Category Archives for Podcast

Audio – Video – Podcasts Oh My! Insights on Getting Started with Kay Suthar, Make Your Mark Agency

Welcome to the Make It Happen Podcast, brought to you by Strategies for Small Businesses.

Podcasts Podcasts Podcasts… are you ready? We are going to have an amazing guest today. Her name is Kay and she is a good friend of mine that I've met through my entrepreneurial journey. No, that was not easy to say. And she is amazing working with people in their podcasts and getting them through certain different hurdles along with getting them prepped to publish their podcasts.

I asked Kay to share more about herself and the one key thing that inspired her to start her podcast business and she let us know:

I'm super super excited to be here Now to answer your question Honestly, it was a mixture of different things that happened by accident... I didn't ever have the intention to build a podcast agency. But, there were two things. Number one, I wanted to be famous, right? As weird and kind of typical as that sounds, I did want to be famous!

And then the second thing was when I started speaking at events and to potential clients... They would turn around and say, "Wow you have done so much with your podcast, I see you everywhere." And at that point I was like, Oh my goodness. Yes. They want to work with me. They want to hire me. They would refer to me as the world's best kept secret. My heart was full and at the same time, my face dropped because I was realizing... Hold on. I'm not trying to build a business to be a secret! Right. I want to be known everywhere. I want to be famous. Like what's going on here. And then it was during lockdown. When I was like, Okay, somebody's got to change here. But at that point, nothing was happening. Everything was on lockdown.

Everything was closed off from face to face, in person, meetings/gatherings/events. I've got to do something. I can't just go silent. And then I was like, okay, let me try this whole podcast and marketing myself. People are talking about it. I'm listening to it. Like, let me see how this goes. And so I decided, let me try and set up being a guest on podcasts first and see how that goes.

In the beginning, nobody would have me on their show. I wouldn't even get a no, like I just wouldn't get no responses at all. Just crickets. I sat back and I told myself, well, what's going on here? Cause I know people are getting on podcasts. Why can't I get on anything? And then I kind of tweaked and strategized for about two to three months.

And then I got booked on a hundred podcasts in 60 days, which was completely possible then, cause we're all stuck at home doing nothing anyway, right? So I was quite happy going on one podcast and another and another, It was pretty easy, but then the podcasters were turning around and saying to me, what's the name of your podcast?

Oh, darn it. I don't have one. Okay. Let me go create one. I managed to create a podcast in 14 days. Right. And at that point people were like, hold on a second. You're everywhere. What's going on? Like we see you on these different podcasts. Now you have your own podcast. You did it in 14 days. How are you doing this?

At that point I was like, oh, people need to know how to do this and be educated on it. And that's where the podcast agency came from, the Make Your Mark Agency. Right, so that's how it all came about. Now, all of a sudden, I'm everywhere, and I'm loving it, and yes, fame! I achieved my goal! AND my passion is helping others achieve theirs!

I invite you to go over to StrategiesForSmallBusinesses.com and download the Branding and Purpose Checklist. This will help you work through the questions you need to answer and really helps you have a focused dive into all of your Branding.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

I love her story, and I shared a little of mine with her... You see, you're talking to a California girl, that, you know, Hollywood and all that stuff and I worked in Animation/Entertainment for 20 years, so, wanting to be famous, I totally get that dream. A lot of people/entrepreneurs have the "I want everyone to know about me" dream, the difference is you made it happen. I mean, you wanted it, you might want to say, well, I'm not famous, but you are because girl, you are everywhere. Even today, I see you everywhere. And I love it because one of the best things is you don't let an obstacle stop you. I mean, since we've met and we've been friends for over a year now and we're secretly in each other's business, kind of poking around in things, you don't let something stop you. And what you just talked about was tribute to that.

You wanted something, you went after it, this happened, you got no's, you didn't give up. You didn't give up. And that's, It's not typical and you didn't look at it as a negative, you looked at it as a challenge that you then jumped in head first. And starting your own podcast in 14 days, you know what you're talking about when you advise people who come to work with you.

I continued asking her... so when you say 14 days, what all do you count got completed in that 14 days.... Concept, design and recording one episode or was it even more than that? Kay responded

I'm not saying that it was a perfect podcast. Not at all, right? I was literally winging it. And it was not until more time went by that I started making tweaks and changes and fine tuned how it should work. I started seeing things that I shouldn't have been doing and all of this and so I got it out there in 14 days with a "starting" mentality and took it from there and it evolved to the successful podcast I have today.

I advise people to just put something out there. Look, I didn't even have my face on mine. My branding was completely different. The name was different like everything was completely different. I had to START somewhere so I recorded something like three or four episodes. I just put it out there and I was like, let's just see how this goes and I'll just work the rest of it out. So as I put things out there and I said to myself, oh This person noticed and this person noticed and oh now this person's asking me about how I did all of this.

Okay, let's just keep going. In the beginning, I was just doing guest episodes where I interviewed them. I would just ask people to come on my show and I could interview them. Very similar to what we are doing right now. I found that it was easier to get me started and some episodes recorded and content for my show because at that point I didn't really have any products or anything to sell…

I was determined and I was ready! I did my first episode and said, OK, let's get this podcast out. Once I started interviewing people, not only the people I interviewed but ones that were seeing me take action started asking me, how could I do this for them? And, and that's where the agency came from because I started doing it myself and then people were asking me how I did it and I became a person of influence!

Out of the need of others, I had things to sell. Just remember when I started, my goal and purpose was just about networking and bringing other guests on and building my network. In addition to building my audience, it also how I've built my professional network, built my email list. Also it brought me loads of friendships and relationships where people are now partnering with me, JVing, collaborations, affiliates.

And that's important. One of the things that I'm a true advocate for is don't wait for it to be perfect because it will never be perfect. I mean, it's like people saying, I'm waiting to have children until I can afford it. You will never be able to afford it. I promise you, starting over by adopting baby 4 years ago who is already eating like she's a 13 year old, you'll never be able to afford it. But It's fear entrepreneurs have where they put off starting things and they stop in their tracks. That is what we both look to help them push through and DO IT. Look, you did it, going back to you not letting it stop you. Let me put it out there because we can always make it better, just start it - touch the program that you fear and do it. I encourage people when they're working with me. Touch it. Push the button. You won't break the program. You may not love it, but you can change it the next time. It's okay if you sent an email and you forgot to put their name in it. Just don't let it stop you. And I totally commend you for not waiting for it to be perfect and I value that in you. I know, you get people to take action and you walked that walk yourself.

It was a journey. Let me put it that way. And my episodes in the beginning, like I was an awful host. I thought all I had to do was smile. And it was a creepy smile. That's all I did while the guest spoke, right? And I was like, I've gone back looking at them like, Oh my God, this is so creepy and it's so robotic, right?

What a great chat with Kay…. to hear more about her first episodes, her mistakes, AND how great it is now… Listen in or watch the video.

AND Register for her upcoming Challenge - working with her is AMAZING!

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We encourage you to not only create that one-page business plan but to be sure to revisit it and set "evaluation" times throughout the year. Suggestion, consider participating in our "Have-Need-Do" Business Check-In. This is a 5-day business check-in program designed to help you align your actions with your business plan effectively. These are conducted throughout the year allowing for sufficient time to focus on evaluating what you "planned" and what is happening, the good and the not-so-good. We look forward to assisting you in refining your business strategies and achieving your goals. You can register for the 5-Day Have-Need-Do Business Check-in HERE

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

Strategies for Small Businesses is an agency with a laser-focus on strategies supporting small businesses both online and offline. Our support ranges from Brand Strategy to Marketing Strategy, to Task Implementation Strategy, to Team Management Strategy.

The Power of a One-Page Business Plan and Continuous Updates

Welcome to the Make It Happen Podcast, brought to you by Strategies for Small Businesses.

In today's podcast, we will delve into the significance of a one-page business plan and how consistently reviewing it and if needed updating it can benefit you in various ways. Many entrepreneurs may think that once they've created a business plan at the outset of their venture, they're finished with that aspect of planning. However, over time, the dynamics of your business can evolve significantly, making it crucial to revisit and revise your business plan periodically.

At the end of each year, we recommend that our clients review their business plans to align them with their upcoming goals and strategies for the new year. However, we also advocate for more frequent reviews, such as quarterly assessments. Regular reviews not only ensure that your plan stays relevant but also contribute to enhancing clarity and focus in your business endeavors.

One of the key advantages of a one-page business plan is its simplicity and accessibility. It serves as a concise roadmap that can be easily referenced and shared with stakeholders, including potential partners or investors during networking events. This document contains essential aspects for you to keep in mind while building your business, such as your business goals, target market, products or services offered, and financial projections.

Flexibility is another crucial aspect to consider when working with a business plan. Recognize that your business environment and strategies may evolve, requiring adjustments to your plan. Embracing this flexibility allows you to adapt to changing market conditions and opportunities effectively.

Decision-making becomes more streamlined and strategic with a well-defined business plan. It acts as a guiding framework, helping you evaluate new ideas or opportunities by assessing their alignment with your core business objectives. This process aids in prioritizing initiatives that contribute most effectively to your long-term vision.

Effective communication is facilitated by a clear and concise business plan. When you have a well-articulated plan, you can convey your business goals, strategies, and value proposition more confidently and persuasively to stakeholders, clients, and team members.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

We provide a simple one-page business plan template that is easy to fill out and encourages clients to craft a narrative around their business goals and strategies. Whether you prefer a structured format or a more narrative approach, the key is to have a documented plan that guides your actions and decisions throughout the year.

By Opting in you are agreeing to receive communications from Strategies For Small Businesses.
You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time you feel we are not a good fit.

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

Organization Removes Stress and Brings Success

Welcome to the Make It Happen Podcast, brought to you by Strategies for Small Businesses.

Hi, I’m Christina Littrell-Williams and today I am going to talk about how easy it is to get overwhelmed working ON your business; setting up marketing plans, communicating with your database, creating content, and building out products/programs/offers.

Each of those areas need your direct focus, and when you are trying to juggle them all at once it can become messy!

ORGANIZATION is key!

To create a strong sense of organization in your business you should have the following:

A business plan. A focused document with a format describing what you want your business to look like and some of the paths you plan to take to get there. (If you don’t have one you can download a copy here)
https://www.strategiesforsmallbusinesses.com/you-have-your-business-in-place-now-what/

A marketing plan/calendar in place that reflects the paths noted in your plan focused on achieving the goals you set for your business. In creating your marketing calendar, begin with a big overview for the year, indicating where you are starting and where you want to end up. Then you will break it down by quarters, where you’re starting that quarter and where you want to end up at the end of that quarter. All of this will lead up to your year-end goal. THEN… detail out one quarter at a time focusing on your starting point and your ending point. You will create paths to reach each “end of the quarter” goal. When you start the next quarter you might have to adjust the starting point based on the results from your prior quarter but you’ll have guidelines in place for action to be taken.

Maintain records of all of the places your business appears, all of the tools you have collected, all of the marketing paths you have taken and are taking now, and results from those efforts.

It sounds like a lot of “stuff” to put together and I won’t kid you, it is, BUT once you have the notes in place and processes setup, moving forward will be A LOT EASIER and less stressful. You will feel more in control over what is going on IN your business allowing you to work with clients and customers.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

I want to invite you to join us for our upcoming 5-Day Challenge, “Have, Need, Do” This challenge is focused on helping you organize all of your business assets.

By the end of the Challenge you will know what you HAVE, what you NEED, and what you should DO to move your business forward. It’s best to attend live, but if the time doesn’t work for your schedule you will have access to the replays. There will be handouts to help you organize and plan! There will also be a Q&A day where you can join LIVE or send in questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

By Opting in you are agreeing to receive communications from Strategies For Small Businesses. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time you feel we are not a good fit.

(Register to get text reminders is recommended but completely optional)

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

Message Marketing Series – Direct Mail

Message Marketing - Direct Mail

Welcome to the Make It Happen Podcast brought to you from Strategies for Small Businesses (#SFSB). We are continuing with the Message Marketing Series. Through this series I have covered an introduction to Message Marketing , Email Marketing, Text Message Marketing and Social Media Message Marketing. Today we will focus on our final piece in Message Marketing, Direct Mail and using it for Marketing Purposes.

YEP, Direct Mail ... Snail Mail… Pony Express… it is still valuable and it does increase revenue along with expanding your email marketing lists & text messaging lists.

In this digital age, people look forward to messages and notes in the mail. Of course not the junk mail, but an actual meaningful message.

You can send flyers or promotional offers that resemble advertisements you currently receive, but they don’t generate an increase in response or engagement.

Break the marketing mold!

You can change it up and create heartfelt, useful information, special content postcards and greeting cards to your current clientele and even prospects. They become GAME CHANGERS, I promise!

Response Rate

The response rate for direct mail is 4.4 percent, compared to a 0.12 percent response rate for email (Dec 2020), and you can increase this percentage with heartfelt messages.

What is a “heartfelt” message?

A Heartfelt message is one that contains a true investment with the receiver.

Examples:

Happy Birthday
Happy Anniversary
Sympathy
Congratulations–not only on their successes but also when you see successes in their families since people share moments in Social Media freely.
Reminders about services clients and prospects might need to come back for. Hey have busy lives. Help them out, but don’t be too pushy.
Check in just to say Hi, and remind them you are there if they need anything.
On-boarding steps to be taken for new people to your business.

These are just a few of the reasons for sending heartfelt messages to your list.

What businesses can benefit the most from Direct Mail? The simple answer is ALL, but some businesses can see a greater exchange in engagement than others.

I recommend the following small businesses use direct mail to connect with their current clientele, and I would even risk saying it is a must:

Insurance Offices
Realtors
Personal Care Providers, i.e. Massage Therapists (privately owned and also massage facilities)
Hair Care Specialists
Estheticians

Home Cleaning Technicians
Sales Offices
Locally Owned Restaurants
Food/Supplies - private supplies, i.e., local farms to their buyers
Activity/Event Locations, i.e. Dance Studios, Play Places, Golf Courses, and so on.
Coaches and Consultants

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Several businesses I have worked with have increased their revenue just by taking a moment to reach out to their clients and prospects.

“Yes,” you might be saying, “but this is so time consuming and I’m already short on time or Where will I find the time to send cards/postcards?”

The brilliant part of this is using an automation tool to do it for you. Using an amazing tool that you can set up and let work for you is another way to leverage your time, while also building your engagement and revenue.

I recommend Mailbox Power

It is a tool I use and also recommend to my small business clients. MailBox Power has plans that can get you started on the right foot using their tools to build your business. Theory system helps you automate communications and still retain the personal feel with your prospects, business connections, and customers/clients while spreading positivity and joy!

Create a card, insert a personal message and the tool will then merge in your recipient’s info–such as name and key other points you know about – to complete the message.

The next step is to personalize by designing the cover image including pictures inside, along with your message. You can even create a QR Code if you want the recipient to see something. Personalize your message even more by sending gifts along with your card. Choose your gifts from a well-stocked catalog. Larger businesses can have your own swag stocked to ship with your messages!

Some recommendations for business specifics:

Insurance Agents:

Stay in front of your clients, reach out to them to see if they would like you to review their current policies to see if there is anything that can be updated or changed to benefit them.
Do a check-in before summer asking, “Hey, did you get any new toys for the summer that might need to be covered so your investment stays safe?”
Check in if you have any new services you offer - like you started offering health care along with other insurance policies you write.
If you know your customers have a small business,send a card asking if they have small business insurance. If they do, ask if they’d like you to do a complimentary comparison to see if you can save them money. If they do not have a policy in place, explain why such coverage is important.
Business personalized swag

Realtors:

Connect with people when they are going through the “pending sale/purchase” process, consoling them that it is a waiting period and reassuring them you are here.
Congratulate your new buyers with a perfect 5x7 frame-able image of them in front of their new home, memorializing the moment.
Congratulate your sellers on the move they made to sell their home wishing them well in their new adventure and ask if there is anything you can help them with in the future. Again, remind them you are there for them.
Check in with your buyers and sellers telling them you would love to hear what they are up to these days.
Connect with your sellers and buyers asking for referrals and testimonials.
Ask satisfied clients for Yelp reviews
Business personalized swag.

Local Small Businesses/Restaurants:

Thank customers/clients for visiting
Offer Birthday Specials during their birthday month
Discount for special meal or buy one-get one
Ask for testimonial/review with a link or QR code in it to a form page to take the testimonial/review
Invite a friend to join you to shop or eat here discount for the meal (this will add to your list)
Business personalized swag.

Auto Repair:

Welcome new customers to your service center
Send out 6-month reminders for oil changes
Specials on tiles/oil changes/other services
Introduce prospects to all you do at your service center
Invite new customers to give you a review
Business personalized swag.

Online businesses will benefit just as much from this form of connection with prospects and current clients. This brings the “virtual” relationship to a more personal friend level.

I can remember back when I started my business, I was taking a training class on 1Shoppingcart to expand my knowledge. It was a great class! We had to take the training then do the homework and turn it in so the instructor would make sure we were getting what she was teaching.

It was a 6-week class. I made every class until my sister fell ill. It was sudden and within 3 days she passed. I missed a session and two homework turn-ins. The instructor noticed I was not there. It was out of character and so she reached out to me to “call me to the carpet” for being MIA… I apologized for not having time to reach out to her and explained what happened and she extended my training BUT she also took it further. he sent me a card with a heartfelt message and peaceful thoughts for the loss of my sister.

This was 15 years ago and I STILL remember this and it is still an emotional moment that someone that I have never “met” took the time to support me. Still today, I fully support her business and training and recommend her to those who might benefit from what she teaches.

No matter what business you are in, these small gestures go a long way!

Take the time to invest in those that support you and your business no matter what that is. You have the chance to build relationships, loyalty to you and your brand, and create a buzz that leads to building your database.

Just remember the key to success is a heartfelt message! If you would like to try using MailBox Power for Direct Mail please go here and register for $24 ($14 monthly and $10 to get your wallet started to send)

The amazing part of this program is this: not only can you send a heartfelt message, but also personalized gifts.

If you need help with integrating direct mail into your personal marketing plans/funnels, reach out to us. We at Strategies For Small Businesses look forward to helping you build and support your community/tribe/database.

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

To gain access to more free strategies for small businesses, or to stay connected, visit our website at StrategiesForSmallBusinesses.com. Connect with us on Facebook. https://web.facebook.com/sfsbagency

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

The biggest thing to make note of and always remember is this: don't hesitate to reach out when you need support! You don’t have to do it all alone, or become an expert on every working item, marketing plan, nurturing cycle, and tech piece in your business. Focus on your clients and get help with the rest!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

We are here to support you! Schedule below to have a Marketing & Client Care Analysis completed on your business. Receive a full detailed report with the findings in consistency across your marketing platforms. You will also receive several suggestions you can take action on to improve what you are doing now and increase engagement and revenue.

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

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Message Marketing Series – Social Media Messenger Platforms

Message Marketing - Social Media Messenger Platforms

Welcome to the Make It Happen Podcast brought to you from Strategies for Small Businesses. Hi I’m Christina Littrell-Williams and we are continuing with the Message Marketing Series. Through this series I have covered an introduction to Message Marketing , Email Marketing, and Text Message Marketing. Today we will focus on Social Media Messaging for Marketing Purposes.

It seems that just about everyone is on one Social Media platform or several of them. Social Media started out MANY years ago with just a couple platforms and has grown to include a wide variety of places to "be" and "things to do".

It can be confusing which platform is better than the other, which one should you focus on, or which one is the easiest one to use.

My first piece of advice is don’t force it! Don’t force yourself to be on a social media platform just because it is the “trend” and it seems like that is where everyone is at. You need to be true to who you are! Though you do need at least one social media platform, it needs to be one you are comfortable on.

Two very important questions to ask yourself:

Where do you currently “social” interact with your prospects?

Where are your current clientele spending their time on Social Media?

glenn-carstens-peters-npxXWgQ33ZQ-unsplash

Truth: Social Media is not going away!

Each of the social media platforms have a public connection along with the ability to private message people. You want to use all methods of connecting with the right people, methods that are available to you. Having said that, you will also want to not overdo it! There is a thin line here: be sure you have your boundaries set before you start.

There are 3rd-party programs out there that can assist in automating your messages within different social media platforms. Be very careful using any 3rd-party program, the different social media platforms have set up strict rules to “messaging” people to avoid spamming and I respect that, I know personally I do not want to end up on someone’s spam messaging list, do you?

What are some of the rules we have to adhere to?

First and Foremost, you have permission to message them
Limit the number of messages you send to a receiver in a specified amount of time
Be sure the content of the message is relevant to the receiver
FB/IG has a 24 hour rule, to send an automated message there needed to be an exchange between you and them within the last 24 hours
NO SPAMMING

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Some of the platforms are:

ManyChat - they are great to use to start an engagement from your website or an offer or event. They do a great job at educating you on best practices and give you suggestions on how to best use this tool. They also teach you to engage people in messenger through Email or Text if you needed to get people back into an automated series.

Hyperise - is a platform that has tools that work with your LinkedIn account, website, and some other social media platforms.

If automating is not in your near future, you can manage your social media exchanges personally or have a team member dedicated to managing/watching it for you. Though if you have a team member managing it, I recommend that they give you what messages/posts/comments came in and YOU give them a reply to those to post on your behalf. You do not want to be removed from your Social Media altogether - it is supposed to be PERSONAL one-to-one.

Suggestions for using Message Marketing:

Ask a question about how they are doing and start an engagement and then bring them to a platform that is easily managed to give them the information that best fits what they need based on how they are doing.
Share new content you posted - a short blurb with a link
Suggest connecting with a link to a calendar scheduling application. Only do this if you know the person/people and can give them a reason why they should schedule to meet with you.
One simple message announcing a new free event/training/offer you are doing.

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

SCHEDULE YOUR ANALYSIS

Message Marketing Text Messages

Message Marketing - Text Messages (SMS)

Welcome back to the #SFSB Podcast - Message Marketing Series. Today we will be discussing Text Message Marketing.

In the past two podcasts I have shared what Message Marketing is and shared tools along with best practices in detail for Email Message Marketing.

To recap, Message Marketing is marketing using any and all messaging tools available. The most familiar and used set of tools consists of:

Emailing
Social Media messaging
Text Messaging
Direct Mailing

In the next few podcasts, I will continue to break down these different tools and share “best practices” you should be using in your marketing efforts in order to achieve the best results.

In the last podcast I went into detail about Email Marketing, still the most effective marketing tool to date, and I listed best practices along with Spam triggers to avoid.

Today we are moving on to the next tool, Text Messages, or SMS - Short Message Service.

Text messaging became mainstream around 2002 though it actually started around 1992 with the very first text being sent. The popularity of texting grew with increased mobile phone sales and texting limitations lifted from the phone service providers. These messages are delivered instantly (for the most part), they have less to compete with in reaching your audience, and they are relatively easy to create and send.

There are roughly over 6 billion text messages sent every day throughout the world.

WOW! This number includes text messages sent by both adults and kids.

Most people own a mobile device that is on their person all waking hours. This makes it the most used implement around by far. In a report it is noted that out of those polled, 70% of customers say Text Messages (SMS) marketing is a good way to get their attention. Text message marketing works for both Business to Consumer and Business to Business marketing efforts. It is quick, easy for the consumer, and makes that needed connection.

The downfall to Text Message Marketing is the limited number of characters allowed in a single text. They are great to use for awareness of something you sent via email or to send a message about an offer expiring with a link they can click to take action. Text messages can be great reminders of an upcoming event people are registered for, and if you have an image that outlines your special offer you are not limited to characters. Fragrance.net, Harbor Freight and other companies use the image method with a link noted as the text. I recommend using the image method only if you have a well known brand and relationship with your audience.

Like email marketing, text message marketing has a list of best practices…

You MUST have permission.
Be courteous to your database and do not send TOO many messages.
Be consistent with the number of texts you send for a specific reason
Make sure you have a way to respond to any replies to your text messages and be responsive, even if you have a team member monitor this aspect.
Incorporate personalization in your messages (most services have merge fields).
You MUST add any disclaimers.
You MUST add directions about how people can opt out of receiving messages from you

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

When assisting SFSB clients set up a Marketing Plan we work through marketing strategies that fit their business along with the personality of the business.

Here are a few tactics that will support a good text message marketing plan:

Offer Incentives
Have CLEAR CTA’s (Calls to Action) in your message. Include links for the recipient to use or a phone number can be clicked on.
Keep your messages short and easy to read.
Have a sense of urgency in your message, giving it more of a purpose.

Though text message marketing is very successful as far as delivery and interaction, remember, you don’t want it to be your only marketing outlet.

Use this method alongside other tools like email message marketing and social media message marketing.

This is another place you do not want to be using your private phone to manually send out messages to your audience. You want to use a tool made for this! There are several on the market today and many of them integrate with your CRM/Email Marketing platform. Some of the text message marketing tools are: Twilio, Simple Text, PlusThis (used with Keap/Infusonsoft alongside Twilio), FixYourFunnel (used with Keap/Infusionsoft for texting). Each of the systems will provide you with a specific phone number to send and receive from, and they walk you through the setup and any integration you might need.

As always, we at SFSB are here to help! If you are not sure whether you should be using text message marketing, or wondering which platform you should choose, or what kind of strategy you should start to implement, we are here for you! Set up your complimentary “meet and greet” meeting here and we can support you!

If you need help choosing which platform would be a better fit for you, your needs, and your wanted growth, reach out to us and we can help you choose one in a complimentary “meet and greet”. You can get on our appointment calendar HERE.

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

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Message Marketing Series Pt 2: Email Messaging

Message Marketing Series pt 2 - Email Mailing

Welcome back to the #SFSB Podcast and the Message Marketing Series.

In this episode Christina Littrell-Williams shares about one of the four most used platforms for Message Marketing. Email Marketing. Some people will say Email Marketing is no longer effective and that is WRONG! The fact it still is the most used platform out there for marketing and still retains a high ROI (Return on Investment)! She also shares some tips and best practices advice.

In the next few podcasts, I will be breaking down these different tools and sharing “best practices” you should be using in your marketing efforts in order to achieve your best results.

Probably the most familiar Message Marketing Tool is Email. In one way or another we have all been exposed to email marketing. Currently it has been recorded there are 4.26 billion email users around the world and increases are projected to continue each year. Email is consistently the most used “messaging tool” around.

Email is used by marketers for different reasons throughout their marketing funnels.

Generating Leads Primarily through JV relationships where you are introduced to a new group of prospects by someone you have a relationship with. Cold emailing is not recommended and can damage your email/business domain reputation.

Communicating with your current database (Sharing special offers)

Nurturing your current database (Sharing informative/useful content - no sales involved)

Commonly Asked Questions:

One of the most common questions I am asked is, “Is email still effective with all of the other current methods to reach my audience?”

The answer is YES! Research shows that email is still the most effective method to reach people. The ROI (Return on Investment) is highest with email and should most definitely be part of any and all Marketing Plans.

Remember the 80/20 rule with email; 80% content, 20% sales. If you are supplying your database with informative, usable content they are going to want to open your emails and see what you are sharing next.

As you increase your copy writing skills, there are really great ways to share content and then offer a tool at the end, if your reader would like to know more about what they can do and not have your reader feeling like all you care about is selling them something. Because you are teaching or sharing something really solid, readers can walk away with a golden nugget of knowledge.

When you are structuring any email marketing plan and content message, an important point to keep in mind is the average person receives over 100 emails per day. So you need to find ways to make your message stand out and your reader WANT to look for and open YOUR emails to see what you have to say.

Your messaging reputation is KEY here. By making sure you educate your audience about who you are, what they can expect to learn/hear from you, and how often they can expect to hear from you right at the start of joining your messaging community is the first step. Making sure your subject lines peak interest is key! And some email marketing platforms allow you to include a “subline” that will be seen as the summary caption in your reader’s inbox instead of the first line of the email content. It is another way to capture their attention, and as I shared earlier your actual email content is KEY.

Another question prospects ask is “How many emails should I be sending?” The answer differs based on a few metrics:

Your type of business
What can you be consistent with
What content you are sharing

The type of business - brick and mortar product offerings businesses and restaurants are usually based on “special offers” looking to drive traffic through their doors or increasing online orders, so these would be suggested monthly.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

For online marketers offering services/programs message marketing is increased because the main way to build relationships with your readers is your written shared word. So CONTENT emails should be no less than twice a month and then alternating one or two offer emails a month. As a marketer, you might be creating a BIG sales campaign where you are focusing on one specific special offer with a deadline to the sale, and at that point, no matter whether you’re a brick and mortar business or an online marketer, you will run a specific campaign/sales funnel focused on that specific sale. With these types of messaging you can send two to three a week counting down to your deadline. These types of sales should be spread out, for instance one per quarter, so you don’t exhaust your reader in sales-focused messages.

What to Avoid

When designing your email messages avoid SPAM triggers:

Within Your Written Content
With Your Subject Lines
With the Email Platform/Address You are Sending From

All email providers scan your emails to discern if they are spam or contain questionable content before they deliver the message to someone’s inbox. They will score each email based on their filters and you want to make sure your messages make the cut and get delivered!

Some spam triggers are over promises, manipulative verbiage, sounding needy or desperate, being too pushy, questionable statements, too many images because they cannot be “measured for content”, AVOID using the word FREE in your emails at all cost, and too heavy on exaggeration punctuation marks like exclamation marks.

In subject lines avoid all caps, too many exclamations, and avoid your subject line being unrelated to your content (this can upset some of your readers).

You want to make sure you are not using your personal inbox to send marketing emails or nurturing emails out to your audience - not only are your sending abilities limited to how many people you can put in the TO or BCC line, you are also limited to how many you can send per day/week/month.

Make sure you’re using a proper email address to send your marketing emails. Do not use a free email provider email addy like Gmail. If you are in business you should set up and use your company domain name. Best practices are to send from a custom domain. Invest in an email address that is directly related to your company.

Another thing to remember when marketing is not to use Support@ or some generic email address for your company because that, too, triggers spam and also disconnects the “human” connection with your reader. If you do not want to use your personal email address I suggest you create a second email address that is your first name and last name@. Any replies can go into a different inbox where you can check for direct responses from your readers or you can have a team member be responsible for monitoring that inbox.

So remember Email Marketing is the top marketing tool for results, so make sure you are using it. If you do not have an email marketing platform my first suggestion is you get one ASAP. There are several email marketing platforms out there, from Free platforms such as MailChimp, to paid platforms like Aweber, to full marketing systems such as Keap/Infusionsoft. There is a platform option for everyone. The key is choosing the right one.

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

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The 4 Platforms for Message Marketing Series

As small business owners we have a lot on our plates every day. We work daily to manage a little bit of the chaos going on but really, we're striving to serve our existing clients/customers along with attracting more of them. On top of that, we manage daily business tasks behind the scenes. Along with handling admin tasks, we meet face-to-face with prospects, work with clients/customers, network, and the list goes on.

On top of all those regular, everyday tasks, we must think about and build our marketing platforms.

In this series, we're going to discuss Message Marketing.

Message Marketing is exactly that: getting your message out through marketing efforts to attract new clients and encourage them to communicate, while keeping your existing clients interested in what you are doing and what you offer by building and maintaining relationships. In addition, you are working to reengage and rebuild relationships with those in your database who may no longer be actively engaging but are potential “return” clients.

Message Marketing is huge in this part of communicating with prospects as well as new and existing clients/customers.

There are four key Message Marketing platforms:

Email
Text messaging or SMS message marketing
Social media message marketing
Direct mail message marketing.

All of these are viable tools that will connect you with everyone you need to communicate with.

Look at each of these, not as individual methods to communicate, but as combined efforts. I wouldn't suggest or say, “Hey, you have to use this one and only this one”. You really want to use a combination of these different tools and platforms to create the biggest impact.

Over the next few weeks in this series, we're going to break down each of these different message marketing methods. I’m going to talk about them in detail. I will share some of the tools that will provide support for you, and even help you automate some of these processes.

It's really important to make sure that your messages are reaching people and that they are congruent. Be sure they all contain the same tone of voice and the same kind of messaging.

You don't want to be a marketer that confuses your prospects/customers/clients by changing the way you speak and the visuals you use. The tone of voice within your business \ should be consistent in your message marketing, no matter which platform you're using. And in addition, congruency and consistency are also important for your team. Your team should know each of these platforms, when to use them and how to use them. Most importantly, you should construct ways messages are put together and how they sound so there is a “personality” to your business. It's very, very important.

Think of it like this: when people meet you or come in contact with any of your messaging or service delivery methods, they should know what to expect no matter where that message comes from. Example, when you walk into a McDonald's or an In-N-Out Burger and order a burger at either of these places, you know what to expect every time, even if you're in a different location from where you normally go. They are consistent from the time you walk in, how you're treated, how things are priced, and with the end results—what you’re going to eat.

With your message marketing, instead of a hamburger, if you will, you're providing information and that information should be consistent. No matter if they are potential clients, prospects that you're already chatting with, your current clientele, or past clients within your nurturing cycle. No matter where they see a message from you, it should be consistent with who you are.

So, let's look further into these different platforms and their performance value in our next episodes.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

SCHEDULE YOUR ANALYSIS

Customer Life Journey Stages 6 7 & 8

Customer Life Journey Final Stages 6, 7 and 8

This week we are continuing our conversation about the customer life journey and how that works in your business. In past podcasts, we've gone over basics of a customer life journey, life cycle funnel flow, and different aspects of each. Then we talked about the first three stages of the customer life journey, which are: 1) bringing awareness, 2) engaging and encouraging them to subscribe to be part of your list, and 3) inviting them to be part of your community.

We talked about conversion; making prospects customers by investing in one of your products or services and getting them excited about your brand, and also how that's going to reflect and build on your business.

—Pngtree—social media marketing concepts for_5488003

We're now into the final three stages. And the first, which is step six, is to turn new customers into multiple buyers, meaning they buy from you not just once, but multiple times. Remember, we've already converted them into a low-level product or program or service, and we've gotten them excited about your business and how you interact with them. Now, since you have already laid out what programs, products, and services you offer, they are at a point that you will go into more detail introducing other programs, products, and services that will enhance either what they've already purchased and move them up your ascension ladder, or it will benefit them in another area of their lives or businesses.

This may also be structured as a staircase based on price, beginning with low entry-level offerings; for instance, a $7 product. Then you introduce a higher-level offering, such as a $35, $40, or $50 product, and maybe then a $200 or $300 product and from there on up to a thousand, or multiple thousand dollar offering. However, your program ascension list looks, that's what you should have.

One big thing to remember is advertising, because you are building awareness. Look at social media advertising with Google or in your local paper, radio stations, TV, or those types of things. You will be offering different products and services, not just your low-level offerings, so at that point, anybody can begin their customer life journey. Once new customers come in, you want them to become multiple buyers and buy more from you.

One way to do that is to follow up with an email and ask buyers how it’s going:

“How is the (product or service)? Have you tried yet? If you have, I'd love to hear from you.”

Give them a link directly back to your social media and say, “We would love for you to give us a review.”

If you sell things on Amazon, you're going to be asking them to engage, and to go back and leave a review on Amazon. Amazon is really good about asking for reviews on your behalf as well, but these are testimonials. These are social proof that what you sell: your programs, products, and services, work for people. They indicate how people feel about their purchases. By asking buyers for their opinions you’ll be getting reliable information because it’s coming right from them. You're not paying them to give a review. This validates what you sell, what you do, and what you give, because people are sharing it back to you. You've asked their permission. “May I put this on my website?”

Make sure you're using some sort of sign-off because you want to make sure that legally you're in compliance. Video testimonials are awesome. So are written testimonials. Getting their picture or profile or them holding your program or product is awesome. So, ask them to spread the love, and that's really just sharing how they feel about your product, program, or service. If the review is bad, obviously you're not going to post it, but it still has value to you. Never be afraid to ask how your product or service worked for your buyers, and if it didn't work for them, asking them to share gives you feedback so you can adjust.

The positive reviews, pictures, and videos are all valuable assets to your business. Once you've gathered testimonials from new customers, you can make them a promoter. We’ll look at that in stage eight. You don't want to ask too early or before they know you well, but being a promoter might be as simple as making an affiliate post. Maybe you can reward them for them promoting something on your behalf. Maybe they have websites of their own, or maybe they are a social diva. Maybe they are out there, and have a big audience themselves and they would be willing to share your product and program. And if they do, you can give them a percentage of that sale back.

Asking customers or clients to promote your products or programs can be done through JV relationships. JV relationships are joint venture, and they're built with people who may not necessarily be your customers. That's a different kind of promotion. Again, this is stage eight of the customer journey and rewarding them should be something you should be thinking of. It's advertising dollars you don't have to spend, and people like to share. They like to spread the word. They like to brag about things that worked for them. And why not let them benefit for sharing that work for you?

—Pngtree—social media advertising illustration_5342489

So, now we've gone through all eight stages of the customer life cycle, and I hope this helped. We are here for you. There's a box below. Send us your questions. We're happy to support you and get back to you with the answers. Enjoy your visit. Thank you.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

SCHEDULE YOUR ANALYSIS

Customer Life Journey Stages 4 & 5

Customer Life Journey Stages 4 and 5

Customers, are you looking how to retain more and make more sales? Having a strong Customer Life Journey in place is a must.

A Customer Life Journey consists of 8 stages. We completed an overview on the customer life journey in a past Podcast.

In this Customer Life Journey Series we will be tracking all 8 stages in detail. In the last podcast, we covered Stages 1-3 in detail, in our last podcast.

1. Make them aware2. Engage with them to create a relationship3. Get them to Subscribe and join your community

Now we're going to go through stages four and five of the Customer Life Journey.

At this point, we will assume they're on your list. You have their contact information, whether you do online marketing and you have collected their contact info via a form or you're a brick and mortar and have their business card you have added them to your community.

Stage Four of the Customer Life Journey: Creating a Customer

What do you do at this point is important! It is time you start offering them what we call a low-level product, program, or service. This allows your new community member to be able to test the waters with you, see who you are and what it is like working with you.

You want to do this in a way where you are offering them a product/program/service that brings value to them, but it's not going to cost a lot. This will be a minimal investment on their part to invest with you to get started. Keep this in mind this offer isn't designed to make you a profit and make you a millionaire. The intention of this offer is to gain trust and build your “buyer list” because selling to people who have already purchased from you is much easier than acquiring someone new and then trying to sell something.

You want to avoid jumping in and offering your TOP cost program/product/service too soon because that can be a turn off and toxic to this budding relationship. You don’t want to turn off a potential customer because you pushed too fast.

Once you've made them a customer, stage five is probably one of the biggest stages.

Stage Five of the Customer Life Journey: Creating Excitement

Creating excitement about you, your business, and your brand.

You should have a follow-up set of messages created that support the purchase that was just made. This will create an experience of what it is like to walk with you hand in hand through something they purchased from you and how they can expect to be treated later when they do more business with you.

So if they bought your low level program/product or service, maybe it's between $7 and $20. You want to capture the moment they are excited about getting something “new” and provide exceptional support and engage with them. You want to work with those feelings and over-deliver. Maybe what you sold is about a gardening tool so in your first email you gift them a bonus download that wasn't even in the offer.

Hey, now that you bought this gardening set, here's the top three tips to have the best tomatoes in the world! Something like that can be an easy gift that will be over delivered to them and appreciated. As for this “report download” you just gave them, it does not need to be a newly written report, it can be an optin offer you have out for lead capture somewhere else or maybe it is a chapter out of an eBook or physical book you have written. The point is you can reuse content you have other places and still give a valued gift to your new customer.

Once your gift message is received your new customer will be saying, wow, look at this thing I got, I didn't even know about it. They now get to not only use your product but experience your expertise even more.

Let’s keep the excitement going and do a little bit of follow-up with your new customer. You should have a check-in email maybe 3 to 5 days after their purchase just checking in asking a few questions:

If they have had time to get to use their product/program or book their service and provide a link to access what they bought as a reminder how to get to it.
If they have any questions or comments, they can simply reply to this email.
(If you have a Facebook Group for your business) Ask them to give you a review in the group and provide the link.

Hey, if you love this product/program or service reply to this email and let me know. Feel free to include a picture of you and the product or working on the program, we love to hear back.

That's going to make them feel like you care, and you should care about what they're doing, but that also gives you testimonials that are true and authentic. They took the time to send this back to you and you are showing them that you care.

Your goal is to get feedback from them and to make it easy for them to provide that!

Your next email in your follow-up can be a quick check in and a small offer for the next logical purchase from what you have to offer that fits the direction they were heading in their initial purchase. You can say something like, Hey, you purchased ABC and I wanted to see how's it going with you? Did you know we also have this that is a complementary product/program or service that goes with what you already purchased. (Here you are going to want to list the benefits to this new program offer and what it will do for them and the discounted price for being a loyal customer) This is your first upsell email based on them becoming a customer of yours.

You can also put a direct mail follow-up for your customers. You can send them an actual Thank You Card. YES, a card, physically in the mail! You have received their address when they purchased it so you have all of the information you need. It is easy with tools like Mailbox Power. You can create a Thank You Card ahead of time and customize the message inside with merge codes and then when a sale is made most systems can integrate and pull that info in and trigger the card being sent for you! OR worst case scenario, you have to go enter their name and mailing address and link them to the appropriate Thank You card group and bam it is mailed out! Receiving a real card with a personalized note in it is awesome and can cost you as low as $1 plus postage. (or free 4X6 postcards! Just the cost of postage.)

If you only use email or text message marketing it is OK just get your Customer Journeys built out. Have the minimal in place and start! There will be time for editing, adjusting once you start seeing what is working and what might not be.

Sorry. I'm going to go on a tangent for a moment… I am going to insist on not using no-reply emails in your marketing platform. Be sure that you're sending it from an email address that is being monitored and can be followed up on, because if they take the time to ask you a question or reply back to you your exceptional customer experience needs to continue. You also want to make sure you are sending marketing emails out from YOU not Support@ or ClientCare@ email addresses – those are spam traps and will hamper your emails from being delivered. I usually suggest for clients to use a version of email address that is not their main personal email address so they can have the ability for a team member to check it and reply back or send it to you to get your actual response. So if your name is Susan Kay (just making this up), and your email is Susan@(company name) and that is the main email address you use to personally do business – go in and create SusanKay@(company name) email address that can be used for your marketing and eventually be checked by your support staff. This will help you identify Customer Emails first and foremost to get back to them asap.

In conclusion, your goals are to Engage and Excite in these stages of the customer journey.

If you have any questions, remember we're always here for you. Just utilize the question button on the website and will get back to you.

Thank you

if you want more from Strategies For Small Businesses, #SFSB, stay connected by subscribing to our list and connecting in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

We’d love to work with you in building your support team, whether it's SFSB or another company. We specialize in working as part of a team and building those relationships.

We look forward to hearing from you so you can work with an expert to help you grow your business!

If you have any questions, need any support, or you need any ideas, feel free to reach out to us on the form provided HERE. We're here to support you.

2. You can also use the button and set up a quick call with me. It's absolutely free. I'd love to talk with you if you have questions about anything.

Schedule your info call today!

Connect with us on Facebook as well:
https://www.facebook.com/sfsbagency

Register Today for Your Marketing & Client Care Analysis

SCHEDULE YOUR ANALYSIS

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