I’m sure we all heart ‘content is king’

But is it? If the major content sites expect you to upload for free and other sites expect you to wait for ad revenues, then it doesn’t sound like it does much good for content providers. The Wall Street Journal seems to be the only one getting away charging a fee after the first few paragraphs.

So, if there isn’t another out, what is the incentive for providing content? And please don’t tell me it will bring customers. I have only successfully used my site once in three years to bring in a writing client.  I guess maybe it depends on what kind of customers you are looking for.

Anyway, I have had great reviews for my business content every time I post here letting it be known I have a new article up.. However, and it is a big however, no is willing to pay for it. Well, I take it back, I found one customer here two years ago, willing, he paid me a whopping $1 an article for a big bunch. They were just sitting there so what the heck was my thought to begin with. Now, now I don’t know what to think.

Looking for input.

Laura Bell

PS Anyone need any business content

There has been a certain amount of misunderstanding about content. Sure, it is King but more like an hors d’oeuvre than the whole meal.

Clearly, you can make money from content, otherwise there would be no book sales, no colleges, no learning programmes and would it be a boring place?

What all these have in common is:

Content is material that people are searching for and it has to offer some unique insights.

People are buyers and they buy once trust has been built. So, content is part of that trust builder. For them to feel they are in safe hands.

So what was my answer to her question?

People will buy from sources that are focused and have great depth. You give away some content to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable and have that depth.

You have a website that appeals to the audience and even a blog that gives teasers.

Content can be sold but the business owner needs to:
- Be an authority in their field
- Have gravitas with thought leadership
- Be seen to be rubbing shoulders with other thought leaders
- Build community through free content
- Bring in people to deliver training and coaching to embed that knowledge or desired change

Content is part of your business – more like the glue rather than the whole meal

What are your thoughts on how to sell content?

Their marketing budget has been spent on a new website, logo, stationery, brochures even. They’ve joined networking groups, advertised in local/national press or written a couple of articles. And, are disappointed, hacked off and thinking that marketing is just snake oil!

It usually takes one or two questions to uncover the sticking point(s):

1. Have you asked what your market what they want?
2. Is your marketing tailored to the issues causing problems?

In 99% of cases, the answers to one or both is No. So, that means all the money spent on marketing so far has been wasted.

Marketing is about the market, about your buyers. Give them what they are looking for and the sales will follow.

So, to Have More Clients, it’s a case of matching your offering to the market and, here’s how to do that:

1. At each networking event, book a 121 to find out more about the other people and their businesses. How you may help them with referrals and how they may help you. You may be surprised with what you learn.
2. Set up tweets asking questions or go through the tweets from people in your market to see what they are saying and sharing. Engage with them and see if you can interview them.
3. Set up a discussion thread on other social networking sites and respond to the comments so there is dialogue.
4. Create a short survey and promote that on your social networking sites.
5. Send an email to those people in your CRM and on your newsletter list asking them to complete the survey.
6. Ask other business owners serving your market whether they would promote your survey to their clients and prospects.

Once you have the answers you will be in a better position to:

• Have a website serving your market
• Able to create lead magnets
• Create your content strategy for social media
• Build credibility as an expert in your market

So, it is easy to get the market into your marketing. And, by engaging with your market, you’ll always be offering services that meet their needs.

1. Workhorse Website
2. Email Marketing

And, they are intrinsically linked.

Let me clear, email marketing is the way you keep in touch with prospects, customers/clients, partners and affiliates.

Sure you can send individual emails using your standard email software eg Outlook or gmail etc but this software isn’t designed to be used for marketing.

Email marketing has rules regarding spam and email reputation. It is much easier to use the know how of email marketing software rather than try to do it yourself.

Make sure your chosen email provider offers you website signup forms as part of the service. This makes the link between your website and email marketing stronger and automatic.

The more sophisticated the tracking of unopened emails and bounces will ensure your list remains clean. That means your emails will be more readily delivered!

That’s the basic starter information. Post your questions on email makreitng and over the next few days, posts will provide answers

The opportunities are endless. You can network at any time of the day or night – face to face and online.

The big question is “Have your Social Networking skills and practices kept pace?”

What are the changes?

• Small Business Networking is now one to many and many to many than just one to one.
• Business Networking and your website are intrinsically linked
• Networking effectiveness is boosted by switching from sales oriented messages to content and permission-based marketing.

To make the most of these, here are five networking tips:

1. Online Social Networking Profiles
   Create or update your online profile for all the networking groups to which you belong. Be consistent with what you write and keep them up to date.
2. Join Social Networking Sites
   Choose the ones that best suit your business. The top social networking sites are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Generally, Facebook is great if you have a large following already. Linkedin is a business oriented site. Twitter is good for both business to business and business to consumer providing your market is there too! There are smaller ones, industry specific or geographically based. Still choose the ones best for your business.

3. Create Content
   If you are already glazing over with idea of creating articles and content generally, come back!

   With online networking, posts are like attending an event where the emphasis is on sharing information.

   There’s a bonus for this activity, you can use this content in other areas of your marketing. What’s more, you can create lead magnets from these and the comments received!

4. Comment of what’s being said
   Monitor what others are saying and add your thoughts – just as you would in face to face networking. Remember, nothing is deleted on the internet, so keep your comments in line with your business aims and values.

   People buy from people they trust and the easiest way to build this is through consistency.

5. Have 121s
   It doesn’t matter whether you network face to face or online, you want ways to explore potential. A 121 over the phone is a quick and easy way to decide how to move forward even if that is to arrange an appointment.

These are five networking tips you can do today and over time they increase the effectiveness of your marketing. Tell me which of these are doing now?

Anne:    How do the Lead Magnet get sales?

KP:       You have a follow through service with links.  So your magnet isn’t a stand alone.  It’s part of your whole programme, it’s embedded.  So whatever you want to do, your follow on services flow your lead magnet.

Anne:    In other words don’t just pop it up there and hope for the best, it’s got to be part of the package?

KP:       That’s right.  Marketing only works when it’s integrated.  When one bit works with another bit.. which works with another bit.  Marketing doesn’t work very effectively if you do one bit and you do that really well but it doesn’t go anywhere.

You might be lucky and get sales from it but that’s where it’s hard for small business owners who aren’t trained in marketing to actually realise that it’s a concept.  Think of marketing as an orchestra and every instrument, every tool has a part to play in growing your business.

Mike:    What is the relationship, if any, between what they call squeeze pages, landing pages and a lead magnet?

KP:       A lead magnet isn’t necessarily on a squeeze page.  A squeeze page is where someone lands on a page and they can’t do anything else.  The lead magnet seminar page that you arrived on was a squeeze page because there was nowhere else you could go apart from decide whether to sign up or press the “back” key on your browser.  They were the only two pages where you could have gone.  That’s forcing you to make a decision.

If you go to the the Twitter Report page on my case study, where it’s got all of the recommendations and the graphic and stuff, that’s basically another squeeze page.

I’ve also got the Twitter report lead magnet on HaveMoreClients home page which is nothing like a squeeze page.  People don’t have to sign up to it, but people do.  It depends where the lead magnet fits within all the other bits of your marketing and what is it that you want it to do.  All these things have their place.

Mike:    Thank you.

Post your questions and receive answers on how to use Lead Magnets to attract more clients.

Step one:  Learn what your market wants and how they want to receive it

So who is your market? Be specific! The more specific, the more personal you appear. You want people to think/feel “That’s me!” Creating that understanding goes a long way in the “Know, Like and Trust” of relationships

By creating a profile of your ideal client group, commonalities arise and that makes it easier for you to communicate to the whole group.

Be wary of creating multiple groups as this will increase your marketing effort. Each group requires a specific message for them to feel/think “That’s me!”

On the flip side, you can provide information in different formats and topics to suit sub-groups.

Some of us are auditory, some of us are kinaesthetic, others’ are visionary.  What happens is that when we provide everything through text we limit our marketability.

The easiest way of finding what your market wants is to ask them. You can do this by interviewing them on the phone, face to face or in small groups depending upon your skills, time and resources. Interviews are great when you want to learn the language your market uses as well as more about them. If you have the evidence regarding language, then a questionnaire can be the quickest and easiest way.

And if you really don’t want to contact the market first hand, you can look at what’s been published on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. By seeing the numbers of books, the words and topics addressed gives you a good indication what’s been done and is popular.

Step Two:  Create the content to suit your market

The basic formats for Lead Magnets are Text, Audio, Video and the combinations.

The most common statement from small business owner clients is “But, I don’t have content. I don’t have enough to say” And, that is usually after they have spoken passionately about their business for thirty minutes.

It doesn’t matter weather you have a product based business or offer services. You have content.

Every business owner is an expert in their area. If not, then they won’t have a business that will last that long!

By concentrating on the themes arising from Step One, you have topics from which to add your perspective and stamp. This is important in the Know, Like and Trust cycle. If you appear to be little more than saying the “same ole”, there will be little to distinguish you from others. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your thought leadership, your perspective. By doing this, you increase your attractiveness and likeability to the market.

Step Three: Add the Lead Magnet to your webpage

This can be to the homepage of your site, your blog, or even create a mini-site that just has your lead magnet. Well, it could be on all – the essential ingredient is to have an email capture mechanism.

People have asked if Lead Magnets only work online. The answer is no – you can hand deliver the lead magnet. But to increase the effectiveness of your marketing, it is much better to have Lead Magnets online so people can get the material when it suits them.

All your offline promotion can direct people to your website/page with your lead magnet.

Too many websites are little more than brochures, they cost money to create and maintain but don’t actually work for your business. Lead Magnets helps you to redress the balance and start to turn your website into a profit centre rather than a drain on resources.

Step Four – Promote your Magnet

What if you just add it to your existing marketing?

Instantly you are open 24/7, 365 days a year.

You are no longer open 9-5 five days a week.

People can consume you whenever they want and what’s so great about this is that you know they are interested in what you have written about or what you recorded because they have downloaded it.

Then it is up to you to build that relationship up over time.

The big emphasis about adding a lead magnet to your marketing mix is that you know what they are interested in, you build up a relationship so that they know they like and trust you.  Once they trust you, they will open their wallet.

Just think about how you buy.  Do you buy from people who you don’t know?  You might if it’s a low cost, low risk transactional purchase. Great, if you are in this market?  But with selling services that can be quite expensive, we need know how we can build that relationship so people trust and are happy to part with their money.

Here are ten ways to promote your Lead Magnet

1. Business cards

   You could have your url on your business card pointing to your lead magnet.  That’s important.  How many business cards do you give away in a week?  What are people going to do?  The first thing they are going to do if they do anything from your business card is look at your website.

2. Articles

   Whether you’ve got online or offline articles or whether you post articles in special groups or directories you have an opportunity to put a link to your lead magnet.

3. Your blog post

   You could put a call to action at the bottom of your blog post that points to your lead magnet.

4. Networking

   Every time you go networking you can tell people that you have a lead magnet, something on your website that you can download.  Not only that but it makes it easier for your vendors and suppliers to be networking for you.  They’re not recommending you as a sale, they can say “Oh, I know Samantha, she does that sort of work and I know she’s got an e-book you can download/a video you can watch”.  That’s going to be worth a lot.  It’s going to have more traffic coming to your lead magnet.

5. Google Ad Words

   These are great but I don’t recommend you do it at the beginning, it’s a more advanced activity.  Do Google Ad Words when you’ve proven that your lead magnet is magnetic otherwise you’ll be spending money and not getting a return.

6. Press releases

   You can do online press releases as well as those to go into magazines and papers of your choice that are read by your market.

7. Public speaking

   You can structure your talk so people can get more information by downloading  your information.

8. You can give testimonials

   People talk about testimonials as getting them from people.  Actually giving testimonials is a great promotional tool.  It means you are seen by people who are not in your usual circle.

   You are able to show people the sort of business you are in the way to give testimonials. Also, you build up links form other sites with testimonials.

   If you give testimonials and you give freely, it will actually increase your promotions, particularly if you then put your web address linking back to the lead magnet.

9. Social networking

   Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and all the other sites that you could be using that reaches your market. Each of these can be regarded as a distinct tool as they appeal to different groups of people and the way you present the material matters to each platform.

10. Inserts in magazines and newsletters

    That’s a bit like Google Ad Words, it will cost money and you want to make sure that your magnet is magnetic before you do that.

You don’t have to spend lots of money to market your business.  You do have to spend money on learning how to do it but not to deliver it.  If you’re spending lots of money, I suggest that you look at different ways of marketing your business.

Now you have the four steps. These are the same steps I use in my own business and with clients. If you would like to learn how to do, go to Lead Magnet Secrets. Training starts on 24th March 2010

I hear this a lot when speaking to business owners, the holy grail of gaining sales with no effort. Don’t get me wrong, it is possible to have business only through referrals. But, and there is a but…

Not all referrals are equal and not all past customers refer at the same rate or with the same calibre of prospect. So, there is a requirement for a system to be in place monitoring this and rewarding those who bring you more business. After all, how much would you have a pay a salesperson to bring in the same business?

Depending upon how your enquiries arrive, the simplest way is to ask the person where they heard about you.

On the internet, the first time you may know of the referral is when they purchase, so make sure you have a field where they can add the name of the referee.

On the phone, you can have a standard form either directly into your CRM system, which could just as easily be a spreadsheet as well as an off the shelf package. Add a field to collect this information making sure you specify how to store client referrals.

The key is to collect the information so that you are able to search the database for the top referees. It is those referees who are effectively doing the job of a salesperson and you can acknowledge your appreciation.

Appreciate your Referees

Appreciation can be shown in a number of ways from simply sending a handwritten note to giving them something that demonstrates your gratitude. For this, contact colleagues, spouse or others to find out what the referring client would really appreciate. This may be a trip to the opera, weekend away or a fabulous meal in a 5 star restaurant. Rewarding your top referees in this way, shows you appreciate their thoughts and efforts. This will result in them continuing their current behaviour.

Level of Appreciation

You may be thinking “how do I decide on the level of gift?” Consider the following:

1. How much business they have brought to you
2. What impact has it had on your business? This may be additional staff, keeping current staff, updating vehicles, computer systems etc
3. How much would it have cost with a salesperson or using another marketing method?

The answers will give you the level of appreciation award.

Reactivate Past Referees

Now, if you find that most clients only refer once or twice and stop. Then this is an opportunity to review and change. First, contact a few referees, reconnect with them and ask them about any referrals they may have. This opens up the conversation to explore what is happening and whether showing appreciation would be helpful. Remember to “read between the lines” with these responses.

Referrals happening as a result of feeling good about the service and/or experience received. Reciprocity, if once there, can be reactivated and maintained.

Next Steps

Follow this guidance and you will be increasing the volume of business arriving effortlessly

Tell me what proportion of your business comes through referrals and how you track your primary referees.

Really, as with all marketing, which platform is best for what you want to achieve.

There is having connections with people on all the sites and that is great to keep in touch but it may not have anything to do with marketing.

I know alot of professional service firms pooh-pooh Facebook and that leaves a great opportunity for the firms who don’t. Facebook Fan Pages will grow in importance as people learn how they are to use them.

Linkedin is a great site for business to business (but not exclusively so) but it does depend on how you use it. Again, goes back to what your goals are. Setting up groups and participating in groups are great ways of gaining credibility and extending your market. But, you need to have something else to follow on too.

What is at your website to capture interest further?

How are you going to convert interest into a client?

How are you going to do that as well as servicing clients?

Great questions that need answers otherwise your ROI will be poor.

If you are using Linkedin as if you would personal networking, then you may be missing opportunities. I have a guide on how to use linkedin here

The fundamental difference between face to face networking and online networking is the scale. Face to face tends to be 1 to 1 and sometimes 1 to many. While, online networking is many to many… that’s new and it means that if you change your approach, your returns will also increase.

With regards to Twitter, it is an interesting tool. And, I think you have think what you want to achieve. Also, is your market on twitter? With twitter, a tweet life expectancy is around 10 minutes. So, if your market isn’t consuming in real time there is less chance that your efforts will be received. Sure, there are tools that collect tweets from people you are particularly interested in but that won’t be for lots of people.

Again, I think you can use twitter in a tactical way to have lots of comments on an event, topic etc.

On a personal note, I like sites where I am able to explore concepts, engage with others in that exploration and make new connections. Connections aren’t always prospects but they are always interesting. Taking that perspective further, it’s about how to create win:win outcomes…

How do you use the different social networking sites?

Many websites appealing to other businesses are little more than brochures with the usual “contact us” for more information. And, even if you do fill in the box, how many times do you receive a response? I am always surprised when I take the time to give all the information for the company to contact me so I can become a customer or clients, yet there is no response… what a lost opportunity!

Most people though just click away if they can’t find the information they want… another lost opportunity!

Studies show that people only scan online text.

So, if you have complex topics, an alternative to giving information via the web page is required.  That means considering documents in PDF format, audio and videos or a combination. You aim is to help people with their decision making process in finding the best solution for their problem. You want to build trust that you have the depth, the expertise and can provide solutions to suit the client.

Before your visitors access your material, you can ask for their details. The amount of details depends upon your market and where they are meeting you.

Ask for too much and they will go away or give you incorrect information.  Either way, you lose.

The benefit of having information on your website is so you can follow up with additional information building up that all important trust. By adding details of your report, audio or video with a sign up box, you are now open for business when people stop by.

This also works for pre-paid services. The first time you know someone has visited is when you receive an email informing you that you have new funds. Isn’t that where you want to be?

To find out more about having a website that works for you, register for the F R E E teleseminar on Lead Magnets, 10th February 2010 at 7pm GMT and 2pm EST

But, in the world where time is at a premium, marketing smarter than harder is required.

Enter:  Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is material produced by you giving information that your market is currently searching for. It sits on a web page and people can download whenever it suits them. So you see, with a lead magnet your business is open all the time! Even when you’re asleep, out with your partner or having a much needed break!

There are three stages to attracting more prospects and are shown in the diagram below:

Lead Magnet Creation

The formats available are document (PDF), audio, video or a combination. Your choice depends upon your market and the sort of services you offer.  For example:

• A law firm would use text and audio than video unless it is showing people how to fill in a particular form
• A photographer may be better to have a document and video rather than audio
• A recruitment agency may have multiple magnets according to whether they are attracting candidates or clients. For clients, they may find audio better than text. While for candidates, it may be both audio and video. But, this really does depend upon the topics shared.

The one format that builds intimacy faster is audio for the simple reason that people can hear you, your passion, your commitment and that builds the like, know and trust faster.

On the other hand, reports and videos enable you to explain complex topics. The length of each depends upon your topic but keeping it short so people can consume and want more.

Publishing – Which Web page?

You can have your magnet on several pages:

• Homepage
• A special page showing more information. Something like a sales page
• Added to specific pages as a supplement to the content

The purpose is to expose everyone visiting that page to your content and magnet.

You ask people for their email address, and more if that’s appropriate for your market, in exchange for the material. Yes, they can immediately unsubscribe once they have your information, and accept that there are some people who take all that’s on offer.  But, they may come back later when it’s right for them!

It’s having their email address that enables you to foster a relationship. It enables you to send them your newsletter, invite them to seminars or forward items that supplement the magnet information. Lead Magnets are integral to marketing your service business.

So we have two activities completed – creation and publish. Now, let’s look at the third element – Promotion.

Promotion

Even though you’ve created the material you know is wanted by your market, you still have to tell them it exists. And, this needn’t be difficult; it can just be a change in the way you promote your services now.

Add details onto your business card, email signature and forums and groups etc. This gives you an opportunity to offer value without being service led; without having to be there to deliver. Now you are open all hours and your promotions are geared to people having the material rather than making the sale.

Be clear before you promote your magnet, even before you create, just what you want to achieve and how you plan to do it. Then, it will be easy to follow up with people, building your reputation and making many more sales along the way.

Why Lead Magnets

This post opened with the market being tough but it is also part of the changing marketing landscape where the buyers search for independent, value-centred information prior to buying. They are less likely to accept sales oriented material as acceptable.

Lead Magnets make the intangible tangible. People are able to experience your approach, your thinking before having to risk paying for a service that doesn’t deliver or delivers with high costs attached.

By having lead magnets, you offer a no risk way for people to learn more about your services, your approach while enhancing your position as an authority.

To find out more, register for the F R E E Lead Magnet Seminar on 10^th February 2010 at 7pm GMT 2pm EST