• Targeted lead generation is an area of marketing many entrepreneurs struggle with.

    In yesterday’s post, Internet Marketing Through Prospects – Your #1 Sales-Channel I shared with you a few reasons why your prospects are your best marketing channel for new lead generation.

    Today, let’s take the conversation further.

    The way I see it, in order to leverage prospects as a powerful marketing channel there are three steps.

    Step 1 – Refine Your Message

    This is where your blog comes in.

    Why?  Because a blog allows you to enter into a conversation with your prospects.

    And by dialoguing on your blog you can accomplish a lot.  For example…

    • By asking questions, your prospects will share what’s on their mind…
    • By asking for takeaways, your prospects will share which pieces of content excite them the most…
    • By asking prospects where they are struggling will tell you how you can create value…

    Then by answering your prospect’s questions you get to display your knowledge and show that you care.

    Ultimately, your goal here is to get your finger on the pulse of your market.

    Because when you have your finger on the pulse you’ll find it easier to craft high-value content consistently.

    I think the best advice regarding how to approach writing content for your blog came from Ben Franklin.

    Yep, one of the forefathers of the U.S., had a pithy way of summing up blogging (even though it obviously didn’t exist then).

    Here’s what Ben had to say…

    “Either Write Something Worth Reading About Or…
    Do Something Worth Writing About.”

    Well said.  Next…

    Step 2 – Connect To Amplify Your Message

    This is where you can really leverage social media.

    The whole goal in this step is to connect with other like-minded individuals.

    Why?  Because it will amplify your message to more and more like-minded individuals… i.e prospects.

    And while your options are limitless, your approach should be focused.

    If I were you, I’d start by engaging in conversation with other influential bloggers in my market.  I’d comment on their posts, I’d link to them in my posts, I’d stumble them, social bookmark them, etc…

    Next, I’d get Twitter really rocking for me.  I’d micro-post links to valuable content I came across, my own blog posts, and a few profound thoughts here and there.

    After that, I’d get a Facebook fan page going.  (I just created mine – you can see it here:  Rich Schefren Facebook Fan Page)

    Of course, there’s a lot more you can do… and you should.

    But don’t lose sight of the power that can be achieved just by well executing these three steps.  In fact, if you do these well… there’s little need for much else.  Not because everything else is unimportant, it’s simply because the momentum you create here will carryover into other areas all by itself.

    Now, as your base continues to grow… your messages will continue to amplify.

    And the more your messages are amplified… the more  your blog becomes a…

    Collaborative… Living… Breathing…
    Hub For Your Marketplace

    Which leads to our final step…

    Step 3 – Engage In Powerful Conversations

    Before distilling down what I mean by powerful conversations – I need to share an important concept with you.  It’s this…

    Relevancy Trumps Proximity.  Before the age of the Internet, we were limited by geographic boundaries.  We read, shopped, and conversed mostly with those around us.  But the Internet has changed all that.  Now, we are no longer limited by proximity… so our focus circles around what’s relevant instead.  Which means your prospect’s are continually evaluating their decision by relevancy too.

    So, the way you drive prospects to your site (which is the goal here, right?) is to start engaging (and relevant) conversations on your blog…. amplify the message through social media… and get prospects to follow the rabbit trail back to your site.

    Because, when it’s all said and done….

    It’s Not What You Say…
    It’s What Others Say About You

    And that, in a nutshell, is the power of social media.

    Getting others to talk about you and your messages.

    Now, that opens a can of worms doesn’t it?

    I’m sure you are wondering… What’s the best way to get others to talk about me or my messages?

    And I’ve got lots of answers for you.  Concepts like social-currency, the power of counter-intuitive ideas, etc…

    But I’m running out of time today.

    So for now, remember Dale Carnegie’s famous quote…

    “You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.”

    OK, we’ve got lots of open loops from the past few weeks… don’t we?

    We’ve got to wrap up believability and credibility… talk more about value creation… and breakdown today’s most powerful marketing messages.

    That stated… here’s my question for you?

    WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO WRITE ABOUT TOMORROW?

    Tell me in the comments below.

    I’ve got to get going now…I’m jetting to Phoenix, AZ to attend a few days of closed door meetings  with Infusionsoft.

    I’ll tell you more about my trip over the next couple of days.  But for now… tell me … what do you need to know?

    To higher profits and beyond,

    Rich Schefren

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