Category: 30-Day Tax Marketing Challenge

In yesterday’s challenge task, you conducted research into the available online media that report on and support your chosen B2B target market.

Today, I want you to delve a bit deeper into two or three of them.

That’s it, just two or three. Rumor has it that today is a national holiday, so this is something that you can spend ten minutes on at literally any point in the day.

From your Google searching yesterday, select two or three of the trade journals, industry associations, online discussion forums, or other websites that you found. Running with one of the two examples I laid out yesterday, here are three options that service the healthcare industry that I found:

• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
• Physicians Practice (media outlet)
• Association of Independent Doctors (started by two CPAs, btw)

As I mentioned yesterday, this is not an endorsement of this particular niche or these particular sites. I’m just using it as an example for purposes of illustrating the principle.

Looking at the websites for these two trade organizations and one media conglomerate sub-site, I want to look for a few things. These are the same questions you should ponder as you look through the websites that YOU found:

1. Is there obvious on-site advertising?
2. Is there a print magazine that they produce for members?
3. Is there an email list that people can subscribe to?
4. Is there a member directory listing?
5. Is there a vendor directory?
6. Can I download a media kit that includes advertising rates?
7. Are there local chapters?
8. Do they host events of any sort, either online or off?
9. Is there a designated contact person for media, advertising, or sponsorship inquiries?

Based on just clicking through all the links on a website, including the stuff nobody ever looks at in the footer of the homepage, I’m able to make some pretty quick determinations about the potential value of advertising or sponsoring something in relation to that website. For example, the Association of Independent Doctors doesn’t really provide any opportunities for creating backlinks or generating access to their membership, as far as I can tell, so I can eliminate that one pretty quickly.

PhysiciansPractice.com, on the other hand, provides a gateway to something bigger, called the “Modern Medicine Network”. Spending just 5 minutes on their website tells me they allow article submissions from other businesses (that’s you!), they have print publications to advertise in, a full advertising … Continue reading

“It’s the day before Thanksgiving. You can’t possibly think we’re going to do anything today. Or tomorrow.”

Oh, yes. Yes, indeed, I do certainly think that.

The next few days will be linked, as some past tasks have been. And they’ll be short. Nice and simple. Today is a research task.

One of the most cost effective paid advertising modalities in existence is to advertise on niche industry websites. I’m talking banner ads, paid text links, maybe even co-registration lead generation opportunities on the websites for media outlets that service your target vertical, big companies in that industry, online discussion forums, and trade organizations.

So that’s what I want you to do today. Spend some time searching on Google, thumbing through trade journals, and perusing sites of companies in your target market looking for popular websites in your B2B tax resolution niche.

For example, let’s say you’ve identified small medical practices and local homebuilders as your two target markets for your 941 marketing efforts. (Please note that these are just examples for the sake of illustration, do not email me asking if these are good/bad niches).

So, you’re going to hop online and start looking for:

• Industry media sites
• Trade organizations
• Publication websites

On Google, I’m going to do the following searches that encompass the two example niches:

• medical practice management
• medical practice trade journal
• medical practice association
• independent physician association
• medical practice discussion forum
• [county] homebuilders association
• [state] contractors association
• construction trade groups
• construction industry media site
• new homebuilder websites

Hopefully you get the idea, and that starts your search in the right direction.

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss how to approach these websites about advertising opportunities, and Friday we’ll actually make some calls.… Continue reading

Remember our whale hunting expedition last week?

Well, we’re not quite done with that. Today, we’re taking the next step in that “Dream 100” style marketing campaign.

Last week, you mailed them a cover letter with some news articles, and made a follow up phone call.

Today, we’re taking the whale hunt to LinkedIn.

Working with the same list that you generated last week, initiate connections with the leaders of those companies on LinkedIn. Once they are connected, send them a message about being able to help them with their financial issues — your message is basically your elevator pitch.

I’d suggest aiming for at least two connections per company. The CFO/controller type person for sure, and then either the president, CEO, or founder. Look for other C-level executives and try connecting with them as well. This is much easier to do at these regional mid-sized companies that it is at Fortune 500 size companies.

Will many of these people decline your connection request? Yes, absolutely.

Will some of them accept, then unconnect after receiving your message? Yes, absolutely.

It is what it is. This is the grind. It’s part of doing account based marketing (the fancy modern term for old fashioned sales prospecting).

Enjoy the whale hunt!… Continue reading