by Karen FrankWhat's the ROI on your marketing?
Seriously. (or if you're texting, srsly)
Do you track how much you spend (both time and money)and what the results are?
One of the differences between the successful entreprenuers I meet and the ones who are 'gainfully self unemployed' is that the successful ones are paying attention to marketing.
I don't mean your grandfathers definition of marketing either.
I need to go on a minor rant about marketing. Please, please get over the idea that marketing is "bad/wrong/evil/manipulative"etc. When you market ethically, you are doing your potential clients a service.
Over and over again, I emphasize that people won't spend money with you just because of you. And if you get a business license and hang out your shingle, the phone won't magically begin to ring. The Law of Attraction doesn't work that way.
When you are in business to help people - to solve a burning problem that they have, then it is your DUTY to market
so they can find you! How can you help them if they can't find you - and how will you stay in business if you're the best kept secret in your town?
So back to the 'm' word - marketing. It's not as distasteful as you might think.
I was at a presentation recently where the presenter claimed that she spent 5 minutes a day marketing and the rest was on auto pilot and the clients continually drop out of the sky effortlessly. She went on a rant about how the only people who think you should be spending most of your time marketing are marketers and she had figured out how to avoid the whole dirty business.
Yeah, right.
Today's definition of marketing includes:
- traditional advertising, like the yellow pages and print ads
- collateral materials, like brochures, flyers and business cards
- and the grand daddy of them all - education marketing which includes:
- Writing a Book
- Social media networking (twitter, facebook etc)
- Networking
- Presenting Workshops and classes
- Sending out Email Newsletters
- Free Reports
- Checklists
Every time you step on a stage or do a group presentation - guess what??? You are education
marketing. The presenter at that event WAS marketing - and every time she steps on a stage to speak or signs a book or does a teleclass, she IS marketing.
So when someone says you should be spending 60 - 80 percent of your time marketing, this isn't the advice of some greedy marketing person. When you encompass all of the items in today's definition of marketing, you probably WILL be spending 60% of your time doing marketing, - Education marketing - not your grandfather's definition of it.
The upside to all of this, is marketing should never be confused with "sales" (sales being trying to convince people they need your stuff) Through education marketing, you will teach your ideal clients why they need your products or services and because you are the expert, or even authority, getting clients will be easy. And that's what you really wanted anyway.
Special One Time Only offer! I am presenting and Jane Carlisle is hosting a class: How Much is Your Marketing Plan Costing You? 5 Hidden Keys to Making More Money in Any Economy in Brentwood on June 23. Because of our relationship, this one day workshop is being offered at a ridiculously low price. Ordinarily I charge $497 for this workshop but if you
click here and use the '5 hidden secrets link' you will only pay a TINY fraction of that amount (about the cost of a decent dinner out) - and you'll get a darned fine lunch too.
Click here for more information and to register. Be sure to click the 5 Hidden Strategies link.
