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Build Buzz with Good Word-of-Mouth

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Word-of-mouth marketing is still the most powerful marketing tool for most businesses, along with an ad that appears during the Super Bowl. In a study conducted by Nielson, the global media insight company, “Global Trust in Advertising”, 83% of responders said they trust the recommendations of friends and family most of all. A study done by McKinsey showed that 20-50% of all purchases are influenced by word-of-mouth marketing.

Positive comments, reviews and recommendations are powerful—don’t underestimate them. Face2Face and online conversations started by you, your customers and even potential referral sources are among the most valuable marketing assets available. Positive talk contributes to your brand’s reputation. Business owners and marketers who take the initiative to build a word-of-mouth marketing strategy can create a steady drumbeat of customer conversations that have the potential to generate new business. User experiences drive word-of-mouth marketing, mostly fueled by product customer recommendations and reviews.

Engage on social media

Social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Pinterest and Snapchat, are tools that amplify your word-of-mouth advertising. Communicate with your customers, solve problems and build your referral network by way of your preferred social media platforms (and also your company website).

Quick response to questions and complaints.

Not all customer experiences will be positive ones, but the right approach can make all the difference. Being proactive about complaints can turn dissatisfied customers into your most loyal brand advocates. Stepping up your response time and personalizing customer care can cement your positive reputation—within four hours, ideally.

Email marketing outreach

Using email to communicate regularly with customers and prospects who have requested to be on your mailing list helps them remember you and brings in repeat business. If you’re regularly providing interesting information, discount coupons, useful how-to articles, or other material customers want, they’ll update friends who have similar interests about the benefits they’ve derived. 

Influencers and brand ambassadors

Although most word-of-mouth marketing is focused on organic engagement, don’t neglect the value of influencer marketing. Having influencers shout out your product or give it a review not only introduces you to a new audience but once again serves as social proof. In fact, recent data shows that reviews are actually considered “the most valuable type of content” that influencers publish. Chances are there are relevant influencers out there that’d be the perfect fit for your brand. If you already have a dedicated customer base, you might alternatively consider starting your own ambassador program.

Reviews and recommendations

It’s been shown that 41% of shoppers say that “robust” online reviews (featuring photos, keywords and more) are important for a positive shopping experience. Potential shoppers will notice that these testimonials are not present and you will be well-served to encourage your happy customers to speak up about what they like abut your company, products and services. Getting good reviews not only represents positive word-of-mouth but also a proven way to gain trust.

Much like user generated content, sometimes scoring reviews is as simple as asking. Ideally, this can be done non-intrusively via email. Many brands implement post-purchase auto-responders to ask for reviews by default, meaning that each purchase is a potential opportunity to earn a much-needed review.

But how you ask for reviews matters. Beyond putting on a smiling face, also consider additional incentives, Your customers’ time is valuable and sweetening the deal is worth it if it means a rave review.

Monitor mentions and respond ASAP to comments.

Do yourself a favor and make sure to respond within 24 hours, and ideally within 4 hours, to customer questions, comments and concerns. accordingly. As you build your brand, your quick, polite and complete responses will be imperative.

  • Respond to all customer questions, comments and concerns
  • Defuse difficult situations and negative comments
  • Keep track of your conversation history so you can build better relationships with customers

Encourage user-generated content

Global brands can easily generate user-generated content but regional and local brands will find it useful to promote their company #hashtags and even customer photo campaigns. Along with your own company photos (hint: start building your photo library!), invite your customers to share photos and feedback. To increase the visibility of your user generated content, try the following:

  • Feature a hashtag (and call-to-action) in your bio, perhaps on Instagram or Twitter, and encourage customers, friends and family to share photos
  • Include invitations for customers to promote hashtags on-site, in-person and via email (see an example below)
  • Regularly publish and re-post user generated content in your content calendar

Share positive reviews and customer testimonials online.

When you do receive positive attention and word of mouth advertising, do not keep it a secret. Share that valuable information online, where the world can see it. Take the initiative to use customer re-posts and re-tweets and into your promotion strategy.

Building buzz for your business and your brand will take time and effort, but the steps you take today will pay dividends tomorrow. Word of mouth advertising is not for sale at any price, but it is the most valuable form of marketing your company can receive. The eight strategies listed above will give you a starting point, but the rest is up to you.

Thank your customers for their business.

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and customers are no exception. While you may have the words printed on receipts or included in email confirmations of sales, or you or your staff may say “Thanks” in person, doing something such as sending a handwritten thank you card to new customers or a returning customer will set you apart as a business who cares about their customers and is worth recommending.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Photographed by Bert Morgan (1904-1986) on the golf course at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, FL circa 1940.

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Maximize Email Marketing ROI

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Email marketing campaigns continue to generate solid returns on the time and money spent to produce them and for that reason the format remains among the most effective marketing strategies one can undertake. Email itself is a tremendously popular communication tool as evidenced by a Statista report that shows as of August 2023, 4.73 billion people globally use email. Better still for marketers, 61% of consumers prefer to hear from companies they’re interested in by way of email.

The emails you compose for campaigns require thought, as does all of the marketing content you produce for publication. As always, your objective is to devise clear and concise messages that have an easily recognizable purpose that resonates with email recipients. Your core theme is the most important component of the email, but there are other factors that shape and influence its impact. Below are eight important actions you can take to enhance the success of your email marketing campaigns and improve the odds that your customer outreach will produce the results you need and, best of all, nurture relationships with your clients and prospects.

1. Irresistible subject line

It’s more than likely that those on your mailing list receive dozens of emails each day. How do you convince these busy people to click on your message? Seduce them with your subject line! Maybe it’s amusing or maybe it’s a tad outrageous, but it’s definitely an eye-catching hook that makes the recipient curious enough to click and read.

2. Concise compelling message

Be mindful of the length of your email. Convey your thoughts succinctly. Express your message in simple language and avoid business jargon. For in-depth discussion of a topic, write a short introductory blurb, an abstract, and link to the details.

3. Call-to-action

What would you like your email readers to do, now that you have their attention? Your email needs a purpose—otherwise, why are we having this conversation? You might ask recipients to click a link and leave their contact info, so that the reader can, e.g., RSVP to attend the workshop you’ll teach, schedule an appointment with you, receive the link to a podcast where you were a guest, buy your book, or vote on election day.

4. Image or video

Readers respond to images, whether still or video, that illustrate the purpose of your email campaign. If you include a video, three minutes is your target maximum length.

5. Easy-to-follow layout and graphics

Use spacing and images to break up big chunks of text and make longer emails less intimidating. Choose one font style and use it consistently throughout the email. The idea is to visually please the recipient and literally tempt the eye to linger, look— and read.

6. Cleaned up address list

Holding on to customer email addresses from years ago is understandable — growing an email list is challenging. However, email data becomes obsolete at an average pace of 23% annually, so it makes sense to regularly monitor the accuracy of your mailing list. Check the bounce rate and either delete or correct invalid addresses. When more than 2% of emails bounce back, your company begins to look like a spammer to inbox providers and your emails will be sent to spam files as a result.

7. Follow-up with customers

Getting a reply from one of your subscribers is email marketing gold. Whether they’re writing back to share feedback or ask a question, it shows they care and want to further communicate with you. What’s more, replies are good for email deliverability as inbox providers see them as a sign of trust. Ensure you respond to all emails. Ignoring a message from a customer is unacceptable.

8. Document results

Along with the overall bounce rate and the identity of undeliverable emails, study your campaign open rate and check to see who opens, or doesn’t open, your emails. Use your email analytics and tracking to measure the success of campaigns and make data-driven improvements. Hint: monitor the open rate to discover which topics have the largest percentage of recipient opens and let that guide your content choices.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Keystone View Company (1902). A Letter from Pat in America Young Irish woman reading a letter from a relative in America to an older woman outside of a thatch-roofed stone cottage.

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“What’s In the Budget For This Project?”

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Hallelujah! A prospect you’ve courted for quite some time has finally agreed to consider using you for a project. You’ve been invited to meet with a couple of members of the project team. You’re preparing for the meeting like a seasoned pro and that includes asking questions that show the prospective client’s priorities matter to you. You’ll ask about the ideal outcomes for the project, how the project fits in with long-term company goals and how a successful project is expected to promote brand awareness and grow the customer base. You’ll ask who will make the decision as to the vendor and when that decision will be made.

You know the right questions will ensure that you understand what the project is expected to achieve and confirm your ability to produce the deliverables. The right questions also signal to the prospect that you intend to meet or exceed expectations. But after you’ve inquired about the project specs, remember to ask another question, an essential question that is sometimes neglected—-the amount of money that’s been earmarked for the project budget. Without ascertaining this vital piece of information, you cannot move forward. To think that you can write a credible proposal without first discussing at least a ballpark price is unfair to both yourself and the prospect. Do you shop without looking at the price tags? Of course not.

The budget is a critical component of the project specs and there must be transparency. Without knowing how much money can be made available, neither you nor the prospect will know if either can afford to do the project until the proposal has been sent and that is too late. When the money talk is omitted from the project specs discussion, decision-makers and stakeholders waste time.

Money talks are intimidating for many. You’re thrilled to be invited to meet with a prospect and you want to make a sale, you want to get to yes. However, if you’re going to be a successful Freelance consultant, you must learn how to discuss money. The money talk brings on the big reveal—-can the prospect afford to work with you (and the flip side, can you afford to work with this company)?

As you know, attitudes about money are an emotional issue and you won’t know how the prospect will respond until you go there. Some prospects are comfortable being up-front and transparent about the budget. Others are not that evolved—- they jolly well know their budget, but they don’t want to tell you. Oh, well!

Nevertheless, you must face up to your money talk and tiptoe through whatever emotional baggage your prospect may have. Here are three direct but polite money talk icebreakers that are guaranteed to make it comfortable for your soon-to-be client to be candid about the budget before you write the proposal. If you’ve done it right, you and the prospect will first discuss the pertinent matters, including budget, and your proposal will confirm in writing what the parties have agreed to.

  1. Is your budget in the hundreds or the thousands?

This question quickly helps you understand the resources that your prospect is willing and able to invest in the project. If the response in the thousands, you can further clarify by asking if an amount that seems reasonable would be in the thousands or tens of thousands?

2. Are you thinking $500, $5,000, or $50,000? 

This question encourages the prospect to verbalize a spending range for the project. Remember, these are not your actual prices; these are numbers that make it easier and less intimidating for the client to express what s/he can afford.

3. Would an amount somewhere between $7,000 and $10,000 be affordable?

Suggesting to the prospect a range that’s close to the higher end of what you’d likely charge for that type of project is another good tactic. This question lets you know what type of services the prospect can afford and will make it clear to both of you if it’s worth moving forward with you as the project vendor. Fish or cut bait.

Finally, if you choose to give a verbal estimate, say the price, or the range, and be quiet. Silence gives your prospect an opportunity to consider the price and respond. Silence also communicates that you have confidence in your price. The worst thing you can do is announce your price and then offer to negotiate it down before the prospect has had a chance to say yes or no. Resist the urge to say, “Will that work for you?” Or “We can negotiate that if it’s too much!”

The best lesson you can learn as a Freelance consulting professional is that your time and talent are worth money and you deserve to exclusively work with clients who value what you bring to the table. Those who who attempt to wheedle or bully you into accepting a price that does not reflect your estimation of the value of your services is best avoided. Have the courage and the self-respect to walk away, as disappointing as it is. There’s no point in wasting it on a proposal for a client who can’t afford you.

Having money conversations is not an art–it just takes confidence and practice.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Anand Purohit/Getty Images. An Indian lady is shopping and is ready to pay in rupees.

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Recipe For A Winning 4th Quarter Finish

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Ready, set, win! In business and in life, it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. When the bell rings at the end of the game—the end of the year—with all your heart, you want to be a winner. Whatever you’ve experienced this year, whether you struggled to close deals or were touched by an angel, your performance in the fourth quarter is going to be impactful. I think it’s safe to say that you’re motivated to leave no stone unturned as you aim to close out 2023 with a victory.

The 4th quarter officially begins on October 1 and summer ends on September 22, but you’re about ready to kick-off your year-end sprint now that September has arrived. It’s time to go full speed ahead; optimizing your visibility to potential customers and referral sources can be the wind at your at your back. Start your campaign by identifying organizations and venues that sponsor programs that align with your brand and will bring you and your company to the attention of the right decision-makers. Your objective is to position yourself as an expert, thought leader and trustworthy professional who, BTW, can deliver solutions to a certain target market and make those who hire you look good. Here are a few strategies that when implemented will propel you out of the starting gate and toward the year-end finish line.

Elevator pitch

You’ll have two or three versions of varying lengths that correspond to the person you meet but in general your elevator pitch , which is an introduction to you, your company and your product or service, should be 20-40 seconds long. Your name and the company name, what you do, for whom you do it (i.e., your typical client) and the primary benefit (outcomes) delivered are what you want to communicate. Hone your pitch until you can define your venture in just a couple of punchy sentences.  An effective elevator pitch will grab the interest of the listener, showcase your mission and get people hooked on your vision, all in less than one minute.

Personal brand

It’s not unusual to confuse reputation with the personal brand, but the two are not interchangeable. Reputation is earned and acquired, influenced by how you behave and communicate. It is external and reflects how others see you.  

Your personal brand, on the other hand, is internal and intentional. It’s also aspirational and is based on how you’d like others to see you. It’s your preferred identity, your unique selling proposition and what sets you apart from competitors.

 Personal branding involves creating and communicating a compelling story about yourself, maintaining a professional demeanor and nurturing a reputation that positions you as trustworthy and dependable. Remember that your brand reflects your core values and purpose, it should resonate with your target audience and inspire their loyalty and respect.

Networking

Networking is the process of meeting and greeting, having conversations and getting to know colleagues and competitors so that you can exchange information, find common ground and develop professional or social contacts. Once in a while, you might be lucky enough to meet someone who becomes a real friend.

You’ll find opportunities to network wherever you meet people. The essence of successful networking isn’t about what someone can do for you; it’s about what you can do for them. Ideally, the experience of networking results in win-win outcomes. The best networking agenda is to create value, be a resource and forge genuine relationships, so that you and your network will support one another.

Social media

Whether your preferred platform is LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok, establishing a consistent presence on social media will be a key element in your strategy to maintain visibility in your professional sector. Keep your audience engaged with promotional content, industry insights, interesting company updates and behind-the-scenes peeks, leavened with a dash of your charismatic personality. Because your customers and prospects feel more comfortable doing business with those they feel they know, make your content relatable.

Content marketing

Content is king, but not just anything will do. The content that you produce—text, visual, audio—must give the information and tell the stories that your clients and prospects find meaningful. Your content must also be high-quality, engaging and impactful to tell a memorable story , communicate your expertise and nurture your community. As well, remember that content marketing sidesteps a hard sell.

The format is about providing valuable insights, stimulating conversation and showcasing your genius to the audience. Publishing a blog and/or newsletter that explores topics that interest your target audience, producing or taking a guest spot on webinars and/or podcasts that allow you to personally speak to subjects you explore in your blog and/or newsletter posts are standard B2B content that you’ll post on your website and social media sites or send to your email marketing list. Creating video clips that show you engaged in a local charity event, receiving an award that honors your volunteer work, or even a clip of you decorating your office for the holidays are among the visual content possibilities you might use to present a less formal and more relatable aspect of yourself.

Public speaking

Public speaking opportunities are plentiful these days; your task is to identify venues that deliver your target audience. Panels, webinars, workshops, podcasts, rotary clubs or the chamber of commerce provide great venues for speakers.

If the very idea of public speaking gives you butterflies in the belly, start small and build your speaking skills. Practice in front of a mirror, practice and record yourself on your smartphone. Joining a panel or being a guest on a webinar or podcast are good ways to gain experience and build your confidence, as you get exposure to an audience that might bring you a customer or a referral. Soon, you’ll be commanding the room and leading the conversation in your industry. Public speaking is an investment with dividends in credibility, authority and a wider audience reach.

Press releases and media spotlight

While self-promotion is vital, third-party validation is perceived as impartial and objective and for those reasons, articles that appear in the media have the most credibility. Earned media is the term; to approach media outlets and invite them to in some way include you and your company in a feature, you must make contact with journalists or editors with press releases.

Journalists traffic in stories that they feel will interest their readers (or viewers), so your objective to obtain earned media must be based on a story that the media outlet’s audience will value. Write a press release when you win a business award, when you’re scheduled to appear on a local (or national!) television program, or when you’ll participate in a visible way in a noteworthy charitable event in your community. The story you’d like to share must be enticing and relevant to the publication’s audience. If done consistently and with viable story angles, media features can provide immense visibility and position you as a thought leader in your field.

Guest posts, podcasts, webinars

Engaging with your audience in virtual real-time has become standard practice in the digital era. There are now hundreds of podcasts and webinars broadcast nearly every day. More than just a knowledge-sharing medium, webinars and live sessions nurture a sense of community and belonging. They facilitate connection between you and your audience, fostering a dialogue that’s both dynamic and personal. The topic of your podcast or webinar session and information shared must deliver value to the audience.

Expand your writing credits and your reach by guest posting on popular industry blogs. Be sure to return the favor and occasionally invite a guest blogger to write for you and gain new readers as you do. Guest posting gives you exposure to a broader audience and solidifies your position as an industry expert. Whether you are the host or a guest, podcasts are a fantastic platform for showcasing your insights, opinions and your unique perspectives.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: West Aurora, IL High School’s Victoria “Tori” Spagnola, left, wins the 300-meter hurdles race. Alexandra Johnson, right. (June 2021)

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8 Digital Productivity Tools

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Freelancer friend, if you’re doing things right, you’re working in the zone and maintaining a steady flow, doing things like managing your client work, generating content for inbound marketing campaigns that fill your sales pipeline and invoicing clients so you’ll get paid, for example. There’s a lot on your plate and making good use of time is a must.

Maximizing productivity is the way to get through your to-do list. Recognizing where you can create operational efficiencies is integral to the process. How wonderful that there are numerous, easy to use online tools that can be of service. You are certain to find that a modest investment in digital productivity tools can pay big dividends, allowing you to save time, show clients that you’re organized and in control of project details and reduce your stress level. Here are eight online tools that can help you get more good things done and give you more time to relax as well.

1. Project management—ProProfs Project $19.99/month (solopreneur)

The right project management software can replace several of the tools you’re using now, to monitor and evaluate the progress of your project, collaborate with clients, share files and feedback, create reports and more. Here’s an online tool that will simplify planning and scheduling of your projects, allow you to quickly view your project, delegate tasks and schedule deadlines all in one dashboard. The platform is a straightforward and user-friendly software solution designed for small to medium-sized businesses across different industries. Keep clients in the loop and let them see that the project is moving forward and you are on top of things.

https://www.proprofsproject.com/

2. Time tracking and invoicing—My Hours free; or $6/user/month

Time tracking software helps employers and workers keep track of time spent on various tasks, projects and other deliverables. You can use this tool to stay organized, whether you’re working solo for a client or when you must track both your own hours and those of subcontractors you’ve brought in to help you.

  • Time tracking: You efficiently keep track of how your employees/ sub-contractors spend their time while on the job.
  • Timesheets: Timesheets calculate the work your employees/ subcontractors perform in terms of billable hours and make client billing and invoicing faster and easier.
  • Reporting: Most time tracking software creates reports on active employee/ subcontractor hours, tasks they complete and more.
  • Integrations: Seamless integrations with project management and communication tools such as Salesforce, Asana and Slack, tools your client probably uses.
  • Mobile app: With a mobile app, you (and your employees or subcontractors) can efficiently manage reporting and tallying billable hours from anywhere.

https://myhours.com/billing-invoicing

3. Digital wallets—Apple Pay 1.5 % fee applied to each transfer of funds to debit card or bank account when using Instant Transfer.

Digital wallets are apps that enable you to store and use credit cards, debit cards, passes, tickets, ID cards, gift cards, reservations, boarding passes, coupons, membership cards and whatever else that you need to store safely and access easily. So many transactions are now online, I think you’ll agree that it’s time to properly organize and safeguard your important records and receipts? Digital wallets are more secure and convenient than traditional physical wallets and can be used to make payments or transfer money directly from your smartphone.

https://www.apple.com/apple-pay/

4. Writing—Hemingway Editor free or $19.99 one-time payment

Are you producing relevant content that showcases you as a thought leader and expert in your field? Of course you are and that means you do a lot of writing. Hemingway Editor will do more than Microsoft Word grammar and spell check to correctly identify spelling and grammatical errors in your text. The software also illustrates which of your sentences are too clumsy and wordy and suggests alternative words and phrases that are simple, eloquent and make you sound like a silver tongued genius (which is the whole idea!).

You can type directly into Hemingway Editor or, if you don’t want to be bothered with its recommendations while you write, paste your draft text into the tool for edits when you’ve finished writing.

https://hemingwayapp.com/

5. Social Media Management—-Meet Edgar $29.99/ month

A social media management platform that allows you to create a library of posts that can be scheduled to appear on the accounts you choose and at a day/time you specify. In other words, if you’re creating content today that will be ideal for a campaign or occasion that will take place six weeks from now, you won’t have to remember to dig into the file (and hope you can find it), you just save and schedule and know your great content will show up where and when you like. You’ll also receive data that lets you analyze how your content performs on the various platforms you use.

https://meetedgar.com/

6. Email Management—-SaneBox $7/month

This handy tool works with every email platform and, by using Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, figures out which of your emails is important and which are not so urgent. Low priority emails are placed in a “SaneLater” folder, while important emails remain in your inbox to receive your immediate attention. Better still, you can learn which emails you’ve sent that have not received a reply, automatically save email attachments to your cloud filing platform and quickly unsubscribe from mailing lists.

https://www.sanebox.com/

7. Scheduling—Calendly free or max. $12/user/month

Regardless of your appointment-setting needs, your scheduling software should present your business in a professional light while simplifying the booking process on both ends. The best appointment scheduling apps offer the practical mix of flexibility and ease of use. They save you time (and headaches) by allowing clients to make appointments with you on their own, as well as cancel or reschedule as needed. At every touchpoint, provide a pleasantly efficient and memorable customer experience.

https://calendly.com

8. Online signatures—DocuSign $10/month (solopreneur)

Here’s an electronic signature platform that will speed-up and simplify your signature processes, all while providing better customer experience and document management. Electronic signature software allows you and your clients to quickly and easily digitally sign contracts or other documents. Whether you need to sign an IRS Form W-9 or authorize an electronic invoice payment agreement as part of client onboarding, your clients will appreciate, and be impressed by, digital signature capability.

https://www.docusign.com/plans-and-pricing

Happy Labor Day and thanks for reading,

Kim

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Getting PR: On-Message Expert Source

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Not every Freelancer enjoys selling, but every Freelancer knows that selling is the name of the game. You may have a kickin’ inbound marketing strategy that keeps your pipeline filled with good prospects but if you want to close deals, you’ll have to sell. It’s a fact of life—-Freelancers and all business owners are more or less forever in selling mode, always on and ready to promote the brand.

Then again, there are times when it pays to shut off your sales spiel because it won’t work. Social events are the usual no-fly zone for a sales pitch but there is another, less obvious, scenario where a sales pitch is a faux-pas—when speaking with a journalist. Surprise! It may feel counterintuitive, but it is a fact. When you’re lucky enough to win the PR jackpot that a conversation with a journalist brings, anything beyond your short form elevator pitch, presented as self-introduction, is inappropriate. What sounds like a sales pitch is a turn-off to reporters. Here’s why.

One, the journalist is not your prospect. S/he is not interested in buying your product or service. Resist the temptation to sell someone. Two, it’s not the journalist’s job to sell your product or service, so why would you waste time explaining features and benefits and how your offerings are so much better than the competition’s? Don’t go there.

A journalist’s purpose in life is to tell stories that interest and inform readers. To do that, they must identify compelling topics. They also need facts and expert opinions to convince readers of the relevance of the stories. When an invitation to speak with a journalist arrives, a media savvy Freelancer knows to present yourself as a successful entrepreneur and expert, a qualified source who will be on-message and make the reporter look good.

Be the expert source

When a journalist puts out a request for contributors on whatever topic, as is done at Help A Reporter Out http:// http://HelpAReporter.com , it’s your chance to pitch yourself first and foremost as an industry expert. The reporter is searching for a source, a credible expert who can produce a few good bullet points on the topic before deadline. Your products or services take a backseat.

If you are chosen for follow-up, prepare ahead of your interview and be ready with three or four succinct and punchy, memorable quotes. If one or more of your quotes is included in the article, even if the publication is small and local, you’ll reap the benefits that earned media, PR, can bring—-credibility, trust and exposure to new prospects. That’s a lot more impactful than any sales pitch you can make.

If the reporter has in mind a profile that spotlights one or more entrepreneurs, discussion of your product or service may be integral to the story. If that’s the case, avoid the technical, in-the-weeds aspects and instead, focus on the benefits and value-added that clients receive from your product or service. Use the five W’s of journalism to create bullet points for a product or service overview:

  • Who does your product or service help?
  • What is unique about your product or service?
  • Why should readers care?
  • Where is this being used?
  • When should someone use your product?

Credentials have clout

Before reaching out, a reporter in search of a good source will probably tour your social media accounts to see the content you’ve posted. If you’ve built up a significant following, so much the better, but the size of your following may not be the most important factor when evaluating a potential expert source.

Journalists trust academic and professional credentials and that trust can outweigh even a sizable social media following. While social media might help journalists discover you, they’re looking for someone who can truly educate their audience. Emphasize your degrees, certifications, experience and awards to establish credibility when introducing yourself as an expert source to the media. If your social media following is impressive, by all mean include it.

  • Education (PhD., MD, CPA, MBA)
  • Professional (university professor, partner at a law firm)
  • Achievements (published a book, awards and citations received)
  • Media exposure (copies of articles in which you’ve been quoted)

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) is in uniform and on-message at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv.

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Rapid Response: Being Agile

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Throughout history, human beings have learned that unexpected circumstances can bring instability to your life or your work and cause you to abandon plans you assumed were carved in stone and adapt to a new reality. Pragmatists are aware that disruption of one kind or another is inevitable and destined to visit your life if you live long enough.

Business owners and leaders, including Freelancers, recognize that in order to successfully navigate uncertainty, it’s possible—-but probably not easy—-to shift gears and make the necessary adjustments. There may be sleepless nights, but you can regain your footing. Agile strategies are the way to make it all happen.

You can trust agile strategies to become your go-to crisis response plan, the roadmap that guides you when the ground is shifting beneath your feet. An agile mindset and strategies will help you to rationally assess how the changed business conditions impact your organization, recognize factors in your organization that must change in response to the new scenario and figure out how to effectively operate within your new business landscape—-and in a timely fashion.

When the tide suddenly turns, agile strategies offer a useful alternative to the typical long-term planning outlook and instead encourage you to devote the upcoming 12-18 months to wrestling with the obstacles your company now faces and, ideally, discovering whatever unexpected opportunities the altered business environment presents. Below are practices to keep at top of mind as your new reality unfolds.

Always-on strategy

  • Adaptability in a rapidly changing environment. Freelancers and small business owners usually operate in dynamic environments. Often able to access only limited resources, these entrepreneurs need strategies that can support their evolving circumstances. Agile strategies enable flexibility. They allow business owners to adjust plans and actions in real time, based on customer feedback. Weekly strategy assessments are a useful way to monitor the success (or weakness) of interventions that were enacted and facilitate making refinements as needed.
  • Innovation and competitive advantage. Innovation is a driving force of business success. Agile strategies encourage creative thinking as they challenge the status quo and lead you and your team to explore new opportunities. By baking innovation into your strategies, you can discover or create competitive advantages and build a loyal and lucrative customer base.
  • Focus on high-value opportunities. Agile strategies help business owners focus on the most critical challenges and high-potential/ high-value opportunities. Your resources are not infinite and it’s imperative that you invest time and money into areas that can be expected to yield the greatest ROI. By identifying these key opportunities, you’ll maximize your chances of success.
  • Agility and speed in execution. Small and medium-sized businesses often have the advantage of being nimble and agile. Agile strategizing facilitates quick and objective decision-making, as it eliminates the tradition of lengthy planning processes and empowers teams to swiftly analyze, plan and execute. When your business climate changes, a timely response to customer priorities and preferences is essential.

Smarter strategy

As you acclimate to the practices of always-on strategizing, promoting creativity and innovation, engaging stakeholders and becoming intentional about your company’s strategic direction are among the benefits you will enjoy. You’ll discover the rewards of smarter strategy — AKA agile strategy. Clarity, coherence, focus, adaptability, innovation and action are the guiding principles. Invite agile strategies to become the engine that moves your organization forward.

  • Focus on the most critical challenges and highest-value opportunities.
  • Address challenges you expect to encounter in the next 12 to 18 months, instead of relying on the usual three-to five-year planning cycle.
  • Bake innovation into strategies and let go of benchmarking against your competitors. What they do may no longer apply. Instead, find the courage to think outside the box and always A/B test to confirm your assumptions.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Academy Award winner George Chakiris (Best Supporting Actor, 1962) as Bernardo Nunez in the film adaptation of West Side Story, released by United Artists in 1961.

Marketing , Leave a comment

Which Marketing Channels Are Doing the Job Now?

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The platforms and media outlets you use to transmit promotional messages to your target audience, also known as marketing channels, play a role in your marketing campaigns that is nearly as influential as the messages they carry. Each channel has a persona and target audience of its own and appeals to that demographic in a unique way. It should be no surprise that certain channels are more suitable for certain types of content, or are more popular in certain demographics and are less so in others. When you have a story to tell, it’s critical that the marketing channels used are appropriate for the content and appeal to your customers. You need to know which channels deliver the desired ROI, so you’ll know where to focus your resources and attention.

It’s important to customize marketing activity to resonate with your target audience and brand. It’s also incumbent upon marketers to understand that it is almost inevitable that at some point, fluctuations in the global or national zeitgeist might impact customer perceptions of the marketing channels you typically use. So much of marketing is about being in the moment and able to read the mood of your customers and prospects.

As we learned early in 2020-2021, a health crisis, political instability, wars and the resulting economic fallout can cause a seismic shift in customer priorities, budgets and preferences. In a 2022 survey of over 1,200 marketers conducted by the Cambridge, MA inbound marketing company Hubspot, more than 80% of respondents said that marketing has changed more in the last three years than in the last 50 years. Effective marketing means that Freelancers and their corporate counterparts must be vigilant and willing to revisit the matter of which marketing channels win the loyalty and trust of customers in the here and now and ensure that your channel strategy fits your audience.

The Hubspot survey reported that the leading channels used by B2B marketers are social media platforms, company websites, blogs and email marketing and the trend is expected to continue throughout 2023. Also, 61% of companies plan to increase the number of marketing channels of all kinds and they anticipate that the necessary increases of time and money will be budgeted.

Social media use is expanding

The HubSpot survey also found that 45% of B2B companies and 61.5% of B2C companies use social media channels to promote products and services. That customers appreciate the convenience of social messaging allows marketers to engage in real time with customers to answer questions, resolve customer service issues and provide insightful feedback about the product or service. In 2022, more than half of U.S. adults purchased something through a social media channel, according to a 2023 survey of 750 marketers conducted by Sprout Social, the Chicago, IL based social media management platform, and 98% expected to use that channel to make another purchase in the future.

Investing in relationships with customers directly impacts business revenue and strengthens customer loyalty. When customers feel connected to brands, 57% will increase spending with that brand and 76% will buy from that brand over a competitor. B2C brands are more likely to sell products and services on social channels (58%) compared to B2B brands (37%). Still, Sprout Social reported that 89% of B2B marketers rely on LinkedIn to generate leads.

When you reevaluate the validity of your usual marketing channels, whether you’re thinking it might be the time to either add or to subtract, you’ll improve your calculus by addressing the following questions:

  • Do the new marketing channels align from a brand and customer experience perspective?
  • Do the touch points on the new and original channels align around and emphasize the same benefits and brand image?
  • How will new marketing channels attract new customers, lure customers away from competitors, or persuade current customers to do more business with you?
  • Do customers understand and appreciate the value they acquire by using new channels?

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Italian Air Force fighter planes in an airshow celebrating Frecce Tricolori in Rivolto, Italy on September 11 & 12, 2010

Business Strategy , , , Leave a comment

3 Ways That Competition Works for You

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When you operate a business, competition is a fact of life. It’s only natural to be unsettled by the thought of competition—it could put me out of business!—but in fact, the presence of competitors in your marketplace sector is a good sign, better than you think. If you adjust your perspective and dial back your (understandable) fear, you’ll learn that competition can pay dividends. You have to know where to look.

To make competition work for you, begin by identifying your principal direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors offer products and/or services very similar to what your entity provides; indirect competitors offer “Plan B, ” products or services in a different category altogether but which your target customers perceive as an attractive alternative. For example, a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses are indirect competitors for Valentine’s Day gift giving.

B2C business owners can easily ID and research competitors who operate either a physical location or e-commerce site by running a key word search and browsing competitors’ websites. You can also follow-up and visit storefronts, to check out the location and the merchandise and say hello to the owner (or the manager). B2B business owners can likewise conduct a key word search and visit the websites of direct and indirect competitors who operate in your geography (or beyond). You can evaluate the products and services catalogued on the sites, but meeting your B2B competitor peers will probably take some effort. Most work from home and even if an office is maintained, it would be inappropriate to drop in without an appointment. Your best option is to look for competitors at business association meetings and other networking events.

It’s good business to benchmark two or three of your most successful direct and indirect competitors and learn the secrets of their success. Some of what they do might work for you, too! Read on to learn how you can turn competition into a win for your entity.

Barometers of marketplace potential

This insight is only an estimate and is not based on metrics specific to your organization but as a rule, if businesses similar to your own are doing well in your marketplace, it’s indication that your venture could also do well. That local competitors are thriving is convincing evidence that there is money to be made.

Remember, though, that many factors contribute to building a successful business and in the B2B sector that would include influential relationships and strength of reputation, access to decision-makers and the ability to consistently meet or exceed client expectations. Another factor is market saturation—established companies may be doing well, but is there enough demand to allow newcomers to prosper?

How you can succeed

Not only are competitors your canary in the coal mine of marketplace potential, another useful dividend that competitors offer is teaching you to become a more astute business operator. So as you study the websites of your main competitors, pay attention to the descriptions of direct competitors—products and services that resemble yours—and indirect competitors—products and services that offer a credible alternative to what you sell.

Furthermore, make note of the calls-to-action you see—which are especially clever and compelling?, the blog or newsletter archive, scheduled speaking engagements—what are the topics and who is the host organization?—and the client list. Those operating in the B2C space can browse the websites of competitors (or visit a local store) and inspect the products and services offered, note the pricing strategy, assess any add-on and up-selling deals and even see the available payment options. In either the B2B or B2C space it will also be instructive to tour the social media accounts—which platforms are used?— and witness how competitive brands interact with customers.

It’s best if you don’t simply copy everything your competitors do. Every business is unique, even amongst direct competitors. If something looks like an intriguing possibility for your venture, test for effectiveness and optimize for your target clients and brand.

You are also advised to resist the urge to compete on price, unless your competitive intelligence shows that your prices are significantly higher than the amount charged by two or more competitors for a similar product or service. It’s tempting to cut prices to gain market share, but it’s a strategy that seldom works in the long run. Aiming to under-price competitors can only put you in a race to the bottom and that’s not what you want. Particularly in the B2B sector, focus on demonstrating and articulating value as you position your products and services in a premium tier.

Cooperate and collaborate when necessary

Now to be seriously counterintuitive, the most savvy and pragmatic Freelancers recognize that it is not a given that competitors are destined to be your adversaries. Assuming that there will always be a certain amount of hostility between you is shortsighted and could possibly cause you to lose out in some way. While you may never trust certain competitors, it’s nevertheless a good idea to be strategically cooperative when necessary. Ideally, there will be enough trust and respect that allows you to build alliances, cooperate when necessary and, in some cases, even collaborate with selected competitors (while observing boundaries, of course).

You never know what the future will bring—the time may come when it’s mutually beneficial for you and a competitor to align professionally and do a little business.  For example, if a policy or piece of legislation is expected to have a strongly positive or negative impact on your industry or working environment, it would be a compelling ice-breaker if you were to reach out to certain competitors and propose that you join forces to oppose or endorse pending legislation that could affect your livelihood.

Don’t be shy about engineering an introduction if you are fortunate enough to encounter one (or more) of your competitors at a chamber of commerce or other meeting. Your competitive intelligence strategy is to be friendly and ask for an exchange of business cards, so that you’ll have contact info. Getting to know your competitor colleagues as individuals is good business. You never know where those relationships might lead.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © The Walt Disney Company. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the animated movie produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Pictures in 1937. Based on the 19th century German folk tale published in Volume I of Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1812) by the brothers Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm of Hanau, Germany.

Sales , , , Leave a comment

Virtual Mode Selling Asks You to be Mindful

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When you have a product or service to sell, it’s important to connect and communicate in formats that are convenient and comfortable for your prospect. As we discovered in the early days of the coronavirus shutdown, face2face In Real Life conversations cannot always be arranged. In March and April 2020, you took your first clumsy steps into videoconferencing. Once in a while, you leaned into telephone meetings, one-on-one conversations and group conference calls, too.

You did your best to maintain business as usual (under very unusual conditions) and that included talking with prospects about how your solutions might be of service in COVID era business conditions. As you continued to schedule virtual sales calls and other types of negotiations, it became apparent that the distance inherent in videoconferencing (and also phone calls) presents an obstacle to sensitive conversations. It’s so much easier to to connect with your prospect when you’re sitting in a room together. When in a face2face conversation, you’re more adept at conveying empathy for your prospect and showing your grasp of his/her situation. You instinctively know how to create trust that will nurture a good relationship and encourage the sale.

Virtual mode team meetings are one thing but selling, what with the nuance and expertise required to handle objections in a way that reassures and the diplomacy that supports you during price negotiations, can be rather a challenge. Selling is selling, whether you and the prospect are hashing through details while across the desk from one another, or while you try to make eye contact with a video image, or maintain your focus while speaking to a disembodied voice on the telephone. It’s just that you would be wise to remember that your approach to virtual mode selling must differ from face2face discussions.

Virtual communication requires a pronounced shift to a client-centered perspective. An intentional strategy on your part is needed to more effectively reach across the digital divide to establish rapport and build trust. Below are five actions you can incorporate into your virtual sales calls to show prospects that you understand their needs, priorities and concerns and enable them to feel secure as you guide them through the sales journey.

Lead with empathy

When prospects demonstrate interest in your product or service, perhaps by responding to your inbound marketing, it’s because they need a solution that will solve a problem or enable a goal to be reached. Descriptions of your product or service have aroused curiosity. They hope you’ll understand what they need to do and how to efficiently get it done. Demonstrate both empathy and business acumen by asking questions to show you intend to understand their needs and propose a credible solution.

Employ active listening

It’s been said that the most successful sales professionals devote as much as 80% of their sales conversions to asking questions of the prospect and listening to the answers. The best way to persuade prospects to become clients is to create conditions where they feel seen, heard and understood. You do that by listening more and talking less. When in doubt, or to confirm your understanding of the situation, ask more questions. The more carefully you listen, the more sales you’ll make.

Become the trusted adviser
Your would-be clients are in need of a solution, but they won’t buy until and unless they trust you. The worst move you can make is to get someone on your screen or on the phone and make it obvious that your motive is to rope them into a fast sale. No one wants to have a sales call with someone who just wants to “close” them and maybe even trick them into spending money on a solution that’s not the best and costs more than it should.

Serious prospects want an advocate — a smart, dependable adviser whom they can grow to trust. Prospects, whether they consciously realize or not, want to do business with a professional whose primary intention is to be of service. They back away from those who are too hungry for a sale.

Exhibit the behaviors referenced above and direct them to help you understand the prospect’s need, earning trust and building a relationship as you come to understand how you can be of assistance—-ideally by providing them with the right solution at the right price. A 2019 study published by Gartner Peer Insights found that customer perceptions of a sales professional are a critical element of purchase decisions. Customers are motivated to spend on purchases that support business growth when they feel their sales contact is a trusted adviser who boosts their confidence in their purchasing decisions.

Emphasize outcomes and benefits

The best sales professionals focus heavily on the solution’s outcomes and results, often by painting a vivid picture of how the prospect’s working environment will benefit when the solution is implemented. Prospects want you to take the lead, figure out what’s going on and tell them why your solution will work, without getting bogged down in minutiae. What really matters to prospects is, “How will my life be different after we work together? Will this project be worth the pain—i.e., time and money—-of hiring you”?

Moderate your tone of voice

It’s not only what you say, but how you say it. You’ll be most comfortable speaking in your natural vocal tone, but it may be to your advantage to adapt it for virtual formats, just as you do for speaking to an audience. You don’t want to sound timid and apologetic, but neither do you want to be perceived as arrogant or intimidating.

The ideal tone of voice for virtual (or face2face) presentations is warm, businesslike, confident and straight to the point. Your tone of voice and the pace of your speech should convey a sense of expertise, authority and trustworthiness to your prospects. Use your smartphone to record yourself reading a paragraph and play back to critique your pace, tone, elocution and relatability. Your goal is to find a way of speaking that is both authoritative and friendly.

Thanks for reading,

Kim