By Tasha Cunningham
Tasha@BizBytes101.com
BizBytes has turned to several top PR and marketing pros for advice on how small businesses should start the new year. Here are 11 online brand-building strategies your firm can use in 2011.
1. Monitor conversations about your brand online to attract customers — what are your potential and existing customers saying about you online? Are they blogging about your world-class customer service? Are they on Facebook posting about the great money-saving sales you’re having? Or are they venting about a bad product they received, an unresolved customer service issue or an e-mail request that went unanswered? No matter what the conversation is, you need to know about it. Commit to using just one of the many free online monitoring tools featured in BizBytes this year like Social Mention, Google Alerts or Trackur to get started.
“You can’t engage your customers if you don’t know that they’re talking about you,” said Christine Bucan, executive vice president of Coral Gables-based Pantin/Beber Silverstein Group. “The moment you know a conversation is happening about your brand is the moment you can address it and turn it into an opportunity to engage with your customers and possibly make a sale.”
2. Join the online conversation to woo customers — in cyberspace conversations are going on around the clock about brands, businesses, people and places. Answer customer questions, offer advice and assistance.
“Some people think it’s not really important to talk to your customers online,” said Tadd Schwartz, principal of Miami-based Schwartz Media. “But it’s actually quite the opposite. Today, customers expect you to engage with them online and off about your product or service. Joining the online conversation demonstrates how much you care about your brand and that you’re willing to do what it takes to make your customers happy, resulting in a better customer experience.”
3. Build your online communities comprised of customers, not followers. You may have a Facebook page for your business with thousands of followers, but how many of them actually buy your product or service? Having followers who aren’t really customers who use your product doesn’t do you as a small business owner much good. Instead, take a look at how many of your followers bought something from you in 2010 and use targeted outreach strategies to engage them. In 2011, focus on turning your followers who didn’t buy from you into paying customers.
4. Continue using the marketing strategies that worked for you in 2010. You’ve invested a significant amount of time in 2010 in finding and testing marketing strategies that work for your firm. Now that you’ve identified the ones that are working well, don’t stop. Keep using those sale-generating strategies to boost your bottom line.
5. Use search engine optimization (SEO) to get exposure on the Internet. Remember that keywords are like currency on the Internet. When potential customers type the product or service you’re selling into a search engine, you want your small business to rank on the first page.
“Focus on getting the most targeted keywords for your business and writing content for your website that speaks to those particular keywords,” said Sissy DeMaria, president of Kreps DeMaria PR.. “Most people don’t understand that having a text-rich page with words that relate to your industry and that have inbound and outbound links are key for SEO. Doing this will result in increased exposure for your product or service.”
6. Get a new website. If your site is more than six years old, chances are you need a new one. Make sure your landing page has lots of SEO-rich words.
“Your website is key to a successful online presence,” said DeMaria. “Color and graphics are great but they won’t drive business to your site. You need to optimize your content to make that happen.”
7.Claim your business listing on Google. If you don’t already have a Google Places business for your company, stop what you’re doing right now and create one.
“There are no excuses,” Bucan said. “It’s something that should be part of every business owners marketing mix in 2011 — regardless of size. It doesn’t cost anything, and it definitely helps your search results. Plus, your business will appear on Google Maps and on Google Earth.” Get it here: http://www.places.google.com/business.
8. Let 2011 be the year you utilize social media in your business. Social media isn’t just a fad that will fade away in a few years. It’s here to stay and as a small business owner you need to embrace it and make it an integral part of your marketing mix in 2011.
“If your professional service firm is not on Facebook, it’s not too late,” said DeMaria. “Lawyers, accountants, investment advisors and many other professionals are using it to find and connect with others who they know, and they are often surprised by how many of their contacts and acquaintances will find and reconnect with them through the site. Plus, because of the nature of Facebook and the ability to post updates, photos, links and other items, professionals are able to use it to let their contacts know more about their work, community involvement, interests and other aspects of their professional and personal lives that reflect positively on them.”
9. Focus on building relationships with your clients and prospects. .
“This could be as simple as a phone call to thank them for their business, a unique direct marketing piece that gets their attention and/or networking with local business organizations,” Bucan said. “Remember, it’s not enough to simply join a business organization. You must work it: Attend meetings, serve on a committee, host networking events at your place of business. The increased exposure will lead to increased sales.”
10. Focus on converting customer conversations into sales. When you make contact with a customer, whether it’s on Facebook, via e-mail or on a blog, follow up. Respondto a customer in a timely manner, offerfree advice and makesure you are there every step of the way to answer questions.
“It’s great to engage with your customers,” Schwartz said. “But it has to be a two-way street. You’ve got to provide superior customer service and follow up until your customer is happy.”
11. Fine tune your marketing messages. Companies large and small are constantly vying for the attention of the customer. To help your small business stand out, make your marketing message impactful.
“With information sharing becoming more digital and viral, and with the ’noise’ directed at prospects growing louder with each passing day,” said Schwartz, “companies need to make sure they are communicating a fine-tuned message through a range of tactics, including proactive media relations, targeted marketing, in-person relationship building, and even social media. There’s no longer room for reluctance when it comes to marketing your brand online and via social media platforms.”
SEO Company Delhi Web Solution India - Internet marketing company offers full seo ,smo ppc and website design throught india
Article Source :http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/27/v-fullstory/1989297/11-online-brand-building-strategies.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment