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Wayne on Monday, October 25th, 2010 |
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Being able to market online and build a successful business on the Internet looks like a complicated process from afar, but most of the processes needed can be automated – so you have to work smart – not hard. There is work to be done upfront. Done right, though, and maintenance and updating to keep things current and fresh is a bit easier.
Setting up a website is the first step you have to tackle. If you already have a site – but it was crafted 3-4 years ago or more – chances are you aren’t using the most current technology employed by bloggers. You don’t need to be a geek with tons of memorable programming codes because sites can be set up to so you – or someone on your staff – can update information, post new details, etc. There’s no need to employ a webmaster and work around their schedule to keep your site up-to-date. Some of that can be automated, too so that content can be imported automatically to ensure your site looks current all the time.
And, if you’re a client of ours already, you have a place for visitors to offer up their name and email address in return for something. It might be a free report or a series of videos.
And, confirmations and follow-up emails are something that should be automated. You can certainly insert new ideas and send out special messages if needed, but your regular communication should be planned out so that you can truly – “set it and forget it.”
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Wayne on Monday, October 18th, 2010 |
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There is nothing more rewarding than a loyal customer who turns to your business for his or her needs time and time again. Many customers will buy from you just once and never return, but if you are looking for a long list of loyal customers that will sustain you through good times and bad – then there are a few things you should do.
First of all you should make sure your clients are more than satisfied. Embrace the adage that you under promise and over deliver. Providing them with quality and top notch services that exceed their expectations will make them hugely satisfied and appreciative of your services and they will be happy to come back to you again. You have to really work at standing out from your competitors to do this.
One simple way to distance yourself from your competition is to offer remarkable customer service. Being polite can go a long way. You can also make sure everyone you employ has the attitude that satisfying your customers is “priority one.” If they don’t have the authority to do that – give them the authority unless you find out that it doesn’t work.
You should also offer great after-sales support to your customers. Being available to answer any questions they may have or giving them product advice after buying from you will go a long way toward building trust.
Following up with your clients after the sale – and not trying to sell them something else – will REALLY set you apart. There’s only one business in Pottstown I’m aware of that does that consistently – and because of that, we know the manager by name – even though we only user their services 2-3 times a year.
Ask us who it is and we’ll share with you ideas you can employ to develop the loyalty we feel for that business now.
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Wayne on Monday, October 11th, 2010 |
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One of the most effective ways to obtain additional customers for your company is through referrals from your existing clients. The chances of someone buying from you are very high if their trusted friend or family member recommends you. There are many tips you can employ to achieve this.
First of all give your customers something extra and unexpected that is unrelated to your business. You could give your customer a ticket for the latest movie in town. But, what if they have a family of 4? Your gift of 4 tickets will be very much appreciated – because it send the message that you know them and it’ll have an even bigger impact if they’ve mentioned that they like to go to the movies with their family – but haven’t done so recently… That will get them recommending you to others.
You should also interact continually with your customers even after they buy from you. This will make them remember the good experience they had with your business and more likely that you’ll come up in conversation when they’re talking to others.
You could also offer financial or other rewards for existing customers such as discounts on their next purchase, promotions, etc. to talk about your business to others. This should be done judiciously because they might not need that incentive. What they do need is for you to make it EASY for them to share that experience with their friends and more.
We help local businesses think through how to improve their referral business.
Give us a call to discuss your needs – and pick our brains for ideas you can implement immediately.
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Wayne on Monday, October 4th, 2010 |
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Whether you like it or not the Internet is the biggest revolution of the last 30-40 years and its importance can be seen in all aspects of life. If you are looking to advertise and sell your products or services – even to a local audience – then you cannot ignore the Internet.
First of all, you really should set up a website. If you don’t already have one, you do know you’re behind even many grandmothers and certainly most 14-year-olds. Did you know that more than 30-percent of local shoppers go online to look for local businesses? If you’re not there, then you’re missing that group completely!
If you provide the right information online then people who find your website can learn more about you, about your business and about why they should buy from you. Making sure people can find your site is important, too. With BILLIONS of pages there already, you have to do some things just right to get to and stay at the top of the first page on Google. And, Google likes to help people find local businesses, too.
You could also spend some of your advertising budget online – in ways that are trackable so that you can start to do more of what works best – and less of those tactics that have had their day. You can truly stand out from your competition that is not developing a significant presence online. It’s likely many competitors aren’t doing all that they could, so you can be seen as the expert in your area with some basic steps.
Advertising online can benefit your local bricks & mortar business and bring customers through the front door. And, if you start thinking about expanding your effort – to sell outside of your local neighborhood – online efforts are the most efficient way to do that. Your store can reach far and wide. We’ve helped clients come up with ways to package their knowledge, services, and products and present them to areas outside of their local market. Getting a larger share of the local market should be a primary goal – but getting a share of a nationwide or international market shouldn’t be far behind.
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Wayne on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 |
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While we can dream of a time when the hours spent updating an online profile will directly translate into money for small business, “the most immediate opportunity for anyone, big or small, right now is to drive the traffic back to a website,” Mike Svatek said. One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make is not leveraging the content they’ve already created. Svatek saw missed opportunities where small businesses could repurpose traditional content for use on their social networks.
All of this, however, depends on approaching social media with a concrete goal. Scott Scheper suggested small monthly steps like getting one sale via Twitter or converting one user per month via Facebook. While businesses shouldn’t invest a huge amount of time joining every new network they see, it can be useful to secure your handle or company name on startup sites with promise. You don’t want to be late to the game and find out that your preferred username or vanity URL has already been taken.
While Andrew Nusca said it could be possible to translate social media into real cash for small business, he believes that social networks are really just platforms. “It’s a conduit, it’s a pipeline,” Nusca said. “Twitter would have to bend to the will of every company that tried to make money off of it. I don’t think it’s possible for the platform to expand that way.” Small businesses will have to continue using these networks as mouthpieces for their brands and as platforms to build customer relationships — the development will be better-targeted ads and more effective outreach.
Full article: http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/future-business-social-media/
