Get Natural SEO From Your Web Site Copy

Search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is daunting. Totally. I get it.

But one of the things you need to think about when launching a new web site are the words you write, AKA the “copy.” Here are some things you can do to write copy that is SEO-friendly while keeping you naturally on-brand.

First, you should starting thinking about key words and phrases that you think people would search for to find your content. If you have gone through a branding exercise, you’ll have a good idea of the words and phrases to use. You should come up with a few (no more than half a dozen or so) for each page, because the key words for one page may not be the same ones you would use on another.

Once you have your list of key words and phrases, you’ll want to make sure you keep them in mind as you write the copy for each page. Do the best that you can to use those key words/phrases in the page copy. Don’t force them. If they work naturally into the copy flow, that’s great. If you can massage what you’ve written to use a key word or phrase instead of something else you’ve written, it’s going to give you a natural SEO boost. However, the most important part is making the copy readable and making sense to human readers. The search engine “bots” come second.

One other place you can add to your natural SEO is in page headings. If you have headings on the page that break up sections, see if it might make sense to use your key words or phrases in those headings.

The final place for you to look is for opportunities to add hyperlinks to the pages. Of course you’ll be linking from one page to another in your site. When you do, use the text that makes the hyperlink as an opportunity to use a key word or two from the page you’re linking to. The last part is important, because links to a page give you the chance to reinforce the key words/phrases for that page. You may also find that it’s helpful to your readers to link to another site(s). If so, that has the potential to increase your rankings, as long as the site you’re linking to has content that’s relevant to your site. Again, don’t force external links where they don’t feel right.

You may have noticed a recurring theme here. The most important thing when doing natural (white hat) SEO is to keep it natural. It should never be obvious to your reader that you’ve employed key words/phrases on your page. Work them in where you can, and leave them out when it doesn’t sound right.

Need suggestions for easy gains on the SEO front? Let us know as we’re happy to help you out.

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

 

Successful Solopreneurs Don’t Work Solo

The word “solopreneur” is a relatively new term in the English language but as you likely already know, it describes a business owner who works alone. I have found that term to be useful in the collective conscious, but it’s really a misnomer. Successful solopreneurs do not work solo. They create a team of people who support them in their business so they can focus on the activities that they love and make them money.

However, not hiring assistance is one of the biggest hurdles that my private clients struggle to get over. I completely understand because I fought this tooth and nail for years! I would find myself thinking, “I can do that. I don’t want to pay to have someone do that! What a waste of money!”

Can you relate?

I’ll never forget the day those limiting thoughts started to leave me forever. I was lamenting to a neighbor about how much I had to do, how much time it was taking, and how I really just wanted to have more time with my family and get to bed at a normal hour. Unexpectedly, she offered to help me do some research, create a letter, make copies, create mailing labels and stuff some envelopes. While I knew she could handle these simple tasks, I was worried to let go of this important project. But something in me said to go for it. I provided her with some direction, and within a few days she called to say that everything was completed. After she dropped the project off, I felt so incredibly elated. The jobs I had given her were completed beautifully – without any additional effort on my part! It was really incredible! The weight that was lifted was truly life-changing, and I was absolutely hooked on the idea of not having it be the Lone Ranger in my business anymore!

For many business owners, solopreneurs particularly, spending money on outside help is a hard line to cross, particularly when you are first starting out. It seems counter-intuitive that you should hire someone so you can make more money, but that is truly what can happen when you do this right. The reason is that by outsourcing your more mundane tasks and things that you don’t like to do, you can focus on the activities that you enjoy which in turn, will bring you more income. If you find yourself thinking, “I just can’t do it all,” or “How do people do this?” or “I’m getting burned out,” you are a perfect candidate to create a plan for outsourcing.

To help you start thinking of the right things for you to outsource, make a list of all the things that you’d love to have done without lifting a finger. If you could wave your magic wand and have something done, what would that be? Accounting is a big one for many people. Administrative help such as answering your phone, following up with your client enrollment system or formatting your ebook may be good candidates for outsourcing. How about updating your web site with fresh copy or a new design, or creating a brochure or flyer? Do you need someone to help you research potential joint ventures? What about doing keyword research to increase your search rankings for your web site or pay-per-click ads? The list of what you can outsource is endless these days! Go wild and dream big by making a huge list. Then go back and whittle the list down later to find your top three things you’d like to outsource.

To find the right kind of help for your top three projects, ask your network who they recommend. You can go to www.assistu.com to locate a Virtual Assistant (an administrative assistant who works from her/his own home). Or contact one of mine, Miriam Bogard, at Miriam@richlifemarketing.com.  You can also try

www.elance.com for web development and design and a whole host of creative people searching for freelance work.
The key to effective outsourcing is to figure out what activities are draining you and stealing your precious time and energy. If you really take a close look at this, you may find that it’s time to make the investment in finding the help that you need. If you are just starting out and can’t justify the expense just yet, you can ask around in your network to find someone who will trade services with you. Or you can start small and only outsource one job at a time like I did.

Speaking of which, do you know what my first $50 in outsourcing expense brought me? Besides major stress relief and a sense of accomplishment, I also landed three corporate clients within one month. It also helped me make the decision to hire my first retainer Virtual Assistant and eventually an entire outsourcing Dream Team who have helped me steadily increase my business. Was that worth the investment? Every penny!

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at  http://www.richlifemarketing.com.

 

How to Assess Your Brand Promise, Featuring Meredith Liepelt

 

A brand promise is the bold claim that your company makes in its marketing. It is what your clients and customers can rely on time and time again. For example, Volvo promises safety. FedEx promises overnight delivery. Disney promises happiness. Zappos promises customer service. Is your brand promise living up to its claim? To find out, here are four key questions to ask yourself to be sure you are always addressing your brand promise:

1. Is it unique?
2. What evidence makes it believable (or not)?
3. Is it compelling?
4. Is it critically important to my market?

Let’s put these questions into action. Say you own a spa and you are determining your brand promise. You may consider using the brand promise of pampering your clients. Let’s run the four-question test on this potential brand promise:

Question #1: Is it unique?

This isn’t really unique. All spas claim to pamper their clients.

Question #2: What evidence makes this believable (or not)?

Because all spas claim to pamper their clients, your claim is believable.

Question #3: Is it compelling?

This claim is not compelling. Promising the same thing as everyone else in your market doesn’t motivate someone to take action, to drive across town to experience your spa or even remember your name.

Question 4: Is it critically important to my market?

Yes. The reason we go to a spa is to be pampered.

Suggestion: Because it is not unique or compelling, it won’t stand out as something your potential clients will flock to like moths to a flame. Find a different brand promise to claim as yours and yours alone.

Let’s try another example. Say you own a women’s boutique and you want to claim having the largest selection of designer clothing in town.

Question #1: Is it unique?

If no other boutique or store is making this claim, then yes, it’s unique.

Question #2: What evidence makes this believable (or not)?

The problem is that there are other boutiques with similar square footage in your city who also sell designer clothing. In addition, four major department stores also carry the same designer clothing.

Question #3: Is it compelling?

If your ideal customers want access to a large selection of designer clothing, it is compelling to them.

Question 4: Is it critically important to my market?

Yes. Your clients like to have a large selection to choose from.

Suggestion: Because this is not believable, your potential customers won’t trust you. This is a huge mistake. Abort the mission immediately and try something else.

Let’s look at a real-life example: Victoria’s Secret. Their promise is to make “sexy, feminine confidence” accessible, affordable, and fun.

Question #1: Is it unique?

Yes. Certainly other brands like La Perla offer sexy and feminine products, but they are not nearly as affordable to most women. Other brands offer products in the same price range as Victoria’s Secret, but they don’t focus on sexy feminine confidence, they focus on functionality.

Question #2: What evidence makes this believable (or not)?

The materials and design of their products are sexy yet affordable. They use confident sexy models to showcase their products.

Question #3: Is it compelling?

Yes, living and feeling this way is aspirational to the women in their market. These emotions are very appealing to their market.

Question 4: Is it critically important to my market?

Yes. Their market wants to feel confident and sexy without spending a thousand dollars or more on one piece.

Suggestion: It’s a keeper! (Obviously.)

The point is this: Once you think you have a brand promise that you want to consider, run it through the four questions above and ask a few key clients to provide their feedback as well. You need to be able to answer “yes” to all of these questions in order to really create your Stand Out Brand™.

Once you have your brand promise, all of your business decisions should take the promise into consideration. It should be translated into your entire brand identity, including your company name, tagline, logo, colors, fonts, business cards, and even things like speech topics and elevator speech, voice mail, customer service, partnerships and all other key components. Your brand promise is like having a guiding light that makes all of your business decisions much simpler.

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

 

How to Discover Your Stand Out Brand™, Featuring Meredith Liepelt

There are many definitions of a brand. To be honest, “brand” is such a simple word, but defining it can sometimes be challenging. At Rich Life Marketing, we take a simple approach to branding by defining it as what people say, think or feel about you and your business. In other words, think of your brand as the space you hold in someone’s mind.

The thing about branding that people get confused about is that the process of branding starts on the inside and only then can it truly manifest in external
ways ñ logo, business card, colors, textures, business name, tag line, speaking topics, client experience and so forth.

Your job in leading your brand is to ensure your marketing, the client experience and all other touch points people have with your company are “on-brand.” In other words, everything looks, feels and behaves in a way that is aligned with how you want to be perceived. And by “everything” I mean everything from your web site, the topics you speak and write about, how you greet clients or customers, your voice mail, your products and services, the words and phrases you use, the quality of paper that your business cards are printed on and all other touch points.

It’s a big job, isn’t it? And you may be wondering how to even get started. Here are a few steps you can take to discover your brand. These are the same steps I cover my new program called Stand Out Brand Discovery. The answers to these questions will help you to build a brand that is uniquely suited to you. This is the foundational work to what will eventually make you stand out in a sea of sameness.

Brand Mission

What’s your mission? How do you want to change the world? What is the purpose of your business? These questions can sometimes seem overwhelming, but most of the time, the answer is right there just waiting for you to give it a voice. The more simplistic you can state it, the better. Write yours out in a way that a 3rd grader can read and understand it. Think of your mission statement as your be-all-end all goal. It may sound a bit grand. And that’s good because mission statements pull you forward toward dreams and possibilities.

Heart and Soul of Your Brand

Your brand has a heart and soul. There are things that you offer and ways that you offer them that are unique to you. Find what lies within. What features and benefits do you offer? What adjectives do you want people to think of when they think of you? What stories can you tell that are unique to you? What emotion to you want to convey? Based on these things, what key messages do you want your brand to convey?

Points of Difference

Remember those teenage days when being seen as different was terrible? Guess what? Those days are over! (Thank goodness.) In business, it’s essential to be seen as different. It helps you stand out as the obvious, if not the only choice, when a potential client needs your services. You stop being seen as a commodity that can be “shopped” for the lowest price. Find a value proposition that positions you as the obvious and only choice for your ideal clients.

Ideal Clients

Speaking of your ideal clients, it is important to know who they are, where they are and what specific things they want in their lives so you can earn their attention and eventually their business and referrals. A very simple market analysis asks these core questions: Who are they and where do they gather online or offline? What do they already think of your brand? What do you want them to think of your brand? How can you attract them to you? Who else markets to this group of people? In addition, what results do you help them achieve? Knowing your ideal clients’ current perceptions, goals and who else is competing for their loyalty will help you to position yourself in your branding.

Barriers to Success

Barriers come in the forms of market conditions and personal barriers that can keep your product or service from achieving success. Market condition barriers may include timing, financing, location, pricing, lack of demand or compliance issues. Personal barriers may include stress, low energy, family responsibilities or even a poor outlook. Other barriers may include staffing needs, uninspired marketing or a lack of good customer service. Knowing your barriers is the first step in continuing to grow and expand your brand in a positive way.

Brand Personality

Every brand has a personality. The purpose of consciously establishing a strong, direct and identifiable personality is that I will advance your brand’s values and positioning. It helps to tighten the bond between you and your ideal clients. You create the personality when you decide how to use words, tone and visuals like fonts, images, colors and textures to express your message. When a company uses phrases like “in which” and “therefore,” they sound formal, like a traditional bank. Another business may decide to be more causal using phrases like ìHi everyoneî or using an ampersand instead of the word ìand.î Neither approach is wrong. Just make sure the way you’re speaking to your clients reflects your brand personality.

Once you fully identify these key elements of your brand, only then can you really assess your current branding efforts to see what you need to tweak or completely change. If you need to change a lot, you’re in good company. And it’s probably a sign that you are growing and expanding. If you find yourself in this boat, it is time to take a deep dive into your business so your brand can emerge in a bigger, bolder way and become a brand that truly stands out instead of just another business in a sea of sameness.

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

 

Struggling to Stand Out from the Crowd? Use This THREE Question Strategy.

Imagine a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It’s nice. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s fine. It’s OK.

Now take that same vanilla ice cream, put it in a chilled glass bowl and add toasted walnuts, hot fudge, rainbow sprinkles, a sparkler and a cherry on top, and it’s something special. A presentation like that makes any normal Tuesday night feel like a celebration!

Which way are you presenting your business? Fine, OK and nice, or something special?

If you are at the point where you really want to stand out, lead your industry and differentiate yourself from them competition, you are ready to take an active role in determining the exact space you want to hold in your ideal clients’ and partners’ minds. To do that, start by answering these three key questions:

1. What is the mental picture you want people to see when they think of you and your business?

You don’t have to be Lady Gaga to stand out in a crowd, but you do need to embrace what makes you, you and shine a light on it. Being a colorful accountant who always has a joke ready or a steady reliable accountant with horn rimmed glasses and a pocket protector are both great mental images and will help you to attract the kind of business you desire. Just put time and effort into stepping into your fullest self. Other examples of mental images are:

“She wears bright colors and seems happy all the time.”

“She’s very formal and is always in a business suit.”

“He’s hilarious – who else can get away with wearing Birkenstocks to Chamber meetings?”

Any one of those examples is fine as long it is exactly what you want. If you want to change or modify this mental image, start by determining your values. Take your values and marry them with your personality and the qualities that make you unique. Embrace all of these things in a bold way. That is how you attract your ideal clients. No plain vanilla. Just being more of who you are so you hold that space in their minds.

2. What emotions do you want others to feel when then think of you?

Maya Angelou said, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you say or did, they will remember how you make them feel.”

Everything you do stimulates an emotional response whether you want it to or not. Even if you don’t know it, you leave every encounter with someone feeling a certain way, whether you meet in person, via social media, or simply by them viewing your business card, flyer or web site. So knowing that, why not be proactive about this and work to stimulate the emotion you want others to feel instead of leaving it to chance?

To take an active role in the emotions you make people feel, start by being aware of what you want to portray and sprinkle it in here and there. For example, say you want people to feel motivated, you may want to use quotes on your web site or use them as a jumping off point for your videos, articles or programs. Or if you want people to feel excited and alive, you may want to use colors and music that conjure energy, excitement and liveliness.

You can also ask yourself this question every time to you make a strategic decision such as creating a program, write copy for a web site, make a speech, create your logo, etc.:

If I do/say/write this, will it make people feel _________________? (Insert your desired emotion here.)

3. What is your promise to your clients and partners?

Think of it this way: What can people expect when they work with you? What outcomes can they expect each and every time? These are very powerful strategic questions to consider because the answer is the heart and soul of what makes you different from your competition. The answer to this question determines which one (yes one… singular) of the things that really matters the most to your clients to focus on.

Fed Ex is a great example of this. When they came on the scene, their promise was “overnight delivery guaranteed.” And their slogan epitomized it: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Here’s the thing: They weren’t the only carrier who offered overnight delivery, but they are the first to put it out there in a big bold way. Even though their promise has changed somewhat, it’s still what many people think of because they were so bold and followed through on their promise.

Questions for you to consider are:

• Is my promise obvious when someone visits my web site or looks at my marketing materials?
• Do I consider my promise when making business decisions or is this just an empty slogan?
• Does this promise really matter to my ideal clients?
• Am I following through on my promise?

Come back to these three foundational questions regularly because your answers will help guide your business decisions throughout the entire year. Your answers and how you apply them will help you to be that “party” in an ice cream bowl instead of vanilla.

Because let’s face it: plain vanilla is … plain. And you’re more special than that.

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com

 

Elevate Your Brand with This Simple Tactic: by Meredith Liepelt

When big brands want to create a bigger footprint, impact or enter a new market, one of the things they do is attach themselves to a bigger brand. It’s called a strategic brand alliance. And you can do the same thing.

Case in point: Think about Madonna back in the day. Remember back in the 80s when her star was on the rise? She was a household name and enjoyed plenty of fame, fortune and money. But she really wanted a movie career. So what’s a huge music star to do? How about marry a big movie star like Sean Penn? While she may or may not have consciously sought-out a movie star, it certainly couldn’t hurt, right?

In other words, Madonna aligned herself with a brand in the industry she wanted to be a part of. She started hanging out with the movers and shakers in that industry and networking there. (Yes, even movie stars network!)

I realize this example is a bit outrageous. And I’m not suggesting that you drop your significant other to seek out someone else for the benefit of your business. I am suggesting that you can elevate your brand by associating with businesses and people who have stronger brands and more name recognition than you. It’s a common business practice that many small business owners tend overlook.

There are many reasons why elevating your business in this way is a smart use of your energy. One of the biggest is that it’s a way to increase your credibility almost instantly. Being aligned with well-known companies makes you more attractive to media, potential clients, sponsors, business partners and conference planners.

Here are a few ways that you take action today and use this concept to increase your own brand:

Go on a “Rolodex treasure hunt.” Who do you already know who is very well-respected in your industry? Look in your Outlook contacts and social media contacts. Approaching a warm or hot lead is much easier than going in cold. This can be someone in your local community or someone known by society at large.

Brainstorm ways you can work with bigger brands. Great ideas are interviewing people on the phone or Skype video, recording it and sending the recording out to your list. Of course you can do this live as well, but it is a good idea to record the interview so you can use it later.

Volunteer to help. For example, many people travel around the world to participate in conferences. Ask if there are ways you can volunteer so you can meet and network with them. The bonus is that you can experience first-hand the “behind the scenes” approaches bigger brands use for their conferences.

Attend other conferences that big names attend. Seek out specific people to meet. Take your photo with the movers and shakers. Start to build a relationship with them.

Ask for testimonials or endorsements from someone with more name recognition than you. Many well-known people have decided that to remain highly visible, they will give testimonials. Understand that they will probably not give you a direct plug unless they know your work intimately, but they may be willing to testify to the importance of the kind of work you do.

Ask for an introduction to someone specific. Look at their contacts in social media and see who they know. Social media makes it easy these days to see who people know.

The bottom line: Leverage your brand by finding ways to be associated with others with bigger brands than you. Then rinse and repeat.

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

 

Do Your Marketing Materials Include These 6 Essential Components? by Meredith Liepelt

When designing any marketing collateral, it’s important to understand that most people make decisions based on emotion, not logic. I know that many people think that they are personally immune to this reality, but studies show this is true for the vast majority of people. Knowing this will help you reach your ideal clients and customers and generate more sales. Here are my top six tips to apply when developing a flyer, brochure or any sales or marketing piece.

1. Use a Memorable Headline. Grab their attention quickly by answering this question that is in your reader’s head: What’s In It For Me? Let them know immediately that this flyer include information they need. Here is an example:

   “Do Your Marketing Materials Include These 6 Essential Components?”

   This headline got you reading this article, right? And therein lies my point!

2. Keep Their Interest. Now that you’ve gotten their attention, you must keep it. Do this by telling them exactly what your headline promises. No need for fluff – get right down to business. Tell them what they want to know starting with your first sentence or phrase. Don’t waste your valuable space on the flyer with unnecessary information. Make it easy for people to read by using bullet points and easy-to-read fonts. Speak to the emotion you are relating to or the struggle they are dealing with. If you can give them a guarantee, that’s even better. For example:

   “Stop having bad hair days with our “Everyday is a Great Hair Day” Guarantee.”

3. Benefits, Benefits, Benefits! You must create a desire for your product or service, and the best way to do that is spell out the benefits of your offer. You can tell them what they’ll gain from your offering or conversely, what they’ll lose if they don’t make the purchase. Use emotion-based words like new, younger, save, free, guarantee and so forth. Here’s an example:

   “Look and feel 10 years younger!”

4. Create a Clear Call To Action. Many people actually forget this part. It’s easy to do because in your mind, you’re thinking, “This is the greatest offer in the world! My phone will be ringing off the hook,” or “My store will be slammed!” However, if you don’t make it very clear what you want the reader to do, chances are you’ll never hear from them. Here are some good examples:

   “Click here to register today,” or “Call us today at XXX-XXXX,” or “Visit www.YourURL.com for this special,” or “Bring in this post card for a special offer.”

5. Use a P.S. Let’s face it. We’re all busy and are used to skimming things. This means that some people will only ready your headline at the top and the P.S. at the bottom. Use the P.S. to get your prospects to take action immediately. Here’s an example:

   “P.S. Order today and receive a free $27 candle! Order today at www.YourURL.com.”

6. Great Layout. While you need to cover the main benefits of what you’re selling, it’s also important to have some “white space” so you don’t overwhelm your reader. White space is nothing more than empty space on your flyer that gives your reader’s eyes a rest. Also, be sure to select colors and images that are congruent with your branding. Using two different fonts can be a nice touch to break up the words on your marketing piece.

While a flyer or brochure will not likely sell hundreds of products or services by itself, if you apply those basics to your next marketing piece and present it to the people you are building relationships with, you will enjoy much better results!

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

 

How to Write a Case Study: By Meredith Liepelt

Case studies are a great way to communicate your value. You may have heard the saying that goes something like this: “Facts tell but stories sell.” This is the beauty of case studies. It showcases your expertise while telling a story. The story offers proof that your solution works.

There is a very simple yet effective way to write a case study. Here is the approach:

1. State the problem. In this part of the case study, you lay out the specific problem or issue your client was facing. In other words, what was annoying them. What issue were they enduring and ready to change? Paint a picture of what things were like before they started working with you. Include the kinds of results a person or company was experiencing before they worked with you. Look for how you can quantify this problem. Is it in dollars, stress, relationships or other consequences?
2. State your solution. Explain what you did with your client to alleviate the problem. Again, paint a picture by telling a story about how you started to address the issue at hand.
3. State the results your client experienced. This is your client’s “moment of zen!” This is the part of the story that shows your client having exactly what she or he wanted. Tell the reader what your client’s life was like after going through your program or applying your solution. Highlight features that are aligned with your brand message if possible. For example, if you want to be known as “the fastest matchmaker in town,” feature the timeframe in which your client started dating her dream guy.

Case studies are great ways to present the results you’ve helped others to create. Having case studies helps your prospects to put themselves in your clients’ shoes and to see that if you were able to help this person who was featured, you can probably also help them!

Happy case-study writing!

If you’d like to share this article or make a comment, please see this article on my blog.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

 

Myths and Truths About Self Promotion for Business

Are you feeling stuck when it comes to promoting yourself and your business? If so, you are in good company. A recent study showed that women fall short of men in the area of self-promotion. While this study focused on women in corporate America, I believe the same is true for women in business for themselves. Self-promotion tends to get a bad rap, particularly from women. But what is at stake is the likelihood of building a sustainable business.

Here are seven myths and truths about self promotion, which I prefer to call “raising your profile.” It is my intention that these myths and truths will expand your vision of your profile-raising activities and practices. I hope that these myths and truths stretch your vision of what is possible for you as an authentic promoter of your work and the results you bring to your clients and customers.

Myth #1: It’s tacky to self-promote

Truth: Let me be blunt here: If you are not out there actively promoting your products and services, you are not changing as many lives as you could otherwise. It’s really as simple as that. There is nothing tacky about helping others. By letting others know exactly how you can help them, you are providing a valuable service to them. You are not doing any favors to yourself or to others by remaining “the best kept secret” in your industry.

Myth #2: It’s so hard to promote myself.

Truth: Having a plan of action to raise your profile is extremely empowering. Your plan gives you a sense of clear purpose, and every activity builds upon the next. Before you know it, you’ll leave a long trail of success behind you! And the more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes. Trust me, the thought of attending a networking meeting or speaking to a group of even ten people used to make me shake in my boots! If you work on changing your mindset around this myth, you can create a major breakthrough quickly. It’s like Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” So instead of saying things like, “I can’t possibly speak in front of a group,” say this, “Speaking is fun and easy.” Say it until you believe it and then look for evidence that this is true in your life today. It’s there if you look for it. And then start small. Speak for your cat or your mom. Then a group of 3 friends and then finally, a group of five ideal clients at a casual spot like a Panera community room. Then, you’re on your way!

Myth #3: It takes a huge publicity budget and years upon years to raise my profile

Truth: Come on! You’re more creative than that! There are loads of things that you can do to become more known to your ideal clients. Some do require an investment, which is fine because you have to invest in yourself if you are an entrepreneur, but some are free or low-cost. For example, here are just a few things that I have personally done in the past few months, and you can too: wrote a book and held a successful book launch party, created an introductory CD to give to potential clients, been featured on TV and in the newspaper, been quoted in yet another business book and had a new headshot done. I am here to tell you that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to create the image and high-level profile you desire. All you need is a plan and the moxie to implement it.

Myth #4: I need credentials first

Truth: Unless you are a doctor, dentist or other business owner that truly does need to be credentialed, the letters you desire after your name are not a requirement. You are enough. If you want to be certified in your profession, then absolutely go for it. But don’t think you have to wait until someone crowns you as an expert before you get started. By in large, people don’t care about the ABC’s behind your name. They just want to know that you can solve their problem.

Myth #5 : “Promoting” myself means “selling” myself, and selling is bad

Truth: If you don’t sell anything, then you are not in business. You have a “pretend” business or an expensive hobby. If you do not sell, then you are not enriching lives through your programs and services. Can we agree that your work changes lives? And that others need to know about you? If so, then it’s time to let go of this obsession with not wanting to sell. There is no shame in charging appropriately for the important results you help your clients and customers achieve.

Myth #6: The best way to raise my profile is by being on Oprah

Truth: Ok, being on Oprah, or now her new network is a dream for many of us, myself included. However, “being affiliated Oprah” is not a marketing plan. And many, many successful people have never been and will never be on Oprah. In fact, the vast majority of business people fit into this category. I don’t know about you, but I would be perfectly happy having a wildly successful business and never being on Oprah. Now, I’m not a dream squasher, so if this is truly important to you, create a plan and get training and other media experience so you will be ready when OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network calls.

Myth #7 : If I’m worth my salt, my ideal clients will automatically come without a lot of promotion

Truth: This is so false. People need to hear your message between 9 and 27 times before they even remember your name, let alone buy from you. What that means is that you need to reach out to your potential clients up to 27 times before they even recognize that they have heard of you! How do you reach out? Through self-promotion activities like post cards, your ezine, phone calls, speaking and so forth. Even people who are slightly interested in your products and services need to learn that you are the real deal. They need to be convinced that you are credible and can help them solve their problems.

Action Step:

If you are like the majority of people who struggle with self-promotion, I encourage you to write out ten answers this question. In other words, fill in the blank at least ten times, although I’m sure you could fill this in at least thirty times. Be as specific as you can:

The results that others receive from working with me include: _________________.

Now, take your 10 answers and add them to the end of this sentence:

By holding myself back and not promoting my services, I am not able to help others _____________.

Get it? Got it? Good.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at http://www.richlifemarketing.com.

 

Defending Your Business: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself in The New Economy

The economy is tough right now, but marketing is the strongest defender of your business. I have heard business owners consider pulling back on their marketing efforts due to the state of the economy. Well, think again my friend! Now is the time to capture market share while your competitors are cocooning! Here are five questions to ask yourself about your marketing efforts which could lead to big results for your business.

1. Is it time to partner?

Many businesses are looking for ways to continue to increase their visibility without spending a lot more on marketing. Consider creating a partnership with another business. For example, you can create a strategic alliance with a similar business with complementary strengths. In this kind of partnership, you agree to share resources in a certain project. Benefits of such a partnership include access to your partner’s distribution channels, products, technology and intellectual property. You also have increased brand awareness through your partner’s channels without an expensive ad campaign. Think about who also serves your target market, and find a creative way to offer each other’s products and services to each other’s customers and clients.

2. Do I have a formal referral program?

Word of mouth advertising is critical at all times, and it can be your saving grace right now. It is simply not enough to hope that referrals will come your way. Design a formal referral program that will inspire your current and former customers and clients to bring business to you. It can be as simple as asking for referrals in conversation or in an email, and offering something special in return for the referral. Examples include a thank you note, a $5 Starbucks gift card, or a bottle of wine or gift certificate at a restaurant for more than a certain number of referrals in a month. Get creative with your referral rewards while keeping in mind what would motivate your clients and customers.

3. Am I continuing to network?

This is truly your moment to stand out in the crowd. While others are cutting back on networking and other forms of marketing, staying in the game will put you far ahead of the crowd. Remember that you have got to be in the game if you want to win! This is the perfect time to get out there and gain market share.

4. What can I do with what I already have?

Get creative! Find new ways of packaging your products and services and you can actually end up making more money! This technique of bundling your products and services can work well to serve your clients even better than before. For example, if you have ten products, try bundling them in 3 or 4 different packages. You can even charge more than the total sum of the individual products if you toss in a bonus or two. If you are a consultant or coach, you can even offer one hour of your time for free, which puts you in a direct conversation with a hot lead where you can demonstrate your expertise and upsell them into one of your programs. If you have a gift shop, consider creating a VIP membership program where customers pay a pre-determined monthly fee in order to receive exclusive benefits such as notifications of new arrivals, customer appreciation shopping days or special hours, discounts on certain things, a free gift on their birthday, VIP trunk shows, wine tastings , specials from other stores you partner with in your area, and so on. Think creatively about how to serve your customers and clients. The sky is truly the limit.

5. Am I getting in my own way?

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is think differently about our own businesses. We’re so used to doing things one way because we think, “That’s how I always do it” or “It can’t be done any other way.” It’s really important for us to “get out of our own way” and see our business from other perspectives. How do we get out of our own way? Ask your advisory group or mastermind for help, talk to a trusted colleague or friend or hire a coach.

I am not one of the alarmists who buys into the idea that the current state of the economy is so dire that we all need to close our doors and hide under our kitchen tables. The truth is that there is a lot of business going on these days. I see it in the malls, at restaurants, with my own business and my clients’ businesses. What can you do to stand out and capture market share?

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, publishes Smart Marketing, a free bi-weekly ezine featuring marketing tips, insider secrets and thought provoking articles designed to help the busy female entrepreneur become known as an expert in her field, build trust with clients and prospects and generate more income than ever before. Claim your free subscription today at www.richlifemarketing.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.