Did you create a marketing strategy to justify your vision or focus your effort?

More often than not, when helping a small business develop their website, I discover they have NO marketing strategy.  Those who have written a strategy, more often than not, did so to justify their vision.

If you’ve never heard the phrase, then please allow me to introduce you to a new concept.  Niches bring riches!

If have not already created a Marketing Strategy, start today.  If you have created a Strategy that identifies EVERYBODY as your target customer, start your first rewrite today.

Your marketing strategy is a road map to using limited resources to succeed in your business.  Identifying fewer, more focused target customers will improve your conversion percentage.  Do some soul searching, and start with who you DON’T want as a customer.  Starting with who you don’t want will help you focus on the personality traits of those you do want as customers.

Why narrow your customer focus?  Because you do not have enough time in the typical work year to meet with everyone, you must prioritize your prospects by conversion opportunity.  Those with whom you have a natural personality clash with should be eliminated from your marketing strategy.  At some point in the transaction, your personality clash will become apparent and the business relationship will halt.

Develop a clear personality profile for your preferred client.  Then identify the things this personality type does for fun.  Find ways to market to those people where they are having fun.  Avoid the direct sales presentation and authentically injected your own personality into the presentation.  Let the laws of attraction bring your new customer to you and you’ll be impressed with how easy closing deals becomes.

Ann Sieg has just released her Attraction Marketing Manifesto.   This free Ebook gives internet marketing strategies that work for Network Marketing industries, Traditional businesses, Service industry, Coaches, and any other business model on the Internet today.  She breaks down the right way to promote on the Internet and contrasts it with the wrong methods.

I show traditional, brick and mortar businesses how to market their services or wares on the Internet.  This ebook is a must read for business owners to get a solid idea of how to approach their online marketing strategies/methods.  I would highly recommend it for any business model.

It is all about giving other people the information they seek.  You must position yourself as the expert in your field – then start to provide content.  DO NOT SELL.  Content can be in the form of:

• Articles
• Blog Posts
• Videos
• EBooks
• Special Reports

People love to learn – and people turn to the Internet to learn.  So ask yourself – what does my ideal client wanting to learn?  This assumes you know who your ideal client is – if you do not then start there.  Who do I want to work with?  What type of person/business is the best client for me and my business?  Without having that figured out it is not possible to really make a serious income from any business.  Having your ideal client does not limit you to only that type of customer, but it will give you a very narrow focus for your marketing.  By having this narrow focus your marketing efforts and dollars will go a great deal farther.

My target customers are small business / home business owners that want to take at least a part of their business online.  I do not exclude other types of clients – but I only market to my target or ideal client.

So, what type of information are your customers looking for?  Whatever it is – provide that content and then you will be attracting paying customers that you want to work with.  Ann really hits this point directly in the ebook.  You will be the expert in your field.  If you don’t position yourself as the expert someone else is more than willing to.  Do you want your potential customers coming to you because they know you are the “go-to” person, or do you want them going to the competition?  That should be an easy question to answer – but positioning yourself as an expert is hard for some people.  I say, “Get over it” and start producing informational content.  Start using the Social Sites, Blogging, Videos, and Article Repositories.  Start building that web of content that is all leading back to you – the Expert!  By building this web of content you are providing many places on the Internet for your content to be found, and many “long-tail” keyword phrases that people are searching for that will be pointing to your content.  Then by linking the content back to you people will know what service/product you are providing and they will start to contact you when they are in a buying position.  I receive phone calls (make your phone number easy to find) and emails on a daily basis.

By following the steps that Ann lays out in her new ebook you can find success on the Internet.  That success can complement your traditional business or it can be stand alone itself.  It is your choice but either way your business and bottom line will improve by adding the Internet to the mix of marketing ideas that work.

To get your own free copy of Attraction Marketing Manifesto download it here: Attraction Marketing Manifesto

Dotty

Current trends show an explosion in online Social Networking (PewInternet.org) for both personal and business use.  While 75% of the age demo using social networks are 18 to 25, 7% are 65 years old and older.

The obvious is WHY are people turning to online social networking (like PortlandBusinessCommunity.com)?

Access to more people

The typical chamber of commerce has 40 to 90 business people.  Online groups grant the visitor access to tens of thousands to tens of millions of users.

Requires less time

There is no drive time requirement to visit a website!  Most chambers has an average attendance rate of 20 to 30%.  That means reaching 100% of the chamber members requires attending LOTS of meetings.

Improved lead quality

Your local chamber brings together business people from all walks a life.  Online networking uses the power of the internet search to bring businesses with similar interests together.

We could list hundreds of reasons why people are turning to online social networks to help them grow their business and reach more people, but we would be preaching to the choir.

Use your social networks as a means to build relationships with target customers.  Forward article links to help your customers (or leads) see the true value in doing business with you.  Become the resource your customer turns to when help is needed.  We call this the hero factor.

Are you a hero in the eyes of your customers?

Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
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