What Have You Got To Lose?: Recent Episodes

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The Small Business Big Marketing Show | Marketing Ideas From Successful Business Owners & Entrepreneurs ...

Welcome to the world’s best, certainly most practical, marketing podcast. Tim Reid here (you can call me Timbo) - I’m the founder and host. In its seventh year, The Small Business Big Marketing Show is laser-focussed on helping you, the motivated business owner, identify clever, effective marketing ideas that you can use to grow your business into the empire it deserves to be. Or maybe you’re a startup looking for mind-blowingly good marketing ideas that don’t cost a fortune. Well, you’re in the right place.

I’ve been in the marketing game (and it is a game :) for 30 years. I also speak at business conferences globally and I know just how many business owners find marketing a dark art. So listen in as I ask successful business owners and entrepreneurs the questions we all want the answers to - How do I get more customers? What’s the best marketing to do? Where do I start with my marketing? How do I create a viral video? How do I use social media effectively? How do I scale my business? How do I make a million dollars!

Enjoy!

I call today’s idea the fish where the fish are hack.

Just this morning, I heard a small suburban cafe advertising on a statewide radio station. Now, unless that cafe is absolutely exceptional (and if it is, then why are they advertising?!) I’m guessing most people who hear their ad will never visit the cafe. That’s a huge amount of wasted audience that the cafe is paying for!

So, if you want to make every dollar of your marketing budget count, then here’s my 3-steps to fishing where the fish are: Identify where your ideal clients seek information. If you have a pet-sitting business, ask your local vet or pet groomer if they’ll display your brochures. Maybe you’re a landscape architect? Offer to do a display at the local nursery. Or maybe you organise kids birthday parties? Then place chalk-stencilled ads on the footpath outside schools.

Once you’ve identified where your prospects are, then create engaging messaging that will get their attention.

Go all in, and launch your campaign. No more tip-toeing around the edges, just go all in.

Pro-Tip: If you don’t get the response you were hoping for … then don’t stop completely. Tweak things. Try a new headline for your brochure. A different location in the nursery. A different colored chalk for your stencil ad.

That’s my 3-steps to fishing where the fish are.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's a little marketing inspiration in my popular marketing book for small business owners - The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the match your headline with your page title SEO hack-a-roonie!!

Have you ever searched for something on Google, clicked a link, only to find that what you are looking for isn’t there.

What did you do? You most likely hit the back button, never to return.

Due to our short attention span, we don’t look through everything on the website, which causes an increase in your bounce rate if your information isn’t highlighted (the bounce rate is the % of people that quickly leave your website upon arriving) .

To help lower your bounce rate, make sure that the main headline on your page matches your page title - which is the blue copy that appears in the first line of a search result. You have around 60 characters to play with.

This gives the visitor confidence that the information or item they are getting from you matches their search query.

So, here’s my 3-steps to making your website less bouncy: Get clear on what each and every page of your website is setup to do, and make sure the headline spells it out. I recently did a podcast episode with Richard Stubbs on how to conduct a world-class interview for your content marketing. That was the headline at the top of the page, and the exact same words appear in the page title.

Ensure the page title for each and every page matches your headline. If you’re headline is more than 60 characters long, then just make sure the first 60 characters match your page title.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then don’t ignore this idea … simply hand it onto your SEO or web developer person.

Pro-Tip: If you’re not sure what the best headline and page title should be then use Headline Analyzer, a free tool designed to write headlines that improve your search rankings and website traffic.

That’s my 3-steps to making each web page less bouncy.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's an article by Moz’s Rand Fishkin on the importance of page titles.

Plus, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing book for small business owners - The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the get me some guest blogger lovin’ hack. And it’s all about How to get guest posts for your business blog.

Now you know how much I love Blogging as a way to market your business. I also get that blogging consistently, let’s say weekly, can be a little onerous when you’re trying to make a living.

But what if YOU didn't have to write every blog post? What if other key people in your industry blogged for you? Knowing how to get guest posts for your business blog can be a game-changer.

One of the best ways to tap into an influencer’s network is to ask them to guest blog on your site (and offer to pay them, either with money or with exposure).

This way you are giving them a backlink, a platform to write on, and possibly monetary benefits. In exchange, you get a quality article and most likely the influencer will share it with their audience.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting a bit of guest blogger lovin’: Create a list of the top 10 people you’d love to have write a 500-word article for your blog.

To make it easy for them to say “Hell yeah!”, then also come up with a couple of potential ideas for their article. Also make it clear that they're welcome to come up with their own.

Send each influencer a brief, personalised email outlining your ask, and making clear what they’ll get in return.

Pro-Tip: If they kick and scream about the idea of writing 500 words, then suggest they record their article using their smartphone, then you simply get the file transcribed and tidied up ready for publishing.

That’s my 3-steps to getting some guest blogger lovin’!

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's the definitive guide to guest blogging.

Plus, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing book for small business owners - The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea thefriendly voicemail greeting hack.

I’m surprised at just how many business people’s voicemail greetings make you feel like you’re call is a total inconvenience to them. Just in the last week I had: One person tell me they didn’t like checking voicemails as it took too much of their time (so could I text them instead!). No I couldn’t ... I was driving! Another that rattled on for 30-seconds, then gave me just 10 seconds to leave a message … that would then be converted to text!! And yet another who sounded like he was having the worst day of his life … Read in a very dower tone -> “Hi, it’s Pete here, please leave a message.” Arggghhhhhhhh!

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating a friendly voicemail greeting: Take a listen to your existing greeting (I bet you haven’t done that for a while!). Then delete it ... ready to record a fresh, new one.

Decide what you’re going to say, you might even like to script it, but keep it brief. Mine goes something like “Hi, it’s Tim Reid here from The Small Business Big Marketing Show. I’m probs putting the finishing touches on another episode to help grow that beautiful business of yours. So leave a message and we’ll talk real soon.”

Find a quiet place (your car is good), take three deep breaths, put a smile on your dial, and hit record.

Pro-Tip: Have all of your customer-facing staff do this. Maybe give them a loose format to stick to, then give them permission to add their own personality to their message.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a friendly voicemail greeting.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some funny voicemail greeting scripts.

And as always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the ingeniously brilliant welcome email.

First impressions are everything. These days, you have to spend as much time nurturing new relationships and building loyalty in the digital world as you do in the physical world. Consumers want to buy from businesses that make them feel like they’re getting the same hands on, personal experience and attention online as they would if they were to actually walk into your business and meet you face-to-face.

When you take the time to send every new customer a personalised welcome email, it not only gives you the opportunity to start nurturing a new relationship, it also gives you the chance to give new customers that personal, human touch they still look for when interacting with a business they haven’t bought from previously.

So, here’s my 3-steps to nailing your welcome email: Decide what you want it to say, how you want it to make new customers feel, and what you want it to achieve. This is your chance to make a great first impression. Avoid being salesy, and amp up the friendliness. Craft your welcome email inside your email client. Decide if you want to make it a fancy-pants HTML format, or whether a simple text email will suffice. Either are fine, it just depends on your brand and your style.

Automate the process so you don’t have to send out a welcome email everytime a new customer comes on board. Most email providers and CRM tools allow you to do this.

Pro-Tip: Nail your subject line. The most welcoming email in the world is useless unless it gets opened. I’ve covered this topic in a previous episode, so I’ll include a link to it in the notes to this post over at SBBM.com/393.

That’s my 3-steps to creating an ingeniously brilliant welcome email.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's 21 examples of welcome emails.

And as always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the how to become besties with your brand’s influencers hack. It’s inspired by my recent interview with Stu Gregor, the creator of Four Pillars Gin.

Every business (including yours) has a group of people who have the ability to exponentially increase its customer base. Us marketing wankers call them brand influencers! They have the attention and respect of people that you’d love to get in front of, and often in quantities that you’d kill for.

For my podcast business, having The Small Business Big Marketing Show available in-flight on Virgin Australia was a game changer. For my speaking business, ensuring that key personnel from speaker bureaus know about my keynote and emceeing skills (or lack thereof) means that I get plenty of conference work. And having my blog posts appear on small business association websites like The Small Business Institute has increased my website traffic by multiples.

But partnerships like these don’t just happen. They require upfront work and ongoing nurturing.

So, here’s my 3-steps to becoming besties with your brand’s influencers: Make a list of 20 people and / or businesses that you’d love to have talk glowingly about your business.

For each one on that list, get crystal clear on what it is you’d like them to do for you … and just as (if not more) importantly, get clear on what you can do for them.

Send each one a personalised, handwritten note of introduction, together with your product. If you’re service provider, then this could be a voucher to try your services.

Pro-Tip: Follow each one up. Don’t just send and forget hoping that everyone will call you with gushing thank-yous. The money is in the follow-up.

That’s my 3-steps to becoming besties with your brand’s influencers.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some tips on How to reach out to influencers so they can’t say no

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your marketing budget is tight, you may not be able to always afford content writers to whip our content for your blog. So, insteadof creating something new, breathe new life into information that already exists on the web.

I call today’s idea breathing life into old data.

There are a ton of data studies and stats available online, and while some of these studies may get initial traction, many often go unotticed.

So, here’s my 3-steps to breathing life into old data: Find some research that relates to your industry, and that would be of interest to your customers.

Give it a polish. Highlight the most important parts of the study, add some cool images, crank out some charts, and add your own thoughts and predictions based on the data.

Post it to your blog (being sure to acknowledge the original source) then get the word out that the wait is over ... the world’s most amazing research study is now available.

Pro-Tip: Get some influential people to contribute their thoughts and opinions. That way, when it’s time to share your ground-breaking blog post, they will as well. That’s amplification, right there!

That’s my 3-steps to breathing life into old data.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's 5 proven ways to make your blog posts look amazing.

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's enough boring presenters out there. Here's how to ensure you're not one of them by making your boring presentation interesting.

I call today’s idea the chunk it ‘til you make it hack.

Over the years I’ve been a keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences all over the world. My most popular keynote is one in which I explain why and how to create insanely helpful marketing. It’s full of solid ideas that I know deeply resonate with my business owning audience.

But it wasn’t always that way. For a long time, my presentations were simply a jumble of ideas, presented in a fairly non-persuasive way.

That all changed when I learnt to package my ideas into chunks, made up of three key elements.

So, here’s my 3-steps to chunking it ‘til you make it: Get crystal clear on the idea you want to communicate.

Come up with a story and a funny that supports your idea. The story doesn’t need to be overly complicated and the funny doesn’t need to be side-splitting - just enough to put a smile on people’s faces.

Write out the chunk word-for-word - that way you get to familiarise yourself with it, deleting unnecessary words and adding more appropriate one as you go.

Pro-Tip: Use this formula for creating a 30-minute presentation, made up of say five chunks, create a slide deck and then find an audience to present it to. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is get your points across.

That’s my 3-steps to chunking it ‘til you make it.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

[Book] Stories for Work by Gabrielle Dolan

[Book] Power Stories by Valerie Kkoo

[Interview] Power Story's author Valerie Kkoo

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having a website is one thing. Capturing the email addresses of your visitors is another. Do it, and you're on your way to engaging with them on an ongoing basis. Turning prospects into buyers.

I call today’s idea the secret to getting your first 153 email subscribers.

You’ve got a website, right? And unless it’s an eCommerce site where customers come back often to repurchase, your website probably gets visited once, maybe twice by prospects checking you out before they buy.

If that’s the case, then it would be a damn good idea to offer something of high perceived value in return for their email address. That way you can have an ongoing email conversation with them over the coming weeks, months and years.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting your first 153 email subscribers: Decide on what you’re going to giveaway in return for their precious email address. It could be an eBook, a series of video tutorials or a free course that helps prospects make a more informed purchase decision. Subscribe to an email marketing service like MailChimp or Active Campaign, and embed the opt-in form these services give you onto your website. Set the form up so that when someone completes the it, they are automatically emailed your giveaway. Then, as your list grows you can choose to manually send broadcast emails to the entire list with special offers, helpful tips or useful news about your business.

Pro-Tip: If you think email marketing is dead, then lose that attitude. It’s holding you back. Any marketing done well, that’s helpful by nature, will be welcomed by the recipient.

That’s my 3-steps to getting your first 153 email subscribers.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

How to write high converting emails

9 irresistible incentives to grow your email list like crazy

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every business could do with some free publicity and every journalist could do with a great story.

I call today’s idea the free publicity hack.

How’s this for a perfect storm?

Your business would love some free publicity to attract more customers … and journalists have an endless need for stories to fill newspapers, magazines, TV and radio shows, blogs and podcasts.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting some earned media coverage. Identify 10 journalists who have the attention of people you’d love to sell to, then find their contact details - Twitter is a great place to start.

Get crystal clear on something newsworthy you’d like to tell them. It could be the findings from a research study you’ve conducted, or a new product or service you’ve launched that’s never been offered in your industry up until now. Whatever it is, be sure it has the WOW factor about it.

Send them a BRIEF tweet, email or video in which you introduce yourself and your news story.

Pro-Tip: The likelihood of this idea succeeding the first time is low, but it doesn't make it a bad idea. Journos are busy people and they’re inundated with pitches on a daily basis. Instead, make this part of your on-going marketing strategy, sending through one idea each quarter. Doing so will build your profile in the journos mind.

That’s my 3-steps to getting some earned media coverage.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

How to find a journalist on Twitter [Blog]

How to get free publicity [Podcast]

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intimately know the most efficient way to solve your client's problems. Afterall, being the most efficient business in your industry can be a great point-of-difference in a world of sameness.

I call today’s idea the customer efficiency hack.

Everytime I fly to Sydney I arrange for taxi-driver Joe to pick me up. This is unusual on three counts - 1. I prefer Uber over taxis; 2. There’s plenty of taxis waiting already outside; and 3. Joe’s the most expensive option.

So why Joe?

Well, I was reminded exactly why only yesterday. As we left Sydney airport, Joe pointed out the banked up traffic on the freeway leading into town - it was bumper-to-bumper and would have turned a 30-minute trip into easily an hour plus. So instead of joining the cue, he calmly weaved his way through side streets and got me, stress-free, to my CBD hotel in the usual 30-minutes.

The lesson? Intimately know the most efficient way to solve your client's problems. In a world where everyone is time poor, time is the new currency, and people will pay you above the odds if you save them lots of it.

So, here’s my 3-steps to ensuring your customers choose you every time: Have an intimate understanding of your client's’ problems that your business can solve. Map out how you can solve each one in the quickest, most pain-free way for them. Provide your most efficient solution … every time; and if you have client-facing staff, then make sure they do so as well.

Pro-Tip: Don’t make a song and dance about it. Joe doesn’t. He just does what he knows is best for my situation. As a result, I use him every time. And no, you can’t have his number!

That’s my 3-steps to being a ridiculously efficient business, ensuring customers choose you … every time.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

6 tips to help you understand your client

5 ways businesses can stop wasting customers’ time

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The importance of empathy in sales cannot be understated. So, here's my three steps to being a highly empathic business.

I call today’s idea the empathetic business hack.

Two days ago my P-Plater son ran the oil dry in his car. Not pretty. A quick diagnosis by the roadside mechanic suggested that he’d need a new engine. Guessing a new engine wasn’t going to be cheap, my anxiety levels started to peak.

My self talk went something like “Be cool, Timbo. Be cool. Just ring an engine specialist and they’ll calmly walk you through what needs doing. Knowledge is king, right?!”

So that’s exactly what I did. But instead of putting me at ease, not only did he lack any hint of personality, he hit me with a barrage of technical questions - “What’s the VIN number? What’s the engine size? What oil were you using?”

He paid no regard for how I was feeling … so I paid no regard for him, and moved on.

My point? Businesses that show empathy for how a customer is feeling will maximise their chances of getting the sale.

So, here’s my 3-steps to being an empathetic business: Truly understand the importance of this concept. Don’t pay it lip service … instead, spend some time respecting the power of empathy in business.

Run a workshop with your staff where you identify all the different emotions a customer may be feeling when dealing with you. For example, if you’re a travel agent, some customers may be excited, others confused, some nervous.

Make sure all customer-facing staff are clear on how to treat different customers based on their different emotional states.

Pro-Tip: When you first meet your customer, don’t be afraid to ask how they’re feeling about their impending purchase. This is particularly effective for more high involvement purchases.

That’s my 3-steps to closing more sales by being a more empathetic business.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

6 habits of highly empathic people

5 tips to becoming more empathetic

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your business’s website is difficult to view on a mobile device then you are losing customers. Every day. Here’s my 3-steps to creating a responsive business website design for beginners (with 14 examples).

I call today’s idea the Get Responsive or Get Lost hack.

Your business website might look great on a computer, but how does it look on your smartphone or tablet? Eight years ago (maybe even three) it didn’t matter much, but these days, if people can’t easily view your products and services from their mobile devices, you risk losing them to a competitor who has taken the time to make sure their website is optimised for every type of viewing experience. Just think about your own Internet viewing habits.

Still listening to Spandau Ballet is cool. Maybe you can get away with that bob cut. But if you haven’t gotten with the times and made your website mobile responsive, then it’s time to make the move. You ARE losing business!

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating a website that respects people’s small screen viewing habits: Get familiar with responsive website design.

Go through your existing website with a fine tooth comb, dumping old content and adding new, helpful content. If you have n’t got a blog, then here’s a great time to add one.

Work with your web team (designer and developer) to bring this to life.

Pro-Tip: Set a completion date. Remember what it was like getting your current website live. It was like pulling teeth, right? Well, don’t let that happen again. Remember, every day without a responsive website is another day with less customers.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a website that respects people’s small screen viewing habits.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

14 best examples of mobile website design

2017 mobile marketing statistics that support this idea

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’d like your prospects and customers to make a bigger effort to interact with you and your business, then consider the following points to help make your business more human.

I call today’s idea the Humanising Business hack, and it’s all about making your business appear more human to your audience.

Have you ever heard the saying “People buy from people?” Never a truer word spoken, methinks! Think about your own shopping habits - do you find yourself gravitating towards that happy shop attendant, or that website that has a human face to it.

I’m shocked at just how many businesses (especially service-based businesses) avoid the human connection. Walking into a department store and it’s not easy getting assistance. Visit a business website and it’s not uncommon for there to be no mention of the people who work there, much less a photo or video of them.

Why is that when creating an emotional connection between you and your prospect can increase the chance of sale by multiples?

So, here’s my 3-steps to my Humanising Business hack: Audit all the places in your business where you can add a human touch - your website, social media channels, in-store, your email signature.

For each of these places, brainstorm clever, shareable ways to be more human - to do this, consider asking a killer question like “What would Walt Disney do?” Implement your ideas. Don’t question them. Don’t judge them. Just implement them.

Pro-Tip: This is not a one-off exercise. Make it a key part of your on-going marketing strategy to attract and retain more customers. Doing so will not only humanise your business, but set you apart from your non-human competition.

That’s my 3-steps to my Humanising Business hack.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

How to make your business more human on social media

10 ways to convert more customers using psychology

The Outer Sanctum podcast - I love the bios of the hosts

Mama’s BBQ Chicken Bar - I love how the owner puts himself out there in his dance videos

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes clever marketing ideas can be found in the strangest of places. Like way outside of your industry.

I call today’s idea the Look Beyond Your Own Backyard hack. AKA, where to look for fresh, new marketing ideas.

Now, I know some of you are so flush with ideas to get more customers that you're spoilt for choice. Let’s face it, you’ve been listening to The Small Business Big Marketing Show for how long?, and you've got a list as long as your arm. If that’s you, then it’s time to implement.

But what if that’s not you? What if you’re part of that group of business owners who are staring at a blank page … stuck for ideas? That is not a fun place to be.

Don’t stress though, because the answer is just outside your door, over the fence and around the corner.

Here’s my 3-steps to helping you look beyond your own backyard: Acknowledge that all the great marketing ideas DO NOT live solely inside your industry. In fact, if you only ever look to what others in your industry are doing, then you’re limiting yourself and holding your business back, in a very big way. Accepting this will place you in a mindset to be more open to other ways of getting more customers.

Start to look at the way businesses in completely unrelated industries market themselves. If you’re a real estate agent, then flick through clothing catalogues. If you’re a vet, then go to a gaming conference. If you’re a cafe owner, then check out jewellery shops.

When you see a marketing idea you like, ask yourself “How could I implement this in my business?” Don’t be too literal, as the idea may not translate directly into your business; but it may spark something that does.

Pro-Tip: When you do see an idea you love, don’t be afraid to contact the business owner and ask them questions about it. Who designed it? Was it hard to implement? How has it worked for them? They're in an unrelated business, so they should be happy to share.

That’s my 3-steps to Looking Beyond Your Own Backyard.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

25 hotel marketing ideas

Every episode ever of The Small Business Big Marketing Show

10 content marketing ideas for accounting firms

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Find time for a little marketing magic hack.

If you’re like most small business owners, you’re probably sitting on a marketing idea or two that you just can’t find the courage or time to activate. It might be an idea you’ve heard on The Small Business Big Marketing Show, or you’ve seen some other business try. You’ve then squirreled it away into a fancy leather bound journal or into your Evernote app, for that one day when your decks will be clear and you can give it all you’ve got.

Well, guess what? Time’s up. No more squirrelling. No more cogitating. No more procrastinating. The time has come for action.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating a little marketing magic: Pick one marketing idea you’ve been sitting on that you’d love to try.

Find 75-minutes in the next 48-hours to focus entirely on this idea.

When your scheduled time arrives, tell those around you that you’re not to be disturbed, and imagine Facebook was never invented. Then do whatever it takes to bring this idea to life. Make calls, brief designers, write copy, ask questions of others. Whatever it takes!

Pro-Tip: Know that this may not be the big idea that will grow your business exponentially. But also know that in taking action, you’re a whole lot further ahead than you were 75-minutes ago!

That’s my 3-steps to (possibly) creating a little marketing magic for your business. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And here’s some additional resources to bring this idea to life including a blog post on 11 ways to overcome procrastination, plus a link to my very own marketing book, The Boomerang Effect. Which BTW, I procrastinated over for a long while!

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea Tell Your Story, Sell More Products Methodology.

It’s so important to know how to sue storytelling in your marketing messages.

Whether it be fact or fiction, everybody loves a good story. As a business owner, it’s important you take the time to develop interesting stories to share with customers and prospects to get them emotionally engaged in what you have to offer, and view you differently from your competition.

Here’s an example of a simple fictional story about a farmer’s shirt from an old J.Peterman Company clothing catalogue:

“When a man puts on this authentic French farmer’s shirt, he may very well find that his hands look bigger. Is that woman over there giving him the eye, and nodding toward the haystack? Yes, and he knows exactly what to do.”

Telling your brand story is also a great way to build trust and remind people that at the end of the day, your business is managed and run by real humans.

So, here’s my 3-steps to my Telling Your Story, and Selling More Products Methodology: Spend a lazy afternoon with a cheeky glass of red identifying all the parts of your business for which you could tell a story - this could include your product range, your approach to customer service, your why you exist story, and stories about each team member, just to name a few.

Start writing a story about just one of those aspects of your business. It doesn’t need to be long or hilariously funny. Just something that engages the reader enough for them to want more. And if writing isn’t your thing, then consider telling these stories on video or audio.

Publish each story in the appropriate places - on your website, in your brochures, counter cards, incorporate them in your new-business slide deck - where ever they will get seen.

Pro-Tip: Done well, storytelling is a game changer, so consider employing a copywriter to help extract these stories from the depths of your mind, and wordsmith them so that they pop off the page or screen.

That’s my 3-steps to Telling Your Story and Selling More Products Methodology.

Here’s some resources to help you bring this low cost marketing idea to life:

[Book] Stories For Work - An essential guide to business storytelling

[Blog] Storytelling - The secret ingredient of your marketing is missing

The Story Behind TOMS Shoes

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Helpful Email Series.

One of the best ways you can differentiate from your competitors, grow your email list, and boost conversions is to show prospects that you’re willing to go out of your way to help them. A great way to do this is by offering a free email course that potential customers can stumble upon and subscribe to when they’re looking for answers to their questions. It’s also another great way to build loyalty and trust, because it gives you the opportunity to position yourself as someone who is genuinely committed to helping solve problems and provide solutions, and less as someone who is obsessed with trying to make a quick buck.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating an insanely helpful email series: Decide on the topic of your course. Cut straight to the chase by having it focus on THE core question people have when shopping for something in your industry.

Write the lessons for your email course - try to keep them to less than seven. Start with an introduction, then go deeper as the course progresses. End the course with a strong call to action that helps people understand what to do next.

Create a drip campaign for your course using a tool like Mailchimp or Active Campaign, then promote it by sending an email, writing a blog post, creating a landing page, and sharing it with your social media followers.

Pro-Tip: Don’t over engineer it. Don’t feel like you have to write a mountain of words. Or record highly produced videos. Simply focus on making your content unbelievably helpful.

That’s my 3-steps to creating an insanely helpful email series.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

How to create an email course that converts like crazy

15 of the best email marketing campaigns ever

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Unhappy Customer Exit Interview.

Seeing a customer leave is never a fun experience. When unhappy customers leave, you have to be able to put aside any personal feelings you might have and recognise the situation as an opportunity to learn. f you want to improve your customer experience and retention over time, make a habit of conducting exit interviews with customers who have made the decision to walk away.

Here’s my 3-steps to nailing an Exit Interview: Think about what kind of questions you want to ask your customers before they go. This is no time to hold back … find the courage to ask the questions that may result in negative feedback like - How was it doing business with us? What were we particularly bad at? What could we do so much better? Your goal is to figure out why your customer is leaving, what went wrong, and how you can make improvements going forward.

If you can’t perform your exit interviews in person, use a tool like Qualaroo or Google Forms to create your exit survey.

When a customer makes it known that they know longer wish to do business with you, ask them if they’d be willing to provide feedback by filling out your exit interview form. Review feedback and determine if there are any improvements that can be made at your business.

Pro-Tip: If the customer gets angry or overly negative, don’t take it personally. Don’t get in an argument with them, don’t try and provide your side of the story … just smile and thank them. Once you’ve got your cool back, then figure out what improvements you can make to avoid losing another customer under the same circumstances.

That’s my 3-steps to nailing Exit Interviews.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

Google Forms

Qualaroo

Survey Monkey

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the 185-Second Follow-Up hack.

How many clients and prospects do you have on your I’ll get back to them one day list? If you’re like most business owners, it’ll be quite a long list. Business gets in the way, and you get distracted from following these people up; which is kind of silly given how close they are to buying from you.

So, let me show you how to convert this low-hanging fruit into sales with this simple client follow-up idea … and all you need is your smart phone and a smile. Select the selfie video function on the Message app of your phone

Record a short message to your client or prospect

Hit send … then rinse and repeat

Pro-Tip: If you’re a little nervous about being on video, then change your mindset. This is about your client, not you. So be less self-conscious, and know that you’re helping them make a more informed purchase-decision.

That’s my 3-steps to the 185-Second Follow-Up hack.

Here’s an additional resource to bring this helpful marketing idea to life - tips on how to record outstanding selfie videos.

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Exclusive Interview blog post.

This is a highly effective outreach strategy that involves working with other people in your industry. It involves you reaching out to top industry in influencers and including them in a Q&A style post on your own blog. It’s a great technique you can use to show your prospects that you know the right people. It’s also a chance for you to bring new traffic to your website.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating an exclusive interview blog post: Make a list of industry experts or partners that you’d love to get inside the head of, and interview on your blog. Look for people who have an active presence and following on social media, as when it comes time for sharing this post, they may well help out.

Once you have your list, start collecting email addresses using Clearbit. You can also check their social media profiles, their website, or their past company press releases.

Send out your request email. Make it brief. Introduce yourself and ask them if you could interview them for your blog. Pitch a topic. If they bite, follow up with your questions, or set up a time to talk to them.

Pro-Tip: Given this is this a great way to create helpful and engaging content, don’t just make it a one-off blogging strategy … instead, schedule this type of blog post to do once a month. Over time, you’ll create quite a resource that you could turn into an eBook or even published book.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a blog post that your prospects will love to read, and that will drive plenty of website traffic your way.

To help you bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

How to interview experts without looking like an idiot

An example of an expert interview blog post

Oh, and here’s the copy I use for my interview request email:

Hi [insert guest’s name] ...

Can I interview you on [date and time] via Skype.

I'd like to interview you about how you built your amazing business, and post it to www.SmallBusinessBigMarketing.com, where over 370 successful business owners just like you have shared their story for others to benefit.

Here's a sample of my work in this interview with The e Myth’s Michael Gerber.

Cheers …

Tim Reid Host of The Small Business Big Marketing Show Ranked #1 on iTunes & available on all Virgin Australia flights

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the It’s Not What You Know But Who You Know endorsement hack.

Social proof can be an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to influencing purchasing decisions. Social proof can come from business data, like the amount of customers and sales you have, and the companies and partners you work with.

But social proof can also come from other places, like getting endorsements from well known celebrities or industry leaders. Surprisingly, even a simple endorsement from a celebrity can be pretty effective when it comes to converting more prospects online.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting a celebrity to endorse your business: Decide if you even want to reach out to a celebrity in an attempt to get them to endorse your products or business. To come to a decision, you’ll have to think about who your customers and prospects are and what matters to them. Would seeing one of their heroes on your website influence their decision to buy from you in any way?

If you do think your customers would care, your next step is to make a list of celebrities you want to reach out to. Categorise them into an A and B list. Your A-listers are your heroes. Your B-listers are still pretty good, but they are also a little more accessible than the people at the top of your list.

Now it’s time to reach out to the celebs you’ve chosen. Use the media contact form on their website, send them a Shock & Awe package in the mail to get their attention, find their email using ClearBit, or ask your social media friends if anyone knows them.

Pro-tip: Get clear on your pitch. Be crystal clear on what you’re asking them to do, and equally clear on what you have to offer them. And be personal. Maybe even start with sending them your product or service for them to try.

That’s my 3-steps to getting your business a little bit of celebrity lovin’!

To help bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here’s an interview with a fellow who used celebrity endorsement to build a business he recently sold for $1.7B!

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the How To Create Insanely Helpful Content hack.

When it comes to helpful content marketing, the idea phase is more important than the promotion phase. Without a great idea, it’s hard to write great content, and bad content is not easy to promote. Fortunately, there are a number of free tools you can use to come up with better content ideas for your blog, podcast or YouTube channel. And good content leads to a better reputation, higher website traffic, and in the end, more conversions.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating helpful content: Pick a tool you love to work with for the idea generation stage. Personally, I love BuzzSumo, but there’s also Open Site Explorer and Quick Sprout. You simply type in a topic, and it will spit back links to content that has outperformed in terms of backlinks and social shares, filtered by date, country and word count.

Once you’ve picked your tool, spend time in its Help section getting to learn how to use it. Trust me, this will be time well invested upfront.

To form your own ideas, look for content that has done well in the past, and think about how you can make it better or put a different spin on it. It’s also important that you take the time to actually read the posts that have had high traffic or high social engagement in order to get ideas about how to structure your own content.

Pro-Tip: Make a game of this by setting up some measurement criteria. Create your first piece of helpful content using this tactic, measure it’s success (or lack of), then aim to beat it with your next piece. Then rinse and repeat.

That’s my 3-steps to creating insanely helpful content.

To help bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here’s some additional resources:

BuzzSumo

Open Site Explorer

Quick Sprout

BuzzSumo result where I searched my favourite topic of Coffee.

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Tell Me How Much You Love Me hack.

We all like to be told we’re doing a good job, right? Well, why not seek out a bit of customer love, and help future prospects make a more informed purchase decision!?

Like testimonials, reviews are great tools to use when you need to tackle any fears or objections your prospects may have when deciding whether or not to do business with you. One mistake a lot of business owners make is they don’t ever think to actually ask people to write reviews; instead they just assume it will happen naturally. Sometimes it does.

But smart business owners don’t wait for people to leave reviews. They ask them. And guess what? They get them!

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting a little love from your precious customers ... Make a list of happy campers you can reach out to. You could also create a list of influential bloggers and podcasters willing to review your product or service.

Set up profiles on sites that people can go to when they’re ready to leave you a review. For any type of business this could be Google Reviews, LinkedIN or Facebook, if you’re a cafe owner then Zomato is good, or you could even create a form on your own website.

Reach out to people on your lists and see who is willing to leave a review. You can decide whether or not to create an incentive as a way to encourage participation.

Pro-Tip: As you start to get a nice little stockpile of reviews, be sure to actively use them. Add them to your website, include them on proposals, email them to individual prospects who may have raised a particular concern.

That’s my 3-steps to getting and using customer reviews.

To help bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here's some additional resources:

Everything you need to know about Google Reviews

7 more creative ways to get customers to leave reviews

Online review request page from a carpet cleaning business

As always, you’ll find more marketing inspiration in my popular marketing text The Boomerang Effect.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Industry Event Brand Boost.

To build a successful business today, you have to have a strong online presence. You have to invest in strategies that help you connect with and convert more people who are looking for solutions to their problems … solutions your business can provide.

But that doesn’t mean you should ignore growth opportunities that exist in the physical world. Despite how important the internet may be to the continued success of your business, you should still look for opportunities to connect with people in the real world.

One way you can do this is by attending industry trade shows and conferences. Not only can attending these events help you connect with the right prospects, it can also help you connect with the right partners. In fact, it’s how I got my very first sponsor for this show all those years ago.

So, here’s my 3-steps to giving your business a boost by attending industry events: Use Google to identify upcoming trade shows and conferences.

Decide if you want to participate simply as an attendee, or if you’d like to attend as a vendor and pay to have an actual booth.

Schedule to attend at least one event every six months.

Pro-Tip: When you’re there, work hard. Don’t be passive and just wander around. Make as many contacts as you can. Get business cards. Email addresses. Phone numbers. Ask questions at the end of presentations. Wear a gorilla suit if you have to! Just be sure to stand out!

That’s my 3-steps to getting a boost by attending industry events.

To help bring this low-cost marketing idea to life, here’s a great blog post that gives you 55 tips on how to network a conference like a Jedi.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Awesome Upsell Email.

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. That’s really what the Awesome Upsell Email is all about. It’s you going out of your way to proactively ask your customers to buy again.

To send effective upsell emails, you have to convince people that you’re just trying to help, and avoid coming across as too forceful or annoying.

Most importantly, your upsell email needs context. Your customers need to be able to easily recognise why they are getting the email you’re sending them, and your call-to-action has to be crystal clear.

For example, if you bought my book The Boomerang Effect, then you might get an email from me asking if you’d like to purchase an hours marketing coaching. Or if you run a B&B, you might email people who book with the offer of a spa treatment.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting more dough from your emails: Decide what kind of upsell you can make to your customers. Remember, the purpose of the email is to add value and to help (in addition to boosting conversions and sales).

Create your upsell email using your email marketing client. If you don't have one, then check out Active Campaign or MailChimp.

Send out your offer, and actively track the responses. If it’s a no-brainer and simple to purchase, you should get a 50%+ conversion.

Pro-Tip: Keep your upsell simple (so avoid lots of options) and keep it relevant (so that it makes sense for your customer to buy the upsell given what they’ve already purchased). And if you want to go nuts, then make it time sensitive as well!

That’s my 3-steps to creating an awesome upsell email.

Here’s a great blog post on the anatomy of an awesome upsell email and tips on how to write an awesome upsell email, to help you bring this low cost marketing idea to life.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Get a Little Forum Lovin’ hack.

If you want to connect with more like-minded people who can help grow your business, try finding a niche-focused forum to participate in. Most social media focussed business owners think Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is where the action is online, turning a blind-eye to Forums. But forums can be great places to go to when you want to exchange ideas with prospects, get honest feedback about your offerings, network with people, learn new skills, and find more customers.

So, here’s my 3-steps to gettin’ some Forum lovin’: Identify Forums to join by going to Google and typing [your topic] + the word forum in the search bar. Spend time sniffing around deciding which ones are the best fit. You can also take a look at more popular and well-established forum community sites like Reddit, LinkedIN and Quora when trying to decide which forum you want to participate in.

When you find a forum that floats your boat, find the Introductions thread so that you can start things off by telling people a little about yourself and your company.

Bookmark the Forum and make a diary note to participate in discussions at least once per week. Then bump it up to twice a week. Then three times a week. The more time you can spend interacting with other people, the more credibility you’ll build.

Pro-Tip: When responding to other Forum members’ questions. Be helpful. Avoid sales speak, avoid marketing speak … just be the most helpful person in the Forum. Did you know being helpful releases the feel-good drug dopamine into your bloodstream …. So does eating chocolate and having sex - make of that what you will!

That’s my 3-steps on how to use forums for marketing and getting some online lovin’ from your audience.

Here’s some resources to help you bring this low cost marketing idea to life:

Etiquette tips for posting on Reddit

6 Forum posting mistakes that make you look like a jerk

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Brand Consistency Hack.

Does your business present itself consistently across all its touch points? Is the logo you use on your business card the same as the one you use on your website? Is the copy you use on your sales brochure the same as what appears in your sales letter? Are all your social media headers the same?

If at this point you’re starting to cringe, knowing that this is not the case, then don’t stress, you’re not alone. I’m amazed at how many businesses I come across whose marketing touch points look as though they’ve been created by 10 different people.

And often they have – with all good intention, they had a logo designed by a graphic designer, but then they had someone else create the stationary, and another person create the Xmas card and someone else the signage.

Well, if there’s one thing we can learn from the top end of town, it’s that brand consistency is critical. That’s why they employ Brand Managers. Look at Apple – their website uses the same design and copy cues as their stores, as does their packaging, signage, instruction manuals and so on. Having a brand that presents itself consistently across all marketing touch points doesn’t have to cost anymore, and it’s bloody good for business.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating a ridiculously consistent brand: Conduct an audit of every marketing touch point in your business – in fact, pull them all together and blue tack them up on a wall.

Cringe for just a moment as you realise how embarrassingly inconsistent they are ;0)

Bite the bullet and employ a graphic designer, a web designer and a copywriter to go through with a fine toothcomb and get everything on the same page.

Pro-Tip: Don’t underestimate the power of this exercise. As I mentioned earlier, all the big brands do this, as establishes a sense of familiarity amongst your precious prospects and customers.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a ridiculously consistent brand.

Here are some resources to help you bring this low cost marketing idea to life:

Cornerstone Business Solutions – Hire full time copywriters, graphic and website designers based in The Philippines for 75%off the price you’d pay in Australia.

Upwork – Hire freelancers from all over the world to work on a task by task basis.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the sticky beak social media hack.

And it’s a great way to increase your social media engagement.

Now there’s a whole lot of business owners out there who are constantly scratching their heads, asking themselves what the f*** can I post to social media that’s half interesting … that will get people taking notice, commenting, hitting the Like button?

Is that you? If it is, then I can assure you that you’re not the Lone Ranger!

Well, you know what works? Giving people a little peak behind-the-scenes of your business. I mean, who doesn’t love a sneaky little look back-stage (so to speak)! It’s like looking into another world; and there’s a little bit of voyeur in us all, right?!

It’s why the Special Features sections on DVDs contain out-takes and vision of what goes on behind the camera.

So, here’s my 3-steps to helping you get more engagement on social media: As of now, be on the lookout for behind-the-scenes opportunities in your business. It might be a staff member’s birthday celebration, or when someone brings their dog to work, or when your team orders pizza as they burn the midnight oil on an important project.

When these moments arise, take a photo or a video and post it (along with a short comment) to your preferred social media channel. Maybe you could even do a Facebook Live or SnapChat!

Look out for people commenting on these posts, and be sure to reply. Remember, social media is simply people having conversations online.

Pro-Tip: Don’t judge these posts. You might be thinking, “Who on earth would be interested in seeing this?!” Well, let others be the judge of that … whilst a pic of your receptionist’s Pug may not be earth shattering, it does show a human side to your business.

That’s my 3-steps to implementing my Sticky-Beak Social Media Hack.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea friendly website hack.

I’m astounded at just how many business websites I come across that are incredibly impersonal, taking no time to introduce the founder and people that work there. So, no matter what type of business you run, but especially if you are a service provider, please, please, please introduce yourself and your team on your website. Afterall, people buy from people, and implementing this one simple hack will help you build a brand that emotionally connect with those you want to sell to.

So, here’s my 3-steps to making your website uber friendly: Review your website and identify all the opportunities for you to show prospects that there are real people working in your business.

Start creating the content that introduces you and your team. This could include:

Having an About Us page where you introduce each team member - include photos, and insightful information that helps prospects become familiar with you and the business

On your Contact Us page, include a name or three. And a personal email - not info@blahblah.com

Sprinkle videos or audios around that have you (the owner) or your employees reviewing your products or services

Include a blog which is contributed to by not just you, but other specialists in your business.

Post that content to your website.

Pro-Tip: Keep this updated - as you employ new people - add them. As people leave, delete them.

Creating a super friendly website is absolutely important for optimal viewing customer experience.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a much more friendly website.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the happy holiday offer.

One of the best times to send emails to your users is during the holidays. It’s true that around this time your customers probably get inundated with emails, but a lot of people don’t actually mind that much. In fact, they look forward to the opportunity to take advantage of the special offers they know businesses send out at that time. They know it will be crazy, but the special deals make it worth it. So, if you want to boost conversions over the next holiday period, try sending out a timely deal.

So, here’s my 3-steps t o creating a timely and happy holiday offer: Decide what you want to offer. Maybe it’s a 2-for-1 deal. Or buy this and get this special. Or free shipping. Whatever it is, make it seem of high value, whilst not breaking your bank!

Once you’ve decided on your offer, design your campaign in your email client like Mail Chimp or Active Campaign . In order for your holiday offer to be successful, take the time to theme your email to coincide with whatever holiday you plan to send it out over. And work with a designer to create some original graphics for your campaign to spice things up a little more.

Send your email out and watch how it impacts your sales

Pro-Tip: If it works, look for the next holiday opportunity to send a similar email out - just be careful not to overdo it. Your offers will be less enticing the more often you do them.

That’s my 3-steps to creating a timely and happy holiday offer.

Here’s a list of 30 creative ways for holiday email marketing to help you bring this low cost marketing idea to life.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the social proof confidence booster.

Social proof is a marketing tactic used to ease the minds of worried customers. It’s a type of conformity, in that we decide to do what we think others are doing. Sort of like towing-the-line. In business, social proof can be a powerful tool when it comes to influencing purchasing decisions.

Many business websites display some sort of social proof in an effort to boost conversions. You can (and should) use the same strategy to persuade more people to convert when they land on your page.

Sure, you might not have as many users as Facebook or send your products to customers in every single country in the world, but you can still come up with and display on your website social proof that relates to your business in some way.

See how Dale Beaumont includes logos of the media outlets that have covered his 52 Ways live event. That’s social proof in action.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating buyer confidence with social proof ...

Think about what kind of social proof statement or visual you can display on your website. For example, you can share customer testimonials, the number of products you’ve sold, the number of customers or followers you have, how many cities, states or countries you ship products to, or review ratings for your products or services.

Get a web-designer to illustrate your social proof statement to then incorporate your new graphic on your homepage.

Create a few different social proof statements to split test using a tool like Optimizely.

Pro-Tip: Why keep these social proof statements to just your website? Use them in brochures, sales letters, point-of-sale, proposals, slide decks. Any touch point where someone is making a decision about buying from you.

I use social proof on my marketing speakers website:

So, that’s my 3-steps to creating buyer confidence with social proof.

If it’s sparked an idea in you to help grow your business, then here’s a couple more resources to get you going - 26 examples of social proof used in marketing and 7 things you must understand when leveraging social proof in your marketing efforts.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I cleverly call today’s idea the Get an Infographic Now strategy.

An infographic is simply a visual representation of an idea, and they’re particularly powerful pieces of content for three reasons: They’re visual. They’re embeddable. And they’re highly shareable.

So, here’s my 3-steps on how to create an awesome infographic: Decide on the idea you’d like to bring to life visually. It may come from your most popular blog post, or video or podcast episode. Maybe you simply have an idea worth sharing that you’d love the world to know about. Just be mindful that your Infographic should tell a story, and include supporting stats and research.

Create your Infographic using a tool like Piktochart or Infogram. Or you could hire a freelance designer, who depending on their level of experience, may be even cheaper than those tools.

Once complete, promote the hell out of it! As I said, Infographics are highly shareable. Post it on all your social media channels, boost it on Facebook, email it to your clients and other influencers including relevant journalists both online and offline. Maybe even link to it in your email signature.

Pro-Tip: Don’t shirk on the design. Great looking Infographics that introduce solid ideas are amazing. So go that extra mile to ensure your looks visually incredible.

Here’s two great examples of compelling infographics:

How to beat jet lag that was created by a travel agent.

And this one titled Ron Burgundy’s Guide To Dressing for Success, was shared by Anchorman’s production company in the lead up to the film launch.

That’s my 3-steps on how to create an Infographic that rocks!

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Employee Happiness Hack.

As of today, I’ve interviewed 362 successful business owners on the Small Business Big Marketing Show. And almost without exception, one of their biggest frustrations is managing their people, making sure that they love coming to work and that they perform at their peek. Sounding familiar?

Clearly, one of the best ways to make sure that your business grows is to keep your employees happy. If your employees aren’t happy, they aren’t loyal, and if they aren’t loyal, they become a liability.

Knowing how to keep employees happy doesn't always come down to a play rise ... even though that may seem the most obvious.

So why not go out of your way to make sure your employees have everything they need to be happy and successful in their roles.

Here’s my 3-steps to having the happiest employees on earth: Set aside some focussed time to list what you think your employees want and need to make them happy and successful in their roles. Reflect on when you were an employee, and think what you would have loved to have received from your boss. Don’t stop there … get out and ask them yourself.

Choose one idea on your list, and implement it. Now, that might be a different idea for each employee like say a book on a topic they love. Or it might be an idea that positively impacts all your staff like bringing in a masseuse for the day.

Conduct regular employee happiness surveys with tools such as TinyPulse that will ensure you always have a clear sense of where the most important people in your business are at.

Pro-Tip: Avoid thinking “Stuff them! I pay them and that’s enough!” That's what bad bosses think. You’re not one of those, right?

That’s my 3-steps to creating employees that wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

Head over to www.SmallBusinessBigMarketing.com/363 where you’ll find some additional resources including a link to TinyPulse along with the ultimate cheat sheet containing 49 employee engagement ideas.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

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I call today’s idea the Never Eat ALone hack.

What’s that old saying? Your net worth equals your net-work! Never a truer word spoken.

If you want to build your network and your reputation, then make a habit to never eat alone. Although it can be tempting to work through lunch when you’re busy, you’ll find that taking the time to meet with other business owners, suppliers, journalists and potential partners can be an effective way to grow your business.

So, here’s my 3-steps to my Never Eating Alone hack: Block out at least one lunch time per week to have lunch with someone. Choose three different restaurants or cafes that are suitable for both eating and talking. Having this sorted means you’ll never need to think about where you’re going to go. Create a list of the first 12 people you’d like to have lunch with and lock them in.

Pro-Tip: Get crystal clear on what outcome you want from each of these lunch time rendezvous. Maybe it’s simply to reconnect with an old client. Maybe it’s to pitch an idea to a journo. Maybe it’s to schmooze a supplier to bring your costs down.

That’s my 3-steps to never eating alone.

Here’s a resource to help you bring this marketing idea to life:

[Book] Never Eat Alone … and other secrets to success, one relationship at a time

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the rock staremail signature.

Let’s face it, your email signature is probably pretty average. If you’re like most business owners it either contains just your name, or it contains everything … your name, title, email, website, every social media handle, phone, fax, mobile, street address, postal address, a massive logo and even bigger disclaimer!

You can do so better. Take the time to set up a better email signature than the generic one you have now. There’s no reason why a good email signature can’t help drive enquiry and conversions … even sales. When I’ve link to my book’s sales page, I notice a marked increase in sales.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting an email signature that rocks: Think about what else you could include in your signature besides the obvious. No need to go crazy - but just think about this important marketing touchpoint a little more strategically. For example, have you written a popular blog post you can link to? What about a link to your business’s explainer video? Or link to an eBook you’ve written? These are all ways you can engage with users and prospects in an effort to move them down your conversion funnel.

Sign up to an email signature tool like Hubspot's or WiseStamp’s, or do as I do and simply work with what your email host provides.

Replace your old email signature with your new rockstar one!

Nowadays, an effective email signature is a vital part of any business communication. Follow these simple email signature best practices to make your email signature work hard.

Pro-Tip: Update your email signature from time-to-time to test how recipients respond to different messages, offers and links.

That’s my 3-steps to creating an email signature that rocks.

Here’s a blog post on the art and science of email signatures.

And here’s an example of two email signatures that sell for me:

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

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I call today’s idea the Loyal Customer Surprise Gift.

As your business continues to thrive, it’s important to take the time to reward loyal customers who have helped get you to where you are now. If you’ve been feeling especially thankful lately, take the opportunity to send a surprise gift to a few of your most loyal customers.

Sending surprise gifts not only shows your customers that you care, it also helps keep them loyal and usually gets them talking about you and your business to others.

So, here’s my 3-steps to surprising your wonderfully loyal customers: Gather up their contact details of your most ardent fans. No matter what you send them, I suggest getting their postal details so that you can send something tangible. Even if it’s a voucher that could be emailed, send a hard copy of it wrapped with a big, beautiful bow! Decide on what you’re going to send them. Get creative. My go-to gift is a nice coffee table book on the person’s area of interest. But a nice dinner with their partner, Gold Class movie tickets or a voucher to an experience are all good options. Send your gift and be sure to include a handwritten message letting them know how much you appreciate them and their ongoing custom.

One of the best ways to turn consumers into loyal followers is by showing appreciation. It is important to reward customer loyalty to build long lasting relationship.

Pro-Tip: Write your message from the heart … no sales speak. No website addresses. No offers. Just write as if you’re writing to a friend.

Thank your customers for their brand loyalty and you'll build better relationships with new customers by following these tips.

That’s my 3-steps to surprising and rewarding your wonderfully loyal customers.

Here’s three resources to help you bring this marketing idea to life:

25 ways to thank your loyal customers

Edible Blooms send edible floral arrangements (Use promo code THANKYOU for 10% off)

Red Balloon sell over 3,000 experiences and gift cards

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, then become a Member of the exclusive Small Business Big Marketing Club, where I’ll personally support you daily on building a better business through smart marketing.

So, what have you got to lose?

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I call today’s idea the Welcome Email.

First impressions are everything. These days, you have to spend as much time nurturing new relationships and building loyalty in the digital world as you do in the physical world.

Consumers want to buy from companies that make them feel like they’re getting the same hands-on, personal experience and attention online as they would if they were to actually walk into your business and meet you face to face.

When you take the time to send every new customer a personalised welcome email, it not only gives you the opportunity to start building a new relationship, it also gives you the chance to give new customers that personal, human touch they still look for when interacting with a business they haven’t bought from before.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating a welcome email that does just that: Decide what you want your welcome email to say, how you want it to make new customers feel, and what you want it to achieve. This is your chance to make a solid first impression.

Craft your welcome email in your email client. I use Active Campaign, but there’s plenty out there.

Automate the process so you don’t have to manually send out a welcome email every time a new customer comes on board (your email provider will have detailed steps on how to do this).

Do not underestimate the importance of welcome email because it will help you set the tone for your future communication with your subscriber .

Pro-Tip: Make it a text only email, and not one of those flashy newslettery looking things! In my opinion, they look like catalogues wanting to sell you something. Your welcome email should look as personal as possible … as if it’s come directly from you.

Head over to SBBM.com/359 where you’ll find some additional resources to help you create your welcome email including a blog post that shares 21 inspiring examples of welcome emails.

And if you’d like help implementing any of the marketing ideas I share in this segment (and there’s been 24 so far), go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club over at CrankMyMarketing.com - where I’ll personally support you daily on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the FOMO Conversion Hack.

FOMO is all about scarcity - it stands for the Fear of Missing Out. It’s why you can’t help but check your Facebook status or email every 10 minutes. FOMO is that uneasy feeling you get when you feel like you might be missing out on something that everyone else is doing.

As a business owner, you can use FOMO as a tactic for boosting conversions and motivating your prospects to take action.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating that anxious, butterfly-ie feeling in your prospects’ stomachs: Think about how you can create the perception of urgency and scarcity in relation to one or all of your offerings.

Once you’ve decided on your campaign, create some visual graphics to use on your website, in social media, in-store and in your email marketing campaigns.

Start promoting your FOMO campaign … everywhere.

Pro-Tip: Be honest! Whatever you’re creating scarcity around, be sure that it really is scarce.

And here's a cool resource to add a countdown timer to your emails.

And if you’d like help implementing any of the marketing ideas I share in this segment (and there’s been 23 so far), go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club - where I’ll personally support you daily on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Warm & Fuzzy Hack ... AKA becoming a business that makes a difference

At some point, your business is going to be in a position where you can give a little bit back to others. In my experience, it’s always the right move, not just for the outside publicity that comes with supporting a cause, but also for the added benefit of boosting employee, customer and supplier morale. So, if you’re in such a position, look for opportunities to give back.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating that warm and fuzzy business feeling: Decide on a cause to support. I always think it makes sense to choose one that has some strategic relevance to your business. For example, if you’re a Vet then support an animal shelter.

Once you’ve picked a cause to partner with, decide how you can help. Options include financial donations, donating your time, or donating products or services. Maybe you could even help promote them to your client base.

Make a point of making this a permanent part of your marketing strategy. Diarise some involvement with your chosen cause on at least a monthly basis.

Pro-Tip: Don’t hesitate to let others know about your involvement - it’s good for your business, it builds awareness around your chosen cause, and it might just encourage those around you to also get involved.

Head over to SBBM.com/357 where you’ll find some additional resources to help you choose your cause including links to Pro Bono Australia and Volunteering Australia.

And here’s a blog post with tips on how to make the most of your customer testimonials.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the super-sized customer testimonial.

AKA how to get great customer testimonials. You can talk until you're blue in the face about how great your business is, but at the end of the day, the people you’re trying to sell to are more likely to be influenced by what others say about you, your company, and your products. That’s why smart business owners go out of their way to gather customer testimonials, encouraging happy customers to write reviews about their beautiful business.

[Tweet "How to get great customer testimonials"]

Testimonials can be powerful conversion tools, the problem is that many have figured this out, and as a result, everyone now includes testimonial text blurbs in strategic places around their website. That’s why I recommend you take the time to create beefier customer testimonials in the form of videos, audios, case studies, and blog posts. These are more story-like than just short, sharp sentences.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating super-sized customer testimonials: Create a list of 5 happy customers you could reach out to for a testimonial. In doing so, decide whether you want to create a video or audio testimonial, a case study, or a blog post. Maybe ask the customer for their preference.

Come up with an outline for your testimonial interview. If you decided on the blog post or case study, write up a few questions and send them to your customer to answer. If you decided on the video or audio, coordinate with your customer and find a time that you can record them.

Put your customer testimonial together and place it prominently on your website.

Pro-Tip: Include a link to a testimonial with your proposals.

And here's a blog post with tips on how to make the most of your customer testimonials.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Stayin’ Alive Content Strategy!

Now, you’re regularly creating helpful content, right? The type I talk about in my book The Boomerang Effect? Content that helps your precious customers make a more informed purchase decision. Content that ensures you rank well on Google. Content that positions you as a key person of influence. Well done!

If you want to optimise that content, so that it doesn’t get lost in the haystack that is the Internet, then it’s time to start repurposing it into other forms that you can share on other sites.

This is what I call the Stayin’ Alive Content Strategy, and it will extend the life of your best content, giving you more bang for your buck and getting it in front of new audiences.

It also respects the fact that different people consume information differently. Some like to read. Some like to listen. Some like to watch.

Here’s my 3-steps to your helpful content stayin’ alive: Pick one of your best pieces of helpful content. Let’s say it’s a video that’s had the most views, comments or shares.

Make a plan for repurposing that video into at least 3 new pieces of helpful content. You could extract the audio using iSkySoft Video Converter. You could then have that audio transcribed by GoTranscript and turned into a series of written blog posts. You could then pick short quotes from the transcription and design them into social media posters using Canva for Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.

Publish your new pieces of repurposed helpful content, sharing them with your social media followers, email list and with individuals who you know will benefit from them.

Pro-Tip: Revisit the original piece of helpful content you repurposed, and update it to include links to the new content.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea creating a little WOW!

In a world of sameness, it’s hard to stand out, right? To create that precious point-of-difference that will have you standing head and shoulders above your competition.

I mean, someone will always match you on price, stock similar products, or offer similar services.

But not every business can make their customers go WOW! They should, but they don’t. Or maybe they just don’t know how to. Well, it’s doesn’t need to be that hard, start with a little WOW! and work your way up.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating a little WOW!: Get some A3 paper, and draw a timeline with the far left hand side being the first moment a prospect comes into contact with your business (think website, signage, business card), and the far right hand side being post-purchase, once the transaction is completed. Then fill in all the moments-of-truth in between. Those moments where you have an opportunity to WOW your customer.

Choose one moment-of-truth and sprinkle a little WOW on it. It might be when a prospect walks into your shop and you offer them a glass of water. Or maybe it’s 3-months after a purchase when you, the boss, rings them and asks how it’s all going.

Action your little WOW! idea. Then rinse and repeat. The aim is to create a whole lot of little WOW moments which will all add up to an unforgettable and highly shareable customer experience.

Pro-Tip: Read Delivering Happiness by Zappos founder Tony Shay. It’ll show you how to take a little WOW! to a whole new level.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Let’s Get Weird Marketing Campaign.

As the business owner, you have to constantly be thinking of new and creative ways to get the word out about your business. And sometimes, being a little weird can pay off big time. So, if you’re not afraid to think outside the square every now and then in order to build brand buzz and get in front of more prospects, then my Let’s Be Weird Marketing Campaign is perfect for you.

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting a little weird in your marketing: Think about a campaign you could launch to promote your business that some might find a bit weird or out of the ordinary. To get an idea of what I mean, take a listen to my interview with LA Fashion-designer Melissa Coker who created a video of strangers wearing her clothes and kissing for the first time. Or Chick-Fil-A franchisee Arthur Greeno who loves nothing more than breaking Guinness World Records to get his business noticed!

Decide on the weird campaign you want to move forward with. Your goal should be to come up with an idea that gets people’s attention, but also does a fair job of promoting your business.

Do some pre-promotion leading up to the launch of your weird marketing campaign, package it up, and release it to the world!

Pro-Tip: Try documenting the campaign on video and posting to YouTube so that it has a long afterlife. Arthur Greeno documented the event in which he created the world's biggest Sweet Tea drink.

And here’s a great post detailing another 5 weird marketing campaigns.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I call today’s idea the Quick Customer Feedback Request.

Unfortunately, when it comes to doing business with people online, you just don’t get the same level of interaction that you would if you were selling them your products or services face-to-face - well, at least not automatically. Don’t you reckon it’s so much easier to sense things like confusion, hesitation, or excitement when you interact with someone in person?

If you sense that a person is unwilling to buy from you, you can ask them why they feel the way they do. Or when you actually see that someone's excited by your offer, you can more quickly move to closing the deal.

That level of interaction is an important part of business growth, and it needs to happen online too. One great way to start interacting with people and learning from them online is by implementing tools that encourage and invite your website visitors to provide feedback to you. And by the way, a great mindset to have here is to act like an elephant - big ears for listening, small mouth for talking!

So, here’s my 3-steps to getting quick feedback: Think about what kind of questions you wish you could ask your website visitors. For example, maybe you want to know if your homepage copy makes sense. Or maybe you want to know what reservations people have about buying from you. Just pick one to three questions you’d like to start with.

Set up a free account in Survey Monkey and build your form. Make sure your questions are easy to understand.

Start gathering feedback by publishing your form on your website and sharing it on social media and to your email list. Interpret the data you get and decide if there are changes that could be made.

Pro-Tip: Make this part of your weekly marketing. Not a one-off, but an initiative that you’re always promoting, and whose findings you’re always learning from.

And here’s a great post providing 7 ways to gather customer feedback.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s idea is what I call my Email-Later Hack.

It's an idea laser-focussed on getting your emails opened by the right people.

As you build your business network, it’s important to connect with the right people. The problem is, the right people who can often help you the most, also happen to be the ones who have the busiest schedules. As a result, phone calls and emails can go unanswered, which can be frustrating to say the least.

[Tweet "Here's how to get your emails opened"]

So, if you’ve been having a hard time getting hold of important people lately, try scheduling your emails to be delivered at a time when you know the people you’re trying to reach aren’t as busy. I call this the the old Email-Later Hack.

So, here’s my 3-steps to making it work (based on the assumption that your email service provider is Gmail): Go ahead and install Boomerang, a simple free plugin that enables you to take control of when you send & receive emails.

Schedule a test email to send to one of your other email addresses. This is to make sure Boomerang is working properly before creating a send-later campaign for the heavy-hitters you’re keen to get a hold of.

If the test email you sent was delivered successfully, then it’s time to create send-later campaigns for the people you want to get a hold of.

Pro-Tip: Really consider the best times to schedule these emails. They may well differ for each person, although I find a good time is early morning, as my email will be near the top of the person’s inbox when they start their day. Oh, and be sure it includes an outrageously good headline

And here’s a headline analyzer tool to help you write effective email subject headlines.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s idea is to host a VIP event to grow your business.

When was the last time you held a live event for your clients? Living in such a virtual world these days, it may well have been quite some time. Well, once in awhile, it’s worth hosting an event in the physical world in an effort to get the word out about your business and connect with more leads.

The VIP Event is a strategy that can be particularly useful if you’re launching something new, have some ground-breaking news to share with your tribe or if you simply want to bring people together for some fun and networking. These types of events are also a great way to create some social buzz about your company in the weeks leading up to your event, and on the night of the event itself.

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating a VIP Event: Get clear on what kind of event you want to host and what your goals are. Do you want to network with more people in your industry? Do you want to build a new list of qualified leads to nurture? Do you want to get feedback on your products? Or do you simply want to throw a party for your best and most loyal customers?

Outline what you want to happen at the event, who you want to invite, and when and where it will happen. Set a budget for your event and start working on the logistics.

Break the rules. Too many business events are held in boring venues, serve boring food (if I see another fried wonton!), and stick to a boring running sheet. So challenge what businesses in your industry do by selecting a venue, menu and order of proceedings that will have your guests talking for weeks to come (for all the right reasons, of course!).

Pro-Tip: If event planning isn’t your thing, and cash flow allows, then bring in a professional to organise the whole event. That way, you can focus on working the room and having some fun.

And here's 42 Event Planning Tips for Small Businesses.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

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Today’s idea is focussed on how to create an eBook to help build trust with your prospects.

As a business owner, it’s probably safe to say that you possess a good amount of experience and knowledge on a particular subject, industry, or type of product.

You might be sharing your insight and expertise with other people on your team, in one-on-one conversations with customers, or in the blog posts that you publish on your website. But have you ever thought about packaging your advice, stories, and tips into an ebook or other type of downloadable resource?

It’s a great and pretty easy way to start getting the word out about your business, leveraging yourself as an industry influencer, and adding more email addresses to your list.

So, here’s my 3-steps on how to create an eBook: Decide on the topic and title of your ebook. To pick a topic, think about the most common questions you get from customers, review the content you’ve previously published on your blog or elsewhere, and do some initial keyword research to see what’s ranking well around the topic you’ve chosen.

Write an outline of your eBook … then write it! To keep it simple, consider a format based on say 9-points that answer a key question. For example, I might write a book titled 9 Secrets To Monetising Your Podcast – each chapter expanding on one point.

When you have your content ready, build your ebook using PowerPoint or Keynote or Canva, or hire a freelancer to help.

Pro-Tip: Create an simple opt-in form to place on your website. You want to put this form up as soon as you can so that you can start promoting your eBook, and collecting email addresses from people who are interested in reading it. This is a great way to build your email database.

To get you started here’s some resources:

Canva (a great way to design anything)

How to turn your blog posts into an eBook

eBook designers on Fiverr (whilst many just design covers, just ask if they’ll do the internal pages as well).

You'll find a truckload of other easy to implement marketing ideas here.

And if you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s idea will help you build your authority by creating your very own LinkedIN Group.

If you want to establish yourself as an industry influencer and connect with more business contacts, a great thing you can do is create a LinkedIn Group around a particular topic that relates to your business or industry. Doing so will not only enable you to lead the discussion on important topics, but it will give you great insights into what you’re tribe are thinking, and also be the source of great content for future blog posts or podcasts (you’re thinking of podcasting, right?!).

[Tweet "3 steps to creating your own LinkedIN group"]

So, here’s my 3-steps to creating your very own LinkedIN Group: Pick a topic that is relevant to your industry and that you’d love to discuss regularly with others.

Head over to LinkedIN and create a Group.

Invite all your LinkedIN contacts, clients and suppliers

Pro-Tip: Stick at it. In the first few days, weeks (maybe even months) it may feel like you're moderating a ghost town, but just keep posting interesting questions, opinions and content and at some point, your LinkedIN Group will develop a life of its own. I experienced this as I built The Small Business Big Marketing Club.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s idea is to create a Top Posts Review.

The problem with blogging regularly for your business is that sometimes your best blog posts and most-shared content gets buried over time as you continue to publish more and more content. So, as a marketer, it’s your job to implement a promotion strategy that keep these posts alive.

One great way to extend the life of your blog posts is by creating what I call a Top Posts Review, which is simply a compilation of your best and most shared blog posts from a particular time period. It could also include your most commented on social posts from the same period.

Lots of businesses publish this type of post, not because they’re interested in blowing their own horn, but because it’s a great way to get their best and most well-received content in front of new readers and potential customers.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating your own Top Posts Review: Compile a list of posts that received the highest traffic or engagement during a particular period of time. Or, you could compile a list of top posts that all relate to the same topic.

Decide how you want to share your list. For example, you could write a blog post, send out an email, or make an infographic, and start to create your Review. Write an interesting introduction that pulls readers in and keeps them reading. And add a 1 - 2 sentence summary for each post you include.

Publish your Top Post Review, making it easy for people to share by adding social buttons or links.

Pro-Tip: Include your review in the welcome emails you send out to new customers, boost it on Facebook and include a link to it in your email signature.

As always there’ll be links in the shownotes to any resources I mentioned over at www.smallbusinessbigmarketing.com/347.

And if you’d like help implementing any of the ideas I share in this segment, go ahead and joinThe Small Business Big Marketing Club - where Timbo will personally support you on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s idea is to optimise your customers’ Ah-ha! moment.

You can’t expect people to buy your product or sign up for your service until they’ve had their Ah-ha! Moment … that moment when the penny finally drops for them around your value proposition.

And the timing of that Ah-ha! moment happens is different for every business.

If you want to grow your business and convert more prospects, you have to find out what your Ah-ha! Moment is, and when it happens for the majority of the people who buy from you. Once you figure that out, your job is to do whatever it takes in order to get people to experience it.

Here’s my 3-steps to optimising your customers’ Ah-ha! moment: You can make assumptions about it, but the best way to really figure out when the penny drops for the majority of your customers is to simply ask them. So, make a plan to start asking for feedback from your them about when what you offered really clicked.

To gather feedback, use a few different methods - you could call them, email them or if you want to spend a few dollars, you could use a tool like Qualaroo or Intercom.

Once you feel that you’ve gathered enough feedback and you think you have a pretty good idea of what the Ah-ha! Moment is for the majority of your users, the next step is to optimise your onboarding process in order to get more people to experience their Aha! Moment and recognise the value of what you are providing.

Pro-Tip: To help get your eye in, think about businesses you love dealing with. Brands you love buying. Then ask yourself … when did the Ah-Ha! moment happen for you.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

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Today’s idea is to send out (as often as you can) hand-written thank-you letters.

We live in a pretty virtual world, right, where the most common forms of communication seem to be email, Facebook messages or a quick text. Not the most personal way of showing you care, and often sent with such a hurry that the autocorrect function can leave the sender more than a little red-faced. Unfortunately Timbo often ends up as Tomboy!

Now I don’t know about you, but my letterbox (you know that thing out the front of your house or business?!) is pretty empty these days. Well, not completely empty, I still seem to get a small tree's worth of direct mail catalogues each week, but very few thoughtful, hand-written letters.

In business and in life, saying the words “thank you” can be extremely powerful. In fact, one of the best ways you can boost customer loyalty and cement new customers is by expressing appreciation and gratitude to those who choose to buy from you. So, if you really want to impress and surprise your new, past and existing customers, send them a handwritten letter or card thanking them for their business.

Here’s my 3-steps to doing exactly that: So you’re not always having to create from scratch, compose a few templates you can use when it comes time to write a thank-you letter; and be sure to include a few spots where you can personalise things.

Develop a process for sending out these thank-you letters. If your business is still small, you can handwrite and send the letters yourself, or have one of your employees help you. If you’re growing too fast to do it all yourself, then hire a freelancer to help you, or use a letter-writing service like Letter Friend or Mail Lift (US only - great opportunity to start one in Australia).

Buy some cards, pens and envelopes and start sending. Set yourself the goal of sending one thank-you letter per day.

Pro-Tip: Take a listen to episode 236 with Steve Simms who takes this letter writing business to a whole nother level! It involves borrowing stationary from five-star hotels!

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

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Today’s idea is to give away a free branded T-shirt.

The word “free” is one of the most persuasive and powerful words in the English language. I mean Free Beer has to be one of the great headlines, right?!ZenDesk have a very cool T

In business, FREE is a great word to use in your marketing. Who doesn’t love the idea of getting free stuff?! One of the best and easiest ways you can build brand awareness, boost customer loyalty, and generate more enquiry is by giving away free company swag. But take note: not all swag is created equal. Do not make the mistake of wasting money on stuff that the average person ultimately just ends up throwing into a junk drawer like notepads, pens, stress balls, etc.

Give away free t-shirts instead. Why? Because people will actually wear them.

Here’s my 3-steps to creating a rock-star T: Create a few initial design options. Once you’ve decided on a final design, have your first batch of Ts made and sent to you using an online retailer or local print shop. Just Google online T shirt printer.

Start sending or giving your new t-shirts out to friends, prospects, social media followers, customers, and anyone else who requests one. And if you want to go the extra mile, then automate the entire process using a website like Printfection, who manage and distribute business’s promotional merch.

Follow up with everyone and ask them to send you photos of themselves wearing your t-shirt, or have them share it with you on Facebook or Instagram. Collect the photos and put them on a page on your website.

Pro-Tip: Nail your design. And pick a cool looking T. Remember, you want people to wear it, right?I like MailChimp's T

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club – where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So … what have you got to lose?!

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xxx

Today’s idea is to become a master blog commenter. Not a master blogger, that was last week’s idea. A master blog commenter.

You see, if you want to create more content partnerships and send more traffic back to your website, then you should seriously consider going out of your way to regularly comment on other blog posts from other companies around the web.

More often than not, when you leave a comment on a blog post, you get the opportunity to leave your website’s address - other blog visitors then read your comment, and if it’s any good, may well click on it and next thing you know, boom!, they’re on your website.Example of comments left on my blog

Here’s my 3-steps to doing exactly that: Find reputable blogs to leave comments on. You may already know some, you may need to ask others in your industry, you could search on Google, or (if you want to spend a few bucks) you could use BuzzSumo, which helps you find key influencers to promote your content.

Aim to leave two comments per week on other businesses blogs. And I don’t mean shallow comments like “Wow, great blog post!”. Go hard, add something new to the conversation. Maybe it’s an additional idea, maybe you have an opposing view … just make sure your comment has some depth.

Share the blog posts you comment on with your social media followers. Not only might they find it interesting, but the blogger will appreciate it and you’ll end up on their radar going forward. I gotta tell you, as a blogger myself, I absolutely love it when someone leaves a comment on one of my posts.

Pro-Tip: Bookmark the blogs you comment on and make a point to revisit them often. Or if you can, register to receive each new post as they get posted.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club - where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

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Today’s idea is to create a niche blogging strategy.

Now, you can’t blog just for the sake of blogging, or because someone told you that’s what you’re supposed to do. Nothing annoys me more than seeing a business’s blog where they simply share the awards they’ve won or some half-funny details about a new employee. Well, that’s actually not true, stepping on a piece of Lego annoys me more; But I digress … Back to blogging.

You have to have an intentional strategy in place in order for blogging to help your business in any way.

Consider implementing a Niche-Focused Blog Strategy. It works like this: instead of writing boring blog posts about your company, or generic posts that look like every other blog post from every other businesses in your industry, do something different. Think bigger. Create a niche specific blog that a very focused group of people will come to see and use as a resource to improve their lives.

Here’s my 3-steps to starting a niche blogging strategy: Familiarise yourself with other niche blogs. Analyse their headlines, their design layouts, writing styles, calls to action. Maybe there’s one you already follow, or you can check out my small business marketing blog.

Next, think about the people you are trying to reach. Who are they? What do they need help with? Use this information to come up with a new focus for your blog. I call it an Editorial Mission and detail how to create one in my book. Try to be uber-specific. When it comes to blogging, broad topics don’t work. People want specifics. Decide on your focus and come up with your first 10 post ideas - even if it’s just the headline for each.

Choose a blog theme for your website on Themeforest or WooThemes. Pick one that looks different than all the other blogs you see on business websites. Hire someone to help you install your theme and make sure to design it in a way so that it’s consistent with your brand.

Pro-Tip: Be consistent. Aim for posting one article per week.

If you’d like help implementing any of the simple marketing ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club - where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

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You can learn a lot about your prospects and the effectiveness of your website without actually having to talk to them. That’s not to say you shouldn’t go out of your way to gather feedback from people - you should. But there are also other strategies and methods you can use to gain the insight you need to make the right changes for your business.

One such way is by using monitoring tools to track how people use your website. Doing so gives you the opportunity to gather incredibly helpful, actionable data without having to bother your prospects.

And you know what they say, you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

So, here’s my 3-steps to implementing this tip: Create a account on Crazy Egg which is a tool that allows you to track ‘hot zones’ on your site. A ‘hot zone’ is like a heat maps that illustrates what people click on and what they ignore.

Use Crazy Egg to collect data about your website. Remember: your goal is to determine if there any any changes you can make that can help boost conversions.

Interpret the results and make any necessary changes to your website in order to attempt to in influence your visitors and boost conversions.

Pro-Tip: Never stop doing this. It becomes a rinse and repeat process. So you make the changes to your website, give it a few weeks, then go back and look at the Crazy Egg data again.

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Today’s idea is to tell your brand story.

Who doesn’t love a good story. In business, telling a good story can lead a potential customer to pick you over one of your competitors. Why? Because it emotionally engages them.

As a business owner, it’s important that you take the time to develop a compelling brand story that you can share - it’s an essential part of building your reputation and helping people understand why you do what you do, and how your business came to be.

Telling your brand story is also a great way to build trust and remind people that at the end of the day, your business is managed and run by real humans. I’m astounded at how many businesses (especially in the service industry) don’t do this.

Here’s a great example from the Four Frogs Creperie in Mosman, Sydney:

“We are four Frenchmen who came to Australia and loved it. We found beautiful beaches, a perfect climate and wonderful people. The one thing we couldn’t find? Excellent crepes.

In France we love our crepes: sweet for dessert, and savoury (we call them galettes) for a delicious meal, with a glass of cider or wine and some good company. They’re always made to order and are natural, fresh and delicious.

Australia, you give us so much, we give you our delicious crepes.”

So here’s my 3 step process for creating your brand story: Spend an afternoon thinking about what led you to starting your business, who was there to help you, and how you felt. Jot down a few pages of notes and create an initial outline.

Decide how you want to tell your brand story. Some choose to create a visual timeline that illustrates how their business came to be. Others like to tell their brand story on video, or with a combination of words and photos. Write the first draft and gather any supporting materials you’d like to include like quotes from others, old photos and footage, old logos etc.

Publish your brand story on your website, print it on a poster and hang it around your shop or office, share via social media.

Here's a brand story by Tom's Shoes, who chose to do theirs on video:

If you’d like help implementing any of the ideas I share, go ahead and join The Small Business Big Marketing Club - where I’ll personally support you on your marketing journey.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

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Today’s idea is to implement a Refer-a-Friend program.

Examples you would have seen are when Uber rewards you for inviting others to use their service; or the Tell Friends About Dropboxoffer on their app that gets you extra storage.

If you can keep your customers happy and deliver on your promises, they can become powerful lead generation tools. The question is, what can you do to motivate your customers to send new leads your way?

Sometimes it happens organically, but when you’re trying to make big waves, you can’t wait around for that to happen. So what can do you? Well, I’d develop a Refer-A-Friend Program; a simple way to reward people for sending qualified leads your way.

Here’s my three step process: Think about what you can offer as a reward to people for helping you convert more people. For example, you could give people things like discounts on products, gift vouchers, or my personal favorite … cold, hard cash. Try to come up with a reward that your customers will love.

Create an account with an online referral program like FriendBuy or Referralcandy - these tools can manage your entire referral program. Read through the onboarding documentation provided and start building your program.

Launch your referral program by writing a press release, emailing your existing clients, publishing a blog post, and sharing the news on social. Make sure that every new customer knows that your referral program exists from day 1.

As always there’ll be links in the show notes for the resources I mentioned.

So ... what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Have You Got To Lose? is a bite-size segment from the popular Small Business Big Marketing Show, in which host Timbo Reid gives you one simple yet effective marketing idea that you can implement immediately. An idea that won't cost a fortune (if anything), and that might just generate you more awareness, more enquiry, and ultimately more sales.

Today’s idea is to add Live Chat functionality to your website.

Now don’t freak out, Live Chat is just that little box you see in the bottom corner of some websites. Check out Cornerstone Business Solutions to see one in action.

It’s no surprise that you can learn a lot about your business by talking to your customers. It seems like such a simple concept, but it’s crazy how many business owners fail to actually take the time to have honest, open conversations with them.

So, they end up making decisions based on assumptions that aren’t always correct. If you want to grow your business and gain a better understanding of your precious customers, their pain points, their objections, and their needs, you really need to take the time to talk to them.

Unless you see your customers in person on a regular basis, I reckon it would be a good idea to be more proactive when it comes to communicating with them. Putting Live Chat on your website is a great way to get started.

Here’s how: Sign up and familiarise yourself with a live chat tool like Zopim, ZenDesk, FreshDesk - many have a free, no-obligation trial period.

Before you go live with it, decide who on your team is going to be in charge of managing and responding to the live chats, when you’re going to make the live chat available to visitors, and what your goals are. You should also come up with some clear guidelines that people can follow or refer to when responding to live chats. This is a great job for a virtual assistant - Get one here.

Launch Live Chat on your site, let your customers know it exists, and see how the first month goes.

There you go, another simple, low cost and effective marketing idea to implement immediately.

Afterall, what have you got to lose?!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Have You Got To Lose? is a bite-size segment from the popular Small Business Big Marketing Show, in which host Timbo Reid gives you one simple yet effective marketing idea that you can implement immediately. An idea that won't cost a fortune (if anything), and that might just generate you more awareness, more enquiry, and ultimately more sales.

Today’s idea is to create a product or service demonstration video.

Did you know that our brains process visuals 60,000x faster than text? With that in mind, it’s no surprise that videos have become one of the primary ways for businesses to educate consumers on their products and services.

Thanks to video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and the plethora of video creation software tools that now exist, it’s never been easier for businesses to create and share high-quality videos with prospects online.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know where to start. So, if you want to start experimenting with creating business videos, then start with a demo video. Most businesses that have an active presence online have one. Why? Because they’re helpful, they’re easy to make, and they’re great conversion tools.

Here’s my simple 3-step process: Get clear on what you want to focus on. Do you want to share a broad overview or a specific benefit?

Write a script. Since only your voice will be included, you can read it word for word. Your script should also include cues that help remind you what to show on your screen as you give your demo. Go through your entire demo 1-2 times before recording.

Use Camtasia, Jing or Google Hangouts to record your demo. When it’s ready, upload to YouTube and share it on your website. I’ll include an example of a demo video in this episode’s show notes.

There you go, another simple, low cost and effective marketing idea to implement immediately.

So, what have you got to lose?!

** Get weekly marketing inspiration to grow your small business by subscribing free to The Small Business Big Marketing Show.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Have You Got To Lose? is a bite-size segment from the popular Small Business Big Marketing Show, in which host Timbo Reid gives you one simple yet effective marketing idea that you can implement immediately. An idea that won't cost a fortune (if anything), and that might just generate you more awareness, more enquiry, and ultimately more sales.

Today’s idea is to use Google’s Related Searches which appear at the bottom of the search results page when you perform a search as the basis for creating helpful content.

Basically, it’s Google telling you what people also searched for based on your current search. And it’s a great way to generate relevant content ideas.

So, for example, I just did a search for how do I clean my carpet. I then scrolled to the bottom of the search results page and Google have offered up another eight related searches including how to clean my carpet without a machine and how to steam clean carpet.

If I ran a carpet cleaning business, I’d then start creating helpful content that answered these frequently searched questions. Do it well, and you’ll find your website rankings improve exponentially.

There you go, another simple, low cost and effective marketing idea to implement immediately.

So, what have you got to lose?!

** Get weekly marketing inspiration to grow your small business by subscribing free to The Small Business Big Marketing Show.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Have You Got To Lose? is a bite-size segment from the popular Small Business Big Marketing Show, in which host Timbo Reid gives you one simple yet effective marketing idea that you can implement immediately. An idea that won't cost a fortune (if anything), and that might just generate you more awareness, more enquiry, and ultimately more sales.

Today’s idea is to make 5 phone calls per day to people that have the potential to help grow your business.

They could include: Past clients - ring them and see what they’re up to Current clients - ring them and ask for some honest feedback Suppliers - Maybe it’s time to renegotiate your terms of business Journalists - Identify those that show an interest in your industry

Now, this may take you outside your comfort zone. That’s OK, that’s where the magic happens.

And if you want a stretch goal, then aim for 10 calls.

So, block out 30-minutes in your diary for tomorrow (or today) - just not next week! And go for it.

There you go, another simple, low cost and effective marketing idea to implement immediately.

So, what have you got to lose?!

** Get weekly marketing inspiration to grow your small business by subscribing free to The Small Business Big Marketing Show.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.