survey Archives - Agapi /NEXsteps

Using Polls And Surveys

Do you use polls and surveys?

**Or, maybe a better question is, should you be using them?**

We all like to think that our opinion matters. And engaging prospects and clients can be difficult.

Short polls and surveys can help improve engagement rates.

Watch today’s Marketing In A Minute video to see how adding short surveys or polls will help you grow your clientele.

Please join us now, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you won’t miss any of our upcoming tips.

Watch our video now, or watch on YouTube.

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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Promoting Your Business When Things Are Slow: Our Baker’s Dozen

May 12, 2015September 5, 2023 Nancy Boisvert Newsletter branding, business, client retention, communications, drip marketing, how to communicate with clients, marketing, online marketing, prospecting for clients, public relations, radio, small business marketing, survey, survey results

Consider the following 13 tips to get yourself and your business in front of new prospects.

Every business has cycles, and when business is slow, sometimes we have to look at other ways to get in front of business prospects. So don’t just sit there and stare at your computer screen. Try some of these proven methods to gain more clients.

1. Teach what you know.

One of the best things you can do to give your company a boost is to become a teacher. This doesn’t have to be formal teaching at a college or continuing education program, although that is always an option. Consider holding lunch and learns, or hold a meeting at a community center.

2. Reach out to affinity markets.

This is just a fancy way of saying to look into those areas where you share interests. For instance, do you have a favorite hobby, or expertise in an industry from your past? These areas make excellent targets. See if they have publications you can write for or advertise in, and attend networking functions. Become the expert in their niche.

3. Write, write, and write some more.

If you aren’t already writing articles, get busy. Submit articles to local newspapers and community newsletters. Write for trade journals within your niche. Post interesting and educational material on your website. The more you are seen, the more you gain credibility.

4. Become a speaker.

Offer to speak about your area of specialty to local associations and business organizations. You can also host your own speaking events by inviting a group of people to attend. Or consider offering to speak to a group that someone else hosts.

5. Launch a newsletter.

A weekly or monthly email update can generate lots of interest and inquiries. Start your own, paying attention to anti-spam laws.

6. Issue Press releases.

Consider sending out a press release whenever you have something noteworthy to state. This can be a very effective way to get some great PR.

7. Use PowerPoint presentations.

PowerPoint is an easy program to learn. You don’t have to be a master to create a presentation that can be shared online or saved on a CD and mailed to clients and prospects.

8. Participate on a radio show.

Find a local radio show that is looking for guests to speak about different topics. Call the program coordinator and see if there is an opportunity to speak about your area of specialty from time to time.

9. Sponsor an event.

If you have a hobby like golf, biking, running, etc., you can find lots of opportunities to sponsor events. Prizes, gifts, cash support – all of these will provide lots of opportunities to boost your businesses. Plus, participating in this fashion reflects positively in the community.

10. Conduct surveys.

Take your cold calling to another level by introducing a survey. Don’t make it too big or too complex; three simple questions can help you build your business. Offer to share the results of the survey by email. This also helps to build your newsletter/email list that allows you to keep in touch with clients and prospects.

11. Clipping can help your business.

Keep your eye on newspapers and trade journals for news about those whose business you would like to attract. When you find something, clip the article and send it to them along with a note of congratulations. Sure to get their attentions!

12. Social Networks.

Remember that a lot of business is now conducted online as well. Create a couple appropriate social networks and monitor your connections. As in the previous point, be sure to reach out to your connections whenever anything noteworthy happens to them.

13. Online forums.

Consider participating in a couple of online forums targeted to your niche. These offer a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your expertise, as well as to provide information to others. By giving, we truly do end up receiving!

So there you have it – our baker’s dozen for you to try out. When business gets slow, you don’t have to wait for things to turn around. Take control, implement some of these tips and your business will continue to grow.

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.

Are Your Website Visitors Engaged?

April 30, 2015September 5, 2023 Nancy Boisvert Newsletter branding, business, client retention, communicating with clients, communications, competiton, designing a website for marketing, how to communicate with clients, marketing, online marketing, prospecting for clients, public relations, small business marketing, survey, web design, website, website marketing

Engaging you website visitors.

No, we’re not talking about tying the knot here. Is your website pulling your visitors in and providing them with reasons to explore?

Pretty websites are easy to create. But if the site isn’t engaging visitors, well… is it really worth anything or is it just wasting everyone’s time?

The main purpose for any website that is being used to build and promote a business is to draw visitors in and propel them to interact with the site. Without engagement, your visitors will leave and never come back. You need to give clients and prospects a reason to come back to your site, and the only way to do that is to encourage engagement.

So just how do you get your website visitors to do what you want while they are on your site? By creating a site that encourages engagement. Without engagement, your visitors won’t buy from your site, they won’t share your information about products and services, they won’t sign up for your newsletter, and they certainly won’t come back.

There are lots of ways to increase visitor engagement.

Design and appearance of your site is one important factor. If your site is muddled or too busy, the visual effect will turn visitors away. Clean design is important to make the site welcoming to your clients and prospects.

Be sure to watch your wording. This applies not only to your content, but also to any sign up forms you may have on your site. After all, the best engagement is to capture the names and email addresses of your visitors. When developing your opt-in’s test the wording. Also, be sure to remove any questions that can be answered ‘no’. Once ‘no’ pops into a prospects head, they will disengage, i.e., leave your website – the exact opposite of your intent.

Another thing you can include on your site to encourage and increase engagement is a blog. Providing interaction with prospects and clients on a regular basis through a blog gives them a reason not only to continue to come back to your site, but also to share your information with their circle of influence. Make sure your blog is relevant, current, and informative.

If your business is such that it necessitates more immediate interaction with clients’ and prospects’ questions, you might want to consider adding live chat. Several platform options exist, and this could give your company an edge over your competition. If live chat isn’t really an option for your business, be sure to give excellent customer service. There is no substitute for great customer service.

And what about video? This means of communication is becoming more and more popular as it engages visitors on a more personal level. Even if you, like most of us, are a bit camera shy and uncomfortable in front of a webcam, consider doing a number of short videos to promote your business and let people get to know you and your team a bit better. And, trust me. I speak from personal experience – it does get easier the more you do it!

Surveys are also a good tool to use for visitor engagement. People love to be asked their opinion, especially if they can respond in a non-threatening environment. When creating your survey, be sure to include some open-ended questions that will obtain more information than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Consider offering an incentive to your visitors for completing the survey to attain more participants.

Another technique that is gaining popularity is the exit poll. Similar to a survey, they typically ask only one question when a visitor is leaving a website. The most effective exit polls focus on objections that a visitor may have, such as ‘What prevented you from purchasing from us today?’

So what’s the bottom line?

By now you are starting to understand just why visitor engagement is so critical to growing your business online. A boring site that does little or nothing to engage visitors and encourage them to interact is actually detrimental to your bottom line. And, as you have read, it doesn’t really take too much effort to implement techniques and strategies that will improve your visitor engagement. Using the tools described in this article – and there are many others out there as well – will enrich your visitors’ experience, converting more browsers into clients.

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.