Tag : businesses

  • Should You Follow Your Favorite Brands on Social Media Platforms?

    Posted Aug 1st, 2011 By in Social Media With | 3 Comments

    Social media marketing is a booming trend, so it’s no wonder that it’s easier than ever to find all of your favorite brands on popular websites like Twitter and Facebook. Businesses of all sizes are relying on social media to improve customer communication since social networking is much more efficient and cost effective than communicating via the telephone or e-mail.

    If you’re a customer that has a concern, question, or a comment, you can reach out to the majority of brands through social media in a matter of seconds. On top of that, since brands are relying on social media for marketing purposes, many top businesses are giving their customers rewards for following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook.

    Here are a few top benefits you can receive from following your favorite brands in social media:

    1. You can be heard. Rather than sending an e-mail to a business or even participating in a survey, you can post your comment or tweet a response in just a few seconds. Since most businesses are new to the social media plunge, it’s likely that you’ll receive a response within a few hours or even a day to your question or concern.

    On top of that, since Twitter is a public website, a business won’t want other customers to see a public customer concern that hasn’t been dealt with. If you’re posting on a public social media website, a business is much more likely to respond to you than if you just send an e-mail.

    2. You can find out about special deals and contests. Brands are more excited than ever to use social media to promote specials, giveaways, and contests. Even mega brands like Verizon have leaned heavily on social media by using hashtags on Twitter to promote a series of giveaways to drum up sales from new customers.

    If you have a favorite brand, it literally pays to stay in the know and use social media to take advantage of discount offers you can’t find anywhere else.

    3. You can eliminate confusion. If you’re confused about a company’s new product or how to take advantage of a coupon, you can post a question on Facebook to receive a near immediate response. This is much more effective than visiting forums with answers from other Internet users.

    Why rely on another customer’s speculation or perspective when you can go to the horse’s mouth and get your answer directly from the brand through social media? Even better, you won’t have to worry about staying on hold with a company for minutes on end to get the help you need.

    4. You can become part of the bigger picture. Starbucks is one of the leading brands in social media, and they have taken the next step by introducing the forum My Starbucks Idea. The amazing thing about this forum is that customers are allowed to post their ideas and suggestions, and Starbucks actually listens.

    This is a brilliant strategy on behalf of Starbucks. Customers everywhere are impressed that they are being heard by a large corporation, and Starbucks is getting great ideas for free that they can use for product development.

    Guest Author:  Bethany Ramos is an expert in Internet marketing and social media marketing, and she also co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.

     

  • 6 Fantastic Tips for Running an Efficient Business

    Posted Feb 17th, 2011 By in Business With | No Comments

    Working harder will not always take you to that next level in your business. It is important for the entrepreneur and small business manager to understand how to run an efficient business. Developing habits that make work smarter can increase productivity and profitability in all businesses.

    One of the most important steps to reaching that place of efficiency is organization. Despite the hopes of many people, there is no such thing as organized clutter. True organization makes it possible to streamline activities, reduce wasted time or energy, and discover wasted finances as well.

    Here are six simple steps for organizing your business:

    1. Clear out the clutter. We – as a society in general – have too much stuff. Each item that is in the office or business space right now takes up time, space and energy. The more stuff there is then the less of the others you will have to develop the success for your business. Anything that is not absolutely necessary for the functioning of the business needs to find a new home.

    2. Shred the papers. The old rule of thumb was seven years (some experts would even say ten). The internet has eased up many of those restrictions. You can order copies of bills and statements that can arrive within minutes or day days, all through the internet. Relieve the pressure on the filing by getting rid of all that paperwork that is no longer needed. (more…)

  • The Lost Art of Conversion Optimization

    Posted Jan 21st, 2011 By in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website With | 2 Comments

    Commercial websites aren’t cheap to build and maintain, and if you own a business with a website you probably want something to come from that expense. For some businesses that means a sale, for others a lead, and for yet others it’s clicks on paid advertisements.

    Regardless of what you want from your website, it seems obvious that more traffic to the site would help with all of the above…right? Yes and no.

    Before you drive more traffic to a website, it is important to make sure that your website is doing what you want it to do as efficiently and effectively as possible. There’s no point pouring more water into a leaky funnel. Enter conversion optimization.

    If one were to define conversion optimization, the definition would be quite simple: making a website simpler and easier for customers to use.

    Have you ever made a purchase online? Filled out an online form for more information? Signed up for an online service? If yes to any of these, how was that experience? Easy? Frustrating? Keep those experiences in mind as you read the following.

    Though conversion optimization techniques can range from the ridiculously simple to the incredibly complex, the process can be broken down into 3 steps: Research, Measure and Test.

    Research

    One of the most beneficial things you can do, both for your business in general as well as your conversion rate is to exactly define and then thoroughly research your target audience. Only when you really know the people you are trying to reach can you craft a compelling message that will get them to do what you want them to do.

    Visit successful websites in your industry, as well as successful websites in different industries that cater to the same demographic, and make notes about the site. Go through the following steps on each site:

    1. Start at the home page, search for and locate a product you want, and add it to your cart (or start at the home page and find a contact form, if lead generation is your goal.) Make a note of how many steps were in that process, whether it was easy or hard to find the product/form, and anything else that stood out to you.

    Also pay attention to how you feel and the colors being used for backgrounds, headers and buttons. Colors can evoke an emotional response, so keep that in mind. (more…)

  • A Few Simple Ways to Fix a Damaged Reputation Online

    Posted Dec 13th, 2010 By in Branding, Business, Customer Service With | 3 Comments

    Poor recommendations online can be damaging to businesses and can end up costing companies thousands of dollars in lost sales each year. One thing you need to realize as a business owner or as a marketer is that it is impossible to go onto other websites and “delete” negative reviews.

    Although you cannot delete feedback left by others, you can manage the content that you put out to the public while also managing the positive reviews that your company has across the Internet. You can minimize the negative reviews by increasing positive reviews on more authoritative and trusted websites.

    Finding and keeping up with reviews of your company can seem slightly overwhelming. The first thing you will need to do if you have not already is set up Google Alerts for your company’s name. By setting up Google Alerts, you will be notified immediately every time someone mentions you or your company’s name on the Internet. This keeps you ahead of the curve when dealing with brand management and reputation on the Internet from this day forward.

    In addition, to view what people have said about you from yesterday and beyond, perform a quick Google search for “your company’s name reviews.” For example, when we searched “USAA reviews” one of the first reviews for USAA reviews. (more…)

  • Are Christmas Card Traditions for Business Still Effective?

    Posted Dec 7th, 2010 By in Business With | 2 Comments

    For modern business owners, sending out Christmas cards may seem like an old fashioned thing to do. In the past, doing business with customers was something that happened during face to face meetings, and relationships were built up over time.

    Today’s business environment is much more fast-paced, and it’s possible to deal with a customer or a supplier over a long time without actually having met that person. Simply because the ways we do business have changed, it doesn’t mean that we should ignore the elements of building and maintaining relationships with the people and companies who have contributed to our success over the past 12 months.

    Your business would die without its valued customers – it’s as simple as that. It takes a lot less effort and energy on the part of a business owner to keep a number of existing customers happy with your products and services than to have to find new ones. It’s a lot less expensive as well, and as a business owner you need to keep your eyes firmly on the bottom line when you are making decisions for your company. (more…)

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