Danielle MacInnis – Marketing Blog for Small Businesses

Small businesses now get it. They need to capture potential customers that come to their website. They get that they need to have a series of touch points before they convert that lead into a customer. How to capture that lead with relevant content often becomes the stumbling block.

What do I have that I could share? What information, resources or tools can I share?

Here are some good tips in working out what to use as a lead capture tools:

1. Understand what your ‘ideal’ prospects want, and give it to them

Determine what information your prospects are seeking to make a purchase decision, and make that information easily attainable. ( e.g a checklist, free trial, pricing information, comparison chart)

2. Offer something that solves your prospects problem

Solve your prospects problem. Draw an arrow from your prospect’s problem to your solution. (How to choose an architect, How to consolidate your debt in 90 days, Retire at 55 confidently, download our checklist)

3. Offer something that helps prospects make a purchase decision

Paint a picture that enables your prospects to envision themselves experiencing the benefit of your product or service. (competitive chart, education)

4. Don’t sound like everyone else

Get more attention by being different. Have a sense of humour, community, value. (free shipping)

5. Good offers should be enticing

If you can elicit an emotional response in your prospects, and you’re already on the path to creating a relationship with them. (30 day free membership access, free consultation, our key tools)

6. Make your offers easy to share

Use your site traffic to amplify your marketing efforts by making your offer enticing enough that prospects will want to share its benefit with others. (tweet, FB like, download, forward  to a friend)

7. Create value 

If you don’t want it, won’t open it, download it they they probably won’t. We are way past email newsletters.

With LinkedIn just listing on the stock exchange and jumping over 100% in the first 24-48 hours,  and now around $85 US per share,  should as a small business be as jazzed about it as the Stock Exchange?

You should be on LinkedIn if:

1. You want to build a network especially for business to businesses. Remember the rules. Give to gain. Be generous and don’t spam! There are over 70 Million users, chances are you customers are there if you are a professional service based business.

2. If you want to build your personal brand and be the “go to person” for your area of expertise. Update your profile and give potential collaborators, prospects and employees some great information about you and what you do.Use the Q&A to share your knowledge and answer some questions.

3. Leverage a social media channel that can connect you with key influencers and collaborators. You can have a paid or free account to connect with others. I use LinkedIn to search for people who I am going to meet so I can see their profile.

4. If your competitors are there. LinkedIn is a great research tool and gives you insights into who is doing what in your market.

5. If you want to use their groups to share information and learn about others. The great thing about LinkedIn is you can search for groups that you serve. Be it small businesses, women entrepreneurs or  accountants. Once you find them you can enter the conversation. What a great way to prospect!

6. To recruit potential employees. I have recruited key staff from LinkedIn. You can list a job and get candidates replying to your account.

7. If you want to do some research. I used one of the women in business forums to do some research for a client for a new product for this segment. I got an awesome response.

Hubspot's stats on LinkedIn

8. If you plan to make real connections. Like all social media the “show up and throw up”(thanks Sue Barrett for that quote) sort of people are those that people steer clear of. Making real connections, just like in face to face relationships takes effort so only join if you are prepared to put in and use the tool.

9.Use the tool to share content. You can leverage the content created on these forums in your blog, twitter, article syndication and Facebook identities to share conversations that might be relevant to your customers.

10. Build a powerful online thought-leader reputation. This tool allows your to change opinions, lead conversations and build a reputation. Be careful, it can bite! You need to be true to yourself and be polite and authentic. Try to be someone you are not and you will be dumped like a hot potato.

Related articles

• Getting Started With LinkedIn (thenextweb.com)
• 16 Smarter Ways to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Business http://www.copyblogger.com/linkedin/#more-17843(Copyblogger)

Awareness Inc pic

How many times do I have to say it? It is all about them, not you. They don’t care about you. Still, I am constantly confronted by businesses that continue to focus on themselves and not their customers.

Today the tide has well and truly turned. Everywhere  you can see how the customer is controlling the conversation. Harley Davidson president got it when he said, “ the more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing”. And you know what, if you don’t engage they will by-pass you. It is so easy for them to ignore. They can turn off the tv, delete the email and fast forward the podccast. It is all about them. They choose. They determine your brand value, they listen to their friends on twitter talking about a bad experience and they research new products by visiting user forums.

So where does this leave the small business. It is simple and here are my 5 top tips of ways to join your customers’ conversations.

1. LISTEN – start connecting by listening. This means act like a customer. Ring your own phone number. Stand in your own queue. Understand them. Invite them to participate in improving your product or service. Educate them and inspire them, but mostly join their conversation. Observe conversations in your sphere. Listen to the experts in your business on blogs, tweets and other social media forums.

2. LOOK – at your communications, your website for example. Does it talk about the customer and their problems and how you solve them or does it talk about YOU? Remember no one cares about you, nor do they care about everybody, they care about themselves. So don’t be all things to everyone. Just communicate to the select target market and explain how you can help them.

3. ACT – If you get some feedback, good or bad act on it. Show you care. A blog is a good way to join the conversation with your customers but it is no good if you don’t act on the information. You have to show that you are invested and you care.

4. CREATE – opportunities for your customers and employees to communicate and build an extended online community. They are going to have the conversation with or without you so you may as well be listening and providing input. Marketing is now a dialogue and two way conversation that requires listening and if you are good at it, you will empower your customers to create their own ideal products and services, review yours and provide feedback and nurture your business. They will tell you how they want their information, and what they want. You just have to listen and be willing to share the process.

5. EVALUATE – evaluate your online community and strategy and make sure it suits your customer needs. As you can see from the conversation prism below, there are many ways to join or start a conversation and you can’t give your attention to all. Pick the best way and medium that suits your customers and make a start today.

PR 2.0 pic

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