By Heather Dominick,
EnergyRICH® Entrepreneur Success & Master Coach

Many of my clients share that one of their biggest marketing challenges is actually connecting with enough prospects. They are doing all of this great work in their businesses, but not very many people know about their work; or at least not enough for the flow of business to be moving smoothly and easily. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Sound familiar? There isn't one perfect way to consistently connect with prospects, but there are many ways that, when used collaboratively, will build you a nice stream of people who are interested in what you do.

To get the energy of your marketing moving, start with these 3 sure fire ways to connect with quality prospects. Remember, it isn't about connecting with everyone and anyone. It's about connecting to those prospects that are interested in you and what you offer, and the way you offer it.

1. Know Your Clients and Customers

I'm sure this is not new news to you. When you are in business for yourself, you must know whom you serve. The more you know about your ideal clients/customers, the better you'll know where and how to find them.

But here's another side to this that you won't hear a lot of business coaches talking about: Have you ever noticed how you behave differently when you're with different people? You operate one way with grandma and another with your mechanic, right? Now, obviously, we are always going for being genuinely ourselves, but still there's always a slight difference. It's the same when connecting with prospects. The more you know the essence of who you serve, the more you're able to always be on the same page with them. Then you aren't trying to talk to your mechanic the same way you would to grandma. It just isn't the same energy. No matter how hard you try to make it so.

2. Have Your Own Main Stay In-Touch Tool

This is a crucial tool when it comes to being able to connect with quality prospects. I always like to say, "Offer something F*R*E*E of extremely high value and content, in exchange for being able to stay in touch." Not everyone is ready to work with you right away. But because people are so busy and have so much information available to them, it can be easy for you to drop off of someone's radar--even if they are interested in what you have to offer. Better to stay in touch so they don't forget about you and you don't forget about them.

Now, there are many different ways to stay in touch: email, teleclasses, postcards, event announcements, and more.

The key point is that you choose at least 3 and then rank them in order of regularity and plug them in so they are consistent--like clock work. Prospects like to know they can count on you. For example, one you do once a week, another you do every other week and the third happens monthly.

3. Talk about Your Stay in Touch Tool

Having a stay in touch tool doesn't do us much good if we keep it to ourselves. No need to be shy. Let prospects feel how much you love to do what you do by inviting them to join you. This creates a "Hey, come join me!" energy, versus a, "Ugh, I have to chase you down" energy. Of course, the first option is rich with possibilities. You can go about inviting people in all sorts of ways. When you meet someone at a networking event, party, or just in casual conversation and they express interest in what you do. It's the perfect chance to invite them along. Everyone likes to be invited somewhere. When they join you, then you know you've connected with someone who is interested. You've started a relationship. This is the golden key.

Heather Dominick, is founder of the EnergyRICH® Success System for Entrepreneurs, the proven step-by-step program to help you partner your inner and outer approach to business for profitable productivity that is fused with JOY! To sign up for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on how to create an EnergyRICH® Business as a WomenPreneur, visit www.energyrichcoach.com

I love this video by Sandra Martini. It explains what a marketing elevator is and the difference between that and a marketing pyramid.

By Christine Gallagher, on June 18, 2010 in Traffic and List-building

Website Traffic Simple Ways to Get More Visitors to Your Blog or Website
You’ve picked the domain, decided on the design and started posting great content that showcases your expertise. 

The hard work is over, right?

Not exactly—after all, you need people to actually read that useful content that you’re diligently cranking out. So how do you get those eyeballs to your site? There are literally hundreds of ways to drive traffic to your blog or website, but here I will highlight just a few of the ways to drive traffic and generate interest in what it is you have to offer.

Write articles: Most of the article directories online are free to submit your articles to. They usually allow you to add a resource box at the end, which can include a blurb about you and your business and a link back to your site.  Some of the directories I like to use include Ezine Articles, Go Articles, Idea Marketers and Articles Base.

Comment on other blogs: When you comment on other high-traffic blogs in your niche you not only get a link back to your own site, you’re also boosting your site’s visibility in front of the blog owner and the others leaving comments.


Social media: Provide links to your latest posts on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and invite your friends and followers to leave their thoughts on the particular topic in the comments.  You don’t want to do this for every post as it might be viewed as spamming—but it’s perfectly acceptable to occasionally encourage others to click through and read a post you feel particularly proud of.  Also, be sure to include your site’s URL in all of your profiles.

Hold a contest: A great way to generate interest in your site is to hold a contest where the entries are comments left on your post.  For example, you could give away someone else’s product in exchange for writing a post about it and then publicize the contest through your social networks.

Email signature: Most of us send numerous emails in any given day—capitalize on this by adding a link to your site in your signature line.

Basic SEO: You don’t need to be super-knowledgeable about search engine optimization to benefit from it.  If you use the WordPress blog platform, install the All in One SEO Pack plugin. This post gives some simple and easy to understand tips on SEO in general.

Post in forums: Many online forums and message boards will allow you to use a short signature line at the end of your posts.  You can include a link to your site here.

Blog directories: A simple Google search will reveal that there are many blog directories online where you can list your site for free.  These sites are important because they provide a way to get links to your site—which boosts your ranking in the search engines.  A good list of some of the best directories is here.

Guest post: Reach out to fellow bloggers in your niche and offer to guest post for them.  Make sure you find out specifically what kind of topics they are looking for and that your audiences both compliment each other.  Offer them a spot guest posting on your blog as well.

Link to other blogs: It’s a good idea to give “link love” to other bloggers by mentioning them in post once in awhile and providing a link to their site.  Think of it as good blogging “karma.”

Post valuable content regularly: I’ve saved what is probably the most important strategy for last.  Many times, this is what makes the difference between blogs that succeed and those that fail.  The above tips are effective for sure, but in the long run this is what will keep people coming back for more as well as draw new readers in.

Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com.