For business purposes, online social networking’s closest kin is the local business networking event. It’s an opportunity to meet people and begin building relationships that may lead to doing business somewhere down the road. You share interesting tidbits of information relevant to you or your business and useful to your market. But simply broadcasting your information is not enough. It’s just as important to engage in conversation.

• Ask questions.
• Respond to what others are saying.
• Retweet (resend or share) links from your followers that will also interest others in your audience.
• Share enough of your personal self to be seen as a real person, but not so much as to annoy your followers with your every move and thought.

Yes, we have seen relationships develop into sales via Twitter and Facebook. And don’t forget that Google, Bing, and many other smaller search engines index your public status updates. Those two points should be enough to convince even the busiest business owner to take a second look at making the most of both.

Ready to take the leap? Follow @ShariV on Twitter and fan Zero To Sixty Marketing LLC on Facebook

Image Credit: polandeze on flickr

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What we all need is an integrated approach to marketing our small businesses, one that doesn’t put all the eggs in one basket. It’s time to mix it up a bit with a combination of online and offline initiatives.

Your 30-minute action item is to choose two new activities to add to your current marketing arsenal. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Visit a BNI (Business Networking International) meeting, Chamber of Commerce event or even a TweetUp near you. Take along your business cards and make it a goal to meet at least three new people. Repeat regularly.
• Look for an opportunity to speak to groups to share your area of expertise.
• Follow-up with past contacts by phone, notecard, or email. Don’t blast them with a blatant sales message. Think of this as relationship building.
• Create a postcard campaign.
• How about a print newsletter?
• Write a series of five tips that can be sent via autoresponder. Advertise your tips series on your Web site, in your email signature, and on your printed materials. Expect more on this in a future post.
• Record a fresh voicemail message for your company. Make sure to mention where they can find your Web site.
• Have news? Send out a press release. Better yet, incorporate sending regular press releases into your overall marketing communication plan.
• Sign up for Twitter and commit to 15-minutes twice a day to learn to make the most of it.
• Update your Web site, not just once, but regularly. Keep it fresh. Use the language your customers use.
• Start a blog or update your existing blog.
• Create a Facebook Business page.
• Claim or add your business on Yelp, MerchantCircle and other local business directories.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, and now it’s your turn. Please add your tips in the comments, below. Are you practicing integrated marketing?

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein

Productivity, efficiency, and small business marketing go hand-in-hand. As small business owners, we simply don’t have time to waste. I don’t know about you, but I’m the business owner, the bookkeeper, the project manager, the marketing director, the maintenance department, and many times also the technician that physically does the work. Unproductive days and inefficiencies carry a price tag, sometimes a big one.

Productivity in small business marketing begins with identifying your most important goals, then breaking them down into your most important tasks. We’re tossing marketing ideas at you twice each week, but it’s up to you to determine which of these ideas move you closer to YOUR goals.

If you fill a container with little pebbles and sand first, you’ll find that there’s not sufficient room for the big rocks. Productivity is filling the container with the big rocks first, then the pebbles and finally the sand. Those big rocks are the things that must get done to move you toward your goals. If we don’t consciously add the big rocks first, the sand filters in without any forethought – another day, another opportunity lost.

So what do you want to accomplish before the end of this year? What are you doing to move toward your goals?

Action Tips:

1. At the beginning of the week, list three big rocks that you want to accomplish before week’s end. Remember, these are the things that move you toward your goals.
2. Schedule time to tackle your big rocks into your weekly calendar. If you don’t schedule the time, it will fill up with something else … happens every time.
3. Do something every single day to move you toward your goals. Better yet, make it the first task of the day so that nothing gets in your way.
4. At the end of the week review your progress. Don’t skip this step! Did you meet one or more of your goals? Go ahead and gloat … you earned it!

Feel like sharing? I’d love to hear about what you’re doing to move toward your marketing goals. Please leave your comment below.

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It’s simple, human nature to read something, think “I’ve got to try that,” and promptly forget it. Most of us exist in a perpetual state of information overload. We pick up a trade journal, read a really great article, then go onto the next. Or we scan our Google Reader account for interesting blog posts, and read them one right after the other. Closer to home, you’re reading each of our 30-minute action tips for marketing your small business. It comes out twice each week (usually), but are you reading, then moving quickly to the next thing?

I’m making a conscious effort to find and record a take-away from each article I read, in my business journal. Sometimes it’s a topic or title for a future article, other times it’s a reminder to complete a task, such as “re-categorize EMM (my shorthand for this blog).”

If you’re like me, inspiration and ideas hit at the oddest times … when I’m busy on another project, out for a walk or driving around town on errands, in the shower, just waking up, etc. If I don’t write down those ideas as they come to me, they evaporate, so I keep a small notebook and a pencil with me at all times … well, most of the time, anyway.

But I want all my business ideas in one place, so as soon as I have the opportunity, those notes get moved over to my business journal. Now if I don’t have the time, energy, or money to get started right away, at least I have the idea or tiny little gem of an idea tucked away where I can find it again. A business journal keeps all those great ideas from evaporating.

I’ve heard that the average person has at least one million-dollar idea in their lifetime. It may come to you in bits and pieces, be inspired from a variety of sources, and like a fine wine, require time to ferment. Began capturing those gems now in your journal. You won’t regret it.

Do you keep a business journal?

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How far did you get with your holiday ‘campaign’ thinking? You’d better get busy because you’re almost out of time! Oh, I know, next year you’ll really get on it, right? Next year you’ll start in July and have all your great ideas off the ground in plenty of time. We’ve all said that before, but you know what I’ve learned? We tend to repeat our bad habits. Let’s just give this some thought, you’re not absolutely too late, and if you start something now you can perfect it next year. You’ve got to start somewhere, so let’s brainstorm.

Are any of these ideas still available for you?

• Company Calendars
• Holiday Signature Message–Just a nice “Happy Holidays!” in your Outlook signature. Simple, professional, why not?
• Refrigerator Magnets–Inexpensive, and can be done with magnet sheeting right through your own printer. You can still get these professionally done, too.
• Company Photo Postcards–Your employees or family dressed nicely and smiling can be a charming reminder of your appreciation for their business.
• Boxed cocoas, teas, coffees, or chocolates–Many times you can use your child’s school fundraiser to fill this type of order. Make sure they are in on time, and that you choose low cost items.
• Special ‘Holiday Only’ Service–Is there anything that you can offer only during the holidays that adds a special touch to something you already offer?
• Holiday E-Cookbook with favorites–Inexpensive and easy to offer using AWeber services.
• Negotiate Discounts with Restaurants that you can give out as coupons for a percentage off with meals. Win-Win because you’re promoting them in the process.

You are getting close to running out of time! Knowing that, don’t forget that your employees may be getting a little pinched for time, too. Why not offer the services of a personal concierge for errand running, gift wrapping, or even shopping? You will be surprised at how affordable it can be to be so thoughtful! Plan now, and offer when it helps the most.

Once you’ve figured out what you want to offer, you need to figure out how you want to tell your customer base and potential customers about it.

• Postcards / Direct Mail
• Google Coupons
• Hangers / Inserts
• E-mail Newsletters
• Web site post or page

Remember to track your sales through your promotion this year, so you can see how it stacks up against future years. This can be done easily by using a promotion code on the methods described above that are only used through this promotion. We like using a new page on our website with a slightly different URL that can only be found by using the information available on the promotion. All business generated from holiday promotion goes directly to one location, making it much easier to track. If you use that method, why not use a simple survey to see how they felt about the level of service they got with your company? If you offer something additional, like the E-cookbook or a free report about something necessary, when they leave their contact information, you also add leads to your list for next time.

What types of promotion are you using this holiday season?

Photo Credit: mbtrama on Flickr

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It’s that time again. If your holiday campaign was planned and ready to launch in July, good for you! If you’re just now getting around to it, have no fear. This 30-minute idea generator should help you get your head around it before the end of the day so you can implement it soon.                                

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

The Contracting Business

• Start promoting seasonal check ups. These are great for every single home contractor: plumber, handyman, HVAC, pool service, maid service, electrician. Decide how you can best serve your customers by going through their entire home looking for ways they could save money or deter disaster with preventative maintenance. People get too busy with parties, family projects, and shopping to adequately notice some of these things, and getting the house drains cleaned out or the electrical outlets tightened up can be a great offer that possibly prevents crisis at a time when families just want to enjoy each other.

The Food Service Industry

• Package priced meals for the family–either dine-in, take out,or prepared in-home–are great ways to make you the easy choice for a nice meal.
• A personal chef or maid service might even offer grocery shopping for the busy family.
• Offering to prepare and present the meal or appetizers at holiday parties for a fee is nice, too.

B2B / Professional Services

• Sending holiday candy or coffee mugs to your accounts is a nice (albeit well-used) way to keep your name in front of your clients.
• It might also serve your customers to offer a discount on hourly services or project fees. Be sure to carefully size and time your promotion so that it doesn’t keep detract from your own family time during the holidays! Do your homework, and offer bite size help at discount prices for limited time only.

Dry-Cleaning Services

• Holiday parties and stored clothes coming out of their suit bags makes for big business in this industry. Even so, offering additional tailoring or repair with a cleaning tells your customers you know exactly what they need.

That’s all for today. Our next post will talk about different ways to get the word out about your holiday promotion. What types of promotion are you using this holiday season? Please add your ideas in the comments, below.

Photo Credit: Photo’s o Randomness on Flickr

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Apparently Google’s coupon feature is a well-kept secret … or at least you’d think so. After three different searches through Google Maps, I only found one business making use of it. But if you’re paying to send out postcards, fliers or advertisements with coupons, why wouldn’t you also want to place a coupon online, where there’s no cost to you for distribution? Coupons offer an easy incentive for potential customers to do business with you when they find you in Google Maps. They’re easy to set up, easy for customers to print and present to you at your business location, and FREE!

To begin, you DO have a listing on Google’s Local Business Center, right? There’s no cost, but you’ll need a Google account and a verified listing on Google Local Business Center to be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

To create a coupon:

1. Log into the Google Local Business Center.
2. Click on the Coupons tab, then click Add new coupon.
3. Fill out each field that you want to appear on your coupon … check the results in the preview section on the right side of the page.
4. When it looks the way you want it to, click Continue.

That’s all there is to it. Within 24 hours, the coupon will be visible on your Google Maps listing. Find it in Maps by clicking more info, then clicking the Coupons tab.

Were you aware this feature existed? Have you ever used it? Why or why not? Please comment below.

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How is this a 30-minute marketing activity? To begin with, you don’t need to worry about writing the next Pulitzer Prize. It doesn’t have to be perfect and it certainly doesn’t have to be lengthy. It doesn’t even have to be written! In addition to written blog posts, you can record a video blog post with nearly any digital camera and upload it to Youtube, record a five minute, free audiovisual screen cast using JingProject.com, or simply upload photos with a few captions that tell a story. Choose the medium that suits you best, which will likely also be the one you can accomplish quickly.

What Should You Write or Talk About?

My clients ask me questions all the time. I’m guessing that yours do too. Before I began blogging, I spent quite a bit of time explaining the same thing over and over to different people. One of my goals for this blog from the beginning was for it to become an educational resource for my clients. Now when a question comes up that’s already been addressed, I direct them to a blog post on the topic. When I get a new question, that’s grounds for a new post. My clients benefit, as do regular readers, not yet clients.

Sure, I’m a copywriter … so what? Every service industry has questions that need to be answered. So, what do your customers ask you about? What questions do you hear again and again? What frustrates you that your customers don’t ask about? Give your customers an educational resource where they can get their questions answered and watch it turn into a soft sales tool. Commit to at least 30 minutes per week. You won’t regret it.

What aspect of blogging, video blogging or screen casting would you like to hear more about? Are you already using a blog to educate and inform your customers and prospects? How long have you been at it and have you seen results? Make sure to leave your name (not keywords) and a link to your blog with your comment, below.

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Most blogs offer an RSS subscription icon. It may be in the sidebar (as on this one), and in most browsers, it’s also available on the address bar. RSS feeds provide the content of each new blog post each time the blog is updated. Google Reader makes the process extremely simple and efficient. Learn how to get started with Google Reader here.

Or watch this video by Ed Dale (created for this year’s 30 Day Challenge) to learn how to set up your Google Reader for maximum efficiency:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I use his list view method to quickly scan titles, read the posts that interest me, and click through to blogs where I want to leave a comment. The information gleaned from this work flow provides plenty of content ideas in short order for our blogs and helps me to identify sites where I can leave a relevant comment, thereby building quality back links to our blogs. It’s a win-win, easily and wisely limited to a 30-minute time slot and always worth the time spent.

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Let’s pick on plumbing contractors for a minute. A complimentary business might be an HVAC contractor … or really, any home services professional. Now, the plumber can go it alone and only work on drawing new plumbing business with all advertising at his own expense … or by partnering with another home services professional, both the plumber and the partner could double their results at no additional expense.

For example: Joe’s Plumbing creates a flier jointly with Bob’s Heating, each printing the number of fliers they intend to mail or distribute door-to-door, each responsible for his share of distribution. Maybe Joe’s Plumbing offers a slight discount to customers who use Bob’s to get their furnace checked. Or maybe Bob’s Heating offers a coupon to customers who call Joe to replace their water heater within the next three months. You get the idea … be creative!

Your 30-minute assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to make a list of potential marketing partners. Think about what you have to offer and what you hope to gain from this informal partnership.

What types of businesses might this work best for? Have you ever tried this and was it successful? Please respond below and tell us what worked or what didn’t work!

Photo Credit: Steve Weaver on flickr

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