Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

Goals and Objectives.

Strategy.  Tactics.  Logisitics.

All of the above are essential for business growth.

Take a quick assessment:

• 1. Have you written your goals for 2012?
• 2. Developed your marketing strategy?
• 3. Defined the tactics?
• 4. Mapped the logistics?

If you answered no to any (or all) of the questions, don’t be discouraged.
You can start preparing for 2012 business growth right now.

Let’s keep it simple. The most common goal among professional service providers is this:

Increase my client base.

Is this one of your goals for 2012? If so, right or type it right now in a place that will be visible to you daily.
Your strategy will need to be unique but the tactics don’t have to be.

Here are 5 tactics you don’t want to leave out of your 2012 online marketing strategy:

1. Build and nurture your email list (client and prospect base) by providing timely answers to problems they face. Email has been around since the early 90’s but it is still the hub of business communications.

Daystar New Media Client Example: Last year, a decades old insurance provider entered the email marketing arena by compiling an email client list.  The second email newsletter they sent out to the list contained info on how to protect property with adequate flood insurance coverage.  They were careful to include a call to action: Buy a new flood policy or increase flood coverage. The results were immediate. They received 15 calls resulting in 7 new policies from a single email.  Have you emailed your clients lately?

2. Commit to blogging your expertise. Unlike PPC, print ads and in-person networking, the value of the blog investment grows exponentially over time.

Daystar New Media Client Example:  Two years ago, one of my clients, a law firm, committed to blogging for the purpose of building visibility and credibility with a very targeted commercial audience in the legal industry.  The pay off for the more than 200 posts, has been an increase in visits from 800+ in year 1 to 8000+ in year 2. Unique visitors are up from 300+ in year 1 to 5000+ in year 2. ROI has also come in the form of conversation and feedback about the blog from important stakeholders and industry leaders. You can’t buy that with ads. Have you increased your traffic and your credibility strategically?

3. Create short, passionate video messages that contain content to HELP your audience accomplish their goals and overcome their challenges.

Daystar New Media Client Example: A commercial real estate company plans to provide informational videos to introduce not only the unique client workspace available at his location but also become the resource about how to utilize commercial tax credits, a complicated but very valuable opportunity for businesses. What content could you offer in video format that would HELP your clients/prospects?

4. Communicate with your clients & followers regularly using status updates. Use this space to offer quick actionable content such as tips and best practices. Make it worth their time to read what you post.

Daystar New Media Client Example: A real estate company maintains statistics on local home price trends and publishes them on the company web site.  Using social media status updates, this info is streamed out across social networks increasing the company’s visibility and driving traffic back to the website.  What content is sitting on your web site that is under-utilized?

5. Create a core message that you deliver in person to quickly communicate the value you offer on your blog, email list and/or social media spaces.

Daystar New Media Client Example: A CPA Firm partner regularly attends networking events.  He plans and practices his 30-second introduction. In 2012, after clearly stating the firm name and website, he’ll invite small business owners to subscribe to the firm blog so they can learn how to increase their profits by earning and keeping more money.  Let the people you meet in person know what’s in it for them to subscribe your blog, visit your facebook page or follow you on twitter.

 

To learn how we can help with your 2012 online marketing plan, contact us at info@daystarnewmedia.com or call 504-210-7690.

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About Michelle Cullison: Michelle is an acclaimed professional speaker, author, and the President of Daystar New Media, Inc.  Since 1993, she has helped hundreds of clients expand their businesses from web site to the web presence.   Michelle knows how to leverage the power of the social web with tools like WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   Today, through her speaking, training and consulting services, she equips companies to expand from web site to web presence by developing and implementing effective social media strategies.

 

Connections. Friends. Followers. Credibility. Visibility. Reach. Influence.

This is the language of Social Media.

A web site is no longer enough.  People want availability and interaction.  Decision makers are struggling to determine which communication channels to use, what to publish, how to engage and manage conversations and who in the organization is responsible.  To achieve success in the social spaces, companies need to expand daily. This requires:

1. A strategy tied to defined organizational objectives.
2. Systems to manage content, conversations and teams.
3. People who understand the language, culture and tools of the social web.

While the tools are new, we’re not.  From modems and Mosaic (circa 1993) to the social web of 2010,  Michelle Cullison, President of Daystar New Media, has been applying internet technology to meet the business objectives of  her clients.

Are you Ready to expand your business EVERY DAY? Start reading the blog, susbscribe to my enewsletter and contact me to book a free 20-minute phone consult.

You may think reading about facebook page tabs is boring but after reading this,  you will see that tabs can lead to beau coup (French for many) opportunities for business growth. And, THAT is anything but boring!

Here we go! I’m going to share 5 ways to use Facebook tabs to drive business:

1. Put YOUR BEST website page—the one with a strong call to action– on the most visited site on the internet. 
Facebook surpassed Google as THE MOST VISITED site on the internet this year. With this statistic in mind, it behooves businesses to take their website content to Facebook like we’ve been doing with Google for years! I’ve done it and you can too!  Using the Facebook app, FBML, I’ve created a new wall tab, Daystar New Media,  and I’ve copied the HTML code from my website to the app so my facebook page visitors can follow my “calls to action” without leaving Facebook.  Think about this: ANY webpage on your company site can be “installed” on facebook by using the FMBL app. Which page on your site drives the most business? Get more out of it by moving it on facebook!

2. Introduce a new product or service with a special offer.   You can use an app called Promotion-there are many others-or you can copy html from your product page on your website and use the FMBL app again.  Think creatively and strategically and these tools will become a profit center rather than a time drain or cost to your business.

3. Build trust and strengthen client and prospect relationships by consistently offering valuable content to your target audience. Do this on Facebook  by flowing your blog content into your Facebook page with the app, Social RSS.  Your blog will have a tab AND every article you add to your blog will be posted to your facebook wall and included in the Blog tab. See the Social Media Explained Blog on flowing onto my facebook page.

4. Grow your email listfrom within Facebook. Add a tab for your email list sign up form. There are many ways to do this.  I’ll show two examples. I use MailChimp.com so I have installed the MailChimp App. I have client who uses ConstantContact.com so I’ve installed the Constant Contact app on the client’s Facebook page.  Because most email list management systems provide the form code in HTML, you can also use the FBML app to grow your email list on Facebook.  Search FB App directory or visit your email list provider website to find the best choice for your company.

5. Get your FB community engaged and viral by sharing your latest video.Using the Youtube for Pages app from Involver.com, you can load your Youtube Channel into your page as a tab and offer your latest business video to your audience. What’s great about this app is that it makes it easy for your community to share it with their friends. Think viral exposure.  Here is an example of this app in action on the  HomeCare Association of Louisiana facebook page. HCLA keeps membership informed about events, homecare industry news, healthcare reform issues (ie. report from Capitol Hill) and more using Youtube and the Facebook page.

 Now, I’ve just scraped the surface of the beau coupways you can use fb page tabs to drive business. I hope these ideas have inspired you to think of some new ways you can use facebook for your business.  Next week, I’m going to show you how to get even more action from tabs by making one of your new tabs your landing page on Facebook.  Stay tuned next week for Driving the Facebook User Experience.

 

 

 

This morning I downloaded the product, Xobni, an add-on to Outlook. At the end of the installation of the add-on software, the Finish dialog box wasn’t just wasted space. Xobni took advantage of an opportunity to connect with their target market! They filled the wasted space with an friendly picture of the xobin team along with the message “Thanks for installing!”  Kudos to the xobni marketing team!

Where is the wasted space in your business processes? Examine all of your customer communications and look for ways to connect and utilize print or electronic pieces that are usually boring but could be used to make a connection.

Consider these possibilities:

• Invoices
• Receipts
• Auto-responders
• Envelopes
• Email signatures
• Form letters

As you look at your communications, ask these questions:

• Is our mission expressed?
• If not, how can it be incorporated cleanly?
• How memorable are we?
• How can we add valuable info in small spaces that are usually wasted?
• How can we build goodwill in what is typically wasted space?
• Are we likeable-as a company?

Any new ideas on making the most of wasted space on standard (dare I say–boring) communications?

Post your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!