Jul 13th, 2010
by Shari Voigt.
Have you ever pondered the life of a chipmunk? We have an active clan in our backyard and they’re fun to watch, along with the bunnies, birds and other occasional wild critters.
The chipmunk works hard and plays hard from spring through fall. It stuffs his cheeks full at one of our bird feeders, then scampers off, repeating the process again and again – filling a chamber in its underground home to feed its young ones and storing up food for the winter. Then it disappears for the winter and rests from summer’s frenetic activity.
It’s a strange balance, but balance nonetheless.
What does this have to do with small business marketing tips?
Jun 22nd, 2010
by Shari Voigt.
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.
Feb 18th, 2010
by Shari Voigt.
Without a doubt, Google is synonymous with search. If you want to find anything online, you Google it, right? Yes, they’re the biggest game in town, but they’re not the only one.
Microsoft’s Bing, which has branded itself as a “decision engine” has been nipping at Google’s heels for quite some time now. When you bring a PC home from the store, Internet Explorer is the default browser and Bing is the default search engine. If your market is less than tech-savvy, this is especially relevant. They’ll stay put, and use what’s already installed and accessible.
If you rely on foot traffic for business, don’t overlook the importance of being found in local listings web-enabled phones, as well as through local search via the conventional office computer. Local search is one area where Bing excels.
Feb 16th, 2010
by Shari Voigt.
Busy? Too short on time to get everything done that’s clamoring for your attention? Yeah … me too.
In a way, it’s a nice problem to have. For me, it means business is good. But staying too busy for too long leads to burnout. And letting important things slide because you just can’t get to them isn’t the answer either.
If you can’t find the time to market your business consistently, expect a dry spell ahead. As small business owners, we are all too familiar with the feast or famine syndrome. Nine times out of ten, it’s a result of failing to find the time to promote ourselves a few weeks or months back.
Jan 19th, 2010
by Shari Voigt.
We talk a lot about online advertising here, but conventional, print advertising is still the life blood of many brick and mortar small businesses. Some of you are reaping the results of well-written, well-placed advertising. Others are frustrated by a lack of results.
My question to you today: Are you paying enough attention to saying the right thing to the right people? If not, the wrong people are hearing your message, meaning nothing you could say to them would induce them to buy. Even if the right people (your target audience) hear your message, if it’s the wrong message for them, it’s of no value to you.
Be sure to click through to read the rest of this article and today’s 30-minute challenge!
