In five days, you can set up an entire end-to-end marketing system, claims Mark Satterfield in The One Week Marketing Plan.
He calls it the "set it and forget it" system and says it can cost as little as US$300 for a small to medium-sized business to create.
Businesses yearn for a long list of clients without cold calling or hard selling, Satterfield says, without having a lot of money or time to invest in marketing.
Satterfield founded Gentle Rain Marketing, of which he is the chief executive, two decades ago. The author says he has developed one-week marketing systems for clients in more than "three dozen" niche industries, having originally used it to take his own business from $45,000 a year to over $500,000 in four years.
Satterfield advocates a form of marketing known as "magnetic marketing" or "lead magnet marketing".
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"Simply put, this is marketing in which you attract new prospects by offering them something for free and then follow up with ongoing messages to build trust and convert them into paying clients," he writes.
The system involves choosing a niche market on day one, creating a "compelling" free offer on day two, building a basic one-page landing website on day three, a series of "drip marketing" messages (seven to send over 11 days) on day four and relevant online pay-per-click advertising on day five to bring in traffic.
Your business does not have to focus solely on one niche, he says, but each marketing campaign does. "We want the prospective client to see a reflection of themselves and the challenges they face," he says.
The book works chapter by chapter through each day of tasks to identify the most "hyper-responsive" niche market and get them to "raise their hands" and express an initial interest in who you are and what you offer. It must be followed in sequence, he warns.
Satterfield offers a dozen examples of creating a niche, such as a PR company that now works only with the pet industry and a financial adviser who switched focus from retirees to widows. He himself found that, while there were many marketers offering help with digital marketing or social media, none offered "marketing system" support – which became his niche. When it comes to the free offer, Satterfield gives the example of Sonny Ahuja, who owned seven mall-based perfumeries but, owing $100,000 to suppliers, decided to go online to find new customers.
He wrote a downloadable free report on 20 ways to spot a fake perfume, the very concern most consumers have about buying perfume online. From that report, he has created an 18,000-strong email list.
One of Satterfield's own "magnets" is a report called "how to write a sales letter" which, due to its evergreen nature, has been running, unchanged, for eight years.
The offer gives prospective clients a "sample of the value you provide", says Satterfield. "Clients are skeptical and the easiest way to show that you can provide value is to do so in your marketing materials."
The book goes on to explain how to create a simple one-page website – or a landing page within your current website. This is called a "squeeze" page, as it squeezes the visitor to make one decision, to opt in or leave.
Another way to do this is a "reverse squeeze", where you show a few pages first before asking for contact information – best for high-value services, says Satterfield.
Then, step-by-step, Satterfield provides ideas and templates for a series of emails to follow up with the prospect and build a relationship, and detailed guides to creating low-cost pay-per-click advertising campaigns in Google, Bing, Facebook and LinkedIn, plus how to set up and use Google Adwords and Google Keyword Planner.
Once you have created your magnet system, says Satterfield, you can move onto "strategic market boosts". He suggests blogging, video marketing, publicity and joint ventures with complementary businesses.
Gentle Rain drinks its "own Kool-Aid", says Satterfield; its marketing using this system. You can opt in to various free offers on Gentle Rain's website and it will run adverts on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn to the landing-page offer and blogs twice a week.
The system is straightforward and the book well laid out but, ultimately, the task feels daunting – especially the initial niche and free offer creation.
Can all of these tasks really be accomplished in a week? "They sure can," insists Satterfield, "but don't feel that you must complete each step in a single day. Work at your own pace.
"Like swimming, though, you can't just read about marketing. It doesn't really do you any good until you actually jump into the pool."
The One Week Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It Approach for Quickly Growing Your Business is available in paperback from BenBella Books and costs US$16.33 from Barnes & Noble or $16.08 from Amazon.com
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Who is Ramon Tribulietx?
Born in Spain, Tribulietx took sole charge of Auckland in 2010 and has gone on to lead the club to 14 trophies, including seven successive Oceania Champions League crowns. Has been tipped for the vacant New Zealand national team job following Anthony Hudson's resignation last month. Had previously been considered for the role.
More coverage from the Future Forum
THE%20SPECS
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
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- That's about it
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
