Category Archives: marketing in bad economy

Getting More from the Internet: Harnessing Technology to Grow Your Business.

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Posted by admin on July 10, 2009 – 3:55 pm
Filed under Business Communication, Marketing Tip, blogging for business, marketing in bad economy, online marketing, small business marketing, video marketing

For those of you in the Charleston area, you’ll want to come to this month’s Mount Pleasant Business & Professional Association meeting. Michelle Salater is  joining Christopher Cisneros, owner of Zafari, Inc., to discuss Getting More from the Internet: Harnessing Technology to Grow Your Business.

Don’t miss this exciting chance to learn about the latest in web technologies that can enhance your existing marketing efforts. You’ll learn about the importance of using website marketing techniques to drive traffic to your website:

  • Video [how it's valuable, why it makes sense]
  • Blogging
  • Social networking
  • PR [driving traffic, submitting online]

You’ll also learn about how to get your website on the first few pages of Google. Search engine optimization is a whole complex science but you can improve your website’s position by:

  • Ensuring your site is built in a way that’s friendly for the search engines
  • Making sure your content is not only meaningful and provides a strong message but is also seo-friendly

For more information or to register, please visit www.mpbpa.com/ .

Is Email Dead? If Social Media Has Its Way, It Just Might Be. . .

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Posted by admin on April 20, 2009 – 5:18 am
Filed under Gain Brand Loyalty, attract clients, blogging for business, grow your business, increase site traffic, marketing in bad economy, marketing trends, small business marketing, website copywriter

The fate of email is beginning to fall into the online graveyard, where dial-up internet and huge computer monitors rest in peace. According to Nielson Online, internet users are communicating via social media sites and blogs more than email.

What is drawing so many people away from using email ? Could it be that we love knowing what everyone is doing 24 / 7 and need to be updated when someone is taking a nap? I think so. As we become hungrier for information, email doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.

Social media sites have everything, it seems. They’re more engaging, provide media beyond the written word, offer more in-the-moment information than a mass email, and reach out to hundreds of followers.

The graph below was taken from emarketer.com and illustrates the most popular online activities:

email-graph

According to Nielson Online, “Social network and blog use exceeded that of email, increasing their reach by 5.4 percentage points.” In addition, Nielson Online reported that online social networks and blogs are growing three times as fast as overall internet growth.  

Find your business followers by joining a social media site today.

6 MORE Ways to Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Website

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Posted by admin on April 15, 2009 – 6:35 am
Filed under Audio Marketing, increase online sales, increase site traffic, marketing in bad economy, online marketing, press releases, video marketing

If you’d like to see the first 6 ways to drive traffic to your website, click here.

7. Record Podcasts: The vocal and interactive aspects of audio podcasts are usually more enticing and entertaining than simply reading articles and information from a computer screen. Podcasts are free and can be used to help people through a step-by-step process, share knowledge fast and effectively, or entertain. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 19% of internet users say they’ve downloaded a podcast.  

8. Host Teleclasses: Signing up for teleclasses benefits customers because the classes are free and provide useful and informative tips. Customers will associate the information they receive from your teleclasses with your company’s success and dedication to the industry. Customers will be more likely to trust your business operations and products / services, making the buying decision a simple one. The benefits from teleclasses are increased sales, more referrals, a rise in customer loyalty, and increased site traffic.

9. Post Video: Placing videos and audio on YouTube is a great way to get your company online exposure and drive traffic to your website. Video provides a personal connection to customers and allows you to show them how certain services are done, how you work, how the company works, how your product works, and so much more. Developing a video for YouTube benefits your company tremendously.

10. Publish Free Reports and Ezines: Sharing free tips and information about your industry through free reports and ezines can benefit consumers’ lives, helping them become better educated, solve a problem, or change their future actions. Providing well-researched and helpful information to consumers builds customers’ trust in your company, making them more likely to purchase your products / services.

11. Send Out Press Releases: Bring your brand name to life with a well-crafted press release. If your business has remained at a steady rate for years now, the right press release can gain your company credibility in the industry, recognition, and overall exposure. These results lead to company growth and incredible success.

12. Place / Swap Ads with Other Ezines in Your Niche: Seek out other ezines in your niche whose publishers might be interested in swapping ads. In addition to, or instead of, swapping ads, you could also purchase ad space in an ezine in your niche that has a large circulation. If you pay to place an ad, for the best results, run it for a minimum of three consecutive issues.

Mobile Marketing Could Be Your Company’s New Event Coordinator

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Posted by admin on March 30, 2009 – 7:11 am
Filed under Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, attract clients, client attraction, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, marketing trends, small business marketing

1158308_phonebox

 

Mobile marketing began in recent years and has since increased in usage. Many companies already utilizing these mobile marketing strategies are club promoters, event promoters, and business promoters, among many others. It’s an excellent way to send a mass message out and have confidence the recipients will receive and view it within minutes of the message being sent. Once receivers open their invitation to an event, they can immediately RSVP and be placed on a list, all within minutes.

According to the mobile marketing company, Mobile Storm, MGM Grand in Las Vegas used mobile marketing to promote a party they were holding. They had recipients RSVP to be on the list, and, all in all, the party was a great success. The time it took to plan such an extravagant event was cut down drastically compared to if they had used an email, flyer, or billboard campaign.

The case study with MGM Grand is an excellent example of how using a strategic marketing plan via mobile devices can have such a successful turnout. Mobile marketing is something that all companies can use to promote products / services—it just requires a different technique to reach out to prospects.    

Mobile marketing is also the perfect way to build strong customer relationships, because it keeps customers up-to-date on company events and news with the click of a button. Using mobile marketing can help your company gain a competitive advantage over other companies in your industry that are not using this new and incredibly efficient advertising tool. Using mobile marketing shows customers you’re current with technology and the latest trends. With the fast pace of everyday life, it’s no wonder mobile marketing is taking off.

Nest Realty in the News and on TV

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Posted by admin on March 24, 2009 – 7:57 am
Filed under SEO copywriter, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, professional web design, website copywriter

Since launching their fantastic site in February 2009, our client Nest Realty has gained a large amount of positive publicity around the Internet, real estate world, and on the local news. Here’s an excerpt of what the propertylight.com blog had to say about Nest’s message:

“Immediate impact homepage. The impact of the Nest Group homepage hits you as soon as the webpage loads. This website is not just a boring list of property. This website has content above and beyond a picture of a house with a price. It engages you immediately and makes you want to explore. You might not be from Charlottesville Virginia but suddenly you find yourself wanting to know more about this community and what is on offer.”

As you can imagine, we’re thrilled and honored that we had the opportunity to work with Jonathan Kaufman of Nest Realty Group to develop a clear, result-driven message on their gorgeous website.

To read more on what propertylight.com had to say about Nest Realty Group, visit propertylight.com.

Nest was ALSO featured on NBC 29 on March 23 for their fantastic real estate marketing campaign. View the video here.

Cost-Effective Marketing for Businesses

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Posted by admin on March 17, 2009 – 7:41 pm
Filed under Copywriting, Marketing Tip, SEO, article marketing, attract clients, blogging, increase online sales, increase site traffic, marketing in bad economy, online articles

Submitting online articles to reputable article directories, popular bloggers, social media sites, social bookmarking sites, and online publications is an excellent way to increase SEO.

Article marketing is a cost-effective way to increase your online visibility, drive traffic to your site, and bring in more business. One article provides long-term results, exposing your company to thousands of potential customers—over and over again. Every article you place drives more traffic to your website and improves your site’s link popularity and search engine rankings.

Online articles are an excellent resource for potential clients and illustrate you’re an expert in your field. When writing online articles, it’s important for them to be well written, informative, and unique. This rule applies no matter where you submit your article.

Make sure your article is focused and expresses your expertise. The article should not sell your product or service—it should be informative and relate to your industry knowledge.

For example, if you specialized in web copywriting and online website promotion, instead of writing all your articles about web copywriting tips, try to think outside the box and touch different industries in a unique way. 

When writing articles, you want to utilize keywords your target market will likely use on search engines and incorporate those naturally into your online articles. The same keywords used on your website can and should be used in your online articles.

CAUTION: Some people make the mistake of thinking the more keywords they use, the more site traffic they’ll receive. The placement of your keywords and the correct usage of them will build site traffic. Focusing on a small set of keywords in niche articles will bring in more traffic and help the article to rank high on search engine results.
Also, make sure to include inbound links to your website at the end of an article, and, if applicable, throughout the article. Remember, the goal is to drive traffic to your website.

Once you’ve written your online article, it’s time to spread it across various online marketing platforms. As mentioned above, submitting online articles to reputable article directories, popular bloggers, online publications, social media sites, and social bookmarking sites is an excellent way to increase SEO.

5 Ways Blogs Increase SEO

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Posted by admin on March 15, 2009 – 9:18 am
Filed under SEO, SEO copywriter, attract clients, blogging, blogging for business, increase online sales, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy

Click the play button to listen to the blog post or, if you prefer, read the post below.

Increasing targeted traffic to your website can cost a small fortune, but it doesn’t have to if you know the right tips, tools, and strategies to get a significant amount of targeted traffic. All it will cost you is your time. The more comfortable you become with these tools, the less time and effort you’ll spend on the blog.

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your website is through a blog. Blogs significantly help your SEO efforts because search engines love updated, fresh content.

Creating a blog is free and is an excellent way to attract thousands of potential customers to your website, increase your search engine rankings, and boost company credibility. A constantly updated blog is a great way to build a loyal readership group. It allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your field by providing visitors with tips, industry news, and information they can use in their own business. It’s also a great place to showcase news relevant to your company and post case studies, testimonials, or awards you’ve received. It’s also an excellent vehicle to let the public know about community service your company is involved in.

There are 5 major ways blogs can increase SEO:

• Search engines love keyword-rich, updated content. 

• Search engines rank you on how many inbound links you have, and blogs are a great way to link back to your site. The more links you have from reputable websites, the higher your page will rank because the search engines will view your site as one of high importance.

• Keywords work on your blog the same way they do on your website. You want to utilize keywords your target market will likely use on search engines and incorporate those into your blogs.

• If you post your blog on social bookmarking sites, it provides a link and gets you exposure.

• Recycling your past blog posts in future articles that are submitted to other online platforms further increases inbound links, exposure, and higher page rankings.

The Successful Businesses of Past U.S. Economic Downturns

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Posted by admin on March 11, 2009 – 11:44 am
Filed under Marketing Tip, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, marketing trends

A word to the wise business owner: Don’t cut back on your spending. Use this economic downturn to boost sales and grow your company.

There is a positive side to a recession. While other businesses are cutting spending, you should take advantage of this opportunity and invest in your business. In the February 2009 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, there’s a timeline illustrating the famous economic downturns in U.S. history. According to this timeline, during all of these economic downturns, several companies and products saw massive success.

For example, during the 2001 9 / 11 attacks, iPod, Orbitz.com, and XM Satellite Radio all launched and saw magnificent success. Another example of companies succeeding during turbulent economic times was during the Great Depression. Hewlett – Packard, Revlon long-lasting nail polish, and Miracle Whip were introduced to the market and were extremely successful.

According to the same timeline:

“The Most Severe Recession Since The Great Depression (So Far):
1981: MTV hits the airwaves.
1982: Diet Coke makes its debut.
1983: California firm (later IDEO) designs Apple computer mouse.
1983: Microsoft introduces Word for MS-DOS 1.00.

Black Monday:
1987: Ameritech spends 10 percent more on fiber optic and digital technologies than in 1986.
1987: Quark introduces QuarkXPress.
1987: The Food and Drug Administration approves the use of Prozac for treating depression.”

To view the entire article click here.

Find Your Competition’s Weaknesses during this Recession

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Posted by admin on March 11, 2009 – 11:01 am
Filed under Marketing Tip, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, marketing trends

This is a fantastic video on how down times are the best times to come out ahead. In this video, which aired on CNBC, Mike Maddock discusses the positive aspects of a turbulent economy.

Recession Proof Your Image

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Posted by admin on March 9, 2009 – 7:10 am
Filed under Marketing Tip, attract clients, client attraction, increase online sales, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, online marketing

Your business image has the power to facilitate growth for your income and your life. With 93% of our communication being nonverbal, having a business image–both personal and online–is essential if you want to achieve business success. 

There is no better time than now to invest in creating a business image–one that will draw potential business and strategic partnerships to you. One that gets visitors to buy from your website and gets current customers to refer you.

In this economic downturn, people are still spending, but thinking twice as long about whom they do business with. You must stand out—in person and online. You must give them a reason to buy from you by making the right impression.

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, style expert Lee Heyward and I are going to share how to grow your business by perfecting a personal and online business image. In this FREE onetime only teleseminar . . .

“4 Easy Ways to Perfect Your Business Image . . . Right Now.”

On this call, you will learn:

• How to create a business image that tells people you are successful and credible BEFORE you even open your mouth.

• Why your clothing AND your website might be keeping you from business growth . . . and simple, effortless steps to avoid this.

• Why your website and blog image is key to your online business success.

• What you can do RIGHT NOW to implement your desired business image.

• How to create the personal and online image you desire without spending a fortune.

No matter your industry–whether you are in corporate, an entrepreneur, or an independent contractor–you won’t want to miss this onetime only teleseminar. Because we believe now is the time to invest in your business and your life and because we know the power behind having a powerful personal and online image, we’re offering this free, 90-minute teleseminar at two time slots: 2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific) OR 8 pm Eastern (5 pm Pacific).

Register today for this onetime only call. 

*No recordings will be made available. You must be on the call during one of the two available time slots to hear this powerful information that will change your life and your business.