The Green Sheet Online Edition

December 10, 2012 • Issue 12:12:01

200 ways to get noticed - Part 2

By Nancy Drexler
Acquired Marketing

This is the second of two articles, each offering 100 tips to maximize your sales and marketing success. This article covers use of email, social media, blogs, advertising and collateral, and the media. The first article appeared in The Green Sheet, Nov. 12, 2012, issue 12:11:01, and offered advice on using email, as well as tips regarding presentations and webinars.

Via email

101. Take the drip approach: send concise, consistent messages in flights of three to seven.
102. Start by sending emails one to two days apart; then increase the interval as the prospect moves through the funnel.
103. Make sure each message builds on the previous message. The emails should work together as a single campaign, driving prospects through the sales funnel.
104. At the top of the funnel, when recipients have demonstrated no commitment to buy, offer tips to inform or educate, not to sell. In the middle of the campaign, focus on the main benefits of doing business with you.
105. At the bottom of the funnel, make intelligent offers that give prospects a reason to buy.
In social media
106. Establish "social proof" by being visible where your customers are. This legitimizes your business.
107. Create accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It's never too late to get started.
108. Write from the heart.
109. Start an e-zine or newsletter, or write a book.
110. Pay attention to the interests of your readers and feed those needs.
111. Seek your customers' advice on matters relating to your business; this will give them a sense of investment in your company.
112. Studies show a correlation between online reviews and customer trust. Solicit reviews and manage them quickly and appropriately.
113. Host a boast board.
114. Promote industry leaders.
115. Respond to every post.
116. Respond to criticism. Respond calmly and openly to show consumers that you value their opinions and are not afraid to face and deal with negative experiences.
117. Generate active conversations on social media by asking a question. You'll show up in the feeds of all who respond.
118. Run a contest.
119. Post photos. Everyone likes looking at pictures.
120. Incentivize Twitter followers with offers, using phrases such as "Follow us on Twitter and get ______."

On Facebook

121. Post tons of photos.
122. Very short and very long posts have a higher percentage of likes.
123. Posts between 400 to 500 characters have the greatest number of shares.
124. Personalized posts - those that use the words "I" and "me" - get more likes.
125. Get more likes and shares by posting later in the day - ideally between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST.
126. Post on weekends and get more likes.
127. Don't post on Thursday; it's the worst day for generating likes.

On Twitter

128. Tweets with 120 to 130 characters get the most click-throughs.
129. Place links 25 percent of the way through your tweet for the best click-throughs.
130. Tweets with the following words or symbols have higher click-through rates than those without: via, @, RT, please, and check.
131. Tweets heavy on noun usage get fewer clicks than those with action verbs.
132. For the best response, Tweet on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, later in the day.

On blogs

133. Create a blog.
134. Personalize your blog by letting readers know who you are and why you are blogging.
135. Post on your blog on a regular schedule, and on others' blogs as well.
136. Link to any related users or bloggers.
137. Reward those who comment by acknowledging their posts.
138. Ask commenters to elaborate on their posts.
139. Refer to commenters by name.
140. Write new posts based on readers' comments.
141. Don't dominate the conversation.
142. Make it easy for readers to bookmark your site.
143. Include a simple way for readers to contact you.
144. Include RSS feeds.
145. Highlight your favorite blogs, including those of readers, prospects and customers.
146. Encourage responses by ending all posts with some variation of "What do you think?"
147. Participate in discussions on other sites, and encourage bloggers to participate on yours.
148. Join blogging groups, online tribal communities and social media-based challenges.
149. Ask industry insiders to post on your blog.
150. Post blog content on your social media page.

In advertising and collateral

151. Be visible. The more places customers find you, the more they trust your brand.
152. Utilize the full media mix to support a single theme.
153. Go beyond the expected with size, color, layout and copy.
154. Align promotions with targeted needs.
155. Focus on the response you want, and make it easy for readers to deliver it.
156. Push a constant flow of communication, including product updates and sales tips.
157. Send greeting cards to acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries and small successes.
158. Promote higher responses by using an opt-in box to allow prospective customers to get on waiting lists for your product, event or sale. Drop hints that build anticipation.
159. Encourage action by promising a small premium or white paper. Or hold a drawing for one high-value gift.
160. Try a high-impact, direct mail campaign by sending part of a gift and offering to bring the rest to your next meeting. Then call to schedule it.
161. When preparing white papers, create a branded title page that includes your logo, the white paper title and a corresponding image.
162. Use images in white papers to break up the copy.
163. Make use of pull quotes and sidebars. A pull quote in a paper excerpts an important point, in color and in large type. Similarly, a sidebar can summarize an important point, draw a conclusion, or link to other information or contact forms.
164. Sponsor something.
165. Be larger than life.
166. Use color in an unusual way.
167. Shock.
168. Include a mirror.
169. Focus on sex or money.
170. Say less but say it better.
171. Focus on one or two benefits only.
172. Make the product the hero.
173. Don't talk about yourself.
174. Reinforce brand.
175. Drive action.
176. Make the reader do something, like turn the page upside down.
177. Make sure your headline matches your visual.
178. Deliver on the headline in the first or second line of copy.
179. Show the result of a bad choice.
180. Show how you are different.
181. Put regular items in unusual circumstances.
182. Repeat and repeat again.
183. Use quick response codes.

By the media

184. Use standard press release formatting that includes release date and contact information, plus a newsworthy headline and a quote from a reliable source.
185. Create press releases that aren't related to news. Articles starting with "Fifty ways to," "New uses of" or "Simple solutions to" always stand out.
186. Understand journalists. Know their deadlines, how they want to receive pitches (for example, by email or phone), and the topics they write about.
187. Focus on cross-breed journalists, those who write for print and web, to get better coverage.
188. Connect with journalists through LinkedIn, which they use to find sources.
189. Be prepared. Once you say something on the record, you usually cannot revoke it. Make sure all your interviewees have the same objectives, the same talking points and a uniform understanding of what can and cannot be said.
190. Allow the press to interview only those you want written about or cited. The more vaunted the interviewee, the better the coverage.
191. Respect a reporter's time and deadlines.
192. Follow up on interviews by emailing the reporter additional information or sound-bite quotes.
193. Announce news of importance to readers.
194. Comment on breaking news by adding insight or alternative opinions.
195. Take a stand on a heated issue.
196. Offer a unique angle or approach.
197. Get reviewed.
198. Build an online library of print-worthy photos to supplement press coverage.
199. Consider video. Quality is not as important as the fact that you can offer it.
200. Do not assume you have control over a journalist's words. You do not have the right to edit or revise.

Nancy Drexler is the President of Acquired Marketing, a boutique marketing firm for businesses in the payments industry. To learn more about what Acquired Marketing can do for you, visit www.acquiredmarketing.com or call 917-743-5258 or email nancyd@signapay.com.

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