Fast Marketing Minute

If you’re attending networking events and not getting valuable results and connections, you need to do a better job of working the room.

Here’s how:

Be confident. You’re an expert, so own it. Do a superman pose in the bathroom if you need to. Before you walk in, ok? Or make up a stage name and repeat it. Rockin’ Rebecca.  Rockin’ Ralph. Rockin’ Robin. You got this!

Keep your goals in mind when you’re having a conversation. You aren’t here for small talk with your buddies. You’re here to make connections and grow your network. Some chit chat is important to build rapport, but guide the conversation after a few minutes. So, have a purpose in mind before you walk in the room.

Next up, your body language. Let’s start with a firm handshake. It should fall somewhere between a wet noodle and WWE wrestler. Kidding , kind of. If you’re shaking hands, don’t squeeze too hard so someone yelps. And, look the person in the eye -- otherwise you look shifty.

Then there’s the name game. I don’t know about you, but I’m awful at names. But I learned a few tricks at Dale Carnegie. Repeat people’s names when you meet them and remember something unique about them.

Lastly, you’re not here to make a sale, so don’t jump into sales mode. If someone asks for a business card, offer one. And if you take one, follow up right away. If you don’t, you lose a sense of urgency and maybe even forget why you were meeting.  Remember it sometimes takes up to nine connections to turn a prospect into a customer.  You’re here to meet people and create a network.

This is Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Join in the conversation with me on social media. Find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at RobinSamoraPR. Talk tomorrow.

Today, let’s talk about LinkedIn. Do you connect with everyone who comes across your screen? Or are you more picky?

More connections on LinkedIn builds your credibility and social equity. But too many will make you look spammy and in a way -- it’s dangerous to let just ‘anyone’ into your network.

I don’t know about you, but I get a random request from some unknown prince or entrepreneur without a picture at least once per week. One thing is for sure. That’s not a connection I’m willing to make.

Here’s my thought. LinkedIn is about quality, not quantity. Start with a network of people you actually know. That would be your colleagues, former coworkers and other people you actually know professionally.

Then, branch out by adding new connections. Start out with 2nd degree connections or ask your 1st degree connections for an introduction to someone you’d like to meet in their networks. Someone who would be an asset to your followers or who could help you professionally.

If you get a random request, see who you have in common. Unless it’s obvious spam, accepting the request is usually fine. But always do your homework.

Now, if you’re part of a speaking panel or webinar series, you have every right to reach out and make a connection. You’re professional colleagues with an event in common.

That said, don’t go out there requesting to connect with every person on the people-you-may-know list. Use search filters to zero-in on your target market and pick a few to connect with. And be sure to include a customized message in your request.

I’m Robin Samora host of the Fast Marketing Minute. If you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, shoot me a request. I’m at LinkedIn.com/in/RobinSamora. I’d love to add you to my network. Talk tomorrow.

 

It’s the holiday season, and what better way to celebrate than by thanking your clients for a successful year. You can send a simple holiday card or a small gift – like a bottle of their favorite wine or a batch of homemade cookies with their logo on it. That shows that you care.

For bigger clients, you might want to treat them to lunch or a special night out. Or maybe host an open house and invite your family, friends and clients to mingle and celebrate. Let your clients meet your inner circle. That’s all part of building like, know and trust.

You can show your customers that you appreciate them all year too by offering them exclusive discounts or opportunities to special events.

I’m not talking about the “get 10% off everything today through forever” that you may get from Kohl’s on a daily basis. Give them first dibs on a hot, new product or service. Or your new book that’s coming out in a few months. Then, there are events, concerts, hot ticket items and hard to get seats that will please even the pickiest customer.

Saying a genuine “thank you” every day, and especially on the holidays, can go a long way.

How do you show your clients the love? Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @RobinSamoraPR and share your thoughts.

To me, connecting on a personal level makes the biggest difference. Thanks for listening to #FastMarketingMinute. I’m happy you’re here. Talk tomorrow!

Here are some thoughts.

Get more personal. I’m not talking about inserting someone’s name into an email -- though that’s certainly ok. What I’m talking about taking time to hyper-segment your list, so you’re emailing a targeted group about something they really care about. Think about tags for age, gender, buying habits, previous purchases -- go crazy if you want. No, don’t go crazy. Stay focused with me here.

Use FOMO to get your audience to open your email with subject lines like “Huge Sale - Today Only” or “Get These Boots Before They’re Gone.” We’re bombarded with emails, so this just one of many headline tricks or copywriting tactics to increase your open rates.

You also want to write a clear call to action and link images, buttons and one or two words in the text. Don’t make people guess where to click. Show them. Make buttons easy to find and colorful.

It’s also not a good idea to bombard your audience with emails. Remember, quality over quantity. Do one amazing email per week instead of flooding their inbox 1-2 times per day.

This last one could be the most important. Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. More than 70 percent of people check their emails on a mobile phone. Most email providers will show you a mobile preview, so use it. Then send your email to yourself and check it again to make sure it looks right. And have someone else check it too.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. I’d love to connect with you and see what your marketing challenges are. Will you share? Your feedback will help me in writing my new online courses.  Connect with me on LinkedIn (at) RobinSamora or on Instagram (at) RobinSamoraPR. Talk tomorrow!

Remember the first time you got a bad review? You worked so hard to provide top-notch customer service, but it was there, plain as day. 2 stars out of 5. Yuck. But hold on, that might actually be a good thing.

Not every customer is going to be happy, but how you handle the negative feedback says a lot about you and how you run your business. If you respond calmly and respectfully, and encourage the customer to reach out to you directly and offer to fix the problem, people will see that maybe you aren’t so bad. And in fact, you could be trusted.

Let’s look at it this way. Have you ever been a bit leary of a business that only has 5-star reviews? I have. No one is perfect, and if their Google reviews say they are, it could be fake.. Or a lie.. Ok it is possible, I guess. Mine are pretty good, amazing to me.

Negative reviews also prepare customers for the ultimate worst thing that could happen if they buy from you. If negative reviews are all about shipping time, but someone doesn’t care about shipping, it will ease their fears about buying from you. And they may just hit the ‘buy’ button.

On the other hand, a few negative comments about shipping may alert you to a bigger problem -- in your shipping department. And that you want to take care of ASAP.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute, I love helping clients go from invisible to visible. From 1 to 1,000. If you need help getting seen, heard, and remembered, ask about my marketing plans. Shoot me an email. I’m at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

If you’re writing amazing content and want to share it with the world, think about adding content syndication to your marketing strategy.

Syndication is a process where you take content you’ve already written and post it to third-party sites. It gets your content seen by more people, which ultimately gets you more brand exposure and increased business.

So where do you syndicate content?

There are lots of paid sites, but there are plenty of free ones that are perfect for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Start by researching Small Business Trends, Business2Community, Tumblr, and StumbleUpon (now Mix!) to see if those platforms would be a good fit for your business. Any industry specific sites would also work to reach a niche market.

But what do you post to syndication sites?

Not everything. You want to post the best of the best -- the unicorn blog that got 35 comments. Once the buzz has died down on the original post, that’s the time to syndicate. And always add a link at the bottom to the original post. It invites readers to visit your website, and it tells Google that you aren’t posting dreaded duplicate content.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. I’m always looking for new marketing ideas to talk about here, and on my Top 40 Small Business Marketing Blog. Got an idea to share? I’d love that! Message me at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

I tell my clients all the time that FAQs are almost always a necessity on your website.  And, almost always, I hear the same response. How do I do it? What questions do I ask? How can I make mine better?

Here are a few tips to make your FAQs more effective:

First, make a list of the 10-20 questions you get on a regular basis. These are questions that you have a canned response to. I hate the word canned, but you know what I mean. Repetitive is a better word.

Next, answer each of these questions in a blog. If you blog on a regular basis, you probably already have a few of these done. Why a blog for each question? It boosts SEO. When people type in a question in Google or ask Alexa, having in-depth content about specific questions will help your rankings.

Now, link each question on your FAQ page to the corresponding blogs. Long-form content will answer people’s questions more thoroughly anyway. It makes you look like an expert -- which you are. Plus, internal linking is also good for the SEO machine.

You can always take this a step further by researching what phrases people are Googling to find you, and adding those terms or questions to your FAQs to boost your organic rankings even more.

Remember, these are all free tactics. There’s no investment here, except for your time.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. Would you like a complimentary PR Evaluation or online asessment for your business? Just shoot me an email at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

Video content is king, right? Then why isn’t anyone watching your videos on YouTube? Here are a few quick, free ways you can boost your YouTube traffic. (And if you are a YouTube king, message me and we’ll share your advice).

You don’t have to be Stephen Spielberg, but create interesting, informative video content that your audience will value. Also, use a high-quality camera. The one on your phone will do in a pinch. The new iPhones are amazing! Not that you have to buy an iPhone.

Next, emphasize your expertise. People want to know they’re learning from the best, so this is the time to toot your horn. Shy? Get over it!

What do you want to rank for? Consider that when writing the title, description and tags for your video. Use keywords that are spot on and that you check regularly. Remember, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world!

Share your video on your website and across appropriate social channels. The more places you have your video posted, the more eyes will see it and hopefully -- your video will be played more frequently. That’s what we’re aiming for.

And lastly, create playlists, so the next video on your channel plays when the current one ends. If a new video automatically starts playing, people are more likely to watch it. Remember that time you “accidentally” watched all of Stranger Things Season 3 in one day?

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. I’m all about marketing 24/7. I also love speaking about marketing. If you need a speaker for your next event, check me out at RobinSamora.com/speaking. Then, let’s connect. Talk tomorrow!

LinkedIn can be a money maker for B2B companies. But in order for you to make money, you have to know how to connect with your prospects. Being active is one thing, but posting the same old same old, doesn’t work. Variety is the spice of life -- and connecting with your target market with content they like is key.

When posts seem to drag on and you just keep sharing the same topic with different titles, shake it up with this:

Share educational content. That could be videos, podcasts or slides from a recent presentation you gave. Nothing original? Post other people’s content, like a TED talk you love or a new podcast series you’ve been listening to. Think of it as a way to show who you are and what you’re all about.

Repurpose your blogs as LinkedIn articles. This is pretty easy to do, and often overlooked. Posting articles positions you as an expert or thought leader in your industry. And here’s a tip -- wait at least a few weeks after posting it from your website, so Google can index your content separately.

Also, joining groups can get you and your business in front of a whole new audience -- usually a highly targeted one. If you decide to join a specific group, be active and follow the rules. Post relevant content (like I  mentioned earlier) and get in on the conversation. Please, just dont sell. And a quick bonus is that by doing this you can message people in your groups without having LinkedIn Premium -- and that saves you money.

Hopefully these ideas have inspired you to do something new with LinkedIn. If you need more inspiration, let’s connect.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute, I love helping clients go from invisible to visible. From 1 to 1,000. While we’re talking about LinkedIn, reach out to me there. I’m (at) @RobinSamora. Just mention #FastMarketingMinute so I know who you are. Talk tomorrow!

We live in a culture that doesn’t want to miss anything. FOMO is the fear of missing out. It’s why people are glued to their phones. It’s why they wait in line for midnight releases of movies and video games, never mind blow-out sales!

The good news is, there are some easy ways to capitalize on FOMO to get more attention for your events.

Start by creating a discount code that expires a few weeks before the event. Use phrases like “limited time,” “don’t forget,” or “this offer expires in 72 hours.” It will encourage people to buy tickets early and share with their friends.

If admission is free, offer a “free gift” for the first 100 people that RSVP. Post about how you’re “almost to 100 RSVPs.” Make sure your audience knows that they could lose out on this deal, and soon. The goal is to make it seem as though tickets are scarce.

You can also create a contest surrounding your event. Maybe the prize is VIP access and a behind the scenes tour or an exclusive meet-and-greet. The perks can vary depending on your event and your goals. One thing is, you want to ask for an email in exchange for entry. You build your list. They get a chance to win. Give extra entries for sharing the contest on social media.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute, Are you looking for an easy to follow, super detailed marketing and action plan that works? I write plans for businesses -- from solo-preneurs to multi million dollar brands. Interested in finding out more? Contact me at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!