A Gift To You
Make The Next 12-Months Yours
The Internet Makes Anything Possible.Never before in the history of the world, has the playing field been so level for people everywhere. The advent of social media and blogging has completely democratized the business world, and opened doors for even the smallest of business.
Because Of This You No Longer Need
A huge marketing budget
X
Massive television
advertising campaign
X
A costly direct mail
advertising drop
X
However, there is one other thing that all the experts say that you that must have to succeed and that is a PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. But simply being on social media does NOT
guarantee you success at all.
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The Real “Skinny” On Social Media
There’s a huge amount of white noise out there on the Internet, so getting noticed can be incredibly dif9icult.
For example: there is an estimated 100,000 tweets sent every minute.
Of the 500+ million blogs and websites out there, and most of them receive ap-‐ proximately “zero”
traf9ic
Even if you get a lot of attention on any social media plat-‐
form there is no guarantee that this
will convert to “in-‐ creased pro9its,” this
is especially so if you have there is no
marketing strategy behind all your “so-‐ cial media” activity.
This whole social media thing is all about branding and building relationships through the creation of high value content.
Here are some of the processes and strategies that we’ve successfully used when working with small business clients. Each step listed below also outlines an action plan to help you start implementing these necessary changes for you best year yet.
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How To Create An Online Marketing Strategy in Seven E
ff
ective Steps
Step 1. Think About The Resources That You Have To Invest
There are 4 elements to consider as resources: 1. Your Time
2. Your Money 3. Your Creativity 4. Your Relationships
Now, you MUST invest in at least two of these resources to succeed.
Action Plan
Before you create your marketing strategy answer these three questions honestly: 1. What is my monetary marketing budget?
2. How much time can I or a member of my organization spend per week on marketing?
3. Are you creative and technically savvy enough to run the cam-‐ paign on your own, or do you need to hire a marketing com-‐ pany?
Situation #1 If you have a money and time, invest in someone who knows what they are doing to create and implement marketing cam-‐ paigns on your behalf to take your business through the roof.
Situation #2 If you do not have 9inancial resource to in-‐ vest don’t worry, there is still huge upside potential for you and your business. Develop an incredibly creative guerilla marketing strategy and in-‐ vest your own time market-‐ ing your business.
Situation #3 If you have very little resource in terms of both time and money, that you must be super creative with your strategy, you must also be patient and do the things that will give you the highest ROI 9irst.
Step 2. Ask Yourself This Question - Why Am I Business?
Aside from simply making a pro9it, WHY have you chosen to be in the business that you are in? Knowing the “why” will be critical to your marketing success.
We often 9ind that many of our clients have lost touch with their “why.” Re-‐establishing contact with your “why” can be extremely empowering and will often provide a big enough shift on its own to improve the success of your business.
•“Why” you do what you do sets the tone of what you do and how you will communicate the message of your brand in the social space.
•“Why” helps establish who your ideal clients really are AND without this knowledge your marketing will be unfocussed and unsuccessful.
Step 3. Figure Out Who Are Your Ideal Clients
Great marketing is about closing doors. It’s only when we are brave enough to decide who we are NOT, can we truly distinguish who we actually are.
There are clients out there who you cannot satisfy, ever. They cost you time, energy and money and you have to stop trying to please them. Closing the door on people pleasing and choosing to be more speci9ic with your business clari9ies your brand.
Action Plan
To re-acquaint yourself with your “why” ask yourself the following 3-questions: 1. Why did you 9irst start this business?
2. When do you feel most satis9ied with your work and why?
3. If making money wasn’t an issue what would you be doing instead?
Action Plan
To identify who your ideal clients or customers are, try the following: 1. Write down a list of people/organizations who you have NOT enjoyed working
with. Beside their name(s), explain why.
2. Write down a list of people/organizations that you have enjoyed working with.
The more YOU know about the people/ organizations you want to work with, the easier it will be for them to Uind
you through your mar- keting campaigns.
Step 4. Where Do Your Ideal Clients & Customers Live?
Only when we know exactly “Why” our business does what it does and “Who” it is we wish to do business with can we begin to create our marketing strategy.
This along with your budgeted resource (time and money), allows us to be very strategic in our marketing strategy creation.
Resource is often limited in more than one direction, so it is important to make strong choices that offer the greatest and most immediate ROI (return on investment).
Action Plan
To Uind out where your ideal clients live and breathe ofUline and online ask the following questions:
1. What interests, beliefs, hobbies, or others things do my list of 10 ideal clients all have (tend to have) in common? Example: Play Golf, Read Time Magazine, Have Young Children, Go To Rotary etc.
2. What social media sites do these people tend to use? Also what blogs and online publications do they tend to read?
3. Who would you ideal clients and customer consider to be their key online in9lu-‐ encers? Who are the leaders of their tribes?
4. Could any of your current clients or members of your networks or friendship cir-‐ cles be considered as tribe leaders?
5. Write down a list of at least 10 in9luencers, actual people who hold sway over your ideal customers or clients.
6. Write down a list of at least 10 organizations that you believe your ideal clients/ customers may belong too.
7. Write down at least 10 blogs or online publications that you believe your ideal clients/customers may regularly read.
Strategy is all about creating the “where” and the “how.”
Where
will we 7ind your ideal clients andhow
can we invite them to your business?Step 5. How To Build Relationship With Your Marketing
So if you’ve followed all the steps so far you should now know…
• What resource that you have to invest.
• Why you do what you do.
• Who are your ideal clients
• Exactly Where you can 9ind your ideal clients online. What is true in life -‐-‐ is true in business.
Social media isn’t futuristic -‐-‐ it’s more traditional, like the past, when people in villages and towns built relationships with their merchants and shared stories.
Don’t let technology fool you; online marketing is 100% about building relationships.
Step 6. Creating Great Content Will Initiate Meaningful Relationships:
Why?
Because it is unsullied by money. It is pure, others relate to it almost immediately, and it is nearly always very otherly in its motives.
It’s time to stop using your website as an online business card when it can be much, much more that.
Your content is your brand; much like your personal character is the true re9lection who you
Action Plan
The best way to build relationships in life with strangers is to do the following:
• Choose to speak 9irst -‐-‐ break the ice and engage.
• Share honestly with others. In doing so, you strip back the veneer, allowing people see who you are -‐-‐ the good and the bad.
• Focus on others through listening to other peoples stories.
The next step is to simply extend your hand and say hello.
No one else will tell you this, but great marketing in the 21st century is all
about building relationship and
Step 7. Marketing Works Best When Others Share Your Story
There is a lot of confusion in regards to social media as a marketing tool. Many wrongly believe that it is the panacea of all things, that if you tweet it, they will come. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of your primary goals is to build trustworthy relationships with your Key In9luencer. If they trust and believe in your voice enough they will share it with your ideal clients and customers. Your own reach via social media is very small. What would happen if you empowered and motivated your clients (past and present), your colleagues and employees AND your newly found In9luential Friends to spread the good news of your brand?
The result is the exponential spread of your brand into places that you could never reach with tradi-‐ tional marketing strategies.
Action Plan
If you want to succeed with your online marketing you are almost certainly going to have to do the following…
1. Start a blog on your website or have another place to build community.
2. On this blog create content that both truly re9lects who you are; write speci9ically for your ideal customers and clients.
3. Brand your blog by developing your own unique style of communication.
4. Plan out your content for 12-‐months in advance, in a way that fully and uniquely shares your expertise and meets the needs of your people.
Great social media strategies are always about creating relational networks built on trust.
W a n t T o
Work With Us One-‐On-‐On!
If You would like to help you create a powerful online presence, then please contact us immediately.
Email: geoff@sevensentences.com
Phone: 626.202.4802
Action Plan
There are numerous ways to distribute your content. And so it is essential that you simply choose the most effective two to three strategies:
1. Choose 2-‐3 social media channels where your prospective ideal clients and cus-‐ tomers are most likely to use. Master these channels and work on forming rela-‐ tionships, building community and sharing your content.
2. Create a marketing funnel for your blog readers to become fans and lifetime sup-‐ porters.
3. Make it easy for a blog reader/website visitor to choose to become a client or cus-‐ tomer (this is all about your messaging and your website layout).
4. Create at least 3 campaigns that involve your Key In9luencers in the creation of your blog content. When people are involved in what you do they will take own-‐ ership and promote it on your behalf.
5. Always thank people for helping you out, GRATITUDE goes a long way in the very free and loose world of the internet.
