Insight

September
04 2013

4 ways to make sure your next business event is a hit

Successful Business Events

People want to get to know you and your business.  The best way to accomplish this is by having events.  Events are a great way to showcase your business and let people know about your products and services.  When planning an event it doesn’t have to be a large event sometimes the smaller more intimate events are a better way for you to get to know your clients and your prospects, and for them to get to know you and your business.  Here are four main things to consider when having an event to promote your business:

  1. Create a theme for your event–  Is this event a workshop, seminar, product or service launch party, etc.?  Use a creative name to draw attention to your event and to keep it fun for the attendees (i.e. Cards & Cocktails, Women Investing Wisely, Bling Bash, etc.).  You can even create a special event logo that you can use on all your event promotional material to keep the look and feel of the event consistent.
  2. Select a nice venue–  the look and feel of the place where you have your business event leaves an impression on your prospects and clients, so be sure to pick a nice venue and create a very professional atmosphere.  Consider hiring an event planner to take care of the details of the event the day of the event, so you have more time to relax, present your product or service and enjoy your guests.
  3. Promote your event online–  Of course now a days this kind of goes without saying that you have to promote your event online.  This includes on your website, social media, and e-mails.  Emails are a great way to get the word out about your event to your existing customers and clients, and social media channels are a great way to  get the word out about your event and reach new prospects.  You can even create a hashtag for your event (i.e. #MyFunEvent) so people can follow that hashtag on popular social media sites that use the hashtag as a search criteria.  Sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all allow users to search for posts grouped by a hashtag.
  4. Send special invitations to your VIP customers–  As old fashioned as this may sound, sending an invitation to your special clients via old fashioned snail mail is a great way for you and your event to stand out in the mind of your client, so take the time to mail out invitations to your event.

Are you consistently having events to showcase your services or products?  If so, what types of events do you have, and how do you make sure your events are successful?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  2 Comments  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Events, Event Marketing, Marketing
August
12 2013

What are you focusing on to get NEW business? Leads v. Referrals

picmonkey_imageWhen it comes to GROWING your business, getting NEW business is very important.  As business owners we look for various ways to get leads or referrals, but leads and referrals are not the same, and should be treated very differently.  Here is the difference between the two, and which one you should be focusing on:

Leads

According to dictionary.com, a lead is a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide.  A business lead is a suggestion that this person or business may be a good potential for new business for you.  A lead does not come with a recommendation it is merely a suggestion that this company or person may have the services or products you are interested in.  Therefore, before a lead will turn into new business, he or she will need additional proof or a sense of trust to feel comfortable with giving the business to you.  A lead provided by  a third party usually includes the person/company’s name, number or e-mail address for someone who is possibly in the market for your service or product.

Referrals

According to dictionary.com, a referral is a person recommended to someone or something.  A referral results in more business than a lead because it is a recommendation.  When someone is interested in a product or service, they like to know if it is recommended, so if you come highly recommended by someone, you have a higher chance of getting that business.  A referral goes something like this, “Jane I would like you to meet John, John has a business with the services that you are in need of, I wanted to connect the two of you because I know that John does good work and I knew it would be a good connection for guys to meet”

The difference between a lead and a referral is really whether an introduction was made, and if the person was recommended.  If an introduction was not made and the person/company was not recommended, that is considered a lead.  If an introduction was made and the person was recommended, that is a referral.  Businesses close more business from referrals than leads, so what are you focused on getting?  Leads or Referrals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on What are you focusing on to get NEW business? Leads v. Referrals  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Uncategorized
August
05 2013

Top 7 Reasons Why Your Social Media Marketing Efforts Don’t Work

Are you seeing the results you want from your social media marketing efforts?  Many companies have reported that they have not seen significant results from their social media efforts, so I put together a list of the top 7 reasons your social media efforts may not be working for you:

  1. You don’t know your target market.  In order to be effective on any medium online or offline, you have to know your target audience.  By knowing who you are talking to, you can cater your content to the needs of your target market.  Take an in depth look into your target market including demographics (gender, age, income level, etc.) and psychographics (interests, likes, dislikes, etc.) and base your social media marketing on the needs of your target market.
  2. You don’t have a plan.  Many companies randomly post on social media sites without having a social media strategy or plan.  Your goal should be to have a plan.  Your plan should include a written strategy on what you would like to accomplish on that particular social network, a content calendar that shows what you will be promoting each month, and key indicators that you will use to judge the success of your social media marketing efforts.
  3. You don’t post good content.  Once you know your target market and you have a plan, you should be posting good content that your target audience will find entertaining, educating, and informative.  Only a small percentage of what you post on social media should be a direct promotion of your product or service.
  4. You don’t post consistently.  Whether you decide to post daily or weekly depending on your strategy and the platform you are on, you have to be consistent about posting.  There are many social media tools that can help you by enabling you to schedule your posts ahead of time.  One of the most popular, and my favorite is HootSuite.  This FREE tool can help you organize your posts and schedule when you want your posts to go out along with other features that they offer to manage your social networks.
  5. You don’t have a strong call to action.  When you do post about your product or service, make sure you have a strong call to action, tell your followers, fans, or friends exactly what you want them to do so that you can directly see the results of that promotion.  It could be, “bring this coupon in for X”, or “register to attend this event”, or “download this eBook”, etc.
  6. You’re not having conversations.  Much of what happens on social media is conversational, so your posts should be conversational topics.  You should also be responding to any comments to your posts to keep the conversation going.
  7. You’re not participating in social listening.  Social listening can be just as important, if not more important, than the social content that you post.  Using tools like Google Alert will help you to be aware of what people are saying about your products and services, your industry, your competitors, etc.  You can learn a lot by just listening to what people are saying and either responding directly or using that information to help create the content that your target market would find useful

What techniques do you use to make sure you are getting the best results from your social media marketing efforts?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Top 7 Reasons Why Your Social Media Marketing Efforts Don’t Work  |  in Business, Marketing, Networking, Social Media, Uncategorized
July
31 2013

21 Things You Must Do to Get Amazing Email Marketing Results (Part 3)

In my last post I discussed the importance of the content in your e-mail.  Once you’ve grown your list and have great content that you are sending out, you need to analyze your results!  Here are 7 tips on ways to analyze your e-mail marketing results:

  1. Test different days and times for sending your e-mail to see what works best for your list.  Even though there are suggested days and times for sending out your e-mail in order to get the best results, I recommend that you test different days and times because  every e-mail list is different.  After you test it out, you will have a better idea of what days and times work best for the people on your list.
  2. Analyze your e-mail results .  When analyzing your e-mail results, some of the key indicators you should be looking at are your open rates (what percentage of people from your e-mail list are actually opening your e-mail), review the click through rates (CTR).  The CTR will help you gauge how the content you place in your e-mail is working to engage your subscribers by indicating whether your subscribers are clicking the links within your e-mail in order to get more information.  In addition, you want to track your opt-outs to be sure that you are not losing a lot of people every time you send out an e-mail.  Lastly, be sure that you have the correct e-mail addresses for the contacts on your e-mail list by checking the bounces that are marked as invalid e-mail address.
  3. Make adjustments to your e-mail based on your analysis.  Once you have tested and analyzed your results, be sure to make adjustment to improve your results.  Those adjustments could include changing the day and time you send your e-mail, changing up the type of content you have in your e-mail, etc.
  4. Be consistent…..This is an area where I see many small business owners fall short.  If you have committed to do an e-newsletter, e-zine or e-lert, if you have a daily e-mail be sure to send it out every day, if you have a weekly e-mail be sure to send it out every week, etc.  Being consistent shows that your company is trustworthy, credible, and responsible, which are all characteristics of companies people like to do business with.
  5. Test different types of subject/headlines for your e-mail.  In addition to testing the right day and time to send your e-mail, you should also test different types of subject/headlines.  Some times changing the sound and feel of your subject line/headline can make a difference in your open rate.
  6. Keep the look and feel of your e-mail consistent with your brand.  If you have a set look and feel for your brand, keep the look and feel of your e-mail the same as the look and feel of your website, blog, social media platforms, etc.  you want your customers to have a similar experience no matter the platform that they are receiving information from you.
  7. Add relevant images to your e-mail.  People like visually appealing e-mails.  As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so be sure to add relevant pictures in your e-mail to get your message across.

What techniques and ways do you use to analyze your e-mail efforts?

This blog series discussed 21 Things You Must Do in Order to Get Amazing Results from Your Email Marketing which included 7 tips to grow your e-mail list , 7 tips to ensure you are creating engaging content, and 7 tips on ways to analyze your e-mail marketing results.  Click here to download the complete checklist of 21 Things You Must Do in Order to Get Amazing Results from Your Email Marketing!

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 21 Things You Must Do to Get Amazing Email Marketing Results (Part 3)  |  in Business, Business Development, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing, Uncategorized
July
29 2013

21 Things You Must Do to Get Amazing Email Marketing Results (Part 2)

In the last post for 21 Things You Must Do to Get Amazing Email Marketing Results, I discussed the importance of consistently growing your opt-in e-mail list, for this post I will discuss the importance of the content in your e-mail.

Once you are consistently growing your e-mail list, you want to make sure that the content that you provide in your e-mails is valuable to your readers.  So how do you make sure your content is valuable?  Here are 7 tips to ensure you are creating engaging content:

  1.  Start with creating a great e-mail headline (better known as your e-mail subject line).  Make sure your headline is interesting and compelling enough for people to want to open your e-mail  (i.e. 7 reasons most people….., 5 tips to avoid……, etc.)
  2. Be sure to use existing content from your blog or website for the content in your e-mail.  Keep your content brief and to the point.  People don’t like to read long articles in e-mails, so keep it short and link the information back to your blog or website where people can get more information.
  3. Always add a Call to Action (CTA) somewhere in your e-mail.  A CTA encourages people to learn more about your business or to try your service or product (i.e. download my free e-book, sign-up for the next workshop, etc.)
  4. Be sure to link the content in your e-mail to additional information found on your website or blog.  This is also a great way to see what content your readers are more interested in, by finding out which articles they click on to read more.
  5. Make sure your content is 80% educational/entertaining and 20% salesy/promotional.  People don’t like to be sold to, but they love to be informed and educated, so be sure to inform/educate/entertain for the majority of your e-mail, and add a small portion of your e-mail as a chance to promote/sell your business.
  6. Add a discount or referral offer in your e-mail.  Offer your subscribers incentives for being on your list.  A coupon for a discount on your services, a special offer if they refer someone to you, a FREE download to your latest educational item, etc.
  7. Add social sharing links to your e-mail so people will be able to share your e-mail with the people in their networks

What type of content do you add to your e-mail to make it engaging?  

Just as equally important as the content in your e-mail is analyzing the results of your e-mail marketing efforts.  The next blog post in this series will discuss the best ways to analyze your e-mail marketing results.  Stay tuned for the next blog post or click here to download the complete checklist of 21 Things You Must Do in Order to Get Amazing Results from Your Email Marketing!

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  1 Comment  |  in Business, Business Development, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing, Uncategorized
July
26 2013

21 Things You Must Do to Get Amazing Email Marketing Results (Part 1)

If you are using email marketing to promote your business, or you are thinking about using email marketing to promote your business, then the first step to being successful in your email marketing efforts is to BUILD YOUR LIST:

The money is in your list and it is important for you to consistently build your e-mail list.  Here are 7 tips on how to successful build your e-mail list:

  1. Send an invitation to join your e-mail list to the contacts that you have e-mail addresses for.  INVITE them to opt-in to receive your e-mails, don’t just add your contacts to your e-mail list, make sure they have opted in (you don’t want to be a spammer- someone who consistently sends e-mails to individuals who did not request it).** A big pet peeve of mine is do not add individuals whom you met at a networking event to your e-mail list unless they have requested to join your list or they have opted in! **
  2. Offer a good incentive that people in your target market would be interested in receiving if they opt in to your e-mail list (i.e. FREE report, e-Book, white paper, checklist, etc.)
  3. Concentrate on QUALITY not just QUANTITY when it comes to your list size.  The size of your list doesn’t matter as much as the quality of the people on your list.** ideally you do want to grow your list into a large list with lots of quality individuals from your target market **
  4. Create an e-mail sign-up form and place it on your website, blog, social networks, etc.
  5. In order for your list to grow, you have to promote joining your list.  Promote joining your e-mail list on your social networks, e-mail, website, blog, etc.
  6. Don’t limit the promotion of joining your e-mail list to just your online activities, but also promote joining your e-mail list on your offline marketing material by including a QR Code that links to your e-mail sign up form on your business card, brochures, etc.
  7. Make it easy for people to join your email list by including easy joining methods like join via text message

What techniques and ways do you use for people to join your e-mail list?

Just as equally important as growing your e-mail list is the content in your e-mail.  The next blog post in this series will discuss how to create engaging content that will make people want to open your e-mails and give you business.  Stay tuned for the next blog post or click here to download the complete checklist of 21 Things You Must Do in Order to Get Amazing Results from Your Email Marketing!

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  5 Comments  |  in Business, Business Development, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing
July
08 2013

3 C’s to Get Amazing Results from Email Marketing

Email MarketingEmail Marketing is a key element to online marketing for every small business.  However, being successful at Email Marketing can be a challenge.  Just like other areas of your small business marketing, you must have a strategy for success.  Here are 3 C’s to help you get amazing results from your email marketing.

3 “CON”s:

CONtacts-  Your email list is where the money is at.  It is important to make sure that the contacts on your e-mail list have opted-in to receive your e-mail (you don’t want to be a spammer-  sending e-mails to individuals who have not requested it).  Always remember that it’s not the size of your list, but the QUALITY of the contacts on your list.  It’s always better to have 50 interested individuals than 1000 uninterested individuals.

CONtent-  Most of us have heard the saying “Content is King”, but what does that really mean?  It means that the content that you send to your contacts needs to be informative, entertaining and/or engaging.  The QUALITY of your content is what makes the difference in whether people will open your e-mail, follow your company, or do business with you.

CONsistency-  It is super important to give your contacts your content on a consistent basis.  If you decided to have a monthly e-newsletter, then be sure to send it out every month.  If you publish a weekly e-mail be sure to send it out every week, or if you have a daily e-mail, be sure that your contacts receive your e-mail in their inbox on a daily basis.  Consistency is key, it shows that your company is reliable and trustworthy. 

Bonus C:

The bonus C may not be a “CON”, but it is very important for every business to do, Compare.

Compare- Be sure to compare your results with the results of e-mail campaigns of others in your industry (most e-mail marketing providers have statistics of open and click through rates for various industries).  Also, be sure to compare your e-mail results from month to month.  Look at your open rates, click-through rates, opt-ins, opt-outs and more, to get a big picture of how you are doing with your e-mail campaigns.

What strategies for e-mail marketing success do you have for your company?  Be sure to share your comments below.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  4 Comments  |  in Business Development, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing, Uncategorized
June
20 2013

Are You Chasing New Business or Attracting New Business? Find out 4 Steps to Attract New Business!

Have you ever wondered why despite a down turn in the economy, some businesses are still able to attract a lot of customers?  Most of the time they have mastered the art of attracting new business.  Here are four steps for you to stop chasing new business and start attracting new business:

  1. KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET–  Too many businesses are trying to get EVERYONE as a customer.  When you focus on everyone, you are really focusing on no one, so the key here is to target a specific type of person or group who would find your product or service EXTREMELY useful.  Once you have narrowed down your target market including specific demographics and psychographics, then you are better able to attract that specific person to your business because you know WHO you are looking for.  Also, once you understand WHO your target market is, you are better able to communicate with them in a way that shows you understand their needs.
  2. OFFER SOLUTIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR TARGET MARKET–  Make sure that your marketing message is specifically talking to the needs of your target market.  When a person knows that your product of service was specifically designed to alleviate a problem or situation he is having, he is more likely to pay attention to you and your product or service.  You have to be able to communicate how your product or service is the PERFECT solution for the problem your target market may be having, but you have to do this in subtle way, not necessarily just saying, “we have the solution”, but by communicating in a subtle way how your product or service provides a solution.
  3. MAKE YOUR BUSINESS ATTRACTIVE–  How does your business look to the public?  This means everything from what your business card looks like, down to the look of your website, and even how you present yourself and your business when you are at a function.  If your business comes of as unprofessional, unorganized, or confusing, then you will not be able to attract new business.  The key is to make sure that every aspect of your business is PROFESSIONAL, your product or service is ORGANIZED well, and your message about what your company offers and how your product of service will help your target market is CLEAR.
  4. MAKE YOUR BUSINESS KNOWN IN YOUR COMMUNITY–  If your target market has never heard of you, it will be hard for you to get their business, so it is important that your business shows up both online and offline in the areas where your target market is, and not only show up, but show up consistently, so people will get to know you and your business and over time will understand more about your business and how it will be beneficial to them.

So be sure that you are not CHASING new customers, but you are ATTRACTING new customers by using the steps listed above.  What other techniques do you think helps to attract new customers to your business?  Be sure to leave a comment below:

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Are You Chasing New Business or Attracting New Business? Find out 4 Steps to Attract New Business!  |  in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Networking
June
04 2013

Don’t Put ALL of your Promotional Eggs in One Basket

When it comes to promoting your business, it is important to not put all of your promotional eggs in one basket!  What I mean by this is be sure to promote your product or services through various promotional avenues both online and offline.  For the purpose of this post, I will discuss the importance of having various promotional eggs online.

When it comes to promoting your  business online, there are many ways to accomplish this.  You have to choose the best method for you and your business, but here are some of the basic promotional avenues you should be using:

1.  Company Website–  This seems like a no brainer, but I recently read a statistic that said 30% of businesses do not have a company website.  What?!!! A company website is your company’s online profile and the way that people get to know you and your business.  Your website should  include information about your company, your products and services, locations, etc.  Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies and tactics both organic and pay per click are great ways for potential customers to reach your website and get to know about your company.

2.  Company Blog–  Now it can be argued whether a company needs a website and a blog, but in my opinion, now a days a company should have both.  A company blog differs from the company website, because the blog is a way for people to learn about your company’s expertise and allows you to show-up as an expert in your particular field based on the information you post.  If people don’t reach you by going to your website, a blog on a popular blogging site gives people another avenue to learn about you and your business with the informative posts that you place on the blog.

3.  Email Marketing–  Opt-in E-Mail Marketing is a great way for you to keep your company and your products and services top of mind for existing clients or prospects.  When a business is top of mind with consumers, they are more likely to continue to use your product or service (as long as they are happy with it)  and would be more likely to refer business to you if you stay in contact with them and offer good valuable information and or discounts.  Email Marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to stay top of mind with your customers and prospects online.

4.  Social Media Presence–  Now this a huge topic that could be a separate post, but is necessary to include as a part of any company’s online promotional efforts.  With social media it is important for a company to know its target market, select the appropriate social media platforms to reach that target market, and have a social media strategy in order for promoting on social media to be successful for the company.

By making sure that you are not putting all your promotional eggs in one basket, you are ensuring that your message is reaching the right people in the right places, and the idea is for those promotional eggs to hatch into repeat or potential customers.

What promotional avenues/eggs online are you using for your business?  Be sure to post a comment below.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Don’t Put ALL of your Promotional Eggs in One Basket  |  in Business, Email Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized, Website
May
30 2013

3 Ways to Get Capital For Your Small Business

After attending the BE Entrepreneur’s conference earlier this month, I learned about three main ways small businesses can secure capital to grow their businesses:

1.  Traditional financing through a financial institution–  This is probably the most popular or most known type of way to get financing for your small business.  You can go through the Small Business Association (SBA) to get assistance with this type of financing, or you can work directly with a bank or a local credit union.  No matter which avenue you choose, you will be required to have good credit,  good financial statements, a good business plan, and you will be taking on debt for your business.

2.  Angel Investor or Venture Capitalist-  This type of capital I was not as familiar with, but I know it is available for small business owners, but mainly start-up companies and mainly technology companies.  Angel investors use private capital  to invest in start-up companies in exchange for equity in the business, and a Venture Capitalist is a person or company that provides capital for new commercial enterprises.  For angel investors and venture capitalist they are not interested in your credit, financial statement or business plan, but more interested in the business concept, the viability of your  product or services, the management team for the business, and the market demand or potential demand  for your product or service.  Venture Capitalist require equity in your business, so you loose some percentage of control for your business.

3.  Alternative sources of capital–  Alternative sources of capital have become very popular now a days with platforms such as crowdfunding.  Crowdfunding is the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support organizations and companies.  The capital raised is by donations given in return for some item or privilege from the supported organization or company.  The great thing about crowdfunding is your business is not taking on debt or giving away any equity.

No matter what avenue or avenues you choose to use to get capital for your business, be sure to do your research and BE PREPARED before you start any process to gain capital for your small business.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 3 Ways to Get Capital For Your Small Business  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Uncategorized