This morning I talked with Emily from Imagine Results about promoting their free HiSET help tools and was blown away. Sell your stuff where they buy it she said. Pretty simple for most businesses right? If I sell gum, I sell it at convenience stores, grocery stores, candy machines, vending machines in the workplace, etc…
Emily explained that instead of normal ads she decided to promote their practice tests for the GED test on career websites. People who are looking for a better job might realize that having a GED diploma will help them to get a better job! Get the point now? Get obvious about where your products are on offer. So, not only where your customers are buying, but at the most opportune time as well.
So what does this have to do with your business? Seriously, it has everything to do with it and I’m not joking. If you are using online video to attract customers instead of just throwing them up all over and tweeting the crap out of them and spamming your Facebook friends, place them where your clients will watch them.
Figure out where your target audience is, when they are there, and position your videos right in front of them, in their time of need. The rest falls right into place, doesn’t it? Just keep in mind that when you’re in business, looks do matter! You know best how to dress for your clients, don’t you?
How to do it? Well, every person’s business is different and you know your client better than I do, I hope, so there is no straight answer. Here are some tips that might point you in the right direction.
Put your ear to the ground: Keep those social networking sites search tools handy and be on the lookout for someone in need of your service. Then simply respond. Don’t rush in and try to sell them something yet. It’s just like top sports; wait for the right time to set a record or a major achievement.
Instead, have you done a video or a blog post on the topic they need help with? Start with that, introduce yourself and engage them in a conversation about their needs, and send them to the video. Let them know if they need additional help after that to let you know. Bam, now you made a friend, and you made yourself the authority that they can trust.
Can you sell this person something in the near future? Most of my sales from social networking are gotten with this very method, it works, and 70% of those clients have either referred another client or returned for something else. Remember Time and Location.
Forums: Same thing here, people are in forums for help. Offer yours, like I said, in a helpful manner and let it progress from there. It almost always leads to a sale. Seriously. What’s also interesting is what Aaron D Wiegert has to say about Dale Carnegie and his ideas about Leadership.
Interaction on industry blogs: These still are great places to meet and break the ice with new clients, oftentimes the blogger themselves. Offer your expertise, try and do it non-spammy but answer the question in part and get them to a post that has the information. Remember, your first goal is to get them to your place of business.
You need to make an impact somewhere, go with the path of least resistance, the shortest distance between 2 points is always a straight line. Go to networking events, mixers, industry meetings, etc… Get your business card in people’s hands, make a good impression. Then maybe you could start organizing some tweetups or something.