Merry Neitlich - Marketing Strategies to Beat Content Fatigue

Hi everyone, it's Bill Black, the exit coach from the Exit Coach Radio show. You know, one of the biggest questions I get on the show is what exactly goes into a business exit plan and when should I start creating mine? Well, I always tell people that the best time to start was 5 years ago, but the next best time is now because you never know when you might need it. So we put together a free report that describes what an exit plan is and what you should know. You can get it free by texting exit plan with no spaces to 44222. That's exit plan to 44222. Again, text exit plan to 44222. Welcome to the Exit Coach Radio show, the show for baby boomer business owners who are looking for cutting edge information as they plan their 3 to 10 year business succession and exit. Every week we interview top professional advisors for their best tips, strategies, and precautions so you can be well planned. And now here's your host, the exit coach Bill Black. Well, hey everyone, thanks so much for joining me once again today. Always a pleasure to have you with me. You know, we interview top advisers, authors, others that have great tips, ideas, and precautions for business owners, and one of the key things about being a business owner is your ability to communicate with your clients, your customers, your prospects, your audience. And you're in luck today. We have Mary Neitlick from EM Consultants. Mary is a business development coach who assists firms and individuals in turning their brands into sustained business development opportunities. You know, with the overwhelming flood of content pushed out during the first two months of this pandemic, many people have experienced extreme content fatigue. Is that true of you? It sure is for me. Mary's going to share strategies to effectively communicate. And market your brand based on your client's needs. Mary, welcome. Thanks so much for joining me once again today. Good morning Bill and thank you so much for having me. My, my pleasure. I always loved this topic of communication and marketing. We think it's, you know, it's so important for our business owners to hear expert advice on this. So before we get into that, Mary, tell us a little bit about your background and EM consultants. Sure, I have been a business development consultant for over 25 years specializing in only professional service providers, and the idea is how do you first identify your brand, codify your differentiation, and then apply it to everything from your messaging to all the content on your website. To social media and then creating a specific opportunity for you to get in touch with your clients, potential clients referral sources on a sustained ongoing basis because we all know relationships are what starts business it's not about just having a fancy website. And that's what I do. Yeah, and it's, you know, there's, it seems like we, we reached an age, especially in professional service firms, where it was all about service, you know, well, we give great service. Well, doesn't everybody, you know, it's, it becomes hard to differentiate at some point if you're using just we give good service as a platform and you know, these are, these are really challenging times for all of us. Many, I think professionals are afraid to market or don't even know how to begin. To reach out to clients appropriately these days, is it too soon to reach out to clients today? Well, it, it's really not. I've been spending the past 10 weeks or so reaching out to clients, clients and listening to every webinar and writing and speaking a great deal on this topic because it's just so earth shattering what's happened to all of us and people are a little concerned about 1 ft in front of the other. Clients actually really want to hear from you. And what the big message is they want to hear relevant content that has to do with them and in my opinion and what clients have told me is the most important thing is reaching out. I would assume most people have reached out to their clients and customers at this point multiple times to say, hey, how are you? Now the idea is can you reach out to your customers and clients about relevant issues and content that they need to hear about. I agree with the statement you made, Bill, which was many of us are fatigued from webinars, Zoom meetings, content. And if none of us ever see that COVID headline virus that people were using for the first couple of weeks with, you know, COVID resource center, we'll all be very happy about that but it's but it's really moved to what is it that the client wants and so I've been working with clients to school them and say for example you're in the hospitality industry. Know everything that's going on. Set up Google alerts and LinkedIn alerts and find out what's going on and you have now interesting information to share with your clients. Some of this should be face to face on Zoom meetings or perhaps sending them short updates about what's going on and that oh this just changed, but it also provides a great opportunity for you to call them and check in. And you're checking in to say hey what's going on? I just saw this article and it looks like such and such is happening in your industry but to me the home run, the gold is really trying to extend that conversation and I always suggest asking them what are the business issues and problems that you're you're facing right now and I would like to help. How can I help? Is there a meeting I can attend? Can I put some skin in the game and help you solve whatever that business problem is? Um, so those things I think are critical and the last piece I'll say on this is even though content fatigue is real, the statistics are in and there has been more content opened in the past 3 months than in any other 3 month period that it's been tracked. So what, what does that say? It says that clients, customers, referral sources, potential clients. are reading this content and it's an enormous opportunity for you to get out in front of the pack if you can get this information out to them use social media, whatever frequently short sound bites that really give that information. Those those are some great tips. I was wondering, you know, so much of, as you were saying, so much of marketing has been kind of sympathy based, you know, like we're all in this together, it's a tough time, we'll make it through and at some point. Some big advertisers have tried to differentiate by adding in some some doses of humor, you know, just to differentiate themselves, and some advertisers out there that we see combine the two. Is there a mix that that works or is that makes a lot of sense these days between, you know, two messages about sympathy and one about humor or something like that? Well, to me, it, you know, you can certainly add humor, but I don't think too many people are are laughing about this, especially with what's been going on the past couple of weeks with the protests and that issue on top of everything. It's sort of been a a black cloud over everybody's head. I, I really feel that the best thing that you can do is to reach out to your clients about their problems, about their content, not just how are you doing, but what's going on. Is your business starting to reopen? What are the main concerns you you have and connecting them with the resources too. So that's a much, I mean, if advertising, I have a variety of clients who are really ticked up their advertising in certain issues and certain publications which cover those particular trade organizations or industries and also general advertising such as the Orange County Business Journal, but they have to be very relevant to. The, uh, the audience, I don't think people are just looking for humorous anecdotes at this moment. It doesn't mean you can't have a sense of humor when you're on the phone with your client or talking or something or a comment in an article that's funny. We're, you know, we're certainly not all closed in black here, but, uh, I think the main message is helping your content, your client with that content, you know, uh, for example. Uh oh, I didn't even know this until this morning, but last week the governor signed an executive order dealing with shifting the blame. We'll have to go to the client or company rather than the employee if somebody gets sick, or in other words, the company now will have to prove up that they've done, they've set precautions up. And so anyone who let's write about that. Everybody needs to know about that. So I called several of my clients and said you need to research this, and some of them were lawyers, one was a workers' comp person to get this information out. So I think people are thirsting for the best next step. Yeah, there's there's a wide variety of topics and information available these days. The question is, uh, you know, what do your clients need at this point, right? So, uh, if, if you're, if you're coming at your clients with interesting and informative information, um. The, the, I guess the big question is, do you will clients appreciate the, the outreach, um, as much as just say, uh, just saying I'm here for you, um, what are some of the, the, uh, what's some of the advice that you're telling your clients um as far as um. You know, coming up with that what that client need might be, but you know you've mentioned asking the client, uh, right, um, how do you go about that? Well, the secret sauce in my opinion is process improvement and process mapping. So if you've gotten your client on the phone and you've offered to be of help and assistance and they tell you they're having a problem, it might not be in your belly wick. You might be an accountant and they may be having a business problem that really hasn't fun doesn't intersect necessarily with accounting, but as a business professional you understand their industry and their business and you've been a long term. Provider to this company so help them identify with ask them what that issue is and then see if you can get a little schooled on this thing of process improvement. So if the problem is basically intake, let's go through your intake process and figure out why during COVID this has become a problem and let's see if we can develop some steps or process map to come out of it. That's kind of a very sophisticated need some coaching to do this, but that's the deepest level. Um, the other piece is when you're sharing content with your client, please mix up the media. Uh, I don't think that many of us enjoy getting or or receiving that flurry of push out emails that came. One law firm sent me 17 in one week. Um, and that's just too much, right? Content burnout, fatigue, and what about mixing the message, a short video from the principal in the company or a an interactive interview where you call a couple of your clients in the same industry and gather information. You want to use social media as appropriate and you can also involve your clients in your social media post by tagging them or by interviewing them and having a post from them so the concern can reach many, many different levels but just mix the message don't just do webinars. One CEO made a comment that was published in a major business publication two weeks ago and said stop the webinars. Um, he, he felt like I can't attend a 45 minute webinar, but can you send me 5 bullet points to tell me what I need to know about that. So mix the message would be the thing and um staying in touch but not to the point of, you know, ad infinitum where people are just blocking you because you sent out so many e-blasts or done so much in the same area. Yeah, yeah, good points and uh how do you how do your clients approach you with with these requests if someone that's listening says, you know, I, I hear all of this and I really need to create a grid of differentiating kind of messages, mixed media, and all of that, what's a starting point for someone when you're talking with them, where do you start with them to figure out where they are? It's always the client it's always finding out what the client needs or if they focus in a particular industry, uh, what their clients in that industry if they have a broad focus like for example they sell insurance to a myriad of businesses then you're shifting to something that will be of assistance to all businesses as we go through this you know for example um I spoke to an environmental consultant last week who was saying that some businesses are putting Plexiglas shields up at the reception area or conference. Rooms is a protection for going back to the office, but he said to me, but they actually don't work very well because there's a space underneath it where the receptionist might have to push something out for you to sign or there's interaction and then there's over the top so that those things sound great and so it's talking to people, finding out what are you doing to go back, what are your needs. Um, another piece of it that we've been working on are updating those LinkedIn profile pages, optimizing them, and putting all the content necessary. A lot of my clients are now updating their bios on both their website and on LinkedIn and making sure that those two bios are slightly different because the search engines, if it's exactly the same, will not pay attention to the LinkedIn bio if they've seen that exact content, for example, on your website. So it does the content on your bio need to be updated to reflect some services or offerings that you have for COVID which you can always change back, but just look at it and see if it's relevant maybe you haven't, you only have an article from 2015, but you have like 10 other more current ones you want your clients to know that you're in this with them, that you have current information so updating I think would be another uh aspect, but most importantly, specifically to your question. It's ask the client what their needs are and just stay on top of it and you know you're gonna have to do some community work some church work um if you have uh uh for example if you have a client that's in the hospitality industry using that business again maybe they support feeding people who, you know, feeding the homeless or or providing food for meals for people with COVID. So maybe you can be donating to that and in a meaningful way or be part of that organization in a meaningful way to relate more to what your client's needs are it's kind of all comprehensive this is a touchy feely time even for those of us who are not touch. Feely at all we can't help but be emotionally raw and so being very sensitive and just appropriately responding to what their needs are as opposed to saying, you know, oh I think I know you know what every everybody needs, you know, that kind of thing. When you're working with companies and I've had guests on that have talked about the different generations in the workplace, right, and the fact that sometimes the owner might be the patriarch, maybe in, let's say in his or her 60s, and, and they communicate very differently from their millennial workers or managers. Would you recommend or do you get involved with the company and say let's get a committee of different generational representatives together so that you can Um, have a, you know, not just rely on one person's outlook of what is effective communication. Well, that's the, you know, the gold ring, right? Yes, of course. I mean that concept of, of diversity and inclusion has been huge the past year, right, 2 years, but now it's taken to an even higher level and it's no longer to just say we hire people of color, but it's, are you walking the walk? Are you talking the talk? Are you actually using diversity and inclusion in your business? And so that's a great way for an outside professional service provider to be of assistance to sort of even invoke that conversation where they may not have thought about that and they may realize that oh yeah I should be doing that. I can't believe I've been so preoccupied with just, you know, keeping the doors open. I wasn't thinking about the big picture so yes that's a that's a brilliant idea, Bill, and I think it should be well heeded. On your website, one of the things that you have on the front page is the definitive guide for LinkedIn for lawyers, why it's time. Why is it time? Well, it's time because content marketing is probably the most important thing people can do in terms of getting content out, but it's not enough to just post once a week or occasionally, so it's a way of communicating with your, uh, workforce and the more people you're connected to and the more people you involve when you post by tagging them, by putting the a sign in front of their name. That a sign disappears when you make the post and it turns blue and they get an email so it's a great way for them to know you were thinking of them so that is huge. I also think that getting appropriate content out frequently is really important. I just finished a piece and any of your listeners who are interested I'm happy to send it to them, which is a little more advanced, which is how you turn LinkedIn into a business generation tool. So the piece you're referring to on my website helps people optimize their profile page. When people go to your profile page and you have no content listed, you don't even have an image that's appropriate. All you have is that uh blue image with the white lines that just comes with being on LinkedIn. You haven't taken the time to put a relevant image. It says to people, I'm not really a player, so that definitive guide helps people understand. To optimize the profile and this new piece says I really actually want to do more than that. I want to get business from it and so that's what this new piece talks about, uh, how to enhance your posts and communicate with messaging and posting and uh writing articles. Uh, based on your outlook and research, of course nobody has a crystal ball, but how long do you think, you know, we're we're starting a return to work kind of agenda, I guess, in some parts of the country in California maybe in the next couple of weeks some firms are returning to work, but what do you think the new normal will look like as far as changes in communication? As more and more workers do, uh, maybe come into the office occasionally and stay home. How do people, uh, how do we communicate with people differently that are staying at home or if we do it all? Zoom baby Um, I think, I think there have been an enormous amount of video conferencing meetings, many of them on Zoom, uh, maybe we're getting a little burnt out with that, but also I've heard employees from my client's company say, you know, we've never had this much internal communication before. And every Monday and every Thursday we have a 30 minute hands on Zoom meeting or some kind of communication vehicle so that we know what's going on with the company and people really like it. They're starting the comments from employees have been I've never felt more a part of the company before. They they value me. They're they're telling me what's happening as opposed to just, you know, I have to hear about it or find out about it or hear the new rules that I get in an email. So I think in some ways communication will never be exactly the same and I think business leaders, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, managing partners are all going to be very, very. Um, highlighted in their awareness of communicating more with with people and it's not just necessarily back to work procedures, it's what's going on it's feeling that pain. It's uh and I also think, and I'm not the first to say this, but I think many people will continue to work remotely and I know that companies, at least every one of my clients, is letting people continue to work home as long as they want to if they're not comfortable or they want to see what happens first or if there's going to be a spike or something like that. So it's all of those things. I think, I don't think our lives will ever be quite the same. I, I like to use the word new normal as opposed to the next normal because I think that this is something that will be a permanent change. Now Mary, you and I and your husband Jerry, hey Jerry, if you're out there, are all members of Provisors, which is a group of a huge group of advisers that get together regularly by networking, and lately those meetings have been by Zoom, of course. What do you wish more of the advisers that are on the Zoom calls were doing to better promote themselves and their services or show up better on a Zoom meeting? Oh, that's a great, a great question, and it's been huge. I think the most important thing to know is that do not be backlit, do not have a light behind you because it puts a shadow on your face, and then look at your face on the Zoom call and notice that your face is blurry or it's not well lit and do something about it. Maybe you need a better camera. Cameras are not that expensive. They clip right on top of your monitor. Maybe you need better auditory communication. Uh, maybe the picture that you have when you're not using live video isn't current or it's blurry. So all of those things communicate and most importantly, when you're on the call, be looking at the camera, have it eye level if you have it on your desk and you're looking down. It creates shadows under your eyes. It could create a double chin. It can create more of a haggard look. So if you're looking eye to eye or slightly up, it makes you look more youthful. Don't we all want that? And look at yourself and listen to what you're saying and be cogent, be crisp, be clear, do not go on and on and on, right? And also one of the big communication tools is use your arms when you're speaking as if you were talking to your best friend at the kitchen table. You can even see that on a Zoom meeting, so be more than just a talking head, be present, and then finally I would say when other people are talking, people see you. So if you're looking down and you're on your cell phone or you're typing emails, people see it. So be very aware of that and try to be present on the call looking into the camera. Mary, this has been fantastic, great information for our listeners, and I want to implore that they go to your website Econsults.org, econsults.org where you have an extremely opinionated blog, a lot of terrific content there, a beautiful picture of you ice skating, but also in your uh a. A video I guess of your TED Talk, digital and content marketing strategies, just a ton of great information for listeners who, you know, they may know you, but they haven't been to your website and seen all the benefits of of what you offer there. So I would implore our listeners to go there and also to get in touch with you at Econsults.org. Would you prefer anybody communicate with you in another way, or should they start there? Mary at EM consults.org or calling me at 949-260. 093 6 all of that would be fine. Happy to help and also happy to send out that advanced piece on business development on LinkedIn to anyone who would like it. And and everyone who knows you knows, but if you don't, Mary is M E R R Y and you are a married person. We, we, I, I really enjoy having you on. It's fantastic to have you back on here and uh I look forward to the next time we speak up there's also a link uh that we'll put in our show notes if you look on Exacotra.com for this interview, um, and look for the link to uh standing out in the new norm. Um, and I look forward to again talking with you again sometime in the near future. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Alright thank you thank you for listening we'll be right back after this. Listening to one of many shows on Exitoachradio.com. We're interviewing advisors, authors, and thought leaders for their best tips, ideas, and precautions so you can be well planned. If you'd like to be a guest on any of our shows, go to guest.exitcoachradio.com. Exitcoachradio.com. Come listen for a minute. Thank you for listening to Exit Coach Radio.