2 Secrets For Getting REAL Business Leads

I realize that when you are starting your business, obtaining business leads is hard. You usually don’t start off with a huge marketing and PR budget and you usually don’t have a massive email list to send special offers to.  You have to focus on traction, the clients you do have, and generating referral business at this time.

If you want real leads at any stage in business, referrals are the best way to go- but not the easiest to get. So, I thought I would share 2 of my secrets for obtaining referral / word of mouth business leads that actually lead to signed contracts or purchased products.

1. Talk to your current or former clients. When you are done reading this blog, write everyone you have ever done business with or failed to obtain business from. Don’t send a mass email. Instead, send a personalized email that asks them what they liked about working with you and what they think you need to improve upon. I realize this may not be pleasant. This, however, works two-fold. First, you learn what you are doing right and wrong. People love to give their opinion and it gives you a heads up on any missteps you are committing. Second, it shows you care and people like that. They don’t feel like a number or another sale. They will always come back to this moment when you invested in their opinion and they will refer you out long-term.

2. Note in every ‘sales’ collateral effort that goes out (email blasts, social media infographics, whatever) that you love working with referral business and you offer special ‘first time referral’ rates / bonus gifts.  When you do get that business, make sure to thank (via social media) the person who sent you the business.  You will be surprised at how far a social media mention can go.

Until Monday,

Velma Trayham

Your Image- Why It's SOOO Important

I was recently speaking with a friend about his business and he said that while business is slow, he loved the fact that he could wear jeans everywhere and anywhere. Well, just because you can be casual doesn’t mean you should be casual. Different situations mean there are different expectations. Knowing how to dress and when to dress is very important to the success of your business… even if you want to be casual.

According to research from Princeton University, people assess your competence, trustworthiness, and likeability in just a tenth of a second, solely based on the way you look. That is a fact! So, while you may like being casual, it could be something that works against you on a sub-conscious level. Thus if you want to be respected, casual may not be the way to go. In fact, flashy may not be the way to go either.

Whatever image we present is magnified by social-media services like LinkedIn. Chances are, your headshots are seen much more often now than a decade or two ago. Millennials, it seems, face the paradox of being the least formal generation yet the most conscious of style and personal branding. It can be confusing but be consistent.”

I suggest you change your profile photos every six months to grab attention, stay relative, and reflect where you are presently in business. If you can be comfortable yet professional and you need to make sure your photos and your content are consistent.  Ask yourself, “would you hire you?” If the answer is ‘no’ then there is a bigger problem below the image thing on social media.

Also, understand there is an underlining context to what is within your photo, including backgrounds and even the title of books that may be in the background. If you seemed more focused on you the brand, how can you be focused on clients? If you seem more focused on drinking, where are your clients? Know your clients and their expectations and then make sure your profile photos and social media images coincide with this brand expectation.

Until next time,

Velma Trayham

Donald Trump – The most successful, yet failing, brand

Donald Trump is a great PR person. He is his brand. Everyone knows of him, but not everything he touches turns to gold. In fact, a lot of it doesn’t.  While the Trump brand may be known for luxury, it certainly isn’t known for paying bills or being a reputable source within the business community.  In fact, you can say Trump is more sizzle than steak.

How does this happen. Well, Trump himself is a good PR person. He talks a great game. He acts and looks the part of someone with true authority. He loves the camera and he loves social media.  This doesn’t mean he is making a profit or that he is good at business. Do you know any people like this? Chances are you do. There are plenty of wanna-be Trumps out there. It’s great to aspire to be like someone, as long as that someone is really successful and not just a bunch of photos and social media posts.

Here is a list of Donald Trump’s failures. I bet that from what you currently know of the man, these failures are not alongside your association with him. After you read this, they will be. Here’s the article: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2068227,00.html Yes, each item is clickable and you can read all the dirty details.

So, why am I talking about Donald Trump tonight? Simple. Aspire to be a brand but don’t only be a brand. You have to walk the walk. In today’s social media culture it’s easy to look the part – just like Donald Trump.  You actually need to provide quality services that you can build your brand upon, not the opposite. 

If you’re feeling a bit empty and your profits are really non-existent, you may have to ask yourself some tough questions this weekend about your brand. Are you putting your photos and social media first? Are you forgetting that your brand has to stand for something- like services? Are you spending too much time on you and not your customers?

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA

Pitch Using Twitter

Most people don't understand the power of Twitter. Well, here is a secret- most of the big production television shows request pitches directly to the affiliated producer or reporter using Twitter media. Never heard of it? Well, check out this example; http://www.usatoday.com/reporters/

Now, here's how to pitch via Twitter when you find the right person;

1. Make sure your Twitter profile is complete and professional. Photos of you drinking with clients or partying with other publicists isn’t professional and should be kept to your own private accounts, not your company account.
2. Make sure that your Twitter feed is active with industry news and valuable information for your sector. Remember, members are the press are professional BS trackers. They will call you on not knowing your stuff or being too self-promotive.
3. Follow up with a phone call. If the press agent hasn’t responded to your Tweet pitch, make sure you plan a 3 day follow up via a phone call. If they still don’t respond, don’t bug him or her. Try again later and with a different angle.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Writing Content for Google

PR people now have to write for several different audiences, including the public who search Google. But, do you know how to write for Google. Just because you write something for the public and paste it to your blog- or other medium- doesn't mean Google will register it and make it searchable for others to find.

This mean you may have to write a piece three or four different ways to cater to traditional, new media, and Google audiences.  This is the main reason I want to focus today's blog on how to write for Google so your content (or that of your clients) is searchable and visible!

First, develop compelling content. Your content should be relatable to your audience and tell a dynamic story that cannot be found elsewhere. Google likes storytelling! Don't advertise yourself or write about how great your clients are. Advertising content is considered commercial content and Google will kick it out so that you buy an ad.

You also need to be aware of content structure. Google loves images, and it likes embedded links, too.  Make sure you ALT tag your images with title links or key words directly related to the content.

Finally, spend some time thinking about which keywords will give your website and pages better exposure. Test them by typing them directly into Google and see what comes up. Be organic, not over zealous, with your keyword placement and selection.

Need help? You may want to consider co-contracting with ThinkZILLA. I can help you write content that will rank highly on Google!

Until next time,

Velma Trayham