Small Business

Holiday Shopping Online – Santa is Online in 2011

by blogmistress on November 21, 2011

Our friend Herb Lawrence, the center director for the Arkansas Small Business Development Center at Arkansas State University, recently wrote a great article about leveraging social media and online resources to help your business get found this Holiday season. Thank you Herb for a great article and for letting us share it with our readers!

Santa Will Leverage Social Media this Year -

Can He Find Your Retail Store?

Holiday season is gearing up! Challenging economy or not, shoppers will be out On and Offline this year in growing numbers. This year online marketing and social media marketing will be critical for small business Holiday success and here’s why!

Independent retailers will find that their customers are moving online in droves to get ready for the holiday shopping season. The questions are:

Can they find you? If not they will find your competitor
Do you know what they are looking for?
How can you leverage online and especially social media to get your share of holiday dollars?
Why should you care?

In a recent article from Hubspot 60 Inspirational Holiday Marketing Statistics there can be no question that holiday shopping will be dominated by the Internet and especially social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The good news…It is not too late for your small rural retail business to get on the bandwagon!

Need some convincing? Here are some statistics YOU need to know about Holiday Shopping Online this year:

In August 2011 75% of consumers started researching holiday gift purchase.s 89% of them started their shopping online
47% of shoppers (nearly half) will buy online this year up from 43% in 2010
32% will be doing comparative shopping online more often
Online consumers spend an average of $857 online that is nearly 22% MORE than the average consumer
42% of online holiday buyers said SALE and Price Discounts as most important factors to shop with you this holiday season

So How about Social Media?

39% of consumers plan to look to social networks and online discount sites like Groupon and LivingSocial BEFORE purchasing
in 2010 21% of Cyber Monday shoppers said they heard about promotions from someone else through social media networks
BIGGIE! 36% of retailers plan to spend MOST of their holiday marketing budget on social media platforms during the 2011 holiday season that is up from 27% in 2010.
MOBILE COUNTS: Nealy 40% of consumers own a smart phone AND 53% say they will use it to help them shop this season
31% of smartphone users will use their phone to RESEARCH or COMPARE holiday prices.
25% of smartphone users will use their phone to look YOU up and information about your store
70% of consumers who own tablet computers like iPads say they will research holiday products and locations with their tablet.

No question about it Santa and his elves are online this year… looking for gifts, deals, discounts, coupons AND information about your business. Are you ready to meet them?

The good news is it isn’t too late to get your online holiday marketing tools in place.

How the ASU Small Business Center can Help Your Retail Business This Holiday Season

The ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center’s consultants can help! The consultants at Arkansas State University, Laura Miller and Robert Bahn provide free, confidential consulting assistance to start-up and existing businesses throughout Northeast and North-Central Arkansas including assistance with marketing plans and marketing strategy implementation. Call (870) 972-3517 or email us at [email protected] and find out how the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center can make your retail Holiday Season a happier AND more profitable one!

Learn more about the ASU SBTDC Consulting Services here or visit our website and connect!

Not in Northeast or North-West Arkansas? Not a problem see the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network website to find a center in Arkansas near you. Not in Arkansas? See our ASBDC website to find an SBDC office in your state.

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New Orleans Web Design | Marketing Lessons

by blogmistress on November 7, 2011

What can New Orleans web design tell us about marketing? Recently, we traveled to New Orleans for both business and pleasure, and found many examples, some good, some bad of website design/internet marketing and how businesses are using (or in some cases not) the internet to connect with their customers.

First, some background: According to a story by NOLA.com:

Forbes Magazine recently named New Orleans the best city for information and technology jobs and New Orleans’ number of business start-ups per capita was 30 percent higher than the national average in 2010.
New Orleans is experiencing more investment in more diverse industries than we ever have in the history of the city.
The doldrums are there, but successful entrepreneurs are swimming against the current, It just gives a good example of what can be done.

Obviously, New Orleans has had to recover from some major setbacks but the city is thriving. However, in the area of website design for internet marketing, there is still much work to be done. One of the biggest needs we saw for improvement was in mobile marketing and search engine optimization. In what is called the “city that care forgot,” local businesses cannot afford to be forgotten or never found in the first place!

The same principles apply whether you are in New Orleans or anywhere else, in order to succeed online you must:

Get found – that means that you must be found where people are looking for you. More and more, these days, that means mobile and tablets. This also means social media. If you are not visible where people are looking, you are invisible.
Convert – once you are found, you need to have a strategy that converts you visitors into leads for your business.
Analyze – look at your results and see what works and what doesn’t work. What calls to action are the most effective and what brings the most qualified visitors to your site?

I look forward to hearing more good news about the wonderful city of New Orleans and its thriving entrepreneurial business community. What are the opportunities for growth using internet marketing in your city?

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Marketing Strategy | Some Things Never Change

by blogmistress on October 3, 2011

Marketing Strategy has changed a great deal over the years. Today, I am speaking to a group of local high school students. In addition to showing them how to add projects to their WordPress website, I was asked to talk to them about my business and about being in business. My business, Wharton Marketing, is about internet marketing and using marketing strategies to support your business strategy.

The job that I am doing now did not exist when I graduated from college and certainly did not exist when I graduated high school. As fast as technology is moving, I suspect the same may be true for these high school students. They may end up with jobs that do not exist right now. For many students starting college, what they learn the year they start will be obsolete by the time they graduate.

So what remains? While students today (and even business owners like me) must be committed to always learning and growing, some things actually don’t change. In marketing, it will always be important to provide value to your customer. The platform for how you market and even the methods may change, but the value you offer your customer must remain a top priority.

I would also maintain that honesty and integrity should remain a priority. Our world is going through much turmoil right now. While this turmoil surely won’t go on forever, those who come out on the other end with their honesty and integrity intact will be the sure winners. Desperate times sometimes lead people to do desperate things. However, the degradation of conscience can cause long term damage.

Today’s students certainly have challenges ahead. It is my hope that the ones that embrace value, honesty, integrity and, last but not least, innovation will be the ones that will be the leaders of tomorrow. What do you think?

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Blogging Inspiration | Where Do You Find It?

by blogmistress on September 28, 2011

Finding inspiration is one of the biggest obstacles to actually writing blogs articles. In fact, “what should I blog about” is one of the questions we are asked most frequently. Sometimes, just coming up with the idea is half the battle. I’ve written in the past about how to find blog article ideas. Sometimes, inspiration comes from our daily activities.

Yesterday, I spoke to a wonderful group of people about website strategy. This group inspired me. I often find inspiration from talking to business owners who have some really great ideas and are wonderful about helping each other out with their ideas. One of my favorite remarks yesterday concerning blogging has to be, “I though blogging was just some people getting online and being lip-y.” Just writing that down makes me smile today. These business owners inspired me with their commitment to their businesses. We discussed how their products and services help solve a problem, and seeing how passionate they were about what they are doing, even in this difficult economy, was truly inspiring.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you get it from books, reading other blogs, talking to others? Blogging doesn’t have to be too complicated. It is really just a way to share your knowledge and passion for what you do every day. Your product or service solves a problem. What problem does it solve? Tell me about it on your blog. Write about it and show me why you are the best solution.

Thank you to everyone who attended the seminar yesterday. You inspired me, now, go inspire others!

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Website Strategy | Content

by blogmistress on September 23, 2011

What goes on the pages, the content, is one of the most important considerations for your website. Of course, different strategies are called for depending on the type of page. Your home page is the front door to your site. It has a different content strategy than your product/service page. However, there are a some content strategy tips that are helpful for all of your pages.

Make sure there are no spelling or grammar errors. This may seem nit-picky, but it is important in establishing your credibility.
Use white space to draw eyes to valuable pieces of content.
Use headlines and images to make sure that certain pieces of information stand out.
Use bullet points and numbered lists to make your content easy to read quickly.
Include links and bold lettering in your content to help search engines know what is important.
Include calls to action (at least 3) above the fold.
Optimize around one keyword phrase and make sure that the keyword is in the title and meta description (preferable as the first word).
Make your page title less than 70 characters and your meta description less than 150 characters.

The way you present the content on your website matters. It can help you be found by search engines and people. Once people find you, your content can help them navigate your site, see what is important very quickly and get them to take action.

Note: The Website Strategy Seminar is coming up next Tuesday in Mountain Home, Arkansas. If you are in the area, be sure to register.

Your website can be one of the most valuable marketing assets your business owns, so you should make the most of it. The website strategy seminar will help you do that. You will learn:

What website mistakes can cost you time and money and headaches you cannot afford
How to audit your website to discover its strengths and weaknesses
Why your homepage is so important and how to optimize it
How to create educational and informative product/services pages
How to optimize your website for search engines
How to use calls to action to get leads from your website
How to integrate social media with your site
How mobile marketing can figure into your website strategy
How to measure your website’s performance

The internet has changed the way people shop, learn and do business. Businesses have to adapt or risk extinction. This could be one of the most important seminars you attend to help your business succeed online. Don’t miss it.

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Keywords: What are they and how important are they?

by Admin on September 15, 2011

For purposes of this post, we will be using the term keywords to refer to words and phrases on a webpage not the words in the “keyword” meta tag.

Marketing Titan says:

Generally, keywords can be defined as a word or words identifying something on a page. More accurately, however, keywords can be defined as the specific terms used by a person to search for something on the internet. In general, you want to identify the phrases being used to search for your product or service and then incorporate those in your Internet marketing.

Keyword Importance

Keywords are important because keywords are what lead people using search engines to your website. So, choosing and using the right keywords on your website is extremely important for higher search engine rankings.

How to Choose Keywords

To choose the right keywords, first analyze your business carefully and think of all the words and phrases that relate to your company, product or service that people may use to find you on the internet. Then, use a keyword tool such as Google’s Keyword Tool to determine which keyword phrases are being searched the most.

After you determine a particular keyword phrase to use on your web page, sprinkle that phrase within the content of that web page. You should not use more than one or two keyword phrases on a web page.

Other places to use your keyword phrase:

HTML Page Title
Text (content) of the Page
Meta Description
Meta Keywords
ALT Tags
URL name

Selecting the wrong keyword phrase or not selecting a keyword phrase at all can cost you dearly in the search engine rankings.

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Something New vs More of the Same

by Admin on September 9, 2011

Does your product or service offer something different from your competition’s? I mean, besides the fact that you do it better than your competition.

When the iPhone first came out, I wanted one for the simple reason that when I wanted to hear my messages, it allowed me to select the message I wanted to hear. I didn’t have to listen to five messages before I got to the one I really needed to hear. I get a lot of calls when I am in meetings and people leave me messages – some more important than others. Usually, the less important the message, the longer the message. It always seemed that to get to the important message, I had to listen to five minutes of less important messages. So the iPhone was a game changer for me and I was willing to pay the price.

Is your product or service a game changer for your customers? Are your customers looking for a game changer? I am sure there are a lot of cell phone users who couldn’t care less about the iPhone’s messaging feature, or if they did, the feature was not enough to justify the price for them.

Seth Godin says:

People looking for ‘more of the same’ aren’t actively looking. While there may be a lot of them, they’re satisfied with what they’ve got, which means they’re hard to attract. No, the real opportunity is in reaching out to the dissatisfied, to those in search of something new.

Does your product or service offer something new or is it just more of the same?

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How Are You Surviving the Economy?

by blogmistress on September 8, 2011

Surviving the economy Reading the news can be kind of a depressing proposition these days. Some have said that this is a great time for those who have lost their jobs to start their own business. Of course, starting your own business may not be the best idea for all. Here are some of the myths that you need to be aware of:

Myth 1: You can be your own boss. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once your start your own business, you actually increase the number of “bosses” you have because, now, all of your customers are your boss. Now, instead of just keeping one or two bosses happy, you have to keep all of your bosses happy because they are the ones who decide whether or not you will get paid!

Myth 2: You can set your own hours. While you are working for a regular employer, you probably worked set hours. When you own your own business, you have to work whatever hours are necessary to get everything done. Especially in the beginning when you probably won’t have employees to help you, you are it. You do everything. That often means working long hours, weekends and holidays.

Myth 3: I have always loved cooking/making dolls/fishing… Now I will get to do what I love all the time. While you will get to spend some time getting to do what you love, you will also spend a great deal of time running your business. That means doing things like management, marketing and bookkeeping among others. Running a business is more than just making a product or providing a service. It is much more, and that is something you need to keep in mind.

Myth 4: I will get rich because instead of working for someone else, I get to keep all the money myself. Unfortunately, most businesses will have a hard time making any profit in the first year because they will need to be putting any money they make back into the business. They will need to invest in their own business to keep it going and improving.

Over 90% of start up businesses fail. That may be because they believe the myths. So, what can you do? If you still have a job and you are thinking you would like to own your own business, start small and do it on the side. Try it out first. If you do not have a job, think about what your product or service offers to your target market. Do research. By the way, the best source of new business research can come from your local small business development center.

Learn how to connect with the people who may be interested in your product/service. Use social media to connect with everyone you know that may support you in your effort. Consider how inbound marketing can help you reach people who would not otherwise know about you. Inbound marketing is all about being there when people are looking for you. When you can, get some help with your inbound marketing. Get someone to help you get found. Start blogging about what you offer. Start coming up with compelling offers for your target market.

This truly is a challenging time. What are you doing to survive and thrive? Would love to hear your ideas.

Get a free 30 minute inbound marketing consultation.

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Use HubSpot and Stop Guessing

by blogmistress on September 2, 2011

It is amazing how many business owners have websites and don’t have any idea as to how effective their website is. Many don’t know how many visitors they get per month or how those visitors were directed to their site. They don’t know what keywords visitors used to find their site or what pages those visitors looked at on their websites.

Many business owners will give you their ideas on how visitors got to their websites or what those visitors did once they were there. But it is a guess, speculation, on their part. They really don’t know.

That’s why we use HubSpot. HubSpot is an All-in-One Marketing Platform that takes all of the best inbound marketing methods and consolidates them into one integrated software package. HubSpot provides tools to help your website get found on the internet, tools to convert website visitors into customers and tools to analyze your internet marketing effectiveness.

With HubSpot’s Marketing Analytics Tools, you can analyze site traffic from first visit to most recent conversion. Their Competitor Tracking compares important site performance metrics to key competitors to help you stay ahead of the game. And HubSpot’s in-depth Blog Analytics make it easy to assess the impact of your blog.

So why keep guessing when you can have real answers to how effective your website is. Let us show you how HubSpot can help your business.

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10 Reasons Your Local Business Should Be Using Facebook Pages

by blogmistress on September 2, 2011

Last week, Facebook rolled out some new updates. I will be doing a post that goes into detail about the updates; but this morning, I’m thinking about local businesses and how they are using Facebook. If you are a local business who is using a ‘profile’ for your business where you have “friends” instead of a ‘page’ where people “like” you, this post is for you. If you are a local business who is using a page where people “like” you, check back here for a post on the updates that effect you.

Okay, for all of you who still insist on using a profile for your business instead of a page, did you know that, in addition to being in violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service, you are also missing out on some great functionality that is only available to local businesses that are using Facebook pages? Let’s look at some of them:

Local businesses get a map so people can easily locate their business.
Local businesses can let people “check in” to their business and get special Facebook deals. They can see the deal before they check in and get instructions about how to redeem the deal (right on their mobile device) once they have checked in. This makes it so much easier and more fun to interact with your customers.
Local businesses have a “recommendation” function so their customers can write recommendations about you and your products.
All pages for businesses (local or otherwise) get Facebook insights so you have an analytics tool to help you measure your campaigns and effectiveness.
Pages have access to “apps” where they can set up all kinds of things, such as special pages to welcome their fans, forms where people can sign up for your newsletter, you have a tab for a page advertising your latest sale. There are apps for a lot of great functions and with an iframe app, you can set up just about any type of custom tab you want.
There are social plugins you can use to invite people to ‘like’ you from your website, your blog or any other online place that you own.
You aren’t at risk of being closed down for violating Facebook’s Terms of Service.
There is no limit on the number of fans or likes you can have. A profile is limited to 5,000 friends.
You don’t have to send and accept invitations to be friends for a page. Anyone can like you whether they have a Facebook account or not or whether they are signed in to Facebook or not.
All content posted on your Facebook page gets indexed by Google.

Okay, so do you really still want to keep using that profile instead of a page? What is holding you back? Facebook has given you a tool that is easy to use to convert your profile to a page.

Don’t miss out. Get the most out of Facebook that you can for your local business! Still scared, contact us and we can help you!