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Building your business’s Online Brand

November 9, 2012

Studies have shown 97% of consumers research products online before buying local. Given that; one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that it’s critical for business owners to use all available resources, especially FREE ones, to enhance their business’s online brand and make it easier for customers to find it. The easier it is to find your business; the more likely you are to gain customers. In this series of blog posts, I endeavor to explore how you can leverage online resources to help provide a boost to your bottom line.

First step in improving your business’s online brand is to claim its online business listing on business listing services and review sites as well as establishing your business’s presence on social networks. Bing Business Portal, Google+Local, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are examples of business listing services while Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google+ are examples of social networks. Consider the following benefits and I think you’ll agree with me in that it’s definitely worthwhile. (more…)

Tricks to Scare Up Halloween Business

October 31, 2012

Halloween is increasingly popular. Last year, seven out of ten Americans reported they planned to celebrate the holiday. And, retail spending reflects that enthusiasm. Sales of Halloween-related products increased by nine percent in 2011, to reach $6.86 billion in sales. Although the National Retail Federation hasn’t released its 2012 predictions, there is no reason to expect a decline in spending.

Even if you don’t sell costumes, stage makeup or lawn decorations, you can still scare up some business at Halloween using these tricks:

Decorate.  When planning decorations, remember you want the atmosphere to appeal to your customers and prospects. That might mean employees dressed (and acting) as zombies; it might mean using cheerful ghosts and cute black cats. Know your audience before sprucing up your storefront. (more…)

Three Cost Effective Ways to Generate Press for Your Business

October 29, 2012

Getting the press your business deserves comes down to building relationships with writers and having a compelling product or service. There are many ways to generate buzz for your business, but below we’ve provided three to generate traction without breaking the bank.

Analyze your competition

Are any of your competitors receiving endless amounts of press? Find out which journalists are writing those articles and how you can build a relationship with them. Make sure you only email them when you have something interesting to say. Writers can’t stand pitches that are completely self-promotional. (more…)

Better Search Ads with AdWords Ad Extensions

October 24, 2012

I was recently listening to Seth Godin give a talk at Google where he said that the internet is the first medium that wasn’t invented specifically to carry ads (unlike magazines and television). So to become successful as a company, Google had to figure out a way to make ads just as useful as their search results and that’s exactly what they did with AdWords. After some 10 years where the look and feel of the ads didn’t change much, now Google has started offering all sorts of ways to make the ads more interesting through ad extensions.

Ad extensions are a way for advertisers to enhance their text ads with additional information that the user might find interesting like a location, a phone number or additional links to a website.

Because extensions make ads bigger, they draw more attention and because they make the ads more specific, the people who click are better prequalified. And just as with AdWords in general, creating an extension is free and you only pay for clicks. (more…)

Ideas for an End-of-the-Year Events

October 15, 2012

Labor Day is well behind us and whether you want to believe it or not, 2013 is fast approaching. The end of the year is typically the busiest time for many businesses, but it can also be the perfect time to host an event.

An event can give your business or organization an opportunity to create intimacy and make a more personal connection with those you come in contact with. When you invite customers and members to a special event, you’re building relationships the old-fashioned way — with personal, face-to-face contact.

Now is the perfect time to start planning for your end-of-year events. Here are some ideas for events that businesses and organizations can put together to bring in customers, clients, members, donors, prospects, and others: (more…)