Marketing

Social platforms such as Facebook®, Twitter®, Google+™, LinkedIn®, Pinterest® and Instagram® are cost-effective avenues for connecting with your target customer base, raising awareness about your brand and building credibility within your industry. Through the strategic use of social media, you can:

1. Showcase Your Business’s Human Side. It’s easy for consumers to think of any business, no matter the size, as “they” or “them” or “that company”—the implication being that they’re dealing with a non-thinking, non-feeling entity with one goal: taking their money. Social media allows you to put names and faces to the people and personalities behind the products and/or services your business provides. Responding to questions, comments, praise and complaints in real-time allows current and potential customers a peek behind the curtain, to see the real people that make it all work.

2. Build Industry Cred. When not directly interacting with current and prospective customers, your social sites provide you and your staff a forum to display the breadth of knowledge and depth of passion you have for your business. It’s an opportunity to take off your salesperson hat and allow your expertise to speak for itself. Examples might include posting links to blog posts, videos, or articles that speak directly to your offerings. You could post links to sites that provide background information or history of your field. Maybe it’s something as simple as posting quotes that you’ve built your business on. Anything that informs your audience, either about you or what you provide, will work.  (more…)

You likely already know that to be a successful small business marketer, you need to be where your customers are online—social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; online review and ratings sites like Yelp; and in the inbox with email marketing.

Yet even if you have an active Facebook page, a growing Twitter following, a healthy amount of email subscribers, and good reviews on Yelp, it may not necessarily translate into customers (and profit) for your business. If all of those “Likes,” re-tweets and comments aren’t generating new business, here are three questions to ask yourself:

Are your messages focused?

You may offer a lot of products and services but if you focus on your differentiators, you’ll be able to demonstrate your expertise and dominate a market segment.

For example, a retailer specializing in high-end kitchen gadgets can show customers how to use the latest tools, offer cooking classes, and write about topics such as “what to look for when buying carving knives.” These actions will draw in customers looking for specific kitchen tools and while they’re shopping, they’ll discover other products offered by the retailer.  (more…)

Writing website content is something everyone can do, but a story is something your visitors and customers can connect with—and nobody can tell it better than you. Your customers are on your website for a reason, they want to know more about you.

Take your visitors on a journey by sharing values that were shaped through personal experiences—a struggle, breakthrough, or success story. Dig deep and show them the passion, dedication, and experience that make your business stand out from the rest.

Be a Storyteller
Everyone has a story, and every story has a beginning, middle and end – a journey from where you started and what you’ve been through, to where you are now. Think about how your business got started or why you do what you do. By adding a personal touch to your website and by giving it a friendly vibe, your customers will feel welcome.  (more…)

Twitter recently announced a major redesign for profile pages. This includes a new look and feel, and a number of new features for users to sort and find content. While the new profile is only available to a select audience of Twitter users right now, the redesign will be rolling out to all users soon, so it is time for small businesses to take a few moments to understand the changes, and make sure that they are making the most with their profile pages moving forward.

Here is a list of the changes:

· New Header Image: One of the most noticeable changes is the introduction of a header image. It spreads across the top of your profile page similar to the cover photo on Facebook or Google+.

· Bigger Profile Picture: Twitter is also increasing the size of the Twitter profile picture. Twitter will resize your current photo automatically, but users may want to consider uploading a higher quality photo after the change.

· More visible profile information: Twitter names, handles, descriptions, and links are all bigger and more prominent with the profile change. It would be a good idea to review this information to make sure they’re updated and accurate. Unlike other social networks, Twitter users are likely to view other users profile often to learn more about them. Having an informative and accurate bio is essential. (more…)