Virtual Assistance Business Briefs » Marketing Support

Get Marketing and Social Media Support to Increase Your Business Success

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:46:11 +0000

Check out my new awesome video created by Andrea Kalli!

Get Marketing and Social Media Support to Increase Your Business Success is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Facebook Marketing Fun: Spreading the Word Without Annoying Users

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:18:03 +0000

When it comes to viral marketing, Twitter is very much the flavor of the month. This popular service has all the signs of a promotion-friendly medium – it’s public, easy to use, and boasts one of the largest userbases of any social media platform. A single tweet can easily swell into a thousand-strong meme, with users flooding the website and generating huge amounts of instant notoriety.

But is that really what your business wants and needs? A flood of traffic that, if not for a thin connection, most likely wouldn’t be interested in your product or service. Each of Twitter’s promotional strong points has one or more disadvantages too – public promotions can often hurt a brand, memes can occasionally lead to subsequent marketing disappearances, and messages can be misinterpreted as spam.

It’s for that reason – or anti-reason, if you prefer – that thousands of marketers are using Facebook in place of Twitter for their promotional efforts. The service is, in many ways, less than ideal, some profiles are private, others are inactive, and most belong to groups that are rarely, if ever, updated regularly.

But that’s not all bad. With privacy comes a greater level of information sharing, and an even more valuable level of participation. The website’s grouping system can help small businesses find exposure in the ‘like’ list of popular users. In short, Facebook’s rather private and network-based nature can make it a greater tool for viral growth than its ‘open’ rivals.

I’m not at all saying you should discontinue utilizing Twitter or LinkedIn for that matter, as a part of your overall social media presence, but instead, make a more focused use of Facebook, while still using the others as secondary marketing opportunities.

Finally, it’s Facebook’s relatively more private nature that makes it the perfect service for optimizing and promoting your brand, all without fear of being labeled a ‘spammer’. Twitter’s public nature has made it a haven for automation and link spam – an annoyance that’s hurt hundreds of real marketers in the process.

With privacy comes a level of trust that’s otherwise missing. Design a Facebook promotion and you could find your company’s message between updates from close friends. If that doesn’t sound more appealing than a mass produced tweet, then it may be worth trying out a different social marketing strategy altogether.

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

Facebook Marketing Fun: Spreading the Word Without Annoying Users is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: Facebook Tips, marketing with Facebook, twitter, twitter for business, Twitter tips

Four Biggest Social Network Marketing Blunders

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:10:39 +0000

Unlike other forms of online marketing, social media marketing has no stone-set right and wrong behaviors; no cost-per-user statistics, and there is, by no means, a code of conduct or behavioral plan that must be adhered to. While pay-per-click advertisers and SEO experts are inundated with information on what is and is not effective, social media marketers are left without dedicated and accurate information.

That certainly does not mean that social media is not governed by some form of assumptions and expectations. It is social, and is controlled by collective opinion and user discussions. These four social media faux pas are unlikely to get you thrown off social media websites or banned from the discussion altogether, but they are best avoided for social media marketing success.

Using deceptive affiliate tactics.

Back in 2004, MySpace was the king of the social media stratosphere and spam was out of control. Hidden comments, fake "friend me" requests, and endless blog posts all led to shady affiliate offers and utterly deceptive advertising banners.

There has since been a transformation within social media, one that has fought back against these tactics. The new social media environment accepts promotion and commercial influence, but dislikes being aggressively marketed to. As long as you keep your social media marketing tactics soft, value-filled, and useful, you will be rewarded with success. If you end up using an outdated and selfish strategy, you are likely to be rejected.

Pay-per-post marketing.

Blogs are part of the social media realm and are held to the same standards of behavior as any other service. They are treated as an outlet, yet at the same time neglected by users that could contribute. More than anything else, blogs are abandoned when they offer nothing beyond commercial use. Remember that, while your blog can be a money-maker, it may mean significantly more to your audience than it does yourself.

Thin, fake, and generic conversation.

Marketing expert Seth Godin has often asked his readers whether it’s truly worth engaging in social media if your message is dry and generic. Many have seen the light, realizing that his suggestion was not to give up social media entirely, but to change their approach to become more unique and influential.

Social media communities can and will ignore you when you have nothing interesting to say. Join the conversation, but do not treat it as something you can’t change. Offer information and value beyond what is currently available and you will be embraced, appreciated, and financially rewarded; share the same old information and you will quickly fall out of favor.

The "friend everyone" approach.

The "friend everyone" approach is normally seen much like the affiliate strategy used by thousands of marketers in an attempt to reach a large audience in little time. It is a classic spam tactic, and it is one that is rarely successful for social media marketers.

The top Twitter users are not necessarily those with the most followers, just like the most popular Facebook pages are not those with the most fans. Build real relationships and you will be rewarded with loyalty; friend everyone that comes your way and you will end up with weak and utterly worthless online connections.

Four Biggest Social Network Marketing Blunders is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: marketing blunders, marketing mistakes, social media marketing, social network marketing, social network marketing tips, Social Networking

Brand, Sales, and Balance: Are You Including Social Media with Other Online Marketing?

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:33:37 +0000

The 1980s are remembered for their developments in business and technology, particularly computing. The 1990s for their advances in technology, particularly the growth of the internet and online business opportunities. If the 2000s are to be remembered for anything (although it may still be too early to tell), it will be their developments in communications and online communities, particularly the incredible power of social media.

Social media gives major brands and companies as well as small business, some seriously big power, but it is rarely used as it should be. Commitments to quality are sometimes overlooked, and opportunities for branding, direct sales, or indirect marketing are often passed over. These missing opportunities do cost businesses.

Social Media for Branding:

A dollar unearned is a dollar lost. Businesses are often questioning the value of social media for their branding efforts, but few take action when they should. Billions of dollars are being left on the table, particularly as major brands move onto social media services, and the value of a social media-friendly brand still is not being recognized.

An experiment is always worth more than not even trying. Discussion on social media’s branding abilities will only take companies so far. With the low cost of social media efforts, an experiment with social media branding can generate huge returns, all with a relatively minimal level of risk. Develop a simple plan and test your ability to grow and expand your brand.

Social Media for SEO:

SEO consultancy (and in-house efforts) were once the domain of spammy content and low quality link generation efforts. Poorly planned information was setup on low-cost websites, and marketers shot out as many links as were possible. Despite being somewhat effective, the old world of SEO is packed with inefficient models and outright unethical business models.

However, social media has given SEO new life. The old "SEO is spam" cliche is no more thanks to the development of social media. Each new social media asset is another opportunity for high quality outbound and inbound linking, and every social media conversation is another opportunity to spread links that actually add value.

With Twitter tweets and Youtube videos now regularly appearing in Google’s standard search results, the divide between search and social media is likely to become even smaller. Marketers accustomed to spam-style SEO tactics are in for a new surprise, while businesses that embrace social media receive a well-deserved SEO boost.

Social Media for Sales:

Social media is not a good sales platform, but it is a good resource for generating future sales. Social media’s ability to generate prospects is one of the most important aspect to the sales process. Marketers that were once dependent on direct lead generation have a new platform available to them, particularly in open social media platforms like Twitter or Myspace.

The greatest news is that social media is still in its infancy. Businesses that are built on lead-based sales have good things to look forward to. As social media develops further, sales models will be refined, micro-networks offering great sales potential will grow greater, and marketers can look forward to a platform that is refined, sales-friendly, and willing to be marketed to.

Brand, Sales, and Balance: Are You Including Social Media with Other Online Marketing? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: brand, branding, branding tips, Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, sales, sales tips, social media, social media marketin tips, social media marketing, social media tips

Three Reasons Your Goal May “Fail”!

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:11:56 +0000

I put the word “fail” in quotes in the title because I strongly believe that you never REALLY fail if you’ve learned something from having tried. There’s a difference between a good goal and a good outcome – sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can’t make it work.

In my experience, there are three main reasons for this.

Your goal was bad for the outcome you wanted to achieve.

You did all the right things, but you were aiming at the wrong target. For instance, let’s say you wanted to do something to help people (your objective) so you decided to go to law school (the goal).

Unfortunately, you find you hate to study, read, or write. And you don’t like being in conflict with people! There’s an inherent mismatch between your personality and the goal you chose.

Have you “failed?” No. Your goal was wrong. You may have spent time and money that you wish you hadn’t, but think about what you learned: You are a doer, not a studier. Yes, you still want to help people, but now you know you need to look at other ways that focus more on your own personality and style.

That’s great information to know about yourself. Many people don’t find out what they really want to do with their lives until they’re in the corner suite, and miserable! Treat this setback as a valuable learning experience. Then, as the song goes, “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.”

Your process to achieve the goal was wrong.

Sometimes you have a great goal, but you just pick the wrong path for getting there. That’s like knowing where you want to go on the other side of town, but picking the road that’s under construction, full of detours, and jammed with bumper-to-bumper traffic. There’s nothing wrong with your goal; you just picked the wrong road.

To bring this into the business world, it would be like knowing what result you want (let’s say, more sales) but choosing a strategy that doesn’t pay off (advertising at bus stops when your target customer has a chauffeur).

Sometimes you don’t know you’ve chosen the wrong path until you’re halfway down the road. You’ve invested a lot of time and money and suddenly there’s that detour sign. You then have a choice to make – do you suck it up and keep going, hoping it will get better? Or do you cut your losses, backtrack, and start over again?

As much as you hate to hear it, you’re usually better off heading back to a fresh start. If this makes you cringe, let me tell you a story.

Maxine Hong Kingston, the fabulous novelist, had almost finished a manuscript for a new book, “The Fourth Book of Peace.” It was completely destroyed in the Oakland fires of 1991. Kingston went on to write a new book, “The Fifth Book of Peace,” which included a rewritten version of the destroyed book. Now that is “rising from the ashes”… literally.

If you need to start over, glean the best of what went right before and add it to your knowledge banks. Then set the past aside and move forward!

Your execution was wrong.

The goal was right. The path was right. But, your execution? Not so much. Maybe your motivation started faltering. Maybe you started cutting corners. Or maybe you just gave up. Whatever the reason, the result was the same: Your goal remains out of reach.

If the reason for your “failure” lies at your feet, take a look at your why. Why did it drop? Did you try all the strategies we’ve already discussed? Are you still committed to this goal? Do you need additional resources? Figure out where the disconnect is, then try, try again.

“Failure” to me is just another word for “Things didn’t turn out quite like I had planned.” There are still plenty of lessons to be learned – sometimes more so than if everything had panned out just right.

Next week, we’ll look at why sometimes it may be best to just let your goal go – and for good reason.

Three Reasons Your Goal May “Fail”! is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: achieving goals. achieving your goals, goal setting, goal setting tips, setting goals, tips for setting goals

Five Strategies to Achieve Your Goals (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:21:54 +0000

Even when you’ve set a “good” goal – one that adheres to your higher objective and is specific and measurable – you can run into some issues along the way… namely, staying motivated. Without motivation, even the most ambitious person will get sidetracked. Here are the strategies that I feel will keep you on track to achieving your goals:

Get an accountability friend.

Life can be lonely when you are making changes to your behavior. Your family, and work colleagues may not support “the new you.” For instance, if you’re trying to start a new business, your spouse may not “get” it and may question the time that you devote towards your goal. Having a friend or accountability partner to constantly check in with and rely on for support can be invaluable.

The best partners are those who are undertaking the same process, or have walked the same trail before. Find someone who will help you identify obstacles, provide advice, and cheer you on through the process of achieving your goal. Support is vital to your goal’s success.

Focus on successfully achieving your goal.

Getting waylaid by negative thoughts or “what if” scenarios can spell disaster to your goals. When you start out by finding a hundred ways why your plans won’t work, your energy is getting diverted to dealing with failure that hasn’t even happened!

Instead of funneling your time and resources into negative thoughts and processes, make the decision that you’re not going to entertain any ideas of failure. If it happens, it happens. You don’t have to spend your precious resources worrying about it now.

Donald Trump is famous for his positive attitude. Even when he was in debt to the tune of billions (yes, BILLIONS!) of dollars, he rallied his team with pictures of the deals they would make in the future. His energy was contagious, and he was able to pull himself and his company out of bankruptcy by focusing on forthcoming success.

Make it public.

You know why shows like “Biggest Loser” work? Because no one wants to admit they wimped out on their diet or skipped their 6 AM gym appointment in front of millions of viewers! The “Biggest Loser” contestants have the ultimate motivation – a camera in their face 24/7.

While you may not want to keep a camera on you ’round the clock, you will want to make your goal public. Tell your friends, family, colleagues, and even the internet on forums, websites, or your blog. It works!

Next week we’ll discuss our final two strategies – charting our goal’s progress, and getting expert advice.

Now that your motivation is revved up, share some of your goal setting successes, or challenges by leaving a comment below.

Five Strategies to Achieve Your Goals (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: achieve goals, achieve your goals, goal setting tips, set goals

Why Set Goals? Do Goals Matter?

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:40:57 +0000

Do goals matter? OF COURSE goals matter! That’s the easy answer, but let’s look at specific reasons why goals matter.

How will you develop a marketing plan to promote your latest product or service if you don’t know how many you need to sell to be profitable? How will you know whether you need new software for your network if you’re not sure what you’re trying to accomplish? How can you evaluate two possible courses of action if you don’t know what the end goal is?

As it’s been said in math classes since the beginning of time (almost), the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But before you can create that line, you need the two points – a beginning (where you are now) and an end (your goal). Put simply, goals give you an endpoint. And once you have an endpoint, you can figure out how to get there – and evaluate the different plans and options before you.

Specifically, the benefits of goals include:

·Greater focus: Knowing your goals allows you to concentrate on your highest priorities. When you’re aware of your goals, you can move forward and stop worrying about the little things.

·Efficient allocation of resources: When you know what you’re aiming for, you are less likely to waste time, money, or effort.

·Ability to measure progress: Goals make it easy to know if you’re on the right path or not. You can easily measure your progress and determine where you are in the process. That’s invaluable for making changes and adjustments along the way.

·Lower stress: Stress and anxiety often result from not knowing what you’re supposed to be doing or where you should be concentrating your efforts. Goals lead to clarity of purpose, which leads to lower stress.

·Feelings of accomplishment: If you don’t know where you’re headed, you never know when you’ve arrived, and you can never celebrate your success! Setting goals first allows you to know when you’ve done what you intended to do.

Now that you know why goals are important, next week we’ll discuss some of the biggest goal-setting mistakes people make.

Why Set Goals? Do Goals Matter? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: Business Tips, Goals, setting goals, why set goals

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:28:26 +0000

Last time we discussed the top five mistakes to avoid when marketing your business, here are the final five!

6. Your message isn’t clear. Always test it out on current clients, peers, or family/friends to be sure it’s not confusing or misses the point you’re trying to make.

7. Untimely message. If you’re looking to build some business during the holiday season, make sure you’re giving prospects enough time to respond. Don’t release your holiday special two weeks before the holiday, start building momentum at least two months in advance.

8. No call to action. If you’re not giving the prospect a reason to contact you, you’re missing the mark. Create a sense of urgency with a deadline, or something extra if they respond by this date; anything that engages them and asks them to do something more.

9. Not marketing to your current clients. We sometimes forget that our current clients may not know about new services or products we have available, or, perhaps they have someone to refer. Don’t leave them out of your regular marketing efforts.

10. Not managing/collecting results. How can you know if something you’re using is yielding a return on investment? You need to ask every single prospect how they found you; or build in something in your call to action that will tell you exactly how you connected. Keep track on a simple spreadsheet and check in periodically to get the biggest ROI for your marketing dollars.

So how many of my ten mistakes resonated with you? Two, four, none? Take steps now to correct these mistakes and you’ll start seeing more, better qualified, leads, connecting to your business.

Have a few challenges I missed – share them by leaving a comment below!

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

Tags: marketing mistakes, Marketing Tips, marketing your business

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!

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

How to Create a Simple Marketing Plan

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:15:31 +0000

Many of you broke into a sweat after reading the title, didn’t you? Many don’t have a plan because they believe it’s too hard, too time consuming, or they just don’t know where to start.

Creating a good marketing plan doesn’t have to be overwhelming, or costly, but it will save you time and help you achieve your goals.

Start by identifying:

· Who is your ideal client?

· What do I have to spend?

· Where can I reach my ideal client?

Establish your ideal client profile by looking at your current clients and who can afford to buy your product or service? Then identify the best ways to reach them.

Your marketing budget should minimally be 10-15% of your yearly sales. Start simple, and make changes monthly or quarterly as you begin to see results. Be realistic and flexible. Having a budget will allow you to visualize and expand upon your program throughout the year.

The plan itself will have a number of options to consider. Here is a list of some marketing aspects to consider in your plan.

Print advertising (including Yellow Pages)
Direct Mail
Email (include eZines and Blogs)
Networking (Chamber participation/membership)
Sponsorship
Trade Shows
Article Writing
Speaking
Referrals
Social Media

While some of these items will have little to no cost, including them in your marketing plan will help you stay on track and implement each segment as needed.

When putting together the actual marketing piece, remember to include a ‘call to action’. It could be a coupon in a direct mail piece, or a ‘free’ offer at the end of a speaking engagement. Just make sure you have different calls to action in each piece so that tracking success will be a breeze.

Check in quarterly to see how each segment is performing and make adjustments as necessary throughout the year to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your marketing buck!

How to Create a Simple Marketing Plan is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: grow your business, market your business, marketing, marketing plan, marketing plan tips, tips for marketing a business