Archive for the ‘Online marketing’ Category
Do you lie in your marketing materials?
Have you ever thought about that?
How many times have you seen a sales letter that made a big promise but the product didn’t deliver? Or how about a blog post whose title said one thing but the post itself said another?
How did you feel when you were done reading? Like you just wasted 5 minutes you’ll never get back.
Make sure you don’t do that. If necessary, have someone else read your marketing materials.
Always test your emails. Send them to yourself and click on the links, reread for clarity, and check the formatting. If your emails look sloppy, you’re going to lose subscribers.
And above all – if you say you’re going to tell your readers how to do something, follow through! And don’t take 50 paragraphs to do it.
Back in February of 2009, I wrote this post about a mobile phone marketing company called 2du Media that I thought had a unique, interesting service for businesses and consumers. I used keywords where I could and added links to 2du within the post. I thought it might help them get some publicity for a week or so and that would be it.
Was I wrong.
Today, over 10 months later, I’m still getting hits on that post almost every day. In fact, I’ve had 13 hits so far today. Why?
I’d like to say it was my wonderful writing, but mobile phone marketing (also known as SMS marketing) is big. More companies are getting into it, so people want to know more. A few of these info seekers run across my post.
If you want a post that keeps getting hits long after you write it, mention names, research your keywords and use them judiciously, and link to relevant websites. If you can write about a new or hot trend, all the better. People will be looking for more information and you’ll look like an expert.
If you take the time to read the post, do you see anything else that might be helping it get so many hits?
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and here’s to a happy 2010!
I was reading a post on Clayton Makepeace’s site and one of the comments jumped out at me. Loren Woirhaye mentioned Googling your name and offered ways to get more exposure and make your name “Google-able”. I Googled myself and while there are others out there with my name, I should have been on the first page somewhere because of this site.
Nope. My Twitter was there, but nothing about Grab More Customers.
Know one reason why?
Because until this moment, my blog posts all showed “Melody” as the author. Not “Melody Brooks”. That’s been changed and we’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.
If you want more credibility, make sure you show up on Google. Read Loren’s comment here (go to bottom) for more ideas to make your name “Googleable”.
Clients need your help in getting more customers, especially online. Most of them have no idea where to start – and not only will they pay you handsomely, but they will love you for taking this chore off their hands. These are just a few ideas meant to inspire you to come up with plans personalized for your clients.
1. ASK your clients what they need . . . just because your other beauty shop clients needed help with Craigslist ads, that doesn’t mean this one will too.
2. Closely related to #1 is Don’t assume anything. Your client may have a solid marketing background and just needs to know how to start a WordPress blog. To waltz in and assume he needs your services from A-Z is not only condescending and rude, but you’re going to lose business . . . to people who ASK.
3. What kind of list does the client have now? It may be mailing addresses only, in which case you can start a postcard campaign. It takes time to get this together and see results, so the process should be started right away and running in the background along with #4.
4. Gather contact information consistently, especially email addresses. You can use Aweber or Constant Contact to create a monthly newsletter with coupons and specials. Make sure that newsletter delivers quality content.
5. Create a blog or website. If nothing else, a Blogger site will do. The client may want to update the blog or website in-house but want you to train the staff who will be doing it. Or he may want you to take it over.
6. Don’t forget old clients. You may need to send them a “sorry we haven’t touched base” letter or postcard, but reactivating old clients can pay great dividends.
7. JV, JV, JV. Joint ventures are a big piece of the corporate money pie, but most small businesses have never heard of them. In a joint venture, two or more businesses leverage each other’s resources.
For example, a jewelry store that specializes in high-end diamond jewelry might work with a boutique in an upscale part of town. The boutique could send out a letter to its clients recommending the jewelry store, with an introductory special of 20% off for anyone who brings in the letter. The boutique gets 35% of the profit from the campaign.
All it cost the boutique was a little time mailing the letters, and the actual costs to put together the campaign could be taken off the top of the proceeds. The jewelry store has new customers they wouldn’t have had otherwise, and the customers got a great deal on jewelry.
A win-win-win situation for everyone.
Most business owners are so busy running their businesses (especially in this economy) that they don’t have time to learn how to market, much less to do it. Anything you can help them with will be much appreciated . . . remember, they are already used to paying for marketing and advertising.
Last week, I posted a link to an interview Jim Edwards did with an official at the FTC. Here is the link to the transcript of that interview:
http://www.igottatellyou.com/blog/ftc-interview/
Please…take a few minutes to read this and know exactly how these new rules will affect your business.
Jim Edwards did an interview last week with Rich Cleland, an assistant deputy at the FTC.
Get info about the new guidelines that go into effect December 1 here:
http://www.igottatellyou.com/blog/ftc-change-interview/
I have no material association with this site and am not compensated from Mr. Edwards in any way.
I just read a quick little ebook by David Allen Bullock.
Wow. Just wow. We all know it but many of us don’t realize we’re not living it.
No registration necessary (go down to the lower right side to the word HERE), and it’ll take you 10 minutes to read it.
You’ll be glad you did.
I went to see my auto repair shop client last week, and we were talking about focusing on the Spanish-speaking market. While discussing “Se habla español” signs for the building, we went outside and took a good look at the overall signage.
While the pricing on the windows was nice and big and easily seen, the signs on the building itself were small and hard to read from the street. The owner had already ordered new, much larger signs. Smart man. He also knew he needed something next to the street to grab attention, so he put a good-sized inflatable oil bottle as close to the street as he could.
I looked up and down the street, one of the more heavily traveled in the Denver area. A few businesses had signs near the street, but most of the signs were set so far back that you wouldn’t see them until you were right next to them. Many were also so small that drivers would miss them anyway.
But one stuck out like a sore thumb.
McDonald’s. Those golden arches can be seen several blocks away . . . and that’s no coincidence. You don’t need to be able to read anything — one glance is all you need. Every business should have a signature symbol like that, and most fast food restaurants have one. The Arby’s hat, the KFC bucket, and the Taco Bell bell are like beacons. Stop here and eat . . . stop here and eat . . .
If you have an offline business or you consult with offline businesses, drive by their location(s). Can you easily see their signs? Do you even know they’re there before you’re on top of them?
If the answer to either question is no, you know where to start. Make sure people driving by know the business is there.
What could you put near the street to publicize your business or your client’s business?
What is integrated PR?
Simply put, it’s PR that is interconnected. Twitter and Facebook feed into your blog and vice-versa. You create a video and post it on YouTube, plus your Facebook fan page, and then you bookmark it on Digg and Delicious. Pretty soon your readers Stuble Upon it, retweet it, or put it on their blogs or Facebook pages.
This is truly what “going viral” is.
Follow this link for an example of how a travel company did it. To find out how you can do it, go here.
Why do businesses have trouble getting and keeping loyal customers? Owners and employees forget the cardinal rule: It’s not about you–it’s about your customers. If you treat your customers as treasured partners instead of dollar signs, you’ll have the competitive edge every time.
While there are a thousand and one ways to deliver stellar customer service, the following seven tips create a win-win for your customer and your business, whether your business is online or off.
1. Hire the right people.
If you don’t have the right people, you can’t fully serve your customers. Period. Take your time hiring and pay employees well for their expertise. Better yet, give them a piece of the pie for excellent performance. Invest them in your business, and they’ll represent you well.
Listen to your employees, especially those on the front lines with customers. They’re the eyes and ears of your business, and you ignore them at your peril.
2. Do what you say you’re going to do.
If you tell Mrs. Brown you’re going to call her about her leaky faucet tomorrow at 10, you’d better be on that phone at 9:59 dialing her number. Or better yet, go to her house and look at the faucet yourself. Go above and beyond and you’ll be remembered.
Customers talk. Make sure they’re saying good things when they mention your name.
3. Pay attention.
Learn who your customers are. Greet them immediately by name when you see them, and ask how their families are. If you have an online business, drop them an occasional email to see how they are and how your product or service is working out for them.
Connect on a personal level and you’ll have more loyal customers than you’ll know what to do with.
4. Help your customers with all their needs.
Mr. James loves your mechanic Tim, but he really needs someone to detail his car next week. Put him in touch with a good detailer and you’ve just solved another problem for him.
Make sure your referrals are top-notch and that you’re paid a commission every time your referrals buy. In turn, give anyone who refers business to you a commission. This type of joint venture is a win-win-win.
5. Know how to handle complaints and upset customers.
Your front line staff plays the most visible and critical role in the customer’s experience. Be sure they know what to say and do . . . and what not to say and do. Set guidelines for handling every type of complaint and get staff involved. Properly handling complaints separates successful businesses from failures.
6. Stay in contact.
Collect email addresses and start a monthly newsletter to keep customers informed. Create a short, simple “What do you think of our company?” questionnaire using SurveyMonkey. Questionnaires and newsletters give you the opportunity to anticipate and identify customer needs.
Customers don’t buy products and services—they buy solutions to their problems. Buying decisions are made emotionally and justified logically, so appeal to both sides of the equation.
7. When in doubt, err on the side of the customer.
This is not to say the customer is always correct, but the customer’s perception needs to be that she is treated fairly. If you have a conflict, do what you can to resolve it.
Often the customer just wants to be heard and wants to know that you understand. Sometimes a small tweak, like changing a due date, is all the customer needs. It’s always a good idea to use The 10 Words of Great Customer Service: “What can we do to make it work for you?”
If you have a customer that just won’t work with you (and it will happen), consider refunding his money and letting him go. If you argue or refuse to refund his money, he will tell everyone he knows about it. If you part on friendly terms, he might tell everyone he knows, but there’s a chance you won’t look like the greedy bad person if you treat him fairly.
Having good customer service is crucial for every business to stay alive, but having great customer service will make your business thrive. Customer service is everyone’s job, no matter where they work. Your business will not and cannot exist without happy customers.
