Looking to get some help on what you want? Let me share what has worked for me and thousands of other business owners who are clear about what they want.

Marketing Tip: 5 Steps to Manifest What You Want

1. Be clear about what you want, not what you think you can get. Take your time thinking about it. Clarity is key to manifesting.

2. Don’t Ask, Don’t Get. Visualize what you want stretching the boundaries of what’s possible.

3. Create a manifesting circle for personal and business. What does that look like? Draw a sun and rays stretching out and in your own handwriting, write what you want on the rays, being as specific as possible. And don’t forget to add feelings.

4. Sign your drawing or paper and date it. Save it in a notebook, put it on your desk, hang it on a wall. It’s there to refer to. When you’re writing, put yourself in a state of feeling “as if it happened” and be grateful for what’s on its way.

5. Expect the best. Bags of $50 dollar bills don’t just show up on your doorstep. But opportunities and people will. How things happen is not entirely up to you, and that’s what’s so exciting. Your job is to fuel your desire and take inspired action.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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Looking for publicity? It’s a free way to gain visibility – but what’s the real reason you want press?

To start, free PR and publicity will help build your online reputation, credibility, and increase your expert authority. Plus, you’ll be perceived as an expert. All are key factors in marketing.

6 Reasons You Need Publicity in Your Marketing Plan

1.  PR plays an important role in your marketing plan. Think of PR and marketing like best friends. One gets press and earned media, the other targets your audience in more direct ways. Together, they work toward a common goal.

2. Publicity raises your social brand. It also uplevels your profile and professional standing. That helps you feel more confident and own your expertise.

3. Free PR allows you to showcase your brand. It’s earned media from a third party and you don’t pay for it, so it appears more credible.

4. Marketing and PR build like, know, trust and believability. Both set the stage to build interest, a following, and ultimately sales.

5. Publicity distinguishes you from the competition. Chances are your competition doesn’t have the time or the know-how to get free press and publicity. That gives you a big advantage.

6. Free PR opens doors to new opportunities. Your clients, customers, partners and vendors see that you’re up to something big. They want to do business with people who are making things happen.

7. Getting mentioned in the news feels great. It puts a zip in your step, and acknowledges that you really do know what you’re doing. You knew it already, but it feels good to hear it from someone else.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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How much do you charge? Pause, pause. Don’t get mad. Here’s what to say next.

If you’re in business, you’ve probably done more than your share of free – when you started, for causes you believe in, or as part of giving back.

For those who ask, “how much do you charge?, here’s what you can say. Thanks David Newman, speaker guru, for the lesson I’ll never forget!

Before you say anything, remember this. Don’t quote a random price unless you think this person will be a major pain in the butt or you charge a low hourly rate. Also, be prepared for the question. Don’t act surprised. And lastly, don’t get hot and bothered and go on a tirade.

Here are 7 Marketing Comebacks to How Much Do You Charge

1. “More than a banana less than a Ferrari”. Humor levels the playing field.

2. “Can I ask you a question? Do you can more about price or results?” See what their main concern is. Results are worth paying for.

3. “What are you trying to accomplish, [first name]? Let’s look at some options.” Let them talk. Hear their story. Listen.

4. “Do you have 10 minutes later this week so we can set up a call?” Set up an appointment right there and then or send an email with your calendar link.

5. “Honestly, [first name], I don’t know much about you or your company. We just started talking.” How can you quote if you don’t have all the information?

6. “If I pick a number out of the blue, it won’t work for either of us. Let’s set up a time to talk. What time looks good for you? “Set up a time where you can be prepared.

7. “What kind of budget have you set aside? Then, we can figure out if we’re in the same ballpark and should continue the conversation.”

Always keep control of the sale conversation and kick out the tire kickers. They just wear you out and take up valuable time. My Dad used to say, “next!”

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Want more marketing tips? Visit my website at  RobinSamora.com. Talk soon!

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Need free photos for your marketing projects?

If you do any kind of content marketing, you need visuals – photos and images to use on your website, on blogs and articles, and reports – as well as on social media.

Here are 5 free photo sites for your next marketing project

1. Unsplash

Unsplash has thousands of high-quality free photos and images that you can use in marketing and design projects. What makes it easy is that you can find them with a user-friendly search tool. Just type in your keywords, and voila. Photos on demand.

2. Pixabay

Pixabay is another favorite for free photos and has one of the biggest collections of no-cost stock photos and illustrations online. There are over a million images – ranging in quality, with a strong landscape and Editor’s collection.

3. Gratisography

Gratisography is unique an if you haven’t checked it out, you’ll want to. It offers a small selection of fun and quirky images that aren’t your everyday photos. They’re taken by photographer Ryan McGuire. H4e definitely provides a breath of fresh air in the stock photo world.

4. Pexels

With Pexels, you’ll find free public domain stock photos from photographers around the world. Search for something specific or browse by topics – even emotions. Look beyond some of the cheesy photos to find more creative images.

5. Pikwizard

If you’re looking for natural photos of people or urban photography, check out Pikwizard. The photos on this site are offered under two licenses – free and Creative Commons. Free means free, and a Creative Commons license means that the photographer has waived their copyright.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you’d like more marketing tips and want to hear about grants and marketing services, visit my website. I’m at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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Want to grow your business? Then you need a marketing plan.

3 Reasons You Need a Marketing Plan

1. A marketing plan is a comprehensive report. It analyzes your brand or business’ situation, and identifies your target audience, challenges, opportunities, and competition. It contains key industry information, data, and marketing insights that differentiate your brand, and give you a competitive edge online and offline.

2. A well-written marketing plan supports the direction of your company. It has two parts a marketing overview and an action plan. The action plan outlines every step you or your team need to take on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, and one-time only basis. It’s a road map for you to follow, that’s clear and actionable.

3. Every marketing plan should be unique. It’s customized for your brand’s individual situation. Your challenges, and goals. You have an important role to play because you start the process by providing information. Our team, then for example, would gather extensive marketing research based on what you have to say.

The end result is that you have a marketing plan that addresses your specific challenges, current data, focused on lead generation, and PR savvy. And that it works for your brand and personality.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Check out my website at  RobinSamora.com and my FAQ section to find out more. Talk soon!

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Ever dream of being famous? What’s the Secret Sauce?

5 Ingredients in the Secret Sauce of Marketing

1. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel if You Don’t Have To

2. Master the Art of Execution

3. Who Do You Need to Become?

4. Know the Right People and Make Sure They Know You

5. Make Networking Part of the Road to Fame

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Stop by my website at RobinSamora.com and see how I can help you. Talk soon!

The post Want the Secret Sauce to Marketing? appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

Hiding behind the computer not sure how to use digital marketing for cold calls? Listen up!

1. Figure out who your ideal client is. Who do you need to reach? What kind of company or industry are they in? What are their problems? How can you help? Once you can answer these and other questions like them, you’ll have a pretty good ID on your target audience.

2. Find the decision maker. You can’t just fire off emails to customer service or go down the rabbit hole of the company contact list. Your emails will most likely get deleted. You need to find the right people to reach out to. Fortunately, there’s a great email finder tool called Hunter that can help you find the right email addresses of people you’d like to connect with.

3. Personalize your outreach. Seriously. Take the time to write a personal email to each prospect on your list. Use the prospect’s first name and company, and write a unique question or thought. And of course, finish with a call to action.

4. Don’t forget to follow up. This is not a fire-and-forget exercise — you need to follow up. And often. If you’re targeting busy people —and who isn’t busy these days — you may need to follow up multiple times to get their attention and earn their trust. CoSchedule says the   best days and times to follow up are Tuesday at 10 a.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., and Wednesday   at 2 p.m.

What works for you?

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you’re looking for online marketing tips, you’ll find tons at my website. You can find me at  RobinSamora.com. Talk soon!

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Nothing’s changed and everything’s changed since Covid hit the world. With so much going on, how do you grab your entrepreneurial edge?

5 Ways to Grab Your Marketing and Entrepreneurial Edge 

1. Grow market share. Do you operate in a market where leaders are vulnerable? The shutdown/reopening might be an opportunity to move up from the number 3 or 4 position and take over one of the coveted top spots. Keep your eye on the ball and see what’s shaking out in your industry.

2. Leverage brand names. The brand with the highest recognition has an edge. If that’s not your brand, consider purchasing or licensing a top brand to enhance your impact. With so many businesses struggling to survive, important patents and licenses may become available. This may be your chance to snag an important resource at a mark-down price.

3. Seek out available supply opportunities. Supply agreements with volume commitments may be up for grabs since many businesses can’t meet their obligations. You may be able to step in and get a better deal on supply agreements.

4. Develop consumer loyalty. Loyalties may shift during the shutdown. Customers may have difficulty buying their favorite brands. The reopening may be an opportunity to develop loyalty from new customers or to take on a struggling business and capitalize on their most loyal fans.

5. Break down the barriers to entry. During the shutdown, the walls that protect brands and markets may be lowered or breached. Now may be the time to enter a new market before those walls are rebuilt.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you love these tips, I’d love to have you visit my website and Top 40 Small Business Marketing Blog. You’ll find both at www.RobinSamora.com

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Want some local lead generation tips?

If you’re in business you need leads, and you can get them a number of ways whether it’s networking, speaking, word of mouth, or meeting someone in a grocery line. They all work. But leads should also come through your online marketing efforts. The key is to turn those leads into customers.

3 Local Lead Generation Tips to Grow Your Business 

Local companies typically benefit by offering a discount, a 2-for-1, or a free consultation in exchange for a prospect’s phone number or email address. What’s key to remember is that a well-designed landing page needs a compelling offer. That’s how it turns an interested website visitor into a bona fide lead — someone who genuinely has interest in learning more and potentially buying.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. It doesn’t matter if you want to promote your business on a local, regional or national platform. A marketing plan can help you get there. Have a question on how to make your marketing plan more effective? Reach out at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow

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Are you concerned about cash flow during this economic downturn?

I don’t know any business owner who’s not concerned with maximizing their company’s cash flow. In times like this, it may seem difficult, but it’s not impossible. Here are some ways to keep revenue flowing.

Marketers: Here’s How to Keep Cash Flowing When Times are Tough 

I also suggest that you resist the temptation to stay hunkered down. Instead, become even more visible to potential clients. While it might be tempting to just ride it out or focus on just staying afloat, it’s critical to stay in front of your customers and to be fully prepared for the future and what comes next.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Helping is the new selling. How can I help you? You can reach me at [email protected].  Talk tomorrow!

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