Category: a slice of STRATEGY

Pure, unadulterated strategy: marketing, brand positioning, & entrepreneurial wisdom. New trends with staying power. Old standbys with inarguable value.
What to embrace, what to avoid, and what to attempt — with steady discernment.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

What is a Brand Strategy?

Posted on by Maria Ross

What is Brand Strategy

Doing this work for, ahem, decades, it’s easy for me to forget that the most basic yet game-changing concepts can often be misunderstood.

I sometimes assume everyone understands what I mean when I talk about “brand strategy.” But with new readers and fans, it’s worth revisiting this important topic and clarifying terminology so your business can soar.

A lesson for all of you: Don’t assume the information you take for granted is something “everyone already knows.” This is still one the most popular question I get:

What is a brand strategy?

And its related cousins…

Where do I even start creating a brand strategy? What are the right questions to ask when building my brand strategy?

Just to ensure we’re all on the same page, let’s first revisit what we mean by BRAND.

Your brand is your core, your essence. It’s the soul and reputation of your company, project or even non-profit and informs everything from who you target to how you price to what your website needs to look like and include….so many other business decisions, big and small. And not just marketing ones, either.

If you think of your brand as your business’ reputation, you can see how this informs they way you look, talk and act as a company or a personal brand.

You convey your brand in three crucial ways: visually, verbally and experientially. I call them this concept the Three-Legged Stool of Branding.  And like a stool, if you are missing a leg, the whole thing falls down. The “legs” ensure you have a firm foundation to make all your efforts more effective.

A brand strategy is a statement of direction that answers key questions around why you exist, what you stand for, who you target, what value you provide, your pricing and packaging strategy and your business’ unique personality or vibe that you will present to the world.

Why do you need a brand strategy? Unless you want to overwhelm yourself with a ton of wasted effort (and expense), you need this “strategic map”. Like a compass, a brand strategy guides all your marketing, operational and even hiring and partnership decisions. a Brand Strategy helps you say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things so you not only save money and time, but your specific actions are much more targeted and effective. Otherwise, you will run yourself ragged trying to blindly figure out the right move to make next.

Simply put, a Brand Strategy prevents you from performing random acts of marketing and getting distracted by every new shiny object

Stop performing random acts of marketing. Craft your Brand Strategy first. Share on X

Remember: the format of a Brand Strategy is not the most important thing. Yours can be three paragraphs, two pages or even a slide deck or other graphic format. What matters is that it answers high-level questions such as who you are, who you serve and the value you offer and at a detailed level, outlines:

From this, you can create a Core Value Proposition (CVP), a super useful brand tool that wraps up all your answers into a clear statement (this can serve not only as your company descriptor but as your elevator pitch – and can lead to a great tagline, too. )

Here’s an example of a Core Value Proposition from a past client:

Umault is a boutique video marketing agency that helps B2B companies create captivating content, engage the right people, and drive sales. We concept, script, and oversee video campaigns that make the complex simple and sexy, transforming ordinary businesses into extraordinary brands. 

This tells me everything I need to know about the company: what it is, how it is positioned, the target audience, the three core benefits it wants to stress in the market, and the voice of the company.

Once you have these core brand questions answered, you’re in a much better position to create a solid plan of marketing tactics: taglines, advertising, campaigns, sales strategies, social media, content. You’ll even better understand how your website needs to look and what it needs to say to appeal to your target market.

Internally, you can use the Brand Strategy to inform hiring decisions, operational processes, customer service policies, partner program criteria and even fun company culture practices and rituals.

Your Brand Strategy is your internal bible for making smart business decisions, not just marketing decisions. The more clarity you have about your answers, the more your business will attract the right people with the right message at the right time. Otherwise, good luck navigating the marketing maze of options that exists today.

Ready to create your own Brand Strategy? Click here to download my free 10-question Brand Strategy Worksheet to guide you along!

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

5 Ways Your Business Can Make the World a Better Place

Posted on by Maria Ross

Flashback: I’m seventeen and my mom and I are driving somewhere, talking about my future career goals. College application season was in full swing so the topic weighed heavy on me. What did I want to study?

My mom would have loved for me to pursue acting or journalism, but I wanted to study business and go into advertising or marketing. Rebel.

Some people know exactly what they want to do and go for it. But I was never the person who had an early calling on any one thing. Maybe you can relate? My attention span is too short, my interests too varied.

From age ten, one of my older brothers wanted to be a lawyer. And at fifty, he’s now…a successful lawyer. How I envied such clarity.

Some of my friends wanted to be doctors, teachers, scientists. Wanting to make a difference myself, I was torn up by my non-philanthropic career goals. I longed to create, communicate and impact in my own way, like running marketing for a city arts or theatre company.

“Maria, it’s okay to do something you love,” Mom said. “Not everyone can pursue a ‘noble’ profession. Things still need to get done. But you can still do good in the world, no matter what you do for a living.”

This conversation is a hazy memory, I’m not sure if it was real or imagined. Regardless, it has shaped my world view.

My deeper purpose has always been to engage, inform and delight with my work in order to make the world a better place. And it informs one of my primary values: With great success comes great responsibility.

With great success comes great responsibility: 5 ways your biz can make the world better @redslice Share on X

We don’t all have the drive to join the PeaceCorps. We can’t all run into burning buildings to save puppies. Our work may not involve curing cancer or advancing world peace, but we can do many philanthropic things with our businesses.

Here are five ways your business can make the world a better place:

  1. Donate a percentage of profits: You can use your good fortune to help worthy causes. This type of social entrepreneurship is getting more and more popular. Why not make yourself successful so you can in turn support honorable causes? You can do this consistently or with special promotions. You could become a one-for-one company and donate an item to people in need for every item you sell like Tom’s or Embrace Baby Warmers. If you can’t be in the trenches, find a way to use your profits to support those who are.
  2. Give the gift of giving back: I do this every year at the holidays. Instead of useless mugs or pens that will just get lost or thrown away, I thank my clients and partners by allowing them to choose from a selection of my favorite charities and I give a gift in their name. They remember my brand with respect, feel good about not cluttering their desk, and the organization gets the resources to continue its good work. #winning
  3. Take on a pro bono project: My friend used to run a design agency and every quarter they would take on one pro bono project to help a community organization. They had deep values in promoting social good and did a lot of paid work for socially responsible companies. Those paid gigs enabled them to generously donate their time and talent to help local worthy causes with tiny budgets. And side bonus: the PR was priceless.
  4. Choose your clients wisely: No one says you have to serve organizations who pollute the environment or product marketers who scam old people. It’s your business! You absolutely have the right and responsibility to define your values and work only with people or brands who do no harm. This includes partners. The more you support those kinds of people or businesses, the more we all win.
  5. Be a good, authentic person: You can choose to add to the scandalous marketing trash out there polluting our hearts and minds or you can rise above. Stay truthful in your advertising. You are called to create something that matters, so offer value and substance. Be good to your customers and clients. Show empathy. Keep your word. You can only control yourself, so be the example.

Image Credit via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How To Be Seen as an Expert…Or Increase Your Influence If You Already Are One

Posted on by Red Slice

There are two common challenges people claim when trying to build an expert, influential brand. Do either of these sound familiar?

People don’t listen to my ideas or see me an expert even though I know my stuff really well because I lack credentials/the right degree/level of experience.

and…

Everyone says they’re “experts” these days, but I really am one! I’ve earned it. But I can’t break through with all these upstarts and savvy social media players out there claiming to be experts.

It can be hard to rise above the “expert pollution” out there. It seems like any young upstart with an Instagram account, an IPhone and YouTube can come along and claim their “expert status” in an instant, while your years of hard-won experience or valuable content fall on deaf ears.

Conversely, there are many people without fancy degrees, huge followings or gray hair who really know their stuff. They have valuable insights and advice to share but are dismissed because they are not “well known.”

In both cases, it’s just downright frustrating when your authentic expertise and true talents are not recognized by others. That’s why it’s so important to intentionally cultivate an “expert brand” in order to grow your business.

Branding expert and author Dorie Clark states:

“In a world where too many people claim to be experts, it becomes even more important to be one, and ensure the right people know it.” (TWEET THIS!)

She wrote two wonderful topics on this subject that I think you’ll enjoy:

As Dorie says, “When you’re just starting out in a field, or lack blue-chip affiliations, it may be hard to persuade others to listen to your ideas, even if they’re groundbreaking and valuable.” She offers four strategies to help you get people to listen and make an impact.

  • If you’re already an expert but want to expand your influence even further, please check out her article, “3 Rules for Experts Who Want More Influence.” Chris Brogan weighs in to this article on the vital importance of your email list in increasing your ”recognized expert” status!

 

Photo credit: Jason Rosewell, Unsplash

Do you face challenges in not having your expertise recognized by others, or do you have questions on how to cultivate your expertise to grow your business? Would love to hear what you think!

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Why Face-to-Face in an Internet World Matters

Posted on by Maria Ross

Why face to face in an internet world matters

Branding expert and author Dorie Clark first came on my radar when I saw a powerful video about bravely being yourself and not allowing others to define your brand. Inspired, I began following her work: Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Entrepreneur columnist, TEDx speaker, professor at Duke University, consultant for Fortune 500 companies.

This woman clearly knew how to build a recognized and influential brand that stands out.

And she seemed so…..nice.

In 2014, I boldly reached out to her to offer a free copy of my book, Branding Basics for Small Business, 2nd Edition. If you dig it and you have the time, I emailed, I would so appreciate a kind Amazon review. She didn’t know me from Adam. But she kindly read the book, enjoyed it, and gave me a lovely review.

We developed an Internet friendship: Sharing posts, retweeting each other, and occasionally emailing.  Dorie is seriously one of the most generous people I know.

In 2016, we finally met in person when Dorie kindly invited me to an intimate dinner gathering. She was in town for business and curated a group of interesting and accomplished people who simply “needed to know each other.” It was such an amazing night! I met authors, philanthropists, and savvy business consultants. Dorie even facilitated the lively discussion so we could share both personal and professional happenings.

Dorie is smart and savvy and understands how valuable these face-to-face connections are in an Internet-fueled world. They open doors, build your personal brand and enable you to connect and promote in a friendly, comfortable environment.  She organizes these dinners everywhere she goes in the world.

To learn more about why and how she organizes these dinners, so you might do something similar, please read this great article she wrote.

You can’t just hide behind your screen 24/7 and expect to make a name for yourself or your business.  I know, the introverts out there are shaking in their boots, but you can do this in intimate groups or one-on-one, not just at chaotic, crowded conferences!

If you want to increase your visibility and become a recognized expert, make time for face-to-face connections. (TWEET THIS!)

The personal touch cuts through the clutter. Nothing can build your brand like shaking hands, sharing a cocktail and looking each other in the eye. And yes, giving each other big hugs at the evening’s end!

Image Credit via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

4 Tips for How to Sell Without Selling Your Soul

Posted on by Maria Ross

Sales with with a soul

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you love being creative, dynamic, bold, innovative.

But there is one thing that you probably hate with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns:

SELLING

Which is unfortunate, seeing as how that generates revenue. Women business owners especially struggle with what they perceive to be “annoying”, “slimy” or “sleazy.”  We see those kinds of pitches every day.

And so we think, “I hate sales. I hate talking about myself.”

Well, good. Because it’s not about you. It’s about them.

See, the best sales pitches are conversations.  Listen and engage so you can show them how your offerings solve their problems or help them achieve their goals.

I’ve been in business for over nine years. I’ve never once had to “pitch” a client. I’ve lost out on proposals, sure, but I’ve never had to do a “sales” presentation.

Always, they are conversations. (Tweet this!)

Pushy salespeople are the ones who are all about their own agenda: Take my business card! Buy my product! Here’s why I’m so great.”

Here are four tips to sell without “selling:”

  • Be consultative: Stop pitching and just discuss their goals. Be generous with guidance, resources or connections. Don’t work for free, but offer simple “teaser” advice. Believe me, if they see value, they will pay you for it.
  • Ask questions: Like a good date, don’t just brag about yourself the whole time. Find out about them. What are they struggling with? What do they value? You can then organically sprinkle your value and experience into the conversation.
  • Show empathy: Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, addressing their pains and offering solutions. A past Harvard research study found that “empathy” was the #1 trait for a successful salesperson.
  • Network: I can see you rolling your eyes from here! Get out there and network with people, either in-person or online. Let others see you and get to know your value without ever making a sales pitch. Make connections. You never know who knows who. Warm introductions are always the best (and easiest) sales opportunities.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: You have to clearly confidently talk about the value you provide at some point. Why?

If you are not your own biggest fan…if you don’t believe in the value of your goods and services, why should you expect your prospective clients to care or get excited either?

 

Image credit via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How to Form a Deeper Connection with your Audience

Posted on by Maria Ross

How to Form a Deeper Connection with your Audience

We all want those customers who adore us, right? Like superstar singers or best-selling authors, we want groupies who can’t wait for our next album to drop or our next book to hit the shelves.

We see people like Beyonce or Elizabeth Gilbert and we think, “Wow! They have millions of people who can’t wait to learn from them and buy from them! I want that!”

But we forget about the audience we already have in our midst. The quiet, studious ones in the front row who’ve been with us since the beginning, supporting our work and telling people about it.

It’s not always about “getting more.” It’s about loving the ones you’ve got. (TWEET THIS!) 

Wherever you are, whatever your follower numbers or subscribe rates: START WHERE YOU ARE. Focus on making those loyal people happy. Delight them, Connect with them.

How? Show empathy.

Imagine if all your best friend talked about was finding new friends to hang out with. You’d be pretty annoyed and little hurt, wouldn’t you? Yet when businesses are constantly about their “list size” or low Instagram follower number , they’re not focused on providing quality to their existing fan base. Those people should feel like VIPs.

Instead of a constant focus on attracting new people, listen to the ones you’ve already got. Here are 4 ways you can show them the empathy and love they deserve:

  1. Listen to them. REALLY listen: Ask them what they want and need. Stop guessing!  And don’t put words in their mouths to suit your own needs. Mirror their exact words and emotions back to them. If you sense that what they really want is actually hidden underneath that “ask,” probe further. If you spend time and money shaping your offerings to truly solve your current tribe’s pain this will be much better than constantly chasing new fans.
  2. Be clear and offer the right solution to the right people: As I always say, marketing is not about lying to people. It’s about amplifying the truth so the right people who need what you’ve got can find you. Don’t push circles on people who really need squares!  If you sell a high-priced mastermind program that’s roughly the cost of a tiny house, don’t try to convince the dreamer who’s eating ramen every night and already in massive debt to bury themselves deeper. That’s not cool. Don’t be afraid to clarify your message so it reaches the right people …or simply change your target market altogether.
  3. Woo them: No one wants to be “sold to.” People want to be seen, heard and respected. And they want time to get to know you. Put yourself in their shoes: Do YOU like in-your-face sales pitches and hype-filled promises? Prove your value with insightful content. Be generous with resources and connections. Be consistent and keep your word. Surprise them on occasion with playlists, free trainings or a special thank you! Go for the lasting marriage not the lustful affair.
  4. See the person, not the number: Especially when things go wrong. Treat your existing customers and fans like you would a friend.  Robotic responses and canned apologies are not the way you’d comfort a pal, right?

Focus on delighting, engaging and celebrating the tribe you already have. By putting your focus there, the growth will follow because they won’t be able to stop talking about you!

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

The Lost Art of Empathy: A Customer Email Makeover

Posted on by Maria Ross

You know what’s missing in today’s customer service landscape? The secret sauce to delighting your buyers–even unhappy ones–that so many businesses, regardless of size, get wrong over and over again?

Showing authentic empathy.

Sadly, many small businesses, are their own worst enemies when it comes to sabotaging their sales. They focus solely on running the business and not on relating to their customers as people: Rude staff. Inflexible policies. Canned responses.

Recently, I made my first purchase on Blue Mercury, an online boutique of makeup, skincare and spa accessories. A perfect gift site.

I purchased an adorable scented candle for a client. When asked, I dutifully filled out her shipping information. Then I filled out my own billing information with my credit card info, as instructed.

The order processed and the confirmation screen pops up….listing my client as both the recipient AND the buyer. And since I was never given the chance to write a gift card, upon getting the gift, it was going to look like she sent it to herself!

I shipped off a “Help Me!” email to customer service.  They needed to know if their system was not working properly, as I had very carefully entered all of my info as the buyer – and yet it did not correctly transfer through. I also pressed upon them that this was kind of embarrassing for my brand, as I was sending this to a client.

This reply came one day later:

Hello Maria,

I am so sorry for the inconvenience. The order is already shipping and we are unable to change the information. I understand your frustration and I apologize. What we can do is offer you a gift card. Let us know if you have any other questions and if you would like to receive the gift card. 

Sincerely,

Emily 

Bluemercury, Inc.

Customer Support

What’s wrong with this email – and 4 make-over ideas to turn an unhappy customer into a raving fan:

  1. Completely canned apology: “I am sorry for the inconvenience.” Sounds like a robot or a form letter. She did not address the larger issues, which was that the system was not working properly.

INSTEAD: Show some humanity! The company rep could have been more conversational to show she really understood and empathized with my specific situation, based on my initial email: “Oh my goodness! We are so sorry about this glitch in sending a gift to your client! We never want that to be a customer’s first experience on our site.”

  1. Lack of Solutions: There was no attempt to correct the situation AT ALL. Simply, “Sorry, it’s already shipping, Nothing we can do.”

INSTEAD: Get creative! What if the company rep offered to send an email or hand-written note to my client to explain who the gift was from? Wow, that would have gone a long way…that’s showing your customer empathy, versus just saying you “understand.”. They could have further boosted their brand by making a note to my recipient really fun and cheeky: “Wow, we goofed! But someone named Maria Ross loves you and has sent you a fabulous gift from us. We just forgot to put their name on it. Our bad!” We would have been talking about that for days!

  1. Asking Permission to Make Things Right: Really? You’re asking me if I want a gift card from you? That made me feel so petty, like I was trying to get something for free from them.

INSTEAD: Just make it right!  Don’t ask for permission to do something nice for an unhappy customer. You never want to put a customer in a position of feeling like they are trying to scam free stuff. Just do it and delight them!

The kicker came in the next email thread. Here was the correspondence, in which I told her this was my first shopping experience on the site:

You have not addressed what went wrong in your system to make this happen. I very clearly remember typing in all my information in under the Billing Name + Address. Your system has a problem and should be checked.

That is nice of you. Yes, I would like one if I decide to shop on the site again.

Can you at least change the buyer account so it’s not reflected as my name being XXX or as my address being her address? My address is XXXX.

This is the first time I’ve used your site. Not a good experience at all. 

Best,

Maria Ross

The response, one day later:

Hello Maria,

I am sorry about our system. It could have just been an issue with technology. I understand how frustrating it must be. I put in your request for your gift card. Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

4, 5, 6: Unwillingness to Follow Up on Issue, No “Thank You” for Pointing It Out, Canned Apology and Lack of Warmth Again: This canned response hit the trifecta for me: “I understand how frustrating it must be” is not empathy…it’s what I say to my toddler when he’s overreacting to nothing.   And this still makes me feel like you are not taking my issue seriously. “It could’ve been an issue with the technology but we don’t really believe you. You probably did it wrong.” Further, “Your gift card is coming, now shut up.” was how I felt by the tone of this email.  Probably not what she meant at all, but remember, unhappy customers are seeing things through a certain lens, especially when they don’t feel like you are listening to them. You have to be very thoughtful in your response.

INSTEAD: Validate your customer’s unhappiness – and be grateful that they are pointing out an issue that could be costing you other sales. Offer to escalate the issue internally and reference the person’s specific issue: “I’m so sorry I didn’t address that issue in my email response. Yes, I will certainly contact Product Management and see if there is something wrong with our order processing. Thank you so much for pointing it out to us, and again, we’re so sorry this happened on your first shopping experience with us, especially for your client. Your gift card is on its way so we hope you will give us another chance to delight you!

When you show warmth, creativity and true empathy, you can turn unhappy customers into raving fans. (TWEET THIS!)

What brands have delighted you when things went wrong? When have you turned an unhappy client or customer into a raving fan? Please share below!

Image credit via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Greatest Hits of 2016

Posted on by Maria Ross

best of 2016

Another year behind us. Another year ahead. It’s a crazy time for our world and for some of us personally.

How did things shake out for you? Did you meet your goals and then some? Or did a few things get sidetracked by this thing called “Life?”

This year’s been a busy one here at Red Slice! I launched an epic year-long coaching program, MOMENTUM, in September and am thrilled to coach this amazing cohort of creative entrepreneurs on how to master their marketing, build their brand and stay focused. Want to be the first to know about next year’s class? Get the details and join the Wait List for special pricing when it opens.

The Juicy Guides for Entrepreneurs sweet little boxed set of all four for just $5.95 made its debut. Bite-sized nuggets of sage advice on branding, inspiration, and time management. Makes a fabulous holiday gift for the client, colleague or entrepreneurial nephew in your life. #justsayin!

And, oh the content! We held a free telejam to Price Right and Conquer Cash Flow with the amazing finance coach, Debbie Whitlock. I ran not one, but TWO free MOMENTUM 5-Day Challenges that people adored.  And of course, blogs, blogs, blogs.

And with that in mind, here is a collection of my best advice and musings from 2016. Enjoy!

When you think no one is listening or you have no influence, read this. (Um, they are and you do!)

Gut feel matters in business. Here’s why.

A simple way to attract better quality clients and customers.

Want to welcome your new email subscribers? Four great ideas.

Want to have more fun with your marketing? Read this.

My tribute to Prince’s passing and why you have to stay bold.

Want your customers to eat up what you offer? Listen to them.

And a tribute to my Mama, who passed away early this year: Live with no regrets.

Have a very happy holiday season. Peace, love and joy to you in 2017!

Oh, and if you haven’t done so, PRETTY PLEASE complete my Community Questionnaire ASAP, so you can get more good stuff in 2017!

Image via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Money is Not a Dirty Word

Posted on by Maria Ross

Please run, don’t walk and see the film Equity if you can. It’s on limited release, fresh off of Sundance Film Festival. The writer is a dear friend of a dear friend but that’s not why it’s a great movie. It’s a financial thriller billed as “the first female-driven Wall Street film.”

The movie opens on our successful investment banker heroine, speaking on a panel to ambitious young women. She’s asked, “What makes you get up in the morning?” Smiling, she says, “I think the simplest answer is, I like money.”

She goes on to say, ”I am so glad that it’s finally acceptable for women to talk about success.”

YES!

But whether you’re female or male, the point here is that you run a business. Ergo it needs to make money, or it’s just a hobby. Hobbies are totally awesome. Just stop calling them businesses.

And it’s acceptable to want to make a living doing what you love.

Passion and profit (or as I like to always say, cash flow and creativity, are not mutually exclusive (Tweet this!)

In almost 9 years (eek!) of consulting, I have seen too many brilliant and passionate entrepreneurs completely fall apart when the M-word comes up. They set their prices too low. They don’t know what metrics to track or how to set budgets. They lose money on projects, just to be nice and serve others. They have no idea what cash flow means.

Now, this is all from the gal who HATES numbers, ran up over $30K in credit card debt in my late 20’s and who pays big money every year to let my accountant worry about taxes because the IRS terrifies me.

But what I know as a brand strategist is that one of the most important brand decisions you can make is price. It creates a value impression,  defines who you will attract and symbolizes where you play in the market.

Money is not a dirty word! It enables you to do more good in the world and have more impact. 

Whether you’re a coach, consultant, boutique owner or massage therapist, pricing right is the key to financial success. But how do you decide? Where do you start? How do you know if you’ll meet your financial goals? What metrics should you care about?

Well, I’m so glad you asked….this topic is so important, I’m hosting a FREE teleseminar on November 16 with my good friend,  cash flow efficiency expert and business coach Debbie Page Whitlock.

How to Price Right + Conquer Cash Flow

A FREE teleseminar to help you with pricing, budgeting, cash flow…and all the other financial stuff you hate!

Wednesday November 16, 2016

11 am to Noon Pacific Time/2 to 3 pm Eastern Time

REGISTER NOW!

During this free (+ fun) jam session, you will finally discover:

  • Why brand success and pricing go hand-in-hand
  • How to set prices for your offerings to attract the right people
  • How to set realistic budgets and yearly financial goals
  • What are the Five Financial Factors you need to increase revenue and profit in your business. HINT: Focusing on small adjustments here can have a big impact!
  • How to understand cash flow and make it easy

Debbie is equally as feisty and tough-love as me, so you KNOW this is going to be a great training.

Register now and reserve your spot. Can’t wait to “see” you on the line!

Image Credit via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How to Spread the Word About Your Business

Posted on by Maria Ross

You open that coffee shop you’ve been dreaming about for ten years.

You start that consulting business based on your long, successful career in Corporate America.

You start writing that blog you’ve been told to start a thousand times.

But where is everybody?????!!! (cry-face emoji)

They are living their lives, that’s where they are!

We can talk about marketing, brand strategy, social media, blah, blah, blah all day long. In fact, we do quite a bit around here. But at the end of the day, what any entrepreneur, author, or artist really wants to know is:

How do I spread the word about my business, project or big idea?

Of course, that’s why marketing exists. You need a clear brand strategy that outlines who you target, what value you offer them and how you want to present yourself to the world. From there, you build a marketing plan to reach the right people with the right message at the right time.

But what can you do right now, today?

Here are six Macgyver-style tips to spread the word about what your business. Doesn’t mean you get to skip the strategy and planning part! Just some creative ideas to get your juices flowing:

  1. Start building your email list: Like, now, today. You can’t do all this awareness-building on your own. You need an army. Create an audience of raving fans who support you and share some goodies with them every now and then. Until you get your ongoing content marketing plan together, just START BUILDING THE TRIBE! Install a simple MailChimp, Constant Contact or other email platform widget on your website and start building that list. For now, just offer them a one-time incentive for signing up: a tip sheet, a discount coupon, a free eBook. Whatever you can quickly and easily create to stop delaying doing this important step! You can always change it later.
  2. Notify everyone you know about what you’re doing. Seriously. Everyone. Every friend, relative, past or present colleague, your Moms club, your poker buddies, your Facebook friends. EVE-RY-ONE. People know people. I’m always shocked when I find out friends of mine have published a book or started a business and they never bothered to tell me! If you’ve been going for a while, then send them a personalized, “Here’s what’s new in my world” email and let them know what’s going on. This may seem “Duh!” to you, but 90% of my clients completely miss this step. Oh, and while you’re at it, if they are the right customers for you, invite them to join your email list (#1) so they can stay in the loop on more goodies and events.
  3. Host a Party: Interpret this however you want, but live events are powerful things. Nothing fancy, nothing super expensive. Hold a holiday shopping party at your boutique and promote it in the local paper, or post flyers in coffee shops and community centers around town and by telling all your friends to tell their friends. Invite a group of ideal clients over to your office for a wine and cheese social with a discussion topic and a guest speaker. Partner up with a few other colleagues who do something complementary and host a free workshop. For example, if you’re a marketing consultant, invite a web designer, a copywriter and a stylist to hold a “Build the Perfect Image” seminar for new business owners. You all promote the event, you all get great leads and, yes, you start spreading the word.
  4. Network: You have to get out there. Sorry introverts!  You don’t have to join every group but find two or three that fit your style and attract the right audience for you. If you’re a life coach, find a business owners group or coaching mastermind in your area so people now about you. Networking with peer groups puts you in the mix to get referrals. But also join groups that attract your target buyer: clubs, meetups or professional associations. You can even search online on LinkedIn or Facebook and get into the conversations. Not just to push your stuff, but to connect and genuinely add value. Nothing spreads the word faster than building a personal reputation as a knowledgeable, generous resource! People will want to support you and know what you’re up to.
  5. Sponsor Community Events: Is there an appropriate local event that you can sponsor which aligns with your brand and attracts the right people you seek? A new coffee shop could sponsor the neighborhood fair. An online baby-clothing company and mom blog could sponsor a Moms Club event. A fitness coach could sponsor the city marathon. Make sure if you go this route, the event really and truly attracts your ideal customer or you’re just wasting your time and money. This is a great way to get the word out on a mass scale.
  6. Get Social: Social media is wonderful for getting your name out there, IF you use it correctly. If you’re just starting out, try picking one social network you enjoy using and building an audience base there. Post consistently. Don’t just “sell” but provide useful or interesting information. Interact with your fans and followers.

For all of these quick-hit tactics, you want to make sure you give people a reason to reach out to OTHER people to tell the world about you. Offer a coupon or incentive that rewards them and one that requires them to share it with a friend. If you’re a service business, create a referral program and give them 10% of whatever their contacts book with you. Hold a series of events or workshops that enable them to invite other people the next time.

If you’re a local brick and mortar business, you’ve got to pound the pavement a bit.  Post flyers. Make friends with local press and pitch them article ideas that relate to your business but are of interest to their readers.  Invite the community to your location in some way, shape or form. Hold creative events such as “Free Coffee for Police Day” or “Halloween Costume Party: Get 15% off if you dress up!” or “Mom’s Spa Day: $25 credit on any massage or facial.” And then make sure to promote those specials or events to the right groups of people via email, a personalized letter or even a phone call!

You can’t just build it and expect people to come. You’ve got to reach out and tell them about it! (Tweet this!)

Image credit via Flickr