Local Business Marketing - Elian Evans

Small Business Marketing Focused Business Blog

2012-02-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

Your business blog is probably the single most important tool you can use to gain added traffic to your business website. (It is also probably the easiest.) Whether your business blog is part of your website or a separate entity, it is important to know how to focus your blog to help drive customers to it which, in turn, ultimately drives customers to your business.

Specific Purpose

A focused blog is one that has a specific purpose. Your business blog’s specific purpose it to get others to want to buy your products and/or services. Therefore your business blog should include lots of details about your business including: stories about how your company began, how you came to be the owner of it, where it’s located (if it’s brick and mortar), etc.

In order to have a focused business blog, you want to avoid getting into too much personal stuff. Some is good and valuable, as it connects your customers to you, but you want to avoid venting about your personal life, your family members and so on. If your business is family owned, obviously you want your customers to know this, and it is valuable to include in your business details.

Highlight Sales or Specials

Your business blog should naturally talk about what sales or specials you have going on currently and should link directly to the sales page on your website. If you don’t have a website, then your blog is the place to post all the details about the sale or special and directing them to your place of business.

Don't Forget Your Services

Details of the services you offer are another great way to focus your blog. If you’re adding a service to your business, your business blog is the place to get the word out to the public. Also if you’re discontinuing a service, your blog can let your customers know this as well.

Product Focused (if you have them)

You can write a single blog post about a specific product by talking about how your product can help them, whether it’s for personal use or business. You can also create posts about an entire line of products that you carry, as a series of posts. The more your readers know about a product or line of products the more apt they are to purchase.

Customer Service Makes the Difference

Another very important aspect of a focused business blog is to let your readers and customers know you are there for them. The whole point of your business, of any business for that matter, should be to help others in their personal or business lives. Talk about what you have to offer as being a way to help them succeed in whatever they’re doing. Show your customers how your products and services can help them. By doing this you’re creating clients that will continue to return to not only your blog, but your business as well because they know they can count on you and that you’re there to help them and not just for your personal gain.

As you continue to build your blog, you will be building your business as well. By having a focused business blog and using specific key words in your titles and posts, you will soon be driving the traffic you want to your business blog, which in turn will drive them directly to your business!

Blog Examples

Some great examples of a focused business blog:

A local farm who has produce to sell - Each week they update their availability, provide a recipe and write about what's going on there (special events, birthing of new animals, new products available)
A chiropractor's office - Each week a post about a recent customer complaint, testimonial, chronic condition, or post about something recently in the media
A retail store - Each week focus on a new product (individual or entire line). Include testimonials, new services and cross promotions with other businesses.
A travel agent - Each week focus on a new destination based on specials or promotions. Highlight a few top places to visit.

Need Help?

Need more help getting your focused business blog up and running? Post here in the comments or on our Facebook page (it gives your business exposure when you do that by the way if you use your business email and website).

Administrative Help

2012-02-01T16:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some great resources when you are thinking about getting some help. Virtual assistance is a fantastic way to get more done in less time. I have an assistant now for one project and it is so wonderful to forward emails to her with a bit of direction and then I can consider it done.

I'm using another assistant for a short term project who has knowledge that I don't. He is creating a little program for me. I found him on what used to be called Rent-A-Coder. It is now called vworker.com.

Here is a great video when thinking about getting help.

Steps to Twitter and Facebook Revisited

2012-01-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

Todate, the most read blog post on elianevans.com is 6 Steps to Using Twitter and Facebook Together.

I just updated it a bit. One of my collegues, Trey Pennington, died last fall and some of his profiles are no longer active. You can see his still active Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/drtreypennington.

On my search for more examples of slamming profile images, it is hard to find individual people.
I wanted to focus on normal people who are in business.... it was hard finding them. Brands, no problem. Businesses, no problem. Most of the popular people (actors, musicians, and politicians) don't have slamming profile images. To find those popular “people” samples go to www.facebook.com/pages/browser.php . You can also check out brands and other business categories in that area of Facebook.

So, if you have a good sample of a slamming profile image in Facebook or Twitter for an individual, please share in the comments below.

Upcoming Social Media Presentations:

Organic Growing Conference at Presbyterian College on March 10, 2012, from 8:30 - 4:30

Annual Conference at March 22-24, 2012 Savannah, GA Conditioned Air Association of Georgia

Past Social Media Presentations:

South Carolina National Heritage Corridor's Art Symposium May 2011, Greenwood, SC

I offer presentations to groups (off or online) and guest blog posts on various social media and marketing topics. Call or email to learn more.

Small Business Marketing Q & A

2012-01-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Amy from Dreamy Destinations

Recently I asked one of my newest small business marketing clients, Amy of Dreamy Destinations, some questions about her business. She is a small business owner. Here are her answers and my feedback.

Q & A

Elian: What is your greatest challenge when it comes to your online marketing?

Amy: My greatest challenge to online marketing is getting people to "like" my Facebook page so I can get my message out more effectively.

Elian: What would you like to be able to do that you can't at the moment such as social media, using a particular program/software, etc?

Amy: I would really like to get a blog going and I just can't see to add one more thing to my list right now. I created a blog last year around this time and I didn't continue it, so it has just sat there. I have a friend who has a Disney blog and it is so good! I wish I could somehow make something like that happen for my business and get followers to help expand my market.

Elian: A blog is a really easy way to create a relationship with your target market. There are several ways to set it up so that it is easy. I recommend using Google's Blogger platform. It's easy, it doesn't cost anything and you can make it merge with your existing website if you have one. In fact I set up entire websites using their platform. I strip out some of the default coding so it looks just like a regular, professional website.

Some tips on blogging:

Plan on posting at least once per week
Posts can be anything. Some examples include a series of pictures with written descriptions, links to other relevant information with some of your own commentary, embed YouTube videos (others or yours), and posts by others. I recommend shooting for 200 words for each post.
If your are strapped for time, consider using private label right (plr) content or have someone write for you. (We will learn more about these tactics in an upcoming monthly lesson in my 911 Small Business Marketing course, so be sure to subscribe today!)
Set your blog up so it will automatically post to your social media profiles and send out an update to your client list

Want to learn more about blogging for business? I've got a course coming soon. Sign up here to get updated when it's ready.

Elian: As a fellow work from home mom, do you feel like you do a good job with time management, getting things done when you would like, etc?

Amy: As a fellow work from home mom, I do NOT feel like I do a good job with time management. I feel like I'm constantly working when my family is home. When my husband works and I'm home with my 5 year old, I have so many interruptions that it is hard to focus on 1 thing. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

Elian: You might consider paying for or trading childcare for one day a week (or half day) so you can get some focused time in. 3-4 hours is a good amount of time to get things done.

I have learned to set boundaries as well. For example, I set up my work hours on a weekly or daily basis. If I say I'm going to stop working at 5. I stick to it. The more you do this, the easier it will get for you. Timers are good as well. Force yourself to work for 15 or 30 minute increments. Have an activity lined up for your child ahead of time that they only get to do when you are working.

If doing household chores and such are one of those interruptions, maybe say to yourself that you will get as much done before 8 AM. After that it will have to wait until 5:30 (or whatever time you choose). The more you practice this, the easier it becomes... I promise.

Elian: What websites do you frequent most outside of Facebook?

Amy: I frequent Facebook the most as most of my business comes from Facebook and referrals.

Elian: What resources do you recommend for other fellow work at home mom's to be more effective in their business? These can be for your computer, smart phone, etc.

Amy: My Smartphone has been a blessing and a curse for me. LOL! I love the fact that I can respond to my client's travel needs or desires for quotes right away when I get the request or email on my smartphone. However, I find that I have a hard time putting it away for family time. That is something that I really need to work on. I would highly recommend one for business purposes, but caution them to use them, but be able to put them away.

Elian: Yes, I agree. Share your new boundaries with your family and they will help you with that.

Amy: I feel like I'm still young in my business (April, 2012 will be 2 years for me). I realize it takes time to build up a client base, and I think I've done well in this time frame, but what would you say is the most important thing in marketing a business? I have business cards of course, I've done some product training, I have a Facebook landing page, etc. I even have a promotional video of myself that I want to use, but I haven't figured out how to use it yet. I did my Facebook landing page through Pagemodo, and the ones that have the video plug-ins cost $14 or more per month. I don't mind spending money on my business if it is effective, but I chose to do the free page for now. What do you think? My video has all my contact information as well as what I do. It was professionally done when we went on our Disney cruise last year as an agency. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your information! I love it!!

Elian: The most important thing in marketing your business is making the connection with your customers (or future customers). As I've mention in a previous post, you need to let your real self shine through. Those like you are the easiest for you to relate with and they will relate with you the easiest. They will be most likely to convert to paying customers. Good connection is frequent... at a rate that they like. Most of the time weekly is good.

Another way to get your clients comfortable with you is to include your video on your website and on Facebook.

With regards to a Facebook landing page, unless you find an affordable solution that just blows you away (it is just super amazing), your money is better spent on someone to help with your blog/website and maximizing your social media marketing plan.

Thanks Amy!

To learn more:

If you want to learn more “how to” information, I suggest you subscribe to my newest program 911 Small Business Marketing. Each month we will dive into great detail about specific topics.

5 Ways to Improve Connection with Customers

2012-01-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

Your customers are busy. They have tons of email in their inbox and if they are on Facebook, their feed is full of updates from friends, businesses and organizations they follow. So, how can you stand out?

A common advertising statistic is that a person receives 3000 advertising impressions a day! I am going to focus on the most cost effective ways for your business to be top of mind.

Social Media

While using Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn, make the majority of your posts have a picture. The system will automatically look for a related image when sharing a link to a website. You can link to your blog post, your web page, or even a web page from somewhere other than your site.

Interesting

Create content that is relevant and interesting to them. Get into your customer's head a bit and figure this out. A work at home mom is going to be interested in different things compared to a woman without kids who works in a professional setting. Brainstorm on different angles or perform some Google searches to see what other sites are doing.

Your Images Count

Whether in a blog post, brochure, web page, LinkedIn post or what have you, make your image selection relevant and be sure they stand out. Make sure they are scalable as well. Many times blog post images get shrunk to the equivalent of 1 to 2 inches or less square. Do your pictures look OK at this size? (For a list of what services and tools I use be sure to check out elianevans.com/tools.)

Authenticity

Be sure to let the real you shine. People will be drawn to your story and for expressing the real you in your posts, emails, brochures and on your website. Not to mention it is much easier to write how you talk than to get all stuffy and formal. (Now if your ideal client is formal and stuffy, you will of course lean towards being more like them. But be sure to let your real identity come through.)

Communicate Regularly

Regularly communicate with your future and current clients. Consistency is important. An easy way to do that is create a weekly or monthly newsletter. It can be long or short. The important thing is that it is relevant and regular. Maybe it just has some of the text and a link to your recent blog post. Most customer contact sites let you create a template. The service I use lets me set up an rss campaign so that after I post, everyone on my list will receive that message. You can set that up to check for when you post on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. With my rss campaign, I've selected the daily option (but I usually only make one blog post per week). Also, I've added to my template things that I want to promote at the moment.

Other “reasons” to communicate include announcing a special, promotion or event. Who could you network with to create something (either in person or virtually) that would be of interest to your customers?

More Information

If you like these ideas, but want more in depth “how to” information, be sure to check out my newest program called 911 Small Business Marketing, just released for 2012. This is a monthly marketing program where we dive into a topic in depth. For more information, go here.

Twitter in Your Marketing Mix

2012-01-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

For those who are busy, Twitter may appear to be a hobby or a time waster. Here are 4 reasons why Twitter should be part of your marketing plan. I list out why you should at least have an account (and learn the basics) even if you don't actively tweet (aka send Twitter messages).

Networking

Twitter is a super easy way to network with colleagues... especially those you want to learn from. You have access to the leaders in your industry. You can search by name or keywords to start finding these folks. If you visit their websites, they should have their Twitter link posted. Click it, select “follow” and you are done.

You can create lists within Twitter as well. This is a great way to find people to follow, look at someone's lists.

In addition, other industry leaders will find you. Be sure to include specific keywords in your profile. Cover what you do and include your industry. You are creating your personal brand.

Get Found in Search Engines

Twitter posts are indexed with the search engines. The more links to your website or articles you post around the internet, it will increase your chances of being found in the search engines. If you have a blog on your website (which I highly recommend), set it up so it automatically posts to your Twitter feed.

Share Great Content

While you are reading around the web, it is now super easy to share those articles to Facebook and Twitter. If it is a good article, be sure to share it (or at least make a meaningful comment). By sharing great content, it helps your followers and it will enforce that you are knowledgeable and that you want to help your fans to learn more. Be willing to share!

Engage

At the very least, occasionally follow and participate in a tweetchat. These are set times when a conversation will occur on a particular subject. You use a hashtag (the # sign followed by a code or keyword, ie #ABlogChat ) to stay in the loop. Here is a great list of chat's. Who knows, you might want to host your own ongoing or one time chat yourself. Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, held a tweetchat (he called it a Twitter party) when he released the last version of his book.

Business Twitter Accounts

Depending on your market, you might consider having a Twitter account for your business. If you work directly with retail consumers, then you definitely need to do this (unless all of your customers don't have internet access). You can have someone inside your business run this for you or you can find a virtual assistant to take care of these details.

To learn the basics of Twitter, visit their page here.

About the Author:

Elian Evans is a social media marketing specialist for small business, groups and organizations (for and non-profit). She provides consulting (and some services) with regards to websites, Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, mobile and traditional marketing.

Creating more Facebook Engagement

2011-12-21T08:24:00.002-05:00

No longer can you “set it and forget it.” If you want your business to be found online through search engines, you must regularly update your content. If you want to be seen on your Facebook follower's feed (increasing the likely hood that you are in their mind), you must regularly post content and engage with them.

Interaction is Key

According to a Roost study earlier this year of 10,000 Facebook and Twitter posts by small sized businesses, this is what they found about Facebook:

Photos are the most shared posts. They get 50% more impressions (show up in your follower's feed).
Quotes get 22% more interaction.
Questions get twice as many responses than any other type of posts.
Links are 87% more likely to be shared than any other type of post.

Reminder

There are “likes”, “comments” and “shares” on Facebook. Shares are what you want the most. Some should be links to articles, preferably your articles written on your website. Make sure you have a least one photo with your article so Facebook can use it pull it into the post for you.

Posting Strategy

As a business owner, post (as your page) no more than 1-2 times per day on Facebook. You don't want to overwhelm anyone. Out of that 1-2 per day, only one out of every three posts should be about your business. Other posts should be links to articles on complementary websites or blogs. If adding video or photos you can post more frequently, but don't get too carried away.

If you post on your blog weekly, then a link to that will suffice. You can set this up so it's an automatic process or post it manually. (I automate this process by using the Facebook app called Social RSS.)

More Ways to Engage

Here are some other ways to increase traffic and engagement for your business page:

Make sure your Facebook comment feature is turned on.
Encourage your fans to tag themselves in your photos, submit photos to your wall, or tag your business in their photos.
Add a link from your personal profile by making your business your employer.
Sign your comments with your business page (mine is be @ElianEvansMarketing) – remember you must have 25 “likes” to customize your username.
End your post with a question
Use the words “you” and “your”
When you do get comments, address your fans by name using the @ and their first name (like @elian)

Got some Facebook tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them.

Tuesday's Tip: Facebook Tagging

Mobile Marketing: Important Elements on Your Website

FACEBOOK: Creating Photos to Engage

Best Apps for Mobile Business with iPhone, iPad & other Smart devices

2011-12-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Image Source: Wikipedia

Here are a few apps that I love to use that keep my business running while I'm “out and about.” I use an iPhone, but some of these apps are available on a variety of smart phones and iPad, so search in your app store.

Apps I use and love

eMail
I check my email through out the day. If am in time off mode, then I have a folder called ToDoB for items I need to do that are business related. I file messages there and then revisit when I return to working mode(ie Monday morning).

Calendars
This app isn't the one that comes with the iphone, it's by Readdle. It syncs with my existing calendars on Google Calendar. I am so VERY happy with this app. Someone recently shared it with me. In Google Calendar you can set up different calendars (with different colors). Some of the ones I have are: personal (purple), one for each of my children (blue and brown), business (burgundy), and birthdays (red).

Evernote
This is a great app you can install on all your devices and it will sync across them. Need to make a quick note, to do list, or make note of a website? This is a great way to keep track. Plus you can search all your notes. I love, love, love this app.

PayPal
It is great to see orders coming in. It is also good to have this app on my phone in case I need to reference something or check my balance. I have PayPal's debit card, so I can use like a credit card while I'm out and about.

Kindle
I have a couple of free and a few paid books here so I can read while out and about. I also have the Kindle app on my laptop so I can pickup where I left off when I switch from mobile mode to computer mode.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
I can make quick comments as needed or check in with followers.

Others that I don't use that might be helpful to you:

Square
This payment method doesn't require you to have a merchant account required payment method so you can accept credit cards while out and about, at a fair, market or meeting with a customer. This is so handy I'm recommending it to many clients. What are your favorite smart phone apps? Please share in the comments below.

About the Author:

Streamlining Communication with MailChimp

2011-12-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

As I continue to evaluate my marketing strategies for 2011 one of the things I'm tweaking is how I communicate with you. I've decided to create a template in MailChimp that is useful for you and eases some work on my end.
When you create a campaign with MailChimp you have four options:

Regular
Plain text
A/B split
RSS

I used one of my existing templates to create an RSS campaign. The beauty of this option is that you can send updates to your list either daily, weekly or monthly based on when you post to your blog.

This is fantastic for those struggling to "do a newsletter." My personal goal is to post to my blog at least once per week. At the max I post twice and at the minimum I post once per month. Reader retention is best when you post at least once per month.

MailChimp has great tutorials and here the one on RSS campaigns.

My Early Christmas Gift to You

2011-12-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

Christmas is just around the corner. My trees are up (although not decorated). I'll get to that this week.

While preparing my business for 2012 I created a marketing calendar to keep me focused. I decided that I would give you a copy of that. Print it out, fill it out and refer to it weekly.

To get your early Christmas gift for your business,
please right click here the pdf file: 2012 Marketing Calendar. No registration required.

I'd love to get your feedback and questions. Please provide them below.

About the Author:

Products to Support Your Clients

2011-11-29T09:19:00.000-05:00

Source: Wikipedia

You’ve established happy clients with your services. They read your newsletter, emails and possibly Facebook posts. One great way to continue serving your clients is with valuable products. These could be hard goods - things you keep on hand. If you are a massage therapist it could be the scented oils that you use.

Other ideas could be
informational products. This could include a book, special report, audio files, pod casts and more either in hard copy or electronic form. Some of the products I have bought in the past include online video file classes, ebooks, special reports (pdf files), audio downloads, pictures (plain and with graphics like text), patterns, recorded classes and probably more. I’ve seen a lot of these type of “e-goods” in both free versions and paid.

Brainstorm

So what kind of e-goods would be helpful to your clients? Really sit with this. Brainstorm on it. Ask your clients what kind of information they would like to learn. What are you already offering that you could turn into an e-good? Maybe it is a special report or slide show presentation. You could narrate it, record it and offer it.

Once you know what they'd like you can then research the how. There are multiple ways to do things in electronic form, and most can be done for free without expensive software.

Got questions on this topic? Email me or post to my Facebook page.

About the Author:

Fine Tuning a Personal Brand

2011-11-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Over the next week or two I plan on making some changes to my website. I want it to more effectively represent me, not just one little compartment of myself.

What I offer to small businesses and non-profits:

I offer internet related services:

website design (mainly using the Blogger platform)
social media set-up and training
training and workshops about small business marketing

But I also am involved with sustainable projects in my community... and I want some of that information here as well. It is an extension of me.

I volunteer with the Upstate Food Co-op and with Winnie Mae's. I also am forming a sustainable sewing group to help us all learn some forgotten skills, have social time and have fun crafting. And earlier this year I co-founded the Clemson Area Food Exchange, an all volunteer, local food network of farmers and consumers. I also see myself offering workshops.

I've create various website projects for myself over the last couple of years, but I feel it is dividing me. I don't want my personal brand to be split. I don't want to have to hand someone 3 business cards!

Plan of Action

So here is what I see that I will do. I'm going to stream line my "labels" for my posts so that I can create tabs that search when you click them. For instance I'll probably have a tab called Social Media and when you click on it the system will search for all posts related to social media (Facebook, Linked In, etc).

I'll also segment my stay updated email list so folks can subscribe to just the right information. Business/marketing tips versus sustainable related topics.

I'm excited about this new change. Now for the design work!

Food for Thought

Now it's your turn. Are you authentically representing yourself in your business? Here are two great websites of folks who are:

Resources: Fiverr

2011-10-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

I missed posting this as a Tuesday Tip :-0 So I’m posting this tip today.

Have you heard of www.fiverr.com? This is a cool site where you pay someone $5 for something.

Let’s say you need a particular picture or a new header for your website. You could get four people to submit and for $20 you can take the one you like best.

There are different categories for tasks such as social media, gifts, graphics and much more. Check it out!

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Facebook Tagging

2011-10-11T08:47:00.001-04:00

Did you know you can tag other's. At one time this would make you show up in their feed. A personal profile can tag a personal profile or business/group. A business/group can only tag other business/group pages.

To tag type the @ sign and with no space their name. For example, to tag a business page that I like @Yardley Farms. If you have already "liked" their page, then it should try to help you by showing people or business/group pages.

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Resource to Follow

2011-10-04T08:53:00.000-04:00

Even if you are a FOR profit, I encourage you to follow the Non-profit Facebook Guy for great insight into Facebook related information. His most recent post is about Facebook's decision to discontinue the private discussion feature. Check him out!

About the Author:

Stay Focused with Your Small Business Marketing Efforts

2011-09-01T11:46:00.000-04:00

If you run your own small business, it is super easy to loose focus and let the day (week or month) slip by with out doing much in the terms of marketing! Customer demands and other pressing issues creep up and wham... the day is over... then the week... then the month. Trying to stay focused with your small business marketing efforts can be a real challenge.

Marketing is a process that needs to happen daily

Yes, I said daily! Marketing is any kind of reaching out to new customers. (Technically marketing encompasses four areas: product, price, promotion, and place or distribution.) You probably have your product or service identified along with your price (although be willing to alter and change this around) as well as your distribution (how you get your product or service to your customer).

Promotion, sharing, what Non-Marketing majors call Marketing

One organization I work with calls the promotion effort outreach. Whatever you feel comfortable calling it... you have to do it.

Back to Staying Focused

So here are some my top tips for staying focused.

1 - Create a plan

Start with the end in mind. In one year (or 6 months), where do you want to be? What sales volume do you want? How many clients do you want to have at that time? You should also know some numbers like how many leads/inquiries does it take to get a new customer/client.

Then cut that time in half. Between now and that new date is where the short term focus should stay.

Brainstorm on ALL the things you could do to reach that target. Options include social media outlets, newspapers (for advertising and free press), you can have an event, network at other people’s events, network at clubs like Rotary and Toastmasters. Make this list long. What can other people do for you? What are your strengths and what items on the list can you do or you like doing? Think on this list for a day or two (and always add to it... ideas will come as time goes along). What are other similar businesses doing? What are you already doing?

After you create this list and let it simmer a few days, identify a couple of things you can do now that will move you toward your goal. If you are a good writer you might consider adding a blog to your website using keywords that folks may search to find you online. You can also submit articles to the local papers and to online article websites.

If you are a good public speaker you might join networking activities like Rotary or industry specific organizations. A nearby organization in Greenville is Tech After 5, a networking group for folks in the tech field. What groups are in your industry that are semi-local? What non-profit/charity groups are nearby that you can gain press and recognition for helping with?

2 - Mark it on a calendar

Mark your tasks on a marketing calendar. For instance, social media should be done daily (or at minimum 2-3 times per week). Blogging should be done at least once per week. Maybe you attend a networking event every other week. Maybe you have an employee or freelancer to do some of the work. Schedule these tasks on a master marketing calendar (and if you have help, list who is doing them).

Maybe you need to make 5 calls per day to current and potential customers. Google’s calendar is a great option. Or if you use Outlook, just plug these things in. Make them reoccurring. This is a very handy feature.

Be sure to space things out. If your initial schedule is too rigorous, reevaluate after a week or two and adjust as necessary.

3 - Get help/outsource/accountability partner/coach

More than likely you will need help. Maybe there are tasks that need doing that you hate. Outsource them! Virtual assistants are available. They don’t have to work in your office and you can pay them for just the tasks you want completed.

Work with someone who can keep you accountable. This can be a colleague who can keep you accountable or a coach. By working with a coach they can help you identify long term strategies and tactics. They will keep you accountable as well.

To Sum it Up

Your marketing will not happen without consistent effort. Plan it, schedule it and keep yourself accountable! One of my coaches says a good year happens because of a good quarter. A good quarter happens because of a good month. A good month happens because of a good week. A good week happens because of a good day. Plan it, schedule it, do it! You can stay focused with your small business marketing efforts!

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Press Releases for No Charge Publicity

2011-08-23T09:36:00.000-04:00

Recently I’ve gotten media attention for some of my clients by submitting press releases. The media is understaffed due to the pressure of decreasing readership. Normally, they no longer write articles from “old school” press releases. So, if you need to submit them ready for the end reader.

One resource that I have used over the years is Publicity Hound. I found her online many years ago and have bought many reports. She has lots of information on her site at no charge including tips for writing to the end reader. Her site is www.publicityhound.com.

If you have an event, new offering, or something exiting that their readers would be interested in, send them a press release!

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: URL Shorteners

2011-08-16T11:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you will see funny links to articles and websites. Usually you will see these in eNewsletters or on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Some look like this goo.gl/DknlT.

These are shortened urls or shortened website links. They are used for a few different reasons.

To share a link that is just way too long.

Who wants to see a link like:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110816/NEWS/308150028/Pickens-County-closer-closing-deals-147-new-jobs?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

when you can share something much, much shorter.

These shortening programs/websites really took off when Twitter came along. With Twitter you are limited to 140 characters. So shortening website addresses is a must.
To track
Another benefit to shortening links is you can then track them as well. This is especially important if your links go to other websites. If you share information to readers, you should look at how many people click the links.

Some of the major shortening websites include:

www.tiny9.com
bitly.com
www.tiny.cc
goo.gl
shortlink.info
tinyurl.com

Some of these are free. The ones I like the best are will let you customize your link a bit. After trying a few, bitly.com works well and gives you the option to customize.

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Internet Likes with Google Bookmarks

2011-08-09T11:47:00.000-04:00

Google Bookmarks let you create lists.

Awhile back I read a Mashable “leak” which stated that Yahoo will discontinue their bookmarking site Delicious. So, I promptly downloaded all of my bookmarks that I’ve accumulated over the last 10 or so years. I didn’t take the time to find a new service. I just kept the file for reference.

Well while researching for today’s tip, I came across Google Bookmarks. I can import my Delicious links. Whoo hoo. I know there are other services available. I am a HUGE fan of computing “in the cloud.” The best benefit is that you can get to your data from any computer that has internet access. It is a great backup system.

Over the years my biggest gripe about the action of bookmarking something is that I never wanted it on one particular computer. I have multiple computers. Sometimes I might be on a friend’s computer or maybe accessing something from my iPhone. So, I need access.

So with Google Bookmarks I can get that access (without having to memorize yet another login and password). I can also create lists and the default is that those lists are private. I can also share list with friends or I can browse public lists when researching. With all the overload of information out there this is a gold mine.

So... check it out and let me know what you think!

Related Content:

Tuesday's Tip: SlideShare & Improving Diagrams

Tuesday's Tip: Website Search

Tuesday's Tip: Sharing Facebook Pages

About the Author:

Elian Evans is a social media marketing specialist for small business, groups and organizations (for and non-profit). She provides consulting (and some services) with regards to websites, Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, mobile and traditional marketing.

Tuesday's Tip: SlideShare & Improving Diagrams

2011-07-26T13:03:00.000-04:00

If you have never checked out SlideShare, it's a great way to do some research. You can see what is popular on Facebook or Twitter. You can get all kinds of different information.

Not too long ago I created my How to Create Ico images for your website.

Here is a slide presentation I reviewed today about improving your design skills if making diagrams for a slide presentation. But these design rules are handy for ANY consistent styling be it a word processing document, a website page or post and more.

How to make Awesome Diagrams for your slides

View more presentations from otikik

I'd love to hear how you have used SlideShare or if you have tips for creating with PowerPoint or similar applications.

Tuesday's Tip: Website Search

2011-07-19T10:17:00.000-04:00

Today’s tip is about online searching. Did you know you can search any website to find specific information you are looking for? Sure you can use their search box (if they have one).

But let’s say you want to search a site that has multiple mini sites (or sub sites). An example would be any site with something before the main domain name such as evansfamilylife.blogspot.com. “Evansfamilylife” is the subdomain and “blogspot” is the domain.

So to search all of blogspot use this in Google’s search box:

site:blogspot.com searchterm (search term is anything you want to search about)

or if you want to search a particular subdomain you can enter:

site:evansfamilylife.blogspot.com searchterm

The results will give the top pages within that website.

Related Content:

Did you know that you can zoom in your internet browser

Tuesday's Tip: Sharing Facebook Pages

Tuesday's Tip: Easy Photo Editing

About the Author:

Elian Evans is a social media marketing specialist for small business, groups and organizations (for and non-profit). She provides consulting (and some services) with regards to websites, Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, mobile and traditional marketing.

Tuesday's Tip: Facebook "Like" Notifications

2011-07-12T13:28:00.003-04:00

I’ve been getting questions recently from clients about these new notifications when folks “like” their page. No, you don’t have to do anything. You could click the link to check them out. Just smile and be happy that you have another “like.” Now you could go to your wall and thank them. That would be a nice jester... a way to build community and raving fans.

However, if you decide you REALLY don’t want to receive these notifications, be forewarned... you will no longer receive ANY notifications. If someone post something spammy, you will not know about it unless you check your wall frequently.

To disable notifications, in the upper right hand of your screen, go to Account/account settings and then the notification tab, then scroll down until you see Pages. Click the link that says “Change email settings for individual Pages.” It then allows you to toggle on or off notifications for pages that you administer.

Related Content:

Mobile Marketing: Important Elements on Your Website

Tuesday's Tip: Sharing Facebook Pages

3 Marketing Things Every Local Business Needs to Do

About the Author:

Elian Evans is a social media marketing specialist for small business, groups and organizations (for and non-profit). She provides consulting (and some services) with regards to websites, Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, mobile and traditional marketing.

Yippee - picked this week for #commenthour

2011-07-07T10:48:00.001-04:00

Super excited to be one of the 25 this week for #CommentHour

If you have a blog, I recommend checking them out for next week!

Overcoming Panic: 4 Tips to Keep Control of Your Computer Life

2011-07-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night across my iPhone flashed “EXCLUSIVE: Google To Retire Blogger & Picasa Brands in Google+ Push” from my Mashable updates.

Panic went through me and immediately I went online to read. I panicked because most of the sites I build (for me and my clients) are built with Blogger. Thoughts of having to transfer all of that work to another platform made my head swim.

My fears were removed in further reading... they are retiring the BRAND (aka the word Blogger), not the service. Whew!!!

Now some would argue that this is the reason to choose Wordpress over Blogger. I disagree. ANY of these web services could shut their doors and/or not upgrade their product. Most of them won’t do that anytime soon. And when they do, they will give you notice so you can download your files. When Yahoo announced the retirement of the popular Delicious bookmarking site (which is still up and running by the way). They gave about a 6 month notice.

So my top 4 tips to keep your electronic life sane:

1) Simplify your online life using one (at most two) ACTIVE email addresses to receive that critical information.

2) Make sure your email address is not tied to your internet service provider. I used Mindspring and then Bellsouth for years until Gmail got going strong. Now I never have to change just because we move and/or have a new service provider.

Note: even if you get a “forwarding for life” email address (like the one I have where I went to college) use it sparingly. Their servers might block good messages. Don’t rely on them to control your critical mail.

I recommend Gmail and Google Apps because they have good spam control, the ads are at a minimum, and the login ties into all their other services like Google Docs, Calendar, and much more.

3) Keep a reference sheet of critical information. It can be online in a secure place, in a binder or notebook. The key is to be consistent and have it when you need it.

4) Back-up regularly - if you don’t host your files online (many of mine are now) then have a good back up system. You can use an external hard drive. I back up our desktop computer to the external hard drive about once every 6 months (because I don’t use that computer that often). My critical day-to-day documents and files either live on Drop Box or in Google Docs.

2011-07-05T09:48:00.002-04:00

Did you know that you can zoom in your internet browser window by using the Control and plus sign? Simply press the simultaneously and viola!!! You can also zoom out by using Control and the minus sign.

Local Business Marketing - Elian Evans

Small Business Marketing Focused Business Blog

Specific Purpose

Highlight Sales or Specials

Don't Forget Your Services

Product Focused (if you have them)

Customer Service Makes the Difference

Blog Examples

Need Help?

Administrative Help

Steps to Twitter and Facebook Revisited

Upcoming Social Media Presentations:

Past Social Media Presentations:

Small Business Marketing Q & A

Q & A

To learn more:

5 Ways to Improve Connection with Customers

Social Media

Interesting

Your Images Count

Authenticity

Communicate Regularly

More Information

Twitter in Your Marketing Mix

Networking

Get Found in Search Engines

Share Great Content

Engage

Business Twitter Accounts

Related Content:

About the Author:

Creating more Facebook Engagement

Interaction is Key

Reminder

Posting Strategy

More Ways to Engage

Related posts:

Best Apps for Mobile Business with iPhone, iPad & other Smart devices

Apps I use and love

Others that I don't use that might be helpful to you:

Related Content:

About the Author:

Streamlining Communication with MailChimp

My Early Christmas Gift to You

Related Content:

About the Author:

Products to Support Your Clients

Brainstorm

Related Content:

About the Author:

Fine Tuning a Personal Brand

What I offer to small businesses and non-profits:

Plan of Action

Food for Thought

Resources: Fiverr

Related Content:

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Facebook Tagging

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Resource to Follow

Related Content:

About the Author:

Stay Focused with Your Small Business Marketing Efforts

Marketing is a process that needs to happen daily

Promotion, sharing, what Non-Marketing majors call Marketing

Back to Staying Focused

1 - Create a plan

2 - Mark it on a calendar

3 - Get help/outsource/accountability partner/coach

To Sum it Up

Related Content:

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Press Releases for No Charge Publicity

Related Content:

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: URL Shorteners

Related Content:

About the Author:

Tuesday's Tip: Internet Likes with Google Bookmarks

Tuesday's Tip: SlideShare & Improving Diagrams