@BasilPuglisi

Content & Strategy, Powered by Factics & AI, Since 2009

Traditional Marketing

Some Knowledge For Creating A Small Business Website

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There are a few things that you will need to know in order to successfully build and maintain a website for your small business. These things are mostly common sense issues, but a few of them are things that only the top flight business people really focus on and have now mastered. You have seen just how successful some of the big companies have gotten with their online advertising, so if you want a piece of that action, here are a few things to take note of.

For one, you will need to have a clear idea of what the purpose of the website is going to ultimately be going forward. As you business expands, you will need to kind of make adjustments on the fly. Your customers need to feel safe and secure that you and your partners know what they are doing and are able to keep up with the ever-changing marketplace. Be precise in your marketing plan and things should fall into place quite nicely.

Another thing to take note of is to know right off the bat exactly what you are going to need in order to run a successful website. Whether you think that some video advertising or maybe some audio clips will do the trick to attract more and more people to your site, you will have to have a plan set up no matter what direction you decide to go in.

Also, you will need to have a good idea as to what to expect in terms of profits and website clicks from the very start of the site to even as far down the line as five years. We all know that it is pretty much impossible to predict a fluctuating marketplace too far down the road, but with the right people at the helm and a solid business plan, the sky really can be the limit in terms of your eventual success.

No matter what you decide to do with your website, it is going to end up being one of the most powerful tools for your company’s present and future success. The internet can work wonders for you and these days it is pretty much imperative to have a strong website and at least a decent sized following. We have come a long way with the internet providing us with more and more extra abilities every day. Just make sure to keep an eye on the market and for what is hot and in on a monthly basis, and things will start looking up.

A Few Quick Pointers For Building A Successful Business

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There are a couple things that I have learned over the years about being able to successfully start a small business from scratch and build it into something potentially special over the long haul. A few of these things are actually pretty basic when it comes down to it, but the others definitely take some precision and hard work for the business to get off of the ground.

Create A Promotional Message

One of the first important things that I learned is to make sure to use one simple message to promote the business that you are building and trying to sell. It can get quite confusing for a potential consumer if there are a bunch of mixed message being sent out by your business. Just keep it really simple and to the point that you are trying to make and hopefully that message will in time sell itself.

Create An Advertising Strategy

Strategic advertising is probably the most overlooked and unappreciated aspect to any successful small business plan. You need to make sure to set aside about seven to fourteen percent of your gross target for marketing and advertising. Also, make sure that the ads that you are putting out there for the world to see are tasteful and to the point. You do not want people getting the wrong idea about your company or even not knowing exactly what it is that you are trying to sell.

Always Be Available To Your Customers

It is vastly important to be able to be reached by phone or by email at any point in time to answer the questions of your potential customers. There is nothing more frustrating for a consumer than to have an inquiry or problem with a product and to not be able to reach the company in which they seek advice or the ability to troubleshoot the issue. Be easy to contact and you should be golden in the customer service aspect of your small business.

Keep Your Customers Interested

The last little bit of advice I am going to give you is to make sure that you create a little bit of curiosity amongst your potential client base by mixing things up a little bit and throwing a few curve balls their way. Try coming up with new and innovative ways to advertise your products and make it exciting for someone who is in the market to buy whatever you have to sell. Fresh and interesting things will keep your customers interested in your company.

I hope these quick pointers were helpful to you and your future business and I wish you the best of luck in all that you decide to do.

Making People Aware Of Your Business With A Small Budget

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There are quite a few simple and easy ways to get the attention of potential customers of your company with only a small budget to work with. This may sound like a difficult thing to do since the bigger companies have a lot more money and resources to work with, but it is in fact one of the original ways of doing business and works just as well now as it did way back in the day.

One smart thing that you can do is to make up a nice coupon book online or to give out to the local residents through the mail. This coupon book will offer discounts on whatever it is that you are selling and start to get people on your side about your products. Nothing makes people more excited than knowing that they do not have to pay the going rate on something that would normally cost them an arm and a leg.

Another really simple and inexpensive way to get noticed is to get your business phone number listed in the local phone books. This usually does not cost a thing, but make sure to use a land line because cell phones will probably run a little bit more money than you will likely want to spend on that type of advertisement.

Find Digital listings, there are a lot of comapnies and websites that provide listing services for FREE!!! Take the time to get an accurate listing, some even offere customization or updates for free.

You can also try to get your company enlisted at a trade show or some type of job fair scenario. This will get the public to notice you. As we all know, word of mouth marketing is probably the best and cheapest way to do business these days. As long as people are able to bear witness to an actual company and the products or services that they are selling, they will buy into it if it fits their needs.

Even though using a website to promote your company can get a little bit pricey at times, being able to split the cost with another company is a good way for both of you to save a little bit of cash while allowing the public to catch a glimpse of your company. This will also allow you to start building business relationships with other companies and show that you can be counted on to help out if you are needed to.

All of these things are cheap and easy ways to get your company off of the ground. Most people do not have a lot of spare money lying around when they start a new business, so it is best to find creative ways to work with what you have at the moment and build on it as you gain more and more income.

Networking and Schmoozing Do’s and Don’ts

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One of the most important aspects of making your small business grow is networking. With all the technology and innovation, human relationships are still the most important aspect of growing your business. After all, humans are those who order your products and services. Technology enables us to communicate faster and better, account for stock and orders and advertise, but you still need people to make the orders from you and no one else.

A big part of networking is schmoozing – making new connections and keeping the ones you have. Unfortunately, not all of us are born natural schmoozers. For some the idea of schmoozing in a convention or a gathering is enough to send chills down their spines. What can we do to be better communicators?

Here are some key points for the dos and don’ts of human relationships and schmoozing;

–          Be open and real. People can smell a fake miles away (unless you are a gifted con man). Don’t pretend to be something you are not, or promise things you can not deliver.

–          Don’t assume you are smarter than the other guy. You don’t know him yet. Treat him with respect and don’t BS – it destroys credibility and makes you look like an idiot.

–          When schmoozing, it’s not about you as much as it is about the other guy. Find things you have in common that you can talk about. Even if you disagree about a point – but you are both passionate about your position – this is also a way to open discussion and connect.

–          People like attention. A good schmoozer will give them what they want. Listen to what your new acquaintance has to say. Ask questions about him and really listen to the answer.

–          Be attentive. When you really listen you might find things in common to build a conversation upon.

–          Don’t go into a pitch speech right away. Get to know them first. Don’t talk at people but to them.

–          You have to be brave enough to make the first step. People find it difficult to get out of their comfort zone and engage others. Someone has to start a conversation. Let it be you.

–          Be appropriate and don’t overdo it. Mind their personal space and their time (especially true for small business owners. Time is their most important commodity).

–          Let yourself be schmoozed. Sometimes helping others first can be an opening for a successful relationship.

Be friendly, frank and listen. People love to talk about themselves. A big part of being a good schmoozer is to make the other feel as if he is the most important thing in the world, at the moment. The worst thing you can do is ask a question and then ‘check the room’ while the answer is given. Behaving like that will alienate all those who you are trying to be in connect with.

How to Market Your Business like the Big Boys

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  Sometimes looking at a big company and their marketing strategy can teach us a lot about marketing our small business.

Apple Co. is no doubt a big company. They are known for their innovation and ‘cool’ gadgets. Every launch of a new product involves a presentation by Steve Jobs. Their products are sold in the millions in the first few days (iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million in 3 days) because they create such an anticipation and smart marketing campaign. What do they do that makes them so successful?

Looking at their last few launches a pattern emerges. Not only does Steve Jobs do all the presentations, not only he wears the same clothes no matter what weight he’s in, there are some things we can all learn from the big boys, with their cool innovations, the advertising budget and the PR firm. We can do it too, on a smaller scale.

When Steve Jobs does his presentation he is concise, to the point and entertaining. He does not concentrate on the technical aspect of the new product. He doesn’t talk shop – how fast it is, how the components became smaller. What he does talks about is what their new product will do for you, the customer. How will it improve the way you communicate or do business. If a customer wants to know the specifications of their new gadget he can go to their web site and get that information. Steve jobs is talking to the average customer to show him how cool is the new product and how fun it is to use.

When thinking about marketing and advertising, think about your customers first – how will they benefit from it, what needs your product comes to satisfy.

  • Create a buzz. That is what Apple does best. Months before the product launch they drop a few words here and there. Obviously not every company is as highly regarded as Apple, and not every launch is a topic of conversation on the big news networks. Creating a buzz before the launch is very important. Every company that is serious about their marketing can do it through websites, social media and bookmarking sites. Don’t wait until the product is completely finished. When you create a buzz you can get feedback about what people want and think your product will be. Monitor those conversations, see what customers really want.
  • Create a product customers will be happy to show off. When you look at Apple’s products, not only the components are important the packaging is important as well. It is always slick and new (think iPhone, iPad, iPod.) Apple always innovates, jumps ahead in leaps and bounds, not only evolves from model to model. What can you do to your product to make it as sleek as possible, something others will be proud to share? How do you show it on your website?
  • Get expert advice and recommendations ahead of time. Show your product to the titans of your niche and have them write a few words about it. Put it on your website and tweet about it.
  • Take pre-orders. This is a must and a base to build on. Even if you are not sure yet about the final price, you can create a following you can e mail to and update on pricing and new features. A business woman I know created a buzz by tweeting about her product when it was still in the building stage. She got 150 preorders just in the first few days. The product is not finished yet.
  • Make a big deal out of your launch – as big as your budget allows. If not a presentation in a big ball room, you can create a launch on the web. Make sure your speech is short and entertaining. Leave the technology to the experts.

The bottom line – when you are about to launch a new product, plan the launch months before the actual date. Think what information you want to release and when, think how you can maximize your exposure and don’t hesitate to turn to experts in the field to help you plan it correctly.

Promoting a Small Business Without Breaking The Bank

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How do you promote your small business while staying afloat? All you need is a little ingenuity!

The classic promotions options are print, television media and direct campaign. You might think that all these options will cost money, and that you need a large budget to get your message across. Without spending an incredible amount of money, you can attract customers, and have ready to use custom recorded video content for future use, as follows:

  • Cut costs by using your own employees in place of models for print and television Ads. It’s more believable and you stand a better chance of being noticed and remembered.
  • Obtain a database of email address and send your company’s information with links to your site via emails for direct campaign.
  • Put up your promotional videos on your website, with additional content and offers that people can read and watch. Always make sure that your website loads fast, and don’t use too many graphics and heavy content that might slow down the experience for your customers.
  • Spend a little to ensure more traffic to your website. With more traffic you can usually expect more sales.
  • Use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to advertise your products and services. Even though too many companies are doing this nowadays, you can still garner eyeballs if you package your company’s identity realistically.

What you need to do is to combine guerrilla marketing with traditional advertising strategies to gain exposure and get paying customers by letting the current technology work for you instead of against you. Create interesting and entertaining under 3 minute videos and post them on your site; while you’re at it, you may as well upload them on video sites such as YouTube. Most video sites are free; by posting your videos online, you can create exposure for your company.  Make sure that your video titles contain keywords that are commonly searched by people.

Focus on your demographic; who do you want to target? If you know this already, well and good. If not, consult a good advertising agency to help you define your correct demographic. When you’re on a budget, focusing on your exact target audience will get you more paying customers.

Optimize on television broadcasting by purchasing media time in any locality on any cable network. By doing this, you can run a local cable television advertising campaign in many different cities at the same time. For example, if you know that most of your customers live in large cities, focus only on them. By doing this you can bring down your advertising budget. A national television campaign is way more expensive than a cable TV campaign, and is not as effective either.

Back to Basics: New Business Owner

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Are you a small business owner wanting to market your products or services without breaking the bank? If you are, you must read this article.

Customers are attracted to businesses that have a polished, professional image. They often make snap decisions about who to do business with based solely on their image and presentation.

So what does a smart image do to your business? Firstly, it gets you noticed; specific image aspects such as a well designed logo have excellent recall value. So a smart image gets you remembered. That’s two shots in one – a great impression and excellent recall value.

Investing in great corporate brand identity image helps you in two ways; it makes your small business look larger than it is and also sets you apart from the competition. What looks to be fairly simple such as unique logo, an attractive website or appealing business cards will help to establish your business’ brand identity and define its role and services in the marketplace.

So what does a smart image consist of? A well-designed, colorful and yet to-the-point logo that represents your company’s products, services and business ideals is a start. This should be followed by smartly designed business cards with the same logo prominently printed on them.

A smart business card:  You can design and print very professional-looking business cards for a low price in order to attract new customers and ensuring that your existing customers know how to get in touch with you.

A smart corporate logo: This is an absolute must if you want to be noticed and remembered. Remember, a picture is better than a thousand words.

A well-designed website:  You might wonder exactly why you need this. The world is becoming very web-centric, with more and more shoppers researching products and shopping online. When you have a smart website in place, you will instill confidence in potential customers. Your website must have a consistent look and feel and must contain your contact information, along with your business hours. It would be great to also have the names of the people who can be contacted for specific services. You can use your website to sell your products online; if you do this, ensure a safe secure shopping experience for your customers.

Hand out freebies: Everyone loves it when they get something free. How about gifting your customers small things such as pens, key chains, and mobile phone pouches and so on branded with your corporate logo?

If you don’t have a dedicated art department or marketing team to create your brand identity, here’s some good news. You can easily develop professional-looking logos and business cards using fairly cheap online services.

Pubit! A New Self-Publishing Platform

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The writing is on the wall; we are moving from reading books printed on paper to eBooks read electronically. That has become the reality for publishing companies and book sellers. Following the example of the music industry, you either adjust or you become obsolete. What the iPod and iTunes did to music distribution, smart book sellers are doing with the written word. Amazon came out with the Kindle, Sony with its E Reader, Apple with the iPad and Barnes and Noble with their Nook.

On October 4, 2010, Barnes and Noble launched its new service, Pubit! that takes care of the other side of this issue – publishing content electronically.

Pubit! allows authors to upload their work to the site and have access to millions of readers. Authors can self-publish books they have written, short eBooks, articles, short story collections or poems and make them available for sale through Barnes and Noble e-book store.

With a free and simple set up and registration process, books can be uploaded, including the cover and artwork and be available for download for less than $10.

When registering for their service the author enters into a partnership with Barnes and Noble. Every work is prices from $1.99 to $199.99, and every sale proceeding is split between the author and the publisher following a clearly spelled formula:  B&N gets 40% -65% of the proceedings, depending on the length of the publication and its popularity. There are no hidden fees, and no upfront costs. The author is able to track sales and payments through their site.

This is a very important partnership since Barnes and Noble has over one million titles in their online e bookstore, and millions of visitors.

Unpublished writers can now get published, E-books have another venue, poets and artists can be discovered by popular demand rather by the tastes of the publisher’s team.

What makes Pubit! even more exiting is the fact that Barnes and Noble went a step further than having it ready to be read on their Nook. They are offering a free e-reading application that enables readers to download and read books on other platforms as well; PCs, iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones. They are making the content readily available, accessed from different platforms, without cost to the authors.

In the same way YouTube provided a platform for people to display their video work and get noticed, Pubit! Is attempting to change the publishing world and allow people from all walks of life, that have been writing ‘to the drawer’, to get published, noticed and become successful by popular demand.

This opportunity also opens the door for hundreds of consultants and coaches allowing them to stretch the hand of social media from helpful advice to expert publications.

Commercials and Internet Visibility

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What can we learn from the big boys? The big firms with millions and billions of dollars behind them, and how they approach internet visibility.

The case in point is a product called “Old Spice”. You must have heard the name. Old Spice cologne and aftershave has been around since the 1930. It was the scent of America, since it started in the United States.

Through the years, when transport and import became simpler, the market was flooded by European products. Old Spice market share went down drastically.

In 1990 the company was sold to Procter and Gamble. 20 years later, in the middle of 2010, new commercials for “Old Spice” body wash started showing on TV. Many experts were behind it; P&G, an advertising company and a digital media specialist.

  • They opened a twitter account and a Reddit account for the lead character.
  • They opened a Facebook page
  • They opened YouTube channel and started putting out the 15 second spots, one after the other.

The ads went viral on the internet. Google search went up 2000%, Facebook interactions up 800% and 1.5 billion impressions (The count of a delivered basic advertising unit from an ad distribution point, according to “Basic Advertisement Measures”) since February.

The campaign was a combination of the success of social media and viral success. And it didn’t happen overnight. It took them 6 months of adjusting and changing to get to the point that the reaction was getting to where they hope it would be.

The reaction was immediate; sales went up 107% the first month and are still going up in the rate of 55% in the past 3 months.

Lately the company recorded 183 video answers to question posed by Twitter users. They are staying in touch with their followers.

What can we learn from that success story?

–          The campaign should be all inclusive. All the possible channels.

–          It might take time to develop the correct approach. Some corrections are needed in the middle of the way.

–          If the ‘big boys’ do it, and it works for them, why not do it on a smaller scale?

To see what can be done for you and your business in this new era of advertising, you might be best serve if you approach someone that has expertise and knowledge in the area. Companies like Puglisi Consulting Group at http://puglisiconsulting.com/#, that can design a campaign to your budget. Through their internet visibility arm Visibility Acceleration http://www.visibilityacceleration.com, they can advise you how to be visible on the internet and all over the world.

Traditional Networking 101

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The term “networking” has evolved over the past few years.  Many networks today exist primarily online, and members of online networks might never meet each other in person.  While online networking in the form of Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media is an important element in today’s digital environment, don’t forget about the power of traditional networking.  Here are a few tips to jumpstart your offline network.

Attend Industry Events

The best way to meet relevant professionals in your industry is at industry-specific events.  Look online for the most important events that are held for your type of business.  Make sure that the key members of your company attend these events.  If possible, reserve a booth for your company or ask if one of your team members can act as a speaker or panelist. 

During these types of events, the goal is to interact with as many people as possible.  Every person you meet adds to your network of peers and potential clients.  If you are looking to hire, keep an eye out for potential employees.  Be sure to grab contact information for everyone you speak to.

Give to Others

As the saying goes, you only get what you give.  Networking is a two-way street, and in order to reap the benefits, you must provide support to the fellow members of your network.  Be willing and able to listen to other’s business concerns and to lend a hand to help answer questions or find resources for those who need them.  Attending to the needs of those in your network takes minimal time, but by helping others, you ensure that others are willing to help you.

Follow Up

During the course of tending to business, attending industry events and going about your daily life, you will come into contact with hundreds of people.  Always get a business card for new people you meet, and keep an organized contact log with everyone’s information.  Follow up with important contacts frequently, even if you do not need to speak with them.  Consider organizing a coffee meeting or lunch date to catch up on business ideas and industry trends.  Keeping up a relationship with people in your network ensures that you have an open line of communication when you need them.

Be sure to use traditional networking in addition to online networking as you build your business.  Although nothing beats the convenience of networking online, building strong in-person relationships is an important component to any successful company.