Category Archives: Marketing

What’s Your Story?

If you follow us on Twitter, you may have seen a link we shared on Monday. It was titled “This Will Be the Number One Business Skill in the Next Five Years.” If you didn’t click, do you have any idea what that skill is?

Storytelling.

Thanks to social media and the ability to broadcast your message on numerous devices and in numerous forms, storytelling is extremely important. Consumers no longer want to hear your ad pitch; they want to hear your story. The article goes on to say that your story should be compelling enough to get people to want to do business with you.  A great quote comes from Andrew Stanton in the article, “The greatest story commandment: Make me care.” This “commandment” should affect how you tell the story of your business and why people should get involved.

To showcase the importance of storytelling, we asked you for your GDI story on Facebook. We want to know how you became an affiliates. Our favorite compelling story share on Facebook came from Blessed Marketer. This is a great example of a story that compels the reader to want to learn more.

Blessed Marketer: 2009, if I remember correctly. Short version is this:

When you lose your job after nine years of work, and on the last day they literally take a screwdriver and remove the hard drive out of the laptop you’ve been using for last three years because everything on that computer is “their intellectual property,” you start to think.

You start to think “Not only am I losing my income, but I just gave a lot of my effort, thought, and creativity to a company that could still use it even though I’m no longer there. Even worse, now I no longer have access to the work I did!”

Helps you see the value of earning an income on your own terms AND having a place to create and share your own thoughts and work of any type – either through a website or a blog.

(And when I started, the blog wasn’t even an option! Great value there!)

Have an idea for your own? Now is the time to start crafting your story and to begin storytelling to grow your business.

Marketing Mondays: The Marketing Kit

A powerful, printable marketing tool is right in your Members Area. It’s the Marketing Kit and it is full of customizable, easy to share marketing materials. Read on to learn about each item in the Marketing Kit and then head to your Members Area>Marketing Kit to start using them.

This post is a repost from when we first announced the Marketing Kit in November 2012

Brochure

Your GDI brochure breaks down everything someone might want to know before joining GDI. In the brochure you will find information about GDI’s company history, product offerings, affiliate program and sources of support. The brochure can help to answer manBrochurePicy questions that anyone interested in GDI or the affiliate program might have. The GDI brochure should be shared with anyone that you’ve met in person who wants more information or could benefit from learning more about GDI.

To take advantage of your GDI brochure, select the color or black and white option. Next, print your brochure on high quality paper and fold in a tri-fold manner. The portion that says “HOW GDI CAN HELP BUILD YOUR BRAND, YOUR WEBSITE AND YOUR INCOME” should be the top cover opening to the right.

Tear Away Flyer

The Tear Away flyer is designed to attract attention from passersby and invite them to learn more. The Tear Away flyer can be posted anywhere you are legally allowed to post flyers. The flyer can be geared toward anyone and can contain as much or as little personal contact information as you wish. Ideally, interested persons who see the flyer can tear off the individual perforated portion of the flyer with your information to reach out to you.

To take advantage of the GDI Tear Away flyer, select your option for the flyer and print. Consider printing the flyer on bright colored paper to catch the eye. Once you have printed the flyer, cut along the short vertical lines separating your contact information. This will make it easy for anyone walking by to simply grab, tear and walk away with your information to be used later.

Table Tent

The Table Tent is a great tool for any public area with tables. The Table Tent folds neatly in half to create a stand alone tent. This marketing piece provides a just brief bit of information or teaser, inviting anyone who is interested to contact you to learn more.

 

To take advantage of the Table Tent, print it out on a thick cut paper and cut along the dotted lines. Each piece of paper will produce two table tents. Once you have cut out the pieces of paper, fold in half along the lines. Leave table tents in any public place you are allowed to do so, like a food court, transportation center or even your office lunch room.

Flyer

The standard flyer provides anyone who sees it with a bit of information about GDI. It is a call to action for anyone who can benefit from any of GDI’s services. These flyers can be hung in public places or handed out.

To take advantage of the Flyer, simply select color or black and white and print out on the paper color of your choice. Remember again that brighter color paper may attract more views. Next decide where you want to post the flyer or hand it out a public event.

Windshield Flyer

The small windshield flyer is perfect for sharing with someone on the go or someone you can reach directly. The small flyer can be left in the door of a neighbor or under a car windshield. Just be sure to be respectful or where you leave them.

To take advantage of the small flyer, print each sheet out on brightly colored, sturdy paper. Cut so that you have four individual flyers. Follow local laws for disseminating the flyers in your neighborhood.

Be mindful of location rules and regulations related to sharing flyers and hand outs. Please do not use your marketing kit materials to or overrun neighborhoods with your marketing materials.