Word of Mouth for Your Small Business

Image courtesy of Microsoft

Do you give people the tools they need to spread the word about your business?

Many businesses fly under the radar. Some do this intentionally. But others have a wonderful, strong business and would like the promotion but have never thought to help word of mouth along. Don't be them. Your small business will get more love if you: 

  

-Make sure your inner circle knows and truly understands your business. Here's a quick refresher course in the intro email you should have already sent out to your friends, family, and dog groomer.

-Keep people informed as you specialize and grow. Don't just let them know when you're hustling - let them know about your successes, too!  Everyone likes to back a winner, and people are more confident recommending a company or professional that seems to be doing well.

-Plant your flag online. Get a website. It can be as salesy or not as you like, but have something. For example, some film agencies in LA will set up a landing page merely setting they exist, but avoiding unsolicited submissions by not having much more (read: no contact info!) What you do with your website should be an issue of strategy, but there are very few businesses or professionals who shouldn't have one at all.

-Make signing up for your mailing list easy, and ask for the minimum info you need to get them signed up (read: don't give them a reason not to!) By capturing contact information when people visit your site, you can keep others informed when there are new announcements.  Someone who might have forgotten about your business can be periodically reminded, jogging their interest.

-Make sharing your information easy.  If you sell products, include "share this product" above the listing. If you share strategy or thoughts, share posts. 

-Reinforce your pipeline. How do you encourage existing clients to come back? How do you encourage them to tell others?

-Always carry business cards. Put them in your car, purse, briefcase, gym bag, suitcase. 

-Keep people posted that you are open to new business. If friends and family think you're doing well, it might not be on their radar to send you new prospects.

-Check that you've enabled retweets.

The corollary to all this, of course, is: don't annoy people! I'm talkin to you, guy with the 10 Facebook posts a day. Post only when you have something really worthwhile to say, or people will start to tune you out. What I'm saying is: once you've built up goodwill with people, don't be the reason they don't want to help promote you!  When you post or promote your work, if people feel you've done them the courtesy of only sending it out when it's truly interesting or important, they're more likely to listen - and pass in on.

Need help using networking and relationships to grow your business?  You know where to find me! Please email info(at)lucky13strategies.com with any questions or comments about this post - I'd love to hear from you.

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Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Profile!

I almost posted this blog post with nothing else, because the title says it all.

I've already told you what I think about LinkedIn here.  (You read it already, right?)

Say what you will about various communities and websites coming and going, right now LinkedIn is important. It's one of the first sites that will come up when someone looks you up. And they will.

When someone opens your LinkedIn profile, two things can happen:

1) They like what they see, they are impressed. They keep clicking, because they want to learn more about this amazing individual.

2) They don't see much of anything. They go back to checking Facebook or eating a sandwich.

Everywhere you appear online is an opportunity. Don't give them all equal weight, because that's not necessary or appropriate. You're here with me this very second because you care about your career and your reputation and you want to build whatever it is you're doing. So LinkedIn matters to you.

So put it on your calendar -yes, really do this- to check your LinkedIn at least 2x a year, to be sure it reflects:

• the new people you've met or connected with (before you forget)
• endorsements from recent projects you've completed
• updated job responsibilities
• new memberships, associations or certifications
• any change in title
• how good looking you are (new profile photo!); and
• be sure to delete job details that might lead someone to contact you for a job you don't want

And the fun starts now. Go open it up and dust whatever's over there. It won't take you long, and trust me, it's more fun than cleaning out your closet and having an encounter with those pants that used to fit!

I offer communications strategy and marketing services to small businesses in San Diego. If you're in town and have a business or career you are trying to grow, I'd love to meet you! Drop me a line. And while we're talking about it, please add me on LinkedIn! 

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What's In It For Them?: Tips on Writing Marketing Materials

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

As you write any marketing materials, there is one basic question that should be echoing through your head. "What's in it for ME?"

Except here, the "me" is not you -- this is what your target market, your key consumer, your ideal client is thinking as they read through your communications. This can be an email pitch or a more polished, online or printed marketing piece.  So, a few tips on how to write your brochure, business plan, email, website, or other marketing materials.  Address the question that is on everyone's minds by:

-Get to it. Don't spend lots of time setting up. See how I did that myself right there? Not even one chunky paragraph and here we are. Get to the key points - or at least the key bait right up front.

-Make sure you actually do know what they want. Seems simple, right? That's the whole point of marketing, right? And yet many companies get so busy with their daily work that they misread their market. Happens all the time. Before you craft any messaging, take in the entire scene and set of possibilities. If you market well but market to desires they don't actually have, you have lost an opportunity. Big time.

-Connect the dots for them. Many marketing pieces I see have potential - they line things up but never knock them down. If you have a great product, for example, don't just yammer on about the great product. Think of the specific problem(s) that customer would be looking to fix, and rewrite your description in a way that clearly indicates how this product will fix it for them. (At the same time, please be conscious of restrictions on your marketing and abide by law. This is not legal advice, just a warning!)

-Make it interesting.  As a society, we are bombarded and we are bored. Make your piece stand out. The tone and style of your presentation is part of what's "in it" for the reader/visitor.

-Don't overdo it. It may seem counterintuitive, but while you are promising your future client to deliver, don't promise them a rose garden. This means: Be reasonable. Sure, be enthusiastic. But if you oversell, you're going to sound suspicious - and you could lose credibility and diminish your brand.

Off you go, then!

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13 Ways to Improve Your Website TODAY!

Used with permission from Microsoft

Let's start with some tips so basic that you've probably overlooked them (yes, even you, you brilliant thing!). Here are 13 ways to easily improve your small business website instantly.

1) Review it for "What's in it for ME?"
Because this is what your typical website visitor is thinking. Me me me me me me me me me me. Understand that. If you go on too long about yourself, they glaze over. Go back and review, make sure they can connect the dots.

2) Add action items. What's an action item, you say? Start by learning that. Then insert them throughout your site strategically.

3) Step up your images. If I never see another stock photo of businessmen in crisp suits shaking hands, it will be too soon. Use symbolic imagery. Strategy - a chess board. Have fun with it, make your images part of what's memorable on your website.

4) Get rid of autoplay videos. Seriously, don't make me say it again: Boo! Down with auto play video!

5) Highlight key services or features up front. Don't make people dig for them. Consider using directives and calling out a few of your best features right there on the homepage.  See how San Diego design web development firm Tiny Frog used it in their work for a studio called The Yoga Garden (this screenshot is the bottom of the homepage).  These are the top things they think visitors might want information on/to do.

6) Feed news onto the homepage your site. If you are actively publishing news, updates, events, or even social media, and if it is appropriate for your industry (example: funeral home, not so much), decide if it's appropriate to feed that content onto the homepage of your site.  If the content is strong, this reminds visitors that your company is active and out there, and if the date is recent, it makes the website seem very fresh.

7) Use a readable font.  Seriously: visible, readable, and mature.  If you are a professional firm, don't use chalkboard or something curly and whimsical.  If your market is seniors, make the font bigger and be sure you don't have it difficult to read (for that audience) such as white text on a black background.

8) Copyedit your text.  Even if you wrote great text, if you wrote it late at night or stared at it too long, have a fresh pair of eyes read it over.  You never have a second chance to make a first impression, etc. Typos happen, but if you scan for them, they're less likely.

9) Have crystal clear messaging. Make sure your market messaging is clear about what problem you solve. It's not about why they could choose you, it's about why they'd be crazy to choose anyone else.

10) Make your contact information extremely easy to find. And be sure it works! If you haven't called your own phone number, emailed your own info@ address, etc., do that now.

11) Don't bury information.  This happens often with complex sites.  You have to go a few pages in and suddenly secondary navigation options show up with key information that could never have been found from the homepage.  If the information is important, make sure you can get there with a click or two from the main navigation bar.  People aren't going to dig much before they bounce.  Quick fix?  Add a Search feature!  Bonus: if someone tells you they had a hard time finding certain information on your site, make a note of it and, if it's important, find a way to make it more prominent.

12) Get a good name.  Trust me, as someone with 2 silent h's in my last name, I know that a company name/web address is a tricky thing. You can be top of your field, but you have to make it easy for someone to get there.  Example: Lucky 13 Strategies is proud to work with Dr. Tanya Kormeili, a leading dermatologist in Los Angeles.  But guess what? Her name was a bit tricky to spell!  So we obtained the additional domain "www.drTKderm.com" and it's a no-brainer for people to remember.  People call her TK all the time, and now they don't have to struggle to

13) Revisit it. A website is a living, breathing marketing instrument. Be sure that you are going through it periodically (schedule an annual review!) to be sure it reflects the most current information about your business, and the messages you want to project.

Not sure where to start? Lucky 13 Strategies is a marketing company based in San Diego, but we offer clients nationwide what we call a "website audit", reviewing your website for functionality, user experience, market messaging, and then strategize with you for how it can easily be improved to increase your business opportunities and be sure you have the best website for your business.  Contact us and let's chat about your business website, to take one thing off your list!  Email info(at)lucky13strategies.com to schedule a free website strategy consultation. 

For San Diego small business marketing clients, we'll even offer the consult in person so you can experience the magic in 3D!

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Marketing Magic: Calls to Action

What's the difference between a decent marketing piece and a great one?

A good one tells you what sets the service or product apart - and above.
A great one tells you what to do now that you know that.

These are called "calls to action"

Your marketing materials should be engaging, well-written, and visually appealing. But you are missing the boat if you don't know what you're asking people to do. Know what you want from them, the top 1-2 things you want them to do, and set them up to do so.

Your marketing homework: Review your marketing materials, whether it's your website, brochure, social media, or anything else, and review your calls to action.  If they're there, do you ask people to buy? To participate in a free trial?  To contact you to learn more? Is that the right action for them to take to get excited about what you have?

If they're not there, well then, it's time to get some.


[note: Call to action buttons depicted here are courtesy of Tiny Frog Technologies, a leading web development and mobile technology firm here in San Diego. And yes, I highly recommend them!]

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The FIRST Question to Ask Your New Client

Congratulations, you have a new client!

The good news is you have them in hand. How can you maximize that relationship?

The best of intentions can be lost in a business relationship when parties' communication styles differ.  When you take on a new client or business associate, as you get their card or leave a first meeting, ask them about their preferred method of communication. Some people are email people, some people are phone people. Some people will require in-person handholding. Knowing the difference - taking the moment to ask them - will make a huge difference in the results you get, the time it takes them to get back to you, and the rate of communication.

If you're an email person (I am) then finding out that your client isn't and prefers a phone call will be a downer, but you'll live. What you learn may not be convenient (or it may make things easier than you had anticipated), BUT it's important to know. Knowledge is power and all of that.

Marketing is about going to your clients where they are, and this extends right into how you communicate with them, to make sure your messages are heard. Literally.

Just ask them!

Lucky 13 Strategies offers communication strategy and marketing content for clients across industries including healthcare, technology, law, art and design, and more.  Although Lucky 13 Strategies is based in San Diego, we serve clients wherever they are (and in their communication format of choice! We take our own advice!) 

Wondering what to say or how to say it? We'd love to hear from you! 

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The Easiest Marketing Mistake You Don't Have to Make

There is one marketing mistake most businesses are guilty of making and don't even realize that it's a marketing mistake.

Story time:

The other day I met a businesswoman in a meeting and was impressed by what she told me about her work. As it turned out, I had a friend who was looking for exactly her services.

Thrilled to offer the referral to them, I passed along the information and my friend called immediately to find out more.

And... nothing.
My friend did not hear back from the company.

Now, this was embarrassing for me, after having personally referred her and spoken well of this company (despite having just met them). Has that ever happened to you? Worse yet- my friend now had a questionable taste in her mouth about the reliability of this company.

Most people think of marketing strategy in a big picture way, which they should! But not at the expense of the personal touch. Whether you operate nationally or in the more intimate San Diego market, how you handle initial interactions and field inquiries has far-reaching consequences.

I sent the business contact a personal email and she followed up, but the damage was done, both to the prospect relationship and to me as a future referral source. Don't let this happen to you!

Prospective clients are your lifeline. As you juggle everything in your daily work, don't forget this. Make responding to them your number one priority- at a business of any size, sales and marketing dovetail here. Know that.


Three Easy Tips to Save Your Business Image:

1) Help set expectations when people first contact you. When will they hear back? What is the next step? For example, offer people an auto-response or outgoing message with a window of response time, so they can gauge when they can expect to hear from you.

2) Follow up quickly with personal referrals. These are individuals who are already one step closer than the random public to signing on with you or buying your product. Treat them according.

3) Fix the damage. Everyone understands that things fall through the cracks. Be mature enough to apologize if that happens, and use your next shot (call, meeting, interaction) to show them it was a glitch, not your normal mode of operation.

Lucky 13 Strategies offers marketing and communications tactics to businesses of all sizes. We offer customized, creative solutions to the challenges new and growing businesses face regularly. Based in San Diego, Lucky 13 Strategies serves clients nationwide.  Have a question about how to grow your small business or personal brand? We'd love to hear from you!

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