On our way to counting down my favorite 30 marketing tips, we’ve spent a lot of time connecting your marketing activities to your business plan.  Now I want you to connect the matrix that we’ve been building of goals, budget, target audience and messages/benefits to your existing marketing materials.

Tip #18:  Using the list from Tip #17, match each of your target audiences to a piece of existing marketing material or an ad.  If your existing materials are on track, it should be easy to match the benefits and message to the target.  Make a list of any “orphaned” materials that don’t seem to have a target.

If you have orphan ads or marketing materials, what audience are they speaking to?  And if your materials aren’t speaking to your intended audience, what’s the likelihood that their message is going to bring you the business you want?

Get free tips and great ideas with my Possibilities! Newsletter at www.GailMartinMarketing.com

We’re taking a look at 30 of my favorite marketing tips to get your year started right.  Now that we’ve made progress towards telling the marketing story of your business, let’s go back to making sure that your marketing is in sync with your business planning and target market.

Tip #17:  Revisit your list of end-users, gatekeepers, decision-makers and influencers.  Now make a list of each one’s needs and concerns.  Match at least one benefit (not feature) of your product to those needs/concerns.  Look for ways to “slay the dragon” as you go.

One of the great things about Fall is that between October and February, just about every major religion celebrates a holiday.  That means plenty of gift-giving opportunities for personal and business situations.  Have you ever thought about the gift potential of your business or product?  Are you maximizing your gift-ability?

I was stuck thinking about gifts as being consumer products: you know, perfume, jewelry, music.  But in reality, a perfect gift is what the receiver really wants and today, it could also be something they need but can’t afford themselves.

What’s your gift-ability?  Could you open up a new market by promoting your services or products as gifts?

Remember, businesses give gifts to clients all the time.  Real estate agents give new homebuyers housewarming gifts.  In the October through February holiday season, business owners show their appreciation to valued clients with gifts, and individuals give presents to a wide variety of friends and contacts.

How could you position your product or service as a gift?  Think first about who needs what you offer.  Might there be someone who already works closely with that target customer (or someone in his/her family) who would be a perfect person to introduce that customer via a gift?  It could be a three-month massage package, a trial membership at a gym, a book on a business or personal topic, two months of housecleaning services—anything has gift potential.

Now think about the life events that might go along with needing your product.  Would your product or service be especially useful to someone who just started a new business?  How about suggesting a “business warming” gift?  Would your book, product or service make life easier for newlyweds, newly singles, new moms (or dads), new empty nesters or new homebuyers?  Suggest it as a gift to the people who are already serving that target customer in other ways.

Books make a great gift, but authors rarely think of books as gifts, even though research shows that a large percentage of books are purchased as gifts.  Who might be overjoyed to receive your book as a gift?  Suggest it to the kinds of people or professionals who currently provide goods or services to that potential reader.

Manicures, financial advice, car tune-ups, automotive detailing, personal organizing, personal makeovers, image consultants, business coaches, in-home or take-home food preparation services, all have gift potential….it’s only limited by your imagination.

Here’s something else to think about.  In today’s economy, people may ask for products or services as gifts this year that they would otherwise have purchased for themselves because cash is tight.  Gift-givers will also be looking for practical, useful and meaningful gifts.  It’s a perfect year for giving (and receiving) down-to-earth gifts like small appliances, computer peripherals, clothing, “green” or save-the-earth products of any kind, do-it-yourself tools, cookbooks, how-to books (people are doing more themselves now, even if they don’t know how) and other items that help do more with less or help save money.

Don’t let this year’s gift season pass you by!  Position now to be the best gift ever!

We’re on the fifth step of telling the marketing story of your business as we preview my 30 favorite marketing tips.  Here’s where we get to “happily ever after.”

Your client has a real sense of pain or he/she wouldn’t be looking to spend money on your solution.  It’s your job to pain a real (and realistic) picture of how good it will be once that pain is gone.  Include both tangibles (for example, a computer that works) and intangibles (for example, no more wasting time struggling to get the computer to work, calling help lines, etc.).

Tip #16:  Think about what “happily ever after” looks and feels like for your client and the beneficiaries at every level.  Include the benefits for the end user, the manager, the executives and the internal clients, support personnel, etc.  Be honest, but also make the benefits as tangible as possible.

For more great ideas, get my free e-book, “154 Power-Packed PR and Marketing Tips” at
http://www.dreamspinnercommunications.com/page/page/5319972.htm

As more and more people sign up for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, I guess it’s inevitable that many do so without a clue, especially as the sites pertain to business.

What amazes me is the number of people who seem to have forgotten the part about social media being, well, social. As in meeting people you don’t know.

I use Facebook and Twitter to meet new people without the constraints of geography or time zones. When I invite people to be my “friend” or “follower,” I do so based either on personal knowledge of the person, or recognition of a shared interest. For example, we may both be members of an online marketing group (which would lead you to think we are both interested in marketing.) The vast majority of people are fine with this, and do the same to expand their personal circle of “friends.”

But there’s always someone, like the woman at a recent luncheon where I spoke, who ask: “Why do these people I don’t know try to friend me?”

Well, for the same reason that people at the luncheon you don’t know try to introduce themselves to you. Because the goal of the event is networking–which means meeting strangers in a business setting.

If you want to use Facebook just to talk with your extended family or old sorority sisters, that’s fine, but you should make your page private so that it’s an invitation-only site. That’s also a good idea for teens, because it’s true that “friends” aren’t always who they claim to be. (They aren’t in real life, either.)

But going onto Facebook or Twitter and joining business groups and then freaking out when someone you don’t know offers to be your friend or invites you to be their friend–that’s telling me that you have no idea how the whole idea of social media works.

Imagine that you open a store on a busy street. Friends and family drop by to wish you well. All of a sudden, a person you don’t know walks in. He says hello. He offers you a business card and asks for one of yours. He tries to strike up a conversation on a shared interest, one he deduced from looking around your store.

What do you do? Call the police? Scream? Start shouting: “Who are you and why are you talking to me?”

Gee, it might just be that the person wanted to buy what you’re selling. At least, before you went medieval on his butt.

Or imagine going to a networking luncheon (presumably to get more clients) and it all is going well until someone you don’t know walks up and introduces herself. What now? Throw silverware? Call 911? Yikes, a stranger!

As an adult, we presume that you have reasonable methods in place for meeting new people. Common sense says you don’t offer your credit card or Social Security numbers, give them a key to your house, or arrange a blind date with your daughter. But despite the advice your mother gave you when you were in kindergarten, it’s OK for adults to talk to people they don’t know. We call it….business.

Social media is new and many people are confused as to how to use it for business. That’s OK, too. Just ease off on the accusations and paranoia when a stranger says hello. A one-time greeting is not spam and the person is probably not a serial killer. And if you put down the shotgun, the person might just buy what you’re selling, assuming you can get past hello.

If you’re confused or scared by social media, contact me at Gail at DreamSpinnerCommunications.com. I can help you figure out how to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and other sites to do more business.

YOU, the small business owner, are a powerful marketing force.  It’s your idea, your passion and your knowledge that created the business.  You are the face, personality and charisma of the business.

You have seven powerful tools as a business owner that are often underutilized.

Your elevator speech should give your name and business, along with a memorable “hook” or tagline. It should be no more than 60 seconds long, and focus on the benefit you provide to prospects and the value you’ve provided to clients.  Your elevator speech should spread passion and enthusiasm.  Make sure you choose every word with care—you’ve only got 60 seconds.  Practice it enough that it flows naturally without sounding memorized.  You’ll want to sound conversational, and be able to make minor tweaks seamlessly to adapt to the event and the person with whom you’re talking.

Your business cards should be good quality, not flimsy. Get them made just for you.  Templates and free cards look cheap and won’t give the impression you want.  Get a unique logo and show the personality of your business.

Make sure you include all your contact information—especially email address. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to want to contact someone after an event to do business with them only to find that their business card doesn’t have an email address.  I don’t want to go to your website and fiddle around trying to find your email address or deal with a form email.  No email address—you miss out on opportunities. (You say you don’t want spam?  Being contacted is part of being available for business.  Why miss contacts you do want?)

Use your card as a tool. Write notes or referrals on it when you give it to your contact, or write a specific way you can help.  Write yourself a reminder of how to follow up on the card you receive.  And always have your cards with you!

Use the online profiles you’re given with club memberships or that come with your social media to make a real statement. Use a good, current photo and fill in your bio completely.  No one wants to do business with an empty bio. Don’t mistake it for a resume-it should focus on benefits and highlights.  Remember that it’s a great way to let other people find you by listing prior employers and alma maters.  Avoid jargon, and target your message to your intended audience. Let your personality shine through. Let people get to know you and offer valuable information.

Make your professional association and club memberships really work for you. Take advantage of the online profiles and directory, get value from the discounts and perks, and make sure you use all the advantages you’ve paid for with your membership. Take a visible role and be active.  Commit to a few organizations and then go often and make yourself a valuable resource.  Give generously by being an answer resource, leading programs and serving on committees.  Connect and refer, making it your job to be the bridge between people and organizations.  Be the first to volunteer or see a need and fill it.  Your leadership will be noted.

Get more from your social media by using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites to find connections and resources. Use your “window to the world” to give recommendations and referrals and to share useful information.  Search for people you know from business or club memberships, or from prior jobs or your alma mater.  Reconnect and offer to be a resource.  Participate in online groups and show your stuff with great answers and helpful posts.  Leverage the “six degrees of separation” by noticing who your friends are friends with and asking for connections.  And avoid the temptation to add friends indiscriminately just to run up a big number.  On Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, friend people who have demonstrated some shared interest in your topic, such as a group membership.  On LinkedIn, friend only people you actually know.

Create more value from your speaking engagements and personal appearances. Ask the groups you participate in if you can be a speaker.  Lead workshops and offer to provide seminars.  Make sure your appearances include a way to build your opt-in list by offering a follow-up bonus to the people who attend.  Ask the program coordinator for referrals to other groups where you might also be a speaker.  Make sure you promote your appearances before and afterwards by sharing video or audio links and sending press releases.  Above all, go to every event with a plan for how it will help you build your business and a goal for what kind of value (qualified leads, product sales, etc.) you will receive that day.

Engage in strategic community involvement. It’s great to volunteer to help organizations in the community, but if you’re doing it for business (not personal) reasons, then make sure people link you to your business by always wearing a logo shirt or driving a company car with magnetic or silk screen signage.  Contribute logo merchandise when asked for gift items or prizes, and if you sponsor an event, get full value by having a nice sign or banner made.  Take a leadership role and choose opportunities to volunteer that showcase your business talents.  For example, if you’re an accountant and you want more accounting clients, volunteer for the finance committee, not the publicity committee.  You only have a limited amount of time to volunteer, so choose your organizations not only based on sincere interest, but if it’s for a business goal, take a hard look at your ability to make connections that will lead to sales.  Publicize your involvement on boards and committees.  Look for ways to lead and innovate.  And make sure you network with volunteers and leaders to get the most out of your investment of time and talent.

Make the most of your seven powerful tools and watch your business soar, even when the economy is tight.

One key thing to remember when you try contact reporters, TV hosts, and radio hosts about your book is that reporters aren’t there to sell your stuff.  Reporters exist to inform and educate.  If they don’t inform and entertain, they’re out of a job.  These days the media world is quite competitive because people don’t buy as many papers, and people will quickly switch the channel on the TV or the radio if they aren’t interested.  Once listeners or readers are lost, precious ad revenue is also lost.

If you approach a reporter and say, “Hey, I’d really like to get your help in promoting my book,” the door is going to close.  But if you come to a reporter with a proposal or an interview, or a segment, or an article that’s based on that problem that their listeners desperately want to fix, now you’ve got the reporter’s ear because it’s in his or her interest to serve the needs of the readers.

Reporters are keenly attuned to the needs of their audience, which is why you need to have a very clear picture of your target reader in mind.  If you can entertain the reporter’s readers/listener (and hopefully both inform and entertain at the same time), you’ve really got the reporter’s ear.  Reporters are looking for valuable information to pass along to their readers or listeners that make their lives better.  That can be solving a problem, explaining how to do something, or simply providing a chuckle during an otherwise bland and boring day.

So find a need that is in sync with the audience for that radio station, newspaper, magazine, TV station and pitch the solution, not the book.  Now this a really important concept, because so many authors come to the media with the idea, “Well of course you want to talk to me, I’m important.  I’m an author.  I have a book.”  That’s not what the media’s interested in.  They’re interested in information and entertainment, hopefully both at the same time.  So pitch that solution,

Now the book is important because it establishes your credibility.  The book makes you an expert.  That means you have a lot more reason to be on their show or in their magazine or in their interview than Joe Smith down the street. Joe Smith may have a ton of opinions about this subject, but he never wrote a book on it.

We do equate being an author with being an expert.  So having your book entitles you to expert status and the right to share your opinion as somebody credible.  But it’s not the book itself that’s going to get you on the air.  It’s the story inside the book.  It’s the life changing revelation.  It’s the solution to the problems or the new system or the fresh, brand new way of looking at something that’s going to hook the reporter, and that’s what they want to write about, not your book.

We’re uncovering five steps toward telling the marketing story of your business in our preview of 30 marketing tips.  So far, we’ve found a hero (you and your business) and a dragon (the problems you solve for your customers) and a damsel in distress (your client).  But if the hero walks out and slays the dragon on the first try, there’s no story.  You show your real stuff in the plot twists.

Tip #16:  Good stories have plot twists.  What problems often arise as you implement your solutions?  Handling these unexpected problems (plot twists) shows your creativity and ability to adapt—both good things in a solutions provider.

Brainstorm this with your implementation team.  We often want to avoid talking about the “speed bumps” we encounter implementing a solution, but what separates the pros from the dabblers is the ability to fix unexpected obstacles on the fly.

For more great ideas, get my free e-book, “154 Power-Packed PR and Marketing Tips” at www.GailMartinMarketing.com.

Would you believe that the most powerful marketing tool is something that’s been around since mankind discovered fire?  It’s storytelling.  Since primitive times, people have bonded, learned and created new opportunities through telling stories.  Human beings are wired to listen to stories.  When we share stories, we increase trust and build relationships when our stories demonstrate our expertise, integrity and ingenuity. The truth is, stories sell.

I’ll give you a hint: this is why it’s so important to take care with what you post about yourself on your social media sites like Facebook.  Your words and pictures are telling a story.  Are you demonstrating expertise, integrity and ingenuity?  If not, think twice about the kind of story your social media sites are telling about you.

Two other ways we tell stories in business are with case studies and testimonials.  What’s the difference?
1) Case Studies:
- Tell a full story with a beginning, middle and end
- Have all five Real Story elements
- Create a bigger impact
- Are not like clinical or academic cases
- Are also great as audio and video
2) Testimonials
- Short and positive
- Not a full story
- Can use a script for better structure
- Are also great as photos, audio and video

So what is your Real Story?  Just like in the stories our ancestors told around a campfire, a good business story has five elements:
1) Hero—Every story needs one—that’s you
2) Damsel in Distress—the client in trouble.  Your story should create reader empathy with the pain of the client who is in trouble.
3) Dragon—that’s the problem. Make it real and tangible.  The more the reader shares the same fear, the deeper their identification will be with the client in the story.
4) Plot Twists—these showcase your experience, creativity and unique approach. A story without plot twists is boring.  Your story gains power when you include the obstacles or set backs you faced and overcame to triumph for your client.
5) Happily Ever After—Make the end result tangible enough to create “outcome envy.”  You want the reader to want the outcome the client in the story got—want it enough to call you for a repeat performance.

What Makes a Good Case Study or Testimonial?  Here are some thoughts.
1) Case Studies
- Works best with a longer, more involved process
- Choose something that is a perfect example of your work
- Pick something that wasn’t easy—showcase your skills
- Make the story one that is easy for others to identify with
- Make sure you demonstrate the solution process
- If possible, use the names and companies
- Incorporate the five Real Story elements to tell a dramatic and engaging tale
2) Testimonials
- Should be a statement of satisfaction and results
- Try to make it specific
- Give the client a guide for structure’s sake—coach them on providing a statement of what was wrong, what you fixed and how it’s made life better
- Because they’re shorter, testimonials won’t be as involved or dramatic as a case study

Where can you use case studies and testimonials?  Everywhere.  Include them prominently on your web site.  Feature them on your blog.  Incorporate them in brochures and newsletters, and on your push pages and squeeze pages.  Videotape satisfied clients and include the video in commercials, infomercials and in web video.  Provide a call-in number and let happy clients record an audio testimonial.  Encourage clients to provide testimonials or recommendations on your social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Print quotes on your packaging or book cover.

When you’ve got happy clients, share it with the world.  After all, others are feeling the pain and they may not find a solution until they learn what you have to offer.  Shout it to the world!

We’re on the third step of telling the marketing story of your business—and it’s where we find the damsel in distress.  (In this case, the ‘damsel’ is gender-neutral.)  Your client is in distress—that’s why he or she sought out your services.  The more you understand your client’s pain—in terms of what it means, financially, physically and psychologically to them—the better able you’ll be to play the hero.

Tip #15:  Think about everyone who benefits from your solution, not just the end user.  That includes the end user’s manager, executives, administrative assistants and internal clients.  How does each “client” feel the pain differently?

If you’re serious about your marketing plan, check out my home study course at www.SolopreneurSurvivalGuide.com