Marketing Simplified

Improve Your Marketing By Channeling Santa Claus

Video

As a mother of toddlers, Santa is a year-round ORDEAL. Wish lists are an ongoing thing … especially when I remove the toys that frantically get thrown in the Target cart and remind my kids that Christmas is coming in (fill in the blank here) months and that the removed toys would be great things to put on their lists.

Then November hits and I start to panic. My kids’ year-long lists are endless and I don’t want them to be disappointed on Christmas morning. So… what do I do? I start managing their expectations! (Stay with me– this will relate 100% to your online marketing in exactly two paragraphs).

You know as well as I do that Santa is a busy guy … he has to get to an awful lot of kids in one night and his sleigh is only so big. Naturally, I explain that to my kids and start having them think about what they really want. Then we start really honing in on one or two gifts. By Christmas morning, it’s all smiles when Santa brings those one or two things. Yay for happy endings!

Before you get too excited, though, don’t forget to think about how this could have ended. If I hadn’t managed expectations for two months preceding Christmas, only one or two gifts from Santa could have ended in a lot of tears.

One of the most overlooked functions in marketing, especially online marketing, is managing expectations from the beginning. Clients regularly ask me how to respond to negative comments or bad reviews online, and my answer is always to avoid them before they happen by managing expectations.

This is done by getting to the root of customer satisfaction based on the benefits they will experience rather than giving a bunch of guarantees based on features (I know, I know I am a broken record but it really is about the benefits, not the features). And the advantage to this is that not only does focusing on the benefits shorten the length of your sales cycle, it also does an excellent job of managing expectations. Benefits are harder to measure and highly personal for each individual… it’s hard to make a bad review out of something that can’t really be measured.

For specific examples of this, and a deep dive of how to apply it to your own marketing, be sure to watch today’s video.

… I also touch on relationship building online, and show you how it can completely change the mood of your ideal customers by combining it with managing expectations.

Bottom line: Instead of satisfied customers, shoot for satisfied friends, and you won’t have to worry about those pesky negative comments or bad reviews anymore.

Marketing Blog

The Most Overlooked Piece of Storytelling (and How It Makes You Unforgettable)

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Whether you’re building your personal brand or growing your business, we all know storytelling is powerful. But there’s one piece of the story puzzle that often gets overlooked: the obstacle. Compelling stories have you on the edge of your seat rooting for the main character to succeed and they achieve that with a setback. This … Read More about The Most Overlooked Piece of Storytelling (and How It Makes You Unforgettable)

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“Vanessa changed my life. This is not an exaggeration. I learned more about marketing and brand management from Vanessa in one weekend than I did in YEARS of trying to navigate these subjects on my own. Vanessa has a way of presenting material so that it is easy to understand, effective and immediately actionable. She makes complex concepts simple and accessible. With her many years of experience, she is able to teach real-life lessons that you can implement to launch or improve your business today. Most of all, Vanessa can see your potential and vision sometimes better than you can see it yourself. She truly believes in her students and clients and has a unique way of helping them make their dreams a reality. I did not always think of myself as a thought leader in my industry but Vanessa inspired me to look at my career in new ways. She has helped me bring forth opportunities that I never thought were possible. I am so thankful to have her in my life and forever appreciative of the impact she’s had on both my personal and professional endeavors. Vanessa uses her special gifts to help bring out yours.”

Dr. Lisa Hornick
Optometrist
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“A huge thank you to Vanessa and for her unwavering commitment to shaping leaders of the future. Her knowledge and strategies with personalized thought leadership was the foundation that transformed the way I presented myself and my business. I realized how crucial it is to create a brand that authentically represents you, your values, and your mission. This branding not only impacted my career but shaped the way we position WilsonTech in the market, emphasizing our dedication to excellence, trust, and innovation.”

Ryan Wilson
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Heidy Kellison

“Working with Vanessa is like being in your mother’s arms. Seriously. She‘s persistent yet patient, nurturing yet assertive, and accessible while promoting independence. Most impressively, Vanessa knows what she’s talking about. Doing what she says, even when it removes us from our comfort zone, always pays off. You cannot have a better ally for online marketing.”

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“Before Vanessa, I literally spent thousands of dollars on other marketing courses, and Vanessa’s strategies continue to outperform and exceed my expectations every single time!”

Meaghan Likes
OWNER, BOOKKEEPING ACADEMY ONLINE | CEO, LIKES ACCOUNTANCY COMPANY
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“Vanessa helped us realize that we needed to look at marketing one of our new ventures in a whole new way — the opposite of we were doing before. When I followed her approach to create our offer, conversions were downright easy.”

Claire Tauzer
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“I like how Vanessa begins with the end in mind. She has you strategically understand your goals, ideal customer, and offer first, then teaches you how all the rest applies. It’s not tied to one thing, but rather, it’s an integrated approach. I would like to create online products for my business and Vanessa really reaffirmed the possibilities. She also highlighted how simple it can be to get them started.”

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WATTS-WOODLAND AIRPORT
Alison Kent

“Vanessa’s careful nurturing of her clients, her guidance, and her cheerleading have been invaluable to me. The amount of information you get in her workshops and online course is staggering… it includes email marketing, social media, paid traffic, content creation and so on… email marketing was especially valuable for my business. I would recommend her to anyone looking to increase their organization’s online marketing presence.”

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“We actually slowed down our marketing plan to keep up with all the new business!

Vanessa has expert knowledge of marketing techniques, but what is really special is the way she helps her clients understand and apply those techniques. She is a great mentor and coach.”

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“Vanessa’s strategies have allowed me to significantly outpaced competitors in fundraising revenue generation. But what I really appreciate is her passionate approach, the way she cares about each individual person she works with, their mission, and how it can change the world. Her marketing strategies can’t be found in any textbook but they work significantly better than the ones I find there.”

Tracy Fauver
Executive Director, Davis Community Meals and Housing
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