The social media party

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Social media is like a huge, sprawling party which is happening within a mansion. Conversations are going on around the pool, in the lounge, in the kitchen, in the hall and throughout the rest of the building. Guests are forever arriving and leaving. Flashbulbs pop as celebrities make an appearance. Gossip and tittle tattle buzz throughout the place. Some of the guests are people watchers. They don't talk much, if at all. Others are actively networking. They make new contacts, discreetly exchange business cards and move on to the next conversation. A small group causes successive sensations with startling revelations which attract a throng of guests. So, what type of guest are you, within the social media party? Are you a Wallflower - happy to watch and listen? Are you a Networker - out to make as many contacts as possible? Or are you a News Maker? Whether you use Twitter, LinkedIn, Ecademy, Facebook or any other social media platform, you should be...
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Google Plus quick overview

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Currently in trial mode (July 2011), Google Plus (or Google+) looks and feels somewhat like Facebook. http://www.plus.google.com If you would like an invitation to join - just ask - via the Social Media Group. You can create a Profile and add people into 'Circles', i.e. Friends, Family, Acquaintances etc. You can then share information with some, or all of your Circles. You can drag and drop your contacts into the Circles (quite satisfying!) For the technically minded, this is achieved by using HTML5. If you are an avid Google user, have you noticed the navigation bar at the top of Google pages which allows you to jump straight to Google Mail, Calendar, Documents, Photos, Reader, Web (search), etc? You will find this within Google Plus. Within the Google Plus nav bar, you are able to view your profile and notifications - as well as instantly share content. By the way, some 10 million people are involved within the trial! Join us COMPASS membership is FREE! * Create...
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SEO strategy in 7 steps

By Nigel Temple2 Comments
Here is a 7 step SEO strategy: 1. Become your customer & think about what they are searching for. 2. Create an alphabetical list of search terms. 3. Search for 'Keyword tool' within Google and use this resource to refine your list. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal 4. Use your keywords / phrases within your website, i.e. articles, tips and ideas, dos & don'ts lists, case studies, blog entries. 5. Use your keywords / phrases outside of your website (social media, comments within other people's blogs, article marketing etc). 6. Measure your results using Google Analytics. 7. Use the metrics to create a feedback loop into your keywords list. Ask an SEO strategy question via our SEO Group: https://www.marketingcompass.co.uk/groups/seo Join us COMPASS membership is FREE! * Create a profile & promote yourself * Hyperlink back to your website * Connect with other members * Post updates about your marketing * Join knowledge groups & find answers * Download our FREE ebook – 101 Customer Attraction Techniques * Earn money via our affiliate scheme [DKB url="https://www.marketingcompass.co.uk/register" text="Create my free account" title="Create my...
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What is success?

What is success?

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
In a complex society such as ours, what is success and what does it mean to you? For some, the answer is more money and more possessions. However, for most of us, true success is founded on happiness and well being. Relationships A key aspect of success is the number and depth of relationships you have. For independent professionals and business owners, this is where networking can make a significant contribution to happiness. Getting to know other entrepreneurs who face the same challenges as you do - and building professional relationships with them - can be deeply gratifying, on an emotional level. Motivation Why did you decide to launch your own business? Is it something that you always dreamed of doing? Would you ever go back to corporate life (if this is where you started)? What, exactly, does motivate you? To what extent is the answer 'money', as opposed to the satisfaction of walking your own path, making your own decisions and proving to yourself...
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The MarketingMessenger – our new printed magazine

The MarketingMessenger – our new printed magazine

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Over the past few weeks, I have been busy writing the inaugural edition of the MarketingMessenger - our new printed magazine. We will be mailing this out to Navigator members during June 2011. We hope that you find it helpful. By the way, there is no additional charge for receiving the magazine. If you are interested in becoming a Navigator member of The Marketing Compass, you can learn more here. The articles revolve around 7 key topics: 1. PSYCHOLOGY * Are you communicating with both sides of your customer's brain? * The seven step creative thinking process 2. STRATEGY & PLANNING * Your marketing strategy * Should you be a specialist or a generalist? * Do you have clear objectives? * Building your brand * Positioning * How to work out your USP * Naming your enterprise * Are you selling at the right price? * CRM software 3. CUSTOMERS * A customer focused business 4. COMMUNICATION * Professional writing tips and techniques 5. PROMOTION * A colourful...
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The internet as part of the business model

The internet as part of the business model

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
To what extent is the internet embedded within your business model? Within The Marketing Compass, our members include a number of e-commerce businesses; so their answer would be: "100%". For the rest of us, the answer will range from "hardly at all", to "significantly." Do you see your website as an online brochure or as a way to build brand awareness, create customer engagement and build deeper relationships? Clearly, making more sales is important - however - you are more likely to sell more if you begin with the preceding items. How about the social networks? Do you have strategic SMO* objectives? Do you integrate your SMO activities with the rest of your promotional mix? With regards to SEO**, do you have an alphabetical list of keywords for easy reference? Do you update this list frequently? Do you use these words and phrases both within your website and outside of it (i.e. within social media status updates)? Take the use of Twitter as an...
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Customer timeline

Customer timeline

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Marketing is a journey. To begin with, members of your target market haven't heard of you. Your job is to create awareness amongst this group of people. The answer is to create a customer timeline. You receive sales enquiries. Some people don't buy. Those that do become customers (transaction based). Some of your customers buy regularly from you. A business relationship develops and these people become clients. Some of your customers and clients (and some of their friends) become advocates. Cherish your advocates, as they are selling for you, without thought of reward. Some of your customers and clients 'fall asleep' (metaphorically speaking) and stop buying from you. Your job is to wake them up. Ask for referrals from people who have bought from you. Use the promotional mix to attract new customers to your business.   1. Awareness. 2. Enquiries. 3. Customers. 4. Clients. 5. Advocates.     Source: The Marketing Compass Manual If you have any questions about the customer timeline, just ask! Join us COMPASS membership is FREE! * Create a profile & promote...
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Do you have a marketing song?

Do you have a marketing song?

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
Here is a metaphor, which may help you.... Your marketing proposition comprises your central message. It describes the benefits which you offer to the market. Back in the 1940s, the term 'USP' (Unique Selling Proposition) was coined by Rosser Reeves, the copywriter. The challenge is that there is a great deal more competition now. It's harder to make a business 'stand out from the crowd', isn't it? Here are two ways that you can do this: 1. Add value before, during and after the sale. 2. Educate your customers. Your proposition is the 'song' of your business. Is your song catchy and memorable? Will the listener like the sound of your song? Will they want to tell everyone they know about it? They are more likely to do so, if you add value and offer helpful, useful and relevant advice. Ensure that you sing your song in tune, across all forms of promotion. Make this part of your marketing strategy. We wish you all the best with your marketing (and your marketing song!)...
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Can you write your way to riches?

By Nigel Temple2 Comments
Do you love to write or would you rather pay a visit to the dentist? You probably didn't launch your business because of your love of writing, did you? Can you write your way to riches? Writing is a central part of marketing. With the arrival of websites, e-newsletters, blogs, online PR and social networking, the requirement to write regularly (and well) has never been stronger. Is it all worth it, I hear you ask. Well, for a start, writing makes you think. If you write about your products / services, your customers and your business, new ideas will come to you. These ideas may be real money spinners. Capture them in lists and start to write business / marketing plans for the best ideas. Write early in the morning, before you open your emails, use the phone or go into your first meeting. Alternatively, the evening may suit you better - it really doesn't matter as long as you write something every day. With...
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Is fear holding me back?

By Nigel Temple3 Comments
You are an intelligent, hard working person, aren't you? You are very good at what you do. You work long hours and you put a huge amount of effort into your business. So, the question is: are you as successful as you should be? Clients and seminar delegates ask me a lot of marketing questions. Sometimes, I wonder whether it's the marketing that's holding them back, or something else. The successful people I have worked with think differently. No matter what their current circumstances, they know that they will succeed. They have a strong self image and a clear vision of a bright future - regardless of the state of the economy, the state of their business or the state of their bank balance. They realise that failure is inevitable, along the road to success. On this basis, it doesn't matter if a particular initiative doesn't bear fruit immediately - they know that they are moving in the right direction. Successful people love to...
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