In the early part of this decade I offered a weekly teleconference for big thinkers called The Think Big Revolution. It was big.
Well, it’s back… and bigger then ever.
This time, it’s via video and/or tele-conference. It’s still free. Always will be. No one owns big ideas. I don’t have anything to sell expect the idea that…
You can think bigger about who you are and what you offer the world.
Each week I will bring a relevant and inspirational topic… sometimes about doing big things in business, sometimes about eradicating small thoughts from your brain and sometimes about something else entirely.
You’ll be able to ask questions, offer opinions and inspire others to think big about who they are and what they offer the world.
The meeting used to be on Mondays. It’s now on Tuesdays at 12pm ET. Why? Because I’m often on a plane on Mondays returning from speaking gigs.
If you’re a member of The Think Big Revolution you’ll get an email on Mondays outlining the topic for the week. If not, you can just show up. If you want to be a member of the Revolution, you can do that too. Simple.
This Tuesday’s meeting will be on…
The Secret Behind Thinking Big and Getting Things Done!
See you on Tuesday. I love you very much (and not in a weird way) but for being the big thinker that you are.
Note: Why the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Marketers? Of course, it’s an ode to Dr. Stephen Covey’s famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
I was recently inspired by re-reading the book and encouraged to focus more on helping you create the behaviors, the habits necessary to get booked solid rather than provide you more information for your already overstuffed brain.
As always, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be of service.
Seth rants against the deliberately uninformed. And I quote…
Many people in the United States purchase one or fewer books every year.
Many of those people have seen every single episode of American Idol. There is clearly a correlation here.
Access to knowledge, for the first time in history, is largely unimpeded for the middle class. Without effort or expense, it’s possible to become informed if you choose. For less than your cable TV bill, you can buy and read an important book every week. Share the buying with six friends and it costs far less than coffee.
Or you can watch TV.
The thing is, watching TV has its benefits. It excuses you from the responsibility of having an informed opinion about things that matter. It gives you shallow opinions or false ‘facts’ that you can easily parrot to others that watch what you watch. It rarely unsettles our carefully self-induced calm and isolation from the world.
I got a note from someone the other day, in which she made it clear that she doesn’t read non-fiction books or blogs related to her industry. And she seemed proud of this. There’s more.
I agree with Seth. The future belongs to the learner and readers are leaders. However, among the educated class, I see another problem. Too much learning and not enough doing. Just one more conference and then I’ll take action. Just one more coaching program and then I’ll be ready. Just one more book and then I’ll know what to do.
If you want to do big things in the in the world, your learning should be coupled with action. What you learn today you can put into action tomorrow so you get real-time, real-world feedback. Then, what you know, becomes field tested. That’s when knowledge becomes powerful.
Trying to promote more than one product or service at a time can be very difficult, if not downright maddening.
Generally, I suggest focusing on selling one product or service at a time. This is how you do it successfully:
Choose which of the Book Yourself Solid 7 Core Self-Promotion Strategies you’re going to use to create awareness for the service you offer and then execute them daily.
When promoting yourself, instead of trying to sell, invite potential clients to your always-have-something-to-invite-people-to offer so that you can begin to build trust and earn credibility.
Over time, make sales offers that are proportionate to the amount of trust that you’ve earned.
Potential clients will raise their hands and ask to have the sales conversations with you. Using the 4-part Book Yourself Solid Simple Sales System, you’ll have successful sales conversations and you’ll book the business. (AKA: do the Book Yourself Solid happy dance.)
As your business develops, and your slate of product and service offerings grows, you can make multiple offers at the same time.
It’s tricky, though, because, as psychologists will tell you, more is often less. Offer too many options and the buyer gets overwhelmed and, as a result, can’t make a choice. So, how do you promote more than one thing at a time?
By segmenting your base of potential clients according to:
Their needs.
The amount of trust you’ve earned with them.
Of course, it’s hard to know the exact need of every potential client (unless they tell you). And, it’s also difficult to know exactly how much they trust you (even if they tell you).
To help segment potential clients by their needs make sure you set up multiple “lists” in your contact management database so that you can communicate with people based on their needs. You can also set up various lists or groups of potential buyers by how long they’ve been getting your marketing messages and how many times they’ve responded to your communication by clicking on links, sharing your messages, etc.
Make sure your offers serve different needs at different stages of your sales cycle.
To my mind, it doesn’t make much sense to offer four products or services at the same price point with same delivery system and similar content to the same group of people.
Each subsequent offer should serve a different population of potential clients and also create an opportunity for people to move from one offer to another. For example, I offer four different group-coaching programs (and three of them are starting within weeks of each other!) Note the price points and the dates.
Book Yourself Solid 2-Day Webinar ($99) (next one is months away so I don’t have to worry about it yet)
Each offer must to be compelling to different potential clients at different stages of the sales cycle.
The Book Yourself Solid 2-Day Webinar is compelling to new readers of Book Yourself Solid or first time clients. It helps that the price is super low and the time commitment is minimal.
The Book Yourself Solid 7-Week Get-It-Done Daily Marketing Accountability Program is compelling to people who believe in the Book Yourself Solid system and want daily accountability and focused attention to get their marketing done. Again, very low price-point.
The 2-day workshops at my house for a small group of only eight people is compelling to people who want more personal attention from me because in 2 days, at my house, I can design an entire business model for them. Price goes up but time commitment is minimal for big return on investment.
The Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach Program is obviously for people that feel a deep connection to the Book Yourself Solid system and want to start their own Booked Solid business or add Book Yourself Solid coaching to their current business. Price is higher than other offers but, I might add, still very low for a lifetime license to coach the Book Yourself Solid System.
If you make, or are planning to make, a number of offers at the same time, I suggest that you:
Start a marketing calendar now and plan out the next 12-months of promotion for your various services. It’ll take a little work up front but it’ll be much easer (and more effective) down the road.
Segment your potential clients according to their needs.
Segment your potential clients according to the amount of trust you have earned.
Or, just keep it simple and make one great, scalable, profitable and remarkable offer.
Think big,
mp
Michael Port
NY Times Bestselling Author of 4 books.
P.S. I don’t charge extra for typos. They’re just my gift to you.
Questions? Call 877-279-5220 or email questions@michaelport.com.
What is the value, for example, of having the talent and skills to create a compelling web presence for a small business owner or maybe a training manual for a corporation?
Is it the length of time is takes for you to produce it, or the number of pages created, or, how about the number of images used?
The answer is… D, none of the above.
How long it takes you to write something, or design something, or think up an idea, or even the amount of time you spend with a client, is irrelevant. What (should) matter to the client is the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual return on investment your product or service offers.
When people ask me how they should price their offers I always suggest two things:
Offer services at various price points (low to high) so so you can make offers that are proportinoate to the amount of trust you’ve earned — so that clients can enter your sales cycle with ease.
And…
Think about the value you provide rather than just the stuff you sell.
Take these two offers that help you grow your business as an example.
We can work together in a very small group (at my house) focusing on any part of your business in my Personal Mentoring Program for $1999.
How do I describe the difference and value (AKA: benefits) so clients know which to choose?
As follows…
If you’re just starting out and are having trouble marketing your services, the webinar is for you because we focus on the fundamentals of building a marketing system for your business so you can get booked solid.
If you’ve been in business for a whileand have hit a platou and are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, the small group workshop is for you because we focus on how to build a bigger, scalable, more leveraged, and profitable business that makes more money while you work less.
Focus on the solution and the benefits the solution provides.
You see in each description I focus on the problem that exists along with some of the benefits that each offer will produce. Not a laundry list. Just a key point or two.
I’ll also mention that, whether you choose the webinar or the workshop at my house, you’ll accomplish more in two days then you might have thought possible.
Offer incentives that encourage people to take action.
You can also create urgency through pricing incentives and time-limited, space-limited discounts. (As long as it’s all true.)
For example…
The video webinar series(recordings will be available) has an unlimited number of spots available but only 100 are offered at the discounted priced of $99. 84 of those spots are taken. Only 16 are left.
The workshop at my house, is only open to 8 people. 6 spots are taken. Only 2 are left.
Always, always, always make it easy for your potential clients to reach you.
And, finally, remember to give potential clients free options from which they can get value if they’re not ready to work with you. Like this…
Of course, you might not need the help. In that case, pass on your success to someone else by finding a way to pay it forward. In the meantime, you can still get value from reading some of my recent blog posts:
It’s important to understand the difference between your target market and your niche. And, yes, there is a difference. Which is exactly my point.
You may have heard both of these terms before, and you may have heard them used interchangeably. However, in the Book Yourself Solid system, they are not synonymous.
There’s an important distinction between the two:
Your target market is the group of people you serve.
Your niche is the service you specialize in offering to your target market.
For example, you and I may both serve the same target market, say, service professionals, but offer them different services. I might specialize in getting clients and you might help them create systems for their business.
A simple but important distinction, nonetheless. What do you think?
Most marketing educators offer instruction on how to execute marketing tactics. This is fine, of course. But it’s not enough. In fact, it may be too much. Too much marketing that is. Think about it. For business owners like you and me, here’s how the client generating process works:
You execute a few of the 7 Core Self-Promotion strategies, which create awareness for what you have to offer.
When a potential client becomes aware of your services they’ll take a look at your foundation. If it looks secure, if they feel comfortable stepping onto it, they’ll give you the opportunity to earn their trust–but only the opportunity. They’re not necessarily going to hire you right then and there. They need some time before they will actually trust you.
That’s when your plan to build trust and credibility comes into play. As a potential client moves through your sales cycle, they will come to like you, trust you and find you credible.
When their circumstances dictate that they need the kind of help you provide, they’ll raise their hand and ask you to have a sales conversation. You have a sales conversation and book the business.
The process is simple. The process is sound. It can turn your business life around. And, most importantly, the process is a complete, repetitive, and self-perpetuating system. It’s what I’m going to teach you in the $99, two-day Book Yourself Solid video webinar program.
Notice how there isn’t actually that much marketing in the system? Instead, most of your efforts are spent on engagement.
I believe that if you have something to say, if you have a message to deliver, and if there are people you want to serve, then there are people in this world whom you are meant to serve. Not kinda, sorta, because they’re in your target market… but meant to – that’s the way the universe is set up if you’re in the business of serving others.
Marketing and sales aren’t about trying to convince, coerce, or manipulate people into buying your services. It’s about putting yourself out in front of, and offering your services to, those whom you are meant to serve – people who already need and are looking for your services.
We’ll begin by building a foundation for your service business that is unshakable. If you are truly serious about becoming a super-successful service professional, you must have a steadfast foundation on which to stand.
You will then be ready to create and implement a strategy for building trust and credibility. You’ll be considered a credible expert in your field and you’ll start to earn the trust of the people you’d like to serve.
You’ll price your offerings in the sweet spot of the customer’s desires and you’ll know how to have sales conversations of the highest integrity that work.
Then, and only then, will you execute the seven core self-promotion strategies, thereby creating awareness for the valuable services you offer by using promotional strategies that are based on your talents–strategies that feel authentic and honest.
To help you design a service business overflowing with clients who inspire and energize you, during the video webinar, I’ll give you exercises and action steps that will support you in thinking bigger about your business. Step-by-step I walk you through the actions you need to complete on the path to serving as many clients as your heart desires.
You may have seen this “joke” before. It’s a good one – because there is truth in it.
There’s also a marketing lesson in it. See if you can find it. I’ll reveal it at the end of the joke.
The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don’t really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn’t mind running the country — if they could find the time — and if they didn’t have to leave Southern California to do it.
The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a poor job of it, thank you very much.
The New York Daily News is read by people who aren’t too sure who’s running the country and don’t really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
The New York Post is read by people who don’t care who is running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren’t sure if there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country, or galaxy.
The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune is read by people who have recently caught a walleye ice fishing and need something in which to wrap it.
Think about it. Each paper speaks to the world view of a particular “group” of people. If you are part of the group that reads that Wall Street Journal and you see someone else reading The Journal you feel connected to them. You are part of the same group, or as Seth Godin would say, tribe.
This is the job of the marketer – to make you feel like you’re part of something, that your world view is right and is shared by others who are also right.
The use of online video as a marketing and promotion tool has exploded over the last few years, and with good reason. The emergence of YouTube and other no or low-cost video resources has made it possible for small businesses and entrepreneurs to reach potential customers quickly, easily and affordably.
YouTube is now the fourth-most-visited site on the Internet, and—surprise—the second most popular search engine, right behind Google. Video gives you new opportunities to increase your visibility and credibility within your market.
Using video can be one of your most powerful tools in getting booked solid. Just like the other social media strategies I’ve discussed, video marketing could easily take up a book of its own so here I’ll focus just on what you need to get started—without getting bogged down by the technology. I’ll also point out several ways to use video marketing to your advantage, and we’ll look at a few entrepreneurs who are using online video successfully.
By the way, everything I know about video, everything you read below, and everything that appears in the forthcoming second edition of Book Yourself Solid, I learned from Lou Bortone, the online video branding guy.
Why Use Online Video?
Here are some reasons why video marketing is such a powerful, new booked solid promotion strategy:
As mentioned previously, video has a low barrier to entry. There is very little investment to creating online videos. All you really need to start is a webcam and a free account on YouTube.com.
Online video is a great way to create a strong, personal connection to your clients and prospects. Like social media, video begins building a personal relationship even if you’ve never met face to face.
Video enhances your trustworthiness, credibility and likeability. It’s easier for people to relate to you when they can see you on screen and hear your voice.
Another benefit of video is that it can significantly improve your search engine rankings. SEO experts agree that Google loves video, and a Forrester Research study found that video has a 50 times better chance than plain text for getting to the top of search rankings!
All of these strategies work together to create one of online video’s biggest strengths—increasing awareness for who you are and what you offer—and it accelerates the sales process.
Business Uses for Video
Now that we’ve looked at some of the compelling reasons why you should be using video marketing, let’s look at some of the how. Here are eight suggested business uses for video:
Web site. You can create a welcome video for your home page, perhaps sharing your who and do what and why you do it statements with your web visitors.
Blog. Turn your blog into a vlog, or video blog, with which you can provide expert tips, product reviews, and news about your programs and services.
Sales Page. Video sales messages are becoming more common online, and you can get in on the act by adding a video to your sales page.
Client testimonials through video. Create video testimonials for clients or colleagues, and ask them to do the same for you.
Video e-mail. Add video (or a link to a video) in your e-mail, turning your message into a video postcard.
Video coaching. You can also use video to enhance the delivery of your services by making your sessions or meetings with your clients more personal, interactive, and dynamic. Check out online tools such as Skype.com, Ustream.tv or Dimdim.com.
Video tutorials and screen captures. You need not be on camera to create videos. Consider creating video tutorials or online demos using tools such as Jingproject.com, Camtasia.com, or ScreenFlow.com for the Mac.
Create Online Video in Four Simple Steps
If any of these video suggestions sound daunting to you, take heart in the knowledge that the entire process of creating online video boils down to four simple steps . . .
Your goal
Your message
Your format
Your distribution and promotion
Let’s take a brief look at each . . .
Step 1: Goals for Your Videos
Begin with the end in mind and consider what you want to accomplish with your video. Your objectives may include one or more of the following:
Increasing online exposure
Driving traffic to your web site
Enhancing your expert status
Building trust and credibility
Developing your personal brand
Consider what video can do for you. Where can video have the most impact on your business? Whatever you decide, be sure it’s part of your overall marketing strategy. Video marketing should be integrated with the rest of your marketing plan, and not just as an add-on or afterthought.
Whether your objectives for video include visibility, branding, search engine optimization, web traffic, or client attraction, your goal will determine your path. If your goal is to enhance your expert status, for example, you may consider doing a weekly, live webcast on Ustream.tv. With a free account and a webcam, you can create your own “Ask the Expert” web TV show. If, on the other hand, your goal is to educate or inform with instructional videos, then a Camtasia or Jing screen capture demo may be your best option.
Step 2: Your Message
When it comes to video, content is king. Focus more on your message than on the technology. When crafting your message, keep your target audience at the top of your mind and share something of value with them. Attention spans are short on the web, so be sure to get to the point and keep your video as brief as possible. Here are a few other tips to consider as you develop your video message:
Be consistent with your content. Don’t confuse your viewers.
Develop an overall theme for your videos and stay on message.
Maintain an almost fanatical focus on your core message.
Your message includes not only what you say, but how you say it.
Why is keeping your message consistent so important? If your video message is clear and coherent, people will immediately understand what you do, and that makes it much easier to attract clients. Customers will seek you out because there’s no confusion about who you are and who you serve. Do this consistently over time, and your message will become part of your brand.
If you’re still not sure about developing your video message, here’s a list of different types of video messages you might consider:
Expert tips series
Your backstory—what you stand for—your why you do it statement
Personal message on your home page
Product launch promotion
Instructional or how-to demo
Editorial—your take, or rant, on an issue or topic
Your “Top Ten” list
Testimonial or book review
Live Q&A “ask the expert”
Interview format
Speaking demo or event video
Step 3: Your Video Format
The third step in creating your video is deciding on the delivery method you will use to share your video. Will you be on camera, or do you prefer to create a screen capture or slide show? Do you want to prerecord a video and edit it later, or would you be more comfortable doing a live webcast? There are a number of options when it comes to the actual format of your video. Choices include:
Record directly through a webcam. Probably the quickest and easiest option.
Record live through a webcast. Using free web sites such as Ustream.tv.
Shoot on location. Usually outdoors using a portable pocket camera like the Flip Video camera.
Tape a screen capture or slide show. Using PowerPoint or Jingproject.com.
Create a video or photo montage. Using web tools such as Animoto.com.
Keep in mind that whatever delivery method you choose, your format also includes your personal style. In other words, consider the tone and attitude of your delivery. Do you want to be humorous or informal, or does a more authoritative and informative approach work better for you?
Obviously, your format is going to dictate your equipment needed, so let’s take a brief look at some nuts and bolts. Fortunately, with an inexpensive webcam, pocket video camera, or minicam, you’ll be armed with enough to get started. Most digital photo cameras even have a video function, so your existing camera may be all you need. With your camera, your computer, and a free account on YouTube.com, you’re ready to create video.
Whether you use a webcam, the popular Flip Video camera or you decide to stay off camera and record a screencast with software from Jingproject.com, the five-step process is the same:
Develop your content
Set up your equipment
Record your video
Upload your video to the web
Share and distribute your video
If you decide to edit your video—which is not a requirement—you may want to start with editing programs that likely came with your computer or operating system. If you’re on a Mac, chances are you already have iMovie. If you’re a PC user, Windows Movie Maker comes standard with most Windows-based computers. Both are good starter programs if you choose to add graphics, music, or simple effects to your video.
For more complex editing options, and a lot more on using video for marketing, visit Lou Bortone’s site at OnlineVideoBranding.com. Lou is a Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach and an absolute master at teaching people how to get booked solid using video. Okay, back to the material. . . .
What if you are having a bad hair day or you’re terribly camera-shy? If you do not want to be on camera, you can still create great online videos to promote your business. There are several software programs and online resources to help you create videos without you having to be on screen.
I mentioned Animoto.com earlier, which is a great web resource for making videos using your own photos and text. Animoto even provides music for your montage. Just plug in your photos and the Animoto software outputs a slick, professional, ready-to-go video. A similar web site with even more bells and whistles is OneTrueMedia.com.
You can also create video tutorials or screen captures using Jing (JingProject.com), Screenr.com (free), or the more expensive and more complex screen capture program, Camtasia.com. Even PowerPoint presentations can be adapted and used as online videos.
Step 4: Distribute and Promote Your Video
The fourth and final element for video creation is your online distribution. It’s rarely enough to simply upload your video to YouTube.com and expect instant fame and fortune. Your video must be leveraged and distributed across a number of platforms for maximum impact. Sharing and promoting your video is a vital step in the process. The greater the distribution of your video, the more visibility you’ll receive.
One video can serve many purposes and be distributed across multiple sites. Of course, there are dozens of video hosting sites in addition to the big kahuna, YouTube. To simplify the distribution process, we suggest the following:
Use the embed code that YouTube provides to post the video on your own web site or blog. You can also use the link YouTube provides to send out in an e-mail or e-zine.
Once you’ve got YouTube covered, you can open a free account on TubeMogul.com.
After you set up your account on TubeMogul, you can use that site as a launch pad to blast your videos to more than a dozen other video hosting sites with a single click.
As you can see, YouTube can serve as the foundation for your video distribution. Like most video hosting sites, YouTube makes it easy to share your video across several social media platforms.
There are a few important considerations to keep in mind when you upload your video to YouTube. First, you want to make sure that the title of your video is descriptive and incorporates your keywords. Then, be sure to start the description section of your video with your web site URL. If you include your web address in the first line of the description, it will show up as a live link back to your web site. Finally, be sure you also fill out YouTube’s tags section with your keywords.
Get Social
Part of the magic of video marketing is expanding your visibility and exposure through social media. Video is viral by nature, and sharing your video across as many social media platforms as you know of can extend the reach of your video all across the Web.
Once you’ve created your video, be sure to use social networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and others to get your video in front of as many people as possible. While you can’t post your video on Twitter, video-friendly sites such as Tweetube.com and Twiddeo.com make it easy to promote your video on Twitter.
Facebook is also an excellent platform to share your video. You can share your video on Facebook from YouTube, or upload your video directly to Facebook. You can then alert your friends that you’ve posted a new video. When others comment on your video, the video appears on their page as well. One more thing: While you can tag people who appear in your video to alert them on Facebook, please, please, please, don’t randomly tag people who have nothing to do with your video. It’s more than annoying—it’s spam.
