Rachel Klaver is a Marketing Strategist specializing in Lead Generation and Content Marketing.

opinion: One of the main reasons we don’t recommend certain marketing strategies and tactics to small business owners.

When I ask them about their goals and plans, I know that even if they want to do it, it may not be the best fit for their business.

Instead, offer alternative options that better suit their goals.

read more:
* Is it time to degrade your website?
* How to get people to buy your course or coaching program
* “Pull the right levers”: areas you need to work on to grow your business

Sometimes I suggest that I personally never do it. I know I have a particular bias towards low-effort, high-return activities, and jobs that are really practical and easy to do.

I have developed a very long list of behaviors and ways of working that fit into the rest of my busy business life.

For example, they tend to suggest and teach simple lead generation techniques rather than high-energy, complex techniques.

But I know that the more complicated option is better suited to business owners, and that they have both the ability and ability to do it, even if I personally wouldn’t want to do it myself. You may.

All marketers naturally have biases towards certain ways of working. Emailing the list can be as often as you like, as long as it’s good and focused on adding value, but another marketer said he does it once every two weeks. That’s too much, you might say.

I may disagree with that advice, but it’s not necessarily bad advice.

However, there are some marketing tactics that need to be stopped. They are almost universally hated by people on the receiving end, often break the rules and can do more harm than good to your brand.

Most of the time, I prefer to focus only on what we all should do rather than what we shouldn’t.

But the idea for this column and this week’s MAP IT Marketing Podcast came from a very persistent stranger who kept messaging my personal profile on Facebook, pitching my business system.

She had no idea why not, and judging by the sheer volume of similar messages I receive daily on LinkedIn, Instagram, and email, I know she’s not the only one. .

Cold messages (unsolicited messages) violate the terms of service of Facebook and other meta platforms. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, of course, but it means you can report it if it does.

Sending by email is also illegal and considered spam. LinkedIn is a little more complicated as you can pay to send promotional messages. However, just because you can do it doesn’t mean you have to.

The Messenger lady initially said she got my contacts from a Facebook group, which is also often against the group’s rules. This type of behavior can result in expulsion from many groups.

I checked the group name and found that the group does not exist. She admitted that she used software to help find leads on Facebook. Yes, again, this also violated Facebook’s terms of service.

Remember that just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should.

Using other people’s Facebook groups to grow your audience is something I teach and encourage. However, we do not recommend sending direct her messages without prior approval.

If someone has written a post asking for help and your business can make it happen, reply to the post, add value and insight, then ask for permission to send more information in a direct message. Please allow them to choose to receive it.

The value-added part is an important step. In many cases, you are one of many girlfriends offering your services. If everyone just sees a link to your business’s page or sends you an unsolicited message, you stand out as someone who has already invested in your success. The relationship of trust that we should build has begun.

Pretty concise to those who pitch me in the first message. It gets even worse when the message starts off harmless and moves into a serious sales pitch in message 2 or 3.

I remember being pitched on the dance floor trying to get a project off the ground. My dance partner leaned over and said, “Just dance and enjoy the moment.” It really reminded me that there is time.

My whole ethos about marketing is that you should always respect your audience and get them to come on their time.

If our marketing approach is just sending cold messages to everyone we find, or pitching cut-and-paste messages, then that’s intrusive and generic, both of which are what we want when it comes to marketing. It’s not a word.

The only way this shotgun approach works is to view it as a numbers game. Many years ago I was working with a business person.

New Zealand is too small for this approach and we want to reduce the level of potential irritation. do you have?

To change, you must change your goals. Even if you are desperate for work, you need to build for the long term. Write, speak, and pitch like you’re here to serve, not to sell.

If you create a promotional message, make it a message that is sent to your social media audience or mailing list. If you want to pitch one person, make sure you already have a relationship with that person.

If you need to generate sales quickly, your sales locations should be limited to within your existing network. There is already rapport, trust, and relationships that can be sought.

If a Facebook group is where you go to find potential clients, focus on adding value to that group instead of waiting to pounce on someone who seems to need you. .

Post your tips and helpful advice to the group once or twice a week. No need to add “and so buy from me” at the bottom.people will see it

I still get a fair amount of work from members of Facebook groups that I haven’t been a member of in over five years. The regular tips and values ​​I added to that group long ago still bring me regular warm leads and great customers.

One piece of advice I offer to anyone who pitches me in their first message on LinkedIn is to take the time to interact with me in my post first. Please indicate that you have read my profile or my post in that message. And don’t rush to sell me.

If that sounds strange, think of LinkedIn as the online version of the network party. No one wants to be the kind of person who goes from person to person, hands out business cards, and then he does a 60-second elevator pitch before moving on.

One of the best things about social media is that you can show your audience what you value, what you do, and why you do it, rather than one person at a time. So, using the platform as designed, your posts create opportunities for people to connect with you and your messages.

When you interact or connect with someone you’ve interacted with in comments, they often visit your profile or request a connection.

They see what you’re doing and send signals of interest, like making a comment like, “Great post, I needed this.” You can then message me and ask if you want more. information from you.

The key is to move slowly, build trust over time, and always ask permission before jumping into an offer. The time has come to trust that you will want what you have.