Posted by Allison Semancik on Wed, Oct 07, 2009
When you are a small business just starting out, everything you do for your 
business seems like an uphill climb. There is so much to do - marketing, sales, operations, accounting - and you are working with a tight budget.
When it comes to marketing, a lot of new small businesses are looking for low cost effective strategies and most turn to email marketing. And why not? It costs pennies to send email and you can see near instant results. The only problem most new businesses run into is that they do not have an email list.
So How Do You Build an Email List?
Building an email list can be done, but it does take some time. One way to start is to create an email newsletter with useful information for your target market. Once you've come up with some content for your newsletters, try some of the following tactics to get people to join your list:
1. On your website, have a form to allow people to sign up to receive your newsletter. Make sure you give them a reason to sign up - tell them the great information they will get in the newsletter.
2. After someone purchases, ask them if they would like to receive your newsletter.
3. In your newsletter, remind readers to forward your newsletter onto people they think would be interested. You can get them to sign up as well.
4. If your business has a physical location, put out signup sheet for your newsletter. Make sure you print a copy of your newsletter and display it so people can see the good content your newsletter will provide them.
Your most important goal is to provide information that your target market is craving. You'll gain a following in no time if you offer something of value to your readers.
Once your readers come to trust you and your information, you'll start to convert them to buyers. The bonus is that you will also strengthen the bonds you have with your current buyers, so you can convert them to repeat buyers. All in all - it's a win-win situation!
Photo: orangeacid
Posted by Sophia Greenaway on Tue, Sep 29, 2009
Word of Mouth = A Small Business' Best Friend
In the shuffle of online pop-ups, flashy print ads and infectious radio jingles, it's easy to overlook the tried and true method of expanding your company's customer base - a great recommendation from your current clientele. Although the reach of the previous methods are significant, the conversion rate from prospect to customer isn't comparable.
Case in point is the corner ice cream shop that's been in the same place for years
and on those steamy summer days, have greeted the taste buds of generations. This small business has become a community's landmark of dependability and even though it doesn't have the best parking or trendiest display window continues to build patronage year after year.
Today, modern methods have made spreading the word easier - with online customer reviews being accessed countless times and never expiring. So the next time your ponder how to get more customers in the door, remember a good review is worth a thousand ads!
Posted by Allison Semancik on Thu, Sep 24, 2009
A couple of times a week, I pop onto the Intuit Community website to see if I can help out any small business owners with their marketing questions. And over and over the same question appears on the forum by a new business owner eager to market online: "I just started my business, how can I use the Internet to get customers?"
There is not really a simple answer to this question, but there are different steps you can take to improve your online presence. I think one of the first things new businesses should do is get listed on Google Maps, otherwise known as the Google Local Business Center. It's a great way to get found in Google searches and - even better - it's free to set up your listing.
When you do a search in Google, for example, Italian restaurant, you'll see a listing for local business results near your zip code along with a map showing the locations of those listings as shown in the picture below.
These listings are all Google Local Business listings. You can create one of these listings for your company so that your business will show up when someone searches for your product or business category in Google.
To create your listing, you must first have a Gmail account. If you do not have a Gmail email account, you can go to Gmail and set one up. Once you have your Gmail account created, log into Google Local Business Center.
Once you have logged in, watch the 90 second video to show you all that you can do with a Google Local Business listing. Now click on Add a Business and from there you'll be taken through several pages where you add in details about your business.
Important things to remember:
- You can be listed in up to 5 different categories, so take advantage of it. Think of the different services or products your business offers and how people might be searching for it.
- Make sure that your location is shown correctly on the map. If it is incorrect, click on "Fix incorrect marker location" to make changes.
- You have an opportunity to add additional details about your business. This is a good place to expand upon the description of your services or products.
Once you are finished, you will need to validate your Google Maps listing. You'll most likely want to validate by phone since it will be completed a lot faster than by mail.
After you finish your Google Local Business listing, you'll want to start finding other places to list your business online. Depending on what type of business you own, check out listing on sites like Yelp, ZoomInfo and directories specific to your industry. In no time at all you'll start seeing results from your listings online.