The 5 Whys Your Prospect Becomes Your Buyer; Buying Decisions.

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Jacksonville Social Media MarketingThe more I offer Jacksonville social media marketing, the more clear 5 factors that influence buying decisions become.  I believe it is only 5 and that you need to nail each one. Once you do, you will close every prospect you want to close and be able to nudge those who look like they might be a pain on to your competition!

It’s all about differentiation and risk.  And price… but price last!  Here’s how I think it all lays out:-

1. Differentiation.  How are you better, different, special, unique, smarter, faster, whatever.  Can you be clear about this unique selling proposition (USP, often called Unique Competitive Advantage) and can you say it concisely?

2.  Value.  Does your prospect fully understand the value of your service (or product) compared to competition, and also compared to anything they can find online.  Value here in terms of worth, not really the dollars and cents of price.

3.  Risk.  Perceived risk.  No-one wants to buy the wrong thing. The knock-on waste of time is as much a hassle as the waste of lost resources and lost ground.

4. The KILT.  (know-Like-Trust)There’s no getting away from this; for your prospect to become your customer, they gotta like you, or at least have faith in you and trust you.  Maybe they don’t need to KNOW you in the same way as business back in the 50s but the rest is still critical.

5. Price.  Now, it’s price.  Down here, in position 5.  And you know this, otherwise everyone and everything would be purchased at Walmart and there wouldn’t need to be any other options.

It has been said that, once items 1 – 4 have been settled price comes off the table as an issue in 50 – 80% of the deals made.  Think about how you buy: don’t you seek “comfort” not just “a great deal,” or even the “best deal”.

There is another factor: your reputation. This used to be only from word of mouth, but it’s available online now.  Everywhere, and your customers WILL check you out, both on social sites, on Google, in reviews, etc.  A good reputation reduces risk, too, in the mind of the potential buyer. This is why we all like referrals so much; they come from a trusted source and the prospect is usually pre-sold.

As your marketing turns towards the new season, how are you adjusting your sales presentation?  Do you have your USP clean and crisp? Is your value clearly stated? And how do you address risk?  Who knows, maybe all that’s so good you ought to be raising your prices this season!

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Word Clouds – Infinite Uses – Have you tried Wordle?

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It’s been another busy week here at Vizzitopia, as I struggle to keep up with the daily changes over at Google+ and savor the peace and relative comfort at Facebook, (imagine!!) getting to know more local business owners at LinkedIn whereas on Pinterest … just writing about it all exhausts me!! LOl

I’ve been so thankful to Wordle this week.

Social Media Tool - WordleThis is the cover page/sales page of a someone who is looking for a LinkedIn trainer who “gets” her list! Wordle summed up the page so quickly and told me exactly what the message is that this lady is offering to the marketplace.

What's your page about

This is the landing page for a professional financial planner who speaks on women and money. Thanks to this visual representation of the page, we were able to identify precisely why we’re seeing the results we’re getting. AND, what we need to do if we expect to see something different.

In each case, Wordle created a visual map of masses of words and summed it up for me and my team to tell us the whole story, in one single image.  I use it everywhere as a diagnostic or research tool.  I notice that my colleagues use it to create images for posts that have no particularly apt image.  That’s good too. That you can alter the colors and horizontal vs. vertical layout is all good too.

What might you use it for? Do share an idea or two, in the comment box below:-

Juliet McEwen Johnson, Vizzitopia
Jacksonville Florida Social Media Marketing

Posted in How To Use Social Media, Social Tools | Tagged Wordle | Leave a comment

The Challenge of Local Business Social Media Marketing

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Jacksonville Local BusinessThe challenge for local business social media marketing is enormous, both in terms of understanding why they need it, and then finding the time to use social media well. Sites like Facebook seems massive, full of goofy personal information and thus overwhelming.  Twitter goes very fast, there are so few real conversations there, what’s the point?  Then there’s all the others – LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube etc.  The overwhelm and time consuming nature of it all is the main stumbling blog.  Plus, what to say, who to follow, how to reach more followers?

Next:how do we, as social media managers, PROVE that our systems work?  Case study data. in your own local market, takes time to collect – the sites need to “season” -

Continue reading →

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How To Motivate Yourself – For Your Social Media Marketing

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Motivate Yourself in 30 Seconds

It’s easy to motivate yourself when you ask your mind (and heart) the right questions.
A guest blog post from Geoffrey James of Inc. Magazine


how to motivate yourself

Getting motivated is easy. All you need do is “connect the dots” between why you take action and what action you must take next. To do this, you ask yourself nine simple questions.

As you ask, don’t formulate complicated answers. Your mind and heart already know what they want; you’re just tapping into that knowledge.

Here are the Continue reading →

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Why Hire A Local Web-based Marketing Company vs. A Reseller of A National Brand For Your Social Media Marketing Needs?

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Jacksonville Social Media Manager

Courtesy: Bill Humpug

“You can’t swing a cat without hitting a realtor in this town!”

That was the old saying, wasn’t it? Now, it’s you “can’t swing a cat without hitting a social media manager!”

And while social media managers come in all shapes and sizes, the most effective managers are those who have owned their own small business and know how to market a company online, using all the internet marketing tools out there. You see, a local web-based marketing company understands and lives exactly what you already know as a business owner in your town. Continue reading →

Posted in How To Use Social Media, Marketing with Social Media, Small Business Marketing | Tagged Local Web-based Marketing Company, social media manager, Web based marketing | 1 Comment

What’s Your Unique Selling Proposition, Your USP?

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Unique Selling Proposition

Do you, like me, have a hard time defining your own unique selling proposition?  I can easily SEE what it is for other people, but not so easily for myself.  Until this morning’s breakfast with W. Emerson Brantley.

Emerson is a career-long marketing strategist with a wicked knack for copywriting. You want bums on seats? You want Emerson to market your event. You want to crash a server? You want Emerson zeroing in on the exact customer your product serves, and turning away everyone else.  How can you get so MANY MORE of the people that you do want by deliberately turning away those you don’t?

Continue reading →

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Did You Know LinkedIn Company Pages Could Do This?

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LinkedIn For BusinessDo you know that you can segment your audience on LinkedIn company pages and show a different lineup of your products and service to each segment? Since LinkedIn is THE place to showcase talent, you should really spend some time identifying your talents and then showcasing them in the most visual way the social network will let you.

When you set up your company page, there are some very clever things you can do with the Products and Services section.  List a full line-up of your products and services with banners and YouTube videos; you will find you are allowed 3 different banners and a different video for each audience segment!! Continue reading →

Posted in How To Use Social Media, Marketing with Social Media, Small Business Marketing | Tagged linkedin company pages, linkedin for business | Leave a comment

“Use Pinterest For Business” Does Not Mean Every Business, Necessarily

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Pinterest For Business

With the recent proliferation of social media sites, you may be becoming increasingly confused as to which will serve your marketing needs best.

Take Pinterest for example, which has rocketed to number 3 behind Twitter and FaceBook in only a few short months. Every social media site is different and if you want to promote your business as with any kind of marketing, you must do your research and planning before jumping in.

Social media participation can be very time-consuming and it can take a considerable amount of time and work to elbow your way to the forefront, especially if you’ve been putting it off. Indeed, you may find that when checking your analytical data, traffic and sales conversions you may come to the harsh reality Continue reading →

Posted in How To Use Social Media, Marketing with Social Media, Small Business Marketing, Social Tools | Tagged Pinterest, Pinterest For Business | Leave a comment

LinkedIn For Business: “hockey fights” and true engagement! Who’d have thought it from LinkedIn?

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Hockey Fight Engagement On LinkedIn

Photo from http://military-fitness.military.com/

We know people are on LinkedIn looking to do business.  Do you get any business from LinkedIn? I don’t.  But what I do find there is massive amounts of true engagement and fun exchanges. Serious business debate that can get quite heated at times.  I’m not saying that LinkedIn Groups are like professional hockey but there is the beginnings of that culture starting.

When smart, opinionated experts compete to prove who can provide the better answer, the readers get to see all sides of the argument and some serious learning can take place.  It can be energizing and refreshing!

While LinkedIs is the corporate social media site, there seems to be no fear about letting true opinions fly around.  I’ve seen people call one another rude.  I’ve seen moderators fiercely remonstrate with someone posting off topic, and I’ve seen some truly generous sharing of advice, tactics, tips and resources.  I’m quite taken with the place!

This Thursday, I chat with social media guru to the Internet Stars, Kate Buck Jr. at 12 Noon EST all about LinkedIn for business.  We have a slide deck to share, and some fun things that you can do with LinkedIn Company pages segmenting audience views. You can register for the call here –

Join us for a Webinar on Thursday, June 28 at 12 Noon EST
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/972253879
Posted in How To Use Social Media, Marketing with Social Media, Social Tools | Tagged kate buck jr, linkedin for business, webinar | Leave a comment

Strategy for Picking Your Name on Pinterest

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Pinterest Name Strategy

Some of My Favorite Big Brands On Pinterest

On my live Pinterest For Beginners Webinars, I am often asked about which name should you pick for your profile and for your username.

“On your profile, do you have to use a person’s name for first/last name rather than a business name? And then, what do you use for the business name?”

It’s an excellent question, and one that is significant for anyone looking to promote a business on Pinterest. There are 2 ways to answer it:

1. If your business is a “cult of personality” business – i.e. its success is built around you, your personality, you design or management skills, then you will want to work your name into the combo and include boards that speak to you in totality. This way people will get to know the whole, real you. Or at least the you you’re prepared to show them. the more vulnerable you can be, the more authentic you will look and the more connections you’ll make. e.g. if you have a weakness for Cuervo or are struggling to improve your net game, or are on a quest for the perfect putter. (We ALL now what THAT really means… yip-pety-doo-dah, and we can all empathize! :)

2. If you are a brand, building recognition for a store location and will never morph into anything more than the brand name – think Victoria Secret, Lowe’s, the New York Public Library then you’ll see that they have filled out the name section as their full title so that the top of their dashboard reads right, and then they have picked a username that makes sense in the url.

Here is a really full list of big brands on Pinterest from Jason Keath of Social Fresh. It is amazing how many were already there by Feb. 26, 2012!

For me, special mention goes out to AMC Theaters for the way they are surrounding their products – the movies – with all the other stuff that goes along with that! You will see that they have picked their brand name on Pinterest for both the username and their first and last name combination.
Perfect Pinterest Technique!

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