Category Archives: Tips for Your Biz

How to Connect With Buyers Using Google+ Local

Posted on by March 28, 2013

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Even though it’s been a few months since Google merged with Google Places to become Google Local, there was some confusion as to just what this new entity would grow to be. No longer. One shining illustration of what is possible for small business is the Google business page for BakeSpace.com. They have employed all of the features such as hangouts, video and more to garner more than 330,000 users inside their circles. Businesses are waking up to the enormous opportunity that lies within Google Local and are finding excellent ways to use it for finding buyers and prospects.

So let’s examine some of the best ways your small business can leverage this platform.

  • Be sure your Google Local page excels – The first and probably most important task is to make sure that your page is entirely filled out. Fill in all text areas that are called for, as this makes a difference in how Google ranks your page. Also, use a ton of images, because this also affects the ranking of your page. There’s also the benefit of being allowed to present a vivid look at your site and merchandise.
  • Use the search function to prospect – Using Google to look for prospects and hook up with potential customers is ridiculously easy! The search bar at the top of your Google page will help you find people who are talking about your niche or company. Add them to your Circles and start the connection process!
  • Engage with potential buyers by creating offers – An excellent way to leverage your Google Local page is to create enticing offers and coupons which can be accessed directly from that page. This can be a terrific method to convert Google visits to onsite purchases.
  • Use Google Hangouts as a media channel – There are a variety of methods to use this versatile tool to pump up your business. You can conduct webinars, training sessions, online press conferences, offer free consults (related to your business) and even host your very own show. Google records these sessions, sends you the file, which you can then upload to YouTube. Beginning to see the possibilities?

I hope you’re realizing the possibility of what Google along with Google Local, YouTube and the rest of the Google suite could do for your business. Get your business started on Google Local today!

Mobile Computing Revolution

Posted on by March 26, 2013

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How to Cash in on the Mobile Revolution

The web is going mobile, and it’s not too late to jump onboard the mobile bandwagon and snatch a slice of what is increasingly becoming an extremely large pie! Google reports that more than half of all local searches are executed on mobile devices of some sort. Everyone is doing business on the move, browsing and price comparing on the way to shop. Now is the time to make sure your business is aligned to take advantage of this mobile innovation. Here are five easy ways to get this done!

  1. Having a mobile ready site – Making certain your website is capable of being viewed on any mobile device is a mandatory first step. There is something of an art to making the mobile version of your website, because the emphasis here is on speed. It is estimated you have about five seconds for your site to load on a mobile device or they’re on to greener pastures. Make sure your site loads fast and looks great! Based on Google polling, 52% of users say a bad mobile experience causes them to be much less likely to engage with a business.
  2. Offering deals, coupons and incentives to readers – 29% of consumers indicate a willingness to download a coupon from their mobile device. Take them up on it! Currently, only 10% of customers have received a coupon from a local merchant, based on a poll from Mercator Advisory Group. It’s time for you to get out in front of this trend and stake your claim!
  3. Buy inexpensive mobile advertising – Mobile paid ads are still the new kid on the block, but there is a great deal of opportunity using these. Pricing is still quite low, and you can get a considerable amount of targeted traffic to your site very quickly.
  4. Create a loyalty program – Employing a mobile platform to institute a loyalty program is an idea that is no longer just used by restaurants. You can make rabid fans by having a simple, easy to use digital loyalty card app that works entirely on their mobile device. A fantastic way to reward regular customers.
  5. Capitalize on mobile email and SMS – Mobile email is being opened at a rate of 41%, and is on schedule to surpass the PC by the end of 2013, as outlined by MarketingLand.com. SMS (texting) posseses an incredible 95% open rate. These two statistics alone should be incentive enough to get your small business seriously involved in the mobile side of things!

Top 7 Ways to Delight and Engage your Facebook Fans

Posted on by March 19, 2013

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You have a Facebook page. You have some fans. Nicely done. Now, like the smart business you are, you’re looking for some proven ways to engage your followers so you can acquire more of them and make the most of your presence on Facebook.

Engaging your fans is a critical piece to building and maintaining a long-lasting relationships on Facebook—and offline! Here are a few timeless strategies that local businesses are using with great results.

1. Spread the Love

Tell your fans how much you appreciate them. Tell ‘em often!

Thanking your fans for their questions, complimenting them on their comments, highlighting their success stories—these things go a looong, long way in social media. Many smart businesses on Facebook run a ‘Fan of the Month’ promotion to encourage and reward engagement.

This is really savvy way to make people feel good about themselves and your business while also capitalizing on the power of social proof.

2. Offer Coupons and Run Promotions

Discounts, coupons, special offers … your followers will NEVER get tired of opportunities to save money and get more value from their purchases. Pro tip: If you want to run a promotion for a specific geographic location, use the Custom menu when you’re posting to target your followers in a certain area.

3. Share Your Knowledge

You run a business. You have special knowledge and insight. You can help people. So share! People are always grateful for information that makes their lives easier or more fulfilling. Sharing helpful tips is some of the best engagement around.

It also helps you take advantage of the reciprocity principle: do something nice for someone, they’ll feel bound to return the favor.

4. Issue a Challenge

We humans are deeply competitive by nature and simply cannot resist a challenge, an opportunity to show the world that we’re pretty darn smart. Test your fans’ knowledge using fun quizzes and polls. Trivia, brain teasers, riddles … you’ll have your followers eating out of your hand by day’s end, trust me.

5. Take Photos of Your Happy Customers

Don’t hire a professional photographer. Just start snapping photos with your cellphone and post them to Facebook. You will be amazed—truly—at how people respond. Data collected by social media expert Dan Zarrella shows that photos get more shares and likes than text, video and link updates. This also a great social-proof strategy: other folks will see people enjoying your products/services and they’ll want to join the party, so to speak.

6. Ask for Advice

The highest compliment a business can pay to its customers is to ask for their input. If you own a pizza parlour, ask your fans to come up with a new pizza recipe! Or let them name your new product. Make it a contest! Solicit ideas and then let your fans vote for their favorite.

7. Use Insights to See What’s Working

Here’s the beauty of Facebook: you can see what’s working and what’s not. Just export your Facebook Insights data to an Excel spreadsheet to a get quick, clear look at which status updates performed best, what kind of media your audience responds to and what’s driving engagement.

Can your Business Benefit from Marketing on Pinterest?

Posted on by March 14, 2013

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Pinterest is a social network that allows individuals and businesses to create online image collections—called “Pinboards”—and easily share them with other users. Is this hot and (relatively) new social media site a good tool for your business? Let’s have a look!

1. You Could Use More Website Traffic [Yes/No]

Get this: Pinterest drives more traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn—combined. And according to a user poll conducted by marketing firm SteelHouse, Pinterest users are twice as likely to buy stuff than Facebook users.

2. You Have a Unique and Fun Company Culture [Yes/No]

Pinterest is a great way to show the world what a cool and fun company you have. As it happens, people prefer to buy from (and work at) companies they admire! Lots of businesses post “behind the scenes” images of their employees and customers in action: using their products, drinking beers at happy hour, etc.

3. Your Customers Are Already Pinning [Yes/No]

Is your target market already pinning? Pinterest has over 10 million users, so it’s highly likely that your customers are using the site. What’s more, Pinterest users are an influential bunch: they’re young (the 25-34 age group is the biggest) and wealthy (28 percent have a household income over $100k).

4. You’d Like More Market/Brand Awareness [Yes/No]

Did I mention that Pinterest is a MAJOR driver of traffic? What’s more, users are addicted: comScore data reveals they average 89 minutes per month on the site. (Google+ users average 3 minutes/month.) My point? Pinterest is a bustling place, and if you’re looking to raise awareness, you should consider going where the action is!

5. Your Product Line and/or Industry Is Photogenic [Yes/No]

Do you sell things? Physical things? Then you might want to post photos of your products on Pinterest! According to one survey, 70 percent of users say they log in to Pinterest to “find inspiration on what to buy.”

6. Your Team Has Untapped Creative Potential [Yes/No]

Pinterest is a place where you can let your creative juices flow freely, even if you’re in an industry not typically associated with creativity or visual flair. Hey, if a plumbing franchise in Waco, Texas, can have fun with Pinterest and make people laugh, you can too!

7. Your Company Creates Valuable Content for Customers [Yes/No]

Why not pin video tutorials and how-tos on your pinboards? If you operate a bar or restaurant, post recipes! Pinterest is an excellent way to leverage the high-value content you’re creating for your customers.

Scoring

1–2 yeses: You should seriously consider Pinterest for your business.
3–4 yeses: Pinterest is a really good fit for your business. Pin away!
5–7 yeses: Your business and Pinterest = peas and carrots.

Improve Your Facebook Page

Posted on by March 12, 2013

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Make Your Facebook Page Come to Life

Curious about how you can improve your Facebook page quickly and easily? There are lots of ways to do this, but to help you get off to a flying start we’ll limit ourselves to just eight for the moment. These methods will not only help you get more visibility in Google, but in addition lay the foundation for better customer relationships that result in greater loyalty, which has obvious and numerous benefits.

  1. Commit to Facebook – Facebook takes some effort, plus a bit of time. Many marketers who have set up a Facebook page for their business subsequently abandon it, this makes a statement about their company. Make a rock-solid commitment to post updates and content regularly, and to engage with those people who are following you. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time.
  2. Lose the Facebook-generated URL – Make sure you get a custom URL for your Facebook page. This will help greatly with search engine optimization (SEO)  or anyone trying to find you.
  3. Don’t Auto-Post Your Tweets – Twitter is great, but don’t make the mistake of reposting the exact same tweets onto your Facebook page. Make sure you post fresh content, not warmed-over stuff from somewhere else.
  4. Keep Updates Short and Sweet – Short is in these days. Short content, short videos, short stacks. (No wait, that was breakfast …) There is a time for longer posts, but generally make an effort to keep them reasonably short – less than 150 characters.
  5. Deliver Lots of Awesome Content – Creating content that people can use and are talking about will always be the #1 mission for your page.
  6. Engage with Your Audience – Encourage discussion, post great photos and shareable content, hold contests, ask questions, anything to get the conversation going!
  7. Be Responsive – Take complaints seriously, and be proactive responding to anyone who asks questions. You’ll be able to head off a lot of trouble this way.
  8. Post Photos – According to Facebook, posts that include a photo album, picture or video generate about 180%, 120% and 100% more engagement than text-only updates, respectively.

Using these tips will give you a terrific head start toward making your Facebook page a subject of conversation!

Google+ Local Listing

Posted on by March 7, 2013

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How to ignite your Google+ listing the simple way

Google+ has so far not been taken overly serious by businesses looking to promote their products and services. This is quickly changing! Google+ has positioned itself nicely to challenge Facebook as a primary social network for business. Websites using the +1 Button increase page traffic by 350%, and over 925,000 people join Google+ every day! Put together all of the functionality of your Google account, and massive search engine benefits, you’ve got something we can get serious about.

Seven Tips for Utilizing Your Google+ Page

Here are seven techniques for getting your Google+ page to help your small business.

  1. Your Google+ profile – Complete it. Do this with some thought. Be sure you use compelling photos and images, and link out to your other social media profiles.
  2. List your key information – Particularly hours of operation, contact details, as well as maps and directions.
  3. Link to your sites – be sure you link to your main business blog or site. This is a must!
  4. Create a business page – Showcase your small business where it counts. This has direct benefits for search engine results as well as for people who find you on Google+.
  5. Link out to your content –This will have a number of benefits, first of all getting them indexed nearly instantly, along with a several other search engine advantages. You can also use your Google+ page to create posts, including multimedia that can link out to your posts elsewhere.
  6. Utilize Direct Connect – Utilize this feature in Google+ to allow visitors to add you to circles when they find you in search. Think of this as a Facebook “Like”.
  7. Use video chat in Google+ Hangouts – This tool is incredibly useful. Any time you conduct a video chat, Google+ streams it, records it, and sends you the recording via email. Then you’re able to upload to YouTube, thus creating more useful content. One terrific method to use these is to make impromptu product demos.

This barely scratches the surface of what’s possible with Google+. To discover even more strategies along with a cool infographic on the subject see this post on CopyBlogger.

 

Mobile Marketing For Business

Posted on by March 5, 2013

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5 Big Business Marketing Tips that Won’t Bust a Small Business Budget

Mobile marking can be a goldmine!

But you wouldn’t know it looking at the marketing activities of many local businesses…

While it’s true that the mobile revolution is here, local business owners are still struggling to catch up with changing consumer behavior. In a Web.com survey of 500 small-business owners, only 26 percent of respondents said they’ve invested time and money in making sure their site was optimized for mobile devices. What does this mean to you? It means you’ve got a great chance to get noticed as a leader among local businesses—and poach competitors’ customers in the process!

More than half of all searches are being done on a mobile device and you being a small business owner can take advantage of that. Even a small business on a tight budget can use these five ways to market to mobile users.

  1. Optimize the website for Mobile Users – Google did a survey and found that 61 percent of consumers will leave a website if it is not properly optimized for mobile users. Without a mobile optimized site, everything else falls by the wayside. The site needs to be mobile friendly and available on all platforms.
  2. Look into Mobile Ads – Mobile ads are cheap and effective. This might sound surprising but at the moment lots of the inventory goes unsold every month and this keeps the prices down. This makes it a prime time to jump in and explore the concept of mobile advertising.
  3. SMS and Push Notifications – SMS messages have a number of advantages. First and foremost; they get opened. A lot. According to Frost and Sullivan, SMS messages offer an astounding 95 percent open rate! Push notifications are a terrific way to connect with your subscriber base.
  4. Combining Mobile and Your Social Media – Nothing says social media like real-time connections with your customer base. This is the latest trend and even the smallest of companies can get in on the trend by combining their social media site with a mobile devices. Combine specials, events, coupons or just link a YouTube video to create buzz. Then Tweets and traffic will soon start coming your way. Next thing you know your site’s search engine ranking will begin climbing and so will your Google . However, the best part is, you will be connecting with your client base in a real-time way and they will provide you with valuable feedback.
  5. Location Based Marketing and Passbook – Your small business has to be found on the web. Up to now, it meant Foursquare and Yelp. Although this still applies, you also have to begin looking into new technology like Passbook as well. Passbook is a great new app that enables its user to save all kinds of things like boarding passes, gift cards, coupons, store cards, coupons and all sorts of mobile payments.

Using mobile marketing in local business doesn’t have to be either complicated or expensive. The secret is to collect knowledge first, and add pieces as you go.

Five Essential Steps for Small Business Marketing

Posted on by February 28, 2013

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5 Essentials of Small Business Marketing to Keep You Ahead of the Competition

Small business marketing isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’ve been in marketing for more than two seconds, you already know that. Marketing your business is dependent upon doing some key factors well and these things will make or break a small business in this dog eat dog world we live in. Competition is fierce and understanding how to get the most from your web pages is tricky.

Here are five crucial steps to get ahead of the game!

  1. Create a Marketing Plan – Don’t leave anything to chance. Create a well-thought out, to the point plan that maps out each of your marketing elements and what you need to do to accomplish it. Make it as detailed as possible. At the very least fill in the broad strokes.
  2. Social Media Marketing – 91 percent of experiences social marketers generate improved website traffic and 79 percent generate more quality leads according to MediaBistro.com. Just how do they do this? They do not waste time with their social media marketing. Map out a strategy for social media and stick to it.
  3. Build a Mailing List – Countless businesses make the mistake of not collecting client and prospect emails from the start. Email is far from dead. MarketingProfs.com tells us that email averages a return on investment of $40 for every $1 spent, far outstripping banner ads ($2) and keyword ads ($17). If you decide to neglect it, you’re leaving a big part of your potential profits up for grabs!
  4. Video Marketing – Connect with all the local traffic that’s out there trying to find your business. Video marketing in this space is a relatively untapped vein, and having a quick video advertising your wares on page one of Google can result in tons of traffic and authority coming to your web site! According to the research company Forrester, any given video stands about a 50x better chance of appearing on the first page of Google than any given text page.
  5. Have a Mobile Presence – Be sure your website is optimized for mobile, as more than half of all searches now are emanating from some sort of mobile device. Microsoft reports that mobile browsing is projected to overtake desktop browsing by 2014. Having your pages mobile optimized can help improve your reach, and also corral impulse buyers.

Don’t Make the Mistake of Going It Alone!

None of us can do it all, especially when it comes to the constantly changing world of online marketing. Find out what’s working now, learn from the best you can afford, and hire the best outsourcing you can find. It’ll pay off handsomely in the long run!

 

Seven Advantages to Using LinkedIn for Business

Posted on by February 26, 2013

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Hey Small Business Owners: You’re Using LinkedIn, Right?

LinkedIn needs to be ranked among the big three of social media sites, right along with Facebook and Twitter. But LinkedIn is really more important for your small business because unlike its rivals, this social-media site focuses particularly on business. This means that, you won’t have people on LinkedIn posting on how good their oatmeal tasted this morning.

How companies are leveraging LinkedIn

You operate a business. Your time is in short supply. Exactly why should you bother with LinkedIn? Here are some ways your peers (there are 1.3 million small-business owners on the network) are employing it to their benefit:

  1. Sharing wins: Promoting your successes is just good marketing. It will make you look good to potential customers. And with 2 million C-level executives using the site, you may find yourself with some influential new friends.
  2. Getting referrals: LinkedIn makes it simplallows you to get peer and client endorsements for the work you do. Best part? When someone endorses you or writes a testimonial, everyone in your network sees it in their activity feed. This kind of social proof is the BEST way of getting new customers.
  3. Finding new talent: If your small business is growing, you’ll surely need to hire new employees. LinkedIn is an excellent place—scratch that, it’s the BEST place—to find new players to include in your team.
  4. Promoting events: LinkedIn’s event feature is a game changer! It’s never been so easy to spread the news and drum up excitement about upcoming events, sales and get togethers. You can also use their service directory to find professional event planners to help you.
  5. Boosting website traffic: Here’s a little-known secret about LinkedIn: it’s very influential with Google, if you have a presence on LinkedIn, you’re going to see a bump in search engine visibility, too. More eyeballs, more customers.
  6. Getting answers: You can actually uncover great advice on both marketing and building a successful business from other pros in LinkedIn Answers and Groups. There are over 2000 groups focused on small-business-related topics.
  7. Finding investors, vendors and partners: It’s a networker’s paradise. Whether you need some capital, a new accounting firm, or a business partner, you’re not going to get a better source than LinkedIn.

We’re just scratching the surface here, folks. The rewards don’t stop there. Go to LinkedIn, generate a page for your business and see for yourself. I know your time is scarce, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Using Facebook to Market Your Business

Posted on by February 21, 2013

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Traveling in Facebookistan: A Guide for Businesses

With 9 billion users, Facebook is far and away the most used social network in the world. If Facebook were a country, it would contain the third largest population, behind China and India. And like China and India, Facebook possesses its own unique customs and norms, and you should understand them to be able to fully leverage the site’s potential as a marketing tool. When I see businesses fail on Facebook, it’s often because they don’t bother to find out the local customs.

You’re a guest in Facebookistan. Behave yourself!

What makes Facebook distinct from other social networks? It’s that users have strong ties with one another. They are connected with their best friends, their family members, their in-laws and their long-lost friends from grade school. They share intimate areas of their lives. Such things as:

  • Birthday celebrations
  • High school graduation footage
  • Baby photos
  • Wedding announcements

The upshot for businesses? They need to be conscientious and careful in their technique. You can’t apply the old forms of one-way, direct-response marketing on Facebook, since people aren’t there to listen to sales pitches. They’re not necessarily in a buying mindset. They’re in a socializing mindset. You have to respect that.

Keep it real (for real)

If you try to port the old model of marketing into Facebook, you’ll be disappointed. The natives can get irritated and shun you. “With Facebook, marketers of any size can do effective, word-of-mouth marketing at scale for the very first time,” says Annie Ta, a Facebook spokeswoman. “But Facebook is about authenticity, so if your small business is not being authentic or engaging with customers in a manner that feels genuine, the community will see right through it.”

Don’t be fooled: It’s meant to be hard

Don’t be fooled by social media “gurus” who make wild promises about effortless Facebook success. Social media is all about creating relationships and influence—and this needs time to work. Many organizations think that if they set up a page on Facebook, that’s all they have to do. Marketing on Facebook is definitely an extremely effective way to reach local customers (we wouldn’t be talking about it if it weren’t). But here’s the rub: it’s also difficult (and rewarding) if you’re doing it correctly. The payback is well worth the investment in time and attention. According to a study from Social Media Examiner, nearly two-thirds of small businesses involved in social media point out that Facebook has improved their overall marketing effectiveness, and 80 percent report forming new partnerships after just two years of involvement.