Good grief! I'm going against all my own principles with my last blog entry on 14 February! May I stress at this point that this is HIGHLY INADVISABLE social media practice. But it does make you wonder doesn't it - what happened on 14 February 2013 to Words by Jacqui (and not just her words?) Hm?
Well, dear reader, it's what happens in the gaps that is ALWAYS the most interesting - I'm thinking here of the gaps between thoughts, the gaps between utterances, the gaps between the underground platform and the carriage. You get my drift. But for now my gap shall remain a mystery. And now back to safer ground with the inordinately patient Amber Raney-Kincade who continues with her gems of wisdom here. And for those of you who have waited since 14 February I hope you'll find something life- (or at least business-) changing here.
JH: What, would you say, is the most important ingredient of a successful marketing campaign? If you had only one tip to give would-be marketing therapy ‘patients’ what would it be?
ARK: Don’t waste time or money on a marketing tool that doesn’t put your business message in front of your target audience. So, know your audience and make all decisions based on that. An example is using Facebook for businesses that have no reason being on there. For example, the other day I was speaking to a procurement company whose audience was schools and government departments. She complained that her Facebook page wasn’t getting her business. The problem is that Facebook is a B2C network, and she should be using a B2B network like LinkedIn.
JH: Are there any common symptoms you find among patients who seek your help?
ARK: Yes. The number one thing I see over and over is how they talk about their business. People are so worried about sounding smart or important, they use big words and “management speak” whenever they can. Often, they put people off and don’t get their message across. Sometimes, simple is better. I like to tell my clients, less “we provide a decadent opportunity for self indulgence” and more “we bake cupcakes”.
JH: How would you describe your typical patient?
ARK: Someone who has a business idea or is in business already, but needs that extra direction and knowledge to get them off the ground. They are looking for a bit of marketing help, and sometimes they don’t even know what they need. So we sit down for an initial conversation, and I ask a lot of questions. At the end, I either offer ways that I can help, or advice on where they can go to get help. I focus on three areas: marketing, social media and networking. Marketing usually covers how to target your audience, how to create your website, how to write a marketing plan that will engage your audience and drive sales. Social media tends to cover LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. And networking is all about making sure you are promoting yourself with the right elevator pitch and to the right audience, and then following up on contacts.
Well, dear reader, it's what happens in the gaps that is ALWAYS the most interesting - I'm thinking here of the gaps between thoughts, the gaps between utterances, the gaps between the underground platform and the carriage. You get my drift. But for now my gap shall remain a mystery. And now back to safer ground with the inordinately patient Amber Raney-Kincade who continues with her gems of wisdom here. And for those of you who have waited since 14 February I hope you'll find something life- (or at least business-) changing here.
JH: What, would you say, is the most important ingredient of a successful marketing campaign? If you had only one tip to give would-be marketing therapy ‘patients’ what would it be?
ARK: Don’t waste time or money on a marketing tool that doesn’t put your business message in front of your target audience. So, know your audience and make all decisions based on that. An example is using Facebook for businesses that have no reason being on there. For example, the other day I was speaking to a procurement company whose audience was schools and government departments. She complained that her Facebook page wasn’t getting her business. The problem is that Facebook is a B2C network, and she should be using a B2B network like LinkedIn.
JH: Are there any common symptoms you find among patients who seek your help?
ARK: Yes. The number one thing I see over and over is how they talk about their business. People are so worried about sounding smart or important, they use big words and “management speak” whenever they can. Often, they put people off and don’t get their message across. Sometimes, simple is better. I like to tell my clients, less “we provide a decadent opportunity for self indulgence” and more “we bake cupcakes”.
JH: How would you describe your typical patient?
ARK: Someone who has a business idea or is in business already, but needs that extra direction and knowledge to get them off the ground. They are looking for a bit of marketing help, and sometimes they don’t even know what they need. So we sit down for an initial conversation, and I ask a lot of questions. At the end, I either offer ways that I can help, or advice on where they can go to get help. I focus on three areas: marketing, social media and networking. Marketing usually covers how to target your audience, how to create your website, how to write a marketing plan that will engage your audience and drive sales. Social media tends to cover LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. And networking is all about making sure you are promoting yourself with the right elevator pitch and to the right audience, and then following up on contacts.
JH: How distressed does one need to be before calling in a Marketing
Therapist?
ARK: Not distressed at all. But there comes a point in business when the owner needs to admit that they need a third party perspective, and something more than a friend or spouse, who can give them solid professional guidance. For example, I worked with a client recently who had been attending networking events for over a year but said he didn’t have any success. He called me to get more out of networking. We created a networking plan that included an overhaul of his LinkedIn account, a gameplan for action before/during/after networking events, and a follow up method for staying connected and leveraging those contacts. In the end, he now has a full plate of speaking engagements and a solid inflow of clients.
JH: How do you know whether your therapy has been successful? How does a patient know when they’re ready to face the big wide world?
ARK: My clients are always surprised at how much they learn, and forthcoming with their appreciation for my help. I have clients that hire me for 5 sessions, and some that hire me for a one-off session. Always, they walk away with knowledge and an action plan. That’s my goal with every meeting. I want to see them succeed because that means I’m succeeding. For example, I had a client come to me and say “I don’t even know what ‘a twitter’ is.” By the end of a two hour session, she was saying “I’m going to hashtag that!” and had every confidence in knowing what that meant!
ARK: Not distressed at all. But there comes a point in business when the owner needs to admit that they need a third party perspective, and something more than a friend or spouse, who can give them solid professional guidance. For example, I worked with a client recently who had been attending networking events for over a year but said he didn’t have any success. He called me to get more out of networking. We created a networking plan that included an overhaul of his LinkedIn account, a gameplan for action before/during/after networking events, and a follow up method for staying connected and leveraging those contacts. In the end, he now has a full plate of speaking engagements and a solid inflow of clients.
JH: How do you know whether your therapy has been successful? How does a patient know when they’re ready to face the big wide world?
ARK: My clients are always surprised at how much they learn, and forthcoming with their appreciation for my help. I have clients that hire me for 5 sessions, and some that hire me for a one-off session. Always, they walk away with knowledge and an action plan. That’s my goal with every meeting. I want to see them succeed because that means I’m succeeding. For example, I had a client come to me and say “I don’t even know what ‘a twitter’ is.” By the end of a two hour session, she was saying “I’m going to hashtag that!” and had every confidence in knowing what that meant!
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