Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on January 27, 2012 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Startup,Small Biz Webinars | Be the First to Comment

Marketing Mix for Small Business;

Using Social Media in your Marketing Plan!

 

by Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero

This week we take a little different approach, we give you many lists to improve your business through Marketing Mix for Small Business.  Maximizing Marketing Plans for small business can do wonders for your bottom line!  Using Social Media, it’s a snap, and mostly costs only time,

brain power and having a Marketing Stragity!

 

Why do businesses fail??

1)   Not enough people know they exist, lack of Brand Marketing

2)   They did not do enough to get the word out, Marketing strategy

3)   Did not work hard enough for brand recognition

4)   Did not remind the customer daily why their business matters

A successful marketing mix for small business campaign must have a daily promotion habit, do at least ONE of the following each day for branding:

1)   Write or post a new blog

2)   Tweet a timely question

3)   Do a radio interview

4)   Do a webcast

5)   Write a letter to the editor

6)   Link and share pictures on Facebook page

**Do at least one thing that will publicize your product each day through network marketing!

 

Other things to do to get free publicity brand marketing and having marketing mix for small business; on a regular basis you should:

1)   Contact 5 people a day that could help you publicize your product

2)   Give the media a hook to use to grab their audience, their audience is who gives you free publicity for small business (in the end you and your product does not matter to that media outlet, to the organization giving you the publicity and adding to your marketing mix for small business, it’s how you can add interest to their show or blog, remember this, what is their brand marketing!)

3)   Research what they can put in their heading or intro; coming up XXXXX Find something that will encourage their audience to stay tuned in or check back, what about you or your product would cause this reaction, and relate it to you brand.

4)   Again, you need to come up with hooks, what makes this blogger or interviewer’s audience tune in to his show or blog.  If it pushes you or your product or brand at the same time, that makes it a win win!  Why should they give you free publicity, ad to your marketing mix for small business in this case, what about discussing you or your product brand benefits the blogger or the interviewer’s audience?

5)   Example of a Hook that could interest an audience = “Could you go to jail for linking the wrong website?”, “Could this organization save your life?”, “Could our next guest make you money?”

 

5 Ways to Create a Hook

First: create interest in your brand

1)   How to do; “How do you Tweet a Question?”

2)   Counter a Myth; “Parents want a quick fix to poor study habits-could drugs be the wrong answer?”

3)   Make a prediction; “Why the US will soon experience dramatic food shortages” –or—“Why food prices will continue to rise”; can you see how this could draw free publicity and add to your marketing mix for small business.

4)   Ask a Question, can you give the media a question they can use? “What are cats thinking?”

5)   Give them a timely hook, a reason they need to have information about your brand now; Tax advice at tax time, new business start up advice in January, new kind of tomato plant in the spring, this is prime free publicity for small business!

 

Create an effective marketing plan

1)   Who is your core audience

2)   What does that core audience read or watch

3)   When will your topic be timely; time of year, anniversary, create a holiday around your product, look in the book ‘Chase’s Calendar of Events’ for listing of 10,000+ holidays

4)   Is there a predictable news event that can be spun to your brand, release of a movie, elections, release of monthly employment figures or

farm reports, this is the nature of marketing mix for small business

Next time we will go more in depth into how to find the right blog sites that fit your brand and will help your marketing mix for small business.  You can do this, and feel free to ask questions, I may even send you part 2 in advance if you ask!  You comments are not only welcomed, but strongly incouraged.  Send questions direct if you wish to tom@ BizCentralUSA.com, we are here to help you help others!

 

We at BizCentralUSA have been in the business of helping small businesses like yours for almost a decade, over 12,000 small businesses have come to us for advice over the years, and we are always here for you!  Call today for a free needs assessment and consultation we want to hear from you!  Also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for daily tips and tricks, as well as advanced notification on our free webinar series.  The key to a good marketing mix for

Marketing mix for small business is one of our specialty's

small business is within you, you can do this!

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to set up and service Small Businesses please contact BizCentralUSA by visiting BizCentralUSA.com or call, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Award Winning Webinar series!

 

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on January 17, 2012 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing,Small Biz News,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Secrets | Be the First to Comment

Twitter for Small Business Tools for Social Marketing

Using Twitter for Small Business to Generate Calls and Loads of

FREE Advertising

By Chris Romero and Thomas R. Reich

Ever Wonder what Small Business Tools are contained within Twitter for small business?  How can you mine FREE Advertising out of a Social Media Network and create real tangible Results to add to your Twitter for small business and your Small Business Tools?

Wow have we got an answer for you!  What if I told you that a small group of Twitter Followers could get you hundreds of thousands of

Advertising impressions every day?  It is possible for Twitter for small business to extract new exposure from you existing customer’s followers, while re-enforcing those existing customers loyalty?

Interested, read on and discover how this Twitter  for small business Tool, will become your favorite Social

Media Tool for Business Advertising.  I will outline the general program. We will then follow with two examples of companies that have successfully implemented the outline of this tool and adjusted it to their unique business model.

Twitter Fact: If you ask a question or answer a question in Twitter, all your followers see that message. If you receive a question or a response form a follower, all their followers see that message.  The presents of a tweet in a follow stream is called an impression, just like a magazine calls the average number of readers that see a copy of an issue its Advertising Impressions, this is Twitter for small business at its finest.

The first example of how this Small Business Tool on Twitter works is a Hair Styling Shop in Orlando Florida;

For years Sun Clips Salon and Spa has used a complicated phone system and a live receptionist to set

appointments.  This task is static; the customer calls for an appointment, and usually gets through, is put on hold and then given an appointment time.  There is no interaction outside of 1 customer and the receptionist.

Now we put Twitter for small business in the mix, Sun Clips asked all of its customers to follow them on Twitter and receive special, Twitter only, Deals. Once the majority of their customers followed them, Sun Clips asked that appointment requests be Tweeted in for a 5% discount.

When a Tweet was received, Sun Clips Tweets the conformation of the appointment time or the answer to the question back to the client.  Sounds like a simple system, and it is, it has streamlined their appointment system, but there is more.  Can you think how this Twitter for small business Tool has created FREE Advertising impressions as well?

Each time a customer “Tweets” for an appointment, their entire network knows they get their hair cut at Sun Clips, what a great natural endorsement!  When a conformation is sent back, Sun Clip customers know it is busy and time to make an appointment, maybe that a friend is going in Thursday at 11 AM, and they try for a similar time to say hi.

With the 1000+ customers that chose to participate and receive the special Twitter only offers, and in turn their customers average followers at around 300, that is 300,000 Advertising Impressions per month if each customer tweets an average of just once per month!

 

Example 2: A Specialty Butcher Shop in Trendy Winter Park Florida

Prime Cutz had a problem, the cost of advertising to compete with grocery store chains was prohibitive, and alternatives were not targeted to

their clientele.  A specialty Butcher shop with one location can’t afford advertising in the cities major newspapers like a Publix or Winn-Dixie could, but they needed constant re-enforcement to keep growing their client base.

Prime Cutz began to ask customers to follow them on Twitter, they offered what every business should offer, an automatic follow back.  With Twitter for small business follow backs are important, it makes your customer part of your family, and they appreciate it, your customers want to know you care, always follow back!

Once the followers list began to grow, Prime Cutz began an amazing offer, Tweet us what you want to see in the store and receive a tweeted back 10% off next order discount!  They also openly asked their customers to re-tweet this offer to their network of friends.

Prime Cutz additionally uses Twitter for small business by sending  Tweets their to followers with special offers each week.  As an example: Pork Chops regular $4.00 per pound, while they last $2.50 per pound, tweet your order for conformation guarantee.

 

What does Twitter for small business do for Prime Cutz advertising?

1)   First of all it gets specials to their growing list of customers with no advertising cost.

2)   It makes the “Twitter Club” a VIP Group with perceived VIP pricing.

3)   Every time a customer responds by Tweet, their entire network is notified with the butcher shops name and the fact that a special deal is going on.

4)   The free add impressions grow with every sale, sale prices they would have been offering and advertising in the traditional way at very high advertising rates, are now re-tweeted directly to friends and it is all FREE Advertising!

5)   As their customers Tweet their meat orders, and their followers receive those Tweets, Prime Cutz is exposed to tens of thousands of potential new followers and customers each time a new sale offer is Tweeted!

 

With an average Twitter following for a local retailer of around 9,000 and those Followers having an average Twitter Following of 300 Followers, That is a potential of 2.7 million Advertising impressions possible for each tweeted sale offer!  The best part is these potential Advertising Impressions come at no hard costs to Prime Cutz, other than sales and discounts the Butcher Shop would have offered in Traditional Paid Advertising Outlets.  This is one of the many was Twitter fro small business can serve you!

How can you add this Twitter fro small business tool to your arsenal?  A Restaurant could offer 10% discount if an order is placed by Twitter, Patrick Schwerdtfeger gives a now famous example of a pizza restaurant using this Twitter for small business tool in his best-selling book Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed.  An Auto Repair Shop can offer 10% discount on an Oil Change if appointment is placed using Twitter.  A Dentist can offer FREE Tooth Brush for Tweets, the ideas never end!

Please send us ideas you may have to implement Twitter for small business tools, let’s keep this discussion going.  This is a fun way to create a major buzz in your market with minimal cost!  Now is the time, you have the power, let’s grow your market together!

At BizCentralUSA we work with you every step of the way.  We offer FREE Tips, Tricks and Advice, have frequent FREE Webinars on a vast array oftopics and are, to coin a phrase, Good Guys.  When you find you could use a friend in the business, remember BizCentralUSA has helped over 12,000 businesses like your business, across the United States since 2003.  Call one of our Business Consultants for a FREE Business Evaluation.  We can save you time and money, 12,000 satisfied customers can attest, BizCentralUSA is your friend in the business!

 

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to set up and service Small Businesses please contact BizCentralUSA by visiting www.BizCentralUSA.com or by calling, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Face Book to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Award Winning Webinar series and extra tips on Twitter for small business!

 

 

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on January 10, 2012 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Certifications,Small Biz Marketing,Small Biz Planning,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Startup | Be the First to Comment

Now is the Time to Set up a Small Business

By Chris Romero and Thomas R. Reich

A record 480,000 new entrepreneurs chose 2011 to set up a small business.  Those who made the move to start a company in 2011 along with the rest of the small businesses in the United States accounted for more that ½ of the private sector GDP and 70% of new jobs created in 2011.

With 2012 shaping up to be a much better economy, ask yourself, “is it safe to set up a small business?” Or, “Might it be safer to start a company than to hold an average job in today’s economy?”  The answer may surprise you. Statically speaking, if a small start up business lasts 3 years that Startup Company is far more likely to be in business next year than the average American is to be employed in the same job for 3 years.

Don’t get the wrong idea, to set up a small business is not an easy proposition.  35% of those who attempt to set up a small business fail out of the box or within the first 3 years.  Let’s look at why; here are the top 5 reasons those who set up a company may fail before they even have a chance to prove their unique business model works:

1)      Lack of a Professional Business Plan

2)      Poor planning and over spending on their attempt to set up a small business

3)      Lack of a Marketing Plan

4)      Poor or nonexistent Bookkeeping system in place

5)      Lack of Graphic, Logo and Web Identity

The pitfalls that kill a startup company can be avoided completely by simply using a professional small

 

business services company.  There are many out there, but BizCentralUSA has helped over 12,000 set up a small business successfully since 2003.

 

At BizCentralUSA, we believe in delivering tried and true solutions and applying those solutions to well qualified entrepreneurs who wish to set up a small business correctly.  Our success rate is far higher than the national average success rate of those wishing to start a company without assistance.

At BizCentralUSA we know how to quickly and efficiently work with you to set up a small business starting with a working business plan.  We will have one of our Business Consultants work with the Startup Company to develop proper

bookkeeping system, Marketing Plan and adjust budgeting and Human Resource needs.  BizCentralUSA can even offer Web, SEO and Social Media Services, along with the beginning of unique branding, brand management and brand awareness.

Don’t go it alone, it is rough waters out there when you want to start a company.  But with a friend in the Business like BizCentralUSA, a friend that has helped over 12,000 clients set up a small business, many just like yours, the playing field is leveled!

Here’s the best part. We are up to 40% less expensive than our prime competition, LLC.com and LeagleZoom.com, because we can be.  With BizCentralUSA there is an additional benefit

beyond just the lower price, you deal with a live business consultant, and a live staff!  We, at BizCentralUSA are available by phone at 877-857-9002, In a world that is ruled by the internet and automated operators, we have trained consultants standing by ready to help you. This is business help with a human touch.

Statistics are on your side, it’s time to set up a small business now!  Start a company with a friend in the business like BizCentralUSA, and its smooth sailing in 2012!

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to Set up a Small Business, please contact BizCentralUSA by visiting www.BizCentrallUSA.com or by calling, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Webinar series on the right way to Start a Company!