Posts from — July 2009

We’ve all heard a lot about social networking; joined LinkedIn, commented on forums, or started to use Twitter.  But, can you actually get leads from all of this?  Or is it just a giant time waster?

Today’s Freebie Friday is a new case study from Marketing Sherpa.  It spells out how one marketer uses LinkedIn to raise awareness of their products, qualifies leads he gets, and shares marketing materials (without being pushy and obnoxious). Find out how LinkedIn is different from other networks and lead generation tools and how to tailor your marketing to get more (and better) leads from it.

Hurry to read  this (free access ends after August 5th)

Generate more leads with LinkedIn.

One year ago today, Seth Godin posted an invitation to join his tribe at triiibes.com. It’s a gated network dedicated to sharing marketing ideas, building trust, and gaining permission for your marketing (rather than shouting).

This past year, I’ve had the great pleasure to meet the most remarkable people (both online and in person), including Bernd, Mary Louise, Tom, Joel, Sue, Greg, Megan, Pace, Kyeli, Jule, Becky, Bernadette, Anne, Brendan, Ed, Paul, Bob, Chris, Bolaj, and many, many more.

Update:  Bonnie and Marcos! I forgot Bonnie and Marcos (smacks head)!

In honor of the anniversary, we’re launching a global blog tribute to mark the occasion.

The group has acted as a launching pad, a brain trust, and a catalyst and has developed into an amazingly close-knit community of people who’ve traveled thousands of miles to meet each other in person.

I started this blog because of triiibes, and I’m in the process of revamping my business because of it. I’ve realized that I want to focus on creative people (videographers, web developers, film editors, exhibit designers, graphic design firms) who are great at generating ideas and doing their jobs — but need help turning their expertise, their skills, and their desires into dollars.

I want to focus on little things that can make a big difference, like developing a niche, retooling a brochure, and fixing broken web sites (rather than huge projects with giant spreadsheets and timelines that require a certified project manager to complete).

Here’s why you’re not making enough money, and here’s how you could make more. Instead of throwing time and money at the wall and hoping something sticks, here’s a way to get results you can measure.

More on the triiibes anniversary.

My dad wanted to buy some energy-saving light bulbs. He found a company online that sold light bulbs which were both energy-saving and bright. It was about 4:30 PM and he called the company because he had some questions about the bulbs.

He wanted information, but landed in… The Twilight Zone.

The system had no direct to operator option. The only choice was to spell out the name of the person you wanted to reach. Since he knew nobody there, he started spelling out common names, “Joe, Bob, Steve, until he finally got a name that matched. Of course, he had no idea if this was the CEO or the bookkeeper, but he left a message.

Why make it so hard for people to find you? Sure an option to spell out a name is helpful, but make sure you add “Press 1 for Accounting” or “Press 2 for Sales.”

Make it easy for customers to reach you, and buy your products, and you’re likely to get more sales. That light bulb company just lost one.

Photo: is0b3lpalm3rs0n

Remember the story of Goldilocks and the three bears? She broke into their house, sat in their chairs, ate their porridge, etc? The first chair was too big; the second was too small; the third was just right.

Web sites can be like that too. Two weeks ago, I posted about my attempt to update a client’s listing on an online directory.

First, the site was too easy

All I had to do was hit the update button (what, no login?).

Then, it was too hard

There was only a tiny window to insert the text, no preview, and no sign of when the update would occur. I called and asked for help, and they said a week to ten days for the update.

It appears that someone manually reviews each listing, and then enters it into their database. I asked to see the changes before they went live. The company wanted to fax them (!?). I requested that that they email them instead, and send them directly to me (not the client). He doesn’t use email. They agreed, and then emailed them to the client anyway.  The email was in plain text, no formatting, so I can’t tell if it will look the way he wants when it’s finally uploaded.

Now, they’re telling me that the listing has to be cut about 60% because they have a word limit! There was no sign of this on the site; nor was there an alert when I entered the text.

How to make it just right

Include security. If you allow users to update listings, set up a login and password system.

Add a preview window so users can see what they’re doing.

If you have a word limit or other rules, outline them in the edit section. Don’t expect your customers to know your rules without being told. [The library just did the same thing.  I wanted to reserve a book and kept getting an error message saying there was a problem with my record and to see a librarian.  Turned out the "problem" was a new limit on the number of reserves, which I'd reached.  Why not just say that?]

Make it easy to navigate.

Be clear about you are talking to and why they should care.

If you update your site design, announce it in terms that benefit your visitors. Not “we’ve updated our site, ” but “add your listing in our new free directory and get traffic,” or “find what you want with our new search feature.”

;Photo: hoyasmeg

Whether you’re using e-mail, marketing on your blog, or building a landing page, following these simple 7 steps will get more signups.

1) Speak directly.

Use “you” and “your”, not “us” and “our.” Banish the gobbledygook and the fancy words, just talk plainly, in a personal, chatty tone of voice.

2) Offer to make something difficult easy.

Describe how you’ll walk people through the steps, share the secrets, etc. Nobody wants to hear about your “customizable advertising mechanism”; they won’t know (or care what is is).

3) Use emotional triggers, not “rational” arguments.

These include: earn money, minimize risks, save time, win praise, to make your audience sit up and take notice of all the special, great stuff they will learn.

4) Add extra goodies.

Not just the webinar, but a special toolkit with more secrets and templates (again turning something hard into something simple) your readers can use in their own businesses.

5) Multiple links.

Put links throughout the email or the landing page. Give people several opportunities to sign up, at different points in your copy. Some may be ready to sign up after your first paragraph, others may need more information.

6) Limited time offer.

Urging people to act immediately increases the sense of urgency. You can throw in an extra bonus (more templates, an audio recording, etc.) for the first X people who register.

7) Scarcity and exclusivity.

Don’t admit everyone, restrict registration to a specific number of people. To make it even more exclusive, you can make the call “live” only – no recording. Attend, or miss out.

Photo: cambodia4kidsorg