How to Create a “Talking Business Card”

Lynn Ruby — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:08:06 +0000

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a business card that did the talking for you? Well now you can!

Beyond the Tube

Lynn Ruby — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:53:53 +0000

5 Video Sharing Sites to Consider in Addition to YouTube

Believe it or not, YouTube isn’t the be all/end all when it comes to online video sharing.

This video reviews 5 alternatives to YouTube – and some pretty awesome ones at that!

Learn about their market, their features and their cost.

Enjoy!

Beyond the Tube from Lynn Ruby on Vimeo.

If you like this video, please LIKE it above, tweet about it and share it on your Facebook page!

Have a question about using video to market you business? Ask me in the comments below!

How to Eat the Marketing Elephant:Part 3 – A Delicious Side Dish

Lynn Ruby — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:00:24 +0000

Read Part 2 here.

You might be surprised by the fact that our first side dish is . . .

Networking. Yes! Good old-fashioned, “press-the-flesh” networking!

In spite of all the technology we have at our disposal with websites, social media, iPhones, QR codes, email, Skype . . . blah blah blah . . . NOTHING will ever replace the paramount need for business owners to form personal relationships with other human beings.

That is, IF it’s human beings who make the decision to purchase your product or service. If something other than a human being is purchasing your products or services, well then you can skip the networking part.

Still with me? I thought so!

Your Networking Strategy

As always, never engage in a marketing activity unless you have a strategy behind it. For networking, make it your goal to get face to face with three types of people:

1 – Future Clients
2 – People you can learn from and/or who have achieved what you want to achieve.
3 – People you can partner with (affiliate partners, referral partners)

Find events and organizations that are natural fits for these three categories of people. Then invest your time in becoming a resource for the people you meet. Lead with what you can give, not what you can take, from the people you meet networking.

What it CAN and CANNOT Do for Your Business

Networking is not sales. Networking is not a quick fix for new business. The physical act of networking is the START of a business relationship. Just like dating, you must take the time to cultivate relationships. And, the follow-up is where the rubber meets the road.

How Networking Fits in With Your Marketing Strategy

Design a networking follow-up strategy and SCHEDULE TIME FOR IT. After each event, schedule 15-30 minutes in your calendar to

1 – Write down snippets of conversations you had with people so that you can remember them.
2 – Write down what you promised to do as follow-up. If you promised someone you would call to schedule a coffee meeting, put that call on your to do list along with notes on your conversation with that person.
3 – Add appropriate contacts to your personal database.
4 – Write hand-written “nice to meet you” notes where appropriate for those folks you especially want to build a relationship with.

The key is to take this step immediately after an event. I often do it in my car while everything is still fresh in my mind.

And, as with every marketing activity, lead your networking contacts to your website. Your business card, which you hand out at each networking meeting, should contain an offer for a free giveaway which your prospects and contacts find irresistible. Signing up for this free giveaway will add them to your corporate database.

However, DO NOT sign them up for your database without their permission. Always use a reputable provider to manage your list and distribute your content. (More about this in a future post.)

Should You Outsource Your Networking?

If you are the face of your business, you need to be the one doing the networking. If you have marketing and/or sales people on staff, they can be extremely valuable in doing networking as well, however, as with your web site, make sure you are in control of what events they attend, what their approach is and the relationships that they form. Should they leave your employ, so will your access to their contacts, unless you have made it a point to cultivate those relationships as well.

How to Start Networking

First, if you yourself are uncomfortable in room full of strangers, then learn how to work a room. There is a system to it. There are tactics and strategies which a more introverted individual can learn and master – and in fact MUST master in order to be successful in business.

Second, understand that the key to networking is NOT in how good a glad-hander you are. Quite the opposite in fact. If you “work a room” to perfection, schmooze with everyone you meet, hold scintillating conversations, swap business cards with glee, leave for the evening feeling quite smug and then never follow-up with a single individual from the event, you’ve just wasted your time and money.

The key to networking is in the follow-up! As you make connections with individuals, you will naturally find things in common. Common needs, interests. Seek to fulfill the needs of those you meet.

The Next Step

The next bite in our juicy marketing elephant is another delicious side dish!

How to Eat the Marketing Elephant:Part 2 – The First Juicy Bite

Lynn Ruby — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:00:21 +0000

Read Part 1 here.

Our first bite out of that Marketing Elephant is going to be the big juicy center, also known as . . .

Your Website ! Yum!

Your website acts as the hub to all your online marketing and quite a bit of your offline marketing as well. Always use it as the centralized location for your products, services, blog posts, items for sale, press releases, a repository for audios, videos, etc.

Recently, some of my clients have asked whether they should even have a website when they can use a Facebook fan page for most of their needs. And I say NO NO NO!

Do NOT give up control of your information to a third party. If you have been considering using Facebook to replace your website, be sure to read my previous blog post about the danger of ditching your web site in favor of a Facebook Fan Page.

WHY Should Your Website Be Your Centralized hub?

Because with a website where you own the domain name, the hosting account and all the content YOU are in control.* You have control over:

The way it looks – colors, images, layout and design.
The content on the site – what is said, HOW it is said, and whether or not it contains any advertisements.
The keywords you use – for meta tags and within your content.
The links your allow on your site.
The advertisements you allow or disallow on your site.
The intellectual property that resides there (video, audio, podcasts, blog posts, etc.)
The ability to approve any and all comments.

* On a side note, make sure that you in fact do own your domain name and your hosting account. Never ever allow a web developer, a virtual assistant, a marketing consultant or anyone else to purchase a domain name or hosting account on your behalf. If they purchase it, they own it, which means they control it. Make sure YOU always maintain this control.

Your First Website: Simple and Imperfect

As you build your business, your website will also grow. In the beginning, don’t worry about making it perfect or making it a large and complicated site. Get it up there with your basic information, share your story, and provide a way for you to be contacted.

As you start to build new products and/or services, and hold special promotions, you can create additional content pages and additional promotional pages. At some point, you will be able to direct interested parties to specific pages on your site which address their particular interests. But for now, just get it up there!

If you incorporate your blog into your website (which I highly recommend and which I also have done) your website becomes even more powerful. Why? Because, as you add blog posts and share your knowledge, your website becomes a dynamic hub for new information and insight. This increases visitors to your site, generates good SEO practices (assuming you are using your keywords appropriately) and gives you much greater visibility as you share your posts via social media sites.

And for more information on what to do and what NOT to do when launching your first website, get yourself a copy of my Free Special Report: “18 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid with Your First Website” available on the top right hand side of this page.

So, How Was Your First Juicy Bite?

Not bad huh? Next, we will move on to some delicious side dishes. And as these side dishes each start to tie back in to our centralized core, you’ll begin to see how your website is the central and juicy part of all your marketing efforts.

Read on to Part 3 . . .

How to Eat the Marketing Elephant: Part 1

Lynn Ruby — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:00:36 +0000

Have you sat down to plan your businesses’ goals and strategies for the New Year yet? Are you excited by the thought of what you want to create, how much fun it will be and how much profit you’ll make?

Great! And once you switch out of being in your head with grand visions, and focus on the exact tactics, activities and tasks that are necessary to bring your vision to light, you may find yourself becoming a bit overwhelmed.

Okay – a LOT overwhelmed!

When thinking about how you’re going to market your business in the New Year, it can be exciting and relatively easy to form a big picture. You can envision the money, the success, the clients, the overall busyness you plan to experience and the profit that will result from that.

Yet when you think of the activities that are needed to make this vision a reality, and the multitude of details that go into making your vision a reality, a big whopping dose of overwhelm and reality can set in.

Here’s a short list of strategies and tactics you may be considering to market your business:

Public relations
Web site – new or upgraded
Mobile web site
Social media
Copywriting
Networking
Blogging
e-mail marketing
Trade shows
Videos
Writing and publishing articles
Building your database / list
Search engine optimization
Direct mailers / letters / postcards
Sales strategies
Teleseminars / Webinars / Podcasts / Training
Freebies / Giveaways
Electronic Products and Programs
Branding
Public Speaking

You might be asking yourself these questions:

Which of these marketing tactics should I implement this year? Which can wait until next year or beyond? How will they work together to leverage one other? Do I need them all? Which ones are most important? Which ones can I do on my own and which should I outsource? I have no idea how some of these items work, so how can I possibly know whether or not I should use them?

As you can see, overwhelm’s close cousins – confusion and paralysis – can easily move right in as permanent house guests once you start considering HOW you’ll create your big vision.

You do know the only way to eat an elephant don’t you? It’s one bite at a time of course. That’s what I’m going to help you do in the next few blog posts. We‘re going to take each of these marketing topics “one bite at a time” and:

1 – Examine the strategy behind it
2 – Discuss what it CAN do for your business and what it CANNOT do for your business
3 – Explain how it fits in with and leverages all your other marketing efforts
4 – Advise you on the pros and cons of outsourcing each particular tactic
5 – Provide you with the first few steps to implementing this tactic if you decide it fits in with your vision.

Remember, no marketing tactic is an island. They all must leverage one another AND all work together to achieve your overall vision and business strategy.

So, first we will start with the hub of it all – your website.

Read on to Part 2 . . .

The ABCs of Working a Room

Lynn Ruby — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:00:27 +0000

Does the thought of networking strike fear in your heart? You’re not alone. Not many people are thoroughly at ease walking into a roomful of strangers. Don’t kid yourself – it’s not easy for anyone. Yet if you can build some skills in this area, and learn some basic techniques, the process does become easier.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Prior to attending a networking event, determine your goals. Do you want to meet someone specific whom you know will be there? Do you want to introduce yourself to three people in your line of work and spend some time talking with them? Or maybe your goals are simpler – you want to walk through the room without your knees knocking. If you never set any goals, you’ll never know whether or not you’ve reached them. And you’ll spend the last hour of the event wondering if it’s okay to leave, or if you should stay and do something else. During an event once you’ve met your goals, go home! You’ve succeeded.

Other basics:

Prepare your self-introduction
Bring plenty of business cards, and
Prepare some small talk.

Pretend You Are a Host – Not a Guest

During the event, take your focus off yourself, and place it squarely onto others. If you notice someone standing alone, walk up and introduce yourself. They will be grateful you did. It’s amazing, but when you care about other people’s comfort more than your own, your clumsiness and self-consciousness go away.

Handshakes

We all know to avoid giving a too firm or too limp handshake. How do you know if you’re guilty of doing either? Test your handshake with a trusted friend or colleague. Let them tell you honestly whether your handshake is a bone crusher or is it a limp fish?

Some advice for the men: Some of you have been taught that it is impolite to offer your hand first to a woman. Stop it! You are offending women by not offering to shake their hand. And women – if you encounter a man who does not offer his hand, offer yours immediately. It will gain you instant credibility.

Shaking hands with someone who is standing while you are seated places you in an inferior position. Stand up and offer your hand.

Nametags

Always place your nametag on your right side. It makes it easier for someone who is shaking your hand to simply look up your arm and remind themselves of your name.

Give Yourself a Break

As you put these skills to use, you’ll discover that networking becomes easier. It may never be entirely fun for you, but give yourself a break. Set goals appropriate for yourself and feel good when you reach them.

Top 10 Networking Errors

1. Forgetting someone’s name.
2. Ignoring someone in your conversational circle.
3. Talking to someone while your eyes work the rest of the room.
4. Leaving the restaurant bill sitting in the middle of the table.
5. Pointing out anyone else’s etiquette error.
6. Failing to offer your hand to anyone you are introduced to.
7. Monopolizing someone’s time at a networking event.
8. Failing to follow up if you promised to do so.
9. Eating or drinking too much.
10. Socializing only with your own clique.

Marketing Q&A for Savvy Entrepreneurs

Lynn Ruby — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:28:19 +0000

Implementing These Answers Can Mean the Difference Between Entrepreneurial Success and Stagnation

Beth Southworth, a friend, marketing compatriot and owner at BS Consulting and Development, LLC recently asked me these 5 marketing questions often posed by savvy entrepreneurs. Visit Beth’s blog at http://emtnester.blogspot.com/

What is the single biggest mistake a small business can make in their overall marketing strategy?

The single biggest mistake I see small businesses make in their overall marketing strategy – and I see it EVERYWHERE – is that they are too focused upon themselves.

When I review their websites, their blogs, their brochures, etc, I see where they love to talk about what they do, their newest hires, their new equipment, their company’s growth. Blah blah blah!

Listen hon! No one is interested in that information except you!

The irony is that everyone you’re trying to market to is just as self-involved as YOU are!

Target customers must be able to interact with your company (online, offline, in-person) and think “Ah ha! This company GETS me!“

That’s the bedrock of good marketing strategy.

Do you think it’s best for a business owner to write their own blog content for their website?

A business owner should always BE RESPONSIBLE for what is written for their blog content – and all other content for that matter. This doesn’t mean that they have to be the one to do the writing. Outsourcing blog writing is a very wise strategic use of time as long as the following attributes are in place:

1) You must TRUST your writer. Obviously, this only occurs over time.
2) The writer must understand your industry and your customer.
3) The writer must be able to speak in your voice.
4) The writer must be reliable.

When you find a writer of this caliber, hang onto them like gold.

You as the business owners must provide the raw content. The writer will refine, put it in your voice, speak to the customer, utilize your keywords and make it “online friendly”.

However, always remember that you are ultimately responsible for what is posted and the content that goes out. Never relinquish that responsibility.

What is the main difference between how a company should market themselves offline and online?

The strategic difference is – quite literally – nothing. As stated above, always speak in your customer’s voice and to their issues not your own. That’s true for all the marketing you do.

The important issue about online and offline marketing is to integrate them. Very often I see brochures with no link to a web site or a Facebook page. Or advertisements without a direct call to action and lacking a website URL. Big mistake. Small businesses cannot afford to do “image advertising”. It’s expensive and brings little to zero results.

Also, remember to mention your webpage in your face to face interactions with people as you network and in your presentations and speeches, as well as your voice mail recording and your email signature.

If you could only give one piece of marketing advice to the small- to mid-sized business owner, what would you suggest?

Always remember that you, as the business owner, must only spend your time on activities that make your company money. And the only two things that make your company money are:

1) Selling your product and/or providing your service, and
2) Marketing your product or service.

I cannot overstate the importance of becoming a marketing expert in your particular industry. You must always learn, always study, and always tweak and refine your marketing.

Hire outside marketing strategists to advise you. Hire outside marketing tacticians to do the work for you. Take their advise and recommendations as seriously as you would a doctor’s recommendations. Yet always remember that you alone are responsible for the marketing decisions and educating yourself on how best to market your business.

If a small business owner is “anti- social media”….what is your best argument for WHY they should reconsider (or not!)?

Usually, there are three common reasons that business owners are “anti-social media”:

1 – They believe it is too time consuming.
2 – They approach it like other media (radio, TV, print etc), expecting similar results, and
3 – They usually don’t have a strategy.

If a business owner holds these beliefs and takes this approach, it’s no wonder they are staunchly “anti-social media”. I would be too!

Let’s take these reasons – or objections – in reverse order:

3 – They don’t have a strategy.

Plunging in to social media without a strategy is like making dinner without a recipe! (See “What’s for Dinner? A Social Media Parable.”) It will be a disaster and you will NOT like the results.

So you MUST have a strategy and measurable objectives and outcomes.

2 – They approach it like other media.

Social media is not really media. It‘s social. However, I see too many business owners using social media like they do TV, radio or print ads – and this doesn’t work. Those traditional ways of media are all ONE WAY. With social media, the emphasis is on the social aspect. Social media is more like networking, it’s building relationships and developing a dialogue not a monologue.

1 – Social media is too time-consuming.

Time management in social media is key. Once you have a strategy and measurable objectives, and you understand that social media is about sharing great content rather than selling, you can craft a doable task list for your social media efforts. Try 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week for starters.

Should You Ditch Your Web Site for a Fan Page?

Lynn Ruby — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:04:31 +0000

Business owners often ask me this question: Should I be using my Facebook Fan Page in place of my website? Some marketers often think Facebook Fan Page “fan pages” equal “fan websites.”

However, research shows that 96% of fans never even revisit fan pages once they’ve “liked” them.* That means that in most cases your fans see your posts in their personal newsfeeds and decide whether to like it, comment on it, or do nothing right in their newsfeed, and not on your page.

This Means:

Fans won’t treat your fan page like a website they visit and read, instead they’ll interact with it only if you’re doing the right things.

Content that attracts your fans’ attention in their newsfeed is the holy grail.

Effective Facebook strategies focus on a compelling newsfeed that generates likes and comments.

Bottom Line:

Your website/blog should be your main hub for your online business. Drive all your traffic to it and make sure you have a way to capture your site’s visitors with an opt-in box. Learn more with my free special report: 18 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid with Your First Website available at the top right of this page.

* BrandGlue analyzed their client fan pages and found that for every 200 comments on a status update, 199 of them originate from newsfeeds on their home page, and 1 of them come from a fan commenting on a status update (not a wall post) from the fan page itself.

If a Tweet Falls in a Forest . . .

Lynn Ruby — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:21:14 +0000

Sending a tweet when nobody is around is almost the same as not sending it at all. The tweet will become buried by all the messages that come after it. That’s a simple, unavoidable fact.

How to fix that? Try these two free tools:

Timely.is *

Timely is a web application that will analyze all your tweets and figure out what times of day you get the best engagement and then auto schedule your tweets for those best periods of the day.

It will also tell you how many people your tweets reached and how many clicks they received so you can evaluate the power of your content.

BufferApp.com

BufferApp is another web application which will schedule your tweets at the time of day you set. BufferApp also gives you analytics on the number of clicks and re-tweets your content has received. With a free account, you can schedule up a maximum of 10 tweets at any one time.

Both apps are free with the availability to upgrade to paid accounts if you wish. Paid accounts come with more bells and whistles and start at $10 per month.

I recommend trying them both with a free account and seeing which one works best for you and your style.

*Note: Timely.is does not support Internet Explorer. So use Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

You Could Appear in a LinkedIn Ad Without Even Knowing It

Lynn Ruby — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:59:32 +0000

Here’s How to Prevent That!

In early June, LinkedIn changed some privacy policies and – in my opinion – didn’t do a very good job of getting the word out.

While they have backtracked on some of their changes due to negative user feedback, here’s what I recommend you do now to protect yourself.

Briefly, LinkedIn opted you in (without asking your direct permission) to having your name and photo appear in third-party advertising like the one you see above.

If you (like me) want to opt out out of this, here’s what to do:

1. Scroll over you name on your LinkedIn homepage (upper right corner). On the drop-down menu, select “Settings”.

2. From the “Settings” page, select “Account”. (lower left corner)

3. In the column next to “Account”, click “Manage Social Advertising” .

4. De-select the box next to “LinkedIn may use my name, photo in social advertising”.

5. Click Save.