Dear Colleague,

A Note from Ruth: Rev Up Your Online Marketing Business.

Upcoming Events: New Dream Makers Coaching Program

Feature Article: "How to Make Your Clients Your Fans."

Ruth Recommends: Writer's "Action" Book Camp

The Ruth Klein Report, published bi-monthly, is your resource for timely news, emerging trends & analysis, and smart advice that will help you boost your bottom line. Please add rklein@ruthklein.com"to your white list or address book to ensure receiving future issues! P.S. Forward newsletter to a colleague.

May 2007
Vol. II, Issue 3

Published bi-monthly. You are on our newsletter list because you signed up for one of our programs. To amend your subscription, see link at end of
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Have you asked yourself how to rev up your online marketing? Nearly every business, online or offline must become a savvy online marketer for two reasons: First, to promote your offline business online and second, to create an online business that generates passive income for you with very little management once it’s up and running (within a few weeks).

I just finished my first two-day Online Marketing Success Boot Camp. There was so much energy and synergy in the room. The creative ideas on ways to promote offline businesses and create new online businesses was just amazing. To read a few responses from participants, go here. I love finding “business fans” for my programs.

Today’s feature article suggests five ways you can create your own “business fans” that will help create sizzle for your products and services through word-of-mouth marketing and through online viral marketing. Today’s online blogs, ezines (e-newsletters) and social networks are all packed with viral marketing…good and bad. Learn how to master great viral marketing!

Here’s to creating more fans, buzz and good viral marketing for your small business.
FREE Office Depot Web Café Presentation on Branding Out…Harnessing the Power of Your Business & Personal Brand at Office Depot Web Cafe.

New Dream Maker’s Coaching Program starting in June 2007. For more information in getting your business to the next level of success, please go here.

“How To Make Your Clients Your Fans and Create Word-of-Mouth
and Viral Marketing”
By Ruth Klein

The difference between business clients and fans of the hottest, chart-topping band is that the music fans react emotionally when they are awed by their heroes.

The same is true for some businesses. Take Apple. The first sentence in a recent article in Forbes magazine on Apple Computer was this: “It is widely acknowledged that Apple Computer enjoys the kind of lavish devotion among its customers – and fawning adoration from the press – of which other companies don't even dare to dream.”

Here are five ways to win new devotion from customers who become your fans offline and online.

Five Ways To Turn Your Clients Into Fans

One: Start a Fan Club

Start an online or offline newsletter containing the hottest information on what interests prospects and existing clients of your products or services.

  • Ask them to join your club with their subscriptions. Give them something in return a product with your logo, a resource for the best information, and/or "hot links" to other informative, interesting resources.
  • Schedule a fun event at least once a year to allow your "fans" to meet each other. Invite a special, fun guest. Have your meeting in a fun place - on a beach or at the hippest, new restaurant instead of in a hotel conference room.

You can also have an Online Party - Please email me at: rklein@ruthklein.com if you're interested in my 1st Annual Murder Mystery Online Party. Please use "Murder Mystery Party" in the subject line.

  • Offer free prizes to your fans - find out what some of their "wants" are in certain demographic groups.
  • Offer a free 10 minute "makeover" in your area of expertise; this is great from a financial makeover to a kitchen makeover.
  • Offer a free report on the "Five Smartest Strategies to ……" highlighted by splashy colors on one easy-to-read page of paper.
  • For great tips on how to put together an online newsletter, visit www.companynewsletters.com. For a free online newsletter template, visit www.neighborhoodassociation.biz/.

Two: Court the Media

That Forbes magazine was writing about “fawning adoration from the press” toward Apple Computer was itself, well, fawning.

  • Court the media with what is innovative, user-friendly and important about your product or service.

Send a well-written news release that summarizes "who, what, when where and how," and include your cell phone number in addition to your work number.

Be available when the media returns your phone call. With differing deadlines, that means that you should be ready to take the call early in the morning or late at night.

  • Target the media in your field, but also the general media.
  • Make yourself available as a source with expertise in your field to talk about general trends. To earn your "expert" label, commit yourself to keeping on top of research and emerging trends in your field.
  • Here's a quick way to learn how businesses similar to yours are courting the media. Go to "Google" and type in "news release" with a description of your product or service.

For example, if you are a technology consultant, type in "news release technology consultant." Save the news releases that get your attention. Don't imitate, but extrapolate from the best ideas to incorporate your ideas and tips into your news release.

  • Use Education or "Edutainment" (educate through entertainment). It is easier for the media to write about your products and services if they understand what they do and how they are done.

Three: Get Your Name Out There

Even with little or no marketing budget, you can get the name of your company, product or service out there with news releases (See No. 2).

  • Become a partner in a civic cause or with another company in a related field with which you can share expenses.
  • Coca-Cola brands itself as "the real thing." Come up with a catch phrase to describe your product or service and make sure that catch phrase or word accompanies the brand name.

Most recently, I read an article on "Obamanomics."

  • Network. Pick up the telephone and ask local clubs and organizations if you can make a presentation, and bring along plenty of business cards and one-page handouts with your brand name and message.
  • Remember to network online - the internet is a very important networking source today.
  • Again, go to "Google" and type in the name of your city and the words “business meeting schedule.” Ask yourself how your product or service can make a great topic for a future presentation.

Four: Ask Your Clients

Tell your best clients you want them to become fans; then, ask them what it would take to become a fan.

  • You'd be surprised at the number of businesses that do not take the time to survey their clients.
  • If clients tell you they already are fans, ask them what it is about your product or service that makes them fans instead of ordinary customers.
  • Listen, take lots of notes and use what your customers say to develop a strategy to build your fan base.
  • At www.polarismr.com, you'll find a sample survey from Polaris Marketing Research. However, at the end of each section, add the word "Why?" with plenty of space for anecdotal information that will allow you to "go deeper" into why some clients are fans and others are not.

Five: Keep Your Fans

Starting up a new fan club isn't enough to keep it in business. Set aside at least one hour each week to think about -- and only about -- what you will do next that is more innovative, creative and important than what you already have accomplished with your product or service.

  • Take a cue from Apple, which obviously is doing plenty of homework to be able to regularly announce attention-getting innovations.
  • Innovation is exciting, regardless of the field.
  • Adopt the "innovative" mindset (along with a promise to do the homework) to keep the fans you have and attract new fans to your club each year.
  • Always include your existing fans in all your new releases and special discounts.

For a free quick course on how to keep your fans, go to www.ruthklein.com and click on my podcast, "Ruth Klein's Time Management Video Podcasting - Social Networking." To track your fans, go to www.kickstartcart.com.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Strategist & Productivity coach, Ruth Klein, publishes the ‘Ruth Klein Report’ bi-monthly with 7,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to build your brand, jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have a life, get your great tips and ideas now at www.ruthklein.com
Marketing Strategist and Productivity Coach, Speaker and Author, Ruth Klein, is the owner of the award-winning boutique firm, The Marketing/Time Source.

If you liked today’s issue, you’ll LOVE these three new books: The Everything Guide to Being a Sales Rep; Time Management Secrets for Working Women (look for the PBS presentation for 2007); and The De-Stress Diva ™ in the Kitchen.

Watch for Ruth’s comments in O Magazine, Reader’s Digest and Child Magazine.

Listen to Ruth at the ’Office Depot Web Café’ on: Branding Out…Harnessing the Power of Your Business & Personal Brand


You can also get some of Ruth’s time management and productivity tips at AOL Coaches.
Writer’s “Action” Book Camp – Have you ever wanted to write a book? Are you in the middle of writing a book? Have you already written a book, but not getting enough publicity or sales?
  • This Writer’s “Action” Book Camp will help you write, complete, or promote your book within 120 days and I’ll show you how step-by-step:
  • Convert your time into an organized time system that allows you to spend quality time writing, finishing or promoting your book and other information products while you continue to run your business 24/7.
  • Create a strong brand for your book that attracts new clients for your small business.
  • Leverage your current knowledge and expertise into books and other information products that will sell themselves on your website 24/7.

For more information, check it out here.

Kickstartcart: For Shopping Cart, Email Autoresponders, and More

Much more than just a shopping cart, Kickstartcart has everything you need to sell products/services online and market to your prospects and customers.

I use the exact same system, and I can tell you I absolutely LOVE it. If I had known how easy it was when I started selling online, I would have never messed with other options. I really appreciate that fact that I can set up my entire online sales and marketing follow up to be fully AUTOMATED.

Kickstartcart also comes with ad tracking capabilities, so you can see which ads or sales copy are getting you visitors and, of those, which are getting you sales. You can also use their autoresponder broadcast feature to manage your list and send out your ezines and other messages.

Visit Kickstartcart now and sign up for your 30-day trial

Promoting Your "Center of Influence"

More companies are showing off their products and services to what they consider their "center of influence," and with great success! For example, Procter & Gamble and others are finding that young teen cheerleaders are a great source of rapid word-of-mouth advertising for their products.

Dave Knox, teen external relations manager for P&G Beauty says, “Marketing to cheerleaders is a unique way to get involved with an influential set of our consumers.” P&G Beauty sends makeup artists affiliated with P&G’s CoverGirl line of cosmetics to offer makeup tips to cheerleading camps.

PepsiCo signed a sponsorship agreement with Varsity magazine in 2005 to promote its Propel water product, holding workshops at cheerleader events to promote its brand as a healthy product.

A plant nursery made a new online women's group a "center of influence," and is providing an evening of networking and fun with a tour of the nursery. One of the owners of the new online women's group is scheduled as a speaker.

Who are your centers of influence? Who among your customers or potential customers can you attract to your product or service and convince to influence others to also become your clients?

Once you target your centers of influence, learn what they enjoy doing, feeling, experiencing. What are their hobbies? How are they similar demographically? Once you target and define your center of influence, create informational products and events that will capture their attention and inspire them to tell others the good news about you!

Questions? Contact me directly at rklein@ruthklein.com.

A note to my readers: I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.

Here's to Your Branding & Productivity Success,
Copyright © 2007 Ruth Klein. All rights reserved.