An introduction to
(AND THE PUBLISHING CREW)
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Hey there!
I am so excited that you are taking the time to read the first edition of intelligent MARKETER. Yep, that’s right this is the first ever edition of the magazine and I am very excited so say that you are one of the “founding readers”...I thank you for that! I’d like to cover two quick points with you: 1. I’d like to share why I decided to start this magazine, and introduce you to the publishing crew. 2. Iwill show you what you can take away from this publication each month. There are a handful of magazines available to small business owners that are related to marketing such as: Advertising Age, BtoB, Brand Week, Creative Magazine, Marketing Today, Marketing Tomorrow, Selling Power, and Wired (just to name a select few). These magazines are a wealth
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of knowledge and offer valuable information to their readers but not one of them are really written for the small business owner who is trying to figure out how to market his / her business in today’s marketplace. Many small business owners are struggling to figure out this “new era” of marketing. On top of the many hats they are already wearing, small business owners are having to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to marketing their businesses. That is no small feat! That is why I decided to publish the Intelligent Marketer to teach small business owners the most important tips, tools, and strategies they can implement to effectively market their business. There has never been a better time in history to be in business than today. There are more resources, tools, and information available to help small businesses succeed. The challenge is that
there is so much out there that a small business owner can find it difficult to know where to start. intelligent MARKETER will help cut through all the “stuff ” available and hone in on the most practical strategies and tools that will help owners effectively market their business. The publishing crew of intelligent MARKETER is also a small business. Actually, the “crew” is comprised of one really passionate Marketing Coach (Me - Misty) and one really talented designer (Ashli). Many of the articles will be written by me (Misty, founder of Your Marketing Coach). I am not a writer, a publisher, or an editor but I am passionate about serving small business owners by teaching them effective (and fun) ways to market their business. I JUST WANT TO NOTE that it is highly likely that you will find grammar errors, typos, and many run on sentences...as the (dot, dot, dot) is kinda my thing. I do things inappropriately like add “emotioncons” to almost every sentence like this :) (I’ve been doing this since before emotioncons were even a thang). I make up my own words - like “fantastical”...for no apparent reason. And I write like I talk...again, inappropriate and a little “out there”...but, never the less I hope that
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you are able to follow along and find inspiration and useful tips that can help you. I share this with you, because if you are like me...a “little guy/gal start up” that has a passion to serve but feels like you don’t know if you have all the tools and resources to make a difference... you are MISTAKEN (I say this in my most “lovingly” voice :) I believe that God has provided both you and me with EVERYTHING we need at this very moment. It is up to you (and me) to “do what we can with what we have...and let God do the rest” (MISTYism). We cannot start with EVERYTHING perfectly in place....we have to just use what we have to the BEST of our ability... and then (and only then) will we be blessed with more :) So, I challenge you to bring your BEST, challenge yourself...don’t focus on what you don’t have.... FOCUS on what you do have and make the BEST of it in your marketing! I PROMISE you that I will do the same. Let’s do this!!! (Rocky voice). Misty :) - Your Marketing Coach
Tips
for Scheduling
Social Media M
aintaining social media platforms can be cumbersome and time consuming for small business owners. If a business owner is to have a fighting chance at using social media in marketing their business they MUST implement these three (3) tips:
Your posting calendar should include:
1. Create an “ideas” folder on your desktop. As you browse online throughout the month you are likely finding information that gives you ideas and inspiration for posts that you can share...toss those ideas in your “ideas” folder. When it comes time for you to post your messages go to this folder to get started.
3. Auto schedule your social media posts. I recommend using tools such as HootSuite to help you schedule your social media posts. Auto scheduling can save you time, help you coordinate your networks, and allow you to be more effective in listening and staying on top of responding to your fans, followers, and community.
2. Create a Posting Calendar. A posting calendar allows you to look at each month from a macro level so that you can quickly come up with ideas of what to post and when to post it.
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- The day / time you will set aside for creating your posts - The days that you will be posting - The content / message / information you want to post
Because this is our first issue of intelligent MARKETER, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you what a Small Business Superhero is and why we feel it is important to highlight one each issue. Small Business Superheros are business owners who are typically unconventional, quite possibly “accidental”, and may have started their business on a shoestring budget with little to no experience. Yet these owners built a successful business that makes a difference in their community and to the people they serve. Often times when you take a closer look at these businesses you will find a hard working, passionate, “put everything on the line” kind of person who is focused on serving others even when the odds are stacked up against them. The definition of a superhero is “a fictional character with superhuman powers” (www. dictionary.com). Small Business Owners are not fictional characters, they are AMAZING people who in times of uncertainty and adversity dig somewhere deep down inside themselves and pull out power they didn’t even know they had - Superhuman Powers. While Small Business Owners may not be able to “leap small buildings in a single bound”, they have learned (like Spider-Man) that “with great power there must also come great responsibility”. A responsibility that Small Business Superhero’s don’t take lightly. I am sure that you too know Small Business Superheroes. I would love to hear about them and their story! While I cannot feature every Small Business Superhero, I would like to be introduced to who you know. If you have a Business that you feel meets the Superhero qualities I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at misty@yourmarketingcoachonline.com.
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Superhero SMALL BUSINESS
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THE BARN ANTIQUES & SPECIALTY SHOPS
Located in the heart of downtown Castle Rock, Colorado. Catherine Haigh is the owner of The Barn Antiques and Speciality Shops and is a perfect example of a Small Business Superhero that has taken on the responsibility of being the cornerstone of her community. Today, there is no shortage of antique shops in most every community across the United States. But in 1997, antiques shops were 8
not as common as you see today. Catherine had reached a point in her life that her children were getting older and she decided that it was time for her to find a passion in her life outside of being a mother and wife. Catherine had always loved antiques and since Ebay was very new, she found a perfect relationship with selling antiques online.
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A short time later, Catherine decided to open her first antique shop in an industrial area. While that was exciting, it wasn’t exactly what Catherine was looking for, so she continued her search for a better location. In May 1998, Catherine opened a 12,000 sq foot Barn that she named The Barn Antiques and Specialty Shops. You might be thinking, “What qualifies Catherine as a Small Business Superhero?” Up to this point her story resembles the start of many Small Business Owners. There are three things that stuck out to me when I met Catherine: 1. Her commitment and passion to her community. Listen to the recording of the interview I had with Catherine and you will immediately hear her passion and commitment to being the pulse of Castle Rock’s community. 2. Her willingness to stretch herself. Catherine possesses a “super-hero-like” power to face her fears and ignore her trepidation towards doing something she’s never done before. Catherine shares her go-for-it attitude she had when she was first introduced to social media marketing in that recording.
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3. Lastly, her dedication to providing a magical experience to those who visit The Barn. As I mentioned, there is no shortage of antique shops today but Catherine has separated The Barn from the rest by creating a unique and magical shopping experience. People from all over the world travel to be part of the magical experience Catherine and the shops at The Barn take
pride in creating and providing. Catherine attributes much of the expansion and growth of The Barn to her small (but powerful) Social Media efforts. While she may not have had an elaborate social media strategy or plan...Catherine has done a great job sharing bits and pieces online of the magic that hundreds of shoppers experience each day. The fans of The Barn then share and help spread the magic with people all over the world. So, if you are ever passing through the little town of Castle Rock, CO be sure to stop by and experience the magic for yourself. For more information about The Barn Antiques and Specialty Shops go to www.thebarncastlerock.com or become a fan on Facebook. To listen to the full interview with Catherine Haigh CLICK HERE.
BUSINESS
Boosting APPS
Vine is a video sharing mobile app that allows you to create short, looping videos in a simple and fun way to share with friends, family, and even your target audience! The videos are usually 6 seconds or less and complied of clips of random things. The short clips create a stop-motion-effect video. The most popular and viral videos are one’s that are funny.
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https://vine.co/
So, how can a small business use an app like this in marketing? Here’s a few things vine offers the intelligent MARKETER: - It requires no skill to create a video (ok, so maybe you have to be a little creative)...but to make the video requires no skill. - There is no major publication process. You don’t need to be a videoographer to edit...,just shoot and share! - It’s free! Businesses can create video’s for their target audience that are funny, informative or useful.
* Check out how Lowe’s has created useful vines to connect to their audience. (CLICK HERE) * Check out how GAP has used Vine to tell the story of their 1969 jean. (CLICK HERE) Once you have created your video you can share your vine (on Vine, Twitter, Facebook, your Blog)... wherever! Want more information on how to embed a Vine video on Twitter, Facebook, or your Blog? Check out a blog I wrote that gives you step-by-step instructions.
Follow these 3 steps to create your first vine:
DOWNLOAD the app on your iPhone or Android
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DECIDE
on your idea. Are you going to create something that is funny, informative or useful?
CREATE
Have fun, create, and share!
your vine.
Steps To
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Creating a Social Media Strategy STEP ONE
your posts will be important. If you are looking to gain credibility and build authority then content and message will be critical.
All successful business planning starts with identifying clear goals. You must have a clear idea and set of expectations for what you want to achieve with your social media marketing. Each goal will have a different set of actions that it will take to reach the goal. For example, if your goal is to build brand awareness then the frequency of
Start by writing down three social media goals that you have for your business. Make sure the goals are specific, time related, and measurable. Examples of social media goals are: gain 100 new followers monthly; or increase engagement by 10% each month; or capture 50 new leads each month.
Clarify your business’ social media goals.
Are you struggling to get your social media working for you? Do you have a strategy or are you taking the “wing it� approach? The changing landscape of social media has many small business owners ready to throw in the towel. In this article, I will share with you the Six Steps to helping you create an effective social media strategy. My goal is that if you follow these steps that you will have a plan that you can actually work!
STEP TWO
Determine what social platforms make sense for your business. All social media platforms are not created equal. It is important to understand what each platform offers so that you can focus your efforts on the right platforms for your specific business. The first step in choosing the right platform is to understand who your target audience is. Once you have truly identified who you are looking for then you have the information you need to determine which platform they are hanging out on. Another point that you should consider is what is the best way for you to communicate your message and content to your target audience? If video is the best medium, then YouTube or Vine may be the best platform to spread your message. If images are your best bet for getting your message across then you may want to consider Pinterest or Instagram. Each social platform provides detailed information about the demographic and geographic statistics of their users. When you combine your knowledge of your ideal target audience, with the best medium for communication, and with the statistics provided by the platforms themselves you will be able to intelligently make a decision as to where you should focus your social media marketing efforts when creating your strategy.
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STEP THREE
Evaluate your current social media status. Ask yourself, are you on the right platform (now that you have a better idea of where you should be)? Are you communicating the right message for the goals? (Hint: you can’t capture leads if you don’t have a strategy to do so.). Lastly, how do you compare to your competition? Are your goals realistic? Do you need to stretch yourself? What are your areas for improvement?
STEP FOUR
Develop a content strategy. I know you’ve heard it before...”Content is king”. What does that mean? Consumers are more educated today than ever before. When consumers enter into the “buying mode” they have questions that they want answered. Many consumers will typically turn to the Internet to find answers to those questions. My question to you is are you providing the answers they are looking for? If not, it is time that you start creating some content. Content can come in many different forms. You must determine the best way for you to communicate your message. Does it make sense to show consumers how to do something in a quick video? Do you need to provide a step-by-step worksheet? Will a blog on your website provide enough information? Do you need images to depict your solutions? Will an infographic be your best illustration? You get the point. :) Thinking about creating content is hard...actually creating it is simple. All you have to do is take out a pen and paper and write down the top 10 questions you get asked most often from your prospects and customers. Once you have that list then write next to it the best medium to answer that question (video, pictures, blog, etc.). Now, start creating your content! There are a ton of free tools available to help you create your valuable content. I have mentioned a few of these tools in this edition of intelligent MARKETER. Each month I will continue to introduce you to more... so stick with me and over the next 12 months...your content will be king too! BTW, if you don’t provide the answers consumers are looking for...someone else will. You’ll never guess who consumers will choose to do business with...
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STEP FIVE
Use analytics to track progress. “If you can’t measure and track it, then you shouldn’t be doing it”...yea, I’ve heard that before too. And I somewhat agree. If there is a way to track and measure then by all means please do. Pretty much all of the social platforms have their own analytics and insights that you should be paying attention to and you MUST have Google Analytics!
site but they weren’t ready to make a buying decision at that point so they didn’t do anything to indicate that they were there (i.e. give you their name and email). And then one day, they are driving by your business and they decided to “pop in”. When you asked, how did they hear about you they say...”oh, I was just driving by”. You get the point....
Now, with that being said... it can be somewhat difficult to track and measure every aspect of your social media marketing efforts. Social Media marketing has a ripple effect that for the most part can be measured (if you know how to properly set up your tracking and you can get everything to “talk” to each other nicely)....but it can be a little more challenging to track and measure a person that just stops by your business. Sure, you can ask “how did you hear about us?” but sometimes they don’t even know where their first point of contact was with your company. They may have seen a friend on Facebook who “liked” a post of yours that got them exploring your Facebook page and then on over to your web-
Here’s the deal...(in my opinion) how can you lose if you are providing valuable information to answer common questions to your target audience? You may not ALWAYS be able to connect the dots on where the first connection was made. You also may not be able to track how the content you are sharing was so useful that it resulted in improved closing ratios with your sales people in the time it took to get a new customer... but I believe that if you provide helpful (and useful) information it WILL help your business grow in the long run.
STEP SIX Adjust your strategy as needed.
I would suggest that you adjust your strategy no more frequently than every 3 months. While it is important to “course correct” when you are not getting the results you are looking for it is equally important that you give your social media marketing efforts some time to be fruitful. Marketing (in all aspects) should be approached from a farmer’s perspective more than a hunters. Hunters eat for the day; ...farmers create harvests that will feed them for a lifetime. Plant seeds and give them time to grow.
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Would you like to Build Your Prospect List while generating INSTANT PROFIT for your Business? Check out my List Builder Program for small business.
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#AskYMC Ask Your Marketing Coach #AskYMC - Ask Your Marketing Coach features actual questions submitted from awesome Small Business Owners just like you who had something to share, ask, or comment on. I receive questions, comments, and suggestions from Small Business Owners all the time and typically I respond back to them privately (usually via email or social media). Then I got to thinkin’... “I bet other Small Business Owners could benefit from this nugget of information.” That’s when I came up with the idea of Ask Your Marketing Coach #AskYMC! In each edition of intelligent MARKETER I will share questions, com-
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ments, and suggestions that I receive. I LOVE hearing from you and other Small Business Owners. If you have something that you’d like to submit you can do so at misty@ yourmarketingcoachonline.com I look forward to hearing from you! P.S. As I am sure you are aware, it’s impossible for me to answer everyone’s question, post every comment, and share every suggestion so I will be answering and sharing the most relevant questions, comments, and suggestions that I receive. Thanks for understanding :)
4 SOCIAL MEDIA
Success Tips for Small Business
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Quality is more important than quantity. High school may be over but the need to show popularity apparently is not. Social media has become the new platform to showcase who is most popular. Don’t get caught up into chasing fans and followers for the “show” of it. I’m not saying that you don’t want a large fan / follower base but what matters most is that the fans and followers you do have are engaged with you. How do you know they are engaged? It’s easy to see if your audience is engaged by checking if they “like”, “+1”, comment, or share your posts. Take your networking online. I’m not gonna lie...I don’t believe networking works. But, if you are still going to network then do it with purpose. I recommend that you give “shout outs” to those folks that you are networking with. A “shout out” (by my definition) is posting on their personal profile or business page a quick message that “lifts them up”....an example would be; “Thanks (name) for taking the time to meet with me today. I really enjoyed learning more about your business. I can see why you are so successful at (what they do as a business). Basically, what you are doing is:
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1. Giving public recognition to a well-deserved hard working fellow small business owner (Steven Covey would be proud of you) :) 2. You are quickly establishing yourself as a person of trust (heck, who doesn’t like to be publicly recognized...I like people like this - don’t you? :) 3. Because of these two things you are increasing your chance that they will refer you (or at the very least think of you).
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Small business advantage. People do business with people they know, like, and trust - right? As a small business you have the tremendous opportunity to be transparent with your audience to quickly gain their trust. When a small business speaks the audience knows it’s most likely coming from a REAL PERSON (most often the owner). This gives small business an advantage over large corporations that find it more difficult to connect with their audience. It’s a slight edge...but it can make a HUGE difference!
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Reassess your goals. Social media is so much more of a resource to your business than you are probably giving it credit. I find that many businesses use social media with the false sense that if they post regularly they will drive more sales. The reality is that social media can drive sales but it is a process (and specific strategy) that will get you there. While driving sales is an important part of business so is: learning from industry leaders, connecting with customers and prospects, and improving on your product / service. All of this can be achieved because of social media. Be sure to think beyond the sale and reassess your goals to include getting better, delivering more, and connecting with people...I promise you it will be worth it!
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Thanks for reading! I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts and feedback :) Hit me up at misty@yourmarketingcoachonline.com
www.yourmarketingcoachonline.com