I Need Your Advice.
Really Appreciate your help guys. Leave comments here on the blog.
Thanks
Ed
If you're new here, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
133 Responses to “I Need Your Advice.”
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
-
http://tubbynerd.com/2007/10/18/i-need-your-advice/:
[…] Ed Dale, of Dominiche fame, writes on his tubbynerd.com blog, asking for his readers' advice on small business web marketing tips they would share with local business owners in the Adelaide, South Australia region. He's speaking with the Minister for Small Business in South Australia, federal candidates , local mayors and small businesses - with a talk on "Internet and Small Business". […]
--October 18, 2007 @ 5:24 pm -
Boink Blogs:
[…] Need Your Advice. Ed put an intriguing blog post on I Need Your Advice.Here’s a quick excerptI Need Your Advice. […]
--October 18, 2007 @ 8:51 pm -
Boink Blogs:
[…] Need Your Advice. Ed added an interesting post on I Need Your Advice.Here’s a small excerptI Need Your Advice. […]
--October 19, 2007 @ 8:14 am -
Jessie:
Jessie…
Thanks for this, I’m writing an ebook about starting up businesses right now so this post was very informative….
--January 25, 2008 @ 6:16 am -
global travel international franchise:
global travel international franchise…
Well, it is from a different point of view anyway….
--January 25, 2008 @ 3:14 pm -
Aaron:
Aaron…
I will dream of your poetic words tonight….
--January 25, 2008 @ 9:12 pm -
proform 725 treadmill:
Expo Keynote - Live Update…
Microsoft is now shipping Office 2008. It’s the last big app to go native on Intel. Whoops, first Jobs glitch:…
--January 26, 2008 @ 11:16 am -
master bedroom decorating:
Customized for casual elegance -…
It includes a 28ft barrel-vaulted ceiling in the living room and a 14ft-high ceiling in the master bedroom. Nielsen’s love…
--January 26, 2008 @ 12:03 pm -
Jessie:
Jessie…
if youneed help with your coupons go to gr8bargain.com…
--January 27, 2008 @ 3:06 pm -
Garden Fountain Freak:
Garden Fountain Freak…
I love that to, but my hubby doesnt want it, that is really to bad….
--January 27, 2008 @ 3:36 pm -
Free Internet Paid Surveys:
online paid survey testimonials…
There are plenty of websites offering access to paid online surveys….
--May 1, 2008 @ 3:03 pm -
Sam:
Sam…
Just wanted to drop a note to let you know what a great Free Mp3 Download you have. It is a great resource and a great place to drop by….
--May 22, 2008 @ 10:11 pm -
Fill Your Appointment Book With Tons Of Clients. | 7Wins.eu:
[…] […]
--June 9, 2008 @ 2:08 pm -
Profitable Crafts Mega Package. | 7Wins.eu:
[…] I Need Your Advice. | The Underachiever Life […]
--January 9, 2009 @ 6:03 pm -
Wholesale, Dropship Suppliers, Handbags, Electronics, eBay(R) Dropship. | 7Wins.eu:
[…] I Need Your Advice. | The Underachiever LifeGood Bye America » Blog Archive » Where was Bush? […]
--May 13, 2009 @ 8:26 am -
Showcasing your wedding through best fooding style - The Blog Planet:
[…] I Need Your Advice. | The Underachiever Life […]
--June 27, 2009 @ 8:54 am
1. Customer relationship programs that ask the customers what they want (facebook, other social grouping networks, etc). (increase loyalty)
2. Get as many free links from geographical based portals. (seo)
Those are the tactics I’ve thought of and used before, and they work relatively well.
Hi Ed,
Great question.
My answer is that you can create a data-base of prospects/customers and regularly contact them via an Auto-responder series with offers and free opportunities.
Second thing is you can create an online community (blog, facebook group, membership site) where you offer freebies to continue to build your relationship with them.
Caro
I’m a little short on ideas, but one of my twitter friends, Becky McCray is a small business owner and has a blog exactly on that subject (and an Operator 11 show too). If I was speaking on the subject I would want to get her two cents on the subject.
Twitter contact: http://twitter.com/BeckyMcCray
Web site: http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/
Hi Ed,
I would advise a small business to showcase their expertise by setting up buying guides or product reviews on their website.
For example a cabinet maker could put together a guide to selecting timbers or bench tops for kitchens, outlining the pros and cons of each option. That way they can interact with potential customers at the decision stages and get their foot in the door.
This also provides them with ‘educated leads’ as the customer will be better informed and hopefully in more of a position to buy!
Paul
I’ve been working with a small business in the ‘pre-prepared take-way meal’ game who is killing it with an e-mail list..
Sending email blasts at around 4:30 in the afternoon reminding people to swing past on the way home to get a pre-prepared dinner, rather then standing in the cold supermarket lines…
Is the very “cost-effective” way to hit their target market (busy professionals) right between their eyes at the most powerful/profitable of times - When they are about to leave the office and head home for dinner etc etc..
Sorry Ed,
posted earlier in the previous post before this was up.
Anyway,
One other thing I did with great success, was to place small, affordable print ads in several publications highlighting our URL as soon as we had a even a basic sight up. It let many people in surrounding communities learn about us with the great expense of large, full color ads in many newspapers.
I also used this in major papers targeting the region where our tourist customers would be coming from.
Many, many people mentioned that they saw the small ad and learned of us for the first time. They went online, liked it and became long term patrons.
I would guide them to your favorite first-site developer, and if any are web progressive and want their site everywhere, there’s a brilliant lunatic at ImmediateEdge.com who will show them the top.
oops, I meant withOUT the great expense of…
I Think this is good i’m not much into this kind of business but I have something I would like to chat with you about It is about a different kind of business to do with music and fashon if you have the time. I’m not just asking for myself but for others that I work with from time to time.
A small business ower can incorporate the Internet by:
(1).Snopping on the competition.
(2).Making customers aware of the small businesses products that are cataloged online.
(3).Building trust by keeping in touch with customers.
(4).Constantly asking about what products and services are needed.
(5).Being open to suggestions in how to improve your products and servcies. People are more open and honest when they can hide behind email which is a great benefit to the small business.
(6).Training customers to watch the website and email for weekend specials, discounts, etc.
(7).The small business owner can use the Internet to do research to add new products and services to it’s existing business.
The small business owner can level the playing field and have one-up on the comeptition because many large business aren’t even incorporating these tips.
Hope this is helpful Ed.
Hello Ed,
In response to your question.
I think one thing that will be of value to a small business is to build a list.
Just like it’s important for us to have a list if the small business has a list it can be used as another revenue source.
Especially if they are building a value content relationship with their readers.
Kind of like how you’re doing with us.
Thanks,
Greg/omar
Blessings and Peace:
Ed, I would encourage small businesses to be forward thinking and recognize a true possible revolution that is shaping up; which could be a perfect storm on their behalf.
Establish a Beachhead on The Small Screen Media Horizon
Internet and IP based media could very well supplant traditional mainstream media, for the consumers attention. Smaall businesses can band together, and actually create ‘new media’ outlets right within their markets.
Success marketing hinges on repetition, week in and week out, not just here and there. With the possibility of pushing 1-3 media clips right to consumers desktops (via Adobe Air, Silverlight and forthcoming Adobe Media Player). IPhones, Google phones (per se), Msoft and Yahoo phones offer millions of other small screens for small biz to pave a way to.
Small Biz associations and small chambers of commerce should have committees, or at least consultants, informing them about strategies in this space. Local, county and state governments can also fund efforts in this direction.
That’s my 20 cents.
In Service of THE ONENESS,
Rafiki “The Digital Doctor” Cai
1. put up an rss feed for updates and new products, seasonal specialties.
2. do some short videos that show the product/ service in action, so it becomes more personal- shows how you can benefit from it.
Hi Ed
I think it important to keep 1 key factor in mind that escapes a lot of people. Those who do not have a business site yet or fairly new one have no idea what they want or need for that matter.They just know they want more customers and the internet is the way to get them. I would suggest some type of packages that explains benefits of google local ,squidoo ,facebook etc etc as to how it would benefit a small business if they were to use them.That would be a true selling point IMHO.
Well, I deal with clients about this all the time. Ultimately it depends on the nature of the business, as to exactly what techniques would be best implemented on a website. However, that said my advise to local businesses I built sites for is this…
In today’s world of consumers, whether you have a service based business or sell something, the bottom line is that people want two things - experience and relationship. So whatever techniques you use should be designed to give them an experience that speaks to their desire (or need) and to build relationship/connection with them. Same as ‘regular’ internet marketing really.
Try to use your web presence to give them an accurate virtual experience that is congruent with your physical business, and to simulate interaction with you - ie, blog, photos, use video, etc.
This is what I do everyday, but I won’t ramble on. That’s the gist though.
Good luck with your speaking!! I know you’ll rock them!
Lisa
Hi Ed,
I would suggest that they run a charity event. I would have them donate a portion of each sale for the month of November to children with illnesses or homeless.
I would have them create a blog to help promote their charity event. Of course if they have a website, they would advertise there as well.
It would be much easier to get traffic to a charity event, it would help children, it would draw traffic to their website and then they could capture names and do follow up promotions to their new clientele.
People love to help out when they can. You would be doing something good for society. You would be able to promote your business and find new customers. It is a win win for everyone.
Hope this helps,
Rob Erbert
Hi Ed,
Caro’s idea is great — local businesses should build lists and treat it as a loyalty program.
Print up cards with the autoresponder email address and some call to action on it. Slip this into each customer’s bag or hand it to them. Track cards given out versus signups and test the copy on them just like you’d test a web page’s conversion.
Keep a mixture of free content and special offers going so people keep the business in mind.
“Hey gang, remember, Tuesday is free echidna night at Super Stan’s Super Soup Shack! First five people who ask will walk out with one of these cuddly critters!”
Well, you get the idea.
I’ve been working with a small business in the ‘pre-prepared take-way meal’ game who is killing it with an e-mail list..
Emaiils are a bit yesterday for me text and mms messaging is highly targeted and gets people when there out and about and not just stuck in front of their computer.
Which is why I copied the comment below text / sms would be tons more effective than an email is this situation.
=======================
Sending email blasts at around 4:30 in the afternoon reminding people to swing past on the way home to get a pre-prepared dinner, rather then standing in the cold supermarket lines…
Is the very “cost-effective†way to hit their target market (busy professionals) right between their eyes at the most powerful/profitable of times - When they are about to leave the office and head home for dinner etc etc..
Hi Ed,
Michael Barrett here from Atlanta.
I think you should recommend video and audio in blogs and your web2.0 formulas from 30DC.
Specifically:
1) Intro videos introducing the employees and the owners so the potential clients can get a sense of ‘personality’ and ‘genuine-ness’.
2) Videos demonstrating their business. For example, espresso business how they make their very cool iced blended mint mocha or a natural fruit smoothie or the the milk texturing skills of the barista, etc…
It might be a demo of plating up the special for the evening and an actual plate presentation done by chef during the video.
3) Video of customer testimonials.
4) Two fer tickets (2 for the price of one) if you bring in a new customer.
That’s my 2 cents
Michael
Hi Ed,
Here are a few things I would (and do) encourage small businesses to do:
1. Start moving operational tasks (bookkeeping, accounting, tax, project planning, etc.) online using a combination of the fantastic online subscription based tools out there, such as Freshbooks, Blinksale, Ta-Da List, Backpack, and the new Quickbooks new SimpleStart program. My son, for instance, who is a freelance web developer, uses some of these tools and because he has a small list of clients, pays nothing to use them, being able to get away with the introductory free versions.
2. Create an online community (at the very least a Facebook group, Yahoo! group) of local companies that allows small business to possibly co-op buying goods and other services, like media buys by posting their requirements. Also, this site could allow for group planning–for instance, I live in a small town that hosts a very popular Art and Wine festival every spring–part of the community site could be used for internal planning purposes and part for communicating with the public (by the way, a possible business idea in building these for local bus. associations).
3. Create an online community ordering system. I live about three miles from town up on a ridgetop. I don’t want to drive “downtown” unless I have several errands to run. It would be great if there was a community ordering system that let me go online, order various products (prescription renewals, grocery staples, hardware items) from the different stores in town, and then have them bundled up and ready for me when I get down there, at one or even at each of the respective shops. You could perhaps combine this with personal calendars–for example, why can’t my iCalendar get populated with all the scheduled items at shops and offices? Why isn’t it possible to synchronize my calendar with my cat’s vet appointment, my dentist appointment, my prescription refill schedule, my auto maintenance schedule, etc.?
Ok, that’s probably more than you wanted to know. Hope that helps.
Thanks for giving us a chance to help you for once, Ed! It’s nice to pay it back now and again.
Mark
Hey Ed,
Given that most people have mobile phones these days, it makes sense for businesses to collect email addresses and communicate regular updates to customers on events, sales, etc.
My wife gets weekly mails from a used clothes store (they have an event pretty much weekly) and it seems to work great - she goes every time they beckon
Cheers
Alasdair
Well Ed,
I think everyone is missing the point of the Internet. What would the look on the faces in the audience be if U said, “ I would tell small business owners not to sell their products on the Internet†That would raise an eyebrow, wouldn’t it. Wouldn’t you tell someone not to find something to sell on the Internet but to find 12 niches to sell in? If they want a brick and mortar that’s fine but they should find a way to make MONEY on the Internet.
Just my 2 cents.
Pick up the email address of everybody who walks through the door.
A restaurant or any other business could ask people to do an online survey , offering a freebie on their next visit.
Survey should be on the website which is appealing enough to reinforce the dining/shopping experience.
Obviously collect emails there too. After that be in touch regularly…
I just did a really poor survey designed by a University department with questions about why the visitor comes to the Balearic Islands and what he needs when he arrives.
They offered me nothing. Not even a link to an informative website.
Thankfully in this case they did not ask for my email.
I was afraid they would try and require it….
I think that there is a huge amount that small businesses can do.
If I knew 10-15 years ago what I know now and still had my business of those days….
Stil’an all a 20 Mb Pentium 286 with 1 Mb of Ram and dialup as against a Powerbook with ADSL….I guess lots of small businesses are just running to keep up with what they have got going and use their computers for mail, accounting and seeing what their suppliers are up to.
George
What I would do is advise people to get a skype account and a webcam/microphone. What I then suggest is that they have the option for people to call in and have a video feed to the store/business. It is the visual element that is missing in customer service. You can show the customer the product that is available. They can see your sales people facial expressions which is so important in selling. You can get the proper products ready for pickup or shipping. The live approach give people the feel of actually being there in the store. Call me by skype clarence.coggins1 or call me at (973)943-4073. There are a few other things, but I have to test them further first. Oh they should get that great audio redirect that I have on my main webpage. It is great for emails and splash pages. http://hudsonliberty.com.
Hi Ed,
I’m going to sound like a ludite here
I think the classic mistake is to tell small local businesses to go on the net and sell far afield, especially to global markets.
Sure they could go for the local long tail (i.e. adding CookerBorough to every word) but then they have to compete on price, range, service, stock holding and speed of delivery. Then there’s fraud, packing, shipping, returns, warranty, language barriers and so on.
AYK box shifters and web stores have no overheads.
AYK there are many issues with that, the biggest being that being small they probably can’t cope with the extra 1000 virtual phones (emails) that a web presence brings.
IMHO for a small local business to survive it needs to do what it does best - which is “character”, “personal service” and “convenience”.
Certainly they should have a business card style web presence and catch as much local traffic as they can. Maybe some locals don’t even know they are there. Join any local directories. If not “start” one!
What I’m going to say (obviously) is community. An extension to their shop window. To put their customers on their web business (third rule of what sticks “about me”).
Secondly they can extole their character, knowledge and personal service.
But this needs to be way more than a blog, forum, facebook club. They probably aren’t that interesting individually
Classified, SOR, second hand, all good when local as you can inspect goods before purchase and no shipping damage.
Also even though people are local, they may not be passing by. So the extension of the shop window with email events, newsletter, todays offer, seems appropriate.
I even wanted my fish and chip shop to web up if they had chicken left. It’s only 10 minutes walk, but disappointment avoided.
RSS is not the way to go. Nor twitter. This needs to be push, not pull. People aren’t going to actively seek out or subscribe to the corner shop. There will be more than “7″ !!
But my best suggestion (not original) is to form a cooperative mall. To share the cost of setup and running and to make the web presence significant and relevant for the locals. Working together as a team! Any trade to the area is good for all. If they can combine to provide the shopping park alternative, but local, then job done.
It’s asking a lot as they my be competing with each other already for scraps. But many ants make… and they all survive!
Their chamber of commmerce should organise this somehow. have a central contribution kitty. Have regular team meetings (face to face networking).
So as I said, I don’t think a conventional ecommerce cart, blog, forum, or photo gallery will work.
New media, like a localised you tube portal and podcast springs to mind. More like a community radio channel for locals, at worst a picture slide show, involving the CLIENTS as I said. ie interviews with customers “what I did with my locally bought stuffed echinada was this”.
I sincerely hope you will NOT tell them to sell out to wall mart and sell domains instead, even if there is more money in that!
Local community, local shops are seminal to society. If all we ended up with was the net and shopping parks, I think that would be abysmal.
Where would you get your coffee machine fixed same morning for instance?!
What if there was no local music shop to stronk your first ever Fender? What if you could only order a Les Paul by mail order catalogue.
What if there was no local toy or shoe or sweet shop for your children (already scarce here).
How sad is that!
I may never be rich. but I care about my local community! It’s where I “live”…
IMHO think schools and community centres - not long tail and virtual shopping malls, or increasing with long distance sales.
Use the web to bring people in to the area, with package bundle discounts. £10 off your hair, free coffee, 10% more at johnies sweets, tie in with accommodation, travel, tourism, etc..
And let me say live web cams to you. Imagine a matrix. Local people seeing themselves. Added community security. Added hive of activity.
JM0CW.
BTW Ed you’re looking really drained and tired recently. FFS take some hours off! There will always be other domain names to buy later
Take care of yourself (and your local community).
Peter.
Hi Ed. For fashion retailers I would suggest videos of store employees showing how to combine various accessories as the stock and seasons change and complete outfits too,then offer to reserve and hold for a day or two with a paypal downpayment or pay in full and even ship or deliver in-stock items locally if needed.
Change videos weekly to keep their regular customers happy and interested while saving them time when they do get in.
Hi, the simplest thing is just collect their email and maybe give them an incentive to do so like a discount or free coffee or whatever’s appropriate and then email your client list with special offers or just on a slack tuesday send out an email with a 10% discount for tuesday shoppers etc etc
NYC(mmanhattan) delis are having great success recieving their take-out orders via email, or order form on their homepage……siginifcantly reduces phone order-taker’s work load; also can be automatically displayed in cooking area, and payment is also done as part of the process……
Example!!!
Dear Ed,
Please send us vid of black swans.
One online retailer I know does a monthly giveaway. All customers are notified by email about that month’s winner, then they actually have to visit the website to find out who the winner is and then claim the prize if it’s theirs.
Cheers,
Marie
Hi Ed I think the idea of sponsoring a local charity on your blog site is a good idea and gets members of the local community involved In my area several local busineses have sponsored scouts on their blog and one organisation involved with kids’ parties has got a lot of free advertising and business through this thanks
Ed,
There are several options here that a business can use to promote themselves on the net. While setting up a site up is fairly easy these days creating brand recognition and awareness is another thing plus driving traffic is the hardest part. Best way that has worked for me personally are listed below:
MY TEN TIPS:
1) Brand their letterhead, products and all marketing materials with URL of the new site.
2) If the business has customer, why not send them a postcard with the site plus perhaps a tips based touch with the URL or coupons.
3) The website should have a blog (like this one)with the tags setup right and a forum so people can interact with each other. Typically some good articles and tips in the blog and forum will bring good traffic. No idea on what categories to setup, just checkout competing sites on the net.
4) The main website, blog and forum should have a lead capture system, perhaps offer them free tips or something that is more relevant to this market. Plenty of content, content writers or reports are available to do so easily. A business can create a touch system which is automated and offer daily tips as touch system and build upon their base.
5) Google Ads can be targeted locally. That is another way to go.
6) Perhaps have ad in their local newspaper asking customer to log on their site to get special “internet only specials or coupons”. Promote these off line. Hey the big retails do this so why not borrow a page from them.
7) I would also ask for link back from site who are in vertical market segments and also contact local media or other sites with traffic, such as local TV news websites or newspaper websites. Offer to provide them content or share your expertise. They are always looking for good content.
9) Have a “suggest a feature” or “improve our site” feature as mentioned above.
10)Send PR via wire services (very cheap and free to do) to get publicity.
I’d suggest offering free product or service samples and running little contests through a newsletter, blog, etc. Then follow up regularly with emails full of useful information, holiday greetings, happy birthdays and such.
Tell me your personal and business story. Let me get to know you…no cold impersonal website. Show me you value Give me your passion for what you are doing and your rivals won’t stand a chance.
Anyone in small business has something to tell that will add value over and above “products” Most businesses are not unique but individuals always are.
Get your story out there.
For a retail merchant, have a printable coupon online for a bogo or discount, to get them to their web site and then in their store.
For a restaurant, offer a SMS or emailed daily special menu - works well for lunch cafes.
Some specialised services can offer online training, tips, maintenance advice online.
Consultants can provide a newsletter by subscription.
Many businesses could leverage online membership ‘club’ features, for loyalty and rewards.
Some could offer coaching programs or community-based mentoring via facebook networks.
Ed, I think BoostJuice.com.au is a great example of a small business growing very large, and using the internet to assist them. And, BoostJuice started off in Adelaide too.
At the store, they ask people to fill in their email address and birthdate, and they send out newsletters with special offers and on my birthday I get a voucher for a free boost juice.
They have website displaying all their products, job info, franchise info, and more.
I’ve also seen a website where a small business in the UK sells gourmet food online. They package the food in special thermal packaging with ice, and deliver gourmet food overnight. That’s a good example of how a local chef could expand their business using the internet.
Have fun in Adelaide, I just came back from there.
Julieanne
Hi Ed
Just reading the comments here has been great for me too. I have a small business with a website. I’m not too tech savvy though so I wouldn’t know how to do some of the thigs that have been spoken of. Would your audience be like me? Keep this in mind, I know you will as you have such a knack of helping people understand.
I went to a presentation just this week on a new concept called “vouchermate”. They have specials and discount offers for a collection of businesses and include links to their sites on the vouchermate site. Participants can change their offers themselves at any time. Vouchermate advertises through the local radio stations. It sounded good but as my business is financial services I didn’t see what ’specials’ I could offer. I certainly could see the benefit to other businesses though.
Video testimonials could be a good idea.
Cheers,
Lyn
Hello Ed
Here are couple of thoughts:
a) the small business could have internet access avialble for their customers - i.e. a friend of mine owns a hairdressing salon and she has few pcs (and internet access) avialble to her clients. this indirectly get the client to stay longer and also then spend more money at the salon
b) use something like google (CRM functionality) to get the information on customers and serve them personlly. for e.g a coffee shop (free coffee and cakes on a birthday etc..) afterall small businesses thrive on personlised services…
c) niche marketing - if the coffee shop owner sells gluten free products (i know this because my partner has a gluten intollernece and i am always looking on the internent for gluten free/friendly places to go to..)then they could use the web to listed in some manner
hope these are of some value to you.
Cheers Ed…
Hi Ed
Great question…After reading the comments which are great, I noticed no one mentioned JVs with other small businesses. They could cross pollinate lists with another business that they respected and trusted. The businesses involved could boost rankings from links to each other. Customers could learn about other businesses in the area that they hadn’t considered.
Thanks for all your knowledge!
Yates
Hi Ed,
It seems like into day’s small business world it’s all about communication and developing relationships so anything that you talk about along those lines I think would be great. Whether it’s starting a newsletter, blog, web site to collect customer info., autoresponder to build a list, etc. I think the best small businesses will be the ones that cultivate the relationships with their customers.
As a recently joined Immediate Edger this sounds like an idea for another project.
I am trying to sell things versus ebooks. No bricks and mortar.
And consequently very interested in these ideas.
Looks like it starts with a list, which I don’t have.
maybe need to sponsor a blood drive or a 5K run?
Richard
Ed,
Being a small business owner my experience has been relationship building is critical. I mail out letters (a blog) to my customer base. I keep customers updated on personal events (posts)… and they eat it up! When I see them they will ask me about the stuff I mentioned it the letters. (comments)
A blog is the perfect online version of these letters.
What you do here on tubbynerd is exactly what a small business should do to lock in customer loyalty.
Keith Goodrum
Hi Ed. First, thanks so much for the 30 Day Challenge. I needed to tell you that. I greatly appreciate all you have given us for the 30DC.
OK to answer your question. I am certainly not a Small Business Expert, but I am happy to share my opinion.
I think it is imperative for small business to have a presence on the Internet. Not necessarily to sell stuff but to be a calling card. A virtual beacon that says: hey, my business is right here. See me on the Internet, come and visit me in person.
The fact that a web presence can be done now with virtually little to no cost, makes it a no brainer.
Many small businesses are struggling just to get someone in the door, they do not have mega-budgets for a web hosting, web development and maintenance etc.
Here is what comes to mind for me: Blogger. Totally free. You can post virtually anything you want. And its as easy as typing a letter. If you are a restaurant, post your menu, talk about your recipes, give away a recipe etc. If you are a retail store, talk about products, specials, give coupons, etc.
Here is another idea:
I really like this from microsft small business: free web space, free domain of your choice, free email accounts. Totally free. The biggie is that you get a domain of youre choice (if its available of course).
Sure the web builder is very clunky but you cannot beat the price. A small business could just create a business card with a couple of benefits of their business, contact information and so on.
Here is the link:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX101465131033.aspx
or just go to:
http://officelive.microsoft.com/
Click on Office Live Small Business.
I hope this helps. Regards, Albert Grande
Thanks, Goldie Katsu, for your kind compliment.
Some really terrific ideas here in the comments!
The one thing I would advise small business owners about the internet is to build an active online presence where you can interact with your customers.
This means first asking customers and potential customers where they are active online, then reaching out to have conversations and build relationships.
No matter which tools or sites you use, truly listening to customers and sharing your passion are they keys.
I wrote quite a bit on this subject, titled Simplified Online Marketing.
Ed, congratulations on this recognition and honor. What a terrific chance to bring some new people into the online small biz community. Good luck!
Hi Ed, I worked for a small business and he did No emailing, small classifies, nothing. I did a small web page that could have offered something for free (newsletter, ect) and held an op-in email address all of which your smart followers mentioned.shown his USP!
Now, I want and need to promote locally for myself. I am thinking small classified print and small online Local Paper classified ($15 for 30 day)as an intro to a webpage with details would be good. AS there are two different papers in town maybe I could test copy for the best one.
As most said, do a campain of this or that, the same shop owner can use each on a rotating bases.
You guys have great ideas!
One good approach is to contact other established small business owners and ask them what they did when they were starting out.
Another approach is to find another business that compliments yours and vice versa and form an alliance and do the synergy thing. For example if there is a local pottery shop and you have a coffee shop you can stick your company logo on their cups and that will get your company name out to an existing customer base. It costs them nothing, unless they offer to split the cost of labeling the cups, they get an additional line to sell and you get a relatively cheap advertisement.
Good luck.
Hi Ed!,
Great question, but a little bit too large for a short answer. Assuming, that we are a small shop in a small town, where internet is slowly becoming mainstream.
What is the best strategy for a small business?
Top priority will be using the web to get more visitors into the shop… And that means building a web presence, and most likely an email list. Concentrate on building a community (not selling) and have some viral event to get as many customers on the list… keep them hooked with a mix of community events information, and store information.
Once this start rolling slowly test other channels like RSS, Videos, Audios, and selling though the web.
Cheers,
JP
Hi Ed,
As an off-line small business owner, one key thing comes to mind when I think of an online presence.
Aside from the obvious, capturing emails, doing the newsletter thing and all that, the biggest thing that a website does for a brick and mortar is establish credibility, establish that business as the EXPERT in that field, in that particular region, and builds trust and pre-sells even before any face to face customer contact.
Good articles and an email newsletter are a great start to establishing that credibility and expert status.
People visiting the site will learn all about the product or service, and will (if done right) perceive that business as the “go-to” expert in that field, rather than just one of many listed in the phone book or just another business card sitting in a pile.
For instance, if I’m going to get my house painted, and I find listings for 10 painters in my area on Google local, but one has a website, I visit that first. This business person has tons of great info on painting, choosing paint, methods of painting etc. Now I think to myself that this guy knows his stuff, and I would most likely call him first.
Thats what a local business website does in my opinion.
How to use the web to take a local business national or global? No clue, other than what we learned on the 30DC and the Edge.
Enjoy your presentation, I wish I was there to see it!
Mike Carlson, 30DC’er and Edge’er
Seth Godin summed it nicely in his blog article, “Memo to the very small”. You can read it at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/04/memo_to_the_ver.html
My 35+ yrs working with and owning small businesses finds me in complete agreement with him. …hold on - I’ve a glimmer of a new product coming.
Thanks for your great work Ed.
Hey Ed-
Good luck with the presentation.
The first thing popping into my mind is a little caveat you could tell them about: don’t get your marketing advice from programmers.
Of course there are loads and loads of talented programmers who can build good websites for a small business. But they shouldn’t depend on these people to tell them how to build a good website from a sales & marketing perspective. They really need input from someone with knowledge of how marketing works on the internet, to work with the programmers, to build a website that can meet their sales goals.
Hi Ed,
My advice would be to connect with their customer as we do on the internet. Brick and Mortar or Internet in my opinion its all about giving the customer what they want and stand out above there competitiors. They may need to make some changes, however, they also have a better opportunity to reach more people than they could locally by marketing on the internet. No matter what you do you have to constantly be willing to change and adapt to new environment. Look at what is new and be willing to get a mentor if need be to get them up to speed.
Hope this helps,
Pamela
Hi Ed - here’s my suggestions to go along with all the other great comments posted here.
I’m a great believer in leverage. So if you’re just starting out you need to find someone more established, but someone who doesn’t compete directly with your business, to leverage from.
Try offering your service as a very special offering to the clients of the other business as in a joint venture arrangement.
And because your business has been referred to others in this warm way, then the response should be much more effective.
If in doubt read the collected teachings of the great Jay Abraham.
Lastly, once new customers start heading your way, either offline or online, you need to totally blow their mind with over delivery.
Demonstrate a real wow factor and the message will spread like the proverbial bush fire.
Good luck with your presentation in Adelaide.
Hey Ed,
I was talking to someone recently who owns a martial arts studio (one of 1,000 in his area). The thought occurred to me that he would do well to set up a blog and use it to teach. This would give him a leg up on his competitors by letting people “see” what they’ll get when they sign up for classes.
I suppose this would also work for just about any business. Rather than teach, an appliance store could highlight some of the best features of Matag or Amana products. Or a bakery could give some tips on which baking products work best, or on storing ingredients.
Anything that’ll set them apart from their competition and let their patrons know they’ll get some quality expertise when they walk in the store.
Couple that with online only coupons and specials and like so many before me suggested, a sign up form for a mailing list. I think it would work
The other point is, if you just put a sign over your store, or an ad in the local paper, you’ll get people who drive by or read the newspaper in town. Online, you can get people throughout the region willing to make the trip to see you if you’re web presence makes it appear worthwhile.
That’s it
My accountant has a great blog in which he shares short anecdotes on how he helps his clients start new ventures and fulfill their dreams without the red-tape & finances getting in their way.
This is one of my favorite posts of his:
http://www.padgett.biz/?p=88
Title is “From Nothing to Something” about a client starting a new manufacturing line, and how my accountant, as a small business owner, can help the client accomplish this feat.
I don’t know, but for an accountant to have this time of investment and enthusiasm for his clients is unique, I fired my last accountant because it was nowhere to be found.
If all small business owners could convey this type of enthusiasm for their clients, I think they’d all increase sales quickly.
Interestingly, the top US 3% in income producers are also the only 3% of the population (of the US) that write down their goals and keep them where they see them daily.
ANY idea will produce the desired result if you do this first.
Customer Service and Support
It does not matter whether you are in an online or ofline business The business which excels at customer service, performs above and beyond the call of duty is the business which will succeed.
It used to be that if a business provided bad customer service, around 20 people would be told about it, with the internet, complainants can tell thousands and tens of thousands of people with just a sentence in facebook How would you feel if someone was complaining about your customer service, do you think they could do some damage?
Hi Ed,
Wow what an opportunity and a task!
Where do you start? Lots of great technology…I mean great benefits.
Many great ideas here but my experience working with the SMBs over the last 12 years is that most owners are not savy on basic web technology (having a web site) let alone WEB 2.0, blogging, list building, etc.
Many small businesses in my neck of the woods do not even have a web site so my approach is to help them understand what a phenominal marketing tool the Internet is when compared to the traditional offline tools that most of them do use such as Yellow page ads, print ads, and radio. Owners tend to think of a web site in the same vein as their offline marketing systems and can only imagine a brochureware site.
They don’t understand the level of interactivity that can be acheived through the web by using techniques such as email marketing, blogging, and video. BTW I think email marketing and blogging are the two top tools that all small businesses should be utilizing.
So Google Local is obvious to those of us who know the difference but most small business owners wouldn’t even know what you are talking about so for them it would be like “I can do that!”.
I think that you should discuss how the Internet can benefit their business by enabling the owners to attract customers and then keep in contact with them in a way that no other technology can.
As others have said before I think that the number one tool is list building and using it to keep their customers informed about specials, events, product info, etc. No offline tool is as cost effective in keeping in touch with their customer base as email marketing. Not really exciting but very effective!
Remember…Benefits not Features!
Dave
well to getto where to big hitter are you need to use what they are using to get there and to have the success you deserve but can’t afford that’s why those gurus get there and have so muc h traffic sales instantlly they use those tool wich you can actually get here
http://www.officialnetwealh.com
join the team and get any internet marketing tool fre free and i mean it no joke
Hi Ed, congrats on the opportunity to profile IM in the SME arena. So many biz owners still just “don’t get it”!
Looks like lots of people have said it more eloquently than I above, but here are some of my thoughts:
1. Automate lead capture and follow up (from off-line contacts) with an, or several, auto-responder series, plus up-sell and cross-sell.
2. Improve customer service with automated AR series, with surprise “thank you” emails, audio and video messages and bonuses even months, years down the track (when most small biz’s have forgotten about you long ago!)
3. targeted articles and content pieces with localised keyword phrases (nice and low comp).
SIDEBAR: Just on this, I am doing an IM consultancy at the moment for Australia’s leading technology enabled school, John Paul College in South Brisbane. (They have 2,200 WiFi laptops!).
I found a semi-decent Australian article directory http://www.ezine-writer.com.au/ Its no Ezinearticles.com and only PR3, but I got #2 on Google .com.au for “Brisbane Southside School”, pretty quickly, whereas US based .com directories won’t do this in the “AU only” search side of Big G.
So I think this young Australian article directory might have good potential for local biz.. Let me know if you know of any better .com.au authority sites that we can easily put content on
==================
4. Video demonstrations that actually load quickly
5. Forums
6. JV’s with collaboration between local bizs using online bonuses, freebies, vouchers. etc.
7. Surveys to determine what customers want/don’t want.
8. Blog to get their sites listed for the long tail terms.
The list goes on and on !
have fun
Peter Cutforth
Tell them not to worry about costs and how difficult it is. Show how to set up a wordpress blog in under three minutes, and get a template from templatemonster.com. When they see how easy it is to publish, give some pointers on what to put up on the blog and how to start making money on it.
I’ve been selling CMSes for a while, but I’ve recently started to help people set up wp-blogs instead. Frequent updates and good are more important than the look of the site, and when it’s easy, they’ll update more often.
Once they get the hang of that, get them into the 30DC.
Start small, build big.
Tell them not to worry about costs and how difficult it is. Show how to set up a wordpress blog in under three minutes, and get a template from templatemonster.com. When they see how easy it is to publish, give some pointers on what to put up on the blog and how to start making money on it.
I’ve been selling CMSes for a while, but I’ve recently started to help people set up wp-blogs instead. Frequent updates and good content are more important than the look of the site, and when it’s easy, they’ll update more often.
Once they get the hang of that, get them into the 30DC.
Start small, build big.
Four ideas I use with small businesses, which is infact my offline niche market.
1. I do alot of work with the building and associated trades. Links from and too accreditation/trade association and supplier sites.
2. Mailing list/sms list (not sure if you can offer that in Australia, but in the UK sms is a huge business in conjunction with customer databases) with web offers and discount cards, A local butcher increased web income by over 300% in 6 months and has started a home delivery division by doing this, all orders are taken via the web, footfall into the retail outlet has also been increased.
3. A small glass company developed a solution finder to common window lock problem, which goes through a q&a, he sells either an e-book offering the solution, or comes out for a quotation.
4, Local business = local customers and good old fashioned flyers both in footfall location and by drop all raise web awareness. Off line advertising of the web address also makes a huge difference and many small businesses don’t think to do this, leaving their old adverts with no web contact.
Local web awareness leads to spreading the word geographically.
Wow.
Well as an end user and definitely not an expert, I would say, depending on whether you are targeting local or wider interest, you need the right look. That could be homely or broad shouldered, ‘well paid’ or ‘home made’, but please please please avoid those cheap-to-free ready-made shopfronts, the ones with lots of corporate blue, city skylines or kiddies in suits looking both anorexic and far too vacant-yet-excited; usually by a keyboard.
Puke.
Nothing says ‘fakers’ like using one of those.
Be reachable. Keep it real, warm, human, approachable, like your customers will be welcomed and heard, and not just pushed through a machine.
Look like you don’t use call centres, like you pick up your own phone.
1- 24/7 marketing
A massive issue is , your website is open even when your business is closed!
So you can extend your hours to 24/7 without being there
2- automatic list building
Using a compelling offer to capture list information for direct marketing can be a 24/7 process
3- ebay
is an overlooked resource by many small businesses for lead generation, getting people into the funne.
I think they should think out of the box,and be competitive and creative with branding. Perhaps have an Echidna as a logo or mascot.
Number one thing is BLOG! Blog enthusiastically about their passion and business.
Plumbing, coffee, baking, fruit juice, art, sandwich making . . . whatever they are selling. They must be passionate experts and show it on their blog.
I have NEVER seen a blogging plumber but if I did I would hire him.
Hi Ed,
I think there have been a lot good ideas about selling but a way most small business people don’t use the internet is to buy better.
Here’s what I mean: Buying better is another way of increasing profits by keeping the extra margin or selling at a lower price but higher volume. Have a good web presence means that your business gets found more often and allows businesses around the world (but most probably Asia) approach you to buy.
Then you’re never short of suppliers or products.
I have used this to great success.
Nik
Haven’t had time to read all the responses so apologies for any repeats:
1. Use the Internet to establish yourself as the expert - blog, podcasts, videos, articles and press releases. Make sure that if someone locally wants to find out about the subject of your business, they find your stuff online (this shouldn’t be salesy content - just informative and interesting).
2. Have a main website that offers value to your prospective customers. Don’t just tell them where you are and what you offer - give them an incentive to come in. e.g. print off this coupon and come in within the next seven days to claim your free coffee and muffin, 30% off out clothing range, a free boiler check etc… Must have a reason to act now and must be a good incentive.
3. As per Caro, collect email addresses both online and in store and send out regular ciommunications to people with latest offers and special loyalty gifts and bonuses
Whoops, that’s 3 things. Never mind
Lisa
P.S. Adwords Local is obvious to us but I see so many local businesses using Adwords wrongly and paying excessive amounts for global advertising.
Some great, valuable comments here for all of us in the small business world! There are so many internet marketing people trying to ’sell’ on line training, courses or whatever it can be really confusing and hard to know which ones to trust, who know their stuff etc. You could save your audience a great deal of time by simply suggesting they check out TDC in the first instance as it will cut through a lot of rubbish for them, give them a framework to work within and access to a special community. It’s the fact that TDC is free that will immediately engender trust in the audience - and the fact that you and the team are willing to share so much of your time and knowledge. They can only but benefit.
Thanks again Ed and all the best for the presentation!
Tamsin
First thing I have to do with small businesses I advise is to manage their expectations, what they can realistically expect a website to do as opposed to what they believe it will do.
Next is to make sure that if their brother, sister, friend, pet dog (delete where applicable) is doing their website for them, it is being done to a reasonable standard and has at least rudimentary SEO stuff done on it.
Then get on to all the other stuff people have already suggested.
Hi Ed,
If you want to WOW your audience, just sing to them!
That will get a response for sure ;-p
Seriously, my experience with trying to get small local businesses to take advantage of the internet opportunity has been frustrating. Admittedly it was a couple of years ago now and in the backwaters of UK suburbia, but I tried promoting many of the promotions already talked about - email list building, promotional coupons, newsletters etc, and I found the small business community generally to be very resistant to the whole area. They would all moan about lack of customers, increased competition from large stores & web sites, but not be willing to seriously try some new approaches.
So my advice to them would be “wake up, or die with the dinosaurs”.
Maybe some attitudes are changing, but I don’t see much evidence of it around my locality. Most attempts are pretty feeble and unproductive, but they often seem to be unwilling to invest the small amount of money and time to do it properly.
Maybe, Ed, if you can educate them for us, we can try to help them stay alive!
Neil
1.) “Preneur Pete’ hit the nail on the head for local food joints. Email campaigns just before dinner to the office crowd is a killer tactic.
2.) For small business to ship real products international (not e-products) is far too difficult with the current mess of customs requirements and “homeland security” (whatever that’s supposed to be). 90% of the bigger e-stores in the USA won’t even ship to Canada. The airlines won’t take credit cards not based in the US. The mayors and government representatives at your speech need to understand that these issues affect small business far more than big business.
Hi Ed,
As always keep up the good work and thanks for your effort.
OK – Here Goes – Three Things that Small Business can and must do . . .
1. Capture their customer list – Yes this sounds simple but 98% of small business does not do this. Doesn’t matter if it’s a coffee shop, a hair salon, a fruit shop or any other small business make it a pre-requisite of doing business. It might feel weird to start with but after a while it will become the norm – then use this list to build and extend the relationship. Create a membership site just for their clients. Send birthday cards (real ones) and special offers – through direct mail. Get Excited
2. Use the Web for Education – Small business operators work hard – very hard so if they can use the web to educate themselves and their clients they can become marketing machines
3. Stop – Take a Breath – Actually build the internet INTO their business instead of making it a “bolt on†they can do so much more if they just lift their heads long enough to work ON their business instead of IN it
After working with small business for 20 years I suggest the best book without doubt is the E-Myth Revisited and I would recommend that they all get a copy.
Also I am writing a book that will assist them in using their sub-conscious mind to grow their business.
If you would like a free copy or would like to give them a free copy then just send an email to mysecretpower@getresponse.com and I will ship a copy once its complete – at my expense.
It will be published about November 15th.
Thanks again Ed – Take Care
Stephen
PS: The book is not complete yet but should be available mid November
Use a company that specializes in helping boost web presents and that will do it on an international scale.
This company is great… www.JamesVernon2BlackBox.com
LISTBUILDING!!!!! Online/offline this is the single most important thing to do.
Then contact them regularly by email/snail mail with info and offers.
For those selling mugs as well as coffee, set up a shopping cart. Get fulfillment in place before getting swamped.
Susan
Hi Ed,
I would get any small business to focus offers around popular events or famous people.
Here’s a few simple examples
1. A local Ozzie Pub
Buy one beer during each half of the Rugby World Cup Final and well give you a free one if England score a try.
2. A local Ozzie Hairdresser
Name David Beckhams childrens names and get a 20% discount on your new hair do.
3. A local Ozzie Car Dealer.
Give away a free car health check CD and offer a new or used car at a stupid discount for the next three months (Ok the client may not be looking for a car right now but he/she will remember the freebie and the discount offer)
How do you get them there in the first place.
Go offline first
For the pub thing have some great looking girls handing out leaflets
For the hair thing have some great looking guys handing out the leaflets
For the car thing it can be both.
Now take it online
When someone comes with the leaflet they have to give an email address to take part in the promotion or receive their free gift.
Now you have your list.
Now build your list by asking those people to recommend their friends (VIRAL)by giving another free gift
Not sure if this approach will work but nothing ventured nothing gained.
Richard
Get the local business owners to search for localized forums and communities (Craigslist etc) - they can search and respond to business-relevant posts with helpful info and a signature link that indicates what they have to offer.
Nothing like a bit of pay-it-forward to get the ball rolling locally.
Thanks,
Andy
Hey Guys (and of course ED),
So many good points here I think I will add two that I haven’t seen here yet:
1. Storytelling - tapping into people’s emotions through telling a story about the product, company, etc. is a great way to really connect with people. A good example is a guy (a truck driver) that sold his ex wife’s wedding dress on Ebay for thousands of dollars because he told an interesting story which had interesting appeal to buyers. The story was purchased, not the product (it’s unlikely the dress was ever worn)! Blogs are a great platform for this.
2. Unexpected - In today’s world there are so many “me too’s”. You need to get attention by changing the way people think about something which will stick out in their minds and give you an advantage the next time they hear your product/company message. You wonder why so many people remember The Simpsons (what a successful show) episodes, it’s because they use the unexpected strategy. Keep it simple but unexpected.
Jeremy
p.s. For those of you visiting my site… we are privately launching our beta in about a week or so. Send an email to unleashvideo@gmail.com for an invite
YouTube who?!?! LOL.
p.p.s. Good luck Ed, blow them away mate!!!
Hi, Ed, this is a great way to gather lots of different ideas for a talk or anything, great idea.
I am a graphic designer and deal with helping clients with marketing and websites.
My #1. is Put your phone and contact info on every page, not just on the contact page. People will call when they get stuck on your site if there is a number. It is the number one pet peve I have on marketing materials, people forget their contact info.
# 2. Google analytics, great way to gather info on who is coming to your store.
#3. Get a cross promotion going between the store and the web site. promote the web site in the store, offer coupons on the website, this way you can see if it is working, Give away a free cup of coffee or something. go to the web site get a coupon. try to drive traffic on off days with coupons from the site.
#4. direction maps and a picture of the business so people can find you. Google local for sure.
#5 fix key words and description, often they are missing entirely.
#6, I liked Dennis Hester’s comments above
bruce
Hi Ed:
To quote a little Dan Kennedy, “benefits, not features.” I’d tone down the technical side; most of the audience will just get lost in it. Keep it simple and entertaining. If you strike the flame of internet marketing in their minds, the fire will follow.
Ed,
I’ve discovered software shareware that will allow me to do the following based on the requirements of my Latin America-based projects:
1) Provide a multiplicity of shops and boutiques that can be individually customized. Translation and chat services available.
2) Provide a virtual office building with individual services customized. Translation and chat services available.
3) Provide the set-up for global/international
meetings and seminars where collaboration on
applying scientific research to development of
therapeutic products and for use in functional foods. Two-way video as well as translation and chat services in 9 languages. Shareware.
Ed, an afterthought:
A Web presence for attendees at your conference wanting international involvement would provide both entree and cachet and replace expensive brochures that would be distributed blindly. Also very important, imbedded translation services would allow nearly limitless global reach.
Good question Ed.
I work with small business owners to increase their web presence as a way to make a living. I’m currently working with University of North Carolina on building awareness for their Open for Business Initiative and have had pretty
good success.
The one, most important thing that small business owners can do is segment their customers into the specific niches that they serve and build their long tail marketing efforts around their most profitable niches. The rest is just tactics.
Make it easy for me to spend money on your website and feel happy while doing it. Oh, and remember that people who are still on dial-up have money to spend, too.
Specifically:
1. ADA compliant and user-friendly — if I can’t find it, I can’t buy it.
2. Spelling/grammar counts toward (or against) your credibility. A few typos are expected but if it seems that you aren’t reasonably well-educated, can I trust you to do the job?
3. Make it easy for me to buy more than one thing — when I make one selection, make it easy for me to go back to shopping to make more selections.
4. Make the purchasing process understandable — if I have to guess how to enter my credit card number because you have a specific format required but haven’t told me what that is… Not likely to guess more than twice.
5. Give me a reason to spend $50 instead of $10. Free shipping for $50 in books. Yeah, I will.
6. Keep your word. If I do business with you and you do what you said you would do, I’ll come back to you first — even if you charge a little more.
7. If it takes too long to load, I’ll move on. I don’t care how cool your Flash intro is, I want to skip it. I don’t care how fashionable your buttons are, if they don’t work, I’ll move on.
8. Ask people for help — about your website, about a community project, about a local fundraiser that you support, about how they use your products… People love to give you an opinion. Heh.
Hey, Ed. Another guitar player here. I love to check out your guitar collection behind you sometime. You should do a little vid showing them off if have not already.
I would suggest the following for small business on the internet (several ideas):
1 At minimum create a one or two page website showing pics and stating the business hours.
2 sign up at every major local section such as google, yahoo, aol etc… there are more people doing searches on the internet to get basic information on biz before they actually go and check them out in person.
3 if you have product or menu list it with pricing. put up some discount coupons to entice people to order or come visit.
4 if you have a menu create an online ordering for pickup or reservations system. when i am tired and want to order carry out i choose a local pizza place just for the fact that i do not have to make a call. I place my order on line input coupon codes and receive an email back on when delivery will be. this is so convenient. i can even make payment on line including tip for the delivery driver.
5 if you do have a website include contact information and the most important of all do check your messages several times a day and respond. I have written so many people asking questions about product and have never received a reply back. I do not do business with these people anymore.
too many to list here but hope this is not too much.
For any small business owner it has to be an easy 1-2-3 approach for internet marketing. Their time is crucial and for most have a lack of it.
A great flow chart would be awsome!
JIMI
Some great suggestion here from everyone.
I’ve been working with a small business owner here in the LA are for a bit now. He sells wine. He’s very passionate about it. Here are a few things we have done.
1. collect contact info for all in store clients
2. setup a weekly blog/newsletter about wine and specials in the store, recommends, etc…
3. set up a comparison chart for wine (in non-snobby wine terms) This was key. He is passionate about wine, but people get put off by the “snobby” language.
4. Most content is pulled from Wine spectator and sales literature (we give them credit). He has the items scanned when they aren’t available on the web, and has cheap (less than $5 an hour cheap)outsourcing convert it to text and pull images and data to the comparison chart. This has bee really worth it.
5. We started doing a weekly video piece recently. A small food show really. He talks about wines he likes that week and some food that could accompany it. We try to keep it short and sweet. No more than 5-10 min. He really loves to talk.
Of course we do all the other stuff.
Keywords
newsletter sign up on the website
a ebook give away on picking the right wine
a shopping cart
live customer service chat.
all of this pushed web site traffic from 0-10 a day with just the text based emails he originally sent , to a 500+ a day when he publishes he his blog & video.
His catering contacts also love it, because they can order right online and see what he has in stock. They get local delivery that same day.
He also gets a lot of orders now from people planning parties that buy larger quantities.
And there are a lot of parties in L.A.
As Ed can attest, people love the video.
I see small businesses closing in our area and a web site would be a low cost electronic bill board. They do not have a clue about getting more customers.
If I were to do what you were doing the first thing I would to recommend a brainstorm employees to find out what they would want to see and their experience to be when they visited the website.
I would also find my employees weakness and strengths.Maybe have a contest instore for the best atricle written. ARTICLE content could be who we are, what we do, how we do it. In doing this you may find you already have talent on the payroll who could start a blog, submit articles to drive traffic (at no cost).Utilize and reward the talent they have.
Last but not least erviceprovide the customer with the same level of service you yourself would expect and nothing less.
Hope
this
helps
you will do fine.
Ed,
Wow everyone is assuming that these people are already have sites up and optimized. Huge assumption to make, because many of them do not, and most of those who do have no idea how to optimize for local searches.
If they do have a site and it isn’t at the top of the SEs for their keyword terms I’d recommend they run their url through http://www.searchenginetext.com (a completely free tool) and see if their term e.g. massage therapist + their location shows up in their title, first sentence, and last sentence. I know it’s basic so why do all the comments above miss making this point? Because they’re thinking like internet marketers and not people who need to be found in their location, for their service.
I have a friend who has a frame shop.
He is the local guy compared to the corporate
frame shops.
I have been after him to start a list…
for 2 years.
Get Low Tech.
Put a spiral binder on the counter next to
the cash register.
Then have a drawing from something each month.
The it is easy to say. Oh did you sign up for the drawing?
Simple Form:
Name: Email:
Then at a minimum you can email out Who won…
With a small ad for this monthh’s or weeks special or other reason they should drop into the store.
Also try to let as many people win as you can afford. People never win anything and when they do it puts a soft spot in thier heart… which coincidentally… leads right to their wallets.
You could also train customers to return to your website to see if they won.
Hi Ed,
I would recommend PPC to them. If they don’t have a product that can be delivered nationally or internationally then they could use geo-targeting. If they do have a potentially international product, using PPC effectively could be huge for some of them.
Have a good time at this prestigious event!
Tom
Before taking on international markets the internet could be used to make a greater personal presence in nearby towns. Using Facebook offers a personal touch.
I would also repeat what others have said about recording existing clients details on a computer and contacting them regularly in an automated way.
Regards
Jeremy Rawlings
Hi Ed,
As everyone says, “It’s all in the list.” So, you need to collect e-mail addresses. Plonk a fish bowl on the counter so people can drop their business cards in it. Have blank business cards available for people without business cards. Have a substantial prize, worth a couple of hundred dollars, and have a live drawing every month. More on this shortly.
At the end of each month get the names and e-mail addresses into a database. If you’ve got lots, you might want to get one of your kids or friends who would like a bit of cash to do this bit.
Once you have these typed in, send out an e-mail to the list letting them know where, and at what time, they can watch the live broadcast from. Now, you can have a helloWorld account for less than AUD15 per month. The live broadcast is also recorded so it is available at all times. Have one of your customers present to do the drawing of the card, holding it up for all to see.
You can do this every month until you reckon you have enough on your list. You can also send out a video e-mail of any specials (on a specific, slow day)you have each week to your list.
Maybe this might be a bit too modern for most people but have a look at the site anyway and take the tour. http://www.helloworld.com/gwesty1
I know this has worked very well for a cafe in Brisbane.
Cheers for now,
Grahame
Ed,
What brings me to a store are coupons-like Borders Books and Barnes and Noble send me coupons weekly. I buy something from one of them almost weekly.
Birthday treats are great. I get a discount or free meal from 2 restaurants for my birhtday. One offers coupons for a 2 for 1 meal or for a free appetizer frequently.
Customer service brings me back to them.
We have an area of small shops. Each has an email notification of specials and events. They formed a village type group, and have community events that draws the family crowd, and a lot of shopping is done.
Paula
Regardless of whether they have a web presence of not all businesses both big and small can benefit greatly from obtaining their current customers’ names and addresses.
Using that they can then send out newsletters either by snailmail or email to keep the interest “up”.
Customer contact has to be the priority.
I think most of us are thinking along the same lines.
Get them in a small group utilising each others expertise linking out to the wider world.
Get them talking and sharing views (pretty much what we’re doing here)
Similar businesses work well together to give a bigger outlet than each on their own.
Create ‘champions’ to promote business
We found that an advice request form worked very well for service based businesses. A try before you buy lead.
Ed, another afterthought:
Small businesses might be more interested in a Web presence if there were the prospect of business to justify the effort and expense. I totally forgot that international business for Australians would include the U.S. Therefore, I’d suggest alliances (reciprocal membership) with state and regional chambers of commerce and would start with the following that I know are especially active:
1) US Chamber of Commerce (DC)
2) DC Chamber of Commerce (DC)
3) Latino Chamber of Commerce (Miami)
4) Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce (San Juan)
Continuing newsletter adverts that refer viewers to websites developed for your clients should generate action. Complete lists of U.S. Chambers of Commerce are easily available on the Internet.
In addition, the US Small Business Administration with headquarters in Washington, D.C., publishes a newsletter where an advert (free) about the desire for alliances could be placed. The adverts would, of course, refer viewers to your clients’ websites.
Lynn Catoe-Emerson
Ed, please forgive the bombardment. However, info in my morning emails has precipitated another idea that is cutting edge and of possible of interest to your audience (which is probably very “savvy”): the virtual world: use of any of the many platforms being launched — free in most cases; and, use of avatars as staff and salespeople. If your presentation were to take as a “given” that the value of a web presence is understood, the challenge offered by you could be for them to participate in an experiment to determine which design approach is more effective: the traditional approach or an approach using some virtual elements. An excerpt from an article in my email:
Monday, October 15, 2007
Virtual Worlds Expo: Wrap-Up
Back home now, with the luxury of a little time to think about it, these are my main takeaways from Virtual Worlds Expo:
Interoperability/open standards: Everyone was talking about this, in all it’s iterations:
* A shift from “walled gardens” to interoperability, which could mean the ability to move your avatar and/or identity from one world to another, from a virtual world to a traditional website and back again, from virtual world to mobile phone and back
* Making virtual worlds work like the Web
* Having a common client for virtual worlds
* Having greater accessibility to your online and in-world friends from any world, site, or phone
Measurement and research:
Who’s there? What drives them? What keeps them coming back? There was a lot of discussion about the “early adopters” in virtual worlds, although to mind this is wrong — the early adopter are just *now* getting there. According to the original Everett Rogers adoption curve, it’s the Innovators who are currently best represented in virtual worlds populations.
Sorry to take so long to answer. I’ve been at the hospital awaiting my new great-granddaughter (born today).
For a small business, I would utilize search engines to find out who or if there is competition. Find out what the successes are doing and emulate. PPC scares me but it can probably be cost-effective in a local market.
Definitely start a blog and give free information and training on your niche. Reviews and guides on your products would be welcome. Develop a free report & TRY to give it away to build a list. (This hasn’t worked particularly well for my subject. I have a FABULOUS report and only one taker. oh, well).
Bottom line, I’d tell them to get involved in the 30DC to learn what the tools are so they’ll know how to use them.
Thank you again for the 30DC.
Sincerely,
Brennan Kingsland
Create a unique atmosphere in the cafe using hard to get books, CD’s, DVD, boutique wines, craft, local art and sculpture, etc. - it could be motivational books, a range of business books etc. But, these items are displayed only, the bulk of the ordering is done through dropshipping via the cafe’s website.
Find out what the area wants by surveying the customers.
Run a coupon card - free coffee every fifth, free muffin on 15 and 20 purchase, and another free coffee if they submit the used card with an email opt in address.
Once the email list is moving then use emails to promote new releases of boutique and seasonal items, do rants about forthcoming local events, but, also to remind and utilise reply order catering for office events, for corporate gifts from the cafe catalog, or to pre-book tables for work meetings and appointments held in the cafe.
Jv with other office related services, flowers, etc.
This is really creating a distinct online business that uses the cafe to attract customers and possibly service their orders.
The cafe could then feature “Meet the Maker” sessions where the winemaker, artist, sculptor and so on do a meet and greet at the cafe promoting their own work.
Obviously, the network arising from these sessions would also “cluster” on the web page to help increase rankings and traffic.
Hope this helps.
Well Ed, the obvious would be to initially gather email and physical addresses to send on and offline marketing messages with specials, discounts and any relevant news that the customer will have an interest in. To get the personal info the business can offer a discount, two for one deal or whatever will prompt the customer to leave the info. Having surveys asking the customer base about current service and/or products, new products or services that the customer may wish to have would be a help to any business.
Then the local businesses can advertise for eachother, something like the cleaners in the same block as the pet supply store to generate potentially beneficial foot traffic, or “discount week” in a certain area, when all of the businesses participate.
I believe that may be a good starting point.
Hmm. The ONE thing that the internet can be used for to make a difference to small business would have to be…
…to allow them to grow bigger, of course. Not just in terms of where they can source clients from, but more importantly by giving them an avenue to cheaply and effectively develop a talent pool that they can outsource the administrivia to, allowing more time to focus on CORE BUSINESS.
Elance, VA sites, Rentacoder, any and all options. IR law changes notwithstanding, the shift of the digital age is towards forced autonomy: it’s no longer possible to pretend that you can have someone else look after you for the rest of your life in work (or in relationships, for that matter), so the people who have the most marketable skills are already selling them as contractors through the internet. Take advantage of that and draw on a world wide talent pool to free you up to build your business the way you know you could if you didn’t have to do all that paperwork…
Hi Ed,
The main thing about being successfull is to make sure you market yourself effectively. It is no use advertising if
1. You are advertising in the wrong place.
2. You are not advertising to the right people.
3. If you are advertising on Search Engines make sure your site is SEO. it is no good putting an ad on a search engine if there are 1200000 pages and your on the last one.
Keith
Some where up this list of comments there was a JV (Joint Venture) mentioned. That reminded me of the story “Miracle on 34th Street”, where Santa suggested another store if the store they were in was out of, or didn’t carry an item, but you know of a store that did carry the item you wanted.
How about commenting on any local events you could be of assistance to.
Colleges, schools, event throwers are always looking for people to donate items to be raffled off. Look at it as your advertising and the promotional area of your small business to get the word out.
How about a contest among your competitors? You promote them to promote you. Two coupons in one. Shared cost, shared customers, but a different spin on each business, or a different service to each business, even if it is the same type. One will do one part while the other does the other part. (Hope that is makes sense to you.)Then have the customer give a review of each business.
Two businesses, shared customers, different aspects of each. A review for both, and word of mouth, too.
Both businesses win and save on costs.
As a follow up do a review on that event and how you and your business can further help your community.
By the looks of comments you will have more than enough, to give to your audience. Just categorize, sort, eliminate duplicates and add some of your own, and you will have more than enough to last hours for you speech. Well, maybe not hours. Hope, we have help make your job easier. Don’t forget the question and answer time at the end. LOL
Hi Ed, what has worked for me are making the most of the locals via the net. I’m central to the financial district of sydney that offers great possibilities. By creating URL’s with the key phrase of where I am has created a great flow of traffic in a niche market. for example I treat people with acupuncture so I use the key phrase acupuncture sydney and have wrapped most of the URL’s up using that phrase. I have then created wordpress websites having my news letters as the content with sub catogories linking back to my mother site. so you could do this with any local area. Also I have people enquiring from spain amongst other places that have have read my news letters through my google blog thats also linked to my website. So from many directions the website is growing organically and on auto. One other thing I have done is combined running a raffle in local businesses getting peoples emails and names they then go in the draw to win a gift at the end of the month while I add a 100 local emails to my list that I continue to send news letters to from that point on. when they read something of interest they make an appointment. the news letters are then posted on article sites and blogs for trafiic further a field.
I hope this helps
Kind regards
Scott. and thank you!
Hmm… Interesting aspect. It is funny because with the Internet now is almost hard to speak of “regional” or “local”.
Let’s see. Maybe having by all means a presence online while making an impression locally. What I mean is by channeling more bussines online, one small bussiness will get the freedom to sort of support the local community in a way without being pressured by low income, biz, etc.
I am running a small boutique amp building shop from the basement of my home (see: www.gabtone.com ) and while most of my biz is generated online, I love taking part or rather supporting my local market niche, in some sort of a networking with small music stores with character, musicians, luthiers, and other amp builders.
Since my biz started as a result (one of them) of a online community (18watt.com) it is really hard for me to attribute much credit to myself. I have many friends (amp builders) in my field who supposed to be competitors but we are long time friends actually sharing trade secrets. It is really a great thing, unheard of on the Big League biz field.
Am I making sense? Lol…. Just thought I’d share this…
NOW!!! Please name the guitars you have in the background of your video :-)))]
Cheers from Chicago,
Gabi.
Dead simple from me.
1. Use autoresponder from a “find out more” link or button to deliver a message offering an initial discount, or one-off special offer, to new customers to come and try your product.
2. Display customer feedback on home page of site.
Hi Ed
Just noticed a typo in your header…you have two r’s in the word “Internet” - maybe it was on purpose, but if it was, maybe you should change it to “Interrrrrrrrrrrrnet”
Cheers!
Gideon
Wow Ed I do like your presentation. I miss the thirty day challenge a lot. Did learn a graet deall bu then the desperastions of lifes pitfalls smacked us down harder than bullfly getting whacked by momma near the top of the taters. Lifes a scary assed deal write now. Tryin to keep the money coming in whilst tryin to get this thirty day deal moving. I hope I can get a littlt of that power, that jazz i felt fot back in august. I am no a quitter, but K Rails down the center lane of my life are keeping from stopping off once in while.As a metter of fact those K-rails aren’t even letting me stop for full tank of gas or for cheap coffe for the sole. (screw the Chicken Soup) I felyt a good thing coming Ed. I just hope it is not to late to try again. I will set asside the sleep, food, even cleaning up after my grandkids to get tis going again. What do ya say Ed, is ther a place for a fairly succssefull, fully burnt out ever the optomistic person who wants nothing more than to make his family and hisself comfortable, and happy???? Talk to me Ed I need YOUR ADVICE!! Grasshopper has been humbled and will now listen to the master ( David Carradine 1972-1975).
I give up sleep. time and real cooked food. I just gots me no moneys on the table to be startin wit.
Whataya sat Ed?
John
There is a flood of duplication on the blogs so far submitted.
We all need to think outside the square. Eg
Sol was the owner of a store who was approached by the owner of a multi national company wishing to buy Sols store in order to construct a huge complex. Sol said absolutely NO. The new complex was built and business thrived, so much so that the owner approached Sol again to sell, as he wanted to build in order to join up with his existing complex. Sol said NO again so the complex was built on the other side of Sols property with an elevated joining walkway. After about one year the complex owner came to Sol and said ” Sol the complex was fantastic but now the shop owners are all complaining about the lack of business, but I see your business is absolutely thriving. What have you done.” Sol said ” I had a name change”
The complex owner said ” what did you call it.” Sol said ” Main Entrance”
Ed you can now own it.
The point I’m trying to make is think differently.
Eg. When you see a coffee shop, it is judged by the amount of people on the tables and so you go in. If you have a clothes store, put a coffee machine in and give the coffee away and have people in the shop so it always looks inviting. Coffee is cheap and people will hang and talk. They will like visiting.
Just a thought
bob
In all honesty I would spend my time out in the neighborhood having people knock on customers doors, telling them about it.
Also Put on mini special events at my place of business.
I tihnk a lot of small business peoepl aren’t searching for that kind of thing on the internet at a local level.
Hi Ed
Sorry mate I just got your message, probably too late to give you my 10 cents worth.
However, in terms of a Cafe web promo idea, I would have said that some sort of daytime serial entertaining diatribe between what’s happening in the cafe with staff acting out fun banter between themselves and customers (like some sort of Seinfeld scenario) targeting as banter themes such things as menu choice, should Jimmy the kitchen hand read this book or that book or which date should Susie the waitress go on Mr. X Mr Y or Mr. Z etc etc (doesn’t even have to be true, but some sort of second life synthetic creation in real life). This could all be linked to Blogs for each of the staff and have them setting up and talking about fun and entertaining crap about themselves or their alter ego’s. Consider also that new film out called “waitress” as a backgrounder to the idea.
This also could all be worked up also a You Tube links (e.g. “see the video of Limited edition run of Turgid Thursday’s Tofu and Tenderloin burger - place your order so you don’t miss outâ€). It could also be tweaked along the way with Viral emails and sms to play it all along and helping the customers to make lunch the best entertaining experience they could possibly have in their day. Expected outcomes would be customer loyalty (giving you customer retention) and further viral word of mouth and email distribution (giving you new business) and if the media got hold of it (free promotion). All could be done at very little expense (cost of sms and IT and web structures).
The trick would also to archive previous lunch expeditions and adventures on their web site to help in creating a cult trophy room and appreciation gallery of past lunchtime participations. You would also make it available for regular lunch time customers to get involved and establish a profile and enjoy the incremental fame of this new dining game.
Just a thought I had!
Regards
Simon R.
Hi, I’m looking for a credit card to improve credit history. My credit score isn’t enough to be approved for a mortgage loan and I do want to buy a home of my own. I’ve browsed lots of websites on credit card deals available and I think of starting with a secured credit card. It seems like I’ve found the application for one that suits me best at
Excellent Credit Card
For me as a consumer all these rewards are very confusing. Everytime I look at a credit card deal I feel that there is some kind of a catch but I am not sure what it is. I feel more confident applying for a credit card online from websites that give you a list of different cards so I can compare every point. Lately I’ve been using
Excellent Credit Card
Very Nice Site! Thanx!
http://excellent-credit-card.blogspot.com
Very Nice Site! Thanx!
http://excellent-credit-card.blogspot.com
A small business should definetly start localy insearch engine perspective, target your main niche by optimazing your website, submit your link to google on your account page there you can define the adress the map the geo location and definetly your keywords. targetting localy you have more chance us a small biz to succeed with google. and other search engines. start small. learn to walk before you run.
This is one key to internet profit.