Knowing what to put in your email newsletters is as important as creating one. Some companies say that the money is in your list, but if you don’t send out regular emails you’ll miss out on the additional income that an email newsletter can generate. It’s important not to overthink each newsletter that you send out. Keep them simple, not too long, and always point the reader to something else such as something to buy, share or do.
Today we’ll be sharing 9 different ideas on how you can make your newsletters provide great content to your readers. There are so many different things you can include, just think about when a publisher creates a magazine. They include many items, including great articles, advertising, and different sections that their readers would like. So, we are starting with some simple items for you to consider.
First Items to Consider
Tips and Tricks – It’s great to include a list of tips and tricks for your readers in your email newsletter. If you send out a daily newsletter, you could make once a week a list of ten tips or tricks to use that involve putting your services or products to their best use.
Special Offers – You don’t have to send out a special offer every newsletter. But if once a month or so you offer your newsletter subscribers an offer that no one else is getting just for being a subscriber, you’ll make them feel special. People love the feeling of being a part of your business. It’s great when you share exclusively with your subscribers.
Knowing What to Put in Your Email Newsletters can Provide Opportunities for your Readers
Engagement Opportunities – Give your newsletter subscribers an inside way to meet up with you, either through live meet-ups or online webinars. Having one webinar a quarter or more often is a great way to engage your newsletter subscribers. Google Hangouts is a great way to accomplish this. You can even offer Q&A’s.
Early Bird Notices – Tell your list subscribers about new products before you announce them to the world. Giving them a few days to purchase at a discounted “early bird” rate is a great thing to include in your email newsletters.
Get Your Readers Involved
Feedback Questions – Using your email newsletter as a way to get feedback on potential new products or services is a great way to encourage engagement. You can do it via questionnaire or poll.
Testimonials – Including a section for customer testimonials is a great way to recognize your clients as well as to provide social proof to newsletter subscribers who have not purchased from you yet.
Give Them Something Extra
Share Buttons – Inviting your newsletter subscribers to share certain newsletters that don’t have exclusive material is a great way to improve your subscription rate, and will also make your current members feel included in your community.
Opt-Out Information – While this could be covered under legal notifications, it’s important that you include opt-out information that is easy to find in every single newsletter that you send out. Don’t be worried about subscribers unsubbing. It’s better to have a clean list of people who want to be there than a list full of people who resent getting your information.
And In The End
This last step is important. You want your readers to “see” what you’re discussing in your newsletters. So, add in pictures and interesting media content.
Visuals – Just because you’re emailing someone doesn’t mean you can’t include images. Consider adding video clips (or links to clips), charts, memes, infographics, or photos that relate to your content. Make your email visually appealing.
Ensure that you include a variety of different things in your email newsletter. Make sure that they are designed to get a response and you won’t be disappointed in the results. In addition to the nine items above, never forget to include a call to action (CTA) in each newsletter that you send out. Without a CTA there is no point to the newsletter. So, be clear about that before you start.
We have a wonderful course on email marketing that would be a great start to get your business started in the right direction. You will get so many great ideas on all the details that should be included in your marketing efforts. You can find that course here on our course platform.
In today’s article, we are going to discuss the 9 Creative Ways to Personalize Emails and why it’s important to your business. Just like systems, which we will continue to discuss here, it’s critical to stay in touch with your audience so you are in their mailbox several times per month.
Depending on the email marketing software you use, it’s important to learn all the features that it has so that you can use it to its fullest potential. You might not even be aware of all the things your email marketing software can do. If you aren’t sure, consider seeking out someone who is an expert with your software choice. You want everything set up to be the most effective and the most personal in nature.
Use Your Creativeness To:
Craft Interest-Targeted Email Messages– Use the software to capture the information needed. You’ll want to personalize and craft email messages toward what your subscriber wants to know about. This is an important way to move your subscribers enough to purchase from you. Capturing the right information will enable you to point your subscribers to products and services that they want. By using the 9 Creative Ways To Personalize Your Emails your subscribers will get to know, like, and trust you.
Create Geocentric Messages– It is likely that your email software allows you to capture location-based information from subscribers. This location-based information can be used for a variety of purposes. From marketing events in their area, to encouraging them to visit your location if you have a local brick-and-mortar business.
Always Be Original With Your Content:
Let Them Define What Information They Want– Send a poll or checklist to subscribers that lets them define what information they want to get. This is a good way to find out exactly what your subscribers need and want to hear from you.
Acknowledge Purchases Made– Each time a purchase is made it’s important to acknowledge it with a thank you. But to also move them off a list that keeps promoting that item. If they feel like you’re harassing them to buy something they already have, they won’t respond too well when you market something new to them. By using the 9 Creative Ways To Personalize Your Emails your email subscribers will begin to depend on you to send them what they are looking for when it comes to future purchases.
Encourage Social Sharing– Put social share buttons on appropriate email messages so that your subscribers can help you get more people to sign up for your email marketing lists. This is a type of personalization that encourages them to share with their friends but also encourages them to friend, like, and follow you on other social channels.
Be Inventive With Your Emails
Insert Predefined Fields– Most email programs allow you to insert different predefined fields. For example, if you have a website that is devoted to selling art, you could send a questionnaire to your audience asking them what their favorite style is. Then the software will not only trigger the right emails to go out based on that style, but it will also mention the style within the email message. If they don’t fill it out, it will insert some other value that you choose into that predefined field.
Use Date Insert Fields– It’s important for many of your emails to be pre-crafted, but you can make the email message look as if it was just created by using the date insert field. Then the email message looks timelier. With that function, in conjunction with special sales pages that also show the current date, you can personalize by keeping everything looking current.
Use Your Creative Thinking Skills
Use Retargeting Technology– When someone visits your website or buys something, it’s important to use the technology available to you to retarget them for buying something more. When your user receives your email and opens it, a software program can be used to install a cookie. This will then allow specialized ads to be delivered to the user when they visit various web pages. By appreciating the 9 Creative Ways To Personalize Your Emails, you will feel much better when you email your future clients.
Ask for Reviews for Products Purchased– Whenever a customer buys a product, send them a thank you message and then a series of follow-up messages. One of these can be a request for a product review, after giving them enough time to try and use your product or service. The form they fill out for the review will also ask for more information about them that you can use for further targeted marketing.
Even though most consumers are savvy enough to realize that a lot of email marketing is automated today, they still respond better to more personalization than less. Therefore, if you want to compete with others, it’s imperative that you use your software to its fullest potential. Do this by using as much personalization as the software it capable of doing.
5 Reasons Why Settling for Email Marketing That’s ‛Good Enough’ Could Actually Harm Your Business
You’ve heard it over and over – email marketing is an essential part of any online business. If you’re not doing it now, or only occasionally, it’s time to ramp up your efforts. But did you know that implementing email marketing the wrong way could actually hurt your business instead of helping it? Below is a list of the 5 reasons to use email marketing in your business.
Despite the many marketing channels available today, businesses rely on email marketing to engage customers in a personal way. It’s still the best channel to reach people and offer them value.
But there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it. If you’re engaging your audience on autopilot, without a good email marketing strategy in place, you could be hurting your brand and driving customers away.
It’s not enough to deliver ‘okay’ email marketing.
It’s Time to Go Beyond the Basics with your Emails
Here are the 5 reasons why:
1. Email Marketing is Too Important to Leave to Chance
If you aren’t including email marketing in your digital marketing toolkit, you’re missing out on incredible opportunities and leaving money on the table. While there are new methods available, email marketing is still an essential part of any marketing strategy.
It’s estimated that around 300 billion emails are sent per day, and this number is climbing. Look at any major brand, and you’ll see that they’re actively building lists and engaging with their subscribers.
But you can’t leave it to chance. If you just build a list and blast out random messages, you won’t get the results you’re looking for.
If you approach it this way, you’ll send emails that are irrelevant to your subscribers. With all the junk in their inboxes daily, they’ll tune out your messages. The worst-case scenario is that they’ll think you’re spamming them.
Instead, you need a strategy that includes taking the time to really understand your subscribers, and crafting valuable emails that are specifically tailored to their interests. By personalizing your emails, you’ll create a better customer experience and build a stronger connection with your audience.
2. Your Customers Want a Personal Experience
The trend in all online marketing is toward personalization. Email marketing works so well because it’s highly personal, to begin with. The strength of this method is that it goes straight to your subscribers’ email inboxes.
Your subscribers are bombarded with emails every day, so you need to go that extra mile to make yours stand out from the rest. This is where personalization comes in.
How do you personalize your email marketing? It involves more than just including the recipient’s name in the greeting or subject line.
You can personalize your emails by offering ‘intelligent content.’ This means tailoring the content you offer according to their account history, preferences, and behaviors.
A great way to do this is by segmenting your list and then offering the appropriate content to the appropriate segments.
Look at buying history, interests, location, times active, and anything else relevant to your business. You should be able to see the different segments of your list. You can then create unique messages and offers for each, ensuring that you are reaching the right people, with the right content.
We live in an era of constant connection, and this is only increasing. You can now order meals, talk to a friend anywhere in the world, get a ride, or get whatever information you’re looking for instantly on your smartphone or other device.
This means that your customers are also looking for immediate responses. You need to be available to provide this information, or someone else will.
How do you offer support when your subscribers need it? It’s impossible to be awake and watch your email all the time, but there are some solutions to augment and support your email marketing.
One is to use a chatbot to answer common questions. A chatbot is a software program that uses AI and machine learning to answer frequently asked questions. It can search your knowledge base and answer in whatever way you program it.
The great thing about chatbots is that they run 24 hours a day, and they can provide answers to most of the questions your subscribers have. It feels like they’re chatting with an actual human representative of your business. Your chatbot can refer any difficult question to live support.
Another idea is to provide a robust knowledge base that your subscribers can access at any time and make it easy to search. Your knowledge base could include a link to your content archive and other resources, FAQs, a wiki, and a troubleshooting guide.
If you have customer service representatives, categorize the questions they receive. Use software to separate inquiries by technical issues, general questions, or refunds – and then develop protocols for your team. You can also hire virtual assistants in different parts of the world to handle questions any time of day or night.
4. Irrelevant Emails Make People Unsubscribe
For email marketing to work, the content and deals you offer must be relevant to your subscribers. People will quickly unsubscribe from lists that send irrelevant emails that aren’t interesting to them. These messages lead to email fatigue. Remember that people are bombarded with emails all the time.
How do you create consistently valuable content? The key is to know your target audience so you know what they want from you.
Create a detailed ideal customer profile for your subscribers. Conduct market research and base this profile on objective data obtained from your research.
Once you’ve created your ideal customer profile, you should continue to learn about your audience on an ongoing basis. You can use your email list to do this. Once you start offering content and making offers, you’ll see what converts and what doesn’t.
Analytics tools can help you learn about your audience so you can refine your content even further. For example, you can track behavior when a subscriber visits your site. If you see them lingering on a particular page, this tells you that they find the content relevant.
You can also ensure that your content is meaningful to your subscribers by setting the right expectations initially when they sign up. Give people an accurate idea of what they can expect from your list and its content. This will cut down on people signing up for your list and immediately deciding it’s not for them and dropping out.
5. Your Campaign Needs Next-Level Strategies
To succeed with email marketing, you need to go beyond the basics and take advantage of next-level strategies. In addition to personalizing your emails, offering immediate solutions, and consistently delivering relevant content, here are some other things you can do to take your email marketing to the next level.
Automation. There are many ways to automate to save time, reduce human error, and offer a better experience to your subscribers. Automation options include triggers for follow-up actions and automated workflows that help you identify and nurture leads.
Integration. You can integrate email with your social media, your ad campaigns, and search marketing. This helps you grow your audience across channels. Give them access to exclusive content and offers on each platform and cross-promote for even better results. This is called omnichannel marketing, and it harnesses the power of each marketing channel for better overall results.
Testing. Split testing (or, A/B testing) is often overlooked as a method to monitor and improve your email marketing. A/B testing involves running two versions of the same message with just one element changed, seeing which one converts, and then refining your message for optimal results.
Re-engage Subscribers. Create a strategy for re-engaging inactive subscribers. Identify audience members who have disengaged and offer additional value to win them back. You can do this through a re-engagement campaign that shows another side of your business, exclusive content or offers, or reminders.
Offer More Value. There are many strategies you can use to offer more value. Think of it in terms of ROI. Your subscribers invest their time and attention when joining and engaging with your list. Make it worthwhile for them by providing solutions to their problems, entertaining them, or inspiring them.
Correspondence with your Audience is a Key Factor
Connecting with your audience is important because it helps you build trust, rapport, and engagement with your listeners or readers. There are different ways to connect with your audience, depending on the context and the medium. Some common methods are:
Responding to what you see and hear from your audience
Looking at people and smiling
Being personal and authentic
Referring to what they already know or care about
Walking towards your audience or using gestures
Complimenting your audience or showing appreciation
Telling a story or sharing an anecdote
Keeping up with the Changes in your Email Marketing
Email marketing is here to stay, but you must stay on top of ever-evolving trends. Don’t do the bare minimum and leave your email marketing to chance. Take control and use these methods to engage your audience and build lasting relationships with them. Doing so will not only increase your profits but will also help you get results and achieve higher levels of success.
What are your 5 Reasons to use Email Marketing?
Want to learn more about how you can get more out of your email marketing?
Head over here: Email Market EssentialsYou will discover all of the ways to write emails to your audience in this course created by our CEO Linda Henslee.
Welcome to a world of boundless opportunities! In this article, Unleash Your Email Marketing Potential; we’ll dive into the transformative power of email marketing, painting a vivid picture of how it can propel you toward unparalleled success. Get ready to embark on an experiential journey that resonates with your senses, connects deeply with your audience, and ignites your business. Do I have your attention? Good!
The Remarkable Reach of Email Marketing
Paint a captivating picture that resonates with your audience. Allow them to experience the direct line of communication email marketingvividly provides. By hearing the resonating impact of connecting with individuals, they are ready to embrace the value you deliver. You know that they are eagerly awaiting your messages. Feel the power of personalization as you craft tailored content that speaks directly to the desires and aspirations of your subscribers. Yes, you absolutely can do this!
Building Lasting Relationships with Your Email Marketing
You can nurture authentic connections by sharing relatable anecdotes that evoke emotions and illustrate the transformational power of email marketing. By creating a sensory experience that allows you to embody the role of a trusted advisor, you can guide your audience toward their goals and aspirations. Then, you can experience the fulfillment of fostering a community of devoted supporters who champion your brand. I really like the sound of that, don’t you?
Email Marketing
**Email marketing** is a form of digital marketing that uses email to connect with potential customers, raise brand awareness, build customer loyalty, and promote marketing efforts ¹². It is a marketing strategy surrounding sending emails to current and potential customers to increase brand awareness, drive engagement, nurture leads, or make a sale ². Different types of email marketing include welcome emails, newsletter emails, lead nurturing emails, and more ³. To run an effective email marketing campaign, you need to define your audience, establish your goals and build your email list ⁴. It would be best to create an email marketing plan including signup sources, segments, and groups ⁵.
Source:
(1) What Is Email Marketing? Definition, Tips, and Tools | Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/articles/email-marketing.
(2) What is Email Marketing & How to Run an Effective Campaign – Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/email-marketing/.
(3) What is Email Marketing? | Mailchimp. https://mailchimp.com/marketing-glossary/email-marketing/.
(4) The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing – HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-guide.
(5) Successful Tips and Strategies for Email Marketing | Mailchimp. https://mailchimp.com/email-marketing/.
Unleashing Efficiency through Automation
By taking a visual journey through automated email sequences, you will deliver your messages to the right people at the right time. And so, by freeing up your time and energy, you allow your natural talents and creativity to flourish. You will feel the weight lifted off your shoulders as you embrace the efficiency of automated systems, empowering you to focus on what truly matters. Now, can you get behind that? Unleash Your Email Marketing Potential will help you with your business success.
Driving Success with Data-Driven Strategies in your Online Business
Painting a data-driven landscape that reveals insights and opportunities will empower you to make informed decisions and achieve remarkable results. You’ll feel the excitement of continuous improvement by hearing the satisfying clicks of analyzing metrics and uncovering valuable patterns and trends. Because this will help to guide your strategic optimizations as you fine-tune your campaigns. You will tap into your natural curiosity and thirst for growth for your business.
Embracing the Future of Email Marketing
Visualize the horizon of possibilities as you explore innovative approaches. You can always incorporate interactive elements and dynamic content into your emails. You’ll hear the buzz of anticipation as you embrace cutting-edge technologies, positioning yourself as a visionary leader in your industry. You will also feel the kinetic energy of adaptability as you navigate the ever-evolving email marketing landscape. So, you’ll be staying one step ahead of the curve. This is fantastic. Unleash Your Email Marketing Potential to help your business growth.
The Conclusion
Congratulations on unlocking your potential through the captivating world of email marketing. Embracing the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements that resonate with your senses will allow you to forge deep connections, streamline your processes, and embrace innovation. You’ll paint a vivid canvas of success with every interaction, igniting the world with your unique brilliance.
Prepare to soar to new heights, leaving a lasting impact and inspiring others. Your journey toward greatness starts now!
You can add a personal touch to your customer service when you use postcards or greeting cards to reach out to your customers. They make your customers feel valued, and in an increasingly digital world, your brand stands out when you send a card or gift through the postal system.
Look for One of A Kind Cards
If you are sending a card, make it something special. Skip the cheap, blank notecards, and don’t go for bland. You want to send a card that your customers will pin to their bulletin board or share on social media. You want a special card. Once your customer knows it is not junk mail.
One place where you can find unique and original cards is Etsy. There are hundreds of hand-made greeting cards that you can search for on the site. You can even have one custom designed for your customer if you want.
Try Send Out Cards
Another option that you may want to consider is Send Out Cards. This is a website where you can select a greeting card you like and have it sent to your new customers. It works similarly to stock photo sites in that you buy credits for a certain amount of money. You use your credits to purchase cards and upload your signature, so it looks like you signed the card. Then it’s sent out like a regular letter to your customer.
Send Out Cards will let you keep a contacts database to send birthday cards to your customers. But it’s not just for birthdays—there are plenty of holiday-themed cards to choose from, too. Whether your clients celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, you’re sure to find a card that’s right for them. Using postcards and Send OutCards makes it easy for your business to use.
Use Reminders to Make Personal Connections
Your new client just mentioned she’s expecting a little one in six months. Pause to add this info to your calendar and set a reminder ahead of time. You can put something simple like, “Jane’s baby is due in June. Send a card.”
Sites like Send Out Cards, have a gift area that’s perfect when you want to add something special to your card. You can send your customers a treat like a fantastic brownie or tasty fudge. Of course, you can opt for a non-food item if you prefer. You can include a gift like a necklace, a toy plush, a beautiful scarf, or any number of genuine products.
Sending out cards to your customers is a small personal touchthat will delight them. It shows that you care not only about their business but also their lives. When your customers feel you care, they are excited to work with you.
With over 2 billion people using social media networks daily, there is no doubt that social media plays a big role in determining your success as an entrepreneur. However, despite the opportunities that social media has brought, many entrepreneurs are still struggling to create a strong social media presence.
Below are tips are a few tips to create a strong social media presence:
1. Have a plan
Before you even start creating a social media profile, you need to sit down and think of what you plan to achieve. Having a clear plan on what you want to achieve on social media platforms will determine how you will build and use your presence on social media.
2. Offer valuable information
The second most effective way to create a strong social media presence is by sharing useful and valuable information with your followers. Take advantage of your knowledge and post content that people are craving. People will always look forward to reading your next post if you are consistent in posting useful and relevant content. In addition to that, your post will be shared across various social media platforms, a factor that will enable you to reach out to more audiences.
3. Know your target audience
Who are you looking to reach on social media? There are millions of consumers across various social media platforms. However, not all of them will identify with your brand. It is therefore very important to know your target audience and then channel all your effort to build a strong relationship with them.
4. Be consistent.
Consistency is very important and will determine your success on social media. It would help if you were consistent in posting quality, informative and relevant content. You also need to be consistent when engaging with your audience to grow your presence on social media.
Here are a few simple steps to improve your social media presence:
Promote your social presence everywhere. And we do mean everywhere. …
Time your posts. …
Engage your audience. …
Thank your customers. …
Be creative. …
Use hashtags. …
Clean your pages of spam.
In conclusion, building a strong social media presenceis not difficult as many people think. However, you need to be strategic and consistent to breakthrough.
Are you looking for someone to help you with your social media presence? Use the contact form below, I’d be happy to help you figure yours out with you.
Today’s article is about conducting target market research. What am I talking about? Market research, that’s what. So what is target market research? Every business should be doing it, but unfortunately, they either aren’t doing it at all or aren’t doing it effectively. Without conducting detailed research about your target market, your business won’t reach its potential and will more than likely meet its demise. Oh oh, you say!
What is Market Research?
In order to tell you HOW to conduct market research, you must know what market research is. In a nutshell, market research is research that you do in order to determine what it is that makes your customers buy. Because for goodness sake, that’s why you’re in business. To make money right?
Here is a great list of things that you can do to conduct market research that will tell you what your customers want and need so that you can make more sales and grow your business. This is YOUR business purpose!
First, find the question or questions you want answers to. Be as specific as possible so that you have the answers you need. Going too broad may not really get to the answers you are really in search of. For instance, if you are thinking of adding a product to your line, is it something your target market is in need or want of? What would they most likely spend on a product or service such as the one you are asking about?
Methods of Research
Take the questions and get your answers by doing the following:
– Conduct a survey of current and potential customers. – Visit online forums and groups that include members of your market. Remember to build relationships in these groups. Don’t just go to the forums and post your survey or question. – Interview other business owners in your market. – Monitor business trends in your market by reading and watching various media outlets. – Research your competition by being a customer and/or inquiring about their products or services. – Mail or telephone interviews. – For those with online businesses, set up a test page revolving around the product or service you are thinking of offering. Give plenty of time to test the page and the traffic and activity of the visitors.
These are only a few of the ways you can conduct research for your target market. The key isn’t what research you do, it’s the fact that you are doing something to learn more about the habits of that market.
By taking the time to find out more about the people you are targeting, you’ll come to realize that knowing those in your market is one of the best things you can do for your business.
If you a struggling with how to figure this out, book a call with me, and let’s work on it together. Book Now
Your Business Plans Effect on Marketing is our topic of discussion today. Some people say you don’t need a business plan, some say you do need one. So, what is the real answer to this question?
What is a Business Plan?
A business plan serves as the guidebook to your business. Your business plan should communicate what your business is, how you plan on growing it, and what steps you are going to take to achieve your success. See? Easy answer! But, when you work online, your business plan might not look like a traditional marketing plan.
Your business plan also has a huge effect on your marketing efforts. Your business plan can help you decide what type of marketing will add value to your business and which types of marketing will simply be time wasters.
By writing out your business ideas and goals, you can determine your target market. Your target market is the group of people that you want to promote your products or services to. Determining your target market is the first step in planning your marketing efforts. See, this is the right answer!!
Having a business plan, and knowing who your target market is, will lead you to create your marketing plan. A marketing plan is similar to a business plan in the sense that it acts as a guide and helps you stay focused.
What is a Marketing Plan?
A marketing plan is a written plan of action that communicates how you are going to market your business. There are many ways to market your business, such as flyers, paid ads (newspapers, magazines, online), business cards, speaking in front of groups, becoming a guest on a radio show or television program, pay-per-click campaigns, direct mail, and more.
Your business and marketing plans serve as tools in deciding which marketing ideas will work best with your business and your particular brand. It can be easy to try too many different marketing approaches. Whenever you feel confused about your marketing efforts, take some time to re-read your business plan. This can help you decide if the new marketing idea will actually reach your target market and if it is worth trying.
A Few Ways to Market Your Business
Developing relationships with other business owners that offer complementary products is a great way to market your business. When you know which direction you plan to grow your business, you can start scouting out possible future business partners.
So, for instance, if you have created your own line of organizational handbags and would like to start offering diaper bags, you can start researching the top baby-focused websites and see if they would be interested in helping you promote your diaper bags. Doing your research is critical to figuring out who would be best to help you and your business.
Your marketing plan should also include information on how you plan on keeping your customers after the initial purchase. Some ideas include customer-only sales, backend sales opportunities, customer-only freebies, etc.
Now, what would you include in your marketing plan?
If you are looking for help making your business plan or your marketing plan I can help you.
Fill out the form below and I’ll contact you.
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Networking and connecting in business are super important. Just as in life, you can’t go it alone. It’s said that none of us are islands, but if we were, each of us would form a vast and interconnected archipelago. Bridges and boats would stream traffic between all these islands and that traffic is largely information. If you cut yourself off from this flow of information, either purposely or by mistake, you do so at your own peril.
Why is it so important to make connections with other business owners? This topic of networking and connecting comes up often so why is it so important?
Here’s one reason why. If you don’t, the island next to you is going to make those connections you’re making and the information they provide and use it to his or her advantage. What are am I even talking about? Let me explain in further detail below.
Why You Should Network
Networking is an essential element of every successful business. It provides you with contacts, leads, clients, partners, suppliers, and much more. It will carry your name and your business reputation farther and more efficiently than most advertising will. Most importantly, it is an endless source of profit, ideas, collaboration, and support.
The IFS and the BUTS
If you are networking, you should do more. If you’re not networking, you need to start. If you don’t network, your business will stagnate and die. But why should I do this you might ask? Aren’t people just going to find me online searching for me? After all, I have a website! Ha…so does everyone else!
Networking Tips
When you’re networking you need to keep a couple of important points in mind.
First, every social or professional engagement can provide you with an opportunity to network. There’s often nothing more formal about it than an exchange of information and follow-up connection. Remember, as a business owner you’re always “on the clock”, so to speak. Be ready to take advantage of a potentially lucrative networking situation should the opportunity arise.
Second, when you are networking, treat people naturally, the way you’d want to be treated. Offer no-strings advice. Often solving a problem for free generates more long-term profit than the cost of the advice or service. Also, listen more than you talk. Silence really can be golden when you take the time to hear what another person is saying.
Finally, always remember that honesty is the best policy. Don’t promise something that you cannot produce. Don’t be someone you’re not in order to close a deal. Be yourself and watch those connections grow!
Connections & Business Collaborations
Networking and connecting with other business owners gives you the opportunity to collaborate with others also. You never know what you might teach each other or you might just find someone you can partner up with. Some of the most interesting aspects of your business might be just around the corner. So, remember that when you’re connecting with others.
Someone once said: “Your life will begin changing the moment you decide that you want it to.” And so it is with organizing too! Organizing your marketing efforts will help you succeed, just ask other business owners.
I’ve found that the same is true for growing your business. If you want to see different results than what you’ve seen in the past, you must make a heartfelt decision to do things differently. You need to start with making over your mindset and start organizing.
Mental blocks can hold you back and keep you from achieving your goals. When you sit down to work on your business are you clear and focused, or is your mind cluttered with ideas, client requests, overdue items and more?
The FIRST step to achieving your goals is de-cluttering and organizing your mind. When you do this, you’ll be able to clearly define what you want to accomplish and start taking the necessary action to achieve your goals.
It’s a long to-do list. Right? Too many ideas for marketing your business, missed opportunities, and a constant state of overwhelm that’s running your life. Don’t you think it’s time to clear out the old and get organized? When you do this, you’ll find that it’s easier to focus on marketing your business consistently and effectively.
Here are seven simple practices that you can use NOW to help you with your organization:
1- The first thing to do is to document EVERYTHING! Yes, you heard me right…
When your brain is busy trying to keep track of the many details that are floating around your head, you begin to feel stressed out and overwhelmed. Write down everything! Get a notebook if you prefer the pen and paper type of note-taking, or use Evernote. No matter how you do it – start documenting every aspect of how you run and market your business. Getting it all out of your head and onto paper is going to relieve a tremendous amount of stress.
Apart from your procedures and to-do list notebook, you should create a space where you can write down all of your new ideas. Entrepreneurs have no problem generating great new ideas. But it’s far too easy to forget about them or allow them to distract you from your profit plan. Keeping your ideas in one spot will make it easy for you to refer back to those ideas often so you can actually implement them. Imagine how you can increase your profits when you start taking action on your great ideas?
If your daily task list is in 7 different spots, you’re going to feel distracted and scattered. Keep everything in one list – there are countless options, so just choose one and stick with it! Once you’ve picked the best option for you, commit to using this one system for your tasks and projects. Using a web-based system will make it easy to delegate tasks to other people and help you organize an effective system.
4- Plan ahead with your content
Many entrepreneurs feel stuck with marketing because they aren’t sure what to do. Just start with one month – plan out what you’ll be doing in the upcoming month. Pick a date to publish each piece, plan out the theme for your content and jot down some ideas for your newsletter, blog posts or social media updates. When you sit down to write your marketing materials you’ll crank out your content quickly and easily. This will also help you to stay organized.
5- Create a Master Schedule Template
If you find yourself looking back at the end of the week and wondering where the time went, you need to implement this right away! Using a weekly calendar, you can designate blocks of time where you’ll work on certain aspects of your business. For example, reserve Monday from 9 am to 12 pm for marketing, 1 pm to 3 pm for writing, 3 pm to 5 pm for email management, and so on. Start by inserting recurring tasks (like client meetings, marketing times, meeting with your coach, etc.) and then designate other blocks of time for your other activities. Don’t leave your essential tasks to chance! Make a plan for when you’ll do them and you’ll boost your productivity. Daily Plan Sample [Click to Download]
6- Set clear boundaries
Once you get this support system into place, you need to follow through and stick with it! Commit to yourself that you’ll honor what you’ve set out to do. Turn off email notifications and other distractions. Make sure that friends and family know when you’re available to chat. You can also create accountability for yourself by working with a coach or mentor to help you.
Marketing and growing your business isn’t impossible – but it does require planning and consistency to work. When you de-clutter your mind and organize your materials, you will be able to see the results you’ve been looking for and fully enjoy a successful business.
So, which organizing tip will you implement first? Please share your thoughts with me in the comments!
YOUR “TAKE ACTION” PLAN FOR THIS WEEK:
1. Plan a “brain dump” – Take time this week to get everything out on paper – all of your “to-dos,” all of your big ideas for growing your business, all of your client projects – everything. When you write it all down you’ll be able to get it off your mind and develop a plan for getting things done.
2. Get organized – Create digital files on your computer for all your important documents. Also, anything you deem important, such as graphics, articles you need to write, backup files for your website, just to mention a few. I’m sure you can think of others as you go through your computer. You’ll save time each day and boost your productivity just by knowing where everything is located.
3. Master your schedule – Set time aside each week in hourly blocks for all of the things you need to do – including marketing your business. You’ll be more productive, waste less time, and get more done.
4. Plan ahead – Write down your content focus for the next month and brainstorm ideas for blog topics, social media conversations, and newsletter articles. Then sit down to write at your designated time and get your content into the hands of the people who need you!
5. Set boundaries – Let friends and family know when you’ll be available to chat and commit to sticking with your master schedule. You’ll eliminate distractions and increase your profitability.
GO…Do it NOW! You will be so thankful that you did this for your growing business.
Remember to contact me if I can help in any way. Your business really needs organization and I can provide that service to you.
Hello to all of our visitors. Linda Henslee Enterprises provides Project Management Services to other online business owners. Need our services? Use our contact form to get in touch with us.
