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What are the 5 best features to create a world class email strategy?
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I’m going to tell you something that may be a little shocking…
Okay, now you can put together the angry mob with pitchforks and fluorescent one word signs to picket me. I know you will do this because you have invested thousands of dollars (or maybe hundreds on a lower-budget site) to make your web design all pretty and fluffy with pictures and unicorns, etc.
The real deal is that no one cares if everything else about your communications and delivery – online and offline – make it:
I shared this in a recent talk I shared with the You In Business Teleseries. Let me explain.
There are lots of services out there that are either similar or perhaps even better than yours. It becomes much easier for buyers to engage with you when they like what you represent. That means if their interest is peaked even a little, they will follow you around online and watch. Some writers call them “lurkers”. My take is that this is your prime opportunity to endear your prospective audience or repel them.
One of the best ways to be liked is to be your best authentic self. When prospects see congruency in your message, it makes for less confusion. And believe me, it’s much easier to be YOU than it is for you to mimic someone else long-term. Prospects become very clear about who you are when you are that way all the time and they can visualize what it may be to work with you. The alternative is brand confusion and confusion ==> no buy.
I really love what Jeff Herring says when he tells you it is better to get in front of the traffic than to constantly run after it. The problem for most of us, however, is that we don’t always know how to position ourselves in this way. Make it easier on your prospects to find you by being where they are.
Have you decided to do the “throw it on the wall and see if it sticks” plan? Or are you strategizing about where your market “lives” online – associations, e-groups, etc.?
This is one of my favorite topics. Automation saved my business. When you are pressed for time, but still want to keep your business personal for your clients, look at things you do over and over again. These are probably systems you can automate. Instead of having a prospect or client wait days for your response (because you can’t be everywhere at once), set up an auto-reply. If you are expected to deliver a product online, why not have email autoresponders deliver it in minutes instead of you being up at midnight sending out 30+ emails?
Warning! Automation should not replace personalization. The goal is to enhance your personal style with it.
Now that you know that your website is just an accessory, how can you see yourself applying authenticity, attraction, and more automation in your business for more direct results?
WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
I’ve been studying copy quite a bit lately because I want to improve my own business brand and make sure my stuff gets more eyes on it! What about you? Doesn’t that matter to your business? Writing good copy is actually ESSENTIAL to your success, so even if you choose to outsource your writing, you should be familiar with at least the basics.
Study and save this simple list of words you can use to attract more views.
System #3: Content CreationIn addition to your customer care practices, it is important to look at ways to systematize your product strategy. There are many opportunities for you to deliver your services on a wider scale. What I mean is just about any offline services you provide can be made virtual. If it is a process that you teach over and over again, you should be able to implement a way for your customers to receive the instruction even when you’re not around.
Many entrepreneurs have more than one business but especially if you are a single business owner there is only one you. You cannot be in all places at all times, but your products can. A simple way to ensure that your brand receives constant recognition is by designing information products. These type of products are becoming quite commonplace. The reason is that they can be developed for low-cost and delivered for high return.
Some examples of information products include e-books, webinars, tele-classes, CD/audio products, e-zines, and more. There is an abundance of resources, teachers, and coaches that can show you how to create content from your off-line training programs. If you already have developed certain programs, it will be even easier for you to virtualize the information and make it available online work in a kit that can be purchased.
I have learned great product creation tips and strategies from a number of experts online. Bob the Teacher, Milana Leshinsky, and Jan Marie Dore have all been instrumental in demonstrating how easy it is to create products. Google either of them to see examples of great information product options.
As an entrepreneur in the information age you have amazing opportunities to promote your visibility, and to generate profit for your business. The key to promoting your brand is to develop systems that run on automatic while you actively put yourself in front of others. The three systems discussed in this article: client engagement, customer relationship management, and content creation – when done correctly – can significantly boost your business and distinguish your brand.
WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
The customer relationship management system refers to the way you take care of your current customers. It may be the way that you process their intake into doing new business with you. It’s about how you provide here and service once your clients have already paid or invested in your services. Ultimately the goal is for prospects to become clients and eventually to become raving fans for your business. This happens when you treat current clients or fans very well.
How do you deliver on the promises that you make in your brand. Does it require a lot of manual labor? Can you automate delivery of your services? Can you set up systems with the click of a button that will accept payment and deliver on the promise? If you’re conducting a coaching group is there self-service function word new clients can go and access their profiles, pay an invoice, create a support case? This is all part of delivering on your brand promises.
When you have easy tools and systems in place it’s much easier for your clients to rave about your services and to refer others to them as well. A great service experience can immediately expand your level of influence and authority.
I am a huge fan of Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM). CRMs were like a dream come true because I was tired of manually tracking loose pieces of paper, sticky notes, e-mails that flooded my inbox from people I worked with. A solid CRM can manage projects, automate your billing, and make it easy for you to find essential correspondence between you and the customer. Examples of great CRMs to research for your business include BaseCamp, Salesforce, Capsule CRM, and WorkEtc.
Another part of the relationship management, however, involves your approach to follow-up. Send Out Cards is a simple but highly distinctive way to show your clients you care. I purchased an account with the company years ago but did not realize the power of the program until I used it to mail personalized postcards to members of a course I was teaching online. It really made an impact with my clients to receive a special thank you from the right at their doorstep.
Trust me, in this age of Internet marketing a postcard or greeting card will help you stand out from the crowd. It will also help to solidify the emotional connection with your customer, which has the potential to generate more sales. Besides, sales are really about creating a personal experience for the buyer.
WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE?
You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their small businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
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