Get Your Local Business Found Online With SoLoMo

I always enjoy the looks that I receive from clients when I mention "SoLoMo". I can only imagine what they are thinking ("has he finally lost his mind?" Comes to mind a lot). In fact, I've memorised the explanation and have learned to quickly throw it out as soon as I bring it up. Still, SoLoMo is my favorite marketing method for local businesses, mainly because of the success that it has brought our clients, so it's a conversation that must be had with each and every local business owner that comes through our doors.

So, what the heck is SoLoMo?

SoLoMo is an acronym that stands for Social, Local, Mobile, and it taps into the buying patterns of more that 80% of consumers in today's connected world. Here's how it works:

Social

How many times have you scrolled your Facebook or Twitter feed and saw one of your contacts (or maybe you've even done it as well?) asking others about the best "insert cuisine here" restaurants in the area? Or how many times have you checked online reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp etc. before going to a local business? I'll bet you're just as guilty as the other 62% of all online shoppers who do the exact same thing. And of that 62%, 75% of them end up clicking through to the business's website in the process.

Having a social presence online is no longer a choice for local businesses. Nearly EVERYONE has a smartphone these days and has near-instant access to information on any business in their local area. If your business isn't in that mix, you're going to lose customers to the ones that are... lots of customers.

Local

Content Marketing - Make Sure You Avoid These 11 Mistakes

In the near-limitless universe of the Internet, the art of marketing content can be a tricky one. You've got to know your target audience and what they want, and always be one step ahead of the competition. Add to that the constantly emerging new channels for your content, and you have quite a challenging task ahead of you.

However, before you jump into this war of words, here are 11 pitfalls to watch out for:

1. Not doing your groundwork

You can't construct a skyscraper without laying the foundation. What is the purpose of your content? Who are you targeting it to? Is it in line with your brand personality? If you don't brainstorm on these questions and build a concrete plan, you might fail before you even start. It also helps to double-check your content and see what you can do differently from the competition.

2. Not having a clear take-away

Humorous fluff pieces are fun to read on the Internet, but don't let their popularity sway you. Good content needs a solid take-away - a message previously unavailable to your readers. Give them something new through your content, and they'll be hooked on to your every word.

Getting Started on Twitter for Your Business

How to Set Your Profile, Make Connections, and Start Expanding Your Business Exposure Through Twitter

July is Twitter Month for us so for those already using Twitter for their business stay tuned for more 'how tos' and tips on using Twitter for business!

For those of you who haven't braved the Twitter social media waters quite yet, this article will provide compelling reasons why you should use Twitter for business and then dive into how to set up your profile and how to get started building your following on Twitter.

Why Use Twitter For Your Business? 

The Advantages of Email List Building

Marketing is essential for today's small business owners to survive. Email list building is now considered one of the most important tools used for Internet marketing. Nothing is more cost effective and instant like sending an email. Building data lists can be defined as the process of creating a database that consists of potential individuals who are interested in the same niche of your website.

Therefore it can also be considered as gathering contacts as much as possible, "that are interested in your product or service". Email list building is recognised as a process which consumes a lot of time and money. However, there are some methods to engage in list building without large amounts of money for services.

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Is Your E-Commerce Site Working for You?

Albeit building an e-commerce website is a herculean task, actually running it successfully and generating sales and revenues is even tougher, given the fierce competitive e-commerce global landscape. Thousands of e-commerce sites are selling almost similar products with identical features. How to convert your potential buyer, the actual buyer?

There had been a great deal of ongoing experiment and research to pitch various innovative ideas and strategies to woo the prospective buyers! Some often click; a few may not! But there are certain guidelines that can assure you that your e-commerce platform is ready to vie your competitors!

Take a look at these prudently and aptly picked crucial tactics that can help you generate revenue from your e-commerce site without expecting you to come out of your comfort zone.

Quality and Informative Content 

10 Proven Ways to Increase Your Facebook Likes

Whether for personal or business purposes, one of the main goals of most Facebook users is to garner more likes and reactions. This article will outline 10 simple ways to increase the amount of likes for any post.

1. Keep Your Page Updated

It is important to note that keeping your page updated is not synonymous with spamming your Facebook followers. Getting more exposure on social media by posting periodically will result in more likes, reacts and even comments. However, posting too often is quite, frankly, annoying. As a result, your friends will literally like your post less, which translates to Facebook likes too!

2. Filtering

You can and should choose what you share on Facebook. If you have a Facebook page that you are updating correctly, but the content is lacking, you may still find yourself not reaching your goal of likes. Ask yourself: What is the point of this post? A post will have more of an impact if the meaning behind it is clear to its audience, whether its intention is to be funny, touching or thought-provoking.

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Take Your Business To New Heights With Video Marketing

A few years back, video marketing was considered a high priced activity for any business. It required cameras, cameramen, professional editors and time on TV channels; all these required heavy prices to be paid. However, with the popularity of internet more number of people can have access to it, along with the reduced price of cameras and other equipment have made video marketing an affordable and valuable method for business people to reach out millions of people across the globe. If you are still confused, this article shall provide you a few helpful reasons to start video marketing. Check them out as follows:

Good reasons to opt video marketing

• Adds a personal touch: Video marketing permits you to interact directly with the customers.

7 Tips For Great Email Subject Lines

Writing relevant email headlines are crucial for getting people to read what you have to say. Get these wrong and your open rates will be very poor indeed. People need to open your emails to read and gain value from what's inside. So, here are seven tips to help you to come up with powerful and effective email headlines...

Tip #1: Keep the line length short. I've played around with subject line length and have concluded that the longer they are the less effective they become when it comes to email open rates.

Here's what I've found: the ideal subject line length is between two and five words. Five words are at the top end of subject line length. If at all possible, use four words rather than five as that tends to be more effective.

In fact, a subject line length of just two words is often the most effective in boosting email open rates.

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Tip #2: Use lowercase instead of capitals.

Content Marketing for Your Small Business

A large part of engaging social media posts has great content. Just having a profile on multiple Social Media sites isn't enough to keep followers engaged or attract new customers. To get and hold people's attention, you need to post new, trending and engaging content consistently.

You've probably heard that your social media content should NOT be all promotional for your product or service. Mix it up! Have a variety of different content about a wide range of subjects.

So, what do you talk about across your Social Media Channels, if you aren't supposed to sell, sell, sell? Try these topics, put your twist on them.

1. Company: Give insight to your business. 

10 Ways to Get People to Follow Your Twitter Page

When it comes to Twitter, subscribers or "followers" are your key to building popularity. And popularity is a fundamental and a very important concept to grab hold of. The idea is that by following someone, they'll agree to follow you back.

The following are other ideas which can help with Twitter followers:

1) Connect your blog or social network site to your profile. By adding a link to each of your social media profiles to your Twitter profile, and vice versa, you are making sure everyone you know is able to reach you in all the places they have accounts as well.

2) Ask others to recommend your profile. A blog reader could recommend your social networking page, or other members of your social network could recommend your blog. Word of mouth can go a long way, especially in the world of social networking. Although you may not get every person who hears of you on your Twitter page, you can easily raise the number with a few referrals from friends.

How To Market Your Business On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of my favourite social media platforms, for the easy reason that real, interpersonal networking occurs here. LinkedIn focuses on the construction of relationships, professional business relationships that are made to last while most other social media websites are automated. Should you want to learn the best way to sell on LinkedIn, you should follow this principle to start with. Of course there are many other factors that need to be considered and this is exactly why I've come to compose this post. I want you to understand the power and also the growth potential of your company using LinkedIn to grow relationships and sell your products and services to the people who grow to like and trust you. This platform is especially great for when you are a B2B seller, but if you are encouraging something to the average Joe, then this can work for you too. I am also going to explain to you just how to discover the right prospects for you. Then I'll show you precisely how to join with them without looking in the manner of a salesperson.

Understand Your Intended Market

Knowing how to sell on LinkedIn is fantastic, but you'll not make a dime if you do not know how to find the right people to sell to it doesn't matter how good your sales abilities are.

Why Ignoring Video Marketing Is Hurting Your Business

6 Compelling Benefits to Jumping on the Video Bandwagon while the Momentum is Hot

Have you noticed seeing a lot more videos on Facebook lately? Not only have there been a plethora of Facebook LIVE videos, but I've also been seeing a trend of videos made from simple animations or static inspirational images with music added.

All because Facebook has declared video to be something people want to watch more than any other form of content.

Then there's the popularity of YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram's video platforms and capabilities that makes using video hard to ignore in today's business marketing landscape.

And it shouldn't come to anyone's surprise either. Think about how we have all been spoon-fed videos since young toddlers on TV.

The good news is, with the advancement of technology over the past few years, you no longer need to be a professional videographer or editor to be able to produce decent-looking videos, especially for a social media audience.

Still not sure if you should bother taking on the task of learning to do videos for your social media marketing? Take a look at some of these stats:

* A Facebook video receives, on average, 135% more organic reach than a photo. 

Marketing Successfully With Facebook

Which social media channels work most effectively for your business? If you are like a lot of other business people, Facebook is probably among the list of your most used social media channels. However, do you think that you are leveraging Facebook for all that it can offer your business?

Some of your Facebook efforts will work and some will not 

The fact is that Facebook has a lot of power and possibilities behind it when it comes to business. Additionally, Facebook has been around for quite a while and it has gained respect among business people. Of course, the Facebook of today is not the Facebook of yesterday. In the beginning, Facebook was used pretty exclusively by college students to communicate easily among them. However, nowadays, Facebook is used by millions of for all sorts of purposes.

The truth is that Facebook holds tremendous potential when it comes to content marketing but you need to have a clear understanding of which aspects of the social media channel will work effectively for your business and which ones will not. Because each business is different, it is important to really wrap your mind around the particular needs of your business. Some of the aspects of Facebook that may serve your business very well are:

• Posting on a regular basis: 

Local Businesses: Don't Neglect Your Online Reputation

The one thing every business relies on the most to win over customers is their reputation. If your company image isn't a good one, then you're going to forever suffer with gaining the trust of your audience. And if that's the case, good luck with converting them into customers. Local businesses should definitely take heed, especially since a lot of mobile device users are using the Web to find local businesses to shop at. Your online reputation management strategy is key for increasing foot traffic, don't overlook this!

No Business is Perfect

Every company has its share of negative reviews circulating the Internet, but this shouldn't deter you from getting a hold of what people see about your brand on the Web. The idea here is to try and resolve issues that are within reason. It will help you to possibly win back a customer you would have otherwise lost and it shows others reviewing the conversation that your brand is willing to go over and beyond to rectify mistakes. It's a win-win-win situation - the customer gets what they want, you win back their trust and you possibly get the business of new prospects.

5 Marketing Tips That Will Help Every Small Business - grab your free report here ow.ly/aUvG30bklGj

Do you really know what makes your small business the most money?

Do you really know what you sell and what makes you the most money?

Business Marketing Mastery has the sole aim of helping small business owners generate greater sales through better marketing:

I’ve met with hundreds of small business owners over the last 15 years or so and many have become clients of mine and I have helped them in a number of ways from simple advertising to re-branding.

One of the first questions I ask them no matter what their business or niche is 

‘What makes you the most money’?