Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on February 3, 2012 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing,Small Biz News,Small Biz Planning,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Secrets,Small Biz Webinars | 
Modern Marketing for Small Business
Marketing Plans and Corporate Branding
by Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero
The Phoenicians invented modern marketing for Small Business!
Modern marketing for small business in today’s competitive small business environment is essential. The first step in modern marketing for small business is the same as it has been since the Phoenicians, who first develop a working marketing plan!
A marketing plan lays out your strategy and direction in the world of modern marketing for small business. The first step is to secure a solid corporate identity, with a common look, color and design throughout all aspects of anything from your company that is seen by the public or another business. A complete corporate identity should include:
1) Corporate Branding and Logo Design
- One consistent color pattern
Social Media strategy is part of modern marketing for small business.
- Make sure logo is unique, distinctive and very reproducible to all media both media and print matter
2) Brochures – containing the Logo and the color and consistent design which is to become your corporate identity
3) Business cards and electronic signature – should also follow this developing pattern of color and design
4) Press release blanks – should carry the corporate identity
5) Newsletters with the look and feel of your corporate identity from front to back
BizCentralUSA can help with modern marketing for small business
A company like BizCentralUSA can assist you in this type of design, inexpensively, and can get you on the road to modern marketing for small business. However you create this “Corporate Identity” it must be of prime concern. Today, a business identity is your life’s blood, the key to modern marketing for small business.
The second step is to develop an integrated digital identity. In today’s business world, the internet is not only reality, but is indispensible to a modern marketing for small business plan! You have, at this point, created a consistent corporate identity, logo, overall design and color scheme.
You must now carry this “Corporate Identity” into a “Digital Identity”, and do it correctly in order to survive modern marketing for small business:
1) Create a website consistent with logo, overall design and colors to match your already developed corporate identity
2) Create a blog with consistent branding
The internet must be part of modern marketing for small business
3) Customize you Twitter with consistent branding
4) Customize your Facebook with consistent branding and create a fan page with a look consistent with your web home page
5) Customize your LinkedIn account; create a grope membership list consistent with your business type.
There are so many aspects to modern marketing for small business and each facet has books written concerning all the things you can do to maximize your exposure. What I hope you take away from this writing, is that everything your small business does must be with a consistent look. Today, due to the internet culture, you can have the look and feel of a much larger corporation, if you plan and execute your corporate identity correctly.
Having a great Marketing Plan is essential in modern marketing for small business
BizCentralUSA has been helping small Business plan and execute corporate identity, and all aspects of small business operations for many years. BizCentralUSA has helped over 12,000 small businesses just like yours and we can help you with your modern marketing for small business today!
Join us for a free webinar which will cover “Key Marketing Ideas” this coming Thursday, February 9, 2012. As always, this is not an infomercial, but a true free full hour of pure information. Want to know more about modern marketing for small business, we will see you there!
If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to set up and service a Small Business please
contact BizCentralUSA by visiting BizCentralUSA 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!
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 |
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
Announcing Twitter for Small Business
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
Twitter for small business will be your favorite small business tool!
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
Twitter for Small Business can replace constant phone use with lead producing advertising
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.
Twitter fro small business tools can make it easier for customers to connect
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
Twitter for Small Business Tools can Help a Butcher Shop Connect with its Customers
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.
Twitter for Small Business Helps Business Succeed
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!
Twitter for Small Business Will Flood Your Business with Positive Social Media Marketing
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 February 25, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing,Small Biz News |
Website, e-mail blasts, business cards, print ads; all of these methods of marketing can be confusing and unknown territory for a small business owner whose focus is keeping the business running. One of the oldest and more cost-effective forms of small business marketing is and will continue to be word-of-mouth. If your business can get new business by referrals then you have the best marketing team already acting on your behalf: your current customers. If your business is not getting new business, give your current customers an incentive to promote your services or products. Referral programs are easy to start and don’t cost very much to maintain. If your small business isn’t getting new customers, you might want to give your current marketing strategies a tune-up.
If you are looking for different creative ways to market your company without running up your marketing tab, here are some examples to get you started:
Print Material (business cards, logos, brochures) – Small business owners have relied on this relatively inexpensive method of conveying marketing information: cards, brochures, and circulars. Keep in mind when purchasing these items that you want your business card to stand out from your competitor’s business card. You want people to remember who you are because of a catchy name or a printed material that really catches their attention.
Samples and free offerings – When considering this method of marketing, the question you need to keep in mind is, “Can my business truly afford to offer something for free?” Giving away services or products that you make is usually an inexpensive small business marketing strategy that will leave customers appreciating the value of your products. Customers never get tired of these special offers and great treatment. On the other hand, if you say that the goods or services are “free” or “without charge,” be certain there are no unstated terms or conditions that qualify the offer.
Coupons and Discounts – Making coupons available on your small business website will always attract potential customers to your site. By drawing them into your website, they may simply purchase the service or product because the coupon exists. This strategy of “pulling” customers in also gives them an opportunity to check other services they may be interested in. Consider using a coupon mailing service to send coupons to homeowners in specific neighborhoods in your local area.
Public relations – To get your business in the news, send a press release you draft yourself to every newspaper in the area. The trick is to give the reporter an angle that makes the story interesting to readers; examples would be such events as a grand opening, a contest, a new product line, a new service launch or charitable activities your business is sponsoring.
Signs – Don’t forget about “signage.” Signs work best if they’re bold, edgy, professionally done, and consistent with your business values. Keep in mind that they should be well-lit, and tell the viewer your message quickly. Signs don’t have to be in stationary locations. Examples would be items such as T-shirts, shopping bags, and bumper stickers. These items are creative forms of signs and can do a great job of advertising your goods to new potential customers. Another great sign that is often times overlooked is your vehicle; you can get a magnetic sign for your car door with your business name, logo, and slogan or some art.
Have any other small business marketing suggestions to offer to the community? Share them in the comments box below!
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on December 8, 2009 under Small Biz Marketing |
To often companies of all sizes fall into a slump during the holiday season. Words echo the halls such as: “Prepare for a slow-down” or “Retail gets all the holiday business”. While these statements are not completely untrue, there is something you can do about it: Use marketing to capitalize on the holiday season and prepare for a booming new year!
There are many ways to use holiday marketing to grow your client list, build reputation and boost sales in a creative way during this season. With mediums such as social networking, blogging and email marketing you can find the perfect channel to deliver your message to exactly who is interested in it – and spread a little holiday cheer along the way!
Not sure how to get started? That is why we have prepared a Holiday Marketing Recipe Book just for you! This free whitepaper will guide you step-by step through a few different holiday marketing recipes. Choose to utilize one or them all; it is up to you!
Have your own Holiday Marketing Recipes? Share them with us!
From our office to yours:
Happy Holidays from the team at BizCentral USA! Click Here to Download
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on November 16, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing |
No longer is branding only important for the Nike’s and Starbuck’s in the game. Strong branding is necessary for startups, small businesses, large businesses and everything in between! As a small business owner you should know how important an impressionable brand identity is to the success of your small business. Small businesses have become an integral part of the U.S., representing over 99.7 percent of all employer firms (SBA Office of Advocacy). So, shouldn’t your brand identity represent those large numbers? The answer is yes, most definitely!
To start, your brand is the overall image and perception of your product or service in the eyes of your customers, in comparison to other products or services in your market. Therefore, it is essential to research your target market and the buyer’s persona when developing your brand identity and its usage. What are their likes, dislikes, age, feelings, beliefs, interests and how will they benefit from your brand? Does your branding clearly define your intended message and is it appropriate for your audience?
Next, how will you utilize your brand? You must be consistent with the use of your logo, tagline, and materials and what you say about your small business. You will only be able to establish a strong brand identity by designing impressionable elements (both verbal and visual) and then repeating those elements through all outlets (i.e. Website, stationary, marketing materials, advertising, PR etc.).
Finally, remember “honesty is the best policy”. Current and potential clients will see right through false promises and advertisements your small business commits to. You want to be sure you can commit to all promises and beliefs that your brand promotes. Your current and potential clients will respect your honesty, and look to your company as a brand they can stand by and trust.
Your branding is what will separate you from the sea of competition that you are entering (the 99.7 percent of employer firms in the U.S.). So it makes sense that a quality brand requires much thought, research and integrity. In the end, your branding should strive to meet 5 goals.
5 Goals of a successful brand:
- Relays a clear and precise message directed at a defined buyer persona (this could be more than one buyer persons)
- Establishes a unique presence among your target market
- Identifies your company as the “only” source for your customer’s needs or the solution to their problem
- Leaves a lasting impression in the minds of your buyers
- Gives a message of loyalty and credibility about business
In conclusion, branding is not about competing with your competition for the flashiest logo design or website. Branding is however, about engraving your company’s tagline, web site, logo, beliefs, and credibility into the minds of current and potential buyers. In addition, branding is setting the stage so that they see you as the only solution to their problem-you can’t compete if there is no competition.
What does branding mean to your small business? How do you utilize the elements of your brand? Are you consistent, honest, clear and memorable with your branding efforts?
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on October 15, 2009 under Small Biz Marketing |
Article writing is a critical factor in your small business’ marketing and SEO strategies. First, article writing is a great way to make the public aware of your expertise and knowledge in a given industry. It will build your credibility as a small business owner and as an product or service expert. Second, article writing can generate a multitude of back-links and traffic to your website by using applicable keywords and hyperlinks placed throughout the article.
While the benefits are obvious, many small business owners are hesitant to start writing. This may be becuase article writing can be a bit more tricky than writing for a blog. Writing an effective article requires an understanding of professional writing and AP standards, along with the capability to merge SEO tactics throughout the body of your article.
Ready to take a stab at article writing? Follow the tips below and you will be on your way to “Expert Author” status in no time!
- Make an outline of the story you want to tell: In order to manage your thoughts, it is a good idea to create a structured outline: For Example: Title-“Remaining in Compliance after Obtaining 501 Status”; Introduction paragraph-“organizational administrators must be diligent in educating themselves on all state and federal regulations”; Body paragraphs… etc.. Creating a guide will help ensure that your story flows well and is readable by your audience.
- Identify keywords: Because article writing for marketing and SEO purposes is two-fold, not only do you have to structure an informational story, but you must integrate your identified keywords. Your keywords should relate to both your article’s content and your website’s content. Usually 2-3 keywords used 3 or 4 times a piece will prove to be the most effective; depending on the length of your article. Once you choose your keywords remember to link them to the associateed pages on your website.
- Make your point: In order to sustain readers make your point early and then explain. Grab your reader’s attention with urgency or by asking a question that they want the answer to or stating a strong fact they want explained. This is often done in the first paragraph of your article; the following paragraphs should explain the problem, offer solutions to the problem or answer the question implied.
- Write with momentum: Adjust the tone to match the content of your article. If you want to provoke urgency, sadness, excitement etc., choose your words wisely to reflect that emotion. Also, regardless of your tone choices, write with suspense to keep your readers on their toes until the very end.
- Review, review, review: Proofreading and editing is king when it comes to article writing. Have someone else read your draft and give comments. Read your draft out loud to find errors in punctuation, tone and the overall readability of the article. Evaluate your word use to ensure there are not better options for word choices. Once you do all of this, do it again. Nothing is worse than a piece of writing that cannot be read due to grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.
Any other tips you can think of? Share them in the comments section. Otherwise, Good Luck Writing!
Posted by Jennifer Nelson on October 7, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Marketing |
The Pew Internet and American Life Project, says e-mail remains the number-one online activity of Americans. So as a small business, it’s important to capitalize on this trend. E-mail marketing can still deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) than methods such as direct mail and newspaper and radio advertising. Not only do people access thier e-mails on computers, now a growing number of people are able to receive e-mail on their cell phones and PDAs. E-mails have many advantages, but here are the three most popular:
Cheap E-mails are free or extremely cheap to send and receive. Unlike sending out mass correspondence through the post office, e-mails don’t cost much money. The only cost to you is the time you spend constructing them and if you choose to use an email client to assist you with design creation and list management .
Fast E-mails can be sent out instantaneously to thousands of recipients. The recipients can be previous customers or interested parties who submitted their email through your website.
Measurable Software can track e-mails opened, clicked on, and purchases made. Many of these e-mail tracking softwares are inexpensive and easy to install or already come with an e-mail client. They can help you see which e-mails are translating into sales and which e-mails aren’t performing.
Often times users flag irrelevant e-mails as spam, so it’s important to make e-mails relevant and segmented to grab your reader’s attention. A 2006 report by MarketingSherpa found that e-mail marketers using segmentation saw click-through rates that are 72% higher than e-mail marketers who aren’t segmenting their opt-in lists. Some of the most popular ways to segment your company emails include:
- Purchased items
- Location
- Brands
- Age
Your segmenting options are limitless! Experiment with different categories and see which ones offer your business the greatest success. Don’t forget to stay on top of your “subscribe” and “unsubscribe” requests. Not being thourough can cause you trouble with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Anti-Spam Laws. Always review your subscribe and unsubscribe requests right before you send out an e-mail blast or use a e-mail client to have them automatically managed for you. Following these simple rules is a great cheap way to have e-mails add to your bottom line without breaking your wallet.
Tags: e-mail, e-mail marketing, e-mail newsletters, email, email creation, email marketing, email newsletters, email promotion, Internet Marketing, marketing, opt-in lists, Small Biz Marketing
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on July 20, 2009 under Small Biz Marketing |
It’s summertime and for many companies that can mean a slump in business! That means there is no better time than now to increase your public
relations efforts… free press seems like a much better option than ramping up the advertising dollars.
There are actually many ways to promote your company’s products, services, and events that will essentially cost you nothing but time. The following tips will help you get the knowledge and understanding of simple PR and marketing tactics that can get you on your way to a profitable summer business season!
Public Relation & Marketing Tactics that won’t Bust the Budget
Send out a Press Release: Having a press release about current company news, promos and new services could possibly be one of the most important things any small business should do. Not only can you submit your press release to your local media (TV stations, newspapers, radio stations etc.), but you can also use it to directly reach consumers.
Use your Social Networking Skills: Social Networking has added new ways to conduct business and build your market awareness. By utilizing it, you have the ability to form communities, groups and events with others interested in your products and services. Also, take the opportunity to network with other professionals and build prosperous partnerships.
Go Back to the Roots of Marketing, Word of Mouth: Mixing new methods of marketing and PR with traditional methods will highly benefit the results of any campaign. Still today, over 90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products and services. So, tell everyone one you know, and then tell them to tell everyone they know.
Update Current Customers with an Email Blast: By maintaining a constant stream of communication with your current clients, not only will you form a better relationship with them, but you will keep them on the radar with your current happenings and leave the door open to returning customer sales!
The importance of public relations is often under-minded as something only for large organizations and corporations. The truth is, PR comes in many shapes and sizes for everyone, and any company large or small should be using public relations actively to promote their brand.
