Do you ever wonder why some businesses push their sales messages at you, over and over again?

It’s usually because they are getting a poor response. Then, rather than improve their message, they increase the volume. Their thinking looks something like this; ‘Maybe if I send my marketing message out again, SOMEONE will respond!’  They get a poor response… repeat.

Note: It’s not usually the same message used again and again. Just an equally ineffective marketing message, each time.

We need to be smarter than that. You see, more volume isn’t going to help. In fact, it usually does the total opposite. Allow me to explain.

The volume problem

It’s not that people can’t hear what these small businesses are saying. The challenge is that the message isn’t interesting enough. It doesn’t motivate prospective clients to get in touch. So, increasing the volume is pointless. Worse still, it damages the sender, because it pisses people off.

Increasing the volume of a bad message, is like increasing the volume of a low quality piece of music – you simply irritate more and more people, the louder you play it.

Here are some better places to look, when people are ignoring your marketing messages:

• Check that your message is reaching the right people.
• If it’s email marketing or a mail shot, make sure your database is up to date.
• If it’s an advertising message, check that you’re using the correct medium and media.
• Then, before you publish your next marketing message, be certain that it’s motivating enough. That it has the power to get the reader to take the action you require. Without a powerful message, nothing will happen. This is true, no matter how great your product or service is. That’s why I do this.

Hitting people with ineffective marketing messages fails you on 2 levels:

1. It annoys the people who receive it. Annoying your marketplace is a bad move. Really bad.
2. It hurts the reputation of the sender. At best, they’ll think you’re a pest.

The message here is simple — Increase the quality, not the volume.

Let's grow your business... together! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. It's you and me, working as a team to help you achieve the results you have always wanted. To find out more, read this.

When it comes to creating compelling marketing messages, new is overrated.

There are 3 reasons for this:

1. The newest product or service is always a risky bet. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the trusted incumbent. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig.
2. The newest service is seldom the best. It lacks the improvements that come with time. It lacks the robustness that comes from stress-testing.
3. New doesn’t last for long. This makes it a short-term marketing message. Anything that’s new is only new for now.

Alternatively

Instead of relying on new, offer your marketplace something more compelling. More motivating. More attractive. For example, instead of offering them a new way to do something, offer them:

• A faster way.
• A more enjoyable way.
• A greener way.
• A stylish way.
• An original way.
• A premium quality way.
• An ethical way.
• An exciting way.
• A safer way.
• A cost effective way.

One of the golden rules for successful marketing, is that people buy for their reasons. Not yours.

I want you to think about the following for a moment:

• The last tweet you sent.
• The last blog post you published.
• The last snap you shared.
• The last Facebook status update you posted.

Each of those actions could easily be a prospective customer’s first exposure to you or your business. If so, it will help form their first impression of you.

Here’s the thing: First impressions count, even if they are inaccurate. First impressions count, even if you are having a bad day. First impressions count, because if you screw it up, you don’t often get a second chance!

Pause for thought

It pays to pause for a few moments before you publish anything. That’s because most of what you publish is easy to find via search engines or the social networks you use. And we know that the vast majority of people now check providers out before deciding to hire them or buy from them.

Think about the wider, longer-term implications of what you are saying. Never underestimate the impact of an angry tweet, a needy Linkedin request or a spammy Facebook update, etc. Once it’s published, it’s out there. It’s in play. It’s carrying your name. It’s carving your reputation.

Tip: Here are 21 powerful habits behind highly successful business owners.

When it comes to marketing, success leaves clues. By following these clues and learning from them, it’s possible to significantly improve your marketing. Allow me to explain.

Consider the following:

• The last marketing email, which you were motivated to open because it had a powerful subject line.
• The last marketing email you read, which persuaded you to take action. (To ask for information, pick up the phone, make a purchase, etc.)
• The last blog post you read, which you were motivated to bookmark, save or share.
• The last advertisement you saw or heard, which motivated you to make a purchase.
• The last service you experienced, which impressed you so much that you wanted to tell your friends about it.
• The last newsletter you received, which you forwarded to your contacts.

How to turn clues into results

Each of those marketing examples motivated you to take action. And they each contain a clue, as to why the marketing worked. To uncover the clue you need to answer this question:

What can I learn from this example of marketing success, which I can adapt and apply to my own marketing?

Next, write your answer down. This is really important, as you don’t want to risk losing your best ideas. Also, by writing your answers down, you’ll start to develop a gold mine of useful marketing notes.

Is this approach as effective as hiring a proven marketing professional? No. Not even close. But if you can’t afford expert help, it’s one way to make better marketing decisions.

P.S: To get you started, here are dozens of proven marketing ideas.

Here are 5 tips, to help you build a valuable newsletter readership or list. I used each of these ideas when growing my own newsletter, which had 45,000 subscribers when I published the final edition.

Newsletter Tip 1: Go easy on the pitches

Make sure it’s a newsletter and not a badly disguised advertisement. Here’s the thing: People avoid advertising. We skip the commercials on TV. We pay developers to remove the ads from the free version of their apps. We see advertisements as unwelcome interruptions.

If your newsletter reads a little too much like a sales pitch, it will be largely ignored. This leads nicely into the next point.

Newsletter Tip 2: Be useful

The more useful your newsletter is, the more your readers will value it and share it. Your ultimate goal is to build a large, targeted reader community, who become either clients, customers or advocates. None of that can be achieved with predictable, pedestrian content.

Useful content is what gives your newsletter wings. It’s what inspires people to subscribe, stay subscribed, share and make purchasing decisions.

So, before you hit send on a newsletter, make sure it’s packed with valuable, useful information. Offer answers to your reader’s problems. Share useful tips. Point your readers to useful resources.

The more value you pack into each newsletter, the more your readers will value it… and the more they will value you. Think about that for a moment.

Newsletter Tip 3: Get the design right

Even if your content is wonderful, people won’t take it seriously if the design looks poor. The first bite is with the eye.

If your newsletter provides valuable information, but the design looks amateurish or outdated, it’s like serving them a delicious meal on a dirty plate.

So invest in the best design or newsletter template you can. Because whether your newsletter looks cheap or is presented professionally, it all reflects back on you.

Newsletter Tip 4: Ask readers to share

Even if readers think your newsletter is great, it may not occur to them to share it. By reminding them, you plant the idea of sharing the newsletter in their mind. Moreover, you do this at the exact point, where they have just read it and enjoyed it. I used to have a section at the bottom of my newsletter, which said:

“If you have found this newsletter interesting, please share it with your friends”.

When I added that short message to my newsletter, the results were immediate and measurable. It’s amazing what a simple reminder can do.

Newsletter Tip 5: Help it spread

Convert people who had your newsletter forwarded to them, into subscribers.

Imagine your friend had just forwarded a great newsletter to you. You’d want to get a regular copy, right? You don’t want to have to rely on your friend, remembering to forward each edition to you. So, I added the following sentence to the above message:

“If you have had this newsletter forwarded to you and would like a regular copy, click here.”

Never underestimate the power of a subtle, non-pushy reminder.

In summary

Newsletters can be an extremely valuable marketing asset. Take your newsletter seriously and invest in it accordingly. The rewards for getting it right are huge. No. Bigger than that!

Here’s a quick tip, to help you increase the effectiveness of your email marketing or mail shots.

I was prompted to write this for you, after an email I received last week. It was a poorly targeted marketing email, from someone I hardly know.

Here’s how the email started:

“Hey guys, sorry for the email blast, but I want to reach a lot of people and this is the easiest way for me to do it”.

When someone starts a marketing communication with an apology for what they’re doing, it tells us that they believe they’re doing something wrong. Yet, they’re still going to do it anyway! That’s a toxic message, which creates a damaging, negative picture. That negativity then drowns out whatever their marketing message is. It turns a potentially effective marketing activity into a low-leverage waste of time.

Here’s a far better alternative

If you’re proud of what you do. If you know that the person you’re marketing to has a pressing need for what you provide. If you have a compelling reason for them to purchase from you. And especially if you have their permission to send them information… don’t start off with an apology. There are situations where it’s right to say sorry — this definitely isn’t one of them.

Instead, use a highly targeted list and send a highly targeted message. The reader will then feel as if you are writing for them, rather than writing at them. With no apology required.

Here’s a free, 2 part email marketing series with some useful email marketing tips:

Does email marketing work? Part 1.

Does email marketing work? Part 2.

Back in the 1800’s, Edgar Degas said: “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”.

The same is true of great marketing

Successful marketing paints pictures in the mind of a prospective client. It doesn’t list a series of facts or features. Instead, it talks directly to the needs and wants of your clients. It shows them how you can help them. It also shows them that you’re passionate about helping them. Everything is rooted in what’s best for the client. Everything.

Ineffective marketing paints a picture of the provider. It’s all about their business and the products or services they offer. It reads like a 1990’s sales brochure. It’s dry. It’s dull. It’s forgettable.

The message, my friend, is simple: If you want to attract better clients, paint better pictures.

Alternatively, let me paint a masterpiece for you. Here’s how.

Ever wondered why so many articles, blog posts, videos and newsletters are based around the idea of a list?

Yes, you’re right. It’s because they’re extremely popular. People love them. And it’s easy to see why.

Lots of ideas. And fast!

List-based content promises a number of bite-sized ideas or suggestions. And fast! So when we see “10 habits of highly successful business owners“, we’re not expecting an in-depth examination of commercial success.

No.

We’re expecting ideas. And we hope that at least one of those ideas will help us in some way. If it does, it will repay the 3 or 4 minutes we invested in reading it.

Does your marketing mix contain list-based content?

If not, I suggest you give it a try. Lists are perfect for sharing, which makes them ideal if you want to expand your reach on social networks. New readers who discover your work through list content, will then get the chance to see your more detailed work. Others will follow you on the networks, where they see your lists shared. Almost all of my most shared blog posts are lists. This list-based blog post has been shared over 27 thousand times.

Lists can also be very powerful, when it comes to increasing your email marketing open rates. Email marketing that has a list in the subject line, can result in massively increased open rates.

Here’s why.

Most small business owners are not expert copywriters. As such, the subject lines they use for their email marketing tend to under-perform. And poorly written subject lines result in extremely low open rates. This means no matter how good their marketing message is, very few people will see it.

Using an average list title as the subject line of a marketing email, will always out-perform an average, regular subject line.

So, I should focus exclusively on lists, Jim?

No. No you shouldn’t. Seriously. Don’t!

True, there are YouTubers making a fortune from creating only list-based videos. And yes, there are sites that attract millions of readers, who rely very heavily on list-based posts and articles. However, relying exclusively on lists is a bad fit for most small business owners. They should be used sparingly.

For example, I could have written this post as a list.

• It would have taken me half as long to write.
• It would have been shared a lot more on social networks.
• And the email version of the post would have been opened by a lot more people.

However, I wanted to dig a little deeper into one thing: the marketing effectiveness of lists. I didn’t want to weaken that focus with “15 Reasons why lists dominate the internet”.

And that’s why lists should be just a part of your marketing arsenal.

• Sometimes, you need to offer more substance around one subject.
• Other times, an issue could be impacting your readers and you need to address it.
• And there are times when you want to share one really useful idea, which wouldn’t work if you broke it down into a list of sub-ideas.

Test and measure

If you haven’t already used list-based blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts or newsletters, give it a go. Experiment. Test different types of list. Measure the feedback. Check things (metrics) including; sales, leads, open rates, social shares and new subscribers.

In short, if you’re not embracing list-based content, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

Let's grow your business: I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

Martin (not his real name) emailed me with a great question. I promised to answer it here, as it’s a marketing problem that a lot of people struggle with.

He wanted to know why only a tiny fraction of his newsletter subscribers ever hire him. Martin’s an experienced, professional copywriter. It’s important to point out that I looked at Martin’s newsletter and it’s superb. His range of services look compelling too.

He explained: “They grab all my free advice Jim, but lack the decency to even say thanks for the hours I put in. I’m just about ready to quit.”

Martin wanted to know if I have the same problem and how I deal with it. Here’s my answer. I hope you find it useful.

This is exactly as it should be

First things first. This happens to everyone who uses content marketing. And the more successful you become, the more visible the issue becomes. I know the writers behind some of the world’s most successful newsletters and blogs. In every case, it’s only a tiny minority of their readers who hire them, buy from them or thank them.

And that’s EXACTLY as it should be.

Most people who read this message have zero intention of ever hiring me. A tiny percentage will even bother to thank me for the free information I provide to them. The vast majority just grab it. They have no interest in the thousands of dollars I spend every year, to get the “free” advice out there. No thought is given to the fact I help their business. They just take.

And that’s EXACTLY as it should be.

Why? Because it’s what they’re supposed to do! Remember, these people are not the prospective clients I write for.

No.

These are the amateurs. The freebie crowd. Those who lack the entrepreneurial sense to invest in expert help. So they’re attracted to “free stuff” like moths to a flame. (read this)

You can’t use content marketing and not expect to attract them. You can’t ask people to subscribe to a free newsletter (or free anything) and not be inundated with freebie hunters. To think otherwise is naive.

Expect the freebie crowd to arrive. BUT never write for them. I don’t write for the freebie crowd. Neither should Martin. And neither should you.

• I write for people who take their business seriously.
• I write for people who are commercially intelligent enough to invest in their businesses.
• I write for people who have respect for themselves and for others.

To put it another way, I write for professionals. Professionals are the people who show appreciation for your work. They’re the people who hire you. They totally get it.

Where it gets tricky is this: Professionals are ALSO attracted by free stuff. That’s why content marketing is extremely effective, when used correctly.

Content marketing and intent

The key difference between the 2 types of people who consume your content can be summed up in one word. Intent.

1. When a professional consumes your content, they do so with an open mind to hiring you or buying from you. If they see enough value, they’ll get in touch or make a purchase. These amazing people contact me throughout the day, every day. Sometimes to ask about hiring me. Sometimes to say thanks. Sometimes to tell me how my ideas have helped them overcome a problem.
2. When an amateur consumes your content, they don’t have that same intent. The amateur sees the free stuff as the end result. It’s the much mentioned entitlement mindset. That’s why they never bother to thank Martin, me or any other content marketer. They believe they’re entitled to it.

Once you understand the intent behind the 2 groups of people who consume your content, everything makes sense. It also frees your mind to focus on generously contributing to the marketplace.

Let's grow your business: I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

You’re going to love this!

Today, I’m going to share the single most important thing you need to know, if you want to attract regular sales leads and business enquiries.

To begin, I need to ask you a question:

Why do prospective clients call you, email you or ask you questions?

It’s because they’re curious!

They need to know something and their curiosity motivates them to get in touch. So, you get a sales lead or business enquiry. This creates a dialogue between you and them. And a chance to convert them into a new client or customer.

• Ineffective marketing tries to explain everything. To answer every possible question. To eliminate as much curiosity as possible. And as a direct result, it attracts very few sales leads.
• Effective marketing provides just enough information. Enough information to inform the prospect and ignite their curiosity. And as a direct result, it regularly attracts high quality sales leads.

Think about it. Every enquiry you have ever had or will ever receive, is because the other person needs to know something. So, if you want your marketing to attract more sales enquiries, it needs to create more curiosity and answer fewer questions.

Let's grow your business: I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

What is the main reason someone should buy from you or hire you?

That is a question that many small businesses struggle with. And it hurts their marketing. It means they are unable to provide their prospective clients with a clear, compelling reason to buy from them, rather than a competitor.

The thing about solutions

This is why we see the word solutions used in amateur marketing all the time, to describe what a business does.

Note – If you’ve already, clearly stated the value you bring, it’s okay to use the word. I’m talking about when business owners use solutions instead of being specific.

For example:

• HR solutions.
• Email marketing solutions.
• Cost effective solutions.
• Training solutions.
• Or “we offer a range of solutions”, etc.

They’re telling us nothing.

Their message is weak. There’s no reason for us to contact them. So their marketing is largely ignored. And it loses them a fortune.

I don’t want that to happen to your business, my friend. So here’s a far more effective approach.

The alternative is to get specific

Determine the core value you bring to a prospective client. Then, communicate it with impact and brevity.

For example, instead of saying you, “offer a range of email marketing solutions”, get specific. Tell them, “We can help you increase sales and boost your profits, with professional, proven email marketing.”

Back in the 1980’s, business owners were advised to develop an elevator pitch. The idea was to create a compelling 5 or 10 second business introduction. Commerce today, online and offline, is like a series of elevator pitch-type interactions. Your prospective clients are busy. Really busy. They’re being bombarded with emails, calls, social network updates, text messages… it’s relentless.

They don’t have time for long or vague marketing messages. They want answers. Fast! That’s why a specific, brief and well-crafted message has never been more important or more effective.

So get specific.

Look for the core reason why a prospective client should hire you, rather than a competitor. Then, communicate that reason in a compelling way. It’s far more powerful than claiming to offer a non-specific “solution” and a rambling list of benefits.

Let's grow your business: I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

All marketing fits into one of the following two groups. It’s either making a noise or it’s making a difference.

Here are examples of both and how they impact your marketing results. You’ll identify them instantly.

Making a noise

Most marketing is noise. Irritating attempts to grab our attention.

• Spam emails.
• Pop-up boxes.
• Cold calls.
• Banner advertising.
• Pre-roll videos.
• Junk mail.
• Social network spam, etc.

Those tactics are unwelcome. They don’t command our attention. They selfishly demand our attention.

What do we do? We block them!

We either use software to block them or we mentally block them. But we block them.

This means business owners using those pestering tactics, are seeing worse and worse results. So they then spend even more time and money, to push their message ever harder. And even more people learn to block them. That’s why there’s so much noise out there.

Here’s a much better alternative.

Making a difference

We pay attention to the marketing that makes a difference. It doesn’t demand our attention. It commands our attention. It stands out for all the right reasons.

• Valuable tips and ideas from a YouTube channel, podcast, blog or newsletter we subscribe to.
• Useful updates from our service providers.
• Trusted recommendations from our friends.
• Targeted, valuable offers from vendors we trust, who know what we enjoy.
• Eagerly anticipated communications from groups we’re members of.
• Amazing service, which motivates us to return to a vendor again and again.

These tactics make a positive difference. So we value them. We pay attention because they’re useful. They don’t even feel like marketing. They’re focused on helping us rather than pestering us.

The big question is…

Which group are you in?

We know the good intentions behind our marketing. We know we’re professional and that people would love us, if only they knew how great our service is. So when we add them to our email list or call them at work when they’re busy – we think that it’s okay.

But it isn’t. The same rules apply to us. If it’s unwanted, it’s noise and if it’s noise, it’s working against us.

Everything you do to market your business is either training the marketplace to ignore you or training them to embrace you. It’s working against your business or working for your business.

So whenever possible, instead of making a noise, make a difference. And it’s always possible to make a difference.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

Here are some ideas, which you can use to dramatically improve the results of all your written marketing.

It’s all about the marketing power of headlines.

Your headline has to capture the reader’s attention

Headlines are important. Really important.

You see, it doesn’t matter how great your message is, if too few people ever read it. That’s where your headline (or title or subject line) comes in. The headline’s primary job is to attract attention, gain interest and then motivate the reader to carry on reading.

Think about it:

• The headline is what inspires prospective clients to open your marketing email.
• It’s what motivates them to read your blog post or article, when someone shares it on a social network.
• It’s what compels them to listen to your podcast or watch your video.
• It’s also what grabs their attention and interest when they see one of your advertisements.

Advertising legend David Ogilvy was in no doubt regarding the importance of headlines. He famously said:

“When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.”

Treat your headlines with the importance they deserve. Give yourself plenty of time to craft the best headline possible. The following tips and examples will help you get the balance right.

Your headline should accurately reflect your content

Because headlines play such a huge role in getting your content noticed, it’s tempting to over exaggerate them. (Yes, the headline of this post is a tongue in cheek example of what I mean).

Sometimes called clickbait, these attention-grabbing headlines are proven to generate traffic. The reason I strongly recommend most people reading this not to adopt that headline strategy, is this:

Your headlines make a promise, which your content needs to deliver on.

Make your headlines as compelling as you can. Use words that will compel people to read what you have to say. But make darn sure that your content backs up the promise of the headline. You may be able to fool someone once or twice with clickbait. But unless your content delivers on the promise of the headline, people will quickly learn to ignore you.

Your headline needs to be written for your target market

Your marketing message is intended to connect with a very specific group of people: Your prospective clients or customers. The headlines you use should do the same. This means speaking their language and addressing their concerns and opportunities.

Here’s why this matters:

• By focusing your headlines around the interests of your target market, you help your marketing message to attract the attention of the right people.
• Conversely, by using headlines that attract the attention of a wider group of people, you cease to be directly relevant to your target market.

In other words, use headlines that are directly relevant to your prospective clients.

Your headlines should match your medium

If you’re writing a headline that’s intended for a print magazine, newspaper or flyer, you have certain freedoms, which you don’t have when writing for the internet.

For example, if you want your internet article’s headline to be fully displayed in search results, you need to use around 60 / 65 characters or fewer. Going beyond that will see your headline cut short.

If your headline is intended for email marketing, you need to take other things into consideration. For example, if you include exclamation marks!! in your subject line, along with a number and maybe a word that’s in ALL CAPS, it’s highly likely to end up in a lot of spam filters. Email software looks for certain common factors used by spammers and if it sees them in the email headlines you use, it could wrongly treat your marketing as spam.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to headlines, you need to adapt depending on the medium you’re using.

The only 2 types of headline that matter

There is a lot of debate among marketing professionals, regarding the correct way to use headlines. They take entrenched stances, each insisting that their approach is the only strategy that’s professional or effective.

In almost every case I have seen, they totally miss the point!

When it comes to the headlines you use in your marketing, there are just 2 broad categories worthy of your attention.

1. Headlines that work for you and your business goals.
2. Headlines that are failing you and your business goals.

You need to find the correct balance for what you want to achieve. And it will differ depending on your brand, your industry and your business model.

For example, Upworthy (and especially BuzzFeed) have grown into very successful media businesses, using a controversial, yet powerful headline formula. Many have labelled their approach as being linkbait or clickbait. Here’s a nice piece from The Guardian that looks at Upworthy’s headlines.

Now, it’s not a strategy that would work for every business. However, it’s proven itself to be an extremely successful approach for the BuzzFeed business model. And that’s largely because the quality of the content is consistently compelling, so their readers return.

In summary

Experiment until you find what works best for you. Test and measure your headlines, titles and email subject lines. Just make sure that your content backs up the promise they make.

Get this balance right and you can dramatically and measurably improve your marketing results.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

Hard work is not the secret to success. If it was, our grandparents would have been millionaires. Instead, we know that success comes from doing the right things, correctly.

This means a business owner who wants to improve their results has just 2, relatively easy challenges ahead of them.

1. Acceptance

We need to accept that our current business development strategy isn’t working. Or at least that it isn’t working the way we want it to. Our current strategy may feel comfortable. It’s certainly familiar. However, if it isn’t leading to the results we want, we must accept that we need to move on.

Until we accept the need to improve, we’ll simply carry on wasting time. We’ll carry on working hard, for too little reward.

2. Adopt a proven strategy for success

Once we’ve accepted the need to improve, we’re ready for the second challenge. This challenge is easier than the first. We need to find a strategy that will work for us. A strategy for success.

And thankfully, success leaves clues.

We are surrounded by examples of successful businesses. Everywhere we look, there are businesses that are getting it right. Every area of our business development that needs to improve, is already working spectacularly well for another business. The answers we need are out there. We just need to follow the clues.

Your task here, is to do the research. Look at what the businesses that are succeeding are doing, which you can adopt into your own business.

Here’s an example of what I mean. If your business needs to improve its marketing, what might you learn from the following success clues?

• The last service you used, which impressed you so much you told your friends.
• The last marketing email you received, which persuaded you to take action.
• The last blog post you read, which you were inspired to share.
• The last social network update, which motivated you to take action.
• The last advertisement you encountered, which compelled you to make a purchase.
• The last newsletter you received, which you were motivated to forward to your friends.
• The last website you visited, which impressed you with its professionalism.

Once you have done that, it’s time to look below the surface.

Don’t just copy what you find. Instead, consider how you can adapt what you discovered, so that it works for your business.

Make no mistake, the answers you need are out there. Success leaves clues. And the clues are all around you.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales and boost your profits. Here's how.

When Google wrote to me recently, they chose to use traditional mail. Paper, an envelope and a postage stamp. It got my attention. I opened it, read it and acted on it. More importantly, here’s why Google contacted me via traditional mail and what you and your business can learn from it.

The problem with email

It’s free. There’s no barrier to entry. As a result, anyone can interrupt us with unwanted email. Also, because it’s free, too little thought is given to the quality of the email or how well it’s targeted. Hence the huge spam problem. It costs nothing to put a low value email together, click send and pester 1000 or 1000000 people with it.

Spammers have trained us to ignore email that looks like it could be spam. This includes promotional emails. The exact kind of emails that legitimate business owners use for marketing.

With spam filters and junk mail filtering, your prospective clients see maybe 1 marketing / promotional email in every 10. They may open 1 in 10 of those they see.

Based on these very rough numbers, this gives you a 1 in 100 chance your email will even be opened by a prospective client. If the email’s subject line is not expertly written, open rates will be even lower. (Tip: Here’s how to write better headlines.)

But don’t worry. In a few moments I’ll show you how to make your email marketing extremely effective.

The value of traditional mail

It isn’t free. However, the price creates a massive barrier to entry. This is why we receive a fraction as many marketing letters via traditional mail as we used to.

When we receive a correctly addressed letter in a regular envelope, we have to open it in order to see if it’s something important, something interesting or junk. The key thing here is that we open it. Open rates for marketing letters, addressed correctly, sent in regular (plain) envelopes are around 98%.

(These numbers only drop, when the letter is sent in a promotional envelope. Otherwise, the envelope must be opened by the recipient, so they can tell if it’s of interest or not.)

As you’ll see in a moment, I’m not suggesting you send all your marketing mail via traditional mail. However, it’s well worth considering for some mailings. Especially when your message is important enough, your list is high quality and you want to ensure almost everyone on the list will read it.

The important thing here, is to make sure you are using the correct tool for the job. Here are some options, based on email / traditional mail.

Permission email marketing

Email becomes super-effective, when you have permission from the recipient and you know your emails are getting into their inbox.

For instance, the email version of Jim’s Marketing Blog requires people to double opt-in. In other words, after entering their name and email address on my blog, they receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription. Only then can they subscribe. This gives me permission to send them my latest blog post. It also proves they can receive my emails. The exact same approach works equally well for newsletters.

The cost is low, especially if you have fewer than 1000 people on your permission list. I recommend using a professional emailing service even if you only send a small number of emails. They make it easy for you to track open rates, clicks, etc. That means you can see how your content or marketing message is resonating with your readers.

Plus, professional email  providers give you all the tools you need in order to manage your reader lists. They also stop your email server’s ip address from being blacklisted. I’ve known this happen to lots of business owners. It can stop you from being able to send regular business emails to clients, suppliers and contacts until you get it resolved.

Many email providers, such as Mailchimp, offer a free service to people with a small list. The prices only become significant when your list is in the tens of thousands.

With massively lower costs than traditional mail, permission marketing via a professional email provider is exceptionally effective.

Email marketing to strangers on lists

This is less of an option and more of a warning! Buying so-called permission lists and then emailing them, is usually a waste of money. These are lists, which are sold on the understanding that the people on the lists gave permission for their details to be sold.

In 99.9% of cases, these people simply forgot to uncheck the box that says “send me emails with offers from partners”, when they downloaded a freebie from the internet or subscribed to a free service.

The key thing is that the people on those lists did not opt-in to receiving emails from you!

Conversion rates from such lists are terrible. That’s because those on the lists are getting bombarded with spam, from the thousands of people, who buy the lists they’re on. So they either use extremely powerful spam filtering, have white-list-only email or have switched to a new email address.

Traditional marketing letters (direct mail)

This can be an extremely effective way to get your marketing message in front of your prospective clients. The exceptionally high open rates (so long as you take the measures I mentioned earlier) make it a very attractive proposition.

It also allows you to purchase a high quality list, from a reputable list vendor, with the correct contact details and get great results. Remember, the prospective client has to open the envelope to determine the value. This is faster than earning permission, so can be useful if you need quick results.

Of course, even if 100% of people open your mailshot, it won’t matter unless your message is professionally written. Most direct mail from small businesses is written by the business owner and is simply ignored.

Tip: If you’re prepared to pay for a mailing, pay an expert to write it… someone who knows how to motivate the reader to take action.

So, there are a few thoughts on the merits of traditional mail shots and permission-based email marketing. In short, each has its place and each can be spectacularly effective, if handled correctly.

P.S. I recommend you read this. Does email marketing work? How I helped Irene make over $32,000 in 9 days.

Take the guesswork out of marketing your business: Let me help you increase your sales and boost your profits. To find out how, read this!

Business is changing. Moreover, business is changing fast! This is great news for agile thinking business owners, who embrace the opportunities. However, it’s not such great news for business owners who are working in 2017’s rapidly changing environment, with a 1990’s approach to business.

In today’s post, I share some ideas on how you can benefit from the new opportunities around you. First, I’d like to demonstrate how things have changed and why we need to apply a new mindset, to the new landscape.

A new mindset for a new landscape

Many of the world’s most influential businesses were unknown 20 years ago. Some, such as Facebook and Twitter, weren’t founded until the mid 2000’s.

That kind of global growth was previously unthinkable.

What’s more, billion dollar companies that lead their industries have been started by relative unknowns, in very untraditional ways.

Here’s a great example. Writing in Techcrunch, Tom Goodwin summed up the new age of agile business:

“Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening.”

Tom is right. Something interesting is happening. None of those achievements or business models were possible until very recently. The game has changed. And it has changed for ever.

The age of agile business

When I look at small businesses, they tend to fall into one of the following 2 broad categories: They are either dinosaurs or agile progressives. That’s to say their approach to the agile business landscape means they are facing extinction or facing unparalleled success.

Armed with a laptop and an idea, there’s very little an agile business cannot achieve.

• The new business landscape allows an agile small business owner to have an idea in the morning, and put that idea into play before the end of business that same day.
• Using social networks, we can listen to what our marketplace wants and provide that want. No more guess work. You can get it right every time. And in a fraction of the time.
• Instant access to data, means research that took weeks or months can now be done in days. And at a fraction of the price.
• With a great marketing email and some email software, a struggling business can generate a fortune in sales…  and fast!
• With the correct strategy, anyone can develop their own community. I reach thousands of people every day, many of whom are prospective clients, without spending a penny on advertising or promotion. You can too.
• If you have a great business idea, you no longer need a bank loan. Thanks to Indiegogo, Kickstarter and others, you can use crowdfunding and get exactly what you need.

In spite of all that potential, many small business owners operate their businesses with a 1990’s mindset. They lack agility. This places them at a huge disadvantage.

For example:

• They try to find customers for their products, instead of finding products for their customers.
• They still take just as long to make a decision, even though they can get the feedback they need in a fraction of the time. As a result, their agile competitors have already eaten their lunch.
• They use social networks to follow the crowd, rather than lead their marketplace.
• They have a website that’s almost an online brochure, when it should be and could be, a lead-generating machine for their business. If you didn’t start work today with leads from your website waiting for you, you should have. Fix it. Otherwise you’re leaving money on the table.
• They waste money advertising, when they should be building their own platform.
• They waste time, money and energy attending networking groups, like people did in the 1970’s, rather than build their own community.

No matter what industry you are in. No matter where you are. Your potential right now is almost limitless.

This is that golden age of business, which past generations dreamed of. And it’s happened at the perfect time for you. What an opportunity. Grasp it with both hands!

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales, attract more clients and boost your profits. To find out how, click here!

How many service options or packages do you offer to prospective clients? Many small business owners offer too many options and it’s losing them a fortune.

Here’s why.

• The more options you give to a prospective client, the more choice they have.
• The more choice they have, the harder it is for them to make a decision.
• The harder it is for them to make a decision, the less likely they are to decide.

So they move on. And you lose another sales lead or client enquiry. And another… and another.

Too much choice

In an effort to be as flexible as possible, business owners often create lots of different service packages. Something for everyone. And it seems to make sense.

The thing is, too much choice is bad for business. It creates confusion and when your prospective clients are confused, they won’t commit. So you get far fewer client enquiries or sales leads from your marketing. As one of the oldest sayings in marketing assures us, “a confused mind always says no!”

Take a look at the number of service options or service packages you provide. Also, look at the number of items within each package.

Now ask yourself: Do you really need to offer so much choice?

If not, reduce. Aim for clarity. Make the decision process easier for your prospective clients. When the decision to hire you or buy from you becomes easier, more people will do it!

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales, attract more clients and boost your profits. To find out how, click here!

I think you’re going to find this extremely useful, so I had to share it with you today.

I have 3 questions for you to ponder. They’re simple questions. However, they can put you on track to attract massively more clients. Not only that, these will be clients who are an ideal match for you and your business!

Attracting your ideal clients

I want you to think about what happens when someone visits your website, sees your social media updates, reads your newsletter or consumes your podcasts or videos, etc.

Now answer the following 3 questions:

1. Does it tell them who you are?
2. Does it tell them what you stand for… the things that really matter to you?
3. Does it give them a reason to switch from their current provider to you?

The majority of small business marketing fails on not one, but all three of those questions. It fails to tell us who they are, what they stand for or why we need to leave our current provider for them.

And without those essential questions answered, there’s nothing whatsoever to motivate anyone to give a rat’s ass about them.

You have a personality. Your business has one too: a way of working, which is your way of doing things. You have things you care passionately about. These are also reflected in the way you work. You have, or can find, powerful reasons why someone should hire you or buy from you. And it’s that mix, which sets you apart, helps you stand out, attracts attention and inspires people to hire you.

So don’t keep it a secret.

Look at your marketing copy. Review your blog, newsletter, social media, podcast / videos… whatever. Then make sure they communicate all that’s meaningfully different about you. In other words, give your marketing your DNA. Your fingerprint.

When you do, your marketplace will have something to connect with. And those in your marketplace who value your message, will be drawn to you.

That’s right: You won’t just attract enquiries. You’ll attract enquiries from people who value the very things, which you and your business value. These are your IDEAL prospective clients or customers. Just think about that for a moment.

Tip: If you’d like to know how and why to stand out, even in an extremely competitive marketplace, read this.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales, attract more clients and boost your profits. To find out how, click here!

I shared 5 ideas with a business group recently, which they found extremely useful.

Today, I am sharing them with you.

1: Offer something exclusive

Think about offering an elite or exclusive version of your services. There will always be a market for exceptional service and gold-standard products. It’s an extremely profitable market, too.

2: Never underestimate the importance of the human touch

So much of what we do today can be automated, from Facebook updates and tweets, to auto-responder emails. Whilst there is a place for some automation, you can’t automate your way to success.

Business is all about people and your competitors are forgetting that. You can gain a huge advantage over them, if you look for opportunities to interact with people. Keep it as human as possible. Never automate anything, unless it’s essential. The cost in lost business can be staggering.

3: Study the gold dust around you

If you find yourself reading a marketing email or mail shot today, stop! You have some potential gold dust in front of you. Examine it and look for what it was that compelled you to open it. Then, think about what caused you to start reading it.

Finally, consider how you can make your own marketing more effective, by incorporating or adaptiingwhat you have just learned.

4: Let people Pick Your Brain, commercially

If you get people asking you for free advice and you place any commercial value on your time, consider offering a Pick My Brain service. It has 2 enormous benefits.

1. Those who were purely intent on grabbing a freebie from you will vanish. The second they know there’s a fee, they go and look for another victim.
2. It can prove to be an extremely valuable service for those who really do value your advice (and for you too).

Business is all about mutually beneficial relationships – not greedy people taking advantage of your expertise for their own selfish reasons.

5: Motivation alone is not the answer

When your business is heading in the wrong direction, you don’t need motivation to speed you up! You need guidance to get you on the right path. Working longer hours in an under performing business, just means you will go broke, faster. No matter how fast you row your boat in the wrong direction, you will still get lost.

I hope you found these ideas useful, my friend. More importantly, I hope they inspire you to take action.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales, attract more clients and boost your profits. To find out how, click here!

A reader contacted me over the weekend with an interesting observation. She told me she “found out the hard way, that email marketing doesn’t work“.

She asked me for my thoughts. I said I’d share them here, as I think some of you will find it useful.

Email marketing works

In fact, it works extremely well. It works predictably, too. What doesn’t work is ineffective email marketing. Ineffective email marketing can’t work. Here are just a few, very common examples of how small business owners get email marketing wrong.

• A poorly-written email won’t work. It will fail to motivate the reader to take action; to call you, email you, visit your website, whatever. And almost all small business marketing emails are DIY attempts, not professionally written.
• A professionally-written email, sent to the wrong people, won’t work. It will fail to reach those with a demand for your services.
• A great email, sent to the right people, with the wrong subject line, won’t work. No one will open it!
• You get the idea.

The same holds true with every kind of marketing.

Take a look at the various types of marketing you’ve used in the past, which you stopped using because they didn’t work. Review exactly what you did. Then, see if you can identify where things went wrong.

Why? Because it’s very, very likely you’re missing out on a ton of new customers or clients. Marketing works. But only if you’re doing the right things, correctly.

Let's grow your business! I can help you build a more successful business, increase your sales, attract more clients and boost your profits. To find out how, click here!