It’s hard to market yourself when you are in the marketing business. Your own PR and business props talk not only about the business you are in, but what your clients can expect from you. Are you a traditionalist? Are you e-savvy? Are you fun?

Here are a few tips that can help your marketing of your own marketing business stand out from the rest:

Market yourself using the tools you would use for a client

If you are advocating that all of your clients get onto Twitter, then you need to make sure you are an active presence there too. If you believe that business cards are the way to go, then yours need to sing. If you are about the swag and reusable gift bags, then guess what – you’d better have a few branded with your own logo. If you aren’t using your own marketing techniques, then why would your clients believe they are effective?

Know your client niche Continue reading →

Did you know that social media is now ahead of search engines in terms of video referrals and discovering new content?  YouTube combined with other platforms like Twitter and Facebook can be a winning combination for getting yourself and your company more exposure online.

To create your YouTube videos in the first place, you can either hire a video production company, shoot your own videos, or hire “YouTubers” who have already built an audience for themselves and incorporate your brand into their videos with product placement. Many large and small companies have been doing this and seeing a lot of success in getting their brands seen by more people.

Then, if you don’t already have one, a Facebook Page for your business is a great way to promote those videos outside of YouTube. Post them there so people who predominantly use Facebook see them either directly on your Page or in their newsfeed. They’re more likely to take the time to actually view your content and share it since they’ve already indicated they “Like” you. The commenting and “liking” options that appear under the video encourage more engagement, and the more people who interact with your videos there, the higher up they’ll show in the newsfeeds.

And finally a Twitter account of course isn’t just for announcing what kind of sandwich you’re eating, or trying to get Justin Bieber’s attention.  You can use your Twitter account to tweet out the link to a new video when it goes up.  You can also monitor other people’s tweets and when they mention something to do with your company and give them a link to check out your video.  It’s also a great way to “remind” people about your video since a few minutes after a tweet goes out, it’s typically not going to be read again.

You need to build a following on social media and one of the best ways to do that is by sharing good content.  People like to watch videos online so create a YouTube strategy, implement it, and use tools like Twitter and Facebook to promote the videos.  There are different audiences on all three sites, so by cross-linking between them, you’ll be able to reach even more people and get a lot more exposure!

—

Josh Rimer is a YouTube Partner and Internet Marketer. Get daily tips and tricks on his YouTube Marketing blog where you can also download his free eBook on ways to get more views on YouTube.

The key to a successful relationship with your clients is just that – a relationship. You need to be there for them and they need to trust you. They also need to know that you have their best interests at heart and that you care for the same important things that they do. But how do you find out what that is?

We can turn to the world of personal and professional coaching for some insights.

A professional coaching relationship, unlike the relationship with a mentor, a teacher or a manager, is about the questions. The client is the expert in his or her field; the coach is the expert in asking insightful questions that help the client get to the nugget of what really matters.

You can be a coach to your client. It will help you get to know them better, to ensure values alignment, and help you to deliver quality work that is appreciated and rewarded.

Some questions to ask:

What are you looking for? Determine your client’s future vision, their goals for the project. Likely, you already ask a question like this, or something along the same theme. However, most consultants and free-lancers stop here. This does not, however, get you to the core of your client’s needs and interests.

And if you got that, what would that get you? Let’s say your client is looking for a new letterhead design. You now have the answer to the first question above. But what if they did get their new letterhead design? What would that get them? (Apart from a new letterhead design…) Might it get them a more professional image? Might it get them a more modern image? A better connection with their corporate values? A segue into a new product market? There is a reason they want the new shiny thing – you need to find out what that is, and then ask…

And what’s important about that? What’s important to them about looking professional? Or looking modern? Or moving into that new product market? Or connecting with those values? This helps to ensure that your delivery to them really helps them to move in the desired direction in a meaningful way. And then…

What would success in that area look like to you? If they succeeded in getting that new professional image, what would that mean to them? What would be different? What would be successful in the future? Digging further into the importance and vision of your work, from a client’s point of view, will help you as you creatively provide solutions.

Overall, engaging in a meaningful series of questions with your client before embarking on the work will help you to develop an important relationship with your client – one where they know that you care about them personally and professionally, not just as a one-off client gig. When the client feels heard and understood, creativity comes easier for you, as well as the potential for repeat business. Happy coaching!

—

Lisa Sansom is the Founder of LVS Consulting. A certified coach and positive psychology practitioner, Lisa helps businesses, teams and individuals be at their best. For more information, please visit
LVS Consulting or email Lisa directly at lisa.sansom@gmail.com.



Continuing my series on tips for improving your corporate and stakeholder communication, let’s look at one of today’s top business issues: building trust.

Your written materials are often the first and only tangible means by which a prospective customer or stakeholder evaluates your company. Investors, for example, have virtually unlimited sources of information at their fingertips to help them make decisions. But even audited numbers don’t mean much without trust in company management.

Recognizing new realities
Traditionally, you could rely on showcasing your products and services or leadership team to help establish corporate reputation. Not any longer. The reputation of today’s leading companies is shaped by vastly different factors.

In fact, trust has become an essential line of business in Canada, according to the 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer. Of 10 reputational factors, 83% of Canadians surveyed rank transparent and honest business practices first, followed closely by quality products and services at 81%. Perhaps surprisingly, financial returns is the least important reputational factor among Canadians.

Similarly, 82% of those surveyed want business to create shareholder value in a way that aligns with society’s interests, even if that means sacrificing shareholder value. Although, your banker may not be among this group.

Nevertheless, trust now has tangible value. Consider this … If your company is trusted, 40% will believe positive information after hearing it one to two times. But if your company isn’t trusted, only 7% will believe positive information after first hearing it.

The same is true with negative information: fewer believe bad news about a trusted company when they first here it.

Some industries, however, are more trusted than others. Globally, technology is trusted most (81%), followed by automotive (69%) and telecommunications (68%), while financial services is at the bottom of the heap (50%).

Industries rankings vary geographically, with Canadians staying true to their rumoured preference by ranking brewing and spirits as the second most trusted industry. Go figure, eh.

Creating trust and competitive advantage
So, how do you address this new reality and create competitive advantage?

Whether your company is private or public, the answer is to create a mosaic of trust through strategically conceived and written messages. First, however, you must commit to open communication. That means being transparent about your operations, how you make money, how you treat employees and how you respect the environment.

Stakeholders are looking for leaders who will deliver stakeholder value in new ways. They also want companies to communicate frequently and honestly and consider the role of business in society. In other words, they expect straight talk and the whole story.

Transparency and honesty build credibility and that, in turn, builds trust. So tell it like it is, warts and all, by:
• providing a balanced discussion of strengths and weakness
• translating problems into business risks
• aiming to inform, not impress
By following this transparent approach across your entire communication platform, your company will earn a fair reputational value, no matter how it is measured.

Today, you have an opportunity to build trust by committing to a collaborative approach to business that benefits society, not just shareholders. Remember, trust is no longer a commodity that is acquired, but rather a benefit that is earned.

—-

Richard Ketchen helps companies get the right message out to stakeholders. An accountant by training but a writer at heart, Richard has worked with leading companies across North America to develop strategies and craft messages for annual reports, websites and other stakeholder communication. You can download a free copy of Richard’s report “How to build trust through strategic messaging” at his website. (http://richardketchen.com/)