Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 2

The arrival of the Internet and its acceptance by the public over the last twenty-plus years has given businesses a variety of new and exciting marketing tools with which to promote their companies. The rise of the Internet and the associated technology has resulted in brand’s having the ability to put up their own company websites featuring whatever information they choose to present to the public. Currently, the web is going through a second evolution, which is putting all the information of the web at people’s fingertips through mobile technology.

 

Website 

According to Google, a small business that has its own website will grow 40 percent faster than one without a site. Yet despite this, Google states that almost 60 percent of small businesses have no web presence at all, making them completely invisible to the digital world. Unfortunately, many small firms believe websites are too costly and will dominate their time. However, Google offers free help and there are web tools available to simplify the process. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical factor in creating a successful company website so that it can be easily found by customers and prospects searching the web within your niche. Industry keywords must be employed within your company’s website. Social media presence and engagement also play a vital role.

 

Mobile

There has been a massive eruption in the number of mobile devices and smartphones around the world in the last few years and seems like it will outdistance conventional desktop computers in the near future. For a business, this means that just having a website isn’t good enough anymore. Your company’s website must be optimized for mobile at the very least and at best have a mobile app created specifically for smartphone and tablet users.

 

This technology presents several unique marketing opportunities to businesses that will embrace it. Location-based marketing is a growing trend with the rise mobile devices. Using local listing websites to list your business will steer customers, who are already looking to make a purchase, to your business while being helpful at the same time.

Mobile marketing can also be much more than local. If your company sells products, create a mobile friendly online catalog. Make sure it is easy to use, looks good on mobile, and maybe even give the customer the option of paying via their device.

These technologies and others should not be looked upon as a burden by marketers, but as new and exciting platforms to showcase products and services. In part three of this series, we will at the new possibilities offered by video marketing and take a look at some old stand-by marketing tools.

 

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 1

21st century small businesses have more opportunities and marketing options than ever before. The advent of modern technology, combined with social media, has given the small business owner a multitude of platforms from which to promote their company. In many cases, these marketing tools have helped to level the playing field between small and larger-sized businesses. Of course, all of the marketing possibilities available to any small business now means competition is fierce and not necessarily limited to the local area. In this three part series, we will examine marketing tools at the disposal of a small business today. In this first part, we will briefly examine and review two areas this blog has covered extensively already, social media and blogging. Then in part two and three, we will see what other options are now open to a small business marketer.

 

Social Media

Social media during the last 5-10 years has exploded globally and it is becoming necessary for businesses of all sizes to have a presence on the medium. Whether small companies like it or not, ignoring social media is not an option anymore. It would help any business to do a little research and determine which social networks their target audience prefers to use and start there. Remember, fresh, relevant content, delivered consistently, is key to gaining and keeping a following. Also, showing the human side of your business while engaging with your fans will help.

 

Blogging

A business can effectively establish themselves as an authority in their industry with a well-written blog. Being helpful, informative, and timely should be the goal of a company blog. This will promote the business in a positive light, without coming across as a blatant sales pitch. Once again, quality content is critical. A company blog can be a wonderful source of material for the business’s social media networks, in addition to standing on its own in a blog hosting site or the company website. 

In part two, we’ll see how a business’s own website and the emerging mobile technology can fit into a brand’s marketing strategy.

 

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

 

 

 

 

 

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Using Hashtags On Facebook For Business

 

The recent roll out by Facebook, allowing the use of functional hashtags, presents an opportunity for businesses that market themselves on the world’s largest social network. Hashtags simplify searching for and sharing of information and have been a popular tool on other social networks, such as Twitter. A hashtag consists of a ‘#’ symbol, followed by a word or phrase. A hashtag, when clicked, will take the user to a feed of all posts that include that tag word. These hashtags are completely clickable and also searchable. 

 

 

Opportunities provided by hashtags on Facebook for brands include:

 

 

 

1 - Promoting

 

Carefully chosen keywords can be used as a hashtag and bring your company’s promotions to a wider audience, beyond your existing base of followers. Be careful that the words chosen cannot be associated in any way with unpleasant or controversial subjects. Also, make sure they are unique enough not to bring up a slew of unrelated results. Make sure you test your hashtags before you use them.

 

 

 

2 - Monitoring

 

Hashtags offer a way for businesses to closely monitor the conversations surrounding their brand by following their hashtag’s feed. This will provide valuable marketing intelligence, and keep track of how a brand is talked about on Facebook.

 

 

 

3 - Targeting

 

Hashtags give businesses the ability to target specific audience segments that may be following certain, specific hashtags. By using #greatburgers, for example, a restaurant could target all of the people looking to eat out at an establishment that serves great burgers.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, functioning hashtags are still not supported on the Facebook mobile app. Users can post hashtags, but without the ability to click-through to the feed. With over a billion users, Facebook’s adoption of the hashtag will bring the mainstream into awareness and use of this sharing, following, and searching tool, which will be beneficial to all.

 

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

 

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Social Media News For The Week Of 9/20/13

7 Major Social Media Mistakes You May Be Making Without Knowing It

Social media marketing has is a learning process, keep in mind that not very long ago it didn’t exist. There may be some mistakes your company is making, unintentionally, without realizing it. This article offers some food for thought about waging a successful social media effort, some of which goes against previous conventional wisdom and established best practices. Full Story Here:

10 Questions to Ask When Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan

Embarking on a social media marketing without a clear cut strategy plan is a plan for certain failure. However, many businesses launch their social media marketing efforts without any plan whatsoever. The only plan is to increase revenues for the business. A strategic of goals and a pathway to get there must be established in advance. This article provides some vitally important aspects to consider before starting a campaign, or for a business that would like to take a step back before they re-double their efforts. Full Story Here:

 

Five Steps to Becoming a ‘Social Media Ninja’

Some more good advice and best practices, along the lines of the above article. Know your audience and what network they spend most of their time. Concentrate on that one network before moving on to other channels. Give the audience quality content which is relevant to their lives. Be consistent and be careful with self-promotion. Full Story Here:

 

The Top 7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014

According to predictions for 2014 in social media marketing, many current trends will become even more prevalent. The rise of mobile; image-centric content; content marketing; and the diversification into emerging channels such as Pinterest, Google , Tumblr, and Instagram; will become even more important in the coming year. Full Story Here:

 

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Social Media News For The Week Of 9/6/13

A Blueprint for Using Social Media for Business Success

For businesses just starting out, social media and other internet resources can give entrepreneurs the illusion of easy success. However, only a carefully planned marketing strategy which utilizes the social media channels where their target audience are present. Making the effort to know your audience and being willing to pivot your efforts to where they are, then building a relationship with them will create success. This may be on lesser known networks such as Google Plus or Pinterest, rather than Facebook or Twitter. Full Story Here:

 

Why Social Media Is So Addictive (And Why Marketers Should Care)

Society’s obsession with social media shows no signs of abating, it only grows. The reasons for this phenomenon come down, very simply, to human nature. People find some of their deep, psychological needs met on the social networks of their choice. Brands that learn to tap into factors such as ego and self-esteem among others, by meeting those needs, will position themselves for success. Full Story Here:

 

How 4 Major Companies Revitalized Their Brands By Being Great To Their Customers On Social Media

The examples offered by these large companies provide useful clues for businesses of all sizes to effectively leverage social media. Brands, who carefully listen to their customers and respond to the valuable business intelligence they gather on social media, will profit from the excellent customer service they provide. Full Story Here:

 

2013: Is this the year of real returns and social media coming of age?

The very nature of social media makes it difficult to measure return on investment for social marketing campaigns. EyeforTravel’s Social Media & Mobile in Travel Distribution Report for 2013 found that travel executives are still firmly committed to social media, but investment in the medium is down. This may not be wise since the research showed that people in developed countries spend upwards of seven hours a day on social networks. Facebook executives promise better analytics are coming as the year progresses. Full Story Here:

 

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The best excuses not to use social media and they are all wrong.

 

• Building my brand will take too much time.
• I’m not sure what to do.
• My website seems to work just fine.
• I already known to all my customers.
• I don’t see how social media can help me do my job.
• There are too many options and I don’t know which are best for me.
• Face-to-face contact works best for my business.
• I don’t have the time.

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Do I need social media if I have a website?

Companies that have long relied on their web sites as a means of attracting customers are now finding that a website alone is not enough. In today’s marketplace, social media presents a better opportunity for enhancing relationships and expanding brand awareness. No one will deny that the web has become the most cost effective, “Go-To” method for finding answers to problems and identifying resources.  Google is clearly the world’s number one research tool with billions of searches daily. 

When it comes to building and maintaining relationships, finding employees, and researching clients, social media presents far better opportunities. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn should be among your first choices. Social media’s biggest advantage is that it is an open conversation among like-minded people. Your audience can ask questions and leave replies. Most important, your viewing audience can share your posts with people you don’t know but have an interest in what is being said.  If you use social media, your web of influence will proliferate organically and you will win friends and likes. Do it now!

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