Results that match "Small+business"
I love reading the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sections of websites – sometimes before even reading company information in the About section or product specs via the Product tab. I like doing this for a few reasons:
1. More organic. Since the material is written to answer questions or solve problems, it usually shies away from simply broadcasting the product’s features. As such, the tone is very different from that of traditional brochureware.
2. More revealing. The selection of sample questions to which they have provided responses tells me a lot about the company. What do they feel is most relevant for potential customers to know? Conversely, what should customers not know or what questions do they not anticipate customers asking?
As both a creative and an analyst, I can extract a lot about a company just from its FAQ section.
As a bonus, when available, I love clicking on the option at the bottom of the webpage that asks, ‘Was this page helpful?’ I never get bored seeing that question.
So, then, should company websites be entirely comprised of FAQs?
Perhaps. Nowadays, I’ve begun to notice a trend in converting FAQ-type content into the company’s external online community. You will notice these URLs for the portals as http://community.CompanyX.com or http://support.CompanyX.com.
The community can serve various purposes. The first one is obvious: facilitate self-service and make it findable, reducing the strain on the contact center and others responsible for handling direct inquiries or requests.
Moving beyond the FAQ format, the community can extend to include new product announcements, promotions, and other information relevant to customers or prospective customers. In this way, the ‘marketing’ material is peripheral to the content that users actively seek out – useful, but not intrusive.
If I build it, will they come?
One of the biggest complaints about creating a new platform for users – whether for customers or employees – can be debated via the question, Who will end up using it?
As with any technology, people will only use it when they discover and experience value. After the discovery phase comes validation – OK, great, the community website content answered questions and helped them understand more about using a particular product or service – but what comes next is crucial: diffusion, or spreading the good word about that experience.
The main community webpage for Cisco.
Of course, all companies pin their hopes on word-of-mouth marketing, but online communities need it even more, because the deepest value comes from content that’s written, edited, commented on, liked, and shared by users. By extension, a community needs to not only build momentum but also sustain it for the benefit of all of its members.
Indeed, an active community’s most active content contributors may very well become its loyal customers who are more than happy to share their experiences with others.
Final Thought: Today’s customer would rather find an answer on his or her own, rather than spend time on the phone with the call center. Creating the tools to deliver a unique experience will create legions of happy customers and a marked improvement to the bottom line. Your marketing writers could be the missing link to delivering expert service, delivering efficiency and driving down costs in the process.
ChangeU: for your independent study…
As a creative, I enjoy connecting the dots and developing messages.
What I don’t enjoy, however, is not having anyone read those messages. Clearly, writing or blogging into a black hole is not fun.
And if I’m not having fun writing, then no one is going to have fun distributing or pushing out those messages, and no one will have fun actually reading those messages. A very boring value chain, indeed.
That’s why these days I’m all about measurement, and thanks to social and digital technologies, I can receive feedback in real time as to whether my messages – blogposts, articles, slideshows, and the like – are resonating with an intended audience.
Old Faithful
Email is a perfect channel through with to push out marketing messages. The traditional ‘email newsletter’ has evolved, of course, and companies have learned that a one-size-fits-all approach to pushing out marketing messages via email is outdated (not to mention annoying to customers and prospects alike).
Demand generation is the modern framework for considering email as a necessary marketing resource. Email has clearly evolved, and for many organizations, has become the marketing channel of choice, as messages are sent directly and personally to users and current technologies allow the marketer to measure every interaction along the way – deliverability, open rates, clicking on links, and more.
But, isn’t it just creating more spam?
Yes and no. The volume of email that we all receive each day does indeed turn our blinders on to messages that do not address our needs at that very moment, but marketers are aware that automated email messages do get noticed based on two factors:
1. Compelling headline. Even in 2014, marketers will insist that the subject line of the email read something boring like, ‘News from Acme Corporation,’ when we all know that these emails get skipped. When creating email subject lines, take a cue from Huffington Post or Gawker and express the content in a compelling, vibrant, or intriguing way. This may mean that the email content may need to shift somewhat, to explain or elaborate on the headline, but it will be well worth it.
2. Search. As Google correctly predicted when it launched Gmail in 2004, people would begin to use their own Inboxes to search. As email accumulates, and as users try to recall content sent to them over time by various senders, people will perform searches in their Inbox when attempting to access content they need. If marketers position content properly, emails will not get deleted and instead appear during routine searches – perhaps leading to contact or transaction with the company.
Final Thought: As the technology driving promotional email campaigns has evolved, it may be time to upgrade your email platform. You may not have the same platform needs as IBM, but given our marching orders to consistently measure content performance, it makes sense to investigate the various options that exist.
And Change3 can assist you in the selection of a demand generation vendor.
ChangeU: For independent study…
Co-authored by LaShaun Williams, Content Manager
When developing your social media strategy it is crucial to consider who your market is, what market you are in, and what type of services/product you offer; it can’t be a one size fits all kind of plan.
Here are some tips to noodle on when considering what is best for your small business.
1. Spread word of mouth
If you are a consumer business, retailer with a physical location, or have a specific item that is shippable, then social media can be an invaluable way to spread the word about your services or products. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide a great place to publish if you have a following and need to get the word out and engage with a broader audience. Nothing is better than your own customers Liking your page on Facebook, then sharing or tweeting about your services with their own network. These platforms can be useful in letting you know who your customers are and if your social media strategy is effective. Additionally, these very customers will become your biggest advocates -- driving traffic right to your store.
2. Offer Coupons
I really like what Amazon is doing right now with it's Twitter strategy, which includes a contest to win one of several $500 egift cards if you follow them and retweet the contest tweet. Tweets about coupons - particularly if they happen on a regular basis, can be very effective way to engage your customers and ensure that they follow your company's Twitter handle. Here's what Amazon's looks like:
Did you know we have coupons? Check out this weeks batch! http://t.co/mZv5WJpeyw
— Amazon (@amazon) February 24, 2014
3. Establish thought leadership
No physical location? If you are a virtual business and do not necessarily have services/products that are shippable, social media is an excellent way to establish thought leadership to change the way your customers think. Become an expert. Launch a website, then create some interesting and relevant content, such as how-to-guides, useful tips, research, or anything that will inform the customer and make them smarter about a particular product or service. Another creative way to use social media in this virtual business scenario is to put aside a small budget to place ads on Facebook or Twitter -- it’s a whole lot cheaper than billboards.
4. Establish a presence
Not a consumer business? If you are a B2B company, then a professional social media site like LinkedIn will prove useful. Actively nurture your contacts and participate in discussions, as this will give you visibility among professionals that may cater to your services/products. You can also use Twitter to follow other businesses’ Twitter feeds, which again gives you visibility, allowing you to build your audience and find potential customers from their list of followers. However, these business owners must have a good strategy, which includes having the right tools (smart phones, computer), the time, and skill to manage social media platforms regularly -- at the very least once a week. This is important because everything is visible on social media, and so quick follow through is paramount to establishing a presence and sending the right message to customers.
Final thought: Consider your social media strategy carefully - it should be an outlet for how you communicate with your customers and prospects. Use these tools to reinforce your business goals by aligning your social media content with the things that are on in your business. And, remember: social media does not replace your personal touch OR having your website. Use social media to meet customers/prospects, and then use your own website and/or physical location to allow them to better get to know you.
ChangeU: For your independent study…
The "Ultimate" Small Business Guide to Social Media Marketing: http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/community-blogs/small-business-matters/ultimate-small-business-guide-social-media-marketing
With over 53 million local reviews and 120 million monthly unique visitors, Yelp is considered the leading review site on the Web. Indeed, ‘to Yelp’ is a verb meaning to review a local business online, and a Yelper is one who actively participates on the site. It’s part of our culture!
A public profile on the site is considered a must for local businesses, especially restaurants.
Customers leave reviews, and other users use these reviews when considering visiting a local business. Reviews and ratings for a business stack up, democratizing the process of choosing to eat at the new Thai restaurant or trying out a new nail salon. Further, users can rate reviews ‘Useful,’ ‘Cool,’ or ‘Funny.’ (Yelp’s editors do keep things lighthearted.)
Let’s take a look at some features and best practices for participating on Yelp, and using the network to promote your business.
Make It Fun: Contests, Games, Rewards
First off, make it fun! Encourage your customers to check out your Yelp page. Display the Yelp sticker on your front door, and in your collateral materials – brochures, menus, business cards, and the like – mention Yelp and your wish for your customers to review your establishment.
In addition to encouraging customers to write and post reviews, which are generally more time consuming, ask them to instead take photos, check in, or leave Quick Tips, which are faster and much easier. Plus, you still get engagement and free social content. Yay!
(Extra credit: ask your Yelping customers to cross-publish their reviews, tips, and photos to their Facebook, Twitter, and other social profiles for even more engagement. Even more extra credit: ask your Yelpers to first take photos – and beautify them -- with Instagram, and then re-post to your Yelp profile.)
Meet Your Yelp Community Manager
Of the hundreds of communities on Yelp – Yelp is now in 24 countries – there is a Community Manager. Unlike reviewers, who are not paid to contribute reviews, photos, comments, tips, and information on the site, Community Managers are paid employees of the company, and their job is to ensure that reviews keep going unabated.
The email address for your local Community Manager is usually [email protected].
Community Managers also plan local events, bringing together business owners and reviewers. As an alternative to paid advertising, you could participate in these events by offering up your venue, catering food, providing a free giveaway, or some other way to get your name out in front of local Yelpers. (Again this is not mandatory, and your decline to participate will not affect your profile on Yelp.)
Do I Have To Pay for Advertising?
Yelp derives 100% of its income from advertising, but you do not need to spend on advertising in order to unlock value from your participation on Yelp.
However, if you hear from a local Yelp advertising salesperson, don’t be alarmed – hear them out and learn about what they offer.
One promotion you might wish to consider is offering a special for checking in. Much like geolocation app Foursquare, Yelp has increased its mobile engagement features, and allows merchants to offer discounts, freebies, and specials (called Yelp Deals) to users who check in or leave a tip at their establishment. Your local Yelp advertising representative would be able to set up a promotion like this for your business.
There were rumors a few years ago that Yelp would only favor businesses who advertised, pushing those who did not further down in search results (i.e, if someone searched on ‘dry cleaner’ and ‘Phoenix,’), but after a few legal challenges, Yelp has pledged that the site is completely democratic and review-driven.
What If I Get a Bad Review?
Every business on Yelp has received negative or unfavorable reviews. What to do? For one thing, do not ignore it. As the business owner, you can respond to the review publicly, and also reach out individually to the Yelp member and offer to make things right.
This actually does not happen too often so taking the time to respond positively and in a timely manner shows your commitment to providing excellent customer service – and also displaying proper social media etiquette! Go you!
(Yelp Business Owner Secret: you can communicate directly with customers via the Yelp platform, privately or publicly – your choice.)
Not the Only Game in Town
Besides Yelp, there exist many other review sites. Here are some worth considering:
The list goes on, and some specialty review sites exist for physicians and other professions. Your experience with Yelp will certainly support your ability to deal with other review sites.
Getting Started
As with any social media profile, you should stake your claim before someone else – perhaps one of your customers – already starts. Yelp makes it very easy for you to get started, and the good news is that once you claim your business, you can upload your own photos, add important info like phone numbers, hours, parking, and methods of payment, and begin to truly see how the community reacts and engages.
Like any social media site, features, design, and navigation will continue to change over time. Your Yelp community manager, local advertising representative, and most importantly, your customers, will help you unlock Yelp’s true potential as a marketing platform.
Final Thought: A strong Yelp presence should be a substantial component of your marketing and social media strategy.
Not only will it help you become a better marketer, but your active involvement will also help you understand more about your customers, their preferences, and how they engage and interact with your products and services (and even your employees).
In a way, this is free market research, perhaps even leading to a shift or adjustment in your very products or services.
View your Yelp presence as an ever-changing source of new ideas.
Want more info? Expand your horizons with additional reading.
Want Help? Contact our team today!
ChangeU: independent study…
Yelp Case Studies
https://biz.yelp.com/support/case_studies
Case studies on small businesses that successfully implemented Yelp, including automotive, beauty and spas, health and medical, home services, and restaurants
Huffington Post: How to Turn Customer Service Into a Compelling Competitive Advantage
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-whetten/companies-that-care-how-t_b_4898558.html
From Huffington Post’s Small Business blog, five essential steps to exceptional customer service
The 2014 State of Marketing
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-2014-state-of-marketing/
From Social Media Examiner, the results of a survey of over 2,500 marketers of what’s working and what’s not, and trends for 2014 and beyond.
Going Green generally means recycling soda cans and paper, but you can also go green with your content. Reusing your own content is essential to working smarter, particularly in today's content fueled marketing strategies. Let’s consider some simple ideas about reusing the thought leadership you've already created and how to extend the value of that which you'll create in the future.
Going Green with your Content to Maximize its Impact
If you provide content in any format online or digitally (a newsletter, a twitter account, a blog, etc.), you can probably get more out of the work you do by having an effective content "recycling" strategy. This simply means you will reuse content in a structure way in many places - so a blog post, is tweeted, posted on your company page on LinkedIn, retweet a couple weeks later, etc.
Basically, you can use the same idea in various forms in multiple places – do the research, writing once and adapt it to the different channels. Link them all back to your website (your blog post) to drive traffic over time. Here's an idea of what your content recycling strategy might look like:
Final thought: Repurposing content makes good business sense, especially if it is already proving to be effective in retaining current customers and gaining new ones. Moreover, this efficient, time-saving practice will save you money and countless man-hours.
Want Help? Contact our team today ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: for your independent study…
1. Check out Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/ The world's largest community for sharing presentations online. SlideShare also provides users the ability to rate, comment on, and share the uploaded content.
2. “The Three Pillars of SEO In 2013: Content, Links, And Social Media” Forbes.com 5/23/2013, Jayson DeMers http://goo.gl/gJ9Ar A good SEO strategy is the difference between your business easily being found online and getting lost in the noise of thousands of other businesses trying to stand out.
3. Top 100 Tools for Learning: http://goo.gl/4vuM1 Top 100 Tools for Learning 2013: Results of the 7th Annual Learning Tools Survey The list was compiled by Jane Hart from the votes of 500+ learning professionals from 48 countries worldwide - See more at: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/#sthash.8k6o5mLm.dpuf
Email marketing can become an effective way to engage your customers, if done effectively. More importantly, email marketing is not necessarily sending out ads or special offers via email. It is in essence using the email channel to share a message to many contacts at once. An email newsletter, alerts to your blog or other thought leadership, or other non-sales related email-based communication all fall into this category. So before you start blasting out loads of emails– let’s see if you are no-spam-from-me compliant. You should be able to say “yes” I do all these things below:
1. Opted In: All the contacts on my email lists are contacts that have given me their information by opting in to a mailing list on my site, signing up to receive content from me or people I have actually met and exchanged information with (in person, online, etc.). Make it easy to subscribe to your email list by posting sign-up options on your website, blog, and social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. This coupled with an incentive, like a discount or a free item, will be more effective than waiting for customers to take action alone. Furthermore, keep your signup form simple so visitors can quickly join.
2. Invited: If you purchase email lists, which many large and well-known companies do, you take an extra step to “invite” these contacts onto your list BEFORE you send them some sort of offer-based email. A great way to invite contacts like this onto your mailing list is to dangle one of your most prized pieces of thought leadership (a special report, a video, some resource, a free download, etc.) in front of them. If you want to make email marketing an effective part of your business, you will need to adhere to ICAN-Spam rules and, well, to just be polite when reaching out to new people. Don’t assume they want to get what you’re sending.
3. A way out: I provide a way off my mailing list clearly on every mass outbound email communication I send.
4. Relevant: You should make sure that what you send will be meaningful to the people on a particular contact list. This means all contacts may not get all of your email communications. Target your content to those that really want or need it.
5. Managed: Make sure that you aren’t sending too many mails to any one person. So this means you will need some sort of email management tool. There are many well regarded options out there, we use MailChimp.com and Strongmail.com.
Okay, if you can say “yes” to all the email marketing requirements above, you’re ready to plan your email marketing strategy. Take a moment to ask yourself what goals, other than generating leads, you are trying to accomplish from your email marketing strategy and then follow these simple guidelines:
· Set expectations about content. Tell your customers exactly what they will be getting with the subscriptions, i.e., newsletters, coupons, or sale alerts, and give them just that. Keep the content focused on what you promised at sign-up. In addition, be consistent with your brand with regard to the look and messaging.
· Don't send too often. Send emails on a regular and predictable schedule, or only if you have something valuable to share. Too many emails will turn off even your most loyal customers. Be strategic in deciding the day and time that you send your email, as this will have a direct effect on open rates. If you send it too late in the week or day, you risk losing them to the anticipation of the weekend.
· Make it an easy read. Now that they have joined your subscribe list, do not take up too much of their time expecting them to read long-winded emails or newsletters. Bullet points and subheadings work well in making the content more readable. Use teasers to get them interested, then provide a "learn more" option. This will allow them to do three things: 1) continue scanning the rest of the email; 2) re-visit the email to read the article or information at a more convenient time; and (3) click on links to seek additional information.
· Make it Mobile-friendly. If you don't use an email service, invest in a developer to ensure your email is optimized for every possible device. Chances are high that your customers will view emails on a mobile device so it needs to be responsive. If it is difficult to view or read, that customer could be lost forever. Also, make it possible to share your emails via Facebook, or Twitter, or as newsfeed. Shared information is more likely to be read by a wider audience than unsolicited emails directly from you.
· Ensure it Measures Up: Use an email service to help you keep track of deliverability and open rates. Services, like Constant Contact, MailChimp, Strongmail and Salesforce, can provide you with a report that shows you emails that are bouncing back or not being opened. Going deeper, you can even measure which links in the email people clicked on, and what information they viewed. Use this information to streamline your process and message, as well as when you get leads to know more about what they may be interested in.
Final Thoughts
Using email to engage your audience can be a powerful channel, particularly if you keep emails focused and honest, and improve your tactics by using the metrics.
Want Help? Contact our team today to ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: for your independent study…
· Know the laws about SPAM: http://goo.gl/xdDkVE CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business [pdf] Bureau of Consumer Protection. The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.
Return Path research and publications provide a wealth of knowledge regarding best practices,
client experiences, and industry research studies.
review of the top ten email marketing software.
A common mistake that small companies make is they want to be everything to everyone. Even big companies make this mistake too. The truth is that your business, particularly if you sell some sort of technology offering, will be BEST SUITED for only one particular type or profile of customer.
And, because time and money are limited, the exercise of narrowing your lens to focus on just that type of customer could help you increase the yield of your various lead generation and sales activities.
Why is it important to narrow your focus?
1. To concentrate on your organization's core competencies. Put another way…do what you do best. Passion, creativity, and the willingness to go the extra mile will come through in the product or service – and clients will immediately take notice. The attention to detail, research and best-practice methods will even spark innovation -- leading to countless new products that your organization can consider launching into the market.
What if I lose business? You won't. Instead, you will actually gain business, because you will be demonstrating a commitment to clients in an industry that will regard you as a trusted resource or advisor. If you are concerned that you might lose potential business – perhaps a client in the periphery to your core market – you should instead concentrate on serving the market with the products you know best.
What if I become obsolete? Markets, preferences, customers, and products can all be expected to change at a moment's notice. One big fear of narrowing focus on only one product or audience demographic might be that the product no longer becomes useful or interesting – that it becomes obsolete. You can combat this if you and your organization have been strategic all along. By accurately drawing a product roadmap and being able to accurately predict the direction of your target market, you will be able to predict obsolescence long before it is an issue. And if you have been maintaining a narrow, concentrated focus all along, you will be able to harness both internal and external resources to develop a plan that addresses any product or market shortfalls long before they become an issue.
2. To improve overall communications and messaging. Instead of general messaging, do not be afraid to let your audience know about the specific type of product that you offer, or the specific market that you serve. This is a radical departure from current marketing communications trends but additional rewards will surface in the form of journalists and bloggers who will not only easily find you, but also more easily write about you, as your corporate and product story is much more easy to relate. As such, you will win over a notoriously difficult constituent group – which any business needs to carry forth its brand messaging and communications.
What if the creative gets stifled? If you are feeling that your creative is getting a bit worn out, or that you have said everything you can possibly say, you are not working hard enough. Challenge your marketing team or agency to develop more engaging content, or better yet, crowdsource your messaging: use your Yammer, Chatter, or online community software instance to ask both your internal and external communities for input, advice, and ideas on messaging. Don't forget to gamify the experience, and reward the winner or winning team with something valuable (or fun).
3. To differentiate your organization and its capabilities. Ironically, in an age of 'solution providers' that promise all things to all people, focusing on only one product, category, or industry will set you apart. Just as with becoming memorable to journalists, bloggers, and influencers or your razor-sharp focus, you will become indelible to your clients for delivering a stellar product or service to an audience whom you clearly demonstrate to know very well.
4. To better balance risk. Small companies often over-extend themselves to grab a new, tangential piece of business – rather than focusing attention on core segments OR they become too focused on that one or two really great clients and ignore other opportunities in their bailiwick. The best approach to this is to balance harvesting your core segments, and your best customers, while also diversifying with a choice few new ones. Be sure to give your best customers your fullest resources and attention while you grow – but also be willing to balance your time and resource investment with new customers that might bring greater profits and/or growth. This will be a challenge, but one worth fighting through. The rule of thumb is – if you’ve got more than 50% of your revenues coming from ONE customer, you need to diversify. And, if your resource allocation does not reflect your profit yield per customer (meaning the most profitable customers get the most support, value-add, etc.) then you need to consider how you are serving your customers – this should match up reasonably well. Lastly, if you don’t know the profit yield of each customer – you will probably benefit greatly from better accounting and budgeting practices.
5. To increase productivity and profitability. Because nearly everyone in your organization will be more focused on the products or services that will yield the highest sales with the least number of customer service issues, your company will become more productive and profitable. Knowing what works best will enable you and your company to avoid developing, selling, and servicing products which will not work, making your organization more efficient over time.
Final Thought: Narrowing does not mean limiting. A razor-sharp focus on clients with targeted messaging about the right product will lead to sales. Today's marketing professional may struggle with this concept, but when sales and satisfied customers result, the rest of the industry will take notice. Since all marketing should tie back to revenue, your team will easily be able to measure the results of this strategy.
It's always a tough decision to break away from the pack. Make the tough decision to focus on what your company does best in order to concentrate on favorable outcomes. And, more importantly, you can point your efforts to outcomes that will really matter to the success of the business.
Want Help? Contact our team today ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: for your independent study…
1. THE GLOBAL INNOVATION 1000: http://goo.gl/AVZk30 How the Top Innovators Keep Winning Booz & Company's annual study of the world's biggest R&D spenders shows why highly innovative companies are able to consistently outperform. Their secret? They're good at the right things, not at everything.
2. The Nine Principles of Branding: http://goo.gl/Y4F4cr Greg Stine identifies 9 fundamental qualities of a good branding program to help companies positively differentiate themselves and their products from that of the competition.
3. Discipline of Market Leaders: Target your Customers, Narrow your Focus, Dominate your Market, by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema: http://goo.gl/VzZwKS From the best-selling book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, research shows that businesses achieve sustained success by using 3 disciplines: operational excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy. Successful companies excel in one of the disciplines and must be satisfactory in the other two.
A marketing strategy without social media is still a strategy. But, social media is growing in importance so business owners need to carefully consider investing in these channels, and when they do decide to create a presence, they need to stay committed to it. Be sure to have a good plan that is based on realistic goals, matches your business objectives AND is something that can be delivered consistently (e.g. a weekly coupon.) Don't start something on social media and then abandon it. It affects your brand and makes you look unprofessional or uncommitted.
With the advent of social media, you no longer have to wait for the Sunday paper to clip your way to a great deal. Instead, more people are turning to social sharing sites to access these savings, making it the perfect complement to your marketing strategy and something every retail business could and should be doing.
If you’re not sure about whether it’s worth the time and effort, consider this fact. According to eMarketer, the number of US mobile coupon users will rise from 12.3 million in 2010 to 53.2 million in 2014, driven by the rapid adoption of smartphones. Moreover, it serves as another way to keep your brand in front of your competition.
If you are not currently doing a social media coupon campaign, you should absolutely start. While there are a multitude of social media platforms to post and share coupons, Twitter is an excellent place to begin.
Twitter is a good place to start because a tweet can be sent at your discretion, and can be found by anyone on the Twitter network – that’s about 240 million monthly active users. While only 140 characters are allowed, a tweeted coupon should include:
Amazon does a great job of using Twitter for their coupon campaign.
Save 50% or more on today's Deal of the Day http://t.co/77eURdWh1v pic.twitter.com/sxZRnIgmSH
— Amazon (@amazon) May 2, 2014
Here are some things to consider when starting your social media coupon campaign.
Be consistent and predictable. Train your customers to expect coupons at the same time each week, each month, or whatever frequency you decide is viable for your bottom line and time commitment. Then follow through and deliver those coupons or offers on the promised day. Don’t waiver from this predictable schedule because doing so will cause confusion or frustration, and your campaign will lose a substantial amount of traction.
Go big or go home. Offer your customers something of value - a free soda won’t cut it. In order to attract the crowds you must be willing to give a cost and/or take a loss. If your offer is $5 off a $100 price tag, you won’t see much of a response. However, if you offer something people can’t resist like $25 off that $100 item, your coupon campaign will be much more successful.
Communicate. Promote your Twitter coupon campaign across all social channels. Don’t assume that your regular customers are already connected to you on social media; instead, be proactive in making sure they are connected. Send emails, call it out on your webpage, put signage at the POS, print the information on receipts, and drop flyers that announce the Twitter coupons inside bags to encourage customers to sign up. The more awareness you raise, the higher your coupon redemption rate.
The right stuff at the right time. Timeliness is crucial to the success of your coupon campaign. Make sure you are giving the right deal at the right time. For example, if it is summer you would do well offering discounts on cold and fruity cocktails or cute T-shirts instead of a hearty meals and sweaters. Do your homework, see what is trending on Twitter at the time, respond to those trends. Twitter is also ideal for a coupon campaign because it provides real-time information from your customer base.
Reward loyalty. While the primary goal of offering coupons is to gain new business, don’t forget about your loyal customers. Send them something personalized or exclusive. You might offer a 50% off deal that is only available for regular customers, or those who signed up to follow your Twitterfeed. This kind of personalization will increase your customer’s loyalty, as well as the chances of them spreading the news about this exclusive deal to their network of friends and family.
Lastly, have fun with it. The technology has changed to make the process fairly simple and intuitive. Be creative. Create a theme, like Twitter Tuesdays or something catchy to add some hype to the campaign.
Want Help? Contact our team today to ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: for your independent study…
1. Redemption Holds Steady as Consumer Interest Remains High and Marketers Leverage Technoogy: http://goo.gl/XpvH87 01/15/2014 In 2013, more than 66 million digital coupons were redeemed industry-wide according to Inmar estimates – a 141 percent increase over 2012. Inmar, alone, facilitated the redemption of almost 44 million digital coupons in 2013, giving it the largest share of digital coupon redemption information in the industry.
2. Digital shopping tool impact study: 2013: http://goo.gl/lYvKJg December 2013 The Digital Shopping Tool Impact Study: 2013 presents the results of an online survey fielded in Q2 (April-June) 2013 among 10,337 primary shoppers, a Census-balanced U.S. sample. The core objective was to understand how shoppers use digital tools, why they use them and the impact they have on shopping behavior.
3. Shop.org: http://www.shop.org/originalresearch Shop.org partners with multiple industry leaders to produce research products throughout the year designed to provide benchmarking tools for multichannel and online-only retailers.
How small businesses should use Groupon or LivingSocial
With millions of subscribers worldwide, Groupon (51.8 million) and LivingSocial (70 million) could be great avenues for Small Businesses to find new customers and grow. But, in order for these platforms to really help a business grow profitably, business owners will need have a well-thought out strategy on how to use them and, more importantly, how to monetize the customers that come from these sites.
Groupon and LivingSocial are so attractive to shoppers because they offer substantial discounts -sometimes as much as 90% off goods, services, or entertainment. In fact, these types of sites typically require a significant discount before an offer can be listed. As such, business owners need to be smart about using these types of sites to grow because your listed deals may not deliver much profit (if any at all). However, with some calculated planning and excellent customer relationship management, these platforms could be a great way to find new customers and can be an excellent way to market your business locally.
In short, I see Groupon and LivingSocial as great advertising platforms for small businesses, like the Scottsdale restaurant, Twisted Rose Winery featured below. This type of offer can be highly effective to drive revenue and profits if used as part of a bigger strategy for small and local businesses.
.jpg)
Have a Clear Set of Objectives
The first step to using these sites successfully is to actually think about the customers you want to attract and more importantly, how you plan to sell them related items/services, as well as how to keep them coming back to your business (even if they don’t get the luxury of a discount). So, start by creating a plan to retain the Grouponers or LivingSocialites that respond to your offer. This could be the difference between a successful campaign or a short-term cash grab. A well-positioned promotional strategy that includes understanding what value-added features your target customer will appreciate will get them to spend a few more dollars when they redeem the deal coupon.
Be Prepared for an Influx of Customers
Before you make such an offer, ensure that you have sufficient inventory and staff to deliver excellent customer service – and if you run out, that you’ve also communicated with customers when they can expect to get your product or service. Set expectations with buyers so that if your offer is very successful, you have time to order extra stock and/or add another person to the staff to handle the expected surge, among other measures. Nothing will diminish your returns and efforts more than a lack of preparedness or miss managed customer expectations.
Negotiate. Negotiate. Negotiate.
Take charge of the process when you negotiate with these sites in order to retain as much of the deal revenue as possible. Do not settle for any number just to get your deal on the site. Do the math and crunch the numbers to figure out what percentage you need to at least break even -- then negotiate to get as close as possible to that percentage. Be vigilant in setting your budget because sales do not always equate to profit. Think of these sites as a means to attract new customers (as opposed to spending money on advertising), and once you’ve attracted them it’s your job to keep them and/or earn more revenue from them with your great products and services. So as you negotiate, take into consider related products, value added services and other ways that you can “upsell” or “cross sell” more of your products to customers that purchase these discounted deals for a single item or service. It is on the upsell and cross sell where you can really drive profit and business growth.
Raise your visibility on Online
Use Groupon or Living Social to connect with potential customers and get some traction for your products or services. One of the great benefits of these sites is their intelligent use of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to promote their deals – such as is shown below. In turn, this increases your potential for a successful deal and gives you excellent online exposure. As such, be sure your storefront AND website are up to date, match the offer provided online and best reflect your brand message and objectives.
A big congrats to @thesoupergirl, one of our fave local merchants, on your new space in DC! #LocalLove pic.twitter.com/5jwXpcdfNd
— LivingSocial (@LivingSocial) June 19, 2014
Complement your marketing plan
An advantage of adding these promotional sites to your marketing mix is that it's free to feature your business on the sites, but remember they will take a percentage of the coupon transaction upfront. So, don't rely solely on the daily deals to create value for your business -- continue to use your proven methods of advertising and marketing to champion your brand. Manage your company website, leverage the social media platform that will work best for your business (such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn) [insert cross link to related blow] and leverage traditional advertising such as print media, online ads, paid search and other tactics that have worked for your business in the past.
Final Thoughts
Deep discounts will always be attractive to consumers and business owners will always have to give a little more to attract customers, which in the end should spell a win for both parties. If you are considering new avenues of advertising, exposure promotion sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial may be worth a look -- just do your homework before you start wheeling and dealing.
Let change3 help you manage your online presence and digital marketing strategy affordably – contact us today.
See my perspective on identifying leaders on your team in my latest blog post on LinkedIn.
Here is an excerpt:
Over the years, I have made a practice of "throwing" my employees into the fire of "you can do this!" My philosophy is simple: in order for my organization to grow, my employees need to become leaders as well - because I can't do everything myself. As such, just about everyone on my staff needs to muscle up and learn to lead in their area of expertise.
Visit LinkedIn to read the full post.
.png)
.png)
ChangeU: For your independent study….
National Restaurant Association http://goo.gl/UyVENR The National Restaurant Association (NRA) is the largest foodservice trade association in the world*—supporting nearly 500,000 restaurant businesses.Â
National Restaurant News Social 200 http://goo.gl/yXTB7 The NRN Social 200 is a daily look and ranking of the social media activities of the nation’s largest restaurant chains. Built with social analytics firm Sprinklr, the NRN Social 200 index quantifies restaurant brand efforts and consumer engagement with scoring from 0-1,000.
Restaurant magazine World's 50 Best Restaurants' for 2014  http://goo.gl/RdFKs0 The annual event, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, is a celebration of the crème de la crème of global gastronomy. The list, now in its 12th year, is curated by 900 restaurant international leaders, including chefs, food critics and restaurateurs.
Personal services businesses can find great success with the right digital marketing plan because the new online innovations that make it possible to promote these kinds of services require a greater level of customer engagement. As the technologies continue to evolve so does the consumers’ expectations; they now want more than just information, they want an experience. With the proper planning and the smart use of current digital applications you can attract more local customers and build a brand that reaches a national audience as well.
Here are some ideas to consider when developing a plan to improve your digital presence.
First impressions count
The first step in any successful digital marketing strategy is creating a website that is representative of your brand. The nature of a personal services business allows you to be creative, therefore your audience will expect see a site that is visually appealing and engaging. Push the limits creatively, but keep it professional. Show your best work, include pricing, location information, and feature products you use. Also, include a brief bio about yourself and your team to let potential clients see who they will have the pleasure of meeting when they arrive at your location. Remember, people looking for personal services want to invest in more than just products, they want to invest in an experience and getting a feel of who you are is as important as knowing what services you offer.
Claim your listings to increase your visibility
Stay on top of the minds of people looking for your services, while increasing your digital presence by using existing online business directories that already have an established audience, as well as the technology to reach them on mobile devices. Having a plan that includes claiming your business on local directories is a smart addition to your digital marketing strategy. They provide free or low-cost advertisement, connect you directly with people looking for your services, and creates another opportunity to engage with potential clients. There is a good chance your business may already be listed, if so take the time to personalize the listing by adding photos of your location and a brief description of your services. Google is the most widely used search engine, consequently, your business information should at the very least be listed on Google My Business. Other important directories to consider include Yelp and Mapquest.
Google My Business on iPhone
Use social media to support your brand
For personal services businesses like beauty salons or spa, social media has significant potential to increase your digital presence. With more than 1.32 billion users worldwide, Facebook is the largest social networking site, making it a good place to begin your social media journey. Likewise, it is equally important to invest in the premier photo sharing sites such as, Pinterest and Instagram, because they are visual goldmines for businesses looking to create a stimulating extension of their brand. Your customers will visit your Pinterest or Instagram profile expecting to get a more visceral tour and experience of your business. So, plan to use high-quality photos and stunning videos for your posts to these sites. If you specialize in hair coloring, post photos of your best highlights or color transformations. If you offer spa services post photos that display luxury and serenity. Take the time to learn the unique features and advantages of each social media platform in order to effectively connect with your audience and convert them into paying clients.
Use video to connect with your audience
Video allows you to take a proactive approach in maximizing your exposure and attracting customers. You can easily embed video into your main webpage by creating a YouTube channel that always links to your website. You can customize the channel with your company logo, there are also basic editing tools available to add need a little extra production value. With video you can share your story, show your personality, and introduce your co-workers. By doing this you become more familiar, making potential clients feels a connection to you before they make their first appointment. Some additional benefits of video include: being able to showcase your skills and expertise, promote products that you use in your business, which can lead additional revenue through retail sales, and gives you a platform to potion yourself as an expert professional in the industry. More importantly, video lets you share the tone and atmosphere of your business through virtual tours and customer testimonials. Your audience will find significant value in being able to experience your business before deciding if you are the right fit for their needs.
Final Thoughts
The success of your personal services business relies on how effectively you can connect with customers, making it increasingly more important that you understand your clients’ behaviors, likes and dislikes, as well as how and where they communicate. In short, it is critical they you use this knowledge to develop a digital marketing strategy that meets and exceeds these expectations through deeper engagement and better customer service.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
Beauty Salon Business Overview & Trends, 2014 http://bit.ly/1o8iw8N
The US hair care services industry includes about 86,000 establishments (82,000 beauty salons; 4,000 barber shops) with combined annual revenue of about $20 billion. Major companies include Regis, Ratner Companies, Premier Salons, and Sport Clips.
Beauty Industry Analysis 2014 - Cost & Trends http://bit.ly/1o8jh1H
Comprised of a diverse yet interrelated set of business lines, the beauty industry helps us look and smell our best. Before we leave the house each day, we have likely undergone our personalized beautification ritual.
Everything You Need to Know About the Nail Industry NailsMag.com http://bit.ly/1qWZJI5 Everything You Need to Know About the Nail Industry
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has progressed from what some saw as a handy business trend to a necessary strategy for brands to ensure that they have longevity and growth in the marketplace.
How businesses engage with the community is important in a business environment where consumers and other businesses want to positively contribute rather than cause harm with their commercial choices.
Understanding what Corporate Responsibility means
The term corporate responsibility is one that may often be heard around your networks, but what does it really mean?
Let’s start with a broad definition from the International Chamber of Commerce:
For ICC, corporate responsibility is the commitment by companies to manage their activities in a responsible way. More broadly, Corporate Responsibility includes efforts by business to contribute to the society in which it operates.
This definition is a good place to start for any business about to create a corporate responsibility program, however there is a lot more to understand before you get started.
The changing community
The most compelling reason for CSR programs is community building. When we all work together to effect change and protect our environment, support the disadvantaged and move towards an equitable society we all benefit.
Business reasons for creating a CSR program
Of course there are also very solid business reasons for CSR programs that go beyond the moral and ethical and that are the natural benefits that your business can reap in a the ideal business environment.
​.jpg)
Lush Charity Pot
Learning new ways to feel good
The possibilities for your CSR program are endless. Being a responsible and caring business is the broad definition so from that you can create positive policies and strategies to get you started. Some of the things that you can consider during this process include:
Examples of CSR Programs:
Intel, US - http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/careers/veterans-military.html
Rubicon Bakery, US - http://www.rubiconbakery.com/images/Rubicon_People-heroes.pdf
Microsoft, US/ Global - http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/citizenship/giving/programs/up/digitalliteracy/default.mspx
David Jones, ANZ - http://www.davidjones.com.au/Community-and-Environment/Environment
http://csr.cisco.com/casestudy/veterans-program
Burts Bee, US - http://www.burtsbees.com/Sustainability/sustain-landing,default,pg.html
Ben & Jerry’s, US - http://bjsocialresponsibility.weebly.com/
In today’s lean economy, executives and managers constantly look to uncover and eliminate costs whenever possible. As every marketing dollar must be accounted for, the decision to send executives to participate in events or conferences – as attendees, speakers, or exhibitors – is often difficult, as many view events as costly and risky, with low or intangible value.
The use of collaboration tools has shown financial planners that participating in live, in-person events could prove wasteful without clearly defined ROI. Why spend on airline tickets and hotel rooms when one could simply participate in a webinar from the comfort of one’s office desk (or home office)? Accounting for time spent out of the office traveling, participation in in-person conferences seems a no-brainer: it’s too expensive and hard to justify ROI.
Yet in today’s dizzying content marketing flurry of blogs, webinars, tweets, screencasts, and other digital media, the in-person event is making a comeback. Last year’s Dreamforce 2013, produced by enterprise software provider Salesforce.com, boasted 130,000 registered attendees, and marketing automation provider Marketo’s annual Marketing Nation Summit, held in April, saw the attendee number cross the 6,000 mark (and even hosted Hillary Clinton as Keynote Speaker).
Clearly, people are going to conferences these days – even for those produced by companies that hope that people spend less time meeting people in person and more time in front of the laptop or tablet.
29 days & counting for final discounted #SocialShakeUp tix! http://t.co/NHEnHkAhsN pic.twitter.com/He3wNJnCPN
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) August 3, 2014
An upcoming social media conference
Companies are finding innovative ways to draw ROI from in-person event attendance. While there is certainly a hard-dollar cost, there are several strategies to maximize the investment, whether a company is sending an executive to speak, exhibiting via a booth in a showcase or tradeshow hall, or simply attending. Let’s have a look.
Track leads
Attendees and those manning a booth are usually expected to bring back pocketfuls of business cards to be uploaded into the CRM database -- which is no surprise. However, for a more complete insight into the cost-per-lead (CPL), the total cost for the company to attend the conference should be added to the lead’s profile, and as the lead moves through the marketing funnel and into a sale, the CPL should be adjusted to reflect this.
Create and re-package materials for demand generation and full-cycle marketing programs
With permission, speakers should be able to publish their presentation, or perhaps slimmed-down versions, on LinkedIn, SlideShare, the company blog, and other sites. Links to this content could be promoted via Twitter, Facebook or a company newsletter. Even attendees can tweet, share, blog, or record a video while attending an event.
In efforts to spread or share the cost of the event participation to other departments, some event costs could be added to the marketing budget for content creation, as ‘byproducts’ of the event are clearly being used for follow-on purposes. This creates a fairer picture of the true cost – and value – of event attendance, so that no single department is left holding the bag.
Place a dollar value on knowledge transfer
After returning from an event, executives are filled with new insights and exclusive industry information. Ask these executives to create summaries or briefs, which could be shared across the department – or even the entire enterprise. As such, and if demonstrated to be highly valuable and mission-critical, some of the costs of the event could be shared with the Training or Knowledge Management departments.
Lower costs by planning, synching up with partners
In today’s matrixed business environments, event participation opportunities can often materialize from several sources, including clients, partners, and vendors. Ask your network if they are attending or participating in any upcoming industry conferences which you feel would be valuable, and seek cost reductions, such as discounted tickets, shared booth space, and the like. While airline tickets and hotel rooms are not free, other costs could be reduced.
What often happens during the conference presentation process / #humor #events RT @phdcomics @giasison pic.twitter.com/H4E4I6LAvL
— Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight) August 3, 2014
A humorous look at planning a conference presentation
When you can’t attend in person, attend virtually
If attendance is impossible, meet others participating in the conference virtually. Follow the conference or session hashtags on Twitter, and view sessions on conference streaming sites like Livestream or UStream, where you can participate in the conversation. Nothing can replace the engagement of an in-person meeting, but you could still have a chance to observe, learn, and network.
Final Thoughts
Companies are re-thinking their event participation strategies – and the value they place on them. As organizations find that they need to be nimble and creative, and engage as many people as possible, they are discovering new value in sending executives to attend, speak, or present at conferences. With careful planning, forging partnerships, and sharing costs across several departments, event participation becomes a very attractive option that could invigorate sales and marketing efforts.
Want Help? Contact our team today to ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: independent study….
Consumers have changed. They want to participate in making our world better and generally want to engage with businesses that care about the world rather than those that blithely conduct business without caring how they affect their environment or the struggles that their consumers live with daily.
The voice of the people drives the call for change in society and with it the need for organizations to build sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility programs into their core work to be competitive.
The risk of ignoring this call is being ostracized by consumers, suppliers and the general public all of which could very well propel your business into negative growth. Customers engage quickly and easily online and want to deal with companies that care about the future of the planet and therefore their future.
Edged Out by the Competition
Business competition is fierce and margins are becoming smaller. Customers are getting turned off by companies that don’t care and are demonstrating their feelings by not purchasing goods and services from the offending organizations. This is why fairtrade and ethical organizations are showing strong growth in the current environment.
If your competition is socially responsible and you haven’t even started, before products are even considered by consumers competitors have a considerable edge over you when it comes to attracting and retaining loyal customers.
Social Media Suicide
Information travels very quickly through social media channels. People are very vocal about responsible companies but they are equally vocal about those doing nothing or worse, causing harm. Every business needs to not only be connected to their social media network, they need to pay careful attention to what is being said and take action before irreparable damage is incurred.
Peer to peer referral is a key method of attracting customers to your business and can quickly drive them away if there you have a record of bad labor practices, damage to the environment or other undesirable association.
There is even a boycotting app that encourages people to only deal with ethical companies.
.png)
Buycott.com app iPhone screenshot
Top Talent Bypass
If you want to attract and retain top talent in your organization you must be able to offer more to prospective candidates. According to a report by Net Impact, working with companies that want contribute to the community is important for workers and a strong CSR program helps you attract the workers that you want.
The talent that you want working for you may just pass on your offer if your competitor has a strong environmental program or encourages staff to volunteer once a month.
Final Thoughts
Ignoring social responsibility is no longer an acceptable business practice. Whilst there are still many companies that are yet to get on board in a serious way, it is the leaders in CSR that are really demonstrating how big a difference that CSR can really make to the community.
India has now built compulsory CSR into their legislation in an historic move. How long will it be until over countries follow their lead?
ChangeU: For your independent study...
Ethical Consumer http://bit.ly/1nZZ8uB Net Impact and the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University partnered to conduct a survey on the career priorities around sustainability and making a positive impact at work, or “impact jobs.”
Why Companies Can No Longer Afford to Ignore Their Social Responsibilities http://ti.me/1vRymFv Today, amid a lingering recession that has dented corporate profits and intensified pressure from shareholders, companies are devising new CSR models.
How the Voice of the People Is Driving Corporate Social Responsibility http://bit.ly/1BTgKcp The business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming easier and easier to make. You can argue that it boosts a company’s brand, manages risk, and just plain saves money
How can Chiropractors get maximum benefits using social media?
As more people turn to the internet for products and services, it’s important for chiropractors to have an online presence beyond a website to stay competitive, more importantly, because consumers expect it. A chiropractor should focus their digital marketing efforts on boosting visibility to ultimately bring in new business.
Here are a few ideas to help local chiropractors create a strong online presence.
All things lead back to your webpage
Your website is one of your most valuable assets, and as such all your marketing efforts-online and offline-should lead back to your website. Look at your website as the place where people come to learn about your practice and the services you offer. Conversely, your social media profile are different in that they are a more casual and personal place where you can engage and communicate with your patients and followers. With this in mind, your social media pages should always have a subtle, yet compelling call-to-action to go to your webpage. Provide multiple links within your posts that direct visitors back to your website to begin the process of educating them about the more technical and useful aspects of chiropractic care.
Content Rules
When promoting your practice use the 80/20 rule in social media, with the intention of helping as many people as you can. This rule is simple, yet effective in conveying a message of sincerity. Eighty percent, of what you post on Facebook or other social media pages should reflect value, be relevant and be insightful. The other twenty percent of your content should be for self-promotions and ads to convert your followers to patients. Remember that the majority of people spend time on social media to learn and build relationships, by respond to this by continuing to share value and education.
Connect with and educate prospects
Some or your prospective clients may not be fully aware of what chiropractic care really entails and are skeptical about trying it. The smart use of social media can help them to overcome many of objections they may have, educate them, and build a relationship with them. Use your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to help you do these things. Additionally, a YouTube video channel is another powerful educational medium that can go a long way in showing potential patients what to expect when they come to you. By using these tools to connect more with your fans, you have a much greater chance of converting them into patients.
Spinal Works Chiropractic YouTube Channel
Stay in touch to establish expertise
When looking to stay in contact with current patients or anyone familiar with your practice on an on-going basis, social media is the most effective option. By nurturing these relationships you remain on their mind, making them more likely to refer other people. This word-of-mouth promotion is also a big asset from a marketing and advertising perspective. Additionally, the viral nature of social media provides unlimited opportunities for you to establish yourself as a prominent expert in your field. By continuing to post useful, pertinent content you can develop an esteemed reputation in your local area.
Final thoughts
A chiropractic care business should definitely invest in a digital marketing strategy to grow the practice and reach new patients. Invest the time to know which where your potential patients spend their time online, take note of how current patients learned about your practice and refine your marketing strategy around this knowledge.
Organizations of all kinds are finding that, with the fast changing work environment dominated by constantly evolving high tech solutions, their workers are having difficulty keeping up. Workers are running to keep up with technology changes and it is affecting productivity.
Some companies solve this issue by laying off workers and finding others with the desired skillset. This becomes very costly and demoralising for their workforce and is not a sustainable solution.
The more efficient option is to retrain workers to adapt to new technology to build a skilled and loyal workforce.
Investing in workers pays off
One of the best way to create a dedicated workforce is to invest in the people that you already employ. As the skills needed in your business transform alongside technology evolution make a plan to upskill your workers to ensure your business keeps pace.
Recruiting new employees is a costly process, both in time and money, and it interrupts productivity as they settle into their role. When you train workers that are already familiar with your systems, products and culture your business will experience an easier transition when adapting to new technology and equipment.
Employing to train
Another way of dealing with a skills shortage is to look at employing people with strong skill sets that may not exactly match what you need but indicate that the person is adaptable and able to be trained to undertake a particular role.
You may consider returned servicemen/servicewomen who have worked in specialised fields and look at how they can be trained to fit in your organisation. They are used to adapting quickly and efficiently and are a great asset to any business.
Young people that are enthusiastic and have skills but not experience, people with disabilities, older workers and even ex-felons are all groups that you can consider retraining to boost your business.
Keeping your business on track
Whilst it is almost impossible to predict where technology will lead us as we become increasingly connected it is worth looking at trends and planning for the future. Ongoing training for workers is a smart move for the forward thinking business.
Encourage workers to grow as your business does and support them in improving their weaker skills whilst developing new ones. When you need additional employees, consider retraining skilled individuals that just may be invaluable when it comes to growing your business in the long term.
ChangeU: For your independent study….
IBM Is Using An Unusual New Tactic To Retrain Its Employees Instead Of Laying Them Off - http://read.bi/1tCkwBN
Why Top Young Managers Are in a Nonstop Job Hunt - http://bit.ly/1pQuRPS
7 in 10 Employees Value Skills Training More than Degrees - http://bit.ly/14cIlLY
Workplace survey - http://bit.ly/1yyAEZz
Why Some Companies Retrain Workers, and Others Lay Them Off - http://whr.tn/1y2JHSi
How the 'Digital Skills Gap' Bleeds $1.3 Trillion a Year From US Businesses - http://entm.ag/1tZHszH
Developing a training plan for your employees - http://bit.ly/1sg3qdH
Does it make sense for busy professionals – such as accountants, lawyers, engineers, recruiters, insurance agents and the like – to spend the time and money on digital marketing?
The answer is: absolutely. Though it may often prove difficult to transfer expertise or convey a sense of the working relationship online, professional services firms should definitely consider maintaining a website and engaging in multiple digital marketing and media strategies.
The ability to present thought leadership and increase the likelihood of getting found by prospective clients are proof of the positive results of a robust digital marketing program.
Learning and Leading on LinkedIn
LinkedIn, of course, is the go-to resource for professional networking. The maintenance of a solid, robust profile, as well as a competent, up to date Company Page (see ours here), can help portray expertise to the widest professional network on the Internet. LinkedIn counts over 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories.
LinkedIn can help a professional services firm navigate the digital landscape by allowing the firm and its founders, partners, and employees to iterate – try something and see what kind of response it receives. If a post receives feedback, publish similar posts. If an InMail does not lead to a positive response, change the subject line or level language and try again.
See another example: The LinkedIn Company Page for Frontline Source Group, a Dallas-based staffing agency and recruiting firm.
LinkedIn can be a great way to perform testing of digital strategies, to see what works for the firm. Some of these tactics include, but are not limited to:
• Blogging - using the LinkedIn Publisher feature
• Microblogging – posting updates and measuring engagement, similar to Twitter
• Email – using the InMail feature, to test what messages resonate with prospects
• Paid advertising – testing various paid advertising products, including promoted posts, display or banner ads, and text ads
As with any strategy, the ability to track and measure results is imperative. Professional services firms already do this for their business, and so this would be a natural fit.
The Soapbox
One of the largest concerns with professional services marketing is content: what exactly should be shared or expressed online? What would be considered appropriate – or even legal? Content marketing as a way of avoiding legal or ethical challenges is not fun. Rather, the goal of blogging, messaging, commenting and sharing is to engage readers and hopefully capture the interest of prospects.
The decision to spend time on content marketing and blogging is difficult, as even CEOs and other business leaders are still figuring out the best way to carry out this increasingly important marketing process.But the good news is that as content builds, the site is being optimized for search, and after a few months, the firm and its professionals can enjoy higher discovery, more clickthroughs, and multiple inquiries on the Contact page.
Joining the Conversation – and Connecting Strategies
Thought leadership is what separates one expert from another online, and a highly regarded blog can make all the difference. As individuals consume the Web with more specific intent, users are increasingly typing in longer phrases, questions, and search strings. For instance, users will type a legal question in the Google or Bing search bar. A law firm’s blog that can anticipate and address such expected questions or specific legal terms is sure to get found more quickly. In fact, some professional services firms use Google’s organic keyword search tools to make a decision on paid search – amplifying their visibility and a likelihood of a click and a formal inquiry.
These thought leadership efforts can be boosted by syndicating the content with links published to the practice’s social channels, like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ - and of course, LinkedIn – and any email newsletters or alerts distributed by the practice. In this way, the digital marketing process is made more efficient, as efforts and results from one strategy or campaign can be carried over to another.
Final Thought: A professional services firm should have a digital presence for several reasons, perhaps starting with an individual’s profile page on LinkedIn as a good way to test the digital marketing waters. Thought leadership drives engagement via several channels, and getting found based on insights and expertise will serve the firm well.
ChangeU: For your independent study…
Small Business on LinkedIn http://smallbusiness.linkedin.com/
LinkedIn’s Small Business Resource Center, with links to sales, marketing, and recruiting solutions using the social network.
McKinsey to Professional Services: “Huge ROI From Social Media” http://bit.ly/1C4fSr7
A blogpost on global consulting firm McKinsey’s view on professional services firms and social media.
B2B Growth in the Digital Age http://pwc.to/1C4fWqW
A series of videos produced by consulting firm PwC on the differences between B2B and B2C marketing.
Today more than 2.92 billion people worldwide use the internet to find products and services, including maintenance and repair for everything from cars to homes and appliances. The key to successfully tapping into such a huge resource is creating a digital marketing strategy that will help you find and communicate with your target customer in the local area to show them why your business is the best choice.
Establish your brand with your website
Your website is your online storefront and should immediately tell the customer what your business does, while giving the impression of expertise and professionalism. It is also a business tool that will be instrumental in defining your image, as such your design should be consistent with your core message. Make sure you have a website that is SEO optimized, up to date with current information, license numbers, services, hourly rates, hours and works well on mobile devices. Since your primary business is offline it is very important that you encourage potential customers to take action by adding direct call-to-actions, like ‘Call Us’ or ‘email us for a free quote’ on pages throughout the entire site. Furthermore, a website establishes an online presence so that potential customers, industry professionals, and even potential employees can easily learn more about your business.
Maximize your exposure with local directories
To increase the likelihood that more local customers will find your business and use your services, add a listing on the local online business directories like Google+ Local and Yahoo! Local. It would also be a good idea to get your business accredited and listed on the Better Business Bureau directory. While it is best to add your business to more than one directory do some research to determine which ones are ideal for your business. Some are automatically generated lists that you can add your business to, which help you get more inbound links to your website. Others allow users to optimize their listing by adding content, pictures, and even video, which improves the initial perception of your business. Many of these are also community-based websites that mean visitors can rate and review your business.
Dynamic Repairs and Renovations, LLC Business listing on Yellopages.com
Build Your Reputation by responding to reviews
Leverage the viral effect of online review to build a positive reputation. Online reviews are a great influencer for consumers and play major role in the decision and purchasing process. Moreover, customers seeking your services do not want to interact with you more than absolutely necessary. So, reading a review about how reliable your work is can set you apart from other local maintenance and repair businesses. Reviews most often posted on general rating and review sites like Yelp and YellowPages.com but they can also be posted on social media pages as well. Regardless of where they are posted you want to respond to these reviews in a personal and professional way in order to help you build relationships with your customers. Positive feedback can make the difference in a customer calling your business over the competitors when a problem arises. Thank people for their positive feedback. Conversely, look at negative reviews as an opportunity to engage and learn how you can create a better experience for them. Customers will appreciate your proactive approach to resolving problems.
Use social media to increase your referrals
Word of mouth advertising coupled with social media networking can go a long way in building trust by allowing you to personalize your interactions, both of which influence customers’ decision when searching for a maintenance and repair business. Set up a Facebook page for your business and start actively promoting it through your website, marketing materials, and in store on signage or customer receipts. You may even consider offering rewards or coupons to return or frequent customers that ‘Like’ your page. Encourage satisfied customers to share their experience on their Facebook page as well. The point here is to build trust that will translate into recommendations to family and friends that need these type of repair services. It can also be beneficial to create a LinkedIn company profile for your business in order to network with other professionals in the industry.
Final Thoughts
Create a digital marketing strategy that makes it easy for people to do business with you. When people find a reliable business to maintain and repair their home, car, or etc., they generally will maintain that relationship for years, as a result finding new customers can require some creative strategies. A good digital marketing plan that includes a variety of techniques to enhance your online presence will keep existing customers coming back and win over new ones.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
http://bit.ly/1seCRYm
http://bit.ly/1sQzCZ9
http://bit.ly/1sGQIbx
Traditionally, referral networking has been the most effective way for Certified Personal Accounts (CPA) to find new clients. However, with much of this networking happening online, CPA professionals must be proactive in their efforts to educate and engage prospects using the tools and platforms have prospects have become accustomed to using. For this reason, developing a strategic digital marketing plan that incorporates multiple channels will create be the most effective way to grow a practice and attract new clients.
Here are some important tools to use when creating a digital strategy to help grow your practice.
Create a website that sets you apart from the pack
Your website is an important part of building an online presence and to be successful in this space you have to set your firm apart from other firms. It is fair to say that there are other CPA firms offering the same types of services and expertise, so including some key features to your website can make a significant impact on the prospects online experience. When considering a design for your website be sure that it is straightforward, scalable, mobile friendly, and includes the following tools:
SEO Optimization- Make sure prospects can find you online using well-written, and unique content with keywords and backlinks
Proof - Show clients how you will deliver on the promise to solve their problem by providing as much specific information that a client may be looking for.
Associations - If you are a member of reputable accounting associations or groups, make it public knowledge. This adds credibility to your firm and again serves as proof that you are an expert in the field.
Testimonials – Whether written or in video form, testimonials have an important impact on your ability to acquire new clients and how potential clients perceive your business.
Social Media Networking
An effective way to create new leads and cultivate relationships while positioning yourself as an authority and thought leader is through social media. Create business profiles on the popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to showcase your services, develop relationships and engage with prospects. LinkedIn, is a particularly effective networking tool because it attracts professionals and decision makers from all industries. However, to maximize your opportunities prioritize your social media profiles based on your goals and the behaviors of your target audience. Finally, approach social media networking the same way you would when networking offline-be proactive, add value to every conversation, and be consistent.
Screenshot: The American Institute of CPAs LinkedIn group page
Measure your success
Now that you’ve taken steps to execute your digital strategy you need a way to measure your success. Google Analytics is a free tool that will measure the success of your marketing effort through detailed statistics. You can view the volume of traffic to your website, track where your prospects are coming from and where they are going, and gain insights into their behaviors and their needs. By tracking the way people reach you and the devices they use to get there, Google Analytics helps you provide a better online experience for your clients or help you reinvent your strategy if needed.
Final Thought
An important idea to remember about what drives potential clients is that people want to hire people not a firm. To that end, keep in mind that an effective digital strategy will go a long way to generate referrals, as well as, keep you present and informed about what your prospective clients are doing.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
Case Study: The AICPA’s LinkedIn Group Builds Community and Encourages Association Membership http://linkd.in/1sLaum9
Accounting Today: 2014 Top Firms http://bit.ly/1vx4pw6
These Small Business Accounting Mistakes Come at a Big Cost http://bit.ly/1sverdf There is money flowing out of your business right now as a result of simple small business accounting mistakes. Here are the top ten and how to fix them.
Most businesses, small and large, choose to lease equipment rather than purchase it to retain as much working capital as possible, especially when they are first getting started. Whether the equipment is new or used, there are many leasing companies that are ready to help these businesses acquire the equipment and technology they need. To stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on these opportunities you need to develop a digital marketing strategy that uses multiple online elements.
Here are just a few things to consider when creating your plan:
Identify your target customer
The more you can learn about your target customers, the better you will be able to reach them, meet their needs and build a respected reputation for your business. One of the best ways to this is to simply go to local businesses and speak with the owners to find out what type of equipment they are leasing, how much they pay for it and how long they lease equipment. You should also evaluate your current customer base to determine what their current business processes, challenges, and goals. Lastly, become familiar with your direct competition. Do some research to learn what kind of equipment they have, what their prices are, and examine their offline and digital presence. This initial due diligence will eliminate costly mistakes and mistakes, help you provide new ways to provide lease equipment to our target customers.
Establish credibility with your website
Create your website to make your business credible and accessible for potential customers that are considering leasing equipment to grow their business. And while your business is mainly an offline business, it is highly likely that your potential customers are searching for your services online, and as such they expect to be able to find with your business whenever and wherever they are online. Therefore, a responsive, professional looking website with relevant information about equipment leasing is enough to establish an online presence. However, do not stop there, understand that people will visit your website for a deeper dive into your business, so invest the time providing all the key information they need to begin the decision making process.
Use Social Media to engage your target customer
Social Media has made it possible to reach more people than ever before, making it all the more important to create a strategy to be able to compete in this space. Do this by learning which social media platforms your target customers are using, then focus your efforts accordingly. It’s recommended that you make a company profile on the major social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as these will help you engage and establish a relationship with your target customers. You can use Facebook and Twitter to answer questions quickly, announce new equipment and upgrades. Another smart way to build your reputation, particularly in your local area is to use Twitter coupons for discounts on equipment, new releases, or bundle options. This small gesture will go a long way in showing your target customers how affordable leasing equipment from your company can be. Additionally, LinkedIn is an essential part of your social media presence. This professional platform gives you visibility in front of entrepreneurs and managers as well as create significant opportunity for networking.
Create content to add value your business
Now that you have established an online presence with your website and social media, create content that will help your potential customers grow their business. The most effective way to share this content and add value to your online presence is by adding a blog to your website. Use your blog to direct traffic back to your website, provide industry news, make recommendations, and address common purchase barriers. Bottom line is the more valuable and consistent the content, the more engaged customers will become with your business and the benefit to you is that fresh content will keep you search engine optimized.
Final Thought
In order to be successful in the digital realm you don’t have to use have a big budget, you just need a plan that allows you to reach your customers. If you remain consistent, provide relevant content and value to your customers your business will succeed online.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
MARKET TRENDS & FORECASTS http://bit.ly/1rsBlhD
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association's (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) reports on equipment finance activity such as New Business Volume, Aging of Receivables, Net Investment at Risk, Average Losses, Credit Approval Ratios, and Total Number of Employees.
The Fundamentals of Leasing Business Equipment http://bit.ly/1tqZDjy
From computers and heavy machinery to complete offices, it is possible to lease almost anything for your business. Equipment leasing can provide a lifeline for cash-strapped businesses in need of the tools of the trade.
Industry Information: A Powerful Tool for Equipment Leasing and Financing http://bit.ly/1DhbCRM
EL&F firms can use IBISWorld industry research to more easily identify leasing opportunities.
How can a hospitality business improve their digital presence?
The hotel industry is a highly competitive industry and hoteliers are increasingly seeking ways to capture a larger share of travel shoppers. A well-executed digital marketing strategy can expand your brand online, while keeping pace with new technologies and travelers demanding expectations.
Make a good first impression
Your hotel website is your most valuable long-term asset, providing the most important opportunity to engage travelers and make them your guest. The majority of travelers search for travel needs online, hence spend more time on websites that provide a visual experience using photos, tours, and videos. When designing your website provide key information but keep it limited to short concise blocks of text. Instead, focus on showing the guest the level of quality they will experience when arrive at your hotel.
Take your hotel mobile
As you map out your digital marketing strategy consider that 63% of all cell phone users go online. There fore, your website should be dynamic and responsive for an optimal mobile experience. With more consumers using mobile apps to look up travel deals, hotel locations, hotel amenities, the experience needs to be seamless. Be realist in your expectations for the mobile aspect of your digital marketing strategy, as it provides the highest ROI when it is used as in concert with your website functionality and social media efforts.
Connect with travelers on social networks
As technology continues to introduce new apps, travelers are using one or more social networking platform to during their search, shop and buy process. Therefore, it’s important that you pay close attention to trip advisor ratings and reviews, maintain an active presence on Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, get involved in review sites like Trip Advisor and Raveable, to stay abreast of what your previous, current and prospective guests are saying about your hotel. Photo sharing sites like Pinterest and Instagram have resurrected the glossy travel brochure, providing you with yet another opportunity to charm your guest. Lastly, don’t forget email marketing: it is still the most widely tool used to share information and trip ideas.
Cross promote
Promote your hotel across multiple channels to ensure you get the most maximum exposure in front of travel shoppers. Large and small boutique hotels can benefit by signing up with one of the vanity sites lie, booking.com, tablethotels.com or SHEKNOWS.com, because this will consolidate your efforts, while creating opportunities for collaboration with businesses in the local area.
Hotel Palomar on Pinterest
Final Thoughts
A successful digital marketing strategy must communicate your hotels brand, features, and amenities and overall experience to hotel guests using a combination of tools or an all-in-one hotel digital marketing management platform. More importantly, regardless of which tools you choose, they must be flexible and prepare your hotel for the constantly change demand of digital marketing.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/ a global provider of news, analysis, commentary, education, data and business services to the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
Global Hospitality Insights: top thoughts for 2014. http://goo.gl/0iQESq This report reveals key issues and trends we believe will be the primary areas of focus in the global hospitality industry in the upcoming year.
How can Realtors improve their Digital Presence?
Technology is giving real estate agents easier and more efficient ways to communicate with prospective buyers, as such it’s an ideal platform to create and build a process to generate leads and sell more homes. By taking action and building an online brand you can separate your business from your competitors.
Here are some ways to save you time grow your brand to grow your business.
Make an impression with your website
Claire Jacobs Dream Home Specialist
• Fresh Design: Go a step further than posting photos of available homes, invest in a custom design that will ‘WOW’ home buyers while showcasing your brand and who you are.
• Dynamic: Make sure your design is responsive; the user experience should be seamless and consistent on mobile devices. Buyers may be directed to your website via mobile home buying apps, once there, they will expect the same level of functionality and sophistication experienced on a computer.
• Call-to-Action: An important element on your website is content. When developing content always have a call-to-action in mind. If you ask visitors to do something be specific. Remember to answer the question of “Why, do you want them to call you.” Make it a direct action, such as “Call me for a free home consultation.” or “Sign up for my newsletter for home buying tips.”
• Be active: If you are going to add social media to your website make sure you are active on these sites. Post blogs regularly, update your status, create a presence on each of them.
• Video Customer testimonials: The average user spends 88 % more time on a website. So invite your satisfied home buyers to share their stories by making a video, then upload it to your site. Note: you must make this process very simple for them. Video is powerful medium as it provides a real source, while making visitors feel connected to your brand.
Create New Opportunities
According to a study done by the National Association of Realtors, 92% of people turn to the internet as the first step in the home buying process, making it increasingly important for realtors to provide them with information on the networks they are familiar with.
A savvy realtor understands that this sometimes means going beyond the usual social networking platforms, like Facebook or LinkedIn, to generate leads. Social networking sites like Trulia and Zillow provide comprehensive information about homes, neighborhoods, etc., as well as group potential buyers into targeted and specific communities in which realtors can engage.
Building a profile on industry specific social sites has enormous potential to generate lead by allowing sellers to engage and start discussions with buyers early in the process. This is a simple yet effective way to generate leads, particularly if you are just starting your business or if your marketing budget is limited. Treat these sites just as you do your social media pages, with regard to being consistent and active.
Trulia, Real Estate
Use Social Media to Connect with Prospects
In order to build a sustainable online brand and business you must engage your visitors and potential buyers on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram without being too aggressive or pushy. Use these platforms to gain insights into the needs and expectations of buyers in more personal and casual manner. Some ways to do this are:
• Ask questions: Where they are located? What are your home buying concerns? How is your day going? Start a discussion and ask for feedback.
• Offer something of value: Give them information they can use, such as the latest home loan rates in their area. Give free online home buying seminars, or tips about home repair.
• Be Personable: Use platforms such as Facebook or Instagram to show who you are on a level outside of real estate. Prospective buyer may share a common interests or hobby, which increases the level of connection and trust. Remember, buying a home is a very personal purchase, and people buy property from realtors they trust, like, or respect.
Final Thoughts
Today there are many avenues for real estate agents to generate leads and market themselves, the key to success finding a way to merge all the elements together to build a successful brand. Finally, use these social platforms to nurture communication throughout all the stages of the buying process- before, during, and long after it’s completed.
Improving your digital presence is about more than just adopting new technology and adding social media to your website. The key for retailers is to align their digital marketing strategy to the consumers’ expectations, one that is consistent with the in-store buying process. Additionally, you should consider the idea of the Internet of Things [IOT] and how it connects every aspect of the buying process, not just the technology and devices, but the actual customer as well. In doing so you can optimize your digital marketing strategy to stay connected, build a strong brand and increase sales.
Here a few things to consider when developing a digital marketing strategy for your retail business.
Meet your customers’ digital expectations
Today’s consumers have more choices than ever for how and when they want to access content, allowing them to take a multi-channel approach in researching and buying products. By understanding these expectations retailers can align their online purchase processes with their in-store process, which increases the likelihood that a consumer will transition from browser to buyer. The smartphone, for example, has replaced the tablet as the leading device for researching purchases. They have also introduced retailers to what has become known as the connected consumer-a consumer who accepts to be able to shop wherever, whenever, and however they like.
Moreover, consumers expect to reach your store are ready to buy, and in some cases have the transaction completed ty the time they actually arrive at your store, resulting in la seamless buying experience- online and in store. Additionally, digital applications like Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) RFID, and other retailer technology can benefit your business as well by allowing employees to do inventory faster and more accurately, As well provide a higher level of customer service, by streamlined the checkout process. The more value you are able to provide to your customers, the more business money they will spend.
Make it a one stop shop
Set your business apart from other brands by offering e-commerce--shipments, returns and price matching, etc., to increase their opportunity to build brand loyalty and maintain customers. Take Amazon, for example. This major e-retailer has made the entire purchase process easy for customer by providing everything they need—from initial research, to price comparisons and product reviews, all the way to making the purchase. As a result, consumers feel empowered and in control of the process, while they continue to gain more insight into buyer’s behaviors and habits from the information they share on the site.
Social media = social commerce
With the advent of social media came social shopping, allowing customers to interact with their favorite brands. A retailer that actively using multiple social media platforms can build relationships that will drive traffic to your website and create brand ambassadors through ‘Liking’ and sharing. Utilize your social media pages to talk to consumers, share new product information, and announce specials. However, take it a step further by making it possible for them to begin the buying process on your social media page. An example of this is Target. With the use of Like2Buy, Target fans can shop via Instagram, by simply selecting the image, and being linked directly to Targets main website to complete the check-out.
Final thoughts
Every business is different, and the way in which you execute these tips will be based on your business needs. When it comes to your digital marketing strategy social media efforts, your business will benefit the most if you use a more service-focused approach rather simply pushing your products on to customers.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
Retailing 2015: New Frontiers - PwC http://goo.gl/rJkcAG
PricewaterhouseCoopers and TNS Retail Forward collaborate to report on this overview of the retail industry through 2015.
2015 Retail IT Spending Predicted to Surpass $190 Billion http://goo.gl/bCQSqh
The retail and hospitality market is entering a time of unprecedented IT growth for 2015, with overall spending expected to increase 5 percent over 2014 and surpass $190 billion worldwide, according to a new report by IHL, a global research and advisory firm specializing in technologies for the retail and hospitality industries.
ConversantTM Retail Marketer Insights Study 2014 http://goo.gl/tMI16Q
New research with important insights into the digital opportunities and challenges faced by leading senior level retail marketers.
The construction business is highly competitive, consisting of constant bidding war to win jobs, so it is becoming increasingly important to create an online presence that makes your company stand out among other businesses bidding for jobs. You can position your construction business for success by defining the goal of your marketing plan your as well as your target market. Then develop a digital strategy that best fits your needs, your assets and presents a consistent brand message to this market.
Website
Create a website that provides essential information to prospects that may be doing research before selecting a potential contractor. Find out what is viable for your company and determine what needs to be on the site to keep them there. If your website is designed well it makes a bigger impact on your prospective customer and capture leads.
Here are some essential items to include on your website:
Gallery – Showcase your work with high quality photos of our finished project. A gallery shows your prospects what your company is capable of doing.
Services – Give specific details about the types of services you have to offer and what you specialize in. Link these details back to your gallery to reinforce your expertise.
Testimonials/Press –Nothing speaks to the quality of your work like a testimonial (written or video) from a satisfied customer. Testimonials build trust as well as help sway skeptical customers to take a closer look at your business. Additionally, if your company receives press, share it, as it promotes your business without sounding to ‘salesy’.
Video – Showing your business on job sites is a great way be transparent. Video shows how safely your crew works, what kind of processes you have on the job site, as well as give prospects a firsthand idea of the completed project.
Social Media
Being active on social media can go a long way in developing brand awareness for your construction business. Create profiles to show the public what kind of work your company does, share stories, and connect with potential customers. The key to using social media in your digital strategy is finding the right platform that you can use to your benefit.
Facebook and Twitter – Use these sites to connect and build relationships with other professionals and position yourself as an expert in the construction industry.
Industry specific social – Sites that are geared towards the construction industry like UBuildNet, feature free social tools and resources, as well as allows user to find niche contractors, professionals and prospects in your targeted areas.
LinkedIn – This site is extremely important and a necessary part of your social media strategy because this social media platform attracts decision makers, as well as provides industry news and professional networking.
Pinterest – Post the photos of completed jobs or state-of-the art machinery on your website, then pin that project and link your pin directly to your sites contact page, so capitalize on the immediate interest. This creates an opportunity to pick up more leads and drive traffic to your website.
Leverage Email Marketing
Email is still a highly effective and low cost means of communicating with your core customer base as well as prospects, making it a necessary part of your overall digital strategy. You should take the time to collect current customer and prospects email addresses through your website and social media profiles to build a subscription list compiled of customers that are genuinely interested in your services.
Some key ideas to remember when creating the email marketing element of your digital strategy are:
Keep the list current – Manage your contact lists regularly, so you can respond quickly and efficiently to requests for more information or to unsubscribe.
Subject line – Your window of opportunity to get readers to click open is limited, so make the subject personal, yet impactful.
Call-to-action- Guide your prospects with a strong call-to-action, such as inviting them learn more about your home renovation tips, or other valuable content on your website.
Social Media – Provide links to directly to your social media profiles to email expand your reach and identify potential leads on these networks.
Measure your results – Track your efforts to determine the efficacy of each campaign your send out.
Final Thoughts
If you do the research to understand your target market, you can create a thoughtful plan, one that consists of a combination of online tools and allows your prospects to get to know your business. By using all the digital marketing channels and resources, you increase your opportunities to network, nurture current relationships and build new ones, which translates into more revenue.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
2014 Construction Marketing Outlook- Survey Results http://bit.ly/1BUA9JO
To further understand current marketing plans and priorities in the construction industry, the Construction Marketing Association conducted a national survey of construction professionals
Be2camp http://bit.ly/1y9J1Or
Social site for people interested in openly sharing how the latest web and mobile applications and web design techniques (Web 2.0 - blogs, Twitter, Wikis, etc) can help build a better, more sustainable built environment - planning, design, construction, occupation and management of buildings, services, landscape, etc.
It is time to step out of the kitchen and create an effective digital marketing plan to attract, engage and communicate with your customers. Because the internet has become the primary source of information for people when it comes to deciding on what restaurants they will choose to go to, it’s critical that you are use a combination of marketing tactics to present your brand online. Furthermore, to ensure your restaurant continues to grow, it’s important to define your target audience, learn what is relevant to them and learn how they communicate to effectively create an online experience that will convert them from visitors to customers.
Here are some ways to increase your online presence and promote your brand.
Serve up a great website
Your website has the potential to be your greatest marketing asset and a professional-looking website that run quickly on a variety of mobile devices is the first step in converting visitors to customers. Your website should be easy to update, they should integrate with popular restaurant locator and review sites like GrubHub Seamless and Urbanspoon, and at the very least show your menus, offer online ordering options, location information, and hours. Also, remember that eating out isn’t just about eating, it’s about socializing, being seen and talking about food so your website should make these simple activities look amazing. Include galleries to showcase your food, guests, and events. Post a virtual tour of your restaurant to give your online visitors an idea of what the ambience and tone will be like when they visit your location.
Create a mobile experience
People are more connected to the web as ever, for this reason it is essential that you include a mobile component in you digital marketing strategy. It is expected that by the end of 2014 1.76 billion people with will own or use smartphones on monthly basis, so as a restaurateur you should be asking yourself how you can reach this audience. While creating a separate mobile site or mobile app may be expensive there are still ways to get in front of these mobile phone users. The most obvious way is to optimize your website responsive design to make it mobile friendly.
Another effective way to create a mobile presence is to partner with one of the established online directories, like Google Places. This kinds of sites are free and offer built in mobile-optimized shortcuts, including mobile apps which put your restaurant in front of thousands of mobile of users every day, including those in your local area. Deal sites like Groupon or LivingSocial are another way to increase your online presence when used in combination with your other marketing efforts. A big advantage of these promotional sites is that it's free to feature your business.
Pair the Right Social Platform with the Right Customer Type
Each social media platform effectively reaches a different type of customer and serves a different role (see our post on how to use each social platform), so that means you should take a few minutes to figure out which of these platforms your customers are most likely to use and how to use it. If your restaurant already covers the broad spectrum of customer types (e.g., families, professionals, foodies, lunch crowd, etc.), then you may want to have a slightly different strategy for each platform so you can best target EACH of your choice customer types. More importantly, there are some great tools, such as Hootsuite and IFTTT , to help you manage and automate your social media accounts and save time.
Additionally, each social platform has a unique sets of capabilities. For example, Facebook allows you to provide updates, photos, videos in a “personal-oriented” environment, whereas Twitter might be ideal for shooting out coupons, new menu items, specials and other timely updates to your audience. The great thing is, you don’t have to use all social platforms, but you should be aware of what other restaurants like yours are doing and do your best to provide a competitive experience to your customers. You can turn to firms like ours for help (affordably) as well as use automation tools to make it more efficient for you or someone on your staff to do personally.
Final Thoughts
An effective digital marketing plan is one that will help you build and nurture relationships with your customers. Therefore, with a well-developed strategy your restaurant will appear at the top of search results and stay on the top of the mind of you customers as they decide where to dine. By understanding how to best use the marketing tools available, your business will see a return on investment in the long run.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
Cell Phone and Smartphone Ownership Demographics http://pewrsr.ch/1vZBrS7
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.
Mobile Apps in the Age of the Consumer http://bit.ly/1qgv4pI
Build a mobile app that engages. This paper answers today’s pressing mobile app questions, including: Should your brand develop an app? What operating systems are the most significant? What do millennials think about mobile apps? Restaurant executives will learn the answers to these questions and which trends to watch.
The Mobile Path to Purchase study by xAd and Telmetrics http://bit.ly/1D5xPCm
The results of these studies provide valuable insights into the mobile tools utilized in the process of research and decision, and strong mobile user intent to purchase.
The internet is the first place people turn to when looking seeking general legal advice or the services of a lawyer. It is important to develop a clear digital marketing plan for your law firm you can help you identify the right potential clients and grow your practice.
Here are just a few tips to help you build an effective digital marketing strategy for your practice.
Invest in your website
Your first plan of action to attract more clients is upgrading your website to stand out from other law firms in your area. Focus on what you do best by highlighting your specialties because people don’t come to your website to purchase goods, they want to see what you do and how well you do it. An effective website should be use an advertising channel like search engine optimization to make it easier for potential clients to find the legal representation they are looking for. Your website should be easy to navigate, have contact information, credentials, office hours, location. Lastly, it is important to note that since law firms are subject to rules of ethics you should make sure that the content on their website is in compliance.
Maintain a legal blog
Having a blog provides the foundation for social interaction and should be an integral part of your website. By maintaining a legal blog you can provide clients with useful information and drive traffic back to your site. The content you discuss in your blog will help establish credibility and expertise which can influence a potential client’s decision to choose your firm over the competition. When writing posts be mindful of how you present the content, avoid too much legal jargon as your potential clients are not well versed in legal terms and this could possibly alienate them early on.
Have a mobile plan
Like most other businesses the success of your practice is affected by how you respond to the emerging technology. Since you invested time and money in building a great website you will want to reach your audience on the mediums that they have become accustomed to, which is mobile. A mobile site is easier to navigate and responds to the need for instant access to information, while allow you to offer a more direct call-to- action to ‘Contact Us. This increases your opportunities for success because visitors often want legal advice right way. Also, in order to stand out among so many other law firms, keep your mobile site focused on a very specific area of law. Being too general will cause visitors will pass up your site in favor of one that advertises a particular expertise.
Social media
Lawyers need to be active on select social media sites to not only attract new clients but to build a level of trust well. LinkedIn is one of the best professional social sites used by business owners or people searching for professional services. However, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are also effective for boosting your visibility, as well as long as you invest the time to create profiles that will speak directly to people looking for legal advice. You can do this by providing useful legal resources to your targeted audience
Final Thoughts
A digital marketing strategy is critical to the success of your law firm because it provides a unique opportunity to be in constant contact with new and existing clients. You firm will see the greatest results by identifying the synergies between traditional methods of marketing and new online technology.
ChangeU: for your independent study ...
Lexis Nexis Resource Center http://bit.ly/1z3ZViU
You know the law, we know law firm marketing. Access these free resources to gain insight into best practices in online marketing for your law firm. Fresh resources are added often so come back frequently to keep abreast of the latest trends.
Business Development for Lawyers: Strategies for Getting and Keeping Clients by Sally J. Schmidt. http://amzn.to/1qSrMbD
Written by one of the leading law firm marketers, this guide covers the gamut from positioning to preparing pitches and proposals, helping lawyers create their own sources of work
Solo and Small Firm Resource Center http://bit.ly/1D6UnTa
Marketing, Technology, Practice Management, CLE & Substantive Law Resources for SOLO Lawyers & Small Firms
Do you need a website and a social media presence? Well, if you expect your business to thrive and ultimately make a profit-the answer is YES. Your website is the first impression potential customers have about your business and a well-designed site can make a big difference in gaining new customers. However, with the proliferation of social media sites, it has become easier to communicate and engage with potential customers, making these platforms vital to business success as well.
Websites build brands
While the current trends favor a social media presence over the traditional business website, there are still good reasons not to abandon your most valuable online asset - the company website. The most important reasons being it establishes credibility and gives you the chance to provide that final call to action. Moreover, consumers want a unique online experience, which includes feeling confident your business can provide the products or services needed to solve their problem. Your website establishes what your core values are, as well as what you do and how well you do it. Without a stable web presence people feel less confident doing business with your company. Essentially, if you are not online, you do not exist.
Some additional reasons to maintain are business website are:
• Provides user analytics
• Reinforces your brand online
• Provides accessibility to in-depth business information
See below an example taken from one of our websites:
Your business needs social media
Today people are more connected to their devices and want information on the go. As a result, they prefer to gather information about businesses from social media sites more than they prefer navigating through official business websites. As such, your social media presence is as equally important at your company website. In short your business can survive for a short time without a website, however, it will suffer significantly if you do not establish a digital footprint via social media platforms as soon as you open for business. Particularly, because these mediums are great influencers for your potential customers and they will notice your absence when they begin a search for your services.
If you are a new company, a Facebook business page or a dedicated listing on a local directory can serve as a temporary website or an initial point of contact for potential customers. Additionally, many of today’s social media sites make it easy to integrate high quality e-commerce apps such as ecwid and Storefront Social right into your Facebook page. A word of caution when using your social media profiles to market and sale goods - do not forget the social aspect. Remember that these platforms are about communicating and making connections. People log on to these sites for conversation, they do not log on to Facebook and LinkedIn to be sold products and services, therefore use your discretion when using these tools.
Some additional benefits of using social media for business are:
• Increase website traffic and improve search rankings
• Target customers more effectively
• Increase your brand awareness and expand your reach
See below an example of how we manage our social presence:
You can create nice visuals to share on Twitter and LinkedIn:
.png)
Final Thoughts
With the right amount of planning and focus and execution you can turn your social media profiles into a powerful branding strategy. If your business is new and you are still working on your website, set up your social media profiles to establish an online presence. However, keep in mind that your overall marketing plan has to include a social media strategy as well as a business website to be successful.
ChangeU: For your independent study….
Bye-bye Facebook: the future of social media for small businesses - http://bit.ly/1oiQMOE
Web Hosting: A Small Business Guide - http://bit.ly/1yWVPVX
Small Business Development Center launches new website - http://bit.ly/1yYpYnD
Today, it is not unusual for workers to have multiple job titles during the span of their professional career, due in part to advances in technology and changing job descriptions. To mitigate the transition from one job to the next, many of these people turn to temporary staffing agencies as a way to learn new skills, increase their networking opportunities, and help them stay relevant and employable during a down economy.
As a result, savvy business owners and managers are changing their hiring strategy to include both permanent and temporary employees, in order to meet their objectives and develop an effective workforce.
Let’s consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of employment.
Benefits of hiring temporary employees:
Disadvantages of hiring temporary staff include:
Benefits of hiring permanent employees:
Disadvantages of hiring permanent employees:
Final Thoughts
Developing an effective workforce requires the same energy in planning and consideration as it does in creating a business plan or digital marketing plan. The reality is that both types of employment have varying degrees of benefits and challenges. As such, whether you choose temporary or permanent employees, or a combination of both, defining your company needs is the first step in successfully creating and managing an effective workforce.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
White Paper: The talent shortage continues - How the ever changing role of HR can bridge the gap http://bit.ly/1xVonjD
Bureau of Labor Statistics http://stats.bls.gov/
6 Unique Ways to Build a Better Talent Pool With Social Media | The Staffing Stream http://bit.ly/1zw22uX
How do your customers find you? The hospitality industry is a huge market with a wealth of competition so regardless of your specialty you need to be doing something that makes your business attractive enough to get people through the door.
Where are your customers?
Some of your customers will physically see your business, others will be referred via their networks and if you are lucky you may engage people via good media coverage. However it is, when you create an exciting digital presence you open up huge opportunities to grow your business.
Why? Because:
• 81% of consumers have searched for a restaurant on a mobile device and 75% say they often choose a restaurant to dine at based on those search results
• 65.4% of hotel bookings are made on home website and 65% of same day hotel reservations are made from a smartphone
If you are not easily found online customers will simply bypass your business – it is important to not just have a presence but one that stands out.
What makes up an exciting online presence?
The good news is that with a bit of creative thinking you can use both paid and free options to build an engaging online presence. Let’s have a look at some of the things you can do:
1. Digital front of house – your website
All digital avenues should lead back to your website so this is where you start. Make sure that it:
• Is easy to navigate to the essential sections like how to make a booking – obvious calls to actions are key;
• Has lots of gorgeous images that show people interacting and loving your services/products/venue – you want people to want to be your customer;
• Includes videos so that users can feel that they are virtually there;
• Has friendly and welcoming content – less is better. Use enticing language rather than great slabs of text that most will give up on after the first couple of sentences;
• Optimize for all devices so the person on the move can easily access critical information.
Examples: http://bit.ly/1z4dfig | http://bel50.com/
2. Social Media aficionado
Don’t make the mistake of getting onto any one of the popular social media sites and simply pushing sales. You do need to create awareness of your brands goods and services BUT make sure you create a network of loyal followers, otherwise anyone that does land on you page can easily drift away.
Try:
• Uploading interesting content that suits the platform – encourage interaction and make sure that you acknowledge comments and use them to start a longer conversation;
• Understanding your demographic and solve their problems BEFORE they mention them in relation to your particular niche;
• Creating giveaways and competitions - they are always popular and perfect for expanding your fan base.
Examples: http://on.fb.me/1CPDkYE | http://bit.ly/16Ot6tx
3. Customers are going to talk
They say that any exposure is good exposure – not true especially in the digital world where news travels fast and your business can be damaged before a customer has even left the premises.
There are two parts to the way people talk about your business:
a. They love you – people have had a great experience at your restaurant, hotel, casino and are raving online in all of the right places. Enough said this is great for business;
b. They hate you – we all make mistakes and sometimes customers don’t have the greatest time, the key thing for you is how you deal with it. They will talk online and potential customers will see negative feedback and make a decision about using your services. Answer quickly and positively and always apologize – even if you don’t think it was your fault. Remember people are watching and this can be crucial to your ongoing business success.
Example: http://bit.ly/1zGsJwv
4. Third party buy in
There is a broad range of third party sites that you can use to list your hospitality business. One of the most popular is Trip Advisor.
Listings are free for accommodation and restaurants and this is seen as the go to site for travelers when they want to find out how good you are – you may already have been reviewed there, always check in case it is bad.
Example: http://bit.ly/179jDha
Final Thoughts
What we have included here is a small selection of options available to you. Create a digital marketing strategy before you get started. If you don’t have the skills, time or personnel a specialist agency can help guide you in the right direction.
A successful digital marketing strategy must communicate your business’s brand, features and overall experience to customers using a combination of tools or an all-in-one digital marketing management platform. More importantly, regardless of which tools you choose, they must be flexible and prepare your business for the constantly change demand of digital marketing.
ChangeU: For your independent study….
Customer Preferences for Online, Social Media, and Mobile Innovations in the Hospitality Industry - http://bit.ly/1FtHJ1o
Hotel Online Reputation Research, Statistics, and Quotes - http://bit.ly/1DezJBZ
Mobile & Online Hotel Spending Soars – Is Your Digital Presence Ready? - http://bit.ly/1FtHN16
The Website Rules That Will Drive Hungry Customers To Your Restaurant - http://onforb.es/1EVdF1j
Mobile devices are being heralded as the fastest adopted technology ever and this is changing the way all businesses need to look at how they reach customers. Additionally, mobile sales are on a steep rise - eBay realized a 67% increase in mobile sales in the third quarter of 2014, which was 21% of total sales and equalled $14 billion - and unless you take steps to include mobile devices in your marketing plan, you risk losing potential opportunities.
Engage your customers ‘on the go’
According to Gartner, 2014 was the year for marketers to up their spending on mobile marketing strategies. In previous years the mobile devices market had been approached with caution because of the range of variables involved but with over 50% of Americans owning smartphones this lucrative market came sharply into focus.
You should consider targeting mobile devices because:
Mobile marketing tips
Final Thoughts
Including mobile marketing as part of your growth strategy is now a must. Any business that is not easily found and interacted with via mobile devices is in danger of losing a large chunk of their business to competitors that have embraced the mobile revolution.
Examples:
10 Amazing Retail Mobile Marketing Examples http://bit.ly/1BgUo9n
6 Great Examples of Mobile Marketing Campaigns http://bit.ly/1ECNZ5T
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
5 Trends Your Marketing Team Should Budget For In 2015 http://onforb.es/1AdGXUP
Gartner Survey Reveals Digital Marketing Budgets Will Increase By 10 Percent in 2014 http://gtnr.it/1Fhx4d2
The Mobile Revolution: How Mobile Technologies Drive a Trillion-Dollar Impact http://on.bcg.com/1ECOCMR
You can do so much more with your business than just make profits. Of course having a healthy bottom line and robust growth are ideal for any size business but what if I tell you that you can do social good in your community and increase your profitability.
Overcoming the cost barrier
It is reasonable to be concerned that volunteering will negatively affect your business and be both a time and monetary cost that you cannot afford and you are not alone with this concern.
Let’s have a look at some of the ways you can mitigate the cost of volunteering:
General
1. Sponsor: Instead of hosting events, sponsor components that align with your business values;
2. Donate goods: Supply food or other goods for prizes at community events;
3. Supply services: Donate services like bookkeeping and web design to non-profit organizations;
4. Mentoring: Allocate time to mentor community members.
Employees
1. Set maximum time allocation: Decide how much time each employee can volunteer during work hours;
2. Plan for busy times: When work is busy ask employees to volunteer outside of their work hours for an agreed compensation;
3. Work coverage: Fill the gaps when employees are away volunteering via skills training co-workers;
4. Flexible work schedules: Have workers rotate on a flexible roster to accommodate volunteering;
5. Personal days: Allow workers to use their owed vacation or sick leave to volunteer.
The business benefits of volunteering
There is a strong business case to demonstrate that volunteering can help rather than hinder your business. A study, ‘Can Corporate Volunteering Support the Bottom Line?’, by the Case Foundation takes an in depth look at how volunteering affects ROI and provides some essential insights.
1. Employee attraction & retention: Employees are interested in working for companies that give back to the community and, according to The Globe & Mail, will often look at a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility program when choosing a workplace.
2. Brand awareness: Supporting the community gives customers a positive image of your brand which means customers are more likely to purchase from you. Be wary of ONLY using community engagement for this reason, customers will know and leave in droves.
3. Customer loyalty: Increasingly customers are engaging with organizations that support the things they are passionate about, for instance the environment, domestic violence or youth homelessness.
4. Expanding your network: Getting involved in your local area creates opportunities for you to expand your professional network.
Final Thoughts
The key to successful community engagement is careful planning. Choose activities that fit your business and your available resources. Look for existing opportunities within your local community and involve your staff in the discussions.
It is no longer a matter of whether you should get involved, for strong business reasons it’s a matter of when. And remember if you are getting stuck on the details, talk to people that can help get you started.
Examples:
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
Allow Staff Time Off for Charity or Lose Them http://bit.ly/1AdOqDf
Business Case for Employee Volunteering http://bit.ly/1AIBgzP
Solving Social Problems through Business Strategy http://bit.ly/1zZ7kyT
The Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Will Move You To Act http://onforb.es/1yLmC5c
Employers and Employer Supported Volunteering: the business case http://bit.ly/1zZ7FS4
Press releases are a cost-effective way of increasing awareness around your brand and should be a part of your overall marketing strategy. They effectively enable you to directly communicate with your consumers and when picked up and syndicated they can reach a wide range of users.
Why Press Releases Work
Press releases are often overlooked as a valuable SMB marketing tool. Advertising is generally the first option that small businesses use to get the word out about their products and services, neglecting the real benefits that they could leverage from successful PR.
Tips for Press Releases
Not sure where to start? There are some hard and fast rules that you should follow to maximize the opportunity that a press release gives you - remember it is about the quality of the news, not the size of the business.
Expert opinion: Here's what our media expert, Diana Lauritson, has to say about press releases:
"This is a very interesting debate among communications professionals. There has been a movement declaring the death of the press release - read more about it here and here.
Of course, arguments can be made either way. There are benefits to press releases because they show credibility/legitimacy, are a good way to let people know when companies are working together, and a great way to keep your company news organized and accessible. They are also cheaper than many other advertising options. However, I think we can all agree that the traditional press release is not as effective as a means for publicity as it may have been in the past. Blogs and social media have allowed companies to share information quickly and with great SEO results, and have in some ways replaced the need for press releases.
Nonetheless, press releases have evolved to accommodate enriched content (photos, videos, links, social media sharing buttons), and their distribution methods have also evolved. Knowing which kind of content to include in the release, as well as the best methods for distribution are key to leveraging the benefits of a press release. Wire services can be useful, or strategic paid placement of the release to get better results. If sending to contacts or media lists, be sure you are sending to the correct reporter or point person within the organization for optimized results. "
Final Thoughts
A great marketing strategy uses a range of channels to contact consumers. Press releases are an additional marketing tool that you can add to your planning to maximize your reach without overtaxing your allocated budget.
At Change3 Enterprises we are integrating press releases into our overall marketing strategy. We understand the value of press releases as an additional channel that has the potential to reach a broad range of prospective customers.
Do you need some professional advice on how to get started with press releases for your brand awareness? Talk to one of our experts about either a new or ongoing strategy to manage your business press relations.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
A Complete Guide To Writing An Effective Press Release http://bit.ly/17MaYli
Using Press Releases To Market Your Small Business http://bit.ly/1vaFOOJ
Do Press Releases Still Matter Yes But Not Like You Think http://onforb.es/1DlkpoC
Content marketing is about delivering value to your audience. When you create content that challenges, solves, informs and entertains, you will discover that people are not only drawn to your business but will help to share your content via their circles of interest and enable you to generate more leads. The key to success is the quality of your online content. Not all content will generate leads. There is a plethora of other businesses out there trying to do the same thing so what you need to do is stand out from that crowd.
To develop leads from great content you need to drive them to engagement where they will interact with you on some level. You need to give people something of value to convince them to give you their contact details so you can follow up with them at a later point.
At Change3 Enterprises we offer free downloads like our ‘Partner Marketing Guide’ – a free resource in exchange for an email address:
You can try:
Stay away from the pushy sales pitch and focus on the value that you can give to people that interact with your brand online.
Online Content Keeps on Giving
There are a range of different ways that you can create your brand voice and if you do it well it will be shared broadly to help grow your business.
Some of the content that you may use:
Connect with Consumers
Keep it interesting and informative, make sure that your content:
Final Thoughts
Always keep focusing your content on the reader, not SEO. For your content to really work for you make sure that it provides value to anyone that reads it and solves their issue or at the very least entertains them. Keep your content interesting and most of all make sure that it stands out, you don’t want to get lost in the crowd.
See some of the best:
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
6 Steps To Turn Your Online Lead Generation Into Lead Nurturing http://bit.ly/1EJc37c
Ways To Generate Leads Online http://bit.ly/1CEl5QT
How To Generate Leads With A Powerful Content Marketing Strategy http://bit.ly/17dRmpi
Medical professionals might question whether or not digital marketing is something they should engage in. This decision should not be taken lightly with time and manpower being scarce; however, investing resources in intangibles like a website, blog, Facebook page, and the like can make a measurable difference in the longevity of your practice.
Digital Marketing is a necessity even for those who already have a loyal following. Maintaining the level of community presence not only allows a practice to present thought leadership, but also increases the likelihood of prospective patients coming across any number of your tactics. This type of marketing enables you to be a practice that people trust. Your practice should absolutely maintain a website and engage in multiple digital marketing strategies.
Before you write it off completely, read the tips below and learn to implement something successful your first try!
Use Your Website Resources
1. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch. If your website is not up to date, that needs to be your first step. Patients will notice that you put the time and effort into providing them with the most recent site that continuously makes improvements to better their experience. They will connect this experience with the type of service your practice must be known for. Your finished product needs to reflect your brand, be well-organized, easily navigated, and most importantly – modern.
2. Consider streamlining the process. Adding call to action buttons for the two most requested elements of your practice is a great way to create a functional site - e.g.: requesting an appointment and FAQs. See example below:
Another option to introduce a more streamlined process that is also mobile-friendly is the introduction of apps to manage things like FAQs and scheduling.
3. Consider becoming a member of a larger Healthcare interface. Two of the more widely known options are the Healthcare startup HealthTap, which started out as a Q&A site for patients to ask a medical expert questions, and ZocDoc, an appointment-setting app. These innovative apps have created opportunities for physicians and other medical professionals to create their own personal pages and upload various digital assets.
Physicians see the value of participating on these apps and networks when new patients discover their practice and make appointments. Usually it takes one such conversion to get a doctor hooked.
Join the Conversation
After structuring your website for success, your practice needs to implement and maintain a blog. A blog allows you to keep up digital marketing consistency, while only requiring weekly posting. These thought leadership efforts can be amplified by syndicating the content with links published to social channels, like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and any email newsletters or alerts distributed by the practice.
Distributing Content: Go Where Patients Are
Content distribution should always begin with social media. It is important to allocate which mediums you will be using and maintain consistency. There are apps that can assist you in this process, especially with the lack of downtime that those who work in your practice have.
Each social media site is unique in the approach to connecting you with your patients.
Patient Marketing
While this might sound like a complicated strategy to implement, it really isn’t. It all begins with a core value that your practice might already hold: Treat your patients right.
Since patients have a choice where they bestow their business, you must make sure you are providing a respectable experience; otherwise, all the marketing you do will not matter if your patients don’t feel valued.
! Follow up on visits with phone calls, mail outs, or offer in-house survey feedback. You could even pair any one of these with an incentive.
Lastly, a surefire way to distribute content to patients and community is to create an email newsletter. Always remember to be concise and clients will appreciate the updates without having to put too much effort into reading through them.
Final Thought: A medical practice should have a digital presence for many reasons, perhaps starting as a page on an existing healthcare social network and eventually building to a robust, standalone presence. The key is to present compelling thought leadership and engage in proper search engine marketing. This is what separates one expert from another online, and in the competitive medical industry, and a highly regarded blog can make all the difference. Getting found based on insights and expertise will serve the medical practice well.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
Healthcare Social Networks: New Choices for Doctors, Patients http://ubm.io/1GkeHU3
A review of social networks for the medical community.
Social Media on HHS.gov http://1.usa.gov/1GkeQXq
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines on social media usage.
3 Keys to Digital Marketing in Healthcare http://bit.ly/1GkeSih
Digital marketing insights from marketing software provider Hubspot.
As more people turn to the internet for products and services, it’s important for chiropractors to have an online presence that extends past a functional website in order to stay competitive, more importantly, because consumers expect it. A chiropractor should focus their digital marketing efforts on boosting visibility to ultimately bring in new business.
As a local chiropractor, creating a strong online presence is easier than you might think. Here are a few ideas to help you along the way.
All things lead back to your webpage
Your website is one of your most valuable assets, as such, all your marketing efforts-online and offline-should lead back to your website. Your website needs to be seen and thought of as the place where people come to learn about your practice and the services you offer.
On the contrary, your social media profiles are different in that they are a more casual and personal place where you can engage and communicate with your patients and followers. With this in mind, your social media pages should always have a subtle, yet compelling call-to-action to go to your webpage. The most common way to do this is to provide multiple links within your posts; this directs clients to your website to begin the process of educating them about the more technical and useful aspects of chiropractic care.
Example:
Website of Valley Spinal Care
Content Rules
When promoting your practice use the 80/20 rule in social media, with the intention of helping as many people as you can. This rule is simple, yet effective in conveying a message of sincerity.
! Remember that the majority of people spend time on social media to learn and build relationships, respond to this by continuing to share value and education. An often overlooked way to build these relationships is to respond to comments, likes, or any action that is received on your social media pages.
Connect with and educate prospects
Some of your prospective clients may not be fully aware of what chiropractic care really entails and could be skeptical about trying it. The tactical use of social media can help your business rise above many of the objections those who haven’t learned about your practice may have, while educating them, and beginning a relationship.
By using these tools to connect on a higher level with your supporters and community, you have a greater chance of converting connections into lifelong patients.
Example:
Spinal Works Chiropractic YouTube Channel
Stay in touch to establish expertise
When looking to nurture the doctor-patient relationship it is important to stay in contact with current patients on an on-going basis. Social media allows your business to do so in the most effective way while accruing no cost to you. These relationships, if nurtured correctly keep your product in the forefront of a patients mind, making them more likely to refer your practice to others. Word-of-mouth promotion is a large asset when you are examining your business from a marketing and advertising perspective. Additionally, the viral nature of social media provides unlimited opportunities for you to establish yourself as a prominent expert in your field. By continuing to post useful, pertinent content you can develop an esteemed reputation in your local area.
Final thoughts
While it does take some extra effort to establish a successful digital marketing strategy, the benefits of doing so far outweigh any uncertainties. You will undoubtedly be able to grow your practice, reach new patients, and show that you are a trustworthy chiropractic care facility. Investing the time to know where incoming patients or current patients found you, will allow you to hone your marketing strategy.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
Chiropractic Economics http://bit.ly/1cuWHLP
#1 most-trusted and most-used resource for practice building, product information, and purchasing decisions by doctors of chiropractic.
Resources for Chiropractors on Pinterest http://goo.gl/oAT2Pl
A place to share positive message about chiropractic, alternative healthcare, and provide resources that help chiropractors spread awareness.
Improving your digital presence is about more than just adopting new technology and adding social media to your website and this differs depending on your business. For example, the key for retailers will be different from a medical practice. Retailer must align their digital marketing strategy to the consumers’ expectations, one that is consistent with the in-store buying process. Additionally, a retail business should consider the idea of the Internet of Things [IOT]. This specialized interface connects every aspect of the buying process, from the customer to the devices and technology and everything in between. In familiarizing yourself with tools such as this, you can optimize your digital marketing strategy to ultimately build a strong brand and increase sales.
Here are a few things to consider during development of a digital marketing strategy for your retail business.
Meet your customers’ digital expectations
Today’s consumers have more choices than ever for how and when they want to access content, allowing them to take a multi-channel approach in researching and buying products. By understanding the expectations associated with product acquisition, retailers can align their online purchase processes with their in-store process. This includes the What you see is what you get approach. Consumers want to know they are getting the same level of customer service and quality of product that they would in-store. Knowing this fact from online reviews and the like will increase the likelihood that a consumer will transition from browser to buyer.
The smartphone has had a tremendous impact on the online buying process; so much so that the smartphone has actually replaced the tablet as the leading device for researching purchases. They have also introduced retailers to what has become known as the connected consumer – a consumer who expects to be able to shop wherever, whenever, and however they like.
Furthermore, consumers expect to reach your store, whether via the internet or in-person, with everything they need to know about what they are purchasing and the availability. Digital applications like Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) RFID, and other retailer technology can benefit your business by allowing employees to do inventory faster and more accurately, as well as provide a higher level of customer service, by streamlining the checkout process. The more value you are able to provide to your customers, the more capital they will invest.
Make it a one stop shop
Set your business apart from other brands by offering e-commerce--shipments, returns, price matching, etc. This will increase your opportunity to build brand loyalty and maintain customers. Take Amazon, for example. This major e-retailer has made the entire purchase process easy for customers by providing everything they need—from initial research, to price comparisons and product reviews, all the way to making the purchase. As a result, consumers feel empowered and in control of the process, while your business continues to gain more insight into buyer’s behaviors and habits from the information they share on the site.
If your business is unable to adopt these ecommerce additives, consider implementing an online mobile friendly coupon for use online or in-store in addition to one with a greater value that is only compatible with online purchases.
Social media = social commerce
With the advent of social media came social shopping, allowing customers to interact with their favorite brands. A retailer that actively uses multiple social media platforms can build relationships that will drive traffic to their website and create brand ambassadors through ‘Liking’ and sharing.
Utilize your social media pages to talk to consumers, share new product information, and announce specials. However, take it a step further by making it possible for them to begin the buying process on your social media page. An example of this is Target. With the use of Like2Buy, Target fans can shop via Instagram, by simply selecting the image, and being linked directly to Target’s main website to complete the check-out.
Final thoughts
Every business is different, and the way in which you execute these tips will be based on your business needs. When it comes to your digital marketing strategy and social media efforts, your business will benefit the most if you use a more service-focused approach rather simply pushing your products on to customers.
ChangeU: For your independent study ...
Retailing 2015: New Frontiers - PwC http://goo.gl/rJkcAG
PricewaterhouseCoopers and TNS Retail Forward collaborate to report on this overview of the retail industry through 2015.
ConversantTM Retail Marketer Insights Study 2014 http://goo.gl/tMI16Q
Research with important insights into the digital opportunities and challenges faced by leading senior level retail marketers.
Technology is giving real estate agents easier and more efficient ways to communicate with prospective buyers, as such it’s an ideal platform to create and build a process to generate leads and sell more homes. By taking action and building an online brand, you can separate your business from your competitors’.
Here are some proven ways to grow your brand and your business.
Make an impression with your website
Create New Opportunities
According to a study done by the National Association of Realtors, 92% of people turn to the internet as the first step in the home buying process, this makes providing these seekers with information on the networks they are using most frequently.
A savvy realtor understands that the usual social networking platforms, like Facebook or LinkedIn are not enough to generate leads. Real estate oriented sites like Trulia and Zillow provide comprehensive information about homes, neighbourhoods, and other insights you can’t find elsewhere. For realtors, these sites have the capability to group potential buyers into targeted and specific communities you can engage in. These sites are also mobile-friendly and have apps that can make the whole home buying process streamlined.
Building a profile on industry specific sites that allow this interaction has enormous potential to generate leads by allowing sellers to start discussions with buyers early in the process. This can be particularly helpful if you are just starting your business or if the marketing budget is limited. Treat these sites just as you do your social media pages, with regard to being consistent and active.
Trulia, Real Estate
Use Social Media to Connect with Prospects
In order to build a sustainable online business brand you must engage your visitors and potential buyers on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram without being too aggressive or pushy. Use these platforms to gain insights into the needs and expectations of buyers in more personal and casual manner. Some ways to do this are:
Final Thoughts
Today there are many avenues for real estate agents to generate leads and market themselves, the key to success is finding a way to merge all the elements together to build your brand. A digital presence will inevitably set you apart. Don’t forget to use these social platforms to nurture communication throughout the home searching/buying process and even after the deal is completed.
Change3 is a digital marketing and lead generation agency. We provide exceptional results to our clients by ‘delivering happiness daily’ using seasoned professionals in 12 countries. We don’t just produce materials for our clients, we help companies define how to talk to their target market and who they are talking to within the market.
Scottsdale, AZ 85255 
+1 844 314 1265
[email protected] © 2026 Change3 Enterprises LLC - All rights reserved
