Use an email signature every time

An email is no different to a letter you would send out on company letterhead. Printed on that letterhead is your name, contact details, web site and any other useful information pertinent to your company and industry.

Readers of your email need to know who you are, where you are from, and more importantly, how they can get in contact with you if required.

Include your company logo as well. This is excellent branding and promotion. Avoid using your company email for personal expression. Leave off the inspirational quotes or funny pics. It is unprofessional and unnecessary. Save that for your personal email and social networks.

However, if your company has a trade show coming up, recently won an award, or was featured in a national publication, by all means promote that at the very end of your signature block.

Don't make people have to work hard for that sort of information. Putting down too much contact information is a better option than less.

Here's a good example of an email signature.

Bron McClain
Marketing Consultant
Conquest Marketing Pty Ltd

bron@conquestmarketing.com.au
www.conquestmarketing.com.au

PO Box 492 New Farm Qld 4005
(Conquest Marketing is proudly featured in Desktopmag, read the article here)

Conquest and Desktop mag

Conquest Marketing is proudly featured in this issue of Desktopmag. We spoke with journalist Sharon Green about ways to generate income and new clients when you first get your business started.

No matter what industry you are in, the tips in this article are pertinent and can be implemented.

Give Bron a call 0412 326 300 or email Bron for more information.

http://www.desktopmag.com.au/careers/selling-skills-for-the-solo-creative/

Become an expert! Advice from Sonja Falvo

Sonja's latest e-book, buy a copy now!

Today I am thrilled to showcase Sonja Favel, international body transformation specialist, published author and speaker. Sonja has recently published the e-book "Don't pretend to be an expert... become one!". In her book, Sonja tells you exactly what you need to do to stand out from the crowd and maximise your exposure with marketing activities and strategies to firmly position you as an expert in your field.

Here's six ways that you can start now:

1) Build your USP (Unique Selling Point). What is it that you do that sets you apart in your field? Do you need to create your category within your field and become a specialist? Your USP leads to your customer value proposition - the reason why your customer will take the sale!

2) Build your basic credibility indicators. This can be the way you present yourself, your company or personal branding, your communication style and responses. Keep your website up to date, and deliver when you say you will.

3) Become a writer. The written word is prolific these days, on the multiple media platforms that exist. Put together newsletters and e-books that will assist your customers to be more successful in their business.

4) Use blogs and social media. Keep your customers up to date on your activities via a blog and other social media like Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIN. These resources are cheap and are fast becoming the barometer to measure a company's exposure and availability. And of course, credibility.

5) Network. It's an oldie but a goodie. And it never fails. Nobody can sell your business better than you. So get out there and meet as many people as you can, shake hands, exchange cards and ask open questions. Network on social media sites as well - comment on blogs, make friends on Facebook and give your clients tips and tricks on Twitter.

6) Circuit branding. You've got some great skills and advice to give others both from within your industry and outside. Get up and speak about it. Look for speaking opportunities at networking functions, small business symposiums, NFP events. Spread the word by having others speak about you.

Sonja's book can be purchased by visiting www.sonjafalvo.com.

You can also find out more about Sonja's body transformation expertise by visiting www.realbody.com

Thanks Sonja, we've loved having you with us today!

Keyword-rich article titles

Example 1 "Car Audio"

This article title is too short to get any hooks and the reader has to guess what your angle to the topic will be about.

Example 2 "Car Audio and Electronics"

This is better, yet it does not explain why someone should read the article.

Example 3 "Car Audio and Video That Will Make Your Friends Envy You?"

Now we have picked up a 2nd keyword, “video” and a reason why to read the article.

Example 4 "Car Audio Components, Subwoofers and Tweeters-7 Tips to Amp Up Your Stereo"

Here you see multiple high value keywords, gave a reason to read the article and even used a high value keyword as a verb, “Amp.”

Also, ask yourself this question: “Do the first 3 words of my article title introduce the topic of the article?”

1. Start your article title with your article subject.

2. Avoid starting with ‘junk words’ or conjunctions, such as “a” or “the.”

3. It is acceptable to start your article title with a verb and then roll directly into a dense keyword relating to the subject of your article.

4. Consider using two article topic hooks in your article title. Example: "Yoga Moves - 7 Tips To Flatten Your Abs With Hatha Yoga Techniques". Topic hook #1 is “Yoga” or “Yoga Moves”. Topic hook #2 is “Flatten Your Abs” or “Hatha Yoga”.

Energise you, energise your profits

Stop draining your energy and improve your attitude with these five sure-fire points to improve your mind, your day and your bottom line.

Tip #1: Stop using negative phrases such as “It’s impossible,” or “This won’t work,” which program you for negative results. Instead, substitute phrases like “That might be challenging” or “We’ll need some alternatives” that leave the possibility of eventual success open and available.

Tip #2: Whenever somebody asks “How are you?”, don’t come out with the something depressing like “Hangin’ in there” or “Same old, same old.” Instead, respond enthusiastically with “Terrific!” or “Fabulous!” or “I’ve never felt better!” Then make that your reality, too.

Tip #3: Stop complaining about things over which you have no control, such as the economy, your company, the customers, etc. Focus on what you can change, what you can accomplish, and what you can do for your firm, your customers, and your customers’ customers.

Tip #4: Stop griping about your personal problems and illnesses. What good does it do other than to depress you and everyone else? Remember: this, too, shall pass. Do what you can to deal with your problems and then use your energy to keep yourself on track and in high spirits.

Tip #5: Substitute neutral words for emotionally loaded ones. For example, rather than saying “I’m enraged!” say “I’m a bit annoyed…” or (better yet) “I’ve got a real challenge…” Neutral words keep your mind from getting into emotional feedback loops that keep you miserable.

Tips for writing in a positive manner

What do I mean by being positive? Basically, you should say what something is rather than what it isn’t.

By stating what something isn’t can be counterproductive since it is still directing the mind, albeit in the opposite way.

If I told you that dental work is painless for example, you’ll still focus on the word “pain” in “painless.”

So intead of saying “inexpensive,” say “economical”.

Instead of saying “this procedure is painless” say “there’s little discomfort” or “it’s relatively comfortable”.

And instead of saying “this software is error-free” or “foolproof,” say “this software is consistent” or “stable”.

Five big mistakes

The five common and biggest mistakes being made by many entrepreneurs that hurt their bottom line are:

1. Thinking you can be all things to all people

2. Doing business without quantifiable marketing goals

3. Not realising the lifetime value of your clients

4. Trying to market without a unique core message

5. Having inconsistent, unprofessional marketing materials

More networking tips

Start by building a list of all the publications, groups, online forums and events that are relevant to you and your business. Think about how you would like to be represented via these forums and start planning. By being clear about what you want to say, and which channels are available to communicate it – you’re half way there.

Start blogging. It’s a great vehicle to practice articulating your response to current issues as an expert in your field. To make the most of your time investment, be sure to be active in your online community, leave comments on other blogs and take part in conversations.

Take part in industry events and discuss with the organisers about how you could potentially be involved as a speaker or run a break out session at an event. Event speaking opportunities are often tied to sponsorship investment, but don’t be shy – last minute opportunities could pop up and those who organise these events can be an important part of your network.

Create a dialogue with key players in your industry. While there may be competitive issues at play, good value often comes from collaborating with your peers to expand your network and create positive PR opportunities. If it’s possible to facilitate such a relationship where you can refer them for opportunities and vice versa, it’s a great way to increase your exposure.

Networking tips

Organisations that generate good PR or publicity generally have one thing in common. The person representing the organisation in the media is inevitably well known as an expert in their field and relied upon for providing insightful, knowledgeable information about their area of expertise.

When assessing your PR strategy, a good place to start is by asking how your business gives you specific insight and expertise that may be valuable to others.

Once you are clear about your area of expertise in the market and how you can distinguish yourself from the pack, it’s time to start networking.

The importance of a marketing strategy

An effective marketing strategy means life and death for a business. While the world is facing tough times, it is common for most companies to cut their budget allocation for marketing.

Experts strongly advise against that practice. Statistics show that companies that continue their marketing strategies perform best during recession.

So what makes a marketing strategy effective? It must be within the budget of the company, of course. It is cost-effective yet it results in remarkable increase in revenue and income. It substantially draws new customers and keeps existing ones.

A carefully developed marketing strategy is necessary in today's business environment which is marked by levelled economic growth and intense competition.

A marketing strategy is most effective when it is an integral part of corporate strategy and in line with the company’s over all mission statement.

Companies must be innovative and creative in their strategies in addition to knowing their target customers, considering the portfolio of products and anticipating the moves of competitors in the market.

While most marketing pursuits costs a lot, there are low- to no-cost alternatives that are equally effective in promoting offerings and driving up sales. Companies must be prepared to allocate time on planning these options.

One effective and affordable strategy is networking at events. By actively participating in meetings held by the chamber of commerce and other organizations, a company gets the chance to meet potential clients. Create a useful handout, one that the recipient will not throw away. Some companies opt to giving away planners complete with their business name, products, services and contact information.

A company may also submit interesting articles to newspapers and magazines. In efforts to take over competition, grab market share, boost sales, and tap technological advancements, companies have turned to using Internet marketing strategy.

What are the qualities of a good leader?

Not everyone is cut out to be a leader and not everyone is cut out to be the same sort of leader. An AFL footballer might be a leader among footballers but not cut out for the captain's job. The captain might be a wonderful captain but a dreadful coach. And the coach might be the best coach ever but that doesn't necessarily make him a CEO.

It is very difficult to define just what makes a good leader, although there are some common traits that most people agree upon. These are:

Self-awareness: Knowledge of your own values, passions, skills, strengths and weaknesses, an ability to admit and learn from mistakes and to seek information to fill knowledge gaps.

Integrity: A strong sense of "what is right" and a demonstration of ethical practices that sets the tone for others. A commitment to teaching by example.

Courage: The strength to act in accordance with your own values and the greater good despite pressures pushing you in other directions. The ability to put the cause before the desire to be popular.

Confidence: A belief in your ability to meet most challenges that come your way.

Vision: A strong sense of where you are going as a person and where you think society, your community and your organisation should be going – and how it might get there.

Enthusiasm: A lively interest in the people, issues and events around you, a feeling of excitement about the possibilities, and the energy to guide them towards fruition.

Innovation: The ability to "think outside the box," take risks and develop new and effective solutions to old and emerging problems.

Wisdom: Intelligence coupled with insight and empathy, as opposed to raw intelligence.

Adaptability: A willingness to be flexible and to respond quickly and effectively to changing circumstances, along with a commitment to continual learning – formal and informal – and the ability to put that learning into practice.

Strong inter-personal skills: An ability to interact and work harmoniously with others, while being prepared to take on individual responsibilities.

Effective communication: A willingness and ability to listen to and understand the thoughts, ideas and concerns of others and to clearly communicate your own. A vision is nothing if it can't be sold to others.

Belief in others: The desire to build the capabilities of others, praise them where appropriate, go into bat for them when appropriate, provide them with helpful feedback and motivate them to do their best.

Peer respect: An ability to inspire respect, allowing a person to capably lead discussions, maintain discipline and encourage the contribution of others.

Insight: The ability to see the big picture, coupled with a strong sense of what stage you are at along the path, and intuit problems before they arise or before they become insurmountable.

Sense of humour: The ability to laugh at yourself and relieve tense or stressful situations with humour.

Competence: Others are unlikely to follow the lead of a person who does not appear to know what s/he is doing.

Delegation skills: A willingness to trust others and cede some responsibility.

The marketing mix

Consider these important aspects when putting together your marketing strategies:

Market research: It's common to assume that if we love our product or service, others will too. Many businesses skip the simple step of doing market research to discover what customers want in a business offering. Take time to research your market before you begin implementing marketing strategies.

Buying behaviour: Customers will buy for their reasons, not yours. Buyers go through various stages of the buying cycle. By aligning your marketing strategies to tailor to what stage your customer is in of the buying process, your odds of success are greatly increased.

SWOT analysis: The marketplace is wide and deep fulfilling many wants and needs. Before you craft your marketing message, get a sense of who your competitors are including their strengths and weaknesses. A simple SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis will put your market in perspective.

Marketing mix: There are a multitude of channels to reach your customers ranging from radio and Yellow Pages to the internet and trade shows. Target your marketing strategies on multiple channels to increase your reach and frequency.

Low cost marketing: The most effective marketing isn't the most costly. There are ways to market without breaking the bank including social media, joint ventures, PR and referrals.

But what to say?

What’s the hardest part about using Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to develop your brand and let people know what your business is doing?

The words. Writing words that people will want to read. Your blog, or your social media strategy, may have the coolest techno gadgetry and lots of fancy flash apps, but if your words are clunky, don't follow a linear path, and have poor grammar/spelling, you're wasting your time. And your readers time. 

Always double-check your work, and if possible, get someone (or pay someone) to check it for you. It will be worth it. 

Let's talk about social media

Hello everyone.

This morning, I'm putting together notes for companies/individuals considering getting on the social media juggernaut. 

The press and experts alike are quick to frighten potential users with their acronyms and new terminology that confuses rather than enlightens.

Social marketing is fundamentally no different to the way people have been identifying brands and make purchasing decisions for thousands of years.

It’s just that technology has now caught up. 

You can join the social media revolution - you just need: 

• a computer with internet access
• an awareness of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter)
• customers (new/current) who use the web 
• a product or service that can promoted online

Welcome everyone!

As I tell my clients all the time, if you're in business, you need a blog. So here's the blog for Conquest Marketing. Welcome. Here you'll find what projects we're currently working on, what we've got coming up on the horizon, and some tips and tricks to improve the marketing and promotion of your business.

Be ready, though, it will also be peppered with a healthy dose of humour along the way. Don't say you weren't warned!

See you soon, Bron