One night a few weeks ago we ordered pizza for dinner.  We ordered from the same place we always do but this time something different happened. 

After about thirty minutes the doorbell rang and there was the young pizza delivery guy with our dinner.

He handed us our pizzas, we paid for them.  And then he pulled out something else from his warming container.

It was wrapped in a sack and as he held it he explained that they had a promotion going on.  He had a kid’s pizza and wanted to know if there were any neighbors that we would like to give that pizza to.   

Immediately we thought of our neighbors across the street who have three little boys.  With that, the pizza delivery guy went next door with the surprise pizza present and gave it to our neighbors.

Now why is this so cool?  First off, it’s a unique idea that gets people talking about it.  Creating buzz is a great way to grow your business. And second, everyone benefits – here’s how:

1) The pizza company gets to interact with a new customer and they are welcomed as they do it.  Think about it, if someone knocked on your door out of the blue (even if it looked like a real pizza delivery guy) and said he wanted to give you pizza, would you take it? 

Maybe, maybe not.  You might be a bit suspicious.  But because the pizza was sent by us, neighbors they know, they probably didn’t think twice about accepting it.

I don’t know about you, but I would be delighted to get a free pizza from my neighbor.

2) We felt great because we got to give our neighbors a free surprise without having to do anything.

3) The neighbors got a free pizza from us (via the pizza company).  That builds good will between us as neighbors.

So what does this story have to do with your business and how you market your products and services?  You can take this idea and creatively apply it to your business to create the same kind of ripple effect.

If you can, take fifteen minutes right now and think about how you could implement this concept into your business.  If you don’t have time now, schedule time in the coming days and outline a plan to implement.

WHAT TO GIVE?

So what could you give to people in your network (clients, partners, and friends) that they could give to someone in their network?  It needs to be something valuable that people want, a sample or taste of one of your products or services.

HOW TO PRESENT THE GIFT?

Although the pizza example is a product the same concept applies to services.  You can share tasty information by creating a physical representation of your services (printed report, CD, or DVD).

Creating something that can be consumed immediately (like the pizza) will have a strong impact. 

WHEN & HOW OFTEN TO GIVE?

It can be a quarterly, semi-annual, annual, or a one time action.  Depending on your business you can tie it to a holiday or season (or both).  You can also make it a permanent action if it works well for you.

If you do something original and buzz worthy your business will stand out and get noticed.  I hope you’re starting to see that you can design a surprise give away (like the kid’s pizza) that will increase your visibility, expand your reach, and build new connections.

© Stephanie Ward 2010

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

If you haven’t started using video as a marketing strategy for your business, what are you waiting for?  Here are three reasons I can think of:

1. It’s scary to put yourself out there

2. You think it will take a lot of time

3. You’re not sure how to make it happen (technical obstacles).

Let’s tackle the first barrier, fear.  OK, what’s the worst thing that could happen?  Well, I can’t really think of anything.  It’s not like it’s live TV and you can’t do another take.

You can keep shooting until you’re satisfied with the final product.  But please, don’t think it has to be absolutely perfect.  You’re not a news anchor and people relate to real people talking about a subject they’re interested in.

Making videos does not have to take a lot of time.  You probably already have a lot of content to choose from.  And once you figure out how to do it, you can make several at one time.  These days it’s easier than ever to make a quality video and it’s almost free to do.

Plus, videos will give you exposure in a way that is so powerful that you just can’t get otherwise. When prospective clients watch your videos they get a feel for who you are and a stronger connection is created.  And of course, it’s a one-to-many marketing strategy which is always smart.

With videos the learning people take away is greater than with written text or audio. Research from noted educationist Edgar Dale showed that in a passive learning setting we retain:

- 10% of what we Read (reading: verbal receiving)

- 20% of what we Hear (hearing words)

- 30% of what we See (looking at pictures)

- 50% of what we Hear & See (watching a video: visual receiving)

Are you convinced?  Ready to begin?  Now for the nuts and bolts of how to make it happen.

CONTENT

As a business owner you help your clients solve specific problems.  Think about the questions your clients ask you and your most popular topics.

If you use speaking or writing as a marketing strategy your content is ready and waiting.  You can share ’how to tips’, advice, or new perspectives about a topic.  

Be sure to mention your website address at the beginning and/or end of your video (or show the url as text at the start and end).  And make a clear call-to-action about your valuable giveaway (more about that here).

EQUIPMENT

- Webcam or Video Camera (which can be a digital camera that takes video – that’s what I use).  There are also really simple video cameras (like the Flip Camera that are reasonably priced.

- Tripod (if you don’t use your webcam).  This can be a regular tripod or a mini version (very inexpensive) you can place on a table.

- Lighting is important but you don’t have to buy expensive lamps.  If you don’t have good natural light you can use lamps in your home.  Experiment by taking videos with different set ups and choose the one that puts you in the best light.

EDITING

If you can get your video in one take then you won’t need to edit. If you need to edit there are many free options.  Windows comes with a free program called Windows Movie Maker and for Macs you can use iMovie (for a list of free editing for all platforms go here.

LENGTH

While there are no hard and fast rules about this, in general shorter is better.  On average, one to five minutes should do the trick.

People are busy and if they have to invest more than a few minutes they may not bother.  If you have more to say on a particular topic, you can create a series of videos.

Once you’ve completed a video, you can put it on You Tube for free.  It’s super easy to create an account and upload your video.  You’ll have your very own ‘You Tube Channel’ – sounds pretty cool doesn’t it?  People can subscribe to your channel and leave comments about your videos.

You’ll also want to put your videos on your website.  You can either embed them (examples here on my website) or provide links to You Tube.  You can also promote your videos on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media networks.

Please don’t wait until you think you’re “ready” to begin.  You are an expert in your field and have valuable information to share so why not add another channel by using video?  Start sharing your expertise using video and watch your business grow!

© Stephanie Ward, 2010

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com/.

LinkedIn is more than just a place to post your profile and forget about it.  You can be more visible on LinkedIn without devoting an enormous amount of time to it.

Connections are strengthened when you interact and share ideas and information.  And a solid network is vital to growing your business.

Here are seven ways to increase your presence on LinkedIn:

1. Post a recommendation for someone you’re connected to.  A key element of effective networking is to give first.  And you never know, someone else may feel compelled to write a recommendation for you.  This is not the reason to do it, just a possible outcome.

2. Join a group.  On the navigation on the left click on Groups.  From there click on the ‘Groups Directory’ tab at the top of the page.  You can then search the groups based on: keywords, categories, or languages.

Another way to discover interesting groups is to see what groups your connections are members of.

Once you’re a member of a group, join the discussions and look for people you may know but are not yet connected to and invite them to connect.

3. Post your reading list. This is on the left navigation under ‘Applications’ and it’s super easy to add books you’ve read or are reading.  You can also “watch” the reading lists of people you are connected to.

What a person reads gives you insight into what interests them (and you to them).  Sharing similar interests can create a bond and lead to new projects.

4. Check out who has been looking at your profile.  This is located on the right sidebar of your home page and is under the heading ‘Who’s Viewed My Profile?’ and if you click underneath you can see a list.

You may find that you know people who are looking at your profile and you can invite them to connect. 

5. Invite people to connect.  I know, this seems ridiculous to mention but often people get into a reactive mode and wait for others to ask them to connect.

If you meet someone and exchange contact details you can search Google using the keywords of their name and LinkedIn to see if they are already on LinkedIn.  If they are, you can send them an invitation to connect.

If there is someone you would like to be connected with, but don’t know personally, you can request that someone you are connected with (that is connected to the person you want to meet) make the introduction for you.

6. Update your status daily, a few times weekly or as often as possible.  You can share quotes, interesting links to articles and websites, and ask questions.  This positions you as a resource and keeps your business visible.  

You can also comment on the status updates and changes of people you’re connected to.  Congratulate someone on a new position or comment on a particular project.

7. Add a presentation to your profile using ‘Google Presentation’ which is found in the navigation on the left under Applications.  This is a fast and easy way for people to find out more about what you do or learn about valuable information you have to share.  

There are so many more ways to use LinkedIn, this is just a short list to get you started.  Hang out at the site and spend some time exploring which applications and features will work best for you. 

If you visit LinkedIn every other day or weekly in ten minutes you can update your status, comment on what others are up to, and invite a few new connections. 

These actions will increase your visibility and deepen connections you have with your network.  This will increase your potential to attract more clients and build your business.  So don’t blink, get linked.

© Stephanie Ward, 2009

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.