So what’s the point of this post? To dispel your reasoning for not using social media and other techy web tools, and moreover, to give you some ideas why you should embark now. In doing so, you’ll weave a wonderful new way to reach out and warm your customers.

Web-Based Must-Haves

Email Marketing

There are applications galore to help small businesses run more efficiently and easily, yet many still cling to the old way of doing things. One of the centerpieces you should have is your email marketing program. I use MailChimp and that’s who I’ll talk about. With a few clicks, you can brand your outgoing messages, keep track of people that want your offers, see who clicked what, and then…do it all over again. The beauty of an email marketing program today is so many-fold, but here are the highlights: your campaign is both email and web-based to accommodate the “email phobe”, they can be shared on Twitter, Facebook and other places, and they can be forwarded to friends. That’s powerful marketing.

Information and Document Storage

What kind of items can you have here? How about Order Forms, Pricing Lists, Customer Databases, Agreements, Checklists, the latest idea for a cool flyer that’s being bounced around…whatever. It’s time one computer wasn’t the only place your team can find documents or information you need to run your business. These can be housed online at a place like Google (which incidentally has a LOT of great tools) or Scribd, but it’s nice to have one central place where documents can be made, modified, and then shared and moved forward. This kind of collaborative environment really lends itself to the creative process and the more immediate care of customers,  but more, it allows your team access to things, rather than being tethered to a desktop computer.

Your Own Hosting

I can’t stress this enough: if you have a website and/or a blog, please…please…please – host it yourself. Why? You’ll have access to all your stats, you’ll get the benefit of all the traffic to YOUR content, and you’ll control your content. Still using the email address “someone@aol.com” or “joeblow@comcast.com”? Really?! Isn’t it time to let your business grow up? Isn’t it also time you began promoting your own brand instead of the tech giants of the world? With your own hosting, you can brand all your email accounts and domains and have them all pointing and raising up your brand. If this isn’t your area of expertise, hire a techy to help you complete this. It’s that important. And one more thing about choosing a hosting company: cheap doesn’t always mean good, so really check reviews. I use Bluehost – terrific uptime, great pricing, excellent back end tools, humans answer the phone 24/7, and it’s easy to use their site. Just do your homework, okay?

Twitter, Facebook and …?

You knew I’d get to these, right? And these are just the two biggies. Depending on your niche, you should probably be on a few others. You don’t need to be on these all day long, but keep in mind customers are using these free social media spaces every day to share, compare, tell, promote, bash, praise, and recommend. Whether this kind of interaction suits you or not is really not the point: statistically, it’s been proven that people are there. Setting the accounts up is pretty simple and even a smart teen could help you do it. Make sure you have your brand and contact info there. Then what? Conversation. Talking. So join in and begin talking. Not advertising, but talking, building trust between you and your customers. Great things going on in your city? Share it. Tell people about fab deals other businesses have. I recommend a 9/10 ratio – 9 things about others, 1 thing about you. Then put up specials of your own occasionally – “web only” deals, “secret word” deals, have fun.  Repeat – have fun. If authentic people and businesses connect with you, connect back. You never know who could be your next customer.

And Finally, Stitch Your Tapestry Together

You’re now equipped with a great starter set of tools, so tether them to each other:

• Promote your social media places on your website or blog, your email, your marketing pieces, in your store or office, and in all your other social media spaces. Let your customers know you’re out there and want to talk!
• Schedule time each day to work on your social media channels and content for your upcoming email marketing. If you have a blog (and you should!), try to have content for it as often as you can muster.
• For all these efforts, start small, say 15 minutes a day. Put it on your schedule so you commit.
• Use tools to manage things more easily: All free, check into Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, FriendFeed, and Pixelpipe . These applications will make managing things just a little more streamlined.
• Treat this marketing effort with the importance it deserves.

Taking this different approach, you will find that your marketing costs actually go down, while your customer connectivity goes up. For time, if you’re keeping to a schedule, you’ll find this effort will blend nicely with your day. Another terrific side effect? This kind of contact is the base component to building loyalty, because while your competition is busy coming up with the next great postcard, you’re busy talking directly to your customers about what they want from you. There is no replacement for direct communication with your customer and if they let you in that space, you have woven a tapestry of trust. Tend it well.

Have a comment or question? Share it here or Twitter @BizCoachDeb. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe to the RSS – it’s easy!

Photo Credit Mshades

1. According to a Nielsen study of more than 25,000 Internet users, 90% said they trust recommendations of online people they know and 70% trusted the opinions of people who commented online about previous purchases, even though they might not know them personally
2. The respondents in the Society for New Communications Research study revealed that 59.1% use social media spaces to vent their complaints
3. 69% of people do their homework online first before making a purchase offline

As of this writing, Compete is showing  Twitter with over 23 million unique visitors and over 1,928% growth in the last year. It’s hard to deny that the Internet has changed forever the way people shop, share, tell, and gripe. And let’s be frank: simply having a website isn’t enough to prove credibility any more; those can be set up in minutes. The point here is these findings illustrate the fact that consumers are seeking more information from more sources, and social media continues to claim more of that space and credibility as people expand their networks of contacts and trusted colleagues. The question isn’t whether or not to have a social media marketing presence; the question is when will you start to position yourself online more formidably, ahead of your competition and decidedly in front of your customer? Marketing your business in any way requires time, initiative and a bit more innovation if you want to be where your customers are.

————————————–

Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland, Australia

Your marketing folders and presentation materials may never be read. It’s sad, but for the most part true. Why do I believe this? It’s simple: it’s just too much. Aside from a concise brochure and business card (or obviously proposals and agreements) people are hard-pressed to find the time, let alone the interest, to read your long-winded materials. It’s hard to fathom, but your fancy paper and well-written copy might just end up in the recycle bin. Take heart though, as there are several steps you can make see that your potential clients learn everything they need to about you. How, you say, without a pretty folder in their hands? By a click of the mouse, I say.

You’re Soaking In It

The best place today for dispersing large sums of information is right here on the web, on your company website and blog (you do have a blog, right?) Here are the advantages, day or night:

• Your potential clients can read all about you at their leisure
• Your printed materials look great online, too
• Posting key documents online allows for sharing through links
• Links to your materials can be shared with all the decision-makers
• You can direct the perusing a bit by sending links to specific pages and content, even an online presentation
• You can provide password-protected content only meant for your clients, even a custom page with the client’s name in the URL
• If you’re on top of your community management efforts, links to those spaces can be enjoyed
• Case studies, scenarios and testimonials can be read
• Save items as .pdf so your client can read it on their portable devices
• Your socially-responsible efforts can be shared easily
• You are saving trees and other resources
• It costs less to maintain your materials online than in print
• Updates to information only means mouse clicks, rather than reprints

I’m not advocating dispensing with all your printed materials, but instead considering the breadth and voluminous nature of it all. Maybe next time run a shorter amount, too. There will always be some people that don’t feel you’re legitimate without it, so save it for them. Who are they? Just ask and you’ll quickly find out.

——————————————————————————–

Think I’m crazy or right on the money? Have you moved your materials online?  Have your say

photo credit: Purrrpl Haze

I will often claim that being a female means I’m equipped with a mind like a steel trap, but the fact of the matter is even the sharpest of us can’t remember everything, especially if cocktails are involved. And what if my  Blackberry got run over by a scooter, the precious new data all but destroyed? Besides, don’t cards speak volumes about the person and their business? Of course they do, and you can learn a lot about their company culture, ideas, and innovations in that little space. Other great side effects from having your cards handy:

• It’s a more reassuring sign you’re actually taking your business seriously
• Designed correctly, a card sums things up quickly, no notes needed
• If left in your forgotten jacket or purse, you can be contacted
• For the bashful, it gives the elevator speech you might not have the courage for
• It’s an easy way to share a promotion you’re running
• When clients have them, it’s easy for them to give them to others
• In customer service, it adds a great point of personalized contact
• They can be made to be bookmarks or other useful items, giving them and your name longer shelf life

Do you think business cards have had their time in the sun, or are you an ardent supporter of these mini-billboards? Have your say! @bizcoachdeb

Here are a couple ways to use stickers to promote your business, based on the way others are already doing it:

• Clothing Tags: Right there on the shirt, pants, shoes, socks, whatever. Easton Hockey does it.  Their clothing tags are actually built with a sticker on one side, ready to peel and use. Instead of the tag going into the trash, it goes on car, bike, board, stick, locker, wall, wherever the rabid hockey fan wants to share their love of the game.

• With the Package: When people buy your product, stuff a sticker into the box. Lefthand Brewing puts one of their cool “left hand” stickers in every six or twelve pack. You’ll see them stuck in numerous places,  letting the light beer drinkers of the world know that indeed, good beer does exist.

• In the Shop: When people are in your place of business they should be happy, if you’re doing your job right. When they leave, in addition to a smile, let them walk out with one (or several) of your stickers – FREE. (That goes double when you deliver!) People are grateful for the little things, and if you’re like Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, patrons will eat great food, then scoot out the door with sticker in hand.

——————————————————————————————————-

Know of someone using stickers to promote themselves in a cool way? Share it here! Also, if you have a sticker, gimme one so I can brag about in my next “sticker” post. @bizcoachdeb

So, to the folks at Cloth Moth, thank you for restoring my faith in customer service with your small token in this purchase. If only all companies I ordered from would make similar gestures. Small giveaways are sometimes the simplest and most appreciated things you can offer your customers, in addition to your terrific service and great product. Just think of all the praise that would come your way if you implemented something like this small business did.

I truly hope someone out there with deeper wallets than me spares this cookie legacy from certain peril. Every person I’ve talked to about this has been saddened by the collapse of this cookie icon. Please help them!

My Daugher with Cammi Granato

This past weekend, Cammi Granato was inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, along with Mike Richter, Brian Leetch and Brett Hull. If you don’t follow hockey, these names might mean little to you, but that’s okay, I’ll cut you a break and get right to the meat of this post. During her whirlwind tour around the Denver Metro this past week, Cammi took part in a hockey event at the Apex, home to the Arvada Girls Hockey program. In attendance were numerous girls from all over the metro, skating, eating, and laughing. One would not really be thinking of marketing in such a setting, but the business person in me could not help but think about it.

Cammi is one of the most marketable, well-known people in women’s hockey. What sets her apart from all others is not just her athletic feats of the past, but this genuine, heartfelt aura she carries with her. I watched 10 year olds pin this 2 time Olympian player up against a wall, while they gazed at her and shared stories of their dogs and events at school. All the while, she smiled and asked them questions, laughing and graciously engaging these kids the entire time. She tirelessly signed autographs and took picture after picture, not once denying a single fan. To me, there is no more fitting an ambassador for the sport of hockey. What is undeniably clear is her love of the sport and because of this, her attitude will inspire girls everywhere to continue or maybe even start to play.

A few years ago, I was outraged when the USA Hockey program decided to replace Cammi with another Captain for their team; at the time, it seemed like they had taken her out at the knees and she deserved far better treatment. What may be the fact now is they did us all a favor and it was probably a blessing in disguise for all female hockey players; she has gone on to build the brand of female hockey in a bigger, better, and more sincere way than could ever been possible. She was no longer bound by any restrictions and her reach is just as significant today as when she was leading the US to gold and silver in the Olympics; in addition, she’s been able to explore all the possibilities for developing  “girls hockey” on another level and she is carving a niche’ that has been overlooked, which could also explain her passion for the Bela Hockey line of hockey products. You GO girl.

(Keep an eye out for my interview with Bela Hockey folks to come in a later blog post.)

Boring...

I firmly believe that the traditional set of images are boring, uninspiring and not very evocative. My primary work isn’t even as a designer, yet I constantly have to advise clients on their confusing or yawn-worthy identity materials. Just because a company is working with money doesn’t mean they have to show money in their marketing. When a designer sits with your ideas and identity, that is the time to start exploring other avenues of thinking: how can imagery be used to illustrate what the end result will be if a client uses your service? How can space be used effectively, not burying a reader in the same old, same old? What is more compelling than a strong, evocative image? Hardly anything, and I’m a copywriter! Don’t confine yourself to the typical; break yourself out of that rut and see beyond the obvious. If your designer brings you the same old expected image that you see in your business, tell them to hit the bricks, they’re not thinking in terms of marketing or maximizing your dollar.

Does this beer make me look fat?

This morning I was reading an article about a couple of University of Colorado at Boulder graduates who invented a contraption called the, “Booze Belly.” At first glance, it seemed like a dorky toy for frat boys and tailgaters, but what occurred to me (and likely them) is what a cross-section of customers they could really reach. Imagine how many applications something this simple could have and not only that, what types of things could be developed from this idea? Kids with “Juice Bellies”, runners with “Water Bellies”, and so on. What has been made isn’t a revolutionary idea, but it’s one that has taken things a couple steps further than the ordinary “Camel Back” you see hikers running around with. It’s also less conspicuous and than the traditional flask or the not so traditional refillable binoculars. (google it, they exist.)

When a business brings an idea from concept to production, a key to it’s longevity is to see beyond the first move and look to the next move. These entreprenuers hopefully have done that, and it’s a lesson for you, too.

How flexible is your product or service? Can you adapt it to fit a variety of needs? If you answered “No”, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Whittle Down All The News Into Bite-size Nuggets

What it tells me is that while I can’t possibly get my hands on all the news from a few local sources, Twitter and other social media options allow a plethora of articles to land on your desktop instead of on your porch. I find this extremely handy; I find out happenings in different regions of the country, newsworthy items that impact my clients (which I forward through email) and amazing nuggets of pure gold every single day. A few of my favorites include the LA Times Business(@latimesbiz), The Star Tribune (@startribune), and the Colorado Daily (@coloradodaily).

So what news do you get through Twitter or any other social media tools? Share them, I’d love to hear yours. And this just in: check out Erin Smith’s amazing list of newspapers tweeting this very minute.