How to beat the GIANTS with microblogging
How do you beat the big retail Giants as a small business, by embracing one big word; “microblogging”. If you’re a small business owner, then this is your wake up call. I was having dinner with a very good friend of mine who owns their own fencing company here in Dallas. They are a family business who has been faithfully serving their community for the past 20 years. During our dinner conversation they told me that they had a certain client who had several contractors come over to place a bid. The practice of getting several bids is nothing new for homeowners who need a contractor, that is part of the business.
However, one of those contractors was Home Depot…whoa! Home Depot was now competing with the everyday local, family business? We believe in competition, but examples like this contribute to the the deterioration of America’s small business. As we all know, local contractors walk in every day to Home Depot to purchase their products as a contractor – and now they have to compete against them for local services? How do you compete against a retail GIANT?
If there has ever been a more compelling story for the small business owner to re-evaluate their business, then this is it. If you are a small business owner, then you must absolutely take your story, your message, direct to the Internet and tell it “LOUD AND PROUD”. You are now competing against “Goliath” and you do not have their dollars and resources to compete against. Your salvation lay in your ability to demonstrate a quality relationship and value to your customers’ one-on-one. If not, the Home Depots of the world will take your business away one client at a time and leave you in their dust.
What is a small business to do? Want to be competitive in a world of GIANTS? All you have to do is get off the bench and participate, but to be successful, you have to play to win.
1) Look at your current website and ask yourself if it is “current” with the times?
2) Do you have a “call to action” on your landing page?
3) Are your services-products clearly defined and easily understood?
4) Can your customers engage you on facebook and twitter?
5) Do you have a blog to keep your customers educated & informed on the latest?
These are actually simple things that each small business must start with and then build upon. Once you build the foundation, then it’s minimal effort to keep everything current. Social media can be extremely effective for the small business owner, but you must play to win. Do not overlook the power of social media, specifically, twitter (microblogging) and its ability to help you build a local community around your business.
For a lot of small business owners, this is a new territory for them to explore. If you have any questions, feel free to ping us anytime on twitter (@hubjuice) Google+ or facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
How media is influencing small business
Media now holds the key to creating the greatest influence with small business owners. When you talk to small business owners today and ask them about their marketing strategy, you get a lot of different looks. Some of these looks are of “surprise” or even “confusion”. The best ones are those business owners who are confident. Confident their online strategy for their business is working for them – better yet – that their website is working for their clients.
Everything you think you know about search engine optimization is changing or has already changed. Don’t trust your brand, your future to just another SEO strategy or to a new feature on your website. There’s a reason Apple is changing consumer behavior just through an iPad; it’s called MEDIA. Humans don’t consume hardware, they consume MEDIA. Here’s a recent post from Robert Scoble http://scobleizer.com/ on Google+ that is a great read: https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts
In today’s world of search, you have to influence your customer base. Getting a high listing on Google is great, but that alone is no longer enough. You have to provide compelling content, “media” to maximize your presence and authority on the web today. If you create a local community and keep them educated on what’s new & different with your business, how it benefits them, then they will be the ones to actually influence your bottom line. You need a captive audience that is in your geography. You can’t just be high in search as a listing, because it’s no longer just about SEO. The powers that be at Google now understand this; hence the launch of Google+. Search is now heavily leaning towards “influence” and that influence derives from social interaction and participation. Once you combine your web presence with a blended media approach, you now have leverage where others are just hanging their website up and hiring a local SEO person, but leaving so much on the table.
How do you kick start your business? It’s actually easy; you just have to dive in.
1) Get a basic education on social media – watch a video or read a couple of blogs about it
2) Create media – add a compelling post to your blog, or be different and create a video
3) Use proven social tools – understand how to use them correctly
4) Create your local community using free, social media tools
With consistency and some patience, you can create lasting search results with your own message (MEDIA) that your customers will consume…this is a great start to a prosperous future. Keep up with the latest by following HubJuice on our fan page: http://www.facebook.com/HubJuice
How to inspire customers!
How to inspire customers is a common challenge amongst small businesses.
Typically, small business is focused on customer satisfaction and quality, which is a best practice and can never fall to the bottom of the list. However, you have to bring customers back for repeat business, and you have to also bring in new customers as well. So, put on your creative hat because that’s what it takes these days. Word of mouth is still the best advertising there is, but you have give your customers a reason to tell their friends.
Here are 5 creative ways you can inspire your customers:
1) Create a call to action; educate and entertain – “speak their language” so you can reach them by topics of genuine interest and make it fun, or at least interesting.
2) Tell your story – blogging and or video; do not underestimate the power of posting a fresh blog. Most of your customers DON’T know your story; they know you have a product or service that may offer them something they need. Blogging is very powerful when done correctly. Video can also be very compelling and this is a format that can absolutely separate you from all of your competitors. Either platform is a proven way to educate and entertain your customers. When you do them consistently, people will come back for more and they will tell their friends!
a. Video blog example: http://bit.ly/A6BRU2
b. Blog post example: http://bit.ly/An8vrl
3) Share customer feedback – customers want to read about the experience customers have with your business. Post up actual feedback on your website and make it VISIBLE for others to see it! Blog about it, share it on your facebook fan page; tweet it! Stop being modest, you need to announce to your community how others perceive your business.
4) Discuss what’s new or different about your product/service – education is the key here. You can’t just post up features and benefits, you have to give examples and then show how it applies to your customers so you can demonstrate real value. That is they key!
5) Provide an incentive – rewarding your customers will actually generate loyalty, which is in short supply these days!
Provide your customers a reason to promote your business with a discount, a coupon, a certificate or even a freebie. People want to be rewarded and recognized; this can be done with minimal expense and time. We’ll be sharing more details and some more great examples of the above creatives over the next few weeks.
Local businesses are the economic heartbeat of America
The success of the local Business within our communities is crucial for our own economic progress, not just for business owners. As a community, we need to make sure our local businesses are busy serving the needs of the community as well as creating & maintaining jobs.
However, consumers are busy embracing new technology – iPad’s, 4G, smart phones, social media, etc., most small business owners turn the cheek on new technology and continue to do business as usual.
Then, they openly talk about how business is down, they need new customers, the cost to advertise is too high, etc. Every day you can read about the explosive growth that is taking place with Apple, AT&T, Google and now, Facebook. These companies are part of the driving force behind the buzz in Wall Street and making the news every day. These companies are making record profits because consumers are literally “consuming” their new technologies and services. It’s because new technologies that support blended media is enabling people to stay connected, make informed decisions and simplify many aspects of their daily lives. It is not a fad or a passing trend. These new technologies are here to stay.
This is a wake up call for the local business owner! Your community is now “on-line” 24×7 and their phone, pad or laptop goes everywhere they go. They are communicating with their close friends constantly. There has never been a better time for the local business to learn and embrace these new on-line technologies to benefit their business model.
What, you say? I already have a web site…That is no longer the answer. Your website has to be constantly reflective of what you do, how you do it and how consumers benefit from your service or product. Your website now has to be mobile friendly, socially compatible and also secure, not to mention – fast!
Here’s a real world example for a store owner: when a customer comes into your store, they probably don’t wait long to get personal service. We all know if the customer shows up and doesn’t find what they want, or can’t get a question answered in a timely manner – they will leave your store. It’s no different with your website. You are losing valuable business if your site is not easily found, easy to navigate and well laid out to answer questions for your customers. Then you have social component, which is now playing an essential role not only in customer satisfaction, but also in branding. Remember, your local customers are using new technology every day to make decisions – are you a part of those decisions?
Web Technology To The Rescue
Hey small business owner, did you hear that? Web 2.0 technologies are the building blocks to your online success!
Want to create new customers? Looking for ways to cost effectively generate new revenues? Where do you start, who do you talk to?
Read on.
Small businesses have to be agile and creative to be competitive in today’s dynamic market. Companies need to be different from their competition and also be positioned to execute on new ideas and opportunities. Companies also have to find a way to better serve and care for their customers. This is the information age and social media is here to stay. You need to get engaged with them or you will be left behind. There are numerous ways to do this, but you must get involved now. Your customers are looking for you, can they find you? Your customers expect timely and friendly customer service, are you providing it? Customers come to you for help or for answers. Can you solve their problems and add provide value at the same time?
Now here comes the question – do you know your customers? Do they know you?
One of the biggest challenges faced by any business is building up credibility and trust. You can do this. But, you must build a community around your good name and keep your customers informed and engaged. You need this community because they are indeed your champions! They are your life line to profitability. How do you go about building your community? Do you really know your customer base? What information do you need to provide them to create a strong end user experience? These are the kinds of question every business needs to be asking themselves.
Social networks can be incredibly powerful if you understand how to interact and know the local etiquette. In addition, once you have your online community, you have to provide fresh content to keep your community engaged, educated and sometimes, entertained. It’s about being relevant to your customers; you need to know them and also understanding them. Once you have this figured out, you’re going to do better than most others. Now, this is point where search and social optimization really come to benefit you. It’s like laying bricks – the building blocks, which is your content and you have to add cement to connect and reinforce it all, which is optimization. Don’t trust your business to someone that hasn’t proved themselves in this dynamic market. That is why you hire a competent firm to handle the multi-tiered approach to search, social and content. The three core components need to go hand in hand to truly give you real results so people can find you, understand you and seek you for answers! This is the road to profitability and Hub Juice understands that businesses owners need results that they can count on. Read our latest case study and you’ll see how success can be achieved for your business.
Juice Your Message!
Historically, business owners wanted a website for obvious reasons – visibility and credibility. The web used to be a place where you could hang up your new “sign” in the digital world to show everyone that you were in business as websites used to be the beach front property; if you had one online then you had some clout; it had value and it was a good start. Today, a website is just one element of many needed to be successful in 2.0 business due to the compelling power of social media and real time collaboration between friends and peers. The big question that most business owners and Entrepreneurs ask is “What do I do now”? They have come to the realization that having a website is not enough. People are now wanting to know what can their website do for them – and their customers. There isn’t a one size fits all, however, the applications that are available and how you use them can really make a difference.
Here are some basic ingredients; first, you need to create a community, then you need to engage your customers and what ever you post up, it better be relevant! Always remember, “create a dust trail or you’ll eat someone’s dust” as the saying goes. YOU gotta step it up or be stepped on. Which do you prefer? The reality is that you know your customers. You know what they want, all you have to do is provide it and nuture them. You need to give them the “JUICE” they want!
This is where “JUICED” content can take you to new heights. YOU have to be different and you need to provide the content in formats that really highlight your strengths. Nothing stands out like a well produced HD Video or a solid blog. If you create a community around you, be prepared to feed them and they will be your champion. By adding “JUICE” to your content, you can educate & entertain them with “blended” media. Don’t be another website – “JUICE” your message and connect with others.
It’s about connecting JUICED content to revenues. Isn’t it about time you brought your business to profitability through the web?
How Social Media is Effecting Small Business
Social media is essentially creating the platform to manage a one to one relationship with other people (customers). It’s the ultimate word of mouth marketing platform. You now have the ability to use online web services from any platform (mobile, desktop, laptop and tablet) to connect to friends, family, colleagues and customers. So, if anyone ever asks you what’s the value of social media, it’s that is empowers you to stay connected to anyone you want in real time. Pretty amazing how the Internet is evolving into a tool that is essentially providing a services platform that can be of value to everyone.
In short, business today can communicate directly with their customers via social media and provide answers to questions and educate at the same time. It’s about establishing relationships with your customers because that is how you can solve problems or help others improve their lives. Relationships matter and will always be a driving force for customers.
Satisfied customers are what drive business; they tell their friends and colleagues about positive experiences. They also tell them about their negative experiences. Enter social media! So, it’s incredibly important to adopt and learn a social media platform to manage your online reputation and to keep your customers informed. They will realize you are available, supportive and interested; they will build a relationship with you, which does impact your bottom line. Being “engaged” to your customers through social media will allow you to prevent misinformation and confusion amongst customers, thereby helping them. It leads to conversion in your sales and increased satisfaction with you customers. We’ve seen it happen dozens of times in online retail, simply amazing. There are numerous social media tools available that a small business can learn and use on a daily basis, your customers are waiting!