Is Quality Score Killing your Budget?
Quality Score might not be oblivious as many think. In the past, all the marketing Gurus were influenced by it. But somewhere along the road Quality Score got dethroned.
Quality Scores are one of the most important factors that decide your cost-per-click CPC and the position of your ads. Unless you wish to pay more for your campaign, increasing Quality Score should be your priority.
Before we can take a tour of how to increase your Quality Score, let us dive into the advantages of it.
Pros of High Quality Score
The Quality Score ranges from one and ten which is the lowest and the highest respectively. Greater the Quality Score, better the below mentioned benefits:
1. Higher position on SERPs: A high Quality Score provides the placement of your ads on the first page of SERP. This eventually leads to more visitors and finally higher conversion rate.
2. Low cost-per-click (CPC): You will have to spend less on your CPC with Higher Quality Score (QS). Lowering of your CPC results in more ads to be shown and finally more sales.
These two benefits are enough to provide your entire attention to the Quality Score of your ad campaign. Now, that the advantage of QS is known let us consider the ways to increase it.
Various factors are involved when the increase of QS is considered. Google, on the other hand measures QS every time your ad is clicked; which is to say your QS is updated frequently. Fortunately QS can be increased by following the ideas mentioned below:
Focused Ad Groups
Group of keywords sharing an ad text is known as ‘Ad Groups’. Focusing the ad group on a single theme will allow the written copy to be more relevant increasing the CTR. Luckily this isn’t as tough as you imagine. Create an ad text that relates to various keywords and there you have taken the first step to increase QS.
Include Keyword in your ad
Keyword(s) related searches will be attracted to your ads only if the keyword is included in your ad copy. Remember, Google’s aim is to create a better user experience and relevancy is the key for them. If the keyword is included in your ad, the user will find it enticing and result in a click. Google will be alerted of this action and your QS will be updated.
Let’ say you would like to take a vacation to a place where you can feast on wine. Therefore you search over Google for the term ‘Relaxing hotel Napa Valley’
Various searches are displayed.
Among one of the searches, an ad displays all the terms you had searched for. Naturally that would be the ad which you would click. This is how other users will prefer your ad if the description contains the keyword that has been searched.
Split testing
The overall goal is to increase the click-through-rate (CTR) of your ad campaign. Split testing is the perfect method to find out which campaign gets the highest CTR. Create two ad groups for the same product and run them for a month. Depending upon the CTR, find the campaign that shows more promise and slash the other.
Landing Page Optimization
Optimization seems to be important with respect to Quality Score. Upon clicking an ad, a user is generally directed to a landing page for conversion. If the landing page is deficient in important elements and loads slower, then your Quality Score is seriously at trouble.
Landing page optimization is a vast subject. However, for faster loading of landing page follow these tips:
1. A faster landing page is necessary unless you wish your users to get annoyed. Using too many images can be one of the prominent reasons. Cut down the images which seem to be unnecessary.
2. Secondly is the design of the page. If it’s too flashy and the graphical elements are more than necessary then the loading speed of the page can be seriously hindered. Reduce the usage of graphical elements and keep it plain and simple
3. In some cases your hosting provider might be responsible. Get a decent hosting provider.
About the Author: Richie Richardson is passionate about Social Media Marketing, SEO& SEM and Internet Marketing. He also writes for vodafone voucher codes and asda voucher codes. He recommends you to check them as their usage can provide huge discounts.
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Marketing for Small Businesses on YouTube
All small businesses these days require a web presence if they are going to get by on on anything but walk-in clients and still, internet presence is a vital source of proof of the business authenticity. Those who want to broaden their companies online also know that video clips of any sort are usually an advantage for websites. It stimulates stickiness or prolonged view time on the website, offers value and entertains the viewer if it’s at all good, and is positively loved by the search engines — Google, Yahoo, Bing, and all the particular niche engines.
Using YouTube Video to Promote Your Business
No dialogue of web video could be complete without mentioning the king of all video hosting sites, YouTube. If you’re swimming with the seals off the coast of South Africa, you should to know about the sharks. Well, suppose in your small business realm, you could be the shark as opposed to the seal? Look at the video below to find out how.
The video above was inspired by an article I read at marketingprofs.com concerning marketing on YouTube. It lists various business examples of businesses that creatively and innovatively exploited YouTube to get viral and dramatically increase sales.
I explained Executive Video Interviews on Skype for small business marketing, in which in 30 minutes you can make a refined business interview video from your own office or house without any business disruption. Find out how you can affordably cultivate branding videos for your business using this method, and take a look at the growing list of videos in our portfolio for happy customers.
So how are you using YouTube or online video to propel sales to your business? Comment your creativity below.
About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms builds competitive advantage in an online world of sameness. He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in theSmartShop. Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.
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Franchise Marketing Techniques to Increase Franchise Sales
For franchise owners it is important to continuously be growing your business. By expanding your business, you are coming into contact with more patrons and potential franchisees. Unfortunately, in economic recessions this task can prove to be more difficult. This is the reason you should always be watching for new franchise marketing techniques to pique the interest of new franchisees and increase your franchise sales. Eye catching franchise marketing can prove to be an important part of your business model. Below are five techniques to help grow your business.
In-Store Advertising
Although it may seem simple, you can use your own stores to broadcast your business. Franchise owners are able to use the popularity of their stores and the frequent visits from customers to promote new franchise locations. Each new store has the opportunity to further promote future franchisees, while bringing your products into the lives of new patrons.
Networking
Typically, when people think of networking, many think of finding a job. But in franchise marketing it is the opposite, you are seeking individuals who you can offer jobs to. By networking, you will be able to connect with new franchisees, while promoting your business and helping to create a larger employment pool. There are many different types of networking, ranging from email, to in person, to online on LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Knowing the right people can cause an increase in your franchise sales.
Media
The media provides another option to increase your franchise sales. Although different strategies apply, you can use both the local and national media to expand your business. The local media is an important tool for lead generation and allows you to target geographic areas where you would like to grow. National exposure provides the largest scope and can attract large amounts of attention.
Internet Marketing
One of the largest and most powerful franchise marketing tools is the Internet. Franchises are able to utilize online marketing tactics both through advertisements, social media and email campaigns. Companies can utilize both paid and organic marketing to connect with users.
Trade Shows
Tradeshows are another way to meet prospective franchisees. The event will provide an insight for potential franchise owners, while promoting brand awareness and product visibility. Tradeshows also provide an opportunity to promote new and current products and drive sales.
About the Author: For a franchise business to be successful, it is important to continuously work to find new leads and increase franchise sales. Franchise marketing is a proven way to generate new leads and expand your business. For more information, contact Upside Group Franchise Consulting today!
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3 Essential Social Media Optimization Tips for SMEs
Having an active Social Media presence can make a big difference to small and medium sized business, especially in sectors where companies rely on word of mouth for a lot of their custom.
1. Set up an Official Google+ business profile
Utilising Social Media to promote your company can be a very effective way to increase its visibility and market the goods and services that it has to offer to millions of potential customers. Google+ business profiles are set to become very popular as they combine the advantages of Social Media marketing with the power of the world’s most popular search engine. The number of votes that you receive from other users will help to improve the position of your page in results when people search using keywords that are relevant to your business. For this reason, it is well worth taking the time to make your Google+ page both informative and entertaining, to ensure that people are encouraged to visit on a regular basis and give it their seal of approval. Status updates also feature in Google search results now, providing companies with another opportunity to appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).
2. Branding your Facebook Business Page
Many companies have already taken advantage of the opportunities that this extremely popular network has offered them to promote themselves to consumers across the globe at a very low cost. However, simply creating a page and including a few details about your firm and what it has to offer is just the starting point when using Facebook. Updating your page on a regular basis is crucial if you expect repeat visitors and the inclusion of eye-catching images and informative videos will help to ensure that people have a reason to come back. It is a good idea to run a feature on specific products or services every so often as this will help to make sure that your page remains of interest to visitors and will give you the chance to showcase some of the things that your company has to offer. Including a link to your corporate website is obviously important and whilst most companies choose their home page, you can link to any page on your site that you wish. Use visual elements, including graphics that match the layout of your website, to help give a sense of professionalism and brand identity to the page.
3. Interaction
One of the biggest advantages that Social Media has over static websites is the ability to interact with potential customers that it offers businesses of all sizes. Consumers are much more likely to buy from a company that they already know and trust and it is possible to build a rapport with people on Social Media networks by answering their queries promptly and engaging them in discussions about your company’s products. The Facebook Notes application enables companies to add articles on a regular basis, which is a good idea if you wish to build up a following. Establishing yourself as an expert in a particular field by offering free advice and tips is an excellent way to attract new customers, as people are keen to do business with firms that they perceive as helpful and knowledgeable. Competitions are another way to attract visitors, who may well turn into valued customers in the future.
About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic, a leading SEO company based in Bristol delivering successful campaigns to both SMEs and major brands
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How to Cut the Confusion out of Internet Marketing
Promoting a small business over the internet is the Wild, Wild West. Excessive choices, not enough time, and it all sounds like it will do the job, right? Here’s a way to muddle through the confusion and maintain your peace of mind while noting outcomes in internet advertising strategy.
Un-Scientific Poll Results
About a month back I ran this poll on how business managers are using internet marketing to drive their company.
The conclusions are a long way from scientific but tell us something. 44% of respondents, with a rather stable mix of ladies and gents and the bulk over the age of 30, not business novices, either don’t know, don’t use any or see mixed success. Blogging and developing good subject matter seems to have moved the needle in second. Due to the number of participants the quality of Social Media Marketing, PPC and Video as responses is statistically suspect.
In other words, most small business managers don’t know what works or haven’t yet discovered the key to that vault of internet gold. Nearly half of people responding are simply uncertain what the heck to invest in, if anything. Here are some suggestions.
Make a Plan
This comes off as condescending but it genuinely isn’t. I had a conversation with a couple of small business colleagues of mine a few weeks back on the PPC (pay per click) technique, and they were arguing about where to focus their efforts. These were two successful brothers who have done considerable amounts of traffic to their website with transformations to sales not being what they wanted them. I share their problem. One brother argued that they should pull all their PPC and discontinues blogging efforts and bore into editing their website around conversions. The other worried that ending content generation was not a very good concept, that a void would open up and it would be doubly hard to garner up that movement again.
My answer? Right!
Just remember this. Any monkey can purchase PPC on Google Adwords and bounce their traffic, and if traffic were the objective, that monkey would be in success city. For the bulk of us, it isn’t, traffic is a means to an end, and that generally implies more sales or some progress in the selling process (like they subscribe for your mailing list). Answer the question, “What exactly do I wish to happen due to my online marketing efforts?”, and be overly detailed. Get a reality check from those competent in the art, as in business mastermind group colleagues who are flourishing with online marketing plans. Now you have an apex of focus to start against.
Decide Who Does What, and Where
Contracting specialists can be costly to be certain, yet understand this. None of the tactics in the survey above are worth doing poorly. Each needs a lot of work. If you want to do them all on your own, you are fooling yourself. As a small business CEO, you really don’t have the time to accomplish them all on your own, so if you want to start small and try it alone, just choose one category, one technique within that category to excel in, and a secondary gadget to learn and do OK. That’s the choice you should make.
What do I mean? Well, let’s consider Social Media. That’s in vogue lately. There are so many social media websites available you cannot truly keep up with all of them. Websites like YouTube, by the way, are social media websites, along with a lot of Social Bookmarking outlets like Digg, etc.
For my business, consulting and professional services, it made sense to me to focus on LinkedIn and learn it to the maximum. So I did, and have become professional enough that business professionals pay me to get their traffic to their profiles up and the queries coming. As I blog a lot, Twitter made sense as a way to at the very least promote the blog, so I am learning and getting better at that. My approach is a bit like this:
- Classification: Social Media
- Master: LinkedIn
- Learn: Twitter
But Karl, there’s 600 million folks on Facebook? Yep! I know little about Facebook. Oh, I do have a profile and post my tweets to it using some automated devices, but I am not the best at it as a tool for my business. In fact, an associate of mine after seeing 3 consecutive write ups on my professional page remarked that he didn’t think it was conceivable to take the fun out of Facebook, but I discovered a way to do it. Facebook is mainly about photos and real socializing, joking, personal content for me to see a way through it for B2B success (mind that Facebook is getting manipulated initially in the B2C arena). I’m not saying given more time I couldn’t master and use Facebook for business technique and economic profit; I just have decided to allocate my energies elsewhere.
You can definitely leverage your time with selective outsourcing.
Outsource Properly
If you are going to outsource, there are loads of individuals around you can outsource too who are better than you, but precious few who will actually move the needle on your company Geiger counter. Check out this post I read and posted on LinkedIn by Zach Weiner on just that. This applies to more than Social Media; it applies to virtually any marketing method. Check people out, consider their references and work samples where they have been productive elsewhere. LinkedIn is fantastic for this, because LinkedIn recommendations are at least legitimate with links to those users (see my technique for receiving Great Recommendations on LinkedIn).
The advantage to outsourcing your advertising endeavors for your business is that you can take a well balanced assault given enough resources, meaning cash. You can get some results utilizing web video, make a social media explosion, boost traffic with PPC and even outsource your blog for fantastic content. Most advertising folks of any sort, comprising of traditional print, radio, TV types, will tell you that a mix is important to cover the bases of how people desire to be marketed to. Given, of course, that you don’t suck at any of the devices you use, else better to drop it.
A suggestion: Much like you don’t have the time to be perfect at everything, be a bit cautious of the person who claims to be a specialist in every bloody thing, regardless if it is web design or social media or anything else. It’s difficult to be great at all things. I do LinkedIn effectively, but wouldn’t think to hawk my services on anything else I am not a pro at other than technique on what instruments to use. I do web video, but a particular kind of web video called Executive Video Interviews that exploits my vocal talent and lack of technical acumen with all things high-priced video. If a person you are considering to outsource to is claiming he is an A to Z specialist (what you really want), be sure there is a firm with numerous employees who niche themselves in the particular tools of the trade.
Monitor Results and Adjust
The cool thing about online advertising is that it is much simpler to keep track of results than other means, which have constantly had a problem tying in concrete perks and have promoted the rationale that if it spreads your name out there, it must be doing ok. Everything that you get through the internet has stats you can check out (translating them can be a challenge) and make adjustments. For instance, I just cut down on and changed my Google Adwords campaign based upon what I realized that was working and getting clicked on, AND what areas on my website were receiving visitors without the results I hoped for. In only a few months I can figure out where the weak spot is and react to remedy it.
Just remember to keep your target in mind. For example, most internet advertising landing pages will have a set of pages that the user must click on to forge ahead in the process. This is done for no small cause to be able to oversee involvement degree of the sales process that is occurring. Statistics show that every subsequent page has its percentage of attrition, however those who run the gauntlet are now extremely certified customers that are more likely to transform to sales. Internet marketers can tell who got to the page, who ordered the free report, who downloaded the video, and consequently, who put a product to the shopping cart. This assists you as a business owner know that of your traffic to the website, a certain percentage take the next step in the sales process. If you want that to be higher, alter the landing page.
What are Your Methods to Navigate the Internet Marketing Seas?
Write your comments on what you’ve done to get the most out of your advertising, what devices you have settled on to become specialists or at least familiar with, and if you have been befuddled to this point, what you plan to do next. You’ll get a link back to your website and may get mentioned in a future article.
About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms builds competitive advantage in an online world of sameness. He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in the SmartShop. Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.
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3 Ways to Get Your Marketing Materials Noticed
Your business’s marketing materials aren’t cheap, so if you’ve invested time and money into having professional brochures, pamphlets and other resources developed, why risk having them tossed into the trash by a well-meaning, but careless mailroom clerk?
The unfortunate reality is that most business people these days are so pressed for time that it takes a Herculean amount of effort to get your marketing materials into your prospects’ hands. So if you’re struggling to get your promotional content noticed, check out the following tips on how to stand out and get your materials read!
Technique #1 – Mail your materials via Fedex
If you really want to get a prospect’s attention, send your marketing materials via Fedex or UPS Next Day Air. Think about it – if you received one of these high priority envelopes, is there any way you’d even consider tossing it into the trash unopened? Chances are, you’d not only open the package, but also make a note of how much the sender obviously values your opinion.
Yes, sending your brochures this way isn’t exactly cost-effective, which is why it’s important to save this strategy for truly important prospects. However, if you’ve identified a great opportunity to pitch a potentially high value prospect, use priority mail services for your marketing materials to show how committed you are to the deal.
Technique #2 – Use hand-written addresses on padded envelopes
There’s something about receiving a padded envelope with a hand-written address printed neatly on the front that makes us subconsciously think back to care packages received at summer camp or in the college dorms. In some cases, these happy associations make it more likely that your package will be opened and read, versus tossed into the recycle bin alongside other unsolicited mailings.
As an added bonus, this technique isn’t nearly as expensive to implement as mailing your materials via priority mail. Padded envelopes can be purchased online in bulk at extremely low prices, while mailing them at the USPS Parcel Post rate can save you even more money.
Technique #3 – Deliver your materials in person
Delivering your materials in person isn’t always feasible depending on where you’re located in relation to your customer base. But if you’re able to, know that dropping off your materials off in person increases your odds of getting past the gatekeepers (namely, your prospects’ secretaries and mail clerks) who are tasked with keeping out uninvited promo pieces.
To make this strategy as efficient as possible, make a day out of it by scheduling a route that reaches various prospects who are located in a similar geographic area. Call ahead to find out to whom you should address your materials and ask to speak to that person when you arrive at each office. Even if you aren’t able to get a “walk in” appointment to meet your prospect face-to-face, you may find that simply being there demonstrates enough interest to get your materials read by your target client.
What techniques have you used in the past to get your marketing materials noticed by busy prospects? Share your techniques and advice in the comments below!
About the Author: Thunder Pack is an online wholesale packaging superstore where you can purchase all of the packaging supplies you need at real wholesale prices. Whether you’re interested in our extensive line of cardboard boxes or our high quality padded envelopes, find out how our exceptional customer service ensures our store stands out as the number one wholesale packaging provider in the UK.
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LinkedIn Marketing for B2C Companies – The Audiences on LinkedIn That Will Double Your Sales Guaranteed
During a presentation that I was giving at a small business owner’s boot camp, I was asked a very interesting question by one of the attendees:
“I am a real estate agent and I am not sure how LinkedIn can help me since it is a business to business platform and I am targeting consumers and homeowners. Should I be focusing just on Facebook which is more consumer oriented? And, if I should be on LinkedIn, how can I best utilize it to help me obtain more business and clients?”
My Answer to How Business to Consumer (B2C) Companies Can Use LinkedIn Marketing
One of the biggest advantages of using LinkedIn if you are a B2B business is being able to access targeted prospects. Now, it’s quite difficult to do that if you are a B2C company as business professionals are there for these purposes:
¨ Build and cultivate profitable relationships
¨ Get the information they need to develop.
However, that doesn’t mean you should not be using LinkedIn marketing and just stick to Facebook and Twitter. Use Facebook and Twitter to build your community of prospects – but use LinkedIn marketing to attract these three audiences that can double your sales guaranteed:
Media Professionals – A recent study showed that 92% of all journalists are on LinkedIn which is more than any other social networking site. This means that you have more access to individuals who are looking to quote experts like you or publish articles regarding your industry and how you can help your prospective clients. By reaching out to these journalists you can develop meaningful and valuable relationships as they will come to think of you as the expert in your field and ask for your information when they are putting together their next piece. This extra publicity will give you more exposure to even more prospects and enhance your credibility so prospects will want to buy from you.
Referral Sources – Through LinkedIn you can build and enhance relationships with key influencers who can provide you with access to prospects you would otherwise not have known, met or done business with. A referral source is a valuable tool because it is a third party endorsement and they can act as your sales agent as they want to give their customers and clients more value.
Larger companies that offer products or services that are supplementary to yours – Smart companies are always looking to increase their revenues by giving their clients and customers more value. Think of the different companies and organizations that can add your products or services to their own at a premium price – and use LinkedIn to build relationships with the different company’s executives.
Your Next Steps…
Figure out who would be the best referral sources, key influences, types of media and companies for you to connect with. For example, one of my newest LinkedIn Profile Makeover clients is a real estate agent who is an expert on short sells, foreclosures and troubled properties. Before we completed her profile, we had her brainstorm who would be the best referral sources which include:
¨ Divorce attorneys – In a divorce couples often have a house to sell. Couples also have other traditional real estate assets that often have to be sold in a divorce. Plus, at least one of the parties in a divorce will need to relocate – meaning they’ll need to buy a new house.
¨ Local bankruptcy attorneys who have clients who have no other choice
but to either short sell or go into foreclosure
¨ Florida attorneys that represent HOA’s s so my client can help them with the rental of the property, property managementt and eventual short sell
¨ Accountants who can refer clients to sell their residential or commercial properties to avoid further liability and eventual foreclosure
¨ Financial planners, estate attorneys and probate attorneys who want to give homeowners relief from their unexpected financial burdens
¨ Banks who want to sell their foreclosed properties in the shortest amount of time with the highest net to them
Create a LinkedIn profile that is written for the referral sources and media you want to attract starting with your headline. In the headline, identify the audiences you want to connect with – and why they should want to connect with you. In your summary, explain to referral sources how you can be of value to their clients and customers and how your relationship will help them. Also, if you are trying to attract publicity, show the media that you are an expert. Use any media mentions to your advantage in your summary sections as well as having a complete media kit on your profile using the Box.net, Slideshare and Google Presentations applications. To help you create the copy you need for your LinkedIn profile, check out my Instant LinkedIn Marketing Templates at http://www.InstantLinkedInMarketingTemplates.com
Stay on top of your referral sources’ and media professionals’ minds – Once you figure out who your best key influencers, referral sources and media types, start doing your research on LinkedIn and make connections. When you make a new connection, invite the referral source or media professional to your LinkedIn group where you provide tips, tools and articles. Every time you are published, featured or quoted in the media you should be announcing it to your connections and group members. This will show them that you are a valuable resource and keep you on top of their minds. So when a referral source has a client needing your expertise, they’ll think of you. And, when the media needs an expert to quote- they’ll come to you.
So create a strong LinkedIn profile using my Instant LinkedIn Marketing Templates, figure out who would be the best referral sources and media types and start making connections that can double your sales guaranteed.
About the Author: LinkedIn Expert Kristina Jaramillo creates online marketplace opportunities for B2C companies and marketing executives that want to get more publicity, build relationships with key influencers and double their website traffic and sales. Now, with her free special report, you can uncover easy ways to gain more connections fast by avoiding the top 14 mistakes. Get this information for free at: http://www.Free14LinkedInMistakes.com
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5 Ways to Make Pinterest the Newest Asset To Your Company
Link Pinterest to the Facebook account of the person with the most friends in your office
Does this sound petty? It’s not. People who are your ‘friends’ on Facebook (usually) have more of a connection to you than your company. They will check you out because they are interested in expanding their own Pinterest network. You are easier to find than your company (that they may or may not be able to recall). Once friends find your artful curation, it will not matter whose name it represents.
Build your Boards before you go on a follower rampage
Whether you are an individual or a company, people will not be interested in your account until you have something to show them. Even if you acquire a few loyal followers (your CTO and best friend from college) with no content, to gain an engaging set of followers you must produce something of value. Invest in finding images that mean something you. Humor is always a plus, but do not underestimate the power of a beautifully composed photograph.
Tell a story
Let the Pinterest audience know who you are before you throw at them what you sell or provide. The point of Pinterest is not to gather an immediate, lucrative following that will tote your brand like Abercrombie & Fitch in the late 1990’s. You want the people, yes people, on Pinterest to get to know you (as a representative of your company). Images in general have the power to evoke powerful emotions; just look at all of the Boards titled ‘Motivation,’ ‘Imagination,’ ‘Love.’ Using images to evoke true feeling is not exploitation. It is an opportunity to connect with individuals who are looking to be touched in a way they are not yet aware. Surprise users with how thoughtful, tasteful, creative, intelligent and witty you are.
Don’t over do it
There is nothing more agitating on a social media site than someone who thinks they are a world-class hoot. If you set out to impress, you are sure to disappoint – both your viewers and yourself. Be genuine in your approach, with image selection/captions, and stick to it. People will see through your obvious innuendos and over-eager “wit.” Take the advice of your elementary school teachers and just be yourself.
Interact with people who share similar interests
Does this sound obvious? It should. However, many companies are eager to follow anyone and everyone in the hopes they will return the favor. Besides flooding your homepage with images you are unimpressed with, it will take longer to sort through to find those with whom you actually share a visual bond. Connecting with people whose pins relate to yours inspires an actual “Pinterest” relationship of mutual (and frequent) repinning. It also leads you to other pins, and people, who are more likely to be interested in the images you have chosen to represent your company ethos.
About the Author: Erin Nelson is the Communication & Marketing Manager for the Berlin-based startup, exploreB2B. The new social, business platform, exploreB2B, allows individuals the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other professionals through reading and writing self-published articles.
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Market Research: What, Why, and How
Sun Tzu, a Chinese general writing in 500 BC and still studied today at West Point said, “If you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be in danger in every single battle.”
Prepare for Battle
Business today is a battleground. Business owners are generals with limited resources whose aim is to stay in business, make a profit and grow to a size that stays manageable.
Market Research is preparation for battle. Just as a wise general will scout the area ahead so the business owner must consider every move carefully before he commits his forces.
Check out the Competition
No-one enters an area of enterprise without challenge. There’s always someone there already serving the market. So the first question any new business or start-up should ask is “What are the competition up to?”
Talk to their customers. Are they happy with the service they’re getting? Are they being dealt with fairly? Does the product they’re currently buying deliver on all fronts? Could it be made smaller, better or cheaper?
Take nothing for granted. Sometimes dumb questions provide world changing answers.
Look carefully at competitors products. Look too at the mindset of your target market.
Two products can share an identical specification but be miles apart in terms of perception. When people buy something they’re buying the product, plus whatever else it is they “know” about the company.
A Hunt for Truth
The point about research is to discover the truth rather than confirm a prejudice. The trick if you’re doing your own market research is to ask the right questions and then listen to what people say.
Don’t assume that trends in the past will continue into the future. It didn’t take long for the pager market to collapse once mobile telephony took off. Market research cannot predict the future or suggest when a major new trend is about to break.
One cost effective way of taking a snapshot of opinion is to use an online questionnaire. These surveys are fast and flexible, providing answers in a few days.
Eliminate Surprises
Market Research helps us avoid surprises. A few years ago the Coca Cola company were using the slogan “Coke Adds Life.” No-one thought to question how this translated into Chinese and so Chinese consumers were bemused to learn that “Coke Brings Back the Spirits of Your Dead Ancestors.”
Remember too that people are generally helpful and encouraging. If you’re researching an idea among friends and family be aware that they’ll want to see you succeed and may therefore give you the answers which they think you want to hear rather than what they actually think.
Avoiding bias is one of the cornerstones of good market research. Avoiding assumption is another.
Sun Tzu, the Chinese General mentioned in the first paragraph also said, “The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.”
Market Research is an essential part of any successful enterprise. As the man says, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
James writes for AYTM, who provides market research for small businesses and startups. AYTM allows you to create market research surveys specific for your business and get quick responses from their market research panels.
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Website Localization: Going International Online
As markets in Asia and Latin America quickly grow to rival those in North America and Europe, many companies are expanding in the world’s developing economies. Multinational companies are able to firstly grow and then diversify their revenue by trading internationally. Furthermore, many are able to leverage their resources and capabilities to innovate and customise products specific to certain markets. One of the main reasons for success in overseas markets is effective localisation of products and services.
Companies launching in foreign markets often find it difficult to compete with local companies who obviously have the advantage of knowing and understanding their local market. Even without competition, language and culture present many challenges for outside entrants to overcome. Companies large and small have failed to gain a foothold in a foreign market because of a lack of cultural awareness and understanding. In order to effectively market products and services to a new country or region, companies need to focus upon localisation for successful results.
Web Opportunities
The Internet presents a great opportunity for many companies to enter a foreign market and test their suitability. For web-based companies especially, the Internet is a cost-effective channel to tap into a new market. Language and culture still present a challenge, but they can be easily addressed by companies through an effective and sustained localization strategy.
The language long tail on the Internet has been lengthening with most growth occurring in languages spoken in the emerging world. Languages like Arabic and Chinese have grown 2500% and 1500% respectively by the number of users over the last 5 years. Research shows that web users are up to 4 times more likely1 to purchase from websites in their native language. As a result, the internet has been bestowed with regional characteristics and content is being made available in different languages to reach out to web users internationally. Multinational online companies now support an average of 23 languages on their websites2; this increase has sped up more so in the latter part of the last decade. This is due to the realization by many global companies that a multilingual communication strategy is key to continued success in the era of globalisation.
Localising for the Web
Primarily, a website is more suited for a market if it uses country code top-level domain (for e.g. .fr, .co.uk, .de, .cn). It is also suitable to host a country specific website on servers located within a country. This would improve page loading times and search engine rankings. With the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which are top level domain in foreign languages, the language factor has become more profound and a critical element of connecting with foreign web users.
Localisation requires complete adaptation of a product or service and it covers the adaptation of company logo, slogan etc. for a market. It is recommended that professional help in the form of translation agency or localisation experts are used to assist in this process. A mishap can occur with any company and as was the case with Schweppes whose campaign for ‘Schweppes Tonic Water’ unknowingly translated into ‘Schweppes Toilet Water’ in Italy. Thus, it becomes imperative that professionals are involved in the localisation process.
Translation of content is central to expansion into a foreign market. For search marketing purposes, keyword research should be the primary task for companies. Once a set of keywords that are applicable for a company, its products or services, is developed, translation can follow in order to make it relevant for search engines. The translation that is conducted has to be country specific and should resonate with the market in order to be effective.
The process of providing a localised online experience continues in all forms and channels of engagement. Translation would be required for advertising campaigns, help content, terms and conditions, as well as customer service contact. The costs of online expansion are very affordable, and good localisation pays off in a matter of time, research has shown that every $1 invested in localisation yields $25 in revenues for software companies. To successfully connect with foreign web users, localisation has to be adapted at all levels.
- European Online Language Preferences Revealed in Flash Eurobarometer Report, Common Sense Advisory.
- The Top 25 Global Websites of 2011, Global by Design.
- Localization Industry Standards Association 2007 report.
About the Author: Talha Fazlani is a technical marketing professional who works for Language Connect, a language, localization and multilingual digital marketing company. Language Connect is a fast growing translation services company , and is renowned for its quick turnaround times and efficient working methods.
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