Passive Small Business Marketing for Inquiring Minds

Jeff Zbar

People noodle. They surf. Sitting in their home office or corporate cube, they while away the moments or hours, sniffing out interesting tidbits or just exploring their environs. Are you part of those environs? Is your outreach ready to serve their inquiring minds – and possible land some new work?

When you see a compelling link or comment on someone’s email signature, do you click through? Do you include such links to direct people back to your sites, services or brand?

Here are a few ways to feed their need to find interesting stuff…

- Tweak your email signature. Your email signature, or Sig, should include links to all your online efforts. For example, my sig offers links to ChiefHomeOfficer.com website and Facebook fan page and Twitter feed, my GotWords.biz corporate copywriting site, even my band’s MySpace page. You never know what people are looking for, even (or especially) when they’re not looking for work-related content.

- Compelling sales copy, Part 1. My signature draws people in with key selling points. Here’s one example related to my journalism and corporate copywriting work…
_____________
Jeff Zbar ~ 954-346-4393
Journalism + Corporate Copywriting

If it’s Written, Spoken, Blogged, Tweeted,
in Ads, Brochures, Books, PR or for Google
You’ll find it at http://www.gotwords.biz

What the heck is JZ thinking?!
www.twitter.com/chiefhomeoffice
On Facebook
http://www.chiefhomeofficer.com

Got an Event in Need of Entertainment?
Have I got a band for you!
http://www.myspace.com/hybridrox
_____________

- Compelling sales copy, Part 2. My key selling points may change by intended recipient. Using Google’s Canned Responses (or signatures) feature, I have a half-dozen signatures that I can use, depending on whom I’m sending my email. The one above is the default. Here’s another for my Chief Home Officer subject matter expert efforts…
_____________
Jeff Zbar ~ 954-346-4393
The Chief Home Officer
Home Office & Telework Columnist,
Blogger & Subject Matter Expert

www.chiefhomeofficer.com
www.homeofficehighway.com
www.mydaddyworksinhisunderwear.com

What the heck is JZ thinking?!
www.twitter.com/chiefhomeoffice
On Facebook
http://www.chiefhomeofficer.com
_____________

- Peel & Stick Signatures. Depending upon the recipient, I will peel off or delete certain portions of my sig. If it’s someone I correspond with frequently, I’ll delete all but my name and phone number line. If it’s someone for whom it would be inappropriate to send my band pitch, zotz the band pitch. If it’s someone who wouldn’t need corporate copy, but might want to learn more about home officing, ditto. Flexibility is essential.

- Embed to Syndicate. On your website, embed the code to reveal your Facebook fan page or Twitter feeds. Serve your audience’s natural tendency to browse, poke around and generally noodle.

- Syndicate yourself. Beyond what’s on your Website or email sig, cross-pollinate your links across your other online media. All your websites or places where your work or name appears should be mentioned on your personal Facebook or your fan page. Content posted to your Fan Page should syndicate to your Twitter feed, which itself should include active hyperlinks back to your primary pages.

- Take it off-line. It’s not enough to have all this hyperlinking and cross-pollination on your online media. Create killer business cards that include your URLs, Facebook address or @Twitter accounts.

Inquisitive people are everywhere. Their minds are actively in “intake mode” as they surf. Feed their ferreting ways – and build your brand, online and offline, in the process.


Jeff Zbar, The Chief Home Officer
www.chiefhomeofficer.com
Copyright 2010, author retains ownership. All Rights Reserved




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