How to Write Your Mobile Marketing Plan

 A mobile marketing campaign should be approached just like a traditional marketing campaign – and must include having a written marketing plan in place, a plan that includes the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Promotion and Place.

Your mobile marketing plan should include several basic elements:

·         Your mission or objectives: what are you passionate about in your business?

·         Your offering: be specific about what your mobile marketing solution is

·         Your target market: do you know exactly who you’re marketing to?

·         Features: what sets your offer apart from all of the other mobile marketing solutions?

·         Benefits: is your solution going to be the best solution for your ideal customer?

The mobile marketing plan is essential when it comes to providing a direction for your business – consider it an agenda of your marketing strategy that must be done in order to succeed.

Blast Your Way Out Of A Business Slump With 4 Simple Tactics

Every business goes through a “slump.”  Hey, you’ve been raking in the bucks when... blam, you’re up against a brick wall.  The customers seem to have forgotten you exist, and the bills pile up.  Don’t despair... you’re not alone.

I know that doesn’t fix one thing for you right now, but find comfort in the fact that slumps don’t last forever.  Most businesses make it through, and with these 4 sure-fired “slump blasters,” you’ll make it too.

Why?

Some slumps are to be expected.  Seasonal workers expect to have some down time during the “off season” months.  Other slumps sneak up when you are doing your darnedest to market and implement every up-to-date marketing strategy in the book.   Could it be that...

* A recent change in your advertising campaign has gone sour?

* A savvy competitor has “one up” on you?

* Major news is affecting the entire industry?

Once you’ve properly identified the cause, you can develop a counter strategy to boost yourself back into the black.

What If There’s No Obvious Cause?

When there is no apparent reason or catalyst, you can safely identify it as a normal business slump.  Let’s face it... you’ve hit a normal business slump.  You need to put these 4 tactics into action.

1.  Develop a special deal for your existing clientele.  Make it short.  Make it quick... put a deadline on the offer.  Let them know as cheaply as possible that you’ve got a deal they can’t pass up... if they hurry!  Get them into action.

2.  Let your prospective customers in on the secret.  Get them hustling to get in on the deal, before it’s too late.

3.  Call your trusted, long-time customers and let them know you need their help.  Ask them for referrals, and remember to reward their effort.  They’ll feel like heroes and will bask in your appreciation.

4.  Temporarily blitz “quick” advertising media with your deal.  Get the information out quickly, and you’ll start seeing results quickly.

Sometimes a little quick action is all it takes to boost things back into their perspectives.  Hurry!  Get your customers moving!

Probe Before You Sell

When selling a product to a customer, it is very important to find out as much as you can about your customer and their needs before you proceed with your sale.

This is commonly referred to as “needs based selling.”

The most effective way to find out about your customers needs, is to ask probing, open-ended questions.

An open-ended question does not allow your customer to give you a “yes” or “no” answer, it makes them explain to you what their needs are, and why they would need a particular product.

Here is an example, if you were a sales associate at a furniture store, and a customer walked in looking for a dining room set, an open-ended question you might ask would be:

“Tell me about the particular type of pattern you are looking for,” or simply put, “tell me more about what you are looking for”

This puts your customer in a situation where they cannot say “yes” or “no,” they must go into detail.

On a personal note . . .

Not to long ago, a friend and I were in a department store looking for a coat for me.

I spotted one that I like hanging on a discount rack. It was brown, with a removable liner, and a zipper that ran the length of the collar, to protect your neck.

I liked it so much, I took it from the rack and tried it on.

As I stood admiring myself in the mirror, a sales associate came over and complimented me on my appearance in this jacket.

I smiled politely and thanked her. She than proceeded to tell me that the best part about the jacket was that it smelled like real leather.

Taking her word for it, I put my nose to the sleeve, took a whiff, and sure enough, it smelled like real leather.

The only problem was . . .

I don’t like the smell of leather.

Needless to say, I put the coat back on the rack, and the friendly sales person lost the sale and the commission.

The mistake the sales person made was assuming that I liked the smell of leather. It was a safe assumption on the part of the sales person, because most people like the smell of leather. This doesn’t mean it should be taken for granted.

The point I am trying to make, is that it is essential that you ask probing and open-ended questions, find out as much as you possibly can about your customer before you present them with a product. You’ll end up with a lot more sales. Believe me!

Don’t Let Your “Warm” Leads Go Cold

Finding fresh leads is a perennial problem for many businesses, and, of course, starting “cold” is never easy.  Take a look back through your records and databases, though, and you could find numerous “warm” leads that may now be ripe for the picking.

Advertising campaigns, Internet marketing and trade shows (to name but a few examples) typically identify a host of potential new clients and customers.  But not all these businesses are necessarily ready to buy at the time that they express initial interest in your company’s offering.  Situations change, however, and if you don’t cultivate these leads and make sure you are there when these clients are ready to buy, then you can bet your bottom dollar that your competitors will be there to snatch the order out from under you.

The cost of lead-generation campaigns can be extortionate.  Before you go that route, try what many companies have found helpful in bringing about significant increases in annual sales: follow up your “warm” leads, and catch your prospects at just the right time.

Using Video Marketing to Improve Lead Conversion

 If you think that video marketing isn’t an important part to growing your online presence, think again. According to recent studies, 85% of Internet users in the US watch online videos on a regular basis, including 4.3 billion online video ads. While we tend to skip past ads on television, when it comes to online videos, we can’t seem to get enough.

With the number of video views, it’s no wonder that these can help convert leads for any company and any niche – as long as it’s done correctly. Having videos available on your site has proven to keep visitors longer.  Not only does it increase lead conversion but also increases time spent on your site.

Video gives your customers and prospects a unique experience that no other medium can offer. It is more than just words or pictures. Video allows your customers to know they are dealing with a real person – you give them a live person to listen to and relate with. This relationship builder can mean the difference between a completed sale or not.

It’s not a matter of IF you’re going to use video to convert leads, it’s when. There is no media that “doesn’t work.” It’s a process and every campaign is an opportunity to learn and improve your efforts.

How to Improve Your Video Marketing

If you’re planning to maintain a good and solid online presence, you must plan to work videos into the equation. It can be frustrating getting exposure your videos – especially if you’re new to the whole process. Here are a few tips to help you get maximum exposure:

1.      Good Quality Videos – Nobody wants to see a poorly made video. On the other hand, a good video will produce never-ending traffic over time.

2.      Distribution – While YouTube is the Holy Grail of video distribution, it’s important to use the many other video directories that are available to you as well. You can either submit the videos manually to each site or you can look for software to help you do it.

3.      Promotion – Use social media to further promote your videos. Share them via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Pinterest.

Overlooking any of these elements will result in a lack luster performance for your video marketing efforts, so when you’re putting together your strategy make sure to include all of the parts to ensure success.

Conversational Hypnosis - A Powerful Sales Tool

If you have not heard of conversational or covert hypnosis then it is time to you get to know about it.

What is conversational /covert hypnosis?

Conversational hypnosis is a term used by Ericksonian hypnotherapists to create a trance using embedded words in the verbal text. Some people see this technique as unethical because the client has a right to knowingly participate in the development of trance. On the contrary, other specialists affirm that conversational hypnosis is a well-tested and effective Ericksonian technique, and definitively not unethical in any way.

Conversational hypnosis is one of the most effective and efficient techniques of hypnotherapy in producing quick and permanent results. However, special training and skills are necessary to be able to effectively use this technique.

How can conversational hypnosis relate to your sales job?

If you have already gone through the special training to apply conversational hypnosis in your job, just think of the possibilities especially when you are trying to close a deal with a client. You are definitely going to experience a higher closing rate compare to those who have never heard conversational hypnosis.

Every purchaser will have a motive. It is either something that they want to have, wished for or something that can potentially contribute to growth to whatever they are doing. For example why would an individual live a big house when he or she can live comfortably in an average sized home? Or why would a business owner expand his or her business to other states or overseas when it is doing well its current location?

If you are equipped with the skill of conversational hypnosis, you will become a better sale person. Because some how or someway, you will be able to manage and convince your client that the product or service you are selling is what they want or something that can help improve whatever that they are doing.

Do keep in mind though that such skill isn't only for selling. It is really a great addition to your life because you will be able to use conversional hypnosis to persuade an individual, a group or even large audience to do your bidding.

Just imagine how nice it would be to get someone to do something for you just because you are too lazy to do it? Or just to do something as you please.

Can conversational hypnosis be used in an unethical way?

Obviously the answer would be YES. To the extent where you can even make a stranger give you all his cash in is wallet at that point of time. If such skill ever falls in the wrong hands, there would certainly be havoc.

However the supply of appropriate training is very limited worldwide. Not many people can find the right access to the proper conversational hypnosis training courses. Even if there is one available, it will come at a hefty price tag.

How would you know if you naturally have the skill of conversational hypnosis?

Every individual would somehow be in a group of friends. Regardless of its size, as long as you know you're the leader of the group, you pretty much have the natural gift of conversational hypnosis. Unfortunately many of us aren't born leaders. This is where acquiring the knowledge and skills of conversational hypnosis will be beneficial.

It's always better to be the leader in a group of friends or in a relationship because things will go your way, which is favorable to yourself. And the best part is your followers or companion will be happy to have it your way. Isn't that wonderful?

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” Theodore Roosevelt

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” Theodore Roosevelt

Use Social Media To Get Exposure

Nowadays, if a business is not on a social media site, or several for that matter, then they are deemed to be missing out and missing out big time. The great thing is; it is easier to connect with social media sites and they can do wonders for a business, regardless of how established the business really is!

There are many different discussions and opinions going around relating to SEO and social media as well. Many people believe that as most of the links on social media sites are noFollow, then they have no weight in terms of SEO and rankings. However, some tests have proven that sites with great social media coverage will rank better and people working at major search engines have confirmed that the social media profile will be taken into account.

Whether using social media for promotion or as an SEO tactic one thing is for sure; it should certainly be used. There are thousands of businesses that think because they have a website, people can find them. They believe that because they rank above the majority of their competitors in search engines, there is no need to attack social media. The reality is these people are wrong; there were businesses doing something similar 5 years ago, when every company had a website except for them! Getting onto social media sites is a must!

Getting into social media for people that do not really have any technical experience can be a struggle to start with, but it really is not as difficult as the majority of people think. By logging onto social media sites like Twitter, Face Book and My Space, business owners cannot just start to promote their businesses further, but they can also connect with their target audience and understand what it really is that they want!

Mobile Content Marketing Attracts New and Keeps Current Customers

I am sure you know by now that the only real Internet marketing is content marketing, and now we have another way to market our content and that is via mobile content marketing. Mobile content marketing is one more platform in your overall content marketing strategy. Another way to market your content to your clients as well as a way to attract new clients who are too busy to sit down at a computer to look at your website.

In your ongoing effort to build a relationship with your potential clients and customers mobile content marketing is becoming an essential part of that mix. We have to remember that the quantity of users using mobile phones and other devices to access online content is growing by leaps and bounds, and by some reports even outgrowing personal computer adoption. Mobile content marketing cannot be ignored by the savvy Internet marketer who wants to remain relevant.

Mobile access to the net has increased social network use by over millions and is expected to continue to climb. You start by offering your current clients the ability to read, watch and listen to your content via the mobile device that most of your current readers use, or code the site to detect what device is reading. Then you make it easy for your current clients to pass on the information via texts.

The "Queen of the Internet" Mary Meeker stated in her "State of the Internet Report" that "Rapid Ramp of Mobile Internet Usage Will be a Boon to Consumers and Some Companies Will Likely Win Big (Potentially Very Bib) While Many Will Wonder What Just Happened." Don't be one of those who just wonders what happened.)

Ways Video Marketing Can Help Your Business

You know that video marketing is an important part of your content marketing plan, but maybe you aren’t sure just how it can help grow your business. Here are just a few unexpected ways:

·         YouTube SEO: You know that SEO marketing is important to getting your website ranked in the search engines. The same idea works for YouTube. What many don’t realize is that YouTube is the number two search engine. Use the right keywords when listing your video to increase your video ranking.

·         Referring traffic. Remember that visitors to your site don’t just appear from thin air, they have to be referred from somewhere – why not YouTube? YouTube is a great brand builder and a perfect tool to drive traffic to your website.

·         It’s inexpensive. Video marketing as far as marketing goes is an inexpensive tool. Yes, you have the initial expense of obtaining a camera you can use, but even that doesn’t have to be much. A simple flip camera is more than sufficient. Video is a great way to attract an audience without spending a fortune.

Putting together a video marketing campaign isn’t difficult. Your YouTube account is free and you are already an expert in your field, now you just have to get in front of the camera and let your knowledge and passion shine through!

Using Videos in Email

Using video in email has always been a tricky thing – not just because of the technology but also because of the idea of whether or not it’s effective. There have been questions to consider along the road of whether or not to incorporate video into your email marketing plan; questions like will video be considered annoying? Is it worth the effort considering the technology and the problems it brings?

There are many schools of thought on the answers to these questions because all of the experts have their own opinion. So in the words of my father-in-law I say this to you: “Listen to what everyone has to say and then do what you think is best.”

As mobile technology continues to evolve, it becomes more important to keep up with the times. Consumers want to receive their content on their phones and they don’t just want to read. Video within an email is a great way to give your audience what they want and where they want it – right at their fingertips.

Adding video to email isn’t as difficult as it was in days gone by. There are plenty of coding techniques that can do the job, even if the mail client doesn’t support video.  

Be Persuasive When You Sell

When you are selling your products to clients, you don’t want to be pushy about it, you want to be persuasive.

Have you ever been around a sales person who seems to have everything going for him?

He has no problem talking to people, people like him, he seems to meet all of his sales goals so effortlessly.

This is not because he is lucky, or he was born with a natural gift when it came to selling. It is because he took the time and effort to make sure he went into the field well trained with the appropriate sales skills and product knowledge to make his sales seem as though they come without any effort.

This sales person, through hard work and sales training, has given himself the power of persuasion because he has the ability to find out what it is that his customers need.

When a sales person is being pushy with their product, it is a turn off to the customer. The last thing a customer wants, is somebody they just met up in their face who won’t stop talking. Pushy sales people come off rude, unprofessional and unknowledgeable.

From a customer’s point of view, a pushy sales person comes off as someone who just arrived from a one day sales training course on one particular product. Who is then sent out into the world to sell that product to anyone that will listen.

Most consumers can see right through this.

Persuasion takes subtlety. In fact, it is much easier to persuade someone to buy your product than to actually sell it.

Persuasion involves getting your customer to “buy in” to your product, or to see things from your point of view.

You must first get to know your customer. Take some time to ask a few personal questions. Such as where they live, what their occupation is, do they have any pets, etc.

People love to talk about themselves, so ask questions.

Once you get to know your customer, find out what their needs are. You can than match up your products to their needs.

Explain the benefits of your product, and give them a visual in their mind of themselves using your product. If you are selling baseball bats, give them the visual of using the bat to hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth too win the ball game.

Don’t do all the talking, listen to your customer. Listening is perhaps one of the most important sales skills you can posses. You can find out so much about your customer just by listening.

To persuade your customer to buy your product is to find a common ground with your customer. Smile, be courteous, answer their questions, learn what their needs are, listen to their concerns and try to alleviate them.

Once you have established what their needs are, tell them about the products you have that could satisfy their needs. Remember, don’t sell the product, tell them about the product, and what it can do for them.

Don’t think of it as selling, think of it as a normal conversation that you would have with one of your friends. Your sales will become more enjoyable, and they will also increase.

Mobile Marketing and Small Business

From the days of the bulky bag phones to small handheld mini computers, cell phones have taken marketing to a whole new level.

Mobile marketing is the fastest growing marketing method in existence today – with no signs of stopping or even slowing down and smart business owners and marketers are grabbing hold with both hands.

While big brand names have begun to slowly use this powerful marketing tool, small businesses are beginning to realize that they, too, can embrace mobile marketing and use it fully to their advantage.

Your customers and prospects are no longer forced to stay at home, chained to their desktop computers. They are on the go! If you want to reach them and make them aware of your presence, you’d better be ready to reach them in their cars, while they’re eating out, shopping or whatever. If you are still relying on your standard website and have yet to embrace mobile technology, you are leaving money on the table.

Contrary to what many misinformed business owners think – any business can use and benefit from mobile marketing. By using mobile technology for your marketing, PR, customer service and even sales promotions, you’re reaching your customers and prospects where they want and need to be reached.

While there are some business owners who are stuck in their “old school” mindset, many have evolved and are leveraging the power of mobile marketing. Have you? Chances are your competitors have…

Utilizing Social Media To Grow a Business

Social networking is something that is used almost every day by the majority of people. People now realize that they can get a much larger range of tasks done in a shorter space of time using social media, rather than other forms of communication. For instance, they can contact 4 people at once explaining about an upcoming party and then put an offer in on that Xbox that they wanted. Social media is a great way to stay in touch; conveniently.

For this reason, businesses really need to get involved with social media. What they need to do is log onto websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and start creating a social profile. It may take time, but as their profile increases in size, the reality is that more and more people will actually start thinking of their business. Businesses that ignore social media are potentially missing out on hundreds of consumers every single day.

As most people will be keen to suggest, the best way to promote a business is by word of mouth. People that have tried and tested your products or services and had a good experience will be the best advertisement for a business. The great thing is, social networking sites basically act as a word of mouth referral, which is why so many people are finding that their conversions on these sites are simply so good. Communicating online through social media sites on a regular basis will ensure that these businesses grow to a size that an owner could never even imagine.

Get on social networks and build the marketing strategy into your every day business life. Social networks have a snowball effect, so over time your profile will become larger and larger and more and more worth while, producing more leads nearly every single day!

Use Social Media To Get Exposure

Nowadays, if a business is not on a social media site, or several for that matter, then they are deemed to be missing out and missing out big time. The great thing is; it is easier to connect with social media sites and they can do wonders for a business, regardless of how established the business really is!

There are many different discussions and opinions going around relating to SEO and social media as well. Many people believe that as most of the links on social media sites are noFollow, then they have no weight in terms of SEO and rankings. However, some tests have proven that sites with great social media coverage will rank better and people working at major search engines have confirmed that the social media profile will be taken into account.

Whether using social media for promotion or as an SEO tactic one thing is for sure; it should certainly be used. There are thousands of businesses that think because they have a website, people can find them. They believe that because they rank above the majority of their competitors in search engines, there is no need to attack social media. The reality is these people are wrong; there were businesses doing something similar 5 years ago, when every company had a website except for them! Getting onto social media sites is a must!

Getting into social media for people that do not really have any technical experience can be a struggle to start with, but it really is not as difficult as the majority of people think. By logging onto social media sites like Twitter, Face Book and My Space, business owners cannot just start to promote their businesses further, but they can also connect with their target audience and understand what it really is that they want!

Dream Great !!!

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

Just How Influential Are You, Anyway?

Perhaps for those who use Facebook and Twitter only to keep in touch with friends and family, measuring online influence may not be a huge consideration.  For companies that use social media and for the growing ranks of job seekers who have incorporated online networking into their job search strategies, however, knowing the size of their engaged audience (the number of friends and followers who actively listen and react to their messages) and the likelihood that their messages will generate actions such as comments, “likes” and retweets can be highly valuable information.  Imagine how useful it would be to know, for example, just how many people actually saw that tweet you sent to your 100 Twitter followers about your job search. 

Klout.com and PeerIndex.net are both influence measurement tools that track your own activities and the activities and profiles of your friends, followers and connections across, among other things, Twitter and Facebook accounts and blog feeds, and then carry out calculations to provide you with an influence score.  In the case of PeerIndex, the tool also takes into account the subjects that you talk about most often and includes graphical representations of its findings.         

Both Klout and PeerIndex are free to join, so why not find out just how much online influence you really have and, better still, make your online presence more productive?

Make sure your employees know your company

If you’re a manager, there’s one thing you’ll want to be sure that your employees are armed with—and that’s knowledge about the company and the products or services you sell. A fatal flaw for many companies and managers is that they assume that employees already have this knowledge, but the truth is that lots of times they don’t. So take it upon yourself to meet individually and go over some of the basics with those you feel it is necessary for—new employees, underachieving workers, etc. Make sure you do this tactfully. There is a natural way to deliver this information through conversation without making people feel they are being singled out in some way. Make sure that employees understand the overall goals of the company and what they do fits in the big picture. Sometimes employees just don’t get this for one reason or another, and it’s your job to make sure that they know what they need to do—a good job for you and the company.

"Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome

"Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals."

Social Media Meets Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is changing the way people interact in their social media networks. More and more mobile users are able to access their social network right from their cell phone and business marketers are looking for any way possible to combine these two powerhouse technologies that are turning the business world on its ear. Are you worried that you missed the boat? Don’t be – yet.

From 2009 to present day, Facebook and Twitter – social media’s little darlings – have seen massive increases in mobile traffic (347% for Twitter and 112% for Facebook). Furthermore, 91% of mobile web users socialize online. And one more statistic to add while we’re at it – by 2013, mobile usage will SURPASS PC usage. It’s time to bring your social networking to the 21^st century. Facebook is ready to introduce Facebook Zero – a text-only version of their popular social platform – dedicated to its mobile users.

Consumer s have already begun to embrace the whole mobile web revolution and it’s time that businesses add this powerful resource to their overall marketing plan before they’re left behind.

How Video Marketing Works

In order to be a successful video marketer you need to know the basic principles of video marketing, and how it works.

They can be summarized in three important steps:

1.  Make a Video:
Before you can distribute a video, you need to have one.  Don’t worry, this really is not that hard to accomplish!  This website will show you how to make a video using software you already have.  You can even make a video without  a video camera or even a microphone.

2.  Submit Your Video to Multiple Video Websites:
You can make a video for YouTube or any number of other video sharing sites. This site will show you the best places to submit your videos for maximum exposure.  We will also cover how to optimize your video submissions, and automate this process if you wish.

3.  Receive Backlinks and Traffic as Your Video is Distributed Around the Net:

This last step is automatic.  Once you have your videos distributed, just sit back and reap the benefits.

Before you start cranking out videos, you need to consider what goes into a great video.

The main goal is to make sure that people find your video to be “worth watching”. Our second goal is to ensure that after they view the video, they will want to learn more about the topic and will click the link to your website (and hopefully buy something!)

The videos that you want to go viral you will need to spend more time on. The videos that you are using purely for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes don’t have to be award winning.

Video Marketing for Business

Video marketing for business is one of the quickest growing kind of marketing of all time.  There are number of online marketers who take advantage of video marketing promotion.  The sort of targeted traffic you can generate by executing proper video marketing promotion can be extremely huge

Online video marketing for business has made a significant surge.  However, if you watched online video several years ago, you'd have probably thought that it would never have made the leap to the business world.  Much of it was kids performing tricks on skateboards and funny pet tricks.

Online video marketing for business has quickly become the "must have" advertising, marketing and communications tool for businesses in NJ and NYC of all kinds.  No other marketing medium connects with busy business people as effectively as online video marketing.  Online video is unique in its ability to attract, captivate and engage customers, thus increasing lead conversions of casual browsers into paying customers…in some cases increasing conversions by 52%!

There are so many benefits of Video marketing for business that you’d better start right now with it. All you need to do is follow the right steps to maximize this marketing strategy. For very low costs you can get really high profits as you can get to more prospects that can turn into your clients or associates.

One of the major benefits of Video marketing for business is that you get a great exposure for free. You can have as many videos as you want in all the video platforms on the net. When done correctly, this is a great advantage as there are literally billions of views every day. This means you will have hundreds or thousands potential prospects for free.

Connecting With Video

Think for a moment about all the websites that you visit when you’re on the web. Do the majority of them have some sort of video incorporated into their website? I bet they do! There are constantly new ways to incorporate video into your website. If you’re not using video yet in some way, maybe it’s time to jump on the bandwagon because it is surely not going away.

Interviews

One of the easiest ways that you can produce content on the web is to conduct an interview. Now who you conduct the interview with is entirely up to you, maybe it’s your favorite blogger, an expert you know personally within an industry, or maybe you can even get a best-selling author to do an interview with you for your website. To me the best way to conduct these interviews is through video, possibly using Skype or some other video type of platform. The benefit of doing a video interview is it takes less time and you can have a casual conversation with other individuals and pump out some really great content for your website viewers, versus the text format interviews which can take a long time if there are tons of questions. Plus with video you really get a sense of the personality and passion the person you’re interviewing has which helps to create a real connection with your viewers.

Testimonials

Why not spice up your testimonials by having those who provide them to you do a video instead of submitting text? Again, it creates more of a connection for the viewers since they can actually see the person and see how much they have benefited from using the product or service you’re offering. One company that is really doing this well is bigcommerce.com. They have a handful of testimonials submitted by satisfied customers of their product and I found them to be really interesting to watch. They were short and to the point of why the product works for them. So if you have some customers who are not shy about video why not go this route?

Video tutorials

Now this is somewhat similar to the how-to videos, but video tutorials are more for explaining and demonstrating the product that you are offering. Video tutorials are a huge asset to have in the help center for your customers. Speaking from experience as being a customer, I always try to solve the problem myself and if I run into a problem or have a question the first thing I do is go to the company’s website in search of the help center. Within that help center the one thing that I hope to find the most is a video tutorial series showing me how to effectively use the product. In the end it saves me the hassle of having to call you for help or e-mail you and it saves you, the product provider, the time of having to help me solve the problem; plus answer the same question or problem for others. 

Your Business Image is Important

Say you are about to launch a new product. You spent months or even years developing the product and studying your target market. And after what seemed like eternity you are finally ready to introduce your creation to the market. The big day arrived; you opened up early and are ready to flaunt your biggest smile to everyone who comes in. By mid-day you noticed that even though many people come in to check out your product only few actually buy it. Now this gave you something to think seriously. What could possibly be wrong with your product? Perhaps there is nothing wrong with your product but there can be something terribly wrong with your marketing strategy. 

When people are looking for products or services to avail they usually go for ones that they are familiar with or have long used. This way they can be sure that they are getting the most of their money. So for a business owner like you who is just starting up in the business industry, it is important to make a good first impression. Sure, you can do this by offering discounts and other special offers. You can even put a large banner in front of your store announcing your special opening sale. But when are not able to offer the right image you may as well consider hiding in your den and reflect on what you need to improve in your marketing strategy.  

But then again you may be doing the right strategy and using the right advertising trick. But have you looked at your logo? That’s exactly what I’m thinking. You could have overlooked the most important part of your product – your logo design. Logos often tantamount to a company’s image, hence, whether it is hip, chic, interesting or boring it is essential to create a logo that gives the right impact to the customers. It doesn’t really matter if you, your friends or employees like or does not like the logo. What is important is the impression that it gives to your customers.  

A good logo must represent the business image appealingly and effectively. It must likewise be practical and functional as complicated logos often leave customers confused and wondering what is actually being sold or presented. Keep in mind that less is always more. Hence, a simple logo design will most likely seal the deal and help you grab more customers. Certainly a colorful and over-designed logo will catch more attention but no company achieves success based solely on their logo. So a simple flexible logo is more likely to entice prospects to actually buy your products and avail of your services. 

A combination of art, science and psychology often creates a good logo. A designer should know this, so if you do not know how to design your logo you can ask their help. Remember that a poor logo can ruin your image but a good one can instantly create name recognition and can boost company sales and services.

Your Greatest Marketing Assets

You might not think that you are a marketing and sales person, but if you own or work in a small business think again. When you're in business for yourself - whether you like it or not, feel like you're good at it or not - you are a marketing and sales person.

I tell my marketing clients and those that attend my various marketing presentations all the time that the two greatest assets you possess are your Attitude and Belief. When these are positive and show through your marketing and sales efforts, your results will increase dramatically.

Attitude: Be enthusiastic and passionate about your value proposition to the marketplace. You know that what you offer can make a difference and have an impact on your clients. When it comes to your own marketing, if you feel good about yourself and you have self-confidence because you are doing everything for the benefit of your clients, you'll become more attractive to prospective clients.

Belief: You don't have to have a degree in marketing to get great marketing results. But you do have to believe in yourself and your actions. I call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe that can't do something, you're right - you won't do it. On the other hand, if you believe that you can learn what it takes to get better marketing results you will.

If you're persistent in pursuing your business and your small business marketing with a positive attitude and belief that you can, sooner or later you'll find what works for you. You'll discover the marketing strategies and tactics that allow you to begin attracting attention and bringing in new clients consistently!

Getting More Customers

Surveys show that 85% of success in life relates to your communication, human relations skills, and "emotional intelligence”.

Joe Batten, an American motivational speaker said: "Before you tell, ask; before you talk, listen; after you listen, relate; and always show that you care. When you can translate care, people will want to do business with you and details will not get in the way."

From a business viewpoint you also have to build relationships and get customers to trust you. To do that you have to:

1. Be Reliable

Do what you say you're going to do.

Do it when you say you're going to do it.

Do it right the first time.

Get it done on time.

Under promise and over deliver.

2. Be Responsive

Be available

Be accessible

Be willing

Be helpful

Be informative

3. Solve problems

Solve customers’ unique problems and they will continue to be your customer. Put yourself in the customer's shoes and feel what they feel.

Does this mean that all your marketing and advertising needs to be “touchy feely”?

No. You can still create calls to action that increase sales whilst observing all these principles.

For example:

Tell them about a price increase!

People want a 'good deal'. If prices are going up on a specific date, let your customers know. They'll want to buy before the price increases.

Offer a trial period

Trial periods are a great way to get new customers. Offer a special deal, extra service or a lower price during your trial / introductory period.

Offer a Guarantee

People want to know there's no risk involved if they're not satisfied with the product/service. Let new customers know they can cancel for any reason before the trial period expires.

Offer free extras

Buy X and receive Y. This works with a whole range of products and services. Be sure to include an end date on your offer. This politely urges people to take advantage of your offer before time runs out. Give a deadline for ordering. Order by the 10th and receive.... That way, your customers know they only have a limited time to respond and they won't fall victim to the "I'll do it later" syndrome.

Offer a FREE gift

As an added incentive for ordering, offer your free gift to the first 100 or 1000 people that respond or walk through your doors.

Offer an upgrade

One simple line can boost your sales. "Order within 10 days and we'll upgrade you to ......."

Whatever you offer be sure to include action phrases:

* Call Now

* 24 Hours a Day

* Mail today in the prepaid envelope

* Fax your response card.

Business success also relates to communication, human relations skills, and "emotional intelligence”, but in a business context.

Just How Influential Are You, Anyway?

Perhaps for those who use Facebook and Twitter only to keep in touch with friends and family, measuring online influence may not be a huge consideration.  For companies that use social media and for the growing ranks of job seekers who have incorporated online networking into their job search strategies, however, knowing the size of their engaged audience (the number of friends and followers who actively listen and react to their messages) and the likelihood that their messages will generate actions such as comments, “likes” and retweets can be highly valuable information.  Imagine how useful it would be to know, for example, just how many people actually saw that tweet you sent to your 100 Twitter followers about your job search. 

Klout.com and PeerIndex.net are both influence measurement tools that track your own activities and the activities and profiles of your friends, followers and connections across, among other things, Twitter and Facebook accounts and blog feeds, and then carry out calculations to provide you with an influence score.  In the case of PeerIndex, the tool also takes into account the subjects that you talk about most often and includes graphical representations of its findings.         

Both Klout and PeerIndex are free to join, so why not find out just how much online influence you really have and, better still, make your online presence more productive?

Social Media - To Get Exposure

Nowadays, if a business is not on a social media site, or several for that matter, then they are deemed to be missing out and missing out big time. The great thing is; it is easier to connect with social media sites and they can do wonders for a business, regardless of how established the business really is!

There are many different discussions and opinions going around relating to SEO and social media as well. Many people believe that as most of the links on social media sites are noFollow, then they have no weight in terms of SEO and rankings. However, some tests have proven that sites with great social media coverage will rank better and people working at major search engines have confirmed that the social media profile will be taken into account.

Whether using social media for promotion or as an SEO tactic one thing is for sure; it should certainly be used. There are thousands of businesses that think because they have a website, people can find them. They believe that because they rank above the majority of their competitors in search engines, there is no need to attack social media. The reality is these people are wrong; there were businesses doing something similar 5 years ago, when every company had a website except for them! Getting onto social media sites is a must!

Getting into social media for people that do not really have any technical experience can be a struggle to start with, but it really is not as difficult as the majority of people think. By logging onto social media sites like Twitter, Face Book and My Space, business owners cannot just start to promote their businesses further, but they can also connect with their target audience and understand what it really is that they want!

Utilizing Social Media To Grow a Business

Social networking is something that is used almost every day by the majority of people. People now realize that they can get a much larger range of tasks done in a shorter space of time using social media, rather than other forms of communication. For instance, they can contact 4 people at once explaining about an upcoming party and then put an offer in on that Xbox that they wanted. Social media is a great way to stay in touch; conveniently.

For this reason, businesses really need to get involved with social media. What they need to do is log onto websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and start creating a social profile. It may take time, but as their profile increases in size, the reality is that more and more people will actually start thinking of their business. Businesses that ignore social media are potentially missing out on hundreds of consumers every single day.

As most people will be keen to suggest, the best way to promote a business is by word of mouth. People that have tried and tested your products or services and had a good experience will be the best advertisement for a business. The great thing is, social networking sites basically act as a word of mouth referral, which is why so many people are finding that their conversions on these sites are simply so good. Communicating online through social media sites on a regular basis will ensure that these businesses grow to a size that an owner could never even imagine.

Get on social networks and build the marketing strategy into your everyday business life. Social networks have a snowball effect, so over time your profile will become larger and larger and more and more worth while, producing more leads nearly every single day!

Get Social Networking Today!

When people mention social networking and social media sites, the instant reaction is to think about Facebook. Nowadays people use social networking sites as part of their every day routine. Instead of browsing Google for the latest products they want, they ask friends and browse the social media market places. So it is important for businesses to be able to connect with their target audience with another medium rather than just their website.

As soon as Facebook took off, there was an influx of businesses trying to sell their products and services in every which way possible. Of course, the reality was that this was what Face Book wanted. Before long, they put restrictions on things like ads and commercial market place adverts to try and extract some extra cash from businesses.

The great thing is that not all of Facebook marketing costs most. One thing that businesses can create is a fan page. This fan page can contain important updates, deals and general information relating to a company. By adding and “liking” other pages, businesses can start to get coverage. This is a great tool to get noticed on Face Book and to start to build a social media profile across different social media sites.

One of the important things to think about when making your page is to consider the best ways to make it interesting. The problem with a lot of pages that promote businesses is that they do not include anything interesting. This means that people come, stay for a few minutes and then move on to something different. Make sure you engage with your target audience with things like new products, hot offers, polls and surveys. Act as if you care what they think and they will enjoy staying on your page!

Facebook Moves One Step Closer to Being Our One-Stop Communications Shop

Facebook has made no secret of its strategy to move beyond being a mere social media site (albeit the biggest in the world) and become our integrated communications hub of choice, and last month’s partnership deal with voice and video call giant Skype will certainly take them in the right direction.  According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the two companies had been in talks for some time, but it was the likely acquisition of Skype by Microsoft that, for him, sealed the deal.  Zuckerberg and company were apparently wooed by an association that offers the stability of being with a company that they can trust.

The announcement of the deal between Facebook and Skype is the first of what has been promised to be a summer of major launches for the social media site, which is reported to be losing some of its momentum as well as facing challenges from Google+.  For its users, the partnership will not only mean free one-to-one voice and video calls, but also there is talk of group chat functionality and a new chat user interface.  So, if you’re not already part of Facebook’s massive 750 million membership, perhaps now is the time to jump on board!

Using Video as Content!!

Video content is not necessarily difficult or demanding to make, actually what a marketer needs is an imagination.  It can really help personalize messages and information.  It is probably even more diverse in device and format selection than audio content.  It is an increasing part of the enterprise communications and strategic plans.  Video content is cherished by Google. 

Video content is one of the strongest methods of distributing content on the internet.  It is free and widely available through the internet in ways that reach thousands of people every day.  It is exploding online at a crazy speed and there's no turning it back.  It is loaded to the ftp site.  Video content is paid on a variable per-minute rate. 

Video content is being consumed by users in rapid fashion.  It is a great way to engage and educate customers about your products and services.

Video Marketing for Business

Video marketing for business is one of the quickest growing kind of marketing of all time.  There are number of online marketers who take advantage of video marketing promotion.  The sort of targeted traffic you can generate by executing proper video marketing promotion can be extremely huge

Online video marketing for business has made a significant surge.  However, if you watched online video several years ago, you'd have probably thought that it would never have made the leap to the business world.  Much of it was kids performing tricks on skateboards and funny pet tricks.

Online video marketing for business has quickly become the "must have" advertising, marketing and communications tool for businesses in NJ and NYC of all kinds.  No other marketing medium connects with busy business people as effectively as online video marketing.  Online video is unique in its ability to attract, captivate and engage customers, thus increasing lead conversions of casual browsers into paying customers…in some cases increasing conversions by 52%!

There are so many benefits of Video marketing for business that you’d better start right now with it. All you need to do is follow the right steps to maximize this marketing strategy. For very low costs you can get really high profits as you can get to more prospects that can turn into your clients or associates.

One of the major benefits of Video marketing for business is that you get a great exposure for free. You can have as many videos as you want in all the video platforms on the net. When done correctly, this is a great advantage as there are literally billions of views every day. This means you will have hundreds or thousands potential prospects for free.

What Is Brand Identity?

Brand Identity is a promise. One given from business to customer to expect certain things. Whether that promise involves product quality, service, price or a million other things varies from brand to brand. But the one thing common among all brands is the need to be a strong brand.

Why is brand identity so critical?

A strong brand identity can position a company above its competition all by itself. But having a brand that strong takes time, money and effort to develop. It’s not as simple as just redesigning a logo or rewriting a tagline. Brand identity is the reason you offer for your customer to choose you instead of your competition.

How to rework your brand identity

Successful re-branding involves “evolution,” not “revolution.” You must impress upon your existing customers that your new brand is just a new and improved version of the same you. It’s important to not get too crazy with a re-branding effort because you could end up destroying fragile emotional ties and customer loyalty.

Brand identity is much more than marketing

Having a brand identity that resonates with your market is important, but not at the expense of the people within your company. They need to not only get it, but also be your brand’s most fervent ambassadors. Do your employees believe in your company? Do they feel like they have a vested stake in its success? Companies with solid brand identities can say yes to these questions. Can yours? If not, here are some things you can do:

1.         Get every aspect of your company on the same page: Easier said than done, right? Well, that doesn’t mean it’s not necessary. Get all your departments talking to each other and understanding each other.

2.         Promote everyone to the position of brand ambassador: Give everyone a common understanding of the company, its mission and their part in it. They should feel like they have ownership—even if they don’t.

3.         Reinforce brand values and behaviors: To do this, use the tools you have, such as internal communications…and like a good basketball coach, consistently promote these fundamentals until they’re second nature.

Your employees will ultimately determine your success or failure. That’s why it’s so important to have them buy into your company’s brand identity. However, that’s not something that can be forced. You, as leadership, must earn it. But once you do, you’ll have a company that is full of happy, motivated successful brand ambassadors.

Repeat Customers – The Businessman’s Dream

When you consider the cost of advertising, it is not hard to see why repeat customers and clients are so valuable to businesses.  Cutting down on marketing and advertising expenses, however, is not the only way in which this highly desirable element of the market can help to increase profitability.  Repeat customers spend more money, make larger transactions, buy a wider range of products and services, and refer more customers.  But although repeat customers offer all these great benefits, many businesses do not even know what percentage of their sales comes from these clients, let alone why their repeat customers keep coming back, what they buy and how often they buy.

Repeat customers do, of course, keep buying for a number of reasons, and knowing whether it is your prices, your customer service or the fact that you give them first crack at your promotional offers is vital if you want to encourage more of your clients to do the same.  In addition, when you do promote special offers, knowing which ones are most successful in persuading customers to return can help enormously in fine-tuning future marketing campaigns.

The closer relationships that you build with repeat customers provide several benefits.  First, these clients are much more loyal; and second, the deeper bond makes them much less price-sensitive than one-off buyers and so much less likely to change suppliers if you put your prices up.

Put a little work into understanding your repeat customers and watch your profitability soar!