Recently I hired a trainer to help me workout (yes, I think if you are a coach or trainer you hire coaches and trainers on occasion!) My reason for wanting one was simple:
I had formed some limiting beliefs about being in the gym, that I needed help getting over.
I needed help creating a strategy where I could measure results.
I wanted a system that would help me be persistent and successful in my current lifestyle.
See in the latter part of 1993 to 2003 I was a POWERHOUSE in the gym. And with change in my life: moving, love, travel for business, growing my own business, tragedy… I stopped working out. Of course, when we started we took measurements and weighed in. Here is what happened 30 days later at weigh in and some of my thoughts around it:
So what’s the point? Remember the Calla Lily blog? Right now, in this part of my life, I am the Calla Lily. You may be the Calla Lily in some part of your life as well. Maybe it’s working out regularly, like with me. Maybe it’s in growing a business. You have to ask yourself:
Have I created a strategy that helps me measure results?
If I don’t immediately get the results I desire, what system have I created to be persistent and eventually successful?
Too often people quit WAY too soon. As Jeff Olsen of The Slight Edgesays: “Success is the continuous movement toward a worthy goal or ideal.”
What challenges are you facing where you need to stick to your plan right now?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Creating a customer experience is not always easy, but there are great examples every day if you watch. I have been a HUGE fan of Guerrilla Marketing for many years, and recently had an amazing “Guerrilla” customer experience via Twitter. There is nothing more powerful than having it happen to you! You may not be in social media, but you are in customer service. Everyday we are given the opportunity to BE Influential with our customers, internal or external.
Comcast has never really been my favorite. But @ComcastBill is my superhero. I personally think they should have him training the CSR’s that answer the 800 technical issue line. And because of @ComcastBill I’m still a Comcast customer.
What can we learn from @ComcastBill about how we can use a brilliant Guerrilla Marketing techniques to increase customer experiences and be more influential?
Listen more and talk less.
Let the customer have their experience. Understand the power of empathy, even when you think they are RUDE!
Never say “calm down”.
Follow up- are they satisfied now?
If something negative happens; deal with integrity and good communication.
What Guerrilla Marketing techniques can you embrace in your business?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Often when businesses start a blog they are all business, and then at some point you hit the “freak out” meter and start to wonder how many times can you write about that topic! And if you keep writing about it, will they really need to hire you? Content seems to be a BIG challenge of business bloggers! (Now granted, if you blog as a mom, or as a person on a journey, hopefully it never ends, so my focus is on Business Bloggers here, these ideas could still help). See, when you don’t post regularly, you miss opportunity. Opportunity with potential customers, opportunity with search engines.
Here are three ideas to increase the content you write about, blog more often and increase your audience:
subscribe to several competitors blogs, read what they write about. I will bet it allows you to form your own opinions and write from your point of view. Pull articles out of magazines you read that inspire you and write your opinion.
combine your passions and your life with your work. Write down 5 things that you love to do personally and then think about how they relate to what you do in your business and write a blog. (I do this all the time, a couple examples: Persistence and BEcoming MORE Authentic)
create an editorial calendar. On your calendar for the YEAR write out topics you’d like to blog about EVERY week. This gets your brain processing and thinking about what to write.
Remember, the more you give when you blog, the more fabulous your potential customers know you are. And then they think: “wow imagine what I will get if I pay!” On the Social Networking Coaching Club I teach you unique way ways to stand out, and create powerful blogs that DRIVE business results.
What creative way do you keep the blog ideas flowing?
Ann’s Social Networking Coaching Club, lifetime membership is now just $499 and you pay it off in ten months but get access to her right away! Contact Ann Evanston to learn why it’s a smart business investment for you!
Ann Evanston, MA, has been named by About.com as one of the Top Six Marketing Consultants, Feb 2011, and recognized in the Huffington Postfor her unique approach in using Facebook to increase profits though giving. In October 2008 Ann created the Social Networking Coaching Club, a forum where you get personalized support to learn how to “discover your REAL edge” and make more online in less time with integrity.
So many small business owners get on what I call the “marketing roller coaster.” One day they’re saying, “ Oh, my God, I need to market myself more.” Then they’re climbing that huge hill on the roller coaster saying “market, market, market, market.” After they eventually get to the top and clients come in, they’re enjoying the rush all the way down the hill, and then “Holy cow! I don’t have clients!” and it’s back up the hill!
Social networking helps you get off the roller coaster. It’s more like tending a garden — with consistent small efforts and attention, the seeds you plant will bring in a regular crop of clients. If you take small steps each day, your garden will flourish. This is my short story of how social media saved my business:
The truth is: social networking is a core business strategy. It’s not a fad, it’s not going away anytime soon.
Here are some interesting facts:
• LinkedIn was launched in May 2003. It has over 75 million registered users and 2.25 million login weekly.
• Facebook was launched in February 2004. It has over 500 million users and over 60% of them log in daily. The fastest growing population in Facebook is women ages 54-69. Over 70% of mom play games like Farmville on facebook.
• YouTube was launched in February 2005. There are over 2 billion videos watched a DAY. As of October 2010 over 1 billion subscriptions on YouTube-those are people asking to get notified when your channel loads a video!
• Twitter was launched in July 2006. There are over 100 million registered users and 40% login daily to the tune of over 3600 tweets per second. Regular users tend to be affluent, making more than $250,000 a year on average. Twitter indexes to search engines, so when used strategically, it expands your exposure.
The Key to your success? Know your target market and then develop a strategy to show up where they are. For example:
• Are you a speaker or coach where trust in important? Then build your YouTube presence.
• Do you work primarily with fortune 500 companies? Spend your time in the right LinkedIn groups.
• Are your customers moms? Get on facebook.
• Do you sell luxury or high priced items? Twitter is smart for you.
Remember, network online like you do in person and it will build your business.
Invest the time in your marketing online and it will reward you! Are you planning your marketing strategy for next year?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Research shows that the majority of people are not active users of social media and the BIG FOUR: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, and most small business owners and entrepreneurs are struggling how to accomplish more for their business through social media. My role, is to help you vision the why, determine the values, overcome the limiting beliefs that hold you back, and develop a system that accomplishes visibility and sales! It’s easy to learn “how to tweet” when you see the value of being online. Being amazing, and achieving what you want doesn’t have to be hard, you just have to be smart! I mentioned that social networking has increased my ability to grow my business, and find more new customers than ever before! Here are ten tips as simple starting points! Maybe you have made these changes, maybe you have not, check the list:
1 – If you do just one thing: Blog. Blogging increases credibility, authority, and ultimately sales!
2- There are TONS of “social media” sites out there. Choose to participate where your Target Market is, as well as where you will get the greatest exposure. Remember: Social media isn’t just about customers; it’s about referrals, raving fans, press.
3- Actively participate by commenting on discussions and starting your own discussions. At the same time, don’t be the person that only shows up to market YOUR stuff! When you do that you are NOT being social.
4- Social Networking is about showing up for others! It is social first and networking second. I firmly believe that good networking techniques work. Worry less about the sales and more about relationship building and sales will follow.
5-When you create your accounts make sure your name is the same for all account and you completely brand your page/profiles. Different names don’t help Search Engine Optimization.
6- Get a quality picture (head shot, known as an avatar) of yourself and use it – it will post everywhere you post! People always tell me they can feel my positive energy from my picture. (AND if you know me personally, not on the internet – that is MY personality!) A good picture should showcase your energy. Also, if you change how you look you need a new one!
7-Do not use a system that merges all your social media accounts and posts the same thing to all of them. Yes, great for time management, horrible sales strategy, which I teach my clients sales strategy without being slimy on the Social Networking Coaching Club.
8- Change how you feel about the word “friend” – it’s different online. Could that person be a raving fan, a referral source, a potential customer? Then friend them.
9- Make sure you set up your settings to get email reminders if people comment or leave messages for you! You do not want to forget, and you want to be prompt, and it’s a good way to remember to check out what’s going on, especially until you are in the habit of logging in everyday.
10- Lastly, Show up! Social networks will not help you grow if you do not show up! Plan to be on the site your customers are most on daily. 30 minutes is all it takes.
What things do you need to step up and do more of to improve your social media presence?
In October 2008 Ann created the Social Networking Coaching Club, a forum where you get personalized support to learn how to stand out among all the chatter online and sell more without being a slimy pushy salesperson!
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
