Five Reasons Your Small Business Is Not Reaching New Customers

Author: , February 3, 2012, Leave a comment

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By Lily Faden

For many small businesses, the seasonal nature of the product being sold is reason enough to have a slow winter season. However, the world of small business marketing is undergoing a major shift as online marketing gains more and more momentum, leaving many small businesses are at a loss for how to reach new customers. If you find that you are experiencing trouble gaining exposure with new customers, here are five possible solutions to your problem:

1. Too much emphasis on the wrong kind of marketing

One common downfall of many small businesses today is that they are pouring too much time and money into marketing tactics that are poorly suited to their business. You have to be sure that your target audience is truly paying attention to the type of advertising you have chosen as the best way to spread the word about your product. For example, if your clientele is mostly older and is not as accustomed to using the internet, online marketing and social media might should probably not make up the bulk of your marketing strategy. Divert your time and energy to other, more traditional mediums of marketing and advertising, such as radio and TV ads or billboards.

2. Not understanding your target audience

Related to the first problem of not recognizing the best marketing medium on which to reach your target audience, comes the related problem of not understanding your audience’s behaviors and tendencies. Proper marketing requires truly being tapped into the mindset of your customers. What are they doing and where are they during their free time? How do they usually find out about new businesses? What would be the best time of day (or night) to expose them to your ads? All of these questions must be answered before tackling any marketing plan.

3. Not using social media correctly

Even if you’ve “bought into the hype” and begun to use social media accounts for your business, you shouldn’t expect to see results from your social media marketing efforts unless you truly understand how to use these accounts. Being signed up and adding a few pictures here and there isn’t enough. These accounts are called social for a reason: you need to use them to engage new customers and develop relationships with existing customers. Give your business a voice. Use your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other social media accounts as a way to show that your business is the friendliest, funniest, or otherwise most social in your industry.

4. Bad online reviews

Having bad online reviews floating around the internet can be doing much more damage to your business than you realize. In many cases, all it takes is for the customer to type in your business’ name into a popular search engine to encounter several popular review sites with all sorts of comments from your customers. Be sure to take a look at these reviews; your clients’ opinions of your business are right there for the whole world to see! Nothing serves as a better framework for improving your business than honest criticism from your clientele.

5. Blending in with your competition

Don’t just mimic what other businesses in your area are doing to promote themselves. Think outside of the box. Setting yourself apart will expose you to new customers because, up until this point, they have been an untapped market in your industry. Create interesting and unique content for your website and social media accounts; think of funny or clever advertisements to show around your community; or come up with a catchy song or eye-catching logo. Standing out will surely serve as a smart way to attract new customers.

I am a blogger and contributor for Entrust Cash Advance.

Does your small business need funding? Check out Entrust Cash Advance for a merchant cash advance.

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Small Business Funding Investment Opportunities

Author: , January 17, 2012, Leave a comment

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By Bruno Robinson

You should never let a lack of funding stop you from attaining your goals in business, especially if that goal is to expand your business. There are many small business funding and investment opportunities that small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of.

Funding sources, such as banks, government institutions, venture capitalists, and angel investors, are very diverse, so it is important to see what the requirements are for each type of lender or investor.

If you are seeking funding for an existing business or company, lenders are interested in finding out the history of your company. The kinds of things they will want to learn are things such as if your company has a good track record of management and performance skills. They will also want to know if you have the ability financially to be able to repay a loan, as well as what your current cash flow situation is. This will allow them to then figure if your business is capable of handling any extra debt. This is actually a good practice, because as much as you want to succeed, lenders want to see you succeed, as well.

Another factor that will come into play is you own personal credit history. If your own credit is great, you will get the loan; however, if you have problem credit or no credit at all, you may at first be declined, but you can talk with the lender to let them know what steps you have taken to turn your life and business around.

One way to make your chances of obtaining a loan better is to put up some form of collateral. This will help reduce the risk being taken by the lender in the event that you should default. This also shows lenders that you are willing to put your own personal property up for your business which shows confidence in your endeavors.

Sometimes, a loan will be declined because the presentation has been poorly written, there has not been enough collateral put up, there is not enough cash flow, or there is simply not the requisite amount of management experience needed.

Some of the main sources for small business funding and investment opportunities are:

Banks or credit unions, and sometimes finance companies are the primary sources of funding for small businesses. These institutions have small business departments that are experienced in handling small business loans. The best place to begin your search is at your own personal institution. It can work in your favor if you become more than just an acquaintance of the manager and the staff at the bank. Shy away from using the ATM for all of your business, and go inside and be friendly. This does not guarantee that you will get the loan, but it will help your presentation go much more smoothly.

As you can see, there is money out there for small businesses to take advantage of. With a carefully prepared proposal and the right approach, you will be able to obtain the funds that you need that will match your ability to repay.

Look into [http://www.capitalmatch.com.au]Small Business Funding – [http://www.capitalmatch.com.au/Investors.aspx?type=Inv]Investment Opportunities for your future.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Small-Business-Funding-Investment-Opportunities&id=6587663] Small Business Funding Investment Opportunities

3 Small Business Marketing Tips By Count Dracula

Author: , January 16, 2012, Leave a comment

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By Wesley B Murph

Ever watch Sesame Street?

Sure you have. It’s one of the most famous and long running television shows for children. And while most business owners may dismiss this show as something light and fluffy for kids, don’t make this mistake because there are a ton of small business marketing lesson going on in every single episode.

Take Count Dracula for example.

Remember this character?

He’s the guy with the pointed nose that teaches kids how to count. And have you ever noticed how Count Dracula enters the room bouncing up and down, like he’s walking on his toes? And that voice. Who can forget Count Dracula’s voice?

So anyways, I got to thinking about all the ways you can use Count Dracula to give your small business marketing a boost. And before you say this is silly, read this short article and see for yourself.

3 Small Business Marketing Tips By Count Dracula:

1. Successful marketing is all about your numbers.

Count Dracula’s specialty was teaching kids how to count. He did this by counting on his fingers, and by counting objects.

Small business marketing is all about counting numbers too. That’s all it boils down to… your numbers. Can Count Dracula add up all the money you made from your last campaign, or not? Did you add a hefty number of new customers to your business, or not?

So make sure you track your marketing so you know your numbers.

2. Add a big character to your marketing.

The cool thing about Count Dracula, and all the other characters on Sesame Street, is that they are unforgettable. This is done on purpose. For two reasons: First, the producers of Sesame Street want to give kids a reason to watch each show. And having strong (and memorable) characters does this. And second, strong characters help kids remember the lesson being taught. And that’s the #1 goal of Sesame Street.

Same goes for adding a strong (and fun) character to your marketing. It makes your marketing memorable. And it helps you get your message across.

3. Be somebody.

Notice how Count Dracula is somebody. He stands for something. He’s the guy who helps kids learn how to count. And as we were just saying in the last tip, for this reason he is memorable.

What do you stand for?

Who are you?

If I asked three of your customers to answer those questions, what would they tell me? Make sure nobody says, “Oh he’s the guy who sells me lawn supplies (or whatever you do)” because this makes you a common commodity. And that’s not the place you want to be.

So there you have it.

Three small business marketing tips by Count Dracula.

If you could use a steady flow of new customers, then head on over to:

http://www.TheMarketingManiac.net

Where you’ll be able to get your hands on 3 sizzling reports:

Report #1: The 10 Most Important Elements to a BLOCKBUSTER Marketing Campaign

Report #2: 3 Effortless Ways to Get 10 New Customers using the B.I.N. Method

Report #3: The Simple Marketing Strategy that Puts New Customers into Your Business Almost Instantly

http://www.TheMarketingManiac.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wesley_B_Murph
http://EzineArticles.com/?3-Small-Business-Marketing-Tips-By-Count-Dracula&id=6802350

 

 

Retail Businesses: Learning How To Compete

Author: , December 30, 2011, Leave a comment

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By Joseph Lizio

Consumers tend to be creatures of habit. They find something they like, something that meets their needs and they usually stick with it.

They tend to only change when something really, really compels them to do so – and that is not always price.

Retail businesses face a lot of competition; from similar size stores, online marketplaces and big box stores. These entities, if not managed for, can easily drive your retail company out of business.

But, all businesses lack something. And that something is shelf space.

No business can carry every item or even every style, shape or flavor of every item.

What this means is that these businesses or any business for that matter can’t satisfy all customers. And, if a customer cannot be satisfied, that is an opportunity for another business – namely your business.

Have you ever gone to a store to find a certain brand or a certain quality only to find that they either don’t carry it, quit carrying it or just are simply out of it (shown by the big empty space on the shelf where the item use to be)?

I know I have. If you have, then you understand that feeling. The feeling that you either have to go somewhere else (big waste of time) or settle for another item; an item that you either don’t want or that does not fully meet your needs.

Knowing that any one store (online or off) cannot be all things to all consumers opens up several ways in which retail businesses can compete – even against those big box stores; here are three of the top ways:

1) Offer More Selection:

Big stores like WalMart and Target carry a lot of products from household goods, clothes, toys and jewelry to furniture, music and food.

In order for them to carry that many different products, they can only carry a few styles or types of each item.

Go to your favorite big box store and try to find a pair of running shorts that are light blue in color. What you will find is that they carry different sizes of black or white shorts but not ones of different or unique colors.

These stores just don’t have the shelf space to carry all colors so they only carry items that they hope will resonate with a larger majority of consumers (standard items).

But, if your retail business can offer more colors or even more styles – your business can attract and retain those customers who want something more than just the standard product.

And, this does not just mean keeping a large selection of brand name goods as many times off brand products offer just as good or better quality at reasonable prices.

You’ve heard the old adage with many well known products that it’s not the product that commands that price as half the price is just in the name.

2) Keep Your Shelves Stocked:

I hate going to a store, a store that I know carries a certain product, only to find out that they are out of that product – that the store either did not order enough or that I was not there when the shipment came in.

I really hate it when I make that store my destination knowing that they carry that product only to drive all that way and find out they are out of that product.

Doing so, not having the products on hand that customers want, when they want them does not instill a loyalty in that customer.

If your can keep its shelves stock – stocked with products that your customers know they can come and get at any time – opens up an opportunity to instill a sense of loyalty in your customers as well as attract other, frustrated customers.

We are a very busy people. Thus, if we know, as consumers, that we can go to your store and always (ALWAYS) get what we want, we are more willing to pay a little more for that product and that convenience.

3) Quality:

Most online stores or big box stores compete on price. Thus, their suppliers have to provide them their cheapest products. And, as you may know, cheap usually means lower quality.

If your retail business can provide better quality, typically at higher prices, there are niche buyers who understand that quality can save them money over time and thus are willing to pay more now.

You go to a big box store or national online marketplace and buy a table top gas grill for $50. You make that selection based on price and price alone. This is what many of these discount stores rely on.

You get the product home and set it up. Within a month, the product is not working and you have to buy another. What do you do? Do you pay another $50 for the same product knowing that it may not last a month?

On the other hand, another buyer spends $90 in your store for a better quality gas grill. This grill last the buyer one year before it has to be replaced.

Who got the better the deal?

Remember, there are buyers out there, even the most frugal ones, who will spend more money now – make larger purchases – if they understand the long-term cost benefits of buying better products – of buying your higher quality products.

You just have to educate them. And, that means using your marketing efforts to not just let them know where to find you or to promote your latest sale – but, use that effort to educate them on the overall cost savings they will realize from buying from you.

Far too long have we seen big box stores enter local markets or online stores offer similar products just to watch local mom and pop operations fold up – taking away consumer choice and convenience.

It does not have to be this way if your retail business can learn how to compete. Learning to compete takes three things:

1) Understanding Your Competitors – finding their weaknesses and exploiting them.

2) Understanding Your Customers – Know what pains or needs your customers really have that are not being met or not being met fully and being flexible enough in your business to provide what they actually need or want.

3) Marketing – if you know your product offers better quality and thus more long-term costs saving, then you also have to let your customers know. Remember, customers are creatures of habit and to get them to switch to your business and buy your products; you really have to compel them to and not just hope that they will figure it out on their own.

If you want your retail small business to not only survive but to grow and prosper in this very competitive environment, then learn how your business can actually compete and win against those big boys.

Joseph Lizio holds a MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, is the founder of Business Money Today, has a strong commercial lending background and is regarded as an expert in business and finance – specifically business loans and SBA Loans.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Lizio
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retail-Businesses:-Learning-How-To-Compete&id=6785943

 

 

How to Use Facebook Videos to Promote Your Business

Author: , December 19, 2011, Leave a comment

 

© James Boudreaux | Dreamstime.com

By Daniel Dwase

Facebook videos are becoming popular as one of the most effective tools of online marketing and advertisement.

You can upload and share videos on Facebook to expose your products or services to a wider section of customers.

At the same time, videos can also be used as an efficient tool to drive additional online traffic to your website.

However, no business can achieve preset sales objectives, simply by creating a video and uploading it onto Facebook.

You have to consider a number of significant factors to promote your products, services and activities by posting videos on Facebook.

Create Consumer Awareness

While making Facebook videos for your business, you have to concentrate on its content.

Your video can be uploaded and shared on Facebook as a tool of direct marketing and sales.

As Facebook fans can view videos on your business page or profile, they can be made aware of products and services offered by your business.

When your video is able to impress your Facebook fans, they will be interested in availing more information about your advertised product by visiting your website.

Therefore, you must spend some time in deciding the message that you want to convey to both existing and prospective customers through your videos.

Use Videos To Build Your Online Reputation

In addition to promoting your products and services offered by your business, Facebook videos can also be used as a medium to create an online reputation and goodwill for your brand.

As most customers decide about buying a specific product only after conducting online searches, your online reputation and goodwill of your business will be helpful in boosting sales.

You can even highlight your expertise and niche by posting videos displaying feedbacks and testimonials of satisfied customers.

As these people have already used your product offered by your business, their experience will add more credibility to your videos posted on your Facebook fan page.

Include A Series Of Videos

You have options to make a longer video as well as multiple shorter videos.

Most marketers prefer to launch a video marketing campaign by uploading a series of shorter Facebook videos.

Related videos can further be uploaded simultaneously in a proper sequence.

You can even consider posting your first video on your Facebook fan page and the remaining parts of the series on your website.

When Facebook fans are impressed with the video posted on your fan page, they will be encouraged to visit your website to see the other videos.

Therefore, you can always consider making and posting a series of shorter videos.

Keep Your Audience Interested And Engaged

When you are making videos to post on your Facebook fan page, it is important to remember that the videos have to compete with thousands of other Facebook videos.

There are always chances your fans may not be interested to watch the videos completely due to poor video quality, irrelevant content and ineffective presentation.

Your videos will be able to achieve the desired marketing objectives, when they are effective in grabbing the attention of your Facebook fans and keeping them interested and engaged to watch the videos in full.

Daniel Dwase is a Facebook marketing expert. Visit his website today to discover How To Harness The Power Of Facebook To Make Massive Online Profits.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Dwase
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Use-Facebook-Videos-to-Promote-Your-Business&id=6745793

 

 

Using Personal Finance Tips To Grow Your Small Business

Author: , December 11, 2011, Leave a comment

© Andrey Andreev | Dreamstime.com

By Joseph Lizio

Every business guru states that you should keep your personal finances separate from your business finances. And, we could not agree more.

However, separating your business life from your personal life should only be about monetary transactions. We all learn life lessons (knowledge) that not only work in our personal lives but can easily translate to our business lives as well.

Knowledge is power after all and if it can help get you get ahead in your business then it really does not matter where that knowledge originated from.

To that note, there are many personal finance tips that relate very well to managing the financial aspect of your business.

Let’s review a few of them:

1) What You Need vs. What You Want:

You may want a Lamborghini but know that it is not a good vehicle for a small, growing family – it’s not good on gas, has no room for groceries and cannot take the kids to soccer practice. It just does not make sense for you – even though you would really like to have it.

The same goes for our business. You may want that 50,000 square foot building or that $50,000 piece of equipment. But, if your business cannot use those items to generate more revenue then they cost – then those types of purchases just do not make sense for your business.

And, it is just not capital purchases either. Do your employees really need a foosball table in the break room? Or, does your business really need that $500 per month T-1 line when a simple $50 per month DLS line would work just fine.

Being in business is not about satisfying what you want but taking asset that you need and leveraging them to grow the business – by bring in more revenue then that revenue costs to get.

If you don’t need it for your core business – then don’t waste your scarce money on it!

2) Living Pay Check To Pay Check:

If you over spend in your personal life, you usually run out of money before that next pay check comes in.

What happens is as soon as you get your pay check, you immediately look for ways to spend it – most of the time for things that leave you little or nothing to show for it. Some even spend their pay before they get it in their hands. Sure you had a great time, but that money runs out and runs out quickly.

Then, about half way between pay checks, a week after your last pay period and a week before your next pay day – you have an opportunity to do something really amazing – something that would either improve your life or maybe even bring in more money for your personal use.

But, you have to decline because you have no money to take advantage of it and the opportunity will not wait for you to get your next check.

This is a great lesson for business. Far too many businesses spend their revenue before or immediately after they get it – regardless if that spending does anything to perpetuate the business.

Example: I worked with a brand new business owner who was helping doctors and other medical professionals collect payments from insurance companies. I took this business owner around to all the independent doctor offices I could find and helped him pitch his services. One of these contacts bit and gave him some business. The doctor provided him with about $10,000 worth of claims to collect on. Immediately, this business owner was able to get about 90% of those claims to pay from which he received a 10% commission.

Now, instead of taking that $900 and putting it into his business – to grow his business or setting some of it aside for new opportunities – he used those funds, for personal reasons like a new gym membership, took his friends out to dinner and purchased the latest cell phone with a very expensive plan, not for his business, but for his personal use only.

What happened is that this doctor, who was really impressed with this business owner’s ability to collect, referred him to a college friend and colleague in a town about 85 miles away. However, this business owner had to decline the new business, not because he couldn’t do it or because he was too busy, but because he did not have the cash to drive to the other town.

Not only did this mean that the business owner missed out on new business, but the referring doctor, feeling let down, did not give him any additional business after this incident.

3) More Money Will Improve Your Life:

In our personal lives, if we find ourselves short of cash, we tend to look for more money. Get a bank loan or maybe even a payday loan. While this may work temporarily, giving us more money to spend, if we don’t change what we spend our money on, very quickly we end up right back in the same situation – short of cash and a life that is not improved but maybe worse off as we still have to pay for that new money.

In business, many entrepreneurs find that their expenses outweigh their revenue – especially if revenue is slipping. But, instead of looking at the business – what it is spending its money on or why it is losing or not growing revenue – the business owner thinks that just getting more money is the only answer.

If the business owner goes out and gets a business loan or brings in new partners or outside investors yet does not fix the problems that cause the cash flow issues in the first place, not only will more money not help the business but could drive it further into its financial hole – causing more problems and maybe even resulting in the business being shut down.

4) If It Doesn’t Work, Don’t Keep Doing It:

Too many people throw good money after bad. It is OK to make mistakes. You learn from them and move on. But, if you don’t learn and continue to do the same thing, you are destined to fail again.

I have a neighbor that did not want to purchase a $1,000 riding lawn mower – he had other things to spend his money on. So, he found a used mower in the paper and paid $500 for it. Two weeks later it broke down and would cost about $200 to fix it. Instead of fixing it, he went back to the paper and purchased another used mower for $500. Again, this one broke down and he did not want to spend the money to fix it – said it was a waste. However, this time, he went to Craig’s list and found another used mower – but this one was only $400. And, boy was he happy.

But, in the end, he spent $1,400 and a lot of time instead of buying a brand new $1,000 mower. Plus, I don’t think this $400 mower is working anymore as he has not mowed his grass for months.

In business I see companies throw tons of money at their advertising but never get any additional results from it – they just think that is what they should be doing.

So, instead of finding out where their potential customers are they stick with the same old thing – throwing good money after bad.

Thus, they advertise in the same paper each month but see no new revenue for that expense.

All things in business should be measurable. If they measure up to expectation, then continue to do them. If they don’t, scrap them and try something else.

If you spend a $1,000 a month in print advertising and it is not bringing in at least $1,000 in new revenue – then why keep doing it. Try something else, like advertising online (in places your customers hang out) or on TV during a show your customers watch. Then, measure the results. If they are better then what you were doing, your business is just that much better off.

There are things in business that should be keep separate like your business bank account, business expenses, financial statements and business credit cards. This just keeps your records more easy to manage and by not co-mingling funds, can keep you out of trouble with the IRS.

But, when it comes to knowledge, regardless of where you learn it, if it can be used to better your small business, then by all means – co-mingle that knowledge and grow your company into the success that is could always be.

Joseph Lizio holds a MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, is the founder of Business Money Today, has a strong commercial lending background and is regarded as an expert in business and finance – specifically business loans and working capital.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Lizio
http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Personal-Finance-Tips-To-Grow-Your-Small-Business&id=6739762

 

 

Indirectly Accessing Government Grants

Author: , November 29, 2011, Leave a comment

© Andrey Andreev | Dreamstime.com

By Joseph Lizio

Government grants, or any grants for that matter, are probably one of the most sought after resource by business owners.

Grants are essentially free business capital (free money that does not have to be paid back) and, if acquired, can go along way in providing needed resources to help businesses with immediate cash flow issues or to attract and win new business.

But, these grants, especially government grants, are extremely hard to get unless your business is tax exempt or a non-profit organization.

You hear this from nearly every expert or official on the planet – from Business.gov to SCORE and even from the Small Business Administration (SBA); who constantly state that there are no grants programs for ‘for-profit’ businesses – the government (federal, state or local) does not provide grants directly to businesses to either start-up that business or to cover operating expenses.

And, for the most part this is very true. The government does not usually provide grant funds directly to businesses. But, businesses can access these funds in an indirect manner as most grant funding is allocated to government entities (federal, state and local) for distribution within their local areas.

Take an example of the federal transportation grants as part of the recent stimulus package. Let’s say your city wants to purchase new buses for public transportation. Your city can apply for these stimulus grants to get the funding to purchase the new buses. The federal government agrees with your city and prepares to send the funding but stipulates that any purchase with these funds has to comply with the new emission standards – meaning the buses have to be green.

Now, when your city receives the grant funds, it has to go to a non-government company / manufacturer to purchase these vehicles as no government entity manufactures buses.

Your city officials will request bids from local and national transportation manufacturers outlining the emission standards that need to be met as well as their process for accepting bids.

If your company can meet those standards and win the bid, your company will essentially indirectly access those federal grant funds.

Keep in mind that your city, county, state or even federal governmental departments use grant funds to make all types of purchases from durables goods like buses, computers and office furniture to services like building construction, road maintenance and in-house child care; just to name a few.

To find out what type of grant programs your local and state governments are requesting bids for, simply call your mayor’s office, county administration offices, state governor’s office or visit your local chamber of commerce and ask about their community development grant or other grant programs.

All of these groups can point you to the right information for your local or state area.

I have seen numerous businesses actually start new companies just to bid on and fulfill these grants request.

Think about it. Your local government is struggling to revitalize your local downtown area and has solicited a grant to redesign the entire area in hopes of bringing in more businesses as well as more of the spending public. For this redesign your city officials are requesting bids for all types of services from urban planning and architecture to actual construction and landscaping for both buildings and parking area.

Now, let’s say that you are thinking about entering the green business industry and want to create a company around this new idea. You quickly form a company and submit a bid to the city to design and build new green area within the downtown area to include the top of all government offices. If you win the bid, you have then indirectly accessed government or federal grant money.

Additionally, even if there are no grants already allocated to / for a product or service your business provides, you can always submit a white paper to your local grant authority outlining the benefits of your products or services.

If they agree that your products are something the area, region or state needs, then they can solicit federal grant funds on your behalf. They apply for and receive the grant funds then in turn purchase your offerings. You just have to sell them on the benefits of your products and services.

Lastly, keep in mind that these federal or state grants are not open funds to help you just start any business you want or to cover your operating costs or losses – the entities that distribute these funds must receive something in return – either some product or service they need or products or services that will benefit the community at large.

Just because you or your business may not be able to directly obtain federal or state grants it does not mean you can’t get your hands on those funds. You just have to understand the rules of these grants as well as be willing to go out and either win these bids or sell yourself and your business to these granting entities – educating them on how your company can help them and those in your communities.

Joseph Lizio holds a MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, is the founder of Business Money Today, has a strong commercial lending background and is regarded as an expert in business and finance – specifically business loans and working capital.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Lizio
http://EzineArticles.com/?Indirectly-Accessing-Government-Grants&id=6263452

 

 

Tips For Online Copywriting That Gets Results

Author: , November 21, 2011, Leave a comment

© James Boudreaux | Dreamstime.com

By Brian Birnbaum

To create effective online copy, it’s important to keep a few key points in mind. When we write for a marketing purpose, our whole reason for communicating is to get action from our reading audience.

So…

How do we get people to take action? Try and apply the following principles in mind and there’s a good chance you’ll see an increase in consumer response.

1) Omit Needless Words – This title actually made up an entire paragraph in a famous book about writing well and it’s a great concept to keep in mind. People tend to have less patience when they’re reading online so you’re well advised to keep it as short as possible.

a) Use one thought or idea per paragraph

b) Try and use between 14 and 16 words in each sentence. Less is okay, more is not. Long sentences confuse people.

c) Use simple language

d) Don’t use jargon unless most of your readers understand what it means

2) Talk About Your Prospects’ Issues – Many writers and marketers make the error of talking about themselves rather than talking about things their prospects will find interesting. The truth is, people are only interested in your product and service for their own reasons, not yours. So it’s up to you to figure out what will be attractive about your company for the majority of people reading your online copy. If you can grab their attention right away and show that you understand why they’re searching for a product or service like yours in the first place, you’ve got a great chance of converting them into customers.

This principle is especially true for online writing because people are quick to click away if they don’t become intrigued right away.

3) Write Conversationally and Casually – Think about sitting across from a friend and talking about your company, product and service. Now, use similar language when you sit down to write your web copy. People don’t want to do business with an uptight and standoffish person, they want to work with a friendly and approachable businessperson.

4) Use Features and Benefits - This is one of the most powerful methods of convincing prospects that your product or service is right for them. A feature is what your product does and a benefit is how it helps. Explain exactly what the prospect will get out of buying your goods. And the more specific you can be, the easier it will be for your target market to understand why they need you. Don’t rely on imagination because the truth is, many people don’t have it and many that do have it, don’t use it.

Online copywriting is very similar to print writing but there are some important differences. If you keep in mind the principles discussed in this article, you should be well on your way to developing solid results-first digital copy.

Brian Birnbaum is a Toronto Marketing Copywriter and consultant. He helps business owners and marketing professionals create high-quality and effective collateral.

He intends to take Copywriting in Toronto to the next level through breakthrough strategy and planning.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Birnbaum
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-For-Online-Copywriting-That-Gets-Results&id=6669398

 

 

Support Local Small Business this Holiday Season

Author: , November 18, 2011, Leave a comment
© Franz Pfluegl | Dreamstime.com

I received one of those chain e-mails today and although I didn’t agree with the entire contents, I believe that it had some good ideas about how we can support local business this holiday season. Many people are struggling to keep things afloat as the economic recession has affected large segments of our society. Let’s look around the community during this gift giving time and think of ways to support local small businesses as well as give a useful gift to your recipients. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

  • Everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon, or barber? Don’t forget manicures and pedicures or if you want to be more extravagant, what about a Day Spa pass.
  •  Gyms, yoga class, dance classes, and martial arts classes are appropriate for people of all ages. Don’t forget other classes in music and visual arts.
  • Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Detail shops, and car washes, would love to sell you a gift certificate, or a book of gift certificates. Don’t forget about an oil change -that is something every car owner needs every three months.
  • There are a wonderful independently owned restaurants, cafes, and small eateries in every small town and local area and almost all offer gift certificates. Remember, this isn’t about supporting the national chains -it’s about supporting the local business owners.
  • The services of a home cleaning team would be a great gift for an elderly person or a young working mother. Computer services like tune-ups and other maintenance we need and often forget or don’t know how to do.
  • If you want something more personal, look to local crafts people who create jewelry, pottery, sewn and knitted items, as well as beautifully crafted wood items.
  • What about live performance? Most area’s have a  variety of venues for music, dance, and theater.

So now it’s up to you. I have given you a start, so get creative, use your imagination, and buy local.

Great Options For Small Business Marketing

Author: , November 16, 2011, Leave a comment

© James Boudreaux | Dreamstime.com

By Brian Birnbaum

Many small businesses don’t have huge budgets for their marketing but still want to get real results. There are two questions important to most businesses before they start a marketing campaign.

1) What ways can we market our business?

2) Once we know the different possibilities, what do we choose?

Frankly, both questions are fairly easy to answer. For small businesses with a limited budget, some marketing methods are ruled out right away.

These include: Television, radio and billboard. The good news is, these marketing mediums aren’t appropriate for a small business with a certain limited target market anyway! This is simply because they target large numbers of people over a large geographic area, rather than a specific group of people in a certain area of a city (for example).

So the results are narrowed down for us and will tend to be more effective for small businesses anyway.

These methods include:

1) Direct Mail

2) Website

3) Newspaper and Magazine Advertising

4) Cold Calling

5) Print Collateral

6) Email Marketing

All of the above methods can and do work for hundreds of thousands of small businesses all around the world. So, which is right for you?

That depends, for example, many people hate cold calling. The thought of picking up a telephone and trying to ‘sell’ a stranger makes them break out into a cold sweat, wake up in the middle of the night shivering and shaking and feeling sick to their stomach. However, if you don’t mind the thought of cold calling, it can be a fantastic way of generating business, especially if you’re selling personal services. With a bit of knowledge and the law of averages, you’ll be able to generate business fairly quickly and cheaply.

Direct mail is a very effective tool if used correctly. If you have built up a list of contacts and they are the type of people who will be interested or have bought the type of product or service you sell, you’ll have a good chance of getting a solid response. Of course, much direct mail is shipped to a certain zip or area code and could be mistaken for junk mail. It’s easier to send to many, but cheaper and smarter to send to a targeted list.

Print Collateral such as brochures and corporate identity pieces (letterhead, business cards etc.) are a good way to let people know who you are without being abrasive or in your face. Make sure you follow up after people look at your print pieces because many times, even if they like what you represent, they won’t bother to get in touch.

Newspaper and magazine advertising can work well if a) the creative is well done and b) you’ve included your ad in the right publication. Magazine and newspaper publications can be a cost effective marketing choice because there are so many different publications to choose from. Obviously, small businesses are unlikely to advertise in a national paper because of cost but there are still many options.

Email Marketing is an effective approach to lead generation if it is done well. Take time to build a good list, make sure you are sending people something of value in your communications and balance your sales emails with informational emails. Don’t blast people with three or four a week or they’ll see you as a nuisance.

A website is a bare minimum these days but if well thought-out, it can generate many new leads. Give consumers all of the information they’ll need to make an informed decision about your company and be sure to talk about issues the reader will find important.

The choice is yours in terms of what sort of marketing to choose, but I will suggest you pick no more than two or three methods and just give them a go. You have a lot to gain if they succeed.

Toronto Copywriter Brian Birnbaum helps small businesses get more exposure and spend their marketing dollars wisely. He knows how to increase consumer response and he’s worked with companies in many different industries during his career.

As a copywriter in Toronto Brian focuses on daily growth and providing maximum value to his clients.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Birnbaum
http://EzineArticles.com/?Great-Options-For-Small-Business-Marketing&id=6673310

 

 

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