Category Archives: Get More Business

How to Banish Social Media Guilt

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Today we’re going to talk about how to alleviate
social media guilt.

If you’re trying to use social media to generate more leads, credibility and exposure for yourself you probably are suffering from social media guilt.

It’s a phenomenon that occurs when you feel like you’re not on the right
social media web sites, you’re not engaging enough, you’re not posting enough and you’re missing something.

I’m here to give you three simple ways that you can alleviate that feeling.

So the first thing is to find a time to schedule in maybe a half an hour where you can schedule your social media posts in advance.

The program is called hootesuite.com .HootSuite allows you to
schedule your social media posts in advance. I recommend taking a half an
hour chunk on a Sunday or a day that’s slow and post all your posts for at least a week in advance, per network.

So, that even if we have everything go sideways that week at least you know that your social media posts are done.
The second thing I want you to do is download the mobile apps for each of the social media accounts that you’re on.

What this’ll enable you to do is whenever you’ve got a spare moment, just
check in to your social media accounts and engage with your network.

This offers you a really quick and easy way to engage when you’ve got me a few
minutes to spare stuck in traffic or if you’re waiting for someone to show up for a meeting or something like that.

The third thing I want you to do is set an alarm so when you are actually on a
desktop computer and you are checking your accounts.

I set my alarm so you’re not on there wasting time, looking at pictures
of cats.

If you liked this video, please share! What do you struggle with in social media? Share in the comments below.

3 steps to simple video marketing for small business

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How to start video marketing

1. Actually, your biggest fear is your biggest asset.

Most people are concerned with how they look on camera and many people out there are too nervous to be in front of a camera.

What you don’t know is the fact that you’re not a model or actor is actually working to your advantage.

The success of reality shows is testament to the fact that people no longer like things that are fake. The public wants authenticity. The fact you’re a real person with flaws and a unique personality makes you far more trustworthy & credible then an actor or model could every be.

Besides, you’re probably more talented, intelligent and better looking than most reality stars anyway.

Also, practice makes perfect!  I’ve been creating video blogs for probably four years now and at the bottom I’ve included a link to my actual very first video. You can see the difference practice makes.

Don’t let being inexperienced stop you from video marketing!

2, What should you do a video about?

Simply re purposing your blog posts and summarizing them is the most effective way to start video marketing. See a sample here:

As long as you are you’re using topics that provide value to your audience it doesn’t really matter what you talk about. Here are some ideas:

  1. Answer frequently asked questions
  2. Do interviews with your customers, suppliers or people in related industries.
  3. Offer tips
  4. Talk about relevant news, company events
  5. Introduce your staff, yourself & your business.

3. What Equipment Do I Need to Start Video Marketing?

No matter what your budget, you can find equipment to get the job done.

I used to use a flipcam, now I use an iPhone. Apparently there’s a Canon camera you can buy for about $1000 that will provide decent quality video and audio.

You can also get your videos professionally filmed, which I sometimes do as well.

On the other side of that is also Instagram and the Vine app- both of these are smart phone apps that provide 25 seconds and 7 seconds respectively a video time.

Again you don’t need professional equipment or editing to start video blogging. Just start and see what happens!

Are you video blogging yet? Did I miss any tips? Share your comments below!

and, as promised, here is a link to my very first video! **cringe!**

7 ways to use digital & mobile marketing to get better results from your radio, print and in-store marketing:

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Bottom line, you need your marketing expenditures to translate into sales.

mobile marketing guyOne of the hardest types of marketing to measure for effectiveness is the offline type- radio, print and in store advertising.

Not anymore!

Maximize the return on your marketing dollars by asking your offline audience to engage with you online.

This way you can capture their data and continue to market to them in free or low cost ways to convert them into paying customers.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Really, just a few simple tweaks to your advertising campaign will net you way bigger results.

7 Actionable Marketing Strategies you can use in your business today:

 

1. Have a QR Code on all print advertising:

Your vehicle decals, in store posters, print flyers, business cards and more.

Have this QR code point to your website, sign up form or Facebook page- depending on the market and your goals. This way you can capture prospect info via their smartphones & continue to market to them in the future.

2. Run a contest:

On radio, phone or word of mouth, ask people to sign up for your newsletter or like your page on Facebook to win.

The giveaway item doesn’t have to be expensive to work as an incentive for consumers to connect with you online. Bonus, you’re then tapped into social media, where the customer already spends their time.

3. Leverage your website design: 

Create promotion specific pages.

Use specific website URLS, like, www.yourcompanyname.com/bestcontest. Then, through Google Analytics, you can track the traffic from each promotion

4. Be smartphone smart:

Get a shortcut to your mailing list and keep it on your smartphone.

Ask people you meet in person if you can add them to your mailing list.

5. Offer a discount:

On the bottom of your receipts, invoices or quotes offer discounted services for those who are a member of the mailing list, Facebook page etc.

This gives people incentive to connect with you online.

6. Use coupon codes:

Offer a small discount in exchange for the presentation of a coupon code.

This way you can both encourage consumers to act, and track your return on investment.

7. Boost the power of social:

In store, post QR codes a way to like you or check in on Facebook.

Facebook Check-Ins act as an endorsement that shows up on the news feed of that consumer’s friends.

What are some ways that you get the most effectiveness out of your Offline marketing campaigns?

Tell us your secrets to getting more sales in the comments below:

Get more sales using internet marketing: 3 steps to creating a simple digital sales funnel

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As a small business owner, you have more in common with a fishermen and farmers than you may think. 
 
Image courtesy of Moz.com

Image courtesy of Moz.com

When you’re marketing your business, sometimes you’re harvesting the results of your efforts and and sometimes you’re planting.

And sometimes, you’re fishing for prospects.

In order to make the most of your marketing budget, maximize the return on your investment with a strategic sales funnel.

 
What is a sales funnel?
 
A sales funnel is the process which a consumer goes from casually interested, to actively purchasing. The funnel takes into account the emotional and logical stages the buyer goes through, and nurtures them on to the next phase. 
By creating a well thought out sales funnel, you will increase the yield of your harvest.
 
So, just because someone isn’t ready to buy the first time they see your website, flyer or sign, doesn’t mean that they wont ever be ready to buy.
 
By offering multiple ways to engage with you further, you’re effectively casting 3 nets to  capture prospects and turn them into clients.
 
Cast 3 marketing nets to capture the most fish
 
1. The net with the biggest holes will ask your prospect to contact you to buy- a certain  percentage of people will be in this phase of the buying cycle and will respond. For those who aren’t though, they could be lost to you, unless you offer some alternatives.
 
2. Offer a second option that is less commitment- join our VIP (newsletter) list for “sales, giveaways, contests and other specials”. This type of option will capture prospects that are teetering on the edge; they’re thinking about buying from you but aren’t quite ready.
 
 
3. Thirdly, offer a third net with the smallest holes. This “net” is designed to capture the information of those parties that are just in the beginning stages of the buying cycle, where awareness is key. Catch these smaller fish now and watch them grow into big fish customers. Ask them to like you on Facebook or join you on Twitter to get entered into a contest to win free stuff. 
 
Permission  Marketing:
 
Essentially, you are ensuring you have received permission to further market and build 
 a relationship with even the most timid and unsure prospect. This will dramatically
 increase the odds of this prospect making a purchase in the future.
Then, work to build value and nurture these relationships on your social media platforms.
 
Offer valuable insider tips, how to steps and information that help solve the problem your  customer has. Show examples of your work, testimonials, and profile your staff to build trust and rapport with your audience.
This is a simplified version of creating a sales funnel. But it’s this approach which will measurably increase the efficiency of all your marketing initiatives. 
 
Do you have a sales funnel working in your business? Tell us all about it in the 
 
comments below:

7 Ways Successful People Use LinkedIN

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Throwback!! I filmed this video about Marketing your business using LinkedIN over 2 years ago.

While I am happy to report both better hair days and an improved filming technique, the recommendations and information I provided are still true today.

LinkedIN remains one of THE most effective places for business owners to bolster credibility, build community and generate leads.

5 reasons you need to be on LinkedIN

  1. LinkedIN is THE social network for business only use
  2. LinkedIN is being used by your future customers- currently over 238 million users
  3. LinkedIN profiles are critical to reputation management– they usually show up prior to any other website when searching someone’s name
  4. LinkedIN can be used to get on Google- profiles display on search engines for target keywords- they can be optimized.
  5. LinkedIN users are affluent- the median household income of a user is $100,000

7 Ways Successful People Use LinkedIN

  1. To solicit endorsements– boost credibility and your reputation
  2. To stay in touch with prospects, clients, suppliers and any other business contacts
  3. To generate leads through an optimized profile and company page
  4. To find out who knows the person you’re interested in contacting, and asking for that introduction.
  5. To showcase portfolio pieces or projects visually or through multimedia
  6. To make new connections by contributing to conversations in industry groups
  7. To listen to prospects and clients and hear what’s important to them

In fact, it’s become even more effective than it used to be.

Recently, LinkedIN introduced In Page Analytics- which is a fancy way of saying that now you can see exactly how your audience reacts to your posts- in real time.

This means, less guessing and more knowing what resonates with your target market.

linkedIN-in-page-analytics

 

Ebook_Linkedin_mock4Do you want to learn exactly how to leverage LinkedIN to generate leads? Grab your copy of my free workbook here:

What is a USP and Why Should You Care?

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what-is-USP

 

 

 

 

 

When people ask me “what I do,” I can respond in two ways:

1. I can say “I have an online training program” and watch their eyes glaze over with boredom.

2. I can say “I help entrepreneurs make money using the Internet!” and watch their faces light up with interest and excitement.

Obviously, I choose option #2. And when you identify a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that makes your prospects sit up and take notice, you’ll generate the same positive response.

Creating your USP

The key to creating a Unique Selling Proposition (a.k.a. an Elevator Pitch) is to look at what you offer from your target audience’s point of view, and speaking to their needs. How can you BENEFIT them? How will you make THEIR lives better? What are THEY concerned about? And just as importantly: WHY are you a better choice than the competition?

Here’s an example using a fictitious dog training company. The company could say “we train dogs” and watch their potential customers yawn. Or, they can say “we help young families keep their sanity by turning problem dogs into family animals with my mobile training and exercise program” and make a positive, immediate impact.

See the difference? Your aim is to WOW people with your USP!

Where Your Opportunity Lies

A market that is not being adequately serviced existing businesses is where your opportunity lies.

To carve out a niche for, you can generally compete with other businesses on any two of these elements: Price, Quality, Delivery.

Competing on price is usually a bad idea, as you have to sell huge volumes in order to make a profit – and you’re vulnerable to getting undercut by a competitor who is willing to sell for less. What’s more, your customers won’t have any loyalty towards you, because you’re providing the cheapest price; not the best solution.

If you can find something in the delivery of your product or service that people will really value, and it isn’t being provided by your competitors, then you’ve got it made!

For example, my clients love that we don’t give them homework! We understand that they’re busy. So while our competitors find new ways to make life complicated and tedious, we pride ourselves on making the entire web design and Internet marketing process extremely EASY. Without a doubt, our ability to make our customers’ lives simple and easy is a major reason why they choose us vs. our competitors.

What’s more, although our prices are reasonable, we aren’t the cheapest – and we don’t try to be. Our customers are more than willing to pay for the value that we provide them. And delivering VALUE is what business is really all about! Can you give customers what they really want, at a price that they’re willing to pay?

Differentiation=Value

During your USP development, you need to find out what it is that you do differently – and better – than your competitors.

Remember: this has to be something that addresses a customer concern that goes beyond the obvious (or else your competitors would already be doing it!). If you’ve done any prospect or customer surveys, this information can usually be found in the answer to this question:

Why haven’t you purchased X yet?

A Simple and Powerful Formula for Creating Your USP

You don’t need to be a marketing expert to create your USP. Here’s a simple and powerful formula to get you moving forward:

“I solve TARGET MARKET’S PROBLEM with my UNIQUE SERVICE to deliver a BENEFIT.”

Or alternatively:

“I deliver BENEFIT to TARGET MARKET by SOLVING THEIR PROBLEM with my UNIQUE SERVICE.”

My company helps ____________________ (Target Market A)

Who ___________________________________(Target Market B)

By_______________________________________(Differentiation A)

To _______________________________________(Differentiation B)

OR:

I ______________________________( Differentiation B)

To ______________________________ (Target Market A)

By _______________________________(Target Market B)

With my ___________________________(differentiation A)

 

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

Your Cheat Sheet: 22 Social Media Do’s and Don’ts:

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social-media-dos-and-dontsForgetting the “rules” of social media? No worries, things change so quickly it can be difficult to keep up.

That’s why we’ve created this printable social media cheat sheet – 22 Do’s and Don’ts for success!

12 Social Media DO’s

1. Champion others – share their stories, like and comment on their news feeds and support them in their endeavors. The law of reciprocity means they will return the favor.

2. Give to get – Give helpful, entertaining, funny, inspiring or clever content to your social media audience. The more you can provide value, the better your odds of ensuring your content is shared, thereby growing your network.

3. Use multimedia – Use image or video based content whenever possible.

4. Optimize your accounts – YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook properties all appear in Google Search, Google + does as well, but Twitter does not anymore. If possible, use your keywords in your usernames.

5. ASK. Ask people to share, comment, like, re-tweet, sign up for your newsletter, visit your website or whatever you want them to do.

6. Be interested not interesting: be genuinely engaged with your social media contacts. Check in and see how they are, like their statuses, wish them happy birthday, ask their opinion.

7. Grow your network: Add all contacts you meet in real life and send them a hello message. Regularly add your email contacts and people you might know to your various social media profiles.

8. Add your social media live feeds, or at the very least, icons to your website or blog.

9. Suggest your Facebook page to friends on a weekly basis and participate in Follow Friday on Twitter

10. Ask your network to promote you

11. Comment on the news and events of the day

12. On Twitter – Use Hashtags to contextualize your conversation and connect with others discussing the same topics

Social Media Don’ts:

1. Don’t create an account and abandon it – set aside 10 minutes a day to check in and post something

2. Don’t be offensive or post in bad taste – you can be opinionated without being rude

3. Don’t talk only about yourself – self-centred people are as off putting online as they are off.

4. Don’t fail to acknowledge when people interact with you – it’s just rude

5. Don’t Sell, Sell, Sell! – no one likes a pushy sales person

6. Don’t make Spelling Mistakes: Use spellcheck!

7. Don’t expend a bunch of energy without a strategic plan

8. Don’t assign your social media marketing in its entirety to an intern – they can help you, but make sure their work is on point and you’re coaching them. Remember they are representing you online.

9. Don’t get too familiar – you can be cordially social without providing too much information

10. Don’t get into contentious or political conversations unless they’re part of your brand and you’re prepared for the fact not everyone is going to agree with you

 

Follow these 22 simple tips and you’ll have a failsafe methodology for engaging with your customers, clients and prospects on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google + and more.

Behind these points is the guiding principle of being genuinely likeable and providing value to your audience.

By being interested in others and consistently applying these tips, you’ll be well on your way to social media mastery

 

Learn more about Social Media.

 

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

5 criteria of a successful seo provider

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calgary skylineSEO is the techie acronym for Search Engine Optimization, and SEO Packages are a service that helps optimize your presence on the web in order to display on or near page one of the search engines for particular search terms.

You may have been approached by the big yellow book company preaching the merits of SEO packages, with prices ranging from $300-$3000 a month, but SEO in Calgary doesn’t have to be that expensive.

It’s common knowledge that a page one presence on the search engines is a great way to ensure a steady flow of leads to your website. So obtaining a reliable provider of your SEO packages is recommended, however it may be baffling that there is such a huge variant for SEO packages in Calgary. It can be confusing especially when you don’t understand what is being offered.

With SEO packages, whether you’re in Calgary or around the globe, it’s important to know what is being included and excluded from the package you’re looking at:

Here are 5 elements to consider when you’re shopping for a Calgary SEO provider:

1. Keywords.

a. Amount of keywords targeted aren’t as important as the quality of the keywords targeted. If no one is searching for the key terms your targeting, being on page one will not net you any new business.

b. Should the keywords be popular enough to have a lot of searches, ensure they are words that pertain to the segment of your business you want to grow. Getting traffic for fireplace repair when you sell new fireplaces, for example, doesn’t help your bottom line.

2. Time.

a. How long are they telling you it will take to get page one placement? Some places offer 24 hour turnaround and some offer results in 6 months.

3. Services:

a. Keyword Analysis and Recommendations
b. Site Analysis and Optimization Recommendations (even better if site optimization is included)
c. Google + Local – claim and optimize the page
d. Sync Google + Local with your site
e. Google Adwords Account creation, ad creation and monitoring
f. Reporting
g. Backlink creation – number doesn’t matter more than quality
h. Directory submissions – number doesn’t matter more than quality
i. Blog post creation, optimization
j. Article submissions
k. Tailored Strategy
l. Adaptable to new techniques/technologies

4. Adaptability:

A big downside to many companies that offer SEO packages in Calgary is that they are cookie cutter offerings that don’t factor in the ever-changing state of the web.

For example, there once was a time where you could get on page one of Google without paying a dime, within 24 hours simply by creating a keyword heavy Facebook or Twitter account name.

Now that isn’t the case any longer, but wouldn’t it be nice if your Calgary-based SEO company knew about ALL the factors that play into how your site is ranked, so you can be nimble enough to capitalize on these types of discoveries?

5. Placement:

Are you getting any kind of guarantee of where your website will rank on the search engines. This is one of the most important factors to shopping for an SEO Package in Calgary or elsewhere. Anyone can claim your Google + local page and charge you $300 a month for doing nothing, but will it be optimized enough to show up first in the search results?

 

Want to learn more? Book a complimentary 20 minute consultation with an experienced internet marketing consultant.

 

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

 

3 Solutions for Adapting to Mobile Web Design

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mobile web site design calgaryThese days when you’re looking to improve or overhaul your web design, factoring in how it will look to handheld device users may be a factor to consider.

Mobile devices include smart phones and all manner of tablets.

Mobile device usage on your website

According to w3 schools, mobile device usage still accounts for less than 2% of overall web traffic, however in North America and Web Savvy cities like Calgary, these numbers tend to be much higher.

Check out your Google analytics or web traffic statistics to determine what percentage of your audience is on a handheld device when they land on your site. More importantly though, how are they behaving once they get to your website? Do you have a high bounce rate from handheld device users? Are their page views dramatically less than those on laptop or desktop devices?

If your handheld device audience is clearly turned off by your existing website design, and they’re a large percentage of your website visitors, you may want to consider a mobile web design.

That being said, you have 3 different options, with three different prices to address the needs of mobile device users on your website.

Here are 3 different options of mobile web design:

A mobile friendly website: This essentially means your website isn’t offensive or broken to the user. It ensuring your website is scalable and simply displays as a smaller version of itself on devices such as android, iphone, ipad etc.

Addition of a mobile plugin: A great and cost effective option for WordPress websites is a plugin that, when configured correctly, can display a mobile specific version of the website to your visitors. Essentially appearing as a large menu to start, this provides a quick an easy way for your visitors to get to where they want to go on your website. A mobile web design plugin can be installed in a medium sized WordPress website in roughly 10 hours. So, the cost will vary depending on your web designers rates.

Creation of a specifically mobile web design: For businesses with a large stake in the market of mobile users. An option where we create a whole new web design that is geared specifically to the needs of the user. All non-essential content and navigation is stripped down, providing only the required navigation and content that a user will need.

About as expensive as a standard web design, a specifically mobile web design takes into consideration the reduced screen size, and hurried nature of today’s users.

Often, screens will be basically empty except for a link to call, get directions with Google maps or place their order online/sign up.

The mobile web design user experience

Converting casual browsers to sales is typically easier for the retail business and handheld device user, as often the user is en route to purchase the product or service and needs simply to identify what location is the closest and most appropriate for fulfilling the user’s needs.

In this case, often all that is needed is a large phone number or map.

By considering the visitor usage, the 3 different options and the user experience, you can determine the best mobile web design solution for your unique business.

Learn more about web design services.

 

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

 

Featured Project: Fine Line Industries Website Overhaul

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“One of my greatest pleasures is replacing an embarrassing, ineffective website with a website that not only looks great but functions well and provides a tangible contribution to my client’s success.” Laurel Lindsay,

web-design-beforeIt was my pleasure to work with Darrel Sneath to redesign his incredibly outdated site (shown on the left ) and provide him with a web design that he can be proud of.

Web Design sure has come a long way since the 90’s. Beyond building an attractive online brochure, we strive to create an online asset which performs several important tasks for our clients.

Typically the most important role a website plays is as a hardworking member of the sales team, however the degree to which it does so depends on if our client wants to grow or maintain the volume of business they’re doing.

In the case of the web design we recently launched for Darrel Sneath of Fine Line Industries, his reputation for quality has his small shop at capacity almost all the time.

So, instead of sending a steady stream of qualified leads from the internet, we took a more conservative approach to Darrel’s online strategy development.

First, for brick and mortar businesses that don’t want to massively increase their sales, a new web design primarily acts as legitimizing factor. This kind of site really delivers by providing the who, what, and why of the business, as well as its products and services, in an informative and professionally presented manner.

The second job of Fine Line’s website is to act as passive part of the sales team; a place where past projects, client testimonials, and all manner of proof of expertise and performance can be found.

The third job of a web design, if resources are optimized, is to function also as a customer service tool.

With this particular web design project, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to design and develop a site that does all three.

As such, his old web design (pictured below) was doing more harm than good to Darrel’s reputation.

Being so committed to his client’s success often creates a paradox for businesses in the image industry.

Darrel was simply too busy to take on the task of redeveloping his website, and months and years passed before he received the email from his brother Del at Carbon Steel Buildings announcing Del’s new website. (www.carbonsteelbuildings.com)

Darrel ensured he did his due diligence before deciding to work with The New Media Group, contacting several firms before he chose us.

We worked very closely with Darrel to ensure the web design accurately reflected the excellence in quality workmanship he’s known for.

The end result is a web design that is easy to read, and has a highly impactful look and feel. This site also does an incredible job of showcasing Darrel’s work. Lastly, but not least, the staff and clients of Fine Line Industries can save time and headaches emailing large design files, instead uploading them through the client login section.

Darrel got the best value from the experience knowing he was going to get a great final product. “I had high expectations and they were met”

Darrel said he would definitely recommend The New Media Group for anyone looking for help getting their web design to accurately reflect their business.

web-design-after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.