60 Ways to Improve your Influence Online or with your Market/Prospects/Consumers

This list was called 60 Ways to Improve your Online Marketing Influence but I think some of these are great for us all to utilize as a basis ANYwhere we market ourselves. For instance, #1 is true on or offline. #13 is definitely good on or off line. #29, 31, 32 are all stellar recommendations for the REAL world! #44, 45, 46 are great if you want to write a book! And #60? Well, that is some grand ol’ advice from before the time of internet or social marketing.

I was on a call with Michael Port a few weeks ago and we discussed social media marketing and how people tend to forget that marketing online is STILL marketing to REAL people. They want a relationship, they need to trust you, they need to believe you have a great product/service that they can’t live without.

Don’t demean everyone’s intelligence by spamming or constantly SELLing to people in these open forums and social site, it only turns us all off!

Side note: Some seem to be a blatant sales pitch for Facebook, but please just keep reading, if that doesn’t work for you. People who wrote this must have a connection to FB somehow.

So, choose one that resonates with you and put into practice. Write it on your bathroom mirror, paste it behind you computer monitor, paste it on your computer desktop, SOMEWHERE you will see it repeatedly and implement it!

It will pay off handsomely in time AND feel more rewarding until then.

1. Stop talking about your products and services and create valuable content.

2. Increase conversion rates on your landing pages by improving your buttons.

3. Build your thought leadership and digital influence through transparency.

4. Demonstrate commitment and increase your digital influence through consistency.

5. Know where you’re going, then make what you say about the people around you.

6. Follow better people.

7. Align yourself with outstanding strategic partners.

8. Make connections online, then meet the person in the real world, offline.

9. Create content that stands for something: ‘Higher purpose content marketing.’

10. Look under the hood of the shiny new technologies coming out.

11. Believe in ‘social objects’ as the way we socialize and share with others.

12. Avoid ‘incestuous blogging’ and look outside your circle.

13. Start talking to people.

14. Think about your narrative strategy because people connect with stories worth telling.

15. Find people who have your audience but not your products and co-create with them.

16. Establish influence either through complete honesty or absolute fakery – not in between.

17. Give your content roots and give it wings.

18. Try Facebook advertising.

19. Develop your online influence by getting offline and meeting people in real life.

20. Get very, very good at filtering and aggregating content.

21. Be early in the news cycles of any conversation of interest, then make context explicit.

22. Increase visibility through web video; the fastest way to get your message out there.

23. Feel passionate about your content and overcome your fears of reaching out.

24. Defy convention where it’s appropriate.

25. Share good content consistently.

26. Let your passion shine to create meaningful relationships and build deep connections.

27. Learn how to talk more about other people.

28. Get on Facebook, get on Facebook now, and use it for your business.

29. Make people around you more successful than you are, and share stories from the heart.

30. Talk about what you know because content is always king.

31. Make something worth talking about.

32. Get your self properly interviewed.

33. Repeat your tweets.

34. Get more influence online by moving offline.

35. Really understand your audience, then build things that really help them.

36. Master one niche, own that niche, then use webinar marketing to promote your brand.

37. Think about what gifts and expertise you have that you can leverage to help others.

38. Map a strategy for integrating social media with other tactics.

39. Change from thinking about my influence to our influence.

40. Get active in other people’s communities.

41. Build ‘digital dimensionality’ by showing your many different sides.

42. Listen to the conversations taking place around you, then start to engage.

43. Network with other influencers and make them aware of your consistent value.

44. Think about the authenticity, consistency, and depth of your voice and story

45. Be willing to shake up your world.

46. Learn to be a storyteller, understand the psychology of people, create quality content.

47. Share ideas liberally and get increased accountability from the digital community.

48. Establish your business model before you attempt to become influential online.

49. Be consistent, connect the practical with the profound, and listen for the silence.

50. Find a unique niche you can own, focus on it and become known for that.

51. Find out what social network your customers are using and be there for them.

52. Build a community of readers by figuring out ways to get people talking.

53. Make friends along the way by helping others achieve their goals.

54. Think about social media as strategy to enhance your existing marketing goals.

55. Be systematic in establishing relationships with those on the same business path.

56. Become an advocate for gifted up and comers as they enter social media.

57. Start the media arm of your company that educates, inspires and entertains.

58. Give more than you get and build trust and relationships over time.

59. Take a look at what you have that others can’t do and use it to get where you need to go.

60. Figure out your value, identify influential individuals and connect to them directly.

How Google got it’s name… and how that can help you name your business/product/service

The name started as a joke about the amount of information the search engine could search, or a “Googol” of information. (A googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.) When founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin gave a presentation to an angel investor, they received a check made out to “Google.”

Source: How 16 Great Companies Picked Their Unique Names, OPENForum

So, if you are naming your company, a new product or program, look to seldom used words that REALLY personify what you offer. Now, does it matter that the word googol has significance, probably not in the long run as most users have NO idea where the word Google came from. It MAY have been instrumental in the startup phase in emphasizing the massive amount of information.

And so what does this teach us, friends? That quite possibly it doesn’t matter what you name a company. Who’s to say however, Google is the most successful search engine so following the example is a smart gamble.

Product names are quite a bit more important, as you only have so much time to impress upon the consumer the need to purchase, so making it something that communicates the message is ideal. Cute or catchy isn’t as important as being benefit laden. People need to know very quickly the benefit they will experience when they make their purchase.

So, how does your product measure up? When a prospect sees your product name on facebook or a website, does it make an instant impact? Does your book title intrigue them and keep them hooked?

C

Wow, what an offer! This guy will write a book proposal for me for $850. Not bad. The hitch? I have to decide and put a downpayment today.

So, I don’t have the need for another book or proposal right now, nor a ghostwriter to create one, however, I think this offer is great. I also love that he only lets you think about it for 24 hours. A great way to get an influx of cash into your business, if you would utilize an idea like this.
Here is some of the email, how could you do something similar in your business?
The keys to success with this type of offer is to make the offer VERY SIMPLE, CLEAR on how to sign up and require a very QUICK response.

( If you are interested in taking him up on this offer, comment here, I will send you his info. I don’t know this guy well, he is just a writer I considered hiring about 5 years ago from a craigslist ad and he contacts me and his list a few times a year, this is one of those times) The copy writing is VERY GOOD!

Hello, hope all is well.

Want an offer “you can’t refuse?”

How about this:

I’ll help you create your book proposal, find the best list of publishers, review each contract offer you receive, and even help you promote your book once it is published!

You only need to make a $450 payment within 24 hours; balance of $400 won’t be due until you sign the book contract and get the advance check from the publisher. (NOTE: Even if you are not ready with any info right now, you can still “lock in” the discount rate by making the payment within 24 hours.)

You can make the payment via Pay Pal, or send a check via overnight delivery.

To pay with Pay Pal, just visit www.paypal.com and click on “send money,” and make the payment to my e-mail address: (his email address was here)

To send a check via overnight delivery, here is the address:

John XXXXXX
(ADDRESS was here)

Be sure to mark the delivery “no signature required,” and e-mail the tracking number to me.

Below you will see a “letter of agreement” that spells out the terms. Just put in your name, date and the amounts from above, and send it back to me, and we can get started on your book project.

Holler if you have any questions.
Thanks!
John XXXXXX

I may use this idea in the near future, maybe offer a very limited time discount on a program or service. .. what about you?

C

Seth Godin explains why YOU might not be successful with your online marketing!

Ok, so here Seth Godin explains why YOU might not be successful with your online marketing!

Read it, learn from it and APPLY it! Then, PROFIT from it!

A good preacher ought to be able to get 70% of the people who showed up on Sunday to make a donation.

A teeny bop rock group might convert 20% of concert goers to buy a shirt or souvenir.

A great street magician can get 10% of the people who watch his show to throw a dollar in the hat.

Direct marketers used to shoot for 2% conversion from a good list, but now, that’s a long shot.

A blogger might convert 2% of readers to buy a book. (I’m aghast at this).

And a twitter user with a lot of fans will be lucky to get one out of a thousand to click a link and buy something. (.1%)

Likes, friendlies and hits are all fast-growing numbers that require little commitment. And commitment is the essence of conversion. The problem with commitment is that it’s frightening (for both sides). And so it’s easy to avoid. We just click and move on.

I think there’s a transparent wall, an ever bigger one, between digital spectators and direct interaction or transaction. The faster the train is moving, the harder it is to pay attention, open the window and do business. If all you’re doing is increasing the number of digital spectators to your work, you’re unlikely to earn the conversion you deserve.

Newsletter ROI explained!

I have clients ask me constantly, “What kind of ROI can I expect from my newsletter? I don’t even know if anyone is reading it!”

And I always give the same response. Today an email newsletter echoed my words, amazingly. The author is Linda Claire Puig, I don’t know her, but she offers newsletter strategies to coaches and therapists. Here is her advice on the subject:

“In today’s market, I’m just not convinced that a newsletter is the way to go,” began an email I received yesterday. “People right now are being ‘bombarded’ with emails, marketing info, etc., and have much less time than before.”

It’s a question I receive ALL the time, and I’d like to begin my response with a cheeky observation: You’re reading this newsletter!

You’re probably just as “bombarded” with email as the next person, and yet you’ve decided that there’s something of value in this newsletter for you, so you read it.

That’s what YOUR readers will do with YOUR newsletters. When you include in your newsletter information that MATTERS to the people in your community, they’ll read your newsletter.

Not everyone, for sure. I know that not everyone in my list community reads every Momentum, and not everyone in your list community will read every single newsletter of yours. But here’s what they will do at the very least. They’ll see your smiling face and a few headlines come into their inbox every issue, and they’ll associate you with the expertise or service you provide. You’ll be top-of-mind when they need what you’ve got.”

—-end of quote

SO, ONE HALF OF the newsletter strategy is: make sure you write SOMETHING THAT MATTERS in your newsletter! The other half, I will write more about later…

Sorry, exhausted,long day! Just wanted to make sure and share that important piece.

My absolute best to you,

C

Typical Media is dying, what can you do about it?

The last flight I took, I browsed the shelves of the magazines. I LOVE MAGAZINES! I had my own magazine, once! I published, wrote and LOVED it!

As I browsed those shelves, my heart lurched, I ached to work with magazines again. My brain slipped right into working with a magazine, marketing a magazine, designing a magazine, the possibilities!

But, I then moved through the thoughts and jerked back into REALITY! In reality, magazines are dying! As are most brick and mortar versions of media! Unfortunate as this is, IT IS TRUE, whether you admit it or not!

So, how can you deal with this shift if you are a part of brick and mortar media?

OR even better, how can YOU benefit from the shift? Because SOMEONE WILL WIN! Someone will succeed! You can be part of that or not…

Seth Godin has a BRILLIANT take on this, basically, he points out that the opportunity is there for you to take! The opportunity is that YOU can reach and build your fan base with micro-magazines!

“There’s room in the market for 100,000 profitable micro-magazines. Why not have one about Aruba, for example? If all the people who vacation in Aruba could read about the island in detail every month, read about restaurants, resorts and politics, for free, in an easy to share format… Multiply this by every destination, every interest group, every type of profession (how about a micro-magazine for ethnobiologists?)

Surely you can think of a group of people that share a demo- or psychographic, that are appealing to an advertiser base and want to learn and share what they learn… for free.”

Here is how he defines an ideal magazines:

• Being digital (probably a PDF), that’s free to ‘print’, fast to make and easy to share. (Newsweek spends seventeen million dollars a year on paper.)
• Having subscribers, either by email or RSS
• Focused on issues that appeal to some, but not all
• Having a very specific audience (call it a tribe)
• Enabling that tribe to connect by sharing the ideas in the magazine among them, as well as supporting it with a forum or blog
• Containing ads that are relevant to that audience
• Being longer than 140 characters or even a blog post, so significant ideas can be exposed in detail.

So, what group could you target?

How could you use this to your advantage?

What will this change, improve, create for you?

C

How to Name Your Business! Or Brand Your Image!

In working with  a client yesterday, we discussed at length HOW to name a new company. Many people get caught up in semantics, opinions from others, and what has already been DONE! The same issues happen with branding an image or company. And more often than not, time is lost striving in the wrong direction.

The key with naming a business is to understand the core concept that no one should do this for you, whether you are a soloprenuer, inventor, retail store owner, or doctor, because with time, generally you will see that this “definition” of who and what makes your business special will be inaccurate.

Seth Godin says that the problem with hiring a consultant or a company to find your brand essence is that “if you have to search for a brand essence, you are unlikely to find one”.

He goes on to say:
Standing for something means giving up a lot of other things, and opening yourself to criticism. Most people in the financial services industry (or any industry, actually) aren’t willing to do that, which is why there are so few Charles Schwabs in the word.

First, decide it’s okay to fail and to make a ruckus while failing. THEN go searching for the way to capture that energy and share it with the world.

Clothes don’t make the man, the man makes the man. Clothes (and the brand) just amplify that.

So, how does this help you name your company, brand your image, define your company?

Well, one is that it needs to be true and pure for YOU, not your colleagues, friends, or competition.

Second, the name is not EVERYTHING, but instead the ancillary information is going to support what you want your brand to be, that is the logo design, the exterior and decor of your location, the advertising and marketing pieces you put out to the world.

I believe one of the most important parts of branding and naming is to be bold! People today recognize and adore a strong opinion and personality in a company, if you think about some of the most profitable and successful companies, you will see this to be true.But, this discussion is for another day.

Last thing that is important, don’t feel like you need to EXPLAIN everything in the name. If you think about retailers or medical offices, if they explain everything in the name, then they are perceived and generally are value priced. So, unless you are offering value pricing, stay away from highly descriptive company names or marketing messages.

Instead come up with a name, it can even be obscure, then support the accurate definition of your brand with the ancillary words and styling.

I could write about this literally all day! SOO, more on this later!

C

BE GENEROUS! It will make you more money in the current world!

Don’t foget: Don’t just read this then go on like business as usual. Determine TODAY how this will change your outlook? Your strategic plan? Your day TODAY?

The new economy often involves trading in things that don’t cost money. There’s no incremental cost in writing an essay, composing a song or making an introduction. Since it doesn’t cost money to play, we have the ability to give before we get.

The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. Not the direct I-gave-you-this-you-give-me-that giving and get of a traditional economy, but instead the tribal economy of individuals supporting one another. Tribes of talented individuals who are connected, mutually trustful and supported by one another are in a position to create a movement, to deliver items of value, to move ideas forward faster than any individual ever could.

Derek Sivers built CDBaby.com from a bedroom startup into a multimillion-dollar seller of independent music. Under his watch, he was selling more music from more artists than anyone before in history. The secret? He spent virtually all of his time supporting the artists. The software he developed, the posts he wrote, the systems he instituted—they were gifts, generous contributions from Derek to the artists he worked with. In return, the artists built a thriving community, one that couldn’t help but turn a profit.

Would you like that level of success? RECORD BREAKING SUCCESS?

Then, I will ask again, how this will change your outlook of marketing? Sales? Your strategic plan? Your to do list for TODAY?

C

www.christiescott.com

Marketing – Let me Light Your Money on Fire if You Don’t GET this!

Most of us have experienced great marketing. We have wanted products that were SOOOO magnetic that we actually BELIEVED we NEEDED a new widget, dohicky or app thingy. In reality, we don’t NEED these things, but we buy them anyway and we are excited to have them. The connection is emotional, we rationalize it logically (or so we coerce ourselves to believe).

For products  the path of marketing the item is clear, or at the very least in most circumstances the budget and steps to be taken are understood. HOWEVER, I work everyday with service industries because what they do is MUCH more difficult. Marketing a service is like marketing air, there is no tangible product to rationalize. The Call Girl Effect is in action here, which means that as soon as the service is rendered, the value of said service diminishes rapidly!

Hence, the attrition rate for service industries is usually detrimentally high. You can very well lose clients as fast as you acquire them, that is exhausting and expensive, could be ultimately detrimental!

Marketing is important but what’s between the marketing? What is outside of what you market yourself or your company as providing? How much attention do you give to what is outside of the service you provide? What experience do your patrons have when YOU aren’t around?

Seth Godin talks about this:

Marketing is what happens in between the overt acts of the marketer. Yes you made a package and yes you designed a uniform and yes you ran an ad… but the consumer’s take on what you did is driven by what happened out of the corner of her eye, in the dead spaces, in the moments when you let your guard down.

Marketing is what happens when you’re not trying, when you’re being transparent and when there’s no script in place.

It’s not marketing when everything goes right on the flight to Chicago. It’s marketing when your people don’t respond after losing the guitar that got checked.

It’s not marketing when the smiling waitress appears with the soup. It’s marketing when we hear two waiters muttering to each other behind the serving station.

Don’t miss the point, yes, you must spend money on marketing. BUT, you must pay more attention to what is outside of that. What goes on that tears your marketing investment to shreds. What a waste! I have said many times to clients, just send me your money, I will make an entertaining YouTube Video of me burning it for you. But, you know what? If you refuse to better utilize the investment, then let’s send it to the people of Haiti instead, no you won’t get more clients or revenues that way, but SOMEONE WILL put it to amazing use, it may save a life.

How will you plan to start changing this today? If it doesn’t change, then you are wasting your time, make a plan, stop the madness!

Your coach,

C

www.christiescott.com

Best and Worst Company Names of the decade…

Take note of these BEST and WORST online company names of the decade.

When planning your new plan, program, book, seminar, press release, website, offering, etc. think about what makes the best work and the worst miserably fail. Notice, most that work are catchy, but some that are catchy still made the worst list.

Click here to go to the Best and Worst article!

Want some ideas for you latest “thing”? Let me know, I am definitely an idea person!

C

www.christiescott.com