Message from Michelle:

With my “The Secrets to Influencing Your Online Market” bootcamp starting next week, we’re busy promoting and preparing for the class.

Earlier this week I announced we have two new expert guests joining us on the call. Jonathan Kauffmann of Nest Realty (2009 Inman Innovator Award for most innovative brokerage firm) will be sharing how his real estate firm uses Twitter and blogging to attract clients and sell homes. And, blogger Heidi Farmer, owner of The Good Stuff Guide will share tips on how to approach bloggers with a product / service. If you’re still on the fence, this is a class you don’t want to miss.

This week’s issue of Sumer’s Secrets is about knowing where and how to attract clients. PR 2.0 is about building relationships with people–peers and prospects–who can make markets. You must first find where these markets hang out online and then listen to the conversation. If you want to achieve different results–more clients, more press, more credibility, more online exposure–you need to approach your market in a whole new way.

If you missed the preview call, feel free to listen to it here: www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/PRcall-audio.html
Connect With Me Online at:

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/writtenbysumer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/michelle.salater
Blog: writtenbysumer.com/articles

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Feature Article

Attract More Clients: Take a Lesson from a Fisherman

We’ve all heard the phrase fish where the fish are when referring to attracting clients, but have you ever asked yourself if you’re doing just that? If not, why? Or have you ever stopped to consider what it means to fish where the fish are and the results you would see if you actually did it? If not, it’s time to take a fishing lesson.

Fishing and attracting clients require the same skills. Below is a breakdown of skills required for fishing successfully compared to the skills required for attracting clients.

Skills required to successfully fish:

* Fish where the fish feed. If you’re looking to catch a spot tail bass, you need to head to the salt water flats. Or, if you’re fishing for flounder, you want your baited hook to be on the ocean bottom, not floating on the surface.

* Tackle is key. You need to know what you’re fishing for, what they eat, and feeding habits. Certain species of fish won’t even go near your bait or lure tackle if you aren’t enticing them properly. These fish know how their prey behaves before they strike, which is why it takes the proper skill to emulate authentic prey movement. If you’re using tackle but aren’t flicking your rod to imitate real movement, then the fish you’re trying to catch will sense that your tackle isn’t a real insect or other aquatic creature and completely avoid your line.

* Be patient within reason. If you drop in your line and don’t get any bites immediately, it doesn’t mean the fish aren’t there. You just have to be patient and allow the fish to see your bait, trust it, and choose to bite. But, if you don’t have bites within a certain time period, you might want to consider switching fishing holes. They’re not there.

* Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Skills required to attract more clients:

* Be present in places you know your target market congregates. If your target market can be found online reading and commenting on industry blogs, discussion forums, and / or social media sites (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter), then you want to make sure you are present on these online platforms as well.

* Attract clients with the right strategies. Phony and unauthentic strategies aren’t going to get you anywhere with your target audience. If you want your target market to purchase from you, they must trust you first. This is why a transparent business model crucial for online marketing success.

* Be patient within reason. When you start to implement marketing strategies on social media sites and across a variety of online channels, you’re not going to see immediate results. It takes time to build relationships and connect with your target audience. You can’t expect them to trust you and purchase from you right off the bat. You need to continue your efforts and wait for the results. They’ll come to you.

* Now that you’ve got potential clients in your funnel, it’s time to get them to take action. Whether that action is to call or email you for further information, purchase a product online, or visit your store, you must use a call-to-action to encourage them to follow through.

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Tip of the Month

According to Socialnomics.net . . .

• Radio took 38 years to reach 50 million users.
• TV took 13 years to reach 50 million users.
• Internet took 4 years to reach 50 million users.
• iPod took 3 years to reach 50 million users.
• Facebook took 9 months to reach 100 million users

Tags: attract clients, find your target market, skills to attract more clients, web content writer Charleston

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Business Success Tips, Marketing, SUMER SECRETS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.