Media Channels - Source: Marketo

More than 75% of the U.S. adult population is now online! Do you know where your customers are NOW or will be in the FUTURE?

By 2012 it is estimated that more than 1 billion people will be posting information online through blogs, email, social networks, and photo/ video sharing networks. The old traditional way of marketing ‘one-way or outbound’ marketing (telemarketing, direct mail, print ads, TV/radio-interruption based) is over. Today, connecting with your customers is becoming more of a challenge and the pressure on businesses to shift strategy is mounting. The age of ‘inbound’ marketing (blogging, social media, RSS, SEO/SEM, public relations-permission based) is here to stay. Businesses and non-profit organizations are now required to create compelling environments and generate original content that attracts prospects through interactive venues.

In contrast, marketing principles have not changed: Nurturing meaningful relationships is still accomplished by traditional means and still includes a dynamic process of: 1) Research 2) Planning 3) Communication, and 4) Evaluation. In today’s business environment the only difference involves the media channels we use to connect and maintain these relationships as technology allows us to expand our networks exponentially. A new business mindset is necessary to embrace this new paradigm—the only mistake a business can make in today’s economy is “inaction”.

Justine Lopez | www.BrandingAlaCarte.com | jlo@BrandingAlaCarte.com

Subject: Need your advice
Hi Justine, Sorry to bother you, I noticed you were in my network and in marketing and was wondering if you had any suggestions on driving traffic to my site. It’s just a basic gift basket site but I’m having a hard time getting traffic to it. The URL is www.blissfulbalance.com I would really appreciate your honest advice. I don’t have a lot of money to market the site as well so please keep that in mind. Thanks!

Like many of you, driving traffic to your business website is a primary business concern and challenge. In fact, the two biggest reasons small businesses go out of business is:

1.  They run out of money, and/or
2.  They have inadequate marketing

SOLUTION:
The good news is you don’t need a lot of money to market your site, but what you will need is patience, commitment, consistency, time, and more patience. As you know getting traffic to your website is the lifeblood of any business (on or offline). There are many strategies to accomplish this –however the KEY is to develop a quality strategy that works best for you, your customers, and compliments your specific business. 

Below are 3 tactics you should consider for attracting quality traffic to your business site.

1)    Write Content-Rich Articles – Keep them short, (350-500 words) – add them to your website and/or blog also submit them to EzineArticles.com. Don’t forget to include keywords in your articles –

3 Things to Remember About Keywords:  

1) A keyword can be more than one word;
2) Keyword research is easy; and
3) Words are not always enough for an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy – there are many other factors to consider such as website links, message clarity, call to action, website design, etc.

Here are a few tools to help you with your keyword selection and webpage effectiveness: Google Keyword Tool, Google Analytics, Word tracker, and Keyword Discovery.   

2)   Social Media Marketing – Social Media (SM) takes structured time and consistency before you will begin to see measurable results. The primary accounts I recommend setting up are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn; as you begin to build relationships through these networks you will begin to connect with like-mined people who will be willing to support you and your business thus generating more traffic to your website — for example, you invited me to look at your site as you reached out for advice – now others have an opportunity to sample your products…this is how it works!

3)    Video Marketing – The primary idea per your specific business is to create a quick tip that you can record and share on YouTube. You also want to link your video to your other Social Media accounts with a short message – always remember to remind your audience (provide a link) to visit your website for your special offer and/or detailed information.

Follow these simple steps:

Step 1 – Write a short informative script (You can use the same Content-Rich Articles you write from strategy #1 above).

Step 2 – Create a quick video using your article content and submit it to your YouTube account.

Step 3 – Share a link to your YouTube video on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. That’s it!

There are many other key tactics in addition to reasons (such as goals and available resources) to consider – yet, the primary marketing principle to remember is whatever tactic/strategy you decide to develop — BE CONSISTENT and deliver quality content, and within a few months you will begin to see bottom line RESULTS.

If you have a similar business challenge and need help building a targeted marketing or SEO strategy contact me at, jlo@brandingalacarte.com. You can also sign up for our complimentary 5-Week Mini Marketing Course at “Marketing Solutions Online” — it’s your first step to a positive and long-term marketing solution.

1) Mistake Number One is ‘INACTION’ – social-media is not going away anytime soon, so don’t be the business professional or owner who dismisses the exploding growth of Facebook, which recently surpassed 300 million users worldwide — with 25-49 year olds ranking as the largest demographic. Is this your customer base? It would be foolish to waste time with ‘inaction’ – now is the time to create a viable strategy to implement.  Understanding how social media can increase your business growth, rather than dismiss it as a fad, or a waste of time and money.

2) Mistake Number Two is “FEAR” – the fear of NOT owning the conversation and trusting your employees, partners, and customers to speak for themselves. One client continues to resist implementing a social-media system for fear of negative posts and conversations.  The common analogy to this is: You would not walk into a social gathering and immediately begin spurting out negative and demeaning comments to the guests? Would you? Most people would not. Allow your customers, employees, and partners to speak for you and about your business in the positive framework you create through your services, products, and work culture – have a conversation!

3) Mistake Number Three is “UNDERESTIMATING” – do not underestimate the long-term effect of seemingly small efforts – many small actions add up. Building relationships and solidifying bonds takes time and is built through incremental action steps and reliable long-term systems.  Social-media is about connecting with your customers, establishing trust, and providing quality services, and products. Announcing a recent recall or special service guarantee to your fan base will go a long way in building your brand – short-term investments equal long-term gains.

4) Mistake Number Four is “COST” – while social-media venues such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are free don’t assume they don’t cost you anything. In order to get the most out of these tools you must commit to an investment of time, effort, training, and consistency. Social-media tools are necessary to your marketing toolkit and will compliment your current marketing efforts.

5) Mistake Number Five is “EDUCATION” – don’t assume you have nothing to learn. Social-media marketing is a new frontier and we are on this path together.  Listening is a key component to understanding – allow your base to support you and respect them enough to listen to them – collaborative efforts for business growth and success is essential!

  Free 5-Week Mini Marketing Course http://miniurl.org/Ac5

 12-Step Marketing Tips
jlo@BrandingAlaCarte.com
www.linkedin.com/in/justinelopez

2) No written plan. — A written plan helps you look at things from a long-term perspective – (budget, target markets, strategic messages, etc.)

3) Lack of commitment. — A serious long- term commitment to marketing is absolutely essential! Marketing takes repetition, and consistency is important – you cannot do one mailing, one trade show, or one email newsletter and expect results.

4) Unrealistic expectations. — Don’t expect your marketing efforts to produce unrealistic results – do the research, do the work, and set realistic benchmarks, and finally stick with a strategy.

5) Lack of measurement. — Track everything. Repeat what works. Eliminate what doesn’t work. Measure your return on investment (ROI).

6) No database. — Your database is your foundation, your hub, your greatest asset. Create a database through a social media network or an internal spreadsheet: the important tenet is to CREATE, BUILD, AND NUTURE A DATABASE of clients, friends, and associates – finally automate and streamline your marketing efforts with a system.

Begin Your Marketing Efforts with Branding.

Start your marketing efforts with Branding — Branding is defined as experience and marketing is generating business – see the difference?

Branding is the “ACTION” of engagement that separates you from similar businesses or services.

Differentiate yourself and your business through branding.

Help your prospective customers experience your service or product.

Differentiating your service and product is the most important tenet in branding……and your most powerful marketing tool!

You have to uncover and communicate why your business is different from every other similar business – get out of the commodity business and be different!

1) You have to stake your claim on a simple idea.
2) You have to position yourself in the mind of your prospective clients.
3) You have to promote yourself.
4) You have to re-package yourself.
5) You have to develop a written plan and strategy.

12-Step Marketing Tips
jlo@BrandingAlaCarte.com
www.linkedin.com/in/justinelopez

For example: What did you do last evening? Immediately you will begin to visualize a picture in your mind — We are able to direct the thinking of our clients and prospects with well thought out questions.

Here’s what well phrased and directed questions can do for you —

1. Good questions direct your customer’s thinking. Compare and eliminate information.
2. Questions help your customer clarify their thinking.
3. Questions help you collect information to construct a sale.
4. Questions help you understand your customer’s needs and interests.
5. Questions build relationships. Questions are engaging and show interest.
6. Good questions lead to understanding and convey the perception of your competence.

Mastering the use of good questions is your single most powerful interpersonal marketing and sales tool.

12-Step Marketing Tips
jlo@BrandingAlaCarte.com
www.linkedin.com/in/justinelopez