Small Business Search Marketing

Small Business Recession Proof Marketing Strategies

2008-09-18T23:37:00.009-04:00

Are you searching for the perfect gift she will love?

When economy headlines has you scared, don’t run. Many small business owners have knee jerk reaction to cut your budget. While cutting unnecessary expenses proactively is smart business. Cutting your marketing efforts could drastically impact your business. Review and revise your recession proof marketing strategy. Retool your marketing efforts by committing to shorter term plans. Adapting business strategies to increase market share and return on investment.

Follow these simple steps to give your company an economic stimulus:

1. Asses your customer’s perception
Review your customer’s perception of your company’s offerings. Are your products viewed as a need or a want? Many consumers are tightening their belts which also affects the behavior of how small business buys b2b services as well. How are current market conditions affecting your sales? Large dispensable luxury items may be cut out while smaller priced items may be viewed as “comfort purchases.” Remember people buy emotionally.

2. Measure your ROI
Track all marketing endeavors with metrics. There are many ways to measure your ads from coupons to specific promotions. Use free online tracking software such as Google Analytics to give you insight into your website traffic and measure your conversions. Make sure your marketing campaigns are targeted at making the sale. End unnecessary branding campaigns that generally have ambiguous results. Focus on acquiring new customers with products and services they need at prices they can afford. Remember perception is everything.

3. Market to current customers
Current customers are looking to current companies for the “safe buy.” Predictable pricing, service and comfort will help you retain your current clients while they are watching their limited budgets. It generally costs less to market to your current client base than acquiring news ones. Retain your clients with frequent contact via e-mail, direct mail, and phone calls. Keep your company top of mind without being unwelcome. Focus on incentives for current clients to bring referrals to gain additional business.

Share your strategies with other small business owners. Which marketing strategies are working for your small business search marketing plan?

Written by Brian M. Schoedel http://smallbusinesssearchmarketing.blogspot.com

National Association Supplier Directory Review

2008-09-13T00:08:00.018-04:00

Every small business their niche. How do you market to specific audiences in professional organizations? Multiview is an online marketing and technology company that manages online supplier directories for national associations. They target over 80 specific National Associations.

National trade associations are a great audience to reach since they qualify their members. Members pay to be associated so they're more likely to buy from association recommended vendors. Members generally look to the organization for industry news, trade shows, and networking events. They are more likely source products and services through the association for their business or professional needs.

Multiview has two great resources for small businesses trying to sell their products and services to national associations. I found the trade show information on the association's website very helpful resource into what products used their industry. The Online supplier buyer's guides are a great way to reach this targeted segment through out the year. The directories are outlined by search engine optimization (SEO) friendly product and categories and also have a Google style search bar. These online listings require no daily maintenance and could be a good way to drive qualified web buyers to your site.

Click to sale conversion is much higher than other methods of online marketing. Keep in mind that online directories eliminate buyers that may not be trying to find your products or services. I will use the buyer using traditional search engines. I make a search for "pumps" and I could receive shoes, industrial water pumps or bicycle pumps. This could cost small business owners a lot of money in pay per click ads. You may be able to justify the ad spend by shear numbers but how many of the clicks are legitimate customers?

Online directories are connected to industry specific associations. They have products and services related to their specific field. So when you have a member in an industrial products association and they make search for pumps your click is valid. Would you rather have 1,000 clicks to pumps from people wanting shoes or 50 clicks of your targeted prospects searching for industrial pumps? Google Ad words and Yahoo's are great search marketing. Industry directories are a great ally for small business owners that want to save time resources, limit marketing costs, and want to focus on quality buyers.

It is the next level of targeted marketing campaigns. Find your customer segment and fine tune you small business search marketing plan. Association Marketing plans start at $300 per year.

Visit Multiview's portfolio of national association product and service directories. Check out some of our other posts on vertical online buyer's guides by Media Brains which targets industry specific trade publication buyers. Please give me feed back on you findings and how these types of online business listings are working for your small business's search marketing plan.

Written by Brian M. Schoedel http://smallbusinesssearchmarketing.blogspot.com

BtoB Online Directory Review

2008-09-12T01:17:00.012-04:00

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Great business to business directories are hard to find. The BtoB Magazine has employed the BtoB directory gurus at Media Brains to manage their marketing vendor source guide. The online guide is used by approximately 20,000 marketing professionals each month. It is comprised of 3,000 of the top marketing service vendors including services such as: Multi-media Agencies, Graphic design Services, e-mail list brokers, SEO services and more.

The BtoB Online Directory is laid out by marketing services and is easy to navigate. The publishers of the site make it very easy to identify and help give you a concise list of marketing vendors to choose. I am not sure if you have tried to search many online directories which sometimes make it difficult to navigate with listings leading to additional directories. The experience can be time consuming and frustrating.

The Media Brains BtoB Online Directory website is delightfully different. There are only legitimate company listings and none of the "never ending links to links" like many other business directory websites. I researched e-mail marketing myself. The site is easily laid out by product and service categories. E-mail marketing and Campaign Execution was part of their "most popular categories" section. I clicked on link and voila!

There were 20 of the top e-mail marketing service providers in the country at your finger tips within seconds. The decision guide provides all their standard contact information including website link and company description which allows you to research their key points. The difference was the type of vendors listed and the manor in which they are presented. This really saved me a lot of leg work and resources which every small business owner can appreciate.

I investigated further by printing out their details and for green folks out there you can bookmark the company by adding it to your Digg or delicious accounts for archiving at a later time. I clicked on 3 of my top choices and researched them further.

I came across e-mail marketing companies including: Mail Chimp, Exact Target, Return Path, Listrak, Net Atlantic. Many of these companies provide e-mail marketing, newsletters, and additional services. The client lists of these vendors were extremely impressive including: Google, GM, Firefox, UPS, Cannon, Intel and LG. Many of these mass e-mail campaign vendors work with huge companies all the way down to small business owners like you and me. Many of these vendor's e-mail marketing packages start at $19.95 per month for the do it yourself or more for full services.

I was very impressed and definitely recommend the BtoB Online Directory which is easy to use, saves time resources, and is small business friendly. Save time and search efficiently and effectively our small business marketing depends on it.

Try it out and send me feedback. Let me know if you have come across any other time saving online directories that you have recently used.

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Written by Brian M. Schoedel http://smallbusinesssearchmarketing.blogspot.com

Top 10 Ways to Increase FREE Website Traffic

2008-09-10T23:51:00.013-04:00

Looking for the perfect sterling silver jewelry piece she'll love?

If you write quality content will they come? Many small business owners are asking themselves this question. How to increase their web traffic, gain more sales leads, and generate more online sales. In the current economy many business owners are watching their marketing budgets and trying to make those right business decisions in order to drive customers to their sites.

Everyone knows that search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN love unique, relevant content. There is more than content that is needed in order to get those potential customers to find you while searching for your products on the web.

Rich Content- Well written content with strategically placed keyword search terms will enhance your search engine search results.
Domain Name- Keyword search terms work well for domain names. All of your content and linked pages will be indexed according to your domain name, tags, and descriptions. Choosing traffic generating domain is the first step into increasing your traffic.
Keywords- Use popular search terms as headings for your products. Do not use your specific XRL-123 Widget name thinking that people will find them on the web. Use product names that people would think of while searching. Research competitor's websites, product directories, and high traffic websites product names. This will ensure that people will find you. Leave the technical and specific product names as a cross reference attached to your key search terms.
Product Directory- Integrate a directory into your website will add easy ways for customers to find what they are looking for in an instant. Search engines love pages with links and rich content pages explaining your products.
Site Map- Make sure you have an easy way for the web crawlers to index the pages associated with your website.
Links- Add links to your website through high traffic sites where your clients would be looking for your products. The power of the referral works online as well in person for many businesses. This is a great way to gain additional visitors from referring sites.
Readers- Allow people to add your blog content to their readers. This is a great way to increase contact, keep potential clients up to date on news, and products. Converting traffic into readers will ultimately translate to customer once they are ready to buy your specific product.
Newsletters- Prominently request visitors to subscribe to a free monthly news letter. Giving your prospects useful and valuable information builds trust. It also gives you a way to e-mail market to them and drive traffic to your website. Keep the form simple. Name and e-mail is most common. Include a privacy statement, and do not ask for specific information. The key is to get as many people to subscribe.
Share- Allow clients to e-mail product information, blog posts, and more. The power of the social network will exponentially grow exposure, awareness, and generate viral growth.
Monitor your efforts- Measuring your results will help determine which efforts are generating the best results.

A well balance online marketing strategy and systematic effort will have you on your way to generating free traffic. Target your prospects and go market!

Written by Brian M. Schoedel http://smallbusinesssearchmarketing.blogspot.com