SOLO MOMPRENEUR

Archive for January, 2010

Marketing no longer means going to the grocery store. It’s a broad term used by businesses that can encompass everything from letterhead and logos to contests and tradeshows. Is it any wonder that people with great ideas for products or services often get tripped up or discouraged when asked about their marketing plan?

In a nutshell, your marketing plan is the strategy, or actions and materials, you use to attract new customers and sales. Ideally, you develop an ongoing relationship with your customer by building a foundation of trust in you, and in your product. The process can feel complex and somewhat overwhelming at its inception, but, once mastered, can yield amazing results.

The truth is if you have any successful friendships (which I know you do) you already know the basic premise behind building solid relationship foundations. It is that relationship that compels your potential customers to take action and purchase your products and services… again and again.

To help you develop a winning formula and create a successful marketing plan, follow these guidelines:

• Strategize your method of delivery. You have to get your message and your brand into the marketplace. When deciding how and when to deliver your materials, remember that people are busy, suffering from information overload and you have a limited amount of time to capture their attention. (Usually just a few seconds.) Once you pique their curiosity you can provide them with more material but don’t overwhelm them by asking them to digest it all at once.
• Understand your buyer and their needs. Take the time to research, listen to feedback and predict what your customers want and need. Flexibility is the key here. Your buyers might want more from you than what you originally had to offer… figure out how to get it to them and you’ve got a repetitive and reliable customer.
• Highlight your uniqueness. Let your customers know what makes you different and emphasize those differences in your messages. Small differences presented effectively can be the determining factor.
• Concentrate on developing the emotional connection. Invite your customers to get to know you on a personal level. People prefer to do business with other people rather than invisible corporations. Make sure you have a visible and personalized profile. Write about yourself in your blogs and newsletters and include photos of yourself.
• Monkey see, monkey do. There’s no need to start from scratch when developing a marketing plan. Analyze successful tactics from other businesses and mimic the strategies they utilize. Choose a method and modify it to fit the needs of your audience and the products and services you provide.
• Telling versus selling. Connections are easily established when people feel they have something in common. When you market your message by telling a story your audience can more easily relate to you. And besides, who doesn’t love a good story?

Think of your marketing plan as your roadmap to success. Figure out where your audience wants to go (understand your buyers needs), describe why they should go on this trip (tell them a story), emphasize why riding with you is the best option (highlight your uniqueness), select a comfortable and reliable mode of transportation (your method of delivery), find out what they hope to see along the way (give ‘em what they want), choose a route (no need to build new roads to get from point A to B), take some photos along the way (enhance the emotional connection), ask them where they want to go next and remind them of all the fun you had on your trip.

Until next time… happy trails and I hope to see you on the road!

Donna Kozik is a two-time award winning author who has been featured in Woman’s Day, Women’s World, Teen People, The L.A. Times, The Baltimore Sun, NPR’s “Marketplace” and other media. She now shows others how to write and publish a book fast and easy to use as a “big business card.” She does this through “Write a Book in a Weekend” live and virtual events.

To find out more —> GO HERE

I know you are interested in building your online business in 2010 … or you wouldn’t be reading this.  Today’s post is an important announcement I wanted to pass along to you.  I don’t want you to miss out … and you’ll want to take action right away.

A couple of friends of mine are giving a workshop in Las Vegas called the Online Revenue Workshop. And while I think it’s too late to register, you can still benefit from this workshop with the recordings.

When I asked Dr. Jeanette Cates, one of the organizers, about the recordings, here’s what she told me:

YES, the recordings are available.

YES, the recordings will include both audio AND video replays of the sessions. Any time we use a computer for the presentation, whether it’s slides or a live demonstration, we’ll be recording the screen.

These are not the “talking heads” videos you sometimes get from conferences. I mean, do you really need to see the presenter in order to “get” the content? Instead, these are the visuals that make the information clear and ready to implement in YOUR business.

YES, there is a special pre-publication price of only $97.

YES, we’ll be raising the price immediately after the conference. It will go to at least $197 – twice what it is right now.

So it sounds like you need to take action today. They are only guaranteeing the special pre-publication price when you buy before the conference kicks off on January 22.

Babies are soft and sweet and gentle. But sometimes they can be really loud! Those are the moments they will instantly and effectively grab your attention, awaken you from a sound sleep, call you away from the dinner table, or even cut your shower super short.

What can you learn from babies that will help you market your business online?

Babies are great at taking center stage, tooting their own horns, and getting someone to take action. And that’s exactly what you need to do as an online marketer in order to reach your business goals. Pardon the pun, but you can’t take “baby steps” and be shy about it. Many service professionals I’ve met would rather do a root canal on a Rottweiler than promote themselves. They’re afraid of coming across as sales-y and no one likes a pain-in-the-patootie sales person.

I’m not suggesting you annoy your target market by pitching, pouncing, prodding, and pestering (loud and obnoxious never wins any awards). Instead, learn how to become an expert at Bragging — the right way. Your clients and potential clients want to work with a winner, someone who is skilled at alleviating their pain and solving their problems. They want you to brag and they want to brag about you.

Ask yourself these questions as you put together your marketing messages: “Why would someone want to hire YOU? What are your strongest selling points that set you apart and make you stand out? If someone were to brag about you, what would they say?”

Friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin of Copy Cat Copywriting, has an mp3 recording and 25-page workbook called Bragging101 for under twenty dollars that is a phenomenal tool that teaches you how to market confidently without sounding like a used car salesman. I use it in my own business and refer back to it often. If you have a fear of bragging, check it out.

If your current marketing strategy and self-promotion resembles that of a sleeping baby, it’s time to wake it up!

Can you see a need for using PLR as an integral part of your marketing strategy?   Nicole Dean offers the Best Original PLR on the planet.

There you sit, week after week in front of your computer screen, banging out blog posts and 140-character Tweets.  What’s the use? Nothing happens. Your blog is gathering moss and no one on social media sites seems to know you exist.  Pretty frustrating.  You’ve got talent, skills, and expertise (out the wazootie!) to share with your target market. But there’s a big problem.  Your audience seems to be far away in a distant land on a perpetual vacation. In other words, they’re absent and you may as well be invisible.

You begin to recognize that working online can be a very lonely business and you’re feeling stuck in a rut.  Not a good feeling.  How can you break out of this hum-drum routine and start making a profit?  Joint Venture with someone! But play it SMART.  After all, this is YOUR business we’re talking about so know exactly what to look for. Take just one minute to watch this free video and learn the “3 Biggest Mistakes To Avoid” when looking for a Joint Venture partner.

I’m pleased to say I found a fantastic partner recently.  She needed some original content for her blog and newsletter and I needed some online visibility.  We’ll be doing some internet radio show broadcasts together soon, as well. Can you see the mutual benefit here?  As the saying goes, it’s not rocket science.  Now I’m not feeling so alone and we’re working jointly to help one another experience and enjoy the success we deserve.  Doesn’t get any better than that.

Flying solo in your online business can leave you feeling isolated and lonely and ready to throw in the towel.  Instead, have some fun and start looking for someone to collaborate with today!

Hundreds of passionate bloggers have signed the Small is Beautiful Manifesto.

The manifesto and the image above were created by Jen Lemen and Rachelle Mee-Chapman.

THE SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL MANIFESTO:

• We believe stories are valuable, no matter how many people read them.
• We believe following your passion is more important than watching your site meter.
• We believe in the handmade, the first try, the small start, and the good effort.
• We believe that Small is Beautiful.

Join in this tiny revolution.

Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, has a complementary gift for you — a fabulous collection of the very BEST of 2009 publicity tips.

Here’s a sneak peek at what this year’s book includes:

• How to create your own holiday, or your own day, week or month of the year
  
• Another free service that helps you connect with journalists who are looking for sources for stories–but this one will let journalists rate your pitch!
  
• 10 dead or dying PR tactics. (Which ones are you still using?)
  
• How to find out if a journalist blogs and how to navigate the blog to find all the juicy tidbits you need to customize your pitch.
  
• 4 social networking annoyances that make you look like a goof
  
• Bloggers, what to do if you’re sued tomorrow? Here’s what to do
  
• The lazy way to create fun video–even if you don’t have a technical bone in your body
  
• 7 deadly search engine optimization mistakes at your website–no wonder you’re complaining about no traffic!
  
• 25 reasons to hate Facebook
  
• A big, bright flashing–and free–publicity tool, right in your own  community.
  
• 9 attention-grabbing phrases to use at your blog
  
• How to share your best foodie tips on Twitter
  
• How to boost the page rank of your blog or website for an investment of only 15 minutes a week
  
• Where to find 31 sample social media policies, for free
  
• How to promote local events on Twitter and draw crowds
  
• 5 great social media marketing ideas when the idea well is dry
  
• The Number 1 press release writing mistake that will doom you every time
  
• 9 ways to get retweeted on Twitter

Claim Your Copy Right Now!

Don’t waste your money on Bad PLR! Get the most bang for your buck with
professionally-written, top quality articles from Nicole Dean at EasyPLR.

Some solopreneurs and service professionals enjoy writing while others prefer speaking or being in front of a camera.

If you enjoy using your voice to build your online business, teleseminars are a fantastic marketing platform. You can invite your e-newsletter subscribers, blog readers, current clients, and social networking friends to attend your teleseminar.  For those that can’t attend, be sure to provide a replay link so they can listen to the presentation at their own convenience.

If you scout around my website, you’ll quickly figure out that I’m a big fan of “free”.  So here are three No-Cost teleseminar venues for you to consider:

FreeConferenceCall.com

NoCostConference.com

FreeConference.com

Many online marketing professionals choose to use a paid service called InstantTeleseminar.com.  You may want to check it out and determine if it fits into your budget.

Speak up!  Speak out! Using your voice is a wonderful and effective way to share your expertise and build relationships.

Tired of paying for something that should be FREE? Here’s a way to create an online presence without breaking the bank.

The simple purpose of Free Website Submitter is to give people the ability to launch their web pages without having to shell out money to an expensive SEO expert. You can submit as many websites as you want right in front of your eyes in seconds. Go ahead, give it a try. It’s fun and easy!

Submit your site to 120+ search engines and directories free and with lightning speed.