3 Ways to Make Your Brand More “Human”

Labels: brand marketing, marketing, small business tips, social media marketing

5 Tips to Increase Your Facebook “Likes”

Labels: small business tips, social media marketing

5 Reasons Your Business Should be Using Twitter

A few months ago I touched on several reasons every business needs a Facebook page. Well, that’s really just part of the social media puzzle. The other major player when it comes to social media marketing for business is Twitter. If you haven’t yet started using this tool, you’re already behind the eight ball. Don’t believe me? Here are five compelling reasons why your business absolutely should be using Twitter as part of your overall marketing strategy.

It’s Affordable – Every small business owner knows how important staying within budget is. Twitter offers a cost-effective way to build your brand, generate buzz, promote your services and build your network. In fact, it’s more than just affordable - it’s free!

It Establishes Your Brand - Search engines like Google are now using Twitter posts as part of their search results, which means that when someone searches for your business, they’ll also see what you’re tweeting about. Twitter also provides an excellent platform on which to position yourself as an expert in your field. The more valuable a resource you are, the more followers you’ll get and the more well-known your brand will become.

It Keeps You “In the Know” – If you’ve been in business for any length of time, chances are somebody on the web is talking about you. Wouldn’t you like to know what’s being said? Twitter provides simple tools that lets you search to see who’s talking and what they’re saying, and gives you the opportunity to jump in and join the conversation.

It Fosters Relationships – As a portal of communication, you can use Twitter to respond to comments about your business – good or bad – and begin to establish both your online presence and valuable relationships with your existing clients and potential new ones.

It’s Efficient – Twitter gives you another avenue through which to disseminate important announcements, manage customer service and support, deliver news and updates and more instantly and on one easy platform.

If you’re ready to jump on the Twitter bandwagon but aren’t sure exactly where to begin, here’s a quick guide to help you get started. And, if you don’t want to take my word for what an important tool this platform is for businesses, why not take a look at what Twitter itself has to say about the matter:

“Every day, millions of people use Twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses, too. From local stores to big brands, and from brick-and-mortar to internet-based or service sector, people are finding great value in the connections they make with businesses on Twitter.”

Can your business afford not to be part of these valuable connections?

Labels: small business, social media marketing, twitter

6 Ways to Drive More Traffic to your Website

In past articles I’ve covered several reasons why every small business needs a website. I’ve also talked about some website do’s and don’ts as well as ways to ensure that you’re site encourages visitors to communicate with you. Problem is, if you’re not getting adequate traffic to your website, these tips are useless (and so is your site). After all, what good is having a perfect website if nobody’s bothering to look at it? The ultimate goal is to target prospects, attract them to your site and convert them into paying customers. Here are a few easy ways you can bring more people to your site.

The Key Word is Keywords – Simply put, “keywords” are the words or terms a person uses when they Google something. By identifying the most popular keywords used in conjunction with your particular business and strategically placing these words or phrases throughout your website and blog, you’ll better your chances that when someone searches, your business will show up at the top of the list of results.

To find targeted keywords for your business you can use one of the many free keyword tools available online (try this one from Google) and then aim to use those targeted words or phrases at least 4 times per page, particularly in headlines and subheadings. Lastly, include them in the description and title tags of your website code. If you’re not sure about this part, your web developer can help.

Make it Easy – If you want more people to visit your website, then make finding it easy. Include your URL on everything from business cards to packaging to signage. If you participate in any online writing, such as articles or guest blog posts, always include a link to your website. The more it’s out there, the better your chances of getting traffic.

Launch a Contest or Giveaway – I realize I sound like a broken record but the fact is these simple things can have a huge impact for very little investment. Contests generate excellent viral marketing (a.k.a. word of mouth marketing for the web), resulting in a significant increase in traffic flow to your website. Check out our recent post on how to run a killer contest to make sure you get the most out of this valuable tool.

Content is King – It’s simply not enough to have a static website anymore. People want a reason to visit your site, and more importantly, they need a reason to come back or share it with someone else. The easiest way to do this is by producing useful, relevant and regular content that benefits and holds the interest of your readers. A company blog that is frequently updated with keyword rich content is an excellent way to accomplish this, and as an added bonus, blog posts perform particularly well in search engine results because search engines love fresh content.

Join the Conversation – If you haven’t jumped on the social media bandwagon yet, you’re most certainly missing out. The more active you are on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), the more solid of a web presence you build for your business, and the easier you make it for people to find and connect with you online.

Be an Expert – Whatever it is you do, you’re probably really darn good at doing it. One of the best ways to get exposure for your website and your business is by offering up your expertise online. Join a couple of forums or search Twitter for people who are asking questions that you can answer. By becoming a valuable resource on the web, you give yourself and your business more credibility. People will also be more likely to share and link back to your content, generating more traffic to your site.

It may take a bit of time and a lot of patience, but by putting these tactics into practice you’ll begin to see the results – a marked increase in website traffic which will hopefully translate to a boost in sales for your business.

Labels: small business tips, social media marketing, web management

5 Tips to Running a Killer Online Contest

I’ve mentioned in previous posts how running a contest or giveaway can do wonders for your business, whether you’re looking for ways to market on a budget or ideas to optimize your company Facebook page. So maybe you’re ready to take my advice, but you’re not really sure how to go about launching a sweepstakes that’ll get the results you want (added exposure, lead generation, etc.). It’s not as complicated as you may think. Here are five tips to get your contest off the ground and make it a smashing success.

Choose the Right Prize – Put yourself in the position of your potential contestants – would you be motivated enough to fill out an online entry form to win what you’re giving away? If not, then the prize isn’t right. To really generate the attention and interest that a good contest is capable of the prize must be in demand. If you’re giving away an item, consider some hot new tech product (like an iPod or a Keurig), or a gift certificate that people could really use (like a massage). The more attractive the prize, the more entries (a.k.a. leads) you’ll get out of it.

Consider Legalities – It’s important that businesses carefully consider any and all legal concerns prior to launching a contest. For instance, did you know that every state in the U.S. has its own laws and regulations governing sweepstakes and giveaways? Unless you’re up to date on all of these legalities your best bet is to have a lawyer draft up a contract containing the contest rules and contestant agreement so there won’t be any surprises down the road.

Utilize Sweepstakes Websites – Sure Facebook and Twitter are fantastic places to promote and manage a contest, but there are a lot of other sites available that can further enhance the experience for you so that you achieve maximum results. There are plenty of online contest sites to choose from so take your pick. Just be sure to carefully read all the rules and requirements of each before you make a decision.

Keep it Transparent – Nothing turns people off more than a shady business transaction. Sure, your contestants will be disappointed when they find out they didn’t win but as long as you’re transparent in the criteria with which the winner is chosen and the method you will use to do so you’ll still come out smelling like roses. If you’re going to select a winner randomly use an online tool to make it fair and unbiased (try Random.org). If your contest involves judging to determine the winner, introduce the judges on your website and explain how they will be making their decision.

Additional Option – While you can certainly run a successful contest online without having to pay a dime (aside from the prize, of course), there is also the option of paying to advertise your giveaway. Keyword advertising on Google or Facebook can be extremely effective, particularly if you’re concerned that you may not be able to reach enough people through traditional methods.

I know I probably sound like a broken record but as I’ve stated (many times) before, people love free things. Launching a contest is an excellent way to get people talking about your business and generate leads through word of mouth marketing. Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to running your very own killer contest!

Labels: small business, social media marketing

5 Myths about Social Media Marketing

It’s obviously no secret that we believe SMM is a critical part of any business’ overall marketing plan, for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is how inexpensive it is, particularly in terms of ROI. Still, there are a number of smart business owners out there who are either basing their entire SMM campaign on erroneous information and are not using these mediums effectively because of some common myths that are floating around. We’d like to take a moment to dispel 5 of those myths and set the record straight.

Myth #1 - Bigger is better – A lot of businesses make the mistake of equating the number of “likes” or “followers” they have with successful SMM. The truth is just as with most things, when it comes to social media, quality is always better than quantity. Having 6,000 people “like” your page means absolutely nothing if not one of those people is a potential paying customer.

Myth #2 - My customers aren’t using social media – Let’s consider a few facts. First, Facebook alone boasts over 800 million active users. Second, while younger people still make up the majority, there has been a steady increase in older adults using social media. In fact, according to a recent study, social networking usage among those aged 50-64 increased to 47% between 2009 and 2010. Usage for adults aged 65 and older also grew to 26%. What this means is that no matter what business you’re in or who your customers are, chances are quite compelling that they’re using social media in some capacity.

Myth #3 - It’s too hard to measure results – To the contrary! One of the nicest features of marketing through social media channels is the ease with which you can retrieve and analyze your results. Here’s a great article on measuring your conversions with Google Analytics. Additionally, many of the platforms themselves offer their own tools for viewing insights and other metrics to determine the level of success of any given campaign.

Myth #4 - Social media marketing isn’t professional – Well, I suppose this depends on how you plan to engage your audience, but as long as you approach the use of social media the same way you would approach a face to face meeting with a customer or potential customer it can be just as professional. If it weren’t, why would so many thousands of businesses already be successfully using these platforms?

Myth #5 - SMM takes the place of traditional marketing – Sure we think SMM is an incredibly powerful and important tool to have, however, it shouldn’t become the be all and end all of your marketing efforts. Instead it should be one of many tools in your arsenal. Remember the old adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”….it applies here as well.

If you’ve found yourself using one or more of these inaccuracies as a reason to limit your SMM activities, or if you’ve based your campaigns entirely on any of these myths, you’re most certainly not getting the most out of social media. Now that you know the truth, consider making some changes that will make your SMM more effective and able to produce the results you want.

Labels: small business tips, social media marketing