Tag: marketing

Why Lack of Empathy Will Destroy Your Brand

Posted on by Maria Ross

You’ve probably heard all the outrage over how United Airlines forcibly removed a doctor from his seat, injuring him, simply because they needed his seat to accommodate a crew transfer.

This is straight out of PR brand crisis hell. David Dao, the victim, is a doctor, grandparent, and Asian-American. The police dragged him from his seat when he refused to get up, broke his nose and caused a “severe concussion,” according to Dao’s lawyer.

United’s CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized profusely and publicly, taking full responsibility for the airline’s behavior. They are reviewing and changing policies to earn back customer trust.

The brand damage is bad. But like any virtual monopoly, we’ll probably have little choice but to have to fly United again. Their stock price took a devastating hit but has since rebounded (as of this blog post writing).

The good news is that there have been Congressional hearings about the airline’s behavior and air passenger rights. Other airlines like Southwest and Alaska are proactively reviewing their own policies to avoid any issues in the future. Dr. Dao has received a hefty settlement for his pain and suffering (good for him, I say, poor man.)

@United showed us how lack of empathy destroys your #brand via @redslice #PR #values Click To Tweet

If you make policies that only serve your interests and do not think about how they impact your customers, you will lose. United put their own needs above a paying passenger with no thought to this person’s schedule, convenience or feelings.

All United had to do was create a fair, compassionate policy to accommodate their customers and crew. I’ve always thought overbooking as a practice was nonsense (but admittedly, I don’t understand the financials). But then, to add fuel to the fire, you had airline personnel on the front lines making all of these bad decisions instead of being empowered and inspired to come up with a more empathetic, creative solution.

My own family has issues with United recently, flying home from London Heathrow. My husband has airline status which gives him access to their worldwide lounges. He and I tried to get into the lounge at Heathrow with our three year-old but were told he was only allowed one guest with his current status.  Even though our son was only three, he’d have to pay full price for an extra pass. Really? What are we supposed to do, leave our kid outside? Maybe they don’t want whole families coming in on one pass, but I doubt many parents with six kids were trying to “game the system.” We were livid. Did they not understand how often my husband flies their airline, away from his own family? Why can’t you create a policy that says any child is only charged $10 or something?

Absolutely no empathy.

CEO Oscar Munoz has said, “This is a turning point for United. For the last three weeks, I have spent every day thinking about how we got here.”

Really? You don’t know how you got here? I’m calling BS. Have you even flown a commercial airline as a paying passenger in the last decade? We got here through consolidation, lack of competition, squeezing customers for more money and fees while offering them less, shrinking their legroom and generally making the flying experience horrific.

I know. I fly a lot. And back in the mid-nineties, I flew United weekly in my management consulting job – and loved how they treated me with kindness and respect. Wow, how far they’ve fallen.

Empathy has to be baked into the brand values and DNA of a company. 

If you're not using company values as useful tools to RUN your company, you've failed @redslice #United #brand Click To Tweet

Values shape what policies to put in place and which people to hire.

Until companies figure out that brand starts from the inside out and that it all has to start with customer empathy, they will never learn.

How to Create a Simple Marketing Plan That Brings You Joy

Posted on by Maria Ross

Do you want a simple marketing plan that actually works? If you're looking for easy marketing tips that won't overwhelm you, click through for marketing advice from an expert!

Are you narrowing your eyes at the title of this blog post, thinking “There’s no such thing as a simple marketing plan, Maria”?

If every marketing plan you’ve ever tried has made you feel overwhelmed, allow me to explain simple marketing via a story about milk and pasta.

Picture this:  Your husband opens the refrigerator and removes a carton of milk. He asks, “How long has this been in here?” and you shrug.

He opens the carton, takes a big whiff, and recoils in disgust. You think he might actually start crying.

“Ugh! I think this milk has gone off! Here, smell it.”

Are you kidding me? You have very clearly shown that what awaits me is horrific. With that ringing endorsement, no thank you. I’ll pass.

But…

You’re in a restaurant with your bestie and, upon tucking into her gorgeous pasta dish, she rolls her eyes in ecstasy and moans in a very inappropriate way.

“Oh my gosh! You have got to take a bite of this. It’s amazing!”

With that kind of enthusiasm, hell yes. Of course, you take a bite. And enter into blissful euphoria yourself.

Whether people are trying to persuade you to take a whiff, try a bite, or buy that must-have new product, their excitement or disgust is what will–or won’t–sell you.

Now imagine if you asked the store owner if the milk they sell is good. And they said, “It’s okay, I guess.”

Or if the head chef said, “Here’s your meal. It’s no big deal. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t.”

If makers and sellers don’t talk about their own work with passion…or worse, talk about it with disinterest or disgust…are you going to be convinced to buy from them? 

If you hate marketing your “thing” and don’t promote it with passion…or worse, talk about it with disinterest, that’s exactly what you’re doing to your prospective clients, fans or customers.

To find more joy in promoting your work, simplify your marketing plan. Click To Tweet

It’s the overwhelm that’s killing you.  You’re trying to do everything and doing it all…badly. And you think they can fool people by plastering on a sweet smile and phoning it in.

Not only can people tell your heart’s not in it, but you probably aren’t consistent and effective with your marketing efforts. If you hate blogging, will you really commit to doing it on a regular basis? Heck no.

Relax. You don’t have to be everywhere. In fact, you CAN’T be everywhere.

Here’s my simple marketing plan for you

Consider two factors:

  1. What do I enjoy doing? My joy.
  1. Where is my target audience? My tribe.

Seriously. That’s it.  This intersection of your joy and your tribe will give you your marketing plan. And the great news is that if your target audience plays in several places, you have a choice.

You may be crystal clear about #1 but if you’re clueless about #2? Ask them where they like to hang out and how they like to get new information about work like yours!

To simplify your plan and find your joy…and your tribe…please download this handy dandy little free worksheet I made for you (it’s actually a Sneak Peek Playbook from my powerful coaching program, MOMENTUM, so enjoy the free taste!)

It’s yours for free. My gift. Because this issue is killing you and I want you to love marketing your work, not detest it.

Try it. Seriously.

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. Click To Tweet

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!

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

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

Why (and How) to Trust Your Gut

Posted on by Maria Ross

Why (and How) to Trust Your Gut

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. 

So said William Bruce Cameron (or Albert Einstein, depending on your source)

Business owners and marketers count a lot these days: Twitter followers, site visits, conversion rates, email opens, CPM. All great data that leads to insight and action.

But not everything that counts can be counted. You need to learn how to listen to your intuition. (Tweet this!)

Now, I’m not getting all woo woo here. I’m talking about sound business sense. If you have any life experience whatsoever and you have expertise in your field, you can sometimes smell a rat or spot an opportunity without really knowing why.

Knowing is in your head. Knowing is facts, data and experience.

Intuition is your “Spidey Sense”. It’s knowing without really knowing WHY – it just IS.

And I submit to you that your intuition or “gut feel” is often based on the collective facts, data and experience you already have. But it expresses itself through your heart.

Of course, there will be business decisions you need to make based on solid facts. But my good friend, Andrea Rae coaches many entrepreneurs that listening to your body is just as important as logically thinking through tough decisions.

So where do you start?

Andrea teaches that the first step is to discern your Inner Yes and No.

You already do this: When you look at a restaurant menu, you peruse it and think about what you’d like to eat and usually go with what you ‘feel’ like having.

The way to listen to your intuition is by tuning into your body. “When we tune into the sensations in our bodies,” says Andrea, “we might notice a tightening in the chest or stomach, a contracted feeling indicating we really don’t like that choice, or that the choice is not resonating. Or we might get a calm, peaceful even excited feeling in the body when we think about that option. ”

When you’re faced with a decision, close your eyes and get into your heart space. Breathe. Shut off your monkey mind for a minute. Then, turn your decision into a “yes” or “no” question and tune into your body, taking notice of how your body reacts. Does you chest or stomach tighten or do your muscles constrict?  Or do you feel calm, lightness or excitement?

Some examples of how to apply this to your business:

  • Should I take on this client? If someone is unorganized, late, and high-maintenance from the very first interaction, how does that make you feel? My motto is that, unless there are extreme circumstances, most things finish as they start. Pay attention if your gut is telling you to let this one go.
  • Should I partner with this company? If a potential partnership keeps you awake at night, wondering if you’re getting “screwed” or you just don’t trust something in their voice and demeanor, pay attention. Your subconscious could be trying to remind you of a past similar that ended badly.
  • Should I do this? If you are constantly putting off a marketing or business task, such as blogging or networking, and the thought of it makes your stomach hurt, explore this resistance.  Yes, it could be because you’re outside of your comfort zone but look deeper. Will it actually move you toward your goals? Is it really that important? I find that if I keep putting something off, it’s for a reason. So I either face the challenge, take it off my to-do list or outsource it. At least you will move the ball forward!
  • Do I want to invest? If a sales pitch or webinar invitation makes you feel “icky,” pay attention to this reaction. I get this feeling when I see ads for “Secrets to a Six-Figure Business!” or “Manifest Your Ideal Clients NOW!” Is this really the right style and approach for you? Can you trust this person? Maybe someone else who comes at this from a different angle would serve you better.

Andrea shares 3 tips to get better at tuning in to your intuition:

  1. Spend some time in meditation, connecting to the heart, body and energetic boundaries, and practicing your yes and no response with simple questions to which you already know the answer. Focus on the body sensations. Observe, don’t think and analyze.
  1. Journal about the areas in your life where you honor your inner communication and where you do not. What are your blocks to listening to inner guidance? Download this free guided meditation. 
  1. Find time during the day to stop before automatically doing something. Stop and ask yourself if this is what you want to do. Notice the information that reveals itself. Ask yourself questions. Your body sensations will communicate simple yes and no answers if you just pay attention

Yes, gather all the data and information you can to make a good decision. But at the end of the day, you have to feel good about making that decision.

Image Credit via Flickr

Yes, You Can Ask!

Posted on by Maria Ross

09.13.16 Ask (blog)

Sitting in a coffee shop, I overheard two professional photographers comparing marketing notes.

They talked about pricing, contracts, packaging and how to create additional service offerings for new target markets. One seemed to be coaching the other based on his success, which was cool to see. It was lovely to see such mentoring and collaboration.

But this exchange stopped me in my eavesdropping tracks:

Him: You need to ask your past or current clients to refer business to you. This is how you generate word-of-mouth.

Her: Really? Just “ask them?” I thought word-of-mouth meant that you just do good work for people and hope they recommend you. I didn’t know I could ask them to refer me.

Him: If you deliver value for people, they will want to refer you! It’s your obligation to share the good work you do with people who need it.

“I didn’t know I could ask them to refer me.”

We are sometimes so afraid of the word “sales” that we deem any request for business as pushy, slimy or in-your-face.

Being “pushy” is an attitude, a tone of voice. It’s not the act of asking that’s pushy. It’s how you do it.

If you deliver honest work that gives great value to your clients or customers, then this guy is right: you have an obligation to ensure others who need what you’ve got can find you.

Don’t rest referral responsibility solely on the shoulders of your clients’ goodwill. We all mean well, but we get busy. We forget. We don’t post that stunning Yelp review or think about how your services might be perfect for a friend of ours.

Sometimes, you have to ask. Lovingly. Kindly. Confidently. (Tweet this!)

Here’s one way to ask a client for a referral at the end of an engagement:

“I’m so glad you’re happy with my work. It’s been great working with you, and I’m looking to help more clients just like you achieve results. If you have any friends or colleagues who could benefit from my work, could you please send them my way? If they end up becoming a client, I’d love to offer you a (discount/gift card/free session) as a thank you!”

One way to ask a colleague for a referral:

“Our services are really complementary and I noticed that those who work with you first get a lot more out of our work together . If you’re game, would you like to refer more clients my way (and vice versa) and perhaps we can do a 10% referral commission together?

One way to ask an existing customer for a referral:

“We love that you dig our style! We noticed you buy gifts and accessories from us every month and we wanted to say thank you. If you’d like to share the secrets of your gift-giving superpowers with friends or family, please send them our way with this code xxxxx. If they end up loving us as much as you do and spend $100 or more, we’ll reward you with 25% off your next purchase plus a free bonus gift. On us!

None of us can grow our business alone. Don’t be afraid to ask. Especially from those who already know the caliber of your work.

What will you do today to get your happy clients or customers to refer you? Book a 90-minute Brand Booster session with me and let’s figure out a gameplan!

Image via Flickr

 

What Drives You?

Posted on by Maria Ross

08.04.16 What Drives You (Blog)

No one starts a business without a passion for change.

Sure, many people do so to make lots of money, but what they choose to do, and how they choose to do it order to make that money? That’s often based on a problem they want to solve or an opportunity to make people, processes or communities better.

I’ll bet this is true for your business, too.

Knowing what drives you is essential to your success.  (TWEET THIS!)

Let me share a story about motivation.

In 2008, I left Corporate America. My career included successful stints as a Fortune 500 management consultant, a marketer at Discovery Networks, an ad agency executive and several Director of Marketing positions at Silicon Valley tech companies.

Corporate life was great to me. It offered stability, a clear-cut career path, and benefits.

But as my marketing and branding skills grew, as I studied the greats like Ogilvy and as I saw first-hand what resonated with people and what did not, I realized something:

Many businesses forget that they are marketing to human beings.

This is never more true than in the business to business (B2B) space. So much jargon, overblown claims and eye-glazing boredom. No one talks like that!

Were we talking to robots…or to human beings with needs, desires and problems to be solved? Where was the connection? Where were the stories?

I’m a storytelling addict, in all its forms: An indie film. A moving play. An emotional video. A hilarious joke. A persuasive and succinct argument. I truly believe stories have the power to inspire, provoke, entertain, educate and persuade.

Marketing is not about lying to people. Marketing is simply communication, elevating the truth of your story so that the right people–the people who need what you’ve got–can find you and get on board. Truthful communication, where claims are backed up by proof but served with a side of emotion.

When I started Red Slice in 2008, I was excited. Finally, I could do marketing my way. Truthful. Emotional. Passionate. Human. I vowed to do work I loved with people I liked who were passionate about what they do. Period. No BS.

Honesty was important to me. I would offer tough love to my clients. Constructive feedback. Even if they made a different decision in the end, they would always get the truth.

Why? Three things happened in my early career that shaped this:

One, as a 21 year-old management consultant, I was asked to lie to a client about my age. Didn’t matter that the client valued my work. Today, they call that “managing the optics.”

Two, I strongly advised a client to go one route when she wanted to take another. I was pulled aside by my manager:

Me: But aren’t we supposed to advise the best way for them to be successful? Isn’t that what they are paying us for?

Manager: No, they are paying us to do what they say and not argue.

Three, when asked by a client to make advertising recommendations, I presented several options. There was just too much she didn’t realize she had to first determine. The client complained that I was “wasting her time.” I was asked to do less consulting and simply execute.

Me: You mean, you want me to be her secretary.

Manager: Well……um….kind of…..yes.

Needless to say, these instances devastated me. But they also fueled my passion for my work today.

It’s important to know what drives you. Your unique philosophy. This is what the right customers will find attractive and rally to support.

The same values drove me to create MOMENTUM, my guided program for busy entrepreneurs. Working with me and a kick-ass group of entrepreneurs, you will streamline your efforts by building a unique, useful and honest brand strategy, step by step. Even if you say you “hate” marketing.

We’ll cover how to determine your drive and articulate your philosophy to attract more of the right people to your business.

You will get feedback and support. You’ll probably even get my tough love!

With MOMENTUM, you will learn how to message and share your unique approach as your best secret “client attraction” weapon. You can jump on the wait list and get all the details right here and I hope you’ll join me.

Because like I always say: If YOU are not driven and inspired to promote your work, why should your audience care?

And I promise, that’s the truth.

 

Photo Credit via Flickr

 

4 Warm Ways to Welcome New Email Subscribers

Posted on by Maria Ross

4 Ways to Welcome Folks to Your Email Party

Last year, we threw a holiday party at our house. As with all my entertaining escapades, I bought too much food and stressed out right until the first guests arrived – and I had a drink in my hand.

While I’m no Martha Stewart, I wanted to delight my guests with a signature cocktail. My husband played around and came up with a gin gimlet with lime cordial, creating a lovely green concoction.

Being…well, me, I had to brand the evening’s special: We called it The Merry Grinch. **BONUS: Recipe below!

Our guests clapped with glee when they walked in and saw the drink “advertised” at the bar. They lit up. My husband spent most of the night filling orders.

Unexpected touches can delight and welcome your guests. Same holds true for your email list.

Your email subscribers have signed up for your party. Now it’s time to be a good host. (TWEET THIS!)

Right now, what do your subscribers get as soon as they sign up? A robotic auto-responder? Nothing? Yawn.

Just as a good host, you need to welcome people into your tribe. Delight them. Show them around. Tempt them with treats. Make them excited that they came and leave them wanting more.

Here are four ways to warmly welcome your email guests–and get them talking about you:

  1. Give them a gift: Offer a useful and entertaining free gift just for signing up, such as a tip sheet, eBook, video series, or worksheet. Or something “on brand” for your personality. A fitness trainer offers the ultimate workout playlist. A coffee shop offers a free scone with purchase. An online store offers free shipping and a perfume gift sample on your first order. A leadership coach offers a video on how to be a more commanding speaker.
  2. Personalize your auto-responder: These folks have raised their hands to hear from you and allowed you into your inbox. Don’t waste that mindshare! Personalize your auto-responder to further welcome them, or show off your brand personality. Act like you’re welcoming a friend over for dinner and remind then of what’s on the menu that they will love.
  3. Give them a short tour: A few days after they first sign up, schedule a follow-up message to welcome them (again) and show them around. Point them to three of your most popular blog posts, link them to your core offering, remind them to follow you on social media. They’re new around there, so don’t assume they know how to navigate your wonderful world.
  4. Ask them a question! Derek Halpern of Social Triggers shared this tip and I LOVE IT! You can engage a new subscriber and get valuable intel at the same time by asking one or two questions What would they like to see? What are they struggling with? If you’re a trainer, ask them if they have a big fitness goal or what they hate the most about exercising. If you’re a life coach, ask them what coaching style they prefer or if they’ve ever worked with one before.

When people subscribe to my list, they get an auto-responder with a free guide and are then invited to hit REPLY to answer two questions: What is your business and what one brand-building wish would you ask your Fairy Godmother to grant?

Of course not everyone responds, but those who do are super engaged and also give me great information that can add more value. Some folks have even tweeted about my auto-responders because they stand out.

Your email subscribers have signed up to come to your party. Pour the champagne, set out the chocolate-covered strawberries, and welcome them warmly so that you get not just new subscribers but engaged fans who will remember you and spread the word.

Oh, and enjoy the cocktail…..!

The Merry Grinch

2 shots gin

2 shots lime cordial

Couple of splashes of celery bitters

Shake over ice in cocktail shaker

Serve ii a martini glass

Optional: Add a cherry!

Image Credit via Flickr

5 Ways to Make Marketing More Enjoyable

Posted on by Maria Ross

5.24.165ways to Make Marketing Fun (Blog)

I adore business owners that say they hate promotion. It’s super cute.

This comes in other forms as well: I hate sales, I hate networking, I hate marketing.  hate writing.

Why so much hate?

If this is you, let me comfort you a little bit. It’s not that you “hate” any of those things. Truly. Please save hate for things like reconciling your books or filling out government forms.

I believe that what you actually hate is the way you think it has to be done. Somewhere along the way, you associated cheesy spokespeople, ego-centric self promoters and jargon-filled web copy as “marketing.”

If you are trying to send any sort of message to the world, be it attracting customers or promoting a book or asking for donations, then you are a marketer.

You should be the most excited person in the world to share your story and your value. If not you, then who?

If talking about and promoting your work doesn’t light you up, then why should your audience care? (TWEET THIS!)

So let’s banish all of your old notions about what promotion “should” be, shall we? Here are 5 spicy ways to make marketing more fun:

  1. Make friends, don’t “network”: If you go a BBQ and you don’t know anyone, isn’t it fun to stumble upon an interesting person or someone you want to get to know better over coffee? You’re meeting them casually, letting mutual interests guide the conversation, and you can see if you click….or not. The truth is that we do business with people we like. Not everyone is going to appreciate that snarky sense of humor but then c’mon over to my house, because I’ll love you! If you want people to know about your business, you have to…you know, be around people! Offline AND online. Instead of tensing yourself up into a stress ball the next time you “have to” attend a networking event, think of it like a block party. Who do you like talking to? Who is interesting? Who did you exchange knowing grins with when you made that sarcastic crack about the boring speaker? Give yourself the challenge of meeting one (just ONE!) interesting or cool person at your next function or in your LinkedIn group or wherever and see where it takes you.

Read: The 11 Laws of Likability by Michelle Lederman and I’m at a Networking Event—Now What??? By Sandy Jones-Kaminski

  1. Write Love Letters, Not Sales Pages: Maybe you’d rather dance on hot coals than write….anything. Or perhaps you’re a little less extreme and would just rather not write “sales copy.” Again, you may hate this because you’re conditioned to think it has to sound like a cheesy infomercial or that you simply must have tons of BUY NOW!!! arrows all over a 9-mile long page. Not true. The best sales pages are those that speak to the benefits the potential buyer gets, of course, but they are also personal and approachable. No one wants to be sold to, but everyone wants to be wooed! Approach your next sales page like a love letter: I know you crave x, y, and z, Maria, and this is why you’ll love what I made for you!” Think about how you convince your friends to read a new book or try a new restaurant that you love. You’re excited, not robotic. You talk about all the reasons they would like it. You immediately text them the link so they don’t even have to make an effort. Treat your sales copy like your next juicy recommendation to a friend and see how much more you enjoy writing it!

Do: Need more inspiration to get your writing juices flowing? Try this creative tip from Melissa Cassera. And here’s a fabulous template from Alexandra Franzen if you need one. Oh, and total thanks to verbalizing this concept goes to my friends and collaborators Alex and Melissa (I never titled it anything as eloquent!)

  1. Automate Where You Can: Rather than dying a slow death every day, batch and automate as much as you can for the week (or month, if you can be that on top of things.). If you can set it and forget it, it’s a lot less painful. I know a few successful solopreneurs that batch all their blog posts by locking themselves in a hotel for a weekend and cranking out content for the next six months. Then they just schedule the blog posts, all the associated social media posts to drive traffic and BAM, simply check in on comments when it goes live. If they even use Comments. Some folks choose not to do this.

Try: BufferApp, Hootsuite, Missing Lettr.

  1. Take an Improv Class or Join Toastmasters: If you have something to share with the world, you have to be able to tell them about it. No getting around it. If public speaking–whether giving a simple elevator pitch, running a small workshop or presenting a keynote to thousands­–horrifies you as much as the thought of a world without wine (GASP!), face your fear. Part of your anxiety comes from lack of practice or fear of the unexpected. Like anything else, the more you do something, the better you will get at it. Sharpen your skills and make a game out of it! Take a local improv class to get comfortable with thinking on the fly (and to get comfortable in your own body, which could be something adding to your angst.) And have fun doing it! I, personally, adore public speaking because there is no greater honor quite like enlightening and inspiring a person right in front of you and to see their eyes light up! When you attack your fear head-on, you will not only defeat the bully, you may find this is a wonderful and fulfilling way to spread your message.

Do: Type “Find an improv class” into Google. Join a local Toastmasters chapter.

Read: The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow. And these 10 tips to improve your public speaking skills.

  1. When all else fails, outsource: OK, so there might be some ongoing marketing tasks that you really do loathe. That’s fine. You can always outsource tasks that bring you no joy or on which your time would be better spent elsewhere. Look to a virtual assistant (VA), intern, agency, consultant or perhaps even a new hire. You can find great inexpensive resources on sites such as Upwork, Fiverr and 99Designs­ but you need to be very selective and clear on what you want in these places, as they attract all levels of talent. Some specific folks I turn to are Worldwide101 for my VA, Virtually Savvy for social media management, Hey Eleanor for copywriting, and Tiny Blue Orange for website management. For interns, contact your local college or university to find business, marketing or communications students who are looking for internship opportunities.

Image Credit via Flickr