Marketing

By Andrea Rowland

Few phrases make a business owner happier than “I’ve heard good things.” (“Do you accept cash?” would be another.) And kind words about your business — especially from new customers — do a heck of a lot more than make you feel good. They make you more successful.

That’s because positive buzz about your business is contagious.

If I tell my Aunt Gladys about the mouthwatering linguini carbonara I had at the new Italian restaurant in town, she’s MUCH more likely to go there the next time she gets a craving for Italiano. Then she’ll probably tell someone else, and so on. And let’s not underestimate the power of social media. My Facebook® friends might be tempted to share the luscious linguini pic I posted. The same pic could score a few Pinterest® pins. And that five-star review I left on Yelp® while waiting for my cannoli to digest? That’s word-of-mouth on digital-age steroids. (more…)

By Andrea Rowland

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know that marketing your business involves selling yourself as much as pitching your products. You are your business’s most valuable commodity. It’s your passion, competence, credibility and tenaciousness that fuel its success. To new and existing customers, you are the face of your brand.That’s the main reason it’s important to have an About Us page on your website. While your entire website is a blank canvas for you to paint your business’s unique story through compelling copy, inspiring images and dazzling design, your About Us page (although you may call it whatever you like) is the go-to space for visitors to learn all about who you are and why they should care.

Your story

What motivated you to start your business? How has your business grown, and why? What do customers say about you? What do you hope to accomplish? Why are you and your team the best people to deliver on your promises? These are just a few of the questions you might choose to answer on your About Us page. This is your chance to tell your story.  (more…)

By Andrea Rowland

Now that you’ve decided to build a website for your small business (congratulations, BTW), there’s no room or reason for procrastination. Right now, your potential customers are on their smartphones, tablets and computers looking for products or services like yours. The facts don’t lie:

– At least 85 percent of today’s consumers use the Internet to find local products and services.
– More than one-third of U.S. smartphone owners use their phones to find store locations online.
– And people used their phones, tablets and desktops to shop online to the tune of more than $70 billion in 2013.

Most likely, your competitors are already online. You’re losing out if you’re not.

Of course you’re busy. You’re probably answering phones and taking orders and shipping product and buying supplies and cutting checks and doing all the other stuff entrepreneurs do to get their big ideas off the ground. Without a lunch break. Maybe even without a paycheck. I’ll wager that’s because you’re committed to making your small business succeed, whatever it takes.  (more…)

Constant Contact has long been an advocate for permission-based marketing. We know that it is the best route to developing the long-lasting customer relationships that small businesses work so hard to achieve —the relationships that can drive customer engagement, and encourage repeat sales and valuable word-of-mouth for your business.

Over the summer, this topic was brought to the fore in the world of email marketing, as Canada began enforcing a new Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).The legislation requires all those that market to Canada with commercial electronic messages (email, some forms of social media, etc.) regardless of where in the world they are located, to adhere to the some of the strictest anti-spam regulations in the world or risk serious penalties: up to $1 million for individuals and up to $10 million for businesses. (Note: Visit Constant Contact’s CASL Resource Center if you’d like to learn more.)

Even if CASL doesn’t affect your business, it serves as an essential reminder of how important it is to get your customers’ permission before adding them to your email marketing list. Along with helping you develop stronger ties to your customers, permission-based email has better open rates, less spam reports, and is generally more effective.  (more…)

I’m a lucky guy. For work, I get to talk to hundreds of entrepreneurs and people who help small business owners. I’ve talked to piano teachers, wedding photographers, and roller-derby merchants. I’ve talked to bloggers, designers, and musicians. I even talked to a guy building a castle for his business in New England. Stone by stone. See what I mean? Inspirational, creative stuff.

A lot of them have one thing in common: they know they should be online, but something is keeping them back.

What is it? Is it too technical? Is it like learning a new language? Maybe. In a lot of cases, it’s all of the stuff they think they need to worry about that holds them back: cloud-based computing, HTML, WordPress,Twitter, A/B split testing, analytics, metadata, SEO, image resolution.

Listen, getting online is a lot like learning anything else. No one pulls out Rachmaninoff when they first start learning to play the piano. They learn Chopsticks. They learn Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. They start small, get good, and then go bigger. Getting online is the same. There are three initial steps that you can complete in a couple of hours, and once you’re done, you’ll have something cool to put on your new business cards.  (more…)