Internet Marketing

  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • Why Do I Need to Brand My Products?

    Why Do I Need to Brand My ProductsThere are literally millions of products on the market today.  What makes yours stand out from the others?  If the answer is nothing, you need to brand your products.

     

    Branding is a way of getting your product in the minds of customers all over the world.  You could walk up to someone in Europe and they would know what Pepsi was.  Or, better yet, ask someone to name a soft drink and they would think of popular brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola.  That is how much we are into those two sodas.

     

    Whatever you are selling, there is someone else selling a variation of that product as well.  What hope do you have of gaining a share of the market?  Your hope is in branding your product. 

    Brand Your Product

    To brand your product, you will need to ask yourself a few questions.  First, what is the business all about?  There must be a reason that drives you to sell your product.  Is it to provide good quality clothing, books or a beauty product to the consumer, then let that be the key to your brand strategy.

     

    All products need a logo.  Without one, that shirt you are trying to sell is just another shirt.  The logo will remind people of your products and also say something about the company’s mission.  For instance, Hanes has branded itself as tagless.  So you could say their mission is to make you more comfortable because there is no tag on their product. 

    Slogan or Tagline

    Do you have a slogan or tagline?  When people relate to Adidas they think, “Impossible is Nothing.”  For Visa, they hear, “More people go with Visa.”  With M & M’s it’s “Chocolate’s Better with M”. Those slogans say something about the product. 

     

    Determine what sets your product apart for others of its kind and play to that strength.  Being unique is difficult in business, but it can be done with a good branding strategy.  The uniqueness will get your product noticed through a marketing campaign.  It won’t benefit your business if you have a good product and no one knows how good it is or can find it.

    Stand Out Among the CompetitionWhy Do I Need to Brand My Products

    Without branding, your products are just one of a hundred or a thousand others on the market.  If you can back up the claims about the product, creating a brand can help you to get it into households and businesses.

     

    Branding your product will make it stand out among the competition.  Branding is not an exact science but it can boost the sales of other lesser-known products in your inventory when your premier product catches on.  In business we are always looking for a way into the inner sanctum of profit, and branding is the beginning. 

    Do you need help with building your brand? Do you need a logo, website development or company identity? Give us a call. We offer a complimentary 30 minute strategy consultation and we know the struggles entrepreneurs face.

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  • Marketing Mistakes

    Business is a combination of talent and hard work.  The talent can only take you so far, so begin by doing your homework.  Every business benefits from advertising in some form or another.  The key to becoming a name that people can trust is to let them know who you are and what you stand for.  Here are a few marketing mistakes that, if avoided, will spare you much grief and money.

     

    social media planning1.  Not having a marketing plan.  What is a marketing plan?  It is the way that you will go about promoting your product or service.  Just like you wouldn’t begin to get serious about your business without a definite plan, it is best not to approach the marketing of your product without a plan.  When a product is promoted well, sales increase.

     

    2.  Putting all your eggs in one basket.  This old saying seems to work in a lot of situations and marketing is one of them.  You may find a strategy like email marketing that has been successful for you.  But, don’t base your entire marketing plan on that one strategy.  In order to grow, diversification is the answer.  By not exploring other options, your business will become stunted in no time.

     

    3.  Ignoring the value of networking.  For business, networking is invaluable.  It is the way that entrepreneurs get together to pick each other’s brains.  During these “meetings of the minds”, partnerships are struck.  You can find someone who will complement your business with a new idea.  Joint ventures mean more profits for everyone.

     

    4.  Working as a force of one.  All businesses need support in some form.  There are not enough hours in the day to do it all and still make money.  Outsourcing can be your best friend.  You can outsource for practically anything that you need.  Hire someone to design your web page, answer your emails, and organize your invoices.  When these tasks are taken care of, more time can be devoted to marketing the product in new and creative ways.

     

    5.  Cutting back on your marketing budget.  When business is slow, we can panic unnecessarily.  We want to save as much money as we Successcan until things pick up again.  Since business is down, we might decide that we don’t need to advertise as no one is buying.  That is the worst mistake we can ever make.  This is the time to use our extra minutes in the day to beef up that marketing plan to appeal to a wider net of customers.

     

    Have you already made some of these marketing mistakes?  No worries. In this world most things are fixable.  Begin again, but this time with the knowledge of what not to do.

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  • The Importance of Following-Up

    Updated 8-19-2018

     

    There is an old saying that says, ‘The fortune is in the follow-up.”

     

    It’s become an old saying for good a reason:  it’s true.  Following up with customers and clients can be one of the most important business actions a business owner can take. I believe it’s an essential key to success that once mastered will bring you awesome results.

     

    There are many ways to follow-up, all of them being important in their own unique ways.  One of these is to follow-up with potential and past customers. This can be done very easily through sending out regular email campaigns.

     

    Following Up
    To send out a customer email campaign, or do any form of email marketing for that matter, it is recommended to have an autoresponder service.  This will make sending updates very easy.  They can even be loaded into the system several months or even years in advance.

     

    It is no secret that people lead busy lives and they cannot always remember to do all the things they want or need to do.  Simply sending out a little email, reminding them that your business is still there maybe all it takes to stimulate a sale.
    Following up with customers can also make them feel special and appreciated.  Offering them a special customer appreciation sale is one way to do this.  This can, again, be done through email marketing.  Another twist is to send your customer an actual card in the mail.

     

    As you can imagine from your own buying habits, when you feel appreciated by a business, you are more likely to buy more product from that business. When you feel ignored or unappreciated, you are more likely to avoid that business.

     

    One reason that some business owners fall behind on following up with their customers is due to a lack of time.  If this sounds familiar, setting up some systems to keep things flowing can make life easier.

     

    Following UpThis could include buying pre-written newsletters and hiring a virtual assistant to personalize them before loading them into an autoresponder, or having a ghostwriter create custom-content.

     

    If you have a service-based business, it is also very important to follow-up with potential clients on quotes and proposals you’ve submitted.  When a person contacts you for potential work, they may be at a starting point where they are just trying to sort out their project.

     

    Following up will let them know you are interested in working with them and remind them that they need to hurry up and hire you before someone else does.

     

    That doesn’t mean you have to be pushy at all.  Just sending a quick note to let them know that you currently have space on your calendar for them, but also reminding them that your spaces fill up fast, is all that is needed.

     

    Once a business owner implements a regular follow-up routine into their business, they will open up the potential for repeat business and more profits. So remember to follow-up because it’s important.

    Need more information to help grow your business through email follow-up? As a Certified Solutions Provider for Constant Contact we have a black belt in email marketing strategies so reach out to us today to see how we can help you.

    Feel you want to DIY your own project visit our resources page . We have tons of tips and information available to you for free!

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  • Marketing Mojo

    Marketing ChoicesThe term “mojo” can mean different things to different people.  For some, it means being “in the swing of things” or on top of their game.  When a business owner has marketing mojo, they are on top of their marketing efforts and are having fun with them.
    Having this mojo is very desirable.  When a business owner is having fun with their marketing, it won’t seem like a chore at all.
    One of the easiest ways to develop marketing mojo is for a business owner to fully know their product.  What are the product’s best features?  What can the product do that the competition’s product can’t?

     

    Setting mini marketing goals can be a fun way to stay on track.  Constantly setting and meeting new deadlines will help raise confidence and that will definitely get your mojo running.

     

    These mini goals can be based on tasks that need to be done, such as writing your monthly newsletter or spending an hour doing some social networking.  They can also be based on new things you would like to learn.

     

    Learn By Doing

     

    One of the best ways to build your marketing mojo is to just do it.  Instead of spending hours of your time reading up on the latest marketing techniques and then debating over which will benefit your business, try different ideas out as you go.

     

    By testing the waters yourself, you can better judge what is going to be worth your time and what needs to be tweaked to suit your product.

     

    Don’t be afraid to experiment or modify marketing ideas that you have discovered.  Changes to the standards are what give companies an edge in their marketing strategies.

     

    Even if the tactics you test out do not work for you, analyze why they didn’t quite pan out and see where you can build on the strengths and weaknesses.  Those with real marketing mojo learn from their mistakes and downfalls, creating a better plan for the next effort.

     

    Watch Pros In ActionModern business concept

     

    Feed off the marketing mojo of others to help build your own.  Watching the marketing strategies of those who have already found success is a great way to build your business’ arsenal.  What works for them just might work for you as well.

     

    Networking with other business owners both in and out of your own industry can really pay off with new marketing tips and ideas.  Ask for their advice or just keep an eye on what they are doing to present their own product to the world.

     

    Set goals for yourself, try out new ideas, learn from others and above all, have fun with your marketing efforts.  Before you know it, you’ll have your own marketing mojo working and will be reaping the benefits of your success.

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  • Finding Inspiration for Marketing, Products and Services

    Inspiration is very important to entrepreneurs.   It can provide motivation to get them through the tough times.  It can spark ideas for new products, services, or marketing efforts.  Or it can simply make an ordinary day a little brighter.

     

    Although we may not realize it at first glance, inspiration is all around us.  It can take many forms, and it can show itself in things that look like the exact opposite of inspiration.  By keeping our eyes open and looking at things in the most positive light possible, we can find all sorts of inspiration in everyday life.

     Baby Steps

    Kids

     

    Children are a wonderful source of inspiration.  Whether they are our own, a friend’s or a family member’s, kids never cease to amaze.  Small children are especially inspirational, because they have so much to learn and tend to keep at it until they get it right.

     

    For example, think about a child who is learning to walk.  It’s certainly not something that happens overnight.  First he gets up on his knees and crawls, and then when he’s mastered that he pulls himself up and stands.  Eventually he’s holding onto things and taking small steps, and before you know it he’s walking all over the place on his own.

     

    Kids go through many similar learning processes.  When they find something they want to do, they keep at it until they get it right.  If a child can be that motivated, so can an adult, right?

     

    Think about a new business.  Doesn’t it remind you of a young infant or child? It needs to grow and evolve and learn to stand on its own.

    Desert cacti Nature

     

    Nature is a beautiful place to look for inspiration.  There are tons of examples that entrepreneurs could follow from plants and wildlife.

     

    Beavers work together to build and repair dams.  Plants sometimes grow and flourish in places that we would never dream that they could.  I live in the desert and it amazes me how cacti grow in rocky areas.

     

    Birds search high and low until they’ve found everything they need to build nests for their babies.  These are just a few of the things in nature that can inspire us.

    Theater 

    Art and Entertainment

     

    Inspiration can often be found in art.  Just looking at the artistry and craftsmanship of our favorite pieces can be inspiring.  The attention to detail can inspire us to put the same amount of effort into the things we do for our business.

     

    The movies and television shows we watch and the music we listen to can provide inspiration.  Think of some of the media that you may have watched recently that left you moved, encouraged and motivated.

     

    These are just a sample of the things that we can look to when we need inspiration.  If we look at things in the right way, we can find inspiration all around us.  This inspiration can then be channeled into our business endeavors, giving us the fuel we need to succeed.

    At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session.
    https://strategizeyoursuccess.com/staging2

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