Last night I went to a small business marketing event hosted by the ladies of WINK.  There we were, all 40 of us, business cards in hand, eagerly awaiting the keynote speaker’s presentation.  And then, a woman attending the event made her way to the front of the room.  Hard to know for sure, but I’m guessing she was in her early 50‘s.  She was wearing metallic silver heels, sheer black nylons, hot pink shorts, a blouse that was cut way too low and some accessories, that well, let’s just say, didn’t do much for her.  She introduced herself as Bambi.  Bambi the banker. And proceeded to share her 60 second commercial in an effort to persuade us to open an account with her.  Uh…I was verklempt. (Still am.)

In my last post, “Small Business Marketing – Profile Pictures That Work,” I wrote, “how you market yourself, is just as important as how you market your small business–because when you’re in business for yourself, you are your business. Your tone of voice, your clothes, your profile picture, your attitude–it all communicates something. The question is, are you marketing yourself effectively?”  Suffice it to say, Bambi the banker didn’t have a chance to read my blog before appearing at our professional networking event last night.  So Bambi, this post is for you and all of the other small business owners out there that need to brush up a bit on personal marketing.

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to chat with Melissa Murray, owner of Mosaic Siren, a professional image and style consulting company.  Consider Melissa the equivalent to the “What Not To Wear” crew without the horrific 360 moment.  She’s the go-to-girl when a professional knows they need to transform their image to increase their confidence and make a great impression. During our chat, Melissa brought up a very interesting point, saying something to the extent of, “every single person we meet is a possible gateway to the client/job that we want.  It’s entirely possible that they could deliver us to the doorstep of our dream opportunity.”

Hmmm…that struck me as something that I should definitely chew on.  Afterall, what is it that they say about the 6 degrees of separation between Kevin Bacon and um, everyone else on the planet? Melissa might be right.

Statistics show that first impressions are made within the first six seconds of meeting someone for the first time. What you say only accounts for 7% of the perception made of us, 35% is how you say it (your tone of voice), and a staggering 55% is based purely on how you look – the way you stand, the clothes you wear and your personal grooming. Yowzas!

All of these factoids beg us to ask this question: if every single person we meet is a possible gateway to our next gig, and if 55% of our first impression is based purely on how we look, exactly how should we dress?  Here’s Melissa’s professional recommendation.

“Know who your audience is and dress your best, regardless of the dress code of the organization you are meeting with. If you are in doubt, it is best to err on the side of conservatism. It is much better to be overdressed than underdressed. Wear attire that is clean, wrinkle free, fits properly and makes you feel fabulous! Don’t wear a jacket you cannot button, you have to stretch to be able to button or items that are too large and look sloppy.

You can never go wrong with a classic suit. In general, dark clothes put the emphasis on your face and eyes…and during a first meeting, keeping the emphasis on your face and eyes will help you establish credibility and your audience will more readily listen to what you have to say versus being distracted by bright colors or prints. If you wear a dark suit, be sure to warm it up with a shirt that compliments your eyes, skin tone and hair color. If you opt for a white shirt, be sure the white shirt is not whiter than your teeth or the whites of your eyes, because if it is, it can make your teeth appear yellow. Also, your jewelry and accessories should accentuate your features and not overpower them. Pearls and/or small earrings keep the focus on your face and not your jewelry. Nevertheless, wear jewelry that is proportionate to your face and body shape.

For men, opt for a dark suit, a blue shirt or a tie that has blue in it. It is perceived that men who wear blue are more loyal, confident and dependable. Cuff links are a great way to polish off a suit.

Shoes should be polished and/or cleaned with no tears in the leather. Hair should be neatly groomed. If you wear facial piercing, it might be a good idea to take them out when meeting a client. By the same token, if you have visible tattoos, you should wear attire that covers them for your meeting. Again, you do not want anything to detract from your face and eyes.

Understand that most people cannot buy clothing off the rack and have it fit properly…even if a woman is a size 4 or 6! So, find yourself a good tailor and have them on speed dial! Clothing that does not fit properly will result in you fidgeting and feeling less confident.”

Great advice, Melissa. But many of us have a problem. We’re small business owners. Our budgets are extremely tight.  So how do we avoid breaking the bank when shopping for professional attire?

“Have a budget and stick to it. When you go shopping, shop with intent and purpose vs. wandering around the stores waiting for a sales associate to make recommendations that do not fit your needs, lifestyle or body type. Make a list of what you need. If you can’t make a list, you shouldn’t hit the mall! Also, have those “orphan” pieces in your car in a bag, so when you do go shopping, you can have them with you to mix and match. “Orphan pieces” are those tops or bottoms that you have in your closet that you purchased, love, yet can’t find anything to match.

You don’t need a closet full of clothing. The fact is; most people only wear approximately 1/3 of what is in their closet. Almost everyone I work with tends to have a significant amount of clothing in their closet that doesn’t fit, is outdated or has some kind of emotional attachment. In your closet you should have:

• clothes that fit TODAY, are age & business appropriate
• no matter what your job is, everyone needs at least one POWER SUIT
• depending on your profession, 2-3 media-ready ensembles that are clean, pressed and ready to go for those last minute appearances
• absolutely no items the do not belong in the same closet as your clothing (i.e. file cabinets, paperwork, cleaning/bathroom supplies, Halloween costumes, electronic items)
• proper lighting so you can see what you do have”

Whew!  Did ya’ll catch that? I know I’ve got some serious work to do. Oy vey–I probably have a range of 4 sizes hanging in my closet right now–after all my body has blown up and down and up and down several times since I started my family.  Can any of you relate?  I think it’s time for us to carve some time out of the schedule so that we can clear the clutter.  Who’s in?

About the author:
Stephanie Nivinskus is thrilled to inform you that Bambi was a fictional character–arriving at our networking event for the sole purpose of making a point: first impressions matter.  If you’re a female business owner in the San Diego area, I invite you to join me at the next WINK networking event. We learn a ton, have loads of fun and make memories with people like Bambi. Contact Gina Alagata for more information at winkgina@gmail.com  And if you’re now convinced that you never want to risk pulling a Bambi moment yourself, by all means, contact Melissa at 858.750.0234 or Melissa@MosaicSiren.com or better yet, show up the WINK meeting on August 16th and meet her in person!

Facebook friends, Twitter followers, LinkedIn links and You Tube subscribers, this is post is for you.  As you know, my blog is all about small business marketing. It’s filled with tips, tools, techniques and resources to help you market your small business more effectively.  For the most part, this means that I teach you things like how to enhance your social media profiles and how get better results from your e-mail campaigns. But today’s post will be a little different–as it begins a series on marketing yourself.

Let’s think on this for a moment.  In this digital age, information is exchanged faster than ever before. In mere seconds a prospect can Google your name and potentially find out all kinds of things about you. For example, Facebook might pull up a picture of you partying last weekend.  Twitter might pull up your gripe about this or that.  Do you see where I’m going here? How you market yourself, is just as important as how you market your small business–because when you’re in business for yourself, you are your business. Your tone of voice, your clothes, your profile picture, your attitude–it all communicates something. The question is, are you marketing yourself effectively?

Recently I had the pleasure helping ladies write their bios at the Ladies Who Launch “Extreme Bio Makeover Event.” After I was finished writing, I had my headshot taken by professional photographer, Patricia Bean of Briscoe Productions.  I gave Patricia quite the challenge:  “Make me look like me, without the post-baby belly, dark under eye circles and this zit. Can you do that?” With a chuckle, cool lights and a fancy camera at her finger tips, she started to work her magic.  But it didn’t start with her camera. The magic started with her words.  Before she took even one shot, she paused and asked me, “What do you do? And who is your target market?” Music to my marketing ears!  A photographer that considers target market? WOW. I went on to answer her question and then she positioned me very intentionally — leaning into a chair with my tummy sucked in and my bum pushed out.  And I’ll tell you that the position alone did something marvelous–for the first time ever, I felt completely at ease in front of the camera.  I actually felt like me! Like my personality wasn’t being shoved in the closet for the photoshoot–but rather that Patricia was bringing out my very best and capturing it on film.  The result? A polished, professional headshot that I was actually pleased share.  Magic. Pure magic.

Now what does this have to do with small business marketing? Everything. Folks, look at your social media profile picture & the picture you’re using in your brochure.  Are you using a cropped image that you grabbed from a group snapshot?  Is your picture too dark or overexposed? What’s in the background? Can people make out the features of your face? Trust me on this, your clients will Google you. And they will find you.  Are they going to find a professional portrait? An image of you at your best? They should.  Maybe it’s time for you to schedule a photo session. Here are just a few tips that Patricia has to ensure that you get the shot you want and need to market yourself effectively.

1.  Wear clothes that represent how you want to be perceived by your target market.  Consider solid colors and intriguing necklines.

2.  A professional makeup artist can make a big difference.  Look for one that is familiar applying makeup for the camera. If you’re going to do your own makeup, use a matte foundation or mineral powder and matte lipstick.  Stay away from glitter eye shadow and lip gloss.

3.  Consider your market when deciding how you’ll style your hair.  If you are hip and your clients work with you because of your creativity, your hairstyle should look different than someone working in the legal field.

4.  Do what you can to come prepared, rested and feeling good about how you look.

Moral of the post? Consider how you’re marketing yourself (and subsequently, marketing your small business). Change it if you need to. Because remember, you are your business. And people are watching.

About the author:

Stephanie Nivinskus thinks you really ought to hire Patricia. For just $250 she’ll offer you a 90 minute session with multiple clothing changes, a private proof gallery and 2 of your favorite poses sized and optimized for the web and print. It’s a slam dunk.

This is ROCKIN’ hot! If you have a LinkedIn profile (which you should by the way…if you don’t, get one pronto), you can now add the Slideshare application for FREE and upload a video and audio clip. This means that every time someone checks out your LinkedIn profile, they will now be able to hear your voice and watch your short video while scanning the text you’ve written for your profile. Talk about bringing a LinkedIn profile to life! No more hiding behind the silent wall–folks, this is social media on steroids! This is just one more example of how you can use social media to reach out to your target market and establish those business connections that lead to the relationships that generate revenue.  The best part? This is so easy.  Here are the steps:

1) Create a short video (short means less than 3 minutes–ideally 1-2) and upload it to YouTube. Make sure your settings are adjusted to make your video public.

2) Create a page in word, powerpoint, or the mac equivalent. My page simply has a picture of my business card with info on how to follow up with me. Save it to your desktop.

3) Upload the page to Slideshare.com (you’ll need to open a free account).

4) Click the link to add your YouTube video

5) Add the slideshare application to your LinkedIn profile (it’s free)

***poof!!*** Your LinkedIn profile has just come to life! You are a rockstar!! Try it. And make sure you post a comment here once you’re done so that we can all go have a look at your new masterpiece.  Don’t want to spend the time doing this? Call me. Yep, I’ll do it for you for a reasonable price. It’s a good day, ain’t it?!

About The Author

Stephanie Nivinskus could not wait to share this awesome tool with you!  Her husband thinks she’s turned into quite the techy nerd. She thinks he’s just jealous. What do you think?

I’m verklempt. I just dug through a bag of promotional items. You know, the free giveaways that you pick up at trade shows, sporting events, conferences and such.  Oh my word.  Some of this stuff is SO bad. Do the world (and your pocketbook) a favor: if you’re going to invest in promo items, make sure they are useful & designed well.  Watch this video for a few ideas on the good, bad and seriously ugly world of promotional marketing items.  You’ll know exactly what NOT to do and you’ll get a few ideas on what you MUST do to make them an wise investment. Let’s go:

Are you confident that you know how to find your ideal customer? If he/she walked right in front of you, would you know it? How?  Just who is your ideal customer?

Once upon a time, I was challenged to re-consider who my ideal client was. Before the challenge I would have said “my ideal client is a small business owner that needs help marketing their business.”  Wanna know what I say now? Let me quote:

“My ideal customer is a small business owner with no internal marketing department.  They’re forward-thinking and eager to embrace new marketing techniques. They’re mystified by social media, overwhelmed at the thought of building a website and/or paralyzed when it comes to writing marketing content.  And yet, they yearn to use these tools to grow their business.  Their greatest problem is that they can’t afford to hire an internal marketing manager or a big advertising agency and because they don’t have the time, know-how and/or interest in personally handling their marketing projects, they aren’t growing as rapidly as they could.  They’re ready to invest financially so they can take their business to the next level.”

Big difference, huh?  Yep, I thought so, too.

This was such a powerful exercise for me. My former definition of an ideal customer was so broad and so vague.  Truth be told, I very well may have collided head first with my ideal customer at some point and not even realized it (gasp!)  I have to wonder how many hours (days?) I wasted romancing the wrong client!  No wonder my conversion rates weren’t as high as I thought they should be!

Are you struggling with your conversion rate? Talking to tons of people and still missing the mark? Attracting the wrong kind of customers? Perhaps it’s time for you to buckle down and clearly identify who your ideal customer is, too.  Here are 3 questions that you must answer when you describe your ideal customer:

1) What’s their problem? (it’s gotta be something you can solve, otherwise, they’re out).

2) What’s the consequence of them not addressing their problem (it’s gotta be big enough to motivate them to do something).

3) What are they willing to do about it?  (it’s gotta be something that motivates you to share your expertise, otherwise, they’re out).

I’d love to see what you come up with. Who knows? I might be able to hook you up with your next big one!  If you know who you’re looking for, and you share it with me and the rest of your network, chances are, you’ll find this customer a lot faster. Now, get busy!

About The Author

Stephanie Nivinskus feels empowered–sorta like Wonder Woman actually! If you see her running around town with a cape, don’t be surprised. But have no fear, that’s where the costume ends. No way, no how will you get her to wear the rest of that get-up.

Now that you know how to write a killer subject lines and powerful content, let’s get into the elements of excellent e-mail design.  Here we go:

• Keep it simple. Less is more.  Use no more than 3 colors and 3 fonts types and sizes.  White space is good. When your design is crowded with too many images and too many words, your readers will go into overwhelm mode really fast. And we all know that means that they’re just seconds away from hitting the big “delete” button.
• Make it relevant. Who is your target market?  Remember, you want your design to appeal to them. If you do not consider yourself to be part of the market you’re targeting, that may mean designing something that you don’t personally like. That’s okay. Remember, it’s all about them. Pick images that support your product & service and images that your target market will relate to.
• Ask permission. Then ask again. The CAN-SPAM act requires you to provide a way for e-mail recipients to unsubscribe from receiving messages. Best practices insist that you ask permission to continue sending e-mail at the top of your message and then provide a prominent unsubscribe link at the bottom.
• Focus on the fold & especially on the preview pane. “The fold” is the part of your message that your readers can see without scrolling.  Your call to action, headlines, and most important images should all be above the fold. The preview pane is the small window in your e-mail that allows you to preview the content of a message without actually opening it.  Make sure your e-mail is “pane-worthy”– your most powerful content and images must appear in the pane.
• Be consistent. One way to scream “rookie” is to have your company website and your e-mail design look completely different. Consistent branding is critical. You want to etch an image in your market’s mind.  Everything from your website, to your business card, to this, that and everything else you use to market your business should be designed with the same look and feel.
• Test it. Just because your design looks great in Hotmail, that doesn’t mean it’s going to look great when someone opens it using Outlook or Yahoo or anything else. And just because it looked good last week, it doesn’t mean it will look good this week.  E-mail clients function differently. You either need to conduct tests across the most common e-mail clients or you need to build your e-mail using a template from a company that does the dirty work for you. I use AWeber and I LOVE it (and yes, I will receive an itty bitty referral credit if you click on that link and decide to do biz with them. So go ahead, clickity click!)

About The Author

Stephanie Nivinskus thinks it’s time for each and every one of you to write an e-mail based on the tips from this series and then post a comment telling her how awesome she is.

In my first post on e-mail marketing,  How To Write And Design E-mails That Sell – The Power of a Subject Line, I told you that a well-crafted e-mail will generate new business, repeat business and referrals.  And that’s true. But in order for those things to happen, the recipients of your e-mail must actually read what you write.  So how do we move them past opening your e-mail to actually reading it?  Follow the 80/20 rule.  I know, I know, you’re sending your e-mail because you want to sell something.  You’ve just finished creating your masterpiece–an e-mail with fancy graphics and tons of specials and promotions reserved just for your VIP customers.  And here I am telling you to re-write 80% of your content. And to write new content that focuses on everything except what you’re selling. Now why, oh why, would I do such a thing?  I have two words for you: it works. Seriously, who actually likes reading e-mail ads?  Not you. Not me. Not him. Not her.  And if nobody likes it, well, we better not do it. The fastest way to get your e-mail thrown in the trash is to make your e-mail all about you. And that’s exactly what you’re doing if you’re not following the 80/20 rule.  Write your content for your readers. Your content should do one or more of the following:

• Answer questions. You’re an expert. Act like one.  Write like one. Make a list of the common questions your prospects and customer ask. Then answer them one at a time in your e-mails.  Be a problem solver. Everybody likes people that solve problems.
• Refer them to other useful resources.  Remember, it’s all about them, not you, so don’t be afraid to link to other helpful resources in your e-mail.  If you’re a retail store owner consider sharing a link to another store that sells non-competitive merchandise that compliments yours. If you’re a real-estate agent, share a mortgage broker link. If you sell skincare, share links to YouTube videos on how to apply makeup.  Find something useful and share it. That’s what this is all about.
• Write purposefully. Make sure your content is timely.  If you’re in financial services business, write about what’s happening in the market today, and how it could affect your readers tomorrow.  If you’re in the fashion business, write about runway trends.  Are you following me? While you’re working on that, be certain that your content is accurate.  The fastest way to lose a reader is to share inaccurate content.  Boom. Lost. Don’t go there. Check your facts. Finally, write thought-provoking content.  Make your readers think.  Give them something to talk about. Something to forward on to a friend.  (oooo….now we’re onto something. Viral marketing. Oh but I digress. That’s another post.)

Not sure where to find timely inspiration?  Check out one of my favorite sites.  This site is so delicious. It literally spells out what people are loving online.  Search under keywords related to your industry and you’re sure to find plenty of inspiration.

Watch your in-box. Tell me about the e-mails you’re receiving that have useful content with a little sales copy sprinkled in.  In fact, do me a favor and copy and paste it into the comments box so we can have a look at what’s working.  Let the learning never end.

About The Author

Stephanie Nivinskus can’t stop thinking about how much she really wants to eat a giant hot fudge brownie sundae right now. Someone should write an e-mail all about hot fudge brownie sundaes. Stephanie will be your first reader.

Rumor has it, many of you have collected e-mail addresses that belong to your potential and existing customers.  How are you using them? Are you getting results? A well-crafted e-mail will generate new business, repeat business and referrals. This post is the first in a series called “How to Write and Design E-mails That Sell.”

Let’s chat about subject lines. This may very well be the most important post in this series. Subject lines exist to help your target market determine if they should even read your message. You can create the most compelling message ever seen, and yet, if your subject line prevents your recipient from opening it, it’s worthless.  Here are tips for creating a subject line that prompts the recipient to open your e-mail:

1) Limit it to 40 characters or less. Subject lines longer than this will often be cut off & unseen. Keep your subject line short, sweet and to the point.

2) Include numbers.  People like quantifiable benefits.  There is power in numbers.  Tell your readers how many benefits they’ll get if they take the time to read what you’ve written.

3) Offer a benefit that creates curiosity. We’re all bombarded with e-mails. To prevent your e-mail from going straight into the trash, tell your recipients how reading your message will benefit them. Use your expert knowledge to solve problems, answer questions and teach tips and tricks that your target market is interested in. Then sprinkle it with a little sales copy. Then write a subject line that makes your recipients confident that your e-mail is worthy of their time and attention.

4) Include a sense of urgency.  People respond to deadlines. Tell your readers that they have a limited amount of time to take advantage of the offer inside.

5) Make the first word in your subject line a verb such as get, learn, find or win. Every subject line should be written in a way that answers the most important question every recipient on your list has: “what’s in it for me?”

If you’re new to writing, be patient with yourself. It takes a little practice to learn how to write subject lines that work. Experiment. And while you’re learning you might want to check this tool out.

What has worked for you? We’d love for you to post a comment and let us know.

P.S. My next post is all about content–do’s and don’ts and everything in between.  Stay tuned!

About The Author

Stephanie Nivinskus has been writing subject lines that sell for 10 years. It all started when her boss forced her to learn how to market on the internet.   She intends to refer to this awesome list of tips often so she can remember her own good advice.

Last week I went to Disneyland to celebrate my son’s sixth birthday. We enjoyed a perfect day at the Happiest Place on Earth.  And it got me thinking. Why is Disneyland the happiest place on Earth? What do the mucky mucks at the park do to ensure that their ‘guests’ have an unforgettable experience?  And then, the answer hit me.  Like a brick falling on my head. What exactly does Disneyland do? Everything. Yes, I mean everything. The customer service at Disneyland is impeccable.  They pay attention to every teeny tiny detail.  Nothing goes unnoticed. Nothing goes undone.  Everything is just, well…taken care of.  From having a spotless park (I dare you to find a piece of trash on the ground) to fast pass ride tickets (for those that don’t care to wait in line) to apples in the snack carts (for the healthy folk that don’t want to live on cotton candy alone), Disneyland has addressed every single detail.

So what can we, as small business owners, learn from Disneyland’s example?  Customer service matters. A lot. More than anything, actually.  We can sell the most amazing product ever, and yet, if we don’t serve our customers, we’ll stop selling. Period. Because people talk. A lot. And if our customer service lacks, word will spread. FAST.

Where does customer service start? By instilling pride in every person that works with or for you.  Pride in the company. Pride in their position.  Pride in experience they are helping to deliver to the consumer.  After all, everyone is part of the team.   Just ask my husband, a former bus boy at Disneyland. How many professional, successful 40-something’s do you know that actually look back on their bus boy days with fondness and pride?  My husband does. He was part of the Disneyland family. It didn’t matter that he was cleaning up crumbs. He was a professional crumb cleaner.  A critical component in the guest experience. Crumb cleaner, shrumb cleaner. Not at Disneyland.He was never made to feel “less than” the mucky mucks. Instead, he knew he was a vital part of the overall team. He was a bus boy AND a mucky muck. Because everyone is a mucky muck that works at Disneyland.

How are you instilling pride in your team? How are you instilling pride in yourself? Are you taking care of the little things that your customers value? Are you providing apples in the cotton candy cart? Fast pass tickets for people that don’t want to wait? What are you doing to meet the your customer’s needs before they even know that they have them?  What are you doing to ensure that your customers walk away delighted and eager to tell the world about the great experience that they had working with you?  Please hit that little red comment tab below and tell us.

About the Author

Stephanie Nivinskus is a mucky muck and proud of it. You are too. Fluff your feathers, friends.