Curtis Sullivan

While enjoying some delicious fish tacos (arguably the most genius dish ever created), I saw the table centerpiece advertising a Facebook fan page, and I knew that I needed to write about it today.

After a Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce group meeting today, Scott and I spotted a Wahoo’s Fish Taco restaurant right by where we had parked. We added a few quarters to the meter and I offered to treat my good friend to a little piece of flavor heaven. We ordered our tacos (also had a charming short conversation with the cash register operator), and waited for them to be brought to our table. As we sat down I immediately noticed the displayed information standing in the center of the table, it read “FREE STUFF FOR FACEBOOK FANS.”

As soon as we got back to the office I looked them up on Facebook; I was happy with what I found. I thought to myself, this company is really “getting it”. The Facebook fan page had exclusive offers (out of day mother’s day coupon), Colorado locations, menus, summer food suggestions, catering information, and more!

Businesses that use social media can take a page out of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos’ book when it comes to Facebook. Sure, I would like to see some more social media (they could benefit from YouTube like their parent site), but all-in-all they are positioning themselves well to start crushing it even more. Above all they seem to realize the how-to and the why of leveraging social media right now. Good work!

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Twitter Terms: A Few Quick Explanations For New Twitter Users

May 27th

Like any social scene, there are rules to properly behaving in the social media world. For many new to Twitter, discovering these rules as well as understanding the cultural vernacular can be challenging.

The DM (Direct Message)

Direct Messaging is just what the title implies; it is a private message between users only viewable between the sender and receiver. DMs are increasingly worthless due to automated responses from users to their following. Unfortunately many DMs are lost as their intended target may get hundreds of self-promoting plug messages each day.

The RT (ReTweet)

ReTweeting is an opportunity for users to promote good content from another Twitter user to one’s own following. The RT is a prime example of how social media is GOOD for business, and allows word of mouth advertising to shoot through the roof. Now, this does not mean that users should continuously shout their promotional plugs into the either and hope that somebody RTs; rather it’s a way to support remarkable content – if your content is remarkable… inevitably it should catch on.

The @Response

With countless users engaging in “auto-responding” DMs, the @response is the new form of direct Twitter communication. One can @respond somebody by simply typing @[username] and then the message – for example tweeting: “@garyvee you rock and I loved your book!” @Responses are public, and this should be taken into consideration when communicating through them, which means your following will be able to see with whom you are interacting and how those interactions take place.

The # (Hash Tag)

Hash tags are used to promote a public conversation; if several people are discussing the same topic and users want to follow a specific topic rather than individual users, then hash tags are the way to go. To start a conversation or get involved users must simply include #[onewordsubject] – for example “#oilspill” is a common topic for May, 2010 – my thoughts on the topic will be promoted in the existing discussion stream with a tweet like this: “Ugh… I wish we could do more about the #oilspill in the Gulf right now.”

The #FF (Follow Friday)

Somewhere along the Twitter historical time-line, somebody start using Fridays as an opportunity to promote other users to their following. It is not mandatory, but seems to be reasonable etiquette. Users can effectively do this by personalizing the tweet as something like, “Hope everybody has a great #FF! Check out @garyvee, @chrisbrogan, @scottsmeester and @thesullybear they are helpful”

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Converting Your Lookers Into Buyers

May 19th

Posted by Curtis Sullivan in Life in a Start-Up

After an interesting morning in the office we have been debating the value of auto-responding emails and how to effectively SELL products online.

Online businesses can be a beast, especially when EVERYONE is doing it. There are hundreds of differing opinions about “the best” way to increase your conversion rates and sell more products online.

It appears that most businesses would agree that either directing traffic to a strong landing page with adequate calls to action, or getting potential clients into an email funnel with free products are the two most effective ways complete the conversion process. What makes a good landing page? With so many auto-responder emails out there, is your business throwing money at automated emails that just get deleted?

Other professionals might argue that developing credibility online through various media is the best (though more time consuming) approach to making more sales. So many people are using social media incorrectly, and filtering through all of the available information is becoming more and more difficult.

Ultimately, all of these methods have been proven to work for businesses, and there are numbers to support their success. Every business is different, and different approaches work better for different products, services, price points, etc. With so much good information out there, we want to simply know what works for you and why.

Today, we are presenting you with a question: What do you believe is the very best way to convert your digital following into sales?

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Sales Recruiters: Over-Priced and Under-Effective

May 18th

The industry standard of recruiting effective and useful sales people is, staggeringly, only 20% successful.

Thousands of American companies use recruitment agencies to fill their sales positions every year. Many of these companies utilize recruitment services based on desire to outsource a time consuming process and to (ideally) fill their sales force with better performing individuals; too often, ‘professional’ recruiters overcharge for their services and place inadequate individuals in to positions. Here are some thoughts to consider about using recruiters:

Sales recruiters have been known to charge up to 25% of the salespersons first year’s salary. Often there is also a retainer fee.
Recruiters usually only improve the success rate by an additional 10%.
Recruiters are often simply resume filters looking for specific things in potential hires.
Even when recruiters find somebody with a proven sales history in a specific market, there is no guarantee that the individual will continue to produce with the same quality due to variables in one’s life.

Ultimately, companies that use recruiters should consider some information before they finalize this experience. Buying a sales recruiter can be an expensive undertaking; consider if the potential cost corresponds with the value of your time to do it yourself. Hiring good salespeople requires an effective system that covers the entire recruitment process: position assessment, accurate and effective promotion of the position, candidate review and screening, pre-interview screening, and clear interview questions that relate to the position specifically. Hiring high quality and effective salespeople can be done. Companies can do it themselves and do it well, as long as they invest resources in to recruiting the right way. Smeester and Associates offers assistance and resources in cultivating businesses’ recruitment processes; here is some free information from “How to Hire Sales Stars”.

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Social Media Marketing 101: Setting Social Media Goals (part 2: Creating Goals)

May 13th

After critically assessing specific questions regarding social media goals, it is time to take action and actually create them.

Creating tangible and realistic marketing goals can sometimes be difficult for businesses due to the nature of marketing, however this is an important step along the process of promoting your professional brand and (ultimately) closing sales. Here are a few examples of appropriate and manageable goals that can and should be a part of your social media marketing goals:

Increased Sales

For business owners this is the number 1 goal for most endeavors. Higher sales results in more money, and despite the best intentions money is important and provides more opportunities to do more business. Digital marketing is valuable to businesses because it is so easy to monitor demographics relating to your business. Using social media is a great and (often) low cost way to market which should result in higher sales. Through social media marketing companies can promote products, services, discounts, deals, and more.

Increased Traffic

Digital commerce flourishes based on traffic. Social media provides a strong outlet to drive traffic of relative and pertinent potential customers. Quality content, great products, positive experiences, and more all play into the numbers game of converting online traffic into sales. Increasing traffic to your company website should be a goal because better traffic simply results in higher conversions.

Increased Awareness

Brand recognition is one of the most important pieces in business, and it always has been. With brand recognition comes customer loyalty, and in the on-line world that we live in being recognized as a credible and rational source is a powerful tool. Brand recognition and digital identity are developed through creating strong and credible content; when people begin to recognize you and your company as top sources of information or quality product producers, sales increase.

Higher Search Rankings

With an ever-increasing amount of websites offering products and services that may be similar to what your business produces, it’s often a mystery of how people will actually be able to find your company website. Social media is currently the most effective way to affect the variables in search engine algorithms. Using social media expands your “digital real estate” which broadens the net to catch potential customers.

Monitoring “The Conversation”

Social media allows different interactive tools and applications to keep an eye out for what people are saying. Companies can watch what customers are saying about products and services; companies can monitor relative conversations about relative topics to their brand and products. Setting this as a goal allows for tracking the interactions that you have regarding conversations that are happening in real time about content that your company and expertise may assist.

Getting started in the world of social media can seem intimidating, but articulating the desired outcomes of your marketing strategy will assist in determining which social media vehicles are right for your business.

Smeester & Associates offers several solutions for social media marketing, including creating a social media marketing strategy. Contact us for more information.

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Social Media Marketing 101: Setting Social Media Goals (part 1: Asking Questions)

May 12th

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“Everybody says that my business needs to use social media, but I don’t know where to start…”

Setting goals should be the cornerstone of any marketing campaign. Marketing goals help us to articulate why to use specific tools, who is the target market, and how to reach specific markets while promoting a message. Social media should not take the place of traditional marketing campaigns, but should definitely be included as a piece of the greater puzzle. For people new to social media, the first step of setting social media goals is asking questions; through appropriate questions you can develop campaigns to market your business and your message.

If you plan on developing a social media strategy, take a few minutes to articulate answers to the following questions:

Basic:

What message do I want to promote?
Who do I want to reach with my content?
What do I want to be known for/as?
How is the competition marketing (is it effective)?
How are clients and potential clients finding my business now?

Advanced:

What is my “brand awareness” right now?
How is my digital reputation (if it exists at all)?
What kind of services/tools does my specific audience use?
What do I have in common with my specific and targeted audience?
Is my brand/business currently being talked about? How so?

Hard:

What objectives are relative and pertinent to my marketing campaign?
What does success look like for your business (in 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year)?
What will I offer through social media to track and monitor my ROI?

Responses to the above questions, as well as similar questions, should affect how your company leverages social media. New business owners, entrepreneurs, and more would be making a wise choice to critically assess their current situation as well as where they would like to be in specific time increments. Be aware, however, that most “experts” agree that it takes 3-6 months (at least) to develop a strong online presence and begin seeing a return on the investment of time and energy.

Check this article out for more information about developing social media marketing goals (part 2)

Smeester & Associates offers diverse solutions for cultivating your business. Social Media Marketing is only one way that we can assist in the development of businesses. Contact us for more information.

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Making Better Sales Calls For Your Business

May 10th

I can’t remember my last evening at home that I didn’t get a solicitor calling; all-too-often they are absolutely terrible at selling to me.

Sales calls don’t have to be a miserable experience for both parties. By assessing some of the worst parts to most sales call scenarios, you can review your company’s approach and increase the likelihood of closing deals. Here are a few imperative things to remember for your sales force…

Social Media Marketing 101: Make The Most of Meetup.com

May 6th

1 comment

“Ugh. I don’t want to join another online community…”

Use meetup.com to increase your sales and business

Hello - My Name Is: SUCCESS

In the age of social media, there are so many options for how people can interact digitally. Sometimes it can be frustrating to determine which web-based services will be right for you and your business with so many possibilities. Without a doubt, Meetup.com is something that everybody can and should use. Meetup is exceptional in the online world because it is absolutely about face to face human interaction and providing a forum for real people to connect.

Here are a few ideas for how to utilize Meetup.com to increase sales and business:

Networking

Do a search for your city (25 mile radius) with the word ‘business.’ If you live in a reasonably populated area, you should be finding at least a few business related groups of actual people (example: 394 groups have tagged themselves with ‘business’ in the Denver, CO area). Use these groups as an opportunity to get to know other business owners, professionals, and people of similar interests in your community.

Even though commerce is becoming increasingly more digital, face to face interaction and business will never go away. Meetup.com provides a new way to connect with other businesses and that, in-and-of-itself, is an incredibly valuable tool.

Sponsoring

With 180,000 “meetups” happening every month, many need places to gather. Businesses that have meeting spaces (offices with conference rooms, restaurants, etc.) would be wise to offer manageably sized groups a place to gather. Restaurants and bars would be especially wise to offer a discount to group members during the time of their meeting. It has been said that 50% of each deal is ‘showing up,’ and this is a fine opportunity to get people to ‘show up’ at your place of business.

Meetup.com does charge to start and maintain a meetup group, but it is under $20.00 a month. Companies would be wise to pick up the bill for a group once in a while in exchange for recognition and promotion. This is a small investment with a great opportunity for some ROI.

Community Involvement

Several of the available groups focus around community service, spirituality, and other non-business topics. Any good PR person knows that active involvement with the greater community is an important part of business and recognition. Selecting one or more group that focuses on other things than business is a good move to develop personally and ‘get your name out’.

Shameless Self-promotion

If your business is B2C, then it you should be looking for groups in a related focus to your product. This may take some creativity, but it is an awesome idea. Here are a few examples:

Carpet cleaning companies should look at pet owner groups.
Companies that sell fabric, sewing supplies, arts and crafts stuff, etc. should be looking at craft-centric groups like quilting, painting, artisans, etc.
Restaurants would be wise to look at ‘singles’ groups.

Reaching out to groups of people that have relatable business is the first step. Following through, offering discounts, interacting, and promoting are the completion.

Start your own group

For less than $20.00 per month you can start your own group. Meetup.com can work with your Facebook account to promote groups and events; it can also send out emails to your address book. Creating a group would be a wiser choice for people already using the service but are not finding their specific audience or niche.

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Sales: Attitude Is Everything

May 5th

Everybody has bad days, but when it is selling time you must put your “game face” on and commit to providing your customers and clients with the very best experience possible.

Selling in today’s market is a completely different than any other time in world history, but some things never change. Maintaining a positive and active attitude can make a world of difference in the way that you do business and how people respond to you. Professionalism, positivity, and individuality are three of things that must be present at every interaction that could result in making a sale.

Let’s put this into perspective: You are at a restaurant, and your server is less than desirable. Their greeting is lack-luster, they don’t check back with you, they don’t offer dessert, and they treat you like a burden. Are you going to tip very much? Are you going to be in any hurry to come back to the restaurant? Now, think of the same restaurant, except with a great server that performs wonderfully and appreciates you and your business. Likely, the tip will increase and you might even tell your friends about what a good experience you had there.

Restaurants and servers are a great micro-view to how greater sales fundamentally work. Providing a good experience, great customer service, and a positive attitude make a difference in the likelihood of closing big sales. The experience of the customer is often just as important as the product itself.

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Social Media Marketing 101: Using HARO For Free PR

May 3rd

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is definitely my favorite tool on the web right now. It is a free system that provides nearly 200 opportunities each day for free press and public relations. Their slogan is that “Everyone is an expert at something;” this is your opportunity to share that with people.

Help A Reporter Out was created 2007 by Peter Shankman as a Facebook group. Now, the service has nearly 30,000 writers/bloggers/journalists/ etc. submitting about 200 queries each day to over 100,000 sources.

For most users, HARO is an email list subscription that provides 3 emails (morning, afternoon, evening) Monday through Friday. By registering for this service users will get opportunities to respond to REAL journalists and bloggers about their questions, and (hopefully) get chosen as a source for upcoming articles. There are a few simple rules and regulations on using HARO, but they ultimately come down to digital respect and using the site for professional purposes.

HARO queries are (usually) simple and direct; most of which also indicate that responses should be the same. Queries range from broad and general human targets like, “ever been poisoned by a bad burger?” to Very specific niche questions like, “Do You Work for or Know of a Company that has Thinly Veiled Gender Targets?” Each query comes with whom is being targeted and a question to be answered.

In 2009 Wired.com submitted a query to the (then) 80,000 sources; it read, ““How has this service worked for you? I welcome any feedback about how this service has or has not been effective.” In the 5.5 hours between publication and “deadline” the query generated 174 separate responses; 86% responded positively, 11% neutral, and only 3% had negative comments.

If you plan on joining or are already using this service please watch this video from the creator, Peter Shankman about responding to HARO queries. The video provides some clear information about how users should be interacting to maximize the likelihood of generating some serious recognition. HARO responses should be quick, timely, relevant, and accurate as those submitting queries are looking for experts rather than those simply promoting their business.

Using HARO can generate more eyes on your company’s website, establish you as a leading and credible source of information, and promote your personal and professional brand; all of these things increase your possibility to increase your Internet real estate and increase your visibility on the web. The slogan at HARO is that “Everyone is an expert at something,” and this is your opportunity to share that with people that want to promote you.