Marketing

We’ve covered SEO, YouTube marketing and customer retention in recent blogs. Now let’s pay attention to the 800-lb gorilla in online marketing.

I’m talking about Google, of course. In addition to PPC (AdWords) and organic search optimization (on-site linking and content development), there are ways to leverage Google to promote your business and grow your customer base. Think of this as low-hanging fruit that will raise your profile online.

These tools that are free and relatively low-effort. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Google My Business

Want some free advertising on Google? Then claim your Google My Business (formerly Google Places) listing to have your business featured in search results and in Google Maps.

After logging into your Google account (or creating one if you haven’t already), you can claim your business listing or enter one if they don’t already have it. This process will also create a Google+ profile for your business, which will link you to the network of Google platforms and tools.

With a Google My Business listing, searchers will see your location, address, phone number, reviews, hours and a photo. That’s a ton of your business information shown to a customer on page one of the search results page.

Don’t have a brick-and-mortar storefront? No problem. If your business serves customers at their homes or business, you should list your business as a “service area business.” Or, if you do business completely online, list as a “Brand” and your Google+ page will link customers directly to your ecommerce portal.

GMB also gives you a review page for your customers to leave public feedback. You should always encourage customers to leave a review. If you use WordPress, the best free plugin to showcase your Google My […]

Once upon a time, customers didn’t know how to solve their own problems. They had to rely on salespeople who had “solutions.”

Salespeople didn’t necessarily always have a deep understanding of what the problem was, because they didn’t have to. What they were selling was “close enough,” and the customer could take it or leave it.

Today, customers are more in control than they have ever been. They make their purchasing decisions (researching products, comparing pricing, reading reviews) before they ever talk to a salesperson or end up on a website with intent to buy. This means it’s up to you, the business owner and/or the salesperson, to build a relationship early on and show the customer how the product or service you offer uniquely solves the problem they’re having.

Think about it. Your customers hope your product fills a basic need or desire they have. You have only to convince them that it does. That’s your job.

Remember: Your business isn’t about your product or your service. It’s about your customer. And it’s about building that relationship. Part of relationship-building is building trust. You want lifelong customers here—not one-night stands. So stop trying to score on the first date.

What does this mean? If your product is inexpensive and the market is based entirely on impulse buys, a “buy now” button on the first point of contact may be appropriate.

But if you’re selling a high-dollar product or an ongoing service, or if your business model is B2B (where buying decisions might require the approval of several decision makers), you need to shift your focus from closing the deal immediately to educating your customers and building trust.

A “learn more” button on your website that collects names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other […]

Entrepreneurs and business owners in general are guilty of a BIG mistake.

Over and over, they tend to see social media as more of a nuisance than an opportunity. It’s not that they don’t understand the importance of social outreach. It’s that they don’t have time for it.

They’re also wondering if it’s worth their trouble.

Today I’m going to talk about why social marketing is worth your trouble and how you can do it effectively. Here are the strategies that I’ve seen work. These strategies not only help busy entrepreneurs get their brand in front of a huge audience—they also actually end up bringing a huge return on a relatively small investment of time.

Note: Most of these points pertain to your blog and to Facebook, but you’ll find much of it applies to Twitter, Instagram, and how you set up content on your business website as well.

Let’s get started.

Define Your Goals

Write out what you plan to achieve with social marketing. Do you want more interaction with potential customers? Do you want better relations with existing customers? Are you seeking new leads for sales? Or are you floating new product ideas to your customer base?

Have a clear plan for your social media strategies and your expected results. If you open a bunch of accounts and start posting without coming up with a strategy first, you’re doing it wrong. Your social outreach will end up being a huge time suck with little to no reward for your business.

Look Beyond Facebook

These days Facebook makes it hard for businesses to market to their fans. You can post to your page and only a tiny percentage of your followers will even see it. Facebook wants you to pay for more visibility; […]