Share a cup of love on Mother's Day

Your mother may not work in sales or marketing, and mine didn’t either –at least, not directly.

But subtly, and in every way, my mother delivered marketed lessons as she “sold” her ideas to our family.

After all, aside from brute force (which my mother never used), how else can you get your spouse or children to do what you want?

You have to market, sell and persuade.

In memory of my mother, and in tribute to mothers everywhere for Mother’s Day, here are some marketing lessons that my mother imbued in me, and that I use every day.

1. Keep learning. As a kid, I was always asking for stuff – don’t all kids?

I didn’t always get what I wanted, but one thing my mother always got me was books. She had a pretty open concept of education – basically any reading material, from science to fiction, she considered to be “educational” and therefore worth buying.

She even bought me Superman comics after I used the word “invulnerable.”  She figured that comics were a good way to build my vocabulary!

This started my love of reading and education. Reading has enriched my life, and honed my skills in marketing, writing, and everything I learned about natural health.

It's also lead to my writing many books, which had a great influence on my career and my business.

Books have been the greatest influence in my life – after my Mom.

1.5: Bonus marketing lesson: Ask questions!

My mother was naturally inquisitive, and became notorious for asking questions. Sometimes we would ask her, “Why do you ask so many questions?” She would invariably answer (with a question), “How else can you find out?”

….It’s definitely possible to ask too many questions, but I’ve found in life that most people don’t ask enough.

They are so busy talking about themselves that they never ask about other people.

One of the best ways to find out what your clients need is to ask questions, and then really listen to the answers. (Thanks again, Mom).

2. Keep trying. I learned that marketing is a process, not an event. You don’t send out one batch of emails, blog posts or direct response letters and then rub your hands together and think, “There, my marketing is done!”

You need a process, and this can involve trial and error to see what works in your target market.

My mother never stopped trying. She was very creative, and if she tried to persuade a family member to do something they didn’t want to do, she never forced us, but she never gave up.

She would try another tactic –often something very creative (or sneaky). Eventually, we would capitulate.

3. Work hard. Nothing came easily for my mother. Her father died of kidney disease when she was young, and her mother struggled to raise her alone.

My mother worked in a store, and as a tutor, in her early teenage years.

She then worked at two jobs at once as a bookkeeper (one full time job, and another at lunchtime), to put my father through law school when they first got married.

My mother achieved many things in her life – the things that were meaningful to her.

They all took effort, and it wasn’t easy, but she kept going.

Don’t we all wish things would just come easily, without effort? Some things do, but I’ve learned that most things in life that have value, take effort.

My mother taught me that.

This is in tribute to my mother, and mothers everywhere who try so hard, and inspire their families.

Watch this heart-warming video from Vitamin Angels. Jennifer Arthur’s super mom story has touched us all. We know she’ll inspire you too.

Interested in writing a book that inspires your audience and builds your business? Contact me  at (514) 336-4339 or email today: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com to schedule a 20 minute strategy session.  

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

5 Healthy Branding Reasons to Write Your Natural Products Book Today 

#1 Way to Win the Hearts of Skeptical Natural Products Customers

12 Branding Tips for Healthy Natural Product Sales

How did your mother or other people in your life inspire you? I’d love to hear your comments.

The post 3.5 Inspiring Marketing Lessons From Mom for Mother’s Day appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Write an eBook to electrify your sales

A few months ago I picked up a small book in the natural health store where I shop. It was for a supplement that I had not used before. The book was clearly written, and had compelling information about the benefits of this product. I became so excited that I went back to the store and bought the supplement, and have been taking it since then.

That’s the power of a book. Books change lives, and can certainly change businesses. If you’re looking for a way to stand out from the ever-crowded natural health/natural beauty/dietary supplement crowd, here’s a little used tactic: write a book.

“I’m not a writer” you may be saying. Or, “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I don’t have the time or the know-how.” Whichever camp you’re in, here’s good news: you no longer need a major publisher to get your book out into the world. You can now write and publish an ebook quickly and easily, at very low cost.

Thousands of businesses are now discovering the value of eBooks as an additional revenue stream, and as a powerful passive marketing tool.

As the author of 31 published books with three major publishers (Prentice Hall, Houghton Mifflin, and Oxford University Press), plus a few ebooks, I’ve seen both sides of the publishing world, and ebooks are definitely on the sunny side of the street.

Intrigued? Read on. You may be transformed into an author by the time you finish reading this blog post!

Here are 6 reasons natural health companies should write eBooks to boost business:

1. Build your brand and stand out in a crowded marketplace

How often have you read a business book or how-to book that presents a few fresh ideas at the beginning, and then generally disintegrates into tedious, repetitive content?  The reason is that publishers want to print a physical book that looks like it’s filled with wisdom. Since a standard book is 250 pages long, a book has to look like other books to be priced at the desired level. (No matter how brilliant the content, no one will pay $19.95 for a 10 page book if competing books are over 200 pages long.)

The result is that many non-fiction books make a few valuable points, and then pad the remaining pages with less scintillating content. Think about it: writing a 250 page book packed with original, ground-breaking information takes a lot of time and research – with no guarantee of sales.

eBooks are brand new, so they don’t have a standard minimum page-count. They can be as short or as long as you want them to be.

As a natural health marketer, if you provide helpful, relevant information that helps your customers solve a health or beauty problem, they won’t care if you say it in 12 or 20 pages. Your readers will appreciate your brevity, and remember more of what you write.

Short ebooks are easier and faster to write. So you can produce them quickly, and establish yourself as an author – even building an e-book catalog. Wouldn’t that demonstrate your expertise and set your company apart from the crowd?

2. Increase sales steadily over time

Physical books take a long time to write and publish, and are expensive to print. That’s why you need an agent and a publisher, both of whom are very difficult to get. Big publishing houses spend a great deal of money on each new book, gambling that they will sell thousands of copies. Most books never earn out their advances, and routinely end up in the remainder bin. The majority of published books are disappointing money losers, and waste the author’s time with little return.

eBooks change the game because they are very inexpensive to publish. Online companies can take your PDF file and convert it into an attractive eBook that your customers can read on all the major devices such as Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iPad and iPhone. They can also distribute your eBook to all the major digital book retailers, and pay you on your net earnings.

eBooks don’t require fancy cover designs and don’t involve printing thousands of copies only to see them languish in a storage closet.

Case in point: I’ve had the experience of watching a truck roll into my driveway and unload dozens of boxes of book after I paid handsomely for a 2000-copy print run. Yes, I sold many of them, but I still have a few boxes of books gathering dust under a bed.)

With ebooks there’s very little risk because there’s no inventory to carry. Since the internet provides limitless “shelf-space,” you can leave your eBook on sale forever on the various retail sites and on your own website. If it’s not a big hit right away, no one will rip off the cover (as they do, shockingly, in retail outlets) or toss it into the remainder bin.

You can watch a small but steady trickle of sales translate into substantial earnings over time. But even more importantly, your book is selling your products – which is your real goal.

3. Reach customers inexpensively across the world

Just as I bought a supplement because I read about the benefits in a book, think of the power of reaching thousands of people worldwide through Amazon.com and other online retailers. Even if only a few people find your ebook and buy your supplements because of what you wrote, each customer can bring you thousands of dollars in sales over time – sales that you would never have gotten otherwise.

And once they know you and trust you, customers may buy your other products, multiplying your original benefits over time.

 4. Be ahead of the pack with the hottest commodity today

More than 20% of Americans now own eReaders, from iPads to Kindles, and 66% of Americans own smartphones. These numbers are increasing exponentially, especially with the 24-35 year old demographic who have been brought up in the digital age. Their children, the next generation of readers, may buy very few, if any, paper books.

Businesses now use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to engage with customers, and newer social media platforms such as Pinterest are surging ahead.  People are also becoming conditioned to search for information, testimonials and references on Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, and other popular eBook stores.

Why not become a thought leader in your industry and brand your business with eBooks?

5. Build your list and client base

 An eBook is one of the easier ways to gather prospective clients’ contact information, because people perceive greater value from an e-book than from any other source of information.

Consider offering your eBook for free on your website. Build a dedicated landing page on your site (for a little extra SEO power) and offer the book at no cost, in exchange for a visitor’s name and email address.

5. Call yourself an author: eBooks are quick and easy to write

Start writing your book today - image courtesy of Janaka Dharmasena

You don’t have to write the definitive masterpiece on the subject, or the great American novel. You just have to add something valuable to the conversation. Simply outline the information you want to share, and write it in an engaging and straightforward tone.

By providing helpful information, you’re building trust and selling your natural health products without pressure, building long-term loyalty.

Plus, you can call yourself an author. Won’t your mother be proud?

6. Boost your website’s SEO (search engine optimization)

Combining your eBooks with your blog is a powerful way to boost your website’s rankings on Google, helping people find you more easily.

Through your blog, you can market your ebook a little every day. You can also use past blog posts to create your ebook, or chop up your finished ebook into smaller segments to fuel your blog over several weeks or months. Either way, you are re-purposing content to reach more readers.

You can even turn your ebook into a series of pod-casts, slide shows, or short video clips. That’s the magic of content syndication and social media! You may be amazed as your eBook becomes one of your most powerful viral marketing tools.

*The content for this article was inspired by a blog post from Book Baby. Their services include eBook Publishing and eBook Distribution. BookBaby is self publishing made easy. Check out Book Baby's valuable services. 

_______________________

Intrigued about having a book with your name on it, but not sure how to get started? Did you know that most business authors hire ghostwriters (like me)? They are too busy running their businesses, and simply don’t have the time and expertise to write a book.

I’ve written 31 physical books, a few ebooks, and ghost-written several more, so I know the game inside and out. I can help you write a book with your name on it. (No one will ever know.) Then I can help you market your ebook to establish your expertise and increase sales.

Do you have a book inside of you? Call me today to discuss how to get it out into the world. Lynda Goldman (514) 336-4339; Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com

Want to learn more right now? These related blog posts may be of interest. Be sure to sign up for my free report at the right, so you don’t miss any new blog posts.

3 Magical Marketing Moments for Natural Health Products

9 Great Health  & Fitness Boards to Follow on Pinterest

Are You Talking to the Wrong Natural Health Customers?

Have you wanted to write a book, but haven't done it so far? If so, what's holding you back? Please leave your comments in the box below.

The post 6 Electrifying eBook Ideas to Boost Natural Product Sales appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

From We to You

Your company creates great products, so naturally you want to tell your web visitors about what you do – how efficient you are, your goals and mission, and how long you’ve been in business.

Think about this: nobody cares about your company or products except you. People care about themselves, and how to solve their problems.

Yet the majority of natural health product websites begin with copy like this:

“We produce …we have… we provide/our company supplies… we are the leading…

I call this the “we we” website, because it’s about YOU, your company and products, and not about the customer.

How can you tell if you have a “we we” website? Here are 3 simple steps:

1. Look at your opening line. Does it begin with what you do, or with the customer’s problem?

2. Count the number of times your home pages has the words we, our, or the name of your company. Now count the number of times your home page uses the words you or your. Which number is higher?

3. Does your home page name the problems your customers are experiencing, and let them know that you understand their problems and can help them? Do you have a page title that names the problem or the solution? (Welcome to our website doesn’t address either one).

Here’s a simple formula to turn this around:

1. Isolate the main problem your product or company solves, and put that in the headline of your home page and in your opening lines.

2. On your home page, use you and your twice as many times as we or our.

3. Rewrite your home page text to focus on your customers problems, before you present your solutions. You’ll see an increase in sales and inquiries about your services and products – because you’ll stand out from the “we we” crowd.

Need help creating a you you focus for your website? It may just take a little tweaking. Call or email for a free consultation on your site:

Lynda Goldman (514) 336-4339, Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com

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Have you seen websites guilty of the problem? Have you visited great websites that focus on the customer (maybe yours is one)? Please comment and share your link here.

The post #1 Marketing Mistake Most Natural Product Websites Make appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

You say "sore back" I say "spinal stenosis"

Picture this.  You have a product that relieves back pain. Your customer Googles phrases such as “cure for backache” “back spasms” or “help for sore back”.

However, your keywords are “lumbrosacral spine x-ray” or “spinal stenosis.” You may be talking to the wrong customer.

All too often, natural health companies try to make their websites be all things to all people. They want to reach consumers, and also target healthcare professionals.

Have you heard the saying, “The middle of the road is where you get run over.”? How can you speak to the right customers, so they say “This is for me!” when they reach your site?

1. Decide who you want to reach, and focus on that audience. If you want to target  both healthcare professionals and consumers, I suggest you divide your website into two sections, and guide your readers to the right pages. Put a button or image on your home page that invites each group to click through to the right place.

2. Define your market and write your web pages exactly for them. Provide the data that will make a scientist chortle with glee. Write for your consumer market using clear, straightforward language. Show them that you understand their problem, and have the solution.

3. Use the language your customers use. Do your consumer customers’ talk about their stomach problems, when you refer to “intestinal flora?” Does your customer need help with insomnia, but your website explains the benefits of “potent sleep assisting herbs”? You’ll lose consumers if you use language they don’t use themselves.

On the other hand, discussing “digestive problems” is not precise enough for healthcare professionals. They need to hear about the efficacy of your product in a placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized, multicenter study.

4. Get feedback and do keyword research. It’s sometimes difficult to see your products from an objective viewpoint because you know them so intimately. Get feedback from your target customers. Do keyword research to find the most common terms your customers use, and make them part of your web copy.

5. Use the right tone. Scientific or academic language tends to be formal, and uses jargon and terms that become shorthand for healthcare professionals. Writing for consumers is a different ballgame. On the web, your tone can be more informal and friendly, while still being educational and professional. This is especially true for social media, where the wrong tone can turn people off. Listen to your target audience and adopt their tone. You’ll get more readers and start conversations that will translate into more sales.

Are YOU talking to the right customers? Need an outside appraisal of your web copy? Get my  free report:

7 Quick Ways to Tell if Your Natural Health Website is Designed to Generate Leads

I’d love your comments. What tone and language do you think is best for social media?

The post Are You Talking to the Wrong Natural Health Customers? appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

7 Gifts from the Heart

Today I have 7 gifts for you. You are welcome to pass these gifts along to people in your life.

These gifts don’t cost you anything. They don’t involve shopping in holiday crowds. But in just a few minutes they bring you riches, warmth and good will.

What’s interesting is that you can use these gifts online, with your social media contacts on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, and you can use them in person with your clients, colleagues, friends and family.

7 Gifts from the Heart

1. The gift of sharing: Take a few minutes to share a great idea you picked up, a lesson learned, or a hope or dream for the New Year. Tweet your message to all, or just tell a friend over a mug of latte or cider.

2. The gift of help: Most people need a little help with something that’s difficult for them, but may be easy for you. For example, I sometimes get stuck on technical issues, and post a question to one of my LinkedIn groups. I often get wonderful feedback and suggestions for resources or techniques. I also offer suggestions when I have ideas that can help someone else, and am delighted when someone expresses appreciation. Can you offer advice to someone who is frustrated with a problem that may be easy for you to solve? (You never know, they may become your customer!)

3. The gift of listening: Many people think Twitter is all about Tweeting the latest and greatest, from your blog post to a review of your sandwich for lunch, but an even more powerful way to use Twitter is to listen. Find out what people are saying about your products, your company, and industry event and updates. I’ve learned a great deal from Twitter just by following leaders in social media and marketing. Since social media is like a flowing river, Twitter helps me stay on top of new developments and trends.

Most people think that listening helps the person who is speaking, but in many cases listening benefits the listener.

4. The gift of attention: Is someone telling you what they are bothered or worried about? Give them your full attention. This means actually listening, without judgement or offering advice (unless you are asked). Paying attention and listening is a rare gift these days. Few of us have time for it. Most people just want to be understood and feel valued. Taking just a few moments to give someone your full attention and really listening to them is a precious gift.

5. The gift of time: We live in a time-pressed world. Instead of multitasking, give yourself the gift of time to be in the moment.  Fully immerse yourself in one task, whether it’s writing your blog post, taking a few moment to speak to a friend without checking your email, or enjoying a small cup of espresso.

6. The gift of humor: Laughter draws people together. If you stop to think about it, how many times a day do you laugh? Probably not as often as you did when you were a child. In this holiday season, take a few moments to laugh with your clients, family and friends. A dose of humor stimulates your endorphins. But the bottom line is that laughing just feels good, and spreads cheer.

7. The gift of thanks: Take a moment to give sincere thanks to everyone who helped you this year. Send a card with a hand-written message, send an email or e-card, or pick up the phone and say “thank you.” It will be appreciated.

And now I’d like to thank you for giving me a few moments of your precious time each week. I wish you all the best for the holiday season and New Year.

Lynda

Follow me on Twitter & Facebook this holiday season: @LyndaInk; www.facebook.com/LyndaGoldman

The post 7 Gifts from the Heart that Keep on Giving appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Create content that people LIKE and share

In the old days, keeping in touch with customers or prospects involved a bit of work. You could call customers or cold-call prospects, send letters or postcards by regular mail, put ads in targeted magazines, send paper newsletters and direct mail pieces, and more.

These options are all still available, and can be very effective. But there comes a point when you aren’t sure if you are being annoying or desperate in contacting someone who doesn’t respond. Where does persistence cross the line?

Today, we can connect with people on a grander scale, using social media. Tools like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter allow us to have conversations with customers and prospects without interrupting their day. Instead of phoning someone and saying “Hi, it’s me again,” which is always an interruption, we can comment on their social media contributions.

Here are 12 LIKEABLE ways to get and stay on people’s radar.

1. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. A great way to do this is to see if you share a group. LinkedIn now allows you to invite group members to connect.

2. Join LinkedIn groups in your industry. Look for questions that people ask, and offer help or advice when you can. Begin a conversation, and then invite the person to connect with you.

3. Ask your own questions or start a conversation in a group (but don’t just flaunt your product.) If anyone offers help or responds, thank them graciously, and invite them to connect.

4. Once you make the connection, you have the opportunity to invite them to visit your website, sign up for a free report, or even schedule a phone call if appropriate. Now you are taking the relationship to the next level in a likeable way.

5. Visit their Facebook business page, and LIKE it.

6. LIKE specific comments on their Facebook page.

7. Add a comment to one of their posts on Facebook.

8. Ask questions on your own Facebook page. Send a personal “thank you” email to anyone who answers your questions or posts a comment.

9. Cross pollinate by inviting your Facebook contacts to connect on LinkedIn; invite LinkedIn contacts to visit your Facebook page, and follow you on Twitter. These are all different forums, and invite different kinds of interactions.

10. Follow customers and prospects on Twitter. Comment on their tweets, or retweet their message (which is always appreciated, as it helps their message go viral).

11. When a customer or prospect retweets or responds to your tweets, direct-message them to thank them.

12.  Post valuable content regularly on your blog or in your newsletter, and on your social media sites. When someone invites you to connect, offer them your special report, or invite them to sign up for your blog updates or newsletter.

Over time, these small actions of engaging people begin to turn into relationships.  By the time someone raises their hand and says, in effect, “Hey, we should talk” you are no longer strangers. You’ve developed respect and are comfortable communicating. Isn’t that a much warmer beginning than a cold call?

What are your favourite LIKEABLE ways to meet people and stay on their radar? Please respond to this post, and don’t forget to LIKE this page, and share it with your contacts.

Visit me on Facebook and LinkedIn, and let me know what’s on your mind!

The post 12 Likeable Ways to Stay On Customers’ Radar appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

CHFA National Health Food Month

November is National Health Food month.  As the days get shorter, we spend more time inside. If you manufacture, market or sell natural health products, this is a terrific time to check the natural health of your website and marketing initiatives.

Here are 16 must-haves for your natural health marketing. Use the Print Friendly button below to print out this chart and score yourself. Give yourself 1 point for each item you have:

How did you score? Add up the number of times you replied “yes”

11-16 Yes answers: Your website is quite healthy. A few small tweaks should bring it to peak health.

7-10 Yes answers: Your website may be suffering from a low immune system, and is likely to succumb to the disease of being lost in cyberspace. Some natural remedies can improve its health.

6 or fewer Yes answers: Your website is probably in a coma, because it’s not getting much traffic. It needs some shots of vitamins to boost traffic and sales.

Confused about how to get more traffic and more sales from your website? Not sure what to do about your social media strategy? Call me for a free consultation.

Call 514 336-4339, or email me to set up an appointment, at Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com

The post 16 Natural Health Month Must-Haves appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Traceability boosts natural health sales

A recent newspaper headline caught my attention: “Hi, I’m Paul and I caught your dinner.”

Does the average person care where the fish or watermelon on their plate originated, or where the ingredients in their supplements or skin care products were produced? Maybe not. But your natural health customers probably do.

According to this article, Food Tracing Takes Off, “consumers demand more transparency in the food system, and suppliers and producers are expected to provide them with greater access to food traceability…an industry buzzword to describe the ability to track food through the supply chain back to its origin.”

Information from Harvest Mark reveals:

• 46% of people worry about the safety of their food
• 83% of consumers would choose traceable products over non-traceable products if given the choice
• 75% of restaurant owners are willing to pay more for traceable food

Traceability is like accounting, only it’s for food and natural health products.

What does this mean to you if you manufacture or sell natural health products?  In the natural health industry, traceability ensures your customers that you care about providing top quality natural ingredients, and that you are accountable for your products.

Here are some ideas for providing traceability, without going off the deep end:

1. Access to traceability is now easier through new systems such as the California-based HarvestMark, which lets shoppers look up information on various coded grocery items. A short video by Harvest Mark reveals that they traced 5 million watermelons last year. Read Food Tracing Takes Off for other companies that provide food tracing, such as Sobeys’s new seafood tracing system, launched in partnership with Vancouver-based Ecotrust Canada.

2. Show images or create video to show how you source the herbs or plants you use, the ingredients you use to manufacture your organic food products, or the essential oils in your natural beauty products. A picture or video tells a thousand tales while entertaining and educating.

3. Tell your company story. If you manufacture or sell natural products, chances are that the person who started your company had a passion for providing healthy alternatives in food, supplements or personal care products. Let your passion show by tracing the path from the seed of an idea to the products you create and sell today.

4. Make it easy for your customers. Most people want simple solutions, not more complicated decisions. Do the legwork for your customers and advise them on what to buy to meet their needs.

5. Discuss the traceability of your products on your website and in your marketing materials to instil confidence. After all, trust is the most important thing you can inspire in your customers, and when customers trust you, they will buy from you.

Do you need help communicating your traceability to your customers? Call me to discuss scripting for your short video, or a unique angle for your About page.(514) 336-4339, Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com

Do you provide traceability for your products? Would you prefer to buy products that can be traced? Let me know what you think!

The post 5 Million Watermelons Boost Natural Health Sales appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Participate on LinkedIn, in the right way.

Are you on LinkedIn, but don’t see the benefits? Do you have an anaemic profile that’s quietly wasting away in the dark? Do you get annoyed when people you don’t know ask you to connect?

At first, LinkedIn can be frustrating, and seem like a waste of time. Here are some of the arguments I hear from my clients on why they don’t participate in LinkedIn, and my responses.

1. It takes too much time. Well, think of the time and money you put into other marketing. (You do some kind of marketing, right?) Postcards or magazine ads can be very expensive. Unless you are famous and people are banging at your door to give you business, you have to commit some amount of time/money for marketing. LinkedIn is free, and in just 15 minutes a day you can build relationships that bring you new business – pretty cost effective if you ask me.

2. Networking in person is better. I agree – there is no substitute for meeting someone, shaking their hand, and getting to know them. But all this takes time (and money for travel, meals, etc…). Plus there’s a limit to how many people you can meet, even if you network like crazy at a conference like I do.
With LinkedIn, you can network as much as you want (in your pyjamas, if you like) with people all over the world who you would never meet physically, so you multiply the potential for getting business.

3. I don’t know what to do on Linkedin. Here’s the secret I discovered: Join groups. Join MANY groups. When I was just in one or two groups, I often found the topics didn’t apply to me. But I kept exploring, and found other groups where the conversation is stimulating. I learn from people in these groups. And yes, I get business from some of these groups.

4. The groups aren’t benefiting me. Don’t just join, participate. Imaging going to a networking event with a bag on your head, and then sitting quietly in the corner. Do you think anyone will come over and say that they desperately need your product or service? Not likely.

On the other hand, don’t do the “hard sell.” Imagine going to a conference and telling everyone you meet, “Hi. I’ve got a great product. Want to buy it?” That would send them running for the door.

The key is to participate – in the right way (see below).

5. How do I participate in the groups? As with any networking, you have to build relationships one at a time. In LinkedIn groups, begin by asking questions and answering other people’s questions when you can – without spamming them with a sales message. Bring value to the group by posting articles or topics of interest (not just about your own business). When someone responds to your question or post, thank them by replying to their message within the LinkedIn group. Then take it a step further and send them an invitation to connect.

Ask about what they do, and if it’s appropriate, suggest a phone call to find out more. Slowly but surely, some of this will result in business.

So what’s the #1 secret to getting business from LinkedIn? Show up and participate. And give it time. (Ok, maybe two secrets). The bottom line is that business is about relationships, and LinkedIn is a fabulous free tool for connecting with people you would never meet otherwise – it expands your horizons. But it’s still a tool. You have to use it properly to get results.

Was this tip valuable for you? Please forward it to a friend or colleague! If you're not already signed up, be sure to sign up for my blog posts and free report, to receive these tips every week.

Call me at any time to discuss your natural health marketing: Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com (514) 336-4339

What are your best tips for getting business from LinkedIn, or for any social media? I'd love to get your comments!

The post #1 Secret to Getting Business from LinkedIn appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Make your marketing stand out from the crowd

Everyone may be getting older, but babies seem to be springing up everywhere, including at CHFA.  Clef de Champs’s president, Marie Provost, wondered how people brought up children without herbal medicine. How indeed? I wish I’d known about their plant based remedies for everything from ear aches to colic, when my kids were young. Fortunately their new line of Organic Baby Care will be a sure hit with new moms and their wee ones.

Also on the baby front was SISU, with their back to school nutrients for kids and parents. Dr. Frank Silva, ND, talked about the importance of Probiotics and Vitamin D, and SISU’s impressive line of supplements for kids, including their SISU Mini Vits – fun, star-shaped chewables with all natural sweeteners.

What does this have to do with marketing your natural health products?

Your customers are confused out there!  Anyone  interested in health won’t lack information. Just the opposite, there’s too much information, and people have trouble making sense of it.

Did you know that close to 80% of all searches on the internet are related to health? (Is your website optimized so people find it?)

Your customers need your guidance, and that begins with defining your target audience clearly. Then you can create compelling marketing messages that meet their needs.

Here are three therapeutic tips for marketing your natural health products:

1. Define your brand so your message stands out from the crowd.  The Organic Baby Care life from Clef de Champs, and SISU’s Kid’s Line are beautifully designed, and convey their messages instantly.

Many other brands stood out from the crowd for me, including Taste of Nature granola bars, unique branding from Girlnola, the skin care lines LaVigne and Green Beaver , Stahlbush - my favourite frozen fruit brand, Maison Orphee’s delectable oils, Camino’s delicious chocolate and coffee, Earthlab’s innovative cosmetics, Itoen innovative teas, Tall Grass’s Gabriel cosmetics, and Petchup healthy pet products.

Do your image and message show immediately who your product is designed for? Does your brand messaging compel people to say, “That’s for me!”? If not, think about how you can revamp or tweak your message.

2. Tell your story creatively. Marie Provost at Clef de Champs did it beautifully by showing pictures of the babies and children of the dedicated professionals who work at Clef de Champs. What more creative way to highlight a kid’s line than to show the children you are creating the products for!

What unique angle can you use to tell your story?  Make it personal and passionate, and you are sure to ignite your customers and create brand advocates.

3. Be passionate about your brand. Kate Reheume-Bleue presented research on Vitamin K that was so compelling and interesting that I’m sure all the retailers who attended will be buying Natural Factor’s Vitamin D & K.

Dr. Jonathan Beatty presented Prairie Natural’s new Citrus Soother as the natural alternative to its chemical cousin at the pharmacy with passion and clarity. The samples were welcomed, and the drink tastes so great that I’ll surely be buying more.

How can you show your passion for your products? Can you use an expert researcher, delighted clients, or product samples? Can you use social media to fire up interest? Is your website copy compelling so readers have information that excites them?

Find out how to set fire to your readers, so they can’t wait to use your product. Call for a free consultation – I’d be delighted to talk with you: 514 336-4339, or email me to set up an appointment, at Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com

The post Oh Baby! 3 Therapeutic Doses for Marketing Natural Health Products appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.