Why is video so important? Because today, the average attention span of a web user is measured in seconds. Once delivered to you on a red carpet by a major search engine search query, or by a recommendation link on a review blog, the new web visitor applies only a very limited effort and time to see whether they can make sense of what you are selling and to decide whether you have what they were actually looking for. If you can engage their interest right there and then, and offer a fast, highly visual way to let them discover what your "message" is, you are ahead of the game.
I know what you are thinking.....
Don't know the first thing about videos or editing?
I personally hate being in front of a camera, but I know how important video marketing can be. So I decided to create small 30 second commercials using a web service called Animoto. This is a great video making tool. You simply upload the pictures you want to use, add some text, add music, click "submit", and voila! - you have a professional looking video! You can see examples of what Animoto can do by going to my YouTube channel.
If you have a webcam or a family video camera - you have everything you need to make a video. Fancy equipment and green screens are great - if you have the budget, but don't let lack of funds or knowledge stop you from using inventive means to promote your business. You can find very cheap editing tools that will help you create the perfect video for your business. Visit this Video Editing Software Review for more info.
Here are a few video ideas.....
Video introduction can be a firm handshake!
One of the best ways to market your business is to have your customers see you as a person not just a business. A great way to do that is to add a 30 second introductory video on your homepage. Introduce yourself, send a welcome message, talk about upcoming sales or promotions. Show them how passionate you are about your business and why they should buy from you.
Add video testimonials!
Add real customer testimonials to your site. Have your customers send you a video of them enjoying your products, share stories or create mock commercials using your items. A great way to get these videos is to have a contest where the "best video" wins a prize :) Here are some examples of video testimonials from a friend of mine’s website.
Create FAQ videos!
Instead of creating a basic frequently asked questions page, why not create videos? You can create a step by step video on how to buy a product from your store – showing the checkout process, or how to apply a coupon code. If you have a product where assembly is required, why not create a video that shows your customers how to put it together.
Promote your videos
Adding your videos to your website is only the first step. You need to promote them to reach a wider audience to your online store. Upload them to your Facebook page, Twitter account, blog - every social networking site you have. You can also upload them to online video sites. Here are some video sites that I use.
Making videos can be fun. Be creative and show your customers just how much you love your business. You'll be glad you did :)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
5 Easy Ways to Market Your Business
Too many small business owners think marketing is like a trip to the dentist — something you just have do every six months or so. But when marketing is continuous and targeted rather than occasional or sporadic, business gets easier. Ongoing marketing works when putting the right message in front of the right person at the right time.
Here are 5 ideas for doing that
Social Networking
Social networking is a marketing tool that spreads the buzz, spreads the love, and creates a sense of community. Participating in a social networking mix by sharing your experiences, help create that community and build trust with your customers. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace & LinkedIn allow a business to offer “friends” only discounts and promotions. As American Express is fond of saying, “Membership has its privileges.” so does social networking. Reward your friends and fans with gift basket promotions at the holidays, announce contest winners, promote new products, answer customer questions and more. It’s a great way to keep your business’s name in the forefront of their minds.
Other social networks are more niche related. Posting blogs, submitting articles or creating Hub pages are a way for a business owner to build credibility and share their expertise. They can work to drive customers to the gift basket retail site or they can be ways to develop a referral network for future customers. These types of articles and blogs help business owners establish a connection with consumers by providing trust that they are experts in their field. It is the difference between being a salesperson and a solutions provider.
Referral Clubs
Referral groups and the local chamber of commerce are great places to make professional contacts. Successful referral groups will focus their meetings on highlighting a members business and being a forum to help find solutions to current business needs. Referral groups are also useful to small business owners who often go it alone, in a small office or their own homes, and need advice from others that are in the same boat and may have encountered the same problems before.
The local chamber of commerce is another way to build a reputation in the local community. Many chambers sponsor monthly lunches, local trade shows, and provide members with ways to share their businesses with community members. Membership often adds some credence to a business and can be a plus to their marketing efforts. Particularly in the age of shopping online, sometimes having the endorsement of local community organization can make all the difference.
Newsletters
Email newsletters are a wonderful way to communicate and share information with past and current customers. By asking customers to opt into the newsletter at point of purchase or by offering them a discount for opting in, your email list is easily built and it is a wonderful touch point.
Having a monthly contest or promotion tied to the newsletter is equally helpful. Most customers will only be shopping when they need something, like a birthday gift or a wedding present. A newsletter sent monthly or when new and exciting products are available, can foster the potential for more sales and not just when someone is searching for the perfect basket. A newsletter will also continue to build and strengthen a business’s creditability with their current and past customer base.
It is important to note that newsletters should be used judiciously and sent only sporadically, or customers may begin to treat them like spam.
Trade Shows & Exhibitions
A trade show or exhibition is another way to strengthen not only your business connections, but also your customer base. These venues are like networking groups on a larger scale and often draw businesses from a larger geographic area. A wonderful perk of attending a trade show is industry professionals tend to visit other booths and business relationships often develop.
Just as with networking groups, trade shows are a chance to highlight your business and your expertise by just talking with other business owners. Many small business owners are passionate about shopping and support other passionate and savvy business owners. A trade show is like a cocktail party, minus the cocktails. Talk about yourself and your business, it is the perfect venue to toot your own horn and listen to what the other businesses are there to provide.
Internet Marketing
With the new generation of consumers, radio and magazine ads are not enough. Targeted online advertising can help find a whole new generation of consumer. Cross marketing is the name of the modern ad game. Try being creative with your ad dollars - consider posting ads for gift basket on wedding sites, real estate or baby sites, create fun and informative videos and post them on YouTube, submit your website to online directories, write a press release or post ads on Facebook or MySpace. Effective internet marketing can truly help reach a larger audience and increase your customer base.
Here are 5 ideas for doing that
Social Networking
Social networking is a marketing tool that spreads the buzz, spreads the love, and creates a sense of community. Participating in a social networking mix by sharing your experiences, help create that community and build trust with your customers. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace & LinkedIn allow a business to offer “friends” only discounts and promotions. As American Express is fond of saying, “Membership has its privileges.” so does social networking. Reward your friends and fans with gift basket promotions at the holidays, announce contest winners, promote new products, answer customer questions and more. It’s a great way to keep your business’s name in the forefront of their minds.
Other social networks are more niche related. Posting blogs, submitting articles or creating Hub pages are a way for a business owner to build credibility and share their expertise. They can work to drive customers to the gift basket retail site or they can be ways to develop a referral network for future customers. These types of articles and blogs help business owners establish a connection with consumers by providing trust that they are experts in their field. It is the difference between being a salesperson and a solutions provider.
Referral Clubs
Referral groups and the local chamber of commerce are great places to make professional contacts. Successful referral groups will focus their meetings on highlighting a members business and being a forum to help find solutions to current business needs. Referral groups are also useful to small business owners who often go it alone, in a small office or their own homes, and need advice from others that are in the same boat and may have encountered the same problems before.
The local chamber of commerce is another way to build a reputation in the local community. Many chambers sponsor monthly lunches, local trade shows, and provide members with ways to share their businesses with community members. Membership often adds some credence to a business and can be a plus to their marketing efforts. Particularly in the age of shopping online, sometimes having the endorsement of local community organization can make all the difference.
Newsletters
Email newsletters are a wonderful way to communicate and share information with past and current customers. By asking customers to opt into the newsletter at point of purchase or by offering them a discount for opting in, your email list is easily built and it is a wonderful touch point.
Having a monthly contest or promotion tied to the newsletter is equally helpful. Most customers will only be shopping when they need something, like a birthday gift or a wedding present. A newsletter sent monthly or when new and exciting products are available, can foster the potential for more sales and not just when someone is searching for the perfect basket. A newsletter will also continue to build and strengthen a business’s creditability with their current and past customer base.
It is important to note that newsletters should be used judiciously and sent only sporadically, or customers may begin to treat them like spam.
Trade Shows & Exhibitions
A trade show or exhibition is another way to strengthen not only your business connections, but also your customer base. These venues are like networking groups on a larger scale and often draw businesses from a larger geographic area. A wonderful perk of attending a trade show is industry professionals tend to visit other booths and business relationships often develop.
Just as with networking groups, trade shows are a chance to highlight your business and your expertise by just talking with other business owners. Many small business owners are passionate about shopping and support other passionate and savvy business owners. A trade show is like a cocktail party, minus the cocktails. Talk about yourself and your business, it is the perfect venue to toot your own horn and listen to what the other businesses are there to provide.
Internet Marketing
With the new generation of consumers, radio and magazine ads are not enough. Targeted online advertising can help find a whole new generation of consumer. Cross marketing is the name of the modern ad game. Try being creative with your ad dollars - consider posting ads for gift basket on wedding sites, real estate or baby sites, create fun and informative videos and post them on YouTube, submit your website to online directories, write a press release or post ads on Facebook or MySpace. Effective internet marketing can truly help reach a larger audience and increase your customer base.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Social Media vs Generation Gap
Recently, I was at a local referral club and met a sales person who said to me, "What is this Social Networking you keep talking about?". He wanted to know if it could do anything for his business. He told me most of his leads came from referrals. He has a network of over 2,000 people that he carefully maintains with phone calls, emails, lunches, sales calls and sharing his connections to help the network thrive. He's spent 20 years nurturing his relationships and they've paid off quite well. He said that he knew everything about his customers from when their kids are graduating to what kind of scotch they liked - I liked him right away :)So I started explaining to him the different types of social networking and how it's not much unlike what he is doing now. After only 5 minutes into the conversation, he understood the power it had and how it could help him generate sales. He told me that he felt intimidated by the internet and didn't really understand how it could help him. But after realizing that it's exactly what he's been doing for the past 20 years, just in a different way, he felt comfortable that he could do it.
I explained how he can be even faster to respond to events and news, cross reference his connections and make sure to introduce people to others they need to know to make their lives easier and better. Also that he could listen to what's going on in the market and be the first to share it with his connections and to share the solution to a problem before they even know they have it.
I helped him create a Twitter account and am in the process of creating a Facebook page for his business. It made me happy to be able to convert a newbie to our side :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
