Synclio
Look Bigger & Handle CallsMore Efficiently
Get Started »
Contact Us
Leave Us A Message BelowMore Efficiently
5 Simple Ways to Promote Your Blog
Tuesday, July 31, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
Several months ago we posted an article about some simple ways
to make your business blog stand out amongst the competition. But what about
actually promoting that blog? Are you maximizing your available resources and
really leveraging the many places online where you can effectively reach a
bigger audience and get more exposure for your brand? If not, stay tuned
because we’re about to unveil 5 super easy ways you can promote your business
blog and get it the attention it needs to increase traffic and get results.
Get Social – Ok, ok, I know…we sound like a broken record, but
the fact is if you’re not utilizing all of the social media channels that are
available to you to promote your blog, you’re most certainly missing out. Sites
like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it super easy to link back to blog
posts and even offer helpful analytical tools so you can measure your reach and
identify which content got the most attention. That way you can focus your
future efforts on tailoring your content to better suit your audience and get
better results.
Spread the News – Do you have an online company newsletter? If
so, don’t forget to include links to your recent blog posts to encourage
viewers to click, read and share your content with their own networks. Send out
a monthly blast (or weekly if you have enough content) that includes a good
balance of company news, helpful tips and tidbits, links to relevant articles
on your blog and information about any coupons or special promotions you’re
currently offering.
Make a Connection – When you’ve posted a particularly relevant
article about something interesting or unique in your industry, consider
reaching out to a few high profile bloggers in your niche to see if they’d
consider sharing it with their own readers. This can give you instant brand
exposure, a boost in ranking and can help you establish more authority in your
field. Just don’t overdo it and hound the same bloggers too often or you may
end up on their spam list.
Share Your Opinion – If there are other relevant blogs that you
follow or industry forums that you are a member of, be sure to participate in
the conversations going on there by commenting and providing thoughtful insight
or other helpful advice. Include a link back to your website or, whenever
possible, a specific blog post that is relevant to the topic being discussed.
Give Yourself Some Recognition – Internal linking is an
important part of successful SEO. Whenever possible, reference and link back to
previous blog posts you’ve written (see the first paragraph of this blog post
as an example). This drives traffic to your older content and increases your
site’s authority with the search engines. It’s also a great way to establish a
loyal readership and breathe new life into your old content.
It’s infinitely important to include an active blog as a
part of your business website and overall online marketing strategy. But simply
having a blog isn’t enough to truly get the results you want. You also have to
take the initiative to promote those blog articles once they are live. By
following these 5 simple tips you will be able to increase exposure for your
brand, boost traffic to your blog and your website, and ultimately improve your
online presence as a result.
Labels: blogging, brand marketing, small business tips
How the Right Follow Up Can Turn a Lead into a Sale
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
We all know the importance of networking, right? You know -
shaking hands, schmoozing and rubbing elbows at various events. But while doing
that might get you a list of potential leads, it’s the follow up you do after
the fact that will actually get you results, which is to reel them in and hook them
as paying customers. So what are the best techniques for reaching out after
that first contact and keeping communication going? Here are a few pointers and
best practices to make your follow up activities more successful.
Strike while the iron
is hot. Don’t wait too long after your initial meeting to reach out to your
new leads. Whenever possible, tell them precisely when you plan to do so and
stick to it. For instance, when telling them how great it was to meet them, let
your new prospect know that you’ll be following up on Monday to discuss XYZ
with them. By specifying a timeframe you are much more likely to stick to your
guns. And, as an added bonus, when you follow through with your promises your
prospects will be impressed with your professionalism.
Determine the best
method of communication. Sometimes an email is enough to touch base and can
count as enough follow up to keep someone interested. More times than not,
however, if you really want to keep your leads hot and your prospects engaged,
a phone call is much more effective. Take a look at my article from a few
months ago which goes over why sometimes
email just isn’t enough for the many reasons why. Of course, if your new
lead specifically requested that follow up be done via email, respect that and
do so accordingly. Or, consider sending an initial email requesting a date and
time for a phone call, which will give you more leverage and better your
chances of landing a new client.
Keep at it. Just
following up once won’t necessarily win over those prospects and get them to
take the next step. Sometimes it takes several attempts to finally close the
deal. In fact, there’s a marketing theory called the “Rule of Seven”, which suggests
that it can take up to seven interactions with a brand before a potential
customer takes the leap and makes a purchase. Be consistent and stay in touch
with your leads through a variety of different methods, including emails, phone
calls, and newsletters and do your best to keep your brand at the top of their
mind without overdoing it and being too pushy. Your hard work and persistence will
pay off in the long run.
Gathering leads is the easy part. Successfully turning those
leads into paying customers is the challenge, and good follow up is the key. By
employing these three simple techniques, you can stay in contact with your
prospects and improve your chances of converting them into loyal clients.
Labels: marketing, sales tips, small business
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 3:13 PM
5 Simple Tips for Saving Money on Your Business Phone Bill
Monday, July 23, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
If you’ve been in business for any amount of time you
inevitably understand the importance of cutting costs and saving money. With
prices for just about everything on a steady rise, it can be challenging to
find ways to stay on budget. We thought we’d give you a little help in this
area by pointing out 5 simple ways that you can save some dough on your monthly
phone bill (yes, it can be done).
Drumroll please….
Swap out traditional numbers for virtual ones.
Big brother, aka the phone company, wants to charge you for
every business telephone line you have. That’s the beauty of virtual phone systems – you can get
unlimited phone numbers without having to incur any additional expenses. That
means everyone on your team can have their own direct line and you can assign
different numbers to different marketing campaigns to better track results, which
will also save you money in the long run.
Ditch expensive voicemail plans.
Some traditional telephone service providers offer voicemail
as a separate (and costly) service from your regular plan. That means that on
top of paying too much for your regular phone service, you may also be paying
an unnecessary added expense just to be able to take and retrieve messages. Many
virtual phone system providers (like Synclio, ahem) include voicemail
as a part of your overall package, and at no extra charge. You can even get
your messages transcribed and read them on your mobile devices or through
email!
Leverage the power of the internet.
In today’s day and
age, telecommunications is no longer a physical thing. Now you can use internet
technology, such as Skype, to conduct chats, calls and video conferences over
the web for little to no cost. These options are especially attractive for
international communications, which can incur a hefty fee if conducted via
traditional methods. Virtual telecommunication is here, and it’s incredibly
powerful, so why not take advantage of it?
Shop around.
It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it’s still the most
important. Don’t just settle for whatever you think is available to you – do
your research and conduct some comparison shopping. The days of being trapped
in an expensive contract with your local phone company are gone. Now you can
get virtual phone service from just about anywhere in the world. If you do a
little digging, you’ll find a company that offers all of the features you need
and fits into your budget (we happen to know of a great one, wink wink). And
don’t forget to revisit your telecommunications service at least once a year to
be sure you’re getting the most for your money.
Get rid of all that bulky equipment.
Not only does traditional phone equipment take up a tremendous
amount of room, but it’s also incredibly expensive to maintain. With a virtual
phone system, all you need is your existing phones and computers, and a
connection to the internet! Updates and ongoing maintenance are handled by the
provider behind the scenes as part of your plan, so you don’t have to worry
about paying an over-priced technician to come in and keep your system running.
As a business owner, you’re surely always looking for ways
to save some cash and reduce your spending. Switching from a traditional phone
system to a virtual one will let you keep up the same level of communication that
you’re used to (or better), and also save you money at the same time. Need more
info? Give us a call or drop us an email.
We’d be happy to go over your options with you and show you exactly how we can help
you cut costs and save.
Labels: cost saving, small business tips, virtual phone system, voicemail
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 2:33 PM
4 Important Website Metrics You Should Be Measuring
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
In past blog posts we’ve pointed out why
every business should have a quality website, as well as some helpful
tips for getting more traffic. But once you’re up and running, how can you
know if all your hard work is paying off? There are dozens of things you can
check and plenty of ways to analyze results, but unless you’re an experienced
web marketer, or have a lot of time on your hands (and, let’s face it, what
business owner does?) you probably don’t have the capacity to keep track of all
of these methods. The good news is you don’t have to be an expert. There are 4 highly
effective things you can and should be measuring that won’t take a ton of time
and will help you understand how your website and marketing strategy are
performing.
Before going into the
list, be sure you’ve set up your Google
Analytics account. It’s free and it’s extremely comprehensive, as well as
user friendly. You’ll need this to measure the four metrics on this list.
- Referrers – What this basically tells you is how people are making their way to your website. Are they Googling one of your keywords? Are they clicking on an ad you’ve placed on another site? Did they find your website URL through your Facebook or Twitter profile? The more you understand what is driving the most traffic to your site, the better you can hone your marketing and focus your budget.
- Keywords – One of the greatest things about Google Analytics is that you can actually analyze which keywords are getting the most attention on your site. You can use this information to further capitalize on what’s working by using these words or phrases more in your content and future blog posts, or you can gain perspective on words that may not be generating as much traffic as you’d like and try to beef up that number. The goal is to optimize your keywords so that they accurately reflect what your business is and how it works. (If you need help defining your keywords, try using Google’s keyword tool.)
- Conversions – What is the ultimate goal of your website? Is it to get visitors to sign up for your newsletter, or make a purchase? Your conversion rate tells you how many people that are coming to your website are completing whatever this goal is. Analyzing your conversions can give you insight into the behavior of your web visitors prior to conversion, so that you can understand what is motivating them and better focus your marketing efforts.
- Bounce Rate – The bounce rate reveals the percentage of visitors that leave your website after viewing just one page. The lower this number, the better. If your bounce rate is high, this typically means that your website is not effectively engaging visitors and you may need to work on improving your content and/or design to reduce this rate.
Having a website for your business is only half the battle.
In order for it to be truly effective in improving your sales, brand exposure
or whatever else your business goals are, you’ll have to regularly analyze how
your site is performing and make any necessary changes as they are identified.
These four things will help you optimize your site to get the best possible
results.
Labels: small business tips, website optimization
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 8:33 PM
X
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 2:59 PM