Imagine a world where your clients are so attracted by your offers, they can’t wait to work with you. As a small business owner, you might be bogged down by all the “hats” you wear to keep your business moving forward. Unless Marketing is your genius work, it can seem daunting!
With online marketing, you have about 3 seconds – yes, 3 seconds – to make your pitch and capture your audience’s attention. During that time, your goal is to be instantly appealing with the services/products you offer.
How the heck do you achieve that?! You are going to have to put in some work on the front end, before you even interact with your potential clients, to make those 3 seconds count.
Try these streamlined steps and you’ll be sure to amp-up your marketing results!
Step 1: Enhance Your “Know, Like, and Trust” Factor
People buy from people they trust. It’s important to build credibility with your audience before you sell them anything. Use testimonials, be consistent with your messaging across platforms, think about developing relationships (not sales), and provide value-oriented information before you ask them to commit.
This is where you’ll have to do some heavy lifting to attract those clients who can’t wait to work with you. When developing a growing business where clients rely on the “knowing, liking, and trusting” factor, I typically suggest my clients schedule at least one conversation with prospects each day.
Some general outreach guidelines for achieving that goal are to spend one hour sending five to ten messages per day. Between outreach and the actual conversations, a couple of hours each day of biz development will get you there.
Step 2: Make Your Offer EASY to Understand
To do this, you first have to know who your ideal client is. If you aren’t quite sure, answer these questions to dial it in so you understand who you’re talking to:
- What makes them tick?
- Where do they hang out (physically and online)?
- What are their goals and aspirations?
- What are their pain points and challenges?
- What are their possible objections to your products/services?
If you find yourself scratching your head, think about the characteristics of your favorite past or current customers/clients. Then set up a call or coffee and do some market research – asking them to answer the questions. Model your ideal client avatar after these people.
Next, you need to offer a clear solution. Anticipate the challenges your client is dealing with as well as the results they are looking for. Be crystal clear on your solution and the results of your products/services. How does your business make a difference in their lives or work? Make sure your offer immediately clarifies these key points. Don’t make them wait for it!
Hear me out, if you aren’t sure about what you are offering, your prospects are sure to be confused also. If this is the case, take some time to review your products/services over any time period (at least the last quarter, preferably longer.)
- Were they what your clients/customers were looking for?
- Did they change along with the changing needs of clients/customers?
- Were they suited to what you most enjoy developing and providing?
- Were they packaged and priced well?
All of these considerations will make your offer easy to understand.
Step 3: Create a Compelling CTA
Finish strong! Create a simple Call-to-Action to invite your prospect to hire you or engage with you further. Your CTAs may differ, depending on where you are marketing (i.e., social media, email, conversation, etc.) The goal is to get your audience to take action – the next step.
There are many options to consider. But, don’t get bogged down by finding the “right” invitation. Try a few different ways and see what resonates with your ideal client. Finally, remember: tailor your ask to them!
Ideas for effective CTAs include:
- WEBSITE – buttons, contact form, banners, sign-up form. These actions include anything that will direct your visitor to learn more about your products or services, or that capture their information so you can reach out to them.
- SOCIAL MEDIA OR EMAIL: sign-up, get a free trial/quote, get started, learn more, message me/us, schedule your call. Connection is key with Social Media or email CTAs.
- DISCUSSION: ask for the sale, agree on a day that you’ll follow up if they need more time, direct them to one of your free resources. Of course, if you are in the conversation stage, you want to make the sale. You can still consider the conversation a win if you get them committed to taking another action to stay engaged. I know the conversation isn’t exactly “online marketing” but it’s probably your end goal for marketing – and your most important CTA.
My work is all about helping small business owners take those brilliant, but often scattered, business development ideas and streamlining them into plans, systems, and habits that create immediate and long-term success. If you are overwhelmed with overcoming your business challenges, contact me today to set up a complimentary discovery session.
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