Networking tips

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Business networking works - in terms of creating awareness and customers. However, you have to go about it the right way. Here are some networking tips, which we hope you find helpful. You are in the relationship business. If you focus on building relationships, business will come to you. When you're networking, think about what your contacts want – not just what you want. Some people turn up at networking events and only talk about themselves. They grill each person they talk to, in order to find out whether they are a prospective customer. Unsurprisingly, they soon discover that networking, somewhat strangely, does not work for them. I imagine that they go back to hitting the phones (otherwise known as ‘cold calling’). Do not expect instantaneous results. Take time to learn about other people and build trust. The more you invest in networking - the higher the returns. Networking is now an established part of business life. You can network whilst eating your breakfast...
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Marketing metrics and measurement

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
As the management guru Peter Drucker said: "What gets measured, gets done." How do you know what's working and what isn't - if you don't measure outputs and response rates? Here are some of the things you can think about, with regards to marketing metrics and measurement: OUTPUTS Set targets for of all your 'marketing outputs', i.e. * Blog posts * Newsletter * Press releases * Social media connections * Talks given * Networking events attended WEBSITE * Total number of indexed pages * Unique Visitors * Bounce rate * Page impressions * Popular times of day to visit your website * Average time spent on site * Page views * Referral traffic (i.e. traffic arriving from other websites such as Facebook or Twitter) * Backlinks * Number of downloads (of, say, guides) NEWSLETTER * Subscribers, open rates, click through rates, hard bounce rates (i.e. dead email address), soft bounce rates (temporarily unavailable), spam complaints, unsubscribes SOCIAL MEDIA * Social media reach * Twitter Followers, ReTweets and other mentions * Facebook connections, Likes and Follows * LinkedIn connections, conversations, meetings MEDIA RELATIONS * Number of media contacts * Number of...
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Email marketing strategy

By Nigel Temple2 Comments
I now offer MailChimp training via www.mailchimptraining.co.uk which includes open courses and in-house training. Email is a highly effective promotional technique, in terms of awareness building and response rates. Key elements include your list, copywriting ability, scheduling and metrics. Email marketing is a promotional mix category.  It includes person-to-person emails, autoresponder messages, newsletters and e-shots.  Here is a list of promotional mix categories. You should send out a monthly newsletter to customers (dormant, current and prospective), suppliers and other relevant contacts.  A newsletter (sometimes referred to as an ezine) should provide useful, helpful and interesting material about your enterprise. There should be a number of links from the newsletter to your website. MailChimp and ConstantContact are popular newsletter production platforms. They include newsletter templates and metrics, so that you can see open rates, click through rates, hard bounce rates (i.e. dead email address), soft bounce rates (temporarily unavailable), spam complaints, etc. An e-shot, on the other hand, is selling something (i.e. a product, service or seminar place). Here is a...
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The promotional mix – 29 ways to promote your enterprise

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
Here are 29 promotional mix categories: * Advertising * Alliance Marketing Partners * Authorship * Business blogging * Channel marketing (i.e. distributors) * Content marketing * Customers (i.e. customer clubs) * Direct mail * Email marketing * Events * Location marketing (i.e. signage) * Media relations * Networking * Newsletters * Packaging * Point of sale * Printed matter * Promotional gifts * Referrals * Sales promotion (i.e. competitions) * SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) * Selling, professional  [Visit our Professional Selling Group] * Social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) [Visit our Social Media Group] * Sponsorship * Telemarketing * Vehicle (i.e. livery) * Videos (i.e. via YouTube) * Website  [Visit our Websites Group] * Word of mouth How  many are you using? Which ones are working well for you? Which ones should you abandon? You are welcome to discuss this within our website. The promotional mix should be part of your marketing strategy and plan. Navigator members of our community can blog within our website as often as they like. We promote marketing related blogs to circa 20,000 social media contacts. Written by marketing strategist, consultant, trainer and speaker Nigel Temple....
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How to write an e-shot

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
Email marketing includes newsletters, 1-2-1 emails, autoresponder messages and e-shots. A newsletter should provide useful, helpful and interesting material about your enterprise. If you're interested in newsletters - here is an article entitled 'How to get more newsletter subscribers'.  An e-shot, on the other hand, is selling something (i.e. a product, service or seminar place). Rule 1: Always write e-shots for specific target markets Here is an article on market segmentation  Think about the person (within the target market you are aiming at) who will receive your e-shot. If you were that person, what would your issues be (in relation to the products / services you are marketing)? Rule 2: You live and die by your headline The email subject line is the gateway to the rest of the e-shot. If it is boring / irrelevant / pushy / un-targeted you have lost the game before it starts. If you spend half your time honing a perfect headline, this will be time well spent. Rule 3:...
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How to get more sales enquiries

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
If you want to get more sales enquiries, it is a good idea to think strategically and to plan ahead. Within your marketing plan (hands up if you have one!), list all of the ways that you currently promote your business. For example, for an enterprise selling to other businesses: website, SEO, blogging, newsletter, networking, telemarketing, talks, printed matter and referrals. Consider which of these techniques have worked well for you in the past. If you keep track of where your sales leads come from, study the numbers. In addition, think about the promotional techniques which you are drawn to. For example, if you love to write, then you will be drawn to blogging, newsletters and article placement. At this stage, you may well decide to ditch some promotional techniques which aren't working for you. The next step is to add some new techniques to your list. Think in terms of promotional mix categories, i.e. Advertising, Alliance marketing, Direct mail (which is...
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Warning, very nasty ‘virus’ about

By Jacqui-Hogan2 Comments
Before you think ‘this must be another hoax’ , unfortunately it isn’t. I’ve seen this nasty attack twice in the last week, and the effect is nothing short of a disaster. The first you will know about it having got onto your system will be: • You open a file, and find it is gobbledegook • You get a large red message telling you that your files are now all encrypted, and you must pay a $300 ‘ransom’ for the unencryption code within (usually) 72 hours. Virus checkers don’t detect it. Probably because this is something called a ‘cryptolocker ransomware trojan’ – somewhat nastier than a virus. It will have snuck onto your system via an innocent looking link in an email or social media link (probably Facebook), and then quietly set up encryption on every data file on your system and every other PC connected to your network. Only when it has encrypted every data file, does the red message appear. I personally know...
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How to create your own media list

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
I ran a PR consultancy for nine years. I helped many enterprises to emerge from the darkness of obscurity into the shining light of customer awareness, using the following techniques. I’m still surprised at how few enterprises use PR effectively (or indeed, at all). A little effort in this area can go a long way to creating brand awareness and an understanding of what you do and deliver. By the way, it is a myth that you have to spend money on advertising, in order to generate media coverage. Editors and journalists are continually looking for good stories. If you can present them with relevant, interesting and well presented ‘news value’, they will talk to you. Step 1. Create your media list You can’t do anything in media relations until you have started your media list. Begin by thinking about the media segments you wish to communicate with. For example: * Local press * National press * Radio programmes * TV programmes * News websites * Freelance journalists * Sector specific...
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What is Collaboration?

By Jacqui-Hogan1 Comment
What is Collaboration? I'm often asked, what is collaboration? According to the dictionary, collaboration is where two or more people or organizations work together to realise shared goals. Collaboration enables you to share skills, experience, tools, knowledge, 'clout', resources etc. Done well, it can save you time and money, and get you more business faster. There are lots of different ways to collaborate and over the next few weeks, I'll be looking at the different ways you can collaborate and benefit your business. Most small businesses are very good at what they do, but often don’t have all the skills necessary to do all the things they’d like to do. Perhaps you want to utilise technology you are not currently familiar with.  Or you’d like to access a new business sector, or just work with someone who has a different perspective or greater knowledge. You could buy in these skills but it can often be more beneficial to share your own knowledge...
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Banking, Bookkeeping & Excel – made very simple, do your accountant a favour, Excel

By Anthony MellorNo Comments
By an accountant - me Why this subject? It is the basis for using Excel for bookkeeping in this modern age of bank data download availability. Who this is for? Self employed, company owner managers, any small business or indeed anyone who is still punching in numbers "for the accountant". Where? (Country) Anywhere, but written in the context of the UK, where I mention VAT just think "Sales Tax". What you need to know Excel can open csv files directly. This is about how to give your accountant what he needs without doing any bookkeeping. Bear in mind I am one of those accountants. Motivation I was chatting with a business owner the other day. I asked how he does his bookkeeping and he said he uses Sage so as to help his accountant. It turns out he uses his own sales invoicing and ledger system online, not Sage, he uses his credit card for all expenditure to speak of and his girlfriend types ALL these transactions individually into Sage. He is...
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