Are you pushing enough with your online marketing?

Anyone who has been marketing online for any period of times knows you have to use many different methods to achieve a solid outcome. Most everything will fall into two primary categories; push marketing and pull marketing.

Online push marketing is literally “pushing” information to your market. It begins by getting someone on your opt-in subscriber list as we just discussed. Push marketing includes interviews, articles, blog updates, videos, ezines, daily tips, special reports, postings on social networks and forums, and invitations to teleseminars and webinars. The idea is that once someone is on your list, you send valuable information to them on a consistent basis so they become familiar with you, your name is recognizable, and you build trust.

The more your market knows, likes, and trusts you, the easier the sales process is. Equally important is perceived value. The more value they perceive, the easier it is to make a sale – that is, if they are your target market (your ideal client). All the value in the world to a mismatched market will do you (and them) no good. On the other hand, the more value you create for the correct market, the more your subscriber list and revenues will grow.

One of my clients was in the middle of a huge identity shift and life change when we first began working together. In years past she had built a business that made over $400,000 per year. Over a period of three years her revenue decreased by over 75 percent. Frustrated, she needed to make drastic changes. Good thing she recognized this, because she was likely to run her business into total collapse if she hadn’t.

Time was of the essence to get her new message out to market. Not only was time important, so was her own personal shift in perception. She had to be willing to let go of who she used to be and embrace who she was becoming. In the first few months of her transition we had many conversations about the fact that there would be a drop-off of some of her previous clientele who simply did not resonate with the new persona she was presenting to the world. Yet on the flip side, there were many of her clients who absolutely loved the change, and a new group of people flocked to her message.

As you change, there’s a strong possibility your market and offerings will change. Be prepared for this. It can be very emotional to watch clients you thought appreciated you leave your tribe. Do not let this stop you from embracing your new direction. Fair warning: you will experience the temptation to stay in a neatly wrapped box. Your job is to let go of the past, embrace the future, and be willing to risk going into the unknown. It has been said, “With risk comes reward.”

As these changes occur, so must the information you offer to your market. A goal in push marketing is to continually provide timely, quality information and high-perceived value in order to develop a loyal consumer base. Etch that last sentence in stone – it is so incredibly important.

Building an opt-in subscriber list is one very important way to provide value to your prospects and control when they receive it. Although a large, targeted opt-in subscriber list is desirable, some people have had great financial success with lists of just a few hundred people due to the quality of the list and the size of their offerings.

One colleague of mine tells the story of how she generated over $100,000 with a list of 561 subscribers. This is almost unheard of, and flies in the face of all those who say the size of the list is all that matters. In reality, the quality of the list is what’s most important. Quality and size makes a winning combination.

Another colleague has a list of 2,500, and in 2012 generated over $400,000. You read right – four hundred thousand dollars.

There is a huge misunderstanding that a massive list is what you should strive for. A responsive list is what you truly need. The ideal scenario is a large, responsive list. The secret to success is to nurture your list and continually bring value to your subscribers based on what you offer and what they need, want, and are willing to pay for.

Active participation in the right social networks is yet another aspect of push marketing.

Are you “pushing” enough? If not, put your plan together and begin today to get the word out to your market. There’s no time to waste. Begin today to enjoy great results tomorrow.