Absolutely! Mixing your Message Mediums is Smart Business
By Speaker’s Choice Team
While coaches, experts, trainers and top agents will all tell you that CONSISTENCY in your message is KEY to staying top of mind and a consistent pipeline of referrals – most will also share that is not only fine to mix up the mediums – it’s a smart strategy for success. Why? Because let’s face it – we’re all DIFFERENT. (Which is a good thing! Makes life WAY less boring – don’t you think?)
So because we’re all different – the way we view, absorb and react to marketing messages is different too. Using email, direct mail, social media, video, audio, visuals, phone calls, personal visits and everything in between will help you reach the folks in your sphere or farm in the ways that make the most sense for them.
First let’s start with the obvious—in today’s world of ever-changing technology – NO ONE uses a phone book to find what they are looking for – they’re searching online. The question is – how will they find YOU?
So if NEW traffic’s your goal, then you’ve got to find some ways to get event planners and organization leaders who are looking for information about hiring a keynote speaker, workshop leader or coach to type YOUR NAME into their search bar.
1. Make direct mail your friend. Don’t start yelling at me and saying direct mail is dead – before you consider a few facts. According to a survey conducted by the Direct Marketing Association nearly 70% of consumers prefer to receive announcements and information from companies they are familiar with via conventional mail, versus less than 20% who prefer e-mail pitches.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of email marketing, but I have speakers asking me all the time– “How do I get email addresses?” And that’s where I believe direct mail postcards can really compliment a marketing plan. They’re affordable, fast, don’t have to be opened first, quick to make an impression and done right – a great way to brand yourself, get your name TOP OF MIND for area consumers and drive people looking for real estate answers or information – Straight to your website!
2. Add your social media addresses to everything! Your business cards, email signatures, newsletters, printed materials, websites, blogs, the works. Make sure everything has got all the myriad of ways people can find you (and create some great backlinks for your different sites at the same time!) And please don’t make the mistake that I see many businesses make where they simply say “follow us on Facebook” – you have to go the extra step. Tell them HOW! For example – Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/speakername I see business signs, cards, brochures etc. that just have the icons for social media and blogs but not the actual address. Make it EASY for folks to find you!
3. Join the online conversation. Don’t expect immediate results, but also don’t discount the power of the internet to help establish and fuel new relationships. Talk about topics of interest, great audience responses, current events, powerful motivators, insights from the road and more. Start conversing and connecting!
4. Offer items of value on your website or blog. A great way to capture email addresses is to offer free book chapters, ebooks, white papers, or digital products in exchange for email addresses. People are information hungry these days and if you can satisfy that hunger with the right collateral pieces- they’ll share their contact information and their loyalty!
5. eMail is still viable: eMail is tough in a lot of ways – spam blockers and just a saturation of inbox items can make it hard to get seen from the rest – but it is a good way to just touch base with your sphere – especially if there is something new to talk about. Use a platform such as iContact or Constant Contact for an easy to use system to manage your email.
So start mixing and matching and building both your email database as well as your book of business database so that you can whether whatever market storm comes your way. Good luck and remember we’re here when you need us!
