About a year ago one of my associates predicted that businesses won’t be using websites in a year.
Of course, being a web designer, I thought he was really “out there” and didn’t know what he was talking about!
But I have finally come to the conclusion that he’s right. Facebook is slowly replacing websites as the Read the rest of this entry »
Just because you’re a small business owner, doesn’t mean you have to “look” small to your customers. With online marketing tools and techniques, coupled with some of the more cost effective offline marketing – your company can look like a big company while being able to act like a small company. That means you are able to give great customer service!
Here’s how:
1. Advertise Like a Big Business: You still need to create brand loyalty and name recognition. You can afford to do that through your web presence, your social media strategy and your blogging. Be sure to always include value in each of your posts, tweets, and facebook messages – something that is interesting and relevant. Every once in awhile, also include an Read the rest of this entry »
There are many who say “blogging” is a lost art – that Twitter and Facebook, have become the new blog. Those are the same people who said SEO is dead. Google changes everyday, you can’t keep up with SEO anymore so why try – it’s dead. Fortunately, neither of these things is true.
You definitely need to care about Search Engine Optimization (more on that later) and you need to consider blogging as a tool to attract and retain your customers.
Here’s why – it is a well known fact that people do business with people they know, like and trust. Well great Read the rest of this entry »
Why You Should Use Email Marketing?
Email is a tool that nearly everyone uses today, and it continues to grow and be more prevalent in the lives of people around the world.
Meanwhile, online marketing was once seen as a risky endeavor for most businesses, but the gap between it and off-line marketing has rapidly narrowed.
A recent survey of small businesses indicate 81% plan to increase their spending on email marketing, while only 50% said they’d increase spending on direct mail.
Benefits of Email Marketing:
Many companies are interest in email campaigns, but feel that running and effective campaign is either too technical, too expensive, or obsolete due to SPAM abuses.
Fortunately, email marketing can be Read the rest of this entry »
When people ask me, “Should I advertise with Yellow Pages or on Google?” I tell them that is like asking if you want green or ice cream – they are two very different things!
Yellow pages are searched for a specific something – like a doctor or dentist in your area — and you probably even know generally who or what you are looking for.
You want to see their website, you want to find out about the services they offer, when they are open and how to get there. You are likely to spend five times as long on their website if you used the yellow pages before using Google.
Statistics show that 9 out of 10 websites you look at as a result of a Google search results in a visit of less than 10 seconds and a a high bounce-rate. Meaning — you don’t go past the first page.
On the other hand, if you go to a website as a result of having looked the business up using the yellow pages search first, you are more likely to spend as much as Read the rest of this entry »
What? That is heresy to a web developer! Everyone says you need a website – but for what? Why do you want a website? What do you want a website to do for your business? What is it that you want your website to accomplish?
Answering these questions thoughtfully and completely could mean all the difference in the world? The answers will prevent you from having a website that you could use for a door stop and put your new website that will actually help you grow your business faster than you thought possible.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “How much does a website cost?” And I always think to myself – “How much does Read the rest of this entry »
Are people really using social media sites to expand their small businesses, or is the social media craze just a fad used mostly by the younger generation?
When Facebook surpassed Google in March of this year, (2010), as the most visited site in the world, I think it is safe to assume there is more going on than just checking out the latest Brittany Spears adventure.
Big businesses from all industries are on Facebook…Nike, McDonalds, Ford, Vail Resorts, Dow Jones, General Electric, Merck, Victoria Secret, etc. Management at Copper Mountain Resorts sent their whole marketing team to learn Read the rest of this entry »
These days you almost have to have a website if you are serious about your business. It is your online presence in the market place and it helps you get noticed!
The trick is to get targeted traffic to your site, just like attracting customers to your offline business. You need to let your potential clients know you’re there and you need to provide easy access to enough information so that they can get to know you as well!
Just building a website doesn’t mean people are going to magically appear. You need a marketing strategy to first bring the traffic to your site, and then convert that traffic to paying clients.
Research shows that unless a potential customer visits your site with a specific product in mind to purchase, it is unlikely they will buy the first time they visit your site or learn about your product and service.
To start, they will want to build a Read the rest of this entry »
(I found this article on my friend Andrea Chin’s website — http://www.highprofitsmarketing.com and I wanted to share it with you. I changed it a bit to match my audience but the bulk of the work is Andrea’s! She has some excellent points! Thanks Andrea for your insight! You are a wise woman!)
Often when I talk to small business professionals about social media, I have to say it is not uncommon for their eyes to glaze over – or worse, for them to stifle a yawn.
I think this initial reaction from people not “up to speed” with the marketing potential of social media is because for many, social media is viewed as “frivolous” and not worthy of serious consideration from professional business people?
Business people who have not taken the time to examine the incredible marketing potential of social media are doing themselves a huge disservice. Unfortunately, they have concluded that social media is not a serious marketing tool for businesses. Maybe they see young kids “tweeting” away and think that’s great, but have convinced themselves it is only for kids.
But for business professionals that have truly looked into the Read the rest of this entry »
I spent the majority of my early career as a director of marketing for a major telecommunications company. One of our major goals in life was customer satisfaction. Everything we did, from communication, to training the sales teams and customer service representatives, was all in the name of customer satisfaction.
Then I ran into a little book by Jeffrey Gitomer entitled, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless!” It was subtitled, “Customer Loyalty is Priceless!” I have to say, I was stunned to think that customer satisfaction might indeed be worthless! Iwas always of the opinion that as business owners, our goal was customer satisfaction. That was before I read this book!
When you are providing a product or service to a customer, chances are she could get that same product or service somewhere else. Unless you have a distinctly unique shop, there are other places your customer can go and get pretty much the same thing.
We know, especially in today’s economy, that when people have disposable income to spend on things they want, rather than on what they need, the differentiator is customer preference. Yes, price has an impact – but by and large, people spend money based on personal preference. In fact, people will actually spend more to shop where they prefer.
As a business owner, what can you do to create the kind of buying experience that will help to make your customer Read the rest of this entry »