Virtual Assistance Business Briefs » Goals

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:36:19 +0000

Without marketing your business could stagnate, or even worse, close. Identifying and correcting some basic marketing mistakes will help you to promote and grow your business.

Here are my Top Ten Marketing Mistakes

1. Your message is too general. While some of you may think that EVERYONE could use your product or service, if you take a step back, you’ll probably notice some common thread to many of the clients you currently serve. Maybe they’re in the same industry, or have a similar problem you’re able to solve. Whatever it is, establishing a target market will help you focus your message on those most likely to respond favorably.

2. Using only one medium. If you’re only marketing on the Internet, you may be missing an entire segment of prospect. Consider all your marketing options and mix it up to see if you get better results.

3. Changing something that IS working. Sometimes we get bored with our marketing and decide it’s just time for a change. If you have something that is yielding good returns, don’t change it – instead add something new.

4. Being inconsistent. Nothing says unreliable faster than sending out a ‘monthly’ newsletter in January and then not publishing the next issue until May. Be prepared and plan to be consistent with your marketing. Don’t set yourself up to fail.

5. Spammy message. Don’t come across like a snake oil salesman, make sure your message speaks to your prospect’s pain, but don’t overdo it.

Next week we’ll share the final five mistakes to avoid – meanwhile, check these out and make sure you change your system to avoid these pitfalls.

Have a few I may have missed – share your marketing challenges by leaving a comment below!

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, provides marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. For information about finding a VA, download her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or to learn why Social Media should be an important part of your marketing plan with her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or contact her at info@accbizsvsc.com

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: avoid marketing mistakes, marketing mistakes, Marketing Tips, marketing your business

Are You Like a Salmon When Looking for New Clients?

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:53:03 +0000

In my former life, I was a purchasing agent for a seafood company. This time of year reminds me of the salmon runs. During the summer months, many wild salmon species take the journey back to their birthplace to spawn and ultimately end their lives.

Their upstream journey is a challenging one, swimming against rugged rapids, leaping over rocky waterfalls, traversing fish ladders, avoiding fishermen nets, and staying clear of hungry bears. When they finally reach their natal stream they are ready to spawn. This is an amazing and focused journey calling them to do what comes naturally.

Some of us make such a journey to find new clients, or maintain those we currently enjoy. Nowadays we have to think outside the box with our marketing and face the challenges of competition, less disposable income, overcoming objections, and differentiating ourselves by creating benefits clients simply can’t live without.

On the flip side, I’m looking for the clients who are like the salmon – the clients who will go through the upstream battle to find the most professional support, the BEST level of service and technology to create the ‘can’t live without’ message that reaches that ideal client who helps them grow their business during tough economic times.

There are only a few ways to grow a business, no matter what the economic situation:

· Find new clients

· Sell more to current clients

· Raise prices

Finding new clients is probably the most expensive way to grow your business, but one that can certainly yield great results if you have the right plan and consistent implementation.

So where are you in the life cycle of my salmon story? Ready to look for those clients who are willing to swim upstream to get to your product or service? And are you willing to leap over rocky waterfalls and traverse rough waters to find the most professional support you need?

Whatever you decide, increase your marketing time and investment if you want to grow your business, or take a chance you’ll get left behind.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing support and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Find the perfect VA by downloading her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or herFREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, send a request to: service@accbizsvcs.com. For more information visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or http://www.internetmarketingvirtualassistant.net

Are You Like a Salmon When Looking for New Clients? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: business goals, business growth, Business Tips, find new clients, marketing, Marketing Tips

Five Ways to Grow Your Business to Six or Seven Figures!

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:50:50 +0000

Ever wondered how your competitors generate six and seven figures incomes? As a professional in your field or niche, you face many challenges when marketing and promoting yourself to achieve six and seven figure incomes.

As we’ve helped more and more professionals grow their business through traditional and Internet marketing and social media, I’ve found several underutilized ways to entice the world to sit up and pay attention to my clients and their offerings. Here are five ways you may not have considered when looking to expand and grow your business:

· Create and submit press releases (not many people regularly promote themselves through the press)

· Drill down your niche into a market that ONLY you can fulfill (create a uniqueness about your product or service)

· Create eBooks, whitepapers, and audio/video products to sell online and off

· Create a Joint Venture opportunity – find someone else who could benefit from a partnership in marketing to each other’s lists, and splitting the costs of print and Internet materials

· Speak or write articles to your target audience and capture their contact info through giveaways to expand your marketing list

Adding one or more of these options to your marketing efforts over time will help you to increase exposure to your products and services. These options provide a great opportunity for word-of-mouth and referrals, the most cost-effective ways to grow your business to that six or seven figure goal.

So what ‘outside-the-box’ marketing options have you tried lately? Please share your challenges and ideas by leaving a comment below.

Five Ways to Grow Your Business to Six or Seven Figures! is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: ebooks, joint venture, marketing, niche, niche marketing, press release, speaking, write articles

Four Tips to Going Viral (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:26:43 +0000

Last week we looked at the length and tone of your video to keep your audience engaged and willing to help your video go viral. We close out our four tips by understanding the advantages of the lead-in and content.

Craft the Lead-In

Like a lead-in to any written article or oral presentation, cut to the meat of your video and wow the viewer within the first few seconds. A great opening sparks laughter, creates curiosity, induces shock, disbelief, admiration or strong emotion.

Understand why people with five or ten disposable minutes in their day respond to certain web content. They typically want information or they want to be entertained. Because videos are visual they are better suited for entertainment than detailed information. Content that is fun is more "video virable" than laborious explanations and exhaustive research.

Content

By steering clear of making your video play like your company’s Power Point presentation or an infomercial laden with corporate speak, logos and references, your video can land agenda-free into the lives of viewers who are just looking for a fun, quick minute. Nobody wants to stumbleupon homework, brochures or sermons.

If you’re posting on YouTube make sure to include key tag phrases that give your video a visible ranking in search engines. Set up a personalized YouTube Channel where you can upload additional, related video content so that viewers can follow up and learn more. Include relevant links in the informational portion of your channel and use the written synopsis box for each video to include calls-to-action.

Your video can quickly go viral without you laboring to mention it to every stranger you meet in the supermarket. Fortified with the right mix of qualities, it won’t rely on you to replicate its http:// DNA in the inboxes of your target audience. It will know how to get there on its own and it will do so with great flair and plenty of speed.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. For information about finding a VA, download her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or learn why Social Media should be an important part of your marketing plan with her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or contact her at info@accbizsvsc.com

Four Tips to Going Viral (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: online video, video, video sharing, video tips, viral video tips

Four Tips to Going Viral with Your Video (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:40:04 +0000

These powerful viral video techniques that will help you kick-start your campaign, ramp up word-of-mouth and put your video center in the spotlight.

By incorporating key viral qualities into your video, your target audience will be more likely to spread it online via email, social media and bookmarking sites like Stumbleupon, digg, and delicious, and on personal blogs and company websites.

Video Length

One of the most important key qualities that your viral video will have is a digestable length. The Net is a great platform for bite-sized content that leaves the visitor hungry for more. Your viral video is there to get the word out, but not necessarily to disseminate all of the information associated with your organization, service or product.

A viral video creates awareness of your brand. Use links to your website or blog to get to the informational —where the viewer can then follow up. By keeping your video on point and under three minutes, you’ll greatly increase your chances of hooking an endless stream of viewers.

Tone of Your Video

Tone is another key factor that can push your video over the friends-and-family threshhold. Consider spoofing already familiar content, and you’ll give your video a built-in audience and the viewer a common experience to share with their contacts.

If you don’t have the means to create original music, then be sure to add pre-cleared, uptempo music made available through online music websites that offer usage licenses. If you’re going for a retro fit, you can also use any music that is considered public domain. (Do your online verification and remember that if the music is Mozart but it’s performed by a top-ten pop artist, the recording is not in the public domain.) Music keeps fast-surfing video viewers satisfied and more inclined to spread the word.

In general videos that keep it light, entertaining and fun, packing in a quick laugh, makes the viewer more likely to pass it along to somebody else. The broader the humor and the less it relates to unknown people, places or events, the more likely it is to have a wide appeal.

Next week we’ll look at how the lead-in and content help your video viewers make the decision to share your video, making it go viral.

Share your experiences and challenges with video by leaving a comment below.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or herFREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com. Find out more at www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Four Tips to Going Viral with Your Video (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: online video, video, video tips, viral video tips, virtal video

Build Trust Through Email Marketing Content (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:06:39 +0000

Last week we discussed giving more than you gain in your email marketing pieces, as well as, keeping promises. We close this discussion with important insights on proofreading and how best to communicate.

3. Proofread your emails.

While I would think this goes without saying, I’m surprised at all the typographical errors I see in email marketing pieces. The content of your emails should be perfect because even one typographical error can have serious consequences.

Spelling and grammar mistakes can breed distrust as your subscribers may tend to think of you as unprofessional or an unreliable source of information while some mistakes may also keep you from communicating clearly.

To make sure that your emails prove that you are worthy of your subscribers’ trust, you must proofread and edit them until you are completely satisfied with your work. If at all possible, it also helps to get a fresh eye to go through them for further tweaking and updates.

4. Communicate like a human being.

In email marketing, you need to communicate with your subscribers in a way that doesn’t intimidate them. Compose your messages in a tone similar to how you speak in casual conversations and avoid using corporate jargon and marketing buzz words. Doing this allows you to make your subscribers feel that they can relate with you and that they can trust and believe in what you have to say.

Another very important trust building factor is to avoid using templates that come with your email marketing tools. Compose your own welcome messages as well as auto-responses and customize them to suit the personality of your business. This will further help you in gaining trust from subscribers.

Implementing a successful email marketing campaign does not just involve sending out information in exchange for click-throughs or money. Much of your success lies in how you gain trust through the messages and information you send.

Follow the tips listed above and you can be sure that you can gain the trust of your subscribers as well as keep them loyal to your online business. Have some more tips you’d like to share? Having challenges with your email marketing campaigns. Share them by leaving a comment below and we’ll be glad to open up a discussion to help you resolve them and move forward.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com. Find out more at www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Build Trust Through Email Marketing Content (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: email marketing, email marketing tips, Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips

Build Trust Through Email Marketing Content (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:39:38 +0000

Your email copy plays an immensely important role in gaining trust from subscribers. While the quality of information is still the most important element, there are a lot of other factors to consider. Listed below are those I find most important.

1. Give more than what you might gain.

We all know the importance of providing relevant and engaging content to gain traffic and business/income in return. Although your subscribers recognize this exchange (they get useful information only if they provide their data and perform certain actions, sometimes a purchase), many of them still focus on the idea that you’re only helping them out because you’re after their money.

To alleviate this perception, be ready to provide value without expectations of any return from subscribers. Offering free reports or items works, but there are other things you should consider.

Provide timely information related to your niche but without direct benefit to you works well, especially if you don’t publish any obvious call to action. Subscribers who receive such content from you on a regular basis are more likely to trust you and become loyal to your business than if you simply sent them content produced specifically to prompt them to make a purchase.

2. Always keep your promises.

There are two types of promises you make when marketing your business online. The first is a promise brought about by your brand. Your brand has a certain reputation that serves as a promise. No matter what, there are things that people will expect from you. These expectations are something you must meet through your written copy. For example, if your brand is known to have a fun-loving and edgy personality, the content of your emails should reflect that.

The other type of promise you make is what’s stated in your registration process as well as your follow-up emails. In these materials, you need to state certain things that people can expect to receive when subscribing to your mailing list. These include the content you will be sending as well as how often you will be sending it. These are things that your subscribers will consider as promises, so you should always be true to what you say.

As long as you match the expectations you’ve set in your subscribers’ minds, you will be able to keep their trust and loyalty for years to come.

Next week we’ll talk about how your emails are formatting and proofed, and how to communicate with subscribers to maintain and improve your levels of trust.

Until then, if you have a question, challenge or something to share, please let a comment below.

Build Trust Through Email Marketing Content (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: email marketing, email marketing tips, Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips

Five Facebook Fan Page Success Strategies

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:59:14 +0000

In recent years, having an Internet presence for your business meant putting up a website. While still an important feature for promoting your business, a website is no longer enough. Web 2.0, or the social web, is an essential feature of a successful marketing plan to reach your clientele.

Facebook is considered one of the leaders of social media. Its growth has continued to increase and Facebook has become an essential and innovative idea for business marketing.

Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends and family, but you don’t necessarily want your clients to see the more personal side of your life. Businesses should take care to present a well defined and controlled image of their products and services. Facebook fan pages are an excellent choice for business.

Business Facebook fan pages have many of the same features as personal pages. You can still share articles, photos, videos, and applications, but all of the fan page content is related to your business. Here are five strategies for making your Fan page a success:

Make your Fan page a resource

Consider the information your customers need. Post articles and links to useful information on your wall and showcase yourself as an expert and your customers will return again and again.

Connect

Interact with customers by making use of Facebook’s tools. Respond to comments. Discuss the benefits of your product line and lead new customers to your website for more. Target your offers without being spammy to increase customer loyalty.

Be human

Pictures and personal information put a face on a company. As long as you present an image that enhances your business, personalizing your Fan page is a great way to get followers.

Be present

Keep your profile, articles, photos and video content up-to-date and current. It’s not enough to throw up a page and ignore it. Make sure to respond to customers who become fans. Create a group for your business and participate in groups related to your business.

Be Innovative

Facebook moves fast. Don’t be afraid to try the latest thing. Explore webinars, and other interactive media as options to improve business relationships.

Creating a Facebook fan page is great first step toward integrating social media into your marketing plan. Don’t forget to provide links from your website and/or blog to your Fan page. Connect to your Facebook fan page through other social media to continue to grow your network. In no time your Fan page will be the central hub of your successful online marketing campaign.

Five Facebook Fan Page Success Strategies is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Fan Page Tips, Facebook Tips, social media marketing, social media marketing tips, social media tips

Benefits of Email Marketing to Online Businesses

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:55:40 +0000

Email marketing is becoming a vastly popular and beneficial direct marketing tool. Used primarily to provide subscribers with information on service and product offerings, it has also been particularly useful in building a loyal customer base. More online business owners are turning to email marketing as their primary means to generate leads not only because results are easily tracked but also because it is an inexpensive way to market yourself on a large scale, allowing a greater chance to generate a profitable return on your investment.

Recently, owners of online businesses have begun relying on email marketing specialists to expand their internet marketing efforts and enhance their online business profits. Because all Internet users use email, it’s easy to reach your target consumer, by encouraging them to opt-in through enticing offerings and keep them subscribed through relevant and compelling content.

Whether online business owners decide to engage in your services or invest in tools to use themselves, email marketing is considered a low-cost means to generate sales leads. In fact, most email marketing campaigns average just one cent per email sent–much cheaper than other direct marketing platforms. It has proven to be more effective in generating sales leads than many other direct marketing options.

Measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of email marketing is simple because of reporting features that track key performance indices such as open rates, read rates, and click-throughs. Using these results, online business owners can gain valuable insights on how best to communicate with their target audience and enhance their campaigns accordingly.

Other very important benefits include the ability to easily send out multiple communications, personalize emails, and send out automated responses. With all these features combined, internet marketers and email marketing specialists can easily carry out an effective email marketing campaign, allowing them to spend more time on other important aspects of maintaining and expanding their business.

Email marketing should be an integral part of promoting any type of online business. Through this platform, online businesses can enhance brand reputation, reach out to a larger market, and track results in an inexpensive way. Through email marketing, online businesses can achieve outcomes they would never expect from any other direct marketing platform.

Although it may take quite some time to build a large and targeted subscriber base, the results that this direct marketing platform will generate in the long run will surely be worthwhile.

Take a moment to share your email marketing successes and challenges by leaving a comment for our subscribers to enjoy.

Benefits of Email Marketing to Online Businesses is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: email marketing, email marketing tips, Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, online business

Build Email Marketing Trust Through Appearance (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:13:56 +0000

Last week we looked at building trust in our email marketing campaigns by creating a recognizable ‘from’ line to our messages; optimizing the copy that is viewed through the preview pane; and encouraging subscriber communication. This week we complete the process with three more tips to polish your email marketing appearance.

4. Include full contact details in your footer.

Publishing your company’s full contact information allows your subscribers to trust in what you have to say. People are more open to content from credible sources and showing that you are a real company (with a registered name, mailing address, and contact numbers) will enhance your credibility. Including these details in your footer also creates accountability for everything you say in your emails.

5. Match email design to your brand.

The design of your emails should be consistent with all other materials you use to promote your business online. While you don’t need to copy your website’s design and layout down to the last detail, it is best for you to match your emails to its theme, colors, and graphics. This will help extend the trust you’ve built through other promotional activities beyond your email marketing campaign.

Once you’ve created a design that suits your image, use it consistently in all your emails. Doing so will continue to build trust through branding and recognition. You may consider showing a sample email to new subscribers so that they become familiar with the look and know what to expect. Once they receive your email, they will be more likely to read through it.

6. Email design doesn’t need to be fancy.

Some email marketers get so caught up designing their emails that they forget to focus on functionality. While the use of fancy code can make your emails look flawless, they will appear far from perfect if not in good working order and will do nothing to gain respect from subscribers. They need to look professional and work properly for subscribers.

To produce a successful email marketing campaign and gain trust from subscribers, you need to make sure that the design you use will work and does not appear broken, leaving subscribers feeling you don’t really know what you’re doing.

For this reason, make sure your emails render properly in at least the major email clients. You should also make use of proper alt attributes (an alternative text description for images that displays before the image is loaded) in case the images get blocked.

Appearance plays a huge part in gaining trust from your subscribers. As long as you keep these tips in mind when planning your email marketing campaign, you should be able to establish your reputation as a trustworthy and credible source of relevant information.

Please share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.

Build Email Marketing Trust Through Appearance (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: email marketing, email marketing tips, Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, marketing, Marketing Tips

Virtual Assistance Business Briefs » Goals

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part One)

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