What business doesn’t love WORD OF MOUTH referrals!  It remains the #1 source for most businesses and probably preferred because it is significantly less expensive than paid advertising.  But it’s not FREE.

Actually, it’s what we call “earned” – if it is “free” the connotation is that you did nothing to get the referral.  But if you give yourself credit for installing a systematic approach to referral marketing, and following through with intentionality, then sit back and say, “thank you for that referral – I earned it!”

Andy Sernovitz, founder of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and author of WOM Marketing: How Smart People Get People Talking”, visits with John Jantsch on a recent podcast all about referrals in recognition of “Make A Referral Week” (going on now!)

Have you made your referrals this week?

David Meerman Scott has always been one of my favorite guys to read . . . his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR is my second most recommended book (see my favorite book on small business marketing!) – and I always follow David’s blog (his latest post about AA is classic DMS showcasing major blunders in business marketing) and what he’s teaching us on Twitter.

Today, David is guest posting for John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing’s blog – a great article to launch “Make a Referral Week” – a nationwide (or worldwide I suppose) effort to remind all of us that we need to be making more referrals!  Make your referrals today!

Is business slow for you?  Are you still not getting the leads you’re looking for?  Wondering what the solution could be?

Well, have you made a referral lately?

For many businesses, referrals are a source of much of their business.  In some cases, I’ve known businesses who say 100% of their new customers come from referrals!  John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, again leads the nationwide small business economy in reminding us of the power of referrals.  In its second year, “Make A Referral Week” launches next week, but the entire month of March is really all about referrals.  On Twitter, you can tweet your referral each Monday as “Make-A-Referral-Monday” with hashtag “#marm” – this is similiar to the popular “Follow Friday” tag, “#ff”.

I’m off to make mine right now!

Linkedin offers you an incredible opportunity to also showcase your expertise as a blogger, presenter, problem solver and dynamic player in your industry.

Linkedin affords you a powerful social networking platform that is noticeably different than Facebook.  It is almost 100% professional!  No mafia wars, getting tagged in high school photos you wish you had never been reminded of, and a much more focused agenda.  The strategy you need to employ is to find a good balance between going for the kill and nurturing a long-term relationship.  The former is aggressive and can be a turn-off although the tenacity will open doors.  The latter is perfect for social media that fosters a relationship approach to marketing; however, it need not be too passive.  Here’s a helpful article on being a “hunter” and a “farmer” in your sales approach.

If you are wanting to use social media tools like Linked in to pursue a new career or land that first job after graduation, you will likely need a social media resume.  I also pass on a number of good quality links on using Linkedin specifically in your job search.

In additional to these ways to use Linkedin to market your business, come join our Linkedin webinar for only $35 Tuesday evening at 8:30p CST.    Two more nighttime webinars left this month!  (click link below)

For some of you, you need to try Facebook Ads to reach our target market better.

• Advertise your upcoming event to a highly targeted demographic
• Promote your new Facebook Fan Page
• Market your products and services to a specific geographic of Facebook users

John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, offers “5 Steps to Successful Facebook Advertising” to get you started.  As well, John wrote this primer on Facebook Ads almost a year ago “Using Facebook Ads for Content Awareness” – both are excellent, and since they are from the creator of Duct Tape Marketing, you know they have to be good.

( Learn more about Duct Tape Marketing coaching )

Image source: edmerica.com

Why settle for the DEFAULT version of Facebook’s Fan Page when you can create a customized Fan Page that will WOW your customers and invite more participation.  The more visitors and fans are impressed with your Fan Page, the more likely they will engage with you on more advanced levels.

To learn more, visit this page for more details, including pricing, for Customized Facebook Fan Pages.

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2010 is going fast – are you finding yourself behind on your marketing already?  If you are in the DFW area, here’s a great reminder about how NOT to be caught off guard when it comes to the Super Bowl traffic headed our way next year.

We have created 4 nighttime webinars just for the small business owner who is too busy during the day to stop and “do marketing stuff.”  (we hear this all the time, so you are not alone!)

All webinars begin at 8:30p CST.  Individual webinars run only $35!

2/16 – Creating a customized Facebook Fan Page that acts as a communication tool with your best ambassadors, and how to use the Fan Page to drive traffic back to your site.  You’ll learn some ways to make your Facebook Fan Page look NOTHING LIKE the default Fan Page – are you ready to STAND OUT?   Sign up now.

2/18 - Still confused by Twitter?  Learn how Twitter can be used to showcase your expertise and credibility – and how to use it in a way that actually generates interest and traffic (without self-promoting the whole time!)  Register today!

2/23 – Linkedin is a powerful networking tool – but most professionals do not maximize their profile – do you know how to import your blog?  We’ll show you.  Do you have some great PPT presentations that would demonstrate expertise in your industry?  We’ll show you how to include those as well.  These are things we have shared with rooms filled with expert networkers and recruiters and even they are amazed about all you can do with Linkedin.  Enroll for this webinar.

2/26 – If a potential customer googles your business, what will they find?  For many of you, there are reviews sitting out there on review sites like Google/Yahoo Local, Yelp, CitySearch, InsiderPages, MerchantCircle, Angie’s List and a host of industry-specific online review sites.  Would you like to get more reviews?  We’ll teach you how to do it.  Would you like to know how to respond to a negative review (you’ll get one someday if you don’t already have them)?  We’ll show you how to professional react without doing further PR damage.  And we’ll show you a simple technique on how you can not only remain aware of what’s been said about you, but you can showcase only positive reviews!  Don’t miss this opportunity!

Are you marketing ready?  If not, you can sign up for all 4 nighttime webinars for less than $100.

image source:  blaugh.com

We have created 4 nighttime webinars to help you navigate the road of social media!

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All webinars begin at 8:30pm CST

Tue, Feb 16 – We’ll deal primarily with using your Facebook Fan page to attract customers and how to turn them in to revenue for your business. You will learn some pretty cool techniques on personalizing your Fan Page so it doesn’t look just like everyone else’s.

Thu, Feb 18 – Twitter is all about exponentially broadcasting your message – we’ll show you ways to do that, with simple tips on making your tweets “re-tweetable”; this is not a simple Twitter 101 class, but how to use it in a way that connects you to more people and using that network to make your business better.

Tue, Feb 23 – Linkedin is a powerful professional networking tool, yet most people ignore the 5 simple things you do to customize your Linkedin profile to showcase your expertise and credibility!  Your potential customers most likely have a Linkedin account – and you need one, too!  Learn to connect where your customers are.

Thu, Feb 25 – Online reviews are increasingly important to a business interested in local search. Review sites like Yelp!, CitySearch, InsiderPages and other more commonly known such as Google and Yahoo Local, allow your past customers to rate their experience and tell everyone else about it. Does this make you excited or very anxious? Learn strategies on how to obtain positive reviews from customers and what to do if you get a negative review (hint: don’t track them down and go to their house and chew them out . . . read about this in an article recently; it did not end well.)

You can have FULL ACCESS to all 4 webinars only $95. Individual sessions are only $35, but it’s like “buy 3, get a 4th free!”

Our webinar caps the number of participants for each webinar at 25 – so register now!

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-Randy & Donny

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Here are a few relevant articles about email marketing and Valentine’s Day:

Email Marketing Tips For A Valentine’s Day Sales Boost

Valentine’s Day Email Marketing Promotions

Valentine’s Day Email Marketing Tips

Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas for Ecommerce

And finally, here’s a debate going into your romantic dinner out:

Twitter friend, marketing blogger and fellow small business marekting consultant, Jay Ehret, shares his thoughts on how Valentine’s Day should be viewed by the restaurant owner – and it’s NOT about making alot of money on Valentine’s Day but creating long-term customers.

Jay also shares a link to another article from a restaurant blogger, John Foley, who says Valentine’s Day is your day to make positive cash flow.

Which is it?  Does it have to be either/or?

Image credit: bitter tonic

Do you stand out in the crowd?  Do you look like everyone around you?  Are you remarkable enough that your customers are making remarks about you to their friends?  One of the death nails of any organization is to simply look like everyone else.  Your prospective customers are not interested in digging for hours to tell the difference between you and the other guy.  Their solution?  Compare you on the thing you certainly don’t want – price.

If you are in the process of developing your marketing kit, your advertising copy or writing the content for your website, resist the urge to sound so familiar.  Surprisingly, you will need to fight this urge, because it is everybody’s tendency to sound like everyone else – not because they want to, but because they don’t put the time and effort into the process of differentiating themselves.

Have you determined ways you are different.  Are you any different?

Dan Heath shares a good response to a reader’s question on how to “think differently“; you can also read an archived post from last year about how to set yourself apart from your customers by selling fruit baskets instead of just apples.  This is a strategy that will allow you to charge more as well because you are adding more value and exceeding your customer’s expectations.

BONUS: David Meerman Scott has written The Gobbledygook Manifesto to help you in writing your advertising or marketing copy – a must read if you want to make sure and not sound like everyone else!

Baby/Dog Image Source: naute.com