We’ve always been an advocate of starting with ONE traffic source, mastering it, then layering in another—then mastering THAT before moving on to a third source.
But, that said, we want to make one thing clear: your FIRST focus should be creating additional communication streams and …
“The only asset that can be kept safe from every threat and made to appreciate in value year after year is the relationship you have with your customers.”
– Dan Kennedy
Whatever business you’re in, your main role is that of a direct response marketer.
Nothing else is more important than you creating and overseeing marketing to get new customers, and increase the value of the customers you already have.
Ask Yourself: What’s the highest leverage use of my time, and what makes the cash register ring?
Sometimes as you scale up your business, your role can start to change, and you can distance yourself from the front-line marketing. That’s always a big mistake.
No one will ever understand the importance of creating and fine-tuning your business’s marketing like you will.
I came across this list from Dan Kennedy and when reading it I thought how brilliant it was-and those feelings haven’t changed.
I recommend you print off the list!
If you’re in the Direct Response Marketing game, and you’re not already asking yourself, “what can I do to increase revenue FAST?” every minute of the day. then I urge you to continue reading.
Freelance direct response copywriter Dean Rieck says: “Response is one of the five keys of successful direct marketing. And if you have that, the other four don’t matter.”
Simply put, Direct Response Marketing is designed to provoke an IMMEDIATE response from the customer, through clear CTAs (Calls To Action) and other techniques, in order to generate reactions and feedback while encouraging decision-making.
That’s all well and good, and to be honest it’s pretty self-explanatory, right?
Which is why we at Easy Online Biz Solutions make it our aim to arm marketers with every single tool they need to market efficiently. Because although this process sounds simple enough, the ins and outs can actually be quite challenging.
Generating a direct response from consumers isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, lots of people are taken in by mediocre advertising.
However, if you REALLY want to make the big bucks then you need to master the 10 rules from by Dan Kennedy’s book, ‘No B.S. Direct Marketing- The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing For Non-Direct Marketing Businesses.’
Think of these as the 10 Commandments! Because in order to succeed thou shalt implement them wisely and then thou shalt get results…
“NOTHING, I mean nothing, goes out your door without offers.”
To generate a response from your consumers, you need an irresistible offer that is going to urge them into taking action IMMEDIATELY.
Ask yourself these questions, and NEVER end a ‘conversation’ with your audience without making the offer.
Dan states that you’ll find a lot of businesses get by with ‘implied offers’. They’ll give all their details but won’t ACTUALLY say what it is they’ll do for you.
But what REALLY generates a response is direct marketing that tells the consumer how your product can enhance their life, solve their problems, make their day better, etc. Also the steps they need to take in order to reap the benefits.
THIS is how you make money.
If you’re unfamiliar with direct-response copywriter John Carlton, I recommend you get familiar right now. A friend of Dan’s, John advises imagining your prospective customer as a gigantic sloth, unlikely to move, with it’s phone out of reach.
You need to think about this sloth when constructing your offer. Is a plain, mediocre offer going to cause that sloth to move, reach out for its phone and take action? Probably Not.
Your offer should generate a direct response. That’s the whole point. I reiterate my point about providing value to your prospects – if you can truly convince them that investing in your product/ service will answer their prayers and satisfy their current desires, then you’re onto a winner.
I’d like to turn your attention to Dan’s two sub-rules:
Anything you put together in your next strategy, whether it’s a flyer, an advert, a sales letter etc, make sure the pathway to taking action is clear for the Consumer…”with high sidewalls (to prevent the prospect from wandering off).”
If you’re currently sending things out WITHOUT clear instructions, STOP. Make some changes.
Dan says; “you need real, hard facts and data to make good, intelligent marketing decisions.”
Do you want to make unintelligent marketing decisions? Didn’t think so…
When making marketing decisions, it doesn’t matter what you and your colleagues think/feel, etc. It matters what your AUDIENCE thinks and feels.
“Tracking means accurately collecting all the information you need to determine what advertising is working and what isn’t. Which offer is pulling and which isn’t, what marketing has traction and what doesn’t.”
Ultimately, you’ll be able to know what your ROI is for each dollar. As long as you get systems in place to capture all the data you need, and make the time to get a thorough analysis underway.
Then what seems as a confusing drag will start to become profitable and easier the more you do it… Especially if your employees have a tendency to become lazy with or confused by the whole concept.
“From now on, ye shall spend no dollar without tracking ROI.”
If you’re the CEO of a giant company that is recognized worldwide, then by all means invest in brand identity. If you’re an entrepreneur investing your own capital, then take Dan’s advice – “focus on response and sales.”
Sure, you may actually build your brand without knowing along the way, which is awesome. But don’t spend time doing it on purpose. Dan states that there are many types of direct response ads that are designed to motivate qualified leads to step forward and take action, that succeed WITHOUT branding.
All they need is a clear CTA and BAM, sorted.
There are fortunes in the follow-up. Most marketers make the mistake of only following up with a lead on ONE occasion.
But to be a SMART marketer, you need to build out a way to continue this follow-up with your prospects.
Imagine somebody refers you to one of their closest friends. Or a business fellow, perhaps. What are you going to do? Simply say ‘thanks’ and move on?
NO NO NO!
You speak with the person who made the referral, and you ask them for their closest friend or business fellow’s details, so you can approach them personally.
Start up a sequence that involves a (SMS or Facebook) message, letter or email, with something free and valuable that is going to kickstart this new relationship.
No response? Send another message, letter or email. Keep at it!
I love this quote from Dan: “you can’t send a shy, timid Casper Milktoast guy out into the street to knock on a door of a home or walk into a business and beg in nearly a whisper for a few minutes of the prospect’s time . So you can’t do that with ad, flyer, letter or postcard either. Send Arnold Schwarzenegger instead.”
In a nutshell, your copy must be compelling enough to get your prospects to take immediate action.
Your vocabulary choices should aggravate your prospect’s problems so much so that they can almost FEEL the pain, and then soothe them immediately with whatever it is you’re offering, and how it can solve their issue.
Think about your audience.
Speak to them like they’re human beings which they are. Do this in a conversational tone that hooks them in with power words, packs a punch and sticks in their mind.
For A Limited Time!!!
“Multi-Million Dollar Copywriter unveils his deadly copywriting Secrets that will help you print money right before your eyes!”
Dan says that David Ogilvy once admitted: “only direct-response guys really knew what they are doing” and that his guys were guessing.
Who would you copy?
Bill Glazer is a ‘master’ at using mail-order newspapers and magazine advertisements that show clear calls to action. Next time you construct an offer, flip through the file for inspiration.
From this moment forth, you are (if not already) completely, wholly, ultimately results-driven.
Nobody EXCEPT your customers is going to put money into your business and personal back account. NOBODY ELSE. All that matters is what your customers think.
If you make sales, then your strategy has worked. If it doesn’t make sales, scrap it.
Last but not least…
Think of this as a regular diet.
Cut the crap. Purge the junk.
Stick to a new regime guaranteed to get results.
If your new business diet consists of mothing but the previous nine rules. I promise you that your direct response marketing efforts will pull through. Don’t let anything toxic strip through the crack.
As Dan says, “anything that doesn’t conform to the prior nine rules, do not let it in at all. Just say no. And bar the door.”
So keep in mind whatever business you’re in, your main role is that of a direct response marketer.
We are here to help. If you want any help, just Messenger us (Private Message Us) at our Facebook Messenger link – m.me/EasyOnlineBizSolutions
Talk Soon,
Nicky Cane
If you have been in the SEO game for a while, you will agree that it has many different aspects. One thing that no one can ever say about SEO, however, is that it is boring. Things are constantly evolving as search engines start to get better at their jobs.
The top SEO professionals, therefore, need to always stay on top of their game. Which is something that can sometimes be easier said than done, especially when you have a long to-do list. Do you focus on optimizing for voice search? Or should you be focusing on ranking well locally instead?
Wouldn’t it be great if you had some kind of cheat sheet that you could work with? Our friends over at SEO Tribunal thought so and so they compiled all the basic facts to create the ultimate infographic cheat sheet.
With it, you will learn just about everything you could possibly want to know about SEO and search engines, and a whole lot more besides. If you are looking for factual, well-researched information that will help you make the most of the various trends, this is a good place to start off with.
To begin with, you will learn a little about the history of search engines. You will learn which one is most popular – something I am sure you won’t need even to google. You will learn about their market share and the evolution of search engines.
All of which is extremely interesting, but most business owners would want a lot more besides. You’ll get it. The infographic explains what it takes to rank well in general and local searches. You can use this guide as a way to check that your own strategy is up to scratch.
Learn about the top SEO tools for 2018 and see whether or not you might be able to make use of them yourself. Finally, everything is wrapped up with a list of those companies who are crushing SEO. You get the tools and the inspiration to help you start working towards similar results.
It’s just never been quite this easy to understand the world of search engine optimization.
Talk Soon,
Nicky and Dave
P.S. If Your Blog Articles Aren’t Ranking . Dominate Google Now!
If you rely on Google’s traffic as the main source to attract new customers to your business, it is very likely that you have faced the consequences – both good and bad – of the fact that SEO is always changing.
Here’s an Infographic with 72 Stats so you can Understand SEO in 2018.
Your brand is a window into the heart and soul of your business and should, therefore, be taken very seriously.
Businesses spend a lot of time and money getting a brand established. The harsh reality is that a simple branding mistake can sabotage even the most popular brand in the world.
All branding mistakes are not created equal. When you’re just starting out, repercussions can be much more serious than that of an established business, because chances are, there’s no brand loyalty to fall back on.
For many of your potential customers, the mistake is often the only thing they know about your company, which could stunt growth before it can even start.
Below are the most common branding mistakes that could kill your brand. So avoid these…
Nothing can hurt your brand worse than an amateur looking-looking logo.
No matter if you feel OK with the logos of your graphic standards of your brand, it’s always worth taking the time and spending money to hire a professional graphic designer specializing in branding and logo development.
Know why going cheap on your branding is one of the worst mistakes you can make? No. Read this blog article from Entrepreneur.com here.
Ask your designer to create a brand style guide.
A brand style guide is: a simple rulebook of your company’s preferred fonts, colors, imagery, logos, and other visual assets. A complete style guide goes beyond design assets, and also includes a set of standards for your brand’s values, voice, and written elements.
Having a style guide in place is a handy way to make sure you’re presenting a consistent, cohesive message in all the places your brand appears. Think of it as an insurance policy for your brand.
By presenting a consistent identity to your audience fosters a sense of trust and comfort for consumers, and can go a long way in building an easily recognizable image for your company.
You must follow the brand’s style guide on all your marketing campaigns across different channels, including your website, social networking profiles and printed materials.
Managing brand consistency across all marketing channels sets you apart from your competitors and helps you to accelerate the growth of your brand. A consistent identity for your brand will not only foster a sense of trust and comfort for potential customers, but it also plays a vital role in influencing your customers’ purchasing decision.
This isn’t to say you should slap your logo on everything and just call it a day – to align your visual identity in an efficient, reproducible way, you need a brand style guide.
Keeping up with the latest branding and design trends is a great way to make sure you’re presenting your company in a fresh, contemporary way, but there’s a big difference between modernizing your brand and losing your core identity in pursuit of the hottest new thing.
It can be easy to get swept up in what looks cool at the moment, but remember that your brand will likely need to weather multiple waves of design trends without looking dated. If you commit too heavily to a trend that turns out to be a ephemeral blip in the greater design landscape, you risk making your brand look dated — fast.
As a general rule, use design trends as a source of inspiration, but don’t rely on them too heavily when planning your next big redesign.
If you’re considering a brand redesign, don’t stray too far from what made your brand successful and distinct in the first place. You want your current audience to recognize you post-redesign. Big, abrupt changes can alienate even loyal fans of your brand.
There’s no better cautionary tale than Gap’s now-infamous logo redesign blunder. In 2010, the casual clothing retailer scrapped their classic square logo in favor of a drastically different, decidedly minimal new direction:
According to a Gap spokesperson at the time, the radical design shift was intended to transition the brand’s image from “classic, American design to modern, sexy, cool.” Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what happened.
The logo was poorly received. The backlash against the aggressive change resonated throughout the internet, and less than one week after the new logo was announced, Gap decided to go back to their roots and re-adopt their original blue box logo.
The Lesson: recognize your company’s core image and values, and keep them at the forefront of your mind during any redesign process.
When it comes to branding, more is not more. In other words, use your company name and logo selectively and sparingly – especially when it comes to branded products, sponsorships, and events.
When you attach your brand name to something, it should reflect and be compatible with your brand’s values and voice. When a brand partners with another company or product that doesn’t directly relate to or mesh well with their own message, it can seem inconsistent and untrustworthy to consumers.
The Lesson: choose your own brand affiliations and products with care.
When crafting your brand message, make sure you take into consideration how it might be perceived around the world. Like it or not, your message is global.
Even if you’re not currently a company that operates internationally, it’s still worth knowing if you’ve inadvertently created an offensive brand message that could make scaling your brand globally problematic.
The last thing you want your brand to be associated with is ignorance or ethnocentricity. The best way to welcome customers from a myriad of backgrounds is to:
So view your content not only in terms of how your target audience will see it but also the rest of the world. Keep in mind there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to global branding.
Something that works in one place might spell absolute disaster for your brand in another location. If you think you might one day want to take your brand global, it’s best to sniff out potential issues in advance — and be prepared to localize your message.
To position your brand in a way that distinguishes you clearly from your competitors, you can’t rely on the same buzzwords everyone else is using. Find one thing that makes you truly unique, and run with it.
But be wary of going over-the-top. For example, if the product or service you’re offering doesn’t truly revolutionize the industry, don’t use “revolutionize” in your brand message. Find something that’s unique and accurate.
When it comes to writing good brand copy – if you aren’t in a position to hire a professional copywriter (try someone from Fivver) then use this old advertising and sales trick: Focus on benefits, not features.
Control Your Prospect’s Mind thru the Deadly Art of Copywriting with FREE Training where “Multi-Million Dollar Copywriter unveils his deadly Copywriting Secrets that will help you print money right before your eyes!”
Too many brands fall victim to poor copywriting that doesn’t accurately define the company. Using vague copy to describe your brand can be a major setback when it comes to positioning your brand in the market and distinguishing yourself from the competitors.
To make your brand stand out, understand the one thing that makes your brand unique and explains it clearly and accurately.
While it’s always difficult to be succinct, you can always follow the age-old marketing advice to good copywriting – focus on benefits, not features.
Below are a few more tips that you may find helpful when describing your brand:
The public’s perception of your brand might not be the rosiest, but instead of chalking it up to bad luck or pointing fingers, it’s time to get serious about turning that frown upside down.
Run polls, gather feedback, conduct research, create some positive media, whip up a great new campaign idea or head back to the drawing board. Just be sure to steer the ship in the right direction before it hits a giant iceberg.
Crisis management is a huge facet of how a brand is perceived by the public. Equifax, anyone? Or how about that Kylie Jenner Pepsi campaign?
All too often, these types of disasters can have long-term impacts on a brand. And while the right infrastructure should be put in place to minimize potential mishaps. For the ones that slip through the cracks, addressing the situation properly becomes a brand’s only line of defense.
And the best thing you can do is own up to it by showing some humanity. So throw yourself into the flames instead of sacrificing the well-being of your customers.
Even a single mistake can derail your branding efforts. If it’s not fixed sooner than later, it can be harder to reverse your branding efforts. If you catch yourself doing any of the above mistakes, you need to make sure to fix it before it starts eating at your brand.
What branding mistakes have you witnessed that you would include on this list? Please share them with us in the comment section below.
We are here to help. If you want any help with any branding issues, just Messenger us (Private Message Us) at our Facebook Messenger link – http://m.me/EasyOnlineBizSolutions
Talk Soon,
Nicky & Dave
Successful Entrepreneurs know that the lifeblood of their business is found in making the right connections.
Whether it is for potential business alliances, sales, marketing, supply chain management or just to escape the loneliness of being a solo entrepreneur. Making connections is vital for business growth.
For those of us that are extroverts, this may come easily.
For many, it may not be so easy. Our intention today is to help you make networking an rewarding part of what you do to strengthen you business.
All good businesses start with a plan so why wouldn’t the area of networking get the same attention as other parts of your business planning?
Often this area is left to chance or happenstance. You must not do this!
Instead ask yourself these the following questions:
Write down your answers and then prioritize what your networking activities with be in the course of a day, week and month. Incorporate your activities into your calendar and commit to a plan with a timeline.
First, identify the ideal person (customer) you would want to do business with from a character, philosophical and principled perspective.
To have an ideal network, first become your ideal self. Work harder on yourself than your job. Life is never about what we get; it’s about who we become.
When networking, don’t ask yourself, What am I getting? Keep in mind on who you’re becoming instead.
Third, connect to people with similar interests using all mediums. The best thing you can do is grow your social media network while working hard on becoming the ideal person who you want to attract.
As you become more attuned and grow your online audience, you’ll attract incredible people who are ideal for your long-term business relationships. When it does, you’ll be the right person in the right place with the right network.
For Nicky, wearing a nametag and chitchatting at networking events feels like the dreaded public speaking class in high school. It fills me with dread, and often makes me feel like a sleazy car salesman.
If you’re not the networking, nametag-wearing type, then use the back-door method. Everybody knows somebody, and it’s great fun to give back to your community.
Get involved.
Don’t just donate money or attend a stuffy fundraiser dinner. Roll up your sleeves and serve. Word-of-mouth spreads.
Community involvement for a Business can be a situation in which everyone wins.
Your entire world will change when you learn that networking is not about building your database but about it being the gateway to another great relationship.
So every time you meet someone new, you should ask yourself: Whom can I introduce this person to that could change their life?
This goes so much beyond having a scorecard for business or personal favors; it instantly deepens the personal relationship, which is the foundation of an awesome network.
As a business owner, time is the most important commodity that you have so be judicious of where you spend your time. Look for events that feed your business and mind.
Utilize social networking strategically. As social media grows, so does the spam and self-promotion attempts. Be strategic in your outreach and target your efforts towards connections that will help your business grow.
So you are finally at an event and are armed with your elevator speech and a pocketful of business cards. Your name tag is on the upper right-hand side of your suit or dress. It’s time to do a quick sweep of the room and see who you want to meet.
This is where the “hostess principle” comes in…
Walk up to the person or small group and gracefully stick out your hand to introduce yourself. The key is to act as if you are the convener of the event and it is your job to make everyone comfortable.
If you approach it with this mindset, you will be amazed at how comfortable you will become and how comfortable others will be. The same principle holds true for connections made via phone, linked in, email or other ways.
A hostess puts others first and generously gives to make others feel comfortable.
We have also found that you can get to know people much better this way than any other networking format. Plus, it’s super affordable.
The goal is not to get as many business cards as you can, but to make quality connections. It is important to be genuine and honest. The fallacy of much of social media these days is that it keeps us all connected.
A connection is not bad but it is not a relationship. It is a relationship that sustains a business for the long term.
To develop a personal relationship it takes face to face communication, nurturing, and time.
As only talking business when networking can make you come off as overallyperfessional and very sterile which makes it harder for people to bond with you.
If we get a client from a networking event, one that has never read our blog posts has never received my newsletter, it’s because we’ve established this special bond during our first meeting.
We might have shared our story, discovered a common hobby/ interest or felt like we were a good fit based on our conversation that wasn’t strictly business related.
We try to provide as much value as possible to people in my network without asking for anything in return.
In the beginning of a new relationship, you have to earn the right to have a genuine relationship. The only way you can do that is by giving an insane amount of value.
You will only be as successful as you help others to be successful. Help others to achieve. This might seem like an old-fashioned notion but this really works to create better relationships and loyalty with your network.
You can do this by introducing them to potential clients, recommend them, offer help and suggestions, and send business their way.
It is most important to do this when you are not looking for something from them. Be sincere and care about their well-being. This is what will set you apart.
Networking is not about you! Yes, in the end the main goal is to get new business. But business is based on trust. So if you go to these events and all you do is talk about yourself and how great you are, no one will be interested.
We all love to be listened to, it’s part of being human.
Rudolf Klaus, the king of Effective Networking has said you don’t have to be a small talk guru. You just need to be a good listener.
When we found out this we were so relieved. Try it out! It’s liberating.
Make it a habit to follow up with people you meet offline and connect with them by phone, on LinkedIn or through messenger.
You can send them a resource, follow up on a discussion you had or introduce them to one of your connections that you think might be a good fit.
Be helpful, not salesy!
It is so easy these days to build contacts and connections with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. LinkedIn has become the sophisticated rolodex for business professionals. Use it often to update, share, congratulate and connect.
No fairy godmother will wave her wand and give you quality, reliable contacts in a short time. You can get rich quick (winning the lotto), but nobody gets wealthy quick.
Having a great network is wealth. Creating an extensive valuable network will not happen overnight or even quickly. You can speed things up attending the right kind of events.
Just attending an event will not create a network.
You must still do the work: Reach out, be social and have sales skills. The right event can exponentially enlarge your network quickly and solidify your contacts by following up frequently and staying in touch.
Networking is marketing. And you need to market your business all the time, even when things are going well.
Think about it…What if you loose that one big client?
So book your networking events into your schedule and make a commitment, just like you commit to publish x number of blog posts per month, etc.
This is an essential tool that can be the difference between a broke business owner, and a 6-Figure Pro.
Aren’t you ready to GO PRO?!
It’s time to secure and deploy the secret weapon of every 6-figure business owner.
Networking is marketing. And you need to market your business all the time, even when things are going well.
Think about it…What if you loose that one big client?
So book your networking events into your schedule and make a commitment, just like you commit to publish x number of blog posts per month, etc.
The networking gives you many rewards. Master this important skill set and new business doors will fly open for you. You will be enriched by the relationships you make as you help others to achieve their goals while meeting your own objectives.
Networking is essential. Get out there and build your network.
Remember that your net worth is only as good as your network.
We are here to help. If you want any help, just Messenger us (Private Message Us) at our Facebook Messenger link – m.me/EasyOnlineBizSolutions
Talk Soon,
Nicky and Dave
After attending my third networking event of the week (last week), I realised that networking is one of the most valuable uses of my time in terms of return—and not just in monetary terms.
Networking is free, most of the time. It’s rooms full of like-minded individuals, and if you go to the right events they are people that you can work with or learn from in some way.
Of course, you do get the odd event where people just end up trying to sell something. But I’m very glad that I’m coming across this less and less.
Most of us recognise that networking is beneficial to our businesses and careers.
Yet for some reason, we only think of its benefits in the short term – when job or consultant hunting. However, connecting with other professionals can help with every aspect of career or business development.
So invest in these relationships – don’t just reach out to other professionals in times of crisis.
One of the advantages of networking is that it helps you become more visible because you become that one person that knows everyone and can be asked to make introductions or provide insight on prospects, associates etc.
Related Article:
11 Benefits That Community Can Have On Your Business
Precisely because networking makes you more visible, it also opens new doors.
From getting approached by recruiters about job opportunities to getting noticed by people who would like to work with or for you on a freelance basis. You never know when an opportunity that can advance your career will present itself.
It’s important to understand that opportunities not only present themselves in the form of new jobs, but can mean meeting important people in your industry that can change the course of your career, or be given the chance to start your own business.
One of the most important benefits of networking that people tend to overlook is that it allows you to help other people.
Granted, our motives in the professional world are rarely altruistic, but helping someone else with their career goals can be truly rewarding.
What’s more, helping out a professional connection means that they’ll owe you one, which essentially means that by making introductions and helping other people connect, you are basically paving the path for your professional success.
Most of us try to stay up to date with changes in our fields either through continuing our education or via reading up on industry news. But there’s a wealth of knowledge out there which you can gain access to by simply talking to other professionals in your industry.
The power of Masterminding in Entrepreneurial Networks is critical to staying in touch and being progressive.
WATCH VIDEO Where Mark from Lean Engineering explains how key it is to attend regular Meetups with other Entrepreneurs. He explains how it helps to keep him sharp and in touch with trends and business strategies.
So why not Join a Meetup Group in your area!
For those in the Gold Coast & Brisbane Area you can Join any of our Work from Home Entrepreneur Meetup Groups:
Brisbane, Australia – http://bit.ly/OurBrisbaneMeetup
Gold Coast, Australia – http://bit.ly/OurGoldCoastMeetup
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Having this kind of support system is one of the many advantages of networking and it’s why people are encouraged to take an active role in building their network.
Be careful not to overshare and keep getting constructive feedback.
Let’s say that you are interviewing with a company; in an open network there will be someone who’s gone through the same process in the past which means that they can give you advice and tips on how to conduct yourself and what to expect.
The is true when you are trying to approach a new prospect. An open network can mean getting tips on what the prospect likes and what the best tactic to approach is.
The key is to use your contacts wisely and to be smart about how you carry yourself in the workplace.
Remember that if you’ve been contacted by a recruiter about a new position you can use the offer to leverage your current position. The chances are that your boss will learn to appreciate you more once they know that you are in demand.
It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about networking benefits, but the boost to your self-esteem is something to consider.
By getting to know people and being asked about your opinions/ideas and being asked to introduce people can be quite the social thrill. It’s exactly what you need especially if you are an introvert who’s looking to advance themselves in a cut-throat business environment.
There are many methods and techniques to get over your initial shyness and actually start talking to people, but the important thing to remember is that it can be done on your own terms.
Networking is something anyone can achieve as long as they set their mind to it.
Your professional network essentially functions as your resource because as the old adage goes two minds are better than one. Having these connections means that you can tap into their knowledge whenever you need to and they will feel inclined to give you access.
Sometimes all our careers need is an influencer who can help things go our way and that’s what a professional network does a lot of the time.
It puts in a good word and applies pressure whenever it’s necessary. It’s an aid in helping you achieve your goals, and this is precisely why taking active steps towards building and maintaining a network is essential.
A professional network can help your career in many ways including getting a job, promotion and even leveraging a raise. However, to achieve all of that you need to step outside your comfort zone and start connecting with other people in your field.
Remember that you can’t just build the relationships, you need to maintain them by following up and keep up with all of your connections.
Kathryn Minshew (CEO and co-founder of The Muse) wrote: “Networks are powerful, and when done right leave you surrounded by a core of individuals who are all rooting for your success and happy to help you.” So true.
Networking is essential. Get out there and build your network.
Remember that your net worth is only as good as your network.
What is your chosen method of networking?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Talk Soon,
Dave
Emotions are at the root of why people buy many things. A purchase decision for a basic need might be fact-driven, while something we really want – like a shiny new car, the latest iPhone or dream vacation is driven by emotion.
Emotional triggers drive us to react and can lead to action because of that feeling.
For example, you see an item in a store that strongly reminds you of joyful, happy memories from your childhood. You are immediately filled with warmth and nostalgia. Because the item triggered happiness in you, you feel compelled to purchase it.
The item’s designer successfully appealed to your emotions in order to sell their product. The exact same principle can be applied to marketing messages.
The way emotions drive our decisions has roots in our biology. We’re wired to feel before we think. Feeling certain emotions makes us want to do certain things.
When marketing messages trigger our emotions, they motivate us to act in specific ways. This technique is persuasive, which is why it is so reliable. It can convince you to subscribe to an online newsletter, click “Buy Now” from your virtual shopping cart, share a post on social media, or make return visits to a blog.
When emotional advertising is effective, it makes our brains light up and respond in the way marketers desire. When it’s not effective, the message may make you feel sad instead of happy, angry instead of surprised.
Happiness is simple when something makes us feel happy, we want that feeling to continue. If the simple act of making a particular purchase is enough to inspire happiness in a consumer, then the brand is doing something right.
Happiness is also tied to instant gratification: It’s that feeling you get when you click “purchase.” That rush of excitement and anticipation that often accompanies buying something shiny and new can be addictive for many people.
Everyone likes to feel that they belong. In fact, as social creatures, we are hardwired to seek out belonging, avoid loneliness and even distrust loners.
When consumers feel like they belong to a brand, they feel like part of a larger whole.
Cultivate belonging in your customers by engaging with them on social media or creating a community within your brand. You want people to feel that they are part of this community when they use your services or products.
Trust is essential to any relationship, including one between a business and a consumer. In fact, it might just be the most important aspect.
When a consumer trusts you, they know that you’ll do right by them. You keep your promises, especially the ones you make in your marketing messages. Most of all, you’re sincere — and sincerity can’t be faked.
Think back to your childhood…
Flash forward to when you were older and drove your shiny new car to show off to your mates or collegues.
If pride is a sin, it sure does feels good, doesn’t it?
If you’re a parent, aunt or uncle, you’ve likely fallen prey to a guilt-trip from a child. They are the masters!
Guilt is easily manipulated through the marketing of expressions of love. But the marketisation of love and guilt has gone much further now. Good mothers buy things for their children.
They make sure that children do not miss out or that they are compensated.
Fear is a powerful negative emotion. If triggered in the wrong way, it can scare off customers.
However, there are nuances of fear that can make purchases incredibly tempting.
FOMO, or “fear of missing out” is about dreading being left out because you lack the knowledge or experience that others have had without you.
As it turns out, FOMO can encourage people to buy into almost anything. We’re constantly in a race to keep up with technology, with our peers on social media, or with our coworkers in the office.
Learn to Use Emotional Triggers To Enhance Your Marketing Messages
Emotional marketing wins over using logic.
According to Impact, advertisers who used emotional messages to appeal to their target audience reported more success than advertisers who relied on logical ad campaigns.
The proof is in the pudding: Emotion works.
Now how do you utilize emotional triggers to super-charge your ad copy?
We have a few tips for you:
Where “Multi-Million Dollar Copywriter unveils his deadly Copywriting Secrets that will help you print money right before your eyes!”
One Must Understand the Power Of Emotional Advertising…
Our emotions are our most powerful motivators. We feel first, think later. As such, this biological emphasis on “gut feelings” is a strong way to pull people to your brand.
Use emotional advertising, and you may find customers who not only connect with your brand, but develop firm loyalty to your business.
What do you stand for and do what you offer?