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What Marketing Strategies Are You Spending on in 2013?

January 22nd, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

By Maria Valdez Haubrich

How does your small business’s marketing budget for 2013 compare to that of your competitors? A new survey by StrongMail has some insights. Overall, businesses are bullish on marketing for 2013, with a total of 89 percent saying they will either increase or maintain their level of marketing spending in the coming year. (Some 45 percent will increase their marketing budgets and 44 percent will keep them the same.)

Email marketing, social media and mobile marketing will be the main focus of investment this year. More than half (55.5 percent) of marketing executives report plans to spend more on email marketing campaigns in 2013; 51.8 percent say they will spend more on social media; 42.8 percent say they will increase spending on mobile marketing; and 39.8 percent will boost spending on search marketing.

Two-thirds of the companies in the survey report they will spend more on mobile marketing programs such as mobile apps (39 percent) and SMS alerts (21 percent). Overall, mobile marketing spending will increase by 11 percent compared to 2012.

When it comes to social media, where are marketers putting most of their efforts? Facebook dominates, with 60 percent of businesses saying Facebook is the most valuable social media channel for them. Twitter and YouTube ranked second and third, respectively. Google and Pinterest were somewhere in the middle, cited by 31 percent of marketers, while Yelp, Instagram and LinkedIn brought up the rear.

Email is a strong area of growth for marketers, who plan to use it for a variety of purposes this year. While at one point some experts were predicting that social media would make email obsolete, marketers are figuring out email’s value in growing their social media presence and customer engagement. That’s reflected in the 46 percent who say they will spend more on emails to drive growth to their social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter. In addition, 38.8 percent will spend more on promotional emails, and 34.7 percent will spend more on email newsletters.

Where aren’t marketers spending? Direct mail, trade show participation and traditional advertising will take the biggest hits. Some 37.4 percent report they plan to cut spending on direct mail, 33.6 percent will cut back on trade show spending and 23 percent will decrease spending on advertising in 2013.

You can view a PDF of the full survey results here.

Image by Flickr user Jay Freshuk (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Business Development, Email marketing, Marketing, sales process, Search Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Email Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Web Design | No Comments »

How to Tap Your Ex-Employees as a Hidden Hiring Resource

January 10th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

By Maria Valdez Haubric

Is your small business looking to hire this year? One resource you may not have considered when you’re wondering where to find qualified candidates is your roster of former employees.

Big companies have long used this tactic, sometimes creating official networks of ex-employees they tap into when they need to fill an open slot. But for a small business, this concept makes even more sense (and is even easier to execute). Unlike a big corporation, where ex-employees may be completely unknown to the hiring manager, in a small company you, the owner, undoubtedly remember everyone who’s ever worked for you. You know their good and bad points, their skills and experience—and you know whether you’d like to have them back on your team or not.

So how can a small company stay connected with its former employees to ensure you can reach them when you’re looking for new employees? Here are some steps to make it simple

Capture their data. If you have to lay off a qualified employee or if someone leaves for a different job, make certain you have all of their contact information, including phone numbers, address and emails.

Use social media. If you don’t already have connections with your team on social media, make sure to connect with former employees on LinkedIn (or make sure someone at your company who was close with them does). That way, you can stay up-to-date on their career and the new skills they’re gaining, and will have a better sense of whether they’d be open to coming back to your company if a position opens up that seems like a good fit.

Stay in touch real-world style. Social media is great, but in-person meetings are what really keep connections alive. Think about inviting former employees to workplace events such as happy hours or get-togethers once in a while. I have one colleague who holds an annual “reunion” for current and former employees of her business at her home every year. It’s a great way to keep connections current, and also to find out what people are working on in their jobs and what opportunities exist to work with other people’s companies.

The benefits of building a former employee network are many. Even if you don’t have a job opening, you may be able to use former employees as freelancers or contractors in your business. Or you can refer them to colleagues who need their skills. In this way, you’re enhancing your relationships and strengthening your network for the time when you do need to hire.

Image by Flickr user Sean MacEntee (Creative Commons)

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Tags: small business, small business hiring, social media, Workforce
Posted in Small Business, small business, social media, Workforce | No Comments »

10 Ways to Stay Competitive in 2013

January 9th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Is your small business doing all it can be to stay competitive in 2013 and beyond? The latest Citibank Small Business Pulse survey spotlighted 10 actions the most successful small business owners take to keep their companies competitive. Are you doing them?

1: Do your research and get educated. Some 88 percent of small businesses surveyed say they regularly work to stay up to date and knowledgeable about their industry and changes in the market.

2: Work hard and do what needs to get done. Successful small business owners are dedicated—so much so that more than half (53 percent) say they didn’t take a vacation last summer.

3: Update or upgrade technology. Nearly 70 percent of respondents say they recently updated or upgraded their computer systems, and 51 percent have made a major change to their business technology.

4: Know your clients. More than two-thirds (67 percent) say they are spending more “face time” with customers to keep their businesses ahead of the pack. Such client relationships also help entrepreneurs stay on top of industry and market trends.

5: Keep a close eye on cash and budgets. Many small businesses say they are keeping cash in reserves and spending cautiously. No wonder: Some 58 percent admit that cash flow issues have been a major challenge in the past few years. However, 73 percent feel they are doing a good job of managing their cash effectively.

6: Be involved. Small business owners are taking part in their business and local communities: 51 percent have built a network of suppliers and partner companies, and 47 percent say they have become more active in the community and local organizations.

7. Be prepared. If another economic downturn occurred, 80 percent of survey respondents say they could handle it. They’ve learned from the recent recession, in which many of them took steps such as running leaner, cutting operating costs and renegotiating contracts.

8: Plan ahead. Some 27 percent of small business owners say they can predict their cash situation four to six months ahead, which enables them to plan for the future.

9: Stick with your aspirations. Despite the challenges of entrepreneurship, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of business owners polled say they are living their dream; three-fourths say they would do it all over again.

10: Market, market, market. More than half (53 percent) of small business owners say they’ve upped social media and online advertising in the last year, while 54 percent improved their websites and search engine presence.

Image by Flickr user Generationbass (Creative Commons)

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Tags: accounting, Marketing, networking, small business, social media, Technology
Posted in Accounting and Taxes, Business Development, Compliance, Entrepreneurs, Marketing, Networking, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

How to Run a Successful Facebook Contest Without Getting Banned

January 8th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

If one of your professional New Year’s resolutions is to do more with your company’s Facebook page, one of your ideas is most likely holding a contest (aka, a promotion), be it a photo or video contest or a sweepstakes.

Before you get started on any planning, it is well worth your time to familiarize yourself with Facebook’s rules for promotions so you don’t get banned.

In summary, here is what you need to know (you can read the full list here):

1. The product or service you are promoting has to be yours, either as an authorized merchant or the manufacturer.

2. You are responsible for ensuring your contest does not break any laws, rules or regulations and you must clearly state the official rules, offer terms, and eligibility requirements.

3. Promotions must use Apps on Facebook and state that Facebook has nothing to do with the contest.

4. You can ask entrants to Like a Page, check in to a Place, or connect to your app when they enter the contest, but that action cannot automatically enter them. You cannot ask them to take any other action on Facebook, like leaving a comment on your wall.

5. The Like button cannot be used for voting.

6. You cannot notify winners through Facebook.

To ensure your Facebook contest is successful, here is a handy checklist to follow:

Have a goal: Whether it’s more Likes, increased brand awareness, new product promotion, better user engagement, etc., have a goal so you can measure whether or not your contest worked.

Make it interactive: A fun, interactive experience will draw more entries and encourage word of mouth and social sharing.

Be creative with contest prizes: Your contest prize can be something with broad appeal – a gift card to Amazon – or niche appeal – a private souffle baking class. Whatever you decide, make sure it appeals to your target audience.

Choose a third party app that is easy to use: Look for one that is customizable, cost-effective (some are free), and mobile-friendly and that can be embedded on your website.

Make it easy to enter: Ask for the bare minimum amount of information from entrants (like name and email), and make it easy to enter, like answering a trivia question or uploading a photo of a pet.

Follow up: Once the winner is announced, follow up with the entrants by responding to feedback or simply thanking them for becoming a part of your community.

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Tags: Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 8 Comments »

The 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media Marketing

January 3rd, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

The inspiration for this post came from a blog post on Social Media Today that categorized 3 social media sins companies routinely make that waste time and money. The more I thought about it, the more I realized there are many more ways that companies waste money.

Here are 7 sins that are deadly, if only to your business’s bank account:

Sin #1: Not measuring results

Unless you take the time to look at the results of your social media marketing efforts, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not. If you continue to do something that is not engaging people and attracting new customers, well, you’re just throwing money right out the window.

Sin #2: Measuring the wrong metrics

Know what to measure. Likes and retweets are meaningless unless you are pulling people onto your website, capturing their contact information and converting them into customers.

Sin #3: Diving in blind

Not having a plan in place is bad enough, but not doing any research before starting is worse. You need to understand all of your target markets, where they are online, what their needs are, and how to properly use social media to reach them before you do anything on social media.

Sin #4: Zero integration

Cross-promoting content and messaging between online and offline is not hard to do, but a lot of companies don’t bother. Put that Yelp sticker to work by offering a discount on each reviewer’s next purchase. Got a PowerPoint presentation that has received great in-person feedback? Share it online.

Sin #5: No calls-to-action

If you want people to do something, just tell them, whether it’s downloading a free ebook, getting a sneak peek of an upcoming product or receiving a complimentary consultation.

Sin #6: Ignoring community management

The person who oversees your online community – your blog and social media networks – should be one person who is organized and social, not whoever has time at any given moment.

Sin #7: Focusing on one social media network

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to marketing. If you focus solely on one social network, like Facebook, over others that are open networks and make it easier to reach your audience, you’ll be missing out on valuable opportunities to expand your reach.

Image by Flickr user shawncampbell (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 4 Comments »

7 Quick Tips to Optimize Your Content for Search

January 2nd, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

You create content for various reasons: to build awareness, gain thought leadership, demonstrate expertise, and convert Web visitors into leads and then into customers. Since you’re spending time on content creation, be sure it is optimized for search to make it super easy for potential customers to find you.

Here’s what to do:

1. Conduct a search

Even though you are 99 percent sure your target market uses specific keywords and phrases, double-check. You might find additional ones you hadn’t thought of.

2. Integrate keywords

Don’t just add the keywords to the body of the content; add them to titles (early in the title is better) and use them in links back to landing or other Web pages instead of “read more.”

3. Optimize images

Because search engines cannot read text embedded on an image, use keywords in the file names and alt text, tag them (like you would for a blog post), and include a description or caption when you can. This is true for images in any digital content – blog posts, white papers, ebooks and downloadable marketing collateral.

4. Optimize video

This is pretty much the same as optimizing images. Use a keyword-rich title and add tags, but when it comes to the description, focus less on keywords and more on a compelling message that will convince people to watch your video. Add a link to your website at the end.

5. Add to executive summaries

When you publish long-form content like ebooks, white papers and how-to guides, write an executive summary, add keywords and use it to publicize your content on your website, in press releases and newsletters, in blog posts, etc.

6. Use on Web pages

Add those keywords and phrases to page titles and URLs where the content is housed, whether it’s a landing page or service or product page.

7. Optimize for social

Look up hashtags on Twitter and keywords on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and any other social sites you use to ensure your content will be easily found once you share it there.

As you optimize your content, just be sure you don’t go crazy and overstuff with keywords. Search engines don’t like that.

Image by Flickr user mRio (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Marketing, Search Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 1 Comment »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: North Social (Facebook App)

January 1st, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

North Social

Is your Facebook Business page generating yawns instead of clicks? Too many business owners simply create a Facebook page and expect the fans to come pouring in. The reality is, if you can’t keep your customers’ interest, they won’t engage. You need something to get your fans to interact, and North Social may be able to help. Starting at 99 cents per day, North Social lets you access marketing apps such as sweepstakes, coupons, contests, promotions, videos, viral downloads and more. You’ll also be able to measure every click, comment, tweet and conversion right down to the very last penny.

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Tags: Marketing, small business resources, social media
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: ThingLink (Twitter Images Tool)

December 21st, 2012 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

ThingLink

If you’re looking to add some snazzy features to your tweets to get your business more attention, check out Twitter Cards and the role ThingLink is playing to help make tweets more visually appealing. TwitterCards allow interactive images to play directly inside a tweet, and ThingLink images are now viewable and linkable. This means you can drive traffic from an image in your tweet, not just a bitly link. Businesses can make their tweets more dynamic, getting customers more engaged. You can create images that include sound, video, text and more.

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Tags: Marketing, Resources, small business, social media, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Buckaroo (Do-It-Yourself Daily Deal Program)

December 12th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Buckaroo

For businesses looking to attract local customers but wanting to avoid the costly fees charged by daily deal providers, Buckaroo offers a do-it-yourself daily deal alternative. It’s free to create your ad on Buckaroo, and if you want to send an email to your local market, that’s where the fees come in. Send to 10,000 subscribers for only $100, 20,000 subscribers for $200 and so on. There are no hidden fees, and unlike some daily deal sites, merchants keep 100 percent of the money made in sales.

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Tags: daily deals, Marketing, sales process, small business resources, social media
Posted in Email Marketing, Marketing, Resources, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Technology | No Comments »

How Can You Motivate Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers to Buy?

December 12th, 2012 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

The holiday retail season is heading into the home stretch, but there are still plenty of Americans who haven’t checked off every item on their gift lists yet. How can you attract them and what motivates them to buy? The PeriscopeIQ Second Annual Holiday Shopping Survey has some useful insights about what works and what doesn’t.

QR Codes: So far, QR codes on ads, point-of-sale items and price tags haven’t lived up to their potential, reports the PeriscopeIQ study, because nearly three-fifths (59 percent) of shoppers don’t know what the codes are or what they do. Fewer than one in five (18 percent) have ever used a QR code in a retail environment, even though 60 percent own smartphones with built-in scanners or apps. “We believe QR codes will continue to evolve but the actual 2D code will be transformed by a newer, more efficient technology in the near future,” said Mohamed Latib, COO of PeriscopeIQ.

Working Shoppers:  Up to 40 percent of survey respondents admit to shopping online at work during the holidays and year-round, and more than a quarter of those polled shop more than 15 minutes daily on the job.

Gassing Up: Some 40 percent say their willingness to drive long distances for a bargain will be impacted by gas prices. And for shoppers in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, gas availability itself may still be an issue. Consumers’ awareness of gas prices is good news for ecommerce sites that let them shop from home.

Free Shipping:  If you do have an ecommerce site, know that 95 percent of respondents say free shipping is a major factor in whether they buy from a particular site or not.

Smartphones Mean Smarter Shoppers:  Over two-fifths (41 percent) of customers say they are pre-shopping online before going into stores, up from 27 percent last year. A smaller number (33 percent) check prices at other stores or at websites while in-store, and about 36 percent take pictures of items with their phones in-store, whether to get feedback from friends or family, or to do comparison shopping.

Waiting on Mobile Wallets: While mobile wallet options such as Google Wallet or Passbook have captured headlines, these technologies are still in limited use. Fewer than 5 percent of respondents say they use mobile wallet technologies.

Black, White and Read All Over:  When looking for product information, sales and other information about shopping, almost three-fifths (58 percent) of consumers say they still rely primarily on print magazines and newspapers. In comparison, only 24 percent said they look at online reviews of products for information before shopping.

“With more than half of our respondents equipped with smartphones, the multi-channel world is a boon to holiday shoppers,” said Dr. Pawan Singh, CEO and Chief Scientist at PeriscopeIQ. “But it can also be an advantage to retailers who address physical, mobile and online customer experiences with equal diligence.”

Image by Flickr user RetailByRyan95 (Creative Commons)

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Tags: Marketing, mobile marketing, sales process, Search Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Technology | No Comments »