Ebook Sample Content Preview:

What is Bootstrap Marketing and Why is It Important?

One of the first concepts any burgeoning marketer needs to get ahold of is that information is power. More specifically, useful information is power and everything else is noise. Experienced business owners understand that it is the ratio of useful information to noise that is one of the main keys to continued success. Among your main jobs then, as a marketer, is to parse through the vast amounts of information competing for your attention in order to get at the nuggets of real information you need to make your dreams a reality.

The concept of bootstrap marketing is a great place to begin. Understanding what exactly bootstrap marketing is and why it is important are two very powerful pieces of useful information that have the ability to give you a leg up in the business world. While your competition is busy listening to informational noise, you will be tuned into a powerful signal that can lead you in the right direction on the road to success.
What is Bootstrap Marketing?

In some sense, it is easier to define bootstrap marketing by what it is not. Bootstrap marketing is not a traditional business model. It does not rely on the old way of first developing a business model and then getting that model fully funded before going into production. It is not business as usual. It does not rely upon capital for viability. So, now that we know what bootstrapping isn't why don't we take a look at what bootstrapping is.

Technically, bootstrap marketing is starting a business, any business, with little or no upfront capital. However, it is much more than a technical description. Bootstrapping is more of a business philosophy than anything else. It is an outlook or a way of looking at the world. It is a headspace that is all about thinking outside the box and seeing that opportunity doesn't always knock in the ways you expect it to. In short, a bootstrap marketer doesn't rely on other people's money to get what they want. Instead they rely on their own ingenuity, creativity, focus and fortitude to achieve success on their own terms.

There are a couple of traits that all bootstrap marketers seem to share. Knowing what these traits are and how they work can help you develop similar traits yourself. After all, there's no need to reinvent the wheel when someone else has already built the road.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Planning

If success depends upon a sense of urgency, it equally depends on a focused plan. Knowing where you want to go implies the need of a journey to get there. It goes without saying that every journey needs a plan on how to get from point A to point B. Without a plan, you simply run the risk of getting hopelessly lost. If you're lost, you likely won't end up where you wanted to go.

Planning is nothing more than a roadmap to success. It allows you to get to your destination in the most expeditious manner while avoiding delays and potential obstructions. No matter your goal, either long-term or short-term, you need to map out your plan on how to reach that goal.

When planning, make sure that you break down every element into actionable steps. There should be a logical flow to the plan, the same way that there is a logical flow to geographic directions. Don't leave out critical junctures in your journey. Every point that needs to be reached should be clearly outlined.

Also, use a timeline and milestones. You need to be able to measure your progress towards a given goal. Milestone achievements give you a clear idea whether you are ahead or behind schedule. Knowing this information will allow you to adjust your plan accordingly which, in turn, will keep you steadily moving towards your destination in a timely manner.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Chapter 2: Starting Organized

The Directory Framework

When building a lead magnet you're going to have a lot of files, images and web pages. The more organized you are the better. Staying organized will allow you to find the files that you are looking for quickly and easily

Included in your download is a template directory structure for you to use as a base when building out your lead magnet and squeeze page.

Every project is unique and comes with it's own unique files as well. The directory template should be used as a starting point to get you organized from the start. Feel free to add additional folders as you build your project.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

3. Be On Time:

Make sure that you are on time.

The fastest way to make a bad impression is to show up late for a date.

If you're late, your date will think that you don't care about them or that they are not important enough for you to be on time.

If you absolutely have to be late, call as soon as you realize it.

4. Women Love Compliments

Pay her a compliment at least once on the date but don't be a kiss ass.

Compliment her more if it seems natural to do so.

The problem with dating is that you're going to be nervous, and you may forget to compliment her perfume or her dress so make a point of finding something you like and mentioning it early in the date.
The earlier in the date you do this, the better the date will go.

5. Put Your Date at Ease:

Do your best to make your date feel as comfortable as possible.

Everyone gets very nervous when they go on a first date with someone. If you're making your date feel comfortable, you'll also find that you are more relaxed and you'll enjoy yourself much more during the date.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Optional Extras

Blender (software)

Blender is one example of a piece of '3D modelling' software. This is used for the creation of polygonal images that can be rotated and manipulated in real time. You don't necessarily need 3D modeling for the majority of graphic design jobs but it can create some cool effects if you choose to go this route. If you want 3D text that appears at an angle with fancy lighting as your log for instance, then this might be the best way to go.

If you opt against a tablet with a stylus, then you may instead choose to buy an additional piece of hardware in the form of a graphic tablet. These are external input devices that use pressure sensitive pens and are available from the likes of Wacom and Bamboo.

This isn't a 'must have' item as you won't always create your own images from scratch. That said, having some form of digitizer can be useful for many things as an entrepreneur - even if you're just going to be signing documents online for instance which is another moment where you can impress clients.
Sketchbook Pro

If you are interested in creating digital art from scratch to use in your graphic designs, then Sketchbook Pro will provide you with the best tool for doing that. This is a piece of software for digital artists that allows you to draw with the pen and has lots of features like different brushes and layer manipulation. If you've ever had a look at some of the amazing drawings on 'Deviant Art' or other sites and wondered how it was created, Sketchbook Pro or similar software is what was responsible.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Takeaways

• Hiring a skilled social media manager ensures you get the best results from your social media efforts

• As compe==on for eyeballs on social networks is steadily increasing, it's beneficial to start as soon as possible and do it right from the start

• Be prepared to not have complete control over everything your social media manager posts to your proper=es; trying to micromanage everything will only lead to less efficiency and a bad experience for everyone involved

• Let the person you hire know that it's always beDer to ask you if they're uncertain about something, rather than ac=ng on their own and risking making mistakes

• Spending some extra =me on researching and checking up on your new manager's background minimizes the risk of hiring someone who's unprofessional or unsuited for the job

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Why put so much effort into customer service?

Focusing on delivering excellent customer service is, as we have established, one of the best ways to separate yourself from the competition. While it may not always be viable to, say, lower prices in order to increase sales, just about any business can improve their customer service to gain a better reputation and thereby increase sales over time.

It's definitely not a quick fix, but sticking with it over the long term is virtually guaranteed to yield measureable results, if nothing else in how much repeat business you get (customers usually go back to places that have treated them well in the past, and recommend them to their friends).

Another reason is that customer service is not just about offering support and help post-sales - it's often required to even make the sale in the first place. That's true for all kinds of businesses, but online and offline. Consider an online e-commerce store - a customer may have to reach out to customer service to inquire about a specific product before finalizing their order, or they may need some help making their payment. Either way, if the customer service response isn't up to par, they're likely to abandon their cart and buy from another store where they get better service.

All in all it just makes sense to put some major effort into this aspect of business, because the rewards are great and it is also just plain essential to running a successful company.