How to Build Rock Solid Trust Online So Your Best Prospects Buy

So picture this: you’re strolling along in a major department store, cold drink in hand, on one of the hottest days of the year.

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, in walk two extremely large males, wearing trench coats and ski masks!

Does that particular image breed confidence and trust on your part, or do you think it might be safer if you just got the heck out of there asap?

I’m definitely with you on that! Then again, maybe they just have a thing for wearing trench coats and ski masks on extremely hot days. Who knows?

You’re probably wondering what, if anything, these two particular shoppers have to do with successful online marketing. The answer is quite simple: your potential online customers will not buy a thing from you until they get to know, like, and trust you.

So How Do You Build Unshakable Trust Online?

Here are five proven ways to help you develop this trust. None of these market-tested strategies are expensive or very time-consuming. But if you continue to ignore these proven trust-building tactics, your online ventures will definitely continue to struggle!

Trust-Building Strategy 1 

Ladies and gentlemen, please bear in mind that whenever someone first lands on your site, be it your blog or website, the two of you are strangers.

You have at most three to five seconds to try to convince them to take the action you prefer most.

So it’s best that you try to set up some type of opt in form (especially on your blog) in order to build your opt in email list. You should also offer some type of market-tested, free, “how to,” problem-solving lead generating giveaway. This giveaway should help your target audience members solve one of their major problems or concerns.

Then you can use your follow up email sequence to build trust and credibility with your subscribers.

Trust-Building Strategy 2

Here’s another big one. It’s an all too common online marketing mistake that you see lots of local, offline marketers making with their websites.

For some odd reason, lots of local, offline small business owners fail to place their phone numbers prominently on the home pages of their websites or blogs.

Don’t make your online visitors have to search for your local number! Instead, place it prominently in either your header or in your home page’s footer section.

Trust-Building Strategy 3 

This next tip might seem like good old-fashioned online marketing common sense, but apparently it’s not as common as it ought to be. Technically, every sales page, website, and blog is required by law to have some sort of contact page so your online visitors can get ahold of you.

Ladies and gentlemen, believe it or not, I know some rather popular bloggers whose blogs have no separate contact page! So if their visitors aren’t following them on social media and are not one of their email subscribers, it’s virtually impossible for a stranger to contact them!

This situation definitely does not bode well for building and developing unshakable trust, correct?

Trust-Building Strategy 4 

If you do have a blog component to your website, or if you just have a mobile responsive WordPress blog in general, be sure there is a picture of you. That way, your visitors can begin to associate your face with your business or service.

By the same token, in order for your blog commenting strategy to be effective, be sure you get an avatar at gravatar.com.

With Gravatar, each time you leave a comment, your actual picture appears with your comment, rather than the default (impersonal) image. Remember, the very first thing your visitors buy into is you—or your major competitors!

Trust-Building Strategy 5

Finally, once prospects join your opt in email lists, they want more than a series of thinly disguised sales pitches. If you are doing little or no actual educating of your customers, it will be almost impossible for you to build any type of long-term credibility with them. Then you’ll end up working a lot harder than you actually need to work.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about any of these five tactics. My friend, are you currently marketing online or planning to do so in the not-so-distant future? Then do yourself a favor and stop ignoring these five proven online fundamentals.

Otherwise, you’ll continue to struggle to build long-term trust. Don’t you agree?

Please share your extremely valuable comments in the comments section below. What are strategies people can apply to their businesses, products, or services in the next 30 days or less?

As always, if you got any value out of this post, please Google Plus or tweet this. Thanks!

And be sure you grab your explosive, free 22-step small business marketing idea kit series. It will help you increase your profits by as much as 25% in the next 90 days or less. It will also help you master your effective communication in marketing skills, no matter what your particular niche market is. It’s a $ 97 dollar value and it’s free!

The post How to Build Rock Solid Trust Online So Your Best Prospects Buy appeared first on Growmap.

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How to Build Rock Solid Trust Online So Your Best Prospects Buy

Stop Getting Your News From Facebook – Build Your Own News Platform

“I’m getting sick of all the negative news on Facebook.” Has a friend said this to you? Have you heard more and more of this? Are YOU tired of feeling like the information scrolling down your Facebook feed isn’t what you care about? You can build a simple alternative.

What If You Controlled Your Own Attention?

Before we all got sucked into the fan blades of Facebook (and I’m not anti-Facebook – I’m just explaining that there’s this other “build it yourself” Internet that came before it and still exists), the blogging revolution was delivered to us via RSS (Really Simple Syndication), largely thanks to internet pioneer Dave Winer. The name of the game was subscribing to blogs. We’d discover these by looking at the blog rolls (lists of other blogs you might like) that were a fixture on the sidebar of our websites.

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7 Ways Pinterest Can Help You Build Qualified Leads

In the past several years, Pinterest has become one of the most influential and popular social media websites on the Internet.

That influence has certainly gotten the attention of marketers, who are exploring new ways to use Pinterest for commercial purposes.

Pinterest is a social network that lets users share, curate, and discover visual images and videos on their own or other “pinboards.” Users can create pinboards based on their own interests or according to a common theme, such as a product niche or an area of expertise.

Pinterest members can upload images from their computers. They can also pin content they find online using the Pinterest “bookmarklet,” the “Pin It” button, or simply a URL.

As an online entrepreneur, you also can exploit the unique benefits Pinterest has to offer in order to build your list of qualified leads.

Here are seven fast and simple ways to do so.

Create Your Own High-Value Pinboard

Build your sphere of influence by creating a follower base, which is the key to your long-term sustainability. Create a pinboard related to your product niche and then include high-value content. This content should be information other Pinterest users interested in your topic will find compelling.

New followers will be able to find your pins. But unlike on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, there is no way for Pinterest users to “follow” you once they find a piece of content they like. Instead, they can follow a specific board you post. Then they will receive an automated notification anytime you post anything new on that board.

That means you can create a strategy to increase followers of multiple boards devoted to a wide variety of niches.

Use Other Channels to Promote Your Pinterest Boards

One of the fastest and easiest ways to draw attention to your niche-specific Pinterest pinboard is to promote it through multiple channels. For example, you can add the Pinterest Follow button to your website. You can also promote your presence on Pinterest on your other social media accounts, including your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ pages.

You can even write about your Pinterest pages on your blog. Then invite your readers to follow a link within your content directly to your pinboard.

Be the Best Within Your Niche

One of the best aspects of Pinterest is that you can devote your pinboards to very specific niches. This ability makes it easier to make the best boards on a specific topic.

When you strive to have the best pinboard within your specific niche, you can increase your chances of attracting your ideal followers. These people are highly-targeted users who are passionate about the types of products and services you offer. You can even create resourceful boards based on the keywords you already use in the SEO strategies you employ on other platforms.

Promote Other People’s Pinterest Pages

In most businesses, promoting the competitor is generally a bad idea. But on Pinterest, doing so can actually pay off.

Start following other Pinterest users who are devoted to your niche. Then make an effort to like and comment on their pins. When people sees you interacting with their content, they are more likely to check out your content and follow your Pinterest page.

Then you can get all the benefit of their followers each time you post something those influencers find so interesting that they re-pin it to their pages.

Use the Content You Already Have

Don’t make your first step looking around for new content or creating your own original images and videos. Instead, start by posting content you already have and have used elsewhere. There might be little to no crossover between the people who follow your Pinterest page and those who follow you on social media, read your blog, or regularly visit your web page.

Showcase your existing content on your Twitter page to attract new and unique visitors to your other platforms. That way you can get more mileage out of the time and effort you’ve already put into other marketing programs.

Host a Contest

Hold a contest in which you ask users to create pinboards on their own accounts to demonstrate what they love about your products, business, brand or services. Then ask them to send you links to their pinboards so you can award the best one a prize!

Or you can re-pin those boards to your own Pinterest page and ask your page’s followers to vote on the boards and select the winner.

Put the “Pin-It” Button Everywhere You Can

Why reinvent the wheel? Pinterest already has a perfectly fine widget that you can use—namely, the “Pin-It Button.” You can post this button on your website, blog, and anywhere else that lets you post social media sharing buttons. This makes it easy for visitors to your other accounts to share your visual content or images on their own Pinterest pages.

Pinterest offers many opportunities to expose your brand to new audiences.

The post 7 Ways Pinterest Can Help You Build Qualified Leads appeared first on Growmap.

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7 Ways Pinterest Can Help You Build Qualified Leads

Build Mobility for Your Business

As 2016 nears its close, what sights do you have set on the New Year, allowing you to take your business to new heights?

For some business owners, a new year can mean many new twists and turns. Others, meantime, will play things closer to the vest, looking to not deviate too far from what they have done over the last 12 months.

That said having a business that is not weak when it comes to technology is crucial, especially in a business world where tech is seemingly always playing a part.

So, are you ready to build more mobility for your business as 2017 unfolds?

Where Do You Start?

In the event you feel the need to put more mobility into your business, where do you start?

It is typically best to begin by assessing where your needs are most prevalent.

Are you a business that is behind the curve when it comes to technology? If so, why is that the case?

For some business owners, it comes down to embracing technology, not fearing it for one reason or another.

With the right technology on your side, your business can do myriad of things. Most notably, you can meet the demands of many customers, many of whom are big on technology.

That said does your business have an app? If the answer is no, 2017 would be a great time to come up with one.

If you are wondering about how to make an app, it actually isn’t as hard as one might think.

Whether you make the app in-house or outsource such needs, having that app ready to do business is where you need to get to.

In the event you decide to stay in-house in your efforts to make an app, you may have already hired someone (or more than one individual) more than capable of doing it.

Should you need to go outside for such help, you are best-served by doing some homework, seeing which companies (or even individuals) are qualified to put an app together for you.

Among the areas to look at:

• How long have they been designing apps?
• What are the approximate costs for them to design your app?
• What kind of guarantees will they provide so that you truly get what you pay for (and need)?
• Will they be available whenever you need them to answer pertinent questions and/or fix any problems your app presents you with?

Once you have the design of your app going, you can then focus on where your app is destined to take you.

Putting Your App to Work

So that you are able to truly understand how a mobile app can catapult your business forward in 2017 and beyond, keep these factors in mind:

• Numbers – First and foremost, more and more consumers these days are using technology to not only shop for goods and services, but ultimately purchase them. As a result, you’re literally going to be left behind if you do not fully embrace technology. Consumers will also look at your business with more respect when you have your own app, knowing you are staying up to date with the times;
• Speed – While there are still some businesses out there that avoid technology as much as possible (they seem to become fewer and fewer by the year), many companies love the speed with which technology can bring them together with consumers. That said see how having an app changes the fortunes of your business in many cases. With a successful mobile app in play, you can be in contact literally instantly with many consumers, giving you an opportunity to beat the competition to the punch.

Once you have a handle on how you will build your app, be prepared to move forward with marketing and using it when ready.

In the end, the app will build mobility for your business, something that ultimately should translate into more dollars and cents.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

 

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Build a Community for Ad Agency New Business

Building an engaged online community should NOW be a core responsibility of business development.

The battle for new business has moved online which makes community development indispensable in marketing your agency online. Knowing how to build an online community has become an important skill-set for those charged with agency new business. Community development comes before business development. 

How to Build an Online Community of Prospects

1. Create a Niche Blog

For over eight years, I’ve recommended creating a niche blog for agency new business and have helped create over 200 personal blogs for agency principals.

A personal blog can provide small to midsize agency owners a perfect platform to create positioning of expertise which appeals to a very specific target audience. Think of it as a fishing expedition. You fish for a specific fish with a particular bait. You fish away from the boat (the agency’s website) so you don’t scare off the fish. Since it lives offsite, the niche blog can be much more targeted than the agency’s website, which tends to show a diverse client base and very little differentiation from other agencies.

Blogs focused on a specific topic and audience are more successful for a new business objective. Recently, a client won a significant national account through their niche blog, www.thestorestarters.com. This small agency, with only a creative staff of three persons, was awarded the business of helping a national brand launch 22 new stores because of their positioning of expertise as the store starting gurus. They got the work without an RFP or pitch. This is what a niche blog can do for your agency.

Last year, it seemed like everyone jumped aboard the content marketing bandwagon. But most of the content wasn’t focused on a particular theme or a specific audience. This produced a gluttony of generic content that doesn’t create appeal.

If you really want a blog to provide new business opportunities, you must pick a niche and be the expert within that niche. My blog, Fuel Lines, has created great success because it is focused on a single idea – ad agency new business. This helps to cultivate an audience that is attracted to your writing and becomes the foundation for building your online community.

Prospects are searching for expertise. The essential element of developing a positioning of expertise is to write.

2. Be Personal

From the beginning of launching my consultancy, I’ve found success by understanding two fundamental truths:

• Social media is all about PEOPLE connecting with other PEOPLE.
• PEOPLE want to work with other PEOPLE that they know, trust and like.

As agencies grow, the more faceless they become. If you really want to generate new business through social media – get personal. Learn to use social media to humanize your agency. It’s the secret sauce that most agencies have neglected.

Nothing will connect more with your readers than being personal.

People don’t hire agencies, they hire people. The person behind the agency. It’s important to find ways to show your personal side. A lot of agency principals have a difficult time doing that.

Growing your personal brand is made much easier through social media.

3. Really Know Your Target Audience

My approach allows you to quickly define your target audience, engage and get to know them. How?

a) By Creating Content

I can intimately attest how difficult a consistent writing program can be. But, the reason that I’m such an advocate are the many benefits content marketing provides. It makes new business more focused and much easier than the interruptive type tactics of the past, such as cold calling.

One of the primary benefits of content marketing is that it can provide an organized system to personally get to know your prospects.  But you must be willing to provide the time and resources to do it the right way.

b) By Creating Value

Here’s a crucial tip for building your online community of prospects:  Stop trying to sell your agency. It’s not about touting your credentials, capabilities and case studies. You will never build an audience without value.

Value is simply being of service.

You identify the needs of your potential clients and then create and share information that is relevant to their challenges. You must be willing to share your expertise freely.

This is the secret of success in social media and growing your personal brand. Spend more of time thinking about them than about yourself.

You won’t be valued if you are constantly touting your agency’s capabilities, accomplishments and awards. It’s not about you or your agency, you must stay focused on the challenges and needs of your audience.

c) By Creating a Direct Connection to Your Agency’s Brand Leader

As spokesperson-in-chief, your skills and experience in social media has become even more important.

Prospective clients expect to have direct connections to the agency’s brand leader. As an owner, you should communicate through social media to help your agency appear more human and to create a strong emotional connection with those you are trying to reach.

Traditional corporate communication is beginning to give way to social communication.

Agency principal’s communicating through social media provides an efficient and effective way to be accessible. The time has arrived for social media to become an expectation for agency leaders.

For additional help, check out my article on How to launch a blog for ad agency for new business — fast!

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