Top Ten Marketing Mistakes: No. 4

video series

What does a timeline mean to you?

Is it something that you embrace or do you think it confines you and your creativity? Are you using timelines when you engage in your marketing or do you ‘fly by the seat of your pants’?

Our Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make video series presents Mistake number 4 today, which talks about developing and following timelines. Much like everything else you do in business, your marketing should also be managed with appropriate timelines.

Watch this video and you will learn just how important it is to create and follow timelines for your marketing campaigns, and how failing to do so can impact negatively on your successes and failures.

 

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.

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Top Ten Marketing Mistakes: No. 5

video series

What do you know about corporate branding?

Is it something you are paying attention to in your business or is it something that only the ‘big guys’ engage in?

We continue our video series “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Business Make” with Mistake number 5 today, which discusses the importance of a consistent brand.

What this video and find out how important it is to create and maintain a brand for your business, and how avoiding this mistake can help you achieve better marketing results.

 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: No. 6

video series

Communication!

Okay, so we have been writing about our video series “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Small Business Make” for a few weeks now and today we are live-streaming the next video in this series:  Mistake Number 6.

Hopefully, you have followed along with the series and are apprised of the 4 mistakes we have already discussed.  As you will see, neglecting to avoid one mistake can often, if not always, cause you to make other mistakes.  This video will address using the appropriate tools to communicate with your clients and prospects, and how this decision is predicated on avoiding making mistake number 10.

Are you using the right communication methods and tools to attract and retain your prospects and clients?  Watch now and see…

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: No. 9

video series

Do you identify with your clients?

After our technical issues on Tuesday, we finally got our video uploaded and it looks like lots of you have already had the chance to view it.  We’ve been receiving some great feedback about what has been presented so far, and we are excited to continue to share more with you.

With that in mind, and considering it is Thursday, here is the link to our next video describing mistake number 9 of our series.  Enjoy!

Oh, and sorry for the abrupt ending to this video – looks like all of our technical glitches haven’t quite been ironed out.  🙂

 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.

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.

 

Consultants, Temporary Workers And Small Business Owners – A Force To Be Reckoned With!

consulting

The workplace is evolving.

And all across North America, more and more people are choosing to become independent workers and consultants.

An independent worker is someone who is a consultant, a temp, or a small business owner. According to the third annual MBO Partners State of Independence Report, published in 2013, 17.7 million Americans deemed themselves to be independent workers in that same year. This survey reflected only those folks who work 15 or more hours per week as an independent.

Independent workers also create jobs. 1 out of every 4 independent workers has hired another person as either a subcontractor or an employee.

So Just Who Are These Independent Workers?

Read more

Do You Know Your Customers?

know your customers

How well do you know your customers?

Last month, we posted an article about how important it is to know your competitors in business.

Just as important is that is to know your customer. In fact, it is a critical ingredient in the running of a successful business.

Simply put, if you don’t know your customer, how will you know what they need? How will you satisfy their requirements and increase their lifetime value to your business? Well, of course if you don’t know your client, you are merely going through the motions and hoping that you are doing the right things to please them. And that just isn’t good enough!

So what does it take to really get to know your customers?

First of all, you should identify your ideal client. What do they look like? Are you looking to provide products and services to a specific group of professionals? What services or products best fit with them? How much are you aiming to obtain in your average sale?

Then, understand what motivates them. It doesn’t matter if your business operates online or offline, or if you sell products or services. The principles are the same. Identify what your target market needs and wants, and then set out to show them how to obtain it. That is what creates satisfies, loyal customers and will generate referrals for your business.

Keep in mind that your customers are human; yes, behind that business is a manager or partner who is a human. Their requirements will always be changing and evolving. It is your responsibility to keep up with their needs and wishes if you are going to keep them happy. It’s not really that hard. Business relationships are just that – relationships. If you do your research, communicate regularly with your client, and really get to the core of what their goals and ambitions are, you will have a devoted and reliable client for many years to come.

Make sure that you are continually doing your research to ensure that the development and implementation of every marketing strategy you provide is current. Monitor all programs and projects to monopolize of strategies that work and eliminate those that don’t. Know your customers’ likes and dislikes, problems and complaints, wants and needs, regardless of whether you are providing a product or service. Anticipate their needs.

Commit time to learning every day to stay on top of changing trends and become a leader in your industry. After all, wasn’t that your goal when you first started your business?

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.

Do You Know Your Competition?

know your competition

You need to know your competition.

Regardless of whether your business operates online or offline, knowing and understanding your competitors is vital to your success. Just as no man is an island, no business operates in seclusion. It’s extremely important for you to do your research on your competitors and find out about their strengths and weaknesses. There will always be other businesses that provide variations of your own products and services, and knowing who they are and how they work will give you an edge on securing clients.

Most likely, you are targeting clients from the same pool of prospects. By knowing the tactics and techniques that your competitors are using, you can gain an advantage over them and attract the prospects to become your clients rather than theirs.

It’s important that you understand your competitors so that you can position your business and your products and services to stand apart from the crowd. Otherwise, you simply become just another business offering the same services as dozens of others. Why would a prospect choose you over any of the rest? Do you want to leave that to chance, or are you going to take a page from successful businesses to create and develop your own unique brand?

So how do you go about developing a strategy to position yourself and give your business a leg up on your competitors?

Read more

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