Tag Archive for: method

Blogs That Bomb

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Of all the low-cost-to-use marketing media that a small business or professional practitioner can use today, a blog must surely be one of the best ways to promote your business to the marketplace you seek to attract and position you as an expert in your field.

But there are ‘right’ ways and ‘wrong’ ways to blog (like anything).

I just read a thought-full article that cites 30 ways to blog the ‘wrong’ way.  It’s insightful. Two of the 30 ways to screw up a blog include the following:

#13:  write 1,000 word plus text-dump posts without any paragraphs or formatting.
#29: fail to use social media like facebook, Twitter or Stumbleupon to help spread the awareness of your blog.

The other 28 great ideas are worth the time and effort it takes to click on this link and read the rest.

KEY POINT:
Blogging is (still) one of the best media for marketing you and your services around!

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Consistency Wins The Race

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Did you ever consider how great and substantial results are more frequently produced by the simple consistency of focused actions than wild bursts of frenetic activity?  I do.  At least that’s been my experience.

Sporadic execution of brilliant ideas rarely produces bigger and better results than consistent and conscientious activities driven by good-but-not-great ideas.

A steady ‘drip’ campaign of email or snail-mail may not be terribly exciting, but is more likely to produce results — i.e. RESPONSE — than an massive but singular ‘blast’ of marketing communications.

The effectiveness of your marketing is more likely to reflect good choices and consistent actions than good choices and inconsistent actions.  Remember our Tortoise and Hare . . . ‘steady’ as she goes . . . is a formula that will take you to the bank!

KEY POINT:
Consistency beats Creativity!

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“I Don’t Wanna Do It!”

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It’s not easy!  It’s not fair!  I don’t wanna do it!  Why are you picking on me?  You can’t make me do it.

Sound familiar?  The lovely moments of pre-adolescent children developing an individual personality.

Actually, no.  The comments made by clients who want the results but not the responsibility of doing what must be done to generate results.  I call this the ‘I would rather write a check than break a sweat’ personality.

Nothing wrong with it.  As long as you recognize it and are will to pay ‘somebody’ to do what ‘anybody’ could do.  But if ‘nobody’ is left to do it, it won’t get done, will it?

If you see yourself in this same role as a marketing client (or, any other kind for that matter) it’s OK.  Just own it.  Then find a way to do what must be done to get the results you want.

KEY POINT:
Somebody must do what’s needed.  If not you, then WHO?

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Traffic Light Marketing

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Traffic light — a good analogy for the relationships in your business.

RED LIGHT . . . these people have DIS-qualified themselves from being of further value to you.  They either cannot or will not provide you with opportunities for additional business in the future.  Or, they cannot or will not provide you with new referrals to people who could, presumably develop a need for your services in the future.  These people may be wonderful human beings.  The problem is, they cannot provide you with what you need to maintain your business — open cases and/or referrals.  You must delete them.  Make room for new and better people.

YELLOW LIGHT . . . these people have the potential — your call, of course — to be able to buy and/or refer you to others.  They may not be ready to do either one at the moment.  But if they are likely to develop a need for your services or would be able to refer you others or others to you, then you want them . . . and you’ll want to cultivate them until they do.

GREEN LIGHT . . . these people have a current need for your services.  They are, as they say in France, “Hot”.  Regardless of how the momentary need is resolved, if there’s future potential, continue to cultivate them for their future value.  If they don’t seem to have any (again, your call!) then . . . delete them.

KEY POINT:
Marketing is like a Traffic Light . . . Keep it Simple . . . Keep it Real

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METHOD: Who / What / How / When

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Goals are important.  They focus your attention and energies on factors that, if not addressed, could limit your effectiveness, efficiency and results.

But there’s a GAP between where you are now and where you want to be in the future.  And, while it does take ACTION to achieve your GOALS, it helps if you have a PLAN to do that.  Planning helps you take consistent, coordinated, aligned and effective ACTIONS to reach your GOALS.

Planning is not ‘setting goals’.  That’s just one step in a PROCESS of planning to make things happen.  The acronym “D O M E” explains the process of planning:

Diagnosis . . . assess where you’re starting from today . . . ARE NOW
Objective . . . after you know where you are, where do you want . . . TO BE
Method/s . . . now you have defined a GAP . . . how will you close it?   MEANS
Evaluation . . . once you begin to implement, what will you look at and how often to measure . . . PROGRESS?

KEY POINT:
Setting and reaching your Goals is important; Planning to do so is . . . ‘priceless’

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