Small Business UnMarketing

Marketing in 2008

This year you may want to party like it's 1999, but do not market like it is any other year but 2008. I was reading the 10 Marketing Resolutions over at Church of the Customer and I am focusing on #3 - Build A Niche and #5 - Creat a Social Network - for my clients.

Ben McConnell does a great job of making us think about what we want for ourselves and our businesses in the future. My clients tend to dislike technology and want to be all things to all people. I will show them how building a niche will bring them more of the right clients for them and how social networks are not just for teens. Most of my people are doing what they love - #10 and are also extremely ethical - #9, so those are not issues to be dealt with.

What I've Learned About Marketing

I have been writing here since August of 2006. I have learned quite a bit about marketing and I have attempted to share that with all of you. This is what I have learned that can help you and your small business significantly in 2008:

• Marketing on the internet is definitely unmarketing. What this means is that you must take your own unique approach to marketing online if you want to get noticed.
• You are not an island. Blogging about marketing is more about having a conversation with other bloggers and my readers. I now read about 20 blogs regularly, comment on them, and write about my own take on these other blogger's ideas.
• There is no such thing as bad publicity. Once I learned how to properly send press releases and get the media to come to me as an expert, my business increased significantly. Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, has a free ebook you can download about this.
• You must blog and write and talk about what you do every day. If you keep your knowledge a secret, nobody wins.
• Working online is a great way to live. I truly have what Pat O'Bryan wrote about in Your Portable Empire. This is a great read, as I said in a previous post.
• Develop products that teach people how to do what you do best. I teach people how to write and market ebooks. This is what I am passionate about, so why wouldn't I share it with the world?

Do what you do best and in a unique way in 2008 and it will be a great year for you.

Getting Traffic To Your Site With Squidoo

We are always in the process of trying to attract more visitors, or traffic, to our blogs and websites. I like to think of it as attracting visitors, because if you are reading this right now you would rather think of yourself as a welcome visitor than as a vehicle driving by very quickly. I think of you as a visitor with whom I would like to share my knowledge about small business marketing and writing ebooks.

Seth Godin has just written a short eBook on how to attract more traffic to your site using Squidoo lenses. Seth created Squidoo and it is a remarkable way to find people who are interested in what you have to say. The site is also ranked very high so the link juice doesn't hurt either. Download it by going over to Seth's blog.

The Cubicle is 40 Years Old

The cubicle, those little enclosures that people are assigned to when they work for other people's companies, is coming up on its 4oth birthday soon. I was reading about knowing when to leave your day job over at Escape From Cubicle Nation. Pamela Stewart-Slim gives us 7 questions to ask when considering the leap from employee to entrepreneur. She gives a very thorough discussion of this issue that I recommend reading.

It is not easy to make this change in your life, but it is definitely possible. Make a plan, gather a team, and go for your dream. If you are currently reading this post from your cubicle, consider that you don't have to be there. Most entrepreneurs were just where you are and have now change their lives and their income. It doesn't happen overnight, but it can and will happen for you if that is what you want.

Marketing lessons learned from "A Christmas Story"

The small theatre in my town did a version of the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story" this weekend. I wanted to see what a live stage production of this story would be like so I went to see it Saturday night.

Young Ralphie was a marketer at heart! He wanted an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle for Christmas and he used some pretty creative marketing skills to get it.

He started out by "seeding" a conversation with his parents to bring up the idea of him having such a thing at his young age. Then he proceeded to deliver a postcard campaign to his parents over the course of the next couple of weeks. He didn't have a budget for postage so he simply cut off stamps from mail already delivered and then glued it on to the postcards and stuck them in the family mailbox. When his teacher asked the class to write a persuasive essay for their final writing project befor the holidays, Ralphie wrote about - you guessed it - why he should have this BB gun for a present.

Also, he never gave

Listen to your clients

According to Greg Nutter, a Farmer's Insurance agent in Santa Clarita, California, listening is the most important skill when it comes to dealing with clients. How are your listening skills when it comes to your business? Do you listen, or are you doing more talking than listening?

People will tell you what they want and need from you and your products or services. If you allow them to talk they will feel more comfortable with you and the know, like and trust factor will go up. If your business is done on the internet and not face to face, transfer the skill over to your email communication with your client. Let them tell you about themselves and their needs and you will be successful in all of your business relationships.

Productivity - How Productive Is Your Business?

Productivity is defined as getting maximum results in minimum time. Take a look at your business and see if that describes what you are doing. There are probably one or two areas where you could make changes to get more accomplished with less time, money and aggravation.

If you have to do something more than twice, systemize it. Whether that is writing correspondence, going to the post office or contacting clients, develop a system so that you won't be starting from scratch each time.

Business is supposed to be boring. Take the time to work on maximizing your results in the minimum amount of time and it will be boring - all the way to the bank.

Using Social Networks To Communicate With Business Contacts

John Jantsch, over at Duct Tape Marketing, has an interesting post about the use of social networks among small businesses. I believe that entrepreneurs and small business owners will move toward social networks as a way to communicate as they learn how effective they can be to communicate more easily than by email.

Facebook and Ning are rising to the forefront as people see how convenient it is to send and receive messages to people who know, like and trust you. It is a sticky way to do business, and sticky is good in this case.

Write An Ebook This Year

You may have already thought about writing a book, either an ebook or a traditional book, to promote yourself and your business. Writing a book may seem like a time consuming endeavor, but it will be well worth your while.

If this is something you would like to pursue further, visit Ebook Writing and Marketing Secrets to explore the possibilities. A book can position you as an expert in your field and open the door to many opportunities for you.

Make A Plan for 2008

This is the best time of year to plan for next year, according to many successful entrepreneurs. Instead of making New Year's resolutions, make a plan for your entire year. Here are some things to think about:

• Plan to turn it off ~ your television set, your cell phone while you are working, your computer while you are planning
• Create boundaries with the people in your life ~ tell them when you are available and when you will be working
• Do not allow interruptions ~ you will accomplish more if you decide in advance when you will be available for certain activities
• Refuse to be "hurried" through important things ~ take the time you need to do a thorough job
• Prioritize ~ make a list of the three things you must do each day; everything else may have to wait until later