Search Articles

Most liked posts

Recent Articles

Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

How to Reach Niche Markets on Social Media

March 15th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

If your small business is targeting niche markets such as specific minority groups, age groups or other demographics, it’s important to know what social media tools these individuals are likely to use. New research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project examined what social media networks are most popular with different user groups. Here’s what they found:

Overall, social media use is widespread. More than two-thirds (67 percent) of all Internet users use at least one social networking site. Those 18-29 are the most likely of any age group to do so (83 percent), but even among the 65-and-up age group, nearly one-third (32 percent) use social media. Women are more likely than men to use social media, and urban residents are more likely than rural Internet users to do so.

What sites are most popular? Pew took a look not only at the “biggies,” but also at some up-and-comers.

Facebook users

Facebook is still the most popular social networking platform, with two-thirds of online adults on the site. Women are more likely than men to be Facebook users (72 percent vs. 62 percent), and the 18-29 age group is most likely to use it (86 percent).

Twitter users

Twitter is showing steady growth, with the percentage of Internet users who use this social media site doubling since November 2010, to 16 percent. People under 50, and especially those 18-29, are more likely to use Twitter. Urban residents are more likely than both suburban and rural residents to use Twitter. African-Americans are the most frequent users of Twitter, with 26 percent reporting they use it, compared to 14 percent of white Internet users and 19 percent of Hispanics.

Pinterest users

Overall, 15 percent of Internet users use Pinterest, but this site is especially popular with the youngest cohort (18 to 29), those with higher educational attainment, and upper income consumers. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of Internet users with household incomes between $50,000 and $74,999 use Pinterest; so do 18 percent of people with incomes of $75,000 or above. Women are five times as likely to use Pinterest as men (25 percent vs. 5 percent).

Instagram users

Photo-sharing site Instagram is popular with 13 percent of Internet users overall. Women and younger users (under 50) are the most likely to use it; so are urban dwellers, African-Americans and Hispanics.

Tumblr users

While Tumblr is still the least popular social networking site users were asked about—used by just 6 percent of Internet users—keep in mind that just a few years ago, Twitter had similar numbers. In addition, Tumblr is far more popular among younger users, with 13 percent of 18-to-29-year olds blogging on the site. However, Instagram, which offers similar photo-oriented functionality, has become twice as popular overall in a shorter period of time.

What do these stats mean for your business?

If you’re targeting younger customers, you definitely need to be on social media—and you need to be checking out the newest up-and-coming sites. Whether that’s Instagram, Tumblr or something even newer, take the time to explore it and see if your target customers are there.
No matter who you’re targeting, you probably need to be on Facebook. With even the 65-plus-crowd hanging out here, Facebook is a smart marketing tool for just about every consumer-oriented small business.
Trying to reach women or high-income customers? Get familiar with Pinterest, since a high proportion of those customers spend time there.

Image by Flickr user eldh (Creative Commons)

Google+

Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Generational Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 6 Comments »

8 Ways to Use SlideShare for Content Marketing

March 14th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

Let me just preface this blog post by saying that SlideShare is owned by LinkedIn. That should already give you a clue as to why you should use SlideShare, especially based on my previous blog post about using LinkedIn to grow your business. But let me back up a sec.

SlideShare is the world’s largest content-sharing community for professionals. According to this nifty infographic created by Column Five Media, it gets 60 million visitors a month who view 3 billion slides. In fact, Slideshare gets way more traffic from business owners than Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

We all know content marketing is the name of the marketing game nowadays, so if you are B2B and want to reach business owners, SlideShare is it. Here are 8 ways to use this amazing community for content marketing:

1. Gussy up presentations

Take a look at your PowerPoint presentations – are they chock full of good information that your target market would find relevant, interesting, and useful? Great – turn it into a slide.

Make sure your content is simple and straightforward:

Keep each slide focused on one idea
Only use graphics and images that support your messages
Rewrite content to make it self-explanatory

2. Convert ebooks and whitepapers

To really expand the reach of your ebooks and whitepapers, turn them into slides. Just use the above checklist to make sure they are good to go.

3. Tell stories

Put together a new slide based on customer success stories or use cases. Stories resonate with readers, so if they’re compelling, your slide could end up generating quite a few leads.

4. Add contact info and social links

At the end of your slide, add a page with contact information – an email, website address, and/or phone number – and links to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. accounts.

5. Include a call-to-action

If people like what you created, give them a good reason to contact you. Add a slide that explains what you do, how you can help them, and why they should contact you.

6. Double check for keywords and phrases

Search engines analyze the content in your slides when generating search results. Double check that your slides integrate the keywords and phrases you want to be found for.

7. Allow sharing

When you add your slide to SlideShare, you can choose to keep your slide public or private. Make it public so people can find it, view it, comment on it, and share it.

8. Provide an embed code

If you are comfortable letting other people use your content on their website or in their blog, choose to provide an embed code.

Do you use SlideShare? If yes, what content has done the best? If not, are you convinced you should start using it?

Image courtesy of SlideShare

Google+

Tags: Marketing, Search Marketing, slideshare, social media
Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

What You Must Know About Marketing to Baby Boomers

March 13th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

As they enter their senior years, Baby Boomers are still one of the most powerful consumer demographics in the U.S. What do you need to know to target Boomers today? MediaPost recently spotlighted some research from Navigate Boomer Media on what Boomers are doing, buying and interested in. Here’s where the opportunities are:

Online Marketing

If you’re only marketing to Boomers in the newspaper or print media, you’re missing the boat. You might be surprised to learn that the average Boomer spends more time online than the average teenager (15 hours per week vs. 13 hours). Put your money into online advertising to reach this market.

Transition Time

Baby Boomers are currently experiencing huge life transitions as they enter their 50s and 60s. If you want to capture their emotions during these times, Navigate Boomer Media advises your marketing should include one or more of these three messages:

We understand you.
We make your life easier.
We make your life better.

Wealth Transfer

Baby Boomers will be inheriting money from their parents and will spend it on luxuries including physical rejuvenation and health-related costs such as home gyms, trainers and spa visits; luxury travel; luxury cars (including Porsche, Mercedes and Corvette) and second homes.

Empty Nesters

As their children move out, Boomers will take advantage of the empty nest to pursue their passions, including traveling, pursuing education and volunteer opportunities, starting a business, and remodeling or redecorating the home, often including a home office. Many will also turn to pets (especially dogs) for companionship.

Boomers as Caregivers

With their parents living longer, many Boomers will find themselves in the unusual situation of caring for aging parents long past the time when prior generations were doing so. This creates opportunities for businesses that provide them with support, time off, or pampering to rejuvenate them to face the challenges of caregiving.

Divorce Means Change

For Boomers whose transition includes divorce, demands will include products and services to help them downsize their households and adapt to single life. Sales of condominiums and active adult communities will grow. Wealth management services will be in demand. Travel is popular with this group, with “girlfriend getaways” a hot commodity.

The Grandparent Life

Many Boomers are grandparents, and they’re ready to spend on travel with the grandkids (adventure or education-themed trips and cruises are popular). They also buy books and toys for their grandkids and start savings or college accounts for them.

Menopause and More

Menopausal Boomer women will seek products and services to help them learn about menopause, be comfortable and continue an active lifestyle. Information and education about menopause and solutions for its challenges will be a hot commodity.

How can your business market to Baby Boomers?

Image by Flickr user dannybirchall (Creative Commons)

Google+

Tags: Generational Marketing, Marketing, sales process, small business
Posted in Business Development, Generational Marketing, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

The Anatomy of an Effective B2B Landing Page

March 12th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

One of the best ways to generate leads via your website is with landing pages. Landing pages are hidden pages (i.e., they’re not accessible via your site’s menu) that allow a visitor to download or access content – a demo, ebook, whitepaper, etc. – after they fill out a short form.

Whether you have a landing page or want to add one (or a few) to your site, here are the 4 elements you’ll need to incorporate on your page to make it as effective as possible:

1. Clear and visible messaging

The messaging and value proposition on your page should be written clearly and concisely and positioned front and center on your page.

Include the value proposition in the headline
List the benefits of acting on the offer
If the offer was created by an industry expert, let the visitor know what makes that person so great
Make it clear what the visitor will receive

2. Clean layout

Avoid the temptation to clutter the page with graphics, quotes, a laundry list of your products or services, or offers for other content.

Keep design to a minimum – lots of white space is good
Remove a menu or other navigation tools so the visitor stays on that page
Make sure the download button is large and pops off the page

3. Short information-capture form

Decide what information you really need in order to 1) qualify the visitor as a lead, and 2) then contact them. There’s a big difference between must-have and nice-to-have, and the shorter your form, the easier it is for the visitor to access the offer.

At the least, ask for name, company, job title and email
To qualify them further, you could ask for location, company size, website and/or their biggest challenge in a certain area (a free form field)
If an question is optional, make it clear

4. Thank you/access page

OK, so this is technically not part of the original landing page, but I wanted to include it. Once your visitor submits their information, take them to a new thank you page that has a similar look and feel to the landing page.

Say thank you!
Remind them what they’re getting
Provide an access link to the offer, or let them know you just emailed access to them
Provide links to other content or pages on your website where they can find more information on the subject

What else should a landing page include?

Image courtesy of the author

Google+

Tags: landing page design, landing pages, Marketing, Web Design
Posted in Marketing, Web Design | 5 Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Mailigen’s Epic Free (Email Marketing)

March 11th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Mailigen’s Epic Free

If you’re looking for a starter email marketing solution, Mailigen’s Epic Free email marketing solution lets small businesses have up to 5,000 subscribers before it charges a monthly fee. Create newsletters, signup forms and surveys from over 130 customizable templates. You’ll get real-time performance reports, plus, Mailigen integrates with Google Analytics. Mailigen’s branding is part of the emails, but if you ask them to remove it, they will. You can also post to your Facebook or Twitter account when you send out the emails and target your audience so subscribers get exactly the information they’re interested in.

Google+

Tags: Email marketing, Marketing, sales process, small business resources
Posted in Business Development, Email Marketing, Marketing, Resources, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

A 5-Step LinkedIn Marketing Strategy to Grow Your Business

March 11th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

If you’ve been thinking about increasing your use of LinkedIn to boost visibility, find new leads, and snag more business, this post is for you. I’ve written about LinkedIn before, but it’s changed since then – LinkedIn Answers is gone and the layout now resembles Facebook in that you can like, comment on, or share updates from your network.

To get started, I decided to do some research on just who is using LinkedIn to make a strong case for why we all should embrace it. Hold on to your hats, because the stats I found at Quantcast are pretty awesome.

LinkedIn users are affluent: 54% of LinkedIn users earn more than $60K per year and 36% earn more than $100K.
LinkedIn users are educated: 46% have a college degree and 27% have a graduate degree.
LinkedIn users love the site: Almost 25% use the site at least 30 times per month.

OK, so LinkedIn is definitely a good place to focus time and energy, especially if you have a robust network.

Here’s a 5-step LinkedIn marketing strategy to help you improve your visibility and get more leads as you grow your business:

1. Get in the habit of using LinkedIn on a regular basis.

LinkedIn will not work for you if you don’t take the time out of your schedule to nurture your LinkedIn presence. Whether you choose to spend time on it daily or weekly, get in the habit of sharing curated and original content and liking, commenting on, or sharing the content your network posts. Participate in groups (more on that below) and comb your network for leads (again, more on that below).

2. Expand your definition of who should be in your network.

I’m going to assume you already actively grow your network by sending personalized messages to the people you meet at events, conferences, etc., asking them to join your network. Don’t forget to send invites to friends and social acquaintances – they have networks too – along with clients, vendors, and partners.

3. Join active groups – and participate.

Instead of joining any group related to your industry or composed of your target audience, look for groups that are active with engaged members. Start joining the conversation, adding your viewpoint or expertise where appropriate. Don’t forget that you can also start your own conversations, but always keep in mind, you’re not there to sell your product or service, you are there to help others.

4. Consider advertising.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that LinkedIn is a better place to advertise than Facebook, because LinkedIn users are highly encouraged to complete their profiles. At Facebook, you’re not, so what users share in their profiles is all over the map.

With that said, you can highly target your ads to exactly who you want to reach – by industry, company, company size, location, title, etc. Once you start advertising, make it a habit to continually improve your ads to boost their effectiveness.

5. Look for leads and ask for introductions.

You’ve built a network for a reason, so use it! You can find leads within your network, in the newsfeed, on LinkedIn company pages, and in recommendations. Look for connections, and ask the people in your network for introductions. Immediately follow up with that person and let them know why you’d like to meet them and how working with you will benefit them.

Any other tips on using LinkedIn that I missed?

Image courtesy of simplyrest.com

Google+

Tags: LinkedIn, Marketing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 10 Comments »

Does Your Retail Business Need a Mobile App?

March 11th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Does your small business need a mobile app? If you’re a retailer or etailer, maybe so. A new study from Flurry measured the time consumers spent using more than 1,800 iOS and Android shopping apps between December 2011 and December 2012.

The study divided apps into five categories:

Retailer Apps (such as Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Gap, Saks 5^th Avenue)
Price Comparison Apps (such as RedLaser and Grocery iQ)
Purchase Assistant Apps (such as ShopSavvy and ShopAdvisor)
Online Marketplace Apps (such as eBay and Amazon)
Daily Deals Apps (such as Groupon and Living Social)

Time spent on all five types of apps grew quite a bit, but time spent with retailer apps skyrocketed the most (by 525 percent). That percentage far outstrips the overall growth in the use of both shopping apps (274 percent) and apps as a whole (132 percent).

The time consumers spent with Price Comparison and Purchase Assistant apps also grew significantly, by 247 percent and 228 percent, respectively. Even Online Marketplace and Daily Deals apps grew, though at 178 percent and 126 percent, respectively, the growth rate was far less.

The big winner in the growth of app use is retailers. Overall, in 2012 consumers spent 27 percent of app use time on retail apps (up from 15 percent in 2011). By contrast, the share of time spent on Daily Deals shrank from 20% in 2011 to 13% in 2012, and the share of time spent on Online Marketplace apps decreased from 25% in 2011 to 20% in 2012.

Flurry concludes that smart retailers will begin examining their customer relationships through the “mobile-first” lens. The rise in mobile app use—and especially in retail app use—shows that it’s more important than ever to extend your customer relationships to a variety of channels.

Instead of focusing solely on getting customers into your store—or even onto your website—you need to also focus on attracting them via their mobile devices. “In the new mobile app economy, devices are always with you, always on and always connected,” Flurry writes. Yes, 95 percent of sales still occur in physical stores, but mobile allows you to intercept customers in store aisles and affect their purchasing decisions before they ever reach the cash register. Consider tapping into apps that let customers save their credit card info, apps that let them ship an item to their homes, or apps that let them scan an item with their phones to place an order.

How are you using mobile apps to enhance your customers’ retail and e-tail experience?

Image by Flickr user Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale (Creative Commons)

Google+

Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business, Technology
Posted in Business Development, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

Are You Marketing to Hispanic Men?

March 8th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

You know that Hispanics are a huge, and growing, market in the United States—but did you know that your business might be missing out on profits if you aren’t targeting an unexpected group of Hispanic customers? I’m talking about Hispanic men.

While conventional wisdom might suggest Hispanic moms are the primary decision-makers about household purchases, a new study from Mintel reports that 42 percent of Hispanic men and 55 percent of Hispanic fathers are primary decision-makers on household expenditures.

The older the men are, the more likely they are to be key decision-makers in the family or household. Among Hispanic men aged 45 to 64, 54 percent make the final household purchasing decisions; among those aged 35 to 44, 50 percent do; and among those 25 to 34, 44 percent do.

“Everywhere we look, marketers are directing their focus on Latinas, but brands are forgetting to talk to Hispanic men,” explained Leylha Ahuile, senior multicultural analyst at Mintel, in announcing the research. “Ignoring Hispanic men is an unwise mistake as this growing group, like most men in the U.S., has taken on a greater role with household chores, caring for children and shopping for the household.”

In addition to having the primary say in household purchases, Hispanic men from higher-income households were the most likely to actually take on shopping duties. More than three-fourths (78 percent) of Hispanic men in homes with incomes over $100K report purchasing clothing or food products in the last year, compared to 67 percent of those with household incomes under $25K.

How can marketers more effectively target this niche market?

Don’t stereotype. Two-thirds of Hispanic men believe that advertisers unfairly stereotype them. In contrast, half of them believe that the media largely presents positive images of Hispanic women. If necessary, enlist an advertising agency or copywriter familiar with Hispanic culture to ensure that your ads are culturally sensitive.
Focus on value. Discussing how Hispanic men, and Hispanic dads in particular, can gain good value from buying your products or services can set you apart from the competition. Value doesn’t just mean low prices; Hispanic men are more willing than Hispanic women to pay a little more for their favorite brands, so showing them how your product or service is worth the extra cost can pay off.
Use sampling. Some 44 percent of Hispanic men say they bought a new product after first sampling it in a store.
Market with social media. Word-of-mouth, both online and off, is important to Hispanic men. Some 42 percent say they made a purchase after a friend or family recommended the product. Make it easy for your target customers to pass on emails, share information about your product on social media or otherwise let their friends and family know what they think of your product.
Use niche media. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of Hispanic men say they are more likely to be influenced by ads on Spanish-language TV than on English-language TV. Also consider advertising in Spanish-language magazines, newspapers and websites.

Image by Flickr user Moodboard (Creative Commons)

Google+

Tags: Marketing, niche market, sales process, small business
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, sales process, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Ontraport (Customer Relationship Management)

March 7th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Ontraport

So many tasks to do and so many software programs handling them all, if only there were a way to combine it all into one easy technology. Ontraport wants to be your solution by tackling the challenge with an integrated business and marketing automation platform including content management, sophisticated lead tracking, social media scheduling, marketing analyzing data, online payments, billing and more. A new interface and workflow tool is easy to navigate even for the non-technically inclined.

And if you have to leave a task in the middle, you can bookmark your progress so you can get back to the task when you’re free.

Google+

Tags: Marketing, marketing automation, sales process, small business resources, Technology
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Resources, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology | No Comments »

How to Turn Difficult Customers Into Marketing Success Stories

March 7th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen

When you run your own small business, you will inevitably work with a difficult customer (believe me, I have!). Difficult customers come in all shapes and sizes, whether they are perpetually grumpy and hard to please or come to the table with unrealistic expectations – and expect you to figure everything out for them.

No matter how difficult or easy the customer, your goal is to do a great job, thus turning the project into one more marketing success story. Here are some ways that I have turned difficult customers and projects into marketing successes:

1 – Put a detailed plan together

Putting together a detailed plan before you start working with a customer is the best way to avoid any misunderstanding or conflict. In your plan, detail the goals of the project, your responsibilities, the customer’s responsibilities, how you will perform the work, how you will measure success, the timeline, and the cost.

Why this will lead to marketing success: When both you and your customer sign off on the plan, you should be on the same page and in full agreement. If this is a long-term project, revisit the plan at regular intervals to make sure everything in it is still correct and relevant.

2 – Never get defensive

When a customer criticizes you or your work or makes a bunch of changes to what you worked so hard on, don’t take it personally. Instead of getting defensive, take the high road and just listen to them.

Why this will lead to marketing success: Listening to your customer is advantageous for a few reasons: People like to know they’re being heard; you can repeat back to them what they said to ensure you understood correctly; and you have a chance to clarify expectations.

3 – Thank them

This may sound counterintuitive, but once you apologize, thank your customer for pointing out problems or mistakes. Use it as an opportunity to revisit the plan and make adjustments as needed.

Why this will lead to marketing success: You will show your customer you care, you want to fix the problem, and you value their input.

4 – Get them involved

I have found that most conflicts with customers are due to a lack of understanding and/or expertise on their part, simply because their expertise lies elsewhere. Put forth a plan on how to fix things, what you will do, what they can expect, and ask them for their ideas.

Why this will lead to marketing success: People hate to feel powerless. By giving your customer some power over how to proceed, they will feel more invested in the outcome.

5 – Put yourself in their shoes

When all else fails, just put yourself in their shoes. Maybe their business is struggling, their job is on the line, or their personal life is a mess. Try to be as empathetic as possible – even if you want to run away from them as fast as possible.

Why this will lead to marketing success: It could turn your attitude towards them around, making you more inclined to do the best job possible.

Do you have a bad customer horror story? How did you turn it around and come out on top?

Image courtesy of thewrestlingtalk.com

Google+

Tags: Customer Service, Marketing
Posted in Marketing | 19 Comments »