Get Inspired to start your small biz along with Tips

Searching ways to get more inspired to pursue your dream about starting your own biz? I know I got inspired to strive to achieve even more by watching this video (below) plus I attached an infographic with cool apps to help manage your small biz venture (found at Alltop.com)

10 Social Media Marketing Sins

Would you trust a baby with your Facebook Page?

Whenever I see reposts from (Twitter Guru) Susie Blackmon‘s tweets on Heidi Cohen (actionable marketing expert), I know it is a good read because it will include practical social media marketing knowledge that could be applicable to various markets such as the B2B to B2C.

The most important bullet on social media marketing sins from Heidi Cohen’s blog includes Number 7:

“Hiring a kid who knows Facebook, not employing an experienced marketer who understands your products, brands and company. “

Situation: I have been speaking to a couple of companies interested in having social media marketing expertise. The story sometimes includes hiring an intern in college who didn’t know the brand or understand the mission of the company who started a Facebook or Twitter page for the company- just to get it done. Moreover, the intern left or graduated from college and somehow the owner of the company is left to do FB or Twitter page with limited knowledge on the platform itself. In extreme cases, I’ve read interns who didn’t handle customer services correctly through these platforms and it resulted in damaging the reputation of the brand.

Solution: Owners of companies should hire an expert because marketing through the social media platforms are one of the most direct forms of communication you have with customers. Hire a social media consultant and inform them about the brand. This person will understand how to use the right tools to increase visibility and communications with customers to enable understanding of the products, services, and value for them!

Have a question? Don’t hesitate to contact me for information about social media. Click here.

How to Enchant your Customers and Leads

This information below is based on the presentation & Enchantment book by Guy Kawaski. I wanted to learn more about this Enchanting individual after watching the InBound Marketing (through HubSpot) presentation (you can see below). Then I read the book it really changed my perspective about understanding people and their needs. There are so many tips from the book and the presentation but here a couple of things I got out of it:

Visit your site and make sure you have: a mission & value statement, “Who We Are”, FAQ’s, Sitemap

Reduce # of choices, people buy more when there are less to choose from.

Present the big option, then the small choices, then it seems reasonable by contrast.

Enchant everyone that influences, businesses tend to influence the father of the household but in Guy’s household, the daughter is the decision-maker.

“Competition:-

1. Know them,
2. Analyze them through three lists of features & capabilities such as:

• What we both can do
• What we can do but they cannot do
• What we cannot do but they can do

3. Finally frame thy competition”

Endure Enchantment through Internalizing Values: conformity, identification, internalization

Think twice before using money (i.e. Encarta vs. Wikipedia)

Achieve trustworthiness: give with joy, give early, give unexpectedly, ask for reciprocation!

“Provide value:

• pointers to useful, inspiring, entertaining content (try to add links when doing this on Twitter)
• Personal insights, observations, or content
• Advice & Assistance” (Also keep it positive!)

….on Youtube:

Provide Intrinsic Value (IEEE): Inspiration, Entertainment, Enlightenment, Education

According to the book, 19.4% of viewers abandon a video with in the first ten seconds of a video

By 60 seconds, 44% have stopped watching!

Make videos short and start fast! Include brand name last on title.

I really suggest you read the book to know how to enchant employees/volunteers, don’t forget to see the presentation in case you can’t read the book:

4 Ways to Protect the Reputation of Your Small Business Online

Social Media Madness

I found this post on Mashable. Before I offer some suggestions to small-businesses, I like to have a reference in case there are any questions that may remain. Therefore please click and see original post on this topic.

I’m a believer that some business owners have bigger fish to fry when it comes to running a business. Hence there is a tendency to rush into social media and get it done when they discover the value it creates (more leads, customers calling for service, etc). Most of the time, small-biz owners start a Twitter & Facebook page to promote a product or a upcoming event and then months later there are no tweets or updates. The excuse is that they don’t have time to continue doing social media or they don’t think anyone cares what about they had for lunch.

Please follow these four steps to protect your online reputation:

1. Research & Planning: what are your goals/objectives, channels (Foursquare, Twitter, FB), time investment?
2. Monitoring & Listening: Google Analytics, HootSuite, Tweetdeck, & Mashable
3. Joining the Convo: planning (use your calendar), consistency (as in daily/weekly), being honest!
4. When the Convo becomes Negative: What to do?

Again, I just wanted you to get a taste of social media, I believe the Mashable covers more details: Click here

Listen to the Godfather: Watch Your Competitors

 

Whether you’re in the Pet or Horse industry, you can’t help to notice that when you walk into a feed store or pet store/speciality shop, there are hundreds of products out there ranging from shampoos, dental items, creams for nicer coats, tack, etc that promise that THEIR product is better than others. Don’t even get me started on those products that are organic and holistic. Not to mention those products that have box-ads, a DVD playing their pitch in-front of the cash register, or even those advanced in marketing that say “Scan this QR code for more info on how this product can make “Fluffy” do…”. How can you separate yourself from your competitors? In this highly competitive industry, I suggest you read this article below that covers all the basics.

I found this article from a tweet from Social Media Guru, Susie Blackmon, who originally got it from Heidi Cohen’s website. (The article explains why I used Andy Garcia’s picture) Click below for the full article:

16 Competitive Marketing Elements to Track