More Than A Few Words

Why should I buy from you in a cluttered marketplace with many companies all claiming be able to solve a problem that a customer has? How do you answer that question in a way that convinces customers that you’re the right company to work with? The roots of that answer really lie in a great position statement. This is not advertising copy, but a clear definition of who your company is and how you approach the business. There are three elements in a position statement: a description of who your customer is, what problem do you solve, and what makes you uniquely qualified to offer that solution? When you put those three pieces together into a simple statement, you have the beginning of great marketing. 

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.    Everyone talks about SEO as if it was some magic formula, that only a few specialized magicians can handle. But the truth is anyone who owns a website can take small steps to improve their SEO and gain the attention of search engines. Guest Jon Tromans suggests the best place to start is with the person who's actually using your website.  Think about the journey they take as you lead them through your website toward a sale. The words on the page must answer their questions and solve their problems.  Most people make the mistake of trying to write for the search spiders, the robot intelligence behind Google.  But what Google wants is for you to write for the real human being who's searching on Google. Imagine your have a bricks and mortar store and a customer walks through the front door.  As they start talking to you about your products and your services you ca

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. Once upon a time marketers ran television commercials and put ads in newspapers and simply waited for the phone to ring. But that was a long time ago. So long ago in fact, that it seems like a fairy tale; an expensive fairy tale. Today, consumers fast forward through television ads, change the station on their radio and scroll by on social media. They don’t want to be interrupted by your marketing. Consumers are looking for information as they prepare to make a purchasing decision. They’re looking for general information about trends and features. They are investigating your company personnel and looking for examples of how your product is being used and what people think about your business. This is where content marketing comes in, making up for the fact that consumers do not watch

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.    Creating great marketing content takes a while It is important, but if you're not careful, it can take over so much of your time that you don't have any time left to run your business. Our guest, Elizabeth Pampalone shares the secret to creating a year's worth of content in a week through a process she calls Absolute Marketing. The system actually consists of five, the five pillars of marketing, branding, websites, social media, blogging, and email marketing. Start with a solid brand, defining who your audience is and how you want to present yourself. This may include standardizing colors, fonts and messages, such as your mission statement, vision statement, and tagline all lay the foundation for your brand. If you know your audience, colors, fonts, and message, then social media is going to be much much easier to create. Now you are ready to start creating con

Did you know that 57% of all purchase decisions are actually made before a customer ever talks to a supplier. The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. More than half of the people who pick up the telephone to talk to you have already made up their mind.  That's good news for the people that are calling. The question is how do you get more people to call you? And how do these people make up their mind before they ever talk to you?  The answer?  They're going to your website and the websites of your competitors. They're looking for answers to the questions they have about your product and your service. Prospective customers are looking for FAQs and how-to guides. videos and comparison charts. If they find that information at two in the morning when they are looking online, they're more likely to pick up the telephone and call

More than a Few Words,  a weekly marketing podcast, hosted by Lorraine Ball features conversations with professionals from around the world.  This week,  Shane Barker joined us for a conversation about email engagement, getting readers excited to hear from you.  Do you remember when it was fun and exciting to get an email? That was a long time ago. These days, our inboxes are filled, and there's a real fatigue. As a marketer, your challenge is to break through the clutter, and get people excited about your email. Shane had a few great tips on how to do just that.  Have a clear purpose for each email Design campaigns for mobile consumption Add an element of fun to the campaign Ask questions and incorporate the answers from your readers into future campaigns Don't be afraid to clean out your list, and drop people who really aren't interested.   

These days, it seems like everyone is talking about content marketing. But what is it really? The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. Content marketing is a strategic marketing process of using content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. It's focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to ultimately drive customer action. There are several  really important words in that definition. Strategic:  With content marketing you don't just start writing blog posts and taking pictures willy nilly, you  create a plan which outlines your goals and what you're going to do with the content and what kind of content you want to deliver. You start by figuring out who your audience is and  where are they going to be.  You also need to think about the action you want them to take  after they

More than a Few Words,  a weekly marketing podcast, hosted by Lorraine Ball features conversations with professionals from around the world.  This week, our guest Colin Gray talks about the challenges business owners face when it comes to creating content.    it's not hard usually, to convince people that content is a good idea, whether it's a podcast, whether it's a blog, a video channel.  The hard part is getting them to stick to the routine, because it is the consistency that really builds your audience. People are always fine for the first month, maybe even two months, but then then novelty wears off .  The trick is finding a way to create a regular process of creating content. Building the routine starts with a plan.  Think of one topic, and then start breaking it down into smaller and smaller bites.  Instead of trying to write one post that coves everything you know on a topic write five related posts addressing different aspects of the same topic. When it comes to the tools, simpler is better.  Look fo

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. These days, it seems like everyone is talking about content marketing. But what is it really? If you watch late night television, you've probably seen infomercials for some random product. In the wee hours of the morning you find yourself watching with interest the demonstration of the  Jack LaLane power juicer.  And as cheesy as the infomercial might be, the format works. People buy Snuggies and Shamwow. How do these companies keep you watching essentially the same message for 20 or 30 minutes? It boils down to four elements.  And these elements will  work in your marketing too. Reliance on repetition.  The  same value proposition is presented multiple times throughout the program. Informal down to earth presentation style Real people supporting the proposition with testimonials. An

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.  Getting Started These days a lot of people who never thought they were going to be business owners are starting businesses. These new entrepreneurs have questions, an our guest Brett Shapiro has answers. To run a legitimate business, the US government and your State Secretary of State is going to want to know who you are, what your business name is, and what kind of business you're running. To do this, there are a handful of documents you will need at the formation of your business.  Need help? Be sure to grab a copy of Brett's  Business Startup Guide.   About Brett Shapiro He started Govdocfiling.com with the goal of transforming how entrepreneurs start and build valuable businesses. He is a business guru who specializes in business formation and has formed more than 10 entities himself. Brett educates and empowers clients to establish companies by providing ac

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. There was a time when the doorbell rang, you would jump up and fling the door open in the hopes of entertaining a neighbor, friend or unexpected guest. But things have changed. And we're a lot more cautious these days about who we invite into our homes. This can create real challenges for companies that are in a home service industry. You can help overcome this consumer reluctance by using content marketing to help prospective customers feel as if they know  you. You can do this by adding photographs of your team members on your website and showing a little bit of personality on social media. Last but definitely not least, encourage reviews. There's nothing that reassures a consumer about inviting someone into their home, like seeing their friend or neighbor saying, "we've worked wit

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.  Many business owners think marketing is all about tactics and actions, instead of really paying attention to the outcome. They think they want a website, or social media and they expect those actions will solve their problems. But the truth is it depends on the intention of what are you trying to accomplish. At the end of the day you want to earn attention and convince someone that you're worth paying attention to. To do that you need to understand your audience on an intimate level. People make decisions emotionally 90% of the time.  So by aligning with them and showing them that you speak their language and you're trying to solve their problem, you're going to be way more effective, faster.  Allison DeFord Allison and her award-winning team at Felt Marketing are on a mission to strengthen the heart and soul of manufacturing for generations. Helping legacy brand

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you walk down the aisle of a grocery store, and a coupon for peanut butter pops up on your phone it is convenient for you and a great selling tool for the retailer. The technology that allows merchants to target specific messages based on your location is called geofencing.  This technology uses the Global Positioning System, (GPS)  or radio frequency to define geographic boundaries. Every time a consumer allows any their phone applications to access their location, like a map or a check in tool,  their phone becomes available for geographic targeting. Think of the opportunities to deliver a message to a potential customer when they walk into a competitor's store. That's just one of the possibilities with geofencing. It is a technology you should be exploring.

The weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world.  Get More Done by Doing Less Many people assume they need to be busy to be more productive.  The truth however, is that being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are actually accomplishing anything.   Well you may be getting things done, but not the right things. Our guest Alex Sanfilippo suggests if you want to be more productive you need to start with your purpose defining you destination or your why.  If you can figure out your ultimate goal, then it is easier to set priorities.  Now you are ready to start looking at how you spend your time.  Take an inventory or everything you do every day for a week to discover how much time are you are spending on thigs which more you closer to your goal, and how much time are you spending on other things? Improve your productivity by identifying things you can automate, delegate or simply stop doing.  About Alex Al

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you were little your parents probably told you to use an inside voice.  They may have said that it wasn't polite to shout. While true in  your parent's living room, there are times you have to raise your voice to get noticed. This is especially true on line as you are competing with so many other messages. To get the attention of visitors to your website, you have to shout a little bit. Unlike when you are face to face with someone, online, you shout visually, for example your call to action on any page of your website should be in all caps. While this is hard to read and long blocks of text  and considered a little rude in an email, it's critical in your call to action.  The all cap style stops the reader and makes them pay attention.  

The weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world.  Using Agile Marketing to Get Better Results Faster.  These days it feels like everything has to move just a little bit faster. In response to the "need for speed" many companies are embracing Agile Development for their marketing programs. Our guest, Connie Steele shares some ideas on how companies can put agile marketing to work. It begins with a test and learn mindset where you start small, constantly iterating, as you work fully collaboratively with all the stakeholders from beginning to end. The advantage of this approach vs traditional marketing is the ability to have results  which accomplish your business objectives, sooner rather than later. T How do you ensure your agile approach is successful? Start with clarity around what the business goal and make sure all participants have the same vision for the final outcome. Next you will need constant

In an age where most people would rather text than talk, we've seen a dramatic rise in live chat features on websites. And while sometimes I get nostalgic for the old days when you could actually talk to someone, I have to admit that the chat tools are kind of growing on me. And I'm not alone. In a recent survey chat was identified as the number one method preferred by customers to reach out and connect .  41%  said the preferred to connect via text. That was followed by phone, email, and distant distance social media. If you're thinking about putting a live chat tool on your website, things to keep in mind, people are much more interested in a quality response than a rapid automated response. So if you're going to do this, make sure that you have someone available to actually answer and respond when people send a request. This marketing minute is part of More than a Few Words, a marketing conversation for business owners. 

Each week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a marketing conversation for business owners.  This week the topic is how to make a great second impression. Our guest, Janice Porter explains that it starts with being a good listener, and learning about the other person. Then when you follow up, refer to something from the first conversation to show them you're interested. Whether you are connecting in person or online, the strategies are still the same. Being curious, asking questions and paying attention build rapport no matter where the connection occurs. One of Janice’s favorite follow up tools is Send Out Cards, an online greeting card and gifting service that sends real cards and gifts in the mail. In an era when everything is digital, this tool uses snail mail, to give the other person a physical tangible touch.  And when they receive it, the personalized card gives you a chance to demonstrate you were paying attention as you reference something they mentioned in your conversation. Take advantage of Jan

My uncle used to say that he was going to write me a short note but didn’t have time, so he wrote me a long letter instead.  When you are limited in the number or words, you choose your words carefully and you use them sparingly. When you have the luxury of a long letter, you can ramble on and on, and hope that sooner or later, you’ll get to the point. And you hope the recipient will hang in long enough to figure out what you’re talking about. That strategy is something you should keep in mind when you’re working on your marketing. Treat everything you write as if it was a headline or a tweet.  Put your energy into refining the message and making it as concise as possible. When you do that, you will pique someone’s interest and earn the right to invite them back  Want to learn more about headlines?  Look for resources in the Digital Toolbox. 

Each week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a conversation for business owners.  This week the topic is how to work from anywhere. 2020 has been an interesting year.  It has created lots of challenges for business owners, especially as they adjust to managing their team as they leave the office to work at home.   In some cases the home environment doesn’t have the capability to support the kind of work people need to do.  In other cases, as people move out from behind the corporate firewall, they don’t have the same security protections they do in the office. About Doug Miller Mr. Miller has extensive information technology operations experience in manufacturing, financial services, and health care, as well as a deep consulting background in many more industries. He is adept in roles requiring diverse skill sets that allow him to function effectively in deeply technical roles while also serving as a project manager, a business process consultant, and a leader of technical teams.   With cloud based syste