Social Media Strategy: Free Is Nice, But Is It Good For Your Business?

free social media marketingSocial networking technology has made it very easy for people to share their opinions, rate favorite products, and communicate with others. This activity is happening every day, everywhere, and for practically every product that exists. No matter how big or small your company is, if you have customers, you can bet they’re talking about your brand or product somewhere. So what are you doing to influence that conversation?

As a small business, you probably have limited budget and resources and you need to be sure any investment you make in social media is worthwhile. Does it make sense to pay for a branded online community or can free public social sites deliver the same benefits?…

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Juliet Was Wrong, Names Really Do Matter

choosing a domain nameNames matter … especially when it comes to your online business.

High atop her balcony, the love-struck Juliet laments her lover’s problematic surname, declaring, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” While technically she’s right, you wouldn’t want to put Juliet in charge of your online branding efforts.

In fact, when it comes to your online business, choosing a domain name is the first big step – and truly the most critical – in securing your brand and growing your business. So what separates the good, the bad, and the ugly? Let’s take a look.

Five Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name

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Tips To Help The Small Business CEO Get PR

public relations marketingA small business owner constantly thinks about trying different forms of marketing to attract new customers. After all, especially in today’s economy, marketing can make all the difference giving you a leg up on the competition. Traditional marketing programs like brochures and direct mail or even social media marketing platforms like Twitter and Facebook can provide a sizeable competitive edge.

But another area of marketing that’s very popular right now is something that we all want for our business, although it can be very challenging to accomplish. Every small business CEO wants good public relations (PR) for his or her company.…

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Improving Email Marketing Through Segmentation

email marketing segmentationWith multiple organizations competing for customers’ attention these days, personalization isn’t just smart – it is absolutely necessary. After all, there is nothing more off-putting than being on the receiving end of a marketing email that shows no knowledge of your interests or who you are. True, creating different email messages for different groups is more work, but it’s worth the extra effort when your email messages resonate with your customers.

Every small business can segment their customer base to improve the relevance of their emails. For example:

* A restaurant can email a “˜Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays’ promotion to families who have visited in the past six months

* A sporting goods store can send one email to customers who have recently purchased a bike to let them know of a sale on bike racks and another message to customers who have purchased skis or snowboard equipment to tell them about an “˜End of the Season Winter Clothing Sale’

* A garden center can send out a “˜Planting for Spring’ promotion to home gardeners and another “˜Bulbs Available in Bulk’ promotion to professional landscapers.…

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Getting More Out of PPC Advertising: 5 Tips for Optimizing Your Landing Page Now

optimize landing pages for PPC advertisingSo you think you’re ready for PPC management? Fantastic. But before you throw the kitchen sink at it, make sure you are prepared to succeed.

If your company is showing signs of growth, one of the first things to evaluate is the quality of your landing page. While PPC advertising can do wonders for your business by boosting your online visibility, driving qualified traffic to your website, and reducing wasted advertising spending, bidding on keywords and placing text ads in the search engines are not the only steps. Before you go on the hunt for the perfect PPC management firm, make sure you are sending people to a landing page that gives them what they want and makes it easy for them to take action.…

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5 Free Tools to Boost Your Online Marketing Results

online marketing toolsThe 2009 business world is competitive, and consumer expectations are high. As costs rise and marketing budgets shrink, small businesses are looking for ways to improve their ROI with every dollar spent.

While many businesses have realized search engine marketing is a smart way to grow a business, some launch a website, start-up a PPC campaign, or invest in professional SEO, and neglect to spend time optimizing their efforts, leading to low conversion rates to less than stellar search engine rankings.

The good news? A variety of tools are available to help you boost your online marketing results. Here is a breakdown of five of the best to help you get started.…

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Email Marketing – 7 Methods For Connecting And Keeping Subscribers

You have conducted the preliminary research and built a thorough direct email marketing list. Each entry represents a potential buyer and future opportunity for your business. A proven autoresponder service has been employed and is in position to follow through with the direct email marketing of your product. You wonder, Is this the right campaign? Will the recipients bite? How can I be sure the campaign will make buyers out of readers? The following list of 7 methods for capitalizing on direct email marketing will guide you through the process from list construction to list activation.

1.) From Friendly to Familiar

For many businesses, customers are drawn to a recognizable trade name or a well-known endorser.…

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Optimize Your Business’ Website for Search Engines

Writing to ensure your business’ website is optimized for search engines is a valuable skill in today’s business world.  Gabriel Shaoolian of Blue Fountain Media, a leading web design company, has several suggestions to ensure you do it right. Shaoolian says “The goal of Google is to show the most relevant results for every query, giving users the most satisfaction when searching. To do so, the search engine has begun taking into account certain factors. To capture its attention you need to write in a way that blends your own intent with an eye for how search engines search.” Here are some simple rules that will help any copywriter write more effectively.…

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Introducing Your Products To Wholesale Buyers

Coming up with a unique and marketable product is only half of  the battle.   Once you have your products ready for market, how do you find the right buyers?   What if your product doesn’t sell very well locally but you are confident enough to know it will sell elsewhere?   Expanding your customer base worldwide by selling to wholesale buyers is a great way to extend your reach.

Stephanie Cartwright, co-founder of MyWares.com, was the interviewed guest expert last week on Small Business Trends Radio.   Stephanie offered really great tips and advice on how to start offering your products to wholesale buyers.  …

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Attracting Shoppers To Your Business This Holiday Season

attracting holiday shoppersWe are not that far away from the start of the holiday shopping season.   It’s hard to believe, but in a month or two holiday shopping will be in full swing.   With the economy in the shape it is now, most consumers will be cutting back considerably.   So, have you decided how your small business will attract those much needed customers?

John Tozzi, a writer for BusinessWeek.com, gives us some idea of how small business owners can compete with the big box retailers this holiday season.   John suggests that you focus on your loyal customers instead of targeting new ones.   Give your best customers special holiday discounts and the best customer service possible to encourage increased spending within your business.  …

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