Beware shiny objects

Online marketing0 comments

I was at a networking event the other week, and a couple of people were talking about Pinterest and how they’ve found it useful in their business. One was an interior designer and the other person designed clothes. Now I could see that it would be a really good tool for people like that but personally I haven’t actually been on the site yet.

I know that everyone is talking about Pinterest at the moment and it’s very easy to feel that you need to be part of the “in crowd” and don’t want to feel left out. However, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not something that I think will be relevant to the services that I provide.

I have a clear idea of my marketing activities this year and the tools that I’m going to use to promote my business. And Pinterest isn’t on it! That’s not to say that plans are inflexible and can’t be changed; they obviously need to adapt with changing circumstances and demands. But it’s easy to get distracted by the latest shiny object that everyone is talking about without thinking about whether it’s right for your business.

So before you start using any kind of social media, whether that’s the traditional tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, or the newer kids on the block such as Google+ and Pinterest, do some research on which ones your target market is more likely to use. In fact, I’ve told clients to think hard before deciding to set up a page on Facebook or profile on Twitter. It may have lost me business but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a waste of the client’s time and money to use these tools if their prospective clients aren’t on there.

So don’t get dazzled by the latest shiny object – stay focused on those tools that will bring in the leads you need to grow your business.
 

Are you making this critical mistake with your email marketing?

Email marketing, Online marketing, Small business2 comments

Email marketing is becoming an increasingly popular way to communicate with your contacts but as I mentioned in my previous blog, The 7 Deadly Sins of Email Marketing, it can actually damage your reputation if you don’t use it properly.  And one of the biggest sins of all is sending out emails to people who haven’t given you permission to do so!

I have to say that this is a particular bugbear of mine.  I help out at a networking event and one of my responsibilities is to send an email to attendees to confirm that they’re still attending.  However, there have been a few people who have used the fact that they now have my email address as an excuse to add me to their mailing list.  Before you know it, I’m receiving their newsletters and random emails selling me their services or products.  And as you can imagine, I’m not happy about it.  OK, some of them may have an unsubscribe link on the message so I can quickly opt out, but that really isn’t the issue here.

However you get someone’s email address, whether it’s because they’ve given you their business card at a networking event or contacted you on a business related matter, it does not mean that they automatically want to be signed up to your mailing list.  The ONLY way to add people to your mailing list is to put a sign up form on your website or Facebook page.  The sign up form should have a double opt in where the person completes the form with their details and then a link is automatically sent to their email address.  Only when they click on this link are they added to your mailing list.  This ensures that you are only capturing information from people who are seriously interested in receiving further details from you.  This also means that you won’t be labelled a “spammer” which could find you in trouble with your ISP.

So, if you want to build good relationships with your business contacts then it’s essential that you respect their privacy and time.  By using the double opt in method, you can rest assured that you will only be contacting people who want to connect with you and learn more about what you do.

5 Things That Spell Disaster for Your Website

Marketing, Online marketing, Websites0 comments

A lot of people set up a website for their business and then forget about it, thinking the job has been done.  Well, maintaining your website is an ongoing process (see my previous blog on this topic: Why Updating Your Website is Crucial for Online Success) and if you don’t get it right, it can actually deter people from doing business with you.

Here are five things that can spell disaster for your website but can be easily fixed for very little effort and far less money than you might think.

• No call to action.  When visitors arrive at your website, they only stay a few seconds before they decide whether what you’re offering is for them.  That’s why it’s important to have a call to action on each page so people know what you want them to do.  This can be a telephone number to call, contact form to complete or free eBook to download.

• Slow upload.  Images on a web page are a great way to attract the reader’s eye and break up the text.  However, remember to optimise your images before uploading them on to the site.  If your page takes ages to load, then the visitor will bounce right off it.

• Broken links.  One of the worst things you can have on your site is links that don’t lead anywhere.  It looks totally unprofessional and makes you look like someone who is not serious about your business.  So if you redesign your site or change the structure, make sure that all the links on your pages still work.  If you’re using WordPress, there are plugins that can check broken links for you.

• Out of date content.  Whether it’s an old copyright date at the bottom of the page or latest news which is over 6 months old, out of date content can look like either your business has closed down or you don’t care enough to keep visitors to your site updated.

• No contact details.  You must put your full contact details on your website if you want to look credible, eg phone number and business address.  This is actually required by law if you are a limited company.  Be careful with email addresses as spambots can pick them up so either add your email as an image, or put spaces in the address.

All the above are easy to fix without breaking the bank.  You can either do this yourself if you have a content management system or you can outsource it to someone else.  In fact, many virtual assistants now offer either a web design service or understand HTML.  Here at Smart VA, we can edit web pages with keyword rich content, add and optimise images, and check links, and all this at a far lower rate than a web designer.  So if your website is looking a bit tired and outdated, then find out how our website update service can help you.

7 Steps to Social Media Heaven!

How to, Marketing, Online marketing0 comments

As business owners, we’ve all heard that social media is a great way of promoting our products and services.  However, many people still aren’t using it – writing it off as too time consuming and unable to see the benefits it can bring to their business.

When I set up my own business, I had never used social media before.  However, once I’d got going, I soon realised that it was actually a great way to get my name out there to potential customers, and now I really enjoy using it and have made some great connections.

So if you are struggling with social media, here are some tips to take you to social media heaven!

• Social media is another part of your marketing strategy so you need to know what you want to achieve with it.  Do you just want to use it to get your name out there; find potential partners and suppliers; or to generate business from it?  So before you get stuck in, start off by setting some actions and goals.
• Remember that each social media application is different so don’t try to use them all in the same way.  How you use and interact on Twitter will be very different from how you do so on Facebook, and the same goes for LinkedIn.
• Once you have signed up, ensure that you fully complete your profile, with your bio of what you do, a link to your website, and a picture – ideally one of you if you’re running your business by yourself.
• You can save time managing your social media accounts by using third party applications such as TweetDeck and HootSuite.  You can use these to schedule updates, as well as track click throughs on links, and manage followers.  It can be tempting to post one update to all your accounts at once, but remember that all social media is not the same.  That funny remark you make on Twitter may not go down so well on LinkedIn!
• Use the search features to look for relevant followers, fans and connections who could potentially be interested in your business.  You can also use the search in Twitter and Facebook to find hot topics relating to what you do.

• Think like your customer.  As with all your marketing activities, when using social media you need to think about what your potential customers might be looking for.  Obviously use it to share personal stuff about yourself, but when it comes to the business side of your updates, keep in mind what your contacts would find useful.
• It’s not all about you!  Don’t spend all your time broadcasting messages about you and your business though.  Engage with others by asking and answering questions, retweeting people’s posts on Twitter, or commenting on someone’s wall on Facebook.  People love it when others share their content and engage with them, and this helps build up a relationship with your contacts.