RAME Step 5 Communication Strategy

How will you communicate with your customers and potential customers?

Get clear on your methods and then pick 2 or 3 only.  That’s it for now.  It’s okay to have a huge marketing strategy later (if needed), but for now pick 2 or 3 maximum. Ie. Write articles and set up a new facebook like page  (from this you can create blog content or newsletters.  It’s okay to repurpose this content).

There are really 3 ways to communicate that I highly recommend.
  1. Regular email updates (newsletter, quick tips or news)
  2. Website with blog (this can be easy, although sometimes we make it complex)
  3. Pick up the phone

Your Newsletter

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the idea of having to do everything. It can be very simple.

  1. Write a list of topics/headings that will answer “your ideal clients” problems
  2. Plot these topics into an editorial calendar (like the one I’ve included in the resource section) – This really helps you to see holidays and opportunities to promote in advance.  Some people copy this calendar into their Google Calendars.
  3. Plot out the products or services you’d like to promote in each newsletter
  4. Include a section that talks about you (ie. “This is where I’ll be this month”)
  5. Re-use the content from your newsletter in your blog.

 Your website

Outsource your new website design but also learn the basics of wordpress so you can update it with new content regularly.  Take back control of your website & the time you spend online. But you don’t need to learn everything about WordPress – it can be time consuming)

One more thing about websites.  Please don’t spend too much money at this phase on logo and website design.  There’s a good chance you’ll be making changes again soon & the flexibility of a program like WordPress will allow you to make complete theme changes quickly and very inexpensively.  I’ve seen basic wordpress websites set up from as little as $100 – $2000.

Let your current clients know about the changes

  • Ask them for testimonials (suggested format available in resources section)
  • Ask them for referrals
  • Promise them a signed copy of your book as a thank you for their loyalty (or something else after you’ve launched the new business)
  • An article can become a blog post, can be read out loud & downloaded as an MP3, turned into a video, spoken into a video, posted to youtube and linked through twitter and facebook, broken down into a tiny 7 part e course, grouped together with other similar articles to become a brand new product.  Or print out to hand out at presentations, add action steps in a handout, turn into a brochure for a tradeshow, ad content to your membership site, tack it up on a community board with your contact information.

Repurpose your content

Resources:

  1. Testimonials that work
  2. Editorial Calendar

 ***CHECK IN**** How are you doing financially?  Are you on track?  You’re probably 3 weeks into this plan by now.  Are you still focusing on your highest profit margin projects?

It’s easy to get off track –sometimes when we’re making big life changes health issues & family problems flare up.

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Skills

Posted on

November 1, 2013