Category: Social Media

The December Slump

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The end of the year can be a challenging one for Business to Business marketing. Vacations and time off are paired with consumer marketing’s most aggressive push. The result is fewer people that often have less attention for B-to-B related communications. Don’t let a December slump side-track your marketing efforts, rather plan for it to maintain engagement.

Trainers, consultants, and professional coaches should plan for lower response rates than usual in December.

As an example, a client of ours ran a free seminar every month to generate business. For several years in a row the client would be frustrated at a low turnout for the December event. He went so far as to only do communications for that event, abandoning other campaigns, from mid-November up to the event in mid-December.

The result was always disengagement, less opens, higher unsubscribes, unlikes, and unfollows. Rather than plan for a December slump he tried to overcome it with increased frequency and tunnel vision focus. The result was that he was inundating his target audience with communications at the same time consumer communications were bombarding them, so they disengaged. January and February became a month of rebuilding to undo the damage of December.

Rather than run the event in December we tested foregoing it and focusing on the January event. Doing a few communications in December and then a secondary push in January resulted in fifty percent more attendees. Furthermore the February event didn’t experience the rebuilding period that years past had endured.

You will see a dip in your website, social, and email B-to-B marketing efforts in December. It’s a constant and one that should be planned for. If you have a promotion that is active in the December months it needs to be practically targeted. For instance, a goal setting event toward of the end of the year makes sense for many business development professionals so that offer can seamlessly work in to your marketing plan. Furthermore, since it’s an appropriately targeted calendar event, it will resonate with your target audience.

Don’t give up on December but don’t fight against the inevitable. There are leads to be had but your communications have to work through the holiday commotion.

Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Site Conversion, Social Media

Identify and Investigate Target Market Channels

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Do you know your target market? When asked that question most trainers, consultants, and professional coaches can paint a fairly clear picture of what a target client looks like. When asked how they market to that target audience a list of marketing channels or media follows. But is the target market using those channels or media?

The ease in which digital marketing campaigns can be started has created some laziness in investigating which channels are most appropriate for a particular demographic. The thinking is that it’s so easy to set up the channel, we might as well give it a try and see if there are any results.

However, appropriately using a marketing channel typically has a significant investment in time and resources. Getting started might be simple but maintaining the presence in an effective way over the long term is likely not a small investment. Even more damaging is when a focus is placed on “positive” metrics that aren’t drawing the right audience. Some trainers, consultants, and professional coaches personally like using a particular channel and justify its use through irrelevant metrics that have no tangible impact on generating sales or leads.

The flip side of the problem is disregarding a channel because your prospects “don’t use it.” Often times a marketing channel is derided because a trainer, consultant, or professional coach doesn’t personally like or understand that channel. Just because it’s something that you don’t prefer, doesn’t mean that people in your target market don’t like or use it either.

Two clients recently showed the polar opposite in regards to a Facebook campaign.

The first client said, “I tried Facebook for a while. In fact, we did the whole social media thing. We got nothing out of it so I don’t want to waste time with it.” In reviewing what had been done we found a couple months of posts with no focus on building a following. When we pointed out that the Facebook page was never really given time to grow the response was, “That could be but the result was NO Leads. I struggle with the math there. How much effort multiplied by ZERO results in leads?” This outlook was a self-fulfilling prophecy, “Social media doesn’t work so I’ll put only a little effort in. After applying minimal effort there are no results which clearly show social media is not a valid channel for my target audience.”

Another client experienced the opposite outlook. He loved Facebook and crafted several contests to boost his following. After pulling lead data and finding that Facebook was actually the least effective social media channel he responded with, “I’m sure these leads are from Facebook, maybe they are just navigating in an indirect way which is skewing the results.” Upon further analysis we found that only about five percent of his audience was a valid prospect. The other ninety-five percent had liked his page during contests for a free restaurant gift certificate and likely had little or no need for the consultant’s services.

Remember that the best crafted marketing campaign will be a failure if it doesn’t target and reach the right people. Investigate marketing channels and if it appears that your target market is present make a plan to use it. Then be diligent and objective in investigating the data to ensure that the market you identified truly exists.

Internet Marketing, Social Media

Reusing Articles For Marketing

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Article and content reuse can be a valuable way to save time in producing the quality content that drives productive online marketing. It can also be a crutch that leads to repetition, disinterest, and obsolescence.

It’s rare that I encounter a trainer, consultant, or professional coach that isn’t strapped for time. Any strategy for decreasing the time commitment to sustain marketing efforts is a welcome one. However, in content reuse, what starts as a one-time shortcut often becomes a habit.

In meeting with a trainer recently, I asked if they would need help with content creation. The trainer said, “No I don’t need anything like that. I recycle the same group of articles so we’re set for content.” In asking about the content it worked out that the articles repeated on about a two year cycle. I asked if there was any indication that his audience had lost interest in his articles and he replied, “No one’s ever complained about it. Heck if someone was paying that close attention they’re probably already a client.”

However, in looking over his marketing metrics his audiences engagement was significantly lower than average. While there could be several factors weighing in on that, the fact that he was repeating himself over and over didn’t seem like a motivating factor for people to remain engaged.

If you find you chronically reuse content then you are likely suffering in three primary ways:

  • New articles are not being added to your website so there is not a consistent feed of fresh content to assist in your search engine optimization efforts.
  • Social and email subscribers may not recognize specific articles have been repeated but almost always recognize a similar topic and begin to disengage or ignore the messages.
  • Content online often gets dated quickly and using old articles with current dates can often make you look out of touch. (One of the trainer’s articles referenced cellular phones as a “new” technology)

While some content reuse is often valuable and effective, too much is often a problem. It’s OK to revisit past content from time to time, especially when a time crunch prevents new material from being created. However, be sure to edit it to ensure that the article is still relevant and makes a valid point.

If you find that you are habitually reusing content then it’s time to evaluate your marketing strategy. It’s unlikely anyone will complain about repetitive content, instead they’ll disengage or stop paying attention. Take a good hard look at your metrics, is it providing the complaint that your audience is tired of hearing the same thing over and over?

Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Maintenance

Focus Email and Social Media Marketing Schedules on Peak Activity Times

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We are often asked, “When is the best time to send an email or post to social?” The problem with this question is that it’s not static. The answer will vary based on audience and offer. Rather than looking for a set day/time monitor activity and look at the calendar to figure out Ideal times.

As an example, Friday, especially in the afternoon, converts poorly for most trainers, consultants, and professional coaches. But this might be an ideal time for a neighborhood bar or restaurant to send a notice about a happy hour special to prompt people to stop in after work. The time was the same but with different applications.

It’s also important to review the calendar. On July 3 last week we received a request to send an email invitation to an event in late July. By the time the invite was prepared it would have been late afternoon for a send. Given the July 4th holiday, that Thursday functioned like a Friday. Another disadvantage is that the business audience for the invite was likely to have a lot of people out of the office. While other Thursday afternoons might have converted fine, this particular day was ill-suited. So the invite was pushed to the following week.

The same rule applies to your social media posts. It’s best to post when your audience is actively using the social sites. Check your activity levels to ensure you aren’t posting when few of your target audience will see your content.

Experiment with your sends and monitor the date and times that convert best. It’s important to be aware of your send schedule and not become too rigid and robotic. While your send schedule should be consistent so that your audience gets continual exposure, it needs to be fluid to account for monthly variations and peak activity levels.

Email Marketing, Social Media

Just Do My Social Media

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ID-100160872A lot of times potential clients will tell us, “We want you to do our social media for us.”  When we ask what they mean by that it usually boils down to, “I don’t want any involvement, I want you to post and manage everything for me.”  While many things on social media like company pages or company communications can be delegated, it doesn’t apply across the board.  Social media accounts are a personal communication platform and the only person that can be you is . . . you.

I’ve yet to have anyone come asking for an email marketing campaign and also say, “While you’re at it, can you manage my email inbox.  Just use your best judgment when replying to people and give me a monthly overview.” Of course, that’s absurd.  Personal emails are meant for that particular individual not someone pretending to be that individual.

Bad news for those that want to delegate everything, the same holds true for much of social media.  The only difference between personal emails and social media posts is that most social media posts are visible to a larger group of people.  That added exposure does not remove the expectation that the intended individual is the one posting/responding.

Delegating company communications on social media is often valuable because those communications aren’t intended to be an individual’s voice.  However, companies don’t say things, people at companies do.  For truly powerful social media campaigns, individual participation supplements the company communications so that there is a personal connection.

 

Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Social Media

Call to Action: Events

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ID-100179293Events can be a powerful first step for most trainers, consultants, and professional coaches.  They literally put trainers, consultants, and professionals coaches on the podium to illustrate what they do and how they help clients.

Events can serve as a great call to action.  Dedicated invitations can be created and delivered via email or postal mail but small promotional ads can also be leveraged on websites, information driven emails, or social media. The one major downside to an event as a call to action is that it’s date/time specific.  Potential buyers can’t get the call to action on demand and must set time aside on their calendar. The major up side is that the trainer, consultant, or coach actually gets to interact with the potential buyer.

Events come in two forms – live and via the web. Both offer pros and cons.

Live Delivery

Live delivery is often more engaging because there is a personal connection.  Potential clients are in the room with the trainer, consultant, or coach which offers a more powerful bond and puts a face to an otherwise faceless communication.

– But –

The down side with live events is there are more logistics and tend to be more expensive than online events.  Rooms need booked, directions need provided, and most importantly, people need to show up.  Getting people to agree to physically come to a location increases friction for converting the call to action so the event must offer clear value.

Web Delivery

Web delivery via a webinar is the ultimate in event convenience.  Potential buyers can attend the event in front of their computer.  This opens up vast amounts of potential buyers as there are no geographic/travel restrictions on attendees. Online events also tend to be far cheaper, only requiring a webinar service.

– But –

Webinars are not as interactive as live events.  Presentations need to stay focused and concise.  For most trainers, consultants, and coaches a half hour is the max length they can keep the audience engaged for which limits the content that can be delivered.  Potential buyers will be more challenging to connect with because they remain a faceless entity behind a computer screen.  The reverse is also true.  It’s challenging to connect or get feedback from buyers on a webinar.

 

Weigh the pros and cons on which thpe of event is most suitable for your call to action.  There is less risk with a webinar, requiring less money and less friction to convert but the presentation’s impact tends to decrease. Live events offer powerful connections but with more friction to convert and more promotional dollars invested.

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Call to Action for Trainers, Consultants, and Professional Coaches

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Every online marketing campaign should have clear calls to action.  But commonly trainers, consultants, and professional coaches will say, “I’m not sure I have a good call to action.”  That’s a big problem, it’s like giving people directions without picking a destination.  You’ll get somewhere but probably not strategically toward a sale. There are five common calls to action that most trainers, consultant, and professional coaches have or can create fairly easily.

  • Events
  • Whitepaper/Report Downloads
  • Trial Training Session / Free Initial Consult
  • Contest
  • Easy to Purchase Product/Service

When providing this list we’ll often hear, “But what about my suite of products and services?”  Calls to action should be fairly simple.  Most trainers, consultants, and professional coaches have sophisticated programs that require analysis to find what solution properly fits a potential client.  That level of interaction is almost impossible for a call to action without an advanced web application.

These five types of call to action are feasible for most firms and provide a good first step with potential buyers.  In coming posts we’ll analyze each type and in which cases they are best suited.

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Online Marketing: Publish or Perfection?

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ID-100149444Trainers, consultants, and professional coaches tend to strive for perfection. On the surface that seems like an asset but it can become the undoing of their online marketing.

The problem with perfectionism is it often becomes fruitless debate or nit picking. Gradual improvement is admirable but requires testing not nit picking.

At a certain point in online marketing timeliness runs up against perfectionism and timeliness should almost always win. There are certainly ways to avoid this conflict with marketing matrices and calendars but sooner or later revisions, improvements, and tweaks will bring you to the brink of a deadline.

And the rule should be to meet the deadline. Inevitably when relaying this message someone says, “But there are exceptions like blatant mistakes, inaccurate information, or poor quality communications/layout that need corrected.” That’s competency not perfectionism. Competency is meeting basic requirements of professional quality and clear messaging.

The best piece of marketing that never gets released is ultimately a waste of time and effort. It’s OK to refine and tweak but don’t hold up your marketing processes debating which image is most striking or what color is most appealing. As long as the communication is of a professional quality it’s better to get it out. Use the time you save debating and spend it on analyzing and testing your results. Then your next campaign can take what you’ve learned and apply it, rather than getting stuck in a cycle of “perfection”.

Image courtesy of  -Marcus- / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Consistency is Key in Online Marketing . . . Repetition, Not Necessarily

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Consistency is often the lacking feature in an otherwise solid online marketing campaign.  Strategizing and planning tend to be what trainers, consultants, and professional coaches want to tackle but consistent execution can be elusive.  That said consistency can become repetition which is a sure way to lose audience interest.

Consistency is born from a marketing calendar and a company brand outline.  Following the template and schedule generate consistency.  The content can also help generate cohesiveness through follow on topics or offers that build on one another. Consistency is a proven advantage in that many potential clients will need many touches (for most people it’s 7 or more) before credibility is built up to a point where they will consider calls to action.

Strive for consistency but be wary of message repetition.

A client of ours ran monthly events.  They had a particular topic and a set way of doing their event.  Truthfully, it was a powerful topic and an impressive presentation.  The problem was that the marketing material was just as repetitive.  The description and the bullet points would change some but the title and calls to action were always identical.  What was initially a very successful promotion became tired.  By the 10th time they ran the event the email list and social followers completely tuned it out. Registration was poor and something needed done to rejuvenate their attendance levels.

So the event was revamped.  We didn’t go back to the drawing board, we just modified it: New title, new incentives, new target audience.  The consistency remained in that the landing page, email invitation, and social posts were all recognizable as part of our clients campaign but interest was renewed because the audience perceived it as something different.

Consistency is good but it can lead to a lazy approach which results in repetition.  Have a close eye on metrics and if you see interest has plummeted in a recurring offer or message, it will need to be revamped.

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Marketing Over-Strategizing

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If there is a number one offender on why consultant’s, trainer’s, and professional coach’s marketing campaigns don’t work it’s over-strategizing. The best plan ever conceived is worthless if it’s never put in place.  Over-strategizing revolves around one central problem, too much thinking and too little action.

Admittedly marketing consultants and contractors contribute to this problem. Talking about a great idea has more appeal than getting in the trenches and putting the plan in place.  This can get even more problematic for true consultant that will outline a plan but don’t fulfill the suggestions.  In these cases, going from plan to implementation is often challenging or never gets enacted.

Over-strategizing comes in 3 forms:

Inconsistency

Make a plan and then see it through.  Seeing it through requires a good faith effort on results.  If you put a new campaign together then you’ll likely need at minimum 3 to 6 months to gauge results.  If you keep making changes or running too many tests you’re not establishing a base line to measure effectiveness. Unless a campaign starts and causes a noticeable negative impact, a consistent approach is necessary.

Detail Over-Analysis

A strategic plan needs to identify what, to who, when, and how the marketing campaign will be rolled out.  Once that plan is set and responsibilities are assigned, don’t get bogged down in the details.  Laboring over a particular button color should not delay a launch.  Mark it as something to test once the campaign is established but don’t waste time obsessing over small details until you are ready to test.

Emulation

Copying other marketing ideas does not make a strategy.  It results in a mish-mash of ideas without the cohesive strategy to tie it all together.  Emulation also tends to lead down a path of starts and restarts.  One month the strategy copies this, the next it copies that.  Taking ideas and incorporating them into your existing strategy is beneficial, reworking what you are doing to emulate someone else, undermines a strategy.

Keep it simple. Set a plan and then put it in place.  For most web, email, and social strategies that will likely be at least 3 months to get data and trends.  Set a fixed time to discuss strategies, then don’t talk about it again and go do tactical execution.

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