Okay “Do it yourselfers,” this one is for you. You need to automate and scale quickly, but the budget is limited (limited but not none), so for the time being, your boss (maybe yourself) hopes you’ll figure it out. This is a good time to ask for a bonus plan for your exclusive smarketing (sales + marketing) role. Because the ability to perform both a sales and marketing function effectively deserves a big reward.
So let’s get into it, the solo smarketing hacks your business needs to scale quickly.
11 Smarketing Hacks To Scale Your Business
1. Get intimate with your website
If you have to go through request layers to make changes on your website, like post a blog, you need to figure out a way around the red tape. Work directly with your web-designer to implement changes on at least a weekly basis. This trend in web design, what some are calling growth-driven design, is the ultimate way to ensure you always have an optimized site (without the $10,000+ redesign costs).
2. Source contact data from at least three sources
You’ll need contacts with emails to have a chance. In most cases, depending on your industry, this will be in the thousands. Check out zoominfo.com or data.com for general data needs. But to be a little more strategic, invest (a small amount) in tools like datanyze.com ore leadfuze.com. Set a weekly goal for number of new contacts you’ll be adding to your database.
3. Start a daily writing routine
Dedicate two hours a day to pure writing. This content will be used on your site for everything from blogs to eBooks to white papers. Think about the problems you help your target buyer personas solve. Address those problems in a helpful way. Two hours a day is well worth it considering how you’ll be using this content to amplify your other efforts.
4. Create at least 2 “offers”
Start with one eGuide and one consultation. Loosely base your eGuide on industry best practices and “how to’s” for your targeted prospects. DO NOT talk about your brand. This is considered a top of the funnel offer and is meant to engage your target personas by providing them with helpful resources. Your consultation offer should be more about the value your prospects get out of 15 minutes talking with you than what you get out of it.
5. Connect all content with social
Anytime you publish content, make sure it’s feeding to your primary social channels. Did you write a really good article this week? Start sharing those articles on LinkedIn Pulse. Use this article as a guide to getting started. Become a thought leader!
6. Participate on social
Spend 15 minutes a day (on average) asking and answering questions in your LinkedIn Groups. If you can get away with it (check Group rules as some are more strict than others) share an occasional helpful article that links directly to your blog. They say “cocktail party rules” are a best practice, so only talk about yourself 10% of the time. This includes link sharing.
7. Promote your offers
Add your offers to your website, blog articles, and marketing emails. Anywhere your target personas might find you. Consider SEO best practices when promoting your content. Research keywords in every stage of the buyer’s journey–Awareness, Consideration, and Decision–and include those keywords where they apply. This is a great beginner’s guide to SEO from Moz to get started.
8. Schedule 4 educational emails (over one month)
Take snippets of your blog and send out educational emails to your contacts with a read more link to your blog. Below the read more, include a button that links to one of your offers. These articles should be sent with one goal in mind: provide useful resources for your prospects. While you want to convert these prospects into leads, being helpful is priority #1.
9. Create outbound email cadences
Outreach.io or SalesLoft Cadence are great sales automation tools for this. Simply create a sequence of 3 emails to enroll at least 40 contacts into daily. One goal: schedule an intro meeting.
10. Add a calendar booking app
Make it easy for your target prospects to schedule a meeting with you. There are a ton of free tools out there for this. Check out youcanbook.me or HubSpot Sidekick. Add one to your email signature and use when appropriate for marketing emails.
11. Have at least one explainer video
Seriously, one 60-second explainer video that explains what you do is a salesperson’s best friend. No one really wants to talk with you and you don’t want to have to give the hard “pitch.”
There you have it. Eleven fairly easy and inexpensive ways to get your sales and marketing efforts up and running quickly. For the do-it-yourselfer who wants to scale quickly on a dime, these tools are an essential starting point.
