Tag: strategic internet marketing

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Business Ideas

Are You Using Marketing to Sabotage Your Business Success? 3 Danger Signs

Here’s the sneaky thing about mental blocks — they usually make their presence known through sabotage (your business, your relationships, your life, etc.) rather than let you know through more civilized means.

Wouldn’t it be so much nicer if they simply tapped you on the shoulder and said “hey — this is an issue for you, maybe you should take care of it?”

Alas, they prefer to communicate with you by wreaking havoc in your business and your life.

And, when it comes to your business, one of their favorite ways of messing with you is through marketing.

So, how do you know if this is something you’re doing? Below are the 3 Danger Signs:

1. You know what you should be doing to market your business (for instance, getting an ezine out on a regular basis). But somehow it NEVER gets done. Or it gets done very sporadically — like once every 6 months. You say things like “I really need to get this done” and you never do.

Now this could mean one of two things — it could mean this is the wrong marketing strategy for you, your business, your ideal clients, etc. Or it could be a form a self-sabotage, where you find you just “never” have the time to get those things done that will grow your business.

How do you know the difference? Look for a pattern. Do you find yourself often starting a marketing tactic only to abandon it? Or is it just THIS particular one?

Obviously if it’s a pattern, then you’re definitely dealing with a mindset block. If it’s an isolated occurrence then there could be something else going on.

2. You’re always looking for the silver bullet. You constantly are trying, and abandoning, new marketing strategies. Maybe you are constantly buying the newest “blueprint” or “formula.” Or maybe you’re one of those who ask every marketing person in a ten-foot radius what you should be doing, and then you change your entire marketing strategy based on that person’s advice. (Of course, the moment it looks like it’s not working or you meet a bright shinny new marketing person, you switch strategies again.)

Look I know how tough it is out there. And it’s especially scary when even though you’re doing everything you can to market your business and you follow every single step, you still don’t see results (or at least not the results you’re looking for).

But the problem is if you keep switching marketing strategies you’re never going to gain any momentum. And momentum is a BIG part of getting results.

(Note — another way this Deadly Sign manifests itself is if you’re constantly switching your branding or what you stand for. If you find you need to keep reinventing yourself you definitely have a block somewhere.)

3. You give up on your marketing. This looks like not finishing a marketing campaign, not sending out enough emails to do a launch correctly, racing through a launch, or just throwing in the towel.

Look, part of growing a business means you have ups and downs. Some marketing campaigns are more successful than you anticipate and some are less. Some are utter failures. Some are out-of-the-park home runs.

That’s the way it is.

If you let a failure or two derail you, you’re never going to make it in business. And, if you allow your failures or perceived failures keep you from finishing a marketing campaign, that’s a problem. (Especially since you could be pleasantly surprised by sending out “one more email.”)

So what should you do if you find yourself plagued by any of these self-sabotage marketing mistakes?

Realize what the problem is. A block. And get help with it.

Now, this isn’t to say you don’t need help with your marketing. You may very well need to hire someone to help you put together and implement a strategy. But, unless you’re willing to be committed to that strategy, see it through and not be changing direction the moment something happens, it won’t help you grow your business.

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Business Ideas

Why do We Believe the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing?

As you may know, I am on a MISSION to shine a great big TRUTH spotlight on all the Big Fat Lies you’re most likely telling yourself about Internet Marketing right now.

However, I can only do so much.

I can tell you what the truth is. And you may even believe it. (In your head that is.)

But then, come the darkest part of the night, you’ll wake up in a sweat. And you’ll be thinking: “What if Michele is wrong? What if the reason why I’m having so much trouble succeeding on the Internet really IS all about me?”

During the day it’s easy to be rational. We understand in our heads that some marketing strategies will succeed, some will fail, and the best way to grow a successful business is to analyze why the failures failed and use that information to create more successes.

But in the dead of night, all of those good, objective intentions can fly away, leaving us alone with our doubts, fears, frustrations and anxiety.

So what IS it about these Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies that can wreak such havoc in our mental and emotional health?

This is what I believe — marketing pushes entrepreneurs’ hot buttons more than anything else out there.

Think about it. What other activity do you do for your business that is knotted up with all these MAJOR fears and blocks you’re dragging around right now? Marketing DIRECTLY relates to:

  • Fear of success
  • Fear of failure
  • Fear of visibility (including being seen, becoming famous, etc.)
  • Any blocks you have around making money
  • Any issues you have around the value you offer to your clients or the world
  • And more

The problem is, if you want to make enough money in your business to actually live on (much less get rich with your business) you’re going to have to make marketing a priority. But if you have any of these blocks or fears rattling around in your head, more likely than not you’re going to self-sabotage your marketing strategies.

(Or find yourself waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with these Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies swirling around in your head.)

Worse, these blocks can also suddenly appear when you start reaching for another level in your business. (It’s like that darn onion — peel away one layer and another one appears.)

So what do you do? Well, first off, knowing there’s a connection between marketing and blocks/fears is a good first step. Now, if you see any sort of sabotage (or find yourself waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat) this is what’s happening.

And the second thing to do is get help.

Because even though I can tell you the truth, I can’t make you believe it. Only you can do that.

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Sales & Marketing

The REAL Cost of Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies

Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners. And there is one thing I know to be absolutely true.

It is NOT easy to own your own business. In fact, all of you entrepreneurs reading this should stop and pat yourself on the back right now.

(I mean it. Stop and pat yourself on the back. I don’t care how successful or unsuccessful you think you are — you’re doing it. You’ve chosen a path that can be scary and frustrating and risky but it also can bring you the BIGGEST rewards and the HIGHEST highs.)

So if owning a business is tough, why would you make it all that tougher on yourself by believing the “lies” out there about Internet Marketing?

You see, there are a lot of beliefs swirling around out there about Internet Marketing that are either half-truths, sort-of-true-but-you-don’t-know-the-whole-context or just an out-and-out lie.

The problem is you may not know what is REALLY true and what you only THINK is true.

Actually that’s not the biggest problem. The BIGGEST problem is when you believe these half-truths or lies and then you blame YOURSELF when Internet Marketing doesn’t work for you.

THAT is the real cost of these lies. You blame yourself, the Universe, the economy, your products, etc. for what you PERCEIVE to be a failure. When, in actuality, it’s something else entirely. For instance:

  • Maybe you’re using the wrong Internet Marketing strategy
  • Maybe you’re using the right Internet Marketing strategy but you’re skipping some crucial steps because you don’t realize they’re crucial
  • Maybe your expectations are wrong  (maybe you’re more of a success than you realize!)
  • Or it’s something else that is EASY to fix and has nothing to do with the “story” you’ve created around your failure

I want you to take a deep breath right now and open yourself up to this new reality. It’s not YOU that’s the problem. It’s something else — something outside of yourself and something that’s easily fixable.

How does that feel?

What if THAT was the truth? Not these Big Fat Internet Marketing lies you’re most likely telling yourself right now?

Categories
Business Ideas

3 Keys To Attracting Leads, Clients and Sales to You Effortlessly

It sounds magical, doesn’t it? Attracting leads, clients and sales to you effortlessly. In fact, it almost doesn’t sound possible.

But the truth is, it IS possible, even if it isn’t magic. It’s all about good, solid marketing principles. And if you follow the below 3 keys, you’ll be well on your way to experiencing that for yourself in your business.

1. Create a powerful message that appeals to your ideal clients. This could also be thought of as your Unique Selling Proposition (or USP).

So what exactly is that? Basically it’s the solution you provide presented from your ideal client’s viewpoint. So, for example, let’s say you’re a business coach. Well, those are a dime a dozen. Instead, what if you specialize in helping women entrepreneurs get over their blocks to making more money in their business. See how more powerful that is? And how it can magnetically attract your ideal clients to you?

Or let’s say you’re a fitness and nutrition expert. Yawn. But what if you specialize in helping women with hormonal issues lose weight. Ah, much more powerful.

In addition to attracting your ideal clients to you, you’ll also notice these also position yourself as an expert. After all, if you have such a specialty, then you must be an expert. And of course, people would much rather do business with experts.

2. Be consistent with your message. Once you know what your message is (and you’ve tested it so you know it attracts your ideal clients) now you need to get it out into the world. Resist the urge to be creative about it.

I know, I know. You get tired of saying it. You’re sure other people must be tired of hearing it. But if you’re not consistent, if you tweak a little here, a little there, maybe edit it here, you’re not getting the full power of it out there.

Look, even you’re most loyal clients aren’t going to get sick of hearing your message. Why? Because they really don’t “hear” it as much as you think they do. People are busy with their own lives and they really aren’t paying as much attention to you as you think they are. So if you don’t repeat it and repeat it consistently, then you run the risk of people not remembering what you stand for, or maybe being confused about it, and if they don’t remember or are confused, they’re not going to invest with you or recommend you or anything else.

3. Be frequent with your message. You’re going to feel like a broken record, but the best marketers are the ones who have a simple, powerful message, are consistent with that message and repeat it over and over again.

And don’t just repeat it in the same places, find different ones. Get your message out there in as many ways as you possibly can. (Just as long as those places are where your ideal clients hang out.) Online. Offline. Networking events. Speeches. Podcasts. Etc.

In fact, here’s the place where you can be creative. Find new and different ways of getting your message out there, and do it as frequently as possible. Because the more often your ideal clients stumble across your message, the more likely it is when they’re ready to make a change, they’ll reach out to see how you can help them.

Categories
Business Ideas

3 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make While Building Their Businesses

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with both very successful entrepreneurs and ones who aren’t so successful. What makes one entrepreneur successful while the other one not-so-much? Chances are they’re making one (or all three) of these mistakes. Read on to learn more.

1. Marketing their business is not a priority. This is probably the biggest reason why I see businesses fail or either get sucked into a stressful feast-or-famine model (either too many or too few clients). They don’t make marketing their business a priority.

If you want to have a full pipeline of clients at all times then it’s crucial you make marketing a priority.

So what do I mean exactly by marketing your business? Basically two things — you have one or more ways to bring new leads in the door and you have one or more ways to turn those leads into clients. One of the easiest ways to do this is to set up an opt-in box on your website so you can collect the names and email addresses of the people who visit your site, then have a follow up system in place once they give you their email address to start warming them up so they become clients. Ezines and teleclasses are two great tactics to use as follow up.

2. They don’t take action (or they don’t take action fast enough). Successful businesses are built on momentum. Momentum is built on taking action. Whether it’s creating information products, launching new programs or even getting your new website up (or your ezine out), it’s all about taking action.

Now there is a caveat here. It’s not enough just to take action. You need to take the RIGHT action at the RIGHT time in the RIGHT order. So how do you know if you’re doing that or not?

Well, one way to do that is to educate yourself about marketing and business-building. Or an easier (and faster) way is to find yourself a business/marketing coach or mentor who can quickly assess your situation and give you a plan of action. (Of course, once you have that, then you need to make sure you actually implement that plan.)

3. They give up too soon. Look, every successful business person and entrepreneur I know has had a few stinkers. The difference is they’ve been in a business long enough to know a failure or two every now and then is normal and they move on. Entrepreneurs who are new or a little unsure of themselves tend to create a story around their failures that are simply not true. They’ll instead think there’s a problem with the product or the industry or themselves or something else — you get the picture. When the reality could be they didn’t market enough or they didn’t take enough action or they skipped a couple of steps when they were marketing their product or a myriad other easily preventable mistakes.

Before you throw in the towel on something — whether it’s a product you just created or your entire business, stop and ask for some help. Find out if success is just a few tweaks away or you really do need to do something more drastic.