Every small business should be using digital methods to maintain contact with customers and referral partners. So give them love on social media by commenting on their posts. Invite them to give expert commentary on a blog you’re writing. Send them text messages from time to time. Email them articles you know they'll find interesting. These [...]
The way your small business responds to customer emails is a really important form of marketing. Don’t overlook it. If you send fast, well-written, helpful responses to potential customers it sends a message that your small business cares, is professional and is easy to deal with. Slow, sloppy, unhelpful responses suggest you're unprofessional and that customers [...]
You know how you visit a company's website to do your due diligence before you buy from them? Guess what? Your potential customers are doing the same with your small business’ website. Whenever they are thinking of spending money with you, they visit your website for research purposes. That’s why a website is such an important [...]
You wouldn't ask someone to marry you on the first date ... so don't try to close your customers on the first contact. In business as in romance, you need to do a little wooing first. That's where marketing comes in. When you go on a date with the man or woman of your dreams, you [...]
One-size-fits-all marketing is as effective as a one-size-fits-all pair of jeans, as I explained in this episode of 3MinuteMarketing. Imagine a pair of jeans that’s meant to be worn by males and females, children and adults, tall people and short people, thin people and fat people – it’s not going to be very comfortable. You know [...]
When your small business is doing marketing, don't emphasise the facts related to your products or services. Instead, talk about the intangible emotions using your product or service will generate. Feelings like love, happiness, safety, trust, community. The reason you should focus on intangibles rather than facts in your marketing, is that facts get your customers [...]
Imagine you had to choose between two restaurants – a busy one and a quiet one. Which restaurant would you choose? Most people would choose the busy restaurant. Why? Because of social proof. What’s social proof? It’s when people assume that the actions of others are correct and then copy this behaviour. So when you do [...]
Every small business owner should build a personal brand alongside their company brand. Yes, even you. Why? Because people connect much more to individuals than they do to companies. We feel an emotional connection to a person, not to a business. And it is these emotional connections that make it easier to generate referrals and leads. [...]
Want a free, easy way to build your personal brand and promote your small business? Do daily marketing videos. You're not going to generate leads or sales based on any one video. But if you put out enough interesting, helpful content, the sheer accumulation of all that marketing will eventually attract the attention of your target [...]
I've got some bad news: there are no get-rich-quick-schemes in marketing. The only way to succeed is to play the long game. That means publishing quality content on a consistent and long-term basis. Why? Because marketing is all about building trust, credibility and brand recognition – and you can't build those things overnight. They take time [...]
