Archive for Sales & Marketing
Your Plans for 2013 and Social Media for Business
Posted by: | CommentsAs we prepare our marketing plans for 2013 and the use of Social Media I wanted to share with you the video that highlights the power behind social media and your business. Be smart, engage and don’t get left behind. Social is where it’s at.
Read this:
Texting, Tweeting and Driving
Posted by: | CommentsThis is not just about texting your friends and family it also relates to tweeting and Facebooking while driving.
Take caution and please use social media while parked, at your desk, or in a safe environment.
Brought To You By: CarInsurance.org
6 Forms of Inbound Marketing Campaigns
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Inbound Marketing On Target
1.) Blogs – it seems that everybody is blogging nowadays, and not only does it help you to have a voice on the Internet, it is also an excellent way for you to be found. Many blogs are interlinked together through what is called RSS, and this can help people to hop from a related blogs over to yours. Simply by posting things that are related to your business, you can have inbound traffic.
2.) E-books – E-books have been around for quite some time, and that they are an excellent way for you to pull people into your website. One thing that you may want to do, is try putting out a free e-book that will be passed around. This form of viral marketing pulls people into your website, and once it gets started, it seems to take on a life of its own.
3.) Videos – The most popular type of websites that are online now are video websites. It seems that online video is here to stay, and you can grab a part of this with your own inbound marketing campaigns. Posting videos that are related to your niche on high-traffic video websites, such as YouTube will naturally pull people that are interested in what you have to say.
4.) Search Engine Optimization – This is the mother of all inbound marketing techniques online. By optimizing for keywords and keyword phrases that are related to your target audience, you can pull free traffic off of the search engines directly to your website. The people that tend to come from the search engines visit as a result of some very specific searches. This means that you have a hot audience from the start.
5.) Webinars - Holding an online seminar is also an excellent way to promote your service or product through inbound marketing. People love webinars, and even if they don’t make it to the actual event, you can post it on your website in recorded form and it will act as a form of inbound marketing for many years to come.
6.) RSS Feeds – You can use RSS feeds in order to pull traffic into your website, as they generally get posted throughout the Internet on related websites. Not only that, it many times acts as a form of inbound link which helps to boost your SEO and get you more free traffic from the search engines.
Your Business Under the Big Top
Posted by: | CommentsExperiential Marketing: What is it?
They are programs that allow consumers to become active participants in a marketing effort. Well planned and executed experiential marketing programs can be very memorable and relevant and can result in a positive change in consumer behavior (such as making a purchase) and attitudes (such as changing brand preference).
Experiential Marketing played a big part in the promotion of the new touring show of 
Cirque Du Soleil OVO under the Big Top near the Mall of America. Fortunately I was able to participate in both the show and the Toddler Tuesday event where I observed young children and their parents learn how the performers prepare for a grand show.
Watching the little ones dance like no one was watching, picking out the design for a swoosh of color on their cheeks and a tickle of the brush on their nose was fun. They are so carefree and giddy with excitement hoping to look like the bugs on the stage. With OVO being a new show teeming with insects while people buzz about the high energy acrobatics that are performed by amazing artists I can’t help but wonder what impact we could have on our own businesses if we studied this performance.
I was in awe with the differences of what goes on behind the scenes verses what we see on the stage. Each costume takes up to 80 hours to complete, the performers work 6 days a week with 8 performances and everyone works together for one common goal. To put on an amazing show that will create memories for years to come.
The preparation, details, dedication and belief within the walls of the Big Top are lessons to be learned for every business owner.
Take a moment to ask yourself these questions about Experiential Marketing in your business:
Do my customers experience my products or services so they tell all of their friends? I certainly bragged about how OVO was incredible and that people show do what they can to go and see a live performance.
Did I WOW my audience with quality work? The costumes take up to 80 hours each to create. They were definitely amazing to look at.
Have I planned and prepared my presentations so that they go on without a glitch? The OVO performers are constantly practicing, tweaking and making sure they are in tip-top shape for the evenings performance.
Do I have the right team in place to help my business run like a well oiled machine? OVO’s team included people selling tickets, food station managers, ushers, technicians for lighting and safety, musicians, and more.
What I love about experiential marketing is the fact that you are engaged with the brand and become one of the best advertising channels for the company. Wouldn’t you rather have word of mouth referrals instead of paying for ads that may not capture the feeling and emotions like your neighbor can?
Do yourself a favor and go to the show. Not just for the entertainment but to watch how people are engaged and energized while at the show. Listen and you will hear the words and phrases like “incredible”, “amazing”, “talented”, “beautiful”, “they must practice all day long”, “I can’t wait to tell my friend”, etc.
Do you have the WOW factor in your business? Watch a short clip from the show now:
Lead Generation and New Marketing Strategies
Posted by: | CommentsGenerating leads is something that people have been doing for years, and although the playing field may have changed as a result of the Internet, the effectiveness of gathering those leads has not changed at all. Here are 7 different ways that you can use the Internet in order to gather these leads through new marketing strategies.
One of the first things that you should do is always to make sure that you’re including a capture form on your website. Make sure that it is highly visible, and that it is above the fold (viewable without scrolling)
A second tactic that you can do is to give away something that is related to your business in exchange for an email address and other contact information. This is best done through a squeeze page, where there are no other exit points other than to sign up for what you’re offering, or to back out of the page.
Email campaigns are an excellent way to stay in touch, and they can be sent out to the masses rather easily. Always make sure to personalize the email when possible, and to ask for a referral. There are many people that will refer your website, simply because you asked.
Don’t forget about search engine optimization, optimizing your website in order to rank for specific keywords or keyword phrases that are related to your niche. When done properly, this can send a flood of warm visitors to your website that are all but sitting there with their credit card in hand.
There are many people that regularly follow blogs, and you may be able to pull traffic into your website by commenting on blogs that are related to your niche. One thing that you may want to do, is to download an RSS feed aggregator so that you know whenever a new post goes on to one of these blogs. Being the first person to post a thoughtful comment will get you the most traffic.
Advertise your lead capture URL in any way that you possibly can, either off-line or online. Buy a bumper sticker, put signs in your yard, hand out business cards or whatever else it may take in order to get people to visit your website and to give you their contact information.
Finally, you may want to try the direct approach and simply ask people that may be interested in what you have to offer to go to your webpage and enter their contact information. It may sound simplistic, but it works very well.
5 Incredible Lead Generation Ideas
Posted by: | CommentsIdeas for capturing new leads and converting prospects into customers
As an expert in your field, you’ve got a ton of really important information in your
head. But you’ve got to get it out of your head and into some useful format for
lead generation. Information is the heart and soul of marketing, so you’ve got
to have some idea about the products you want to develop as part of your
overall strategy. Let’s talk about the top five.
1. White Papers
“White paper” is the corporate, fancy-pants term for an online article. A white paper
usually ranges from two to three pages and stands alone as an item customers or
prospects can download. White papers work great as a lead generation tool when
you ask prospects to provide their email address in exchange for your
valuable”"yet free”"information.
2. Free Reports
A free report is like a white paper, just a bit bigger. From a lead generation
standpoint, it holds more value than a white paper and is usually several pages
long. Free reports are great products to use as an add-on to online purchases.
“Buy Product X and receive three Free Reports!” You can also use them like
white papers and offer them as free downloads in exchange for contact
information.
3. E-Books
E-books are the killer product that can create a lead generation bonanza! Like a real book, an e-book is going to be long…at least 50 pages. The fact that it’s a real book makes the perceived value huge. If the copy inviting prospects to download your e-book is well-written and compelling, you can generate several thousand new
leads from this one lead generation tool alone.
4. Audio Reports
An audio report helps prospects get a feel for what you and your company are all about. It’s a way for prospects to talk to you about doing business without really
taking to you. Using audio reports as part of your campaign can boost brand
loyalty and help you prospects commit to a sale. If you are well known in your
industry – or if you can hire someone who is – you have the power to generate a
LOT of leads using audio reports.
5. Webinars
No joke. Webinars can drive an endless stream of customers to your business. Like audio reports, they give customers a feed for your company. But webinars go way beyond teaser information. The power-punch of the webinar is that it lets you cover the entire sales pitch AND close the deal. Another bonus is that webinars can be recorded. That lets you leverage your time by making the pitch once and then playing the presentation again and again for new groups of prospects. Talk
about a time saver!
How Does It Work?
Here’s the way it works, in a nutshell.
- Develop information products.
- Make the available on your site in exchange for contact information.
- Send out an announcement to your email list that also creates a sense of urgency.
- Put tools in place to track downloads and capture new leads.
- Follow-up with leads to convert them into customers.
Bingo!
You’ve got your very own lead-generation machine!
To check out some real lead generation products, download a free
report about Email Marketing 2.0.
The Global Phenomenon of Twitter
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The global phenomenon of Twitter has spread into every imaginable market, with more tools and uses becoming available all the time. Despite this, new users often pose the same question:
What in the heck am I supposed to tweet about?
Veteran Twitter users would find it difficult at best to answer this question with any amount of brevity (despite the 140 character restriction) – but, for business users, there is at least one universally applicable subject matter that you can start with, namely, your frequently asked questions, or FAQs.
Why Tweet Your FAQs?
Suppose you have a product that generates lots of user questions - whether it is assembly questions, installation, technical support, maintenance, accessory orders or the like, there are bound to be some questions that you receive on a regular basis. You’re already answering them on your website, (you ARE doing this, right?), so why not consider a quick tweet with the link to help direct Twitter users who may be in need of this information?
Some Other Examples:
* Link to the directory of local sales/maintenance representatives
* Link to short training videos you are hosting on your site, or at YouTube
* Link to your newsletter subscription page
* Link to welcome videos
* Link to free technical manual downloads, ebooks, coupons or other offers
* Link to event calendar with upcoming events and appearances
We all know that there “is no such thing as a stupid question,” but we’ve all felt reluctant to ask one at some point or another. Help make relevant information readily available, even to the shyest of customers by offering this information as tweets.
In addition, you can build customer loyalty and goodwill by encouraging them to send you their questions, and you can answer them in a public twitter “shout out.” Everyone loves to be made to feel special – consider offering a special discount or freebie to the best question each month in order to increase submissions.
Many Twitter users that may not have previously been aware of your company will be able to find you by way ofthe”search” tool on the Twitter website – think of your tweets as a 24/7 sales tool that serves double-duty as product information.
Twitter is a viable, free tool that can provide your company with immeasurable value. With just a small investment of your time, you can provide customer goodwill, product information and advertise - all with just 140 characters.
So go ahead and click the retweet button at the top of the page. Twitter.com/LisaSaline
3 Tips to Integrating Social Media into Your Marketing Practices
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The Internet has really proven to be a great resource for local business owners, and many of them are just now discovering exactly how many customers it can send in their direction. One of the reasons why this is the case, is because people are now searching online for local businesses by name, or by what they have to offer. Along with that, many of them use social media networks regularly on their cell phones, and you can also use this to drive insane amounts of new and repeat business to your location.
One of the best ways for you to be able to do this is to simply ask your existing customers to follow you on one of the social networks, such as twitter or Facebook. Whenever they do this, it gives you the opportunity to market to them and to send them a message or update about your business. This can be a very powerful tool, and if used properly you can really fill your location with customers very quickly.
Something that you may want to consider, is running specials from time to time and contacting your customers through these social media networks. For example, if you run a small restaurant, you may want to have a special evening that is themed in some way or another in order to attract customers. By sending out a message on the social media networks about this special event, you will not only get visitors that will be attending it, you will also remind people to come by and visit you at any time.
Make sure that you are active on these social media networks, even when you’re not sending out information that is specific to your business. This gives people the opportunity to form a bond with you, and a certain level of trust is also going to be achieved. When this takes place, people will feel as if you are talking to them directly, even if you have hundreds or perhaps thousands of followers.
Finally, try to get people interested and adding into the conversation whenever you are posting messages on Facebook. This helps to build your local network, as their friends who are also part of their network will see what they have to say. This is an excellent promotional tool, and it is one that should not be overlooked by any local business that would like to achieve higher numbers and to get more customers to come in their door regularly.
You can manage your social media profiles directly from Ace of Sales and try it on me for 30 days. Enter PromoCode SALINE30.
Please leave your comments regarding how you use social media in your business and feel free to invite others to do the same.
A Better Faster Way to Grow Your Business
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are like most entrepreneurs, you are looking for a better, faster way to grow your business. And sometimes that can seem like an endless search.
Well, I have something new I want to introduce to you. It is from Infusionsoft (the leaders in marketing automation software). They call it the Double Your Sales Success Path and it is their proven path to growing a business quickly and profitably. The entrepreneurs who have adopted the path have easily:
- Reconnected with all of their prospects and past customers
- Generated tons of new sales
- Created long-term, profitable relationships with their contacts
- Automated many of the processes in their business
- Grown faster than with any other strategy/solution
You are looking for a better way. And I have to say, Infusionsoft has it. So take a minute and sign up for the FREE 15-day trial. During your trial, you will be introduced to the amazing Success Path and have access to the software that puts the path in place.
This is a great opportunity you do not want to miss.
To doubling your sales!
Foursquare is growing faster than Twitter growth in 2010
Posted by: | CommentsWill Foursquare will have 1 million members signed up in the next couple of week? You bet. This tweet was just published and they are excited to have 1M Checkins in a single day.
Why does this matter to you? If you are a business owner you need to be on Foursquare. People will help you advertise. The best way to describe the service is to actually quote directly from the Foursquare site:
