Just an online presence is not enough to succeed in business. You have to reach out to the masses by connecting with them socially. Today a successful business not only requires a strong web presence, it needs to gain exposure through social linking. Linking to twitter, facebook, linkedin, or yelp, creating mobile apps, blogging, and selling goods and services online are just a few ways to accomplish this.
The aspect of social linking creates a "word-of-mouth" effect whereas one person "Likes" your product, then all of their friends will know about it. If their friends "Like" your products and their friends "Like" your products, thus the "domino" effect. Before you know it, dozens, hundreds, even thousands will be aware of your company.
Today people connect via their ipads, smart phones, home and office computers to do their banking, pay bills, get the news, traffic & weather, and they look for companies who sell their products and services online. This is why businesses need to be accessible on all types of devices.
Companies small and large should embrace the technology, and become a part of it. Learn to communicate with those who already subscribe. After all, these people are your current and future potential customers.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Branding Process - The key to success.
Branding is more than just a logo design, it's an identity (Brand Identity). It's the who, what, where, when, and why of any business. Branding is the image a company portrays to the consumer or company it would like to potentially do business with. Brand Identity stems from the logo you design right on through to the marketing programs you implement, the collateral materials you develop, and even the people who represent your company.
Consider your business as it stands today... How are you received by your customers? Your competition? What kind of visibility do you have in your market? How well do you compete? What is your rate of growth? Are you profitable?
If the answer is "not sure" to any of these, you probably aren't doing enough.
You are in business to make money, and if your products or services are equal to, or better than your competition, you should be holding your own. If not, you've got work to do.
Make some basic comparisons
The Who...
Is your company brand (logo) effective? How does it compare to your competitions? Does it convey integrity & value to your customers? What kind of visibility do you have in the market?
The What...
Are you effectively getting your message out to your market place? Do they know what you do? Do they prefer you over the competition? Are your advertising materials and website up-to-date? Do you use other types of media on the web?
The Where...
How easy is it for your customers to find you? This can come in many forms. Physical address, Your web site, in print, social media, word of mouth, advertising on company vehicles to mention a few.
The When...
Do your customers know when you are available? Is there always a friendly, knowledgeable person on the phone to answer your customers needs?. Can customers contact you or place orders via your website?
The Why...
Why is your business a better choice over the rest? Do your customers know this? Do you convey a value added persona?
As a business owner you might think that to achieve all of this would be cost prohibitive and mostly impossible. Not so. There can initially be some costs attached, but there are many things you can do that cost very little to achieve.
An effective program with a mix of the right types of mediums can achieve these goals even at a slow and steady pace. As each goal is attained, then you can proceed to the next level as time and finances permit. To persevere is key, and in time you will succeed.
Consider your business as it stands today... How are you received by your customers? Your competition? What kind of visibility do you have in your market? How well do you compete? What is your rate of growth? Are you profitable?If the answer is "not sure" to any of these, you probably aren't doing enough.
You are in business to make money, and if your products or services are equal to, or better than your competition, you should be holding your own. If not, you've got work to do.
Make some basic comparisons
The Who...
Is your company brand (logo) effective? How does it compare to your competitions? Does it convey integrity & value to your customers? What kind of visibility do you have in the market?
The What...
Are you effectively getting your message out to your market place? Do they know what you do? Do they prefer you over the competition? Are your advertising materials and website up-to-date? Do you use other types of media on the web?
The Where...
How easy is it for your customers to find you? This can come in many forms. Physical address, Your web site, in print, social media, word of mouth, advertising on company vehicles to mention a few.
The When...
Do your customers know when you are available? Is there always a friendly, knowledgeable person on the phone to answer your customers needs?. Can customers contact you or place orders via your website?
The Why...
Why is your business a better choice over the rest? Do your customers know this? Do you convey a value added persona?
As a business owner you might think that to achieve all of this would be cost prohibitive and mostly impossible. Not so. There can initially be some costs attached, but there are many things you can do that cost very little to achieve.
An effective program with a mix of the right types of mediums can achieve these goals even at a slow and steady pace. As each goal is attained, then you can proceed to the next level as time and finances permit. To persevere is key, and in time you will succeed.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Brick & Mortar Isn't Enough
Business is not just brick & mortar any more
While the web has created new opportunities for business, it has created issues for companies who have always and "still" do business the old way.
For many years a "good old" yellow pages ad, newspapers, or TV & radio was good enough to get your message to the consumer. Not so in today's world. And yet there are those who still resist the change.
Information is intantaneous, competition tougher, and the brick & mortar approach just isn't enough to compete and survive. In today's market companies need to achieve a balance between web and standard practices to effectively generate business.
Websites, email, streaming video, blogging, and social media have all become the new tools for business. Using the right tools will get you the best job.
Social media venues like facebook and twitter have empowered the consumer to share their likes and dislikes about products and services in "real time". Customers tend to follow things they like or have nterest in, and feel important when they can interact with comments. This can be valuable data for any company to improve their products and services.
Ford, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Starbucks just to mention a few, have joined the social media frenzy in order to connect with the huge numbers of customers and potential new customers.
For example, on facebook alone there are over 20,000 businesses large and small that have facebook accounts. They know this is the "real deal" and another key marketing opportunity that requires attention.
Information is power. The more a company can distribute their message across numerous media sources, the better. It doesn't matter how good your product is, if no one knows about it, it won't sell.
It's not to say that face to face communications aren't important, they are. Meeting one-on-one makes the customer feel important, and lets them know that you care about them.
A balance between personal contact along with the right "web tools" to present a product or service, expedite ordering, maintain contact with customers, or distribute "sale" information is just plain common sense.
A wise associate once told me, "Work smarter not harder". Learn to delegate wisely, stay informed with new technologies, and utilize the tools that make your job easier. The result is you will keep your customers happy & well taken care of.
While the web has created new opportunities for business, it has created issues for companies who have always and "still" do business the old way.
For many years a "good old" yellow pages ad, newspapers, or TV & radio was good enough to get your message to the consumer. Not so in today's world. And yet there are those who still resist the change.
Information is intantaneous, competition tougher, and the brick & mortar approach just isn't enough to compete and survive. In today's market companies need to achieve a balance between web and standard practices to effectively generate business.
Websites, email, streaming video, blogging, and social media have all become the new tools for business. Using the right tools will get you the best job.
Social media venues like facebook and twitter have empowered the consumer to share their likes and dislikes about products and services in "real time". Customers tend to follow things they like or have nterest in, and feel important when they can interact with comments. This can be valuable data for any company to improve their products and services.
Ford, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Starbucks just to mention a few, have joined the social media frenzy in order to connect with the huge numbers of customers and potential new customers.
For example, on facebook alone there are over 20,000 businesses large and small that have facebook accounts. They know this is the "real deal" and another key marketing opportunity that requires attention.
Information is power. The more a company can distribute their message across numerous media sources, the better. It doesn't matter how good your product is, if no one knows about it, it won't sell.
It's not to say that face to face communications aren't important, they are. Meeting one-on-one makes the customer feel important, and lets them know that you care about them.
A balance between personal contact along with the right "web tools" to present a product or service, expedite ordering, maintain contact with customers, or distribute "sale" information is just plain common sense.
A wise associate once told me, "Work smarter not harder". Learn to delegate wisely, stay informed with new technologies, and utilize the tools that make your job easier. The result is you will keep your customers happy & well taken care of.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The mistakes most businesses make with their websites
I have in recent months talked with numerous businesses who have yet to be educated to the fact that a quality site is more important than ever in today's world, especially in this economy.
Many of them are satisfied to put just anything up on the web and call it good. They think they've done their part, then they ignore it. They treat it like an ad in the yellow pages. They wait for someone to thumb through the pages till they find it. Then they wait for the phone to ring. All the while, their competition is kicking their butts all the way to the bank.
Most often the site was done by a friend of a friend, brother, or other family member with little experience, a couple of Wysiwyg applications, yet absolutely no clue about what the web is all about, or any idea of how to effectively market a business, their products , or services.
What a foolish waste of effort, time and in some cases money. This kind of mentality can have a very negative effect on a companies brand recognition, ultimately costing them business.
All too often I see companies who are like a diamond in the rough who could be doing 10 times the business if they would only pull their heads out of the sand.
The right approach could even save a business money.
Many of them are satisfied to put just anything up on the web and call it good. They think they've done their part, then they ignore it. They treat it like an ad in the yellow pages. They wait for someone to thumb through the pages till they find it. Then they wait for the phone to ring. All the while, their competition is kicking their butts all the way to the bank.
Most often the site was done by a friend of a friend, brother, or other family member with little experience, a couple of Wysiwyg applications, yet absolutely no clue about what the web is all about, or any idea of how to effectively market a business, their products , or services.
What a foolish waste of effort, time and in some cases money. This kind of mentality can have a very negative effect on a companies brand recognition, ultimately costing them business.
All too often I see companies who are like a diamond in the rough who could be doing 10 times the business if they would only pull their heads out of the sand.
The right approach could even save a business money.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Marketing & Advertising during a recession
The first thing usually eliminated by many businesses in times of a recession is their advertising. This is absolutely the last thing any company should do.
"The business that considers itself immune to the necessity for advertising sooner or later finds itself immune to business."
- Derby Brown.
This is a great quote. I see so many companies falter, remain stagnant, or fail because they think that their products or services are strong enough to carry them through. The result becomes obvious, and often too late. They become "immune to business".
There's an old saying; "Out of sight, out of mind". When a company curtails it's advertising, it is playing into the hands of the competition. Companies that stay aggressive, usually find more cost-effective methods to achieve the same results.
During a recession marketing costs become cheaper, and what's most important, there's less competition. It has been proven time after time that companies who continue with their marketing and advertising budgets have even shown moderate growth during such times.
The smart approach in tough times might be to scale back, but not so much as to eliminate your visibility. Re-evaluate your marketing plan and see what works and what doesn't. Most importantly, stay visible and be consistent. With the technologies available today, there are so many opportunities, most companies have barely scratched the surface.
"The business that considers itself immune to the necessity for advertising sooner or later finds itself immune to business."
- Derby Brown.
This is a great quote. I see so many companies falter, remain stagnant, or fail because they think that their products or services are strong enough to carry them through. The result becomes obvious, and often too late. They become "immune to business".
There's an old saying; "Out of sight, out of mind". When a company curtails it's advertising, it is playing into the hands of the competition. Companies that stay aggressive, usually find more cost-effective methods to achieve the same results.
During a recession marketing costs become cheaper, and what's most important, there's less competition. It has been proven time after time that companies who continue with their marketing and advertising budgets have even shown moderate growth during such times.
The smart approach in tough times might be to scale back, but not so much as to eliminate your visibility. Re-evaluate your marketing plan and see what works and what doesn't. Most importantly, stay visible and be consistent. With the technologies available today, there are so many opportunities, most companies have barely scratched the surface.
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