Category Archives: Marketing

5 Great Ways To Gain More Business

Your home business will survive only if it grows. But, how can you grow your business? Do you want to expand and take on employees, or just keep it for yourself? While the direction and scope of your business is your choice, there are some sure-fire ways to gain more business.

Image

What is your image? Your image is more than just your logo. It is the essence of your business. It tells people why you do what you do. It helps you to establish your objectives and to keep your focus.

Know Your Customer

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Most business owners would not go into business if they did not already have a core set of customers to get them on their feet. But, that core set cannot be the only customers you have. Research the market in your area and in areas to which you wish to expand. Study the demographics of these areas.

Will there be any barriers that would keep you from entering that market? Will the market area support your product? It pays to work this out ahead of time, and knowing your customers will mean that you can successfully market your product in that area.

Networking

Social media has been a game changer when it comes to networking. LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube are powerful tools in getting your name out there and building brand recognition. This also helps you to discover who the decision makers are in various industries. When you are selling a product or service, you need to speak to the people who decide to hire you.

If networking online is not fast enough for you, get on the telephone. Cold calling is hard, but it still pays off in spades. Your goal is to get the appointment to make your pitch, and whether that means you ask the receptionist who you should speak to, or get an introduction via LinkedIn, you do what it takes.

Be Passionate

When you finally get to speak to your potential client in person, be passionate. Remember your image, your vision, your goal. And, remember why you got into business in the first place. It can be one of the most difficult things you ever do at first, to put everything on the line, but you will find that every time you do it, you come to visualize your success even more. If you have to practices your pitch, do so! You are onstage, and need to close the sale.

Make it Matter

If you do the research you should, you will know how your product or service can solve a problem for your potential client. You are not trying to sell something, you are trying to solve a problem. When you approach it this way, you will care more about helping your client, and he will care more about your product.

By remembering these 5 points, you will build your customer base and expand your business. Whether you are a small business owner, operate a home business, or have a startup, the customer needs that personal attention.

5 Things To Remember When Designing Your Business Card

Business cards have been a reliable source of advertising since long before the internet was created. Many businesses still employ the tactic, and as a small business, it’s important for you to take advantage of this as well. However, creating a good business card is a difficult task. Here are a few quick tips for designing a successful card.

1. Make your card sturdy.

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While this may seem simple, it’s important that your business card has a long lifespan for whoever you hand it out to. If a few weeks of wear and tear in an old wallet rub off the phone number or website of your business, then it’s effectively useless altogether and you’ve wasted your time. Make sure the paper of the card is thick and able to withstand the test of time — plastic is even better. While the cost may be a bit extra, it’ll look more professional and be a good representative of your business.

2. Make it eye-drawing.

Simple clip art might be minimalist and easy to come by, but a unique-looking card is going to catch the attention of your customer and make them inspect it further. People are naturally attracted to eye-pleasing displays, so it’s important that your card looks sharp and appealing. It’s also important to make an impression with your design; use art or text that reflects something in your business and the products you’re selling, so customers can associate it with you. If your business is selling computers that are stronger and more durable than the competitors, for example, then use a design to imply this.

3. Don’t make your card look cluttered.

Too much activity, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect and make consumers look away. If it takes too much time to study your card, people will save themselves the trouble and not bother at all. Keep your art simple and to-the-point; a single design in the corner of the card is more effective than one that encapsulates the entire card and makes it look too busy.

4. Make your contact information the main attraction.

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Business cards are simply a reference for contacting you, and this should be their main objective. By making your businesses’ phone number or email larger than your title, you’ll allow the customer to quickly reference it without fuss or muss; that will leave a good impression, if even on a small scale.

5. Chose a quality printing company.

Business card printing is very important, because the quality of your card will reflect the quality of your business, even if in a minor way. Having the text be a deep black and sharp, for example, will look tight and professional over a faded gray, and a sleek card will look better than a flimsy paper one. Choosing a good printing company to provide you with this is paramount. These cards are a way of marketing yourself to new or familiar buyers; it leaves with them. Let it represent you well.

Why You Should Hire An SEO Company

With a multitude of search engines and an infinite amount of websites to be sorted through, having quality products and content isn’t the only requirement for having regular and profitable traffic on your site. The success of your small business rests on your shoulders, and the only way to ever tap into its true potential is through internet recognition. And when the key to achieving your dreams in this field is by getting noticed, you have quite an uphill battle.

SEO (search engine optimization) helps put your businesses’ site on the map by increasing the likelihood of your website arriving on a search results page, whenever a web surfer types something in. It’s a very complicated and detailed process that can improve your online success tenfold, but only if done correctly. As such, there are many benefits to hiring a company specializing in SEO:

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1. It allows you to focus on other elements of your website.

With an SEO company, you can leave a great deal of the publicity to the professionals, and trust them to drum up your site traffic. This eliminates part of the stress caused by managing your internet popularity – especially if you’re not very savvy in that field to begin with. Additionally, this allows you to focus on the content of your website or the quality of your products, making sure your visitors enjoy and stay on your site once they’ve arrived.

2. They help you cater to your audience.

Your audience is your bread and butter. In the business world, discovering your audience’s needs and wants will determine whether you can push ahead of your competition in meeting those demands. An SEO company can give you information about the sort of audience you’re targeting; specifically, they can provide you with important data on their needs, habits, and interests. This allows you to gauge your products and content towards the swaying interest of your consumers, so as to achieve the most success.

3. They can do it better.

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A reputable SEO company will have years of experience, with professionals who are trained simply to deliver that specific service. This means they will have the skills and the knowledge to increase your traffic in a way you could only achieve after spending years in training yourself — and that’s unrealistic if you’re looking to improve your site in a more timely manner. An SEO company will have the man power, which enables them to devote multiple people to optimizing the search results for your site, while you only have yourself. Your business is your main focus, so devote all of your attention to that.

SEO is a booming field for improving websites; and as a business in the internet age, it’s impossible to not strive to reach your consumers in any way you can. While a quality SEO company may be expensive, the return you’ll have on your website traffic will be proper compensation.