Content Marketing Made Illustrious Through Infographics

Infographics Catch People's Attention

So That They Will Want To Read Your Content

And Say That They're Glad They Did

Pinterest provides me with a terrific repository for the infographics I've developed for my content marketing arsenal. All you need is a compelling introductory sentence and then let the infographic do its work on your blog, website, social networks and email marketing.

You can recycle the infographic with different introductions that focus on various ideas presented in the infographic.

Make sure to include a link to your Pinterest library on your website.

Here is the library of pins that I've been developing.

Maybe you can benefit from this concept as well.

John Bernardi

Marketing Automation Will Help You Get To The Next Level

Marketing Automation Enables Consistent Best Practices

You know what you'd like to do but manual efforts are totally inefficient, so you've chosen not to leverage marketing principles for business advantage.  It's time for you to figure a way to change that inertia so you can make your company the best that it can be.  Otherwise, your company will need to follow a more challenging path in order to reach the next level.  Don't overlook the basics.

Wouldn't it be great if you could automate the mundane processes for customer and partner retention?  How about recruiting new ones?  If you could survey at different steps in the cycle, wouldn't you better understand how you're doing?  How many opportunities slip away due to weak processes for lead generation and nurturing?

MA enables you to deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time with a singular purpose in mind. This trumps broad brush email blasts and social network posts that are of no interest to 80% of their recipients, most of whom will unsubscribe after receiving a few of these uninteresting messages.

MA enables content marketing to be the theme for campaigns or surgically injected as 1to1 next logical steps such as surveys, or efforts to create, nurture or convert leads.  Use your CRM database to segment a persona defined target audience or filter your CRM system for the right demographics, psychographics, behavioral traits and firmographics.  Email and social networks can work together as your messaging media.

You don't need to be a large company to afford the benefits of marketing automation.  There are CRM and MA tools that fit within the budget of any size company.  If you first take the time to create the processes that are right for your business, you can then search for the right tools to make them happen.

By John Bernardi

Another Reason Why Business Schools Should Teach History

Self Fulfilling Prophesies Work Both Ways

If you expect a positive outcome, you are on the right track. If you expect a negative outcome, you'll be subconsciously influencing that result as well.

Today's high school and college students have yet to experience a healthy economy.  They're used to hearing about fiscal cliffs, high unemployment, a tough job market, belt tightening, outsourcing, etc.  Has this become their self-fulfilling prophecy because that's what they've come to expect?  Let's hope it's not engrained in their muscle memory.

I believe that a holistic business curriculum can foster their positive self fulfilling prophecy? If we teach business students about the history of the cycles our economy has traversed, they'll be better equipped to believe that they can influence future good times.

If we can create positive self-fulfilling prophecies in these future leaders, they will be wanting to innovate, undertake risk, invest, etc.  They will have a positive, enthusiastic attitude and will enjoy their careers.  And they'll get our economy back on track for the long term.

Here's an intersting article on Self-fulfilling prophecy by Carolyn Kaufman, Psy.D. in Psychology for Writers

Sharing Blog Posts With Social Networks Optimizes Readership

I always share my blog posts with my social networks, but I was curious as to how social sharing impacted blog readership.  So, I did a test with two recent blog posts by not sharing them with my social networks.

As it turns out, open rates were 5 times higher for posts that I shared with my social networks [LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook].

This confirms my hypothesis and I will continue to "social share" my blog posts.

Business Relationships

There Will Always Be Someone Who Wants To Eat Your Lunch

The only way to create and then strengthen interpersonal business relationships is to help each contact achieve goals, minimize risk, enjoy what they're doing, eliminate pain, etc.

All the personal stuff is fluff [golf, football tickets, lunch, etc.] that will make a difference only if job #1 is accomplished.

First, get to know their company and industry before attempting to gain personal credibility with them. 

Then, make sure they know if you have a strong business relationship with others that they admire in their own organization.  It lessens their risk in partnering with you because they don't have to be the first.

Continually add value just to maintain your relationship because someone else that they've discovered on their own in this new world of self-service marketing has come along without your knowing it.

Closers Earn Face Time

Here's Another Way That Top Closers Earn Face Time

Yes, being referred by a trusted lead source and managing a quality customer portfolio are tried and true weapons for finding new prospects and quickly and efficiently converting them to close-mode sales opportunities. But online tools can also be a formidable weapon in your business development arsenal if used wisely.

Social networks, email marketing and other online tools are great BizD resources for preliminary research, staying in touch and featuring your best ideas to get yourself noticed - but don't allow them to trap you into thinking that they are closing tools.

Recruit them to be your point guard who sets up the plays so that you can score easy buckets at trade shows, sales interviews, etc.

Just like the skilled marketing person who blends eye catching layout with content, let your online efforts capture attention and help you earn the right to present content in person after which the prospect says, "I'm glad I made time for that".

Why do my LinkedIn connections only appear when they have new connections?  I'd like to read more posts from them.

"Like" Doesn't Really Mean "Like" on Facebook

Awareness expands when you click Like on a Facebook page.  Your community automatically sees everything you Like.

But, does Like lose its meaning when a company says "Like and be eligible to win something"?  [I guess you can't blame people who Like your offer if they stand to get something in return.]

As a marketer, I refrain from baiting people to Like my article, or product or website, etc.  Otherwise, how would I know how many people really Like my product or service or article, etc.?