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The Pure and Simple Guide to Social Media and Marketing

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Ivory Soap has a new ad campaign When Dirt Changes.

The ad reads: When Dirt Changes Its Formula, So Will We, Pure and Simple. The ad does a nice job of positioning a long standing brand as relevant today even in the face of so many new soap products.

The Pure and Simple tagline resonated with me. Unlike Ivory, so many of us change the foundation of what we do to keep up with the bright and shiny objects that occupy our space. What if we approached our social media tactics with a pure and simple mindset? Or our marketing? What would happen if we focused less on gadgets and numbers and more on the pure and simple formula of building relationships?

Having a pure and simple formula does not limit you to a single approach but provides you with a foundation that can be applied consistently. While there are specific marketing and social media tactics that can and should be applied, your foundation should acknowledge that the formula for developing relationships with people remains unchanged.

We can over complicate when we focus more on tactics, gadgets and tools  than on people. The pure and simple approach keeps us on track and the focus on what is truly important.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think pure and simple has a place in today’s world? How do you stay on track with your efforts?

 

 

In Defense of Selling

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No Soliciting
Image by paganites via Flickr

There is a growing movement of people that seem to believe that selling is equivalent to the old style peep shows frequented by dirty old men. They’d rather we all hold hands and sing songs around the campfire. I love a good round of Kumbaya as much as the next person but campfire songs don’t pay my bills. Crude of me to say I know, but I am rather fond of the basics of life such as shelter, electricity, indoor plumbing and at least one meal a day.

I am all for engagement, and authenticity but wonder if we have gone overboard. While the way we market and sell continues to evolve, the activities cannot be eliminated. If I listen to this growing contingent, I am never to ask for business and when I do receive it because I played nicely with the kids at camp, I am to perform the work and then apologize profusely for charging for it.

Hogwash.  While I am not a fan of ONLY talking about yourself, and pushing your products like a crack dealer on a street corner I am quite passionate about my work. I have clients who are doing amazing things. I love sharing their successes and am honored to play a tiny role in their business. Sometimes I will talk about that. And by golly while we’re singing if you express a need I am going to speak up! (Truthfully, I am more apt to recommend someone else because it’s not all about me!) Conversely, when you speak you can count on me to really listen and hear you.

Where on earth did we get the idea that we should be ashamed to be in business? The energy company never apologizes to me for taking my money, nor do any of the other vendors I pay monthly. Many make me feel good about CHOOSING them and express their delight I am a customer, but apologies? Never. And why should they? These vendors are providing something I want or need. I pay them in exchange for their products and services. We’re all happy even without the campfire songs. The songs are a bonus, either an entry or deepening of the relationship but not required for me to choose to do business with you. What is required is you delivering on the promise, you can sing all you want but in the end if you don’t do what you say it really won’t matter.

I’m cool with not being Facebook friends with my OB/Gyn. We’re quite personal enough, thank you very much. I don’t need my grocery store to follow me on Twitter and tweet me inspirational messages (although I do love coupons and sale alerts).

I love the conversations and friendships that develop via social media but I also have a responsibility to be a faithful steward to my business. This means I have to tell people I exist. I have to make money so that I can keep my economic ecosystem in balance. When I do the work, I also have to charge for it. I will not apologize for billing you but I will work my tail off to exceed your expectations. I will treat your business with respect and look for ways to add value, and I will let you know how much I appreciate you choosing me. I may even sing a song or two with you but I will not disrespect you by apologizing for the transaction.

So yes, let’s keep the engagement, bring it on! However, let us not hang our heads in shame or fear at respectfully engaging in marketing.

What are your thoughts? Is there a happy middle ground? Dissenting opinions are welcomed, disrespect is not so be nice to me and each other. 🙂

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Think Small to Go Big

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Sales for the Small Business Professional

Self-promotion and networking can be overwhelming for small practice professionals. Most would rather focus on delivery of their services than developing business.  Many do well developing and executing marketing strategies but when it comes time to “sell” they feel out of their element. In my work with clients, particularly service and creative professionals selling is a common barrier. They would rather send an email, or find a technological shortcut than to interact with a prospect in a “sales” situation.

Last week a client and friend confessed her tortured feelings about self-promotion. “I feel like I am walking into a room of 1500 people and it’s overwhelming to figure out what to do,” she remarked.  “Great!” I said. “You don’t need 1500 people you just need to make your way through the crowd to the intimate table of 10.”

Any process can be intimidating and overwhelming if you look at it in its entirety. Whether you are a business owner, a job seeker or someone returning to dating, you only need to take it one step at a time. The mental image of a small intimate table helped my client to ditch the willies and focus on a smaller, more manageable task. Giving her the visual of ignoring the larger crowd for the small tribe made the process much more friendly.

The job seeker who is overwhelmed by the unemployment numbers need only focus on their need for one job. They only need an offer from one company. The small practice professional does not need to reach 100,000 people, many would in fact be overwhelmed if their regular client list was more than 50.

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, do the math. I am sure that like my client you will discover that the way to go big is to think small.

How about you? Does self-promotion freak you out? What tips have helped you overcome the fear?

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5 Fatal Social Media Selling Mistakes

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I spent several years in Sales Management roles in Corporate Healthcare and the lessons I learned have helped me in my professional and personal life. Yet, let’s face it the mere mention of sales makes many people cringe. Even the dictionary defines it in ways that leave you feeling in need of a hot soapy shower.

to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain : betray; to deliver into slavery for money  to give into the power of another <sold his soul to the devil>

However it also offers these definitions:

to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of: gain acceptance for <trying to sell a program to the Congress> ; to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something <sell children on reading>

While the goal of sales is to influence a course of action the process of getting there does not require you to check good manners and ethics at the door.  It is what happens in that space between lead and sale that sets the tone for any future relationship.

When I was in Sales,  before I ever met with a prospective client, a great deal of work went into understanding their business, challenges, competitors, weaknesses and opportunities. Today, technology has facilitated the sales process but it has not eliminated the need to do the work.  Below are 5 fatal mistakes that are made when selling via social media:

Mistake #1: All talk no listening

Contrary to the myth, in sales you learn to listen twice as much as you talk. You ask open ended questions to engage. You want your prospective client to talk so that you can let them tell you their problems in their own words. In social media, you can listen by reading updates or blog posts BEFORE launching into a pitch.

Mistake #2: Failure to establish a connection

I learned to be attentive to details and my prospect’s surroundings. I would search for an “anchor” that could break the ice and allow us to connect. That anchor could be a photo, a book on their desk, or even a pen. In social media, tune in to the other person’s interests and use that to establish a point of discussion. Read profiles, updates and visit blogs to give you an authentic entry point for conversation.Mistake #3: Dear What’s Your Name

I developed a proposal template that was adopted company wide. The template made it easier to gather information that was commonly used – menu of services, company history, etc – but was always customized to fit the prospect. Do not send a Dear {blank name, wrong name, wrong gender} letter or email. Automated DMs on Twitter and copy and paste Facebook wall posts are other examples of this mistake.

Mistake #4: Rushing the Sale

Hi my name is Karen buy my junk. Would you do this in real life? Yet, somehow people believe that technology has eliminated the need for common courtesy. Here too the ugly automated DM rears its head. Your first tweet to a mutual follower should not be “Hey thanks for following, here’s my link buy my stuff.” Build a foundation, find out their needs and then offer solutions.

Mistake #5: Tuning into the wrong station

In sales we talked about station WIIFM (what’s in it for me) The acronym was a reminder that your prospect could care less about what you needed to sell to make your quota, they always want to know what’s in it for them. Forget about what you want to sell and focus on what people need from their perspective.

All of these mistakes can be quickly eliminated by putting the focus on your prospect and not yourself. Make sure that your web copy, and your social media communications focus on them and not you. Ditch the spammy wall posts and automated DMs and instead focus on participating in your community and listening for needs. Selling when done with integrity and a focus on the other person will leave you and your prospect like winners and that is the true beauty of the process.

What has been your experience online? Any other mistakes or recommendations to add to the list?

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10 Do It Yourself Marketing Ideas for Entrepreneurs

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Do-It-Yourself
Image by iamPatrick via Flickr

June is Entrepreneurs Do It Yourself Marketing Month. Many small to medium sized businesses do most or all of their marketing in house. We all need a mix of methods and channels to leverage our marketing efforts. Below are 10 ideas that you may not have tried that you can do completely on your own or you can outsource components of it if you choose.

Why not go out on a limb. Isn’t that where the fruit is? ~Mahatma Gandhi

  1. Let your customers get their deal on with Groupon. Groupon, currently in more than 80 cities offers daily deals from local businesses.  Each day the site offers a featured deal of the day. The deal is only valid if enough people buy it. There is no up front cost to your business, Groupon collects all the payments, issues a coupon and sends you a check minus their fee.
  2. Give an award. A great way to connect with your community is to recognize the efforts of others. Honor an individual or business for service to the community or give a Hero’s Award to someone who did something special. Don’t forget to send out a press release about the award. You may even be able to secure prizes from sponsors.
  3. Create a tips booklet. You don’t have to write a best selling book to take advantage of the written word. Tips booklets are a great way to market your business by sharing ideas. You can give the booklets away to customers and prospects or sell them. Sell single copies for digital download only and offer hard copies in bulk to organizations or businesses.
  4. Do a free makeover. Makeovers are not just for those in the health and beauty biz. You can makeover careers, finances, media plans and more. To add buzz, have people submit an essay or video on why they should be selected for a free makeover. Choose the winner and then chronicle the before and after. The results will stand as a testimony to your services and the contest can boost your brand visibility.
  5. Sponsor a local youth team.  We talk a great deal about community online but offline community is equally important. This is a great way to give back and market your business.
  6. Host a round table. This can be a physical or virtual event. Gather local business owners together to creatively collaborate on solving a local issue. Invite your local press to moderate. Or host a virtual event with other industry leaders to provide your audience with solutions to their problems. You will establish thought leadership and by partnering with others will also gain visibility with their audience.
  7. Remember your current customers. Send cards to former or recent customers. Celebrate customer successes or milestones in your newsletter. Surprise a customer once per month with a free gift or discounted service.
  8. Do a survey and share the results in a press release. Surveys can be an effective way to generate media coverage. You can hire a company to conduct the survey for you or do it yourself using online survey tools. Get ides on questions by researching other surveys. Creative questions can make great headlines.
  9. Market through video. If you are not a fan of being on camera there are many other ways to use video to market your business.  Do “man-on-the-street” videos asking random strangers funny questions that relate to your business. How to videos are very popular. People search online to find out how to do everything from using chopsticks to stopping the hiccups. Video is a great medium for showing others how to do something. If you have a budget you can hire a company to do an online commercial for your business.
  10. Share your expertise with others. Pitch on and offline publications with an article idea (be sure to research the publication and guidelines), get interviewed by others in your areas of expertise, speak at workshops, events or even webinars. There is no shortage of opportunities if you are willing to do the work.

Integrating new ideas and approaches into your marketing strategies is a great way to get your brand in front of a different audience and revitalize your brand. Develop a plan and execute it consistently.

Resources:

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Social Media: Will the Free World Begin Charging Admission?

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Neon "free" sign
Image by jking89 via Flickr

One of the early attractions of social media was the low barrier to entry. Basic access to all of the platforms was free and many services did not even have a premium option. The accessibility empowered small to medium sized businesses who had felt outspent in other areas of marketing by big business. A small company blog could compete with big business on a level playing field. Video put commercial production in the hands of anyone with a flip camera. Now that may all change.

Ning has announced an end to free. Twitter now offers “promoted tweets.” Many other free services have either dissipated or switched to premium models. There was always a danger in relying too heavily on platforms that we neither owned or co-opted with our dollars. The very thing that drove social media’s growth may force these companies to shift to paying models in order to support traffic and innovation.

While we still likely see free or low cost services available to all, the introduction of premium services may once again mean that he who has the most dollars can gain an edge.

I do not believe that we should abandon the tools but it is imperative to develop strategies that are not dependent on a specific platform or current day business model. Let us not forget that free also means lack of control. The recent issues with Twitter illuminate this fact.

We must have plans and contingency plans and all should hinge on the non-negotiable asset in all marketing – your customers. Relevant, quality messages will survive any delivery method. The ingredients are the magic not the plate on which they are served.

And yes, we must watch for those telltale signs of change and be ready with a plan should our tactics need adjusting. Change is one of the constants of this digital age.  The one thing we cannot do is build a business or marketing strategy on the foundation of free, at some point, we will pay the price.

Have you ever used something that was free and then moved to a premium model? Did you continue using? What impact did it have on your business or life?

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