Oh, those dreaded questions!
We all get them, and when it happens, most of us seem to have a real knee-jerk reaction.
What am I talking about? Questions we get asked about our business that pushes us over the edge. Questions like… “do you offer a discount?” or “would you share your secrets with me?” or maybe even “would you send me a list of your contacts?” Of course, the list of questions goes on and on, and they change just a little in context by industry.
When the question happens, how do you respond? A lot of times we don’t give these any thought until the negative thoughts pop into our minds at the time of the asking. And even then, we’re typically at a loss of words for a proper reply. In our minds, we might even be very furious that someone would be so bold to ask such a question and expect a reply.
That’s where the danger lies. You see, if the answers have not been developed and rehearsed beforehand, these little annoyances could eat up all of your energies (and sometimes your whole day).
Instead of spending time letting this upset you, prepare what you’re going to say beforehand. Here are some examples I use (and I typically make it fun and very casual). When someone wants to “pick my brain,” I have several “on the spot” answers ready. Depending on the situation, I will sometimes say, “now, I know that you know I charge extra for that.” Or I might even come back with, “I have no problem answering one question for you, but it has to be a yes or no answer.” And, depending on the person, I normally get a chuckle or two when I use these “canned” answers and the mood then turns light and friendly.
By doing this, I protect my energy and we both go on our merry ways. See how much better things turn out once you practice a more positive way answering those much “dreaded” questions?
Now for a great action step: write down the questions, that when asked, seem to upset you most. Now find a way to answer and react to each one that protects your energies and boundaries. Once you’ve created your list, rehearse saying each one until you answer smoothly. When you’re finished, resume being happy!
Here’s to your amazing success!
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
P.S. And if you would like help building your marketing strategies, just give me a call or send me an email!
4 Ways to Keep Blog Visitors Coming Back!
Blogging is the perfect way for businesses to share their expertise with their readers. When people blog, it means they keep an updated online journal, and typically share information about their industry or interests. Most companies blog as a way to help increase the amount of visitors to their web sites. For many bloggers, however, increasing traffic to their blogs is not their only goal. Most people that blog want to keep their visitors coming back for more, not just to visit once and never come back.
So, today I’m listing four key ways for you to use to keep visitors coming to your blog site (over and over again).
Blogging is rapidly becoming a marketing phenomenon. Blogging is a big business and many companies choose blogging as an inexpensive way to market their products or services. Blogging is often a much better way to maintain a web site and is typically a lot more interesting for readers and clients.
So, let’s take a look at some ways to make your blog a lot more effective and successful…
1. Update your blog:
The easiest way to keep visitors coming back is to update your blog on a regular basis. Readers return to blogs that are updated regularly. Some bloggers even update several times a week. Readers will tend to lose interest in your writing if they have to wait long periods of time for new material. Be loyal to your readers and your readers will be loyal to you. Also, since there are literally thousands of blogs available, if your blog is not updated on a regular basis, you will lose your readers to another blog. Another fun way to update your blog and keep your readers interested in your site is to include something fun for your readers to enjoy. That could be as simple as a joke or maybe a link to a humorous story you have found online. You might also try posting a trivia game, cartoons, videos, contests, or polls for your readers to enjoy on a regular basis.
2. Participate in web communities:
Participating in web communities or discussion forums and mentioning your blog whenever possible will help keep readers coming back to your site. In addition, you can gain new readers when doing this. You might even visit the blogs of other writers and ask them to visit your site in return. Leave nice comments about their site and invite them to your site, too. If you have mutual interests and the same type of readers, you could even write an article for each other’s site. This helps everyone. Your reader will appreciate interesting reading while you benefit from readers from the other site.
3. Understand your readers:
Another great way to keep blog readers coming back for more is to understand who reads your blog and write content that is targeted for them. This doesn’t mean that you have to write on only one particular subject, though. If you are a stay at home mom and write about your life at home with the kids, your loyal readers may not appreciate you writing about cutting edge topics in your writing. Remember, your readers are interested in the topics that attracted them to your site in the first place. You can gain a better understanding of your reader’s interests by including places for comments and encouraging your readers to leave a comment or contact you by email.
4. Include your best keywords:
You will gain readership and help keep your current readers by including certain keywords in your posts. If you have listed your blog on various search engines, these keywords will point to your blog when someone searches using your keywords. This is also a great way to get new readers interested in your blog and a good way for companies to increase traffic to their blog, too.
Blogging has become one of the hottest new ways to market online. In fact, a recent marketing poll revealed that company blogs have been responsible for attracting 46% more leads than any other online marketing technique. So, if you want to make your blog stand out from the thousands of other blogs, keep your readers interested and coming back for more by updating your writing regularly, participating in online communities, understand your readers and their interests, and include your most popular keywords in every post.
To your amazing results,
Carmen, The Publicity Diva
And, if you would like an expert to help you with your blogging tasks, contact me at Carmen@thepublicitydiva.com or give me a call at (281) 404-5019!
Creating drama in your marketing!
Have you noticed lately that in order to get the attention of a really large group of people, usually only requires the ability to create a lot of drama.
Even on TV, it seems like every new show that producers are airing combines a lot of elements that create as much “shock” value as possible.
And, don’t get me started on social media sites! People are posting way too much personal information (sometimes real, sometimes made up) and way too often. In fact, more times than not, the more often a person is posting, the more often they have trained their audience to ignore their messages.
Commercials, of course, have always used these techniques. The screaming, the jumping up and down, and the constant fighting… all trying to get our attention so we will buy, or watch, or become a fan.
The real problem is not all the “tools” we have to get our message to the masses. The real problem is in the message itself. Audiences are not paying attention to the drama anymore and those posting online are not that interesting to read about. Plus the audience that is paying attention is not creating the desired outcome (like purchasing our product or service).
Getting attention in itself is fairly easy utilizing all these tools, but creating the right kind of audience is harder. We all want the audience that will buy from us and have respect for what we do and that’s a whole different story. It seems the easier a customer is to get, the more likely they ‘re not the best ones to have.
Remember, it is possible to create drama and attract your buying audience at the same time. It’s just not always that easy. The key is not in the tools, but in having the right strategy and implementing that strategy effectively. Because the easier it is to get someone’s attention, the less that attention is worth.
Here’s to creating drama the good way,
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
Are you social marketing, yet?
Let’s face it, like it or not, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and all the other social media sites are here to stay. I would imagine that most people using a computer now-a-days have at least experienced one (or more) of these sites by now. But, in a business situation, are they helping business or just wasting time?
I’ll be the first to agree they can be very addictive. So, having a strategy and purpose for marketing through these sites would have to be well defined and well strategized. By that I mean, your expectations from social marketing have to be realistic. The good news is social marketing hasn’t even reached its peak! And, it can be what you would like it to be… if given enough time and with the right implementations.
Of course, there are some precautions to consider when using these sites, too.
First, you should always be careful how much you reveal online. Remember, what you write online is there forever and that means it’s there for the whole world to read, always. Yes, that means your customers, your prospects, your family, your friends, and even strangers will be able to read your posts for eternity. So, each time you write on your wall or post on a social media site, take just a minute to think about whether you would like this displayed forever for everyone to see. I call this the “billboard” method – would you “cringe” if you saw your posts displayed on a billboard? If so, then don’t post! It’s as simple as that.
Another precaution to be aware of is that you can get banned (sometimes accidentally) from one of these sites without much warning. There are many reasons why, but the one I see misused most often is having too many personal accounts or “befriending” others known as spammers. So, be careful when setting up an account in the beginning so it’s exactly what you intended and be even more careful as to whom you become friends with – check them out first. For business posts, think about starting a business page, instead. That way you can keep your personal posts personal and your business posts business-related.
Lastly, consider how often you are posting – both personally and for your business. Too often and you will train others to ignore your messages. Not often enough and others will forget you. The best way to find your rhythm is to test your posts and frequency to see when, where and how often you post results in getting you the most activity. The same thing goes for posting various types of information. Post lots of variety and find what creates the most comments and likes. Once you find what works best for you, stick with that formula. Remember, every industry is different and every audience responds differently, too.
Well, that’s it for today! And if you would like any “help” in handling your social media, blog, SEO strategies, or e-coupon sites, just contact me by email or give me a call. I would love to discuss your projects with you to see if our services make a good fit.
To your “social” success!
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
Are Business Cards Becoming Obsolete?
They first appeared in the 17th century, but …the value of a business card has been proven time and time again.
Some say the business card will go the way of the buggy whip, no longer useful. They feel that in the era of LinkedIn, social media and cloud computing, using a business card makes them feel so “horse-and-buggy” like.
The first cards were made in France during the reign of Louis XIV. But now, centuries later, there are still some great reasons why business cards will remain a successful networking tool.
Consider this: they don’t require batteries, a smartphone, or experience, and everyone in the world understands what they are. Those who predict the business card’s demise have lost touch with its primary function. It’s not a simple information exchange. It’s a profound expression of identity.
Here are some great tips for keeping yours fresh:
~ Simple is best. Don’t order cards that take forever to print. If you are asked for a card, you should always have one available.
~ Know your audience. Don’t give a funny card to a serious executive or a thick foil-embossed card to the founder of “Save the Rainforest.”
~ Include your address. A physical location gives people a sense that your business is real and actually receives mail.
~ Leave the back side blank. That lets the receiver make notes there.
~ Consider texture and weight. Too heavy, you’re killing trees. Too light and you’re not a real business.
~ And lastly, if your information has changed, don’t cross out and hand-write the new information. Order new ones immediately. Nothing can kill your image quicker than unprofessional materials. With the small costs of business cards today, it’s definitely worth the investment!
Well that’s my marketing tip of the day – stay tuned for more tips and techniques real soon!
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
Lake Houston Business Expo!
Come visit us at the Lake Houston Business Expo
We are so excited to be exhibiting in the upcoming Lake Houston Business Expo! This event is being hosted by the Lake Houston Area Chamber and the Presenting Sponsor is Insperity.
We are in booths #320 and #321 and here are some great reasons to visit us at the show:
Our Door Prize – enter for a chance to win a basketful of goodies valued at more than $500!
Become a Rock Star! We will have a photo booth complete with Rock Star backdrops, crazy hair, tattoo sleeves, sunglasses, guitars, microphones and lots of other cool stuff! A “must do” during your visit!
Our Show Special! Come make a “Video Business Card” right on location! We will have professional backdrops, lights, video camera, wireless mic, and our teleprompter – with complete editing, too! All for a Special Show Price of only $175 (that’s a $75 savings!)
The expo is on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Humble Civic Center, located at 8233 Will Clayton Parkway in Humble, Texas. It will include a Business to Business Expo, a Trade Symposium, and a Business Networking After-Hours all in one day!
The purpose of this event is to provide businesses a way to showcase what they provide, network at an After-Hours, and provide a Trade Symposium where businesses have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with potential governmental departments, large corporations, and various institutions for possible vendor requisitions and available contracts. The Symposium is sponsored by New York Life and the participating interviewers have been arranged by the Lake Houston Area Chamber’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Committee Chairman, J. P. Espinoza.
To complement the Symposium, two free seminars will be offered throughout the day. A Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification training class will be at 1:00 p.m. and a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification training class will be at 4:00 p.m.
The Lake Houston Business Expo will conclude with a Business After-Hours sponsored by Silversand Services at 5:00 p.m. This networking event allows professionals to connect with their peers in a relaxed setting. Attendees will enjoy food, drinks, door prizes and a cash bar as they meet and mingle with new prospective clients and share information about their business.
The Lake Houston Business Expo has been made possible by the Expo Committee, headed up by the 2012 Business Expo Chair, Tony Austin with Town Center Park Association, and the event’s Presenting Sponsor: Insperity; Gold Sponsor: The Observer Newspaper; Silver Sponsor: Iconix Marketing and Bronze Sponsors: Artistic Stitches, Houston Heart & Vascular, Lone Star College-Kingwood, Enstep Solutions and Verizon Wireless. The cost to attend any or all events is free for attendees.
For more information about the Expo, the Trade Symposium, or the Business After-Hours, check out the Lake Houston Area Chamber’s Expo website at www.LakeHoustonBusinessExpo.com.
Also – check out this video we produced for the Chamber!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
P.S. I’ll post lots of pictures after the show, announce the winner of our door prize, and post more videos taken during the event!
5 Mistakes Most New Bloggers Make
If you’ve just started blogging or if you’ve been blogging for a short time and are not getting the results you expected, it might be that you are making some of the mistakes most often made by new bloggers. I get asked all the time how I developed my blog and my client’s blogs to garner such high traffic, and here are my top 5 reasons I’ve noted that tend to stifle a blog’s growth.
And, they are…
1. Diving in too quickly (rather than wading in):
Many bloggers are so anxious to get started that they dive in too quickly, rather than wade in slowly. This is especially so when entering a new arena such as the ‘blogosphere.’
Consider these things before you start your Blog:
First, find a focus… one that reflects what you know, what interests you and what you enjoy talking and writing about. No topics are out of bounds: politics, religion, science, comedy, exercise, diet, diseases, etc.
Next, take a look at other blogs: note the colors, graphics and layouts to get an idea of what appeals to you. Also note that some bloggers write lengthy posts, while others are brief and to the point… this is a personal style you get to choose.
Then, consider where to host your blog. If you choose one that is free, remember, they may not offer all the features of those that charge a small fee. Do choose carefully, because once you’ve established your blog and have a few regular readers, changing your URL address could lose them, permanently.
Lastly, when naming your blog, choosing whether to use your real name (or not) will depend on many factors, such as your stance on controversial issues and how publicly you want to be identified with your opinions.
2. Having unrealistic expectations:
If you start blogging expecting instant results: a large readership and lots of comments, you may be very disappointed. There are tens of thousands of blogs online all vying for the same audience. Patience and tenacity are essential on your part. If you write well, find a unique niche to fill, have appealing titles for your posts and “tirelessly” promote your blog, the readership and comments (some of which will be complimentary) will come.
3. Losing focus:
When you started your blog you had a particular reason for doing so; it might have been to express your views on a topic or it might have been to just communicate with a close circle of friends about your daily activities. Readers that come to your blog will either be interested in your topic or not, and will either like your style or not – simple as that. And, if they like your topic and style, they might leave a comment and then come back later. So, once you’ve established a topic and style for your blog; don’t change anything. To do so would basically be starting all over.
Quick Note: If you have other topics you’d like to cover, but topics that don’t fit your current blog, just start another blog. Keep in mind, however, each blog should be devoted to a particular topic and under a different name and identity.
4. Plagiarizing:
There are some really great bloggers out there and as you surf through blogs you might find one who said something that resonated with you that you would like to post on your blog. But, DON’T just copy and paste someone else’s words on your blog without giving them credit. If you decide to write about the same topic, write it in your own words, adding your own thoughts and feelings, and then be gracious enough to mention where you got the idea and provide a link.
5. Ignoring the reader:
Some of your readers will leave comments; some will agree with you and some may even praise your insights. However, some will pick a point you’ve made and leave criticism. People leave comments on other’s blogs for the same reason they themselves blog, to exchange ideas and express their points of view. Always respond to your readers’ comments; thank them for reading and taking the time to comment (even the severe critics) and then respond, as appropriate, to their comment. If you ignore the comments your readers post, they may end up ignoring your blog, too.
Well, that’s it for my simple list and by following these few steps, you will be enjoying your blogging experience in no time!
To your amazing blogging results,
Carmen, The Publicity Diva
And, if you would like an expert to help you with your blogging tasks, contact me at Carmen@thepublicitydiva.com or give me a call at (281) 404-5019!
3 Ways Blogging Boosts Business!
Nowadays, building your business can be a very difficult task. You can put hundreds of hours of effort into your marketing, but without certain components in place, you could be missing out on tons of business.
Today smart businesses realize that blogging (correctly) helps boost business. In the past, blogs have been thought of as just personal places to express yourself and your views.
However, blogs today are great ways to make people aware of your business and your products or services.
Here are 3 great ways to accomplish this whether you already have a blog or not.
1. Name Recognition
Here’s a great way to get started even if you don’t have a blog.
The fastest way a business can start blogging is by posting on other blogs. You can easily create quality posts and highlight your business without even setting up a blog. Look for blogs that pertain to your area of business without competing. Examples might be a pet care center and a veterinarian, or a beauty salon and a fitness center, etc. Think about businesses that tend to fit with yours and share the same type of audience.
With millions of blogs online, you should be able to find plenty with no problem. Post on as many as you can, or choose only the ones with the most activity. If you post regularly, you will soon draw lots of activity (and hits) to your site. Your posts will also help you gain recognition very quickly.
This same method works for utilizing blogs of interest to your audience, too. Let’s say you want to get your company’s name out to a specific group, like men who enjoy fishing. First you would search for blogs on that subject. Once you find them, post useful information on topics that would be of interest. Of course, you don’t want to sound like an advertisement, so post your comments and simply tag your signature with a link to your website. This is a very subtle way to get the word out.
Remember, the more you post on these blogs, the more widely known your company will become. And as the blog’s audience grows, so will your name recognition. This is one of the fastest ways to get started. But, keep in mind; you will have to invest some time to make this work properly. One or two posts will not get you much attention…so, you must be committed to this strategy for gaining the best results.
2. Testimonials and Reviews
Another great way to start blogging is to write a testimony or review of another company’s products or services. After you write your review, find blogs where it would be appropriate to post. Consumer testimonials go a long way with other consumers and it helps create “social approval” for the product or service. If these blogs are active enough, you will soon see an increase in traffic.
Also, be sure to post your review on your own blog (if you have one), too. That way you’ll become the “voice” to listen to when your audience is searching for an honest opinion before buying. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it makes you somewhat of a celebrity, too! That’s definitely a win-win all around, right?
3. Building Relationships
Smart business owners also know they can go farther with the help of others. A great way to connect and build relationships with other businesses is via their blog. If you post regularly and add value to their blog, they will be more likely to work with you. Working together on your marketing is a great idea.
How might this work? Well, you can swap ad space or host special offers to each other’s audience. You can team up to post on each other’s blogs, host events together, or exchange articles in your newsletters. Joint ventures work great for business owners and are easy to do once you build your relationships.
As you can see, blogging is a great way to boost your business. Even though it’s very time consuming at first, think of it as free advertising that works better than a TV commercial or newspaper ad. It reaches your targeted marketing group and keeps your company’s name and offerings visible.
Overall, blogging is an effective and inexpensive way to get your business known. People like to buy from people they know, like and trust. But, if they don’t know who you are, they are not as likely to buy from you.
So, even if you just use blogging to build your company’s image and presence, it’s well worth your time. Now, go give it a try and see what great results you’ll get by using these tips and techniques.
To your amazing results,
Carmen, The Publicity Diva
And, if you would like an expert to help you with your blogging tasks, contact me at Carmen@thepublicitydiva.com or give me a call at (281) 404-5019!
A Tribute to my Dad
This week, Penworth Marketing is celebrating its 8th year in business. I have so many people to thank for that… my awesome clients, my husband, my friends and family, my amazing team, those that support me, mentor me, partner with me, refer others to me, and most of all… my wonderful Dad!
Even though he’s been gone for almost 20 years, his wisdom still guides me today. He wasn’t around physically when Penworth was started, but he definitely (even to this day) plays a big role in how we conduct business.
My Dad owned his own business when I was growing up and I remember him letting me “help” him at tax time. He would take out all his receipts, a big old-timer type of adding machine, and a big yellow tablet (to recalculate manually to check the machine : )
It was during these moments he taught me a lot about running a business. We would start going through all the paperwork and he would chuckle when looking at certain notes. I would ask him what was so funny and he would start telling me a story about one of his customers that just came to mind.
He would share so many fond memories and you could tell his customers really brought him a lot of joy. That’s when he would say, “do what you love and share your passion with everyone, and in everything you do. That’s where you’ll find true success.” I now understand what he meant by that statement.
So, in honor of my Dad, I would like to share what I picked out as his Top 3 Pet Peeves in running a successful business (which his was!).
1. Be honorable in all your dealings. It seems now-a-days a lot of businesses tend to be better at pitching the sale instead of doing the work. Being honest about your capabilities will sometimes lose a deal to a competitor, but at what cost? It won’t be long before the truth becomes evident and the deal will go sour, anyway. So, keeping your honor in check is a great “return-on-investment” in my book – always.
2. Be selective in choosing your audience. This goes hand-in-hand with the first pet peeve. Going after the wrong audience will most likely hurt a business more than help. Here’s why – let’s say you sell products and/or services that are in the middle price range, and yet, you are attracting “bargain shoppers.” If this happens, you often wind up in negotiations more often than you’d like. Even worse, you will probably receive even more complaints (because bargain shoppers can be tedious to deal with), and very few (if any) will send you any referrals. So matching your products and/or services to the right audience is not only crucial for success, but for profitability, too.
3. Never over-promise, but always over-deliver. I know, we’ve all heard this one before, huh? And yet, so many businesses do just the opposite. The true value (and excitement) comes when a client’s expectations are focused on one thing and the outcome is ten times sweeter than they expected. Going that extra mile can even give your clients “bragging” rights where they are delighted to share with others how much they love dealing with you. So it’s wonderful to include some real unexpected surprises that no one else is providing, and in return, gain a lot more referrals.
Of course, there are lots more my Dad taught me about running a business, but for now, these are the ones that make the biggest impact in my life (both personal and in business).
Miss you, Dad, but you’re always in my heart,
Daddy’s Little Girl, Your Carm
Marketing Find: Click-to-Call Website Buttons Create More Sales!
One health products company spent millions annually for online marketing. But the results weren’t great. Less than 3 percent of those who clicked on the online ads went on to place an order.
They discovered that the percentage went up considerably if the prospective customer spoke with a person who could explain a product and how it was used. Those calls resulted in 20 percent of clients placing an order.
The company signed up with Marchex, an organization selling mobile advertisements that automatically connects smartphones to a call center.
With this program, and others like it, cellphone customers can instantly go from an online search engine ad to a human being.
With the human connection, browsing customers turn into paying customers who order more in the future.
Google also has an ad program for cellphones. The click-to-call program evolved from a stepchild project into a major initiative. An estimated 500,000 customers now use it, say technology experts at Bloomberg Businessweek.
When a smartphone user visits a website with advertising, or searches Google, the ad or website can include a phone number. When the user clicks the number, their phone dials the seller. Marchex and Google only charge advertisers for calls that are of a certain length, filtering out telemarketers and wrong numbers.
Some companies are increasing their number of such ads, but the plan doesn’t work out for everyone. Other companies didn’t like it and quit using the system.
Both Google and Marchex sell similar ads for desktop PCs, but customers have to pick up the phone and dial instead of clicking. Both companies are now working on a way to route PC-based calls so callers speak directly through their computers.
Could this be something your business finds useful? If so, please be sure you post your findings below in our comment section.
Cheers to all,
Carmen, “The Publicity Diva”
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