Business development and strategy. Grow your business 10x with a few simple changes that meet the internet world head-on.
What is your strategy for business?
As I write this we are locked down in a Covid-19 pandemic and a huge amount of business has come to a stop. Our incomes are affected and many will be distraught over their future prospects.
Consequently, you all have my utmost sympathy in these trying times but we must remember there is an end. The storm will pass and daylight will bring new opportunities. Therefore it is your job to be ready for the new times.
I recently wrote a blog about business under COVID where we looked at communications as the one defining factor that made a difference. We were given constant guidance and instructions in a never-ending flow of press releases and talking heads keeping us alert but not alarmed.
In addition, the better the communication, the better the response.
In each country, we had leaders that were generally good but some leaders a lot better. There were different methods and the results varied however the communications never waned
To sum up, without good communication, we were all doomed to suffer at the hands of an awful virus.
The website 8 second test
I have stolen this from Chris Cardell, a US publisher and internet speaker.
Your webpage visitors need to have their interest grabbed before they move on. Most move within 8 seconds so it needs to be good.
No sales pitch upfront but an appealing offer to solve a problem or answer an issue.
One statistic is your bounce rate: Google's way of telling you to lift your game and write better headings.
In addition, clicks are also important and need to be tracked as well as pages read.
I think Amazon is dead as a product
Understanding keywords
“Build a pretty website and they will come,” was the cry of web builders. let me charge you a $1000 a month for SEO and you will be rich beyond all reasons.
Life ain't that easy SEO is trying to trick Google into giving you a better page ranking. Google, however, is really not dumb, in fact they invented smart.
Page ranking comes from helping people, solving problems or answering questions and keywords will deliver them to your site.
Multimedia is the buzz word
Importantly, you have a bunch of tools at your call and good marketing demands that you use them.
And finally, your buyers want to be entertained, their attention span is limited and they are often scrolling through.
Multi-media is giving them choices. You understand that some like to read others to listen and a good movie never goes astray. We need to use all of these on your web page.eBooks, videos and audios along with the written word. Leave nothing to chance.
Email marketing still works
Email does work however it must be consistent and often. There are three main forms:
| Single email | Follow up on a call or contact |
| Broadcast emails | To a large group |
| Autoresponders | regular dispatch |
| Newsletters | To the whole list |
I understand that many of you will say you get too many junk emails and it is a waste of time. The junk mail is trying to leverage your money and because it works so well they continue to do it. Hit the unsubscribe button regularly to control your input.
Value for money emailing is the most cost-effective method of achieving results. I get customers that have been receiving emails for years and have had no contact. One day we hit a hot button and the sale was easy.
Importantly, it is not all about selling. Email helps with the know and like aspects and leads them to enough trust to make a buying decision.
Tracking your emails is totally automated so you can instantly see what is working and make changes to suit.
However, not everyone will open every email every time. Some days we are busy, others are not interested or a really bad headline that can be fixed.
What is a business list and how do you build one?
Newsletters generate new business
I love newsletters. Easy to prepare, easy to send and you maintain customer contact.
Communications is important, when you make a purchase decision. It will be from someone you know, like and trust. Your consistent email achieves all these roles.
However, you must remember it is not about selling. It's about information and entertainment and keeping them informed.
On the other hand, every mail should have a call to action button so those that are ready don't need to think.
Newsletter strategy explained
Segment your email marketing
First of all your customers are different, therefore you need to treat them differently. I market to a wide range of clients in different industries so I often send them mail relating to their industry.
However, I lumped them together for a newsletter.
Secondly, in my autoresponder series, I get down and dirty with sales activity as the series gets longer. I introduced myself and told them about my company. Detailed a product idea for them and then give them every reason to buy. Why others have and HOW IT WILL HELP THEM.
Finally, it is about them and what they have to gain. The me-bit is long gone.
My social media myth
You must be on social media, everyone will tell you that this is the killer market and
enter them all.
Your problem is that they take up a lot of time. If you are not consistent you are not effective.
Therefore, I recommend the following;
- Have a linked-in profile with pictures and a good bio.
- Have a Facebook page and every week do a couple of posts using the scheduling tool.
- Connect your emails and posts to the page.
- When providing local retail, use Instagram.
- Consider Facebook advertising
This is part of your multi-media focus and consistency is king.
It's important to remember that social media takes readers to your selling page, post or funnel. Do not send readers from your selling page to social media. Social media is entertainment and readers get lost as they flit around being amused.
SMS in marketing
The great thing about SMS is that you get instant results. There is no waiting around for an answer, most people either respond to the message or delete it.
SMS can be used in a range of ways and importantly it is easy to test and scale.
We often send out a small batch and review the results. Therefore if we create a profitable return we can go big or make suitable changes.
- New products
- VIP offers
- Limited stock
- Price changes
- Special offer
- Reminders
- Invitations
Certainly these are just a few ideas to get you thinking and the list could be much longer.
Google my business for your business
Google my business is a free Google search listing for those customers that do a local search
This is an item that many of you will forget about yet it supplies a lot of your traffic. Make sure it is all up to date and you have your 5-star reviews.
As a side note, I recently sent an email to my base asking for a review. Within a few minutes I had enough to satisfy google with a five star rating.
Like social media, it does require regular attention. One thing I like is the click counter so you can see how many are clicking on your site.
Local directories
I can include local directories in this as they play a small role in delivering customers to you. Which ones are good? Click on your target keywords and have a look at the list google displays, then ask the media for free entry. Done once and done forever.
Conclusion
There are many other ideas that may give some businesses extra growth. If it is suitable for you and it works then do it.
My aim is to cover the basics and ensure you have some understanding and apply everyone to your forward plan.
Yes, you can spend money on pay per click and advertising however get the basics in place and working first.
Review this list and make changes so you are maximising your marketing efforts.
Your multi-media increases the customer touch and returns income, it is pretty simple really.
Finally most things I recommend are zero or low cost so that you are not throwing money around.
In addition, any spending requires a serious look at returns on investment. Don't fall for the old cry “it is about branding”, certainly it is about selling, if you don't sell, you can't eat so keep it straight.
Business development and strategy by Peter Hanley
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