Georgia SBDC- Small Business Blog

Event Marketing for Small Business

On line media is continuing to grow everyday and the use by the small business owner seems to grow every day also.  It seems that more and more business owners want to have an understanding about social media, its uses, and more importantly how they can apply it to use in their business. Other forms of on line marketing are also important, such as email marketing, SEO, and advertising.

One thing that many small business owners are now doing is making events that their customers and clients can attend.  The traditional way of inviting people to these events was from the telephone or mail.  Now there are several programs such as eventbrite.com or even using Facebook to reach their contacts.  I was using Constant Contact the other day, and noticed that they also now have a function for creating events, inviting people, and collecting payment if that is what you need.  This is convenient for those business owners who use this program to reach their customers with email.  Customers can sign up for your event on line and it will keep track of all guests who are planning on attending.

The use of technology, if used correctly, can help give you a few more minutes in your already hectic day.  The above example is just one of many to help make you and your business more efficient.  Try to understand and use different programs that can help your business grow.

The Customer Service Paradox

As seen on the SBDC blog for the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.  Well done!

Small business owners will do well to understand the Customer Service Paradox: 

Great customer service will not help sell a product or service that nobody wants, but bad customer service will ensure customers won’t buy something they do want. 

What makes the Paradox true?  In simplest terms, good or even great customer service is not enough to sustain customers, but it can be the single issue that drives customers away.  The challenge for small business owners is that they want to use customer service as a competitive advantage.  Small business owners may rely on customer service as the unique selling proposition that spurs their marketing efforts when really, great customer service is a basic expectation that all customers have.

At its core, customer service is the activities that enhance overall customer satisfaction with a customer’s or client’s experience with your organization.  You will notice that it is not just the purchasing experience, but the total experience with your organization.  When you think of all the ways customers may interact with your organization, you will see that this can become significantly complicated.

The obvious place to strengthen your customer service efforts are with your staff – all staff.  Your sales or customer service reps are not the only contact your organization has with actual and potential clients.  Make sure to communicate your customer service goals to everyone within your organization.  Convey the idea that excellent customer service is an integral part of every employee’s job description. 

In today’s virtual world, many of your customers may never pick up the phone or talk with someone face to face.  Every access to your company is an opportunity to exceed your customers’ expectations.  Is your website easily understood?  Can your customers find the information they want or find a contact person if they have questions.  Do your employees respond well with e-mail? 

If you ask people to share an example of customer service, good or bad, ten to one they go to the bad.  Customers love to share their horror stories of “what went wrong!”  Again, customers have an expectation that they will be treated well, that they will be able to find what they need, and that they will have questions answered.  If they cannot get this basic customer need met, they will find a company who can deliver.

The Customer Service Paradox transcends all industries and sectors, large and small companies alike.  Customers enforce it every day.  While customer service isn’t enough to drive customers to your company on its own merit, remember that it does have the strength to keep them from returning.

Twitter and Facebook, Now what?

As seen on the Marketing Blog

Okay, despite my greatest effort to avoid the issue, too many people are focused on Twitter and Facebook. How can you use these tools to build a business? I'm here to tell you to calm down, take a deep breath, and realize that social networking can certainly help you with your online marketing but isn't all it's cracked up to be.

What do I mean? We'll if you are trying to earn a million bucks using social networking sites, then I'm here to tell you that you are going to be disappointed. Personally I think Facebook is a great tool for spreading the work and creating awareness. In fact, I recently spoke to an individual who heads up social marketing for a packaged goods company.

His company uses Facebook to create groups around product themes and launch events. For example, developing a video contest where people use his product and submit videos.  By having a fan page, you can reach a large network of individuals and create something of interest. The tie back to product sales may be a little loose, but using Facebook to "spread the word" is really the essence of the social networking tool.

This is very similar to what Nike did years ago by giving athletes and jocks a free pair of Air Jordans. They were influencers and Nike understood that once an influencer puts something on, others want it. Think about Facebook this way and you should come up with some pretty innovative marketing ideas.

Twitter is taking the best part of Facebook (updates) and building a site around it. If you're popular enough to have hundreds of followers, indirectly mention a website or product you're using and you'll drive traffic.

How are you using social media?

Social Media: Fad or Trend?

Every now and then i find an article that I think is well written and thought provoking.  This one on Social Media did it for me.  It can be found here.  It is from the Blog of Guest Relations Marketing.

Enjoy!

We have heard many business professionals question the validity of social media in terms of its value to business communications.   “I don’t need to follow so and so … “ or “I don’t need any more friends.”   Like any media or contact point, social media sites have their own characteristics … and their own limitations.

But, social media is here to stay.   What is uncertain is what formats and sites will thrive and what new applications will take root.  But, the category is growing in acceptance and engagement.

There are some fundamental reasons why:  people have become increasingly skeptical of the credibility of conventional news sources, so they have sought their own.   Private “on the scene” videos of news events have peppered YouTube and rival the reach of conventional news outlets in certain cases.   People still seek the ideal of belonging to a community.  With social media, they can choose to engage with like interests in a manner of their choosing.   On demand.   We want it now.  Everything.   And, finally, connecting to beliefs, interests and other things that are held in passionate terms are now served up in social media.   You don’t need a publisher or agent to blog on a subject you are a Zealot about.

Here is why social media is even more valuable to businesses. As long as transparency and authenticity are practiced, businesses have a great opportunity to show its followers it has a heart, it has employees that are likeable, and it has a story to share.  In short, a chance to share the emotional side of its “brand.”  And, how ironic is that?  In a media that eschews overt selling, here’s the opportunity to make the emotional connection.  Through your story, through your employees, through your customers, and most certainly, through your Zealots.

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Guest Relations Marketing
Transforming Prospects to Guests, and Guests to Zealots

"Hope" Is Not A Effective Business Strategy

Three days every year, all of the consultants of the Georgia SBDC Network get together for training at the state office.  We have several speakers come in and talk about business, marketing, finance, accounting and many other subjects.  This year was certainly no exception and we have had some great speakers and training.

One speaker gave some good advice that every business owner needs to remember, "hope" is not an effective business strategy.  As economic times are tough for everyone, many business owners hope that they will make payroll, hope to have customers walk in the door, or  hope to be able to pay themselves.  Are you hoping, or trying to plan.  By analyzing your expenses, revenues and other factors you may be able to find the seasonality in your business that may show you how your next few months or years may be.  Sales in your business could still be lower than usual, but the seasonal fluctuations may still be taking place.  By understanding your margins and expenses combined with your past performance, you may be able weather the storm for now. 

The Georgia SBDC network can help you review your projections to see how your business is going, or can help you create some if you do not have any as of yet.  If you need to reach any of our offices, go to our website to find our contact information.

Social Networks bigger than Email?

This article is a little old as it was from March, but I just find it amazing.  The article below was written by Dave Kaminski.  He talks about the use of social networking and social media.  Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are used more than email is.  It is important to consider though that most social network platforms have a message component built in.  So this could be replacing regualr email.

The stat that was shocking though, is that 1 out of every 11 minutes one spends online is on Facebook.  WOW!  This is starting to prove what many others have known all along that social networks are being used by consumers, and they need to be paid attention to my companies, organizations, or anyone who wants to reach out to individuals. 

So try some of the new media, it may work for you or may not work for you.  It is time that you stop ignoring it though!

 

Social Networking Becomes More Popular Than Email

According to new market research released by Nielsen this week, more people now use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter…than they do email.

This puts social networking sites as the 4th most popular “tool” on the web, with 66.8 percent of Internet users visiting social networking sites in 2008 (up 5.4% from 2007).  By comparison, email use grew by only 2.7%, with 65.1 percent of users accessing it, landing it in 5th place.

Rounding out the top 3 user activities on the Internet were search engines at 85.9%, general interest portals at 85.2% and software sites at 73.4%.

But the most interesting statistic was the amount of time spent by user’s on social networking sites…where it grew at a rate of more than three times other sites.  Overall, total time spent on web sites grew by 18%…while the total time spent on social networking sites grew by 63%.

And of the social networking sites, Facebook was the runaway winner with a 566% increase in the amount of time user’s spent on-site.  Or to put it in more “real world” terms, social networking users now spend 1 out of every 11 minutes online…on Facebook.

In fact, while Facebook is just the ninth most popular “brand” on the Internet, it ranks 1st in user time spent on-site, with users spending an average of 3 hours and 10 minutes per month on Facebook.

So there’s your daily dose of web statistics.  Honestly, could there be a more compelling reason on why you should be using new media for your business?

Twitter for Business?

I have been getting a lot of questions about Twitter and how to use it to further your business.  People are even curious if Twitter even has a place in the  marketing mix.  So to answer like the true consultant that I am...  IT DEPENDS!!!

In my opinion, it works better in the B-to-B format where a company can mention what they are doing and the followers (if potential customers) can think, I could use that too.  I have not seen it as effective when marketing to consumers but that does not mean that it could not work. 

I have also noticed that it is a good way for people to stay in the news. The USA Today reported that Britney Spears is the "Queen of Twitter" due to her large amount of followers.  So this can be a great way for an already popular person to remain in the spotlight. 

For others, it is literally a way for friends to keep in touch with each other.  Every application of social media was not created for the particular purpose of solving the world's business problems.  It was probably created to be fun, make people's lives easier, and maybe even create a few extra dollars.  It is the marketers of the world that find a niche to further their business with it.  Again, there is nothing wrong with that, I am a marketer too.

So can Twitter fit into your marketing mix?  Sure!  Is it for everyone?  No!  Do what is right for your business but at least know what each medium is, and if it can benefit your business.  Do not be afraid to ask others if you don't understand how to implement it into your marketing.

Stretch Your Marketing Budget To Create Return

A post from the Marketing Blog on how to stretch your marketing budget.  This is good information even if we were not stretching our dollors.

Enjoy!

With marketing budgets under scrutiny, doing more with less is essential for creating a positive return on your investment. The fact is that marketing budgets are shrinking in today's difficult economic climate. This is the precise opposite of what should actually happen. When times are tough, its time to start marketing.

Do more with your shrinking marketing budget. This is easily done when you consider the power of viral marketing. The purpose of viral marketing is to leverage others - customers, prospects, friends, and connections to help you sell your products and services. Here are a few other ideas you can use to jump start your marketing.

Leverage all you do. Whenever you make a contact with browsers, prospects, customers, or friends, consider how you can communicate information about your products and services. Is there a way to use each interaction as a stepping stone to assess needs, offer solutions, and move individuals through the purchase decision process?

Make a conscious effort to ask for referrals. In many industries, referrals are the lifeblood of the business. Starting a referral campaign is easy and can be done simply by asking. You may also consider offering an incentive to individuals who pass along your name or encourage others to transact with your company.

Focus on creating a dialogue. If you are interacting via multiple media such as fliers, letters, emails, etc, make sure that you include valuable information and promotional offers. This can keep your business moving forward and is easy to implement. Think about adding a promotional postcard to your next package with an offer your customers can't refuse.

Keep testing new things. Especially in tough times, it is very important to dedicate a portion of your budget toward trying new marketing methods or ideas. Even if it is just ten percent of your budget, all it takes is one success idea to have a significant impact on your lead flow or revenue.

Improving marketing results does not have to cost you money. In fact, some of the best, most successful marketing ideas were started with little or no money. Think viral. How can you leverage the assets you already have? By taking what you have and making it better or expanding it, your results will often scale. To many people stop short of fully riding out their marketing campaigns and enjoying the results they can achieve if only they persist.

Offer a free download on your website. What can you do to attract more visitors and have them give you valuable information about themselves? The information you provide could be a free informational packet, checklist, or video. If people want free, you can give it to them but remember to ask them for something first. Be the master of get/give and you can build your list quickly.

Online Community for Business Owners

Do you think that online communitites are getting popular?  This was released by the Small Business Administration this morning.  It is a online community and forum for business owners.  Look it over and try it out.  This is a chance for business owners to connect.  This also shows all of the different uses of communities and their growth.  Check it out and enjoy.

 

 

 

Business.gov Launches First Government-Sponsored Online Community for Small Businesses

 

WASHINGTON – SBA’s Business Gateway Program announced today the launch of a new Web initiative – http://Community.Business.gov – the first government-sponsored online community built specifically for small businesses.

The objective of the Business.gov Community supports the White House’s mission to create a transparent and connected democracy, and aims to provide small business owners, bloggers, and the government with a place to discuss and share information about starting and running a successful business.

 

An extension of Business.gov, the Business.gov Community combines discussion forums, blogs, an idea exchange, and more, and offers advanced tools for navigating the labyrinth of government resources, policies, laws, and opportunities that impact the small business owner.

 

In addition to providing a “home” where users can share expertise and unique experiences, the site also provides a pioneering opportunity for small businesses to provide direct input into Business.gov and voice the ways government and the online community can better serve them.

 

“Over the past year, we have significantly expanded our efforts to engage with small business owners, by giving them easy access to the information they need to run their business,” said Nancy Sternberg, program manager of Business Gateway.  “The launch of the Business.gov Community represents a new milestone.  Through the application of Web 2.0 technologies, we hope to unite small business owners, industry experts and government, and take the program to a new level of collaborative knowledge-sharing and insight.”

 

Over the next few months, the Business.gov Community will expand to include additional features and resources that address specific user interests and provide access to the wider pool of government and Business.gov partner resources available to the small business owner.

 

About Business.gov

Business.gov is managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration in partnership with 21 other federal agencies.  This partnership, known as Business Gateway, provides innovative information services to the small business community that save time and money, engage citizens to participate, and enable collaboration across all key levels of government.  Launched in 2004, Business.gov provides a single access point to government services and information to help the nation’s businesses with their operations.

Any Publicity Good Publicity?

I have heard it many times before, any publicity is good publicity.  Is this a true statement?  Can publicity that is given your way hurt your business?  Ask Dell Computers what they think about publicity and a certain website that was created just for them.  Ask Iams pet food the feelings they have about negative publicity (Amazingly, I am a customer of both companies). Negative public relations and publicity can damage your company that you have worked so long and hard to create.  It can be extremely costly in the long run.  Word of mouth is still one of the most influential ways for people to buy products and services.

Many companies monitor what is being said about them on the streets as well as on the internet.  Because of blogging, micro blogging such as Twitter, and other forms of online avenues, it is extremely easy to receive publicity good and bad.  Comcast actually has employees who do nothing but monitor what people say about them.

The point I want to make is not that you should monitor yourself, but you should.  I think it is more important that you follow up on the publicity that you receive.  This needs to be the case when you receive good and bad publicity or word of mouth.  If someone is talking nice about your company, thank them!  Tell them that you appreciate that they are trying to spread the word about your company.  Sometimes it can be difficult to track down the people spreading positive word of mouth about you.  If you find out that someone is spreading negative things about you and your company, find out who they are, and try to remedy the situation.  They already like to talk, give them something to talk about in how they originally had a problem, but your company went out of its way to help them.

Word of mouth can help and hurt your business at the same time.  It should also not be your sole means of marketing your company.  Make sure to monitor it, and follow up on all forms of it.  Make sure that in everything you are doing with your company; provide the highest levels of customer service and products and services at all times.  In today’s times, it is easy to be found if you don’t, and that could cost you!