Tim Bursch

Eat at Joe’s. Buy now. Turn Here. Fill up. Action words, telling me to do something.

Wanna get away? What’s in your wallet? Asking.

Is one better? I know there is a psychology behind both and each style works. Are you telling customers to do something or asking them to join your tribe?

I lean towards asking a question, mostly to start a conversation.

What do you think?

Image by: timparkinson

Tags: advertising.

This is a guest post by my friend Tara Joyce. Tara is a web coach and the author of RiseoftheInnerpreneur.com. I invite you to tune in.

Old-school marketing, impersonal marketing, it’s taking it’s last laborious breathes of life. It’s been dying a painfully and noisily for while now and it’s death cry is intensifying each day as more people come online.

The web has made it possible to cut through their marketing noise, their canned messages and easily find businesses authentically expressing their value to the world.

Liars hate the web

For what matters now, what gets you noticed, is your voice. The public expression of your authentic identity. Your web presence. It’s your signal.

Think of Google as your client’s tuner. The words they search for are their dial.

The more authentic your signal content, the easier it is for the right people to tune in.

5 Tips for Finding Your Signal and Creating an Web Presence to Support it

1. Accept that there is no demand for your message.

You don’t get to package yourself up into a pretty box and show only the good and glowing. The whole you, not your message, is what people want to here and will, whether you like it or not. Marketing is not something you do to clients. Marketing is something you do with them. It’s about creating good conversations.

2. Express your point-of-view.

Who are you? Why are you here?

This is the basic foundation of your business. Take the time to discover your identity. Listen to the marketplace for answers.

The better you understand your value, the easier you can communicate it. Find your authentic voice.

Express what is inside you and your company. That’s the essence of your signal.

3. The more value found in the signal, the stronger it will be.

Your signal is your business strategy. Your words and your content have power. Openly share your passions, your values, your talents with your community. Be generous about adding value to their lives. Take the time to share wisely. It’s all part of your signal.

4. It’s a table for two.

It’s just you and me. My words have connected with you. You’re enjoying that I’m talking to you like I’d… really talk to you. You like how authentically I am communicating with you. You’re tuned in, and turned on.

It doesn’t matter what the size of the company. Humans connect one-on-one. Clients want to talk to employees, employees want to talk with clients.

These excited and passionate people will help broadcast your signal. Let them connect one-on-one. Let their individual voices be heard.

5. Share.

The web isn’t primarily a medium for information, marketing or sales.

It’s a place where people meet, talk, create, disagree, rant, love. Always remember that.

Marketing is about conversation and connection. Cultivate it by sharing what you care about and what you know. It is your authentic signal and there are many people searching for exactly it.

What would you add?

Related post: Will Listening Really Help Sell More?

Image credit: diongillard

Tags: signal.

I have read a lot recently about using listening to help companies with marketing. The practice is: pay attention to what customers are saying, and then join the conversation.

That depends. If all you do is track keywords and monitor your brand, you have a lot of data but possibly nothing more.

What if you really listened? Like sitting across from a customer, but online, and asked them for honest feedback. Do you really want to know?

Probably not if your product is mediocre. Or if you don’t really care about customer service. The fact is, we all like to be heard. If my concern is heard by a company and I am engaged in a conversation . . . I’m guessing that would lead to a transaction (sale).

Are you and your company listening? What tools are you setting up for feedback? How will you use this information?

Related posts:

Are you Listening

Listening Takes Focus

Image Credit: striatic

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I joined a conversation by Liz Strauss on listening. It got me thinking.

I’ve had this belief that it takes work to pay attention. But then again, listening could be easier than I think.

Have you relaxed and listened lately? Speak up and I’ll kick back.

Image credit: nugun

Tags: attention.

Chris Brogan had a great piece today on creating a listening post for your organization.
Great idea.

I think these tools open up a two way conversation with customers. They give organizations additional ears, maybe even better than a suggestion box or feedback email. What Chris describes is proactive listening.

Are you listening?

Tags: conversation, customers.