Contests and sweepstakes are great ways of generating interest and expanding your reach to a target audience. If you want to increase site traffic, reward customers, and/or gain some new leads to add to your marketing efforts, then you might want to consider having a contest or sweepstakes giveaway. Many people use the terms “contests” and “sweepstakes” as if they were the same. Technically, however,…
Not everyone can write good copy. That’s why there are professionals just writing copy for small businesses and for graphic/website designers who are creative but just not gifted writers. IF you decide to write your own copy, here are five mistakes to avoid ensuring people will read more than your home page. (PS – writing for printed materials and other marketing including social media are…
Like almost all other business practices, hiring through referrals has its critics and its fans. For some, it is the accusations of favoritism or nepotism that discourage them from taking on family members, friends, acquaintances, or networking contacts as employees. While for others, it is the prospect that unhealthy cliques might develop in the workplace. Others still fear that this type of hiring practice will…
How will you market correctly if you do not know to whom you are addressing? Nothing is worse than the assumption that “anyone” can be your client. Or, that all marketing will work for every audience. Secondary to new clients, keeping your current ones satisfied and happy can be hard work too. This is where demographics come in. An upper-income mother in her 30’s is…
Video is an integral part of the online experience, and no site hosts more videos than YouTube. The site boasts more than 3 billion video views per day, making it an excellent place for businesses to find consumers. Viral YouTube is the home of the viral video, the term for a video that spreads quickly to a large audience on the Internet. Businesses can use…
The concept of being a one-stop shop is one that has long been considered by companies of all sizes. There are always pros and cons to any change, however, there are different ways one can set about being all-inclusive. A lot of this depends upon your business. Keep in mind that you do not want to stray too far from your relevant industry. Example: I would never…
There are three key areas of public relations you can use to boost your marketing results 10x over your paid advertising. The key to public relations lies in: Public relation or publicity Merchandising Promotions With a solid plan in place that encompasses all these areas, you’ll have a great approach to use your PR in the best way possible. Public relations includes all that is…
Successful entrepreneurs know instinctively that “time is money” and that’s why business owners hire others to do tasks they could otherwise do themselves: accounting, marketing, phone sales, etc. However, not everyone in the world of business is adept at time management. They procrastinate, squander time on trivial tasks, and have long conversations without an objective. What’s worse is some of us are not only susceptible…
Who are you and what do you stand for? We’re all exposed to continuous advertising. Yes, it’s now continuous (rather than “continual”) because it’s impossible to escape. You know it. I know it. It’s everywhere. And the businesses that are most effective are the ones that have established their brands. Brands are critical to recognition, and recognition is critical to successful advertising. There has to…
That’s exactly right, what better way to use your acting and talent than to market your business! I do it all the time. And I am going to share some of the top tips I use to be entertaining and grow my business at the same time. Tell Stories – We all use stories, both personal and professional, to illustrate a point. Remember, facts can be…
What is the difference? What is an entrepreneur? The standard definition is “someone in possession of a venture, idea or innovation around which he or she builds a business.” It’s a person who takes risks to succeed. Today's entrepreneur has become almost synonymous with "business owner," but the reality is that there are many business owners who are not entrepreneurs. Among those of us with…