Top Ten Marketing Mistakes: No. 10

video series

Who is your ideal client?

Argggghhhh.

The gremlins must have been battling the leprechauns yesterday.  And the leprechauns must have had one too many green beers, because it appears as though the gremlins won!

It is our intention to provide you with a new video in this series each Tuesday and Thursday for the duration of the series. Unfortunately, a series of technical glitches prevented this from happening yesterday.

But not to worry! Our tech guru (who is not Irish, by the way) has once again come through and has saved the day.

We are happy to now be able to present to you number 10 of the top ten marketing mistakes small business make.

Watch our video now, or watch on YouTube.

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Announcing our newest video series!

Starting today, we are unveiling our video series,  “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make.”

Today’s episode introduces you to the series and tells you what you can expect to learn from watching the series.

Be sure to join us and follow along to learn about these mistakes – and help ensure that you avoid making them yourself in your business.

Watch our first video now, or watch on YouTube.

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

The “I Hate to be on Camera” Guide to Video Marketing

on camera

Hate being on camera?

There is no denying the simple fact that video marketing has become one of the most popular ways to tell your story, and is an important tool to use even if you hate to be on camera.

The old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” is now truer than ever, and to miss out on the opportunity to employ this method of communicating with your clients and prospects could become a real barrier to your company’s potential growth.

Based on research from comScore published earlier this year, mobile usage surpassed desktop usage in 2014 and is on the rise. It now accounts for approximately 60% of web surfing.

Along with this increased mobile usage come shorter attention spans. And the best way to capture and retain the interest of prospects and clients is with an interesting and concise video that will keep them engaged and interested in your message.

But, what if you’re camera-shy?

Well, there are a couple of ways around that.

The first is to utilize the power of slide presentation software such as PowerPoint, as well as using screen capture software such as Camtasia. This allows you to create presentations on your computer, narrate them, and upload them to YouTube or other video sites.

The other thing you can do is get over yourself.

Now, I’m not trying to be rude here. I say this because I believe that you have to practice what you preach.

I, like most of you I suspect, absolutely hate being in front of a camera. It doesn’t matter if it is a still shot or a video camera, I have been successfully dodging being captured since the days of film.

But I have recognized that in order to market yourself and your business online, you have to engage and entertain prospects and clients in ways that build that most important element – trust!

Through the creation of videos, you get to “meet” your prospects. Hopefully, if your videos are providing them with something interesting, entertaining, and/or useful, they will eventually become your clients.

Take small steps towards making your videos, if that’ll help you become more comfortable. I started by posting narrated slideshow videos. And although that is a very effective and useful way of communicating your message, I decided to take the leap and create a series capturing myself on video speaking to the topic.

Was I out of my comfort zone? Absolutely!

Was I self-conscious? You bet!

Did I struggle with remembering my notes and where to look? Yep!

But I persisted!  I did several takes of each session, chose the best of the lot, and had them produced. And with each topic, I became a bit more comfortable.

Am I now a movie pro? Not by a long shot.

But I did get over myself in order to bring some important advice and information to you – and help you get over it if you also hate to be on camera.

So get ready, because this Thursday, March 12th, the introductory video for my series, “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make” will make its appearance.
Each video in the series will speak to one of the top 10 – in countdown fashion.

Be sure to tune in.  And, please, look past the self-conscious delivery and pay attention to the message in each of the videos. You won’t regret it. And you just might become motivated to start creating your own webcasts!

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

How to Effectively Communicate With Your Current Customers

effective communication

Communicating effectively!

Effective communication is the cornerstone of ANY relationship, whether personal or professional. That means effective communication with your customers is paramount if you want to be successful. Loyal customers come from building a real relationship with them, not just providing them with one-offs. How do you create that relationship? By providing them with something of value, which will prove to be profitable for you in the long run.

The way to accomplish this is pretty straightforward.

First of all you need to know the value each of your clients. This may sound a bit harsh, but to be successful, you must determine which of your clients provides you with the best return on your investment in order to prioritize your marketing and communications programs with all your clients.

Your customers will generally your customers will fall into one of three categories; high value, medium value, or low value.

Your high value customers are most likely your repeat clients, and will generate the most revenue for you. These are the customers you want to keep in regular contact with, and provide them with some extra value from time to time, in order to keep them as lifetime customers. Medium value customers are often those clients who are currently a very profitable customer who, with proper care and communication, could very likely become a high value client.

The low value customers are those customers who offer very little in the way of profitability to your company. You can lower your costs of doing business with them by automating much of your communication with them as possible. At some point, these low value clients are likely to either become more profitable or take their business elsewhere.

So, of course the first thing you have to do it to properly categorize your clients. Whether you are capturing contact information manually via foot traffic into your brick and mortar business, or are capturing information electronically through a lead capture system on your website, you still need to do regular maintenance to ensure all the info is current and up to date. It is especially important to make sure that all names are spelled correctly; if you can’t take the time to get your clients’ names right, the impression you will leave with them is that they are unimportant, and therefore, what value could you possibly provide to them?

The other thing you need to do is ‘know your customer’. Understand their wants and needs. Identify and remove their ‘pain points’. This will also enhance your communication with your clients, further strengthening your relationship with them.

Finally, always give your customers a method to provide you with feedback. Remember that communication is a two way street. Your clients’ needs may change over time, and if you are not in tune with that, you will end up losing them. Great customer service and feedback from your clients go hand in hand, and if you don’t provide your customers with both, you can be certain your business will suffer.

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

5 Marketing Tips to Get You Through The Slump

marketing tips for economic downturn

What? Me worry?

Ok, I know the economic climate has changed out there. I know that oil prices have dropped, companies are cutting back on their operating budgets, and people have been laid off. Marketing during the economic slump can be difficult.

But I refuse to take the “Chicken Little” approach.

Anyone who has been in the patch for more than a few years – in fact anyone who has grown up or lived in Alberta – knows that there are swings in oil and gas prices. Sometimes, big swings!

And anyone in business knows that there are economic cycles to every industry from time to time.

So what I am suggesting is that this, too, shall pass.

Instead of focusing on the lower price of oil, look instead at the opportunities that this cycle can provide.

Does this mean that I am blind to what is happening out there? Of course not. Just like you, my business has been touched by this downturn – just as it has been in previous downturns. Yet, we survive. And in some cases, we thrive.

One of the first things that businesses seem to cut when revenues are tight is their marketing. Yes, you’ve heard it before, but it is the truth; when times are tough, you must keep marketing your products and services. You may have to adjust, you may have to adapt, but you must keep marketing.

Here are some tips to help you weather this current price slump and position you to do even better once prices recover:

1. Work on your client relationships. How strong are your relationships with your current clients? We all know that people prefer to do business with others who they like, know and trust. Are you that person to your clients? Have you developed a strong rapport with them? If so, you are already ahead of the game. If not, it’s time to take a look at how you build relationships now and for the future.

2. Become more visible. Don’t hide in your office waiting for prices to rebound. Your clients and prospects just might forget about you. Be sure to keep in touch with them and attend networking events. Stay visible!

3. Communicate in ways that allow you to capture business in the easiest way. Consider more email marketing to your existing clients and prospects. Be sure that your content is well written, and you may wish to present a compelling offer to those most loyal to your business.

4. Get noticed for free. Marketing does not have to cost money, although you do have to commit to spending some time. Do you use social media? Find out which online forums, message boards and blogs are relevant to your business and consider joining the discussions. You can also consider using social media methods such as video blogs, and social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Use these online methods to encourage conversation about you and your business, and showcase your products.

5. Finally, don’t believe everything you hear. Back to my original comment; don’t focus on the negative media attention. Lots of analysts have predicted terrible things, not just during this downturn, but over the course of many economic cycles, and few ever turn out as bad as predicted. How you look at things will play a huge role in how you weather this storm. True, it can be difficult to stay positive, but it is essential to stay focused on your goals.
One thing you can be sure of, the economy will continue to have its cycles. While business may be more challenging right now, stay focused, work smarter, and above all – keep marketing!

This article was published in the February 2015 issue of the Oilfield Pulse Newsletter.

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

Creating An Online Media Kit

online media kit

How To Create An Online Media Kit

Are you unclear on what, exactly, an online media kit is? Are you wondering if you can benefit from an online media kit? Or, how to create an online media kit? Well, odds are that developing one for your business can enhance the delivery of information to both prospects and the media.

Watch our video now, or on YouTube.

This video will help you understand the six main components to crafting your online media kit. Following the steps that are laid out in this video, you will be up and running with your own online media kit in no time!

But if you are a bit hesitant about setting this up on your own, or simply don’t have the time to take care of it, simply contact us and we will be happy to follow up with you.

Until next time…

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you are ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, contact us today.

If you like the information you are receiving, please consider forwarding this post.

 

Marketing On YouTube – Part Five

youtube marketing faqs

The Top FAQ’s About YouTube Marketing

Hopefully, the previous 4 videos have shown you the clear advantages to using YouTube marketing to grow your business and increase your brand awareness. In this final video, we address the top FAQ’s regarding using YouTube for marketing.

Watch our video about YouTube Marketing FAQ’s now, or on YouTube.

This video will answer the most common questions that come up regarding YouTube video marketing. Read more

Marketing On YouTube – Part Four

youtube marketing success

Revealing The Top 7 Steps To YouTube Marketing Success

By now, you have debunked the YouTube marketing myths and have learned the top 5 reasons why you should be using this online tool to help grow your business. In this video, the fourth in our series, we reveal the top 7 steps to achieve YouTube marketing success.

Watch our video now, or on YouTube.

This video lays out, step by step, the top 7 things you can and should do to ensure marketing success using YouTube. Read more

Marketing On YouTube – Part Three

youtube marketing top reasons

The Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using YouTube Marketing For Your Business

Our previous post pointed out the top 4 misconceptions about YouTube marketing and showed why those are simply myths. In this video, we will show you the top 5 reasons why you should be using YouTube to help market your business.

Watch our video now, or on YouTube:

In this video, you’ll discover why you should be taking advantage of this marketing platform and how your business can benefit. Read more

Marketing On YouTube – Part Two

youtube marketing

The Top 4 Common Misconceptions About YouTube Marketing

Last month, we posted our introductory video about marketing your business on YouTube.

This month, we want to talk about the top 4 misconceptions about marketing on YouTube and debunking the myths.

Watch our video now, or on YouTube.

In this video, you will learn what these myths are, and learn the truth and the value of marketing your business on YouTube. Read more

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