Marketing for Creatives

Ep #62: Word of mouth is still on top of marketing. It's always great when another person talks about your business and refers clients to you.

But have you thought, that you can actually affect and improve your word of mouth strategy and get more referrals?

In this episode, I talk with Matt Ward about word of mouth strategy that brings more referrals.

Matt is passionate about helping employees, managers, and business owners move their business and personal life to the next level through word-of-mouth referrals.

Since 2002 Matt has spoken at hundreds of business events, seminars, trainings, conferences, and associations, including Score, The Better Business Bureau, and the Vacation Rental Success Summit in Toronto Canada.

He's the author of Making Your Website Effective…as well as his pending book, set for release in the Fall of 2018, CarePackage: How to Create More Word of Mouth Referrals.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Matt Ward
• [01:49] Matt shares his accidental entrepreneurial story - thinking about creating a website company while coaching American football, then selling the company for seven figures 16 years later
• [02:34] Why Matt sold his company
• [04:04] Many businesses have referral clients, yet no one knows how to increase them
• [06:26] People like to do business not only with those who they know, like, trust but also what's important nowadays with those who care about them
• [07:46] To build a network of referrals build a deep meaningful relationship with people who you care about
• [10:03] Surprise people with no reasons. Show up when people least expect you to
• [12:00] Do something for someone else, where there is no benefit or gain to you
• [14:21] Constantly show up in front of your connections helping with no expectations
• [15:48] Never have a partner to explain or even worst sell your service. Let them refer the person to you
• [18:16] Tell your partners what are the referrals to you and recognize yourself when it isn't a word of mouth referral client for you (Matt shares a few examples)
• [20:34] Track your referrals to find the ideal referral source. Use mind mapping apps such as coggle.it to easily see the whole picture of your referral partners
• [22:47] Go to Networking Events to find the referral partners - not clients
• [25:43] Nurture your relationships and think about how to connect
• [27:02] What to do if the referred person isn't the right fit for your business
• [27:32] Keep your partners updated along to way to fill in any gaps
• [30:59] Why turning clients into referral partners can be unethical - best practices
• [32:44] How to improve the results of your word of mouth strategy
• [35:12] Where to find Matt Ward online and his interactive Facebook group on Word of Mouth Referrals
• [36:03] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/62 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
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Ep #61: By asking the right questions and knowing what exactly to say you can win a deal. Lead the dialogue the way that people would want to buy from you.

You also will be surprised that some words can ruin your conversation completely and as a result, you lose a client.

In this episode, Phil M. Jones shares tips on exactly what to say to sell your service and how to answer the common 'How much' question.

Phil has made it his life's work to demystify the sales process, reframe what it means to "sell" and help his audiences to learn new skills that empower confidence, overcome fears and instantaneously impact bottom-line results.

Author of five international best-selling books, and the youngest ever winner of the coveted "British Excellence in Sales and Marketing Award", Phil is currently one of the most in-demand assets to companies worldwide.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Phil M. Jones
• [01:42] Phil's first business was cleaning cars in his fifteens which brought him to the point when he made more money than his teachers at that time
• [03:05] How the 2008 recession brought Phil's retail & real estate businesses to a halt but allowed him to elucidate a common, but key struggle: how to sell and grow existing customers
• [05:00] At the age of 18 Phil become the youngest sales manager in the company where he worked that time
• [05:42] People look for a direction that's why all Phil's books about exactly 'what' and '
• [07:15] Why Exactly What to Say book should actually be called Exactly What to Ask and why you need to learn to ask better questions
• [09:13] Why selling is actually more about consulting and understanding
• [10:17] An example of the remodeling contractor's business positioning which is all about price – and why they'll never make a sale
• [11:48] What to say when people ask "How much?" question and why you shouldn't tell the price right away
• [13:18] "How much?" actually means, "I think I might be interested in doing business with you."
• [16:52] Why you can go over your client's budget – and it's OK
• [19:11] Your clients want you to talk and recommend, even when you have set prices and descriptions
• [20:43] Why you need to take control of your answers with your potential clients
• [22:34] Exactly what to say and ask when you sell your service and an example of the conversation
• [26:53] The 'just imagine' example, that you can use to get results you want from the conversation. People make decisions twice: in their mind, then in reality
• [28:50] How to ask the questions to lead people to get the outcome you want
• [31:19] What you can do right now to improve your communications with the customers
• [34:58] The best incentive for removing powder words from your vocabulary – supporting your biggest competitor
• [35:48] Where to find Phil online
• [36:33] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/61 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
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Ep #60: Think about those people who you try to sell something. There are two groups of them. First, are those few clients that you love to work with. The second group, people who you try to sell, follow up for a long time and many still buy nothing.

In this episode, Perry Marshal shares how to increase sales and marketing results by using the 80/20 Principle. He will explain how it works in business and how to work with that 20% of the best.

Perry is one of the world's most expensive and sought-after business consultants.

More recently, he's turned "80/20" into a verb. 80/20 is not just a fact about your business, it's the action you take on your business. 80/20 is the central lever for every great strategy. His book 80/20 Sales & Marketing is mandatory in many growing companies. His books are course material in several business schools.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Perry Marshall
• [02:02] How an innocent prank at work got Perry fired from one of his first jobs.
• [04:39] Perry's stream of early 'failures' in school and work and how he was led to entrepreneurship through a multilevel marketing company
• [07:26] Perry picking up entrepreneurship skills by selling stereo equipment
• [09:01] How Richard Koch's The 80/20 Principle fueled Perry's Eureka moment regarding 80/20 Sales and Marketing
• [11:28] Professional gambling informs Perry's and John's skill in finding 'marks' – key player/customers to engage with
• [15:13] How the 80/20 Principle works in sales and marketing
• [17:10] An example of 80/20 Principle where the entry-level clients buy $5 lattes and the best clients buy $2,700 Espresso Machine
• [20:58] How to sell long-lasting and profitable results, to clients, not just procedures.
• [23:49] Engage and Survey your customers to find your key 20%
• [25:51] Why you should not treat clients equally
• [27:47] Eliminate and Disqualify Clients in the Sales Funnel
• [28:15] Perry highlights the Five Power Disqualifiers to reduce prospect pressure and secure sales
• [30:32] How Perry applies Disqualification and Elimination to the sales funnel of his most popular book
• by suggesting people take a quiz "Should You Be Advertising on Facebook?"
• [33:03] The number one thing you should do right away is fire your worst customer
• [34:13] Where to find Perry Marshall online and learn more about the 80/20 Principle in sales and marketing
• [34:59] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/60 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #59: Hosting a workshop can be a way to make extra money or even have it as a business model. Let's go through the example of organizing a photography workshop.

We will talk about what you need for that, why shouldn't you worry if other people will kind of steal your business ideas, and what mistakes to avoid.

In this episode, Peter Hurley shares how to organize a workshop for your creative business.

Peter is the premier headshot photographer in New York City. He is known for the genuine expressions he captures in his actors' headshots and executive business portraits.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Peter Hurley
• [01:31] Peter shares how being trained for the Olympics led to his modeling work and turned into a photography
• [03:23] How one interview motivated him to organize a workshop for other photographers
• [05:08] How doing photography and organizing workshops perfectly match each other in business
• [07:02] Peter's thoughts on what if you tell all the technical and business secrets and someone will open the same business nearby you trying to get your clients
• [11:16] How to pick the topic for the workshop
• [12:26] How to organize a workshop and Peter's experience from his first workshop compared to what he has now
• [16:00] How Peter finds the place for the workshop
• [17:34] How to price the workshop
• [20:01] Don't do free workshops. Instead, you may have a free talk with the community and sell something there
• [21:25] An example of how Peter would offer the paid products on the free people's gathering together
• [22:16] How Peter markets his workshops
• [24:09] Avoid these mistakes when you organize a workshop
• [25:57] How to be comfortable when you do a workshop
• [27:00] The foundation that will help you easier to organize a workshop
• [29:21] How organizing workshops had a huge impact on Peter's business and personal brand
• [30:40] Where to find Peter online and how to find a good photographer for your headshot trained by Peter in your area
• [31:50] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/59 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #58 It may look simple, just press the button and talk with the world, but even I am still scared of doing it. Once I think about all the technical stuff I need for that, what I'm going to talk about, and that everything should look great, then I postpone doing my live videos. If you are a perfectionist you'll understand that.

But Ian Anderson Gray made it so simple. He is a confident live video marketing coach and founder of Seriously Social. He is an international speaker and blogs and live streams about social media and live video tools.

In this episode, Ian shares his tools and tricks to work with live videos that will help you to rock with the live show even if you are a non-tech entrepreneur.

Ian has a passion for making the techno-babble of live video marketing easy to understand.

We talked about each thing I just mentioned and it's not difficult at all. Make sure that you check the blog post at marinabarayeva.com/58. I'll put the links there to all the services and equipment that he mentioned.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Ian Anderson Gray
• [02:00] Ian shares how he started as a musician but had an interest in technology. Both lead him to learn more about live videos
• [04:25] Why live videos are worth doing especially if you don't really like to write
• [06:39] Examples of how to repurpose the recorded live videos on other platforms
• [08:52] Start your live videos by welcoming the audience who will watch the replay
• [09:23] What to do if you're a perfectionist and afraid to do the live videos because of that
• [11:39] The equipment that will be enough in the beginning
• [13:01] What equipment to upgrade later
• [16:13] The lighting system with LED lights that Ian uses
• [17:52] How to set up your lights
• [19:12] Why it's better don't use the green screen at the beginning
• [22:29] How to do live videos from the desktop and what software to use
• [23:48] How to do live videos to multiple networks
• [27:46] When you do live videos with your phone look at the camera, not at yourself
• [29:24] The tips if you use live videos for business
• [30:43] How Ian challenged himself to go live 2 times a day for 12 days every single day
• [32:11] What to do if you planned everything, but are still terrified to go live
• [34:53] Where to find Ian online
• [35:35] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/58 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #57: Videos nowadays are very popular. If you are into videos, maybe you played with them on social media or have a business vlog already let's get deeper into the details that will help you to bring more people into your business.

We'll cover the important factors of content that you create to get more engagement when it's better to create 20 minutes video, and when 5 minutes is already enough, how don't get confused with the audience as it's one of the key points to succeed with the business vlog.

In this episode, Amy Landino shares how to create an engaging business vlog.

Amy is best selling author of the book Vlog Like a Boss and Co-Founder at Aftermarq, a creative studio specializing in video storytelling.

She is also the creator of the globally-recognized YouTube channel Youtube.com/AmyTV where she shares her experience and advice on how to go after the life you want.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Amy Landino
• [02:08] Amy shares about her creative business and her current rebranding
• [03:17] How she put a lot of content out trying to get the right clients
• [05:15] She dreamed about work in politics, but she found out that she likes marketing and videos more and it made a significant impact on her career
• [08:57] If you want to start a business vlog start with defining who your customers are and what questions they ask
• [09:41] How you can hack the YouTube search engine to reach your audience
• [11:54] Answer all the questions that your audience has on your business vlog, even those that may not be directly related to your product or service
• [12:47] How to find an audience to your business vlog
• [16:08] How to plan content for a business vlog
• [18:22] What types of content to create
• [19:09] How often to post once a week or daily
• [21:11] How long should be the business vlog videos
• [23:39] Post at the time when it's convenient for your audience
• [24:25] How Amy matches the posting time with her audience in US and UK
• [25:35] How to promote your business vlog
• [27:08] How to engage with people and make your videos shareworthy
• [29:22] There are never multiple avatars in business. If you post for different people then you may end up with nobody
• [32:06] Why if you want to post in different languages it's better to post to different channels
• [33:46] Amy's biggest takeaways from her experience on how to start a business vlog
• [35:29] Where to find Amy online
• [36:05] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/57 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #56: It's often confusing for people how to combine different passions and interests into a strong personal brand and share it through your content.

What if you are a multi-passionate entrepreneur or you still have a full-time job and trying to completely transition to your side hustle business? That's what we will talk about today.

In this episode, Melanie Deziel shares how to determine the area of your authority and create content that grows your brand.

Melanie has been recognized as one of the world's leading experts on native advertising and a leading influencer in Content Marketing.

She travels the world giving keynotes, presentations, and workshops that teach marketers, publishers, creators, and companies how to create the best possible brand storytelling.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Melanie Deziel
• [02:10] Melanie shares how from being a journalist she switched to a marketing career and started her own company
• [03:15] How to determine the area of your authority
• [05:20] How to find the balance between sharing a business content and your personal interests so both will benefit your branding story
• [07:53] If you are a multi-passionate entrepreneur try to find a way for your interests to work together
• [10:24] Your interests during your career are usually related to each other. Crafting your branding story why these things are relevant
• [13:08] How to tell the brand story based on the picked area of the authority
• [14:37] Think about how you want to be seen as a brand
• [15:57] The way you share your content depends on your audience and where people spend their time
• [19:37] How Melanie shaped her branding story mentioning that she also switched her career a few times
• [20:48] How Melanie changed her personal brand when she transitioned from one career to another
• [23:11] How to start positioning yourself when you want to get from one area of authority to another one
• [25:26] Find the way to connect your previous experience with what you do now to build a strong brand story
• [26:25] How to show your authority and share your brand story if you made a significant change in your career
• [29:41] Create a strategy on how you want to be seen and take the actions to execute it
• [31:12] Where to find Melanie online
• [32:17] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/56 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
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Ep #55: There are small things that will increase your conversion. For example, your 5 seconds of Facebook video ads are the most important one. You need to get people's attention right away or they will leave.

We'll talk about what to put there and what don't include. And there are many more things to improve.

In this episode, Michael Koral shares about six things you're doing wrong with your Facebook video ads and how you can improve them.

Michael, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Digital Advertising RoboAgency and platform, Needls, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Michael helps other businesses reach potential clients at just the right time. Needls, the first-ever RoboAgency, is the easiest and most effective way to advertise online. The Needls ad platform allows businesses to automatically create, target, and optimize digital ads on both Facebook and Instagram.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Michael Koral
• [01:52] Michael shares his journey as an entrepreneur starting his cleaning company, working at Xerox a few digital services and finally found himself on Facebook and Instagram advertising
• [05:17] Before he opened his current company he tested many Facebook video ads working with other companies
• [05:49] One of the key components of the good Facebook video ads, you need to capture people's attention within the first 5 seconds
• [06:45] Have a text below the video so people would understand what's going on even if they mute their phones
• [07:49] To get better results your Facebook video ads should start as something social like your friends and family would post
• [10:04] Run another Facebook video ads campaign retargeting those who already watched your video, but didn't buy yet
• [10:39] There is no need to spend thousands of dollars to create a fancy video. Use services like slide.ly/promo to easily create beautiful Facebook video ads on a budget
• [11:57] Start your video by solving people's problem
• [13:14] Create subtitles for your video. You can do it by yourself or outsource it to the freelancer
• [14:07] What should be on your first second of the video as a thumbnail
• [15:13] Have Facebook Pixel installed on your site to be able to retarget your ad campaigns
• [16:39] To analyze the results reach at least 1000 viewers before making decisions
• [17:32] Test 2-3 video ads at the same time
• [18:28] When you test your ads change the small things to see what converts better. You can even have the same video, but change other attributes of the ads
• [20:49] How to define if the campaign was successful
• [22:09] Don't put much emphasis on relevancy score and positive/negative feedback
• [23:41] Tips on how to better retarget your Facebook video ads
• [25:02] When you retarget your ad till people buy from you keep it about the same product or service
• [27:05] Figuring out which ad works better look at your click-through rates
• [29:39] Where to find Michael online
• [32:06] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/55 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #54: Working on your own is always challenging. You never know what can happen. From the small things such as when clients cancel the appointment or you got sick and out of the business for some time to the really big problems.

In this episode, Melissa Agnes shares how to handle difficult situations in business and increase your credibility.

Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. She is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today's leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.

Melissa is the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Melissa Agnes
• [01:54] Melissa shares how she started as a brand strategist but was digging more into the crisis management
• [03:41] How her real estate client called her telling that the radio was reporting that their building is about to explode and how it ended up
• [05:00] Melissa started her crisis management career with blogging 5 days a week
• [06:33] Being crisis ready means don't let things go out of your control in the critique situation
• [07:58] The difficulties that Melissa faced when she started her new career
• [09:44] No matter the size of your business there are situations that you better be ready
• [11:56] One of the crises that we may get to as entrepreneurs is a lack of our own ability to work
• [13:34] Be ready for the situation if your salesperson leaves the team
• [16:07] To get ready for difficult situations ask yourself questions: What can happen? And what would you do in those situations?
• [18:24] How to use difficult situations to increase your authority and credibility
• [22:11] Understand what people matter for your business. If something could happen how could you maintain those relationships?
• [24:03] To be ready for difficult situations understand what the risk is and on whom
• [24:40] The definition of the crisis
• [25:23] What the issue is and what the difference between an issue and the crisis is
• [26:36] How to be crisis-ready
• [28:17] Where to find Melissa online
• [29:00] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/54 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva

Ep #53: Have you been in the situation when you tell your client all good things about your service or product, put an effort in reaching them over and over, but in the end, they say they can't afford it?

Or you can sell the work you don't really like, but the one you like to do you offer for a low price?

And there are more other problems because of the wrong communication right in the beginning.

In this episode, Jeffrey Shaw shares how to communicate with your customers without competing on the price.

Having been one of the most sought-after portrait photographers in the U.S. for more than three decades, Jeffrey, a.k.a. the Lingo Guy, uses this honed intuition to teach entrepreneurs how to attract their ideal customers by speaking their Secret Language.

Jeffrey is host of the popular business podcast Creative Warriors, a nationally acclaimed keynote speaker, a business coach for entrepreneurs, and author of the forthcoming book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [00:22] About the episode and Jeffrey Shaw
• [02:18] Jeffrey shares that his first business was selling eggs as 14 years old teenager, but after graduating from a photography school he became a professional photographer
• [05:15] Being able to successfully work on the specific market, people started coming to Jeffrey asking about business and marketing advice
• [07:00] How Jeffrey gave the best-selling pitch of his photography work for the premium price, but then realized that a woman simply couldn't afford his service
• [09:59] The classic mistake that many entrepreneurs do is they try to fit people into their business when they don't want to be there or can't afford it
• [11:22] Jeffrey realized that he spoke the wrong language to the wrong people that's why it was hard to sell
• [13:14] The secret language of the clients that Jeffrey discovered
• [15:57] Are you aligned in values with your ideal client?
• [17:30] A lot of marketing is very manipulative, which may not align with you. Instead, be caring about people
• [19:41] How can you know what people want, their value until you put effort into understanding them?
• [22:13] How to attract the right people with your price
• [24:28] No business is meant for everyone
• [25:40] When you price yourself too low you can make people think that there is not much value, so they can take advantage of you or try to get a discount
• [26:24] When someone compliments your work, listen to how they feel about it. That way, you appreciate them
• [27:47] When you start taking whatever work you can get it's hard to get out of this circle
• [28:22] Working with your ideal clients help you to build a successful business
• [29:24] If people are not your ideal clients, you no need even to show up to them
• [32:45] What to focus on the next month to learn how to better communicate with your clients
• [33:30] Tips on how to better define your ideal client
• [36:30] Where to find Jeffrey and the infographic that will help you to develop that customer's secret language strategy
• [37:57] For the show notes go to marinabarayeva.com/53 and subscribe to the Marketing for Creatives show

Let's get in touch:

• What topics do you want us to talk about in the next episodes? Who should I interview? Let me know on Instagram
• Did you get new insights? Please leave a short review on iTunes
• Get more marketing tips on marinabarayeva.com
• Follow on Instagram @MarinaBarayeva
• Follow on Twitter @MarinaBarayeva