Today I’m announcing a new marketing presentation I’ve created for freelance professionals called the Freelance Marketing Machine.

This presentation and website are a bit of a departure from what I normally put out there, so I’m hoping you’ll check it out and share your feedback.

I created this presentation for freelance professionals like you who struggle with marketing their services (I know I sure used to!). The fact is, we’re not trained to market our services; we’re trained to draw, write, program, code, photograph, etc. But as you know, all the talent in the world means squat unless someone is buying your stuff.

To make matters worse, all you hear about how to market yourself is to use Google AdWords, the Yellow Pages and other paid advertising, and those things all cost money and have low return with services like ours.

A few years ago, I was in dire need to market my freelance business. The problem was my wife and I couldn’t afford to buy groceries, let alone spend $20 a day on Google AdWords or $1200 per year on the Yellow Pages. So without a large advertising budget, what are you as an independent freelance professional supposed to do to get the word out about your services?

Out of necessity I started researching cheap, effective marketing techniques that actually get results, and within a couple of months, my business was already starting to see signs of life. And while it took me a little while before my wife and I could afford to eat at fancy restaurants, we now enjoy an all-natural organic diet.

Now I’ve put the best techniques I’ve found together in one presentation!

The freelance marketing techniques I discuss in detail in the presentation are:

• The “Low-Maintenance” Method For Getting Referrals
• Easy Self-Promotion
• Effective Online Marketing (Other than Facebook and Twitter)
• Cronyism (a.k.a. Networking)
• Give To Get (Getting Clients Through Free Charitable Donations)

So why don’t you go give it a try? Here’s the link again.

Oh, by the way, there’s a special bonus presentation once you get on the inside. It’s a video on how I attract ideal clients, and I’ve never shared it with anyone before (but I can tell you it works brilliantly for me).

So go check out the presentation(s), and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Are You Smarter Than A Freelancer?
2. The Sneaky (And Effective) Body Language Trick That Increases Sales
3. Why Your Marketing Fails

After my last post about the psychology of body language mirroring, my old high school friend Sidney commented that since most of his sales calls are over the phone, he uses a technique called verbal mirroring (or vocal mirroring). You use this technique to match the tone, intensity and jargon of the person you are speaking with over the phone. I had learned about the psychology of vocal mirroring from my mom, who is a public relations expert, so I told a few people about it. They couldn’t believe that something like this existed, so I decided to make a video about it.

In this video, I also describe a disarming technique that allows you to take a frustrated or aggressive caller and get them to be more friendly and open with you. Basically, you calmly yet forcefully ask the person to explain what they want. Simply by venting, they will calm down a bit and you can then use the vocal mirroring technique to make them feel more comfortable. In fact, I used this just the other day, and the woman who called me and was super aggressive ended up being one of the nicest people I’ve spoken with in a long time!

Also, I screwed up in the video. Turns out that the woman from the non-profit organization who called me the other day is named Angie (not Alice), and she works with the Children of Promise Mentoring Program here in Iowa City. It’s a really great organization, and I’m happy that in the end I am able to help them out.

So, what do you think about these new videos I’m making? If you like ‘em, love ‘em or hate ‘em, let me know! Also, please Leave a comment and let me know when you use these vocal mirroring techniques or how you’ve used them in the past because I’ll use your feedback for future content. Thanks!

Related posts:

1. The Sneaky (And Effective) Body Language Trick That Increases Sales
2. Your brand is greater than the sum of its parts

Update: You should also check out my video on the psychology of verbal mirroring.

Hey, this is my first YouTube video, so be kind! If you have trouble loading the video, you can watch it here. I recorded this today because I literally just used this technique and I’m interested to know if you are interested in seeing more of this type of thing.

I discovered this simple body language technique from a $0.99 iTunes audiobook about four years ago, and it has been an incredibly effective in-person sales technique! Basically, the technique, called “mirroring” allows your body language and your client’s body language to be in sync. This helps them like you more (because they think you’re like them), and it also helps you get them to literally open up to your sales presentation. Awesome, right?!?

This technique uses some pretty interesting social psychology that shows that we like and respond best to people who are who are most like ourselves. I’m not exactly sure why this is (there is research to support it), but I just try to remember that “like attracts like.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a meeting with a “scary boss” and left the room thirty minutes later with him feeling like I was a good friend and ally. And trust me, I’m no expert, so if I can do, you can too!

By the way, I have a new newsletter that I’m starting (over on the right side of my website). If you haven’t yet, you should subscribe because I’m going to try to put some really awesome “off blog” content there just for the newsletter subscribers (I’ll be kicking this thing into gear around mid-March).

Anyway, let me know if/when you try this sneaky mirroring technique and how well it works for you.

Related posts:

1. The Psychology Of Verbal Mirroring Used By Top Sales Professionals

Okay, I admit it: I’m writing this more for me than for you. But you might get something out of it anyway.

We marketers are selfish, selfish beings. 99 times out of 100 we create new products and marketing campaigns because of what we want, rather than in response to what consumers need.

Sure, as diligent, Seth Godin-trained marketers, we try to demonstrate how our product addresses consumer needs and desires by showing all of the benefits it provides, but usually only after we’ve created the product or at least defined our end goal. That is too late in the game.

Successful marketing campaigns start with products that are created in response to real consumer desire (rather than creating the desire after the fact).

“But wait,” I hear you say. “If I could just get 1,000 people to buy at $197, that’s like $197,000, and my product is a bargain at that price!”

As true as this may be, if that’s how you’re thinking, you’re at the wrong end of the equation, and I seriously doubt your ability to get 1,000 people to buy. Even marketers like Brian Clark think about consumer desire first, despite his huge tribe that will buy just about anything he stamps his name on.

I think the over-abundance of Internet marketers and “make millions now” products have created an opportunity for those of us who are creating authentic valuable content. The trick is getting noticed in a sea of free products and $1 trials, and the way to do that is to begin with what consumers need most: products that are truly created for them (and killer JV partnerships).

Related posts:

1. The 5 Most Effective Marketing Strategies For Freelancers
2. Can marketers borrow authenticity from children?
3. Increase your brand’s value in a recession

Just a few minutes ago, I had the answers to all the world’s problems. Now all I can think of is the Big Mac ingredients song.

So what happened? Where did all my wonderful ideas go? Will I ever get them back?

Fortunately I’ve dealt with this situation enough through the years that I’ve developed a few methods of recapturing and retaining those creative thoughts.

So without further ado, here are nine ways that will help you get back and keep that creative mojo:

1. Take a few deep breaths. I often find that when I am feeling “creative,” I’m actually a bit manic. My brain is jumping from one idea to the next like a frog on lily pads. Taking a deep breath and clearing your mind calms your crazed nerves and helps you regain your focus on the task at hand.
2. Keep a notepad and take it everywhere. I have ideas in the most inopportune moments, like when I’m supposed to be spending quality time with my wife. Trust me, that is not the time to be thinking about work. Take a second to jot the idea down along with any notes, and your brain will once again be able to focus on what is going on in the moment. If you don’t write the idea down, you either won’t be able to stop thinking about it or you’ll forget it and it will be gone forever.
3. Don’t take yourself so seriously. I typically get myself into creative jams when I set out to make the World’s Best Whatever. Who needs that kind of pressure? You’ll always make things that are better (and worse) than what you’re creating right now, so give yourself a break. Remember that not everything needs to be a work of art.
4. Talk to someone – anyone. Sometimes you need to flesh out the ideas that are in your head, and if you’re like me working alone, I usually end up talking to my cats. If you can get them to sit still and not fall asleep, pets are great listeners to bounce ideas off of because they’re completely non-judgmental (and they think you’re going to feed them).
5. Exercise. I know, exercise sucks. But think of how much exercising will make your work look like fun! Seriously though, there are plenty of medical studies that prove exercise is good for your thinking, but you will need to find someone smarter for an explanation. Besides, you can always watch the latest Oprah or something while on the elliptical machine.
6. Look at examples of what you’re trying to create. Now stop right there. Before you start accusing me of recommending copying other people’s work, trust me, I’m not. I’m suggesting you look for creative inspiration as a starting point for new ideas. How do you think innovations are made in this world? Out of thin air? No! Everything builds off of everything else. (Just make sure you don’t straight copy someone else’s shit.)
7. Go somewhere else to work. I have this amazing home office with everything I need, but sometimes (usually) I just can’t focus when I’m in there. Perhaps it’s the amazing view of the retaining wall that distracts me. Anyway, I have a few choice coffee shops that I frequent when I need to focus, and I’m convinced that all the noise of other people talking helps me zone in on the work in front of me.
8. Work in 50-minute bursts. I’ve been clinically diagnosed with ADHD (no, I don’t take anything for it), so I’ve been known to “get in the zone” and focus on something for 4 hours straight while forgetting to blink or use the restroom. I now use a timer so that every 50 minutes or so I get up, stretch a little, get some water or coffee, and then sit back down rejuvenated.
9. Stop working. When all else fails, sometimes you just have to stop working on a project if you’re without creativity. Put your computer, pencil, typewriter, abacus or whatever down, pray to the creativity gods for inspiration and go watch Maury Povich. (Is he still on TV?) Walking away from a project for awhile usually yields new inspiration.

Anyway, if these things don’t work for you, you’re probably seriously hopeless and should consider giving up. At least until you feel like you have the answer to a world problem. Once you’re back on the creative horse you can tackle the others.

Photo by Dano

Related posts:

1. Five Ways To Make Sure You Accomplish Your Goals in 2010
2. Break The Rules And Be More Approachable
3. Marketing the Marketer

Every artist, designer, writer, marketer, and small business owner will tell you that promoting themselves is the most challenging task they will ever undertake. There is just something incredibly terrifying about labeling yourself for the world.

“But that’s not all I am,” your creative mind thinks while trying to distill your life’s work into five sentences, or design a website that is an undeniable reflection of your inner self.

I’m struggling with the idea of labels presently because frankly, I fear being known for just one thing.

The truth, however, is that we must create labels in order to market ourselves effectively. If you don’t label yourself, others will create a label for you. It’s just how our minds work: we like to organize things into defined areas. Defining who we are is like giving people a hook for their minds to hang your hat on. If you don’t provide the hook, they’ll hang up your hat for you anyway—and you might not like where they put it.

As much as I have feared the idea of labels over the past few years, here is what I am discovering: labeling doesn’t mean narrowing.

Think about Ronald Reagan, the Hollywood actor turned United States President, or more recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor turned California Governor. Then there’s Bill Gates, who has shifted his focus from Microsoft to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Oprah Winfrey, who started her career as a talk show host and is now influencing social change throughout the world. These people were not afraid to embrace their labels, nor did their labels confine them.

Fear of labels is a fear of acceptance more than a fear of definition. We are afraid that others will not accept our labels, so rather than define ourselves, we quietly allow others to define who we are. This is not the road to marketing success, and it is certainly not the path to happiness.

Labels are simply a starting point for people to share a collective understanding about you. Without that collective understanding, you will mean many things to many people, and that is a recipe for marketing failure.

photo credit: striatic

Related posts:

1. The 5 Most Effective Marketing Strategies For Freelancers
2. Why Your Marketing Fails

We’ve all seen the commercials and heard the radio advertisements:

At Bob’s Concrete and Lumber, we treat our customers like family.

Wrong! Treating customers like family is a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t work in practice. This idea probably comes from the “family first” mantra we’re all familiar with, but let’s be honest, when things get hectic, many people (especially business owners) put family last.

I have a wonderful family, and I enjoy spending time with them. What I love so much about them is, 1) they are incredibly understanding and forgiving, 2) they are respectful of my time, and 3) they are always supportive of my choices (and changes) in life. These are three qualities that you can’t, and shouldn’t, expect from your customers.

Customers are different from family because:

1. Customers aren’t forgiving, they expect (and deserve) good service each and every time
2. Customers aren’t respectful of your time—when they need something, they need it now
3. Customers don’t like change, they like consistency and predictability

When I’m a customer, I don’t want to be treated like family, because many people take their family for granted and rarely show them appreciation.

So don’t treat customers like family. Instead, treat customers like customers: show them appreciation, serve them, and go the extra mile for them. That’s the best way to show them you care!

photo credit: freeparking

No related posts.

I’ve had my pair of Vibram FiveFingers Classics for a few days now, and I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had because of these shoes alone. I’ll be the first to admit that these shoes are different—but not too different. They are just different enough to make me seem more approachable and give people a reason to start speaking to me.

I didn’t get these shoes for the purpose of starting conversations, I wanted to see if they were more comfortable on my flat feet than conventional shoes. My friend at Organic Jar said they are the most comfortable shoes he’s had on his flat feet, and after the short break-in period, I can tell you that I love them.

But all these conversations got me thinking: what if we purposely broke convention by adding a new look or offering a unique service that was outside the industry standard as a way to get people talking about our business?

There are plenty of examples of  businesses that have combined unconventional ideas to help spread the word, some even building them into their business model. Think about how uniquely amazing it was when Priceline first offered to give you their costs as well as their competitors, or how much GoDaddy.com’s first Super Bowl ad skyrocketed its sales and awareness (they’ve since way overplayed the “sexy” in my opinion).

The fact is that if you’re doing business as usual, there’s nothing for anyone to talk about. Awhile back I wrote that my jeweler pays for the parking tickets his customers receive while in his store. I found that remarkable, so I told everyone about it, and I wrote about it on my blog (the store is Hand’s Jewelers in Iowa City—I didn’t mention their name in the original piece because I said something negative about another business, and I didn’t want to cause them to lose customers).

So what can you do that people may not expect? Perhaps you can offer a complimentary 10 minute massage from a professional masseuse for waiting patrons (even if it’s just on a random day once a month). Or perhaps you can donate a small percentage of your profits each month to a different charity and have your clients vote for the charity on your website.

As a business owner or marketer, you must get people interested and get them talking. How are you accomplishing this now?

Related posts:

1. 9 Surefire Ways To Break Open Your Creative Ice Jam
2. If you’re sorry, don’t inconvenience me

Last week, I was asked, “Is it getting more difficult for people to remember your brand’s message?”

The short answer is, “yes.” Let’s look at some of the factors that make it difficult to be remembered today than in the past.

What You’re Up Against

Competition is always increasing, and it’s not just from traditional sources (i.e., you are a real estate agent and another real estate agent opens up shop). Replacement services, services that consumers choose to satisfy the same need as your services meet, are also popping up everywhere. An example would be forgoing a real estate agent for FSBO website listings (or Cragslist for that matter).

There is also the ever-increasing noise from advertising and marketing campaigns. Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages in every medium: websites, email, television, sponsorships, billboards, vehicle wraps, direct mail, text messages—some companies have even tried selling ads on fresh fruit. Sometimes it’s easier for people to block this noise out entirely than it is to filter the good messages from the bad.

Finally, there is a greater strain on the consumer’s time than ever before. They are expected to be more productive at work, spend more time with their family, exercise, eat healthier, protect the environment, keep up with pop culture, and watch the latest episodes of Lost, all while quickly responding to emails, Facebook requests, Twitter messages, and answering their cell phones at a moment’s notice.

As I explained to the person who asked me if it is getting more difficult to have a memorable brand, here’s the simple truth: even when I really love a new idea, a new blog, a new website, a new product—whatever—I am likely to “make a mental note” to check it out later, and then I’ll forget and it will be forever gone from my memory.

So then, how can you create a more memorable brand? Here are nine ways to help:

How To Create A More Memorable Brand

1. Be Distinct – Brands that differentiate themselves in the consumer’s mind are much more likely to be remembered because they represent something new and different. Our brains like to dump things into pre-defined categories. If your brand defies categorization or expands a category in a new way, you have a much greater chance of being remembered.
2. Don’t Please Everyone – If you try to please everyone, you’ll please no one and your brand will be quickly forgotten. Who do you remember more from high school: the nice kid who wanted to be everyone’s friend, or the jerk who stole that kid’s lunch money every day? The fact is that trying to please no one is a better strategy for being remembered than pleasing everyone. Look at Twitter. They unapologetically said “No, you only get 140 characters,” and now they are the belle of the social media ball.
3. Never Lose Focus – One of the best ways to increase your brand’s chances of being remembered is to keep a laser focus on what makes you unique. Think about it like this: if you could be remembered for one thing and one thing only, what would that be?
4. Have A Repeatable Message – If you expect your customers to remember your brand, you need to give them a message that is repeatable in their mind. Think, “Just Do It” or “Have it your way,” these are distinct and memorable messages that lend themselves to repetition (and parody). If this seems difficult, fill in these blanks: Only [your company] delivers [what you offer] to [your target audience]. Now, repeat it!
5. Always Provide Value – Every action you take in your business, no matter what it is, should provide more value to your customers. This is the only way to ensure that your brand is delivering the most value possible.
6. Think About Your Brand’s Personality – People buy people, not things. Your brand is the personification of your business, so make sure it has the personality that will attract your target customers, and make sure each employee in your company shares these characteristics.
7. Have Consistent Marketing Materials – I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this in 2009, but I do: all of your marketing materials must be consistently designed! That means that your business card, website, brochures, and sales fliers should all have the same logo, color scheme, typeface, etc. One of the primary factors in having a repeatable brand is having a recognizable icon. At the 2006 Summer Olympics, the McDonald’s arches were the second most recognized symbol in the world behind the Olympic Rings—and ahead of the Christian crucifix.
8. Use Appropriate Marketing Channels - If you’re marketing to the 18-24 demographic, cancel your cable television ads—today! In fact, even if you’re marketing to women over 55, you should cancel your cable ads—they are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook. You need to be hitting your target market where they will be most likely to see your marketing, which will also help them see you as one of them.
9. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat – Marketing messages typically need to be heard 6-7 times before a prospect will be familiar enough with your product to consider purchasing it. Obviously this number will vary by industry, but I don’t think it would be a problem to have your message heard too often!

While your brand may have more competition than ever before, few of those brands will work to become distinct and memorable. Rise above the fray by holding a unique position in your target customer’s mind and by repeating that message frequently, and you have a much greater chance of creating a memorable brand!

photo credit: spakattacks

Related posts:

1. What You Don’t Know About Branding
2. Build a Superstar Brand Like Michael Jordan
3. Increase your brand’s value in a recession

“Honestly,” the college professor said to me about the branding course he was asked to teach, “I only have six seconds worth of material: follow through on your promises and provide great service. What else is there?”

The professor is basically correct: building a brand requires you to deliver on your promises with excellent service. It’s the old “under promise and over deliver” mantra.

But he’s missing a critical piece of the branding picture. Branding is the act of distinctly positioning your brand in the mind of your target consumer. It is no longer enough to just provide great service, and branding gives your customers and employees a framework to understand what makes your company unique and special.

Here are five branding concepts you may not be thinking enough about:

1. Great brands are distinctive. Think about a company like Google, the world’s most valuable brand. When you think about Google, you probably think “Internet search.” Now think about Yahoo! What do you think? Nothing really springs to my mind either. Even though Yahoo! had a 4 1/2 year head start on Google as a Web search engine, it was Google that threw its muscle into one area, indexing the Internet, and dominated. Great brands stand for one thing, and one thing only. They can have many sub-brands, but the primary brand must stand for one thing (i.e., Microsoft stands for Windows, Apple stands for computers that work, etc.).
2. Great brands know their target audience. If you close your eyes and picture the one person who is most likely to use your product, what does he or she look like? How old is she? What is her ethnicity? How much money does she make? Is she married with children or single for life? Does she have pets? You get the picture. Your product needs to initially be built for one specific type of person. As your brand gains acceptance and popularity over time, your audience will diversify, but being all things to all people is a sure way to keep your brand small and weak.
3. Great brands are your friends. There is an old adage that says, “people buy people, not products.” This is absolutely true, and it always will be. But what if your customers saw your brand as a person, or better yet, as a friend? Friendships are built on trust, so what if the trust your customers placed in your company was greater than the trust they put in most other people? Branding is the art of successfully personifying your company so that customers can identify with your brand as if it were something real and tangible. Again using Google as an example, when you want to find something online, what do you do? You Google it, because just like a close friend, Google is always available and very reliable.
4. Great brands have remarkability. Great brands have the ability to “wow” people over and over again. One of the reasons the Apple iPod has created such a strong brand and dominates portable music players is because they always come out with a new feature that makes people want to tell their friends (they have also created a very loyal and committed fan base who always wants the new Apple toy). Amazon is another example of a company with remarkability-they continually offer amazing recommendations (their use of the “you looked at this, so you might also like …” feature is truly amazing), and I get better customer service from calling Amazon than I do going to a Barnes & Noble retail store.
5. Great brands are a culture. Whether you think about it or not, the branding habits your company has directly impact your customers’ experience with your brand. Zappos.com is a company that has created a culture of service in all levels of their organization, and it has paid off big time (their sales were over $1B in 2008). If you aren’t focusing on your brand promise with every single employee and during every single customer interaction, you are not building a successful brand culture. Good branding habits are difficult to form, but equally difficult to break!

So next time someone says, “branding is simple,” tell them that sometimes it’s the simple things in life that are the most complex.

photo credit: Marco Bellucci

Related posts:

1. Branding lessons from the Obama Administration Part 1 – The Story
2. 10 free do-it-yourself branding tips for businesses
3. Branding lessons from the Obama Administration Part 3 – Brand Execution