Creating a brand makes marketing your business much easier when your potential clients already recognize something about it. Companies like Apple and Campbells have had much success in capturing their audience and client pool throughout their industry because of their brands. Many businesses not have a variety of ways to get in front of clients. The internet and social media have opened up new avenues to reach your clients.
Before you come up with how to market or create your brand, you first need to figure out what your brand should be. A good question to ask yourself is, “What does my company offer that is unique?”. Many people may be able to claim an area of expertise in your field, but what is it about your company that makes it unique? What will you offer? For instance, there are many companies that produce soup, but only Campbells is “mmmm, mmmmm, good.”. So it could be simple things like how you answer the phone, or how your employees work with your clients. These things can make your different. They can also be much appreciated by your clients, and therefore help set you apart from your competition.
So how do you create your brand once you figure out how you are unique? First, get on the web! Make sure your website says what you want it to say about you!! Your website is often the first place that your clients will come in contact with you. So make sure that it looks better than your office does! It IS your virtual office! Make the content personable. Talk about the unique things your company does, and how you treat your clients different, or better than your competition. Videos. They can help give you clients the feel of who they are dealing with. The goal is to give your clients the warm fuzzy feeling. Testimonials are great to put on your website. They help your clients see that many others have been satisfied by your services.
Social Media can also aid in getting your brand noticed. Many small businesses and large ones don’t realize the power of social media. Profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube are all proven methods of getting your business more visibility. As well as the profiles can also help get your site more traffic!! They also provide a more one-on-one setting (believe it or not) for your clients. Your clients will often have direct access to you, the company.
Many other things will go into building your company’s brand. Things including, getting your business noticed, events, publicity, and many other factors. Here we have really only briefly spoke about getting your business online. Contact us to talk more in depth about your particular situation. I often do not like to put all of my thoughts online as every business in unique!! YOU should NEVER follow a general rule of thumb in marketing your business. ALWAYS consult an expert in the industry.
Lately, there have been many articles written on the privacy issues that Facebook is having. FB has over 500 million subscribers! That is a lot of people.
In FB’s privacy policy they state that they own any information that you put online as well as they will collect information (for advertisers and who knows who else) on things you like such as books, movies, your address, your hometown, phone number, email, prior clubs, jobs, educational background, birth date, sexual orientation, interests, schedules, friends, pictures, and political affiliations.
Think that is scary?!
All of this information is information that YOU the user supply to them. So is it right for your business? It could be. There are a few things that you should consider if you want to expand your reach online via Facebook.
One of the first things you should do is limit the amount of information that you put online about you or your business. You should then follow these guidelines.
1.Use your friends lists. You can use “friends list” for just about anything. As well as you can create new lists.
2. This is a tough one. This is something that a personal account should not do, but a business should, and that is removing yourself from the Facebook search results. Don’t let people search for you as you do not want everyone to see the information that you have. If you were a teacher you wouldn’t want your students to see that you just went to Las Vegas, etc. I think you get the picture. For a business though, this may not always be a bad thing. You should speak to a professional about this before moving forward.
3. Avoid the “tag” mistake. We have all had those nights that get out of control. Someone is taking pictures and the next thing you know is you are posted all over online for EVERYONE to see. I don’t want to say to never have photos of yourself online, but just monitor the pictures that are online about you. Much of Facebook traffic comes from search engines, and if you can just imagine if someone was searching for you online and found a picture of you in a not so good photo. You get the picture.
4. Protect your albums. Don’t let everyone see them. Protect them. Enough said.
5. This should go without question. Make your contact info private. For a business this can go either way. You can A. let everyone see your info, or B. Make them “like” your business before they can see the info. Therefore, you can monitor who can see your information as well as grow your FB network. You should consult with a professional on this matter.
6. Be smart. Don’t make dumb mistakes and post something embarassing. Be mindful of what you do. I follow the rule my mother always said. ”Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t want your mother to see. “. It’s worked out ok so far.
So is Facebook right for your business? Many aspects of Facebooks privacy policy are of late coming under heavy scrutiny. It is only a matter of time before some changes have to be made. Facebook is a great place to expand your business online, however, you must be extremely careful.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us for more information. We help small businesses throughout Connecticut with all of todays technology and online business efforts. We also help small businesses with Intake Management, Social Media, Small Business Coaching,
News•
on April 25th, 2010•
Many businesses do not understand how important it is to take your business online. Lawyers, accountants, and other professions that rely heavily on networking and referrals feel that the web will not help their business. They are wrong. The web impacts every business no matter what business they are in. Hopefully, if you are reading this you know the importance and are looking for information on how to take the next step.
Before you need a website you need to think of why you want a website. The web can be used for a few different things. Do you want to get new clients via the web? So is search important? Do you just want it there to convert referrals? Do you want to showcase your product? Do you need a retail/e-commerce feature on the site? Do you want a blog?
These questions are essential to understand and know the answers to before you even think about taking a step further. You should contact a professional to help you realize the importance of each of these and how they can impact your business. Once you realize and have the answers to the above questions, then you are ready to take the next step. The next step is to hire someone, or do it yourself. Please see part two of this post for that.
News•
on April 12th, 2010•
With over 300 million Facebook accounts online right now no business can understand the importance of Social Media. 300 million people is a huge client pool!! And many other network related sites are developing as I type this. Albeit Facebook is the most popular social media site there is, there are plenty of others businesses should keep an eye on. For instance, LinkedIn has more than 55 million profiles! And most of these individuals are there for a professionally related reason.
With Social Media marketing, you need to know your market and who you are going to target. Then you need to know the social networks that will reach your audience. How do you do this? BUZZ MMC works with Connecticut small businesses to help generate a social media marketing strategy. In fact, this is just one aspect of what BUZZ can do for your business. But in case you want to know a few things you should know before tackling all social media. Ask yourself these questions.
- Who is my target market? Understanding your market is the first step you need to take before venturing into social media.
- Which Social Network is right for my business? It is impossible to tackle all social media. There are too many to handle, and it would be a waste of time. Selecting the right social network that will help your business is crucial.
- Who is going to manage my social media? This is very important as maintenance of your profile is crucial. A stagnant page is a losing page. BUZZ MMC will manage your social media for you so you can do what you do best.
For more information about this or for a list of more questions you should ask yourself. Please Contact BUZZ!
So the new Apple iPad has been out for about a week now, and we have seen some of what Cupertino has in store for iPhone OS 4.0. Something new called iAds is going to be launched this summer and it could change the face of advertising forever! Small businesses should take note.
Businesses around the globe(including here in CT) will have the opportunity to place ads strategically on Apple products that support OS 4.0. So you are probably thinking; an ad on a phone, what’s the big deal? Right? The big deal is that Apple knows what ads will be attractive to what people on what phones based on our search technics and interests online. Does that make sense? For instance, I would love to get an iPad. So while I am playing a game on a free app from the App Store along the bottom will be a banner ad possibly for an iPad. Reason being, I have been keeping up with the buzz on the iPad since its launch.
Small businesses and large businesses are going to be able to capitalize on this. And mobile marketing will be changed forever!! If you would like to see more about this please visit Apples website.
For more information on this, please contact us!
News•
on March 22nd, 2010•
I am currently working on a project and came into the project mid way through to try and get some movement on the project in a forward direction. I have a client that is trying to develop a brand online, redevelop an outdated website, and try to do something no one has done before. Here is the problem. The client has different people with different visions all working on different pieces of the project. And there lies the reason why nothing is getting done. I have been brought in to be someone who will get everyone working as a team on a common goal.
With that said, a small business that is trying to do any advertising, marketing, or branding should hire ONE company to do all of those things. It will help keep things consistent, on time, and on budget. When you have too many people working on one project it can get messy. Please see the services that we offer, and know that when working with us you will have your project completed on time and on budget.
News•
on March 14th, 2010•
I read an article today that was titled “10 ways to stretch your marketing budget”. I will give you a brief rundown of the 10 ways, and then tell you about the biggest problem I have with this article. I must say, I am SURE that this author had a good reason and good intentions when writing this article. But most (almost everyone) misses the biggest way to save money.
1.Use your ads for more than just space advertising. Basically, reuse the same ad instead of getting them made up.
2. If something “works”, stick with it. I agree. I will touch on this later.
3. Don’t over present yourself. Meaning simply, don’t spend more than you have to.
4. Use “modular” product literature. Form an ad that can be described as the old GM cars. Use interchangeable parts. If you need to market to more than one market then you can switch messages in and out.
5. Use Article reprints as sales literature.
6. Explore inexpensive alternatives for lead generation.
7. Do not overpay for outside creative talent.
8. Do it yourself
9. Use existing content
10. Pay vendors on time.
I personally have a big problem with this article, and most marketing suggestions. I will tell you what IS the most important thing in marketing. Are you ready?
Understand what it is doing for your business!!! Everyone talks about how to stretch a dollar, but not one person tells you how to figure out if those dollars are working. BUZZ Media has a proprietary method of helping small businesses understand what marketing is working for them, and then will help them focus their marketing in a much more effective way. We have been helping small businesses stretch their advertising dollars by making EVERY dollar effective. And that my friends is the best way to stretch your advertising dollars.
This is a very quick post, but I found it necessary.
Recently I wrote on developing strategies for your business for PR or advertising purposes. I recently found an article on this very same topic. The two are often confused as being one, but they are totally different machines.
To tell you a little about the article, a questions was asked and an answer was given or advice rather. A small business was analyzing their advertising and found that PR was presumably more cost effective, but they weren’t sure. And they were looking for studies done on the difference between advertising your business or creating PR for your business.
You can see what CNNMoney author Kathleen Ryan O’Connor wrote in response to this question here.
I am a tech geek. I love technology, and the way people can integrate that technology into their day to day lives. So why did I tell you that little tid-bit of my life. The reason why is because technology is changing your business more and more everyday. If you chose to keep up with it or not, it is going to play a role in your business’s success.
Not only is the web changing the world, but Apple iPhone, Google’s Nexus One, Android, and other platforms for today’s mobile devices enable people to search on the web on the fly! Most websites can’t even be viewed on mobile devices! Chances are your website isn’t viewable. So what can you do? Develop a mobile strategy. Here are some tips!
Update your website. You should update your website on a regular basis anyway, but you should make a point to update it to make it visible to mobile devices. But not only be visible, but viewable. To me this is the most important first step your business should take.
Next, you should be looking through local business directories, review sites, and applications that are already used regularly on mobile devices. Sign your business up for these sites. That way, your site is gaining visibility on mobile devices. Sign up for site directories such as Google, Yahoo, Yelp, and Bing.
To be honest, I feel that these first two steps are crucial to your business. Gaining visibility online and being viewable to prospective clients on a mobile device are where you need to start to develop a small business mobile strategy. Doing these things will give your business an edge on your competition. You can take it further though if you like.
Take lists of current clients cell phone numbers, and get lists of mobile device numbers for customers that are willing to receive text message alerts or coupons. This will always keep your business top-of-mind, and may result in increased repeat business.
There are many other things you can do to increase your small business mobile strategy. Contact Us to discuss ways we can help you increase your visibility to prospective clients.
Many Connecticut businesses want to know how to grow a business in a down economy like the one we are in. We all know that choosing a smart way of marketing can help grow your business, but what else can you do?
One way to help grow your business is from within. Better products, lower overhead, understanding your marketing can all help your business grow. Let’s start with lower your overhead.
Is your office space the largest line item on your business overhead? Many small businesses today are actually eliminating their largest expense by virtualizing your organization. This will allow you to hire people outside of your geographic area, and give you more resources to invest in more talent. Also, it will give your current employees a new invigoration. They say that allowing your employees to work in other environments besides a cubicle can help stimulate and actually help them work harder!! I know we can all use that! I found an article on the three R’s. Check it out here.
Motivate your employees! Getting more from the people that know your product best is a GREAT way to grow your business. Invest in them. Believe in them. The additional skills that they develop are definitely going to be more marketable for you, and it is often easier to train current employees rather than hiring new skilled staff. Check out this article on the basics of motivating employees
Marketing. Most of us do it to some extent. Many of us don’t know what we’re doing. Being a small business you don’t have the resources to hire a full time marketing manager to handle things for you. So you try to do the best you can, right? BUZZ MMC will do all of this for you at a reduced cost. We can help you understand your marketing and we will partner with you to make your business be more efficient and grow! We work throughout CT including areas such as New Haven, Hartford, Fairfield, Stamford, New London, and surrounding areas. We can help make your marketing costs go down, while you see more new business.
