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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10 Ways to Improve your Small Business Online Marketing Efforts
All businesses regularly require constant updating of their marketing, but what about the small business whose focus needs to centre on improving its online marketing approach? Where to start can often seem overwhelming, but there are some great ways of breaking the task down into easy to manage chunks. But before you delve further into the job, take some time to browse the websites of businesses similar to your own – there’s no better way to start than by checking out the competition!
Get Things Moving!
So, you’ve identified the areas where you feel you could make a difference: a few simple, yet effective measures can vastly improve the reach of your small business’s online presence. The following 10 points provide a great starting point to get you off the blocks:
1. Make some noise about any new business/customers won – the freshest news is always the best news, so make sure that this your heads-up when promoting your business.
2. Continuing with the theme of ‘fresh news’, your website should always appear like it’s just been updated. A constant flow of news/any upcoming events should be a good focal point for your website’s front page.
3. Keep your website clutter free. Yes, you need to have all relevant information included on your home page; but ease off on the bells and whistles aspect. Remember, less is (very often) more and some people do find that too much information is a turn off.
4. Search engines won’t always come looking for you without a little nudge in the right direction, so get your website onto some paid directories and take a look at spending some quality time optimising your website. A high search engine rating is vital if you are to attract new business – use them as much as you can.
5. Attract even more traffic to your website by ensuring you have included as many relevant keywords as possible. Getting as near to the top of a search engine result list is one of the main goals of good online business marketing. Use it to your full advantage by either getting advice from an expert of taking a go at learning yourself.
6. Thinking about using a slogan? Make sure it’s synonymous with your business’s goals and capable of fluctuating with the ebb and flow of how your business works. A stale slogan can slow your online marketing efforts right down, but get it right and it will buzz around the internet beyond your expectations.
7. Blogs are a fantastic tool for your business and are often seen as a great way of showcasing the day to day aspects of how your business runs. Many companies now look to blogs as a rolling news-feed that runs alongside a website, providing deeper insight into your business’s goals and aims. One of the many features of a blog is that they are a means of inviting discussion and are often a great way to interact with your customers.
8. Continuing the theme of customer reviews, social networking is fast becoming the most reliable means of ‘word-of-mouth’. Consider your business’s presence on social networking sites – it’s a great way of showing your business’s willingness to be more transparent and open with your customers. By removing the Wizard of Oz curtain way of operating, businesses are losing the image of their brand being a ‘faceless entity’ in favour of gaining more of a connection with their customer base.
9. Always try to personalise your email marketing. New or old customers really don’t want to receive emails that aren’t relevant to them. Try your best to use what information you have available to target any marketing emails specifically to the people for whom the information contained is interesting, informative, and relevant.
Regurgitating the same old news in a monthly email is likely to see your emails ending up in the trash folder, or worse, they may become lost subscriptions. Never allow your marketing emails to become predictable in this way.
10. Include as many personal testimonials as you can. These can often mean the difference between a new customer dealing with you or moving onto the next business. As well as providing a good deal of reassurance to a potential new customer, personal testimonials can often be a valuable way of building and reinforcing your brand.
Keeping the Focus
Putting some or all of the above measures in place will not only get you on track, but keep you there. A good rule of thumb for ongoing success with small business online marketing is to carry out some of the tasks above as general housekeeping.
For example, keeping your website fresh with the latest news and upcoming events will let visitors know that there is always someone present. A well cared for website with the most up to date information at the forefront is one that will entice and appeal on first glance. This type of presence is invaluable to potential new customers.
About the Author: Hi I’m Ed, and I work in the exciting, fast paced and ever-changing world of business equipment and services. I’ll be trying my best to keep you abreast give you a wide smorgasbord of handy hints, tips and advice to get the squeeze the best out of your business.
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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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How to Survey on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has surpassed simply being a site for aspirant unemployed guys to linger waiting for the next big break. It’s a way for business experts to hang out and interact with like-minded others and find the folks out there who show expertise in their niches on a daily basis.
Peoples’ viewpoints make for good content. If you read my eBook LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Maximum Exposure, you know that in the chapter on Applications I touch on polls on LinkedIn but didn’t have a lot of detail to accompany it. Here is a bit more on LinkedIn polls and how to utilize them.
My First Poll Experience
To more completely research market demand for a product I was developing on Executive Video Interviews for business leaders, I posted the following poll on LinkedIn.
So what did I uncover? Well, obviously I learned more people like using web video for product demonstrations, something not all together surprising given the ease of filming something in action and throwing it on YouTube.
But did I truly find that out?
With only 16 responses, I’m no statistician but I’d say this lacks statistical significance. I had wanted a lot more to answer the poll. I mean, I placed a link to it on about twenty LinkedIn groups. There really should have been thousands of replies right?
Learning My Lessons
Here are some things I learned about using this poll to engage the business community:
- There is a ton of noise online at LinkedIn. Readers won’t see or even care about your poll saving you MARKET THE EVERLIVING HELL OUT OF IT. That means posting in the Groups, tweeting several times, and using Facebook and other social media to the max leverage you can.
- This is an inkling, but I believe that my Executive Video Interview responses don’t tell me that much about acceptance to my product. Why? Because people haven’t seen it it yet! Two of the three responders to this survey on that item were customers of mine who had them done. Since there is no one else I know who does this like I do, that insider information slants the polls results. Which way I am still debating. Since I took this poll down, market experience is advising me that my sample portfolio of client interviews is mustering up a lot more interest than a survey with a product not universally known. LESSON: All obliged choice replies need to be commonly known. For product acceptance (like this one), survey based upon product outcomes, not the brand of the item.
- Often the most interesting facts are the feedback left by people who take the poll, describing what they have done for their firm (in this case). Don’t overlook that gold mine.
- Marketing the survey in interest groups only slightly related generates no results. Because I use web video to assist small businesses, I got more LinkedIn Group outcomes from a group on Web Video with only a couple hundred, dedicated specialists. The complication here was that some of these folks, being enthusiasts in web video, may have been informing me what they focused on, not what small business wanted.
Connecting with LinkedIn Polls
LinkedIn creates a fantastic survey and it’s easy to put together and put on their site, but it has 2 issues:
- LinkedIn only keeps each poll around for a month or so. You have to be capable to promote it and market it fast because you don’t have forever to accumulate your results. Fact is, in most surveying circumstances, they’ve run their course in just a two or three days, so LinkedIn has a point.
- You can’t post the poll on your LinkedIn profile; you can only put it in your status update and submit to Groups. If you’re optimizing your profile you know you are posting updates every few days at the very least. Unless you want to become an aggravating spammer on LinkedIn Groups, you won’t advertise your survey there more than once or twice every few weeks. This implies that on LinkedIn itself, your poll has little staying power other than in a generic Polls page, and typically speaking, people aren’t surfing that searching for something to do.
Not a big deal. Here are a couple ways to influence surveys in LinkedIn:
- Embed on your Site
- Tweet out to your favorite hash-tag trends and followers
- Facebook post it for your fans
What about types of questions for surveys? Well, if the poll is something you are just looking to get replies to, appeal to low common denominators like pop culture or politics. Everyone has an opinion on them. If, on the other hand, you are hoping to find specific niche advice about your business or market, as I was in this case, do anything you can to reach the audience to the niche so that they are interested in it enough to want to find out the outcomes themselves, or just deal with a small response rate indicative of your target reader size.
One way to do this targeting is to upload your survey in a blog post or article and send to search engines. Through SEO your article will be checked out by those who discovered it who were trying to find it, and odds are better they vote on the poll. In the next few days I’ll be doing this with one more LinkedIn poll on marketing techniques for business. Get statistically substantial results, particularly if they are unpredicted, and you have developed a news item that you can now leverage with, you guessed it, another blog post, a press release to news outlets, or placed as an item of interest on your website.
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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Photo Credit: nan palmero
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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The Best Ways to Market to a Senior Audience
No matter what you’re marketing or who you’re marketing it to, your first step in reaching your audience is to know that audience. If you try to market to “everyone,” you’ll sell to no one.
Marketers make one of two big mistakes in marketing to seniors. They either treat seniors like everyone else, or they treat seniors like old, closed-minded people.
Seniors don’t think, act or feel like anyone else in any other target market. They have different needs and priorities, and they’re interested in different ideas and products. That’s not a reason to not market to seniors, though; it’s a reason to understand how to market to them.
As for the belief that seniors are old and closed-minded, Seth Godin discusses this in a blog post on marketing to seniors. He says that there are open and closed people. Open people are “seeking out things that will make their lives better,” and closed people are “trying to maintain the status quo.” Seniors have traditionally been seen as closed, but Baby Boomers changed all that. Seniors today are looking for a great life. They’re open to anything, from fashion to travel to life experience.
Remembering that you have to know your audience, and understanding that today’s seniors are looking for ways to live fully and improve their lives, here are five tips to help you market effectively to seniors:
1. Build a relationship
In all of your marketing, show that you understand what your prospects are going through and that you are there for them. Use social media to reach out and build relationships with your prospects. You’d be surprised how many seniors use Facebook and Twitter. Create a community on your website where your customers and prospects can interact and support each other. Above all, build trust with your prospects and customers by doing what you say you’ll do and being who you say you are.
2. Be senior-friendly
This is about more than offering a senior discount, though that’s a start. Be easy to understand. Use plain English, not jargon and technical terms that make seniors feel left out. Make all of your documents easy to read, with high-contrast colors or black type on white and easy-to read type. The best type-styles for seniors are 12 or 14 point sans-serif styles like Arial and Verdana. Make sure your website is easy to read and easy to navigate, and that it contains the information you want to convey, based on your goals. If you have an office or store, provide clear directions on your website and over the phone. Make sure your building provides ample parking near the door, and that there is a clear, obstacle-free path from the parking lot to the door. Provide comfortable seating and plenty of light. Gear everything you do to making things easy for seniors, including everything they’re required to read, write, or do.
3. Be accessible and helpful
Provide information about your field that seniors can use. You can put this information on your website or blog and share it on social media. Publish a free newsletter, either print or email, that answers seniors’ most common questions and fills them in on new developments and information they may not know. Teach a class or seminar, or offer free consultations. Use any means possible to position yourself as knowledgeable, accessible and helpful. Become the go-to person for anything related to your field.
4. Communicate well
The most important thing to remember here is that seniors don’t respond well to interruption marketing, and will probably reach out to you after seeing your website or social media. “In your face” advertising doesn’t work with seniors, but interaction works very well. Create a website with informative, useful content. Consider writing a blog several times a week. Use social media to reach out to seniors in your market. Make your print communication informative and useful, not just marketing-oriented. If you reach out and interact rather than interrupting, seniors will respond.
5. Use community outreach to build relationships
This may include speaking at libraries or local senior groups. Consider speaking at local companies to provide information that employees might share with their parents and grandparents. Guest blog on senior-related blogs. Volunteer at senior-oriented charities. Network with people who can help you reach out through community organizations. The more visible you make yourself in the community, the more seniors will trust you and think of you first.
These tips will help you market much more effectively to seniors and reach your marketing goals for this market.
About the Author: Tom Demers writes for Assisted Living Today, a leading source of information on senior care providing a directory of assisted living facilities in PA..
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4 Quick Steps to Creating Your Social Media Marketing Plan
With social media marketing gaining rapid speed in the world of business, both big and small, you want to be prepared to use it, and do so correctly. Social media marketing can make a significant difference within a small business that has minimal budget funds.
Before signing up for every social network on the market, you should have a plan in place. You’ve written your business plan, now it’s time to create your social media marketing plan.
1. Decide Where To Become Involved
Most companies assume that they should be relevant on every social media platform out there. This is a wrong assumption, and one that can hurt your business, rather than help. You should be choosing a platform that works best with your business model and targets your audience.
If experience is an issue, using a platform you are familiar with is recommended. Regardless of what social media sites you are affiliated with, it’s most important to be current, fresh and relevant. However, you do have a number of options.
- Facebook- The most popular social networking site, with over 800 billion users world-wide, you can be sure that you’ll reach customers. With Facebook, you can reach your customers on a level that is familiar to them.
- Twitter- Many may consider this the second most popular social networking site. Twitter has been the site of many breaking news stories, some that have damaged the reputation of popular companies. When you are able to be a part of the conversation, you have the opportunity to guide a negative conversation in a positive direction, instead of watching it spin out of control.
- Pinterest- While this site is just recently coming into the limelight, its popularity is finding its way into the business world. Pinterest explicitly states that businesses are not allowed to use their accounts for direct advertising. Though you may immediately think otherwise, this can be a positive stipulation for you. This gives you an opportunity to reach your customers on the level of the average user, as opposed to looming, un-relatable, marketing machine.
2. Make a Time Commitment
While 59% of businesses only spend about 1-5 hours per week on social media efforts, according to the Social Media Marketing Report 2011, it is becoming increasingly more evident that this may be due to a lack of knowledge or skills. It was reported that long time users dedicate 6-16 hours a week.
- If you don’t have the skills or knowledge, build a learning curve into your plan. It is critical that you use your social media outlets correctly. As a small business you can reach out to a variety of resources to learn from, such as tutorials or friends.
- If you have extra spending in your budget, consider hiring a social media consultant. With a social media consultant you can be sure that you’re getting quality work, catered to your business.
3. Make It Worth Your While
If you’ve decided to dedicate a significant amount of hours in the workweek to creating your online presence, you want to see results. Simply signing up will not bring you traffic, new customers, or more business. To make an impact there are a variety of suggestions you should bear in mind.
- Stay current: Customers don’t want to search out your Facebook page to find stagnant information from last year. With more than 60 million status updates happening every day, you need to keep up.
- Be Exclusive: Users want exclusivity. They expect to be compensated for their loyalty. You should be providing breaking news about the company, offers for your Facebook fans or Twitter followers, and frequent deals or coupons.
- Engage: Being on social networks is about interacting with your customers in a way that is familiar and comfortable. According to Facebook, more than 250 million photos are uploaded every day. Offering deals for those who pin or upload pictures of themselves using or buying your products is a strategic way for them to connect with your page and product.
4. Plan To Measure Your Results
Once you’ve put in the hard work, you want to see your results. There are a variety of ways to assess your ROI, effectiveness of customer engagement, etc. Social media monitoring allows you to assess how your customers see your brand, how they are finding you, and what they are searching for. Programs like Radian6 and Google Analytics offer you extensive monitoring services, which will give you an accurate picture of how your efforts are paying off.
Social media marketing can have a profitable impact on your business. By creating a social media marketing plan, you are setting in motion an important aspect of your marketing efforts. While many companies have an online presence, not very many are able to use it to their advantage. If you make the time investment, it is likely you’ll see significant results.
About the Author: Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics ranging from social media to merchant services. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including credit card processing for b2b lead generation resource, Resource Nation.
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