Estie Rand is the founder and owner of Strand Consulting, an LA-based boutique consultancy; this marketing maven has hacked the code to closing 5-figure deals using social media. Estie gives her clients – and anyone else who’s listening – a piercing clarity on where they can put their best efforts in everything from marketing to staff management. She is also the host of the popular Business Breakthrough Podcast.
A lot of people think branding is a logo and marketing is an ad, but that’s not true. This is narrow thinking, and you need to ZOOM OUT much further.
Market Is
Creating and communicating the value of your product or service, to your target audience, to convince them to buy.
And sometimes a marketing issue may be a financial issue or a timing issue. If you’re selling a cup for $19 and it costs you $16 to make make it, better marketing is not going to solve your problem; you need to bring your costs down. There should be double and triple profit margins, nit just $3.00
You’ve Got to See The Big Picture
A lot of business people feel they must be active online, and for many, that may be true, but that’s not always the case. For example, if your target market is geriatrics, it’s unlikely many of them are online, so Facebook advertising, Adwords etc. is a waste of time.
You Must Be Prepared To Learn
You don’t know what you don’t know, but you must be prepared to learn the process, even if you don’t learn the specific details. Otherwise, it will cost you.
Scammers
There are a lot of scammers online that will take your money and give you very little in return. They will give you unqualified leads, bad Adwords and poor SEO solutions, and offer quick fixes.
Go Daddy and Host Gator are the used car salesmen of the internet. Yes, they will get you a website for just a small monthly payment, but to make it a good website you will have to keep putting your hand in your pocket, and they know this.
What Are Your Website Goals?
If you’re not on page one, in the top ten, you’re nothing. But first what is your SEO Goal? What traffic are you trying to attract?
When you start a website, you will have zero traffic on day one. Therefore you’re the goal is to drive people to your website and yes, social media may be to answer, but for some businesses, offline marketing may be a better solution.
Social Media & Influencers
Do you know who your audience is? Until you can identify your audience, it’s impossible to market to them effectively.
Maybe you shouldn’t use social media at all, and instead, use an ‘influencer’ to promote your product or service. Or press will send more people to your website. There is no cookie-cutter solution.
When we say SEO, what we’re really saying is Google.
SEO Tips
- If you’re using an SEO company, they need to understand keyword research in your industry.
- Each page on your website needs a good page name and slug.
- Make sure words and variations of words are repeated throughout your articles.
- You want Google to think you are an authority.
- SEO companies should be able to show you what they did, not just tell you.
- SEO companies should also be able to show you what happened.
- SEO companies should also be educating you in the process.
If you’re not in the Top 10 on page one, it’s worthless, but it’s also worthless to be in the Top 10 for things no one is searching. This is why it’s important to understand the difference between short-tail and long-tail searches.
Check out Google’s Keyword Planner. It is a fantastic tool to see what people are searching.
How Much Are You Worth?
There are three important factors that need to be taken into account when you’re determining how much you are worth.
- Baseline: How much money do I need? We all have overheads and these need to be covered. You also need to look at opportunity costs. What else could you be doing with your time?
- Market Range: You need to know what others in your industry charging. You cannot undercharge, even if you have low overheads. Undercharging could reflect poorly on you and your business. You’re too cheap; therefore something must be wrong.
- What’s Your Brand: Are you Premium, Mid-Range, or Discount. How do you want to be perceived? Where you fit in the range will determine how you communicate your brand. And, your brand will change as your experience changes.
Monday Morning Tip
Sit down, close your eyes, take three deep breathes and remember why you are here and why you are doing this. And reframe: When you’re busy say to yourself, “I’m so busy, isn’t that great”.
If you have any questions, please send me an email at
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First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.
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