As entrepreneurs, we spend a lot of time second-guessing ourselves.

We try a host of different things to publicize our business. We tweet. We blog. We send endless pitches to the media. We plow through even the most boring networking events.

Inevitably there will come a day when you look at everything you’ve done to promote your business and want to throw it all in the trash can and start over.

Your blog sounds lame. And the fact that no one is commenting makes you feel even more lame.

You just spent hours crafting new pitches for the media and following up on old pitches and now are waiting breathlessly for someone to call or email you back. And then…nothing.

You scour your Twitter feed and try desperately to think of something intelligent or pithy to say in 140 characters. And then no one responds except someone named “xxxstaciexo”

Somehow all of your hard work now looks like a pile of poo.

However, when we go crazy trying to change everything in a desperate attempt to make something…anything…work, we can often make it worse. We stop doing things without knowing if they really ARE working. We pick new ways to market our business just because someone else told us we “have” to try it.

And while we navigate deeper into this mess, we aren’t putting any more money in our pocket.

So, what do you do when your publicity efforts are in the sewer?

Create a Plan that Sticks

I get it. You’d rather stick needles into your eyeballs than have to sit down and plan.

But hear me out.

Planning can actually be fun. But you have to create a plan that you can stick to.

I hear from many folks that they wish they had more time to pitch, or to write a book, or to blog, or to attend events. A good first step is to identify where you are spending your time and if you’re spending it efficiently. I like to make a list of all the tasks I do during the day. Do it for one day, or for a full week.

Then you’ll start to identify pockets of time that you might be wasting, or specific tasks you can outsource to free up more of your time.

Now make a plan of action – which marketing and publicity activities will you try in the next three months and how much time do you want to devote to each? This way you can chart out ahead of time how much time you’d like to invest for specific tasks (example: 5 hours per month for blogging, 10 hours per month for media pitching, etc)

Find Out What Really Works

You should have some formal process to measure all of your marketing and publicity efforts. At its most basic, you should ask where your customers heard about you – whether they are buying online or if you have your sales staff asking in person or on the phone. Also, check your website analytics monthly. Where is your traffic coming from? Which pages of your website are they reading (and which page are they leaving your website from)?

Having a measurement system in place to align with your individual marketing strategies will help keep you on track.

Get Help

It sucks doing it all alone. And it can be tough to run things by family and friends (who love your business, but can’t be your only customers).

Plenty of well-intentioned fellow entrepreneurs will share their success strategies, but that doesn’t mean those strategies will work for YOUR individual business.

That said, I’d love to help get you out of the weeds.

WORK WITH ME FOR FREE

I LOVE working with small business owners and get all giddy hearing about your business. As soon as I hear your challenges, my brain starts popping out ideas like fresh-buttered popcorn.

So, this week, I’m hosting a deliciously-awesome contest where you can win a 45-minute phone consultation with me (a $250 value).

All you need to do is post a comment below describing your biggest publicity or marketing challenge. Please also share your business name and website link (if you have one).

I’ll pick FIVE lucky winners by next Tuesday, May 3rd. WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR WINNERS! THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Ready to try your luck at a private coaching session with yours truly? Post your comment below for a chance to win!

Did I get your attention?

Sweet. So, without further adieu, here is a quote from the man himself:

“If I were down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR” – Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft.

Now you’re probably thinking that was some cheap ploy I just used to get you to buy something. And while I always have something you can buy (and right now have a really, really awesome program that you can sink your teeth into), it’s important to understand why you need PR.

The old adage “build it and they will come” no longer applies (really, I’m not sure that ever did apply). We often put 80% of our time into building a product or perfecting a service, and then maybe 20% on marketing our businesses.

This should actually be the other way around.

First, you need to really learn who your market is. And not just the typical demographic data. Really dig deep into who this person is. What do they eat? What do they read? Watch on TV? What clothes do they wear? Paint a picture of your target customer.

If you don’t know this information, when was the last time you surveyed your customers?

Next, you need a solid strategy to reach that customer. The definition of PR has shifted in recent years with the introduction of social media platforms and other ways we can communicate to our customers. You no longer need the media to tell your story for you. You have the opportunity to tell it yourself. And, as a result, the better you tell your story through these platforms, the more your customers and the media become interested in YOU.

This makes it all the more important to embrace new technologies and truly focus on your marketing and your messaging. Are your customers responding to your current message? What is your call to action (a.k.a. what are you telling them to do)? How are you leveraging the marketing tools at your disposal?

Let me give you a brief example using a fictitious entrepreneur named Sally in two different scenarios:
——

SCENARIO #1

Sally is able to score some press coverage for her business in a magazine. The day the magazine comes out, she grabs a copy and shows all of her family and friends. She is delighted that some orders are coming through on her website, though not quite as many as she’d hoped. Once the orders slow down, she’s a little disgruntled that her PR efforts didn’t work as well as she’d hoped. Now she has to rush to try to get more press coverage so she can make more sales.

SCENARIO #2

Sally is able to score some press coverage for her business in a magazine. She starts to build excitement with her audience by blogging about the upcoming coverage. She makes sure her opt-in offer on her website is working properly to capture any visitors that don’t buy on the first visit (which, statistically, is the majority of them). Her opt-in offer is also very enticing, providing people a free gift or special offer that they can’t refuse.

She also has her web designer create a small image on her homepage that mentions the press coverage and welcomes those readers. This image links directly to the product or service they featured in the magazine so people can buy with ease. This goes live the day the magazine hits newsstands.

She then places a copy of the coverage in her press room online, blogs about it, shares it on social media, and sends it to her store accounts so they can share with their customers. She also sends an email newsletter to her customer list linking to the coverage.

Finally, she contacts all of her local press outlets to pitch them a story on her business and mentions this national coverage.
—–

Now, which scenario do you think will bring more business? I think it’s obvious that the second is the way to go. Yet, many of us still operate within the first scenario.

If you find yourself there, I have a way to help. My colleague Payson Cooper and I have launched a program that makes sure you operate within this second scenario, and HOW to do without taking up more of your time. If you’re struggling at all with your marketing, this program is for you.

And if you feel hesitant about putting more money into a program that doesn’t pay off, we give you a FULL YEAR to get your money back if you’re not satisfied. There is literally zero risk.

And, we are also offering a split payment option.

However, we are closing this program tomorrow, so you must get in NOW. Visit http://www.boostyourfamefactor.com/

If you want to skip all the details and just get right to signing up, CLICK THIS LINK

I hope to see you on the inside!

Are you already sweating about how to market your business in the New Year?

Wondering which marketing strategies really work?

You’re not alone. Over the years I’ve tried a lot of things that worked, and even more that didn’t. This trial and error method meant lots of time and money spent before I wised up to what works. Now I’m closing out 2010 as my most successful year to date!

So here are 11 specific strategies to spike your business in 2011.

1. Deliver awesome content

It really doesn’t matter if you write a blog or film a video. Or if you send an email newsletter on a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

What does matter is that you regularly deliver awesome content that benefits your target market.

Great content positions a business as a trusted and valuable resource and entices people to take action. Regularly delivering fabulous content also means those people will come back again and again.

2. Share how you can make life better
Make a list of all the ways your business helps make life better. If you feel stuck about this old features vs. benefits exercise, here’s a trick. Ask your existing customers why they buy from you. Then incorporate that language into your marketing efforts.

3. Have an opt-in offer
People visit your website. But how many of them actually buy? How do you capture these visitors that don’t automatically convert into customers?

Your #1 goal should be to grow your list, and having an opt-in offer that customers can’t refuse is the best way to gain targeted prospective customers.

But asking people to “sign up for your newsletter” isn’t good enough. Who wants another email newsletter junking up their inbox? Give people a reason to want to sign up for your list. For example, my opt-in offer is a free eBook that teaches people my personal method of pitching stories to the media.

This offer should also be prominent on your homepage – above the fold – meaning that customers shouldn’t have to scroll down the page to find it.

4. Network in-person
I love meeting people virtually on the web, but nothing can replace in-person connection. Research conferences, industry events, and offline networking groups where your target market hangs out. Then go and hang out with them!

5. Survey customers
How do you really know what your customers want? Ask them! With easy-to-use (and inexpensive) survey software from companies such as Survey Monkey, you can ask your customers all of the questions you want answers to. Want to know what to write in your next blog or newsletter? What type of service or package your customers like to buy? What changes you can make to your product line to be more appealing? Instead of assuming you know these answers…ask. You may be surprised by the results.

6. Find your groupies
Form a band of fans that help you regularly promote your content to prospective customers. How do you do this? When you have something worth sharing, people will do it organically. Focus on creating good content and then watch your “groupies” promote it like mad.

7. Tell stories
In a recent panel I participated in for the Learning Annex, the recurring theme to run a successful business was to have a killer story and share it with everyone (investors, retail accounts, press, customers – and anyone who will listen!) Your story is what sets you apart, don’t be shy to share it! Tell people why you started your business and how it inspires you.

8. Teach something
A great way to reach prospective customers is to use your expertise to teach them something. If you have a skincare, you might teach how to perform an at-home facial or throw a spa party for friends. Author? Pick a chapter and teach the audience. Crafty? Teach jewelry-making or sewing. People love to learn, and delivering great content will get you fans for life.

And, if the thought of standing in front of a crowd to deliver a speech turns your stomach, don’t fear. You can teach via webinar or teleseminar with easy and inexpensive services such as Go To Webinar or FreeConferenceCalling.com.

9. Tell people what to do
Don’t assume your customers know what to do. Tell them, explicitly. If you want someone to email you to set up a free consultation, tell them. If you want them to purchase an additional item that packages well with the one they are buying, tell them. The clearer you are with your instructions, the more paying customers you will have.

10. Ask for testimonials
Testimonials are powerful proof that what you do totally rocks. Even better, if a person reads a testimonial from someone they know and trust, chances are they will also buy from you. Ask every customer for a testimonial. Make it easy for them by creating a testimonial cheat sheet, including questions (why did you choose our brand, what do you like, how often do you use) and even a sample testimonial. Then use these powerful statements in all of your marketing materials.

11. Create an online media room
The quickest way to become as popular as front page news? Create a page on your website that includes links to all of your media coverage so people can see how amazing you are. Don’t have any media coverage yet? Draft your own press releases and post them on this page so people know you have plenty of cool and current things happening. You can also expand your press page to include photos, a company bio, sample interview questions and topics for the media and, most importantly, your contact information.

So what do you think about these strategies? Do you have others you’d like to add? Questions about how to use these? Speak up by posting a comment below!