5 Steps to Maximize Conversions on your Landing Page

January 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you use a Landing Page to attract and then send people to your website, and you’re not satisfied with the results that you’re getting, it’s possible that the headline, body copy or your call to action aren’t as persuasive as they should be. If that’s the case, the 5 Steps you’ll find below will help you maximize your conversions and drive much more traffic to your website.

Although some might disagree, writing an effective landing page isn’t a complicated process by any means. The problem lies in the way you lay out your content and the words that you use as anything “wrong” may cause a prospective customer to leave your page and surf on to the next. It’s for that reason that, no matter what you have on your landing page, it must be as tight and focused as possible.

To make your Landing Page copy tight and focused you should…

  1. Remove any distractions. The more unneeded copy or buttons that you have on your landing page, the more likely that someone will wander away from it and never make it to your website or make a purchase. For this reason you should remove any navigation to the left or right and leave only the main menu items that are a constant reminder that you are potential customer is still on your site. Also, keep the copy as short as possible. Unless you’re selling a very high end product or service it’s been found that between 100 and 300 words are usually sufficient to get someone to make a choice to keep going and/or make a purchase.
  2. Keep all content above the “fold”. If you force your potential customers to scroll, and scroll, and scroll down and endless page of content to get to your offer, you’ll find that your results are poor at best. Better to keep your offer and other important info above the fold to avoid this.
  3. Remind people about how great your product or services are. Use all headlines and subheads to emphasize why people clicked on your landing page in the first place. Use bullet points to emphasize your benefits and use a “highlighter” to point out anything vitally important that they should know.

It’s also a great idea to put your best testimonial  in full view as well as your “buy now” button or any other call to action you need to help your customers make the decision to make a purchase. You can also use engaging words on your call to action button like “Get Started Saving” or “Start Learning  Today”, words that will reinforce the benefits that your new customer will immediately get once they make a purchase.

  1. Create a simple Order Form. Let’s face it, filling out online forms is really a pain. If you ask for so much information that your prospective customers start getting teary-eyed it means that your order form is much too involved and will cause them to give up in frustration. Simply ask for the most vital information that you need and nothing more.
  2. Ask for the sale. Once a potential customer gets finished reading your landing page’s content, you don’t want to shy away from giving them the extra push to commit to a purchase. To that end, tell them exactly what they need to know in order to close the sale. If your offer has a guarantee, is “limited”, is new or comes with an excellent discount, now is the time to tell them.
  3. Bonus Step. Create several different Headlines. Prospects will more than likely find their way to your landing page via different marketing channels like email blasts, flyers, online ads and so forth. Your headline should be aligned with those different channels in order to align with the people coming from them. This will help you to give a clear message and have a higher conversion rate.

Hopefully these Steps will help you to create a Landing Page that creates a high level experience. You can use them on practically any landing page with any type of product or service and, if you use them correctly, you’ll find that they work.

Filed Under: Marketing

The Secret to Hiring Excellent Talent

January 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Here’s a newsflash that many entrepreneurs might not want to hear; it’s almost impossible to build a successful business or start up by yourself. Also, it’s not the best idea to hire a group of friends or family to help you as usually this ends and family problems and ended friendships.

When it comes time to hire talent for your new business or startup you really need to take a look at yourself first and determine what your own strengths and weaknesses are. The reason is simple; you want to pick people who complement those strengths and make up for those  weaknesses. If you do you’ll put together a team that will more easily form a tight partnership, win over new customers, expand quickly and do all of the other things that are crucial to your growth and success.

One of the most vital aspects of this is to create a culture in your new company that is attractive to the best people. There is no way to build a great team for your startup if the atmosphere and working conditions at your business are unattractive. Of course one of the problems with hiring top talent is that, in most cases, top talent comes with the top talent price. Overcoming this challenge takes creativity, to say the least.

One of the ways to do this is simply to higher people that can do the things that you can’t. For example, if you’re excellent at business development you probably should hire someone who’s good at marketing or customer support.

One of the best ways however to recruit new people is to be an excellent salesperson. Why? Because if you have a vision about what your company is going to be and you’re passionate about that vision, you’re going to need to be able to sell that to talented individuals and persuade them to see your vision and become passionate about it as well. If you can do that and convince them that what you’re providing is, in actuality, an excellent opportunity, it will be much easier to get great talent at an affordable price.

Simply put, the odds of putting together an excellent team is going to be much higher if you can instill the same passion and vision into your new employees as you have in yourself. If they are convinced that they are working with you towards something that’s going to be “big”, they’re going to be more inclined to work for you at an amount less than what they can get somewhere else.

Another important aspect of hiring talented people is to make sure that your hiring process weeds out the people who don’t truly believe in what you are doing, don’t see your vision and don’t have the passion necessary to really make things happen. Keep in mind that while all of the people you hire should believe in your vision and show your passion, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should all come from the same background. Diversity among your team members can be quite valuable.

To close out this blog we’ve got 5 steps that you can use to hire excellent talent for either your new startup or for an already existing business.

  1. First, identify precisely the exact skills that your business needs.
  2. Identify your strongest skills and, more importantly, your weaknesses.
  3. Recruit people who are better than you in those areas where you are weak.
  4. Use your core values, and your vision, to create a strong culture among your employees and team members.
  5. Use these values to manage your people and, if necessary, move them out of your company if they don’t “fit in”.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Did your SMS Marketing campaign tank? This is probably why

December 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

If you’re an entrepreneur you have probably been told by marketers everywhere about how amazing SMS marketing is and what it will do for your business. You probably heard about how easy it is to create campaigns and send personalized messages to people in your community who have shown an interest in your products or services, and then use that interested to turn  them into paying customers.

It’s also quite possible that you  “tried” SMS marketing and were left disappointed because it didn’t do nearly as well as you had hoped. If you are, there’s really only two things that are possible; you were given false information or you didn’t take the right approach to SMS marketing for your particular business. As anyone in business knows, there’s always a “right” way to do things in a “wrong” way to do them. The “mistakes” below will hopefully show you the former. Enjoy.

You didn’t have an excellent Offer. Here’s the thing; unless you’re offering a truly awesome deal, your response rate is probably going to be quite low. People are inundated every day with text messages from family, friends and, to a lesser extent, businesses. Unless you’re offering something that makes them stop and take notice, as well as being personalized, your message will more than likely be ignored. On the other hand, if you are offering something that’s truly a sweet deal, not only will you get a higher response rate but the people responding will  “share” your offer with anyone that they are “connected to” like friends, family and colleagues.

You didn’t market and advertise your SMS capabilities to your existing customers. The problem, if you can call it that, with SMS marketing is that, unless you have an excellent opt-in list to send your messages, it will be very hard to get any response at all. Because of this you need to market and advertise your SMS campaigns and offer potential customers something for signing up with your text list. You also should be advertising about your SMS marketing campaigns anywhere and everywhere that you can. In your store (if you have one), online, on social media, on billboards and, if you use them, on TV and radio.

You didn’t tell people what you want them to do. This is called a “call to action” and it’s vital if you want to get an excellent response to your SMS marketing campaign. You simply need to tell people what to do next whether it’s to redeem a coupon, visit your store at a particular time, refer a friend to your website or whatever. A call to action is a definite must if you want to have a successful SMS Text message marketing campaign.

You didn’t have a Mobile Website. One of the first things that many people do today when they receive an SMS text message is use their smart phone to go online and do more research on your company, your offer and your products or services. If you don’t have a mobile website many people will become frustrated because, frankly, navigating a website on a small smart phone screen is a real pain. In fact, it’s been shown that a person who lands on an website that isn’t mobile optimized will leave within approximately 6 seconds! If you wish to continue using SMS marketing, you need to get your website optimized for mobile.

You started your SMS campaign without a Plan. When implementing any new marketing strategy it’s essential that you don’t do it “blind”. If you went into SMS marketing without a plan before your first advertising or marketing was put into action, it’s going to be very difficult for your marketing to succeed. Before you start any SMS marketing campaign, make sure your plan is set and you know exactly what you’ll be doing.

Okay, so let’s say that you had all of those points covered and your marketing campaign still failed. Well, not all marketing goes perfectly right out of the gate which means that, as the old adage says, try and try again. The simple fact is that statistics show that SMS text message marketing is an excellent, economical and engaging form of marketing with an excellent ROI. Just because it didn’t work for you the first time doesn’t mean that, with some trial and error, it won’t turn into an excellent marketing tool for your business.

Filed Under: Marketing

Throwing a Holiday Party? Then you need these Tax Tips to Write it Off

December 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

There’s nothing better than throwing a holiday party for your employees, especially if you’ve had an excellent year and profits have been good. If you’re putting out quite a bit of money to do it, you’ll definitely want to write off the expenses on your taxes. While it certainly isn’t it illegal or immoral, keep in mind that the IRS has special rules when it comes to writing off entertainment expenses. If you use them or interpret them the wrong way, you may find yourself facing problems or fines down the road.

The simple fact is that entertainment is not only a necessary but regular business expense for many companies. The need to be in touch with your clients and show them your “human side” is vital to a strong business relationship. In many industries it’s also vital to network with people from related industries in order to generate more B2B business. In any case, most business owners believe that the expense of providing all of the food, drink and entertainment at these functions is deductible. But is it?

In order to be deductible any type of entertainment that you have, including an open house, parties and so forth, must come with some type of discussion about business not only before but during and after the event. If you throw a party simply for “goodwill” reasons your expenses are not deductible.

The one exception to this is if you throw a party for your employees and their families. A Christmas or holiday party of this kind is 100% deductible, even if you invite the general public. Interestingly, if you invite “friends” the money that you allocated to entertain them is not deductible.

If you want your party expenses to be deductible when you’re throwing it for customers or business associates, as we mentioned above, there must be substantial business discussions made including either a presentation, a speech a “reveal” or something else along those lines. Even then, the IRS rules for entertainment say that you can only deduct 50% of any of the expenses for said party.

If you invite employees of the company to this event than any of the money that you allocate for their entertainment, food and drinks is still 100% deductible. Of course it’s in your best interest to make sure that you have any and all documentation to prove exactly who was there, what was spent and how much everything ended up costing. If you send out invitations you definitely should keep a copy of one to show that it was for business purposes.

A good example is something like this; “You are cordially invited to attend the reveal of our new shake maker. Make sure to stay and get your drink on with us afterwards.” Even better is if you videotape the reveal as you can not only use this for excellent social media marketing but, in the event of an audit, you’ll have sufficient proof.

It’s also an great idea to keep a copy of the guest list and make a total of the different types of guests including customers, employees and friends. This is especially helpful if you’re going to need to allocate the expenses and explain them to your bookkeeper so that he or she can record the transactions properly.

Of course the best thing to do is make sure that your tax professional knows exactly what the party was about and who was invited.  In this way they can keep it separate from any other entertainment expenses that you might have during the year and make sure did that it’s recorded properly at years end on your tax return.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

How to Build a Brand People will Adore

December 14, 2013 by 1 Comment

Many people outside of marketing think of a “Brand” as sort of this false cover that is given to a product or service in order to con them into buying something that they don’t actually want or, even worse, don’t need.

A savvy marketer, on the other hand, realizes that a brand is something that reflects and defines the values that a company cares most about, something that goes beyond profit margins and revenues. Indeed, the most well-loved and long-lasting brands are usually the ones that tap into the public’s consciousness and resonate with them on a much deeper level than most brands could ever hope to. Indeed, the very best branding is the kind where commerce and humanity meet in the middle. With that in mind, we have 3 Tips for you today that will help you to build a brand that people will (eventually) adore. Enjoy.

Tip 1) Define why you exist as well as what your product stands against.

The best marketers know one simple fact about branding; consumers don’t buy what you make, they buy why you make it. That’s one of the reasons that the iPhone and iPad were able to literally change the world, because Steve Jobs didn’t set out to build a phone or a portable computer, he set out to change the way people think about computing. Think about it. Coca-Cola doesn’t sell sugar water, they sell youth and fun and excitement. Tom’s of Maine doesn’t sell toothpaste and deodorant, they sell caring for the environment.

The question then is simply this; what does your brand stand for. What’s the story behind the people who started the company and what type of values and passions do they have. These things should form the foundation of any company and any brand and, in order to succeed, you should hire people that share these core values and beliefs. Amazon, Apple, Google, Tom’s of Maine and others have done this and have become wildly successful.

It’s also vital that your brand defines what it is against. You must know exactly what it is that you “hate” and how your product or service solves this problem. As much as you need to be passionate about what you are product or service can do, you need to be passionate about what problem it will eradicate. For example, Coca-Cola hates dull lives, Dyson vacuums hade vacuums that don’t suck and are clumsy and Apple hates computers that are boring. If you can define what it is that your brand will do away with, you will go far in building an affinity for it in the public eye.

Tip 2) Define your true, specific target market and forget everyone else.

Marketers know that people purchase products and services from companies that they can identify with. The best brands think beyond things like age or income demographics and go more for the feelings, habits and desires of their customers as well as their “self-image”. Indeed, the best brands delve very deeply into these factors by using customer surveys and marketing that hits home deeply with their intended market and, in some cases, may actually be unpopular with the rest of the population.

Apple computers is the one of the best at doing this. Apple doesn’t sell smart phones or tablets, they sell family, wonder and simplicity. The typical Apple customer swears by their iPhone or their iPad and wouldn’t think about purchasing another brand even though there are some on the market that are now arguably better. Apples marketing is absolutely fantastic in reaching their core market and is one of the reasons that, even after the passing of Steve Jobs, they are still one of the most popular brands in the world.

Tip 3) Be Consistent in every single phase of your marketing.

This may be the most critical Tip to creating a Brand that people adore. Your brands identity, including your slogans, logo, “look” and voice need to be extremely consistent over all of your marketing media. This consistency is what will build trust and affinity in the community and convince people that your company has integrity, all critical factors that are needed to convert a consumer into a customer.

These are things that the public can’t always see, by the way. For example, the way that your people answer the phone when someone calls, the types of charities that you sponsor and your return policies all must be consistent and reflect your brand’s core values. With the social media the way it is today, responsiveness has also become vitally important. Today’s consumer is connected 24/7 to the entire world and expects to be able to connect with your brand whenever and wherever they like. Indeed, studies have shown that upwards of 90% of people on social media will recommend their company they’ve had a positive experience with.

At the end of the day, the fact is that once you’ve defined your brand you make most of your business decisions much easier. It takes a good bit of work to get started and branding certainly isn’t a substitute for excellent operations and management, but excellent branding will make things much easier as your company begins to grow and become more popular. Indeed, brilliant branding is one of the very best ways to create a brand that people will adore and, once adored, things become significantly easier.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Marketers Capitalizing on 3 Emerging Social Media Trends

December 7, 2013 by 1 Comment

If you’re a marketing expert (or would like to be) you probably already know about social media and probably, like most, have been migrating between social media platforms. You probably already know that social networking is now considered to be one of the best ways to not only get in touch with potential customers but stay in touch with them. It also can help you to find out what your customer base really likes about your company and, conversely, what they don’t.

One thing’s for certain, social media is definitely going to continue to rise in popularity and, with that in mind, we’ve put together a little blog about the 3 Emerging Social Media Trends that any marketer or business owner should be keeping an eye on. Enjoy.

Trend 1) Spending for Social Media Marketing is Increasing.

For 99.9% of all businesses, marketing is an integral and vital part of their business. It also eats up a huge amount of their resources and social media is definitely no different. A recent report showed that nearly 70% of marketers are expected to increase their social media spending in 2014 while almost 30% are planning on raising their word-of-mouth marketing efforts at the same time.

The fact is that social media marketing is now an integral part of the business operations for many companies because it is very good at gaining interest from said company’s intended audience. One of the biggest expenditures with social media marketing is having the people available to answer questions and queries immediately when they come through a social media site. Being able to handle live client calls as well as provide “chat” is vital to a social media campaign’s success, but it doesn’t involve a big investment in time and people.

Trend 2) More and more people are using social networks.

Everyone knows that Facebook started the whole social media trend but today there are literally hundreds of social media sites that are popular, especially now that smart phones have become an ubiquitous part of our daily lives. In fact, eMarketer recently reported that nearly one in seven people worldwide uses a social media site at least once a month, a number that’s set to grow to nearly 2 billion people by the year 2017. Interestingly, the country with the highest penetration in social media is the Netherlands with nearly 64% of their population using social media sites on a regular basis. The United States comes in at sixth with approximately 51%.

Trend 3) Social Media sites are coming in bigger and better varieties.

The game is definitely changing and social media marketing, and one of the game changers is the emergence of social media sites that are driven by teenagers and young adults. Instagram, Vine and Snapchat are three of the most popular right now and, due to younger users, became popular extremely fast. Of course what that means for business is that they must establish yet another social media profile, something that should only be done if they understand their client base well and will get a significant enough return. The good news is that with such a wide variety of platforms the “shareability” of any business content is increased as well as the ability to give prospective customers that “personal touch” that they are looking for these days.

These new social media sites come with new tools like the six second videos that are popular on Vine, something that is definitely a new and interesting challenge for marketers but also offers quite a few added benefits. As with any marketing, tools and campaigns need to be customized to a specific market segment that a company is hoping to reach. The good news is that there are now a lot more avenues available to do that.

Filed Under: Marketing

Not All Mortgages are Created Equal: Three Reasons Why

November 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Mortgages can be tools that offer many great possibilities in life. Whether we’ve found the perfect flat to purchase, or are settling down in a home to raise a family, mortgages can often make dreams come true. As tools in life, few contracts rival mortgages in their potential for allowing us to invest in our own well-being.

However, while taking out a mortgage can have many positive connotations, it’s important to consider how debt management works in the long run to get the most out of your loan. While taking out a mortgage can be a thrilling moment in an individual’s or a family’s life, it is also important to be aware of how taking out a mortgage can affect your finances and how best to choose a mortgage provider. Doing so can minimise risk and set the foundation for a joyful experience rather than years of unwanted bills. Here are just a few tips on how to find the mortgage that is right for you.

1. Different Interest Rates Mean Different Monthly Payments

When considering a mortgage, you should be aware that the interest rate you choose can make our mortgage payment vary wildly each month. Usually a mortgage with a smaller interest rate will mean that payments will be more manageable, whilst tempting high interest loans on property out of our price-range may flatten you with their huge payments and hidden costs.

2. Broker’s Fees May Vary by Company

When taking out a mortgage, you may find that your mortgage broker takes out a fee for their work. This is only natural, as their work is to find mortgages for the right people. But these fees can vary wildly from firm to firm. As in medicine, seeking out a second opinion is sometimes the best strategy in finding the right answer as to whether your broker’s fee is too high. You do have the option to go direct to a lender such as Clydesdale Bank and negotiate directly with them

3. Mortgages Can Change with the Economy

Understanding how the economy impacts upon your mortgage, particularly if it is a tracker, is of critical importance. This is, after all, not a decision to take lightly. For example, if you find a low interest rate on a mortgage and inflation changes the value of money over time, in certain instances you will effectively have no interest rate at all as the value of cash begins to match that of your interest rate. As a strategy, you can find ways to save by thinking about your mortgage in the long-term. When doing so, you may find that you’re eventually thousands of pounds ahead of where you might have been with a high-interest loan in a sluggish economy.

For these reasons, understanding the nature of difference in mortgage costs can be one of the biggest ways to save money you may experience over the course of your life. Purchasing a mortgage is much like running in a marathon, with perseverance taking precedence over speed. The important thing is thinking long-term and with the finish line in mind.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Over 70% of Employees Missing Out on Pretax Dollars for Medical Expenses

November 23, 2013 by 2 Comments

In 2013 fewer Americans than ever put pretax dollars a way to cover future medical expenses but changes in 2014 will make these flexible spending accounts bit more attractive. These new changes will actually give taxpayers a bit of extra time to use their money.

Only 22% of eligible employees used the available flexible spending accounts that large companies were giving, meaning that they missed out on these tax-deferred plans that would have let them set aside up to $2500 to cover any out-of-pocket medical expenses that they might’ve had.  While it’s only a slight dip from 2012 (23%) it still means that over 75% of eligible employees aren’t taking advantage of this excellent program. The reason isn’t that large employers have cut back because they haven’t, it’s just that people aren’t aware of the extra money that these plans would give them or are confused about how they can use this money.

In fact, the low number of people taking it vantage of these plants is due to the fear that they would lose their cash if for some reason they miscalculated their medical expenses. That’s why the fix that was just announced for next year should be helpful because it will more than likely make these people more comfortable with using the plan. The fix, announced by the Treasury Department in October, will allow taxpayers to carry over up to $500 of their plan’s balance into the next year. This puts an end to the “use it or lose it” restrictions that have been in effect for over 30 years, restrictions that meant a person would forfeit their remaining balance if they didn’t use it.

The reason for the change is that, since the Affordable Care Act capped FSA contributions at $2500 (down from $5000), the strict use it or lose it rules became less necessary. It’s expected that low to middle income families will find the plan more appealing in 2014 because it will give them more time to use their money. It will  more than likely also reduce the unnecessary need for year-end spending that most taxpayers perform because they worried about losing their cash.

It was a valid fear, to be sure. The fact is that nearly one in four FSA participants was actually forfeiting their money come  year end, even though some companies were actually giving their employees a 2 ½ month grace period. According to the new treasury rules these companies will, in the future, be allowed to either give the grace period or the carryover but not both. It’s been reported that some companies are actually letting workers take advantage of the carry-over option this year as well.

Of course what that means is that all employees should definitely check with their employer to find out if they will be able to carry over any unused funds into next year starting this year. Since many companies already require their employees to decide this year how much they want to contribute next year it’s believed that many more people will opt to contribute at least up to $500 because they know that they will have a few years to use the funds on medical expenses like copayments, prescriptions and deductibles.

Employees who contribute the maximum of $2500 and are in the 25% tax bracket could actually save themselves over $600 on taxes while people who contribute $500 could save $125. In either case, the new rules will make it much easier for people to take advantage of this program without fear that they’ll lose any money.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

5 Mistakes that Successful Entrepreneurs Wish they Would have Avoided

November 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Many successful small business owners and entrepreneurs made mistakes when they started their businesses that they wish they could go back and correct. Spending too much money on unnecessary equipment or on an office that was too big as well as wasting money on advertising that didn’t work are just a few of the mistakes that they made. Today’s blog puts together some of those mistakes so that, instead of making the same, you can learn about them here and do your best to avoid them. Enjoy.

  1. Not knowing or underestimating what your startup costs will be. This is possibly one of the biggest mistakes that new entrepreneurs make in that they underestimate, sometimes greatly, the amount of capital that they’re going to need in order to get their business up and running. Not only that but to keep it running for the first 1 to 3 years, during which time most businesses don’t usually turn a profit. Most entrepreneurs can calculate the set costs like renting a retail or office space, the equipment that they’re going to need, their inventory and all of the legal expenses that are going to face. The problem starts when it comes to things like marketing and promotion, advertising, insurance costs and, in some cases, utilities.
  2. Going “off plan” and losing focus. Many entrepreneurs that we talked to spoke about how they went after every potential source of revenue that they could find but that, at the end of the day, it sidetracked them and prevented them from taking care of their true customers. While reevaluating your original goals every so often is a great idea, making sure that you are headed in the right direction and staying the course is the best way to ensure long-term success.
  3. Failing to delegate responsibilities. When most entrepreneurs start their business it’s just them or maybe one or two more people. What can happen as they grow and become more successful is that they refuse to relinquish control of everything that needs to be done and take on way too much responsibility. The fact is, if your business is doing well and you want to keep doing well, hiring people to take care of the less important but still necessary tasks is not only a good idea, it’s vital to keep the business going and growing. The fact is, if you hire excellent people and train them to do things the way you want them done, your business can only grow bigger and better.
  4. Hiring the wrong people. Many entrepreneurs get so overwhelmed by the dozens of tasks that they need to accomplish daily that they will gladly take on any available set of hands in order to get a little bit of help. The problem is that many times they hire someone who either lacks the skill or the motivation to help them succeed and, in time, this person can end up being more of a hindrance than a help and add to the problems more than help them. These days there are so many temporary staffing agencies and online solutions that there’s really no need to even hire full-time help so, until it’s actually necessary, you can avoid it and avoid the hassle until you’re ready to hire someone full-time.
  5. Letting your new business take over your life. Many of the entrepreneurs that we talked to lamented that, at least during the first few years, they did nothing but eat, sleep and breathe their business. While this is necessary in order to lay a strong foundation for any business, it can also lead to burnout that can lead to health problems and apathy. The fact is, if you haven’t had a real vacation in more than two or three years and you don’t remember your son’s name, it may be time to step away from your business and get yourself a little bit of R&R. Trust us, your business will still be there when you get back and you’ll have a refreshed attitude and spirit that will be a real boon to the entire operation.

Hopefully the mistakes above are mistakes that you haven’t made yet and, now that you know about them, you can avoid them. (Don’t worry, you’re sure to make a few of your own.) If you have any questions about setting up the finances for your new business venture, please let us know and we’ll help you out in any way that we can with information, advice and solutions.

 

 

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Online Marketing Tips for the Entrepreneur

October 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

If you’re an entrepreneur using the Internet to make a living there are always new ideas, new changes and new information to learn. Online marketing changes fast and changes often and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. With that in mind we put together a list of some excellent online marketing tips that every entrepreneur can use to build client lists, attract visitors to their websites and increase profits. Enjoy.

Tip 1:Take good care of your website. Here’s the thing; there are literally millions of websites online and, if you have any hope of attracting visitors, keeping them on your site and converting them into customers, your website better be attractive, have excellent content and be extremely easy to navigate. If it is you will be among the 10% of websites that actually follow these three rules.

The fact is, if you haven’t updated your website in at least the last 2 years the new technologies that have come about have basically rendered it obsolete. If you want it to be a lean, mean, money making machine, updating it and keeping it full of fresh content is the only way to go. If you don’t, you might as well not have a website at all because people are much too busy today to deal with a website that isn’t top-notch.

Tip 2: Stop using “megaphone” or “shotgun” marketing. These two catchwords basically mean the same thing; shouting out your advertising to people and interrupting them with either print, yellow page, directory or untargeted banner advertising. Cold calling and “email blasts” fall into this category as well. The simple fact is that today’s consumer doesn’t want to be interrupted by your marketing, they want to be in control of the information they receive if they are searching for a new product or service.

Tip 3: Start using “magnet” marketing. The opposite of “megaphone” marketing is magnet marketing and, like the name implies, it attracts people to your products or services and puts them in control. It also helps you to earn their trust and build an affinity for your brand. Magnet marketing includes content marketing like blogs, white papers and so forth, search engine optimization, marketing on social media websites like Facebook and pay-per-click advertising. One excellent advantage to magnet marketing is that, in general, it’s less expensive. Research shows that the cost per lead is 62% lower with magnet marketing then with megaphone marketing, which is obviously a huge savings.

Tip 4: Content marketing is the way of the future. As we mentioned in Tip 3, one type of “magnet” marketing is content marketing. Content marketing offers you a platform to engage directly with customers and visitors to your website through search engines, blogs and social media websites. “Content” is simply the information that you give on your various online sites and can include valuable info (like this blog, for example), entertaining information and even “how to” videos. You can put together a free e-Book or a “white paper” as well, content that will greatly increase the affinity that your visitors have for your brand and also increase the chance that they will actually make a purchase.

The simple fact today is that people aren’t going to choose to do business with your company just because you have the product that they are looking for or even the best price. What they want to know is that you stand behind your product, have specialized knowledge that will help them and will continue to help them even after they make their purchase. Excellent content can help you to do that as well as make you the “expert” in your particular field.

 Tip 5: Use Responsive Design for your website. As amazing as it might seem, mobile devices like smart phones and tablets have actually surpassed desktop and laptop computers as the most common access point to the web. Is your website built on a “responsive design” platform? If not, you should definitely have it updated. Responsive design platforms will adapt your website to all of the different sizes of tablets and smartphones, making them easier to navigate and showing your content in the best possible way.

Tip 6: Don’t forget to brand yourself. Social media giant LinkedIn (now the second largest social media website on the web) has made “personal online branding” the norm. The fact is, if someone wants to know about you all they need to do is “Google” your name to find out, well, all sorts of interesting information. Building a personal online brand is a great way to give them information about yourself that you yourself have created. It will come in handy when selling, building business partnerships and even finding a “job”. (Not that we recommend you get a real job or anything crazy like that.) Since there is no way to actually keep people from finding out about you online, better to embrace the fact that they can and take charge of your online image yourself.

We hope you enjoyed today’s blog and that the Tips and advice were valuable and insightful. If you want a great example of “content marketing”, it is Blogs like this one. We’ve given you, our dear readers, some valuable and insightful information and in exchange we expect that some of you will become our customers and purchase our services. You can do the same exact thing on your own websites and, before long, people will love you just as much as they love us. (You do love us, yes? Good.)

Filed Under: Marketing
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