Where's my online audience?

While all social media are popular, all are not equal.

Many small business owners cannot identify the specifics of their target audience.  If your business is online, it is a lot easier to target your audience using demographics such as age, gender, income, etc., Here’s who uses the more popular social media platforms:

10 ways your Small Business can show up online without spending a dime!

1.        Customer testimonials/reviews – Give great service and encourage your customers to share their experience

2.       Business-to-Business collaborations – Find collaborators with complimentary businesses and do reciprocal sharing within your customer groups

3.       Write a social media post – Update your business pages consistently, whether you get engagement or not is another story but stay consistent.

4.      Engage with other business’s post – Especially if it resonates with you, comment, like share, follow or subscribe --- you never know, you might just gain an ally who reciprocates.

5.       Host an online event/Go Live! – Are you a DIY, craft based, coaching, training … or just about any type of business? Host an online event to share information, launch a new product or share a ‘how-to’ with your customer group.

6.       Do a giveaway – Giveaways are a great way to generate interest for your business online.  Free tips and advice, discount cards and access to exclusive business information make for great engagement.

7.       Join and network in online business groups – Identify and join relevant business groups in which you can share ideas, grow your online presence and connect with ideals clients in varying locations.

8.      Build a customer database & communicate with them – Engage email marketing.  Design a newsletter, choose a frequency and distribute it to your customer group.  Try not to become spammy but be a useful resource that your customers look forward to.

9.      Launch a Petition – Become an advocate on an issue that concerns your business, your industry or your passion and launch a petition.  Businesses that support social issues such as environmental protection, womens’ rights or violence prevention can benefit from this tip.

10.    Do a guest blog contribution – There are many online blogs, magazines and other publications looking for writers to share their expertise in specific subject areas.  Search for these opportunities and get to writing!

Seven ‘free’ online resources to professionalize your small business marketing

Many small business owners, whether startup or established, are sometimes confused as to how to approach marketing their business.  Some jump in feet first by hiring a Marketing Specialist, while others learn by trial and error.

Of course, I do not recommend that business owners take on the job of marketing themselves but there are some who have the aptitude if given the right guidance.  If you fall into that category, this post is for you.  The following are seven ‘free’ online resources to professionalize your marketing.

 

1.        Social Media – Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and more recently, TikTok have made it easy for small businesses to have a presence in the most popular social spaces online.  All of the mentioned resources are free to set up, network, engage and connect organically.  Top kick it up a notch, drop a few dollars per day on targeted advertisements to reach your specific audience.

2.       Email Marketing – Email marketing is advantageous in that it allows small businesses to build a very important resource that they can own: a database of customers.  Email marketing platforms such as Madmimi, Mailchimp and Constant Contact provide both free and paid options for small business owners to design, populate and inform their client group of developments in the business.  If you are a business on a budget, you still have the opportunity to send your messages directly to your client’s inbox.  To use value added services such as scheduling your email release, pay a few bucks per month!

3.       Website – Having a website is essential for businesses of all sizes and types.  It gives your clients 24-hour access to your business.   Some of the best free web building and hosting sites include WordPress, Wix, Weebly and GoDaddy.  As these platforms are also in business, there will be value added options at a cost.  Research, compare, then select the best option for your business.

4.       Blog – As a Blogger and Content Writer, this is my favourite free resource.  A blog allows a business to showcase content about itself.  Content consists of articles, images, videos or industry news.  A few of the best blogging sites include Blogger, Wordpress and Wix.  Optimize your blog using SEO and SEM tactics to rank higher in Google searches.  It increases the opportunity of your business being seen and its services being used.

5.       Design Tools – A critical requirement for small businesses is the design of branding and promotional materials.  The design of an item such as a logo can cost a pretty penny.  Other branding material including letterheads, business cards and graphics for content marketing can also cost a bit.  Resources such as canva (free to a point) and adobe (monthly plans available) offers do-it-yourself design options.  PicMonkey and Burst offers lots of professionally taken images that may also be used free of cost.   Of course, it may require some training to do it right, or you may just ace it on the first try.

6.      Social media scheduling tools – The use of social media for business marketing has increased in significance.  This means that small businesses must find a way to ensure that they are seen in those places that matter.  Keeping a social media presence consistent can be a time-consuming activity.  Using a social media scheduler such as Hootsuite to automate your posts frees up time for other activities.  Other options are Loomly and Sprout Social.  Again, research and choose the best option based on which social media sites your business is on.

7.       Landing page – Until recently, I didn’t know the value of a landing page.  A landing page converts visitors to your website into leads.  The landing page usually has a ‘free’ offer that is designed to get the visitor to ‘sign-up’ to receive same.  Landing pages are offered on many platforms with the top three sites being ConvertKit, Ucraft and Carrd.  The best thing is that the service is offered; free!

Standing out in the E-Commerce marketplace

Long before COVID-19, selling products both online and off, was a great way for many persons to start their entrepreneurship journey, make extra money and sell their handmade wares to like-minded individuals whether in their specific locale or through the internet.

Post COVID-19, sales businesses have increased exponentially as many individuals seek to secure their financial future and provide employment for themselves amidst massive layoffs, job reduction and reduced income. 

One space that has seen exponential growth is e-commerce.  In an article published in Forbes Magazine (April 20, 2020), the following statistics were shared:

-          U.S. retailers’ online year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth is up 68% as of mid-April

-          There has been a 129% year-over-year growth in the US & Canadian e-commerce orders as of April 21 and 146% growth in all online retail orders

-          Online conversion rates increased 8.8% in February, reflecting a level of shopping urgency typically seen during Cyber Mondays.

What does this mean? The e-commerce space is crowded with myriad products being sold by both large and small corporations.  Chances are the product you are selling is being sold by a larger counterpart at a lower price with a better delivery time line than yours.  It also means competing messages, overwhelmingly better offers and a greater emphasis on customer satisfaction. How therefore does your small business standout in the e-commerce marketplace?  

The following are some suggestions:

1.        Striking images – Imagery is important in providing as close as possible a picture of the item being purchased.  Striking imagery set on a complementary background with sharp colours in the e-commerce space brings the product to life.  It is also important to show the product at different angles as well as possibly using a live model to show product functionality. 

2.       Selling trending products – According to the website, www.cloudways.com, among the top trending products being sold online in 2020 are; Shapewear, Health & Beauty Products, Skincare, Smart Watches and Hobbies & Crafts.  While many entrepreneurs may opt to sell their own creations, ensure that whatever you choose to sell, you sell products that are in demand, easy to source and supply and definitely trending consumer products.  This will guarantee a return on your investment providing that the right sales and marketing campaign is in place to push the product to the targeted clientele.

3.       Easy payment process – The payment methods used in your e-commerce store strongly determines your profitability.  Accept as many methods as possible to make it easy for customers to pay.  One of the biggest turnoffs for customers is to go through the shopping process only to be stopped at payment --- you lose the sale but more importantly, you may lose a customer, possibly permanently.

4.       Offering incentives – Because the e-commerce space is so crowded, it is important to offer incentives that will cause repeat customer patronage and referrals.  Incentives such as free shipping on a certain amount or full purchase, a free gift with purchase, gift cards or inclusion in the customer loyalty programme can go a long way.

5.       Offer handmade products or other innovations – Handmade products have been identified as one of 2020’s most popular products on e-commerce platforms.  If you are an artist who creates unique products such as small household item, jewellery, customizable products, vintage or personal care items such as hair or skin care products, you are perfectly positioned for profitability.

6.      Share product stories with content – Product stories are a great way to capture the attention of potential customers.  Content that shares a little bit about the product’s origin, the manufacturer, materials used etc., can influence the customer’s buying decision.

7.       Maximise on customer reviews – Once a customer is satisfied with the purchase and the purchasing process, encourage them to leave a positive review on your platform and then maximise on it.  Use positive reviews as part of your marketing campaign; share that content on your online platforms including the e-commerce site and social media.

8.      Give a complete customer experience – Recognize that especially because your business operates online, a complete customer experience is necessary.  Provide easy access to customer service, handle customer complaints quickly and resolutely and provide valuable follow-up.

 

A few quick #MarketingTips to #Pursue #Achieve & #Grow

I'm on a drive to increase the importance of marketing to each and every small business owner; and there is no other day of the week more ideal to focus on marketing, than everyday.

Everyday is a great day to kick your marketing into high gear.  Here are a few activities to add to your to-do list:

-          Build a database – Remember your customer contact sheet, use it to collect pertinent information such as a current email address and telephone number --- build a clean database to keep your customers engaged

-          Use video content – No, you don’t have to hire a big budget videographer – use your smart phone or contact your local college/university and engage a film student.  Ensure that the video is educational and informational but also catchy and yes, engaging!

-          Use infographics – Infographics is by far one of the most powerful marketing tools for engagement.  Infographics breaks down information into simple, easy to digest steps; so it makes it easier to understand a process or a ‘how-to’.  Invest in a good Graphic Designer or if you are so inclined, use a free design tool such as Canva to do it yourself.

-          Share content – Don’t worry if you have nothing new to share, re-purpose old content and re-share, after all the information is still relevant but use of a few catchy phrases can breathe new life into old copy!