The Marketing Message Blog

Check out an excerpt of the new edition of "The Zen of Social Media Marketing" by Shama Kabani

Shama Kabani the very popular social media thought leader is out with a new edition of her best selling book, "The Zen of Social Media Marketing." 

She has provided us with an excerpt that I recommend you read if you want to boost your marketing power.

As anyone who follows Shama on her many social media accounts knows she makes things easy to understand and apply. 

Specifically, don't miss Chapter 13 Tools for Attracting Even More business and Burning Questions and Answers.

Check out her book excerpt Download The_Zen_of_Social_Media,_3rd_Edition_Excerpt.

Does every online business owner need to write a book?

I know the common wisdom dictates that all online business owners should write a book to build their platform. But what if this really isn't right for you and your business?  Could you create something else that would accomplish the same purpose?  

The goal in writing a book is to share your ideas and help other people find you  and your company.  If you are a thought leader, this is tailor made for you.  If you are an owner of a manufacturing company that sells online this makes less sense. What could you do instead?  

One idea is to create something that you and staff can hand to people that they would find interesting and valuable. It's better than a business card. People are loathe to throw away a 'book' before at least taking a look--even in this online culture.

Consider these:

1. A self published pamphlet that talks about improvements in your industry and how your company supports them

2. Tips about how your products can enhance their lives taking a bigger picture look.

3. Quotes and ideas for CEOS or owners in your field.

These are just a few ideas.  If you publish something inexpensively, you will stand out and help your company grow. 

 

Three quick tips to use when developing your brand message

 Branding isn't easy. If you are a typical online business owner, you try lots of different brand messages hoping to stumble on one that works.  You know this isn't the best way to go about it, but you have so many things to do that working on your brand never rises too high on your list. 

I think it should be top on your list.  Here are three quick tips to help you start thinking about it.

When developing your brand message:

1. Make it simple and obvious.  Don't waste anybody's time.

2. Identify exactly who will receive this message and what they need to feel about it.  Emotions sell products and services, not feature lists.

3. Make all your messages congruent.  This means that all your messages should fit together and tell the same story.  You can't be the latest thing and the old reliable thing at the same time.

Start here and try to build on your messages using feedback from your customers. 

Presenting your visual business story

I've completed the manuscript for my new book for Wiley, Inc. called Prezi for Dummies  which will be out next month.  During the writing, I was able to explore all the different ways stories can be told using visual thinking.  (Btw, if you haven't tried Prezi yet, skip over to prezi.com and get a free version to get your creative juices flowing.)

One of the most striking things about visual thinking is that companies rarely think of it first as a tool to communicate.  Since our brains primarily process information as visuals, it's an odd state of affairs. You'll find reams of text on a page with nary a picture to explain anything.

If you want to start to incorporate more visuals on your website or other communication channel think about adding visuals to supplement your text.  I don't mean add a nice stock photo (although that can be an assist at times),

I mean try something like drawing a visual of why you started your business.  Something simple with stick figures will work. Was it to work at home for your kids?  How about because your passion made you work on only that.  Whatever it is, try to visualize it and add it to your business story.  You'll be amazed at how people respond.

One thing to do this week to make your business grow

Is there really one thing you can do to make your business grow this week?  I believe there is.  I also believe that you can and should do this on a regular basis after you have it in place. 

What am I taking about?  Brand essence. Ok, you ask, what exactly does that mean?  Let's see. Do you know the answer to these questions?:

1. What does your customer think your brand is about? Is it even close to what you think?

2. What is the most important story you tell about your business? Is this story easy for your customers to tell to encourage others to use your brand?

3. What is the essential value you bring to your customer? Can you articulate it effectively to your customer? Do they agree that it is the value you bring or are you just guessing?

Ok, that's today's job. Anwer these questions and watch your business grow.

What's the missing piece for online business owners and entrepreneurs?

I notice that something interesting is going on when small biz owners and entrepreneurs start talking about online courses and training.  There seems to be an unspoken disappointment about what's being offered.  They say it's very tactical with no lasting learning. Once they try a tactic they feel lost about what to do next.

For this reason, my mission is to provide something I believe others are not teaching right now— it's the need to understand the value your personal influence and intellectual property has in setting your prices. 

If you're unaware of the value your customer places on your work you could be giving away the valuable info and trying to sell the low-value stuff. I see it happening everyday.

More succintly put:

intellectual property x personal influence = hidden wealth in your business

I will be writing more about how to uncover the hidden wealth in your business because if you are priced correctly, your customers will find you immediately. 

Web Marketing for Small Businesses—Free call sign up

Sign up for the next stop on my virtual book tour for "Web Marketing for Small Businesses: 7 Steps to Explosive Business Growth."

It's July 22nd, 2008 with Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero and Shama Hyder. Click here to sign up for the free call

On Wednesday night we will reveal "How to Build a Compelling Brand on the Web and Attract an Endless Stream of Customers."

Our guests:

Laurie Morgan-Ferrero is a renown copywriter and founder of Red Hot Copy

Shama Hyder is an online marketing expert and founder of After the Launch