Social Media: Not Enough Time!

Clients always ask me what I recommend doing about social media since there is a perception out there that every company should be doing “all these social media channels”.  At the risk of getting yelled at by all of the social media experts, I am going to tell my clients that I encourage them to think long and hard about a strong and solid social media strategy.  One of the best specialists in this area that I know in person, +Juli Monroe with 1 to 1 Discovery, has finally put me out of my social media guilt trip by helping me to see that not every social channel is appropriate to every business type; so selecting the channel that is relevant is key.

Then there is the issue of time. Simply put, I am not so unlike most small business people. I have work to do and clients to help so even if the conclusion for me was that I need to do most of the channels I just don’t have time, period.

So I now pass on to my clients the bottom line of what Juli taught me: pick your channel wisely, commit to it, and get it done in a strategic fashion.  If you don’t have the time, if you don’t care, and if you are simply not going to do it, either DO NOT DO IT or PAY someone to do it for you.

Please don’t put icons on your web site for every channel and then when one clicks all there is a ten month old post, a tweet with three followers that says “hi there”, and a Facebook page that has a nice landscape image (if that has nothing to do with your business).

As for me, if you look at our web site, you will only find the icon to Google+ because I like what I see in this channel and I find it relevant.  And as a proud baby boomer I will tell you that I still love most is doing my social media IN PERSON-that is networking where I can shake a hand, look at a person’s eyes, and let people like me or not, because this is who I am and I don’t happen to need 100 “likes” on what I have to say to feel comfortable in my skin.  I am not suggesting that others do or don’t place that type of value on their social media efforts, and surely I am not past doing my share of “likes” when I see cool stuff but on a day to day basis I just don’t have time.

By +Animus Web Design 

 

 

Small Business Propel: Getting Clear 3.2- Yes, You Are Going To Sell

In the last segment, I shared some ideas to help you get clear about you.  If you missed it, go to Small BusinessPropel:  Getting Clear 3.1- About You; to get clear.

Today I am going to help you get some clarity about the selling issue.  The thing is that most business owners that I have met hate the idea of being a sales person but we both know that unless you come up with the greatest thing since sliced bread, you are going to need to find a way to sell your product or service unless you have the capital to hire people to do it for you.

So a million years ago, when I hated the idea myself, I had to create ways of getting me to do it knowing that without a strategy I would find how to avoid it at all costs. 

OK, first get clear:

·        My product or service will not sell itself.

·        If I have a great thing to offer, why would people not want it?

·        If I am not connecting to potential buyers how will they find out about my offerings?

·        Potential buyers will get an inferior product or service when they buy elsewhere.

Now, here are strategies that I have used and continue to use very successfully:

·        In the early stages of a business, spend 70% of your time doing a combination of activities that connect you to potential buyers.

·        Select two or more networking places where your target market goes.  Sign up and pay the fee. Put it on your calendar.  (By registering and paying you will not make last minute excuses not to go.)

·        Commit to going to two events per week consistently so that you get to know people and they get to know you.  Do not go to drink for happy hour and have a relaxing time.  This is part of your sales plan.

·        Find and set up speaking opportunities and educate people on your area of expertise.

·        Set up a blog and begin to share ideas, comments, tips, promotions, relevant information.  Do this weekly and find out where to post it so people will find it.

·        Select the best social media for your market and work on it 3 times per week.

·        Do not go crazy trying to do all social media types and spend all of your time doing a little here and a little there.  Commit to one and do it well and consistently.

·        Set aside one day a week to schedule one on one meetings with people in related areas.  Schedule for the following week (after you have blocked out when you are networking, blogging, and doing social media).

·        Spend 2 hours per week helping a related business get referrals from you.

·        Spend 8 hours per week of phone follow up:  thank people for spending time with you at an event, set up a one on one, and follow up on any requests for information, schedule appointments, and call referrals that you got.

·        If you hate the phone, use the sandwich method:  do one hour of other sales related tasks that you like better, then call for one hour, then do another more desirable task.

·        Identify the characteristics of a new group of people or business that need and use your product or service line.

·        Spend at least 4 hours per week looking to introduce your company to that market segment.  Create an effective email that you can send via Linked-in to individuals in your target market.  Use the same email to create an email blast for your contacts.

·        Develop your sales kit:  presentation materials, samples, contracts, etc.

·        If you hate talking about money, have a price list at all times and include a “sign up or buy me now” form.

·        Have an effective logo, business cards, and web site.  You are either selling or UNSELLING yourself every time a person sees one of these items.

·        Spend money on SEO for your website, or take the very long time it takes to learn this stuff and get it done.

·        When you can afford it, spend on advertising.

So the bottom line is that if you are spending at least 70% of your time doing selling, marketing, and/or related activities your chances of success go up tremendously.

Paper work, bookkeeping, spending hours learning how to do something that you have no clue how to do, let alone do it effectively is a sure way to run you out of business.

Until such time as you can pay others to do it, yes-you are going to sell.

By +Maria Ryan McElhenny

 

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Networking and the website from HELL

A few months ago I went to a business networking event that I found online and I thought I would check it out.  When I got there I was surprised to find about 50 people and the person that greeted me asked me what my business did.

“I run a strategic branding website design firm” I told him.

“Well, please go and speak to that woman over there and tell her, to see if it is OK for you to speak because I think she also does web stuff”- he tells me.

So I go to the woman.  I introduce myself and tell her that the guy suggested I check with her.

“Yes, I do web design.-She tells me- but my primary thing is marketing. So just go ahead and introduce yourself and not mention that you do web design.”

OK, I thought.  This is not my show so I am happy to respect that. 

Before I leave the event, she runs to me to give me her business card (which is very ugly and shows nothing to do with either marketing or web design) and tells me that it would be great to meet with me to see how she can help my clients with marketing needs.  I thank her and go my merry way.

So when I get back to the office (out of pure curiosity) I go to her site to figure out what the world she does… and there it is, right before my eyes: THE WEBSITE FROM HELL.

Just at a glance, it was painful to the eyes.  Easily the ugliest website I have seen in a long time and it was so bad that I knew not even a template could make this mess.  I have no clue how she did that, what she used to create this thing, or how out of touch one must be to use this thing.  Let’s see what the content is-I thought.  Since I was now even more curious as to what she did.

Well, somewhere in the content it mentioned that she creates and implements successful marketing programs and campaigns for her clients and in one line somewhere on a page she talks about designing websites.

What?

What?

All I could think of was that I had found the perfect example of what NOT to do.  And even right now I am wondering if I can find a way to remove all info that may identify her or her business so I can show you.  I want to use that thing on one of my classes!  But I am not into humiliating people.

So I put the card on my recycling can and I thought one day when I have a few moments I would share the experience-then forgot!

BUT.  I run into her a couple of days ago at another event and she comes to me: “let’s meet to see how we can work together”.

What?

 

Here is another preview into my mind:

Are you crazy?  Do you think I would ever refer a client of mine to a person who is so “all over the place that one can’t even figure out what she does”?  What’s your definition of “marketing”?

Maybe I am on my own world here… but to me, marketing has to do with branding the right message to the right audience.  I must be wrong because the only message I got from her website and business card is:

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Maria Ryan

Animus Web Design