Social Media Myth- My Target Market Isn't On Social Media

Have you found yourself uttering these words when a marketing or advertising agency recommends promoting your company on social media? We sure have, and it couldn't be further from the truth!

As company's begin planning their marketing for 2013, invariably they will run across a superbly written blog, newspaper article or even well meaning business associate that will toss out the idea of using social media as an economical advertising tool. If you are in an industry whose target age demographic is largely over the age of 45, you may be tempted to dismiss social media as a viable marketing outlet. The tragedy in this misnomer is that you could be opting out of connecting with the fastest growing demographic on social media.

Not only are Baby Boomers eager to join in the social media revolution, with a little education (that they are receiving from continuing education and senior centers across the country) they are the most loyal and savviest content contributors of all the demographic groups! Mature citizens may have been pulled into social media kicking and screaming, but they have the loudest voices and their online reputation has high value.

Want to see what YOUR mature target market is doing on social media? Visit our Social Media Audience tools on the Marketing Media Management website to find out!

Juggernauts, Monkeys, a CRM and Email Marketing

We already know about the advantages AddressTwo has over other CRM software providers. But, did you know the AddressTwo CRM software is more than "just a CRM"? AddressTwo can also serve as your Email Marketing Service Provider (EMSP). But how does it really stack up against some of the other email marketing providers like Constant Contact and MailChimp? After all, at its core, AddressTwo is a CRM. Can it really be both a great CRM AND a great EMSP?  We think it is! Let's take a look at some of the more popular providers for email marketing and see how AddressTwo compares, shall we?

Email Marketing & You

Before we look at any of the EMSP’s, though, we must set out the first distinction.  If all you want to do is send email, and a CRM is not on your list of requirements, then AddressTwo is probably not the best solution. AddressTwo is, first and foremost, a CRM, but it includes email marketing tools. And tasks. And lots of other cool things. 

That means, if you only need email marketing, don’t buy a CRM. While we believe every small business needs a CRM, we know sometimes you have to start somewhere. However, if you need a CRM for contact management and want to do email marketing too, then AddressTwo is a great solution.Whether you're already doing these things or want to in the future, AddressTwo can help.

Email Marketing & Monkeys: MailChimp

Who doesn't love free? (I love free!) And who doesn't love a cute monkey? (I love monkeys!) All kidding aside, MailChimp is a powerhouse when it comes to email marketing. For free, (yes, free forever*) you can send out up to 12,000 emails per month as long as you have under 2,000 subscribers. True to their word, they won't even take your credit card "just in case." For free (within the limits of course), you can send some pretty sweet emails to your list. You also can easily add tons of photos into your library without worrying about space. Unfortunately, not all is perfect in the "free" world.  

In MailChimp’s free plan, you can't take advantage of some of the more sophisticated reporting features and there’s no autoresponders. Of course, for a small list, doing things manually isn't too bad. But the closer you are to the 2,000 subscriber threshold, the more painful those limits become.

MailChimp calculates your plan structure based on the number of subscribers, rather than the number of emails you send. So, if you have 5,000 subscribers and send them one email or 100 (not recommended) per month, the charge is the same. Your charge for such a list would be $50, allowing you the full set of features (including autoresponders). At subscriber 5,001, your cost goes up to $75 per month. Again, you'll get charged based on your number of subscribers instead of the number of emails you send.

Email Marketing Juggernaut: Constant Contact

Admittedly, Constant Contact is an email marketing juggernaut (What? It's a cool word!). They've become a go-to resource for small businesses looking to manage their email marketing.  What makes them so great? First, you can start for free for the first 60 days. During that trial, you can send emails to your heart's content as long as you don't have more than 100 email addresses. After that, you graduate to an official plan.

Like MailChimp, plans are based on number of subscribers but before we talk about price, let's talk about features. Hands down, Constant Contact has easy to use templates. This is great for those of us who weren't born speaking HTML or CSS. And Constant Contact includes right away something our banana-loving friends do not: autoresponders. They also offer personal support. Once you sign up for an account, be prepared to hear from one of their representatives who will help you get setup.

If your email list is small (under 2,500), a Constant Contact plan is under $30 per month. At 2,501 and up, like MailChimp, you're looking at spending $50 per month.

Simple CRM and Email Marketing Too: AddressTwo

So how about AddressTwo? Which is the better choice? Both MailChimp and Constant Contact have some amazing features but to really get the best use of them, you'll definitely be looking at one of their paid plans. Money aside, while MailChimp is free, the learning curve is a little longer and their support relies heavily on your ability to navigate their provided videos and knowledge base.

Constant Contact has incredible templates to choose from but you’re limited in your photo options (you have to pay to store more than five in your library). Perhaps you can overlook that limitation when you consider the one-on-one support you get.

However, AddressTwo is not only your EMSP but also your CRM, meaning you can truly manage your database and its activity, rather than just storing information to push out a communication. With AddressTwo, you can both manage your contacts and do your email marketing for a monthly charge of $34.95 (Professional Edition) for unlimited contacts & users. You then email on a pay as you go basis (or can upgrade). The cost for sending out 5,000 emails would only be $25.00. No monthly fee, just pay for what you use, as you use it, whether it's one email, 10, 100, or 100,000. You can even purchase a monthly plan that includes your monthly emails if you know exactly how many emails you'll be sending per month.

AddressTwo also allows you to specifically target using lists. So instead of sending 5,000 emails to everyone on your list, you can segment your database and only target the ones you want to reach. Have multiple products? Want to limit your geographic reach? No problem. 

AddressTwo's unique ability to truly target your market (rather than a general group subscribed to your newsletter) amps up your marketing power to a priceless level. Oh, and that doesn't even include the amazing one-on-one service. The AddressTwo team is always here for you, runs weekly webinars to help you make the most of AddressTwo and is committed to what you need and want, so we can make the tool even better for you!

Don’t get us wrong, we have much love for our EMSP cousins. But hopefully you now see the value of having a combined CRM and EMSP like AddressTwo.  If you'd like to chat about email marketing using AddressTwo, feel free to call us anytime! Or click here for a free trial today!

AddressTwo Names WOOHOOing™ as an Authorized Partner Provider

AddressTwo announced today that WOOHOOing™, a Grand Rapids -area small business coaching firm, has signed an agreement to become an AddressTwo Authorized Partner Provider. The agreement will enable WOOHOOing™ to sell the AddressTwo CRM product as a part of its solution for customers, as well as make WOOHOOing’s expertise and services available to the growing number of AddressTwo users in the Grand Rapids area.

Read the Press Release: Here: http://www.pr.com/press-release/465915

Connect with the Team Here:  http://www.woohooing.com

What they can help AddressTwo users with: HERE

The Magic School for Business

If you’ve ever wished there was a magic wand for your business, you are in luck! Holly Kile, president of HJK Digital Solutions, has just launched Pixie Dust University.  Holly recognized there was a huge gap between what business owners and entrepreneurs know they need to do in their business and the tools they have or need to get those goals accomplished.  Even the most brilliant experts fall into that gap. Some don’t have the systems in place. Others are intimidated by technology. Still others just aren’t sure how to get up to speed and create a solid online presence for their brand.  This is where Pixie Dust University comes in.

Pixie Dust University (PDU) is a series of classes wrapped up in a super-friendly online “campus.”  Students at PDU get exactly the kind of support, training, tools, resources, and expert advice they need for their business.  The PDU experience is highly interactive and designed with you in mind.  This means that classes are convenient, relevant, easy-to-follow, and best of all, affordable.  Working with Holly privately or attending one of her live workshops is definitely worth the cost of admission but sometimes can cost hundreds of dollars. She has made Pixie Dust University incredibly accessible for only $47 per month!  Each month includes at least 1 training call and 1 bonus call PLUS a live Q&A call where you get to ask Holly and other faculty questions. In addition to these amazing training opportunities, you get 24/7 access to the virtual campus where you’ll find a full library of resources, how-to tutorials, discussion boards, and support from the Pixie Dust team AND fellow entrepreneurs!

Classes begin in January 2013 and enrollment is now open.  It only takes $1 to save your seat you’re definitely going to want to do that right away. Class sizes are limited so you don’t want to wait until the seats are all taken and have to wait until she opens up the next session.  You won’t be charged the $47 monthly fee until classes begin in January. If you’re serious about making 2013 your breakout year in business and finally put those plans into action, I invite you to take a look at everything she’s offering at www.pixiedustmarketing.com/PDU.  While you’re there, be sure to download a copy of the curriculum. Once you see how much you’ll be learning, you’ll be even more amazed at the value she’s giving.  Once you’ve reviewed everything, I know you’ll be as excited about the program as I am and be ready to join the PDU Class of 2013!

Just Click On The Banner Below To 

Enter the Magic School For Business

Developing Your Marketing Strategy

Mention the word "strategy" to any business owner or executive and there is often an immediate response of loathing. Strategy has become a four letter word.  One that is reserved for big, multi-national corporations like GE or IBM.  So, what have we done about this?  Simple, substitute the word plan or planning and all is good right?  Not so much.  The truth is that most businesses fail to even have the most modest of plans or a planning document.  Why?  Strategy is perceived as a long difficult process and if completed the document is usually set on the proverbial shelf of our hard drives never to be looked at again.

There is a solution!  Strategy can be simple, short and still effective if five easy steps are followed.  As always the process can be as simple or detailed as need, but experience has shown that the more detailed the plan the less likely it is to be followed and the more work it will be to maintain.

Step 1: Know Your Brand

This step really has nothing to do with strategy execution, but has everything to do with strategic direction.  Step one is to understand your brand.  Understanding your brand means being able to articulate your brand in a few words or phrases.  Think Mercedes or Apple.  What comes to mind when you think of them?  That's their brand.  Knowing and understanding your brand and it's place in the market is key to developing your marketing strategy.  If you're a start-up the strategy might simply be one of building brand recognition, but for an established business the strategy would be much different.

Step 2: Situation Assessment

Think of this as a "state of the union" for your industry, the economy, and the marketing in your region or city.  If you subscribe to any industry publications or newsletters likely this has already been done for you.  If that information is not accessible then performing a quick SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) would be a good exercise to perform to aid in developing the plan.

Step 3: Define and Develop Objectives

Objectives are nothing more than goals with a number attached.  Think both short and long term goals.  Short term should be no longer than one year, while long term should be three to five year goals.  When selecting objectives and the metrics to measure them think in specific terms.  An objective of "Grow the business" is too vague to drive action whereas "Grow average monthly revenue by 20%" is concrete and has a definite number to attempt to achieve.

Step 4: Developing the Strategic Activities

If vision is the destination, then strategy is the plan to get there.  The essence of strategy is making trade-offs.  We can't do it all, nor should we.  Part of making trade-offs is understanding your target audience.  If your target audience is soccer moms with iPhones then investing in a mobile friendly website would be a key strategic activity.  If you know your target audience then the marketing plan and activities should be fairly straight forward.  Hanging out where your audience is already engaged is the primary focus for all marketing activities.  Is the audience heavy social media users?  If so, then Facebook might be the place to spend time to cultivate those marketing relationships.  The audience should heavily dictate when, where and how the activities and marketing communications take place.

Step 5: Marketing Performance

The first step to monitoring marketing performance is to develop a scorecard.  Remember those objectives and metrics that were developed in step one?  Well, write them down and begin to track them on a monthly basis.  Look at the trends, are they taking you toward the objective?  Fast enough? Do adjustments need to be made to your plan or activities?  Be careful not to modify the objectives to fit the strategy or activities, but modify the activities first to see if it moves you closer to the overall objectives.

There you go, five simple steps to developing a strategy.  Simple?  Yes.  Easy? Not necessarily.  Developing a simple executable strategy can be done and it is so important to business growth.  Good luck and good planning for the coming year.

Do you have a simple formula for developing your own strategy?  I'd love to hear it.

For a more detailed guide download the Guide to Developing a Strategy Framework

Mat Maynor

Mat is co-founder and chief strategy guy of Big Vision MediaGroup.  He has nearly 20 of experience developing marketing strategies for companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-ups.

Strategic Planning Made Simple

We have big plans for 2013. I know we aren't going to get there doing things the way we did them in 2012, so I took the team off-site for a strategic planning session. When I was in corporate, we would carve out two whole days for strategic planning. While we would be very productive for the first few hours, we would quickly run out of steam. By the time we got to the issues on the second day, we were more focused on getting things finished so we could get out of there than we were on really solving the problems at hand.

 To avoid strategic fatigue, I divided our strategic planning process into three sessions, each with a different focus. This first session focused on stepping up our lead generation activity. We will repeat the process two more times in the first quarter, with one session focused on refining our processes and the second on other ways to bring value to our customers.

 With the narrower focus, we could spend four hours talking about our business and brainstorming ways to increase our lead generation activities.  At the end of the session, everyone walked away with specific action items. In the weeks to come, we will flesh out those plans, set deadlines and start crossing things off our list. Then we will be ready to work on the next topic.

 Strategic planning is worthwhile exercise for any business. The process doesn't have to be long and complex. We used a simple two page planning document to keep us on track. If you would like a copy, you can download it here or create one that makes sense for your business. Regardless of the tool you use, follow these steps to build your plan:

• Define Your Current State – Take a snapshot of your business. Don’t just look at sales, but look at the factors that indicate if sales will occur. This might include things like web traffic, proposals, the number of active clients, the number of leads or referrals as well as sales volume per customer or profit per transaction.

• Set Specific Objectives – Once you identify your key business indicators, set goals for the next year. Each of these goals should be measurable. It's not enough to say you want to increase sales; you have to define by how much. Without a goal post, how will you know if you made it? Select four to six goals to focus on for this year.

• Narrow Your Focus and Outline Actions - Business improvement can come from many areas: Increasing sales to individual customers, reaching new customers, revitalizing old ones, improving profit per sales transaction or reducing overhead will all improve your bottom line. But you can’t work on all of them at the same time, so select several which will move you closer to accomplishing your most important objectives.

• Set Timelines and Responsibilities – When you're sitting around a table brainstorming, it's easy to come up with things that could improve your business. The trick is to actually make those changes. For each action item, assign a person responsible for making it happen and a specific due date. Follow up and make sure it happens.

• Year at a Glance – Finally, look at the whole year. Be realistic about how much you can actually accomplish each month, keeping in mind you still have the challenge of running your day-to-day business. Spread out the tasks throughout the year.

• Progress - When you're done with your plan, don't put it on a shelf or in a drawer. Pin this document to the wall of your office.  Refer to it often and make sure you are completing the tasks which will really move your business forward. Monthly or quarterly, update your progress. Are you getting closer to reaching your objectives? If not, maybe you need to update your action plans. Don't wait until the end of the year to make changes--adjust as you move along.

Download the Strategic Plan Outline:  

2013: What’s your brand resolution? From Guest Blogger at @QuezMedia

Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to put together strong resolutions and start 2013 the right way. New Year’s resolutions are notorious for seeming brilliant and achievable, but failing by early February. Most people make resolutions about their bodies, minds, or spirits, focusing on bettering themselves in order to have a greater, healthier year.

But your company’s brand can be thought of as a living, breathing entity in its own right. It requires attention, evaluation, and sometimes a change here or there to fit in with the modern landscape. If you’re going to make a New Year’s resolution for your company, focus on your brand and find a way to make an improvement for 2013.

Develop Your Language

Do you have a logo? Do you have a set of colors? Do you have a brand language standard? Most developed companies will answer yes to those first two questions, but that third one sees an underwhelming response. Brand language is a highly underrated part of your brand as a company, and if you’re missing out on this critical component, there’s no better time than the beginning of the year to start rolling out the changes.

Decide Whether a Change is Necessary

Maybe you’re tired of your brand, but it’s still functioning the way it was meant to, or maybe you’re in love with it but it just isn’t working any more—take a realistic evaluation of where your brand stands, and figure out whether a change is necessary or even relevant. You might be surprised at how relevant your brand is in the modern era, one way or the other.

Work to Improve Visibility

Even well-developed brands can suffer from a lack of visibility. If you’re looking for a long-term way to boost your brand presence and recognition, you may not have to consider changing anything about the brand itself. Instead, you can make a resolution to drive your brand through more appropriate or more amply available channels.

If you’re interested in revitalizing your brand for the New Year, but lack the resources to do it alone—don’t hesitate to contact us here at Quez Media for a prospective consultation. We’re here to help.

http://www.quezmedia.com/

http://www.facebook.com/QuezMedia

https://twitter.com/quezmedia

12 Interesting Business Blog Facts & Stats From @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 3 of 3

I attended a great HubSpot webinar in 2012 on business blogging and wanted to share these interesting facts and statistics on business impact of blogging. If you don't have a blog or you are not convinced to that it will work for you. Think again. I strongly encourage you to start a blog or seek to improve your current blog. Enjoy.

Blog Facts & Stats:

1.      Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links than those that don't. Creating great content is the key to getting inbound links – there's just no substitute.

2.      Businesses that blog at least 20 times per month generate 5X more traffic and 4X more leads than those that only blog a few times per month.

3.      Creating, optimizing, and promoting content are keys to filling the top of your sales and marketing funnel with more website traffic and leads. The good news is that companies who create, optimize and promote their blogs get 55% more traffic and 70% more leads than those who don't.

4.      Blog posts that were shared on just Twitter had 113% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

5.      B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those that do not.

6.      About 46% of daily internet users read more than one blog every day.

7.      65% of daily internet users read a blog. It could be YOUR blog if you make it easy for them to find it.

8.      Blog posts that were shared on Twitter and Facebook got 149% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

9.      Blog posts shared on Twitter get 113% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

10.  Two-thirds of marketers say their company blog is "critical" or "important" to their business. Part of the reason is that blogs are a great way to engage your visitors.

11.  36% of daily internet users read 5 to 10 blog posts per day.

12.  Websites with Blogs have 434% more indexed pages (helps search engines & SEO efforts) and 97 % more inbound links.

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

My Results from Blogging From @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 2 of 3

Last installment, (Blogging for Business for More Sales and Profits) I introduced the concept of blogging, its connection to sales and profitability and how I made my conversion to blogging.

When it comes to blogging, most people know what they SHOULD do. However, few people actually KNOW HOW how to do it. In 2006, I made a commitment to blogging and I have been blogging ever since. Now, I am a expert blogger for several organizations, including Address Two University. Fortunately, I have been recognized by InsideView as one of the top 25 Sales Industry Leaders and my podcast has been selected as one of the best business podcast for small business by Small Business Trends. Here are some of my results from my blog and blogging:

1.      Over 25,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ combined

2.      My Company blog has produced hundreds Twitter Shares, Facebook Likes and Shares Linkedin Likes and Linkedin Shares Google Plus+ (I couldn't count them all or I would never finish this article)

3.      Positive web presence – if you Google or do a search on “Kenneth Darryl Brown”, you'll get positive results because on my commitment to blogging

4.      Improved SEO and web presence for me and my company

Additionally, I have been asked to speak at numerous networking, business meetings, conferences and events.

There are multiple benefits to having a company blog. Here are some obvious ones:

1.      Enhances your search engine optimization for your chosen keywords and phrases for your website and company.

2.      Improves your own personal web presence and online digital image.

3.      Promotes your products and services.

4.      Directs visitors and readers to other sections of your website and to specific landing pages.

5.      Helps you to become a better expert which will improve your trust and credibility.

6.      Improves your focus on creating new ideas, strategies, tactics, products and services for your best prospects and clients.

7.      Generates more public exposure for you and your company that can improve your marketing and sales efforts.

If these are some of the initial benefits, why don't more business owners and entrepreneurs have blog and commit to blogging on a regular basis? That is unfortunate, because a blog can produce amazing results for any business that commits to writing one. I will share more interesting business blog facts and figures in future articles.

Again, when it comes to blogging, most people know what they SHOULD do. However, few people actually KNOW HOW how to do it.

In the next few blog posts, I will share my ideas, strategies, tactics, experiences and insights on how to use your blog to generate more sales and profitability. My goal is to expand your awareness of the possibilities and opportunities of creating a blog or improving one. Not only will I focus on how to increase your lead generation, improve sales conversion, increase sales generation and drive greater profitability. In addition, I will share how a blog can help your best prospects and clients in their buying process and introduce them to and take them through your own selling process too.

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

Blogging for Business for More Sales and Profits (Introduction) from Guest Blogger @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 1 of 3

How Are You Using Your Company Blog To Increase Your Sales And Profits?

Question: How are you using your company blog to increase your sales and profits? “Huh? What?” People look a little puzzled when I ask that question. I can imagine your response as you read this blog article right now. I asked that question a lot to my new prospect's and best clients.

Predictably, their reaction is like seeing a “deer in the headlights” of your car on a old country road in the dark of night. And, they always ask me the same question: “What do you mean?” I get the same question every time. They have not clue about what I am talking about. They don't have a good answer for my question. They say “I am writing a blog.” I respond, “Yes, but, how are you using your blog to improve your sales and profits? Specifically, how are you using your blog to increase your lead generation, improve sales conversion, increase your sales and improve profitability? “What?” You see business owners are experts in what they do but, outside their expertise, they have problems, challenges, issues and concerns. Certainly, using a blog for business is one of the opportunities where business owners and entrepreneurs can improve.

What Is The Purpose Of Your Business?

What is the purpose of business? Isn't it sales and profits? Everything that a business does should be focused on increasing lead generation, improving sales conversion, increasing the average sale and number of transactions, controlling costs, reducing expenses, enhancing your profit margin and driving greater profitability. Is it possible? Can a blog do all of that? Yes, absolutely. A blog can accomplish these things and a lot more. Aren't we asking too much of a blog? No. It can be done. Yes, it can.

Their common reaction is, “Ken, I am just writing a blog.” It's understandable that they don't understand the potential benefits of writing a blog. They (just) don't get it. They feel that it's not a major part of their business, product or service. “It's just a blog.” They say. They don't see the connection when they should. No connection? Really? Think again. There is a direct connection between blogging, sales and profit. That is, if you know how (to do it). In fact, business owners and entrepreneurs should be creating more blogs because it can produce more sales and profits for their companies. Creating a blog and making a commitment to blogging can positively impact your business.

How I Made My Conversion To Blogging

Like many business people, I had the same feelings and concerns about a blog and blogging too.

How did I discover the benefits of blogging? Why did I make the conversion and how? Here is my personal story:

I remember the I first time that I heard the term “blog”. It was January of 2006. My friend, Brent Leary, a popular blogger and speaker, suggested that I start writing a blog. My response was predictable for any new business owner and entrepreneur. “Why?” I curiously asked, “ What is a blog”. Brent answered, “ A blog is a written journal that people read online.” After hearing his answer, I frankly wasn't interested. I had just started my new coaching business and my hands are full. I was busy on launching my new coaching business and creating everything from scratch. I had to create website and now Brent wants me to do add a blog too. I felt that a website should be my first priority. I said, “That's interesting. I do like to write. But, it's not in my job description. That is not my job. Besides, I just don't have the time.” How is writing a blog going to help me close a deal or make me any money?

After our conversation, I reluctantly agreed to start a blog – after creating a new company website. But, it still took me many months to start a blog and writing blog posts. However, once I got started I couldn't stop.

Curious about my results from blogging? Check out the second part of “Blogging for Business”. (next week)

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

Your Marketing Plan for the New Year from @hjkdigital

Your marketing plan for your business consists of multiple facets and because we live in such a digital age, one of those facets is inevitably Social Media.  Planning an effective social media strategy can be overwhelming-especially if you aren't sure where to begin.  Here are 5 simple steps to get you started.

1. Look at where you are right now.  Go through each of your social media accounts and write down how many followers you have, how many likes, how many connections, etc. Then, take a look at your engagement statistics.  This doesn’t have to be an intensive view. For now, just get a general idea of how well your connections respond on each platform.  Don’t forget to include your blog and your newsletter list while you’re at it. 
2. Based on where you’re at now, does continuing to have a presence in all the places you’re currently at make sense? For example, if you have very little response (likes, shares, comments and of course sales conversions) from your posts on Facebook, is it because it’s not a good social media platform or is it because your content needs to be modified? Remember, you need to invest your time into where you are going to get the most bang for your buck.  Just because one social media network is good for one person does not mean it’s the perfect fit for you.
3. Once you determine where you want to focus your social media efforts (whether it’s the same or if you’re taking away or adding something new), set a goal for how much you want to grow each month.  If you want to increase your newsletter subscribers by 10 each month then write that down.  If you want 1000 new Twitter followers by the end of the year, then write that down. 
4. This step is the secret.  Action.  Consistent Action.  If you intend to grow from where you are now, you’ll need to take consistent action to make that happen.  This is true in all aspects of your business, including social media.  So, write down—not just in your head—how many posts, status updates, blogs, newsletters, etc. you are committed to doing each month to achieve those numbers you wrote down in Step 3.
5. Make it easy on yourself and choose a topic—come up with a theme.  Think about something you want to focus on each month and create all of your content (your tweets, your newsletters, your blog entries, etc.) around that topic.  This will not only make it easier for you to focus and create your content more consistently but it gives your audience that same sense of consistency across all channels.

Planning is the key and writing down that plan is essential.  There are lots of great forms out there you can use to help organize your plan but we also invite you to download our free social mediaplanning worksheet.

From Guest Blogger HJK Digital Solutions

Do You Have a Plan?

by Lorraine Ball

It is the start of a new year.  Time to start working on that plan.   If you are like me, and many other entrepreneurs, you jump in feet first or do you step back and come up with a plan of attack?


All too often, small business owners jump in feet first with no real plan.  Most business owners are good at thinking on their feet and making rapid decisions.  Unfortunately, the lack of planning often means they miss opportunities along the way. 

Or worse then no planning, they adjust their marketing based on whoever they talk to last.  Visit with a social media consultant, suddenly they focus all their attention on Facebook. Talk to a Representative from Comcast, and they are saving their pennies for an interactive TV commercial.   This is no way to plan your advertising! 

So how should you approach building your marketing plan? 

• Start with simple questions:  Who is your target customer?  How many sale do you want? What's a customer worth?  
• Decide how much you feel comfortable spending, either as a percent of sales or based on the number of contacts you need your marketing to generate. A good starting point is the old rule of thumb 2% - 5% of sales for stable businesses with an established customer base and 7% - 10% of projected sales for companies in growth mode.  
• Evaluate marketing alternatives.  How many leads do you expect each activity to generate.  This evaluation should not just look at quantity, but also quality of leads.   Ad Words may generate a lot of traffic to your website, but if you don't have a good landing page, you may not get any qualified prospects as a result. 
• Decide how you will measure success.  If you measure this year, budgeting will be a lot simpler next year.     

Want to learn more about building your budget, Roundpeg has  several tools and resources for you: 

• Download our free marketing calendar

• Tune in to More than a Few Words today Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 10:30 am.  We will be talking about Marketing Plans.  If that time is not convenient, you can always download the program from iTunes and listen on the go. 
• If you are in Indy, join us for Marketing by the Numbers - A short seminar on putting the numbers of your marketing budget together.   January 15, at 4:00.  

Take advantage of one, two or three of these resources to get your plan in place for a terrific 2013. 

Marketing strategist Lorraine Ball is the Creative Director or Roundpeg, an Indianapolis digital agency.  

Marketing Madness Runs Amuck the First of Every Year

The first of the year is a time for some small business owners to start with new marketing madness initiatives. In some cases these have been well thought out, but more often than not these actions are disjointed and not aligned to any well thought out and written strategic plan less alone a goal driven marketing plan.

Probably more than in any other aspect of business does the Captain Wing It behavior takes over when it comes to marketing. Actions are sprayed all over the place with prayers that something will stick.

This marketing madness has small business owners, entrepreneurs to even sales professionals resembling the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland running from this business to business networking event scattering business cards looking for some quick ways to increase sales.

First, there is nothing quick about marketing.  To think buying this advertisement or writing one blog article is going to generate increase sales is just plain foolish. Sales research suggests that most sales (80-90%) are made between the fourth and 12^th contact while 90% of all sales people stop after the third contact.

Second, marketing today is a little different than even in 2000.  Today’s small businesses must and I emphasize “must” have an integrated marketing, goal driven action plan that unites inbound marketing actions with outbound ones. With the explosion of social media, interactive website sites and referrals, inbound activity has reduced the cost of sales leads, yet people still buy from people and those personal interactions are also required.

Third, having a united and emotionally compelling message is also a must in any marketing plan. If what worked last year is still working, then continue to use that message. However, if your marketing message is not delivering you results, then maybe it is time to refresh and revitalize what you are saying to your potential customers.

Fourth, written goals are required in these traditional outbound areas:

1. Internet – Website
2. Networking including tradeshows
3. Direct Mail
4. Paid Advertising including sponsorships
5. Promotional Items including business cards
6. Professional Development

Social media has expanded the Internet to include these areas:

1. Blog
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. LinkedIn
5. You Tube
6. Other such as micro-blogs or Social Media websites such as Pinterest

Fifth is measurement.  If you cannot measure the results from your marketing actions both inbound and outbound, you cannot manage it.  This potentially creates wasted resources and lacks overall sustainability. Measurement also extends into your sales plan and customer loyalty plans found within your strategic plan. Knowing how many calls will generate a sale to knowing the acquisition cost of each new client as well as maintaining existing clients are all part of measurement.

By creating an integrated marketing goal driven action plan that looks to including some if not all of those areas as noted above, will increase sales for you in 2013. So if you are engaged in the roles of “Captain Wing It,” considered casting off that costume and embrace the role of “Captain Focus It.”: You just may be surprised by the results.

About the Author

Leanne Hoagland-Smith is an author, speaker and the Chief Results Officer for ADVANCED SYSTEMS a 15 year young executive coaching and organizational development consulting practice. What makes Leanne’s approach unique is she looks for her clients to have crystal clear clarity because she brings strategies and ideas; processes and tools; and connections allowing her to just be valuable to her clients.  She can be reached at 219.759.5601 Chicago CST or visit her website to learn more about her current webinars.