sales process Articles
April 24th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
The essence of any content marketing strategy is, of course, content. But for small business owners, this is often the biggest stumbling block. Chances are you’re not a writer, so how do you and your team craft content that will work to improve your website’s SEO and drive traffic and sales? Here are some tips.
Focus on quality. You may read articles that give you the idea your content has to be stuffed with keywords. In reality, this leads to articles that make no sense (we’ve all read them—those blog posts that sound like they were written by someone who didn’t speak English). Think about what your audience wants to know, and write articles that answer their questions. For example, if you own a lawn care and landscaping business, your customers might want to know how to keep their lawns green, how to prevent weeds, what types of grass are best for the local climate, etc.
Include both timely and timeless content. You don’t want every article you write to become outdated in a month. However, tying your content to current trends (such as seasons, holidays or hot topics online) does help boost your SEO and make your site seem fresh. Aim for a mix of timeless topics (such as what types of grass are best for the climate, or how often to mow a lawn) and timely ones (such as popular plants this summer, or how to prepare your garden for winter).
Use keywords. I mentioned not stuffing your articles with keywords, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to use them. Figure out what keywords you want to be found for (for example: San Francisco lawn care, landscaping service, best landscaping company) and use those keywords in the headlines, subheads and first paragraphs of your articles. If you use photos or graphics, you should also use keywords in the captions, descriptions and tags of the artwork.
Enlist your staff. If you’re not a good writer, do you have someone who is on your team? Remember, content isn’t just words, so see what kind of talent exists on your staff. You might have someone who’s great at shooting videos or taking photos. Used properly on your website and social media accounts, these can be excellent traffic drivers.
Get professional help. Creating content, especially blog posts, articles and newsletters, can be time-consuming and stressful if you don’t have an experienced writer on staff. Consider outsourcing to a freelance writer or marketing copywriter. You can find tons to choose from on sites like Guru.com, Elance.com or Freelancer.com.
Image by Flickr user mrsdkrebs (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: content marketing, Email marketing, Marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Branding, Business Development, Email marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Thought Leadership | No Comments »
April 22nd, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
The way women shop is changing, with brick-and-mortar stores no longer the focus, reports the second annual SheSpeaks/Lippe Taylor Women’s Buying Behavior Index. The study polled some 2,152 women in the past two months about their buying habits and future purchasing plans.
The biggest finding? Shopping no longer starts in stores, but online. Asked how they most often research products, some 71 percent of women say they use their desktop/laptop and 18 percent chose a mobile phone or tablet. Just 6 percent said they research by actually browsing in a physical store; amost as many (5 percent) say they ask friends and family.
Where do women most often make the actual purchase? Even when it comes to buying, digital still has a slight edge, with 47 percent saying they most often buy via desktop/laptop. Forty-five percent most often go to the store. Just 8 percent say they most often buy via mobile phone or tablet.
While mobile devices aren’t women’s top choice for making the purchase, they are heavily used for other types of shopping behavior:
- 53 percent use phones and other devices to find store locations and hours
- 49 percent use mobile devices in-store to look up and compare prices
- 46 percent use them to search for coupons
- 41 percent use them to get detailed product information
- 24 percent use them to make purchases
If you’re trying to target women with your marketing messages, you’ll want to know when they typically do their research. Most (43 percent) said they research at home during the day; 42 percent say they research at home at night. Just 9 percent did product research at work and only 7 percent did so at home on the weekends.
Women’s purchasing habits don’t just affect the products and services they buy for themselves. Women not only wield major influence over men, they actually buy for them. Asked in what categories they are the primary shopper for their husband or boyfriend, 71 percent say apparel; 69 percent say grooming products; 51 percent cited travel; 39 percent said technology products; 29 percent said financial products and services and 18 percent said cars.
What does it mean to your business?
Online research is a huge factor in the purchasing process for women, with nearly 90 percent of women regularly going online on computer, tablet or phone before they buy. Make sure you provide all the information women need to make their decision, including:
- Reviews and ratings of your business
- Local search information about your business so women can more easily find you
- Search-optimized website that drives women to your site when they use the keywords relevant to your business to search for information
Another huge takeaway? Even if you sell products and services for men, you need to take women into account, since women are buying just about everything for men (and, if not actually buying, most likely having input into the decision). When you picture your target customer, picture his wife or girlfriend, too, and target specific marketing messages to her.
Image by Flickr user Kevin Ryder (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: Email marketing, Marketing, marketing to women, Search Marketing, small business, social media, Web Design
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Web Design | No Comments »
April 19th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
Are you taking advantage of all the ways local search can drive users to your business? The 6th Annual 15miles/Neustar Localeze Local Search Usage Study, conducted by comScore, found that local search is more important than ever in attracting customers and closing sales. Here’s some of what they found, and what it means to your business.
Search is the primary activity consumers conduct on mobile devices is search. Nearly 86 million Americans regularly look for local business information on their smartphones. Last year, the total number of visitors to search sites and search apps grew by 26 percent on smartphones and 19 percent on tablets.
In contrast, PC/laptop searches are in decline. The percentage of local searchers who say PCs/laptops are their main way of accessing local search sites has dropped by 7 percent year-over-year.
There are important differences in how users search on laptops/PCs, tablets and mobile phones:
Mobile phone searchers are more concerned about accuracy rather than depth of information. They are more likely than tablet users to say maps, driving directions and distance are helpful to them.
PC/laptop searches are more likely to take place earlier in the purchase process, during the research stage. In contrast, mobile and tablet searches were more likely to be used in the middle or at the end of the purchase process. These searches were also more likely to lead to a purchase. Just 59 percent of PC searches resulted in a purchase, but 78 percent of mobile phone searches and 77 percent of tablet searches did.
Local searches on tablets are declining too, dropping from 64 percent to 48 percent compared to last year. This suggests tablet users are becoming less mobile with the device, and is probably why they are more interested in in-depth information than mobile phone searchers are.
Accuracy of information was the most important factor for all three types of searchers; however, tablet and PC/laptop searchers gave slightly more importance to depth of content than they did last year.
What can you do to benefit from all types of local searches?
- Make sure your business is represented on local search sites such as Local.com, Bing and Citysearch.com.
- Provide driving, map and distance information to help users find your business.
- Regularly check your listings to make sure they’re still accurate.
- Provide as much detail as you can to help shoppers make the decision to visit your business, whatever device they are using.
- Make it easy to contact you quickly with a click-to-call button or prominently displayed phone number for customers on the go.
Image by Flickr user vestman (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: local search, Marketing, Search Marketing, small business, Technology, Web Design
Posted in Marketing, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »
April 18th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
By Maria Valdez Haubrich
If you’re trying to boost the success of your content marketing efforts, one way to do so is by adding video. Online video is becoming more a part of consumers’ everyday lives, especially when it comes to online shopping, according to a report from Invodo and the eTailing Group.
The survey of over 1,000 Internet users found that the majority (52 percent) regularly watch video during the online shopping process. About one-third say they always watch video if it’s available; almost all (90 percent) watch it at least occasionally. Shoppers are also turning to video earlier in the shopping process—during the research stage—especially when it comes to big-ticket purchases or complex purchases.
What’s important for content marketers to know—whether or not they are e-tailers—is that:
- Internet users are showing more interest in video compared to prior years.
- Consumer engagement is greater on sites that offer video.
- Consumers are spending more time watching videos than in prior years.
- They are also watching more videos in more product categories than in prior years.
While Invodo’s study focused on ecommerce-related videos, there is a wide range of options for small business video—from an e-tailer’s video demonstrating what clothing or apparel looks like on a model, to an accountant’s video explaining the latest tax deductions.
Clearly, adding video is a great way to engage your prospects. So what can you do to make sure your videos get watched?
- Make them educational. Create videos that demonstrate your products or services, show past customers talking about their satisfaction with your products or services, or educated consumers about what you do or sell. Invodo found videos with an educational or demonstration aspect were more likely to get watched.
- Make them easy to share. Consumers eagerly share videos on social media—in fact, they’re more likely to share videos than they are images or photos. Add share buttons or embed codes that enable users to pass your content along, as well as text encouraging them to share the video with others.
- Consider mobile. Invodo found viewing of videos on mobile devices is on the upswing, so create your videos with mobile in mind. This means simple setups that are easy to see on small devices.
- Shorter is better. Under two or three minutes is a good length for most types of videos. If you’re trying to cover a complex topic, break it down into a series of shorter videos. You’ll have more content and are more likely to attract views that way.
- Post in multiple places. In addition to your website, post videos on social media and consider creating a YouTube channel for your business. The more places your videos are available, the more traction they’ll gain.
Image by Flickr user M4D Group (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: Marketing, online video, sales process, small business, Technology, Web Design
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »
April 16th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Updience.com
The best free marketing tool has always been word-of-mouth, and today, more and more innovative entrepreneurs are using social media to create new ways to spread the good word about your business. Updience.com is based on the notion that your happy customers are the best channel by which to find new customers—and a recommendation can spread your reach to all corners of the world. Simply choose the location of your customers (local, state by state or worldwide). Then choose your target market, whether consumer or business to business, by age, gender and/or marital status. Updience.com will then advise you on how many potential customers you can reach through their site—for free.
Google+
Tags: Marketing, Resources, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Resources, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »
April 15th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Sandler Training
You may be a natural-born salesperson (or have hired one), but everyone can use a refresher course now and then. Sandler Training has been around since 1967 and has grown into an international franchise with 200 locations worldwide, offering sales training in 27 different languages. Rather than a quick fix, Sandler approaches the sales process with reinforcement and constant coaching. From online tools to local training centers, Sandler offers many ways for businesses of all sizes to take advantage of their vast experience. Check out their blog for smart insights about sales and ask about customizable material for your sales staff.
Google+
Tags: resource, sales process, sales teams, small business, Workforce
Posted in Business Development, Resources, sales process, Sales Teams, Small Business, small business, Workforce | No Comments »
April 11th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
TinderBox
Sharing and editing multiple documents online just got easier for you and your employees. With TinderBox users can collaborate on documents and marketing content without losing specific branding details. The tool contains a redlining feature that shows edits and comments; documents are housed in one central location so each department can see what exactly is being used during the sales process. Plus, you’ll get real-time analytics that show which marketing materials were successful (or not) in acquiring customers. Then TinderBox can help streamline the proposal and closing processes with e-signature features and group permissions.
Google+
Tags: collaboration, document storage, Resources, sales process, small business, Technology, Workforce
Posted in Resources, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Workforce | No Comments »
April 11th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
By Maria Valdez Haubrich
Are you hoping that the “Made in America” label will help your product sell better? Chances are you’re right. A recent Harris Interactive survey found support for buying American products across a wide swath of age groups, both genders and both political parties. However, it’s important to define what “American” means when it comes to a product.
Being made in America is the biggest deciding factor in whether an item is considered American. Three-fourths of respondents say a product has to be made in the U.S. for them to think of it as “American.” Being produced by a U.S. company or being made from parts manufactured in the U.S. was important to about half of consumers; being designed by an American was important to about one-fourth.
What type of people care about buying American? Just about everyone. However:
- The older people are, the more importance they typically place on buying American. Respondents age 48 and up were most likely to say buying American is important; 18- to 35-year-olds were least likely.
- Women were more likely than men to believe it’s important to buy American.
- Republicans and Democrats, however, were equally likely to believe it’s important to buy American, and felt more strongly about it than did Independents.
What types of products are people most likely to want to buy American? Major appliances (75 percent), furniture (74 percent), clothing (72 percent), small appliances (71 percent) and automobiles (70 percent) were the categories for which respondents were most likely to say it was “very important” or “important” to buy American.
What are people trying to accomplish when they buy American? The most important reason for buying American was to “keep jobs in America,” which 66 percent of respondents rated “very important.” Next on the list was “supporting American companies” (cited as “very important” by 56 percent). Safety concerns about products made outside the U.S. were a very important reason for buying American for 49 percent of respondents.
Less important reasons for buying American were:
- Quality concerns with products assembled/ produced outside of the U.S.
- Patriotism
- Human rights issues with products assembled/produced outside of the U.S.
- Decreasing environmental impact since products don’t need to travel as far. However, even this factor—the lowest on the list–was rated “very important” by 32 percent.
Clearly, buying American is still a priority for many people. If you decide to use this as a selling point, be sure that you:
- Are honest and accurate about exactly what “Made in America” means in terms of your product.
- Emphasize the factors that matter to customers, such as keeping jobs in America or supporting U.S. companies, in your marketing.
To fine-tune your marketing message, drill down into more details about specific consumer groups’ opinions at Harris Interactive.
Image by Flickr user donkeyhotey (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: Generational Marketing, Marketing, sales process, small business
Posted in Branding, Business Development, Generational Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business | No Comments »
April 1st, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
Spurred by the rapid adoption of mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, as well as by major retailers’ investment in their websites, ecommerce sales in the U.S. are projected to rise from $231 billion last year to $262 billion this year—an increase of 13 percent–according to the latest forecasts from market research firm Forrester. Three product categories account for one-third of that total: apparel and accessories, consumer electronics and computer hardware.
Ecommerce currently accounts for some 8 percent of overall U.S. retail sales (or 11 percent, if grocery sales are excluded). Growth in online retail sales is projected to outpace the growth of traditional retail sales in the next five years. By 2017, total ecommerce sales in the U.S. should hit $370 billion.
Forrester says the increased use of smartphones and tablets is a major factor powering ecommerce growth. With over 50 percent of U.S. online users owning smartphones, many smartphone owners use any spare moment to go online. As a result, people are spending more time overall online than they would if they had to go to their PC or laptop to shop—and that means more browsing, shopping and purchasing.
Another driver behind ecommerce growth is that major retailers are rapidly making investments in their ecommerce divisions in order to better integrate their in-store and online shopping experiences. Even customers who head to a brick-and-mortar store now often end up buying merchandise online within the store, or using smartphones to find the same products elsewhere and order them online.
Surprisingly, new shoppers coming online for the first time are not a major factor in the growth of ecommerce. Just 4 million people are projected to buy online for the first time this year. Instead, growth is coming because people who are already comfortable with online shopping are now spending more money online, ordering more often, and buying a wider range of products from a variety of sites. Forrester says online shoppers typically become comfortable with ecommerce by purchasing low-risk items such as downloadable music or movies. Only then do they move up to more expensive purchases such as appliances or home furnishings.
Forrester’s report has some more good news, not just for ecommerce vendors but also for the economy as a whole: Ecommerce companies are powering employment growth. Currently, Forrester says, U.S. ecommerce businesses employ over 400,000 people, and that figure is expected to hit 500,000 by 2017.
Image by Flickr user Mosman Council (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: ecommerce, Marketing, online marketing, small business, Technology
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »
March 29th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
Are you stressing because you know big retailers are increasingly offering same-day delivery, and your small ecommerce site can’t afford to do so? If you’re worried that same-day delivery is a game-changer that will make or break your business, you can breathe a sigh of relief. A new study by the Boston Consulting Group found that customers don’t actually care that much about same-day delivery, despite the emphasis that big ecommerce sites and retailers like Amazon.com and Wal-Mart may put on this service.
The BCG study found that consumers care much more about low prices and free shipping than they do about same-day delivery. Only 9 percent of consumers polled say same-day delivery would improve their online shopping experience. In contrast, 74 percent say free shipping would and 50 percent say lower prices would.
The study notes that lots of dotcom companies touted same-day delivery in the first dotcom boom in the 1990s-2000s, and that the service didn’t prove popular enough to keep those companies afloat.
There is one niche market that could be willing to spend on same-day delivery. Affluent, urban Millennials with incomes of $150,000 or more have shown greater than average interest in this service. If that’s your target market, you may want to consider this option.
However, even so, keep in mind this advice that BCG offers for making same-day delivery work without breaking the bank:
- Charge additional fees for same-day delivery. The average respondent in the survey was willing to pay $6 for this service; affluent Millennials were willing to pay up to $10.
- Limit same-day delivery offerings. It’s best to offer same-day shipping only for smaller, lightweight products, like electronics, office supplies or apparel, that can be quickly packed and don’t cost a lot to ship.
- Focus on high-margin items. Products where you’re making a higher profit make more sense for same-day delivery.
- Consider your location. If your customers are primarily in upscale, urban areas where delivery is common, such as New York City or Boston, it may make sense to test same-day delivery. If you’re in a rural or suburban area, however, it’s likely not going to be cost-effective.
Keep an eye on what happens with same-day delivery so you don’t get caught behind the eight-ball if the concept takes off—but also keep in mind that currently, BCG found that only 2 percent of online purchases are delivered the same day, meaning demand for this service is far from widespread.
Image by Flickr user Lachlan Hardy (Creative Commons)
Google+
Tags: Customer Service, ecommerce, sales process, small business
Posted in Customer Service, sales process, Small Business, small business | No Comments »
