Business

  • The Basics of Online Marketing

    The Basics of Online MarketingWant to grow your offline business, start a business, or market your services? Online marketing is the way to go. It helps you reach a broader audience, sell, connect, and much more. While internet marketing may seem complicated, once you understand the fundamentals you can build on that knowledge as your needs grow and change. Let’s take a look at the basics of online marketing.

     

    Your Website

     

    The foundation for your business online is a website. You must have an online presence these days to succeed on the internet. It only makes sense. Now your “website” can take several different forms. It can be a blog, a brochure site, or even a storefront.

    The type of website you build depends largely on your business model. There are a lot of options so if it becomes too overwhelming we suggest you get the advice from an online marketing coach or a company that does website design. You can also use the web to do research on your own but this method might take you longer.

     

    SEO – Search Engine Optimization

     

    Great, you have a website. Now what? Now you need people to visit your website and you accomplish that with what’s called “SEO.” It’s a strategy that embraces keywords and keyword phrases to attract the attention of the search engines, which in turn helps your prospects find you.  This is what all online businesses strive for. You want to be found on at least the first two pages on any web search. After that it’s difficult to get the attention of people doing the search for your specific keywords.

    The Basics of Online Marketing 

    For example, if someone wants to buy a new big screen television they might type “Big Screen Television Reviews” into their search engine of choice, Google for example. If you’ve optimized your site for that keyword phrase, they may find your site and stop by for a visit. If your site is built for conversion then you have a good chance at getting that person to stay and possibly purchase from you and not your competition.

     

    Email Marketing

     

    What does a visitor do once they’ve stopped by your website? How do you ensure you are able to connect with them, motivate them to visit again, or trigger a purchase? You get their email address. Then you have the ability to connect with them on a consistent basis and build a relationship, sell products or services, and provide value. There are different ways to gather email addresses. You might offer a free report or book that is delivered digitally. You might ask them to become a free member or to subscribe to your newsletter. We recommend using AWeber as an option. 

     

    Social Marketing

     

    The Basics of Online MarketingSocial marketing involves connecting with your prospects on social sites like a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest. The key is to provide value in the form of thoughtful commentary, information, and sometimes by entertaining. You build a relationship of trust and authority which in turn motivates visits to your website and/or purchases.

     

    All of these elements are tactics that can work effectively together. For example, you can promote your newsletter on your Facebook page. The key to making them all work well together is to create an online marketing strategy. Online marketing is a powerful way to build any type of business. Learn the fundamentals and thrive! 

    If you are looking for assistance with online marketing, social media or website development contact us today. We offer both coaching and consulting and our experience will save you time and money.

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  • Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online Business

    Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online BusinessBusinesses, like everything else, need a refresher once in a while. If you haven’t updated your business or added new features and benefits to your website, it may be time. Often simple steps can help you attract more life into your business.

    VideoTools to Attract More Life into Your Online Business

    The majority of business owners share an occasional video. However, by creating a video channel on YouTube or Vine you can reach a new audience and add some life to your business. You can even use short video messages on your sales and landing pages to welcome visitors and connect with them on a more personal level.

    If being in front of a camera is not your thing I understand consider taking a Power Point Presentation and make it into a video.

    Consider creating a video series and a channel to add some interest to your business.

    Membership Features

     

    Adding a membership feature to your business model and your website can help you build a community. Membership can be free and provide a number of different features and benefits.

    For example, you can use a membership to share more content or more product offers and promotions. You can use a membership to help your prospects and customers connect with each other, ask questions, and build relationships.

    You can also use it as a means to provide a little more value to those who take the time and energy to join. There are a number of plug-ins that you can use to add membership to your blog or website. On our resource page you can find a link to WordPress eMember but there is also Wishlist, Optimize Press and Member Mouse to mention a few. You will need to check out the features and cost to determine which is best for your situation.

    Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online BusinessMobile Applications

    More and more people are buying smart phones. As this trend grows, so too does the opportunity to market with mobile applications. Just about any business model can brainstorm an application that provides value and draws attention to their website and business.

    For example, a business coach might create a mobile app that helps business owners track their goals. A virtual assistant might create a ‘helpful tip of the day” application. A fitness blogger could create a fitness motivation tool. Check out this post from Mashable it lists a variety of platforms for building mobile apps.

    There’s no end to what you can create. It doesn’t have to be complicated to provide value. In fact, some of the most useful applications are the simplest. Take a look at your audience and consider how you might meet their needs with technology. You can sell the application or give it away for free and profit from the advertising. Additionally, you’ll build awareness for your business and attract more life into it.

    Content, Events and More

    Finally, you don’t have to take extreme measures to attract more life to your business. You can create a new content series, free report, or hold a webinar to build interest. Look to your audience first and evaluate how you can provide the most value and benefit.

    I hope these ideas helped you to think about ways to make changes in your online presence. If you have some other great ideas please share them in our blog comments.

    At Strategize Your Success we help our clients make change with a variety of services to simplify their online marketing.

    If you need tweaks to your WordPress site, graphic designs, more attractive handouts for your presentations or even a new look for your social media covers we can help. Check out our services!

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  • Do You Have a Defined Purpose for Your Facebook Page?

    Do you have a defined purpose for your Facebook page?
    It’s a simple question. “What do you want to accomplish with your Facebook page?”

    Yet the answer isn’t always so simple. Ultimately you likely want to use your Facebook page to make more money and grow your business. But there are many ways to accomplish that and many directions to take. Perhaps a better question is, “How do you want to use your Facebook page to grow your business?”

    Don’t worry, if you don’t know the answer right now. However,  it’s important to have a direction – to have goals when marketing your business through social media. 
    Do you have a defined purpose for your Facebook page?

    So let’s take a look at some ways that Facebook pages are used to promote business.

    Keep in mind they may include but are not limited to:

    • Traffic generation
    • List building
    • Selling products/services
    • Announcements and promotions
    • Content and value
    • Building a community/strengthening relationship

    In fact, Syncapse.com surveyed 4,000 people who “Liked” the top 20 brands with Facebook pages.  They found that someone who has “Liked” a brand spends an average of $71.84 more each year on that brand’s products or services.

    So here is a little story about turning fans into paying customers…

    Company ABC created a Facebook fan page. Their audience is strongly represented on Facebook so they went all out and hired someone to maintain their page for them. They created a custom Facebook page that offered a ton of valuable content, promotions, news items and interactive tools and applications. They even included a Q&A page and a page where Facebook fans could learn about products and services and could purchase directly from the page.

    When a fan made a purchase they also tended to post a note on their profile about the great new product they purchased from Company ABC. The company gained more fans from these mini reviews. This resulted with an increase to their monthly sales by 10%.

    This story can easily be you. And if selling products or services on your Facebook page isn’t your goal and you’d rather build your opt in list, you can do that too through Facebook.

    If you would like to learn more about working with FaceBook Pages or other social media platforms please join us for one of our training webinars. You can check out our events at http://www.strategizeyoursuccess.com/events

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  • It’s a Wonderful Life When You Have a Tribe

    Part III: What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us

    Never Underestimate the Power of Tribes

    In my last blog we spoke about how there is a tribe for everyone. So this week let’s talk about the power of a tribe by using another holiday movie as a comparison.

    One of the most memorable Christmas movies of all time is Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring the incomparable Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It’s the ultimate feel-good movie, perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if their life holds meaning.

    Here’s the lowdown: George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of collapse. His small building and loan company is on the verge of bankruptcy, the mean rich man in town is ready to swoop in, and though he has a house full of adorable kids and a gorgeous wife (Reed), there’s never enough money to go around. George decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a rookie angel, Clarence.

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    Clarence goes on to show George what his life would be like if he’d never existed, and it’s not pretty. By seeing all the people he’s touched, George realizes that he has created a strong network of love and support – he’s created a tribe. And it’s this tribe that pulls together at the end of the movie to give back to George, helping him out of his current difficulties.

    The lesson to you should be obvious: Your tribe can, quite literally, save your life. You should be building not only a viable business, but a community – one that supports and cares for each other. If you’re just out to make a buck, don’t be surprised if no one leaps to defend you or lend you a helping hand when things go bad. And they will go bad.

    Stuff happens in business. You can get “slapped” by Google. You can get your PayPal account frozen. It happens.

    But if you have friends like George’s, you’ll have a whole team of folks on your side. But one thing to remember: George had friends he’d created just by being a good guy, doing the right thing at the right time, not worrying about what was in it for him. He stood up for what was right, even when it cost him personally.

    It's a Wonderful Life When You Have Tribe

    He didn’t build this community by selling junk or automating his Twitter feed or spamming everyone. He did it the old fashioned way: By caring.

    Some business techniques never go out of style.

    Well it’s been fun using holidays to give business advice during the last three blogs and I hope it’s brought you entertainment and offered you a different way of looking at your business. If you missed any here are the links:

    https://strategizeyoursuccess.com/staging2/how-buddy-the-elf-can-teach-us-enthusiasm
    https://strategizeyoursuccess.com/staging2/even-the-grinch-can-teach-us-something-about-business

    We would love to have you be part of our community at Strategize Your Success. In 2014 we are offering more training opportunities to help you to grow your business. Some are FREE! [ez_box title=”Check Out Our Events” color=”green”]
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  • Even the Grinch Can Teach Us Something About Business

    Part II: What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us

    There’s Someone for Everyone

    So today we are looking at lesson two for business advice from a holiday movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. This Dr. Seuss’ original book was made into a movie twice, once in 1966 and then again in 2000 with Jim Carrey.

    If you haven’t seen the 2000 version it’s pretty funny.  Here is an overview. So the Grinch (played Jim Carrie) hates Christmas and he hates the Whos (there is some history behind this). On the other side of this story we have the sweet and lovable residents of Whoville, who adore Christmas – but they have lost sight of the true meaning. So this Christmas, the Grinch, accompanied by his dog, Max, steal all their presents and decorations so he can get his revenge.

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    But there is a turn of events when the Grinch meets the sweet and innocent Cindy Lou Who, who truly likes him and tries to befriend him and the single Martha May Whovier, that the Grinch has a crush on. That’s when this story starts to get a little more complicated for the Grinch.

    In the movie, the Grinch pushes forwarded with his idea to stop Christmas and steals their presents and decorations. But nonetheless Whoville comes together as a community to celebrate the true meaning of the holiday resulting in the Grinch’s heart growing three times the size and he instead decides to save Christmas for the Whos. All ends well, with the community forgiving the Grinch.

    So many lessons to be learned here, one especially that I’d like to center on is, there’s really someone for everyone, especially in business. Face it, if the grumpy Grinch can capture the heart of the desirable Martha May and the forgiveness of the Whos, then there’s got to be a customer following  for you and your business. 

    Bear with me. Think about some of the products and services out there.  There are so many niche markets these days. People are selling Plankets for your plants and Duck Dynasty Chia Pets for gift giving. If they can make it, you can, too. 

    Even the Grinch Can Teach Us Something About Business

    You just need to be absolutely clear on who you are to your audience. Be decisive. If your business personality for instance is more “heart centered” then your followers will probably resonate with that if they are too. If on the other hand, your style is to the point and without fluff then so be it. The people who appreciate that type of interaction will appreciate you.  You just need to figure out your technique and style.  The clearer you are yourself the easier it becomes to build your “tribe”, as Seth Godin calls it.

    Don’t apologize for who you are. I’ve seen speakers say from the start of their presentation that they may not be for everyone. They are not apologizing but being honest by saying “this is me”. Your customers don’t want someone who is uncomfortable with themselves; they want to be led by someone who’s confident and embraces their uniqueness.

    So when the Grinch leaves Mt. Crumpet and his lonely existence he settles into the “real world” where he finds acceptance and love. You too need to be where the people are. Go find where your “ideal tribe”. If they are on social media be on social media if they are at a local chamber meeting, go and attend. 

    Also don’t let “authenticity” be an excuse for bad behavior. After all there’s a difference between being transparent and honest, and being unpleasant. Even at the end of the movie, the Grinch softens a bit – without losing his Grinch-ness.

    Remember, if the Grinch can find love and a tribe, you can, too.

    Stay tuned for next weeks, Part III installment of “What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us”.

    If you missed last week’s here is the link .

    Happy Holidays everyone!

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  • How Buddy the Elf Can Teach Us Enthusiasm

    Part I: What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us

    Enthusiasm Is Contagious

    This time of the year I love to sit and watch some of the classic holiday movies.  It’s part of my holiday tradition.  It made me think about how some of these movies relate to business. For instance, take a six-foot tall adopted elf named Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) who wants to find his birth father, make that father the grumpy James Caan, and throw them together in the midst of New York City and see what happens. Buddy wants a warm and cuddly family reunion; his father Walter wants nothing more than to make this newfound son disappear.

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    Ah, but this is Christmas, so not only does Buddy convince his new family that syrup tastes good on everything; he also wins the heart of his stepmother, half-brother, and the skeptical Jovie, his new love. And yes, Walter eventually sees the light.

    So business owners, here’s your business lesson from Buddy the Elf: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” 

    So… what if you’re not Santa? Buddy would tell you it doesn’t matter. Enthusiasm is catchy. No one is going to be more excited about your business, your product, your podcast, your class, your blog than you are.

    Sometimes we feel a little hesitant to show our enthusiasm. It can be risky to show how much we care about something. But if we don’t show our passion, we’re not going to convince anyone else to follow or act on our recommendations.

    Think about the last time you went out to eat. If the server gave a bland endorsement for the daily special, you would likely pass on that option. But if she or he said, “I just tried it before my shift and it was delicious!” you’d be a little more likely to order it. Enthusiasm sells.

    How Buddy the Elf Can Teach Us Enthusiasm

    Here are a few tips on how to be like Buddy the Elf without sounding like a used car salesman (or an escapee from the North Pole):

    • Be honest. Don’t sell or promote something you don’t believe in. It never works – people can tell, and you’ll damage your reputation.
    • Be yourself. You may be the understated type who isn’t going to jump out of a helicopter like Richard Branson to promote your latest business venture. You don’t have to be! (One Richard Branson is enough for this world.) But do show your energy in a way that is natural for you.
    • Be realistic. If you promote every new thing that comes down the block, or have a new solution that you are putting out daily, pretty soon no one is going to listen to you because they will feel overwhelmed. So think like your ideal client and provide them with realistic promotions.

    And remember you don’t have to dress up in pointy shoes to get people to buy your new e-course. But hey… if the shoe fits… why not?

    Stay tuned for next week. Part II is coming.

    Happy holidays everyone!

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  • Why Not Reward Yourself When Setting Your Goals?

    Why Not Reward Yourself When Setting Your Goals?Goal setting is a vital part of business planning.  It helps to keep us on track and measure our progress.  Meeting goals makes us feel good and keeps us motivated.  So why not reward yourself when setting your goals?

    That’s not to say that you have to buy yourself a new car for every goal you achieve.  That could get rather expensive.  But the reward should be appropriate considering how lofty the goal was and how much achieving it impacted your business. 

    Small Rewards for Small Goals

    Why Not Reward Yourself When Setting Your Goals?Every goal doesn’t have to be a huge accomplishment.  Smaller goals keep us motivated until we can reach more significant milestones.  This is especially important when getting started.  It may take a while to build the momentum necessary to attain loftier goals, and we need to reward ourselves for the smaller things in order to remain focused on achieving the larger ones. 

    Smaller goals can be the steps necessary to achieve a larger goal.  For example, your big goal may be to have a certain number of clients in 6 months.  Breaking this up into gaining 1/6 of that number each month could give you a monthly goal to work for. 

    Deciding ahead of time what your reward will be can give you an extra incentive.  For small goals, you could pick out a purse or a pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on.  Putting a picture of the reward up on your office wall will serve to remind you what you can look forward to if you meet your goal.

    Big Rewards for Big Goals 

    When you reach your larger goals, you will have even more to celebrate, so your reward should be a big deal.  Think of a big-ticket Why Not Reward Yourself When Setting Your Goals?item that you have wanted for a long time, or perhaps a trip for yourself and your spouse or family. 

    The larger reward will require some advance planning.  It’s important to be sure you’ll be able to afford it once you’ve achieved the goal in question.  If you reach the goal and are not able to get the reward you had your heart set on, that will lead to disappointment.  And disappointment does nothing to motivate or boost morale. 

    Once you’ve determined that the reward is feasible, you could put up pictures to remind yourself of it just as you do with the smaller rewards.  This gives you incentive to work harder to achieve your goals in both the short term and the long term.

    Setting goals is important to a business, but rewarding ourselves for attaining them is equally important.  By giving ourselves something to look forward to, we can motivate ourselves to reach for the stars.  Once we get there, we will be ready to aim even higher so that we can continue to reward ourselves.   

    At Strategize Your Success we would like to help you with your marketing goals for 2014.
    Contact us today so that we can be your partner for the New Year.

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  • Diversify Your Marketing

    Diversify Your MarketingMany business owners will tell you that they experience a lot of fluctuation throughout the year.  Some months will have higher profits than other months, there will be an increase in demand for a particular type of product or service one month, and then the next month a different type of product will be in demand.

    This business phenomenon holds true for a business’ source of customers as well.  Some months, a business may receive a surge in word of mouth advertising, whereas other months it may receive orders from people who came across an ad that the business had placed. 

    Many marketing experts agree that it is important for a business to diversify its marketing methods.  This will ensure that leads are coming in from many different sources and that if one source is having a particularly slow month, the other sources should still be delivering plenty of leads.

    On the other hand, marketing experts caution against having a marketing message sprung out over too many places.  It can be hard to keep track of ads and know which ads are hitting the right target market. 

    Testing ads and keeping track of the results can help a person decide which areas are the best places for them to advertise.  Knowing this information can also help stretch an advertising budget. 

    There are many choices for where to spend advertising dollars.  If a person wants to advertise online they could choose to invest in pay-per-click ads, ad space that they buy directly from another website, as well as free options – including social networking and article marketing.Diversify Your Marketing

    There are many ways to find leads offline, including flyers, lead boxes, and ads placed in local newspapers and magazines, as well as referrals from current customers.  Depending on the type of business, a person may also opt to buy leads from lead companies.

    The marketing mix that works for one person may be to have one or two ads running, both online and offline, while another person may find that participating for a few hours each week in social networking and hanging up flyers around their local area is what works best for them. Just remember to diversify your efforts.

    Also, it may be somewhat tedious, but testing ads and tracking the results is the best way to find the right mix for your business.  Using an ad tracker service such as Google as well as linking ads to different URLs can help determine which ads are outperforming other ads. 

    Happy Marketing!

     

    We specialize in Google Adwords and SEO and we can be a huge asset to your business.
    Let us know if we can be of service to you and your business. 

     

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  • Researching Your Niche Is Vital

    Researching Your Niche Is VitalNiche marketing is one way to increase your business profits.  If done right, it will open up a new area of products and/or services that will benefit you as well as your customers.  However, before diving right in, don’t forget to do your homework.

     

    Niche marketing seems to be the hottest topic on everyone’s lips right now.  It sounds so exciting to tap into an as yet untapped market and make millions of dollars.  Don’t be fooled.  Someone may hit the mother lode but it is not the norm for every business.  And, they didn’t do it by luck.

     

    Researching your potential niche market gives a global picture of the chances of success for your idea.  Remember that your idea could be the idea of someone halfway around the world as well.  The difference will be how you go about checking out that idea and how you interpret the results.

     

    With so many websites and new online businesses starting every day, it is a wonder that there are any new markets to tap.  But, there are.  Finding them is the key and this takes time and patience.

     

    One way to see if your idea is viable is to use the Internet.  We all use search engines to find what we are looking for.  Search for items that fit the profile of what you want to sell.  It is always practical to check out the competition.

     

    If you get thousands of search results, this is probably too broad an idea to use.  It has already been worked over by others.  The chances of your business idea hitting pay dirt are not very good.  However, the search results can be used to see exactly what angle they are marketing to.

     

    When researching your niche, use as many search engines as you can.  Using just one as your guiding light will give you false results.  Also, you may find websites in other search engine results that you didn’t find in the first one you tried.

     

    Researching Your Niche Is VitalThe idea you have chosen doesn’t have to be chucked away in the trashcan.  Use it and refine it so that it zeros in on a more specific target than before.  This is what research is all about.  Can you imagine if you left out this step and went with your first idea?  The results would probably have been mediocre to disappointing if making lots of profits was the goal.

     

    Without the research component, starting a business in that market is like searching for a needle in a haystack.  For your dollars, you want to be sure that you are hitting the target.  Even if you already have a business idea and are looking for ways to expand, treat niche marketing like starting from scratch — put in the time to find out if your idea is sound.

     

    Are you looking for a business coach or consultant that can help you with your start up business or next great idea? Contact me today for a confidential consultation.

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  • Has Your Business Hit a Slump?

    One thing that you can count on in business is that there will always be ups and downs.  A business thrives on making the most of its options during both of these times.  When your business is not increasing in profits, here are a few things that you can do to liven things up a bit.
    Has Your Business Hit a Slump?

    First, make sure that you have a sound business plan.  Your business plan details a game plan for the growth of the business.  It is a guideline that you can use to direct future ventures for your business.  The plan is not set in stone.  It is open-ended so that you can add and change portions as your business grows.

    One thing that is worth your time when business is not moving forward is to re-evaluate your business plan.  If it has been some time since you dusted it off and took a look at it, now would be a perfect time.  Did the initial business plan include provisions for times of stalled profits like this one? 

    If not, don’t worry.  We can take care of that right now.  The last thing that you should do is cut advertising out of your budget.  Mistakenly, businesses often think that if cash flow is the problem, advertising or not advertising won’t make a difference.  In fact, it makes a big difference.

    When people are not in a mood to spend money, there are a number of reasons.  For starters, they may be resetting their financial priorities.  With the changes in the economy, people are holding on tightly to their funds.  Purchases and services used need to be worth what is being spent. 

    Has Your Business Hit a Slump?

    Revamp the marketing strategy for your business.  The business could be going nowhere fast because the old campaigns don’t work anymore.  Test each marketing tool to see what is no longer working and look at your business with fresh eyes.  See things the way you did when the business was first getting underway. 

    Have you made any changes to your website lately?  Add some new content.  What about Google Ads?  They’ll help bring new business and income for you.  Since money is a concern, write the content yourself.

    Speaking of content, while you are writing some for your own website via your blog, consider submitting a few posts to complimentary sites as a guest blogger.  What is guest blogging anyway? Basically, it is a partnership that results in an exchange of content between two business sites. Guest blogging can be a great way to build the reputation of your business online. The goal of becoming a guest blogger is usually to:

    • build relationships with other business owners within your niche market
    • increase your online presence and gain traffic
    • build your list
    • establish yourself as an expert in your field
    • acquire backlinks to your website
    • build your brand and reputation
    • gain more opportunities to guest blog or partner with others in your business market

    The key to any business surviving the ups and downs of the economy is change.  Businesses that branch out in many directions are often diversified enough to find success even after a standstill.  If you have the right tools and a bit of creativity, your business will continue to thrive.    

    If your business is experiencing challenges and you need help with your online marketing please be sure to contact us.  We offer a free 30 minute consultation.

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