Aligned Marketing Blog

I’m not convinced there are any social media experts; it’s all so new. In my opinion we’re all pioneers. We poke and prod, experiment, slash through the brush and, in the end, if we’ve been thoughtful and diligent, we find our own new world.

Small business owners face big challenges everyday. One of the tougher issues is balancing the need for technology with available cash. There’s seldom enough cash for the technology I need or want but it’s hard to be more productive without more technology. What to do?

Here are three tools that can help you win new customers and none of them cost a lot of money. In fact, most of them are free, excluding the cost of your Internet connection.

First, think about having a free personal hard drive on the Internet that is not only huge but comes with free software that mimics Microsoft’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs. That’s Google Docs.


Google Docs can be used for word processing, creating spreadsheets or producing great presentations. Better yet, you can share your files with anyone (everyone) with an Internet connection and, if you want, give them editing rights. No more email attachments going back-and-forth and wasted time trying to figure out which is the latest file. If you work with people outside your office or just like the idea of good software being free, then Google Docs is a must-have tool. Did I mention it’s free?

Another great free tool is social media. I know, what’s social media? Well, it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and a hundred other strange-sounding online communities. Just like the real world there’s a lot of nonsense on these sites, but there’s also a lot of really good people. I’ve gotten new ideas, computer support, made new friends and gained new clients from these online communities. If you think social media is just for kids, your wrong. Again, it’s like the real world, you talk to the people you want to talk to and avoid those you don’t.

The third one will cost you. Skype is an online phone service that allows you to call anyone in the U.S., conduct conference calls, and even video calls for, are you ready, $30.00 a year. There are some minor restrictions and they have plans that cost more. But, being able to conduct video calls for $30.00 a year is tremendous value and having video conferencing capabilities really lets small business owners project a much larger image.

Want proof? I used these tools to connect with a company in Chicago that led to a $1.5 billion company in New York and ended up doing business with both of them.

You don’t have to be a technical wiz-kid to use these tools. I use them all the time; you can too. If you have any questions or want to learn more, call me at 803-810-3180.

Steve

A lot of people still wonder about social media. What is it? Is it here to stay? I gave you my thoughts on why it's here to stay in last week's blog - Cro-Magnon Invented Social Media.

You may disagree with me. That's fine.

The video below explains social media in a different way, probably a more interesting way. It's been seen by more than 1,300,000 people. Have you ever done anything that been seen by more than a million people?

Sales letters and direct marketing predate the first postage stamp, Shakespeare had children pass out flyers announcing his plays.

The fall of the Berlin Wall (November 9, 1989) signaled an end to the Cold War (see Reagan's speech at Brandenburg gate) but the changes for the “brick and mortar” world were only beginning because The Wall came down about the same time as the Internet, and online marketing, was ramping up.


In the early days of the Internet security and trust were huge issues and, in case you haven’t been paying attention, they still are. To combat that angst many marketers use recommendations, endorsements and testimonials, which for our purposes, are all the same. If you’re going to use testimonials in your sales copy there are a few things you should know.

1. Add names and website addresses (URL) to your photos.

Names and web addresses make your testimonials more believable. Text and names, I’m sorry to say, can be and are faked. Providing additional information such as a name and/or URL gives your  audience enough information to investigate and verify your claims  The verification opportunity increases the credibility of your testimonials.

Photos of those providing your testimonial are great because they carry a hidden message – our customers are so passionate about our products and services that they are willing to share personal information and be accountable for our results.

2. Audio or video.

Audio and video endorsements are even better than text and photo endorsements. Hearing the sound of someone’s voice and/or seeing them deliver a a testimonial, with all the visual cues that come with direct communication, is more personal and, therefore more believable, than words on a page and a static photo.

It’s also easier for your satisfied customers to communicate their wonderful experiences through the spoken word, something they use every day, than it is in writing, which usually takes more time.

3. Highlight your testimonials.

Using a Light Yellow highlight around your copy (or even a photo or video image) is an excellent way to draw attention to them and  make them stand out on the page. If yellow is too in-our-face for your tastes or conflicts with your color scheme, then a Light Blue or Gray highlight also works well. And don't go nuts with the yellow, you'll look like the schlockmeister.

4. If you have lots of testimonials, sprinkle them.

Having a bunch testimonials is fantastic. My recommendation is to sprinkle them around the page to avoid having a “testimonial section.” A testimonial section, where you list 4, 5, 6 or more testimonials, is a bad idea since most people will only read one or two. Testimonials are precious so you’ll want to extract as much value as you can from each one.

A good place to insert them is right below your sub headlines.

5. If you have only one or two testimonials insert them below the mid-point of your sales copy.

Inserting one or two testimonials below the mid-point of your sales copy gives you enough time to make your pitch and, then, have it reinforced by satisfied customers.

Some marketers argue that your testimonials should be inserted right after your first sub-headline, to encourage your audience to keep reading, but I disagree. If you’ve pulled someone into your website they, typically, will read a paragraph or two before they consider leaving. If your copy is well-written that’s enough time to make your strongest points and then use your testimonials for reinforcement.

6. Testimonials need to be results-oriented.

In short, your testimonials shouldn’t be “Yippee, Sam’s the best ever!” Testimonials need to be about the results produced by your product or service. Those results are even more believable if they are qualified (“excellent service”) and quantified (“the work was delivered as promised in 4-hours”).