Provide EXTREME Value
ways to collect email addresses. Just make sure the giveaway is something your audience would want enough to give out their email address to you. Once you have it, respect it! Don’ t ever sell or share your list. And, always honor that trust.
Kristi: With all of the traffic on social media and everyone claiming to be an“ expert” how would you suggest an entrepreneur make themselves and their business stand out?
attention for your business, ideally convert someone to a customer or a client, and then transform your past successes into opportunity magnets which in turn attract more visibility for your business. While social media is a great tool to attract and transform, it isn’ t an ideal tool for conversion. At least not a direct conversion where someone buys immediately but it is good for attracting attention, turning people into consumers( essentially, they agree to learn more – either via email marketing, subscribing to your blog, agreeing to getting your updates on Facebook, etc.) and for transforming your past and current successes into more opportunities. Social media is a story telling platform and businesses that learn how to use it correctly and as part of their bigger system, succeed.
Kristi: We know that even with all of the social media platforms out there, email marketing is still one of the strongest ways to build a business. But if you’ re starting out and have no database, what tips do you suggest to a get one started?
Shama: Email marketing is indeed one of the strongest marketing strategies out there, but it is also much more challenging than it was five years ago; simply because people have email fatigue. Just think back to the last time you thought“ I wish I got more email.” The answer is probably never. In order to get access into people’ s inboxes, you have to provide EXTREME value. It isn’ t good enough to create a mediocre newsletter. You have to create a great one. Giveaways are still one of the best
Shama: I believe the cream does rise to the top. You need to make sure that you are providing value for your audience. Don’ t worry so much about everyone else out there. Focus on what you can bring to the table, and then stay consistent with how your serve your audience.
Kristi: Where do you see social media going in the next few years? How can an entrepreneur get prepared?
Shama: I believe we will continue to see a rise in content curation and aggregation. Think more sites like Pinterest. For the longest time in our history, access to information was power. It was the domain of the rich and the powerful. Today, information has been democratized. The power belongs to people who can intelligently filter and provide context for the information.
Kristi: In closing Shama, what 3 pieces of advice would you offer an entrepreneur starting out today?
1 2
Shama:
Don’ t get too attached to your first idea. It is rarely your best; be willing to adapt based on what your audience tells you.
Don’ t start something just for the money. Look to serve and add value – the money will follow.
3
Invest in what matters, bootstrap the rest. You don’ t need a fancy office but you do need to find the best talent. Invest in what matters to your business and to your customers.
27 POWERCULTURE APR2013