When you think of sales, value-based selling probably doesn’t come to mind. Most people might think of the famous ABC’s of sales method.
Always Be Closing!
While the Glengarry Glen Ross method might inspire you, it is a few steps short of a coherent sales plan.
The point of any sales plan, no matter how simple or complex, is to close, right?
Not quite.
That might be good enough if you are an entry-level salesman working for a company you don’t care about. Remember, this isn’t just your day job. This is your company, your dream! When you are ready to share that dream, instead of just making a sale, you’re ready to get into the entrepreneurial mindset.
In the world of online sales, you aren’t Farmer Jack trying to peddle a cow. You are a reputable small business owner looking to forge a long term relationship with a client. The goal isn’t simply to make a sale but to attract a client online by demonstrating value and mutual benefit.
How do you move past the ABC’s of sales method? Value-based selling!
What is Value-based Selling?
In value-based selling, it’s all about demonstrating the value of your services to potential clients. Rather than the cut-and-run sales approach of the 1950’s car salesmen, your goal should always be to educate and assist your potential clients.
By taking care of their needs and understanding their unique problems, you can confidently sell, knowing you are forging a mutually beneficial relationship. In the wide world of the web, your potential clients know they have lots of options, and know what a sales pitch looks like. By starting off aiming to inform and assist rather than sell, you can rise above the noise of online sales culture and become the standout solution to your client’s needs.
Take the advice of the illustrious sales expert Patricia Fripp.
“To build a long-term, successful enterprise, when you don’t close a sale, open a relationship.”
Once you get into the entrepreneurial mindset, value-based selling makes total sense! In order to make the transition from salesman to educator and partner to your customer, you will need to learn a bit about their needs. To attract clients online and retain those clients through value-based selling, you will need to gather some info via lead magnets.
READY TO OFFER VALUE-BASED SELLING IN YOUR BUSINESS?
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Know Your Customers (KYC)
In order to offer value-based selling you need to know your customers (KYC) or clients. Specifically, you need to know some essential information about them. What problems are they facing? What are their values? How did they find out about you?
To answer these questions, you need a strong landing page with a landing page lead magnet. Your website traffic isn’t likely to hand you this vital sales data for free. By offering content upgrades, E-mail exclusive offers or one-on-one consultations, you can exchange these freebies for the information you need to build your segmented customer avatars.
Let’s look at some examples.
Discover…
By offering…
So you can…
Contact information
E-mail exclusives
Soft pitch via E-mail
Client budget
One-on-one consult
Make an offer
Client interests
Content upgrades with sign-up
Selectively market
These are just examples. The important thing is to offer your potential clients tools and advice to meet their goals, rather than selling directly. When you look past the sale and get into the entrepreneurial mindset, you’re using value-based selling.
Next Steps
Brainstorm time! What info do you need to sell to your potential clients, and what are your strategies to get that info? Let me know in the comments!
READY TO OFFER VALUE-BASED SELLING IN YOUR BUSINESS?
If you need guidance on your value-based offers, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
Note: This article contains affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase. Read our affiliate disclosure here.
Like many entrepreneurs, your approach to digital marketing is probably a DIY approach. As a small business owner, you are used to working by yourself or with a small team of freelancers to get things done. The thought of hiring a marketing agency for small business might be intimidating.
The good news is, hiring a digital marketing agency is not only more cost-effective than an army of freelancers, but it also comes with the kind of success guarantee that only an experienced digital marketing agency can offer.
When you hire a digital marketing agency, you are hiring the best and brightest minds in digital marketing. In addition to personnel, a digital marketing agency has the tools, programs, and networks necessary to get you the best possible results.
It can be hard to know exactly who to hire. Is it better to hire a full service marketing agency or one that focuses on a specific area of digital marketing? Should you hire a local agency near you or hire a remote marketing agency with great reviews?
Let’s dive into those questions.
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Table of Contents
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How to Choose a Marketing Agency For Small Business
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Things to Consider Before Hiring a Marketing Agency
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Types of Marketing Agencies
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SEO Agency
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Social Media Marketing Agency
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Influencer Marketing Agency
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Final Thoughts
How to Choose a Marketing Agency For Small Business
In today’s consumer-first world, there are an assortment of marketing agencies to fit the needs of every type of business. From fortune 100 conglomerates to single person operations, you are bound to find a marketing agency that will fit your specific needs.
As a small business, you may already have an idea of where your customers are and how they find your business online, and may simply want ways to amplify your existing digital footprint. Or you may be like so many who don’t have a clue where to look or how to start. Either way, choosing the best marketing agency for your specific concerns is crucial for your success.
To start with, you will want to consider what your needs are. Do you need to focus on one area of marketing because of budget constraints or because you already know where your target audience lives online? Or are you unsure and want to target multiple online platforms at once. Depending on your needs, you may want to hire either a full-service marketing agency or one that focuses and is highly proficient in one area of marketing.
If you’re unsure, you may benefit from seeking the advice of a trusted mentor or marketing consultant who can help steer you in the right direction. A marketing consultant can help you pinpoint where to start and the best ways to go about it.
NEED SOME HELP FINDING A MARKETING AGENCY?
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Things to Consider Before Hiring a Marketing Agency
There are a few things you’ll need to consider before hiring a marketing agency for small business. First and foremost, try to have a good understanding of your needs. That could be difficult to do for business owners who don’t understand a ton about marketing their business. As I mentioned before, it will save you time, money and headaches if you were to speak to a mentor or marketing consultant who can help you figure out the exact areas of marketing you need to focus on.
Knowing your areas of focus is the first step and will save you time by narrowing down your search to specific marketing agencies that focus on what you need. Once you know your areas of focus, then you’ll need to find a reputable agency with good reviews, case studies and a good track record. These things should be visible on their website.
Next, you want to consider hiring an agency that has worked with clients like you or in similar industries. Each industry is different and sometimes that means an agency may need to possess unique skills and experience to market properly for your specific industry, depending on which one you’re in.
You may also want to consider the size of the agency. Typically, you can receive more personalized attention when choosing small to mid-sized agencies that aren’t loaded down with a ton of clients. Next, let’s dive into a few popular types of marketing agencies. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Types of Marketing Agencies
SEO Agency
What can a search engine optimization (SEO) marketing agency do for your small business? SEO is a tried and true marketing effort for all businesses, especially small businesses. With SEO marketing, you can set your budget firmly without worrying about hiccups or added expense.
So, where does an SEO agency come in? What keywords will you need to use to position yourself?
These are the questions your SEO agency will answer for you.
An SEO marketing agency is an expert solution to your search engine marketing needs. Everything from keyword research, backlink building, budget allocation, and traffic analysis can be managed effectively by an SEO agency.
The most valuable thing in the life of an entrepreneur is time. Your time is the one resource you will always struggle to find enough of.
While it is possible to navigate the murky waters of search engine optimization, you save precious time and money when you engage an SEO agency.
Social Media Marketing Agency
Whether you have a brick and mortar presence or operate 100 percent online, you need a social media presence for your brand. While you might have personal accounts on Facebook and Instagram, you will quickly find that your business needs its own social media accounts to compete with the many options available to your segmented customers.
That’s where social media marketing comes in.
You will want to hire a social media marketing agency to manage these platforms and all their particular quirks. If you choose a full-service marketing agency, make sure their internal team can adequately handle each platform you want to focus on and have a track record of success for each of those platforms.
You don’t want mediocre Jack and Jills of all platforms but skilled at none. Each social media platform is different and therefore you want a team who are experts on each. Otherwise, it will be a waste of your time and money and a cause of your frustration and distrust.
It may be wise to choose an agency that has high-level skills on one platform such as a LinkedIn marketing agency. Before making any hiring decisions, you should be sure of which social media platforms will best suit your needs. Don’t make any assumptions because you could be way off the mark when it comes to the social media platforms you need to focus on.
Influencer Marketing Agency
Now, let’s talk about influencers.
One of the most important parts of social media marketing is social proof. Wielding the power of a brand ambassador on social media is a great way to define your brand and impress your market. For that, you may want to consider an influencer marketing agency.
Just like marketing agencies, there are influencers who can represent you across multiple platforms and then there are some who specialize on specific platforms. Your approach should be the same when it comes to finding the best influencers for your brand. If multiple social media platforms will benefit your business, then choose an influencer who can handle those various channels. But if you need hyper-focused attention on specific platforms, it may be in your best interest to find an influencer who has great influence on specific platforms.
Again, if you’re unsure, talking to a mentor or marketing consultant could be of great benefit to you.
Final Thoughts
You might prefer to hire a digital marketing agency near you. While it might feel conventional to get in the car and drive to an in-person meeting, there aren’t many advantages to hiring an agency based on location.
It doesn’t matter much where your marketing agency is based, only that they work hard for you and have a proven track record that shows they can get the job done.
You want an agency that has something in common with your brand and can tell your brand’s unique story in a way that appeals to your ideal customers. It’s not all about geography. In order to represent your business and engage with your customers, you need a marketer who understands your background and matches your values.
Of course if you just so happen to be a passionate, hard-working self-starter based in Miami, FL then yes, you should absolutely be searching for a digital marketing agency near you.
All kidding aside, choose an agency that will be the best fit for your brand.
NEED SOME HELP FINDING A MARKETING AGENCY?
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The power of social proof in marketing is well established as a conversion tool and brands that learn how to use it correctly will benefit both their reputation and their bottomline. Social proof in marketing comes from amplifying the voices of existing clients, cross-promoting with other brands and establishing networks that highlight your values.
There are plenty of ways to utilize the power of social proof on the micro and macro scale. Here are three basic strategies to inject social proof into your digital marketing campaign.
Call-to-Action
The most powerful tool in the social proof toolbox is the call-to-action.
Your current audience is with you because they like your product and value your content. Amplifying those voices is crucial to showcasing why your brand is unique and what you have to offer. A good social media marketing campaign puts social proof in the spotlight.
There is no one strategy to implement. Social media is ever-evolving. Some folks swear by an Instagram and Twitter schedule. Other folks focus on working Facebook for all its worth. No matter what platforms you use, make sure they are connected coherently to each other.
Anywhere your content lives, you should have a share stripe that efficiently directs viewers to all the OTHER places your content lives. There should always be an option for your followers to comment and share. This helps your audience interact with your brand and each other.
Most importantly, when your audience speaks, amplify that voice. Retweet, share, or highlight the posts that showcase your content. Sharing client content serves to maintain good relations with your existing clients and display your best successes to potential clients.
HOW’S YOUR SOCIAL PROOF?
Does your brand need help with social proof? I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
Networking for Social Proof
Tirelessly retweeting hundreds of clients is one way to improve brand visibility, but it only gets you so far. Sometimes one large voice is more impactful than one hundred small voices. But, who’s voice should you amplify?
By partnering with influencers, you can position your brand in front of a new audience. Because those influencers are a trusted voice, their approval goes a long way towards providing social proof. Establishing a good relationship with influencers who enter your social network is the first step to inviting them to become a brand ambassador.
Another strategy is to network with other brands that share your values. By linking to each other’s work and sharing each other’s content with your respective audiences, you help create a coherent network of content that draws both crowds together.
When choosing who to cross-promote with, make sure you share similar values, products, or services. Even if they are a competitor in some respects, your mutual cooperation helps improve visibility while showing potential customers that you aren’t just trying to make a sale, but help guide them to the service that is right for them.
Remember that cross-promotion isn’t just a like for a like, share for a share, link for a link. Make sure your cross-promotion content provides value to the reader and is relevant to their needs.
How to Avoid Commercial Culture (Keep it Real)
Social proof in marketing works because it is genuine. When we amplify voices, big and small, we showcase our content while providing an unbiased assessment of value. The key here is unbiased.
When we hold giveaways or share freebies with influencers, we walk a fine line. A voice you pay for is advertising, not social proof, and your audience knows a sales pitch when they see one. Don’t make the mistake of writing sales copy when you should be promoting interaction. There is no faster way to annoy your audience than to try and sell to someone who wants to be informed.
It isn’t wrong to incentivize social activity or brand ambassadors. Just make sure that any time money, goods or services change hands you are transparent about who got what, and why. An influencer is more than capable of sharing honest feedback regarding a freebie, as long as the limits of your influence are clear.
To make sure you learn how to use social proof in marketing correctly, you need to understand the line between incentivizing and advertising. Check out this article on what social proof is and is not.
Social Proof in Marketing (3 Take Away Thoughts)
In the words of author and personal branding guru Bernard Kelvin Clive.
“Man is a social being; it’s not surprising we love social proofs, it sells brands fast.”
Social proof in marketing is as simple as tapping into the natural human tendency to share and interact with the spaces and brands they enjoy. When working social proof into your digital marketing campaign, keep in mind these three things:
Partner with those who match your style.
Amplify the voices of your existing followers.
Don’t wreck a good thing with an advertisement.
How about we practice a little social proof together? Comment or share to get the wheels turning in your social network and mine!
HOW’S YOUR SOCIAL PROOF?
Does your brand need help with social proof? I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
So you are a solo-entrepreneur or a small business owner and you have a great product or service that you’d like to share with the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a featured story in your local newspaper or better yet, a national magazine?
Perhaps there is something unique about your brand that you’d like to pitch to media. You could hire an independent publicist or a boutique public relations firm but maybe your marketing budget is a bit tight right now and you’d like to do it yourself, or at least give it a try. There’s nothing wrong with that.
In fact, I usually encourage people to learn more about the service that they want to outsource. This means that you need to take the time to learn how to do that service yourself. Gary Vaynerchuk calls this being a “practitioner” in the service you want to hire someone else to do. This helps you in two ways.
NEED HELP PITCHING TO MEDIA?
If you’re serious about getting your brand out there and you’re ready to pitch to media, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
Number one, you get hands-on experience and you can gauge the difficulty level for yourself. Maybe it’s not necessary to outsource but then again, maybe it is.
And two, it’s a little harder for people to take advantage of you if you know exactly what they need to do and how they go about doing it. How awful would it be to be billed for hours of work that should have taken only a few minutes? It happens.
The best illustration I can think of is when you go to an auto mechanic and need to trust that the mechanic will be honest about the work that needs to be done on your vehicle. When you know absolutely nothing about cars or what’s under the hood of your vehicle, it’s easy to be taken advantage of.
In this article, we’re going to discuss five steps you need to take in order to pitch to media the right way.
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Step One: Before You Pitch to Media, Know Your Audience
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Step Two: Before You Pitch to Media, Learn More About Each Media Outlet
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Step Three: Before You Pitch to Media, Prepare Extremely Well
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Step Four: When You Pitch to Media, Keep It Brief
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Step Five: When You Pitch to Media, Think Long Term
Step One: Before You Pitch to Media, Know Your Audience
If you have an online jewelry store and want to get your products in front of more customers, you have to consider where your audience will be. Would you pitch to BroBible, a website whose readers are men between the ages of 18 and 34?
Yes actually, you would. Especially if your jewelry is specifically for men but even if they are strictly for women, you can still pitch. It’s all about pitching the right story angle. Your pitch could be something like, “Gift Ideas For Your Mom, Girlfriend, Wife, etc.” You get the idea.
However, you want to focus primarily on your target audience so you may want to pitch to Marie-Claire, StyleBlazer, or other similar publications.
First, find out which publications may appeal to your target audience and then add those publications to your pitch list.
NEED HELP PITCHING TO MEDIA?
If you’re serious about getting your brand out there and you’re ready to pitch to media, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
Step Two: Before You Pitch to Media, Learn More About Each Media Outlet
Whether you’re pitching to a radio or podcast show, a television or web show, a magazine, or a newspaper you need to tailor your pitch to that specific media outlet. This is one of the reasons why I recommend keeping your list small, to begin with. Start out with no more than 20 media outlets.
Check out their websites, see if they have an editorial calendar available. This is helpful because it allows you to see what topics they will focus on each month. This gives you the advantage of planning ahead and pitching trendy and unique story angles that fit what they want to cover.
Many magazines will have their masthead available as well. This way you can see who the editors and writers are and possibly their email addresses.
It may be difficult checking out the websites on these media outlets to find out who the correct person to contact is. That’s why I love LinkedIn.
I usually look for editors, writers, freelance writers, producers, etc., all on LinkedIn.
Step Three: Before You Pitch to Media, Prepare Extremely Well
Most journalists are juggling extremely busy schedules and typically have multiple deadlines and are under a ton of pressure. You don’t want to waste their time pitching them a story that you don’t have all of the details on.
For example, you are having a grand opening in the near future but aren’t sure of the exact date because you’re still waiting on the contractors you hired to finish the work that needs to be done.
Be ready with all of the stats, details, photos, quotes, case studies, and spokespeople. Have everything in order and on standby when the journalist asks for them.
Step Four: When You Pitch to Media, Keep It Brief
Trust me, I know how much you want to tell the producers or journalists every little detail of your pitch. If may feel that if you leave any bit of it out, that will almost guarantee that your story won’t make the cut.
I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter. If they are interested in your pitch they will know, whether you give them every little detail or not. If they ask questions wanting to learn more about your pitch, well, that’s a good sign.
If you end up having a phone or in-person conversation with them, try to think of the meeting as an elevator pitch. Keep the important parts, be clear and concise. But above all, be respectful of their time.
Step Five: When You Pitch to Media, Think Long Term
Be prepared for rejection because it will absolutely happen, probably most of the time in the very beginning. However, don’t get discouraged. Keep those relationships going. Look at the positive side, now they know who you are.
Send them a handwritten thank you note for their time. Connect with them on LinkedIn and follow them on Twitter. You can always tailor your pitch or come up with a unique story angle and pitch it to them again in the future.
What you don’t want to do is bug them. That will quickly get you on their “person I need to avoid at all cost” list and you don’t want that. Don’t be creepy, just keep it casual and try again when the time is right.
I’ve gotten my clients featured in Latina Magazine, Huffington Post, Business Journals, NBC 6 In The Mix, Telemundo and the list goes on. It certainly wasn’t a piece of cake but I learned that developing those relationships with producers, editors, and writers is the most important thing you can do.
Final Thoughts
With proper planning, you can have really good success pitching to media and receiving media placements for your brand. For more advice, guidance, or help pitching your business to media outlets, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
NEED HELP PITCHING TO MEDIA?
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As an SEO expert and someone who has worked in public relations, I understand the importance of PR for businesses but I also understand that it isn’t something that is easy to sell because many businesses don’t understand it and don’t care to.
Let’s face it, few people can explain what publicist do and fewer see the benefit of public relations. Heck, most people can explain the job functions of a secret agent before they can a publicist. The primary question that business owners need to ask themselves is, ‘Is public relations important for my business?” Let’s find out!
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What is Public Relations?
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Public Relations Versus Advertising
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Getting Started With PR
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Final Thoughts
What is Public Relations?
Just to clear things up, PR is a form of promotion of a business that is earned, not purchased, like advertisement. So in other words, don’t expect to pay for ad space on a website or pay a journalist to write a featured story on your business. It doesn’t work that way.
With public relations, your ideal audience is communicated with through earned promotion from trusted sources such as traditional media or speaking engagements.
READY TO GET STARTED WITH PR?
If you’re ready to have your business featured on various media platforms in a positive light, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
PR people are persuasive storytellers. PR is typically used for brand awareness and to enhance the public perception of businesses. This includes damage control of negative events that can damage a company’s public perception. You can use public relations to shine a spotlight on your value propositions and translate them into positive stories.
According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
Instead of having “promoted content,” which isn’t always trusted, your content would appear in the editorial section of the magazine, newspaper, TV station or website.
There’s nothing wrong with paying for advertisements. Just keep in mind that most advertisements need to appear frequently over time before you will grab the attention of your potential customer. Additionally, if you don’t have the right sales funnel in place to convert your leads into customers, you may just be wasting your money.
READY TO GET STARTED WITH PR?
If you’re ready to have your business featured on various media platforms in a positive light, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
Earned promotion in publications like the New York Times, Forbes and The Huffington Post, have lasting effects and over time can result in speaking engagements, new clients, and solid credibility.
Many marketing professionals would argue that public relations has become the most effective way to build a brand, myself included. So, why is PR important? It builds brand awareness and establishes credibility better than paid ads ever will. And let’s face it, in today’s world of reading Yelp reviews and searching BBB, people want to hear about a business from trusted sources, not directly from the business itself.
People want to do business with brands that they are familiar with, they like, and they trust: public relations is the best way that the public can get to know, like, and trust your business.
So how do you get started with your own PR?
Getting Started With PR
I’ll be honest, there is an easy way and there is a way that requires some effort and patience. However, both ways can work if executed correctly.
The easy way is simple. You just hire an independent publicist or a PR firm and they will do all of the work for you. Of course, this way is not without its expense.
Considering that you are hiring people to write and distribute press releases, develop unique story angles to pitch to the press, among many more tasks that PR professional perform, you can expect to pay a pretty penny.
The less desirable way that requires effort and patience is simply doing it yourself. As someone who was a self-taught independent publicist who garnered earn media coverage for my clients on such platforms as The Huffington Post, Latina Magazine, The Business Journals and many more. I can tell you that it isn’t difficult but requires diligent effort and patience.
First, you must learn how to pitch to media professionals. Once you learn that, all you have to do is be consistent and patient. The earned coverage will come.
Let’s be honest, who has weeks, months, or even years to waste? None of us. So learning how to do things right the first time is a must if you want to save time, energy and money.
One resource that I recommend for anyone who doesn’t have the money to pay a PR firm but want equally good results would be to use Linking News. I like this company because they not only distribute your press releases for you, but provide you with a wealth of resources on how to write press releases.
Another really great option is 24-7 Press Release. Through its multi-channel distribution network, 24-7 Press Release helps entrepreneurs and businesses disseminate their news to consumers, editors, journalists, bloggers, and websites.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that in today’s digital age, businesses would benefit from public relations. Nowadays, people do their due diligence when it comes to researching a business. Media placements like interviews and features, are a great way for your target audience to get to know, like and trust your brand. You want them to find positive features that put your business in the best light.
Do you have experience using PR for your business? I’d love to hear your take on PR for business. How was your experience? Tell us in the comments below!
READY TO GET STARTED WITH PR?
What will your ideal client discover about your brand with a simple Google search? If you’re ready to have your business featured on various media platforms in a positive light, I’m here to help. Book a call with me today!
