If (like all businesses should) you have a website, it is becoming increasingly important to format your website for smartphones by using an M-site. Consider some of these stats from the youtube video "The Time for Mobile Is Now."
* Mobile search has grown by 400% in the past year
* 79% of large online advertisers do not have a mobile-optimized website
* 1 in 3 mobile searches have local intent
* 59% visit a local store after searching for it on the mobile web
and my personal favourite;
* 125 years of angry birds are played every day.
The desktop is quickly becoming extinct and laptops are not too far behind either. It's not hard to envisage a near future (if it is not already true) where the internet is accessed on smartphones and tablets more than it is on personal computers.
For the business owner it is a must do to create a mobile/micro site of your website.
Not sure what a M-site is?
type in http://m.tsn.ca/ in the browser on your personal computer and repeat on your smartphone.
Notice how the text is immediately readable on your smartphone screen and all the information you most often visit tsn.ca is readily available, one, or at most, two clicks away. Compare it to your own website and you will most likely notice that on a smartphone your page doesn't fit the screen well, your text is miniscule and some of the more advanced features of your website (drop downs, flash etc...) do not work or do not work as intended. This is why you need a M-site; so that the information you are conveying on your website is readily presented to people who are looking for you on their mobile internet devices.
A common excuse I hear as to why business owner's do not have an M-site is; I just spent thousands of dollars on my website a few years ago I can't spend that much again. Terrific because you don't have to. That's the great thing about M-sites is that they are for the most part, very inexpensive. Prices will vary widely but if your spending more than a couple hundred dollars on a design and more than $10 a month for hosting, you are getting a bad deal.
The key to remember with your M-site is, get the most important information across in as simple a manner as possible. Take out all the filler material, people who are looking for your business on a smartphone are far more likely to make a purchase that same day then if they are doing search at home. Don't confuse these potential customers just provide them with the what, how much and how to.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
YouTube Channels
When we think of social media, we tend to immediately go to the Facebook and Twitter's of the world but ignoring YouTube channels can be a mistake for the SMB owner.
YouTube
How?
One of the most popular questions we get asked at Carlyn Services is, how do I get a YouTube channel? The good news is, it is a very easy process, simply go here and follow the steps.
Why?
According to Alexa.com, YouTube is the third most trafficked site in the world. That means when your customers are not doing a search, or on Facebook, they are most likely on YouTube. By creating a YouTube channel you give your customers the chance to 'subscribe' to your channel. Once they have subscribed, every time you add new content to your YouTube channel, your clientele will be made aware that you have done so. This provides the SMB owner with a great opportunity to advertise at no or very little cost.
Invodo.com is a great resource for statistics. Here are a couple relating to video and it's importance in converting internet users into customers:
"Mediapost reports that product videos play a key role in consumer purchase decisions, citing a 9x increase in retail video views at the start of the 2011 holiday season. (MediaPost, January 2012)." (http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/)
"Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not. (Internet Retailer, April 2010)" (http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/)
There are other advantages to creating a channel on YouTube: You can subscribe to your competitors channels and get updates every time they produce new content, ensuring you are aware of anything new or exciting they are doing and you can use your channel to interact with your customer base through the comments to gain valuable feedback.
Here are a few examples of good YouTube channels:
Harley Davidson
Pepsi
Cisco
I've made a channel, now what?
Once you are up and running it is time to begin filling your channel with exciting and fresh content. Every product and service you offer is worthy of a video explaining why everyone needs to buy it from you. Have any experts on staff? Expert advice videos, are amongst the most popularly viewed videos on YouTube. Did your industry recently undergo any new changes? Let your subscribers know by producing a video detailing those changes.
Years ago the SMB owner would have loved to have been able to make commercial's, nowadays all you need is your own camera and you can make and broadcast all the commercials you want. Take advantage of YouTube's channel program and build your brand online.
YouTube
How?
One of the most popular questions we get asked at Carlyn Services is, how do I get a YouTube channel? The good news is, it is a very easy process, simply go here and follow the steps.
Why?
According to Alexa.com, YouTube is the third most trafficked site in the world. That means when your customers are not doing a search, or on Facebook, they are most likely on YouTube. By creating a YouTube channel you give your customers the chance to 'subscribe' to your channel. Once they have subscribed, every time you add new content to your YouTube channel, your clientele will be made aware that you have done so. This provides the SMB owner with a great opportunity to advertise at no or very little cost.
Invodo.com is a great resource for statistics. Here are a couple relating to video and it's importance in converting internet users into customers:
"Mediapost reports that product videos play a key role in consumer purchase decisions, citing a 9x increase in retail video views at the start of the 2011 holiday season. (MediaPost, January 2012)." (http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/)
"Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not. (Internet Retailer, April 2010)" (http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/)
There are other advantages to creating a channel on YouTube: You can subscribe to your competitors channels and get updates every time they produce new content, ensuring you are aware of anything new or exciting they are doing and you can use your channel to interact with your customer base through the comments to gain valuable feedback.
Here are a few examples of good YouTube channels:
Harley Davidson
Pepsi
Cisco
I've made a channel, now what?
Once you are up and running it is time to begin filling your channel with exciting and fresh content. Every product and service you offer is worthy of a video explaining why everyone needs to buy it from you. Have any experts on staff? Expert advice videos, are amongst the most popularly viewed videos on YouTube. Did your industry recently undergo any new changes? Let your subscribers know by producing a video detailing those changes.
Years ago the SMB owner would have loved to have been able to make commercial's, nowadays all you need is your own camera and you can make and broadcast all the commercials you want. Take advantage of YouTube's channel program and build your brand online.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Increasing and Retaining Customers Using Facebook
If you are planning on using Social Media to grow your SMB, Facebook is an essential component. A good place to start when determining how to use Facebook for your business is Facebook's comprehensive business guilde; available here.
There are limitations on what you can do with your business page on Facebook but there are still lots and lots of benefits to setting up and actively using a business page.
SEO
One of the added benefits (that sometimes gets overlooked) of using Facebook in your online strategy is that Facebook scores very well in organic search results. Not to mention the backlink of adding your website to Facebook provides additional SEO benefit to your website. Try looking for Carlyn Services Inc, or carlynservicesinc, on Google and notice that Carlyn Service's Facebook page is generally in the first 5-7 results returned. The more avenues for your business to be found online the better it is for your business.
Getting Ahead of the Curve
Right now, Facebook and Search are separate but with more and more people, places and things finding a page on Facebook you have to wonder how long that reality will exist. What I mean by that is, is it going to make sense to leave Facebook and go to Google to look up the closest dentist when every dentist nearby has a Facebook page? More and more people are already using Facebook to find local businesses, get ahead of the curve now and get a Facebook page for your business.
Events, Photos, Specials and Video, Video, Video
Facebook's statistics page tells us that "the average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events." 80! As a business you can't afford to be losing out on business by not having a share in the 80 connections the average user makes. Put on events, create specials and deals, post pictures of employees and customers and most importantly make videos of anything and everything. If you do all of these you are sure to have more connections than most of your competitors.
As we discussed in the Twitter post last week, the importance of video is increasing daily. People love to watch and listen on their computers. Position yourself as an expert in the field of your business and create instructional videos on your expertise. Putting on an event? Videos. Have a happy customer? Testimonial videos. Ever wanted to make a commercial? Hire a video production company to create one for you. They are less expensive than you realize. Videos, videos, videos!
There are limitations on what you can do with your business page on Facebook but there are still lots and lots of benefits to setting up and actively using a business page.
SEO
One of the added benefits (that sometimes gets overlooked) of using Facebook in your online strategy is that Facebook scores very well in organic search results. Not to mention the backlink of adding your website to Facebook provides additional SEO benefit to your website. Try looking for Carlyn Services Inc, or carlynservicesinc, on Google and notice that Carlyn Service's Facebook page is generally in the first 5-7 results returned. The more avenues for your business to be found online the better it is for your business.
Getting Ahead of the Curve
Right now, Facebook and Search are separate but with more and more people, places and things finding a page on Facebook you have to wonder how long that reality will exist. What I mean by that is, is it going to make sense to leave Facebook and go to Google to look up the closest dentist when every dentist nearby has a Facebook page? More and more people are already using Facebook to find local businesses, get ahead of the curve now and get a Facebook page for your business.
Events, Photos, Specials and Video, Video, Video
Facebook's statistics page tells us that "the average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events." 80! As a business you can't afford to be losing out on business by not having a share in the 80 connections the average user makes. Put on events, create specials and deals, post pictures of employees and customers and most importantly make videos of anything and everything. If you do all of these you are sure to have more connections than most of your competitors.
As we discussed in the Twitter post last week, the importance of video is increasing daily. People love to watch and listen on their computers. Position yourself as an expert in the field of your business and create instructional videos on your expertise. Putting on an event? Videos. Have a happy customer? Testimonial videos. Ever wanted to make a commercial? Hire a video production company to create one for you. They are less expensive than you realize. Videos, videos, videos!
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Effectively Using Twitter for the SMB
Building upon last week we are going to look more in depth at each of the Social Media avenues and how the SMB can use them to increase their revenue. This week we will take a look at Twitter and how to effectively use twitter to increase your business.
Why?
When used correctly Twitter can have the same benefits as hiring a sales person for your business. Think of any cold call you have received and ask yourself what is the one thing they all have in common? Every salesperson who calls you has a reason for calling. Usually this reason takes the guise of a promotion, one time offer, way to save you money or way to make you money. Twitter can act as a salesperson for your SMB by letting your network of "followers" know whenever something changes within your business; at a far more cost effective rate than hiring a salesperson to cold call your network.
How?
There are two parts to the "how" of Twitter; building your network and keeping your network. The one question most SMB owners have regarding Twitter is "how do I get people to follow me?" There is no magical answer to that question but the most important thing to build your network is simply being active. Follow other people and owners (even those within your industry) as they will likely follow you in return. Retweet everything relating to your industry. Send every customer an email with a link to your Twitter account and ask them to follow you. Every customer who comes in-store give a business card to with your twitter information. Get your friends and family to follow you on Twitter. Do everything you can to build a network of followers because your actual audience increases exponentially with every follower.
After you have built your network it becomes increasingly important to maintain and entertain your network. Videos, pictures, sales, promotions, industry articles and humour are just a few of the many ways to ensure your network does not erode over time. Give people a reason to check your Twitter profile every day and whenever they need something your industry provides they will think of you first.
What?
Videos: With 3G quickly becoming ancient and 46" TV screens now considered small the populace of the world is becoming more and more reliant on watching over reading. What this means for the SMB owner is that you have to make videos if you want to reach your audience more regularly. Try to make at least one video a month and post it on your entire Social Media network, including as a tweet. Every type of business can produce content appropriate for videos.
Pictures: Every couple of days minimum, if not once a day, tweet a picture of your business, products or customers (ask for permission of course). People buy from people, don't be afraid to put up pictures of you and your staff and let your Social Media network put a face to the company. Any and every new product or any existing products that are selling well are great things to post a picture of. In the service industry? Post a picture of your new truck wrap or a new tool and especially tweet a picture of any renovations you do.
Sales and Promotions: This one is done well by most businesses but it is worth reiterating that any new information about your business should be tweeted to your network. For all you know, some of your followers have been to your place of business and put off buying something because it was too expensive; maybe a sale is all the motivation they need to come back and make a purchase. Another thing to keep in mind is offering special discounts to those who are part of your social media network. Offer a promotion of any kind and tweet it with a code word. Those who make a purchase and tell you the code word get a deal. This not only can increase your sales but also affords a measure of trackability to your Social Media campaign.
Industry News: Tweeting links to industry news is a great way to get people thinking about your business. As an example if you are a contractor and you read an article on how renovating your bathrooms can increase the value of your home by 10% you should definitely tweet that. Or if you are a promotional products shop and find an article detailing the benefit of fridge magnets to companies you should definitely tweet that. Your network needs to be constantly reminded of why they need what your business provides.
Referrals: When A customer has a good experience with you and has Twitter encourage them to post it to their Twitter account and then retweet it on your Twitter account.
Twitter is an absolute must for any SMB out there. If used effectively you can be constantly advertising to a network of clients that are interested in what you provide at no or a minimal cost. Build your network, maintain your network, increase your sales.
Why?
When used correctly Twitter can have the same benefits as hiring a sales person for your business. Think of any cold call you have received and ask yourself what is the one thing they all have in common? Every salesperson who calls you has a reason for calling. Usually this reason takes the guise of a promotion, one time offer, way to save you money or way to make you money. Twitter can act as a salesperson for your SMB by letting your network of "followers" know whenever something changes within your business; at a far more cost effective rate than hiring a salesperson to cold call your network.
How?
There are two parts to the "how" of Twitter; building your network and keeping your network. The one question most SMB owners have regarding Twitter is "how do I get people to follow me?" There is no magical answer to that question but the most important thing to build your network is simply being active. Follow other people and owners (even those within your industry) as they will likely follow you in return. Retweet everything relating to your industry. Send every customer an email with a link to your Twitter account and ask them to follow you. Every customer who comes in-store give a business card to with your twitter information. Get your friends and family to follow you on Twitter. Do everything you can to build a network of followers because your actual audience increases exponentially with every follower.
After you have built your network it becomes increasingly important to maintain and entertain your network. Videos, pictures, sales, promotions, industry articles and humour are just a few of the many ways to ensure your network does not erode over time. Give people a reason to check your Twitter profile every day and whenever they need something your industry provides they will think of you first.
What?
Videos: With 3G quickly becoming ancient and 46" TV screens now considered small the populace of the world is becoming more and more reliant on watching over reading. What this means for the SMB owner is that you have to make videos if you want to reach your audience more regularly. Try to make at least one video a month and post it on your entire Social Media network, including as a tweet. Every type of business can produce content appropriate for videos.
Pictures: Every couple of days minimum, if not once a day, tweet a picture of your business, products or customers (ask for permission of course). People buy from people, don't be afraid to put up pictures of you and your staff and let your Social Media network put a face to the company. Any and every new product or any existing products that are selling well are great things to post a picture of. In the service industry? Post a picture of your new truck wrap or a new tool and especially tweet a picture of any renovations you do.
Sales and Promotions: This one is done well by most businesses but it is worth reiterating that any new information about your business should be tweeted to your network. For all you know, some of your followers have been to your place of business and put off buying something because it was too expensive; maybe a sale is all the motivation they need to come back and make a purchase. Another thing to keep in mind is offering special discounts to those who are part of your social media network. Offer a promotion of any kind and tweet it with a code word. Those who make a purchase and tell you the code word get a deal. This not only can increase your sales but also affords a measure of trackability to your Social Media campaign.
Industry News: Tweeting links to industry news is a great way to get people thinking about your business. As an example if you are a contractor and you read an article on how renovating your bathrooms can increase the value of your home by 10% you should definitely tweet that. Or if you are a promotional products shop and find an article detailing the benefit of fridge magnets to companies you should definitely tweet that. Your network needs to be constantly reminded of why they need what your business provides.
Referrals: When A customer has a good experience with you and has Twitter encourage them to post it to their Twitter account and then retweet it on your Twitter account.
Twitter is an absolute must for any SMB out there. If used effectively you can be constantly advertising to a network of clients that are interested in what you provide at no or a minimal cost. Build your network, maintain your network, increase your sales.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Social Media and the Small or Medium Sized Business Owner
The history of attracting new customers for the small and medium business(SMB) owner has changed dramatically over the last 5 years and Social Media is the new must-do for any SMB. As a SMB owner there is no better marketing scenario than advertising to an audience who are actually looking for your business. A scenario like that, usually means you will be getting the best penetration rate and the highest ROI. Through Social Media you are essentially building that exact scenario by creating an audience of people who have chosen to "follow" or "like" you.
In marketing there are two basic forms; directional and creative. The majority of marketing is creative: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, buses, benches etc... All fundamentally are the business looking for the customer. Directional was for a long time mostly confined to directories and classifieds; the customer looking for the business. Social Media has essentially redefined marketing, in that it is, the best of both worlds, creative and directional. Using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Blogs, small business now have the opportunity to build their brand(creative) and advertise to an audience who has needed/will need their services(directional).
When designing a Social Media campaign there are many avenues to consider and correct/incorrect ways of using the various Social Media platforms. Over the next couple of weeks Carlyn Services Inc. will take a look at some of the various platforms available and how to correctly use them in a series of blog posts, right here. As a homework assignment, see if you can identify all of the buttons below.
In marketing there are two basic forms; directional and creative. The majority of marketing is creative: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, buses, benches etc... All fundamentally are the business looking for the customer. Directional was for a long time mostly confined to directories and classifieds; the customer looking for the business. Social Media has essentially redefined marketing, in that it is, the best of both worlds, creative and directional. Using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Blogs, small business now have the opportunity to build their brand(creative) and advertise to an audience who has needed/will need their services(directional).
When designing a Social Media campaign there are many avenues to consider and correct/incorrect ways of using the various Social Media platforms. Over the next couple of weeks Carlyn Services Inc. will take a look at some of the various platforms available and how to correctly use them in a series of blog posts, right here. As a homework assignment, see if you can identify all of the buttons below.
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| Picture From: http://www.gamerwok.com/main/tag/social-media |
Friday, 6 January 2012
27 years of Technology Changes in My Office
1985 the year I started contracting, 1988 the year I started working from home. My computer used floppy discs, took forever to boot up and I had to go into the office to pick up and deliver my assignments. There was no email, only a few faxes, no webinars or yahoo chat or msn messenger. NO INTERNET. But there were people. Lots of personal contact, either on the phone or in the office. Job interviews were F2F, based on your typed resume with no fancy fonts or pictures. No online surveys, video interviews or phone generated generic interviews. Nope not back in 1988, show up at the company's office - early, in your best suit or dress. Preparation for the interview - friends/family who knew about the company, newspapers, maybe the library. My desk came equipped with an electric typewriter, my computer, my phone, and a drawer for my paper files.
2012 - how the world has changed. Preparation for the interview - google, yahoo, bing searches. Linked in to find out about the person interviewing you. Assignments are sent to you through email, voip, vpn. You need to talk to someone - try bbming, chats, email. Talk on the phone - why bother - I can text. F2F meetings - oh my I would have to get out of my jeans. Oops in 2012 jeans are ok, sweats maybe not. My desk has a beautiful 19 inch monitor, a colour printer and this wonderful machine that copies, prints 50 ppm, faxes and scans. Yes my portable phone is around as well as my cell phone. I have a calendar that beeps to remind me of my appointments. In 2012 I am more well connected than the Prime Minister was in 1985. The only thing missing are actual people. Now we have social media - twitter, blogging, linked in, facebook, etc.
27 years of changes, what is on the horizon, I can't even imagine.
2012 - how the world has changed. Preparation for the interview - google, yahoo, bing searches. Linked in to find out about the person interviewing you. Assignments are sent to you through email, voip, vpn. You need to talk to someone - try bbming, chats, email. Talk on the phone - why bother - I can text. F2F meetings - oh my I would have to get out of my jeans. Oops in 2012 jeans are ok, sweats maybe not. My desk has a beautiful 19 inch monitor, a colour printer and this wonderful machine that copies, prints 50 ppm, faxes and scans. Yes my portable phone is around as well as my cell phone. I have a calendar that beeps to remind me of my appointments. In 2012 I am more well connected than the Prime Minister was in 1985. The only thing missing are actual people. Now we have social media - twitter, blogging, linked in, facebook, etc.
27 years of changes, what is on the horizon, I can't even imagine.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
E-newsletters
So what are some things to keep in mind when designing your e-newsletter? For me its the 3 P's: Purpose, Pictures and Promotions.
Purpose
Most e-newsletters are targeted at customers you already know. Keep this in mind. A good e-newsletter should be about retaining your existing clients. What do existing clients want to know? Any deals, sales or promotions is a good place to start. Any new stock or products is a must include. Changes to pricing on existing products and services, is also a good thing to include. In this day and age, comparison shopping and researching online are performed more than 90% of the time someone is thinking about making a purchase. An e-newsletter is a good way to beat the comparison shoppers to the punch.
Pictures
People buy from people. Including photos of your staff and business remind clients why they purchased off you in the first place or gives new clients a comforting feeling about potentially making a purchase off you. Pictures of products can also serve as a visual reminder for someone who has been putting off buying something they need or want. Lastly, text filled e-newsletters are far more likely to get moved to the junk/trash folder than ones filled with pictures for the simple reason that people generally are lazy. They want their information in a glance or they won't bother.
Promotions
The Groupon's and Living Social's of the world are thriving because they understand that everyone likes to get a deal. Promotions are a great way to attract new clients or get existing clients back through the door. If you don't normally do promotions or think your business doesn't need to do promotions, you are falling behind the times. Get creative. Painters could consider offering one free bathroom painting if you get two or more other rooms done. Bakeries could offer a free dozen muffins with the purchase of an event cake. Clothing companies could do your typical 50% off your second item. The point is, come up with a monthly promotion for every e-newsletter because people love deals.
Keep in mind the 3 P's when doing your e-newsletter and you will increase your business.
Purpose
Most e-newsletters are targeted at customers you already know. Keep this in mind. A good e-newsletter should be about retaining your existing clients. What do existing clients want to know? Any deals, sales or promotions is a good place to start. Any new stock or products is a must include. Changes to pricing on existing products and services, is also a good thing to include. In this day and age, comparison shopping and researching online are performed more than 90% of the time someone is thinking about making a purchase. An e-newsletter is a good way to beat the comparison shoppers to the punch.
Pictures
People buy from people. Including photos of your staff and business remind clients why they purchased off you in the first place or gives new clients a comforting feeling about potentially making a purchase off you. Pictures of products can also serve as a visual reminder for someone who has been putting off buying something they need or want. Lastly, text filled e-newsletters are far more likely to get moved to the junk/trash folder than ones filled with pictures for the simple reason that people generally are lazy. They want their information in a glance or they won't bother.
Promotions
The Groupon's and Living Social's of the world are thriving because they understand that everyone likes to get a deal. Promotions are a great way to attract new clients or get existing clients back through the door. If you don't normally do promotions or think your business doesn't need to do promotions, you are falling behind the times. Get creative. Painters could consider offering one free bathroom painting if you get two or more other rooms done. Bakeries could offer a free dozen muffins with the purchase of an event cake. Clothing companies could do your typical 50% off your second item. The point is, come up with a monthly promotion for every e-newsletter because people love deals.
Keep in mind the 3 P's when doing your e-newsletter and you will increase your business.
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