A Refreshing Dose of Marketing Reality

Posted on September 21, 2011 by

I stumbled across a refreshing dose of marketing reality yesterday in an unexpected place, a blog post by Shannon Cherry. 

Since a client introduced me to the world of marketing coaches back in 2008, I’ve been fascinated by the plethora of coaches, gurus, wizards, queens, czars and whatever other moniker they choose to call themselves hanging up their single on the internet.  Some of the more interesting ones I follow. Many create programs and charge hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to enroll in these special programs to learn a method, technique, or unique guidelines for generating revenue.  The implicit promise made by these coaches is, “If you follow my method, you will be as successful as I am.”

They’d make you believe that they sip Dom Perignon while reclining in the Jacuzzi after working four hours a day, two days a week, and making seven figure money while doing so. And if you just pay them a lot of money and do a lot of worksheets and positive thinking exercises, you can make that much too.

I loved Shannon’s reference to gypsies, tramps and thieves because the oblique reference to a Cher song made me immediately think of one coach who several of my clients swore was the “it” girl of the internet marketing world.  She dressed sort of like a gypsy, which made me immediately think of her.  She offered a series of (in my opinion) outrageously expensive courses, private coaching and retreats at her lavish home. She claimed to make seven figures using her own advice. I followed her for a while on Facebook and she’d post that she and her husband were hiring a private chef, that she’d had a masseuse come to the house, things like that.

I looked around my house at the dog hair tumbleweeds piling up in the corners and at the laundry that needed folding and wondered what it would take me to make seven figures and hire a private staff.

I knew what she was doing from a marketing standpoint, but I still felt the old stirring of jealousy in my heart.  You see, there’s a marketing trick that says that if you put messages out there like she was doing, others will want what you have, and thus you will attract them. It’s what I dubbed “jealousy marketing” and it works in a kind of underhanded way.

I am not saying this coach was being dishonest; I have no way of knowing whether or not she did have a private masseuse coming to her home, or whether or not she did hire a personal live-in chef, and I certainly don’t have access to her accounts to verify that she made seven figures in one year (although if she filled her outrageously expensive seminars to capacity, the numbers probably added up!).

What Shannon Cherry wrote in her blog post struck a nerve with me, because in a flash I saw myself.

Shannon writes that many people have become disillusioned with the whole marketing-coach model because, “One (obviously) disgruntled person said this to me, “Internet marketing has become one giant incestuous circle of marketer selling hype to marketers so that they can sell hype to marketers.””

That’s exactly how I felt, too! I’d look at the seven figure coach’s website and see all these other people I knew casually through the internet marketing world, and I’d think to myself…

Is this stuff for real?  Gee, this seven figure lady doesn’t seem to have any real marketing background…she never says where she worked in the corporate world, the positions she’s held, or the degrees she’s earned.  She does have a lot of other marketing people singing her praises, though.  Is this a modern day snake oil salesman I’m seeing, or am I truly missing an opportunity? Am I so closed to this whole law of attraction mindset that I’m actually losing business because of it? What does she know that I don’t?

Shannon’s “get real” post instantly clarified things for me and made me see the seven figure lady as the Wizard of Oz behind the curtains manipulating my perception through her clever use of personal “look at me” comments (Hey, maybe she’s got some marketing savvy after all!).  It was indeed a marketing expert marketing to other marketing experts in a sort of incestuous circle. In a flash I kept picturing Monopoly money changing hands from one coach to another as everyone just keeps buying each others’ programs and moving the money around.

Shannon got real and told it like it is.  She pulled back the curtain and let me have a little peek into her business, and it made me feel better than all the posts about private chefs ever could. Shannon shared that not all of her programs made money. Some were hits, making her a few thousand dollars. Others were bombs. She didn’t make a dime.  Her list is good, but not great.  It’s hard work every day, with the usual ups and downs of running any business. Her husband complains that she gives too much stuff away, and she wonders if she does, too.

Hey,  I thought to myself, that’s ME!

Some of my programs make money. Some do not. Some of my marketing books, lectures and courses seem to meet customer demand and I sell out.  Others which I pour my heart and soul into don’t seem to stir a single response. My husband often remarks that I give away too much of my time in free programs and consultations.

Shannon’s  ‘let’s get real about this whole internet marketing guru thing’ was like a breath of fresh air.

I have spoken to countless entrepreneurs who have invested their hard-earned money in coaching programs, marketing systems, books, courses, ebooks, seminars, and you name it from many of the get-rich-think-positive internet gurus. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.  Often I see entrepreneurs reaching for the magic pill, the cure all for their business. They want to get rich quickly (who doesn’t?) and these Wizards feed into that, while simultaneously blaming their clients if they don’t make it to the seven figure marketing level.

What I want to say to them is this:  it’s fine to invest in a coaching program, a book or a course if you’ve already pinpointed your problem, or if you need to learn something new. We all can stand to learn from one another.  Each of us has a blind spot in our businesses that we need help identifying.

But don’t feel like you’re the failure if the program doesn’t work.  It might be a great program written by a really knowledgeable person.  But it might not be the right solution to the problem.  You can take penicillin for a headache.  It’s a life-saving medication, but it won’t do a damn thing for your headache.  The same goes for marketing solutions.  If you’re taking a coaching program focused on closing the sales but your product itself has major flaws in it, that’s like taking penicillin for the headache.

I’ve had some modest success in internet marketing, having founded my first internet-based retail business in 2004. It’s in the black and it’s still in business, which is saying something in today’s world. I’ve since founded two other internet businesses and helped many entrepreneurs harness the power of the internet to acquire, retain and create loyal customers.

Jeanne’s Formula for Success

So if you believe I know what I am talking about, here’s my formula for success:

  • Believe in what you do
  • Learn all you can about your product, market and customers
  • Think big, but break big ideas into smaller chunks you can actually tackle
  • Hope for the best, plan for the worst
  • Show up every day…and the day after that…and keep going.
  • Success is hard work.
  • Luck is just being in the right place at the right time. But if you’re not going anyplace, you won’t be in the right place.

Money Saving Marketing Tip of the Day

Identify the area you truly need help or education in.  Then research coaches or consultants carefully before making your decision. If they give you a ‘rock star’ attitude, walk away. Attitude does not equal success. Find someone who is authentic, who has experience in your industry or who you believe has the skills you need to learn. Take time to get to know them. And if you invest in their program or course, be open to new ideas, but be realistic about the level of success you hope to achieve.

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 So Shannon, thank you for your honesty, for getting real.  Thank you for letting me peek through your window shades and see your business as it really is.  Seeing your business as not so different from mine made me feel better. From one marketer to another, here’s to OUR success…and to our customers’ and clients’ success.

 

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Do This SEO Stuff and Get Better Results

Posted on September 20, 2011 by

My clients know that I teach a lot about search engine optimization, and as far as money saving marketing methods go, it’s one of the strongest and most useful tools in your marketing toolbox. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and that means you are creating web pages that are easy and – note – enticing for Google’s automated spiders or systems to find, index, and rank.   There are of course many other search engines out there, but Google is the grand daddy of them all, and if you’re not on the top page of Google’s search engine rank for key terms you need to work on your SEO.

SEO includes things you do on the page itself and things you do on the back end of your website. On the page itself,  you need to write (or have your copywriter) write to specific keywords, use them appropriately and naturally, and use them in headlines, subheads and body copy.  You need to write in a way that doesn’t sound like you’re stuffing keywords in just for the sake of spitting them out onto the page, and you need to include things Google’s little mechanical men deem important, like links to education and government websites and not too many to your own affiliate programs.

If that all seems like a tall order, it is, because I haven’t even scratched the back end of the site yet. (And that’s why you should hire the best copywriter you can find and not cheap out and hire a $5 per 1,000 word hack. Because if they can write to all these requirements and not sound stupid, they deserve more money. Period.)

But here’s a secret. My friend and fellow marketer Ed Taylor, who looks like Santa Claus and dispenses marketing wisdom like presents from Santa’s sack, has made it easy for entrepreneurs to focus on the essentials. And because I just love a good money saving marketing tips when I see one, I’m pointing you over to Santa Ed’s blog, here.
Click the link, copy and USE the tips.  Because SEO tips aren’t useful unless they’re USED, friends.

10 SEO Essentials for Small Businesses by Ed Taylor

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How to Hire the Worst Freelancer for Your Project

Posted on September 20, 2011 by

Here’s a way to make sure always hire the WORST freelancer possible.

Put so many restrictions on their work that only 1 or 2 people qualify…and those that qualify, do so based on random qualifications rather than targeted qualifications.

Want to limit your talent pool? Here’s how to do it!

  • Demand that only local talent need apply, and don’t even consider freelancers who work offsite. Doesn’t matter if there’s an amazing writer who lives across country who knows your industry inside and out. 
  • Demand that the freelancer attend in person meetings in your office space. Forget about telephones, video conferencing, emails, Skype and all the rest of the marvels of technology. You run your business like it’s 1911 instead of 2011 and by gosh and by golly, only in person meetings will do.
  • Don’t even hint at what you plan to pay someone in your ad.  Well, they might do the work for less, and if you say you’ll pay them $25 and their normal rate is $15, they’re taking advantage of you!
  • Be very vague about the industry, because you’re so fearful of competitors that you don’t even want to whisper what you need. Just say you need a great writer who can do back flips on command and it’s top secret. You’re sure to get great applicants then.
  • Refuse to look at online samples and insist that people send them to you – but only list a Craiglist email address.  Doesn’t matter that the more highly experienced writers have clips that exceed Craiglists‘ paltry 80kb email attachments. Heck, someone’s resume could be that much bandwidth.  You just refuse to click a link and look at an online sample.
  • Throw out a bunch of vague cliches about what you’re looking for.  “Rockstar Copywriter Wanted” – does that mean you want a poor “me first attitude”, rhinestones and long hair? Or “Copy Divas Only” – does that mean you want me to have a lousy work ethic and a lot of temper tantrums?

Okay, do you recognize ANY of these sins in your own project posts? If you are truly seeking the perfect freelance talent for your project, whether you need a copywriter or a graphic designer, freelancers everywhere will give thanks if you:

  • Open the field up to any location
  • Make it easy for us to do our job virtually
  • Clearly state the pay or pay range. Many freelancers do not work for an hourly wage; do not require an ‘hourly’ figure.  Give a pay range per project. If it takes your freelancer 1 hour or 16 hours do the job, what do you care? They’re not on your clock. They shouldn’t be. An hourly wage is worker,  part time or full time. 
  • State the industry and the nature of the project clearly and succinctly. If  you need 15 articles about plumbing for homeowners, say it! Don’t use fancy words or vague words. Be very clear. That helps writers recognize projects for which they’d be qualified.
  • Either give a real email address out that accepts larger attachments or click the links to see samples. Gmail accounts are free. Set one up just for your freelancing needs if you must, but don’t limit replies and attachments.
  • Give some more thoughts to exactly what type of feelancer would work best with you.  Maybe you DO want a rock star; but I think you’re probably trying to say that you need someone with 1-3 years of experience and a strong portfolio, or perhaps you need someone who is flexible and able to keep up with a rapidly changing environment? Don’t use meaningless cliches to describe characteristics of freelancers.

And a few things that make a freelancer’s life better…you are going to get dozens or perhaps hundreds of responses to your freelance job post.  Be prepared.

  • Create a form letter to reject those who you can see immediately aren’t a good fit for the project.  
  • Email the top 10 candidates within one week.
  • In fact, email everyone who applies to the post within one week. Copy and paste over your form letter. At least you will give people a response and not leave them wondering if their email even made it through.
  • Do not ask for free samples.  Most freelancers are happy to do a free consultation via phone, but a free sample is asking someone to work for free. Do you ask your physician for a free examination? Your house painter to paint one wall for free so you can “test” his skills?

Freelance writers, graphic designers and other professions are just that – professionals.  Many businesses hurt their chances of hiring the best freelancers for the job by creating artificial boundaries and restrictions to the work.  They post ads that are vague, restrictive or filled with meaningless gibberish.  Be specific and clear about your requirements and have a plan in place to respond quickly and professionally to all applicants.  Freelance talent is the lifeblood of small businesses and fills the gap when you have a special project but do not have anyone on staff to perform the tasks, or when you need someone with specialized skills for the project.  Take the time now to create great freelance job posts. You’d be surprised at how many wonderful freelancers there are waiting to work with you, if only you wouldn’t chase them away.

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Does Your Marketing Copy Pass the Who Cares Test?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by

The next time you sit down to write a marketing brochure (or website, or postcard, or whatever you’re writing that’s intended to be read by your customers and persuade them to do business with you) – give it my tried and true “Who Cares” test.

Find someone within the target customer group. Give them the copy. Sit back and watch their face. Listen to their reaction.

If they mutter “Who cares?” or put it down without comment, chances are good it’s boring, blah and meaningless.

Here’s why. When you write marketing messages that matter, they matter TO someone. That someone is your target customer. A target customer is the person who is most likely to be interested in what you have to say.

If all you elicit is a bored shrug or someone muttering, “Who cares?” your copy stinks.

Good marketing copy…

  • Includes facts that are relevant and interesting to your customers, not to you
  • Seems to intuitively understand what your customer wants – the problem she needs to solve, whether it’s a serious problem (she’s sick and needs to be cured) or an emotional problem (she wants to feel pretty.)
  • Uses words, phrases, languages and images that customers like – not what you or others in your company like

So the next time you sit down to write marketing copy, give your copy the “who cares test.” If you can run it by customers or potential customers, so much the better.

If it doesn’t elicit a response or gets the ‘who cares’ shrug, you need to go back to the drawing board.

If it makes someone giggle, smirk, ask for more or reach for their wallet – you’ve got a winner.

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Marketing Messages that Matter

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

Tomorrow on my radio show on Blog Talk Radio, I’ll be speaking about “Marketing Messages that Matter.”

It’s not enough to keep yelling into the marketplace, “Hey, I’ve got something for sale!”  The reason is simple.  You’re not giving people a reason to care. Marketing messages that matter are messages that matter not to you, but to your customers. If you keep that in mind, you’ll naturally start creating messages that people will listen to.

In marketing terminology, we call this selling from the benefits and advantages.  You see, most companies immediately write marketing messages based on the features of their products. There’s a few reasons for this. First, they’re naturally proud of what they’ve built! Second, features are easier to talk about.  If you’re selling pencils, it’s easy to start listing the features – wooden barrel, #2 graphite tip, eraser at the end. But the benefits are hard to drum up.  You’ve got to imagine how the pencil is used. Ah-ha! Benefit – #2 pencils are used on standardized tests, so a #2 pencil is useful in any situation. Benefit – a wooden barrel is easy to sharpen. Benefit – the eraser makers it easy to change, update and edit your thoughts. And so on….

The problem with most marketing copy is that the person writing the copy is on a different wavelength than the person reading the copy. The person reading the copy is your customer, and she cares only about what it means to her world, her problems, her concerns.  Marketing messages that matter address those concerns.  How you write them – funny, witty, soulful, serious, playful – that’s more about your brand and your approach, and even a bit of what your customers appreciate.  But the what of the message, the content, that must be based on something meaningful to your customers. If you do that, you’ve created marketing messages that matter.

Please tune in tomorrow at 2pm Eastern. Click the link above or watch for the updates on my Twitter feed. If you miss it, catch the recording from the Seven Oaks Consulting website. 

But please, make sure your marketing messages MATTER – to your customers!

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Marketing Writing – First Step in Money Saving Marketing

Posted on September 6, 2011 by

Marketing writing and writing marketing copy is an essential skill for entrepreneurs engaged in money saving marketing. But before you sit down to write and before I start giving you all sorts of juicy writing tips, there’s something important to consider.

You have to have something to say.

I started thinking about this last night while my husband and I watched my favorite television show, Monk.  For those unfamiliar with this show, the plot follows Detective Adrian Monk, a former San Francisco homicide cop who has obsessive-compulsive disorder, about a million phobias, and all sorts of hangups that have made his life  miserable.  Apparently he could keep them in check until a mystery man murdered his wife, Trudy.  Since then, Monk has become “the defective detective.”

In last night’s episode, while investigating a mysterious explosion at a power plant, the plant’s attractive brunette PR agent hands Monk her home telephone number and suggests he calls her.  At the urging of his friends and his psychiatrist, Monk works up the courage to call the woman and make a date.

index cardsBut Monk prepares – as always.  As the camera pans back , we suddenly see that he is sitting at his dining room table with stack after stack of index cards.  The camera pans over the cards, and each piles has a word on top: a conversation topic.

Monk, nervous about calling the lady and getting so frozen he forgets how to make small talk, has created packs of cards with conversation responses on them.

For instance, when they begin chatting, he pulls out a card that says, “How was your day?” to start the conversations.

He gets flummoxed when she mentions Dallas, Texas, because he has no pile of cards about Texas. However, he’s got so many card piles on the table that he can easily find a conversation rejoinder among packs related to work, Trudy (his deceased wife), the weather, news, sports, politics and you name it.

It’s a funny scene, made even funnier by Tony Shalhoub’s as always spot-on portrayal of the nervous Detective Monk.  But the cards made me remember that before I jump into all the marketing tactics you need for money saving marketing, we need to talk about the basics: marketing writing.

Marketing writing is like Monk’s packs of cards. You have to think about what you want to say and have it at the ready before embarking on all those wonderful marketing plans and programs you plan to do.

Marketing Writing Begins with Your Customers’ Needs

Good marketing writing begins with your messages – but with a catch. Marketing writing must always keep in mind the customers’ wants, needs and desires.

A good marketing writing example is this blog. I could have jumped right in and begun telling you all about the money saving marketing plans you can do and how to get them done. And I’m sure you want to know all about that, and be assured that I will tell you all the details over time. But before we step into the mansion, we have to build the house’s foundation first.

Great marketing writing must…

  • Show, not tell
  • Persuade without making people feel “sold”
  • Subtly acknowledge the questions customers have
  • Solve a problem
  • Fill a need
  • Engage
  • Entice
  • Entertain

If that sounds like a tall order, it is. But not every piece of marketing writing has to do all of the above.  Some do all, others do only a few, but great copywriting shares similar attributes.

Writing Marketing Copy Is Easier When You Create an Idea Bank

As we begin exploring the world of money saving marketing, I want you to keep that visual in your imagination of Detective Monk sitting at his dining room table with stacks of index cards and picking up a card whenever he needs a talking point.

We’re going to focus this month on creating YOUR “pack of cards” specific to your brand, a stack of messages and ideas you can use to fuel content marketing, social media, and internet marketing.   Then, you’ll have at your fingertips “cards” with messages related to the major talking points, benefit points or selling points of your business. As you create your own personal money saving marketing plan, you will have all the ideas you need to fuel your marketing programs for low cost, measurable marketing.

Are you ready to begin?

Be sure to grab a f-r-e-e- copy of my book, “Unlock the Secrets of Your Brand Message” on the Seven Oaks Consulting website!  Fill out the form to sign up for my email list, get your E book, and learn more about writing great messages.

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Yes, you can share this post on your social media sites or blog but only if you include the following:

Jeanne Grunert is an award-winning writer and marketing consultant empowering entrepreneurs through money saving marketing strategies. She focuses on low cost, accountable and measurable marketing strategies such as content marketing, internet marketing and direct response marketing. Visit Seven Oaks Consulting for more information.

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Marketing Strategies for a Tough Economy

Posted on September 2, 2011 by

Okay, it’s official. The economy stinks.  The August jobs report came in, and it’s bad news, and the markets reacted accordingly.  Is this a surprise to anyone?

Two of my clients who own online retail business said nearly the same thing to me this week, and it bears repeating. Now, keep in mind, this came from two people in very different industries. “I am doing twice the marketing to keep sales the same.”

 

During this tough economy, keep the following marketing strategies in mind:

  • Don’t put all your business eggs in one basket.  One great client in the basket? That’s putting all your eggs in one basket. You may not live on a farm as I do, but you know what happens if you have just one egg in the fridge and you want to eat it for breakfast…and as you’re taking it out of the carton, you trip over the dog and the egg falls and it SPLATS everywhere? That’s one egg in the basket. If anything trips you up, your egg goes splat.
  • Don’t rest on your laurels.  That saying means don’t pat yourself on the back for past honors, or assume that past successes equal future successes. They don’t. You must be constantly engaging, branding, selling and communicating.
  • Honor thy customers. This should be the commandment for all businesses. Your customers determine whether or not you remain in business, whether you make a profit or not.  You actually work for your customers. If you don’t hold to this business mantra, you might not be around next month, let alone next year.  In tough economic times, customers shop more thoughtfully and they choose companies and service providers with whom they feel comfortable.  Companies that do not honor them, do not thank them or otherwise express at least common courtesy are going to belly up (unless they get a bailout, but I’m not tackling that hot potato topic today.)

So what will it be, folks? When the times get tough, do the tough get going….or do they tough get GOING, working harder, smarter and better?

Your Money Saving Marketing action tips for today:

  • Identify three things you can do this week to make your customers feel appreciated. Even if it’s just a quick email, what can you do to say, “Thank you?”
  • If you’re relying on one income stream, or one large client to pay your monthly bills, your business in a precarious perch. You’ve put all your eggs in one basket. How can you get more eggs, even if they’re small, to cushion the blow if that one big egg that’s feeding your business each month goes bad?

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Yes, you can share this post on your social media sites or blog but only if you include the following:

Jeanne Grunert is an award-winning writer and marketing consultant empowering entrepreneurs through money saving marketing strategies. She focuses on low cost, accountable and measurable marketing strategies such as content marketing, internet marketing and direct response marketing. Visit Seven Oaks Consulting for more information.

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