grow your business

The 4 M’s of Social Media

By writeminded on March 1, 2012

Success in Social Media is having a well-defined tactical plan of attack but rarely can you succeed based on this alone. Strategy is the tip of the sword and without it your tactics will probably fail. With that being said there are four important areas you should focus on when implementing any social media tactical campaign.

First – What is your Message? What is the purpose of the message? What is the reader supposed to do once they see your message? Is it simple and easy to understand? Does it take a long time to figure out what to do once the reader decides they want to act on it? Does it further your current marketing or sales cycle? What part of the overall cycle does this message address and satisfy? It needs to be clear and concise and to the point. It needs to cause an emotional response that gets the reader to perform an action. What is the response you are looking for from the message?

Second – What are the mediums you intend to use to convey the message? Social Media Geography is growing larger every day with new places and spaces to claim your real estate. My advice is to be careful here. Choose wisely. Realistically you can’t dedicate too many resources when starting out. You can always expand to other sites and places once the Monetize (# 4) portion is in place and giving you the expected return. Stick with the basics and those that may be specific to the types of customers you serve. The idea is to use the same message and spread it out across multiple mediums for maximum exposure and hopefully inbound capture and conversion. People will buy when they are ready to buy and having them know, like and trust you is how they try, buy, repeat and refer you. This is the goal of marketing and the hourglass philosophy of John Jantsch and Duct Tape Marketing.

Third – The importance of measurement. Measure everything. Social media is another tactic and should be measured and analyzed constantly. Use tools and analytics available from your vendors and providers or services like web trends, Google analytics. Etc. (some are pay others are free). Split your message and test it and don’t forget that just because its social media you shouldn’t ignore traditional marketing methods that have been successful since marketing became a discipline.

Fourth – Monetize. What is your definition of how it monetizes? For some it may be the sale for others it may be a goal like contributions or a certain level of social awareness. At the end of the day how does the message eventually convert to a sale? If not does it increase transaction velocity (quicker sales close cycle) or improve your social following and reputation? The definition of the sale has also changed with social media. It can now be defined as any transaction that creates a ripple economic effect for the institution involved in the message.

Innovation in Customer Service – The Next Fronteir

By brad on February 17, 2012

Innovation in Customer Service is the next frontier. Yes products evolve and get easier to use, more efficient and streamlined but what do they do to make the customer experience better?

People will use anything that makes life more efficient and are willing to pay for ease, convenience and offerings that cater to their needs, work to fit their lifestyle or circumstances and looks and feels like a personalized experience.

Some hotels for example now let you check in and out on a 24 hour rolling basis making it an innovation that directly impacts the customer experience. If the customer can change their buying patterns to make things easier for themselves then any service offering like this will be successful.

A supermarket chain allows you to call ahead with your list so that when you arrive your order is ready and you can just pick up the items you forgot saving you the long time you spend in the supermarket but still allow for the experience of shopping. They also provide home delivery which is an old model but felt that many of their customers still like the shopping experience to be able to select key items such as fruit, meats and other personal choice items. They are growing at an amazing rate because they offer services that bring innovation to the customer experience and meet multiple needs depending on their customer’s circumstances.

In the mobile world now that the platforms are becoming more widespread and used as everyday tools (iPhones, Droids, Tablets) the success of the appliance will be judged going forward not just based upon the applications that are utilized on the device and for what purpose. The device themselves will gain or lose market share depending on the ergonomic likes and dislikes (style, size, color, ease of use, availability of applications, etc.). However the devices that can bring consistent innovation to the customer experience by changing the way the consumer behaves will rise to the top. Users of these devices will see the utility as something that improves customer service and is a must for their lifestyle.

The monetization of Customer Innovation can be quite large. It will come from repetitive use and mass adoption from consumers which originates from social media acceptance and approval. After all how they bring innovation to the customer experience is always a great story to tell!

Innovation in Customer Service – The Next Frontier

By writeminded on February 6, 2012

By Brad Tornberg

Innovation in Customer Service is the next frontier. Yes products evolve and get easier to use, more efficient and streamlined but what do they do to make the customer experience better?

Time to Plan and Get Ready for the Fall!

By marketsimplicity on August 22, 2011

I always look at the summer in two ways. First it’s extremely important as a business owner to take down time and relax. Mental freshness is sometimes the biggest roadblock for business innovation. Sometimes rest can be regenerative in terms of your creativity skills thus the benefits of taking a break.

The second benefit of the summer is it gives you a chance to refocus on the last three business development months. I say three months because unless you are well into the sales cycle or get lucky enough to find those people who realize it’s use it or lose it in terms of budget, you only really have thru Thanksgiving in terms of getting buyers attention. Holidays work well for B-to-C but here we are specifically referring to the B-To-B market.

Many business owners and decision makers also look at the last part of the year the same way so if they are going to reach their milestones they need to get moving and in terms of your product or service so the timing is good to get their attention.

Planning what you’re going to do is the best place to start. How much do you have to spend to get what result? That is the place to start. Focus on the activities that will generate the revenue you need to reach your goal in the shortest time. In my case it was going back to basics in terms of traditional marketing methods such as Trade Shows and Direct Mail.

With that being said do not forget the marketing system or machine that you are hopefully trying to build (If not you should get In touch with me so I can show you how!). The system should have a clear strategy as well as s tactics necessary to achieve the strategy. The system always needs to be fed. Social media and other passive methods tend to collect the feeder you need to produce the desired result of a buyer so don’t neglect them.

In my case the long term continues to get fed by more Belly to Belly in person contact such as Speaking Engagements and Networking. A grass roots campaign of getting out and talking to the people adds this other leg to my campaign without any pressure. It’s strictly getting out to people, exchanging business cards, educating them and hoping that when they need you (and of course you have to stay in front of them for this to happen) they immediately think of you as the one to go to in their mind. They know you, they like you and they have been looking for a reason to do business with you. They trust you because they read your blogs and hear you speak. They visit your web site and find its content useful and timely. Occasionally you tweet something useful for them to go look at or research. You add value to the relationship.

I feel strongly about the Duct Tape Marketing approach that people need to Know, Like and Trust you before they Try, Buy and Repeat from you. So how to you get them to know. Like and trust you? My planning usually happens during a quiet time on a lazy summer Sunday or Thursday evening at a Coffee Shop. Either way you need to find your time, find your place and plan your fall campaign season now!

Are You Ready?

By marketsimplicity on June 27, 2011

I wanted to give you a few more ideas that can help you attract new clients and grow your business.

What can you say to your clients or prospects to make them ask “huh, what did you just say?” Make your statements so outrageous that they ask you to prove it. And then prove it.
If you are in a retail business – do not sell the products. Sell the experience of your store. This is the biggest reason retail business go out of businesses so quickly – they are there to discount products – and that is it. (re-read that again if you are not in a retail environment… the lessons still apply).
Set the buying criteria for your prospects. Once they have seen your offering – they have to reevaluate how they decide who to buy from because you made them realize – you are the only one that provides an experience as high quality as you do.
Plan your long-term strategies before you plan your tactics. Strategy shows where you plan on going, who you want to be, and what types of clients you want as your friends. Tactics show how to get all of your strategy accomplished.

Despite all the magic pill solutions being hyped out there, nothing beats a street smart marketing initiative like this.

Few are willing to lay it out on the table like this, which explains why so many businesses end up on the dung heap.

Sustainable growth in today’s economy is ALL based on sound business principles.

Which we are covering in the upcoming Duct Tape Marketing Catalyst Program.

Please spend some time on that site and put some serious thought into what IS possible in your business. Oftentimes it is a step-by-step coaching program like this that can give you the massive breakthroughs that you want.

Magic pills don’t work…

…repeatable systems do.

Join me in this 10 step marketing process and you will walk away with the systems you need.

~ Brad Tornberg

PS: The most important thing you must consider in hiring a marketing consultant is in their ability to deliver.

The Duct Tape Marketing system has been used to start, grow and help thousands of individuals achieve levels of success they previously had only dreamed of.

Duct Tape Marketing would like you to be next.

Why don’t you join us for an amazing ride! Get your Free Business Assessment and Consultation today.

Will the Duct Tape Catalyst Program Help You Grow Your Business?

By marketsimplicity on June 20, 2011

To understand what truly makes the Duct Tape Catalyst Program and organization so unique and powerful, you must ask and answer these questions for yourself:

What aspects of your marketing are you working on and what are your top areas of concern right now?
What would be your reason for going through the Duct Tape Catalyst Program?
What would it mean to you to have a part time Marketing Director at your side to help you succeed and evolve?
What would it mean to you to have a consultant who has been through what you’re going through now… and has found the answers you’re looking for?

It’s your answers to these questions that’ll determine how much you can benefit from the Duct Tape Catalyst Program.

The Duct Tape Catalyst Program is not a passive solution and certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. You need to be not only committed to change but committed to making those changes and sticking with them long term.

So, if you are looking for that magic pill or one hit “marketing wonder” that will fix your present and future success… this program is definitely not for you!

There is no business marketing trick or technique in existence that can have a long term effect on your bottom line. You may see temporary spikes in your income or success – but it WILL be short-lived and disappear as quickly as it appeared.

There’s absolutely no way to create – and sustain – exponential growth in your life and business if you don’t take an integrated approach to your small business marketing.

What you want is an integrated approach that optimizes and balances your personal and business strengths with the right marketing skills – and keeps them optimized.

From the above write up, I hope you can see that you need specialized help.