Additional key social media usage highlights reported by SBSI:

• 75% surveyed have a company page on a social networking site
• 61% use social media for identifying and attracting new customers
• 57% have built a network through a site like LinkedIn
• 45% expect social media to be profitable in the next twelve months

So if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur who has yet to take advantage of the social media technologies available to you on the internet . . . it’s time you reconsidered.  For the purpose of business growth and profits, it’s no longer a question of “Should I be using social media?” but rather . . . “How can I best use social media to serve my customers and target audience?”

When considering which social media platform(s) to use, bear in mind that it’s all about your customers.  Forget about what you like best or where you’re the most comfortable.  And don’t think you have to have a presence on every social media platform available. To get the most from your social media marketing efforts, you need to determine what your customers are open to and meet them where they’re at.

If for example, you create a twitter account, and your customers are all on Facebook, the return on your social media marketing efforts will not be as productive as they could be.  Since not everyone uses social media in the same way, it’s important to first find out how YOUR audience uses social media and then develop social media marketing strategies specific to your target market.

So how does your business use social media?


Peace & Prosperity,

P.S. If you’re at all confused about how to leverage the power of social media, let High Profits Marketing do the job for you. Whether you do it yourself or outsource it, just do it!

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Effective Business Communication: Why Is It  So Important?

Businesses communicate to find out customer needs and to show that they are listening and have the answer to those needs.  It is as simple as that…in theory.  The truth is that effective business communication requires a certain skill set to determine the customer needs and then deliver on that information.

The basic skill set requires a genuine concern for the customer and their request or issue.  Smile and speak clearly with an upbeat tone.  Be sure to offer help and act as if you are happy to be helping them.  If more information is needed, be polite and ask using ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you, ‘never make demands.

Good Listening Skills Payoff

Listening well may be the true difference between successful communication and unsuccessful communication.  A business needs to make sure that it is truly listening to the customer needs and desires and not just paying attention to what they think the customer wants.  Use echoing whenever possible by listening to the customer and then repeating back to them what you heard as their request or issue.  Take notes and make sure that you are knowledgeable about the company’s operations and the ways in which you can help the customers.  This will allow you to not only deal with the situation or request at hand, but anticipate other needs or wants that may be related.

An upset customer is the most difficult to really talk to.  Most times it is best to be patient and allow them to vent first.  Really, what they are wanting is to be heard and to have their feelings validated.  This is not personal, although the customer may use personal language.  When a customer is angry, this is the time to really try and understand the details of the situation by listening carefully.  Be cautious with your timing on using the echoing technique in these situations, as that may aggravate the customer even more.

Always apologize and let the customer know that you care and are here to help.  It does not matter if there was no mistake made by you or your company, the customer needs to know that you care and are listening.  Once you really understand the situation, you are then in a position to help and either explain what is going to happen next or make it right on the spot.  You can validate their feelings and express sympathy by letting them know that you understand how frustrating the situation is and that you are sorry they are having these problems.

Try to come from where the customer is in any situation and you will succeed.  Often, using good listening skills is a sure way to understand the customer and get to the bottom of their wants and desires.  Once understanding has taken place, you can either explain the situation or take the necessary actions to satisfy the customer.

Practicing and utilizing effective business communication requires some patience and a genuine concern for finding out what the customer needs.

Peace & Prosperity,

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photo credit: lidge_34

Keyword Optimization: A Simple Explanation

Begin by selecting the keyword phrase that you want the page to rank well for in the search engines.  Most often, the keyword optimization is organized like this:  main page is optimized for the most general keyword or phrase, the categories are optimized for more specific keywords and the pages or posts are optimized for very specific keyword phrases.

Long Tail Keywords

The more specific a set of keywords tend to be, the longer the keyword phrase gets.  Phrases with 3 or more words are also known as Long Tail Keywords.  These are good to target because they return more specific, targeted traffic.  Another search engine optimization strategy to use with long tail keywords is to include shorter keyword phrases within your original long tail keyword phrase.  An example might be this phrase for a dog grooming site: ‘starting an organic dog grooming business.’‘ While the page is optimized for the entire phrase, you may want to also break out and use the phrase ‘dog grooming business’ within the content and rank well for the shorter phrase as well.

Keyword Optimization: Getting the Attention of the Search Engines

When using keyword optimization to get ranked and found by the search engines,  have the selected search engine keywords strategically placed on each and every individual page of the site.  The keyword phrase should be in the file name, the title tag, the text header, sub-headings, within the content, within the Meta description tag and in anchor text of incoming links.

To keep it simple, when you add your keyword phrase within the content of the page, you will want to include it in the first and last paragraphs and at least once in the middle.  This is all that is needed to have the keyword phrase properly placed within the page content.  Placement is important, but it’s not necessary to go overboard.  Make sure that the use of the keyword phrase sounds natural and flows with the rest of the information given.

As far as the title tag, and file name, you have to think about the trail from the search engines to your site.  When people see your link in the search engine results, what is the first thing they see?  They see your title tag and the URL.  Make sure that it is clear what they will be seeing when they click on either link by including the keyword phrase in those places.

This same concept applies to the use of the keyword phrase in the text header, Meta description and within the content.  Google either uses the supplied text or will pull its own text for use with the listing that best matches it.  A good title may inspire your target audience to click through, or it may be the description that prompts the call to action. Better safe than sorry, so make sure both are properly optimized.

In the end, the main thing to focus on with keyword optimization is to make sure that the content of your page properly matches the keyword phrase that is being targeted.  Let your target audience know exactly what to expect when they decide to click on any link to your site.  When they find what they have been looking for, they are more likely to come back, and you will have accomplished your goal of increasing traffic.

Peace & Prosperity,

P.S. Have Keyword Optimization questions? Feel free to post them in the comments section below.

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A lot of site owners make one of two mistakes: they either think using keywords and keyword phrases is very complicated or they think that they already know what keywords and phrases their target audience is using.

Search Engine Keywords

Choosing search engine keywords does not have to be a long and complex undertaking.  What it will require is a good keyword suggestion tool and a little analysis of which keywords and phrases will work the best for you.  There are plenty of free and paid for keyword tools available.  You may want to start with a free tool to get a feel for how they work and then consider paying for one later on.

A good free keyword search tool to start with is the one offered by Wordtracker.  This tool is used by you typing in a broad term that your site is based upon.  As an example, if your site was about dog grooming, then that is what you would type in.  The keyword tool would then supply a listing of the top 100 keywords and phrases associated with ‘dog grooming’.  This list will also show the average number of daily searches for that specific keyword or phrase as well.  Some will have hundreds or thousands of daily searches, while others will only have tens of searches.  You will want to begin choosing keywords that make sense for your site and have a good number of daily search results.  It’s not necessary to always select the keywords and phrases with the highest searches as those also have the most competition.

For example, the phrase “dog grooming equipment,” at the time of this writing, is searched 75 times per day, but put that into perspective.  That means that the term is searched 2250 times per month or 27,000 times per year.  If you properly optimized a page on your site for the phrase “dog grooming equipment” you could easily rank well and reap the traffic rewards.

The second mistake that many site owners make is thinking that they already know what keywords and phrases their target audience are using.  Very often, they are wrong.  Knowing how to choose search engine keywords requires stepping into the audience’s shoes for a moment.  Too many site owners use industry jargon or set up their site from an insider perspective and then scratch their heads when the traffic is nonexistent.  The site’s copy needs to incorporate the same language the target audience is using, not what the site owner thinks they should use.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you already know what your audience is looking for.  In fact, choosing keywords and phrases after conducting some research can make conversions soar because you are meeting the people where they are.  Your target market will let you know precisely what they are looking for by typing keywords and phrases into the major search engines.  Collect this information by conducting your own research and choosing keywords that fit in with the purpose of your website.

Peace & Prosperity,

P.S. If you’re looking for help with keyword research feel free to ask your questions in the comment section below.

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photo credit: iQoncept

Nowadays, almost everyone has email, from your 12 year old to your 80 year old grandmother. And anyone who uses email knows all too well that the system is abused by people sending out unsolicited emails; also known as spam. These can be jokes, unethical internet marketers trying to sell you something or an internet hoax. If you are trying to start or run a business using email marketing, you’ll want to make sure that you follow these email best practices to ensure no one tries to accuse you of stepping over the line.

Often times with email marketing, you may find the need to send an attachment to your recipient. Depending on the service you are using to send your emails, you will need to verify that a virus scan can be achieved. People will learn to trust you and open your email if they can be assured you will not be giving them a virus. This is an important email best practice for you to make use of.

Keeping an organized and uncluttered inbox is an often overlooked and unattended email best practice. If you have a business account, you’ll want to make sure that customer emails voicing a concern or that require a response are spotted in your inbox, don’t fall prey to your spam folders, and don’t get buried and lost among the less important.

Safeguard your important emails by making use of a folder and file system just as you would with important paper documents. With most email services, there are features you can set to automatically filter your emails as they arrive in your inbox. This will allow you to save both time and effort, and will help in managing your inbox.

Now that your email is organized and you’re no longer missing any important customer emails, how do you get your recipients to open the emails you’re sending?

Compelling subject lines!

And while arousing curiosity might get them to open the email, you better make sure that the content is relevant to the subject line.  Don’t comprise your ethics and risk your reputation by trying to “fool” your readers into opening your emails. The last thing you want to do is break any trust you’ve already worked so hard to establish.

Last but not least, and perhaps one of the most important best email practices I’d like to mention is, ensuring that all the information you collect from your subscribers remains private and that it doesn’t end up in someone else’s hands.

Be careful when sending out emails manually from your inbox to multiple people that the BCC and CC lines are used with the proper addresses and the information is sent to only those who need to see it.  The personal information your subscribers trusted you with is privileged information and should be treated with all due respect. I personally don’t send out email responses to multiple subscribers from my inbox. Emails sent to multiple addresses are always generated from my autoresponder email delivery service.  However, an individual response to a single recipient may come from my inbox.

Peace & Prosperity,

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photo credit: Black Cat

Choosing a quality auto responder service to handle your list

In order to start your opt in email advertising promotions, you will need a quality auto responder service. I personally use Aweber. What this service does is allow you to place html code on your website or squeeze page, which is displayed as an opt-in box so interested visitors can sign up to your list. You offer a free report, free software trial, or anything that someone in your niche may find useful in exchange for their name and email information. They then receive a confirmation email they click on to agree to you sending them more emails. Autoresponder services have tools for you to create follow up messages and then schedule them to be sent out at the times you desire. Emails can be scheduled to go out weekly, multiple times per week or as a broadcast announcement to be delivered at a specific time on a specific day.  An autorepsonder service such as Aweber, is pretty much set-and-forget marketing and a great way to build relationships.

Proper Usage for your opt in emails

We all know what it is like to walk into a store and be bombarded by a pushy salesperson. Even if we had gone into the store with the intent to buy something, a pesky salesperson can turn us off. The same idea applies to email marketing. Since these subscribers can opt out of your list at any time, be mindful of the emails you send out to them.  Start by building a relationship with your list. Offer valuable information, resources and tools. Provide solutions to their problems and satisfy their needs.  Let them get to know, like and trust you. When you decide to start promoting products or services, choose to promote your own products or ones that you can personally vouch for from personal.  Passing on a good recommendation that you’re willing to stake your reputation on, will in the end, build your business a loyal customers base.  Who knows, they may even start to look for emails in their inbox to hear what you have to say and share.

Building Trust through your own messages

Remember that pesky salesperson who tried to sell you the dress or suit? Who may have said things like, “that color really brings out your eyes,” or “that fits you like a glove.” Well, sales people are trained to play on your emotions and entice you into a sale. Sometimes these can be truthful and helpful comments, and other times they can be flat out lies just to make a commission.  The same is true for email marketing and an opt-in list.  Only promote what you believe in and know works. Use your own words to describe why you think it would be worth the investment for the prospective buyer. Using pre-written emails from other marketers may be ok for those just starting out, but when you have already started to build a more intimate relationship with your subscribers, you want to continue to add your voice, add your opinions, and add whatever it takes to make your recipient feel special.

So . . . are your emails providing value or pushing for a sale?

Peace & Prosperity,

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photo credit: syris-studios

Blogging is a way to create interest and traffic to the perspective business or web site. Blogging allows a way for the business to announce itself and present information about the business in a creative, informative and interactive way.

Keyword Phrases and Blog Post Titles

Through the use of specific keywords in the blog post titles, you are using search engine optimization (SEO) to draw in traffic via the search engines. Add to that, information and solutions that your readers need, you are driving targeted traffic to your blog and increasing the likelihood of sales. The information presented should be focused, and address a specific need within your audience. Your product or service should then help them resolve that need. This is effective blog marketing.

Use of Images

Photos and graphs are used to illustrate the written information presented in the blog. The result is a dramatically focused and visual approach to draw the readers’ attention. Images just make for a more interesting read.

Compelling Content

When you are writing a blog post, you need to have in mind your objective. What is it that you want to say, what issue or need within your market do you want to address. Once you know the purpose behind your blog post, you write to address that need.

Like any good writing, you should have a compelling title, a beginning, middle and end to your content. Blog posts are generally shorter than articles or other types of written content. While there are no hard and fast rules on length, it’s best to identify their need, discuss the need and then offer a solution within the call to action.

Call to Action

A call to action is used at the end of the post to direct your readers in what you want them to do after they have read your post. The action can be a special sales offer, a discount on your products or services, your affiliate link to an off-site product or service, or even a request for them to leave a comment.

The continued result for the small online business is updated advertising in a way that allows for a greater audience to be reached on the internet, through the use of keywords phrases. The online business can then see a continued return audience as the interest grows.

Are you leveraging the internet with a business blog?


Peace & Prosperity,

P.S. Discover the hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your website presence with a free 30 minute marketing strategy session.

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Let us have a look into these basic aspects as the essentials for drawing up small business marketing plan.

Branding

Branding is significant to let the customers relate the value of your product or service with the needs of prospective customers.  Many companies are known for their corporate identity due to the strong brands. In fact, all the organizations are battling to create a brand image with better brand value. Your goal is make your brand stand out in the crowd. This is called brand identity; the stronger the brand identity, the bigger your slice of the market. Hence distinguish your product identity to impress the customers.

Know Your Market – Provide A Solution

Identifying and knowing your market is essential. Your marketing plan should identify a need in your market and your product or service is the answer to that need.  An effective marketing plan depicts your unique product value.  The use of imagery with logos, print ads, TV commercials, as well as, online advertising via a web site and social media marketing, all comprise a well rounded marketing plan.

Know-Like-Trust

Marketing is a way for potential customers to become familiar with your brand, as it builds the know-like-trust factor in association with your business. People do business with those they know, like and trust a well written and executed small business marketing plan will encompass the know-like-trust factor with your potential customers to convert them to buying customers.

Peace & Prosperity,

P.S.  Are you monitoring your marketing? For help with your small business marketing plans inquire about our free 30 minute Marketing Strategy Call and start creating a crystal clear vision for your “ultimate online marketing success.”

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Here are Four Best Small Business Marketing Tips:

1. Customers First. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “The customer is always right”. While the customer may not always be right, the principle behind this phrase is that top-notch customer service is what builds loyal patrons. Whether you run a service based business or retail, treating your customers well should always be top priority. I strongly believe that customer service can make or break a deal and taking the time and care to turn relationships into revenue is a true characteristic of a successful business.

2. Devise a Marketing Plan and Budget. Another wise and true saying, “It takes money to make money”. Regardless of how much money you invest into your marketing, any investment is worth it. Create a marketing plan that includes both offline traditional marketing, as well as online social media marketing. Online marketing can provide you with more return on your investment and the biggest investment in online marketing is actually time. Whether you personally invest the time, or you hire a social media marketing firm to market on your behalf, the costs of online marketing are still less than traditional marketing.

3. Sales and Incentives. A great marketing tip is to offer special sales and/or incentives to attract new customers. This is particularly effective around a holiday. The term “Black Friday” was named as such because the sales from that one special day of shopping often brought retailers back ‘in the black’ for their sales for the year. Use the buying momentum of Christmas, for example, to offer special sales or coupons to bring in new business. Planning ahead for these special sales strategies can help you maintain steady business all year long.

4. Consumable Products. Even if you are a service based business, offering complimentary products that are consumable means customers will come back over and over to continue buying. If you are a service based business, you can still offer consumable content by way of a membership web site that charges a monthly fee and/or coaching services, training workshops, etc… Be creative and find a way to turn one-time customers into life-long repeat customers.

Review your current business and marketing plan and incorporate the above tips to help your business grow and thrive.

Peace & Prosperity,

P.S. What other small business marketing tips have you used that has helped your business grow? Let me know in the comments.

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