Tag Archives: business

The Most Expensive Strategies

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The biggest difference between what you have now and your vision of what you want to have happen is time AND the right strategies. Of course, there are some really dumb ideas that don’t manage to take off and become successful. But generally, what stops you is time and an individualized plan with the strategies/tactics that work. Think about all those great ideas that were lost because they didn’t result in success.

Most expensive strategy

Recently, John Assaraf said that the most expensive strategy for building your business is doing it yourself. It will take that much more time to accomplish your goals. You’ll make the same mistakes that have been made by many, many other business owners. It costs you lost revenue when you don’t work with someone who can guide you to find the right strategies for your business. It all may be lost to time.

There’s no shortage of opportunities including a favorable time for dramatic growth. Never blame anything or anyone. Look at what you are doing and think bigger to achieve your vision.

Of course, first, you’ll have to find a way to identify those opportunities. Next, you’ll need to develop a strategic plan to exploit them. And then there’s the ongoing task of managing your new program to reach your new goals.

It’s a real challenge. No doubt about it. Imagine being able to shorten that list of things to do and reach your goal more quickly. Yes, Mariner Company is accepting new clients and rewards referrals.

According to the SBA, it often takes business owners three years to start up a business and get it to a point where it’s producing income. Imagine taking the shortcuts and knowing exactly what tactics will produce those big results. Imagine learning what to eliminate. Those are the wasters of time, money, and energy that produce little or no results.

Strategy: So get motivated for a fresh start, a new beginning, and a whole new reinvention of your life to change the results and gain success.

“Be a Leader. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.” Dale Carnegie

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Are you ready to tap the magic of 26-hour days?

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During a virtual seminar that I taught with 20 small business owners attending, we discovered the secrets to creating more time and balance in work and home life. We identified feeling overwhelmed about having too many things to do, constantly put out fires where other people decide what we do, and spending all their time on business and taking little time for fun.

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According to Small Business Trends, business owners identified TIME as one of their biggest problems.
Few seem to have enough of it, even if they are working 60 hours a week or more. After working long hours for years, they begin to feel they have become a slave to their business … that it is running them rather than they running it.
If you are working more hours than you want and not feeling like it is getting any better, then consider some changes. What if you could initiate the 26-hour day?
Let’s not stop there. Why wish for only two more hours? Think bigger. Imagine having seven, 48-hour days each week. Would that make a difference in how you spend your time?
Carol Naff, Marketing Coach, taught that the first step is to think differently about time. What will it take to eliminate those days that are not productive? Eliminate those outside forces and external circumstances.
Become very clear about what needs to get done each day. Begin with the big picture of your vision and mission. Then write your plan of how to get there. Be certain to plan every 90 days and then continue to identify what strategies and tactics are most important and need to get done each week and each day. Choose to be responsible for how your day will go.
Then when you eliminate those days that are not productive, it’ll seem as though you have 48 hours in each day.
Strategy: Decide on only three things to do each week that will affect the impact on your vision the most. Identify your biggest problems in your business with this assessment at Marinerco.com
If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm.
– Norman Vincent Peale
If you are self-employed and not talking to people, you are unemployed.

16 Tips for a Sweet ’16

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Constant Contact developed these tips to make your year especially sweet in ’16.

Start with a plan and set specific goals. Set one big marketing objective for the year, one for each quarter, and maybe one for each month. Keep them simple and specific so you can focus on how to achieve them. Ask for referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful sources of new business, so think back to all of the customers you’ve helped. Chances are that they have a network ready to buy from you. Don’t be afraid to ask!

Make it easy for customers to find you. Whether someone is searching for your individual business or the answer to a problem that your business can solve, taking steps to improve your website’s visibility on Google will make it easy for your next great client to find you. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Be mobile friendly. People are relying more and more on their mobile devices to consume and find information. It’s time to give serious consideration to making your digital communications mobile friendly. Make sure your website and your emails are optimized to work with mobile devices.

Take it offline. Nothing holds the same power as getting together in person. Whenever possible, leverage those online acquaintances with offline events that bring people together. You’ll strengthen the relationships that can lead to long-term growth.

Grow your list. Growing an email list may seem like a lofty goal, but remember: 90 percent of consumers like to receive promotional emails from the companies they do business with. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

Stand out in the inbox. Make sure people recognize that your emails are coming from you by using a consistent from name and from email address in every message you send out. t. Craft a compelling subject line that catches your readers’ attention and lets them know why they should click to open.

Turn your Facebook fans into email subscribers. It’s important to connect with your Facebook fans in multiple ways, and one of the best ways to do that is through your email list. Email marketing works because it allows you to reach people in the place they go every day—their inbox! If you’re a Constant Contact customer, you can easily add an email sign-up form to your Facebook Page.

Expose your business to new people with Instagram. This social network built for sharing photos is surging in popularity. Here’s how you can use it to get in front of new audiences.

Create content that your customers care about. Finding content ideas can be easier than you think when you turn to your customers to guide you. After all, they’re the ones who will be reading and engaging with the content! Here are a few ways you can easily keep them engaged.

Know the essential elements of a great fundraising email. For non-profit organizations, email marketing is a critical component of donor engagement. Want to know five things to consider when designing your next fundraising email?

Look great on social media. Great visuals have become a crucial aspect of online marketing—in fact, 63 percent of social media is made up of images! Use this handy sizing guide to make sure that you’re creating great images for your business’ social media channels.

Take time to learn. Whether you’re looking for email marketing tips, general marketing advice, or other subject-specific guides, Constant Contact’s blog and YouTube channels are full of great resources to help you #BeaMarketer!

Offer a discount or promotion. Whether it’s a coupon in your local paper, an annual sale at your store, a trackable coupon, or a special offer for your most loyal customers, discounts can be a great sales driver for your business. Consider putting together a special offer or promotion to attract new—or reward your best—customers.

Welcome new email subscribers with an automated message. A good “welcome email” can set the tone for the relationship you plan to build with your new subscribers and helps engage them in your business or organization. I can help you with eight tips to help you create a more effective welcome email.

Get feedback from your customers. Consider sending a survey to your customers to create a two-way communication channel. You can ask for ways to improve your services or products, get topic suggestions for your blog, or even just do a little customer research.

Get started with Constant Contact to stay in touch with everyone you meet. Use this link and I can help you get started. Constant Contact with Mariner Company

Call me next week so I can help you get started on a Sweet ‘16!

 

The Most Expensive Strategy

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strategic partnersThe biggest difference between what you have now and your vision of what you want to have happen is time and the right strategies. Of course, there are some really dumb ideas that don’t manage to take off and become successful. But generally, it is time and a plan that stops you. Think about all those experiences that were lost to time.

Recently, John Assaraf said that the most expensive strategy for building your business is doing it yourself. It will take that much more time to accomplish your goals. You’ll make the same mistakes that have been made by many, many of people. It costs you lost revenue when you don’t work with someone who can guide you to find the right strategies for your business. It all may be lost to time

There’s no shortage of opportunities including a favorable time for dramatic growth. Never blame anything or anyone. Look at what you are doing and think bigger to achieve your vision.

Of course, first you’ll have to find a way to identify those opportunities. Next, you’ll need to develop a strategic plan to exploit them. And then there’s the ongoing task of managing your new program to reach your new goals.

It’s a real challenge. No doubt about it. Imagine being able to shorten that list of things to do and reach your goal more quickly.

According to the SBA, it often takes business owners three years to start up a business and get it to a point where it’s producing income. Imagine taking the short cuts and knowing exactly what tactics will produce those big results. Imagine learning what to eliminate. Those are the wasters of time, money, and energy that produce little or no results.

Strategy: So get motivated for a fresh start, a new beginning, and a wholesale reinvention of your life to change the results. Hire your business/marketing coach who demonstrates great results for her clients. Request your free strategy session to learn what need to be done to be successful. carol.naff@marinerco.com

“Be a Leader. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.” Dale Carnegie

Secrets to building a referral endless source

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From the on-the-street salesperson to the attorney, from the entrepreneur to the accountant, endless referrals are important. From the financial advisor to the architect, from the automotive sales professional to the real estate agent, endless referrals are crucial. From the home-based business owner to the insurance agent, and from the network marketer to the software consultant, endless referrals are the cornerstone of business.

Without being solidly based on endless referrals from our customers, clients, and everyday contacts, the fate of any business becomes a nerve-wracking mystery, dependent on the whims of current economic conditions and buying moods.
Bob Burg in his book, Endless Referrals, Network Your Everyday Contacts into Sales, wrote about how to build your network. Business owners: Enter my drawing for a chance to win a free copy of the book. All you need to do to enter the drawing is share this article on your business page on Face Book or forward this enewsletter to someone. Then let me know you did it.

Strategy: Build alliance partners and extremely happy clients so they will rave about you and your services. Imagine yourself at the hub and everyone you know are in bubbles attached to the center (YOU) with a string. Then, identify the people who gave you referrals. Is it 20%? It is believed that 20% of people will give you referrals, 60% don’t know how, and 20% will never give a referral. Learn how to teach that 60% how to give a referral to you. AND be the person who gives lots of referrals.

Contact me at Carol.Naff@MarinerCo.com. So whatever you do, don’t miss this opportunity for a free strategy session.

Use content marketing for guaranteed results with proven easy strategies

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Success with Content Marketing

Success with Content Marketing

Thanks! Thank you for your participation in Marcia Reece and my Power of the Media seminar last month. If you were unable to be there, you were missed.

Headline Analyzer – If  you were at the seminar, you now know the top 12 power words to use in your headlines and subject lines. We were able to analyze many of your power statements and improve your ratings. Now, based on what you know, write your top three sentences you would use if you were asked to describe what you do or what your business does. Pretend you are writing a subject line for an email, business social media post, or a headline for a media release. I will analyze them based on empathetic, intellectual, and spiritual marketing value. I will  share the results with you, and brainstorm with you to make them powerful. Contact CarolNaff@comcast.net for a special low-priced package to exponentially improve your headlines.

You will receive:
* Tips on writing copy that sells
* Learn how to write for your niche
* Analysis of your content
* How to obtain more favorable responses
* Website address so you can analyze your copy

As a bonus, visit CarolNaff.me for tips on how to get extra mileage on your media coverage after you receive it. Learn where and how to post links and videos of your media articles.

Remember, let me know if you’d like to send your three sentences to me to receive this valuable package. Contact me at CarolNaff@comcast.net.

Marcia and I had a blast spending our afternoon with many of you at our Power of the Media seminar. Please be sure to let us know of your successes. We are happy to promote your businesses as we can. Thank you so very much for giving us your time.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

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Use the Power of the Media to Build Your Business

Promote yourself for FREE. Build your work into a brand

Carol Naff and Marcia Reece

Media Directory

Why isn’t your business receiving publicity while others seem to always be in the media? What do they know (or do) that you don’t?

Businesses today know strong results are tied to having a brand and making it known. It is people who provide the edge to increase notoriety, expand market share, and build your business image. Yet how can you prepare yourself to deliver cutting-edge news topics for the media? The Power of the Media Workshop shows you how.

This exciting and informative workshop by Marcia Reece and Carol Naff provides all the secrets of getting media interviews. This info-packed seminar will include the essential elements of writing headlines and powerful media releases. We will reveal how to explain your business in exciting sound bites and marketing plans with examples, ideas, plus a bonus take-away workbook.

Power of the Media, Early registration – $79 until November 17. Regular registration – $99 – limited seating available

12 Noon – 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 19th, Arapahoe May Library, 1471 S. Parker Road Denver, CO 80231 (Florida & Parker Road).

Register here with this link

You Will Learn How to:

  1. Use the point and shoot method
  2. Guarantee your work will be on CNN
  3. Build a powerful media release
  4. Use headline analyzers for the most powerful email subject lines
  5. Make the media work for your business with our best tricks, tips and techniques
  6. Get into magazines with these top 40 tips
  7. Gain confidence with the top 10 things to prepare for your radio and TV interviews
  8. Say it quick to make it stick
  9. Give a successful interview
  10. Promote and sell your brand, services, or business with these 10 invaluable tips
  11. Secure second bookings
  12. Strengthen your chances of getting your products featured in holiday gift guides
  13. Build your media kit/webpage with these 21 items
  14. Take advantage of your publicity and generate more business

You will leave with immediate and easy-to-implement take-away tools, media gathering methods, your attention-grabbing headline created for your business, proven scripts, and insider success drivers.

And lots and lots more…

Granting of permission by the Arapahoe Library District to use library facilities does not constitute endorsement by the Library District Staff or Board of Trustees

Use the Power of the Media to Build Your Business

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Online Media Directory

Congratulations! You’ve done it. You just completed your interview in the news programs or your story was told in print. Especially fabulous are the videos and photos driving interest to your website and to your business. But, now what?

That’s right; now what? Just being interviewed on radio or TV or having an article published about your business will often drive new business for you. Today’s newspaper or magazine is tomorrow’s recycling, but that doesn’t mean that the life of your article is over – far from it, as a matter of fact. It is so important to get in front of people who will buy your services. Don’t just assume that everyone saw the media coverage. You need to tell them. Think about what you can do to create more buyers by letting people (buyers) know about the story on TV, radio, online, or in newspapers or magazines.

That piece still has lots of promotional juice left in it if you know how to squeeze it out. According to Marketing Coach Carol Naff, there are many things you can do with your publicity. Obviously, the rest of the world moved on to the next TV or radio story and edition of whatever periodical has published your piece or review. Use this opportunity to drive traffic to your services.

Tell the world about your media coverage by posting your piece on your website. For video, use You Tube to publish it and post a link on your website. For articles, either post a PDF of the article, or a link to the publisher’s website (assuming it is on their website), or you can post the original copy you submitted along with a mention of when and where it was published.

Email signature. Add a link in your email signature to automatically inform everyone about your publicity. Drive traffic to your website.

Frame it. That’s right; make a nice clean copy of your print coverage on archival paper. Lay it out nicely to fit on a single page, and frame it like a photo. Hang it proudly in your office, home, or reception area. Then your visitors who missed your piece when it was published can see what it looked like. They will be just as impressed (if not more so) than the readers who stumbled over your article in the first place.

Copy it. You can use the layout you created to frame your article or the PDF you made for your website to make copies. Include the banner of the paper or magazine, along with the date, so it is obvious when and where your piece originally appeared in print. Be sure to add your contact information as well, because you never know who might end up with a copy (and they might want to contact you). Use both sides of an 8.5×11″ sheet of paper if needed and make it look nice.

Use the copies in your press kit (which is now growing with the addition of your published pieces). Now that a third-party recognizes your expertise, it is proof that your business deserves recognition.

Mail copies of your article to your clients with a short note and a special offer. For example, you might write: Did you see my review in Sunday’s paper? I’m celebrating my fame with a special two-for-one offer (coupon enclosed).

Copies will come in handy for selling more services, too. Include a copy with your proposal for speaking to demonstrate your expertise. Show copies at meetings to indicate your expertise status.

You might also use it to get back in touch with prospects that haven’t committed to buying your services. Just send the copy with a business card and a short note that says something like: Hi Prospect, Did you happen to see this article in the Business section of the Times on Saturday? I know you are interested in [whatever you wrote about], and thought you might like to see this. I’ll be in touch soon! Best regards, Your Name.

Write and submit articles for publication in other media. Yes, absolutely, once your business is noted in one publication, others might be interested in reprinting it. Be sure to mention the publicity when you distribute an article about your services to online article banks, ezines, and information sites for reprinting. Or submit it to the newsletters of your trade associations or networking organizations. Very often, they are looking for content, and since your business has the endorsement of the publication that published it the first time, it might look mighty good to others.

Send it out as a press release. At the very worst, nothing will happen, but other media could pick it up to use as a filler piece. And there is always the possibility that an editor might be looking for an expert with your background and may call you for an interview. Your local newspaper looks for community members to highlight in the news. Be certain to submit photos and news releases to them.

So whatever you do, don’t just let your published article fade away. Use it again and again to get the most from your work. You’ll raise your credibility and visibility in the eyes of your clients, prospects, and the world. And you’ll have something to remind yourself of how good you can be when you put your mind to it. Visit my blog at solobizmarketing.com for more ideas to market your business and yourself in a career search.

An exciting and informative workshop by Marcia Reece and Carol Naff provides all the secrets of getting into the media. Yes, all types of media including radio and TV and print media including newspapers and magazines. This info-packed seminar will include the essential elements of writing headlines and powerful media releases. We will reveal how to explain your business in exciting sound bites and marketing plans with examples, ideas, plus lot more. Wednesday, November 19, 12 Noon – 4:00 p.m. at May Library, 1471 S. Parker Road, Denver. Register here with this link.

Six Subtle Things Highly Productive People Do Every Day

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Carol Naff, Marketing Coach

Wake up happy or cranky?

Ever feel like you’re just not getting enough done?

Do you know how many days a week you’re actually productive?

About three.

People work an average of 45 hours a week; they consider about 17 of those hours to be unproductive

These are some very good tips that Tim Ferriss, author of the international bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek wrote about in the Business Insider. Manage your mood and don’t check email first thing in the morning are just two pieces of advice. What do you think about the other ideas? Are you ready to try them?

Eleven signs your small business social media strategy isn’t working

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marketing coach carol naff

When Social Digital Media isn’t working to drive traffic to your website

Today, business owners are busier than ever trying to run their companies while handling marketing and sales, too. An important part of marketing today is social media. For many business owners, the world of social media is still foreign territory, and finding the perfect strategy that actually works can often be difficult.

So how do you know if what you’re doing is really hitting the mark? Here are 11 signs that your small business strategy isn’t working. If you’re doing…

Read more here at Miami Herald