Communication Plans & Communication Strategies ... Are They The Same OR Different?

Hi .. 

My last blog post was all about having a plan.  Plans are great! They lay out what you want to do. Let's say for example, you are planning a vacation.  You need to choose where you are going.  how you will get there, where you will stay, what you will do, etc.  

The plan is made. Now you need to put it into action and make it all happen! That is the strategy!  So in the case of your vacation, the strategy might be that you add sick days to vacation time to get enough time off for your vacation,  save on groceries for extra spending money, call some friends for free places to stay, etc.  

Are you seeing the difference?  Plans are wonderful for your online planning. They map how what you "plan" to do via your online presence.  And again, the strategy is putting that plan into action.

Using a business example,  your plan is to create 5 new clients via Linkedin via posts, group activity, Linkedin email and requests for new connections. The strategy would base itself upon the content you need to use to attract and connect to the type of client you are looking for and how you would take the Linkedin areas defined in the plan and integrate their functionality to create a bigger whole and create the 5 new clients! 

Do you see the difference now?  Let me know!  Leave your comments below. I would love to have you share your thoughts.

Keep your business growing ...
margie

How Do You Make Online Marketing Easy? Have A PLAN!

Is it "really"  more fun NOT to have a plan?  Winging it .. last minute changes ...go with the flow ... random stabbing at opportunities .... never knowing what you are going to do, etc!  

Really? ... I mean REALLY? You would think so because so many small businesses have taken on the above "ways" for their daily online marketing activities! The overwhelming number of resources all shouting out how valuable they "each" are is probably one of the reasons that this sad state of affairs exist.  It really is a mess out there ... with lots and lots of duplication.

When you stop to think about it, do any of these "ways" ... winging it, last minute changes, go with the flow, etc, ... sound like a smart way to create, manage and grow a business?  Do any of them represent a "style" that you would use for your future security? I don't think so.  Yet again, online marketing is being managed this way by many small businesses.  Time might be a factor, especially for the entrepreneur. 

Just last week, an online group that I follow, had a post in which someone asked  followers when they are short of time, which marketing resources do they grab to use if limited to just two?

1. First ... one should not be just "grabbing" at resources.   This speaks to my point that winging it, random stabbing, etc is no way to run a business. 
2. It also speaks to online marketing resources having the control of a business success NOT the communications going over the resources. 
3. And lastly, it makes it sound like all businesses might have the same priorities. 

ALL of the above chaos goes away when you have a plan!  Planning is vital at "any" level of your marketing! Plan your marketing for one product or plan for a huge marketing campaign over a certain amount of time ... BUT DO PLAN!

Identifying the "jobs" that need to be done to attract, connect, interest and convert buyers, choosing and assigning resources to do these jobs and creating the messaging for your plan makes your life soooo much easier AND more successful. 

Going back to the question in the online group that I follow .... let's say the resources in this question were people  Which two people would you keep working in the same scenario. Wouldn't you first be asking what you needed to get done that day?  Of course.  It's really the same with online marketing. If you have a plan and on a given day you are short of time, you know the two most important tasks that need to get done on that day for the unique communications needs of "your" business!  It probably won't be the same as other businesses! And you probably would feel foolish even asking the question! 

Do you see the difference?  I hope so!   Let me know your thoughts! 

If you need help creating a plan for your online marketing you may want to know more about our Lay Of The Land training!  One-on-one, hand-holding and guaranteed to enlighten your online experience, empower you and give you the confidence you need to drive your business forward ! 

Keep your business growing ... 

margie

Has Internet Overwhelm Got You Down?

Hi there .... 

It's a fact! If there isn't some new online resource announced weekly, it's a new way to use an old tried and true resource. It can become overwhelming and definitely can get you down!

BUT as it all things ... there is a flip side. It there is a down, there is an up! All it takes is a small shift in your mindset and a reminder of what great advantages the internet brings to your business.  

If we compare the old days to now ... it used to be that:

• Before: One sales rep would visit one prospect at a time.
  Now: One online sales presentation can visit unlimited prospects at a time. 
• Before:  A single ad could cost lots of dollars with no cost effective way to change, tweak, etc.
  Now:  Ads can be created by yourself and most can be FREE ... able to be tweaked at will. 
• Before:  Marketing was to a broad group of people .. .including multiple demographics. 
  Now:  Marketing can be targeted  to a single demographic and layers within that demographic.

And so on!  Are you seeing the advantages?  Feeling better? Yes, but so what?  You are "still" overwhelmed!!! 

Sometimes  having a bit of guidance can pull you out of overwhelm. Going back to the old days and using "driving a car" as an analogy.  You could probably successfully drive a car around some simple low traffic country roads without guidance or instruction.  BUT ... if you headed out for the jammed packed highways and freeways full of traffic and fast moving exits, etc... you would look for some guidance.

Same thing for your internet marketing.  To continue with the "driving" analogy ... taking a class on how to park, or how to set speed control, won't help you in the big picture where all comes together and you are out in busy traffic. You need to know the rules of the road, the purpose of each sign, and more! Same thing with your internet marketing.  Taking a class in one piece of the "whole" won't help your entire marketing implementation!  

To reach out to all of you who are in this "overwhelm" state, I have created a very simple class that will immediately clarify the internet for "your" specific business marketing purposes.  It's hand-holding, 1-on-1, can be completed in one telephone session but two are included just for follow-up questions & review. You can even call  for a complimentary discussion to make sure it's right for "your" specific case of overwhelm.  You can find out more here ...http://bit.ly/1qXeXgS

I welcome your comments on "internet overwhelm" .. on my new class offering ... on what I have to say here in this posting!  Your input is very important to me! 

Keep your business growing ... 
margie

Back To The Basics!

Back to the basics!  Isn't that what sports heroes do when they go into a slump?  That's how they find their game?  Same thing for all of us who get overwhelmed when using the internet!  We have lost our game and guess what?  Going back to the basics works for us also. 

How do you do that?  Well, my weekly mailing, this week, includes 7 steps that will take everyone back to their beginnings and with that .. back to the basics.  If you are not on my list, click here to link to the mailing.  Make sure you join the list . .there is a link at the top! 

The 7 steps walk you through the first days of your business, BEFORE the internet!  It is easier to get clarity about your communications if you study them "offline" ..i.e. no internet!   Am hoping that as you go through each step things will be simplified for you.  Next week, we will apply the internet to all that you learned from these 7 steps. 

What I would love you to do here is let me know how you felt after completing all 7 steps. Would you please tell me if it simplified and gave you some insight? Maybe it brought back some old ideas that you had forgotten about!  How did it feel to answer the 7 questions? Did you feel more in control of what you need to do?  Please leave a comment below and share here so we can all learn from each other.  Thanks so much! 

From 

Keep Your Business Growing

margie

"What Is" A Posting Spree? Here's The Story Behind It All.

Hello all ...

Many of you have probably recently seen invitations to go on a posting spree!  So you ask ... just what is a posting spree?  

It's a program designed for those who have challenges in creating and/or getting results from their online social media posting activity!  If you or anyone you know is stumped on how to be effective when you see that social media text window that says, "update your status" or "What's on your mind?" or "What have you been up to?" etc. ... you and/or they are perfect candidates for a posting spree. 

The invitation includes the basics, but before I review those let me tell you a bit of the background. 

• It came to my attention when social media first came on the scene that the magic was in each business posting that got put out on the internet.  Yet, all the training I knew about covered only the details of how to use the chosen resource and stopped short of teaching what to include in a posting and how to write a post once you did know what you wanted to say!  I also realized that many small business owners ready to use social media had absolutely no sales training.  They knew what they offered but did not possess "selling without selling" communication skills. 
• The 1st attempt to solve this problem was to offer "how to" programs.  How to have unlimited "effective"  ideas for business postings and how to write the actual posts!  The response was good but  the follow through did not show up.  Old habits are sometimes hard to break and social media activity is a marathon. I saw some people simply going back to their old ways "thinking" they were doing something but not really being effective. 
• A light finally went off  that said, how about making a month's worth of effective postings "with' clients! Leaning by doing ... holding their hands, talking them through how to come up with effective points to write about and  how to write the posts!  The quantity was increased to 40 to allow them to have an inventory of a month's worth of daily posts plus a few more that worse case could be rotated if they never made another post again!  At least their investment would be worth those 40 postings as they went forward with their online marketing. 

The Posting Spree was born! 

It is a turn-key solution that moves businesses forward in two ways: 

1. They leave the program with 40 postings they can immediately use and rotate on a daily basis that they know are effective and written with an intent to connect to buyers. 
2. Most important .... By creating the 40 postings "with" 1-on-1 supervision and care they have had a great opportunity to learn "how" to proceed on their own!  Any wrong thinking has been identified in the process of creating the original "40" and corrected.  They are enabled, "should" they choose to proceed on their own. 

It's That Simple! 

The name? Yes, it came from shopping sprees.  A shopping spree is when you put your head down and go for it!  Same thing ,, in a posting spree we put our heads down and go for it!  

The Program

It is for individuals, but two people can sign up together if they are from the same company OR the same industry (upon approval).  There is a flat fee BUT no limited time frame.  We work together in as many sessions as you wish until 40 postings are completed.  ( There is a disclaimer for someone who just cannot get it, but we make it fair.) 

Hope this fills you in on "just what is" a posting spree!  If you think you'd like to go on a spree ... click here! We'll have lots of fun and be productive at the same time!  You are also "always" invited to contact me with questions!

Keep your business garden growing! 

margie

Inbound Marketing - Just What Is It?

Inbound Marketing ... one of the newer "terms" in town?  To some, probably not to all. BUT...  How is it different? What does it mean?

Inbound Marketing is the term being used for the "change" that marketing has taken on in response to web 2.0.  World Wide Web 2.0 provides platforms on which each of us can do our own publishing, create connections and share information .... all of which have allowed new marketing strategies to evolve!  Prior to 2.0 the web was pretty much in "read only" mode.

Now, marketing communications & strategies are being designed to "attract" quality buyers. Traditional marketing, i.e. outbound marketing, pushed the message out to locations where it was hoped the right connections to create a "buy" existed. Marketing messages arrived as "interruptions" and if they could find buyers, great. They went for the complete sale in often just one-shot deals.  Often referred to as "spray and pray"... outbound marketing is what has been used for many years in the business world via ads, direct mail, cold calling, seminars, and even email via paid for lists to a cold market.

Much of the confusion on how to take on the new interactive platforms available online now, I personally believe, comes from trying to make the traditional form of outbound marketing "work" in the new online environment.  Too much expectation is placed upon each action taken and therefore people think they need to be creating ads every time they go online. Could contribute greatly to the "I don't have time for social networking" excuse given by many. 

Inbound marketing places its focus on the individual stages of the buying process.  Because you have access to so many potential buyers at all different stages of the buying process, inbound  marketing simply targets messages to each stage ... for example, some common stages include: unaware, interested, problem recognized, verification of solution, and sale!   Messages are clearer, simpler to create,  and carry lower expectations!  You have lots of chances to "attract" .. no need for undue pressure! 

Social media activity becomes easier, quicker, and a lot more interesting! A single thought for any of the buying stages makes the perfect post! Think small, just segments of an event, tell stories, pick specific benefits, id individual problems,etc.  Again, the strategy is simply to "attract" those who are ready for the "stage of buying" you are addressing.  Because of the number of people viewing feeds with postings, you just need to be consistent and know your purpose.  Randomly choose one of the stages of your sale and put your message out there! The postings, if written effectively, will do their jobs and the bonding will strengthen and grow.  Each interaction has a less complex job than that carried by a single message in traditional marketing, but each interaction carries so much more quality and is so much more effective!  

An excellent summation of inbound marketing: 

"By publishing the right content in the right place at the right time your marketing is relevant and helpful.... NOT interrupting."  

Bottom line, you can better target your messaging, create stronger connections and build loyal and trusting relations.  Can the right place at the right time be calculated? No, not down to the moment, but consistency and volume of viewers will allow it to happen on its own. You know the Jimmy Buffet song, "It's 5:00 somewhere!"?   Well, given the quantities of opportunities you have for creating interactions and the volumes of people your content is placed in front of online, you are sure make some quality connections based upon the right content being in the right place at the right time. 

There is lots more that can be discussed regarding inbound and outbound marketing.  The techniques, the communication platforms,  i.e . the pieces that support the individual messages that end up creating the whole. 

Any of you who would like to discuss inbound marketing further are welcome to contact me! Your calls are always welcomed.  Your thoughts on inbound marketing are also welcomed here.  Please leave your comments! 

Keep your business garden growing,
margie