A website is more than just a brochure. It is a 24-hour live sales person that is constantly promoting your company and its products and services. Among many things, your website serves as a tool that helps communicate the value that your business brings to the consumer. Let your website show why visitors should utilize your business and why you are different from your competition. As you may only get a few minutes of your potential customers' time, it is imperative that the information that you provide is conveyed easily, effectively and dynamically. Otherwise you risk the possibility of the individual leaving ...

Small businesses seem to be optimistic about business prospects in 2010, according to the third annual Signs of the Times Business Survey conducted by FedEx Office. When asked if there were any areas where they were considering increasing spending in 2010, 42% of the survey respondents selected marketing/advertising. Almost 90% of those surveyed found that printed marketing/advertising tools are either somewhat or very effective at driving customers to business. In terms of increasing communication, 44% plan on increasing communication with exisitng and potential customers via newsletters, direct mail, etc. More than 60% of those surveyed think that traditional marketing and advertising (e.g. newspapers, ...

Having a blog on your business website is a simple way to increase traffic to your website, as well as improve your search engine optimization. However, it can be daunting to start a blog from scratch without any previous experience. Here are a few steps you can take before launching your business blog in order to help increase its chances of success. Describe Your Ideal Customer The purpose behind your blog is to increase traffic and bring your website to the people who will use your products and services. Defining who your ideal customer is, where they come from, and the type ...

It is important when creating a presence for your business on the web to choose the options that work best for your specific business. It can be difficult to decide if you want to create a microsite, if you want to get multiple domain names, or to use your main website. Each option has strengths and benefits depending on what you are aiming to achieve, and the budget you have available. Microsite A microsite provides detailed information about a specific product or service that may not be available on the main website. By using a microsite, you can target specific keywords to make the ...

Having an effective sales and marketing plan is crucial in order to get the results you want. Whether it is to increase brand awareness or to sell specific products or services, you should always make sure to optimize your marketing plan to get the best results possible. Know Your Customers. If you can't identify specific information about who your customer is, you need to run a customer profile analysis. Once you figure out who they are and what they want, then you'll be able to cater to their needs. Build Your Customer List. Having a strong customer list is a simple way ...

Many small businesses are still not using basic online marketing tools to help them grow their business. According to a survey from Citibank, 37% of small businesses had not used a website for marketing or expanding their business in the last year. Also, 84% had not used ecommerce to sell products, and 62% have not used email marketing. Of those businesses that do have a website, 74% say their website has been effective at generating business. The survey also found that while many small businesses placed an importance on word-of-mouth marketing to market themselves and find new customers, they did not view social ...

In a recent study from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, almost all US Internet users research local products and services onilne first before making a purchase. Approximately 97 percent use online media for local shopping research, and of those 90 percent use search engines,  48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison shopping sites. The report also showed that more than half of the people surveyed used an online coupon when shopping for products in the past year and almost 20 percent booked an appointment online somewhere other than a restaurant. As more and more people turn ...

Having an online storefront means you’re always open for business Unlike other months, December is a critical month for just about any retailer.  According to the U.S. Census bureau, retailers’ sales during this busy month account for 15-24% of their total annual sales.  Besides Black Friday, the busiest shopping time during the year is the weekend right before Christmas. Typically, the Saturday before Christmas represents $15 billion worth of sales for retailers. This year, the United States East Coast was badly hit by a snowstorm that brought some areas up to two feet of snow, dashing the hopes of many retailers. With ...

Website, e-mail, and search spending made up the top of the list in changes business-to-business marketers would make in their online spending in 2010, according to BtoB magazine. More than half of B2B marketers would also increase their spending in social media and video marketing. However, more than half wanted to use social media for thought leadership while 49% wanted to use it to generate leads. On the other hand, 13% of B2B marketers would decrease their spending on online banners and 10% would decrease their spending on sponsorship. Want more information on how to increase your company’s reach online? The experts at ...

Many small businesses have decided to cut their marketing budget, however this can end up hurting your company more than you realize. Spending more money on marketing during an economic downturn can help your company get ahead when the economy turns around. There is a direct relationship between the success of a small business and its marketing spending, according to the “Small Business Marketing Health Check” report from Hurwitz & Associates. About 65% of small businesses that expected increased revenues had raised or planned to raise marketing spending, compared with just 32% to 36% of businesses with flat or declining ...

According to to TMP Directional Marketing and comScore, almost 40% of people who did an online local business search ended up visiting the store in person. Even more people, 46%, contacted the business on the phone. This is up from 2008 when only 39% of people contacted the business on the phone. Contacting a business online went down one percent, from 12% in 2008 to 11% in 2009. Also, general search engines were more likely to be used than local search sites or online yellow pages. The biggest searches on local search engines were for child care and hotels and for ...

The new digital era is keeping everyone on their toes. One of the most recent and frequently used forms of digital media is video marketing. While video marketing used to be something that only large companies could afford to do, with a decent budget, smaller companies are jumping on board. Before you jump into making your video piece, make sure you keep a couple of things in mind. First, you want to clearly define the purpose of your video. Is it an advertising opportunity? An endorsement? New product/service introduction? Product demonstration? Whichever the purpose of your video, make sure ...