We don't do what we know deep down works, because we prefer to be sure it will work ahead of time. Ironically, working on it and iterating as we do it is one of the best ways to know.
A couple of weeks ago I had this conversation# with Ann Whittaker and Eddy Hood of Ignite Spot, a firm that supports small business owners with accounting sevices. Their enthusiasm and engagement throughout was something worthy of remark. When was the last time you talked to someone who actually listened?
They also have a strong content marketing strategy -- in the weeks preceding the publication of each video in the series they find related content about the people they are featuring and start building interest.
I saw them do it on Twitter, sharing quotes as images, for example, and articles I had contributed to and almost forgotten. Like this piece on the 7 blogging mistakes small business make# by Lou Dubois. A quote appropriate and still relevant to the topic they covered in our video:
“Organizations are still learning about becoming media companies to utilize the power of pull vs. looking to move inventory with just ads and promotion," says Valeria Maltoni, the author of renowned marketing blog Conversation Agent, "The way to make your blog a lead generation mechanism is to start it as a lead nurturing vehicle.”
The wrap post at Ignite Spot blog includes tweetable quotes, and even a handy infographic that captures information I shared in blog posts over time. This is how you do content marketing and “influencer” outreach.
By the way, here's one more idea for small business owners -- when you talk to your customers, take copious notes and then turn those tips, hacks, additional input you get from their using your product or service into handy guides they can share with friends and neighbors.
Check out the Ignite Spot blog# for more useful advice -- the video interview with Rand Fishkin is a must see.
As a side note, I was reminded of how rewarding it is to build community and help people come together to learn, help each other, and have fun/be social. Scale has nothing on that.
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She designs service and product experiences to help businesses rediscover the value of promises and its effect on relationships and culture. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. Book her to speak here.