your business. 

And perhaps this post (and the free call on 12/19) will change that. 

If you are a speaker, author, expert, entrepreneur, or sales and marketing executive, obtaining a corporate sponsorship may be easier and more lucrative than you imagine...

Three examples and three quick ideas for YOU: 

Example 1. A few years ago, I partnered with a company called HRWebXpress - they were a software company targeting the same small and medium businesses that I was serving with marketing consulting and speaking/seminar services. We put our heads together and produced a sponsored seminar series for small business owners that focused on growing both the people side of their business (HR software) and the revenue side of their business (strategic marketing and smarter selling - aka me). We did a series of three of them. They got quality face time with their clients and new prospects and I got leads for additional speaking, private onsite seminars and consulting. 

Question 1: What companies are potential partners for you in completely different and unrelated industries who are going after (or who already HAVE) the EXACT same clients and prospects YOU are dying to meet? Find them. Connect with them. Discuss. 

Example 2. Seven years ago, I was a member of a suburban Philadelphia chamber of commerce whose programming VP befriended me. She was frustrated by the quality of their small business education program. And, frankly, she was sick of all the work required to put on mediocre programs with low attendance. Short story: we entered an agreement where the Chamber sponsored us to produce their small business seminar series. Brought in professional speakers. Raised registration fees by 500% (from $25 to $125 per program). Rebranded it as "Chamber Learning." Did a series of 20 seminars over the next 2 years for them, and won a national award from the ACCE (Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives). Since then, I can DIRECTLY trace over $40,000 of business to that series of "low fee" events.

Question 2: Which partners or organizations have urgent, pervasive, expensive problems (or gaps or unmet needs/aspirations) where you can solve those problems in creative ways by connecting them with your people, your products, your services, your programs, your expertise? What's their "missing piece" and how can you position yourself to help them complete their puzzle? THAT is a sponsorship opportunity!

Example 3: Last year, I partnered with Steelcase to sponsor a seminar for their small and medium sized AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) firms. These smaller firms were an underserved distribution channel who frequently recommended or purchased Steelcase furniture and office systems in their clients' buildings and renovation projects. Steelcase was already doing great with their larger, national partners. They were saturated. The next opportunity? Get smaller AEC firms to recommend and install Steelcase products much more vigorously The best way to influence them? Educate them and help them grow THEIR small businesses! The answer? We did a win/win/win program where Steelcase made a positive and much appreciated impact on 24 AEC firm owners and salespeople, Steelcase relationship managers got a great reason to reach out before the event and to follow up after the event, the AEC firms got instant-action marketing advice, strategies and tools, and I got in front of 24 new prospects with whom I would otherwise have no reason to cross paths. 

Question 3: Which potential sponsors come to mind where you can help THEM help THEIR clients, prospects, customers, partners, suppliers, vendors, dealers, distributors of franchisees? Put yourself in the sponsor's shoes and ask the question, "Who do we need to impact so that we get more leads, more opportunities, or more sales in OUR world?" If you can partner with them to make THAT happen, that's a profit-rich sponsorship deal in the making!

REMINDER: You're invited to join me December 19th for the Sponsorship Strategy Blueprint. This is a FREE teleseminar training call. Register here

Tags: Small business marketing coach, professional services marketing, marketing strategy, corporate sponsorship

Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, experiences or questions on this topic:

Tags: marketing speaker, marketing strategy, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, marketing professional services firms, corporate sponsors, professional speaker marketing, small business marketing coach

Marketing Coach: Simple Sells

For your marketing - and in business in general - simple SELLS. As a marketing coach for speakers, authors and independent professionals, I see it time and time again...

You're making it HARDER than it needs to be. Honest.

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction."
-- Albert Einstein

What kind of professional would you be if you specialized in the small, the simple, and the gentle solutions?
Marketing speaker, marketing coach David Newman - Simple SELLS
Or does your style lean more towards the thicker report, the more complicated answer, the more expensive technology, and the more complex project plan?

Winston Churchill was asked how much time he would need to prepare a talk.

He replied that his preparation time depended on the talk's duration.

When asked about a 2-hour speech, he said he could deliver that immediately.

When asked about a 2-minute speech, he said "I should need a fortnight to prepare."

The short, simple, direct answers are often the most valuable - and take the longest time and the hardest work to prepare!

Question: What could you simplify right now that would make a difference to you and/or the people you want to impact the most with your marketing?

Tip: Whether you're selling your products, your services, or your ideas, the age-old fact is: simple SELLS.

What do you think? Use the COMMENTS area below to leave your advice and experiences on this topic.

speaker marketing program

p.s. Attention Speakers, Authors, Consultants and Independent Professionals: Enrollment is now open for the next 30-Day SpeakerLiftoff program that blasts off on December 7. Check out the details and info here. Let's work together to create YOUR game plan for simple marketing success in 2013 and beyond.

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, marketing professional services, marketing for trainers, small business marketing expert, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, small business marketing speaker, small business marketing coach

Guerrilla Marketing from the Source...

jay conrad levinsonMy friend and mentor, Jay Conrad Levinson asked me to send this special invitation to you below... this program may be exactly what you need to kick off your 2013 with a BANG and generate the results you want in your business.
===
Learn Guerrilla Marketing from the man who invented it, Jay Levinson. Whether you are a small or medium sized business owner, in marketing or sales, or are a CEO, your business will be invigorated and you will gain fresh perspectives on moving forward after attending the Guerrilla Marketing Intensive. There is no better investment.

Jay is a winner of first prizes in all the media, he has been part of the creative teams that made household names of many of the most famous brands in history: The Marlboro Man, The Pillsbury Doughboy, Allstate’s good hands, United’s friendly skies, the Sears Diehard battery, Morris the Cat, and the Jolly Green Giant. He was a First prize winner at both the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. He is the best selling author of the Guerrilla Marketing series.

We keep the Intensive under ten people as they are at Jay's personal home in Debary, Florida.

The next date for live training with Jay himself is:
  • November 12th - 14th, 2012
We hope you can make it..

If you want to reserve your seat, please register as soon as possible here.


PS: Read what this year's attendees have said about the Guerrilla Marketing Intensive.

I must tell you, this week was one of the most informative and productive weeks I have had in a very long time. Jay and Jeannie were wonderful hosts and teachers. I left there revved up and ready to take my business to new heights through Guerrilla Marketing.
Tom Lemery, President & CEO
Creatacor, Inc.

I just wanted to say thanks again for a great 3 days. You've motivated, inspired and given me the tools to take the action that I have been procrastinating.
Kelli Hoskins, CEO & Master Business Coach
ActionCOACH /The World's #1 Business Coaching Firm

Amy, I should tell you that I am in love with your parents. Jay and Jeannie are so amazing.
Elayna Fernandez, The Positive Mom Foundation
Bestselling Author | Guerrilla Positioning Strategist

I would like to thank you for your wonderful hospitality at the Intensive. Jay was just fantastic.
Ashish Desai, Sujanil Chemo Industries
MaharashtraIndia

Click here to learn more.


Tags: marketing speaker, marketing success, word of mouth marketing, viral marketing, guerrilla marketing, marketing professional services, entrepreneurship, small business marketing expert, marketing strategist, small business marketing, small business marketing coach, marketing tips

Do It Marketing - What's in a Name?

DoIt Marketing do it marketingAs a marketing speaker and marketing strategist, clients regularly ask me about the topic of company naming. And, naturally, people would like some free ideas for company naming, so for those folks, you can pop right over to this post

I'll wait... 

Oh, good - you're back!

The next question they ask is, "David, you've got a great company name in DO IT Marketing  (alternatively spelled DOIT Marketing or doitmarketing which is not correct but that's OK - you're cool)... how did that name come to be? 

Well... here's a confession. I'm sort of a company name change freak. Or I was very confused as a young child. Or I get bored easily.

Since 2001, when I started my entrepreneurial adventure, I've changed my branding more than is wise. Before DOIT Marketing, the company was known as UNCONSULTING. 

When I changed to that name, I took the opportunity to poke some fun at myself. After announcing the change to my email subscribers and all my current and past clients, I "hacked" my own website and replaced the content with some BIG graphical billboards.

These made it look like some goon squad named UNCONSULTING had replaced all the blah-blah-blah marketing copy that you typically find on most marketing firms' websites with a wild-eyed manifesto for marketing revolutionaries. 

Here is just one of about six that I created before the launch of DOIT Marketing

doit marketing unconsulting

People LOVED it. It was contrarian, startling, and funny.

A current example of this is the good people over at www.shitcreekconsulting.com. Also, very funny - and people share that link and tell their friends and colleagues. 

The problem is - people can't tell if it's a gag or a real consulting firm... 

Bummer. 

So they don't buy...

BIGGER bummer. 

And that was the same problem I had with UNCONSULTING. People chuckled - but they had no idea what the hell it was or why they needed it. And the clue was - they didn't need it. Why? Because I was articulating what I was the OPPOSITE of - like the Uncola - not what I was. 

So we changed it to DOIT Marketing almost 5 years ago and the difference has been profound. 

It says what it is - Marketing

It gives you a feeling - action, movement, and getting things DONE.

And it's a handy acronym for a small business marketing philosophy that is systematic, approachable and repeatable:

DOIT Marketing means Define - Organize - Implement - Track. 

There's even a handy dandy visual with a clear explanation of these four phases right on the DOIT Marketing professional services page here

So the next time YOU are faced with (re-)naming your company, your products, your services or your brands, don't be clever - be smart!

What do YOU think? 

Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and experiences on this topic...

doit marketing speaker marketing coach

Tags: marketing concept, marketing coaching, small business marketing expert, branding, marketing consultant, small business marketing, doit marketing, do it marketing, small business marketing speaker, small business marketing coach, naming

Marketing Coach: Grow Your Business with Selective Access

Marketing coach: strategic marketing blueprint sessionMarketing Coach: Grow Your Business with Selective Access

There's an old marketing saying - create services around your products and productize your services. 

This is good advice because it works for big businesses like IBM and it works for smaller businesses - like yours. 

IBM used to be in the computer hardware business... They were struggling and almost went under in the early 1990's when IT hardware was becoming commoditized. Under new CEO Louis Gerstner, they decided they were in the business of solving business problems, not selling boxes. Within a few short years, their services and consulting revenue dwarfed their hardware sales.

For most small and solo professional service providers, our commodity is our time. Yet our value lies in our expertise.

So how YOU package, market and distribute your expertise become central to your lead-generating and revenue-generating success.

And the best way to do that is to implement a model I call "Selective Access."

Imagine you are running a 5-star restaurant. Your flagship offering is a 7-course gourmet dinner. You also offer lunch which is less fancy (and less expensive). And perhaps you have an up-scale catering or to-go division too.

Prices vary depending on the following four factors:

1. Quality and quantity of ingredients

2. Complexity of preparation

3. Level of service

4. Level of access to the dining environment

Put simply - dinner costs more than lunch which costs more than a snack to-go. 

In my own business, I offer 1-on-1 marketing mentoring (dinner), I run group marketing programs several times each year (lunch) and I work with a few people each month via 1-hour pinpoint sessions (just-enough, just-in-time power snacks!)

Plus I occasionally throw in a "happy meal" which is a free high-value session that's open to everyone. 

Now let's turn the spotlight on YOUR business. Think about - or grab a piece of paper and jot down - what the following looks like in your world: 

1. YOUR Flagship investable opportunity: 

2. YOUR Secondary investable opportunity: 

3. YOUR "To-go" offering (high-value, low-risk, fast, affordable)

4. YOUR FREE happy meal (think of this as a high-value "gift" you can offer to folks who might be good prospects.) 

YOU'RE INVITED: The next "happy meal" coming your way is Tuesday 10/30 at 2pm Eastern. It's a zero-cost high-impact Marketing Blueprint Session and you can read about it here

Hope you'll join us on 10/30. 

Tags: marketing for coaches, marketing concept, marketing professional services, small business coach, marketing ideas, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for consultants, small business marketing coach

Marketing Coach: 17 Ways to Drive More Traffic FAST

Blog Traffic.png

1. Tweet more regularly about resources, tools and ideas that link back to your website. Use tools like Hootsuite, TweetAdder and Buffer.

2. Create short 2-3 minute videos on YouTube and make sure to add titles near the beginning and end of the video inviting viewers to get more resources from your website.

3. Also make sure to optimize your videos' titles, descriptions, tags and use your full url (meaning include the http:// part!) as the first line of your video description so people see it right away without needing to scroll down. Example: Business Card Kung Fu

4. Get to know Pinterest. It is the fastest growing social media site in history and it's also a lot of fun. Visit my free marketing resources page and grab a fresh hot copy of "How to Use Pinterest for Business." Example: http://pinterest.com/marketingexpert/  

5. Slideshare: You know you've got 'em - PowerPoints. PDF's. All kinds of goodies probably littering your hard drive and you're not take advantage of ANY of 'em as marketing assets. But sure enough, you can start a free Slideshare account, upload your favorite 5-6 PPT or PDF documents, optimize the tags, titles and descriptions, and BAM - more web traffic for you. Example: http://www.slideshare.net/doitmarketing

6. Build an about.me page that collects all your important web links and can serve as an online "business card" or switchboard to connect folks to all your social media accounts in one handy place. Example: http://about.me/doitmarketing

7. Build a brand reputation profile on BrandYourself.com. It's a great way to monitor your online reputation AND build Google juice so you are more visible, more findable and more credible to folks searching for your type of product, service or expertise. Example: http://bobgarlick.brandyourself.com/

8. Boost the impact and SEO value of your LinkedIn profile. My pal, LinkedIn guru Viveka Von Rosen has 12 kickass tips for you on 12 Ways to Spice Up Your LinkedIn Profile. Hint: You also totally need to pick up Viveka's book LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day.

9. Blog, baby, blog... Research from our partners at Hubspot proves that businesses that blog twice a week generate 60% more traffic and leads than businesses that blog once a week or less. Not every blog needs to be a novel. Short is good. Medium is good. Long is good. Not blogging regularly is bad. Ya dig?

10. Infographics. Love 'em or hate 'em - they're hotter than a Vegas sidewalk in August. How can you present a simple, visual, and valuable piece of content that your readers, prospects and customers would really appreciate? Example: 12 Home Page Must-Haves

11. Post to relevant LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn is THE social network for business. But all I see in your message stream is who you connected with yesterday, who you endorsed as a great accountant, and that you changed your photo (which is great because that brown tie wasn't helping you). Post LINKS to your great content. Post provocative, interesting questions. Post answers in relevant Q&A Discussions. 

12. Don't ignore PR: Do everything you can to put yourself in a position to be quoted, interviewed, linked to, and featured in relevant blogs, articles, publications and newsletters aimed at your target market. If you're not sure where to begin, start with PRLeads.com and PressReleaseSender.com

13. According to my pal Jay Baer of Convince and Convert, text is going away. Everything online is moving to pictures and video. If that's true (and trust Jay - it is), then your two new best friends will be... 

14. Flickr.com: Post pictures of you, your clients, your projects, your meetings, your team, your best work. Don't be shy - Flickr is a great place to strut your stuff in an immediately impactful way. A picture is worth a thousand words, yadda yadda. Here's a great example from my pal Scott Ginsberg.

15. Animoto.com: Video, baby, video. Turn your photos, video clips, and music into stunning video masterpieces to share with everyone. Fast, free, and shockingly easy! You can use these for yourself, your products, your services, your programs and your ideas. You can also export your creations to YouTube and optimize them further there (See point #3 above.) Example: Top 10 Differences Between Girls and Bodacious Women.

16. Don't ignore email marketing. One of the most common reasons you may be losing web traffic is simply because people who know you and like you have forgotten about how awesome you are. Email marketing reminds them. Not sure where to begin? Start with a Constant Contact free trial

17. Never Stop Marketing. That's both a mantra and the website of my pal Jeremy Epstein. But my point is... Never stop experimenting. Never stop testing. And only KEEP what works for you and generates results. You can safely toss the rest.

Go about your marketing with a sense of positive skepticism. Just because someone else says a strategy or tactic is great, doesn't mean it's great for YOU. There is no cookie cutter. You are no cookie.  

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read two closely related ones: 

Marketing Coach: "You Never Know" Will Kill You

Business Coach: 7 Keys to Help You Focus on Strategy Not Tactics

What do you think? 

Use the COMMENTS section below to share your insights, advice and recommendations...

marketing coach, marketing speaker, small business marketing expert

 

Grab your FREE copy of the Social Media Traffic Boost Cheat Sheet!

And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, marketing professional services firms, marketing coaching, small business marketing expert, small business coach, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing mix, marketing for consultants, small business marketing speaker, social media marketing, small business marketing coach