Business Builders - November Edition

Business Builders Magazine

Building your Business One Step at a time

NOVEMBER 2013

Top 3 Marketing Trends for Small Businesses Email Marketing: Is It Dead or Complementary?

5 Deadly Detours That Can Derail Your Business Success Small Business Marketing and How to Position Your Brand

4 Habits of Highly Productive People

Attracting Customers by Adding Value

Small Business Marketing Social Media Marketing

SELLING A BUSINESS THROUGH THE BUYERS' EYES POWERED BY:

BUSINESS BUILDER MAGAZINE

CONTENTS 4

Small Business Marketing – Conventional Methods

5 6

Small Business Marketing – Social Media Marketing Small Business Marketing – Using the Right Marketing Strategy

7

Small Business Marketing – Marketing Through YouTube

8

Small Business Marketing – Directory and App Listings

10 11

Small Business Marketing – Word of Mouth Marketing

Small Business Marketing – Using Blogs to Market a Business

12

Small Business Marketing – Using Marketing Partners

13 Small Business Marketing – Using Mass Media 14 Small Business Marketing – Outsourcing Marketing Managing a Small Business: Top Ideas 15to Boost up Productivity in Your Workforce

BUSINESS BUILDER MAGAZINE

CONTENTS 16 17

4 Habits of Highly Productive People

5 Deadly Detours That Can Derail Your Business Success

19 Top 3 Marketing Trends for Small Businesses 20 Attracting Customers by Adding Value Spending Too Much Money In the Beginning Is 21 WhyStupid If You Plan On Starting Your Business 22 Email Marketing: Is It Dead or Complementary?

Advertising Unless You Read 23 Don't Waste Money onThis First 25 Why Pinterest Is Great for Your Small Business Small Business from Your 26 How to Start a Successful Home For Free 28

Small Business Marketing and How to Position Your Brand

30

Selling a Business through the Buyers' Eyes

Editor’s Notes How often do new opportunities come around? Sometimes that can all depend on you. You see, I think they come all the time.

The issue is they may not always be seen.

It’s like in the movie 12 Ghosts It was a not so well done horror movie with Tony Shalub or Monk as many people know him.

In this movie they had some glasses that will let the person wearing them see ghosts. So what if there were opportunity glasses. Where if you put them on and you see deals become visible as we listen to conversations and/or a person walks into a room and as you look at them, they display a glowing aura, which indicates they have a project or opportunity to do business with them.

Okay, back to reality. There are obviously no opportunity glasses.

However, we can train ourselves to listen to the opportunities between the conversations. We can ask questions which can foster further conversations about possible opportunities. We can find out about people who have opportunities and find a way to it through our networks. We can train ourselves to see opportunities where most don’t. We open our minds to be able to create opportunity vision. Like x-ray vision for opportunities.

Guy T. Dunn

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING CONVENTIONAL METHODS When distributing flyers it is imperative for businesses to make sure that the information is concise while the flyer is colorful enough to gain the attention of the passersby.

Marketing plays an important role in promoting a business and creating awareness about the business among prospective buyers. Marketing is a tool which when effectively used will yield long term results for businesses. Hence, it is very important for companies, especially small businesses to adopt effective marketing strategies in order to gain quick business opportunities.

The main bottleneck for small businesses is allocating budget for marketing activities. Unlike established firms, small businesses are always tight on budgets and hence find it difficult to spend money aggressively on marketing activities. The best route available to small businesses is the conventional methods of marketing.

Flyers Flyers are not so expensive but an effective method of reaching end customers. Small businesses can identify their target segment and distribute flyers with information about their business and location. The flyers can be handed out to the target group by including them with daily newspapers or employing people to distribute the flyers to people at busy market areas.

When distributing flyers it is imperative for businesses to make sure that the information is concise while the flyer is colorful enough to gain the attention of the passersby.

Posters/Billboards Posters and billboards are another easy way to gain attention quickly. By selecting a prime location and putting up a colorful billboard, businesses can gain instant attention and subsequently the mind share of the customers who they intend to target.

Posters can also convey a huge amount of information compared to pamphlets or flyers as they provide the opportunity for advertisers to include images. As the saying goes ‘images speak louder than words’, this is a good option for small businesses to promote their business effectively and at an affordable price.

Whatever the marketing technique used, it is ultimately the product that matters. Hence, along with dedicated marketing efforts, businesses must ensure that the product/service they offer meets customer expectations. Only when this happens does effective marketing help to bring in profits for the business.

Small Business Marketing Social Media Marketing Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have completely changed the marketing landscape. A lot of emphasis is being laid by companies in promoting their businesses through social media.

The main reason for businesses switching to social media is the wide reach and the flexibility that social media offers.

Businesses can market their offerings at absolutely no cost using social media platforms.

The main advantage of marketing through this media is that target customers across the length and breadth of the country can be informed about the business’s offerings and at the same time feedback can be solicited about the product, all this at a very minimum cost.

Traditional marketing methods do not offer the reach and flexibility offered by these social media platforms. Also, businesses get to interact directly when using a social media platform while in the traditional marketing methods, customers cannot be reached directly.

Social media also allows businesses, the option to offer specific customers personalized offers and deals. A lot of money is being spent by companies, both small and large, in order to promote their businesses through this medium. Recent statistics indicate that almost 93% of small businesses use social media marketing techniques to create awareness about their business.

Also, it is surprising to know that 12% of customer’s purchase decisions are affected by social media marketing techniques. Such is the power of this medium.

Social media marketing is a very effective means to reach the target audience as the numbers of users on these platforms are close to a few hundred million. It is impossible to gain access to so many potential customers, in a single go, using any other marketing media or effort. Hence, it is imperative for small businesses to make the best use of social media because the investment is very minimal but the results are extraordinary.

Recent statistics indicate that almost 93% of small businesses use social media marketing techniques to create awareness about their business. Also, it is surprising to know that 12% of customer’s purchase decisions are affected by social media marketing techniques.

Such is the power of this medium.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING USING THE RIGHT MARKETING STRATEGY An effective marketing strategy either makes or breaks a business. Adopting the right marketing strategy is one of the major challenges faced by both small and big businesses alike. Marketing is the medium through which customers get to know about a company’s offerings. There are a number of marketing techniques available today and adopting the right technique is very important for businesses in order to create the right kind of impact. Apart from helping to communicate a company’s offerings, marketing strategy helps businesses to build brand value and improves the visibility of the business among the target audience.

Some of the tried and tested marketing strategies that will immensely help small businesses are: Having a Website

Sponsoring Events/Competitions Since majority of the population spends a lot of time online browsing various sites and products, having a good website with information about a company’s offerings will help a firm to create awareness and will allow the target audience to take notice of them. A website is an affordable investment for a small business and will the help the firm to realize good benefits in the long term if it is developed and positioned in the right manner.

Offering Deals and Discounts Even big players in the market area adopting this strategy of offering huge discounts and deals to its customers. Small businesses can adopt this route provided they have the buffer to offset any losses that they might incur by offering deals and discounts. But this is a sure shot way of gaining visibility among target customers as they are always looking out for deals that will help them gain value for money.

Small businesses can choose events that are related to their product and sponsor such events.

By doing so the company will be able to gain a good mileage among its target customer group. One other way is for the company to organize events and competitions and sponsor prizes. By doing so the company can make itself visible through direct interaction with customers and through press coverage of the event.

These are some of the effective marketing strategies that will incur moderate costs and can be afforded by small and medium businesses.

Apart from helping to communicate a company’s offerings, marketing strategy helps businesses to build brand value and improves the visibility of the business among the target audience.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING THROUGH YOUTUBE The world has gone digital. Internet has shrunk geographic boundaries and has led to quicker and easier means of information dissemination. Starting from simple email transactions to complicated bank transactions everything has become digital. Following the same trend, companies have also gone digital in their marketing efforts. Flyers, Pamphlets and other traditional means of marketing have been buried by almost every firm.

Today the medium of communication is through email and social media platform.

YouTube is one such digital medium that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. Marketers are effectively using this medium to release new ads, feature new products and advertise deals and discounts. Since YouTube provides the option to share links, companies are exploiting this particular feature to gain maximum mileage for all their marketing efforts. Also, research indicates that featuring product videos of a company on YouTube is an effective way to promote sales as customers always prefer to see a product before making a purchase decision.

Good ads are immediately ‘like’ by the public and in a few hours’ time the ad goes ‘viral’. The reach and following that YouTube has is simply amazing and this is both the strength and the weakness of the medium.

Small businesses can derive maximum benefit by promoting their products, services and offerings through YouTube as the time taken to reach the intended audience is almost immediate. Equally quick is the response mechanism.

But small businesses need to use this medium with caution because just like good ads are liked and accepted immediately a sub-standard ad may trigger equally quick negative responses. While negative responses and feedback to ads in the print media and TV take time to percolate down to people, with YouTube it is not the case. Negative reviews spread quicker than positive ones and the upcoming business may take a hit that would be difficult to rectify and repair.

Hence, small businesses must use this all powerful medium only when they are confident of their marketing strategy and content to be used in the marketing campaign.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING DIRECTORY AND APP LISTINGS For any business creating a web or network of customers is very important. This in business terms is also called as networking. Just as networking is important to an individual so it is to any business. Small businesses need to have the right positioning in order to develop a loyal customer base.

While offering quality products and great service is one way of gaining visibility there are other ways of creating awareness and gaining visibility among the target audience.

One of the easier and most trusted ways of reaching customers is through Directory and Yellow Pages listings.

Though digitization has altered the way of life, the need for a directory has not been completely eliminated yet. While it is true that paper based directories are almost non-existent, online directories have become the order of the day. If it were not for online directories a few public listed companies providing contacts about various services would have been literally extinct. Online directory is a valuable service offering and business model in today’s digital world. Small businesses can avail great benefits by being listed on local directories and yellow pages.

Online directory is a valuable service offering and business model in today’s digital world. Small businesses can avail great benefits by being listed on local directories and yellow pages.

One other trend that has caught up with the mobile generation is using Apps. There is a mobile App available for almost any occasion and small businesses can get themselves listed on mobile Apps and Mobile Apps so that their businesses show up when customer conduct a location based or a service based search. By getting themselves listed on Apps, small businesses can gain a lot of footfalls which at a later point of time may turn into a loyal customer base.

Though directory listing and App listing may sound elementary and out of fashion these are two marketing strategies whose returns have been grossly underestimated. It is high time small businesses understand the power of these mediums and use them to their maximum potential.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING Marketing is the backbone of any organization. Marketing is the means through which a company’s offerings and value addition are communicated to the end customers and the external world. Hence, it is extremely critical and important for businesses, especially small and medium businesses, to develop a strong marketing strategy that is in line with the goals and values of the organization. Marketing strategies are umpteen and it is the duty of the organization to weigh the various options and take a call on the medium that best suits the firm based on the budget and resources available.

One of the cheapest yet most powerful means of marketing is word-of-mouth marketing. This is a type of marketing where the existing customers of the firm speak for the firm and advocate it to others in the society.

The firm does not have to shell out a single penny in order to promote it as the customers speak on behalf of the company. This method is very beneficial to businesses, especially smaller ones, as they create new customers based on reference from an existing customer.

This is possible for small businesses as they have a small customer base and their intention is to expand their customer base. But in order to market through word of mouth means, it is imperative for the business to provide exemplary service that exceeds customer expectations and roll out products that provide customers value for their money. Though this may sound difficult to achieve, it is not totally impossible to achieve. There are a number of small businesses that survive purely on word of mouth marketing.

Customer advocacy creates a loyal customer base when compared to other means of marketing techniques. This is because there is an element of trust that has already been established in a referral whereas when it is through other means it takes some time to build trust and relationship with a new customer.

One of the cheapest yet most powerful means of marketing is word-of-mouth marketing. This is a type of marketing where the existing customers of the firm speak for the firm and advocate it to others in the society. The firm does not have to shell out a single penny in order to promote it as the customers speak on behalf of the company.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING USING BLOGS TO MARKET A BUSINESS The digital revolution has opened up a number of marketing avenues for businesses. While in olden days traditional methods of marketing required a huge budget, digital marketing has definitely brought down the costs of marketing a business and at the same time has provided more options to promote and create awareness about the business.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have opened up new avenues of marketing. The reach and the impact provided by social media is immense and companies have a separate department that now takes care of promoting a business on the social media. While small businesses cannot afford the luxury of having a separate department to take care of online marketing, they can definitely use the social media to promote their businesses.

Blogging is one such digital medium through which small businesses can spread word about their existence and speak to customers about their products/offerings.

Since small businesses have a limited budget for marketing, they can employ a content writer to create good blog posts related to their offerings. By using a good content writer small businesses can gain much because content writers would be well-versed with keywords which would indirectly help the business garner good ratings on google organic search thereby allowing the blog spot to be listed on top of the search results. This will allow more viewership and subsequently create awareness about the business.

Blogs will allow businesses to feature images of their offerings i and give detailed benefits and advantages of using their products/offerings. A blog fundamentally gives the business a lot of freedom in terms of content and images that can be used to attract customers to make their first purchase. A blog is akin to ecommerce sited where images are the main draw in attracting customers to make a purchase decision.

Blogs, when effectively used, create the right kind of impact among end customers and prompt them to make their first purchase, though the brand may not be so well-known and popular.

A blog fundamentally gives the business a lot of freedom in terms of content and images that can be used to attract customers to make their first purchase. A blog is akin to ecommerce sited where images are the main draw in attracting customers to make a purchase decision.

Small Business Marketing Using Marketing Partners Business, in general, is all about partnerships and networking. It is important for businesses, both small and big, to have business partners who can help in times of need. Having a network also helps businesses to garner more customers through referral and through word of mouth publicity. While traditional marketing takes a lot of time and effort in addition to costing the firm, marketing through networking is quicker and helps build a customer that is loyal and long lasting compared to walk-in customers who are sourced through ads and other means of promotions.

Marketing partners do help businesses in a number of ways.

The concept is on the same lines as networking or referral is, the only difference being that the partners work for a commission on a monthly or a quarterly basis. These partners are similar to the sales force of a company. Partners help the firm in promoting their products and spreading awareness about the products/offerings of the company among the public. These partners may or may not have a business of their own.

These partners are similar to the sales force of a company. Partners help the firm in promoting their products and spreading awareness about the products/offerings of the company among the public.

Essentially the job of marketing partners is to identify customers who are looking to purchase a product or offering which the business deals with and divert them to the right place. In some cases, the small business also agrees to divert customers who come looking for a partner’s product. Ina nutshell, it is like another business working as a referral instead of a customer doing it.

The advantage of using marketing partners is that both the business entities are benefitted apart from having the same set or common customers. When businesses have this kind of an understanding, then partners may work without commission. This is a great idea for small businesses as it is more like a barter system and does not cost much if the firm has good business relationship/network with other businesses. This trend of sharing customers is gaining importance in the digital marketing arena. It would not be too long before it captures the attention of small and medium businesses looking to expand aggressively.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING USING MASS MEDIA Using mass media promotions/marketing strategies has been in existence since time immemorial. When the digital media was absent it was purely through mass media such as radio, television and paper advertisements that businesses conducted their marketing campaigns and promotions.

Though the digital revolution has opened up a number of new avenues for marketers, the mass media have not lost their sheen yet. The reach and impact created by mass media is humungous and nobody can deny the benefits that firms have derived out of sensible marketing activities carried out using the mass media as a medium of marketing.

There are umpteen examples where small businesses, though expensive, have churned out amazing television commercials and jingles that have catapulted businesses to spotlight overnight and have reaped long lasting benefits for them. When small businesses decide to use the mass media as a channel for marketing, it is imperative for the firm to concentrate on the content of the commercial or the print ad whatever they choose to go with. With TV channels and newspapers having grown in number, it has become very difficult for small businesses to capture the attention and gain the mind-share of the customers owing to an overdose of marketing activities conducted by the other firms in business. Once content has been decided, presentation and color combination should be paid attention to.

An out-of-the-box ad or a commercial is sure to catch the attention of the customers. Though a bit expensive, small companies can rely on the print media and television for their marketing activities provided they are confident about the content of their commercials/ads and their offerings.

One of the biggest advantages of using the mass media for marketing is that companies have a high chance of getting noticed by people from all age groups, especially the ones who are not well-versed with computers, internet or the social networking platforms.

Since the purchase decision in a lot of cases is made by members of this group it is not a bad idea at all for small companies to take the tried and tested route of using mass media for marketing and promotional purposes.

An out-of-the-box ad or a commercial is sure to catch the attention of the customers. Though a bit expensive, small companies can rely on the print media and television for their marketing activities provided they are confident about the content of their commercials/ads and their offerings.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING OUTSOURCING MARKETING Marketing has become the lifeline of most businesses today. Firms have realized that it is very important to be visible to the customers and provide value for their money in order to sustain in the marketplace for longer periods of time. As an outcome of this realization, customers have started using CRM tools to track customer preferences and manage their likes and dislikes.

Using CRM firms have also begun making personalized offers and deals to customers such as their birthdays and anniversaries.

While the trend of CRM is gaining prominence, a lot of businesses are finding it difficult to manage their marketing strategy all by themselves owing to the increase and customer base and also the changing dynamics of the marketplace. Hence, large firms with deep pockets have started outsourcing their marketing activities to third party firms who specialize in this area.

Surprisingly, this trend which once used to be the luxury of firms with deep pockets is no longer restricted to large firms. Even small and medium businesses have started outsourcing their marketing activities.

It is important for firms to identify the right partner to outsource their marketing strategies because there are a number of firms claiming themselves to be specialists in the area of designing marketing strategies.

While budgets may be different for each firm, marketing agencies accepting these activities have found ways to design strategies based on the budget and the need of the companies. This trend, in fact, augurs well for small businesses because they do not have to stretch their marketing budgets while at the same time they will have access to the latest trends and strategies by outsourcing their end-to-end marketing activities.

All said and done, it is important for firms to identify the right partner to outsource their marketing strategies because there are a number of firms claiming themselves to be specialists in the area of designing marketing strategies.

It would be wise on the part of small businesses to verify credentials and references of the firm before outsourcing their marketing activities. The time spent by small businesses in identifying the right marketing partner is money well spent in promoting their firm/business.

MANAGING A SMALL BUSINESS TOP IDEAS TO BOOST UP PRODUCTIVITY IN YOUR WORKFORCE However, you can choose to outsmart the challenges as well as beat the heat provided you are on track of making use of the right kind of ideas. Here is an inventory of a few helpful ideas that you can implement in your respective business situations. Take a close look.

Augment your interpersonal skills As the owner of a small business establishment you should be able to understand the fact that you are actually dealing with human resource. If you have to get the right kind of productivity out of your team then you have to establish the right kind of relationship or rapport with them. it should be a bit more than some dry and drab professional rapport. Try to establish a rapport that makes you closer to them. in this regard you have got believe on your interpersonal skills.

Make full use of it. Augment your interpersonal skills so that you can use it to be in close contact with your team and get the best productivity level out of them.

Have a patient hearing capacity In order to get things done in a smooth manner you have to have a patient hearing capacity for sure. You have got to listen to your workforce. They should have a feel that they are working for an individual who cares about them. Once they are going to have this kind of a feel in their heart you are sure to get the best productivity level out of them.

Choose to be a part of a small business development program If you have to see some sort of a ravishing as well as noticeable development in your small business situation then you have got to choose to be a part of a small business development program. For example, you can consider being part of 8a certification program. It is indeed a highly beneficial as well as highly effective program in terms of roping in some positive benefits to your businesses. If you are rightly empowered with this kind of a certification program then you can definitely hope or aspire to bag big contractual opportunities such as GSA schedule contract.

Apart from implementing the aforementioned ideas you should also make it a point that your workplace is not going to be dull. At the same time you should try to reduce the amount of conflict in your organization. You bet that you will get rich dividends out of these initiatives of yours. Give your best shot in order to generate a highly energetic ambiance in your workplace.

In order to get things done in a smooth manner you have to have a patient hearing capacity for sure. You have got to listen to your workforce. They should have a feel that they are working for an individual who cares about them. Once they are going to have this kind of a feel in their heart you are sure to get the best productivity level out of them.

4 HABITS OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE Looking for a way to improve your work life and get more done? The answer isn't always spending more time at the office. Instead try being more productive so you can get more done in less time. Let's take a look at some important habits you can incorporate into you work life which can make you both more productive and less stressed.

1- Figure out tomorrow today To-do lists are a great tool to help you focus your time and efforts each day. Instead of getting up and creating your to-do list each morning, try making it the night before. Having to create your list at the beginning of the day can be a distraction and make it harder focus. If you've already thought through your list, then you free up time to hit the ground running.

Instead of getting up and creating your to-do list each morning, try making it the night before. Having to create your list at the beginning of the day can be a distraction and make it harder focus. If you've already thought through your list, then you free up time to hit the ground running.

2- Have a daily ritual It can help you to be more focused and less stressed if you have a morning routine that you do when you first arrive at work. In fact, you're morning ritual can start before you even get to work. Perhaps you workout every morning or maybe listen to an audio books while driving to your job.

Whatever you're routine, be sure to keep it consistent every morning.

Believe it or not, this sense of structure can make you much more focused during the day. Here's a great example. Let’s say that you're trying to market your small business. Create a plan where you set aside 30 to 60 minutes each morning to work on marketing and sales. Or maybe you set up a time each day to blog about your business.

3- Take mini-breaks throughout the workday Just like you can't sprint at full speed for mile after mile, you can only work with a high level of focus for a limited time. It's very helpful to take a short min-break (510 minutes) every one or two hours. This lets you mentally reset and you'll be more focused when you come back.

4- Avoid paralysis by analysis To be efficient with your time you need to be able to make decisions quickly and be able to live with (or deal with) the consequence. Now we're not saying that you shouldn't give important decisions an appropriate amount of thought. On the other hand, it does can be easy to get caught in an endless cycle of constant second-guessing and indecisiveness. Just make a decision and go with it.

5 DEADLY DETOURS THAT CAN DERAIL YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS Everyday you show up to run your business with the full intention of putting your hands, head and heart to what matters most and will make the biggest impact.

Yet, there is an onslaught of endless to-do's, the tyranny of the urgent fires to extinguish and the pressing reality of everyday life. Here are a few that are sure to knock you off-course if you're not careful.

1. Bright shiny object syndrome--What is distracting you right now from staying the course and doing the best thing with your time, money, energy and effort?

Far too often, I have been distracted by things that took me off track. Finally putting the right tools and systems together is helping our team move together in the same direction to achieve goals for us and our clients. What can you do to banish bright shiny object syndrome?

2. Not getting help--Are you trying to do it all yourself and get it all done without any help? How is that working for you? We could not possibly move forward without the combined collaborative, synergistic effort of our awesome team. Not sure how to build a great team? Surround yourself with people who love what they do by giving them work they love. We have an 80/20 rule--team members work on what they love 80% of the time.

3. Thinking you know everything--What are you currently reading and learning? How are you growing?

What knowledge and expertise do you need to acquire to keep your business cutting edge in the marketplace? "In times of change, the learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer 4. Saying YES to everything--Are you saying yes to things that are beyond your scope, interest, passion, schedule or energy level? Or are you pushing yourself and saying yes inside and resenting it later. The late Stephen Covey reminded us, "If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster." Too often I have said yes to the good and forfeited the great. Note to self--Choose wisely!

5. Forgetting your WHY--Do you love what you do? Do you remember why you started doing it in the first place? Was it to help your family, get out of debt, bring change to the world around you, all of the above?

When we forget why we got on the train its easy to keep barreling down the tracks and even get off at the wrong station. But when we're clear, then the journey and the destination become part of a greater contribution we make those benefits us as well as others. Is what you're doing today moving you toward your why? "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."

Thoreau

Surround yourself with people who love what they do by giving them work they love. We have an 80/20 rule--team members work on what they love 80% of the time.

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TOP 3 MARKETING TRENDS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES Small business marketing has become almost overwhelming with the constant updated and revisions in new media and technologies. We are far from the days where an email marketing strategy and a few radio and print advertisements would suffice as an effective way to attract clients to your business. Search engine optimization and social media have severely alternated the effectiveness of the old media marketing strategies and will soon replace them entirely. Mobile optimization that is very user-friendly and contains excellent content that is short and to the point is perhaps the most prominent trend in business marketing. Most present day online marketing campaigns follow this trend.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and a Highranking Placement in Search Engines The search engine algorithm update that was introduced by Google in 2012 has done away with the old tactics of paying a few hundred dollars to place your website at the top of the search list and shifted the focus of small businesses to content and promotion. Search engine optimization is a very important investment for small businesses looking to maintain relevance in the online and mobile market. For example, thanks to Google's newly updated algorithm, if someone was thinking of starting a small business in Texas, they would need to be able to produce highquality website content and attract attention using various online and offline channels to be placed high on the Google search engine.

Your website's content is the most important feature here.

The 3 Online Marketing Trends Small Business Owners Must Be Aware Of Enhancing your Web presence can be accomplished using these 2013 marketing trends and helps your small business to attract new clients. These trends include mobile marketing, search engine optimization, and social media advertising.

The Mobile Market More mobile phones and devices exist than there are people on the planet. Because of this constantly growing number of mobile users, small businesses must look to offer mobile versions of their webpages. Creating a marketing campaign that can be accessed by mobile users is essential. It has been documented that there is a consistent decreasing trend in the amount of traditional desktop searches because of the transition consumers are making towards mobile searches. Mobile marketing, or marketing through mobile sites, mobile applications, and mobile commerce is vital because most consumers will access the Internet using their mobile phone or device this year. Making your mobile website from your traditional website can be done at a reasonably inexpensive cost through a vendor. In 2013, small businesses have the ability to create mobile marketing campaigns and are able to accept mobile payments at very little to no costs.

Social Advertising is the Hottest #Trending Topic

Devices and mediums such as the mobile market, search engine optimization, and social media advertising are the most effective means of establishing an effective marketing campaign and online presence and will expose your small business to an emerging audience of new clients and consumers.

While there still is no perfect blueprint for a social media marketing campaign, the trend is still perhaps the most important one to follow for small businesses looking to attract potential prospects. The Facebook and Twitter users are a conglomerate of new consumers and clients due to the ever increasing amount of time consumers spend on these social medial channels each day of the year. Careful consideration of the target audience and effective use of keywords will help to create an excellent social media campaign and reach a large amount of new consumers at very little cost.

New media has nearly made the use of old media advertising obsolete. Devices and mediums such as the mobile market, search engine optimization, and social media advertising are the most effective means of establishing an effective marketing campaign and online presence and will expose your small business to an emerging audience of new clients and consumers.

ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS

BY ADDING VALUE If you're a small business owner, then you probably spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract new customers. Let's face it, without customers; you'll be out of business pretty fast. One of the best ways to attract new customers is by adding value. This is almost the complete opposite of traditional sales where you aggressively chase after anyone who might be remotely interested in what you have to offer. By adding value, you're attracting customers like a magnet.

Let's take a close look at the difference between the strategies of selling vs. adding value. Think of the last time someone was trying to "sell you" something. Usually they are aggressive, pushy and won't take no for an answer.

They use high-pressure sales tactics and gimmicks to get you to buy things you otherwise really wouldn't want. Let’s face it; having someone try to "sell" you isn't fun.

The real difference between the "sales" and "adding value" approach is this. Sales is about trying to get people to buy whatever it is you happen to have (even if they don't really want it).

Adding value is about trying to understand the person’s needs and wants, then seeing how you can help meet them. If you're actually solving a real problem or issue they have, then they won't have to be sold. They will already be eager to buy from you. You're main tool when using the "adding value" approach is listening. Listen for whatever needs, issues or problems they may be having. Then offer creative solutions to help them out.

This may sound like an oversimplification but it really works. In the end, this is a much easier approach but it does require you to take the effort to build relationships with people. What makes it so great is that you won't come across as a pushy, overbearing, hyper-aggressive sales shark on the prowl for their next kill. Plus, if you're actually meeting a real need, then it will be the most natural conversation in the world. They'll likely be eager to hear what you have to offer.

So as you go about building your business, remember to focus on adding value, not selling. Selling will only annoy and alienate people. By adding value you will not come across as a high-pressure salesman. Instead you'll be offering people something they really want. Plus they whole process will be much more natural, easy and even probably more fun.

The real difference between the "sales" and "adding value" approach is this. Sales is about trying to get people to buy whatever it is you happen to have (even if they don't really want it).

WHY SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY IN THE BEGINNING IS STUPID IF YOU PLAN ON STARTING YOUR BUSINESS OK, understandably, as a business person, you're excited about starting a business, and I was, too, when I first started off, but there's no need to spend recklessly when you have absolutely no money coming in.

I remember hearing a story one time about a guy that was leaving the corporate world that he's known for around 20 years or so, to start a newsletter business. He had around $250,000 to work with and figured that that would be way more than enough to start his business.

So what did he do?

He went to lease office space, he bought office fixtures and equipment, he hired employees and was paying their salaries, and he hired a professional copywriter to write a sales copy for his newsletter, the whole nine yards this person went. The first three months of the newsletter came out, it was actually on time. It was really good content. Then, the fourth issue arrived a week late, the fifth issue arrived three weeks late, and then the sixth issue never was sent out. By the end of the sixth month, he was all but broke, and by the seventh month, he filed for bankruptcy for his company.

Now, an important lesson to learn there, that even if you have all the money, or even if you have a wide variety of money, or access to a lot of money, you still need to understand that you can't spend recklessly. Spending too much on things that you don't need to build up your business can obviously cause you to fail.

This guy figured that he could spend his money recklessly because he had a lot of money to play with, a lot more than a lot of people have when they're starting off their business. So, a lesson learned there, don't spend your start up cash on things that aren't necessary. You don't need to lease an office or hire employees. What you do need to do is worry about getting cash flow positive in your business.

So, spending too much time in the early stages of your business is something that you don't want to do. I started my business with $50 or less and I'm doing very well right now. A lot of other people have started their businesses with less than $50 and are doing very, very well right now. It's not the amount of money that you start off with, for the most part, it's the decisions that you make in the early stages to help build your business.

If you do happen to have a lot of money to start off with, good stuff, but use that money wisely and, again, like I said and like I stress, don't spend recklessly.

Even if you have all the money, or even if you have a wide variety of money, or access to a lot of money, you still need to understand that you can't spend recklessly. Spending too much on things that you don't need to build up your business can obviously cause you to fail.

EMAIL MARKETING: IS IT DEAD OR COMPLEMENTARY? Consistently poor content is a killer regardless of the channels you use. Think helpful and relevant to build relationships and eventually sales! Email marketing tends to work best with unique content at a regular frequency - determined by you and your subscribers!

With all the attention on social media, have you given up on email marketing to build relationships and grow? Do you view them as an either-or strategy for your business? If so, you might want to re-think this When they work together, the combination is far more effective. Here's why.

It's all about the customer! Some prefer email, some prefer social media - and yes, some prefer both so they can choose each week or month. By eliminating one of the channels of communication, you may actually do more harm than good.

Why Together is Better Subscribers vs. Likes or Contacts. With permission based email, subscribers choose to receive your emails - and will continue on your list if you deliver quality content that meets or exceeds their expectations. Not all social media contacts or likes actually receive your feeds - so building up those likes on your business page may give you a false sense of delivery. According to Facebook, about 15% of your 'likes' receive them. They need to opt-in for this, it's not automatic. By doing both you reach more people using the channel they prefer.

Targeted vs. Mass Distribution. Email marketing is typically more targeted if you allow for various list options at sign-up. Social media has the potential for mass distribution through search engines and sharing. Most email marketing programs allow for expanded reach through simple or automatic sharing on social media and friend forwarding. Depending on your purpose, they can complement each other and improve your marketing efforts.

Amount of Content. Email marketing allows you to provide more information to encourage subscribers to act - in most cases, visit a landing page. Social media is designed to be brief; it's a tickler to entice people to click for more information like a blog post or offer. When used together properly, they can draw more visitors to your website or business.

Quality of Content. Consistently poor content is a killer regardless of the channels you use. Think helpful and relevant to build relationships and eventually sales! Email marketing tends to work best with unique content at a regular frequency determined by you and your subscribers! Social media requires a lot more posting to be effective. But by design, social media allows you to combine your unique content while sharing helpful tips and ideas from others. You are not under the gun to create ALL the content you use on social media. This can be a time-saver if done right.

Reporting. A good email system provides plenty of information down to the subscriber or contact level which can be a valuable learning and improvement tool. While some social platforms provide sharing, click and reach data, you have difficulty finding your advocates - those who viewed and shared posts on your Facebook business page? But using what you learn through email marketing can help you improve the other.

DON'T WASTE MONEY ON ADVERTISING UNLESS YOU READ THIS FIRST I recently saw an advertisement for a new marketing resource being trialed in Britain. The headline provocatively shouted 'BIG BRAND ADVERTISING ON A SMALL BUSINESS BUDGET' - good headline, bound to get a lot of attention. It certainly got my attention. Upon reading further, part of the text said this; "Advertising, whilst necessary for any small business to target key audiences, can often be low on the priority list. But there is a way to get targeted advertising at a cheaper price which cuts out the extra design and production costs that go hand-in-hand with outdoor media" The 'offer' was an automated 'ad creator' whereby companies would enter their post-code, select the distance around which they'd like to advertise, and then a search engine would pinpoint poster sites available and formats to create your own ad. The text continued; "With over 2m images, big brand poster template styles and the ability to upload your own logo, it's an effortless first step into outdoor advertising" What the advertisement doesn't say, is that unless you understand marketing communications and develop an advertisement that resonates with your desired target audience, you will be wasting your money. This service is about offering the best poster sites, bus shelters and buses at a price that is affordable to small business.

Nothing wrong with that.

But is also appears to claim huge savings over big business advertising budgets. Because you'll be saving $$$ on design and production costs. However, the true value to any business of a competent marketing communication plan is not design or production; it's the ideas that come from a truly professional marketing communications company.

The reason why agencies get paid the big bucks is that they are actually being paid to come up with really brilliant ideas. Even a simple idea can be brilliant. Good ideas don't have to be fancy; they have to be compelling, memorable and relevant.

If you are a small business and don't have the resources to engage a professional advertising agency or marketing communications company, then use these simple tips to ensure you don't waste money 'advertising'.

1. Do some market research. Just because you have a message to promote doesn't mean it’s the message your target audience wants to hear.

2. Find 15-20 people - customers and non-customers who fit your customer demographic.

Ask them some questions about your product or service. What's important to them about it? Would they recommend it to others? Why/Why not?

What's the best thing about it/your business?

Don't ask more than 5 or 6 questions. Question the questions and come up with 5 or 6 that will provide you with some really good information. If the person you are asking hasn't used your product or service, ask the question about a product or service LIKE yours.

The aim is to find information that will help you tell a story or create marketing messages that will resonate with your target audience - this is the basis of your marketing efforts. For example, if enough people say to you "It's the best we've ever used" you could say "Nine out of ten people say it's the best they have ever used". Or, if people say it's important to them that the product or service is available on-line, say "Available Online!". Repeat to new customers what current customers are saying.

3. Find advertisements you really like and analyze them. What attracted you to this ad? Why do you like it? Is it color? Is it simplicity? Is it layout?

Consider why you like it and figure out if you can use some of these ideas in your own advertising.

4. Be Bold! Be Different! The reason why agencies get paid the big bucks is that they are actually being paid to come up with really brilliant ideas. Even a simple idea can be brilliant. Good ideas don't have to be fancy, they have to be compelling, memorable and relevant.

5. Read advertising books. Peruse your bookstore or library and read a book or two by very successful advertising people, like David Ogilvy.

Understand what makes a good ad and formulate something for your business.

DON'T use templates!

DON'T pay for ad space just because it's cheap.

DON'T spend less than you can afford.

Good advertising placed in the right spot for the right audience promoting the right message WILL be money well spent. Your advertising is saying something about YOU and the quality of YOUR business. Make sure it sends the RIGHT message.

Why Pinterest Is Great for Your Small Business Pinterest has quickly become a worldwide phenomena, bringing in approximately 4 million unique visitors a day. It is one of the fastest growing websites in the world. The iPhone app alone is downloaded a whopping 200,000 times a day, and people are spending on average 15 minutes to browse through. And although the female population represents more than half of Pinterest activity, male users are on the rise.

According to recent social media data by Wishpond, 43 percent of Pinterest users interact with brands and businesses compared to 24 percent of Facebook users. In fact, 70 percent of Pinterest users surveyed, say they use Pinterest for inspiration on what to buy. Data shows that the average income of the highest users earn between $25,000-50,000 annually. And pins that show an items price tag get 36% more likes than pins that don't. Research from consumer giant Sony also shows that an embedded "Pin it" button gets 10 times more clicks than Twitters "Tweet This" button.

But aside from the facts and figures presented, Pinterest is practically made for business owners. As long as you find creative ways of engaging with your audience you are sure to gain rapid growth for your business.

People are visual and if you have a message then images are a fantastic way of communicating with your audience. Showing your company's products is a sure way to get customers interested, but what if you were more engaging?

Here are some of the ways you can engage your customers: Educate them Customers like to be educated. If you sell food for instance, then offering your audience recipes is a sure way to peak their interest in your company. The same goes for Hair and Make-up, add how-to pictures and links back to videos and blogs. Infographics are also a fantastic way of educating your audience on a particular area of your company and products, they are insanely popular right now.

Involve them Getting your followers involved in your boards (collection of pins) is a great idea for businesses. Add a guest pinner board where you allow your followers to pin directly to. This way your followers become more personally invested in your brand and at the same time it gives you automatic feedback into the interests and opinions of your audience.

Introduce yourself Your business will have a stronger presence if you allow your employees to run your social media outlet (not just the marketing folks). For instance, let your audience see who you are, pin photos of an employee - maybe one per week.

And before you know it, you will have a whole board dedicated to the 'About Us' page of your company.

Customers like to be educated. If you sell food for instance, then offering your audience recipes is a sure way to peak their interest in your company. The same goes for Hair and Make-up, add how-to pictures and links back to videos and blogs.

HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS FROM YOUR HOME FOR FREE -

If you want to start a small business from your home these suggestions should help you. The first question that you need to address is what type of business do you want to start? There are many different ways you can make money from home, selling products either to local retailers or directly to consumers is one way. Another business model is selling products and services over the Internet.

The more unique and engaging the content the greater your odds are of attracting new visitors to your website.

These visitors to the website are your potential customers so you want them to come to your website often and tell all of their friends.

In order to maximize your chances of succeeding you need to find a business model with little to no start-up costs that has been proven successful in the past. One way of achieving this goal is to create a website and sell products and services through affiliate relationships. As an affiliate you do not have to worry about inventory or customer satisfaction, all you need to do is bring people to your website. Before you do anything it may be prudent to speak with your tax adviser to find out what type of business is right for you, the options are sole proprietor, partnership or LLC. Now that you know what type of legal structure you want for your business it is time to start looking for affiliate opportunities. Read over testimonials left by other entrepreneurs who are participating in the affiliate program to make sure the opportunity is legitimate.

Once you have the affiliate relationship established it is time to create a website. You could purchase a domain through services like GoDaddy or HostGator but what most people do when starting out is use free website service providers. Once you have created your website it is time to start adding content to your site. This content could be a combination of text, audio and video files that will be of great benefit to the viewer. The more unique and engaging the content the greater your odds are of attracting new visitors to your website. These visitors to the website are your potential customers so you want them to come to your website often and tell all of their friends.

Each time someone visits your website and either watches an advertisement or buys something you make money. How much money? It depends on what is being promoted and the agreement you have in place with the affiliate. In order to get the most money possible you need to grow the number of people who visit your website on a regular basis.

As you can see this is one very simple small business idea that can make you money, there are many other ways it just comes down to finding something you are passionate about.

This book is a combination of motivation and how to steps to network yourself to getting more business. Many people hear that networking is a way to grow your business but may not know why or how. This book gives you practical steps and advice on what to do to make networking work for you. It uses stories, examples and advice to help guide you during your journey as an entrepreneur.

The book is now available on Amazon at the following links: http://tinyurl.com/networkingforbiz-paperback for a physical copy & http://tinyurl.com/networkingforbiz-Kindle for an e-book copy

Small Business Marketing and How to Position Your Brand When you are marketing your business to consumers, your positioning is one of the first things you need to get right. Once you are aware what place you want your business to have within your industry as a whole, you can tailor your marketing strategy, including your branding, accordingly. As with many elements of successful small business marketing, knowing the market and who your target audience is can make the difference between success, and a campaign that falls flat on its face.

How do I position my business?

When you are thinking about your business and your products, it is worth considering what sets you apart from other businesses like yours. What is unique about your business? What gap in the market can your product or service fill that no others can? Answering these questions will help you determine where you are going to position yourself, and who your target customers will be. The next step is making sure your brand is designed to appeal to your audience, and that you create a consistent and effective identity.

How do I create a brand?

For your business branding to be successful, you need to ensure it is clear and consistent in all your snall business marketing materials. Rather than focusing on your specific product, you need to think about promoting the experience of using your products to consumers. What benefit will they get, how will it enhance their lives? Once you have worked this out, you can base your branding around it.

Consistency is essential when it comes to branding. To present a polished and professional image to your customers, you need to make sure that everything, from your stationery and packaging to your staff members and office space, uphold your brand values and identity. Even if you are a one-person operation, you can appear larger and more authoritative by having professionally designed and polished marketing materials, and presenting yourself appropriately.

Make sure you don't over-complicate your small business marketing. Often when it comes to branding, simple is best, and can be more memorable than overly fussy designs. Simple marketing can also be more effective than complex strategies that cost you too much time and money to carry out. By keeping your marketing and customer service tailored to the needs of your customers, you can build a consistent brand identity, and hopefully enjoy a loyal following from consumers as a result.

SELLING A BUSINESS THROUGH THE BUYERS' EYES Take off your shoes. Go on! It's time to step into someone else's.

The buyer. Ruthless, clever, efficient, and thorough. At least, that's how they may seem like when you first meet them. Let's shatter that barrier of the unknown, and understand what areas you need to cover in order to put your business out to tender - it's time to examine the behaviors and processes of 'the buyer'.

1. Motivation Picture this, Mr. or Mrs. Buyer: you've found yourself in a position where you have a good amount of capital behind you, and you want to start running your own business.

You have two options.

The first is to start your own business from scratch - a cheaper, but slower and much riskier endeavor.

2.

The second is to purchase an existing business and capitalize on its already established profitability and structure.

3.

You opt for the one that is more likely to bring you a quick, consistent income. You opt to buy-in.

4.

2. Who are you?

And so, Mr. or Mrs. Buyer, what are you looking for? Chances are, you're after a business that:

 

Is in an industry you're very experienced with Is in a situation/environment that you find quite favorable economically Is the best performer around (i.e. the best deal you  can find) If you're really clever, you will have also engaged an experienced broker to aid in the purchase of your business, because you know their commission will be well-offset by the difference in result.

5.

4. The Finishing Line The business you've got your eye on has passed all of your tests with flying colors, but it's not out of the woods yet. It's time to dive deep into the business.

Here's your last piece of homework: 1.

3. Business, Business, Business

2.

You've found a few businesses matching your very strict criteria. Now it's time to get your hands dirty. You start looking into the financials, talking to the staff, talking to the seller and talking to the people outside of the business.

3.

You have five simple questions that will make or break this business in your eyes: 1.

Are the reasons for selling favourable? You don't want to buy a business that the seller is leaving because they've run it into the ground. If they're selling because they've 'made it' on the other hand, you'll consider buying it at whatever price they ask.

Does the business have a good general presence? Annoyed suppliers, unmotivated staff, unhappy customer base - any of these things could break the business, or be enormous issues that you will have to fix when you take over.

Does the business have control over their market position? If the business is a big player in the market space, you will have a terrific opportunity to adapt and grow the business. The alternative is to live in fear.

Do the numbers balance? If the cost of labor and materials are preventing the business from running at a good margin of profit, you may want to look elsewhere. Sometimes, smart cost cutting can improve the bottom line without reducing the quality of services or products, but if the numbers don't work, the business won't either.

Is the business well respected? A reputation is not something we can easily put a dollar value to, but buying into a business with a solid reputation with customers and suppliers sets you up with a great chance of success.

Check the cash flow, profit and loss statements and balance sheets of the business for at least the past three years. If the business is financially healthy, we'll give it a tick.

Come up with ideas on how to grow the business. If you can come up with a lucrative new product or service, or if you can see a change in processes that will that will greatly improve the bottom line, the business will be worth even more to you.

Evaluate the intangible assets. Does the business have Intellectual Property?

Does it have any trademarks or patents? These are all things without a fixed value, but can contribute greatly to the viability of the business.

Great job! You can get out of those shoes now.

And get excited! Right now you have one thing that many sellers don't: insight into how the buyers actually think.

So print out this page, make some scribbles, and put plans into place that will greatly improve the value of your business as seen by prospective buyers. As part of that plan, engage an experienced Business Broker to help you get the most for your business.

How much can you get done if I gave you an assistant for

1 week for free?

I will bet you that after one week you will find that you can’t understand why haven’t had a virtual assistant years ago.

Listen, you and I know you need help, with marketing, social media, customer relations, websites, graphic design, etc. You just can’t afford them on your staff, or you can’t afford having the secretary doing a mediocre job that she isn’t trained for. What you need are highly trained competent professionals who you can hire to do these things. They would be ready and available to get your work done quickly and for a fraction of the cost of an on-site employee.

So go to www.getvirtualforfree.com and see what you have been missing!