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3 Ah-Ha’s From the Online Business Breakthrough Workshop

September 30, 2010 By Christine Leave a Comment

I recently returned from my coach Alicia Forest’s Online Business Breakthrough Workshop. It was very refreshing, actually, as the event was kept purposely small to give it a true workshop feel. I had a lot of fun not only learning, but networking with the others and finding out all about their particular businesses.

Now that I’ve had time to absorb and reflect upon the event, a couple of key things stand out to me, and I thought it would be helpful to share them with others as well.

1. People will tell you what they want, if only you’d ask.

A bit of a “duh” moment here for me! This is something I preach but don’t always practice. I actually ask people who join my list initially what they would like help with via a survey-–and this is done automatically. Meaning, it is part of the autoresponder messages they receive when they sign up for my free 5-part e-course.

However, I realized that there are many people who have been on my list for a long time who I haven’t reached out to in order to find out what they currently want. (You can be sure I’ll be remedying this shortly. ) Not only that, but I’ve been dutifully filing away that priceless information I receive from the new subscribers and not always reviewing it as much as I should. Ok, WAY less than I should. Big ah-ha!

2. Never underestimate the value of bringing people clarity.

One of the best parts of this event was not just meeting online friends for the first time in person, but meeting some of my blog readers and newsletter subscribers for the first time as well. That was such a treat for me—and interestingly, once home, I realized that several people came up to me and shared something similar: that they find my information valuable because a) it’s not fluff and b) I provide clarity on the topics I teach in a world where there’s so much overwhelm and confusion.

I was honored to hear that and so grateful to know that people appreciate it. It’s nice to know you’re on the right track. If you are providing a service or product that helps un-complicate or demystify something for others, take comfort in knowing how valuable that is to them!

3. It’s not about the social media tools and tactics, it’s the space between.

It’s about the relationship. At first glance, this seems very obvious to me. And before the event, I certainly knew this already, no doubt. In fact, I even refer to myself as a relationship marketing specialist. However, it wasn’t until chatting during a break in the content with a colleague that this was really driven home for me.

The names of the tools and websites might change, and yes, a lot of what I teach is about web-based marketing, but at its core, it’s about people. A business owner with something to offer and a prospective buyer with an interest. Two people who most of the time need to form some sort of relationship first before the sale can occur.

And what I LOVE and never tire of teaching others about is that space between. It’s almost like a courtship, that space where the relationship blossoms. And it’s SO important, hokey as it may sound.

But yes. It’s so much more than Facebook, or Twitter, or newsletters or blogs—and when the names and technologies change (and they will), that courtship, that relationship building will remain and be as important as ever. And I’ll still adore it.

Thinking again about my ah-ha’s reminds me that no matter how expensive, or how hard it is to be away from family, or how much travel is involved—getting out there to events once in awhile can not only be great for business, but can help you develop personally as well.

And that can have benefits more far-reaching for you, the business owner, than you ever imagined.

Email Newsletters: Still Relevant? (Yep, and Here Are Three Good Reasons Why)

September 16, 2010 By Christine 13 Comments

As social media and blogging have grown more and more popular, there’s been some talk about the demise of the “lowly” email newsletter, or e-zine. Once a staple of business owners using the Internet to market and promote their businesses, it seems that lately the thinking is that they’re not so important anymore. Or, even worse, not as effective.

If you’re not familiar, an e-zine can be as simple as a plain text email with a couple of helpful tips for your readers—to a HTML version with pictures, an article, listings of your upcoming events and more.

While it’s true that there is more “stuff” clamoring for our attention in our inboxes than ever before—and blogs and social media seem to be the more of-the-moment methods to reach out to potential customers—I still believe that an e-zine is a key marketing tool. In fact, it’s the perfect vehicle for continuing the relationship you’ve begun with people on social media sites or your blog.

Here are a few reasons why:

1) Keeps you top of mind

As much as we would like to think that our prospects or our audience are always thinking of us (wouldn’t THAT be nice?), it’s unfortunately not the case. Just as a company wouldn’t run a TV commercial just once, repetition is necessary to remind people of you, your offerings and your expertise.

2) Intimacy

No, not that kind. An e-zine gives you a great opportunity to create a feeling of “intimacy” between yourself and your readers by sharing a bit about what is going on with you outside of your business. (Think about what you’ve been up to lately—got anything to share about your recent vacation, your pets, a great book you’ve just finished?) Often people do this in a section at the beginning of their e-zine under a heading such as “A Note From” or something similar. This helps strengthen the relationship with your subscribers by giving them a glimpse into who you are.

3) Expert status

The more consistently you share information, tips and articles on the subject or niche you are most knowledgeable in, the more credibility you gain in the eyes of your readers. Perceived expertise leads to trust which leads to sales.

A few other tips for your e-zine:

Frequency: How often you send it depends on how often you can commit to doing so, (how’s that for an answer ? ) but I recommend at a minimum twice a month and ideally, once a week. Remember, you want to stay top of mind above all else.

Subject line: Another important part of your e-zine is your subject line. Obviously you want as many people to open your e-zine as possible, so have some fun with this. Think of what would stir up curiosity in your reader—and don’t be afraid to be a little provocative or a teensy bit controversial once in a while.

When to send: A common question is “what day is best to send it out?” There is no set answer to this, except to say that I have heard several different opinions on the matter. Tuesday through Thursday is often said to be the best time—however, I know others who send theirs out on Sunday and have a very good open rate as well. You may want to play around and test a couple of different days and see what your results are. No matter what day you choose, know that an open rate of 25% and above is considered good. Your email marketing service will be able to supply those stats.

If you’ve been hesitant about putting together your e-zine because you think you don’t have enough content or you don’t have a fancy-looking template, remember, simple is fine. Start with one tip. The sooner you make the commitment to communicate with your list on a regular basis, the sooner you can reap the benefits of that strengthened relationship.

No more excuses, ok?

Photo credit: 5estrellas.com

Filed Under: Online Business Tagged With: e-zines, email marketing

Just Say NO to Bartering in Your Business!

September 11, 2010 By Christine 13 Comments

For those of you who are still bartering for things in your business (you know who you are) I want to give you a little loving advice:

STOP that!!

Once upon a time someone wise (my own coach) explained it to me this way: money needs to flow. Like water, it needs to circulate—and if it doesn’t, it stagnates. We live in a world that values the exchange of currency. (Not like when we used to trade pigs, and spices, and chickens, right?)

If you are not receiving money for your services and products, and in return giving money for services and products, then that money is not flowing—so why should any MORE of it flow to you?

Besides, there is only so much you can barter for. When is the last time you bartered for your mortgage?

Now, might it make sense to do it once in a blue moon? Yes, maybe in certain unique situations. But as a general rule, please, I beg of you—just say NO!

I know there are some of you who have a habit of doing this on a very regular basis, and honestly, it’s damaging to your business, your bottom line, and dare I say—your psyche.

Perhaps the most insidious thing about it is that by doing it habitually, you are really telling yourself that you don’t value the work that you do, and aren’t confident enough in what you do to charge for it.

The other side of it? If you are unwilling to invest in yourself and your business, how can you expect others to ever invest in YOU?

The bottom line is, wealthy people don’t barter, and you will never build wealth yourself by doing so. I truly care about your success and want you to THRIVE, so be assured that I write this blog post in love.

Now it’s your turn: what are your thoughts on bartering? Does this make you think about it in a different way? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Photo credit: ddslister

Filed Under: Success Mindset Tagged With: money mindset, success mindset

4 Quick and Easy Ways to Find Out What Your Target Market Wants—Right Now!

September 9, 2010 By Christine 4 Comments

When you have your own business, one of the things you’ll hear over and over is to get clear on who it is you serve—also known as that all-important “target market.”

But knowing who these people are is only part of the equation. You also need to know what it is that they want.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Generally, it is simple—but notice we said “want,” not what we think they need. People tend to buy based on emotion first, and logic second. So, even though we may be absolutely convinced that we know what our prospective clients and customers most need, that doesn’t mean it’s what we should be offering them.

Many business owners make the mistake of going to great lengths to create a product or craft a service or program they think their audience needs, only to offer it with very disappointing results.

The key is to find out what your market wants first, so you can then create it and offer it to them. It makes your job a whole lot easier!

There are several different ways you can find out this valuable information, but here are four of the quickest and easiest methods.

1. Hang out where they hang out—and then listen and ask questions.

This could be in local community or networking groups, in online forums or on message boards, or in social media or on blogs.

2. Ask via your newsletter.

The best newsletters are those that allow you to engage with your readers or subscribers, so if you include a personal note section, consider using that to ask what they would most like help with. Then tell them to just hit reply and let you know.

3. Make it part of your autoresponder.

If you are offering a freebie on your website that’s delivered via an email autoresponder (such as a free report or free e-course), you can add an additional message to it. Since the recipients are going to be new members of your community, you can simply tell them that in order to serve them better, you’d love to get their input on how you can best help them.

4. Set up a survey.

This is simple to do with free tools like Survey Monkey or Google Docs, and it doesn’t have to be in-depth or complicated. Simply email your list with a link to the survey, and keep it to 1-5 questions.

The way you choose to ask for the information will depend on your market and the type of product or service you are selling, but as an example, you might ask things like:

“What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to X?”

“What is it you would currently most like to learn about X?”

Keep track of your responses, and over time, take note of common threads that emerge. As people’s needs tend to change over time, it is also a good idea to ask these questions periodically so that you keep on top of what people most need help with.

Don’t worry that you’re bothering people by asking—in fact, most of your prospects will appreciate that you care and are taking the time to find out their needs.

So, before you create your next offering—make it easier on yourself by performing a bit of your own “market research.” People will literally tell you exactly what they would be willing to buy from you—if only you’d ask!

I’d love to hear from you—how do you make sure that you are giving people what they want when it comes to your products and services?

Photo credit: PH/HA

Filed Under: Small Business Marketing Tagged With: market research, target market

Joint Venture Your Way to Success Using Social Media

September 2, 2010 By Christine 7 Comments

When small business owners talk about having success with online marketing or social media, it usually has to do with getting more clients or customers on their own. While that is a wonderful result of course, there is another way the top success stories online are growing their businesses—joint ventures.

With more and more business owners jumping into social media especially, it’s good to keep in mind that all those people you’re connecting with out there are not just potential prospects, but possible strategic partners as well.

What is a Joint Venture?

Joint ventures are sometimes known as strategic alliances and generally involve two people entering into a partnership in order to leverage what both parties bring to the table.

A joint venture can be where you promote the other person’s services or products to your target market, and your partner promotes your services or products to their target market in order to share the resulting profits.

It can also be where you partner with another business owner to jointly provide a product or service that both of your target audiences have an interest in—even if those audiences initially look like two totally different groups.

Why Joint Venture?

First, you are obviously able to provide your market with a valuable product or service that enhances their life in some way. However, the best joint ventures benefit not only your target market, but also your own business. Because you are being exposed to an entirely new community, you’ll often gain more website traffic, list subscribers, friends, followers and even new clients and customers.

It’s also a great way to boost the credibility and authority of both parties. When a community sees someone they perceive as an expert recommend you by way of your partnership, you often immediately gain credibility in their eyes as well.

Similarly, when you are in effect “endorsed” by a reputable and respected joint venture partner, this raises the level of trust vested in you and your own capabilities and integrity.

Finally, it’s a simple example of “two heads are better than one.” You both bring your own strengths to the partnership—whether that’s knowledge, ability or sheer numbers of list subscribers, fans, followers and friends.

How to Joint Venture?

Here are a few ideas for how to structure a joint venture:

You could partner on a workshop, teleseminar or webinar on a topic that would be of interest to both of your audiences. The great thing about this is that as long as you record it, you’ve got an instant information product for each of you to sell on your respective websites.

Another popular method is to recommend each other’s newsletters or freebie offers. This is very much a “set it and forget it” strategy. For example, when a new subscriber signs up on your site, they are re-directed to a thank you page that also includes a recommended resource—your partner’s free offering or e-zine.

Lastly, you could pool your expertise and resources together and create a product. This could be created once but sold over and over—the very definition of leveraged income! You could either both sell it separately or have one of you sell it and split the profits.

Ready to get started collaborating? Begin by building relationships with others in complimentary niches or with target markets that might need what you offer, and you’ll be well on your way to a creating a win-win situation.

I myself have connected with several really great peeps via social media and created successful joint ventures with them, so I can attest to its power. Have YOU been able to hook up with others through social media and form strategic alliances? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments—any questions on this topic are welcomed as well!

Filed Under: Online Business Tagged With: joint ventures