Don’t Be a Social Media Marketing Skeptic – Learn Where and How to Start

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by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator

Created: January 3, 2013, 7:53 amUpdated: March 7, 2013, 11:55 am

There’s no doubt that social media marketing is a proven and established platform for connecting with customers, building a community and generating business. Yet, despite the evidence of its effectiveness as a marketing tool, surveys and studies say few small businesses are making active use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to promote products and services.

A report by eMarketer found that just 24 percent of small businesses have integrated social media in a structured way in their businesses. The report also references findings from Constant Contact that only 49 percent of small businesses consider social media marketing effective.

Why the skepticism? Here are a few reasons and excuses I’ve heard:

“I don’t know where to start”“I’m too busy”“I don’t know which social media site is right for my business”“I tried it but it didn’t work”“I’m struggling to build engagement”“I don’t have enough updates to keep my site looking active”

Knowing where to start is perhaps the number one obstacle holding many small business owners back. Knowing what to do when you get there is next. For example, should you use social media to generate leads? For branding? Customer service? Marketing? 

There are numerous blogs on the SBA.gov Community offering tips for getting started in social media marketing. One consistent piece of advice runs through them all: find out where your customers are, start small, and, as you learn, grow out from there.

How?

Last year, I wrote a blog called: How to "Pull Your Head Out of the Sand" and Use Social Media in Your Small Business where I summarized some of the great recommendations from a social media panel at the 2012 National Small Business Week Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel featured experts from Twitter, Constant Contact, Yelp, Google and others. Here’s a summary of their recommendations, a great baseline for getting started:

Which Platform is the Right One? Erica Ayotte, social media manager with Constant Contact, recommends businesses start with one channel to test and nurture it. Then try to diversify: “Spend a little time each week exploring new platforms and figure out if they might be for you.” GrowBizMedia’s Rieva Lesonsky recommends: “...find out where your customers can be found, go there first, and then spread out from there… if you run a restaurant, yes, you probably should be on Twitter, but you should really be on Yelp first.”How do You Find the Right People to Engage With? Use search tools to identify and follow people who are influencers in your industry. For example, if you are in the restaurant business, identify food bloggers in your region, give them a follow, and slowly you’ll start to build and grow your followers and influence. The panel also stressed connecting your social media activity to your loyal email subscriber list. Send them an email to let them know about your social media presence and generate new follows from those who are already engaged.What’s the Best Way to Engage with Followers? This is the one area that takes time. Start with interesting information. Google’s Jeff Aguero recommends starting with quality content – something you do really well – then amplify it with social media. Web chats, contests and surveys are great ways to engage, but the panel cautioned small business owners to resist this form of heavy interaction until their new social efforts have had time to grow. “Once you’ve established awareness and trust, then look to step up your approach,” suggested Constant Contact’s Ayotte. “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress,” she explained. “It can take some time to figure out what content is going to resonate with an audience… Try something new if no one responds to your Facebook posts.  It’s OK.  Tweak your posts until you find your sweet spot.”

Don’t Forget to Integrate Your Email and Social Media Marketing

Email is still the preferred method of communication among consumers, and Constant Contact predicts that in 2013 it will remain their preferred marketing channel as well. Email is also a key element in driving social media success, “…using both together to support one another can boost a campaign and bring greater collective benefits, as opposed to using just one or the other,” advises Constant Contact.

Learn from the Experts

There are myriad webinars, ebooks, blogs and other tools that can help you learn the tricks of the trade. Small business organizations like SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, and others also offer advice and seminars on this topic (use this interactive map to find resources in your area).

Here’s a selection of SBA blogs that can also help with key areas of your social media strategy:

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, Small Business Matters, Marketing

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5 Tips for Writing a Basic (and Un-Daunting) Marketing Plan

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by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator

Created: April 4, 2013, 7:41 amUpdated: April 7, 2013, 9:30 am

Have you ever written a marketing plan for your business? Do you keep putting off the task?

Whether you are launching a new product or promoting your latest offer, a marketing plan is worth taking the time to complete. Why?

As a small business owner, it’s likely that you not only own the task of coming up with a strategic plan, but also the act of executing it (writing email copy, hosting events, etc.). If this is you, then a plan can help you direct your day-to-day activities, guide your approach, and ensure you are making the most of the available resources.

The good news is that a marketing plan needn’t be encyclopedic or overly time consuming to prepare. In fact, in my experience, the simpler the plan, the more effective it can be (bog yourself down in too many details and you’ll quickly lose focus). A simple plan also gives you the flexibility to quickly adjust your tactics if you need to.

Here are five tips for developing a basic marketing plan that can be applied to discrete activities such as a product launch or promotional campaigns.

1. Build a Precise Picture of Your Ideal Customer

Identifying your target market is the first step of any marketing plan and it’s essential that you are as precise as possible. If not, you run the risk of a scatter-gun approach that will dilute your message and drain your budget. Instead, think about your target market in terms of specifics – who in your current customer base is the right fit for your product or service? What have they purchased from you before? Do their purchasing patterns suggest they might be a good target? Are they the kind of customer you even enjoy doing business with? What about reaching new customers outside your customer base?

The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to craft the right message and tactics for reaching that audience. Read 5 Ways to Find the RIght Niche and Target Market for your Small Business for more tips.

2. What do you Want to Accomplish?

Again, be specific. Stating that you want to increase brand awareness about your business/product isn’t really specific enough. Think about what actions you want them to take after they are made aware of your campaign or promotional activity. Do you want them to register for an event, take advantage of a special offer, upgrade an existing product, invest in training, or request a quote? There may be multiple actions that you want them to take. For example, a webinar could be positioned as a free training opportunity and your initial action goal would be to get your target market to register for the event. However, once the event is over, you may then want to circle back with attendees and see if they are interested in receiving more information (such as a one-on-one product demo or quote for a product or service).  

These actions will drive your messaging and delivery methods.

3. How Can You Reach your Targets?

Now that you know who you want to reach and what actions you want them to take, you’ll need to identify the best ways to reach them and with what message. To do this, consider the following about your customers and prospects:

What associations do they belong to?Are they active on social media?Do they subscribe to your email marketing?What print or online media do they read?What are their pain points (how can you help address these)?What types of messages or call to actions have they responded to in the past?Why should they care about what you have to offer (what’s in it for them / in what ways will they benefit)?

4. Work Out Your Budget

When it comes to planning your budget, either start with a figure that you can afford, or determine your tactics, price them out (my preferred method) and prioritize where necessary.  You can always adjust your budget as you go, so be flexible. For tips on calculating your marketing budget read: How to Set a Marketing Budget that Fits your Business Goals and Provides a High Return on Investment.

5. Plan Your Tactics

Your tactics are the actions you need to take to help you reach your target market and accomplish your goals. These include specifics such as direct mail, email marketing, print/radio/online advertising, blogs, social media, case studies, webinars, events, sponsorships and so on.

Never rely on one tactic alone. An integrated approach that delivers a consistent message across multiple, targeted platforms is the best way to ensure you reach your target market and get the most out of your budget. Refer back to who it is you are trying to reach, where they are, and what you want them to do.

Above all, be flexible. Track results and adjust your tactics and messaging as you go. I’ve seen many campaigns start out with one message and close out with a completely different one. Try out new email subject lines, test social media messages, and keep a close eye on what works and what doesn’t.

Don’t forget a call to action – whether it’s taking advantage of a coupon, downloading a white paper, or attending an event. Use a unique code for each medium so that you can track where your leads are coming from. This blog offers some tips: 8 Ways to Strengthen Your Email Marketing Offers and Calls to Action.

Lastly, don’t forget to include internal elements to our plan such as sales trainings or briefings about your campaign or new product offering.

Good luck! For more help, contact your local Small Business Development Center. They offer training, counseling and support for business owners in all areas of business planning and operation.

Additional Resources

For more marketing tips, check out SBA’s extensive archive of marketing-related blogs.

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, Small Business Matters, Managing, Marketing

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Grow Your Business This Summer – 7 Marketing Tips that Won’t Break the Bank

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Looking for ideas to incorporate the summer season into your marketing plans this year? Whether it’s a busy or quiet time for your business, here are some things you can do to take advantage of the summer months!

Take Your Business Into the Fresh Air

Don’t wait for your customers to come to you; look for ways to get in front of them. Whether you run a retail store, restaurant or provide a service to customers, consider the following:

Host a Cookout – Invite your customers (past and present) to join your business for a celebration of summer. Use your parking lot or public park and plan on catering yourself (a grill, hot dogs, hamburgers, salad, and cold drinks are fine). Look for ways to make this a worthwhile event for folks to want to join – hire a magician, moon bounce, or give away prizes. Don’t forget to offer incentives (demos or special offers) to those who attend so that they have a good reason to keep frequenting your business over the summer.Take Your Food Business on the Road - If you are in the food business, taking a concession stand on the road is a great way to earn money and give new customers a taste of what you’ve got to offer back at your restaurant or store. This article can help you understand how to start up a concession business: Starting a Mobile Food Concession Business.

Spoil Your Customers

I mentioned hosting a cookout above, but what about treating a select group of loyal customers to an appreciation event like an afternoon at a winery, a round of golf, or an afternoon of fishing? Don’t forget, as long as there is a business purpose for these activities—and substantial business discussions occur before, during or afterwards—you can claim the cost of customer entertainment expenses (including meals) as a tax deduction (typically up to 50 percent of the cost).

Hold a Themed Week or Day

Like restaurant week or Small Business Saturday, think of ways to really showcase what your business does for one week or one-day only. You might want to use some of the tips in this blog – events, community charity participation, promotions, and giveaways – or combine them to maximize visibility and interest in what you do. You could even partner up with complementary businesses or those in the same district as you and co-market each other’s products, services and specials with fliers, coupons and teasers. Try to come up with a theme, something like “ABC Town Small Business Week,” “Take a Staycation with Us,” or “Back to School Week” and weave it into all your marketing and advertising.

Give Back to the Community

Community projects are a great way to build your brand and give back to the community. Why not organize or sponsor a community service day or charitable event? Pick a cause that’s a good fit for your business and reach out to the media, in addition to your own marketing, to publicize it. You can also deduct certain expenses related to any volunteer work or charitable giving.

Summer-ize your Marketing Activities

From your website to your email newsletter, look for ways to incorporate summer themes and information that are relevant to your customers. Send out newsletters that showcase your summer specials, but mix it up with good content—summer fashion tips, recipes, or pet care in the heat.

Pre-order low-cost summer promotional items now. Branded goods such as Frisbees, beach balls and drink coolers will ensure your logo is in front of customers all summer long.

Drum Up Business with Promotions

If summer is a slow season for your business, consider offering financial incentives to increase foot traffic. Don’t just dive in with a wholesale across-the-board discount; instead, consider some of the following options:

Discount Certain Products and Services – Test the market to see if you can shift slower selling products with a limited-time discount (say, for the month of July). Promote your offer to a select segment of your email list, perhaps those who haven’t purchased from you for some time.  Monitor the results. If the offer works, then consider extending it to other products and consumers next month.Package Promotions – Offer a discount if customers buy more than one product or service. For example, buy a coffee and a donut for $3.50 instead of $5.Off-Peak Specials – Many people have more flexible schedules during the summer months. Consider ways to draw people in during your off-peak hours, whether it’s a time-bound discount or another incentive (free corkage, bring a friend for half price, or a free consultation).

Plan for Your High Season – Take the Pulse of your Market

Again, if summer is your slow season, use the time wisely and start planning your marketing activities for the rest of the year. Conduct market research to gauge what your customers think of your business and the products and services you offer. What could you do better/more of/change? Is there a certain product that they’d like to see you carry? Are there any market or demographic trends that might impact your business in the coming year? Market research doesn’t have to cost much money; this blog explains some free resources that can help: Conducting Market Research? Here are 5 Official Sources of Free Data That Can Help.

SBA’s SizeUp Tool can also help you benchmark your business against competitors, map your customers and locate the best places to advertise.

You can also use surveys to gauge customer buying and spending habits. Use this data to inform your product marketing strategy and any other changes you may need to make in your business before your high season starts.

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, Small Business Matters, Marketing

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How to Dust Off Your Marketing Hat with Strategies that Work

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When did you last take a marketing 101 course? Don’t have enough time or perhaps you leave marketing up to others? Whatever the stage of your small business, a marketing plan can help ensure you are putting your customers at the front and center of your business. Likewise, an effective approach for its execution will ensure you satisfy your customers’ needs while generating profits for your business.

So if marketing concepts are new to your or you just want to dust off your marketing hat, check out SBA’s free online course – Marketing 101. Designed with the small business owner in mind, the course can help you understand the importance of marketing research, help you build a marketing plan and suggest strategies to help you go after your target market.

In a nutshell, here’s what you need to know. (I’ve also included links to some articles that provide a deeper dive into some of the areas covered by the course):

Think You Know What Marketing Is?

You might think that the first exercise in this course is redundant – “What is Marketing?” However, it’s worth explaining, because marketing is so often confused with advertising or promotion, and it’s much more than that.

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as, “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.”

A lot of words, but the key word is “satisfy.” Your products and/or services should provide a solution to an unfulfilled need in the market place. Once you’ve established that need (with the help of market research) you then go on to establish prices, develop an awareness or promotion strategy and set up distribution processes.

Don’t Do Anything Without Doing Market Research

To be successful selling into a market, you have to first understand it. The thing is, it needn’t be costly or complex; it can be as simple as surveying a cross-section of your prospects or customers. You can also draw on demographic information, market trends, and so on. Check out SBA’s SizeUp tool, a free service that helps you manage and grow your business by benchmarking it against competitors, mapping your customers, competitors and suppliers, and locating the best places to advertise. Check out this blog for more resources: Free Sources of Market Data and How to use that Data for Business Planning.

Your research should focus on getting answers to the following questions:

Who are your existing customers and potential customers?How would you describe or profile your customers?Where are they located?And, most importantly, are you offering the kinds of products and services customers want—at the best place, at the right price and in the right amounts?

Writing Your Marketing Plan (i.e. how are you going to reach your customers?)

OK… you’ve done your research, so how do you pull it all together to reach and influence your customers? The answer is preparing a meaningful marketing plan.

The marketing plan is the heart of any business. It is a blueprint of strategies designed to help you win customers. Your marketing plan – which is generally included within the overall business plan, should consist of several key components:  identify your target market; define your products and services; outline your pricing strategy; describe how your products will be distributed; develop a promotion strategy; review your competition; prepare a marketing budget and have a plan in place for measuring performance.

Check out my earlier blog – 5 Tips for Writing a Simple (and Un-Daunting) Marketing Plan – or check out the Section 3 of the training course for a deeper dive into planning around these strategic areas. The following blogs can also help:

Now, what approaches and tactics work best for executing your plan? Below are a few to consider.

10 High Impact Marketing Strategies to Consider

Part of the planning process includes coming up with strategies to reach new customers and to grow existing ones. The training course includes suggestions for ten high impact, low-cost, and easy-to-implement strategies that you may want to consider as part of your plan including surveying your customers, content development, blogging, seminars and demonstrations, signage, effective sales follow-up, and staying alert and learning from others. 

For a deeper dive, check out the full Marketing 101 course online. It’s self-paced and only takes 30 minutes to complete!

 Additional Resources

For additional marketing tips, check out SBA’s extensive archive of marketing-related blogs.

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, Small Business Matters, Marketing

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7 Marketing ideas that can help to boost your earnings this father's day

by Caron_Beesley, community moderator

Created: 06 June 2013, 9:33updated: June 06, 2013, 9:34

Father's day is just around the corner, offers another opportunity for small companies to reach customers with an incentive to visit its shops, restaurants, or web sites and make a purchase.

Who is your target market? Wives, mothers, children and grandparents even are all about to start thinking about the gift of giving and do something special for fathers in their lives. And they are great; According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, the average person will pay $117 a gift for Dad - which is $12.7 billion in total spending.

What gifts can expect Pope? According to the survey, special outings, such as golf, go out to eat or go to a sporting event, they are the most popular ways to celebrate. Clothing and electronic gift items are also big draws. Gift cards are another favorite, followed by sporting goods, books and music.

Let's face it: choose the right gift is not easy. Parents can be difficult to buy. What can you do to help them and make easy choices and the special day for parents everywhere? Seven tips for father's day here are sales and marketing to help you increase your winnings - regardless of your business.

Make it easy for buyers

Pope has everything, isn't it? So think of ways to help facilitate the choice of gifts for their clients. If you run a store or web site, a gift guide is a great way to do this. Offer suggestions by price or interest and use e-mail messages, social media and e-newsletters to group and highlight inventory in the same line that appeals to Pope (and perhaps more importantly still, women - who are often buyers this holiday).

We also offer free gift wrapping (and don't forget to promote it) - this is a big time saver for busy moms. Online stores can offer free shipping or offer free updates (regular to expedited shipping) as father's day draws closer.

Facilitate the life of Dad

Could it offer a special father's day releasing Pope time so he can spend more with the family? This is an idea that works best for service companies. Be creative. For example, a restaurant may make promotional related to a car wash locally, so Dad can enjoy a lunch the day of the father and the gift of a car wash included en.

Pope gives a reason to visit your business – enjoy and cherish it!

Think of ways to attract parents into your store or business during father's day weekend. This is something that can work for all types of companies, for hairdressing salons health care practices. We offer a free service or demo. For example, if a chiropractor could offer a free column or posture assessment - all want our parents to be healthy, after all! If you sell technology or Home / DIY product, open house and let dad go a practical demonstration of popular products. Offer an incentive to make a purchase in the next seven days.

Target: children (and mother).

The children are part of the purchase decision, so think of ways to attract children in your store or restaurant. If it is a special offer for children who actually make a purchase using their own pocket money, or a special event or offering that attracts children (and their parents) to your business - such as "kids eat free on father's day", or gifts for kids when MOM makes a purchase.

Alternatively, look for ways to help MOM make a purchase, while their children have an area designated game, or vice versa.

Offer something that dad can do with their children

We tend to think of the father's day gifts as a gift for Dad that he can enjoy outside the home (golf, fishing, etc.). Be unique - provide gifts that dad and children can enjoy together. It could be a class that could be taken together or a discount on a product combined that dad can enjoy with your kid (s).

Generate Buzz

Even if you don't have specific special father's day, not overlook the occasion. Recognize the day in other ways. Host a contest on Facebook - ask your fans to present their photos more stupid Dad or host a theme Pope contest or sweepstakes at your store.

Popes of honour through the demographics

Pope is not the same. Some abroad are serving their country; others may be parents for the first time. Think of ways of honoring these parents. Develop a theme and make sure that it works across all your marketing and promotions.

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the team of SBA.gov to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start, grow and succeed. Caron's follow on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, small business, Management, Marketing

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