DuctTapeMarketing.com
Nov 16, 2005 

In this issue:

Interesting Resource - Duct Tape Marketing Forum is live
Duct Tape Coaches - Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coaches - meet the first 10
Main Article - Unleash a lead generation machine
Resource from me #1 - The Ultimate Lead Generation Machine
Resource from me #2 - Referral Flood Digital Version - Referral Flood Blog!
Resource from me #3 - Blog Lightning - How To Create and Promote Your Blog in a Flash
Resource - Yahoo Releases Publisher's Guide to RSS
Free Magazine - DV magazine - Covers all things digital video
Featured Reading - The Search - John Battelle
Listening - Occasion - Harry Connick, Jr.

You can always view past issues here!

Announcing Duct Tape Marketing (the book)

From the offices of my agent, Steve Hanselman of Level5Media, comes this announcement.

9/28/05, Just sold to Victor Oliver and Jonathan Merkh at Nelson Business:Two-category winner of Forbes' Best of 2005 Blog Awards, HP small business spokesperson, and Marketing Sherpa Readers Poll winner for the last two years John Jantsch's

DUCT TAPE MARKETING: The Only Small Business Marketing Tool You Really Need, providing proven low-cost solutions in a simple, effective, and systematic way

Pretty exciting and humbling stuff really, but now, I've actually got to write the darn thing. Look for Duct Tape Marketing (the book) in fine bookstores everywhere next Fall.

I know without hesitation that this book would not have been possible without the inspiration I draw from the readers of this blog and my newsletter.

Thank you!- John

Duct Tape Marketing Forum Is Alive

I just rolled out a new place for you to get and give small business marketing tips, resources and advice. The Duct Marketing Forum is the place to go to ask your marketing questions, find new marketing resources and share your marketing success stories.

A forum is an interactive section of a web site that allows registered members to post and comment on other posts. You don't have to be a member to view the forum, but you will need to register to post content.

The forum is in its infancy at the moment, but will grow with your participation to become a valuable small business marketing resource.

Calling all marketing experts - feel free to drop by and share your expertise!

The Duct Tape Marketing Forum

Duct Tape Coaches - Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coaches - coming to a town near you

The first group of 10 coaches have been selected and begun the initial phase of training.

These coaches will be the exclusive distribution channel for Duct Tape Marketing products and licensed to work with small business owners to implement the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system.

The network of Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coaches will become the recognized brand of small business marketing coach.

The following 10 professionals will be the first to help me bring the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system to communities around the world. Look for more information in the coming weeks on each of these Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coaches.

Featured Tip
Unleash Your Lead Generation Machine
Take a multi-pronged approach to small business lead generation.

by John Jantsch

Lead generation is a funny thing. It’s the lifeblood of any growing business, yet many approach it in a casual manner at best.

Consistently generating leads for your business takes momentum and momentum takes energy.

In my experience, lead generation energy is best created by effectively approaching your very well defined target market from several angles, advances and mediums.

Your multi-pronged attack should come just short of making them feel that you and your business are everywhere they want to go.

One way to accomplish this is through the carefree spending of bucket loads of money on advertising. It’s an approach that has actually worked for some, but I don’t recommend it for most small business owners.

A more effective small business lead generation machine, one that generates the greatest return on investment, is best created through the blending of targeted advertising, consistent public relations and a systematic approach to referrals.

This three prong attack is the stuff that momentum is built on.

Advertising

For most small businesses, direct mail is one of the best ways to target specific markets. The key to making small business direct mail, or any form of advertising, work is to use your advertising to gain marketing permission, before you try to gain a sale.

In other words, focus your advertising message on creating a lead. Make them an offer of a free report, seminar, evaluation, newsletter, or other low cost or no cost education message and let them begin to get to know you through this two step process.

The fact is you can’t really expect a prospect to make a buying decision about your product or service from the 127 words you can cram onto a postcard. You can however, get their attention with a free report that offers them 5,000 words of your expertise. Once they have consumed that, they will be primed and ready for your follow-up sales message.

Public relations

PR is a big field but for the sake of this article, I’m talking about two things – Getting nice articles about your firm in publications read by your target market and placing expert articles, written by you, in publications read by your target market.

If you aren’t doing both of these as part of your lead generation strategy, you are missing the boat.

When a prospect reads an article in a newspaper or magazine it carries much more credibility than an ad. The fact that someone else (the publication) thinks that you are great is a very strong endorsement.

Target the publications you want to appear in and then start to market to them. Read them, send information and notes to writers on staff, find out what guidelines they have for guest authors and start creating some positive PR to go along with your advertising.

Here’s a quick tip. Ask your best clients what publications they read and rely on the most. This can be a great way to find the best publications to advertise in as well. Every industry has dozens of trade publications, but only a few are actually read.

Referrals

It’s a good bet that a large percentage of your business came to you by referral. Cousin Louie liked what you did for him, so he told two friends and the rest history.

Referrals are a great way to build a business. Leads that come to you by way of referral generally cost nothing. Clients that come to you by way of referral are often your best clients.

Most small businesses get this, but few approach lead generation by way of referral in a systematic way. And, asking a few people if they know anybody that needs what you do is not a systematic referral approach.

Here are the steps in the system:

Target a referral source – this could be your clients, but often the best referral sources are actually strategic partners that also serve your ideal target client

Educate your referral source – Create a one page document that your referral sources can use to introduce what you do, how you do it and why they should consider having you do it for them. The biggest potential pitfall of a shoddy referral approach is that you get tons of leads that aren’t right for you.

Communicate a creative referral marketing offer – If you can create a game out referral lead generation everyone will want to play. Reward your referral sources in creative ways. Co-brand powerful information products and show your strategic partners how to use them.

Creative referral offers also make great news stories for your PR program.

Are you starting to get a glimpse of how some of this works together, builds momentum and creates energy?

Well, you’re in luck. The next course in the Ultimate Small Business Marketing System tackles this very topic – Lead Generation. In three, one hour telesessions, complete with workbook and worksheets, you can learn the ins and outs of creating your very own lead generation machine.

Get the details here


~ ~ ~

John Jantsch is a marketing coach, author and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct Tape System and download your free copy of “How To Grow Your Small Business Like Crazy by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

 

Resource - The Ultimate Marketing System Session #3 - The Lead Generation Machine

The telesession course, Ultimate Marketing System, moves into Lead Generation for the next 3 sessions. This course will teach you the best ways to combine advertising, public relations and referral marketing to create a flood of leads and business.

Course #3– Open the Lead Generation Flood Gates - Get Details on this course

12/07 – Advertising That Creates Instant Action
12/14 – Powerful Public Relations or Earned Media Attention
12/21 – Referral Marketing Is The Most Profitable Kind

 All Sessions are held on Wednesdays at Noon Central
(10 Pacific, 11 Mountain, 1 Eastern, GMT-6)

Participants in each session also receive an audio recording and transcript of the actual session. By the end of all 12 sessions this collection of audio files and transcripts will be a virtual encyclopedia of small business marketing knowledge.

Featured Resource  #2- NEW Digital Version Now Available for Immediate Download

Referral Flood - How to generate a flood of new business without spending one dime on advertising

I just released a digital version that allow you to download the 125 page ebook as a PDF file and MP3 Audios. I also passed on the saving to you. The digital version is $79 (as opposed to $97 for printed version) + no shipping


Referral Flood - How to Create a Flood of New Business Without Spending One Dime On Advertising



 

Featured Resource #3 - Blog Lightning - How To Create and Promote Your Blog In A Flash

 Blog Lightning Is Selling Like Crazy

Drawing from my experience creating blogs, including my award winning Duct Tape Marketing Blog, I have launched a complete step-by-step guide that takes you by the hand and shows you exactly what to do to instantly create and promote a successful blog for your business.

You also get 14 video screencast tutorials that allow you to watch over my shoulder as I actually do the steps I outline in the system - It does not get any easier than this! - Order Blog Lightning



 

Yahoo Releases Publisher's Guide to RSS

One way to get quickly indexed by Yahoo, is submitting an RSS feed to them. If you're still a little fuzzy on how this whole RSS thing works, Yahoo has released a guide Publisher's Guide to RSS to bring you up to speed.

 

Featured Free Magazine

DV Magazine is the premier monthly publication dedicated to the needs of digital video and web video professionals. Written and published by experts in the field, DV provides objective, hard-hitting, in depth reviews of digital video and Web video tools, case studies, comprehensive tutorials, and analysis of real-world challenges faced by video professionals. Free subscription
 

Featured Reading

The Search - How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture - John Battelle

John Battelle was a founder of The Industry Standard and then one of the original editors of Wired, two magazines which helped shape our early perceptions of the wild world of the Internet.

The Search is fascinating reading for anyone who wants to understand a little more about how search engines came to be and, more importantly, how they play a role in the future of business.

Featured Listening

Harry Connick, Jr. - Occasion


Harry Connick, Jr. is at his best simply playing the piano. On Occasion, he teams up with Branford Marsalis on sax and these two old-time New Orleans boys have a good time stirring up images of the greats (Monk, Marsalis and Fess Longhair) that came before them.

I have also posted my Top 25 Albums of All Time List for those interested in such things!
 

©2003-2005 John Jantsch • All rights reserved • 816-561-3931 • John@DuctTapeMarketing.com