Aim Write Marketing Communications

12/11/2020

I am so proud of my networking group for doing this to support local businesses!

Restaurants have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Please patronize local businesses. They do so much for the community.

12/06/2020

Since their use first became widespread in 2011, the utility and convenience of QR codes has been a mixed bag.

Would you like to know about QR codes? The good? The bad? And, yes, the ugly. This final post of a three-part series will give you just that.

10/28/2020

Thinking about starting an online marketing program?

WAIT.

Don't be the first website potential customers go to. Be the last.

Before you spend a dime online, make sure your website ready to go to work.

1.) Is your website visually appealing? Assuming your marketing works, you'll have about six seconds before visitors to your site decide to stay or go. Make those seconds count. And for Pete's sake, make sure the website looks "right" on both a computer screen and a smartphone or tablet.

2.) Is your site easy to navigate? Put another way: Can people find the information they need to make the right decision, ie, to spend their money with your business? Or at least to reach out to give you the chance to win it. Speaking of which...

3.) Is it easy for potential customers to contact you? Whether by phone, email, or messaging, make those options conspicuous at the top of every page.

4.) Do you have six to ten *recent* reviews from satisfied customers? Make them noticeable, with a "call out" right on the Home page, and a link to a dedicated Testimonials page. It's funny, but nothing is more convincing to potential clients as reviews from strangers on the internet. Just make sure they're legit.

Don't get me wrong. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), over time, is the lowest cost method of customer acquisition. But if your website isn't converting those visitors into customers, you're just flushing your money away. Or worse, sending them to your competitors.

07/02/2020

The marketing world lost a giant last week.

Milton Glaser might not be a household name, but I guarantee you've seen his work. His design portfolio included some of the world's biggest brands. In this country, he is most recognizable for the "I ❤️ NY" logo. Some of his catalogue is online: https://www.miltonglaser.com/the-work/

Twenty years ago, he gave an address at the American Institute of Graphic Design's annual conference. At that point, he had been influenced by and influencing culture for five decades already. The ten lessons he shared in that talk are just as relevant today as they were then. - and not just for graphic artists.

It's good stuff. Give it a read.

Milt passed last Friday, his birthday. He was 91.

This is a curious rule and it took me a long time to learn because in fact at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism required that you didn’t particularly like the people that you worked for or at least maintained an arms length relationship to them, which meant that I n...

06/25/2020

Here's a strange question for an internet marketer to ask: Why aren't you getting more referrals? I guarantee you, it's one of three things:

1.) You're an "unknown." Meaning, you don't know enough people who could be sending you referrals, and/or the people in your network aren't crystal clear about what you do.

2.) Your would-be advocates don't know how to recognize opportunities for you. If #1 is the "What," this is the "Who" and more importantly "When." Referral opportunities almost never smack you in the face; that is, your friends and associates will almost never come straight out and say, "I could really use a good financial advisor." Or realtor. Or whatever.

3.) You haven't given your network the right tools to talk tactfully and confidently about you. And most importantly, the right questions to use like breadcrumbs that lead to an introduction.

You may have already figured out that much. But knowledge and know-how are two different things. The good news is, anyone can learn this skillset.

Which is my long-winded way of announcing a new series on the "how-to" of networking, Networking 101. Every month* I will be leading a workshop-format Zoom meeting. Each session will focus on just one aspect of how to network more effectively and build a robust referral network. When the hour is done, you'll have one new tool to improve your networking efficiency, as well as a number of new professional contacts to expand your circle of influence.

Please join me for the inaugural session this coming Monday, June 29th, at 6:00pm Eastern/3:00pm Pacific.

| Networking 101
|
| You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
| When: Jun 29, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
|
| Register in advance for this meeting:
| https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqf-uspjgtGNdepzC4S_LNYteDjXnFObX7
|
| After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

* maybe more often, depending on demand.

Professional networking session and education