Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Dominate YOUR Marketing In Less Time?


9 Ways to dominate marketing in less time..

Success often requires getting things done sooner but without cutting corners.



As an entrepreneur, you're in a Catch-22. If you don't spend time marketing your business, it can't grow.

If you spend too much time focused on marketing, you can't develop or enhance the products or services you're selling.

How can you get out of this jam? By dominating your marketing in less time.

Start by using these nine tips:



1. Map Things Out

When you started marketing your business, you undoubtedly felt tempted to blog about whatever was on your mind or share social media content as you saw fit. As you probably know by now, that's not an effective strategy. Is this the content your audience cares about? Are you posting at optimal times? Is your content converting new subscribers or sales?

When your marketing strategy doesn't have any rhyme or reason, you can't attribute sales or other outcomes. What's more, if you haven't mapped anything out, how can you be certain you're reaching your goals? You need to take the time to properly launch a marketing campaign.

Do some research to determine what kind of content your audience members are looking for and where they spend their time online. Then, you can create an editorial calendar, download a scheduling app and develop a marketing section within your business plan to keep track of what's working and what's not.

Although you're spending time mapping out your marketing campaign, think of it as an investment. When you have a plan, your marketing efforts will become more effective and less time-consuming because you'll know exactly where your marketing efforts are going -- without wasting time on a strategy that doesn't work.



2. Write The Way You Talk

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to market your business. It demonstrates that you're not only an industry leader, but also someone who can enhance the lives of his or her target audience.

You don't need to spend two hours a day writing blog posts. In fact, because you're an expert who knows what you're talking about, you should be able to crank out a blog post in no time.

The reason this isn't happening is because you're writing differently than you think.

When it's time to write a blog post, phrase things the way you would while discussing it. Don't worry about impressing people with big words. Just showcase your knowledge while being authentic -- like you do when having a discussion.

The same idea can be applied to your social media posts or the answers you share on sites like Quora. You'll notice it won't take long to compose written content. As an added perk, your content be found easier. Algorithms from Google and Facebook look for content with a personal, genuine tone.



3. Take Advantage Of Automation

There's no shortage of tools that can automate your marketing efforts. For example, Infusionsoft streamlines your entire advertising experience by providing a landing page builder, CRM integration, and a campaign builder that will automatically send personalized emails and discounts to hot leads.

There's also Zapier and IFTTT, which allow you to automate actions like sharing a WordPress blog post to Facebook or monitoring YouTube for relevant videos to share on Twitter.

Buffer, Hootsuite and Post Planner allow you to manage your social media posts, as well as schedule content in advance.



4. Outsource Or Delegate

Although automation can save you a lot of time, there needs to be a human touch involved with your marketing. Instead of doing this yourself, consider outsourcing or delegating content creation.

For example, ask your team to snap photos throughout the day and post them to Instagram to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look. For blog content, you could hire a freelance writer who has experience writing about your industry.

 (Editors Note: - You can save a lot of time, money and they can really help you scale your business. If you outsource to freelancers, you'll get some very productive people at a very comptetive rate, but it does require a bit of work and processes in order to be able to find the right person for your business. Here's an article from Time Doctor (complete guide) that can help you a lot if you choose to outsource..)

There's a misconception that when it comes to marketing, you need to be everywhere. The truth is that it doesn't make sense to spend the time and money on channels and platforms your audience doesn't visit.

For example, if you're targeting a Millennial audience, you would want to focus on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter rather than spend time on LinkedIn or radio ads.

By narrowing the channels and platforms you use, you'll spend significantly less time marketing -- and you'll see higher conversions because you're only marketing to your target audience, not everyone else.



5. Prioritize Your Channels And Platforms

There's a misconception that when it comes to marketing, you need to be everywhere. The truth is that it doesn't make sense to spend the time and money on channels and platforms your audience doesn't visit.

For example, if you're targeting a Millennial audience, you would want to focus on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter rather than spend time on LinkedIn or radio ads.

By narrowing the channels and platforms you use, you'll spend significantly less time marketing -- and you'll see higher conversions because you're only marketing to your target audience, not everyone else.



6. Batch And Schedule

I'm a big fan of batching, or grouping similar tasks together. You're not jumping between various tasks, which ultimately saves you time.

For marketing, devote one day a week to scheduling and curating content for the next week and creating a monthly newsletter. You then only have to check in on your efforts every other day as opposed to spending 20 minutes or more on these activities daily.

7. Get Others To Market Your Business For You

Why spend time on marketing when you can get others to do it for you?

The easiest way to do this is though word of mouth from existing customers. If you deliver a high-quality product or service, along with outstanding customer service, your customers will rave about you in person and online.



Sometimes, Though, They Need A Nudge

Ask them to leave reviews or testimonials that can be placed on your site or third-party review sites. Launch a referral program or run a social media contest, like asking customers to show how they enjoy using your product to receive a prize.

Another option is to team up with another growing business to split marketing responsibilities.

8. Commit To 30 Minutes A Day

Even if you use the tips listed above, you'll have to set aside the time for your content marketing. The good news is that HubSpot has a method for achieving this in just 30 minutes a day.



The method assigns 10 minutes to writing blog posts. You may not finish a post in this amount of time.

However, if you spent 10 minutes a day writing, you could have a lengthy, high-quality article in less than a week. You can actually write more than you think by setting a timer, eliminating distractions, preparing an outline and not stopping to edit.

Then, allot five minutes for updating social media. Use this time to respond to followers and write an engaging post for the day.

Research should also take five minutes per day. Doing a small amount of studying and researching each day makes creating content faster and easier. Subscribe to relevant industry newsletters and RSS feeds so content comes to you.

Finally, conduct outreach for 10 minutes. Build Twitter lists, and reach out to bloggers who wrote the articles you've enjoyed reading in your feed.



9. Pay Attention To Analytics

All of this is moot if you aren't running analytics on your social channels and website. Analytics will let you know which marketing techniques are working -- and which aren't. This ensures you spend time on what you're doing right, not what you're doing wrong.

A growing business may feel like it doesn't have the bandwidth to accommodate marketing, but without marketing, it will stop growing. By taking a few steps to make marketing an incremental effort, you can ensure you get your company's name out without taking time away from the business itself.

Guest Authored By John Rampton. John is is an entrepreneur, investor, and startup enthusiast. He is founder of the calendar productivity tool Calendar. Follow John on Twitter.





A growing business may feel like it doesn't have the bandwidth to accommodate marketing, but without marketing, it will stop growing.

By taking a few steps to make marketing an incremental effort, you can ensure you get your company's name out without taking time away from the business itself..


    • Post Crafted By:
      Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Scottsdale, AZ. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
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    Friday, April 11, 2025

    Finding YOUR 'Warm' Ecommerce Customers?



    Four Simple ways to use social media to find 'warm' ecommerce customers..

    These 'warm' customers are just like Goldilocks' -- interested in the porridge that's 'just right.' They're also exactly the people you want to target.



    Back in the good old days, businesses drove commerce by buying ads in the local newspaper, renting space on a billboard or calling people out of a phone book.

    Customers came to a physical storefront to do their shopping, and each business had a very limited geographical sphere that it worked in.

    What a different world we have today: Many businesses don't have a physical storefront or even see their customers. They sell to people all over the planet, and instead of buying ad space in the local paper, they compete for SEO rankings.

    As the world of commerce continues to change, the role of social media in that world has only become bigger. The average person in 2018 spent 45 minutes on social media every day, and the trend toward shopping online straight and even getting there direct from social media sites continues to grow. Already, companies without a social media presence are starting to seem irrelevant.

    Of course social media platforms are packed with all kinds of people, but as the leader of an ecommerce business, you probably know that most of those people shouldn't concern you. Instead, your main source of growth is going to come from the golden and sometimes elusive "warm" customer.



    You know who these people are: people with whom you already have at least a fledgling relationship.

    They know about your brand; they may follow you on social media; they just haven't bought anything -- yet. Though other customers have their good points, "Goldilocks" should be your focus when you're building up your customer base. Aim for the porridge that's not too hot (current customers who have already bought), not too cold (people with no knowledge of or interest in you), but just right.

    The problem is, it can be tricky finding these warm customers. Sure, you're checking your follower lists and website traffic. But what exactly do you look for? What can you do to help them take the next step and buy?

    Here are a few ideas to help you find them among the social media crowds:



    1. Take advantage of all of Facebook's nifty tools.

    Though most companies have a Facebook page and use the platform for paid advertising, few have taken the time to figure out how useful some of the platform's analytic tools actually can be.

    If you set up a Facebook pixel to track your website traffic (and online store purchases), you can later use that data to target your social media advertising directly at the people using your site.

    You can also use Facebook to create lookalike audiences, where you take an audience you already know (people who have already purchased from your store, for example) and set Facebook to target users most similar to that audience. This means people of a similar age, interests and demographics; these are the audience members already "warmer" to you than the average Joe.

    Last, you can create audiences on Facebook based on their engagement. Target people who have interacted with your Facebook page or Instagram business profile before, and you'll be able to catch those leads who find your brand attractive enough to have checked out your social media presence.



    2. Make impulse buying easier on Pinterest and Instagram.

    Very often, "warm" customers are already following your social media channels or looking at your posts; they just haven't committed enough to take the plunge and buy.

    Platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, used in the typical fashion, add lots of steps to the buying process and make it difficult. If your potential customers have to click through a generic link in your Instagram bio, then search up the item they want on the site itself, odds are they aren't going to make the effort.

    Luckily, new features on both Pinterest and Instagram enable customers to buy products straight from the app. So, start using product pins on Pinterest, and make sure that your website is optimized for the Pinterest buy button. Instagram's equivalent feature, Shopping on Instagram, lets followers buy straight from the feed.

    If you use these tools right (and don't overuse them), your "warm" customers will find it much easier to give your company a try.



    3. Get people to engage by running a promotion or contest.

    Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos once famously said, "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room." In that light, your goal on social media should be to get your customers to do the talking for you -- in a good way.

    One of the most effective ways to engage current (and prospective) customers is by running a promotion or contest on your channels. Followers may share this with their friends, who'll share with their friends; and before long you'll have a long list of referrals -- of "warm" customers.

    Lance Essinos, online marketer and host of The University of Adversity podcast, said you get bonus points if you expand your promotion to include other businesses. When I reached out to him for comment, he replied in an email: "People are much more likely to act on advice or recommendations from friends they trust.

    "That applies to normal referral situations, but it also applies to cross-promotions with other businesses," Essinos wrote. "In effect, the other business has a big group of friends that like them and follow them, and they're recommending you and your business to that friend group. It's a total win-win for creating good relationships with customer leads"



    4. Become a thought-leader in your customers' sphere.

    One of the biggest characteristics "warm" customers can offer you is that they're often looking for information and answers, but not products.. at least yet. As Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg once said in an interview with Time magazine, "Advertising works most effectively when it's in line with what people are already trying to do."

    "Already trying to do" are the operative words here; they describe "warm" customers trying to find answers to their problems. These are people willing to go to a little effort to find the information they need -- so you need to be there with the answers.

    Start a blog and focus your content on helping to solve their problems. Boost the exposure of your posts by publishing or sharing on your social channels. The more unique and high-quality your content is, the more awareness and loyalty you'll get from your customers. Soon enough, they'll be buying things on your site.

    Guest Authored By Lucas Miller. Lucas is the founder and CEO of Echelon Copy LLC, a media relations agency based in Provo, Utah that helps brands improve visibility, enhance reputation and generate leads through authentic storytelling. Follow Lucas on Twitter.





    "So, dive in to building up an impressive social media presence (and marketing to the right customers through it). Yes, it's a process of trial and error. And it takes time and testing to figure out the right way to reach those already looking for what you have to offer. However, with the right tools and know-how, you'll likely find that connecting to the "warm" customers who'll grow your company will only get easier.. -LucasMiller


    • Post Crafted By:
      Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
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    Friday, March 28, 2025

    YOUR Small Business Communication Strategies?


    It's not all about social media: Why you need a more wholesome communications strategy to grow your business..

    The over reliance on just social media needs to stop. It's one part of your arsenal, but it shouldn't be your only focus point.



    Social media has done a great job of creating disruption to what was once a money-hungry and egotistical industry: media and public relations.

    But the dust is finally settling. We're starting to peel back the layers on the tweets, the engagement, the clicks, and the views, and it's not the holy grail that many have been touting it as. As someone who's worked in media for over a decade, I've seen the peaks and troughs of countless campaigns, and the resounding success that can come from people talking about your brand and business- if you use communications effectively.

    Notice how I used the word communications, and not media? For too long, we've relied on this outward approach to connecting with stakeholders through a one-way form of communication, and along the way, we've forgotten, especially as entrepreneurs, how much coverage can mean to one individual business. It's one thing if we tell you we're great; it's another if 10 other people validate that on their platform. Entrepreneurs should be great communicators on every platform to get their message and call to action out to their customers - so, where are we missing the mark?



    Firstly, the over reliance on just social media needs to stop.

    It's one part of your arsenal, but it shouldn't be your only focus point. Crafting captivating images, witty captions, and cohesive feeds may suit certain brands, but for many startups, it may not be the right choice for you.

    By now, you should have done your homework to know where your customers are most engaging, and how they want you to be a part of that. If not, go back to square one, and narrow down your customers habits. This should be the beginning of your communications strategy- knowing how to get in front of your customers.

    If you've spent the time and effort to create a product or service you know people want and need, you should have a fairly good idea of their day-to-day habits, their likes and dislikes, and where they stand demographically, socially, and geographically.

    Communications strategies take all of these factors into account, and create messages, pieces of information if you will, that specifically speak to your target customer to get them to engage with your product or service. Without these, you have no clear direction to go in, or a way of effectively targeting potential customers for sales.



    Secondly, don't overlook traditional media platforms like print, radio, or television.

    Established networks allow you to piggyback on their exposure if you have a great story to tell, or a news hook. Your starting up of a company isn't going to be a headline unless you've already exited a previous startup, and your name has already had coverage. However, if the angle or hook is that you've just received another round of funding, or that your product has now been used by 1000 people, and you release data to show that your industry trends are changing, that's something to talk about. Having a good communications strategy in place will allow you to create these types of talking points based on your specific industry.

    It's also worth noting that traditional media outlets have embraced the digital age. You now have print magazines with online editions, radio shows that are recorded and placed online as podcasts, TV shows, etc. on social media platforms. It's a kill-two birds- with-one-stone strategy: create a convincing hook to attract attention from producers or editors, get coverage in print or on a live broadcasting show, and you'll automatically appear on their digital channels. Not only that, but a new study by YouGov shows that "local newspapers are the most trusted source for local news and information, and more than three times more trusted than social media sites."



    Third, it's important to know that you as a founder are the very first ambassador for your brand, and your employees should be too.

    It's a theme emerging from Silicon Valley whereby employees are invested and engaged in the overcall company mission, and by getting that by in from day one, you create loyal brand ambassadors for life. That is well before you even take your product to market.

    Think of the likes of Uber, Google, or Bumble.

    These companies have all showcased their employees at tech conferences, industry events, and panel discussions to represent the brand in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and that type of coverage stamps your market on the world stage.



    At the end of the day, we're in the business of making money, and having a return on our investments.

    Would you rather have 10,000 likes, or $10,000 in the bank? If the latter is the case, then it's worthwhile investing in a communications strategy to be able to effectively connect with your customers.

    If your focus is solely on creating a captivating Instagram feed, then you're just creating a captivating billboard for your business. It's time to start thinking about investing your time gaining coverage in other media channels that have a captive audience, and then converting those fans into customers.

    Guest Authored By Anna Roberts. Anna is a radio and TV presenter in Dubai, & founder of Nudge, a communications advisory specializing in public speaking and media training. Anna has interviewed the worlds most high profile sports stars and corporate leaders and believes that business success stems from authentic and effective communication. Her belief is that everyone should have the tools and confidence to give their ideas a voice, from entrepreneurs pitching for investment through to keynote presentations. See her work across print regional publications and online on her website where she discusses everything from how to handle a media scrum through to elevating your confidence on stage. Follow Anna on Twitter.





    The over reliance on just social media needs to stop.

    It's one part of your arsenal, but it shouldn't be your only focus point..


    • Post Crafted By:
      Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
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