Success Begins With Online Marketing
Taking Online Marketing To Another Level
Recently I asked in one of my previous blogs “What sets you apart from your competitors?” What have you done for them to easily locate you, your company, your product or services?’ I even provided some easy online marketing rules to live by using your website. Now I want to expound on online marketing.
To set yourself apart from your competitors you “must” have a BRANDED website. A BRANDED website not only focuses on your company’s name but it also Speaks Volumes For You in several ways. Everytime online content about your company is displayed it should be BRANDED content. Your BRANDED content should be the same content that is being displayed in your collateral materials. Pay close attention to your website’s keywords (aka Search Engine Optimatization-SEO) does it fully tell us about your company?
If you are a Bookkeeper for Non-Profit Organizations and a potential client began looking for you are they able to find you? They would if you display the proper BRANDED conent for your company’s website. With the proper content eventually your company will be placed high within the website rankings, offering you a “high” probability of being contacted about your company, its product or services. If you are on a tight budget, take the time to frequently submit your url to several of the free search engines.
Did you know that another way to help your target audience easily locate your company is by creating your own “personalized” company database? How? Do you collect business cards when you’re out networking? Begin creating your own “personalized” company database with the business cards. Another way is once again using your website. On each page of your website allow the viewer to sign up for company information on specials, newsletters, or updates by providing you with their email address. Whenever you send “anything” out to your target audience make sure you are using your company’s BRANDED email address.
The more you use your company’s BRAND the more visibility you are creating for your company’s name, product or services. When sending out mass emails use approved companies like Coolermail or Constant Contact to avoid sending spam and having your email account(s) being shut down or blocked. Additionally, these companies offer webinars, tips and updates on how to effectively use online marketing tools.
Social media is another online marketing source that offers excellent opportunities for creating partnerships and developing relationships. When deciding which social media would best suit your company’s needs consider your company’s product or services.
- MySpace offers a more entertainment, young, diverse community.
- LinkedIn offers a more “business community” where you can connect more closely and personally with those of similar interests whether it is in Human Resource Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Event Planning, TV/Film Marketing or Marketing Communication.
- Facebook offers a community of socializing with family, friends and loved ones while connecting with others
- Twitter offers a community of virtual real time interactive updates
- Youtube offers a community of variety and can be utilized as a substitution for mainstream TV, and let us not forget YELP.
- YELP is another form of a social media source offering a diversity of business networking opportunities from company postings to company recommendations to company rankings to connecting more closely with other companies that may be able to suit your needs.
- There are several other Social Media threads available to you outside of those listed for business introductions, leads and opportunities just research them carefuly to see which ones will work for you.
With so much competition, using various types of online presence can help to validate your company’s product or services, garner business, create partnerships, develop relationships and offer supply chain opportunities. Using these various online marketing strategies can help take your company to another level.
February 9, 2010
Joyce Bone: Mompreneur to Successful CEO
Successful serial entrepreneur, Joyce Bone, provides success secrets, exclusively for SCORE!
Joyce Bone is a wife, mom and successful entrepreneur. She co-founded EarthCare, which grew from zero to $50 million in 18 months. She then took the company public on NASDAQ, ultimately reaching $125 million in annual revenues.
Joyce has managed over 350 employees and has executed dozens of mergers and acquisitions. She eventually left her company and started a real estate investment firm. She now owns a business consulting and coaching firm that works with small to mid-size companies. In another venture, Millionaire Moms, she also helps women entrepreneurs find ways to manage the demands of family life and the business world.
Check out her success tips, exclusively for SCORE!
Jacalyn Barnes, SCORE
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February 8, 2010
Tips to Develop Your Public Speaking Ability
Conversation by Rishi Menon, Creative Commons
Fellow business owners and I met a few weeks ago to celebrate 2010. And social media came up – Twitter, Facebook, Posterous and other platforms. We kept reveling in how easy it is to ‘just be human’ when conversing online and agreed it helps build trust with customers.
Then someone said, “I wish I was more myself when speaking in public onstage as I am when on the Web.” This resonated with many of us and we all paused to let his comment sink in.
Then the challenge to ourselves became: how can we better assert our development as public speakers? Some ideas:
1. Observe your voice in relaxed environments when an audience doesn’t exist. Social media tools used in certain ways can be great for this. Consider creating unpublished content to improve speaking skill. Use a smart phone’s audio or video device and regularly record two or three minutes of just talking to yourself (or to a willing peer). Then often review these recordings. If you want to make these informal casts public and online (like on Posterous) great! But going online isn’t the end game with these informal casts. It’s to help you recognize (and emulate) your voice when it’s relaxed and fearless.
2. Seek accountability partners and chances to speak in public. Whether it’s through Ignite events, Toastmasters, or a small group of your trusted colleagues – commit to giving public speeches on a regular basis and receiving critique (this is separate from demos or client pitches, etc).
3. Include public speaking in your marketing strategy and developmental goals. I suggest committing to quantity here i.e., “Present five speeches in Q1.” Designate early in the year the conferences and meetups you/your team would like to present at to help pre-plan topic proposals. Here’s a diverse and per-month conference list from Susan Mernit that includes a collection of conferences dedicated to women in business – including the Women’s Leadership Forum, Blogher, NAWBO Women’s Business Conference plus those in entrepreneurship, social technology and her interests in social cause marketing. Warning! It’s 80+ conferences that haven’t been updated yet on this post to 2010. BUT all citations link directly to conference sites that will have respective event updates as they are published (with great upcoming events announced at SCORE regularly too).
How we present ourselves in conversation–online and off–is critical. The level of authenticity and skill we bring to both environments hugely influences how others respond to us (and the brand we represent).
It’s fascinating and I can’t wait to talk more about it through February with SCORE’s blog readers! How about you? What has helped develop your public speaking ability?
Jill Foster, SCORE Guest Blogger
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February 5, 2010
The New Rules of Doing Business for Women Entrepreneurs
The summit will help women entrepreneurs thrive in the new economy with real advice, biz coaching and networking opportunities. More info and register today.
Join us at the American Express OPEN Women’s Business Summit.
Date: Wednesday, February 17 – Thursday, February 18, 2010
Place: JW Marriott Houston, Houston, Texas
NEW! Pre-Conference Workshop, Wednesday, February 17, 10:00am – 1:30pm
Give Me 5% Special Training Program: Navigating the Federal Market Place
Learn how to navigate the federal market place from women who have succeeded in Federal Contracting.
This multi-track summit offers:
- Critical advice for growth in today’s changing economy
- One-on-one small business counseling from SCORE professionals
- New business ideas for opportunity-rich markets like government contracting
- Tips on leveraging social media to grow your bottom line
- Contacts with an inspiring community of successful women business owners
- Inspiration and expert advice from the Make Mine a Million $ Business Competition
- Speakers and resources from our partnering women’s organizations
- This multi-track Summit offers:
Don’t miss this special opportunity! Register today.
Christine Banning, SCORE
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February 3, 2010
Create Great Charts in Less Time, Free
Ever needed to create a flow chart, diagram, floor plans or technical drawings but didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for new software? Well, there are plenty of free resources available. Here are a few that you might want to try out.
Lovely Charts
Free, online diagram software. Registration required.
Lucid Charts
Free, online diagram software. Collaboration tools available. Registration required.
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Gliffy
Online diagram software. Unlimited free trail with no registration required.
Breeze Tree
Free, downloadable flow chart templates in Excel. Download and customize.
What free tools do you use and love to create quick charts? Share with us. Leave a comment below.
Jacalyn Barnes, SCORE
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February 1, 2010
In the current economic climate, what’s the most important thing that people can do to decrease their spending and stay on track with their finances?
One of the most helpful actions you can take to decrease your spending is to track it for at least a month. For one solid month, write down every purchase you make—down to the cent. When I say every purchase, I mean every purchase. You’ll need to track every night out, every coffee, every taxicab ride, etc. Once you’ve tracked your spending for a month you’ll really be able to see where your money is going, and where you can cut back.
Going hand in hand with tracking your spending is creating a budget. By creating a budget you’re helping to ensure that you won’t fall victim to overspending. To create a budget, you’re going to need two numbers: First you need to know how much you’re bringing in monthly. This should include your take-home pay and any other source of income you may have. Do you have an income that fluctuates from month to month? If so, find an average for the last year. Second, you’ll need the amount you came up with when you tracked your spending for a month.
Once you have these two numbers, you’re ready to budget. Here’s what the breakdown of your spending should look like:
- Housing: 35%
Housing includes your mortgage, rent, maintenance, taxes, utilities and insurance.
- Debt: 15%
Debt is anything you have to pay back: credit cards, personal loans, student loans, etc.
- Transportation: 15%
Transportation includes gas, car insurance, car repairs, car payments, parking expenses, tolls and train or bus tickets.
- Savings: 10%
This is the money you’re setting aside for retirement, college, emergencies or other goals
- Other living expenses: 25%
These are everything else, groceries, healthcare, nights out, vacations, clothing, entertainment, gifts, etc.
Are some of your expenses costing you more than the appropriate percentage? If so, you’re going to need to do some tweaking. While many expenses are fixed (your mortgage, your car payment etc.) you can likely cut back on expenses that fall under the “other living expenses” category. Take a look back through your notes from the month when you tracked your spending to come up with a budget that keeps you financially stable.
Jean Chatzky, SCORE Guest Blogger
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January 29, 2010
Credit Tips to Get Ahead
In these tough economic times and at a time when banks are not lending as freely as they have in the past. Good credit needs to be a priority. Look at your credit report regularly, question mistakes or unknown information.
You are entitled to a free credit report one time a year. This is the only free report. www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 You will not get your credit score but you will be able to see what is on your credit report and see any outstanding debts that you may have. For your credit score there is an additional charge. You can go to www.fico.com for your credit score.
Valuable Tips: ALWAYS
- Pay your bills on time
- Pay off collection accounts
- If you have a credit problem contact the creditor…do not ignore the problem, negotiate and resolve it.
- Pay off debt, do not move it around
- Do not close unused credit cards. Keep them open with a $0 balance.
- Always pay the highest interest rate credit cards first and always pay more than the minimum. Make payments on the others with the lower interest rates.
On credit cards: Note how many credit cards you have, any annual fees, what interest rate you are paying and any outstanding balances.
If you have a problem with your credit and need help, go to a non-profit agency. These are the only legitimate agencies that can help.
Contact:
Your credit report is your report card of how you pay your bills if your bills are paid late everyone will know. Remember with a high credit score you will be able to get a loan at a lower rate. Also note if you are ever denied credit you can request a copy of your credit report from the company who declined you, free of charge. Credit is the most important indicator of your character that needs to be maintained. Your credit shows that you pay your bills.
Julie Brander, New Haven SCORE
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January 28, 2010
Get Balanced, Get Organized
It’s still January. Take four hours today for these four action items. You’ll feel more relaxed, more focused and ready to conquer the day.
1. Update Your Active Files: We are not a paperless society, just yet. Create color-coded files and label them. These are the active files you want quick access to on a routine basis. For example, leads, training, marketing plan, business plan
2. Create Master Folders on Your Hard Drive: Organize your major business categories: Planning, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Clients and keep all files in a folder. If you have a client folder, keep all documents related to that client in that specific folder.
2. Create Email Folders & Organize Messsages: There are two schools of thought. One is no folders, just use the search function to find email messages. Yes, it works, but what a long list of email messages. If that bothers you, then create working folders that make sense for your business. For example, prospects, partners, clients, media, mentors and CPA. If your main interaction is by categories of people this can be an effective folder system.
3. Update Your Electoronic Contacts List: Don’t just hold onto business cards. Log them into whatever contact management system you use, so you can access the data quickly and easily. Note: you can always use a card scanner or hire a temp to handle the data entry for you.
Christine Banning, SCORE
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January 27, 2010
What’s Your Name?
Billions are spent each year on perks and incentives to motive employees, but what everyone fails to understand is the best music to everyone’s ears is the sound of their own name.
Simply calling someone by his/her name makes you appear sincere and caring. It shows that you care enough to: 1) remember their name and 2) to use it! That is the reason I always wear my name tag. I have a very difficult time remembering names and when people see my name tag they usually respond by saying, “Hi, Betty. I’m Suzie.” A blessing in disguise for me — now I know her name is Suzie. What did you say your name was?
Betty Otte, SCORE Orange County
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January 26, 2010
Track Expenses & Estimate Taxes
Here at SCORE, we’re always looking for free resources to help you start and grow your business. Outright is a great tool to start off the year.
Many small businesses don’t need (and can’t afford) expensive accounting software. Small startups generally just want to manage income and expenses, figure out their taxes and track overall progress. Well, this site does it all. The tax calculation feature is especially helpful for businesses that need to file quarterly taxes.
Outright is a great tool for small biz, especially contractors and freelancers.
It provides income and expense bookkeeping, Schedule C and W-9 automation, and support with deductions and taxes. It also allows you to give access to your accountant, clients and contractors. Now, how great is that?
What other free tools have you found to help with your small business? Share them in the comments section.
Jacalyn Barnes, SCORE
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January 25, 2010
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Julie Brander
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