3 Steps to Implementing Kaizen in Marketing.

You have had a Kaizen event on the shop floor as part of your continuous improvement strategy. What if you could do the same with your marketing? If the you only got 3 new customers would it be worth the effort?

The principles of a Kaizen event are very straightforward:

• Pick a specific area for improvement.
• Identify opportunities for improvement.
• Prioritize actions.
• Set a timeline.
• Measure progress.

One thing that makes this approach successful is the implementation of small incremental changes.  You are not changing everything at once.  Plan.Do.Check.Act.

Download the Content Audit Workbook

A recent survey  showed 57% of businesses plan to redesign their website in the next 12 months. Anyone that has been involved in such an undertaking knows it is very expensive and time consuming. Most people settle for done versus perfect. I don't know about you, but for me this sounds like a good place to apply Kaizen.                                                                                              

Imagine the frustration you could avoid by continually improving your marketing using Kaizen events.

Marketing can really be broken down to 3 simple steps/principles:

• Right Message
• Right Audience
• Right Time

Knowing this we can use these 3 steps to implementing Kaizen in Marketing.

• Right Message- Content Audit
• Right Audience- Buyer Persona
• Right Time- Content Mapping through the Buyers Journey

Content Mapping allows you to use Buyer Personas and Buyers Journey to create targeted content. Once you identified the Buyer Persona you match/create content for each step in their buying process. Check out this FREE resource from HubSpot to help you get started.

Once you have generated content and mapped it to match Buyer Personas and the Buyer Journey, the continuous improvement cycle can begin. A Content Audit allows you to identify gaps in your current marketing and as you identify new markets you can see what existing content can be modified to specifically address these new opportunities. We strongly recommend a set schedule for your content audits.

We are providing a Content Audit workbook to help you in this effort.

 Download the Content Audit Workbook

You might also be interested in our Marketing For Manufacturers page.

Why 51% of businesses do not have a Business Facebook Page

A recent poll conducted by Manta revealed that 51% of business owners did not have a business Facebook page . It also showed that 50% of those surveyed did not feel there was a positive ROI for time spent on Facebook.

Facebook has almost 2 billion monthly active users.

Twitter has 313 million active monthly users.

LinkedIn has around 500 million users.

Do you really believe there is not at least 1% on social media that might be interested in your product or service? Even at 1% those are BIG numbers!

A common thread I find when talking to business owners is that they just don't feel social media will work for their business because they are unique. If the conversation goes deep enough it usually settles on a common misunderstanding of how to market your business on social media.

Common mistakes businesses make with social media marketing:

• The ideal client has not been identified.
• The ideal audience for each social stream has not been identified.
• No effort to offer useful information in the buyer's journey.
• Using RSS feeds instead or original content.

When using traditional selling methods, most businesses clearly understand that everyone is NOT their ideal client. If you are selling commercial maintenance services you would not target homeowners with your marketing. Yet, it is common for businesses to take a shotgun approach to social media.

Facebook allows a business to focus on those demographics that are relevant to your product and service. This includes Gender, Age, Geography, Language and Interests. Did you know you can set your page audience in Facebook? Click here to learn how.

Blah,Blah,Blah....Buy my product. My product is on sale. Work for us. The list goes on. No real effort is made to provide any relevant content to guide visitors through the buyer's journey. A false assumption is made that everyone is ready to buy immediately. Once again the shotgun approach with no real appreciation of the buyer journey or experience. Social media can be an effective lead generation platform and not just a click and buy platform.

You do not have to hire a full time staff person to manage social media. Studies suggest that when you are building a following Quality/Relevance beats Quantity. Avoid using auto feeds that simply repost content. Research has shown that Quality beats Quantity. If you do not have the time or do not want to spend the time developing quality content then you can outsource your social media marketing.

Should a business outsource their Social Media Management?

I have seen ads that offer these services for $3/day. I can assure you no professional copywriter will develop unique content for your social media for that amount of money. ( It is very likely they will just auto post from RSS feeds). Multiply that number by a factor of ten and you can hire a professional marketing firm that will develop unique and engaging content for your audience. This approach is significantly less than hiring a part time employee and you can expense the cost on your taxes. If you are unhappy with the results you can fire the agency and not worry about paying unemployment!

Are you ready to not be part of the 51%?

Do You Have A Personal Meta Description?

OK. So what is a Meta Description?

A Meta Description are those "words" you see under the web page title when you search on the internet.

The purpose of a Meta Description is to provide a compelling message to your ideal client so they will click on your web page.

What is a personal Meta Description?

I attend many networking events and the thought came to me that in a large crowd you simply do not have time to present a 30 second elevator speech/commercial to everyone. Thus the idea of a personal Meta Description. One or Two sentences that would compel your ideal  client to want to learn more.

Here are some good examples:

Here is a good one from Andy Kelley who works for Receptions.

"I work with business and groups that like to meet and eat."

You know instantly if you or someone you know is looking at booking an event you need to talk to Andy. Who doesn't like to meet and eat?

Here is another good one from Janice Thomas who owns Talent Strategies.

"I help mid-sized companies solve their toughest people problems."

You either have that problem or know someone that does and you will get her information.

Short and to the point. Once someone asks for more information you can give your 30 second elevator speech/commercial.

Let me know if this is a good idea to maximize your networking or if you think I am just crazy in the comment section.