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If you’ve ever wished there was an app for your specific business need, your wait is over. RunRev has created an easy way for the no-way-am-I-a-developer people to quickly make their own mobile app. The Small Business App Academy teaches small business owners to create a mobile app in 30 days, or whatever you need, with no stress and no degree in computer science needed. The Academy just kicked off May 1, 2012, and the courses are free. Simply sign up and get instructional videos delivered directly to your inbox daily on such topics as database and cloud access, working with rich media, deployment devices and creating user interfaces.
For more information and charts about Small Business Mobile:
and See Key Highlights from the Web.com Small Business Mobile Survey
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Marketing Articles
13 Helpful Guidelines for A/B Testing
May 4th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen
A/B Tests, or Split Tests, can help you optimize your landing pages, email marketing campaigns and calls-to-action. But isn’t testing something only big marketing research firms do? The answers is a definitive “no.”
In this article, I’ll share some tips for using A/B testing in your own marketing strategies, regardless of the size of your staff or budget.
Are your marketing efforts making the grade?
A/B testing can help you determine which marketing variables are giving you the best response rate. An example of a variable is the call-to-action in an email message or the landing page a Facebook post directs people to.
By conducting A/B tests, you can tweak your marketing performance to drive more traffic to your website and generate more leads for your business. The marketing pros at Hubspot have lots of suggestions for conducting A/B testing, but I’m going to break down the strategies for you in a quick and painless way.
Your A/B Testing Cheat Sheet
- Conduct one test at a time to be sure your results don’t get mixed up. In other words, don’t launch a test for your email and your landing page simultaneously. Along that same line, only test one variable at a time so you can be sure you know exactly what to change or improve.
- Test among two or more audiences and be sure these samples are similar. For example, if you’re testing an email message, pull names that have been on your list for similar amounts of time.
- Just like in science experiments, you’ll need to have both a control group and a treatment group. In your A/B tests, the control group will be your original email or landing page, and the treatment group will be the variations of these tools you want to test. You may want to test whether including an image will enhance a landing page, so your original landing page would be the control element, and the landing page with an image would be the treatment element.
- Conduct your A/B tests during the same timeframe. What this does is remove timing as a variable because conducting marketing tests a month or two apart can yield very different results. If you’re testing several elements for one particular campaign, test them simultaneously. Just be sure to test only one variable on each of your tests, as I mentioned above.
Deciding which variables to test
Now that you have some guidelines to get you started, which variables should you test? When you were creating a call-to-action for the company’s latest product launch, you may have wondered which copy or graphic elements would get the best results. Those elements are perfect for A/B testing. Here are some variables you may want to test:
- Offers that convert the most prospects into leads
- Structure for your copy (bullet lists, paragraphs, etc.)
- Size or placement of the call-to-action
- Color scheme or other design element
- Photo or logo to use on a landing page
- Format of email (newsletter, digest, etc.)
- Time of day to send email
- Subject line of email
A/B testing is an effective way to learn why your marketing campaigns or working – or why they aren’t. By testing elements in their campaigns, marketers can easily tweak their strategies to get the most bang for their buck- something every small business owner can surely appreciate.
Image courtesy of spamula.net
Move Over, Social Media: Consumers Prefer to Get Marketing Messages by Email
May 4th, 2012 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
When it comes to small business marketing, social media seems to get all the attention these days, but that old workhorse email marketing may actually be better at getting the job done. So says a new survey from ExactTarget reported in Small Business Trends.
The survey of consumers found that a whopping 77 percent prefer to get permission-based marketing messages via email. The next most preferred method, direct mail, didn’t even come close, with a mere 9 percent of the overall respondents ranking it their top method for receiving marketing messages. And text messaging and social media barely made the running, preferred by just 5 percent and 6 percent of users, respectively.
Now, you might think that this percentage is skewed toward older users—but you’d be wrong. Even among the 15-17 age group, 66 percent preferred email marketing messages, while just 10 percent preferred text messages and 8 percent Facebook.
While you may have heard that use of email is dropping, ExactTarget found that the decline in email use refers to personal communications. But consumers’ preference for getting permission-based marketing through email has actually increased 5 percent since 2008.
What’s happening? It seems that while fewer people are using email to communicate with friends and family (texting and social media are becoming more popular for this purpose), email is becoming the primary way that consumers like to manage their interactions with businesses. “Email is the top channel in terms of acceptability across all types of marketing message we asked about….from travel alerts and purchase receipts to promotional messages and polls,” ExactTarget reports. (The one exception was spam emails.)
No matter what age range you’re targeting—from 15 up to 65-plus—email is still the way to go. But generic email blasts are not, ExactTarget reports. For companies finding their email efforts are getting less response than they used to, consider:
- Is it timely?
- Is it targeted?
- Is it relevant to the user?
- Does it have a compelling subject line, headline and benefit?
Today’s subscribers are more sophisticated when it comes to email. Keep these four factors in mind, and your open rates will increase.
Image by Flickr user Sean MacEntee (Creative Commons)
Small Businesses That Use Mobile Marketing See Their Sales Soar, Survey Shows
May 3rd, 2012 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
Is your small business using mobile marketing yet? In celebration of National Small Business Month, Web.com today announced the results of its Small Business Mobile Survey. The study found that while 69 percent of small businesses consider mobile marketing crucial to their growth in the next five years, and plan to increase their spending on it, a majority of them still haven’t taken full advantage of mobile marketing.
With 82.2 million Americans using smartphones, according to comScore figures, the benefits of mobile marketing are clear. Out of the 500 small business owners surveyed, 14 percent have a stand-alone mobile website; 84 percent of those entrepreneurs say they have seen an increase in new business activity due to their mobile marketing efforts.
Why are small business owners eager to invest in mobile marketing? Their top motivations were:
- Provide better service to existing customers (38 percent)
- Attract more local customers (36 percent)
- Gain competitive advantage (34 percent)
“With more and more consumers specifically searching for local businesses on their mobile devices, it is imperative that small businesses invest in a mobile presence,” said David Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of Web.com, in announcing the survey results. “Having a mobile presence can be a huge competitive advantage for small businesses trying to attract local customers by instantly introducing a potential customer to their business’ products and services in a mobile-enhanced way.”
But for most small businesses, there is still a long way to go when it comes to adding mobile marketing to the mix. While 60 percent of small businesses surveyed have a website, only 26 percent have a mobile-friendly website (the same layout/content as standard site adjusted to suit a smartphone screen). There’s also a large gap between the rapidly increasing number of mobile searches and small businesses’ mobile search strategy. Over 61 percent of small businesses currently do not have a mobile search strategy, meaning they’re missing out on consumers trying to find them via mobile device.
As a small business owner, you probably know that the biggest hurdle to embracing mobile is lack of time and resources. Some 64 percent of small business owners in the survey said they are their own one-person marketing team. It’s tough to wear multiple hats and find the time to build a mobile presence as well as running other aspects of your business.
Still, it looks like 2012 might be the year when mobile-savvy small businesses step it up. Some 64 percent of small business owners surveyed plan to increase their mobile investments this year.
You can find a full copy of the Web.com Small Business Mobile report and Infographic on in our Small Business Resources secton. Help your friends in the small business community go mobile during National Small Business Month by sharing this report on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn using the hashtag #smbmobile. Presenting on Small Business Mobile please see our handy Powerpoint presentation on the side bar here.
Image by Flickr user Mikigo (Creative Commons)
Why the Hispanic Consumer Market Matters to Your Business
May 3rd, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichBy Maria Valdez Haubrich
Is your small business trying to reach out to Hispanic consumers? If you’re not, maybe you should be, because Hispanics are already over 52 million strong and will account for the majority of U.S. population growth over the next 5 years. U.S. Hispanics had $1 trillion in buying power in 2010, and Nielsen reports that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2015. That’s just some of the data from Nielsen’s recent State of the Hispanic Consumer study, which offers an overview of this consumer market. What makes Latinos such an important market?
- Youth: The median age of the U.S. Hispanic population is 28 years old. That’s nine years younger than the total market median age of 37. That means Hispanics are poised to make even more of a mark on U.S. culture as they enter the work force, start families, buy homes and enter their peak spending years.
- Technology: Hispanics spend 68 percent more time watching online video and 20 percent more time watching video on their mobile phones than non-Hispanic whites. They also spend more time than non-Hispanic whites on texting, mobile email, mobile Internet use and mobile music or photo downloads.
- Shopping patterns: Hispanics shop and buy differently than the overall U.S. market. For instance, they make fewer shopping trips but spend more per trip.
- Income: Although a large percentage (43 percent) of Hispanics have household incomes under $40,000, overall, Hispanics are advancing financially more rapidly than the average U.S. population. Between 2000 and 2011, for instance, the proportion of Latino households with incomes of $50,000 or more increased faster than the national average.
- Growth: Between 2000 and 2011, Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population increase; in other words, their population grew more than that of all other non-Hispanics combined. In the next five years, they will account for an even greater share (60 percent or more) of population growth.
How can you reach Latinos effectively? Marketing with respect for their culture is key. The survey found that U.S. Hispanics want to maintain the culture of their countries of origin. For instance, nine out of 10 Hispanic parents and parents-to-be want their children to speak Spanish as well as English. It’s easier than ever for Hispanics in the U.S. to maintain ties with their cultures, because social networking, ease of cross-border communication and access to technology enable them to stay in touch with relatives in their countries of origin.
Image by Flick user Jorge Ravines (Creative Commons)
Chartbeat: Analytics Dashboard for Your Website: Small Business Resource
May 2nd, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichIf you’re looking for an alternative to Google Analytics, you might try Chartbeat, a simple-to-use but feature-rich real-time analytics dashboard. Log in and get a view of every user on your site, including what page they’re on and where they came from. Track key traffic flow and know which users are actively participating and which are doing nothing. Chartbeat can also help you determine which of your SEO efforts are working and which are not. Try the free 30-day trial and then pick a pay plan that suits your needs. Plans start at $9.95 per month.
Grab Your Share of Mother’s Day Spending
May 2nd, 2012 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
Mother’s Day is coming up May 13, and the 86.5 percent of consumers who are celebrating the day will be shelling out more money than they have in the past few years, reports NRF’s 2012 Mother’s Day consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight.
Consumer spending is up in general this spring, and Mom is going to benefit. NRF’s survey found that the average person celebrating the holiday is expected to spend $152.52 on gifts, up from $140.73 last year. Total spending is projected to reach $18.6 billion.
What are consumers spending on?
- Two-thirds (66.4 percent) will buy flowers, spending a total of $2.2 billion.
- Almost one-third (32.8 percent) will buy clothing or accessories, spending a total of $1.6 billion.
- Electronics such as tablets and digital cameras are the gift of choice from 12.7 percent, who will spend a total of $1.6 billion.
- More than half (54.3 percent) of those celebrating Mother’s Day will treat mom to dinner or brunch, spending $3.4 billion.
- Finally, a total of $1.8 billion will be spent on gift cards and $1.3 billion on personal services such as spa or salon services.
Who are they buying for?
Almost 65 percent of respondents will buy gifts for their mom or stepmom; others will buy for their wife (22.4 percent), daughter (10.5 percent), grandmother (8.2 percent), sister (8.4 percent), friend (7.6 percent) or godmother (2.1 percent).
Where are they buying?
Although department stores are the most cited place to shop, specialty stores including jewelers, florists and electronics stores will attract 36.3 percent of consumers, and specialty clothing stores another 8.2 percent. One-fourth of shoppers will buy gifts online, an increase from 21.5 percent last year.
Whether they buy online or off, more consumers this year are using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to research their options, comparison shop or even buy.
About 40 percent of smartphone owners and 51.2 percent of tablet owners say they will to use their devices to research products, compare prices, find or use coupons, look up retailer information and buy gifts. Tablet owners in particular will make the most of their devices, with more than 40 percent planning to purchase items online with their tablets this year.
It’s not too late to take advantage of Mother’s Day spending in your business, whether you sell apparel or electronics, personal services, or own a restaurant. Offering Mother’s Day deals and gift ideas for time-strapped dads is a smart way to capture some of the cash for your business.
Image by Flickr user julian wylegly (Creative Commons)
SmartCalls: Solution for Mobile Specific Ads: Small Business Resource
May 1st, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichCapturing your local market has never been easier with Web.com’s new small business mobile advertising solution, SmartCalls. Taking action to reach the millions of Smartphone users, SmartCalls is a customized mobile marketing campaign tailored to your industry that enables customers in your area to click, call and find you. SmartCalls works with Google AdWords advertising service and Google mobile search ads and their “click to call” feature to connect local customers to your business by phone, then gets them to walk through your front door. The SmartCalls product also provides lead alerts, call tracking and call recording.
New Facebook Features That Are Not SMB Friendly
May 1st, 2012 :: Monika Jansen
Recently I wrote a post about leveraging Facebook’s new Timelines layout for business. I described several ways companies can use the new features to their advantage, including tips on using the cover photo and pinning posts.
I still believe Timelines can help businesses build community around their brands, as long as they are willing to try new tactics and keep an open mind. However, according to Convince and Convert’s Jay Baer, Facebook has betrayed small businesses through the sweeping changes brought on by Timelines. After reading his argument, I’d have to say he has some good points. Let’s discuss.
Some of the new Timelines features require a big-business staff.
If your small business lacks a social media department – or even a dedicated social media staff person – you might find some of Facebook’s features to be overwhelming to use effectively. Baer definitely sees these features as potential roadblocks to keeping up with the bigger guys. For example, although the new cover photo is a great space to highlight products or recent events, it requires a staff person with the time to take cover-worthy images and format them correctly for the space.
Then there are the new pinning and starring features. Being able to highlighting important and relevant posts adds a handy promotional tool to your Facebook page, but someone has to track these features and be sure they don’t become dated. If your community starts relying on pinned and starred posts for the latest company information, you could miss out on communications opportunities if you can’t stay on top of it.
Similarly, Timeline makes it obvious if you haven’t updated your page in a few days because the activity stream leaves large spaces where your content should have been. So, once again, if small businesses are stretched for resources, any gaps in posting will be displayed, front-and-center.
Finally, Facebook has tweaked the direct messages feature to keep up with Twitter’s dominance of the social media customer service space, which is great. But, for small businesses, that just means one more inbox to check, on top of an ever-growing to-do list.
Facebook marketing is getting more expensive.
While Facebook has been viewed as a place where limited marketing budgets couldn’t hold you back, Timelines has introduced some pricier features. According to Baer, if you want to keep up with bigger companies, it’s going to cost you.
The “old” Facebook’s landing tab gave small businesses a chance to drive fan behavior – using affordable software – by creating custom micro-sites within their Facebook pages. But Timelines eliminated the landing tab, which isn’t good for businesses of any size. However, larger companies have the budgets to create plenty of other custom solutions, on their websites or blogs, to drive fans to their Facebook page.
Especially frustrating for small businesses, Facebook is now selling the opportunity to expand your “reach” on the network. According to Baer’s article, Facebook estimates that only 16% of your status updates are ever seen by your fans. However, for a limited time, you can buy the opportunity to reach around 75% of your fans – that is, if you can afford it.
Finally, Facebook advertising is heading beyond the budgets of many small companies because premium ads are getting very expensive. These ads will be sold through cost-per-impression deals, which are more profitable for any online advertiser. But these pricier ads will reduce the inventory of the small business-friendly cost-per-click Marketplace ads.
***
After examining these features that are SMB-unfriendly, I’d have to agree that small businesses are at a disadvantage on the “new” Facebook. What do you think? If you own or work at a small business, do you feel betrayed by Facebook’s recent changes?
Image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com
