Marketing success tips for small businesses
When one of my clients complains that business is down, my first advice has been to get busy on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s not the end all answer, but it’s quick, painless, and free – a way to get your name in front of your local audience. It tends to result in posting a special offer or something that promotes the business. While there’s nothing wrong with that … other than the obvious loss of income from price discounting … we may get better results if we have a little fun with our audience.
“According to a new report by Exact Target, Twitter users are:
* 5 times more likely to post to blogs at least monthly
* 3 times more likely to post product reviews and post in an online forum
* 5 times more likely to share coupons on coupon sites
“They also are more likely to write articles for third-party sites, post videos, contribute to wiki’s and a whopping 70% are commenting on other people’s blogs.”
That would include me. As a Twitter user, I like to find interesting or educational tidbits that I can share with my readers. The statistics above are from Cynthia Boris’ article on Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim, a site I follow in Google Reader. It could have just as easily come from a short post and link on Twitter. Either way, I’ll share it on Twitter and our Zero To Sixty Marketing Facebook page, and a variety of other sites. Other people do the same thing, and that’s how online content gains wings.
I found your ad in the coupon mailer. How come I can’t find you online?
If you’re spending money on advertising, but don’t have a working website, you’re putting the cart before the horse.
You probably wouldn’t invite 100 of your closest friends to a party at your house before you built the house, right? How about those you would consider to be prime prospects for your services – would you invite them to an open house before you had a location for them to visit?
Yet that’s exactly what your doing if you’re advertising before building your home base – your website. You’re spending money on the party supplies. You’re inviting the guests. Except these guests don’t really know you … they’re wary of accepting the invitation. They Google you to learn more about you – and you’re nowhere to be found.
With 250 million+ active users, it’s safe to say that at least a portion of your customer base is on Facebook. It’s no longer the domain of college students, but the online hangout for moms, dads, grandparents, and more importantly – people of all ages and interests from your locale. Real people and organizations are on Facebook – that’s their USP and that’s why YOU need to be found there. Being on Facebook shows that you’re real – and makes great strategic sense at the same time.
Our link building lesson continues today with a new assignment. Last week we went out and commented on at least three relevant blogs, adding to the conversation and gaining links to our Web sites in the process. This week, we’re going to build a Squidoo lens around the keyword phrase most relevant to your Web [...]
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