Gear up your Marketing

Ask yourself these questions:

• Redefine your purpose – What would you like to occur differently?
• Have you seen your market change in the past year? How will you adapt?
• Do you know what led your customers to purchase or utilize your services? If you aren’t keeping track of this or asking why you were ultimately selected, you may want to implement tracking the million dollar question.
• What is your value proposition?
• Are you engaging your company in social media? How? More importantly how often?
• Do you blog? If not, what is holding you back? What topics are your clientele interested in?

According to:

Some small business owners think that because content marketing is essentially free, it’s not worth devoting time to. But the truth is, the less money you’re prepared to spend on content and social media, the more time you will need to devote for it to be effective.

                                                      — Melinda Emerson, America’s Small Business Expert

• Do you think your messaging needs to be tweaked or changed altogether?
• Is your website mobile and tablet friendly? If not add that to the list. Time spent on mobile digital media is growing, currently at 51% compared to 42% for desktop.*
• Do you advertise your business to prior website visitors?
• Are there any changing trends that may affect how you market to your customer?
• Would you choose yourself?

* According a Mary Meeker report (partner/analyst at KPCB)

There is no substitute for experience

In the playoffs, baseball teams call on their skilled veterans to lead them to a championship. Movie studios enlist a talented director when they need a box-office hit. And when Uncle Sam authorizes an important military operation, he relies on the practiced prowess of the Marines.

Indeed, whether you’re looking to save the world or save your business, there’s no substitute for experience.

And yet, so many companies cut corners and choose the least expensive options available. As they say, however, you get what you pay for. Investing on the cheap ultimately yields cheap results that can leave an unfavorable impression on clients, who always demand quality. This is especially true when it comes to investing in marketing and promotions, which is crucial during an economic downturn, as getting your name out there can reap huge dividends.

Shopping for products, services and resources strictly based on lowest price can be a recipe for disaster. Inexpensive often equates to inexperienced, inefficient and incompetent, which results in frustration and even higher costs when the work has to be salvaged or redone by someone else.

So remember: Price isn’t the only factor you should be considering. Weigh the value of experience and talent, too, which doesn’t automatically have to mean “expensive.”

Is your site mobile responsive?

You want mobile visitors to your website to have the best experience possible, right? Is your site mobile responsive?

Take the test to find out!

The goal of a mobile responsive website is to make the website as easy

as possible for the mobile user. Mobile users are likely searching for a quick answer (compared to a desktop search) for addresses, directions, phone numbers, restaurants and even movie reviews.

Mobile users are searching for text-based phone numbers, physical addresses and directions, or email addresses that can trigger a call, or an email message. And they want an instant answer.

Small image sizes are ideal to allow for fast loading over mobile connections – don’t count on even a 3G connection. Page speed has been a confirmed ranking factor for a while now, and it will be even more important for mobile in the months to come. Remember, a fast site is critical to improving the user experience in Google’s eyes, and a fast mobile site will be even more so.

If you have a street or storefront location there is more good news:

According to Google, mobile is the new local guide with 30% of all mobile searches are related to location –Source Google search data, global, April 2016.

76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit that business within a day AND 28% of those searches result in a purchase. –Source Google/Purchased Digital Diary:  How Consumers Solve their Needs in the Moment, May, 2016. 

 

Contact us today to discuss your mobile website options. And remember that we appreciate and are never too busy to handle your referrals!

What’s your next move?

A business owner once asked me what the secret is to boosting his bottom line. I said that it was no secret. There are two proven methods to increase revenue in any industry: (1) get new customers in the door; (2) convert your existing customers to purchase your other product and service offerings.

Fine, the owner told me, but how could he accomplish both goals? Simple, I said: Get the good word out about what you have to offer via shrewd promotion and advertising.

So ask yourself: What’s my next marketing move? What plan do I have in place to increase exposure for my company? How is “business as usual” working out for me?

In an economic downturn, a company’s first instinct is usually to reduce spending on   marketing efforts. But that’s a choice you may later regret. According to results from the McGraw-Hill Research Laboratory of Advertising Performance Report, companies that maintain or increase their advertising expenditures during a recession averaged significantly higher sales growth during and after the recession than those that eliminated or decreased advertising.

Here are a few quick tips to get your marketing in the “go” mode:

1.  Re-evaluate how and how often you reach out to your existing client base.

2.  Examine all the marketing expenses you’ve made in the past year and review any changes that may have occurred in your plan or in your budget. Determine if calls have picked up or dropped off as changes have been made to our program.

3.  Develop a strong, new and improved marketing plan that efficiently targets your ideal audience.

4.  Expand your networking possibilities. Consider joining a business networking group like LeTip (once you join a local chapter, your competition is prohibited from joining). Also, establish a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and any industry-specific social media sites, such as Houzz. These are relatively low-and no-cost options.

A picture says a thousand words

Your photographic image is just as important as your public image. So when it’s time to take pictures of your latest creations, snap head shots of your staff or give the green light to create a rendering, it pays to be prepared.

An image that is out of focus, poorly lit, improperly framed or featuring a subject who looks less than happy can create negative public perceptions. And if the photo or graphic isn’t up to par with an editor’s expectations, its chances of making it into print are slim at best.

We know what newspapers, magazines and online publications look for in electronic images—including interesting angles, acceptable lighting and composition standards, minimum resolution and size, and preferred file formats. We can also recommend professional photographers and talented rendering artists for projects that require an expert’s skill. Make your advertisement, press release or Web page sing with colorful photos and attention-getting artwork. Call or e-mail us today to learn more about these picture-perfect possibilities.

There IS always someone who will do it cheaper – So what are you going to do about it?

I was recently at a roundtable discussion comprised of long-time business owners offering sage advice. These are always worthwhile. One person spoke and said “the best client is the one I didn’t take.” That thought resonated with me and I thought of some of my past prospect dealings over the years and began to think of warning signs that I may have overlooked that could be passed on to save someone else from an unfortunate experience. Sometimes it is better to have no business than the wrong kind of business. Working with a wrong client in the name of getting business will suck the life out of you, is not worth the pay and will make you wonder why you ever did business with them in the first place. Here are a few thoughts:

1.  Promise of future work for less money now – It never works out that way and can be a red flag – is that how they conduct their business? Be wary – Let them know you would be happy to offer a lower rate if they sign a long-term contract with the lower price structure kicking in on the back end. Chances are they’ll go elsewhere.

2.  Folks that want pricing over the phone but are too busy to grant you a meeting to determine the scope of their project – Phone estimates may be fine and standard practice with some businesses but for others it can be a colossal waste of time. “I would be happy to meet with you when your schedule clears…”

3.  Want a lower price? If you truly cannot make it work, lower the job specifications. Ask if you are the first business contacted. If so, they may need to educate themselves as to the market rate for certain services by contacting others. They may be calling you back after a reality check.

4.  Do listen well to their concerns before responding – the prospect may have had a negative experience with a similar product or service in the past causing them to object to your sales process and pricing structure.

5.  Beware of unreasonable requests – Such as excessive appointments, requests to meet on Sundays or when they take phone calls repeatedly during your meeting or load up more deliverables than specified in your basic agreement. Don’t waste your time on disrespectful or unreasonable prospects.

The client you didn’t take could be the one that drains you of your time and resources. These types are also taking precious time from your loyal clients who already value your services. Most importantly, if you have a bad feeling about someone that wants to do business with you follow your gut instinct; it will never fail you. Perform due diligence first. If the interested party is not a referral try to find out who they have worked with in the past and why they are no longer engaged.

I hope you enjoyed a favorite Facebook picture circulating out there (photographer unknown).

What sets you apart from the competition?

If you hesitated to answer this question, it’s time for an identity check. Differentiating your business from rivals and knowing how to creatively market the ways in which you’re unique can go a long way toward converting a tire kicker into a satisfied customer. Do you know what your challengers are up to? When was the last time you shopped the competition? In this market, it’s vital to stand out from the crowd and offer enticing alternatives to what has become commonplace and clichéd. From offering inventive incentives to branding a new and improved identity, we can show you how to garner positive attention and create a distinguished, distinctive image that will put you well ahead of the pack. Contact us today for more details.