Traditional Marketing Methods You Should Still Be Using

Traditional Marketing Methods You Should Still Be Using

by | Blog, Contributed Post

***Contributed Post***

 

Traditional marketing isn’t dead. While we absolutely advocate the necessity of digital marketing and the latest technologies to boost your efforts, there are still avenues available to you that have worth. Provided you have time to commit to them, you may well see results, above and beyond those you receive from your website and content marketing techniques. Of course, you can also combine the two, by providing ways to link your digital marketing to the more traditional forms available to you.

Print marketing. Admittedly, many people have their eyes glued to their cell phones nearly 24/7, but they might still make time to read something that isn’t on the other end of a screen. There are still ways to reach your demographic through print media, using the best in literature design across your flyers, brochures, and business cards. These are the things you can hand out to people in the street. You can leave them on cafe tables and bus seats. When you meet somebody at a business event, you can shake hands and give them a business card with all of your contact details. You can still take the time to post flyers through doors. Print media isn’t dead, and while you might be eco-friendly and paper-resistant, you can still use sustainable paper sources when doing your printing run. 

Face-to-face marketing. You are the greatest marketing tool your business has. Through a smile and a helpful gesture, you are creating a good impression for your business. You can talk to others about your business wherever you are, be that at a business conference or on the train ride home. You can push your business to family, friends, and anybody else you come into contact with. Provided you don’t put pressure on people to use your business, you may receive a positive response. And the same applies to your team. Encourage them to spread the word to the people they come across on a daily basis. 

Billboard marketing. Billboards will never go obsolete. Provided nobody sprays graffiti on them of course, your brand can be broadcast wherever there is foot or car traffic. You can place them nearly everywhere, from the innermost regions of your city, to the outskirts and byways and highways. With the right images and creative use of wording, the billboard should grab the attention of the people you are hoping to reach. Take a look at these creative billboard ideas to fuel your imagination. 

Event marketing. We aren’t going to go into detail here, as we have already covered this on our website. But know this. When it comes to networking with people who can prosper your business, this is your best avenue. There’s no need to cold call. You don’t have to run the risk of too much rejection. When people are attending an industry event, they are there to meet people like you, so make the most of this marketing opportunity when you can. 

There are all kinds of ways to market your business, but you should always focus on those areas where you have the time and resources to do so. However, as you consider the right avenue to take, don’t pin all of your hopes on social media and email. You can still complement this marketing with the more traditional kind, so take advantage of any opportunity that may be beneficial to your business.

Do you want more exposure for your business?

Do you want more exposure for your business?

by | Blog, Marketing

As a small business owner, one of the most important steps for growth is getting EXPOSURE.

You can have the most incredible product or service on the market but if nobody knows about it, your business is not going to reach its full potential.

Unfortunately, these days you can’t just hang a sign in your window and wait for the customers to pour in. You need to proactively get yourself out in front target markets with the right strategy in order to attract clients.

As a modern entrepreneur, what are the best ways to let people know about your brand and get them to pay attention? I’ve gathered a few tips for you here.

#1 Invest In Creating An Incredible Customer Experience

Creating a memorable and unique experience for your customers will make them more likely to tell their friends. Word of mouth marketing (referral) is the most valuable marketing strategy you can hope to create. When someone experiences your company and LOVES it, they won’t be able to shut up about it. Every dollar you invest in creating a great customer experience is worth much more than a dollar paid on normal advertising.

#2 Don’t Wait Until Your Product Is Perfect

A big mistake I see new entrepreneurs make is waiting forever to launch their product or service because they want everything to be “perfect”. Don’t do this! Start talking about your company fast and early, be your own chief sales officer! You want to start collecting paying (profitable!) clients as soon as you can so that the ball can keep rolling. The kinks will work themselves out as you move along confidently.

#3 Focus On Building Relationships With Key Influencers

Identify some key influencers in your target market and begin building relationships with them. Reach out through social media, take them to lunch if they’re local, send them free products or offer them a free service in exchange for giving you a shout out. I would put more energy into this than in getting likes and shares on your social posts. While growing your own social media platforms is important, the good word of key influencers is worth a lot more of your energy and focus.

#4 Invite Yourself To The Party

Get into social groups and communities (can be in person and/or online) where you can build relationships and get to know people. The goal should not be to “sell” your brand in these interactions, but to build trust and let people know who you are and what you do. Also show genuine interest in what they are doing and be open to building valuable connections with those who have strengths you don’t and vise versa. This can be hard for introverted entrepreneurs who prefer to stay quiet, but it is an important step in getting exposure especially during the early days of your business.

#5 Become A Respected Authority In Your Target Market

Create expert content for something related to your industry. Become a trusted and respected authority on topics your audience cares about and you will gain a lot of traction and attention. Make sure you give well researched, cited, and valuable information. There are so many ways to do this! One of my favorites is through hosting/participating in online telesummits. These are 100% online events where professionals gather and are interviewed on topics related to their areas of expertise. If this sounds intimidating, I can help! Running successful, profitable telesummits is something I have been doing for years. 🙂

I hope you’ve found the information here valuable! If you are looking for a support team to help you gain exposure and get your brand out to the world, I would love to talk with you!

Book a call with me HERE.

Have a great week,

Robyn Bennett

PS: Do you know what the word “team” stands for:  Together Everyone Achieves More… Click here and let’s achieve more for your business!

Getting Taken Seriously Online

Getting Taken Seriously Online

by | Blog

***Contributed Post***

 

Making money online is easier than it’s ever been before. The opportunities are also much more varied. There are people making money from their blogs. Others start their own companies online. Some people earn a little pocket money taking surveys and testing websites. Some work as freelancers, spending their time providing their skills and services to others. Some of these people even employ other staff, giving them the same chances to work online with flexibility. This is fantastic. The world of online business is open to everyone, and it gives people a brand-new way to earn money for themselves. But, it also has its disadvantages. 

The wealth of people making money online means that it can be much harder to be taken seriously. You say “blogger” or “online entrepreneur” to some people, and their eyes will roll. They think of all the people that they’ve seen advertising poor products and scams on social media and they fail to realize that there’s a lot more to working online than this. Presenting yourself as a serious business can be the best way to get taken more seriously, helping your business to grow and develop. Here’s how to do it. 

Make Sure Your Website Works 

Do you ever go on to a website only to click away after a few seconds because it hasn’t loaded? Or, try to shop on a mobile site only to find that the store doesn’t work well on a small screen, and you can’t make your purchase? Don’t let your website be one of these. 

See your website as the face of your company. It’s your chance to sell yourself and make a great first impression. But, only if it works well and is easy to use. The first thing that you need to do is audit your site. Check out the test my internet speed page, to make sure your site runs quickly. Then, test it out on a mobile screen to make sure it looks great and works well. Check it for broken links and poor placement, and if you run a store, make sure the checkout process is simple. Then, take a look at your site. Are your fonts easy to read? Are the colors easy to look at? Is it easy to navigate through your menus and sections? Do you have a search box and easy to find social media icons? Go through your website like a customer, making sure it offers a great user experience. 

Change Your User Names 

Are you still using your Hotmail email address from 2004? Are your social media account names silly? If so, you need to change them. You’ll never get taken seriously with daft usernames and email addresses. 

You might want to keep private accounts, as well as business accounts. But, it’s still a good idea to be more professional on your private profiles, as they could get found. 

Change Your Profile Pictures 

Your profile pictures are a big part of the first impression that you are making online. If you want to be taken seriously, get some professional headshots taken and start using them.

The Importance of Taking a Break Every Once In a While

The Importance of Taking a Break Every Once In a While

by | Blog, Contributed Post

***Contributed Post***

It’s easy to slip into a workaholic mindset. When you want to see progression and results, you don’t want to waste time. Instead, you want to power ahead and work until each task or project that you are assigned (or that you have assigned yourself) is complete. However, it’s extremely important that you take a break every once in a while. Studies have found that something as simple as a thirty second microbreak can boost productivity levels by an astounding thirteen percent. They have also discovered that taking a fifteen second break from staring at a computer monitor every ten minutes can reduce fatigue by up to fifty percent. So, it’s time to start giving yourself a little rest every now and then. Here’s everything you need to know to achieve this. 

Know the Difference Between Taking a Break and Procrastination 

First things first, it’s important to establish the difference between taking a break and plain old procrastination. While taking a break is healthy and can actually boost your productivity levels, procrastination is a bad habit that will see you put work off until you are extremely stressed and rushing to meet deadlines. When you take a break, you set a specific time to walk away from your desk or the project that you are handling and give yourself an opportunity to relax and recuperate. When you are procrastinating, you simply allow your mind to wander during periods when you should be working hard. So, schedule your breaks and don’t allow yourself to become distracted until it is break time. 

Daily Breaks 

Let’s start by focusing on daily breaks. It is generally recommended that you have a seventeen-minute break for every fifty-two minutes that you work. However, try to at least incorporate one twenty-minute break into every six hours of work. Try to take this time away from your desk, where you may be tempted to think about work. Instead, immerse yourself in something completely unrelated. Consider playing a few games at Slotathon.com, calling a friend or family member for a brief catch up, or simply scrolling through your social media feeds. 

Extended Breaks 

As well as breaks throughout the day, you should consider taking more extended breaks every once in awhile throughout the year. Make sure to take adequate holiday leave whether you are heading away on vacation or not. Simply having a few days to relax and recuperate around the house, away from the daily commute and responsibilities of the workplace, can prove extremely beneficial for your overall happiness, health, and wellbeing. 

As you can see, it’s extremely important to take a break from work every once in a while. Hopefully, the above steps will help you to achieve this!

A Wild Paper Chase… Do We Still Need Paper In The Business World?

A Wild Paper Chase… Do We Still Need Paper In The Business World?

by | Blog, Contributed Post

***Contributed Post

 

While the modern industry is all about pushing forward, whether this is about the Internet of Things, automating specific processes, and generally, getting an industry to self-sustain itself, we may be forgiven for thinking that paper isn’t so essential anymore. For many industries, this is neither here nor there, but for others, paper is still a vital blueprint for communication, competing for work, and generally, getting businesses out there. But with the wind blowing firmly in the opposite direction, such as with various green initiatives, the use of paper is steadily declining. But do we still need paper in the business world? 

It Depends On The Specific Industry

Yes, the environment needs to be at the forefront of our minds, as that little note at the end of most emails will tell you, think about the environment. But, when we are working in a specific industry, where many of the key components are not up to date in terms of how computers work, such as the agricultural industry, it’s important that we rely on paper communication. It’s easy to take it for granted that everybody has a computer now, but this isn’t the case. And you need to think about this in terms of your customers too. While an email is most definitely cheaper and more environmentally friendly, many customers still prefer the paper counterpart. 

Practicality And Process

Each process brings into account so many different areas of a business, and while we can certainly save money by going online, there are going to be aspects where we need paper for ease of practicality. The fact is, a printer in the corner of an office doesn’t gather dust, and the printing industry is still in rude health in many ways, especially as there are so many products, from the basic HP 62 ink cartridges to the complex 3D printers on sale. In many ways, getting a piece of paper is actually quicker for the business than it is to click here, click there, open this file, wait…, etc. 

Is Paper A “Classic” Way To Do Business?

Now, everybody goes online to promote themselves, and in some ways, paper is a relatively alternative method to present information. This does depend on the industry they’re in, while there are so many startups hell-bent on carrying their tablets everywhere with them, there are classic business people who are more responsive to a piece of paper than the screen they can barely see. In this respect, paper is a classic way to do business. And yes, it may be detrimental to the environment, but there are processes you can implement in an office environment to minimize paper, as so many businesses do now. But, when you are working at establishing a relationship with a client, sometimes they just want something they can take away and study. 

Paper is a very tangible way to present something. It’s right there, in front of you, and in many ways, it’s a similar debate as to whether you prefer to read a book in paper form, or on a Kindle. And everybody has their own opinion, but when it comes to the business world, there are still some people out there that prefer the classic approach.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4LRyFDscqg" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
How To Make The Most Of A Business Conference

How To Make The Most Of A Business Conference

by | Blog, Contributed Post

***Contributed Post

Some people love to attend conferences, but not always for the right reasons. They enjoy being out of the office and away from work. They enjoy the luxury of a night in a hotel, possibly paid for through business expenses. And they enjoy the thrill of being in a new town or city, with all the sights and sounds that come with it. Oh, and then there’s the free food! There’s nothing wrong with any of these things exactly, and you should make the most of some of these opportunities, but to fully make the most of a business conference, there are some other, more important things to do, beyond eating a slap-up meal and relishing a night in a more comfortable bed than your own. 

The raison d’etre behind a conference is to grow your business. It’s your opportunity to create a buzz about your product. It’s the opportunity to make valuable connections. And it’s a place to increase your skills and knowledge in your chosen industry. Therefore, follow the tips below, and make the most of your time away.

Find ways to gain visibility. You will be lost in a sea of faces, so you want to find a way to stand out and make an impression. One of the best ways to do this is to take part in the conference itself. If you can become a guest speaker, sharing your business knowledge with others, you will garner both a good reputation for yourself (assuming your talk was up to scratch), and a good reputation for your business. On the other hand, if you are not one of the chosen few to get picked for public speaking (and you may dread the idea anyway), the least you can do is to wear some of your merchandise, from caps and t-shirts to something from customlanyardscanada.com. You might also consider putting up a trade stand, if there is space for such a thing at the conference, giving you a corner of the venue to promote your existence at the event, and to market your business. 

Take your employees with you. You could go to the conference on your own, but why should you have all the fun? If you have employees, take some of them with you. Not only will they serve your business well, helping you to market your business with promotional materials and the gift of the gab, but the conference can also help them to grow, equipping them with new ideas and skills that they may not be able to access anywhere else. You will also have time to bond together, so when the meetings are over for the day, and the other delegates have gone to bed, you can still chat to your staff, go out for a few drinks, and grow closer together.

 Choose your sessions carefully. Not every session will be for you. Even if you like the speaker, there’s no point going to their session if they are delivering information you are already proficient in. Instead, choose those meetings that will genuinely make a difference to your business and your life. You will come back to work a better person because of it. And if you end up in a session that isn’t quite as useful as you had hoped, then sneak out of the back, and make your way to something you had marked as a backup. It’s about using your time wisely, as you don’t want to waste a minute spending your time in a meeting that is counterproductive to the reasons why you are attending the conference in the first place (assuming you aren’t only there for the comfy bed and free food). 

Build relationships with others. Don’t be a wallflower. Especially when going it alone at the conference, it can be difficult to approach others and strike up conversations. But even if you have attended with your team, you should still make the effort to leave the safety bubble of your colleagues, and connect with people you don’t know. You see, you may meet somebody who can shape your business. They may have advice that will prove invaluable. They may have other connections who can strengthen your business. Or they may simply be people who are interesting to speak to, and who may even become a friend, outside of business. You never know who you will meet, so with business cards in hand, market yourself, talk to others, share and receive words of wisdom, and vastly extend your business network.

Record what you learn. It’s easy to sit in a session, get swayed by the powerful swagger of the speaker, and then forget what it is they said afterward. If they have something worthwhile to say, you don’t want to miss a minute of it. While you could sit and make notes, you may miss something important in your rush to write everything down. Therefore, use a recording device, be it something standalone, or through the software on your tablet or smartphone. After the meeting has ended, and you are alone in your hotel room, as well as sampling the goods in the mini bar, spend time going through the recordings, and making notes of anything that is of particular worth to you and your business.


Talk to the guest speakers. You have listened to them deliver a lecture or discussion, but you don’t have to lose them from your grasp when the meeting is over. If you have anything to ask them, and if you want to learn more from them, then hang around at the end of the meeting and introduce yourself to them. If they are busy afterward, you can still thank them for what they said, and then swap contact details so you can get in touch with them later. If they really are experts in their chosen field, these are the people you need to stay in touch with long after the conference has ended, provided they are willing to stay in touch.

Share with your staff. For those team members who didn’t make the conference, ensure you spend time with them when back in the office. Relay what you learned, and take steps with everybody on your team to put into action anything learned from the conference that will benefit your business.

So, the next time you book your place at a conference, consider what we have said. Go for the freebies and time away from the office, but stay for the education and the contacts that will propel you and your business forward. Thanks for reading!