Online Journey

Because online is a journey, not a destination

Online Marketing: How to Stay on Top of Social Media Trends

Image Online Marketing Tactic How to Stay on Top of Social Media Trends(2)For all businesses these days, big or small, whether they are a coaching practice, a traditional bricks and mortar business or exist entirely with web-based operations, it’s crucial to utilise various online marketing techniques to ensure success. Online marketing is deemed one of the most effective ways of communicating business messages and brand awareness. The group which you target are spending more and more time online. A recent study showed that most people these days spend at least seven hours a day online and a large chunk of that time is dedicated purely to checking social media accounts. Needless to say, if coaches want to target a market more precisely, they cannot do without underutilised, powerful digital marketing strategies.

A Facebook post or YouTube video may play a part in the conversion of a lead, but more often or not a phone call or form filling gets the credit for the sale. New research suggests that this is changing. The research conducted by Social Media examiner indicates that sales attributed to social media rose 7% to take the global figure to 3.3 billion in tracked social media sales. Other trends to come out of this research noted the continued rise of mobile social networking, the rise of video and the big impact the podcasts are having.  It’s worth noting that trends in social media open new opportunities for coaches to really get the most out of their marketing initiatives.

And speaking of trends, they can definitely work to any coach’s advantage. But to edge out the competition and optimise their benefit, staying ahead of social media trends is key. How to do that? Here are five quick and easy tips.

  1. Use your current followers to obtain a solid idea of what they want, what they need, and what’s present (or not) in your social media service menu. Conduct surveys, read through the comments, track levels of engagement and satisfaction through likes, retweets, regrams, repins, etc.
  2. Stay updated with the changes that popular social media sites are about to implement. Facebook releases news about new functionalities months before the changes are implemented. Examine these changes and determine how you can work them into your marketing strategy and reinforce your brand.
  3. Establish relevance in all types of media. Always remember that despite the changing trends and search engine requirements, compelling content cuts through the noise. Make sure that however you present your content; it is evergreen or can stand the test of time in terms of importance and usefulness.
  4. Be consistent with your output. If possible, release new information through social media every day; you can automatically “lock in” your target audience so that any transition you make can be done smoothly. Tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social or Post Planner can help save time when working on the art of consistency. Also, with this tactic, your audience may even become oblivious, over time, to new things that others are doing. Be relevant, be different.
  5. Be creative, think outside the box. Utilising social media in a clever way could propel your business to the next level. We see a lot of examples out there. By taking your existing content and presenting it in a different way on the various social channels could be just the cut through you need. Smaller digestible content, 15 seconds, 1 – 2 mins. Use Slideshare, post a video on Vine, and look at new networks such as Snap Chat for opportunities.

Consider the trends in the ever changing landscape of social media. There is no room for complacency. Keep practicing, keep measuring. No one knows this better than a coach running his/her own practice. Remain on trend or ahead of the curve, complacency is not an option.

4 Ideas to Conduct Successful First Meetings with New Clients

Conducting Successful First Meetings with New Clients(2)Starting out with new clients’ needs some thought and preparation behind it or it could be all over before you even hit green for go. Your initial meeting dictates how well your business relationship will begin. For coaches, this first meeting is an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism, expertise, credibility and to show the client exactly how you working with them will help their journey toward a much brighter future.

To ensure that your meeting goes off without a hitch, it will help if you consider more than just dressing your best to impress the client.  You should prepare before the meeting takes place so you can give your full attention and energy towards the meeting. Some corporates like to call these initial meetings “kick off “or “launch meetings” although I suspect you will be keeping things a little less formal.

Here are key things you need to keep in mind for a fruitful meeting with your new client:

Learn as much as you can about the client. Your goal is to show your client that your services will meet their needs —demonstrate to them that you have the ability to see beyond what the client can see. Before you can accomplish this, you need to know their goals and motivations inside and out — their past and current situation, their relationships etc.

By doing your “homework” before meeting the client you’ll be well prepared to frame the meeting and address exactly what the client needs. Your client will appreciate how you’ve dedicated time to understanding their concerns.

Pay sincere attention to what the client says. 85% of what we know we have learned through listening. This was one of the statistics found in a recent study by Forbes Magazine.

Another interesting statistic from the study was that humans generally listen at a 25% comprehension rate. Listening should be a top priority during your first meeting with a new client. This is, once again, a demonstration of your professionalism and commitment to your client. It shows integrity.

The other area we struggle with in today’s modern world is the desire to multi task.  Put your mobile phone or other device away, or even better, shut them off. Of course eliminate any other distractions. You’re just trying to jam in new behaviors and not giving your client the respect time and attention they need.

Get everyone in your team on the same page in terms of the meeting’s agenda. Every member has to be informed of all the main points that will be covered during the meeting, as well as assigned their specific tasks, if any. This creates a smooth flow to the discussion, allowing it to proceed without delay. If you are working solo or you have some of your work outsourced, note taking will be the key to ensure message transfer.

Follow up the meeting with a short summary. When the meeting has concluded, it’s always diligent to send the client a brief report of the key points that were discussed during the meeting — it can be sent on email, not too long, bullet points are easy to read. This email is also an opportunity to thank the client for their participation and input, to send a pricing for services (if it is at this stage), and to agree next steps to be taken and how they will be accomplished.