Attraction Marketing

Three Questions to Determine if Your Small Business Marketing Strategies Are on Target

2010-01-06T01:40:56Z

Nothing is worse than pouring your heart and soul into your marketing, only to be ignored.

It can trigger feelings of frustration, insecurity and fear. You might feel like all of your time is wasted and you will never reach your goals.

Not to fear. All is not lost.

What you need to know is WHY people are ignoring your marketing.

Here are three questions to ask yourself if you are not getting the response you want from your marketing.

#1. Is Your Marketing Targeted?

To be found and heard online, all of your marketing has to be strategic and targeted. That means you need to identify a specific niche and focus all of your marketing on that niche. A "niche" combines your WHO (target market) with your WHAT (what solution are you helping your target market solve or what goal are you helping them achieve). To learn how to identify and attract your ideal niche, be sure to read my free report.

#2. Is There a Clear Call to Action With a Compelling Giveaway?

The Internet creates a level playing field for small businesses. Virtually anyone can implement a large-scale marketing program using blogs, article marketing, video marketing, and social networking.

Your goal is to get people to go to your site or landing page, and provide you with their name and email address. In exchange, you give them something for free which they perceive as valuable. This is known as an “ethical bribe”and might be a free report that teaches them something they want to know about, an audio interview with an expert in your field, an e-course, access to your Ezine (newsletter), access to a live or recorded webinar, etc. Once you have their contact information, you can then use an autoresponder system to continue to correspond with them, and build an ongoing relationship of trust.

#3 - Is Your Self-Doubt Sabotaging Your Marketing?

Getting a less than desired response to your marketing doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough or that you’re not going to be successful. In fact, you could end up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ask yourself whether you are allowing your self-doubt to permeate your marketing message. Are you watering down your marketing because you are afraid that you can't deliver the results?

The beauty of marketing online is you can switch your marketing message or call to action with just a few keystrokes. Don’t be afraid of what people will think. If they haven’t been paying attention they won’t notice anyway, so no worries.

Ask yourself these three questions and don't be afraid to reach out for help to improve your results.

What is the Difference Between a Niche and a Target Market?

2009-10-26T03:31:44Z

Niche and Target Market Defined

There are different definitions of niche and target market, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Here is a good working definition of target market and niche.

A target market is the group of people most likely to buy your product or service. They are the people to whom your product is being marketed

A niche adds another dimension. A niche combines your target market with what you are helping them with.

Niche =

target market (who)

the problem you are solving/need you are fulfilling (what)

For instance, if you are a business coach, your target market might be writers, while your niche could be writers who need to learn how to promote an ebook.

The key to understanding niche marketing is realizing that people don’t buy a service or product, they buy a solution. That solution can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. When you become the solution provider for your target market, you are a winner.

Focus on the Solution

There are different ways you can identify your target market. You can use demographics (such as age, gender, education, income), or psychographics (e.g. lifestyle, values, psychological make-up). I would encourage you to think about your target market as a group of people who share similar challenges and goals.

Think of it this way. Say you are a coach and you are trying to sell your coaching services. Most people don’t really understand what coaching is, nor do they have to. They just need to know what problem you solve. Maybe you help them lose weight, or have healthier relationships, or a deeper spiritual existence. They don’t really care how you do it, they just want to know what results you will help them achieve.

The same is true for network marketers. People aren’t interested in your opportunity or product, they just want a solution to their problem. Suppose you work with a health company and your target market is working mothers with school-age children. What is the biggest problem your target market faces? One of their biggest problems is not having enough energy to get through their day. Your nutritional supplement can help them meet that need. Another of their biggest problems is the lack of a more flexible work schedule to allow them to spend more time with their families. Having a work from home business can help them meet that need.

Whether you approach things from a business or a product standpoint, you always have to first think about your target market’s needs, and come from the place of being a solutions provider.

Learn how to identify and attract your unique target market. Get a copy of my free report "Ten Steps to Finding and Attracting Your Ideal Niche".

Marketing Segmentation: How to Identify Your Target Market

2009-09-14T01:52:57Z

The whole foundation for your business begins with marketing segmentation and truly understanding your target market. If you don't understand your target market, then all your marketing efforts will be wasted. You might know you should do it, but so many entrepreneurs skim over this step. Learn why marketing segmentation is so important, how to identify your target market and what to do with this information.

Marketing Segmentation is Your Foundation for Success

The key to a successful business is talking to the right audience -- the people who are interested in what you have to say, and what you have to sell. In other words, you have to reach your target market.

Let's start with a definition of a market. A market is a segment of the population that shares a common need or desire, and is motivated to buy something that satisfies that need.

A target market is a subset of a market. More specifically, a target market is a group of people most likely to buy from you.

What Your Target Market Can Tell You

Understanding your target market is marketing segmentation at work. It allows you to:

1. Sharpen your marketing efforts -- The more you specialize, the more your target market will see the value of your services because you speak directly to them.

2. Differentiate yourself -- The best way to differentiate yourself is to market your business with a distinct group of people in mind.

3. Cater your services to their needs -- By understanding your customer, you will be better able to serve them, and in doing so, generate more sales.

4. Shorten your sales cycle and increase profits -- The beauty of target marketing is that it provides a focus to all of your marketing activities, making your business more efficient.

Marketing Segmentation -- How to Identify Your Target Market

Here are five steps to help you identify your target market:

1. Identify their demographics. What is their gender, age, income level, background, profession, etc. It really helps if you can personally relate to your target market, so you can connect with them in a genuine way.

2. What are their concerns, worries, fears, problems, challenges and painful circumstances? The goal of any business is to provide a solution that fulfills a need. In order to provide a tailored solution, you have to first understand their needs and concerns.

3. What are the reasons they are having these worries or concerns? Go one layer deeper and get inside their hearts and minds. This will give you the insights you need to fully relate to your target market.

4. What are their dreams, aspirations, wishes, goals, wants, likes and needs? What are the things that motivate them most deeply? What would they like their lives to look like? Wants are even more powerful than needs when it comes to buying decisions.

5. What is stopping them or holding them back from achieving their dreams and goals? What self-limiting beliefs are holding them back from accomplishing their dreams and desires? What situation or person (perhaps themselves) is stopping them from realizing their goals?

You might not have all the answers but do your best. That's why its so important to pick a target market you can relate to. And what you don't know, find out.

Target Market Research

1. Personal Information

Speak with members of your target market, including existing customers. Look at the requests people make, the questions they ask, and their complaints.

2. Public Information

Visit online groups, blogs and forums that are geared to your target market. People tend to tell total strangers things that they wouldn't otherwise say.

What do you do with Information about your Target Market?

1. Hang out where they are online -- There are so many different social networking sites and every industry seems to have sites that cater to them specifically. Search Google until you find where your target market is socializing, then join that site and get to know people. Do NOT start spamming or pushing your services.

2. Talk their language -- Part of marketing segmentation is understanding what your target market is searching for online. What keywords or keyword phrases are they searching for? What keywords are used by people most likely to buy, vs. just looking for free information? Your goal is to find the keywords used by people willing to buy a product or service online and for which there is an acceptable level of competition. Keywords are at the heart of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Don't be afraid of SEO. Here is some free SEO help for beginners.

3. Create content geared to your target market -- Reach your Target Market online with INFORMATION, not sales pitches. You need to provide content that is valuable to your target market.

4. Understand what sets you apart from your competition and communicate it clearly to your target market -- In other words, identify your Unique Selling Proposition or USP. Your USP is a sentence or phrase that explains what distinguishes you from your competitors. It is the answer you give when someone asks "Why should I buy from you?"

Learn How to Attract Your Target Market

Don't waste your time with non-targeted marketing. It is a waste of your time and money. Get a copy of my free report, "Ten Steps to Identify and Attract Your Ideal Niche".

The Difference Between Marketing and Sales and How to Be Successful at Both

2009-09-02T22:08:31Z

Do you know the difference between marketing and sales?

Do you know the one key to being successful at both?

If not, then read on...

There are many definitions of marketing, but the one I like best is by Ann Sieg, author of Attraction Marketer's Manifesto, The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing and The Renegade Network Marketer.

Ann Sieg says marketing is is what you do to attract qualified prospects, and sales is what you do to close the deal and build relationships with people.

In other words, the definition of marketing is everything you do to reach and persuade prospects to give you a chance to sell them. Sales is what you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract.

If you think about it, the sales person would have no one to sell to if it weren't for the marketer.

If you are doing business online, it is the same idea.

The marketer's job is to drive people (or traffic) to the website. Once there, you want them to take an action -- maybe fill out a form requesting more information, subscribe to your mailing list, or buy a product.

The sales person is the one who forms a relationship with the prospects and closes the deal. You might have their contact information such as a phone number so you can personally call them and follow up. You might have their physical mailing address so you can send them a personal card. Or you might just have their email address, in which case you want to send them compelling and information-packed emails.

Of course, if it is your own business, you are probably wearing both hats -- you are both the salesperson and the marketer.

So what is the key to being good at both marketing and sales?

Good marketers and sales people have one thing in common: they both begin by putting their prospects first. In fact, they take it one step further and really get into the hearts and minds of their customers.

For any marketing or sales message to be compelling, it must go beyond the rational, logical thinking and strike the right emotional chord.

Typically, far too much emphasis is put on the product, and far too little on the person doing the buying. What are their hot buttons, their core emotional desires?

Keep two important principles in mind:

People buy with their emotions and justify with logic.
People rarely buy because of features. They mostly buy because of benefits.

So before you start rattling off a bunch of facts or features, ask yourself, "so what?" Put yourself in their shoes. What does it mean to them specifically and how will it benefit them?

How will this knowledge benefit you? It won't unless you learn from it and apply it. Learn how to identify and attract your ideal niche. Get your free copy of my report, "Ten Steps to finding and Attracting Your Ideal Niche".

To your success!

Attraction Marketing and the Five Types of Marketing You can Choose

2009-05-31T06:01:34Z

When you first get started in attraction marketing, it can be overwhelming. It's really important to start with just one or two key areas of marketing on which you can focus. Choose those areas based on your interests, skills, personality and budget. Below is a very brief video that shows you five types of marketing and helps you evaluate which areas are best for you.

p.s If you’re interested in learning more about setting up your own marketing funnel with a customised plan based around your personal interests and skills, then register for a free account with Renegade University where you’ll be able to learn more about this type of attraction marketing.

How to Use the Consultative Approach to Develop Long-Term Profitable Business Relationships

2009-05-12T04:28:07Z

After you have learned attraction marketing techniques and attracted qualified prospects to you, what do you do with your potential customer or business partner?

The answer is the consultative approach, an approach heralded by such leaders as Michael Oliver and Ann Sieg.

The consultative approach revolves around the concept of creating meaningful dialogue with people, to uncover their needs. In doing so, you create long term and mutually profitable relationships.

So rather than simply trying to push your needs onto people, your goal is to understand what someone really wants. You only introduce your business opportunity/product/service as potential solutions after a process of discovery and only if there is a good FIT for the other person.

It’s a mindset thing - it’s about changing your thinking. You have to let go of the outcome and resist the temptation to present your solution before you really understand what the problem is, and whether or not your solution is the best one for that individual. You have to learn how to keep your own agenda out of the picture.

Perhaps the greatest gift you can offer someone is to really listen to them and show that you care about their needs. If you embrace this concept, you will not only help someone, but your business will become more meaningful to you as well.

Michael Oliver, who coined the term "Natural Selling", teaches us a framework forMichael Oliver the consultative approach and he advises all network marketers to memorize it. He calls it his Natural Selling Conversation Framework. Of course, conversations are rarely this linear and you will learn to tailor this approach to fit the person, based on what he or she says.

Natural Selling Conversation Framework by Michael Oliver

1. Connecting Stage

Use Connecting Questions -- Demonstrates your intent. Puts the focus on the other person.
State how what you do helps others. Problem--solution--question to get other to talk.

2. Discovering Stage

Use Background Questions -- Finds the present situation--the basic facts.

"Before I get into what I've got, let me ask you a few questions so that we can talk about you and what you're looking for."

"What is your present situation?""How did you get to this point [where you are now]?"

Needs Awareness/Development Questions -- Explores needs/problems, if any. What your customer wants. Explores circumstances causing the needs. Why your customer wants it. Reveals the features, advantages, and benefits to solving the problem.

"So, what drew you into this type of work?" "Do you enjoy your work?"
"Do you like what you do?/What you have?" etc. "What do you like about . . . ?
"What would you change about your job if you could?" "Why would you change that?"
"Is that important to you?"
"What do you mean when you say ______?"
"How does that make you feel not to have [what you just said you wanted]?"

Consequence Questions-- Expands on the problem. Makes the need more urgent. Explores consequences of making a wrong decision.

"What if you didn't do anything and the situation got worse?"
"How would you feel if you weren't able to _____?"

Solution Questions-- Involves your customer and his or her ideas. Reveals and strengthens the benefits of solving the problem.

"What have you done [OR would you do] about changing your present situation?"

Qualifying Questions -- Confirms whether the other person is ready to take action.

"How important is that to you?" "Why is that important to you?"
"I sense that you're not too sure; how do you see it?"
"How would you feel if you could _____?"
"Are you prepared to change your present situation to get what you want?"
"Does that work for you?" "Is that what you're looking for?"
"Would you do whatever it takes to get you the things that you want?"

3. Transitioning Stage -- Opens the door to presenting your solution.

Transition Questions

"Well, based on what you've told me, I'm doing something that might be what you're looking for. If you're interested, I would be happy to share it with you."

4. Presenting Stage -- Summary and Agreement. Confirms the correct solution. Presents the specific features, advantages, and benefits of the solution that solve solve the problem and satisfy the customer.

"You said _____, and it's making you feel ____. Well, what I do is _____. What this means to you is that you can do the same thing. You can ____ [advantages--logical side of problem], which will allow you to _____ [benefits that will satisfy personal side]. Does that feel as if it might take care of what you want?"

5. Committing Stage -- Helps other person to commit or take the next steps.

Commitment Questions

"I'd like to suggest as the next step _____. What would be most appropriate for you? Do you see the value in all of this for you?" [Check for agreement. Keep making suggestions. Follow up!] "I'll call you at 7:00 p.m. next Tuesday. You'll have listened to the tape I'll send you, and we can discuss specific aspects of it."

Learn how you can succeed with attraction marketing, with step-by-step training and support.

Attraction Marketing Works for Warm Market Too

2009-04-16T21:41:08Z

Attraction marketing is the new way of building a business online. It involves providing information that is valuable for your target market so that they approach you. While attraction marketing is great for building a business online, the same principles can be applied offline as well.

Network marketing is just one example of how attraction marketing works in both the online and offline worlds.

Anyone who has worked in network marketing has probably been through the drill of preparing a contact list of their friends and family.I was never really comfortable approaching people and mixing business with friendship. I was able to do it because I was truly passionate about my company's products and believed they should be in everyone's home.

But, even if you are a natural born salesperson, relying on friends and family to build a business is far too limiting. It might get you a few enrollments but it is unlikely to help you grow a serious business.

Working cold leads can be equally limiting, and far more expensive. These are people who fill out a survey and say they want to earn income from home, but do they really have the desire and determination to start a home busines? Furthermore, they tend to be very skeptical given all the scams that are out there.

A much more effective approach is to build your business using attraction marketing techniques. With attraction marketing you attract people to you rather than chase after them. You do this by providing information that is valuable to your target market. To learn more about attraction marketing, you will want to read Ann Sieg's free report, Attraction Marketer's Manifesto.

Attraction marketing is mainly done online. The internet is a great vehicle for sharing information -- whether it be a blog, website, article, video, etc.. When people want to find information and solutions, the Internet is where they turn.

But attraction marketing also works well for your warm market, if you know how to do it.

So how do you incorporate warm market into an attraction marketing-based network marketing business?

1. Targeted Approach

There is nothing wrong with you introducing your business or product to your warm market, if they want the information.

Smart marketing is not about convincing people that they need your product or service. It is about identifying a target market who have an interest in the types of products or opportunity you have to offer.

Unfortunately, most network marketers are taught that everyone wants their products and that is simply not true. When you practice this kind of "non-targeted" marketing, you not only limit your chances of success, you reinforce the negative image many people associate with network marketing.

2. Be Yourself

When talking to your warm market, just have a conversation. Don't pitch them or sell them. If they are genuinely interested in what you are doing whether as a customer or for the business opportunity, they will ask questions and express an interest in learning more.

3. Leverage Social Media

Social media sites allow you to connect with friends you already know as well as make new friends, thereby expanding your warm market. Whether you meet people face to face or online, your focus should be on building relationships and a sincere desire to help and support others.

For instance, Facebook is one of the fastest growing social media sites. You can search for friends and people you've lost touch with including old co-workers, your graduating class, relatives, etc. You can also search for groups you might be interested in joining as well as people with common interests.

You'll soon find that your friends list grows. Friends of friends will add you, and even people you don't even know will add you. All of these people are now part of your extended warm market.

So how do you share information with your friends? Start by setting up a profile page that explains what you do. You can include a website that relates to your business (check out this article about the proper use of replicated websites - this is so important). Post updates about what you are doing that might relate to your business activity, but be subtle. For instance, you might say "I just listened to a great webinar about creating financial freedom in the current economy".

You'll find that people will ask you what you do. When they ask...share with them what you do. But don't try to push your products or opportunity on them. The ones who are interested will ask you for more information.

4. Share Affiliate Marketing Programs with Warm Market

Chances are you know other entrepreneurs. They might be network marketers, coaches, realtors, mortgage brokers, consultants, or salespeople. Every business has to be online these days, but most people have no idea how to go about building an online presence. That is where you come in.

If you've done things right, then you are using various tools and resources to create your online presence. Hostgator (web hosting), GoDaddy (domain names) and Aweber (autoresponder) are just a few examples.

You will also be working with an internet marketing training program like Renegade Professional or The 90 Day Marketer.

All of these are essential tools for building your business, and they are also affiliate marketing programs. That means when you refer someone to one of these programs, the company will pay you a commission.

You can share these programs with people in your warm market in addition to those you meet online. Think of all the people you've met through your networking groups, friends, and even people in your own network marketing company. I can assure you that they will greatly appreciate you sharing this valuable information with them. And you're not trying to get them to join your opportunity. Instead, you're sharing information that can help them build their business.

Your Next Steps

Don't let yourself be trapped into a limited mindset of only building your business one way. Warm market methods can be effective, especially when you use an attraction marketing mindset.

To really take things to the next level for your business, learn about attraction marketing and how to leverage the Internet to attract people to you online.

Differentiate Yourself by Identifying Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

2009-03-24T03:52:27Z

Ann Sieg's free new ebook, Attraction Marketer's Manifesto, has a lot of people thinking about ways they can differentiate themselves. You've heard the saying "Differentiate or Die". In today's highly competitive world, whether it be offline or online, you have to be unique and fill a specific niche to be successful.

What is it that makes you unique and valuable? The best way to answer that question is to identify your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.

What is a USP?

Your USP is a sentence or phrase that explains what sets you apart and makes you special. It is the soul of your business, and is what distinguishes you from your competitors. It is the answer you give when a potential client asks "Why should I buy from you?"

What are the benefits of developing a powerful Unique Selling Proposition?

It gives your prospects a reason to do business with you rather than your competitors.
It can help make your marketing much more effective
It gives you the focus you need to dominate a market niche.

How do you develop a Unique Selling Proposition?

When developing your USP, put yourself in your prospects’ position. What is important to your potential customer and what would be a compelling reason for them to buy from you instead of your competition?

To help you do this, get a paper and pencil and answer these questions:

What benefits does your product or service offer? (keep in mind that benefits are all about how the product adds value for customers. This is different than features which describe the product. For instance, a money-back guarantee is a feature, and the corresponding benefit is that the customer doesn't take on any financial risk when buying your product).
How does your product or service help solve your target market's problem?
How do your benefits outweigh what the competition offers? Which benefits are the most difficult for your competitors to imitate?
Which benefits are the most important to your customers. These are the ones you should focus on in your USP.
What are the greatest challenges your target market is experiencing and which of their needs are unfulfilled? What voids or typical complaints do clients have about businesses in your industry or service area? List as many as you can, aiming for a minimum of 10.
What would be a client’s perfect product or service in your industry?
Write a draft paragraph describing your USP, including the the client’s problem you are solving, your unique solution and the benefit the client will receive.
Look at two or three of your competitors. Write a sentence that describes their USP, i.e. their unique offering. How does it differ from yours?
Ask some of your clients what they like best about your business solutions? What words do they use to describe the benefits they achieve from your business?
Think outside the box and look at other industries. Are there innovations in other industries that you could apply to your business?
Now rewrite your USP. Make sure you use clear, powerful language. Make each word count. Write this in paragraph form and also in a shorter one sentence version that can be easily repeated.
Once you have developed your USP and are happy with it, incorporate it in all your marketing material, both offline and online.

Keep in mind that you can’t be all things to all people. In fact, you don't want to. The best thing is find a niche or a segment of the market that you can thrive in because of the unique benefits you offer. Remember, focus is power!

What does a good USP look like?

The ultimate goal of your USP is to have people say... "Oh yeah, I've heard of you. You're the one who..." - And then respond by requesting more information or making a purchase.

A good USP should be:

Only one sentence (although you can get away with two).
Clearly written so that it is easily understood
Focused on benefits that are unique to your company or product.

Here are some examples of powerful USP's:

"When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" (Federal Express)

"Fresh, hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it's free" (Dominos Pizza)

"The nightime, coughing, achy, sniffling, stuffy head, fever, so you can rest medecine" (Nyquil)

Identifying your USP is part of the essential foundation for your business success, and a critical part of your niche marketing strategy. Get my free report "Ten Steps to Finding and Attracting Your Ideal Niche".

Attraction Marketing Explained - From Beginners to Advanced

2009-03-11T04:53:26Z

If you have a business, then it is a non-negotiable that you have an online presence. And saavy business owners are learning how to attract their customers to them, using attraction marketing techniques.

Attraction Marketer's ManifestoAs a first step, get a free copy of Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto by Ann Sieg. It is designed for internet marketers of all levels and is an absolute must read.

This article will give you a good overview of attraction marketing, with lessons geared to all levels. Because everyone is at different stages of their learning, I’ve broken things down so you can go directly to the right level for you.

I. If you are completely new to attraction marketing.

II. If you are familiar with the term attraction marketing but don’t know how to implement it

III. If you have been implementing attraction marketing but want to ramp up your results

I. If you are completely new to attraction marketing:

Attraction marketing lets you attract high quality leads for free using the power of the Internet, combined with sound marketing principles. If you have a business, whether it be network marketing, coaching, or any other small business, you need to learn what attraction marketing is and how to do it.

Any business owner knows that it is better to communicate your message to people who are interested in what you have to sell, in other words, your target market. Now, take that one step further. What if you could actually attract your target market to you, instead of having to chase after them? That is exactly what attraction marketing does.

Attraction marketing is like using a magnet to attract the people you want, vs. casting a wide net to try to find a needle in a haystack.

One of the greatest things about attraction marketing is that when people find you (vs. you chasing them), not only are they a more qualified contact, they are also going to be more willing to buy from you because they don't feel like you're trying to sell them something. People love to buy but they hate to be sold.

II. If you are familiar with the term attraction marketing but don’t know how to implement it

So how do you do attraction marketing? Above all, keep this in mind. You are attracting people to you. You have to sell yourself before you can even think about selling a product or business.

To sell yourself you have to let people get to know you as a person. People want a live person to talk to, to be able to ask questions. They want someone who is genuinely interested in them.

Most importantly, they want someone who can help them find a solution to their needs. That means you also have to sell your ability to help them get what they want. This means positioning yourself as an expert who has enough valuable insights to offer that you are worth seeking out.

How do you do this? You do it by providing free information that is of value to your prospects. Educate them, don't sell them. And in doing so, you're building trust and attracting them to you.

This is one of the main tenets of Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto: Teaching Sells

Once people have consumed your educational message and you’ve earned their trust, they will be much more open to buying from you. No sale ever takes place without trust. And the best way to build trust is to genuinely invest in your customer first.

Teaching proves you have their best interests at heart. It positions you as a trustworthy expert.

And the Internet is the perfect medium for connecting with people to teach them. That is because the Internet is now the standard way of researching anything. Think of the Internet as the yellow pages or library. And search engines or directory-type websites (e.g. Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Digg) are the index of the book – they are how people find the information they are looking for.

Now even the most inexperienced newbie on a shoestring budget can implement a large-scale marketing program using the Internet. Having a blog is like having your own column in a newspaper or magazine. And producing your own videos (with YouTube or Metacafe) is like having your own television show. You can help people sort through the information and find you thanks to social bookmarking sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Mister-wong, Furl). You can even do social networking without having to leave your home thanks to social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace). And all of these methods are free!

This is just a sample of the online marketing tools available to you.

And the purpose of this whole process is to get people to opt in to receive further information from you. They do this by going to your blog or website or landing page, and providing you with their name and email address. You then use an autoresponder system to stay in touch with them (it is like having your own physical newsletter).

With attraction marketing, your job is to become a producer and distributor of information – of valuable content.

Why?

Because people are attracted to content (value), not sales pitches.

And the beautiful part is that every piece of content you produce, exponentially increases the power of all your other content pieces.

When you control the content, you become a valuable resource for your customers. Think about it this way -- sales reps are a dime a dozen, but people who go above and beyond and teach their customers, are a rare thing. And when you teach people, they will not only buy from you, they will refer people to you.

You might be asking yourself how you can teach people when you yourself are relatively new at attraction marketing.

Here are three points to show you how you can position yourself as an expert.

1 1. You don’t have to be an expert to share valuable information. You just have to stay one step ahead of the curve. For instance, if you read a copy of Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto, you will be more knowledgeable about internet marketing than 95% of network marketers or traditional business owners.

2. You can improve your knowledge by deciding to learn about a particular subject and investing the time to learn about that subject. Again, you don’t have to be a full-blown expert. Just know enough to be able to add value for people and stay one step ahead of the curve.

3. I am willing to bet there is at least one area in which you are already have some expertise. It might be in writing, video production, SEO, coaching, or leadership. Or perhaps it is something related to your industry such as health, nutrition, travel, etc. Find something about which you have some knowledge and a passion for learning, and then position yourself as an expert in that area.

III. If you have been implementing attraction marketing but want to ramp up your results

If you have already been producing content and attracting prospects to you online, then you are ready to ramp up your results and take your business to a new level.

How do you take your business to the next level? By doing two things:

Improving your credibility ranking.
Differentiating yourself

Credibility has always been an important challenge for network marketers in particular, because the industry is often viewed as lacking in credibility. So enhancing your credibility is especially important for network marketers, but the same principle applies to any industry.

If you are already producing content and attracting leads to you, then your next major breakthrough is not far off. You can reach the next level by creating more “advanced” levels of content.

People equate different types of content with different levels of expertise. The more effort it takes to put something together – or the more effort people think it takes – the higher your credibility ranking.

There are many different content pieces you can create, such as your own articles, videos, blog, lead capture page (or landing page), website, special report, emails. You can even create your own information product, such as an ebook, training program, webinar, tips sheet, special report, or podcast. There is virtually no end to the type of content you can create.

In addition to creating more “advanced” levels of content, you want to use this content to differentiate yourself. You want to make your message stand out by making it different from everyone else’s.

Lack of uniqueness has always been one of the biggest problems for network marketers. And it isn’t their fault. It is the way companies have taught their representatives how to sell. My belief is that network marketing companies have so little control over how their thousands of representatives communicate about the company. This is completely different from other companies (think about the logo for Coca-Cola for instance and how it has to be exactly the same in all communications material) or franchises (think how McDonalds’ stores all have to look the same). So the network marketing companies restrict the amount and nature of communications their distributors can use about the company and its products. The problem is that people join people, not companies. So if you want someone to join your business, above all, you have to sell yourself. And that is what attraction marketing is all about.

So differentiate yourself by creating your own unique angle. You can do this by specializing in a specific business method or marketing strategy. Maybe you want to brand yourself as the “article marketing expert” or the “blogging guru”. There are endless possibilities to which niche you might choose. Ann Sieg lists some great examples to help you brainstorm in Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto (p. 60). Just pick one or two subjects and specialize in them. Remember to educate yourself on the subjects on which you want to become an expert. Then differentiate yourself by presenting your information with a different spin or format than other people.

You can also choose to focus on a specific target market. Think about who could most benefit from your product or service. Please don't say everybody. While everybody might benefit, targeting "everyone" means you end up targeting no one. You have to select a sepcific group of people whose problems your product/service can solve.

When you combine your specialty with your target market, you have a niche. And having a niche is THE most important step you can take for your business.

You might think that being very targeted will narrow your appeal, but in fact the opposite is true. When you have a targeted, laser-focused message, you differentiate yourself among the sea of more generic offers.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU

Learn how to attract qualified prospects to you using attraction marketing, with step-by-step training and support.