SIX MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Imran Rashid Khan

Small business owners are increasingly showing concerns about effectively marketing their businesses. Small business owners should take knowledgeable actions, which may seem small now, but will prove to be a major factor in the stability and growth of their businesses.

Here are six (6) simple tips for building a better marketing strategy for your small business, one that will put your customers first and your business second to none.

1. Develop a Marketing Budget.

Customer attraction and retention are the two most pressing concerns for small business owners. While few of them spend minimal amounts on marketing their business, majority of small business owners don’t spend any money on marketing.

Small business owners should put aside a flexible budget to tackle new marketing opportunities and ideas so as to better position their business. Consumers are increasingly researching products or services to make purchases, so return-on-investment (ROI) should be the key factor by which to measure your marketing efforts. Business which spend very less or nothing on their marketing will only hurt their bottom line. Small businesses should make smart investments in marketing so they are better positioned to attract customers now and in the future.

2. Build a Website.

A website is the essential component for any business to have an online virtual presence. It is through your business website that your current and potential customers will find you and connect with you. Whether you are building you business website now, or looking to improve the one you already have keep the following things in mind:

•  Your business contact information (address, phone number, email, etc) should be promptly displayed on each page of your website, not just in your Contact or About Us page. Make sure that your business contact information is consistent and updated on all online business listing sites.
• Enlist the help of a professional website designer to build a visually appealing and easy to navigate website. Your website should be SEO optimized.
• Keep your website content current and updated so that it is relevant to those visiting your site and help in higher ranking of your site in search engine results. Update your site with promotions, offerings and introducing new products and services. Use analytical tools to find out from where your visitors are coming from, and how they are finding you. This will help you in improving the customer experience of your visitors, ensuring return visitors.

3. Make Your Website Mobile-Optimized.

Increasingly consumers are using Smartphones and tablets to search for local businesses and to shop for products and services, so ensure that your website is mobile-optimized or responsive. Ignoring this opportunity will diminish the chances for securing business from these visitors.

4. SUBSCRIBE TO LOCAL LISTINGS.

Get your business listed in the local listing, and make sure it is in the appropriate category. Make your listing accurate and complete. Ensuring that your business listing is complete and accurate plays an important role in determining whether your customers reviewing your listing can move forward with contacting you and making a purchase. Include business address, phone number, website address, email address, social media channel addresses, photos, offerings, etc. This will help your customers to get as much information as they need about your business before making a decision.

5. MANAGE TESTIMONIALS AND REVIEWS.

Before the online revolution, consumers placed their trust on word-to-mouth testimonials, same way online reviews and testimonials play an important role in driving consumers purchasing behavior. Small business owners should ensure that their customers can reach them directly through varied means. Regular monitoring should be in place of the reviews. All reviews especially the negatives one should be replied promptly in a professional way with focus to remedy the issue. After every transaction or services provided, an email should be sent to your customer asking them to leave feedback on your website or your business social media channel.

6. BUILD A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.

With the advent of online social media platforms, consumers are spending more and more time on social media not only interacting with their family and friends, but also with popular brands. Small business owners are increasingly engaging their loyal and potential customers through social media channels. Before jumping onto the bandwagon, small business owners should take in to account the following things:

• Begin by selecting which social media platform will be more appropriate for your business. Facebook and Twitter provide strong platforms to reach your customers with offerings, promotions, and the like. These platforms also have the ability to engage in one-to-one conversations with their customers answering to feedbacks, queries, and complaints. For businesses dealing in clothing, furniture, art, and other kinds of designing Pintrest can provide a platform for sharing visually their offerings. And sites like YouTube can help businesses to post ‘how-to-do’ videos.
• Once your business social media channel(s) have been created, share the information. Keep updating it with relevant information. Include compelling photos, videos, and other visual content so that your followers keep coming back and stay connected. Your business social media channel(s) are an extension of your online presence, respond to any inquiries, questions, and other comments promptly.

FINAL WORDS

Small business owners should measure results from their marketing initiatives. They should find out how well their marketing strategies have worked, and what else they can or should be doing. Develop a reporting mechanism that will enable you to see the impact of the marketing activities on your business. Soon you will start seeing the benefits of your business marketing activities at work – the ability of your business to retain and attract customers.

What is in the name?

What is in the Name? - Freelance WorkTips

Planning to launch your own business? Choosing the right name for your startup business is a critical part of staring your business. It not only distinguishes your business from your competitors but, it also can make the difference between success and failure. The name you choose reflects on what your business is all about and what your potential customers will perceive of your business. Your business name will reflect your company’s values and its distinguishing characteristics.

Moreover, you need to ensure that the name you choose for your business can be registered and is also web savvy i.e. is the domain name available?

Remember there is no singly correct way to choose the right name for your startup business, but the only way your business will succeed if your products or services score well on quality. There are many examples where the business names are ordinary and simple and are doing well in the market. Similarly, there are companies with very unique and catchy names that are not doing very well. So it boils down to this that the business name does create an impression in the mind of the potential customer but , ultimately the quality of your products or services which you offer will decide the future of your startup business.

In general it is advised that the business name should be catchy, simple, and easy to spell and pronounce. Remember that in trying to be catchy and different the name shouldn't be too confusing or vague for the customers to understand or you might end up loosing the customers.

Think about what you want your company name to convey.

The business name you choose will appear on your business cards, letterheads, website, promotional materials, and everywhere else, so you should consider what you want your company name to convey. Service oriented businesses should consider a name that includes or describes what the business does so that it will be easy for their prospective customers to recognise what services the business provides.

It is very important that you think hard before selecting a name for your business because it is going to effect how your customers feel about your business. The more obscure, difficult to pronounce, or spell the harder it will be to remember.

Brainstorm to identify name possibilities.

Once you have decided on what you business name will convey, start your brainstorming sessions. In these sessions think about words that describe your products or services, the benefits of using your products/services. Think of words or phrases that will evoke the feelings you want your customers to feel when they see your business name. Use dictionary, thesauruses, and any other resource which will help you. Form a list, go through any web service and see how many have been taken already. Check www.uspto.gov if the potential business names are not already a trademark.

Once you have shortened the list check the rest of it to see how many have been registered as domain names. This step will likely cut down quite a few potential names away. Lastly, Google your potential online business name in quote to see that no competitor appears on the name you have chosen.

The moment you decide the name of your business, make sure to register it, claim your domain name, your social media identity and if required trademark your name.

While choosing the right name for your business few things to consider:

•While abstract words can be catching, like Yahoo, Google, and Amazon the more obscure a business name the harder it will be to remember and can lead to confusion and set your business back in terms of awareness. So choose a familiar name, which is easy to pronounce and remember.

•Misspelled words not only can make your business name stand out but it can also help you in domain name registration. Examples of misspelled names are flickr, and tumblr. While it may be creative to misspell words it does not always work to your advantage. On the other hand misspelled words will not be easy to lookup in the search engine.

•Two Syllable or Compound words can be used by combining 2 words together to name your business. Examples of this are Facebook, Skillshare. This will not only be useful in making your business name memorable but, it can also help you in registering your domain name easily. Choose words which will not only appeal to you but will also appeal to your potential customers.

•Initials like IBM and Acronyms like AT&T can be used if your business name is long and multiword phrase (an acronym is composed of the first letter of each word in a phrase), but a poorly chosen business name can result in unfavourable acronym.

•The name needs to sound good while saying aloud. Use a name that has meaning and conveys your business message/benefits.

•Avoid names that are too narrow or too literal. So don't use names which will restrict your growth in the future. For example when I started out my business in content writing many of my friends advised me to select a name which had writing or content in the business name, but I decided on "outsource2me", this way when I decide to expand & go into web designing and more I won’t need to change the name of my business.

•You can use Keywords to name you business by making use of words which directly give an idea about the business. No frills, just directly to the point.


In conclusion I would say that it is very important that you think hard before selecting a name for your business because it is going to effect how your customers feel about your business.

As always you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.

Have a great and prosperours life.

Branding Your Business

Branding Your Business - Freelance WorkTips

As more and more companies enter the marketplace, many of them small businesses, it’s more important than ever to rise above the competition and establish your reputation. To do this the businesses need to start establishing their brand. The value of your brand sets the benchmark for your marketing potential.
If there are 100 other web designers, or 20 other caterers working in your area, how will you make sure that clients choose you over your competitors? The only way is to create a brand which will allow your target audience to actually look your way and see what you have to offer.

First of all let’s get the definition of brand and branding down. A Brand is a collection of words, images, and ideas which represent and identify a business.

Branding is the process of integrating a company’s brand into everything they do.

Branding is a complete packaging of your business going in the website, emails, promotional videos, letterheads, business cards, etc., but keep in mind that branding is not just your logo, your website or, your business name it’s what your customers perceive about you. With the right branding you can invoke trust, build loyalty and connect with your customers emotionally.

Branding preferably should be done in the early stages as it allows you to jump start on some marketing activities therefore, branding your business should not be taken lightly.

If you own a startupbusiness and planning to make it big in the industry, here are some tried-and-tested tips that will help you establish your brand.

Brand Strategy

Branding is one of the most important aspects of your business, large or small. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.

Your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors. Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Defining Your

Once you've created your brand strategy, the next step is how to define your brand. Here are a few simple tips:

Know your audience:

Your audience is one of the most important factors to consider when putting up a business simply because they are the ones who will buy your product.

Therefore, it is important that you familiarize yourself with your target market, so that you can tailor your products and services according to what they need and want.

Identify your competition:

As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. What it implies in your situation is that you have to identify who your competition are in the market, and then look at their strengths and weaknesses. Look out for areas where you can develop something better or eliminate or minimize your flaws.

Get a great logo: 

Your logo is the face of your brand, so get a logo which incorporates your brand message so that your target market will like and never forget it. Place it everywhere.

Create a website:

Whether you are an online business or a brick-and-mortar shop, create a website for your business. Your website will help not only to showcase your products but also help you to interact with your customers easily. In your website, you can have an about page, your product or services page, a testimonial page, a contact information page, and even an order form page for convenient transactions. Just make sure it resonates your brand message.

Blog regularly:

As an entrepreneur, part of your job is to keep your customers updated not just about your products/services but also of the industry you represent, you can accomplish these by regularly publishing blog posts on your website.

Write about your new products/services or communicate to your customers the latest industry-related event and happenings through a short feature article. If your products require assembly or specific instructions, you can also make tutorials in video format to assist your customers.  The idea here is to provide content that your customers will find highly useful and relatable.

Engage in social media:

To connect with your customers better and learn what they think, establish an active online presence by creating accounts on popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Build your online community, and engage them in virtual conversations.

Your customers are the best judge of your products so ask them for feedback, When they do, don’t forget to thank them for their time and if possible give them some incentives/freebies.

This way, you’ll get to know your customers more and improve your products/services based on their opinion.

Integrate your brand:

Branding extends to every aspect of your business – be it your website, emails, promotional videos, letterheads, business cards, Social Content,Blog,etc

Your brand should be applied in all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and offline. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. Be consistent and create brand standards for your marketing materials. 

Be consistent:

Customers won't return to you,or refer you to someone else if you don't deliver on your brand promise. So the most important tip above all is consistency. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

Check out the interesting infographic by webs.com below to learn what elements you need to help your brand stand the test of time.

As always you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.

Have a great and prosperours life.

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Cloud Computing

It can be defined as “Computing in which access is gained through internet to data and files, or software applications which are stored on remote machines owned by somebody else”. In general terms Cloud Computing can be for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet.

Cloud computing has distinct characteristics that differentiates it from hosting is that, the service is on demand; a user can have as much or as little of a service at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider. A good example of Cloud computing is you online email service of Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail; where the vendor houses all the hardware and the software necessary to support the email service. The only thing required is an internet connection thorough which you log-in using a web browser. You can access it from anywhere as it is not physically installed on your computer.

Cloud computing is catching on very fast and it is not just a fad any more-simple reason being that the traditional computing  is very expensive and requires a variety of hardware and software to be purchased and a whole team of professionals to keep it running at client level. With cloud computing client side management of hardware and software is eliminated and it becomes the responsibility of the vendor-which means the clients only pays for what it has used, upgrades are automatic, and applications can be scaled up or down easily. With Cloud computing you just need open a browser, log-in and start using the application or update your data or files.

Cloud computing can be very beneficial for small or mid-sized businesses, as they don’t need to purchase lot of hardware and software to run their business applications and storing of data. Business can store their information in the cloud and pay only for the space utilized.

Benefits of Cloud Computing includes:

• Cost Savings — Cloud computing can bring hardware costs down, where businesses won’t need to buy the fastest computer with the most memory, or a large hard drive. Instead, an inexpensive computer terminal including a monitor, input devices like a keyboard and mouse and just enough processing power to connect to the cloud system would be sufficient. Cloud service providers do the system maintenance thus further reducing maintenance requirements.
• Scalability/Flexibility — Businesses will be able to start with a small operation and grow to a large operation, and then scale back if necessary. The flexibility of cloud computing allows businesses to use extra resources at peak times, enabling them to satisfy consumer demands. Cloud computing gives its subscriber’s wide access to computer applications. The will not have to buy a set of software or software licenses for every employee. Instead, the company could pay a metered fee to a cloud computing company.
• Reliability/Mobility — Cloud service providers use multiple redundant sites which can support business continuity and disaster recovery. As systems are accessible from anywhere, workers have increased productivity.

Conclusion:

Cloud computing provides many options for the everyday computer user as well as large and small businesses. It has opened up the world of computing to a broader range of uses of resources by giving access through any internet connection.

Cloud computing is a model for enabling everywhere, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). Clients would be able to access their applications and data from anywhere at any time. They could access the cloud computing system using any computer linked to the Internet. Data wouldn't be confined to a hard drive on one user's computer or even on a corporation's internal network.

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5 Esstential Tips for Freelancers

1. Market Yourself – Network, Network.

You need to tell people who you are, what you bring, and how you could be service to them. You have to constantly market yourself for success and build a referral network.

Internet is a valuable tool for freelancers, especially if you have website. It serves as a point of contact between you and your potential clients.

You have to present yourself as to who you are and what you do and the skills and values you bring. Market your business as it is the key to a steady flow of new and repeat clients. Market on how your freelance business is better then similar business.

It’s not enough to what you know but, who you know. Use social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedln and other online communities like freelancer.com to meet, greet, and expand your network, and get your business in front of prospective clients.

Through these networks get feedbacks to fine tune your product or service. Not only that, you can get your first break through these networks and referrals. These sites can also be used to develop and maintain relationships with clients. 

2. Get to know your competitors.

Study and research your competitors in trade journals, social sites, freelance forums, and visit their website.  Pay attention to what your competitors do. Learn from them, they may be doing something right which you can be implemented in your business. Understand that you don’t know everything and be open to new ideas and new approaches for your business success.

You need to know who all your competitors are, not just the obvious ones, but the ones who are meeting the needs of your customers with products/ services which you do not offer.

Resist the urge to compete on price. Trying to undercut every competitor is a losing race. Instead, focus on providing greater value.

3. Follow-up.

For a successful business it is very important to follow-up to maximise opportunities. Stay in touch with them long after the sale, puts you ahead of the competition. Customers will feel appreciated with a follow-up. People do business with people they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. A committed follow-up strategy will increase your referrals with your customers and clients. By doing a follow-up you can remind them about your product or services you are offering. Follow-up can also be an acknowledgement for using your product or services.

4. Get Organised.

To be successful in any business it is very essential to be organised especially for a freelancer as he/she is responsible for everything. You need to have a good plan and organisational skills. Take your time and plan out all necessary steps to achieve success.

Make sure your work environment is conducive to maximise productivity. Keep it neat and tidy and minimise distractions. Schedule your work hours and set a routine. Being organised will help you complete tasks within time. Have a check list or to-do-list as you complete a task heck it off your list. Schedule your time; keep a calendar of meetings and deadlines. Set up a system for your workday; effectively prioritise email correspondence by using an auto filter.

5. Stay Focused.

You are not going to start making money the moment you start your business, it takes time so stay focused in achieving your short term goals. Constantly keep doing the things necessary to be successful, because success will not come in one night. Set goals so as to measure how well is your business doing, devise a plan to reach and achieve these goals. Always be on the look out for ways in improving your business and make it stand out from the competition. Keep a positive attitude, as a good attitude is a great asset for a freelancer. Believe in yourself.

Conclusion:

Starting and running a successful business can be rewarding and challenging. There are few things more satisfying than launching and owning your own freelance business. Starting a business is not complicated, but running it successfully requires focus, discipline, perseverance, and motivation. However, success will not come over night - it requires a long-term focus and that you remain consistent in challenging environments. Be prepared to adapt, innovate, and invigorate, so that your freelance business will break-out to the next level of profitability. Remember in business the only constant is change, so adapt and prosper.

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Your Business Plan & Commitment

To proceed further in creating your online business you need to have a plan of action or a Business Plan to achieve your goals. A business without a plan is like wandering blindly and relaying on luck. So planning is essential for starting a business. While making a Business Plan you need to answer the following questions:

• Name of your online business.
• Vision of your online business.
• Who is your Target Market?
• What will you be selling to your Target Market?
• What makes your business different from your competition?
• Your Marketing Strategy.

Once you have pen down the answers of the above questions, then you will need to commit to it.

I am sure that by now you must be inspired and very excited about starting your new online business, but excitement is not enough to keep going. You need commitment and commitment is a choice.

So if you want your business to be successful, then you should commit to your vision. Write down your commitment on a paper, sign it and date it. This way whenever you start loosing your inspiration and excitement you can go and read your signed commitment, to get on track again.

Action Plan

• Pen down your Business Plan.
• Commit to you vision.

Until the next tip, take care.

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