Get More Clients & Build a 6-Figure (or more) Business for Women Entrepreneurs » Brand Communications

Your Blog: Free or Self-Hosted. Which is best for your brand?

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:30:33 +0000

Want to Use Your Blog to Build Your Brand?

Want to build your reputation as an authority in your field while build an audience of ideal clients who are interested in what you have to say?

My advice: Create a blog.

And, not on a free blogging platform (such as Blogger.com or WordPress.com) – but a self-hosted WordPress blog.

That’s the blogging platform that my blog www.annemariecross.com is built on.

The beauty of having a self-hosted WordPress blog is that it’s not just a blog; it’s also a fully functioning website, which I think is pretty cool.

When setting up your own self-hosted WordPress blog – while the WordPress (blogging) software is free (from WordPress.org) there will be some costs involved in setup, hosting and graphic design.

So why should you pay for something you can get for free?

Especially if setting up your blog over at WordPress.com has all hosting and management costs being taken care of by their team?

Well, if you’re serious about making a great lasting impression and money in your business (which I assume you are), then you’ll want to invest in a self-hosted blog. [I’ll share some of my reasons why I believe this so strongly, shortly].

To me, this isn’t an expense, but an investment. An investment in your reputation and overall professionalism – as a self-hosted blog that has been strategically designed and branded will enable you to continue building a professional and memorable online presence.

If you’re still temped to go down the free route and host your blog on WordPress.com, be warned – they frown upon users selling their products/services (or even making reference to their products/services). You may just find your blog being taken down overnight.

Just like two of my colleagues. They lost everything overnight and had to start from scratch after WordPress.com shut down their blogs.

I don’t know about you. To me, it’s just not worth the risk.

So, in answer to the question “Your Blog: Free or Self-Hosted. Which is best for your brand?” Here are my top 5 reasons why I vote for a self-hosted WordPress blog.

1. Build a Consistent Professional Brand

While there are many free great-looking themes available for your self-hosted WordPress blog, once you get some funds behind you, I would strongly recommend you invest in a graphic designer to develop a professional personalised banner.

In fact, I purchased a theme from WooThemes.com, which cost me $70 for two standard yet very professional templates with some great features.

I hired a WordPress programmer who tweaked the theme to my brand colours; added a signup box on the top right hand side of the page (prime real estate) as part of my list-building strategy; and changed some of the formatting/layout to personalize it.

I also worked with a graphic designer to create my banner with the colours and fonts matching my business cards, brochures, images and flyers.

Having your own corporate colours, banners and images on your self-hosted blog will help you build a consistent professional on-brand message and online presence.

To brand your free blog to your corporate colours and images will also cost you money as well. My advice is to invest in your self-hosted WordPress blog from the start.

2. Build Credibility with Your Own Domain Name

Read both of these domain names out loud:

(A) www.[yourdomainname].com

(B) www.[yourdomainname].wordpress.com

Which do you think is easier for people to remember AND looks more professional?

Hopefully you’ve selected A.

It speaks for itself. Yes?

3. YOU maintain full control of your content

Because it can take hours to craft a well-written blog post, and months (if not years) to build a solid repertoire of inspiring, informative articles on your blog, you want to ensure that you retain control of all your content.

With a self-hosted blog you CAN maintain control of your information, whereas with a free option you can’t. If they decide they don’t like what you’re posting – they can shut you down overnight. Period.

I certainly wouldn’t want to take that risk and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to either. Especially considering all of the hard work you’re going to be putting in to building high-quality content for your audience.

Yes, of course having a self-hosted WordPress blog will mean you’re responsible for the security and updating of your blog software; however to me that’s a small price to pay for keeping my information safe and secure.

As one of my colleagues on Facebook so aptly commented:

“If you don’t own it – you don’t own it.”

4. Send traffic to YOUR site

With all of the effort you’re going to put into driving people back to your website through your social media and communications strategies, means YOU’LL benefit from all the traffic.

With a free blog – you’re sending all the traffic back to their site.

Plus, with your self-hosted blog, once you’ve captured their attention and interested they are far more likely to stick around and click through to review some of your product and service offerings.

Another advantage of having a self-hosted WordPress blog is the myriad of free (and paid) plugins available. (A plugin is a customised piece of software that provides specific abilities and functionalities to your WordPress blog.) These are easy to install and use.

Some of my favourite plugins include All in One SEO Pack to help me with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation); Shareaholic, which allows my readers to share my blog posts with their social network; and of course the GoogleAnalytics plugin, which allows me to see how many visitors are reading my posts and where they are coming from.

You can’t add plugins to your free WordPress.com hosted blog (unless of course you pay them.)

And, as I mentioned before, if you’re going to spend money – invest in your own self-hosted blog and reap the benefits.

5. Build Your List

As many marketing gurus state: “The money is in your list”, and having your own self-hosted blog/website will allow you to integrate your list-building strategy into your overall website strategy.

As you can see on my blog, I’ve set up my list-building strategy into the banner and footer and on selected pages throughout the site.

This list-building strategy works for me 24/7, 365 days per year with new contacts being added to my list on a daily basis. They don’t have to click through to another site in order to access it. They can access it directly from my self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is difficult (if not impossible) to do with a free WordPress.com hosted blog, and is going to require some investment costs on your part. As I have recommended before, invest in your own self-hosted blog and continue to enjoy the benefits.

So there are just five reasons why I prefer a self-hosted WordPress blog to the free WordPress.com hosted blog.

I also reached out to my community on Facebook and asked them the same question. Here’s what they said.

Have Your Say!

So, what do you think? Do you believe free or self-hosted is best? Do you have other reasons why you believe this? Please share! It’s always good to hear from you!

Till next time – stay brilliant and inspired

Annemarie Cross

Drawing on her 16+ years' award-winning expertise in branding, personal marketing, personal development and transformation, Annemarie provides 'step-by-step' business- & profit-building processes alongside breakthrough business & money mindset principles so you can stand out, get hired AND paid what you're worth. >>>>>>> IS ONE OF THESE SPOTS YOURS? <<<<<<< Get first-hand breakthrough coaching with Annemarie by booking into one of her powerful Business Breakthrough Strategy Sessions (limited spots available). More information here: http://bit.ly/breakthroughstrategy

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Your Signature Brand: Is building it really that important?

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:07:50 +0000

How can you capture your ideal clients’ attention? With a powerful Signature Brand!

Today’s the big day – the launch of your new business.

Your website is live; your business cards are printed; all of your social media profiles have been set up; and you’ve even attended a few networking events over the last few weeks to tell people about your exciting launch.

Feeling proud of what you have accomplished, you push a few buttons to send out your tweet to direct people to your sales page, you sit back and wait for the telephone to ring and your inbox to be flooded with emails from prospects wanting to hire you.

But, the opposite happens.

Weeks (or even months) have gone by yet despite all of the social media marketing and networking you’re doing, while there’s interest from the people you’re connecting with – people are just not handing you their credit card details to invest.

Or, they baulk at your prices and are never to be heard from again.

So what’s gone wrong?

You did everything the “Start Your Own Business” manuals told you to do.

Unfortunately this is one of the things I see time and again – service-based business with amazing services and products, struggling to convert prospects into customers.

Here are some of the common reasons why:

Recognise any?

They haven’t distinguished their services from their competitors and are not showing compelling reasons why a prospect should hire them.
Their message is not connecting with the emotions of their ideal clients.
They aren’t positioning themselves as an authority in their field.
They’re attracting the wrong sort of client who expects them to work for free or provide way too much time/resources than what they have paid for.
They struggle to create a powerful introduction/tag line and fail to seize the interest and opportunity to speak further (both in person and online) to their target market.
They’ve introduced themselves however people are still struggling to understand the value they offer because their introduction is too broad, has too many concepts, or includes language that is wishy-washy or filled with jargon. They are confusing their prospects and confused people say ‘no’.

In essence, they haven’t taken the time to identify and build their Signature Brand, which should provide a strong message that speaks to all of these areas.

What about you?

Do you have a Signature Brand that speaks directly to the needs of your niche/target market? A Signature Brand that continues to position you as a specialist in your field, and also incorporates that special element that prospects select ‘you’ rather than your competitors?

Hopefully you’ve answered ‘yes’ and are attracting a steady flow of ideal clients to your door.

However, if you’re not yet at that stage, but would like to be, here are 5 steps you need to take to develop your client-capturing and income-generating Signature Brand:

Step 1 to a powerful Signature Brand:

Define your Brand Attributes; your characteristics, unique qualities; your quirkiness.

Step 2 to a powerful Signature Brand:

Make a list of your Brand Strengths; your gifts and talents. The things you are naturally good at.

Step 3 to a powerful Signature Brand:

Define your Brand Promise; the experience people can expect when working with you. It’s what you guarantee them, time and again when working with you.

Step 4 to a powerful Signature Brand:

[This is my favourite step in the process where you breathe life and soul into your brand]. It’s your Brand Essence; and your Brand Story.

I use the Branding with Archetypes system to define a person’s Brand Essence.

I am the Explorer (Primary Archetype) / Ruler (Influencing Archetype) and continue to weave elements of my brand in all my messages.

Throughout my writing; in the banner at the top of my website; in the way I craft the titles to my packages and programs; and in the way I show up in my events.

I speak more about how and why I do this in my Brand Story.

Step 5 to a powerful Signature Brand:

Put these elements together, tweak and refine until the message and each of the elements you create are authentic and ‘fit’ with who you are.

That’s your Signature Brand.

And remember, make sure you incorporate elements of your Signature Brand throughout all of your marketing and communications so that you speak directly to your target market, and continue to confirm why they should hire you.

What do you think – was this helpful? Do you think it’s important to have a Signature Brand, or not?

Feel free to leave your thoughts. It’s always great to hear from you.

Till next time – stay inspired!!

Annemarie Cross

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Rejected? Keep in touch strategies to turn prospects into clients

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:12:22 +0000

You’ve spent countless hours preparing your program launch.

Everything is moving forward like clockwork and the last email is just about to go out. With the special offer you’ve included you’re expecting to generate some real interest from your list.

Then it happens – the thing you dread the most.

No signups.

Has this happened to you? You’re certainly not alone.

I’m sure we all have a sad story to share about a program launch that didn’t get any (or many) signups. Or a time when a prospect has just replied ‘no thanks’ to your offer despite the amazing presentation you’ve just delivered.

While this may feel like a blow to the stomach, it’s important NOT to take this personally. Doing so can lead to feelings of inadequacy in launching another program or presenting your offer to another prospect.

Just because he/she has decided not to hire you, doesn’t mean you’re unworthy of being hired.

One of my recent tweets said: “Received a ‘no’ to your pitch? Don’t take it personally. They may not yet be ready. Be there when they are.”

Notice how I’ve bolded the words ‘be there when they are’? I’ve done that for a reason.

Why you may feel like giving up on that prospect (or worse case – you feel like giving up altogether) it’s important NOT to walk away, but to maintain contact with him/her.

Here’s why.

In my recent interview with Meridith Elliot Powell – Author of “42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers” she stressed the importance of keeping in touch with your prospect, especially after receiving a no.

She states: “It can take between 8-12 touches (communications) with a prospect during a healthy economy before they say ‘yes’. However, in a shifting economy it can take double that amount of time.”

This is something we all need to be mindful of.

Are you regularly keeping in contact with your prospects? Do you have a keep-in-touch strategy in place that allows you to reach out to each of your prospects up to 20 times?

Many entrepreneurs don’t, and therefore end up doing nothing. Or their keep-in-touch strategy is completely ineffective and comes across as being too pushy or annoying.

Here are several ways you can remain top of mind with your prospect that won’t seem too aggressive or frustrating, so that you’re the first person they think of when they’re finally ready to move forward.

Seen an article that would be of interest to your prospect? Send them a copy along with a friendly note that you’re thinking of them and believe this article may be helpful.
Have you written an article recently that relates to something they are struggling with? Send them a copy (or link to your blog). This will not only keep you top of mind, but will also continue to confirm your expertise and credibility.
Are you connected to this person through your social media connections and continuing to position yourself as an authority in your field through articles and posts?
The more your name shows up in conversations and the more your articles get shared and Liked by your extended community, the more your expertise is confirmed as you show up on their social media feeds.
Has one of your clients recently completed your program and generated some amazing results and written an amazing testimonial?
Send a copy of this to your prospect and let them know that your goal would be to support them in achieving the same outcome (success) as your client when they are ready to move forward.
Have you recently won an award? Drop your prospect a note stating that your commitment to delivering outstanding outcomes is paramount and confirmed through the recent award.
Are you going to be speaking at a networking/business event? Sometimes organisers will give you some free tickets which you could then send to your prospect along with an invitation to join you.
If organisers don’t do this, why don’t you invest in a ticket (or two) for your prospect and invite them along as your special guest. They are going to benefit from the networking opportunities plus get the chance to hear your speak – thus allowing you to confirm your expertise and credibility in your field.
Keep an eye out to see what your prospect is doing in their business. Have they won an award? Written an article? Been mentioned by the press? Send them a card to congratulate them on their recent achievement.
Have you been interviewed on a podcast/radio show and have shared some tips that you know your prospect will find helpful? Burn a copy of the audio to CD and send it to them.
Alternatively you can send them a link to the recording, which they can download to their iPod or listen from their computer. Again, this is a great way to provide value to your prospect while confirm you are an authority in your field.

These are just a few of the ideas that I have come up with in the space of a few minutes.

Remember, your prospect may not be ready to invest in you yet. However by ensuring you have a strategic keep-in-touch system in place, incorporating some of the above suggestions will ensure they think of YOU when they’re ready to move forward.

Was this helpful? Which are you going to take action on today to allow you to reach out and connect with a prospect? Have you used other ways to keep in touch that you can share with other readers? Please leave your comments below. It’s always great to hear from you!

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Help! People are unsubscribing from my list – what am I doing wrong?

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:23:08 +0000

As a service-based entrepreneur, I’m sure you know that one of the most important business building strategies you should be doing in your business is building your list.

As it can often take several messages (or more) before someone decides to invest in your services, regular communication with your subscribers through your blog and newsletter so that they get to ‘know, like and trust’ you – is essential.

Seeing your list number increase on a daily basis is certainly exciting and rewarding, but receiving an email to let you know that someone has unsubscribed can be discouraging.

However, receiving notification that dozens of people have unsubscribed from your list after a recent mail out is much worse. In fact, for an ambitious entrepreneur who genuinely cares about being of great value and service to your prospects and clients it can be soul destroying – right?!

So, what happened?

Firstly, you need to realise that there will always be people who will unsubscribe just as soon as they’ve received your free report/offer. Expect that to happen. And if it does – it’s probably a good thing. Why? These people were just there to get whatever information they could, and as soon as they did – were off to find the next offer.

Let’s call them ‘list hoppers’. A list hopper will probably never invest in your services so by leaving your list, they’ve made room for someone who is interested in what you have to say and may very well become one of your best clients.

On the other hand, if there are more people leaving your list than there are new subscribers OR you have a large percentage of your list unsubscribing each time you email them – there are probably some things going on that you need to address.

Cloud Social recently surveyed their list and they found that there were four common reasons that prompted people to unsubscribe.

Emails come too frequently
Content has become boring or repetitive
Overwhelmed by the total amount of email they receive
Content in your emails was irrelevant from the start

[Source: Cloud Social – 2011]

Here are three of the most common reasons why I have unsubscribed from lists, as well as some suggestions to avoid falling into these traps so that you can prevent people unsubscribing from your list in droves:

1. The follow up information in their newsletter (and other emails) is irrelevant

When joining someone’s list it’s because I believe they have the expertise to help me overcome a problem. I’m interested in what they have to say so I provide them with my email address in exchange for a report (or other product) to learn more about them and the work they do.

However, in their follow up emails (or newsletter) the information they send me has no relevance to why I signed up with them in the first place.

Action Step: Review the content you are sending out to your list.

Is it relevant to your prospect’s needs and interests? Does it continue to add value and speak to the issue/problem that prompted them to sign up with you in the first place?

If not, it’s going to be difficult to build your profile and reputation as an authority in your field. Get focused and continue to provide relevant information that your subscribers are interested in.

2. They’re bombarding me with sales messages (or affiliate sales messages)

While I anticipate that I’ll get a few sales messages in subsequent newsletters, what I don’t expect is to receive ONLY sales messages. Or, promotional material about a product or service they believe: “I may just find helpful”, and which they represent as an affiliate.

When I gave them my email address I didn’t give them permission to bombard me with their products/services, or their affiliate products/services. I gave them my email so that I could continue to learn more about them, benefit from the information they continued to share, with the goal of one day hiring them, after I’ve gotten to know them a little better.

Action Step: Compare the amount of sales materials versus valuable content you are sending out to your list.

Is the information you are sending your list of value to them or are you constantly sending out sales and promotional material?

Use the 9 to 1 rule; being 90% of your email/newsletter is providing informative content your list can benefit from and 10% of the content can be used to promote your products/services.

3. They’re flooding me with emails

After many of my colleagues speaking highly of a particular person, I decided to sign up for his newsletter. What a mistake that was. He and his team sent me so many follow up emails on a daily basis that it flooded my inbox. Talk about email overwhelm.

Recommendations as to the frequency you should be sending out emails to your list can vary depending on who you speak to. Some people send out emails on a daily basis; others twice a week.

Personally, I believe that receiving an email (or more) each day is too much or even twice per week is just too much. I prefer to receive one email per week with some hints and tips to help me in my business.

Action Step: Count the amount of times you are contacting your list.

Are you flooding your list with emails? If so, try cutting back on the frequency to once per week and see if that makes a difference.

Remember, when it comes to building your list think quality, not quantity. While it is nice to think you have thousands of people on your list, it’s pointless if the majority of people have no interest in the information you share.

Aim to attract and build your list with people who are interested in what you have to say and continue to provide them with useful, informative content so that they begin to know, like and trust you as an authority in your field. They’ll be far more likely to hire and recommend you if you do.

And, above all make sure that the information you send your list is relevant, informative and continues to showcase your knowledge and expertise.

What about you? Have you recently unsubscribed from a list? What was the reason? Please share – it’s always great to hear from you!

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Building Your Credibility: Are you following these 8 habits of a highly effective blogger?

Annemarie Cross — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:05:37 +0000

Do you dream about building your reputation as an expert so that people automatically think of you when they’re in need of the services you offer?

As a service-based business owner – you should be.

One of the best ways to build your credibility (and your client list) is to create a blog/website where you can continue to add valuable resources and articles that you know your ideal client will love, will want to share, and will want to keep coming back to, in order to learn more!

Even though this is something you know you should be doing, life happens. You get busy and before you know it – a week turns into multiple weeks (or even months) since you posted your last article. Sound familiar?

I came across a fantastic article this week: “The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers” that touched on some very important behaviours that when followed, can help you build a successful blog.

Author, Annabel Candy came up with these habits after spending considerable time researching some of the top bloggers, such as Brian Clark, Darren Rowse and Leo Babaita – and pinpointing the habits and behaviours that these (and other) successful bloggers had adopted.

Habit 1: Effective bloggers are prolific
Habit 2: Effective bloggers are concise
Habit 3: Effective bloggers are analytical
Habit 4: Effective bloggers are lifelong learners
Habit 5: Effective bloggers are focused and consistent
Habit 6: Effective bloggers plan ahead
Habit 7: Effective bloggers are persistent
Habit 8: Effective bloggers are self-starters

Do you recognise these habits in the way you approach your blog?

I’m off to measure myself to see how I stack up against each of these habits.

In the meantime, here are my thoughts around four of the habits that really stood out for me.

1. Be Prolific

Writing regular articles on your blog to build brand awareness is crucial. Some bloggers write multiple articles each week, however if this seems overwhelming and almost impossible, at a minimum you should look at creating one informative blog post each week.

If like some people, you find it difficult to put words on paper, why not consider spicing up your blog by including video or audio posts.

Here’s an audio biz tip I shared with my Twitter followers, which was later turned into a blog post. I also got my assistant to transcribe the audio and include the words underneath the audio so that people who were in a hurry and didn’t have time to listen to the audio, could take away the main points through reading the post.

Don’t be put off blogging if you find it difficult to write. Think about creating an audio or video post and having the content you discuss transcribed in order to share your message with your readers (and prospective clients).

2. Be Organised

Do you find it difficult to find time to blog/write? My advice – is to MAKE time.

If you don’t block out time in your diary to research, write and edit your weekly article, then you’ll continue to struggle to find time to dedicate to this process.

And, if you’re serious about building a strong brand and reputation as an expert through developing a successful blog, you need to set aside quality time to work on it.

Monday’s are typically my writing day where I will sit down and put pen to paper (or keystrokes to paper).

However through the week I am always scouring the internet for inspiration from other bloggers.

A great plugin I use to get organised is WordPress Editorial Calendar. This plugin enables me to compile information, articles of interest and other notes as I am doing my research, so that everything I need to create my post is in one place.

3. Be Analytical

Trying to come up with topics to write about each week can become quite a challenge. I’ve often found myself sitting at a blank screen wondering what my next article is going to be about.

One of the ways I’ve been able to overcome this challenge is to constantly be on the lookout for what my ideal client is talking about, and ensuring these are the topics I write about in my articles/blog posts.

So what are your ideal clients struggling with? What keeps them stuck? What answers are they looking for which fit in perfectly with the services and value you offer? Pick one topic and write about it in your next blog post, ensuring you provide some tips and strategies that they can use to help them overcome their issue.

Here are a few resources I use regularly to help me get my creative juices flowing that I’m sure you’ll find helpful. At the moment, one of my favourite is Google Reader.

4. Be Focused

If I were to visit your blog, would I be able to understand exactly what it was that you could do for me within a few seconds of landing on your site?

Are you building a consistent message with the content you are sharing? Or are you blogging about so many diverse and unrelated topics that it would be difficult for me to understand exactly what it is you do.

Your website header, your tag line/slogan, the categories and keywords you blog about and your blog posts should all speak a consistent message that showcases you are an authority in your field.

Does yours?

It’s important to remember that your website/blog is your shop front; it’s where prospects can learn more about you and the expertise you offer.

By following these 8 important habits and behaviours you will continue to build your online presence as an expert. You will continue to build trust and respect with your community so that readers (prospects) think of YOU once they’re ready to take action and invest.

What do you think about the 8 effective habits of a highly effective blogger? Is there another habit you’d add? Let me know in the comments below. It’s always nice to hear from you!

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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How to build a powerful client-capturing and income-generating Signature Brand – Part One

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:16:05 +0000

Key steps to a client-capturing and income-generating Signature Brand

Last week I had the privilege of being interviewed by Melinda Emerson (aka @SmallBizLady) on her #SmallBizChat tweet chat. It certainly was a jam-packed hour with lots of interaction.

We spoke about the very important topic of how to build a powerful Signature Brand – a vital step towards getting you noticed and hired by your ideal client!

If you’d like to attract more clients and increase your weekly, monthly and annual income over the next two weeks I’m going to share the interview that I did with Melinda Emerson. These are the steps you’ll need to take in order to build your own powerful Signature Brand.

Here’s Part One:

How to build a powerful client-capturing and income-generating Signature Brand – Part One

[@SmallBizLady asks]:

1. When you speak about a ‘brand’, many people think this is their business card, their logo, tag line etc – is this what you mean?

[@AnnemarieCoach responds]:

Many people think that their ‘brand’ is their business logo, business card, letterhead, envelopes, with compliments slips, marketing material, brochures, website etc.

While these things are all very important they are really more about the ‘branding’ elements that will help you to communicate your brand message to your prospects and clients.

Your ‘brand’ goes much deeper than these ‘branding’ elements.

2. So how do you define ‘brand’?

I like to think of your ‘brand’ as the perception others have of you and your business. It’s your promise of value. Your reputation.

For service-based businesses there may be hundreds of other coaches and consultants working in your field offering similar systems and processes as you do. However, what will truly set you apart – is you.

3. So for service-based businesses their ‘brand’ in effect is themselves?

Yes, absolutely.

Their unique qualities, their mission and purpose, their core values and what they stand for are all very important elements that should be considered when defining their brand. [In fact there are four steps that I recommend people consider when defining their brand, which I’ll share in a moment.]

Even though you may be speaking about a similar topic or sharing similar tips and advice as your competitors, what WILL be different is ‘how’ you deliver the information and ‘HOW’ you show up in all of your interactions with your prospects and clients.

This is what is unique about you and when harnessed correctly will enable you to create a powerful brand.

4. Some people may think that identifying and defining their unique ‘brand’ is not really that important. What would you say to them?

Unfortunately, yes, this is something I see time and again. What can often happen is that people starting up their business can look to see what their competitors are doing or even what other businesses are doing. When they see something that seems to be working for these others businesses they can be tempted to copy or emulate elements of these brands.

This is probably one of the worst things people can do. It’s not authentic to them. And, often they will stand out – but not for the right reasons but because of this false persona.

Trying to be something or someone that you’re not is extremely difficult to maintain and will often result in a confused brand and marketing message. And, a confused prospect says ‘no’ and will move on and that’s not what you want.

So, remember being authentic – just being ‘you’ – is important.

5. What benefits can businesses expect to see if they take the time to define and build their unique brand?

Defining and building a unique brand can certainly distinguish you from your competitors. And for businesses that are in a competitive marketplace I’m sure they’d agree that it can often be difficult to stand out from the crowd.

Building a strong brand can also help you build your credibility and reputation as a specialist – an expert in your field. This is because once you have a clear idea on your brand, the core elements that make you special and unique, you can be on-brand in everything you do and start to build credibility in that specific area/field.

Part of the branding process is also to understand your target market – the people who you want to work with. As you continue to build your reputation and credibility – guess what happens? People start to notice you, particularly YOUR target market. As they get to know, like and trust you, they are then far more inclined to want to step up and invest in your services because of the fact that you are an expert who they know can support them.

6. Earlier you mentioned that there were four steps to consider when people were going through the process of defining their brand? What’s the first step?

The first step is for people to define their brand attributes.

When talking about brand attributes these are your characteristics; your unique qualities; your quirkiness.

Here are a few questions that people can think about to help them define their brand attributes.

List 5-6 features/qualities that you would say are unique about you.
What do people often admire about you?
Do you have a quirkiness about you that is often mentioned as being something unique and essentially ‘you’?

7. What’s the second step in defining your brand?

The second step in about getting clear on your brand strengths:

Your brand strengths are your gifts and talents – things that you are naturally good at.

This can often be a difficult process because so many of us take our strengths for granted. I’ve thought long and hard about why this may be, and over the years I’ve come to believe that it’s because our strengths come so naturally to us that when we think about them, we tend to think that anyone can do it. And, that is far from the truth.

Let me give you an example. My mother (who is now 92 years old) has always loved networking and talking to people. In fact, she has always been involved in various groups where she can mingle with others. One of the things she continues to do – even now in her 90s is to visit elderly people in a Hostel that’s located very close by to her home.

The elderly people she visits are extremely frail and due to their ailments are unable to go out. By visiting them, spending time with them, listening to their stories (for the hundredth time I might add), my mother is making them feel special. Here is someone who is taking time out of her day to just sit and talk and listen.

However, if you were to ask my mother what she thought was one of her strengths she would never in a million years, recognise that this was indeed a strength and talent that was making an impact on other people’s lives.

So, when you start to write a list of your strengths, think of things that come naturally to you. These questions/statements may help you:

What do people most admire about you?
Think about some of your achievements. What strengths and talents did you use to secure these successes?
What are 5 or 6 strengths that come naturally for you?

Questions 8 to 12 will be shared next week: How to build a powerful client-capturing and income-generating Signature Brand – Part Two

Was this helpful? If you’ve already got a basic idea of your brand – how can these questions allow you to strengthen what you are already doing so that you can really make an impression with your ideal client?

Share your comment on my blog! And, if you think these tips were helpful, please Like, Tweet and Share with your network. As always, I’d really appreciate it.

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie

Annemarie Cross

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Audio Biz Tip: Powerful Introductions

Annemarie Cross — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:16:19 +0000

Hi! This is Annemarie Cross, Branding, Money Breakthroughs and Business Coach helping solopreneurs get noticed, hired and paid what they’re worth.

Today’s biz nugget is all about how you introduce yourself in a powerful and memorable way.

The words you use when you first meet someone, are very important.

What you may not realise is that you only have 15 to 30 seconds at most, to really capture their interest.

So, rather than stating your job title (which is what most people do) you want to talk about the value and benefits you offer your clients.

For instance: Do you help business owners increase their brands, increase their prospects, and increase their income?

Yes? Then include those benefits in your introduction:

“I support small business owners working in the professional industry build a strong powerful brand so they can stand out from their competitors, get hired and paid well for the amazing work they do”.

Now it’s your turn.

Who do you work with? [Your target market]
What do you do? [Brief overview of your services]
What results and benefits will your client achieve? [The results]

Now use the above elements in your introduction. When you do, you’ll be sure to make a powerful and memorable impression.

Here’s the template to guide you:

“I support [1. target market] [by/in] [2. Brief overview of your services] so they can [3. Results/benefits].”

Pretty cool – yes?! And the best of all is that it’s simple, easy to remember AND stated in a way that will seize the person’s attention and invitation to speak more about what you do.

Bingo – you’ve just gotten their attention.

Did you find this helpful? Please Like, Tweet and share – I really appreciate it.

Until next time, stay inspired

Annemarie Cross

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Are you engaging (or disengaging and enraging) your network?

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:08:48 +0000

Many business owners can see the value of using social media and other online tools to share helpful and relevant information with their network in order to build their brand and reputation as an expert.

Unlike traditional ‘interruption’ marketing (where businesses continue to push and bombard the marketplace with sales/promotional information) social media marketing (often referred to as ‘relationship’ marketing) is more about building and nurturing relationships with your network. Some of which could very well be your ideal client.

Today’s consumer is far savvier, is much harder to impress, is extremely time poor and therefore less likely to react to a constant barrage of sales messages.

Therefore engagement and interaction is critical and something that you should be doing in order to continue building relationships with people who could eventually become your perfect client.

Here are ten ways to elicit engagement as you continue to nurture and strengthen the relationships with people in your network:

1. Be focused

Be clear and focused on your audience. Who is it that you want to become part of your community? What are their interests? What do they struggle with? How can you deliver value and capture their interest and attention?

When you take time to answer this you’ll find they are far more likely to be interested in the information and resources you share. And, therefore be willing to engage in conversation with you.

2. Be communicative

Avoid the conversation that only goes one way, where you don’t answer questions or respond to comments that people have made. Especially if they have commented on your blog, Facebook wall or Twitter feed.

Take the time to respond to them personally. Not doing so would be considered rude!

It’s also important to realise that communication is not all about talking but also about listening. So make sure you also ‘listen’ to what people are saying.

3. Be resourceful

Become a resource – a go-to person by continuing to add interesting and informative posts, articles, videos etc that will be of interest to your community.

By continuing to add value you’ll soon develop a reputation as a resourceful person, whose information is trustworthy and relevant.

Don’t be the person who constantly sends out promotional material about your products and services – people will just not be interested.

By taking the time to build a level of trust with your community, and by concentrating on relationship building and resource sharing they will be far more open to receiving information about your products and services.

In fact, they may well have approached you already for more details as you’ve developed a certain level of respect in that area.

4. Be compelling

As you continue to write tweets, articles and produce videos, end your segment with a call to action to elicit comments and participation.

I often ask people what they thought about my article, what they found most helpful, whether they are doing something else that works for them as a way to spark participation in the conversation.

Another call to action may include asking whether they’d feel comfortable sharing your article with their community if they believe the content was worth sharing, thus enabling you to get your information out into the wider community.

5. Be polite

Hopefully this step doesn’t need much explanation. Remember what your parents told you – play nice; be nice.

Some people choose to take a more controversial position in their approach. However being overly controversial, direct and rude to people will not inspire people to engage/hang out with you.

People may have different opinions than you – and this doesn’t mean they are wrong. So be respectful of their models of the world.

6. Be constant

Ensure you post and interact with people regularly. Posting once a month or even once a fortnight is not enough. Aim for at least one quality blog post/article per week and regular interaction on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.

Your followers will be more likely to comment and participate if they know you’ll respond sooner – rather than if your responses are infrequent and delayed.

7. Be trustworthy

Would you keep company with someone who came across as shady and untrustworthy? No? Neither would the people in your network.

Everything you do and say, the conversations you participate in, the groups you join, the photos you share – everything, impacts your brand and reputation.

People like to hang out with people they know, like and trust. So make sure that you are honest in all your communications, interactions and business dealings. If you do the opposite – you’ll find yourself unfollowed, unfriended and possibly banned.

Was this helpful? Are you already doing these things? Yes? Fantastic – then you should be well on your way to building an ‘engaged’ network.

I reached out to my Facebook Community and asked them to share their thoughts on building an engaged community. Here are some of their suggestions – also very important:

Karina Alvela Ask your fans what they’d like you to talk about and do it. Provide fans with free tips and advice, so you look like an expert in your field. Poll your fans for new product suggestions and use that information to manage your service offerings.

Bob Milam Stay in your sweet spot. Don’t pretend to know something if it’s outside your expertise. Also, scrupulously credit your sources – avoiding plagiarism like the plague.

Astra Spider When writing articles or blog posts, share from your heart, share what feels good in your heart, and share from your own experience. Generosity and authenticity count! @abundantheart

James Doan’s Corner Office Exceed expectations. Always under promise and over deliver. Don’t promise what you might not be able to do. The temptation is to promise too much. Be realistic – then deliver just a little more.

Laura Farmer Honesty and integrity always comes through … Always level UP! It’s this standard that engages people every time!

Dr Shellie Hipsky Ask probing questions, deliver intriguing content, encourage others to provide their own expertise, and always remember to thank those who contribute.

Allyn Horne Do not use the community as your billboard. Enagage in MULTI-DIRECTIONAL dialogue rather than “spray and pray” messaging that may or may not engage your audience, and does not foster conversation.

Ali Meehan Be inclusive, add value to what your community are saying, people buy people so engage, engage, engage!

Kristi Jackson Mba Don’t join any community just to sell your widgets- people see a sales pitch from a mile away. Instead, join a group ready to give information, connect people with the solutions they need, and they will come looking for you

Erin Morrow Share 80% of useful information & knowledge-expect to get 20%. This will come back to you ten-fold!

@.l.interpretations Be prepared with useful and relative information and services to draw prospects. You’re trying to make $$$, but prospects are trying to hold onto theirs. What good is it if you can’t be considered a helpful and reliable source? Build trust and reputation first, then the $$$ will come.

Sandy Sidhu Show up. Participate. Interact. Provide value. @Sandysidhu

Jorge Furber The challenge in social networks is not to be connected to thousands of people the challenge is to build relationships. For that we must listen, create value, know and understand the needs of our connections and bring our knowledge and experience to the community. Also be consistent and focus on a few topics to generate credibility.

Natalie McIvor building an engaged community starts with you. You must be engaged and authentically connected to your community not just passing through. Networking is not about seeing how many business cards you can collect but rather it is about taking the time to connect with others, share yourself, be engaged when in conversation, follow up promises and is more about the quality of relationships than the quantity.

The Online Close Ask your followers what they struggle with….then ANSWER them with a helpful tip promptly. Ask, respond.

Guy Hobson Provide value and sincerity in helping your community solve problems. Become their ultimate trustworthy resource.

What about you? What do YOU think it takes to build an engaged community? Share your comment below! And, if you think these tips were helpful, please Like, Tweet and Share with your network. As always, I’d really appreciate it.

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie

Annemarie Cross

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Build your Brand with Audio & Podcasts

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:24:57 +0000

As a small service-based business owner you know the importance of building your reputation and credibility as a specialist in your field. Your business’s survival depends on it.

Getting your brand message out in front of your target market should be part of your daily list of activities.

You may already be writing articles and blog posts or even incorporating video as part of your brand communications.

However, if you find writing difficult or you’re not quite ready to get in front of the camera, a great way to get your message out to your audience is through the use of audio.

I’ve been using audio for many years now and love it.

I was a former co-host on the popular internet radio show – Career Success Radio Show; and am now host of two business podcasts – Business Success Podcast and The Ambitious Entrepreneur.

Besides my podcasts, here are some of the other ways that I have used (and currently use) audio to build my brand. See how many of these you could adopt in your business to build awareness about you and your brand:

Reading blog posts/articles;
A coaching tip as part of my coaching packages/programs;
A brief audio tip in my newsletter; or
An audio introduction to my website/newsletter to welcome new site visitors/subscribers;
Use audio to get in touch with your clients/prospects instead of writing an email;
An audio tip that’s shared on your social media networks.

As you can see, you can leverage audio in all aspects of your business to get your message out there into the hands of your ideal client. You just need to decide which fits best into your brand communications wheel.

Here are some basic tips and tools to help you get started on recording your own on-brand audio/podcast:

1. Plan out your content

Before you start to record your audio, it’s important to plan out what you’re going to say.

Your audio should also include an introduction; your content, and then your call to action specific to your target audience’s needs and interests.

The Introduction: should include your hook, which is the reason why your listener should listen to the rest of the call. People are busy and need to know why they should invest their time to listen to you. It needs to identify ‘what’s in it for them’. What will they walk away with?

For instance in my Business Success Podcast interview I did with Roz Merry, she shared some great tips on how she has managed to get a closing rate of 80-90%, which is just incredible. So here’s what I wrote in my introduction:

“Roz Merry joins me today and Roz is an expert in Network Marketing. She’s going to talk about vital business building tips that all business owners should be aware of when it comes to selling. These are the exact same strategies that Roz used that enabled her to get a close rate of 80-90%, which is extremely impressive – so stick around.”

Click play to hear the recording of the Introduction.

Your Content: should provide listeners with a tip, strategy or information that is useful and valuable and something that they can implement within their lives and/or business.

By providing helpful information you’ll confirm your knowledge and expertise in your field. You’ll also encourage your listeners to return to your website as you become a reliable and helpful source!

And of course, as you continue to build your reputation as a credible expert, you’ll be top of mind when they’re ready to invest.

The Call to Action: should inform and encourage listeners to take the next step – whatever that step may be.

Do you want them to leave a comment? Or Like/Share your audio with their community? You may be using your audio as a lead generation tool and therefore want your listener to take the next step and sign up to access your free e-report or other offer.

Whatever action you want your listener to take – tell them at the end of your audio.

For instance, at the end of each of my Business Success Podcast interviews, I encourage my listeners to sign-up for my 7-step Charge What You’re Worth Audio series. Here’s an example of my call-to-action script:

“If you’re struggling to set yourself apart from your competitors or charging what you’re worth for the awesome services you’re providing your client, I invite you to access our 7-step audio series ‘How to Get Noticed, Hired and Charge What You’re Worth INSTANTLY, at http://bit.ly/ChargeYourWorth.”

Click play to hear the recording of the Call to Action.

2. Recording Tools

Audacity:

This is a great tool if you are only recording yourself. If you have two microphones you can record a guest as long as you are in the same location.

Skype:

I use Skype to record all my interviews with guests who are located nationally and internationally.

If I am recording on my MAC – I use Call Recorder [There is a small fee for this software, however it is certainly worth the investment].

If I am recording via Skype on my PC – I use Pamela [There is a free version of Pamela, which allows up to 15 minutes of recording. There’s also a paid version].

3. Editing & Mixing Tools

Audacity

Thankfully I now have an audio production team that manage this for me, however when I was mixing and editing myself, I would use Audacity.

To convert Audacity files to MP3 files you’ll also need to add on the LAME plugin.

4. Hosting Tools

I don’t recommend you host audio on your own website as this can eat up a lot of your bandwidth, especially once you get to the stage where many people are listening to your audios. A great problem to have!

I use AudioAcrobat, which allows you to embed a streaming audio as well as provide your listeners the capacity to download and save the audio file to their computer. The Introduction and Call To Action audios above have been embedded into this post directly from AudioAcrobat. It’s very simple to do!

[Note: this is an affiliate link and I would NOT recommend a product that I was not using myself or completely happy with.]

5. Other Tools

Blogtalk Radio

Want to create your own internet radio show? This was how I started out – cohosting Career Success Radio. Blogtalkradio offers free and paid versions – and is a great option when just starting out.

AudioBoo

This is a great little tool that I have just discovered. You can also download this application to your iPhone and iPad and you can record and publish audio tips on-the-go to your Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Listen!

Click above to hear one of my Audio Boo Audio Posts.

When done correctly, using audio is a great way to build your credibility and reputation as a specialist in your field, while connect with and continue to build your relationship with existing and prospective clients.

I hope you found these tips useful in helping you get started whether you want to start a broadcasting career and run your own podcast, or whether you just want to use audio as a way of sharing information with your community.

If you Liked this post, please share it with your friends and colleagues by pressing the Like and Share button. Let me know how you plan on using audio by leaving your comment below. It’s always great to see what you’re up to!!

And, of course – once you upload your audio, let me know. I’d love to have a listen!

Till next time – I look forward to welcoming you to the airwaves.

Annemarie Cross

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Google Alerts – a must-have tool to monitor your online brand

Annemarie Cross — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:29:41 +0000

Building a strong brand requires time and commitment as well as ensuring you portray a consistent on-brand message.

Everything you do and say; the people you connect with; the conversations you have – speaks your brand.

Your brand is your reputation. It’s what other people think of when your name is mentioned so you should be protecting your brand and reputation at all costs.

I’m sure we all have a story to share where we have heard of people being terminated from their employment, or a business losing customers because of their actions and information being posted online.

We have a classic example of where a well-known actor has continued to tarnish his brand with his unprofessional antics – only to have his very lucrative deal ended, all in the public forum.

While it can take many months (even years sometimes) to build a strong brand message – it can be tarnished (or even destroyed) with just one comment or interaction that reflects negatively on your reputation.

So how are you monitoring the online conversation that is going on about your brand?

One great tool that will allow you to do that is Google Alerts.

Google Alerts is an online monitoring system that provides you with relevant Google results for the specific query, keyword or topic you tell it to monitor.

Here are three key ways you can leverage this tool:

1. Monitor and respond to online conversation about your brand

Each time someone writes about you or your business, you’ll be alerted to this online conversation, which you can then respond to.

One of my Social Media Bootcamp graduates – Sharon is in the business of tinting cars and homes. She set up an alert for her business name and continued to receive daily alerts directly to her inbox.

One of the alerts she received was of a satisfied customer who had written a post in a motor vehicle enthusiast groups’ forum. The customer had commented how happy she and her husband were with the service they had received and how well the product had been keeping heat out of their car.

Sharon immediately went to the forum and replied that she was thrilled that the client was happy and they were only a phone call away if they needed further support. Sharon also left her contact details beneath the post.

Here was this online conversation about how wonderful Sharon’s tinting service was in a forum that had hundreds of her potential customers. And, all of whom now had her contact details should they also want to get their cars tinted.

Pretty awesome, yes?!

2. Monitor and keep current with industry news

If you are looking to build your credibility as an expert, you can use Google Alerts to keep you up-to-date with news and views relevant to your industry.

You can then include this information in one of your articles or blog posts to add data from a reputable source that confirms what you are saying is accurate. This can add to your credibility.

For instance, recently I wrote an article on the difficulties some women faced when pricing their services, tending to undervalue and undercharge.

In fact, not only women business owners but also women in the workforce in general, therefore finding themselves getting paid considerably less than their male colleagues. [This is a topic that I frequently write about and coach clients on, so I am quite familiar with the topic.]

Setting up a Google Alert on this topic I was able to source two different organisations that had had similar findings in their surveys.

So, in my next article I referenced both these sources to confirm that other organisations were also finding the same thing.

This added to my credibility in this area as it confirmed that this was not just something I had said, but was also confirmed through two different sources.

Here’s a link to that article so you can see what I mean. Are your money beliefs blocking you from charging what you’re worth?

Are there organisations in your industry that you should be monitoring so you can keep current with industry news? Research and once you find a few, set up a Google Alert to keep you informed when they next send out information.

3. Monitor other organisations working in the same industry

Setting up a Google alert to monitor online conversation for keywords and phrases relevant to your field, will also enable you to monitor and build relationships with other key players and organisations in your field.

This is a great strategy to build your brand, your relationships and your credibility – all very important elements when building your business.

As an example, through monitoring for business blogs for women running their own business, I was alerted to the blog BizChickBlogs, run by a dynamic and ambitious entrepreneur – Tia Peterson.

Through reaching out to Tia and building a relationship with her I am now regularly publishing articles on her blog and am also contributing video posts for her One Question Series. My articles and videos are now being shared with a community of like-minded entrepreneurs – my target market.

Remember to be mindful that building the relationship and the connection with people is very important.

When approaching someone, don’t bombard him or her with spammy, self-promoting messages.

Extend the hand of friendship by reaching out; see how you can help them; be supportive; share information; and work on the relationship first.

The rest will follow naturally. Remember, people will be far more willing and open to working with you if they know, like and trust you.

So, what do you think? For those of you who aren’t using Google Alerts – have I convinced you yet that this IS a tool you should be using?