Author Archive | Andrew Soon-Foong

You send out an email to your list promoting your webinar replay. Of course, you might not call it a webinar replay because some people don’t want to sit through a recording that lasts for an hour or two.

They like what they read in the email.

They click over to the page with the replay.

They like the copy on that page… “This is interesting! Maybe I want to buy this… hmmm… let me click on this video…”

“ARGHHH!”

“Two hours long??”

“No way.”

They close the page.

And you just lost them.

Whoops.

What happened?

They liked what you said in the email. They really liked what you said on the page. But when they clicked the video and saw how long it was going to be, they abandoned ship.

How can you fix this?

A couple of thoughts…

First, tell them what they’re going DISCOVER in the video. Sell the video, not the product. Let them know the video is chock full of awesome, usable information. Invoke a strong sense of curiosity as well as the feeling they will miss out if they don’t watch it.

You might think of this step like a movie trailer… showing just enough of all the best bits to pull them to the screen and make them drool for more.

Second, don’t make the video two hours long.

Or even one hour long.

Make it about 10 minutes in length.

“Wait! I can’t sell my program in 10 minutes!”

You don’t have to because you’re going to use more than one video.

Here’s the key…

In the first video, hit the ground running and immediately give them something great such as a huge benefit and what they need to do to achieve it. Leave out the step-by-step instructions of how to do it because you’ll teach that in the paid course.

Then tell them what you’re going to reveal next…

And here you can either use a script that automatically brings up the second video, or if you’re not that fancy, give them the link.

The end of the first video sells them on watching the second video. The end of the second video sells them on watching the third video. They are binge watching your videos, something they are accustomed to thanks to streaming services like Netflix.

In each video, gently let them know that as great as this information is, paid members get the mother lode of life-changing or business-changing info. Using this method has a couple of advantages…

You are hyper aware that every second of video needs to either convey great info or sell them on watching the next video. You don’t allow yourself the business-killing luxury of being boring.

And the viewer gets pulled in bit by bit, much like a seduction. Done right, there’s no way they want to miss what’s in the next video. Throughout the process, viewers are being courted into purchasing your product.

Give it a try… I bet your conversions will increase dramatically.

Social media can be a great place to build your audience and your list. The trick, of course, is to be seen. Here’s how to make that happen…

Get in the game.

If you’re not posting, then you’re invisible. Increase your social media activity and your followers will grow.

To do this: Choose a posting schedule and stick to it. For example, 5 times a day on Twitter, 3 on Facebook and 3 on LinkedIn. Use a content curation app to schedule your posts. And know your audience so you can give them what they want.

Join the right communities.

From a business standpoint, communities are where the valuable conversations take place. Find your communities and join those groups to discuss your niche.

Don’t promote yourself or your products the moment you join. Instead, participate in the discussions and mention your product only when it’s the answer to someone’s question. Your goal here is to build relationships with your targeted audience.

Use great eye candy.

You already know that visuals attract eyeballs and make your content more shareable. No doubt you’re already using a visual on every post. But is your visual pulling its weight?

Instead of grabbing the first picture you see, think about what you want your visual to convey. What emotion should it evoke? Should it be playful? Happy? Heart-wrenching? Silly? Hopeful? Celebratory? If you’re not sure, think about your message.

Then choose something that really sings. HINT: You can’t go wrong with pictures of people’s faces – we’re wired to look at others.

Build your own advocacy group.

Studies show that social media advocates increase the credibility of your messages. It’s a form of social proof when other people Tweet your latest blog post or post a link to your latest podcast. Not to mention the extended reach of your advocates.

And did you know your message is more likely to go viral if others are promoting it rather than you? It just makes sense. So start building your own team of people who post for you. They could be happy customers, vendors, virtual assistants and so forth.

You might even have a reciprocal agreement with other marketers to promote each other’s content.

There you have it… 4 reliable ways to take your social media marketing to the next level. Post more often, join the right communities, make the very most of your photos and build your advocacy groups.

Write these down and choose one to do this week, one next week and so forth, until all four are an integral part of your social media marketing efforts.

There are times in our lives where we are compelled to stop and take a look at ourselves and ask the question: Who am I?

Obviously there are several follow up questions to that one, most often: Am I happy? Or What do I want now? But really all the follow-up questions we might ask are simply extensions of the first: Who am I?

We might ask that question on the eve of graduation from high school, or university, just before we start that first job, as we enter that first or last relationship, begin a family, buy a house, or start a business.

How do you answer that question? What would you identify yourself as?

Each of us is unique in the world, but we also each try to conform to a type. A mother, a father, a husband, a wife, a professional, an employee, an employer, an entrepreneur. You tell yourself that you are the role you are in.

Whatever you think fits you most comfortably is what you conform to. That is what you think you owe to yourself and others to be. And of course, you want to be that to the best of your ability.

In the case of building an online business, we are entrepreneurs.

So let us look at that word and honor what it really means to fit into that role. Our goal isn’t the financial gains, since for the entrepreneur that is simply a scorecard. Our role is to gain independence and freedom, to follow our passions and to dream bigger than a normal 9-5 job would allow you to.

It is to see gaps in the market that others don’t and to not be afraid to take risks and leaps in investment. Being an entrepreneur is often to follow your gut feelings and to want more: to see the bigger picture.

You have to be who you are in this world, in accordance with how you define yourself no matter what, and as always – remember that money is not the only goal – the journey is!