Tag: marketing

Why You Need A Business Plan – Part 2

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why you need to create a business plan

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

This quote is attributed to Benjamin Franklin.  And it still proves to be true.

Today, we’re posting the fourth installment of our Entrepreneur Series, Part 2 of the discussion on why you need a business plan.

Join us now as we continue our discussion about why you need to create a business plan and why it is so critical to your success.

Watch our video here 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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Choosing The Right Social Media Platform

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social media

In our last article, we discussed how technology and social media have changed the way we communicate and how we market our businesses.

As technology evolves, the way we communicate also evolves, and social media is a prime example of this.

It appears that social media continues to be a popular choice for businesses, as it has proven itself to be a highly effective way to reach prospects. So now, more than ever, it’s important to position your business through at least one social media platform.

A recent study showed that as of January 2016, over 70% of folks in the United States had at least one social media profile. And it’s predicted that by 2018, the number of worldwide users will increase from 2.1 billion users to 2.5. Currently, Facebook claims over 1 ½ billion active monthly users, with YouTube posting and even 1 billion, an Instagram claiming 400 million.

Clearly, with the number of people on the various social media platforms, it only makes sense for you to ensure that your business is connected to at least one of these platforms.

Which raises the question – what platform, or platforms should you be on?

It doesn’t make sense, from a time or budget perspective, to choose too many platforms or to choose them randomly.

What is it that your company does? The social media platforms that your company should be on depends on your niche, as well as your target audience. Are you B2B, or B2C? Does your product or service lend itself to images? If so, an application such as Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook would be a good choice or your business. On the other hand, if you specialize in a specific product or service selling to other companies, an application like LinkedIn would make more sense.

One of the advantages of using social media to reach your target audience is that it is relatively inexpensive. There are a number of free tools out there, such as HootSuite, that can help you schedule updates and posts to your social media platforms, allowing you to create content for posting ahead of time. Of course, these applications also have premium versions at a cost, depending on your requirements. There are also several companies that will manage and monitor your social media on your behalf, but unless social is a big part of your final, you should be able to manage this yourself, at least in the early days.

One of the biggest issues with social media is that, although it has become more and more integrated into our lives, it is still very difficult for businesses to measure their return on investment, or ROI.

My response to this issue is that you have to be clear with social media marketing, just like every other type of marketing, what exactly it is that you are looking to measure. What is your goal? Is your intent to use these social media platforms to drive website traffic, develop broader exposure for your business, or are you looking to make sales through the platform?

Social platforms are equipped to provide you with analytics. You can find out how many people have been exposed to your posts, how they are responding to them, as well as how many people are clicking on your website links. By taking a look at the analytics, you can find out what is the best time of day to post to reach your target audience, as well as which platforms are performing the best for you.

Be sure that if you take the time to develop social media profiles for your business that you do not waste that effort by ignoring those channels. Create a calendar, or at least make a commitment to post on a regular basis. Whether it is once a week or twice a day, be sure that you commit to this schedule and maintain it. Your followers and prospects will begin to anticipate your posts, and your audience will grow.

Also, remember that social media is about being social, not just about your own products and services. Be sure to interact with the people you are attracting to your platforms, and include posts that will be of interest to your followers, even if they are unrelated to your business.

Creating your social media profiles may be free, but remember that, just like everything else, there is still a cost attached. In order to be effective, you’ll have to invest some time and perhaps a bit of money into it to make sure that you are not wasting your efforts.

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.

Find Your Niche And Stick To It!

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niche

I had a few different topics I was considering for my post today, but then a conversation with a colleague clarified my decision.

Everybody talks about the importance of finding your niche. But often, this is simply a phrase that is thought of in generalities rather than specifics.

Many people consider that finding their niche translates to deciding what area of business to work in. And yes, this is the definition of a niche.

But how you work with your niche goes much deeper than the basic definition.

To get to my point, let’s take a brief look back.

As many of you know, I have been working in the marketing field for over 30 years. And a lot has happened over these 30 years. When I started marketing, there was no internet or online marketing. Then, in the early 90s, the internet became accessible to most people, and by the mid-90s folks were starting to recognize the untapped potential of utilizing this technology to help market their products and services to an audience that was very difficult, if not impossible, to reach in the past.

As we all know, the era of internet marketing was upon us and opportunities exploded. Then, in the 2000s, social entered the scene. Suddenly there were even more ways to interact with prospects and clients, often in real time.

But successful marketing doesn’t lie in any one delivery mechanism. Sorry, but there is no magic bullet.

So let’s get back to the present and the topic at hand – finding your niche.

In the 80s and 90s, as things were evolving, there was a strong demand for people to become generalists. Due to the fact that internet marketing was a new, untapped, and unknown resource, people had to educate themselves about this new technology. As a result, marketers became resources who knew a little bit about a lot within the emerging and transitioning workspace.

To some degree, this persisted into the early 2000’s, as social platforms evolved and became opportunities for brands to interact with their clients and prospects.

But now it would appear that the pendulum has swung back. The era of the generalists seems to have passed, and now more than ever, it is important to identify and stick to your area of expertise.

The internet and new technology have created the opportunity for the global marketplace to be right outside your door. We have access to information that has been unparalleled in its growth and its reach. As I often say, we now live in a world where answers exist at the click of a mouse.

Therefore, in a sense, we have all become generalists. We can research everything from how to build a lamp to medical sites to help identify health issues.

So now, any of us can learn how to do nearly anything. But just because we read it on the internet does not make us an expert in that area.

Medical sites are great for researching and finding answers to questions you may have about your health, but to self-diagnose can be harmful to your health. It’s still important that you see the expert – a medical professional – to accurately diagnose and treat any symptoms you may have. And the same is true of every other market.

So find your niche. Stick to what you know; stick to your area of expertise, and create trusted alliances with those who support your niche. Stay true to your path and you won’t lose your way.

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 Ways To Market When Cash Is Tight

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create buzz

Most businesses experience tighter cash flow issues from time to time…

Whether as a result of the economy, something related to their niche, or perhaps from some changes to internal processes, how do you create some buzz?  

I’ve spoken before about the fact that marketing is often the first place that businesses will cut back when they are experiencing cash flow issues. And, I’ve also spoken many times about the fact that this is one of the worst things a business can do.

Not only does this put the brakes on attracting attention to your business, but it also put you behind for the time when either the economy or your cash flow improves.

Regardless of whether you are an established business feeling the pinch or a startup experiencing difficulty accessing capital, the five tips in this article will show you that marketing does not have to be expensive to be effective.

1. Content Is King

I know we keep hearing this over and over again, but it is a fact. One of the most effective things that you can do is to publish quality content. Regularly posting content that resonates with your target audience is extremely cost effective and is a great way to build trust and to keep you consistently on the radar of your clients and prospects. Posting regular content is also a great way to improve your search engine results, improving your ranking.

2. Network, Network, Network!

Never underestimate the value you and your employees bring to your business. Every experience that brings you in contact with others is an opportunity to network, so don’t overlook these occasions. Attending a conference? Be sure to take long some business cards. Tradeshows, lunches, spontaneous or unplanned meetings-these are all great opportunities for you to promote your corporate brand and let people see the human face to your business. And remember that networking is a two way street. Offer something of value to those you are connecting with and they are more likely to reciprocate.

3. Borrow On Your Line Of Credit

While there are many opportunities to market your business for free, or at least inexpensively, it is misleading to think that marketing doesn’t require any budget at all. There are nearly always some costs attached to marketing strategies, whether it is printing costs, outsourcing writers, hiring employees, or utilizing various tools and subscriptions. If it makes sense, consider using a line of credit to get access to immediate capital needed to fulfill your more pressing marketing needs. Used cautiously, this can help keep your marketing engine running until your cash flow improves.

4. Take Advantage Of Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are a great way to reach out to multitudes of people over the Internet. Just make sure that you are utilizing the appropriate channels to reach your target audience. And remember that you don’t have to be on all social media platforms. Choose the top 3 to 5 platforms for your niche and your target audience and stick to them. Post relevant messages and links to draw your target audience back to your website. Be sure that you are responding to any messages, requests, or comments that you get on these platforms as they can be a double-edged sword. Remember that they are social, and interaction is expected.

5. Do You Ask For Referrals?

Although the dollar figure may vary from business to business, we are all very well aware that it costs much more to obtain a client than it does to keep a client. And nothing is more effective in bringing business through the door than a solid referral from a satisfied customer. People do business with people who they like know and trust, and a recommendation from a happy client translates to a pre-determined trust by the new business prospect. Create some type of referral or loyalty program among your customers and let them help market your business through their satisfaction.

So as you can see, it’s easy to market your business effectively even when times are tough. Adhering to a marketing program will ensure that your company will not only survive, but will thrive.

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.

Don’t Make These 3 Errors With Video

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video marketing

The key to successful marketing lies in it’s creativity.   But let’s be frank – most marketing falls far short of this.

But now, thanks to video, the face of marketing is changing. In fact, in many ways it has become reinvigorated.

It’s unfortunate then, that many marketers who have been innovative enough to venture into the opportunities that video presents have remained stuck in their old habits. They failed to stretch their storylines, utilize calls to action, under user overuse graphics, and maybe even using inappropriate humor.

So let’s explore the three errors that most marketers are making with video and look at some ideas about how to avoid them.

1. The videos are too “salesy”

People are becoming smarter and smarter. They are becoming more marketing savvy and are more likely to see through marketing schemes. Therefore when you are using video marketing, find the most appropriate way to get your point across while still keeping it relatable for your audience. Ensure that the delivery is done in a way that is entertaining, yet relevant to the pitch. Otherwise, you risk losing the purpose behind the video.

2. The title is wrong

I’ve written many articles about content, and we all know that content is king. But you need to get people involved in your content, and that’s where titles come in. Titles are what attracts your viewers to your video, so you want to make sure that you use a title that captivates and draws prospects in. Remember, however, that it is the first impression, so must be concise and applicable, well capturing attention.

3. The video is too long

Pay attention to the length of your videos. Thanks to technology, our attention spans are much shorter these days. But video seems to captivate audiences, making it a great tool for marketing. People love the visual, and like to be entertained, but be careful not to overestimate how long they will stay engaged with your content. What is the right length for a video? That’s hard to say, and depends on the audience, the product, and the intent. If it is a product or service explainer video, logic dictates that it might be fairly lengthy. But if it is to promote a service or product, the general rule of thumb is to keep it short. Check your analytics and see how much of your videos are actually watched. I bet you’ll be surprised. Most people start to fall away after about 30 seconds, depending of course on the type of video. Based on the statistics, you can decide where and how to place your call to action. Test your call to action and make adjustments when and if necessary. Also, remember that many social media platforms are now offering to present video live, allowing you to share directly with those people in your social network. While there are definite advantages to this, again, be cognizant of the length of your video; attention spans seem to be even shorter on social platforms.

Get the tools you’ll need.

Although the fundamentals of marketing have never changed, the delivery methods continue to evolve thanks to many newer and easier to use technologies, such as video marketing. It does not have to be difficult to implement video marketing into your business, but you will need some tools to help you harness the power of video. A Webcam, a green screen, proper lighting, and some basic editing software can help you get started with video creation and marketing.

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.

Content Marketing Made Easy

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Content marketing

Providing informative, useful content should be the driving force of your marketing.

We all know that the face of marketing has changed significantly over the past several years. Sure, at its core the fundamentals and the principles of marketing remain the same. But how clients and prospects engage has shifted, thanks to the advancement of technology, and content marketing is the best way to reach them online.

Clients and prospects now, more than ever, have control over what they see. TV remotes and DVR’s have allowed us to skip advertisements and channel surf to find those shows that we find most engaging. Traditional cable is also suffering, as more and more people see the advantage of streaming the shows and content that they want to see, without being locked into packages and programming that is dictated to them by the cable companies.

Savvy marketers who have kept up with the times understand that they need to adapt to this ever-changing landscape to keep their clients relevant within their niches. And one of the best ways to do this is with content marketing.

Simply defined, content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.  The purpose of content marketing is to attract and retain customers through the consistent creation of relevant and valuable content intended to sway or enhance prospects behavior towards your business.

Content marketing is not something that you do once and walk away. Just like the more traditional forms of advertising, repetition is important. By providing consistent, interesting and valuable information to your clients and prospects, you develop an engaged audience that learns to trust your authority.

But remember, content marketing is not about selling; it is the art of communicating with your clients and prospects. Rather than pitching your products or services, the focus is on providing information that helps make your prospective client more intelligent. This strategy is based on the belief that through the delivery of consistent, ongoing content that provides value to your prospect, you will be rewarded with their business and loyalty.

repeat-customer-marketing

And history has shown that this strategy works! Content marketing is being used successfully by some of the largest global organizations. But the beauty of content marketing is that you don’t have to be a big player to implement this strategy successfully. Properly developed and executed by small businesses, content marketing has proven itself to work over and over again.

Content marketing represents the current and the future state of marketing.

Remember our earlier definition of content marketing?

The key difference between content marketing and other types of marketing is that content marketing is not focused on selling your “stuff”.

Keep in mind that companies are sending us information all the time. But is it relevant? Most of the time it’s not, so clients and prospects become conditioned to delete so much of this. What makes content marketing so in trading in today’s marketing space is that one key point of differentiation – relevancy. Good content marketing engages the audience, changing the way they think and behave in reaction to the materials they are being sent.

You just can’t market without great content.

I’m sure you are using many different types of marketing tactics. But regardless of what you are doing, be sure that content marketing is a part of these processes not something distinct and separate.

Indeed, quality content is a part of all types of marketing. Consider the following:

• Social media marketing: integrate content marketing into the posts on your social media profiles
• SEO: Search engines love businesses that publish quality, consistent content.
• PR: Successful PR strategies address issues that people care about. PR is not about selling.
• PPC: PPC is an expensive experiment that is unlikely to give you a proper ROI without great content behind it.
• Inbound marketing: to drive inbound traffic and leads, you need good content.

To be effective at content marketing, it is essential to develop, create and follow a documented content marketing strategy. We can help you with the development of this strategy.

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.

Entrepreneur Series – Paralysis By Analysis Podcast

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paralysis by analysis

Last week, I posted an update to the Entrepreneur Series, presented by Frank Thomas of the Small Business Tips Show and myself.

The episode was entitled “Paralysis By Analysis“ and we spoke about how small things can become big obstacles in moving your business forward.

Today I am posting a link to the podcast of this episode so those of you who don’t have the time to watch the video can download it and take it with you.

I hope you find it inspiring!

Listen here or listen to the podcast.

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.

Entrepreneur Series – Intro Podcast

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entrepreneur success

About a month ago, Frank Thomas and I launched our new series for entrepreneurs,

and I posted the introductory video here, on our website.

As a reminder, the series is focused on helping small business owners and entrepreneurs to be successful. The first video is an overview of what to expect in the series, as well as a discussion on roadblocks on your path to success and how to overcome them.

We are back on track with our schedule (at least for now) and look forward to presenting Part Two of our intro to the series on Thursday.

Meanwhile, as a refresher, you can watch the video by checking our earlier article or listen to our podcast of the episode.

Listen to our episode here, or listen to the podcast.

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.

7 Reasons You Should Be Using Video To Market Your Business

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video marketing

There are many reasons why you should be using video to help market your business.

But for the purposes of this article, let’s focus on the top seven:

1. It works!

Those of you who have been following my articles and post page for the past year have seen me struggle with video. Like most of us, I’m not the biggest fan of the camera and was concerned about getting my face out there in front of everyone. But the reality is, video works! So it’s important to “get over yourself” and start integrating video into your marketing plan.

2.  It’s powerful.

Video is clearly one of the most powerful ways we have to deliver our messages to our clients and prospects, and to ignore it is to miss out on a huge opportunity to market your business and get in front of more prospects.

3. It’s social.

Video has also become much easier to integrate into the major social media marketing platforms. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram… All these platforms allow you to incorporate video to share with your friends and followers. And you’ll find that many people are willing to share video content with their network.

4. SEO value.

Video is extremely effective for SEO. Indeed, video ranks higher than any other online communication method. And although SEO, and its attendant algorithms, continues to morph, it is still an important factor in being found online. We all know that YouTube is owned by Google, and we all know that Google is still the world’s number one search engine. But did you know that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. With over 1 billion users and many billions of views every day, YouTube actually reaches more people between the ages of 18 and 49 than any cable network in the United States.

5.  It’s a preferred medium.

Video has quickly become a preferred marketing tool because it delivers information in a way that is easy for our brains to process. It has the benefit of demonstrating, not simply outlining, how to do, use, or implement a product or service.

6.  It’s personal.

Another benefit of video is that it humanizes online experiences for people. Through the production and delivery of video to your clients and prospects, you are no longer the faceless entity behind a website. This experience helps people engage more personally, increasing loyalty and cementing your brand in the minds of your viewers.

7.  It’s entertaining.

And let’s not forget about the entertainment value of video. Even if you are providing a demonstration video, your message will be accepted much better by your audience than the written word. Through the active stimulating the visual and auditory senses of your viewers, you are able to engage them in a much more significant fashion. Additionally, providing an entertaining, educational, or informational video can reach huge audiences on a global basis, increasing your reach and your authority in ways that were previously prohibitive.

Until recently, most people obtained their visual and auditory stimulus through the television. Big brands bought commercial timeslots, which are expensive to produce and expensive to deliver to the viewer. But now, and in ever increasing numbers, people are choosing to stream their visual content, and are able to pick and choose what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. So why not start to create your own visual content and get in front of your preferred audience.

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 Secret To Pricing Your Product

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pricing your product or service

Knowing how to price your product or service appropriately can be the most difficult – and critical – aspect of your business.

If you charge too much, no one will buy; if you charge to little, you’ll go broke. And if you compete solely based on price, you’ll only attract “bargain shoppers”.

This is one of the topics that Frank Thomas and I addressed back in December on an episode of the Small Business Tips Show. I shared the video with you recently, but I continue to get many questions and comments about this topic, so thought I would share the podcast with you, which can be a bit more convenient than watching the video.

So listen in as we reveal the secrets, strategies and techniques to help position your product or service competitively in the marketplace.

Listen to our podcast here or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

 

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.

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