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?

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.

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.

Read more information about Meetup.com demographics and how to start using it.

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.

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.

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Use social media marketing for new sales opportunities

I Twitter, I blog, I Facebook, I check LinkedIn, I write a few responses, and then I take a big chunk of my day and dedicate it to learning new systems or mastering the things that I am using on a daily basis.  Once in a while I find some seriously useful and awesome tools that make my life easier; I also have found some very cool things that can help any/every business.  Though these may not be “new” to some people, they can be powerful resources if used correctly and even veterans may want to consider reconnecting with the services.  Also, next week I will put together a how-to guide for utilizing and leveraging each of these.

StumbleUpon

Most people are familiar with Pandora.com (internet radio) – a service that plays music based on user feedback (thumbs up vs. thumbs down).  StumbleUpon works the same way for internet browsing; users choose from a list of topics that they find interesting and StumbleUpon will direct “stumblers” based on what other users have “liked”.  Once “likes” have been established, users can “stumble” by using the installed toolbar at the top of their browser.  StumbleUpon will also interact with Facebook accounts (not automated – users must activate this feature) to allow “subscribing” to other stumblers that you know; subscribing to other users increases the frequency in which you “stumble” onto sites that they specifically have liked.

I firmly believe that social bookmarking will grow substantially in the next year as one of the most valuable pieces of the social media puzzle.  I have seen this service (used correctly and deliberately) create a 2,700% spike in digital traffic in just one day – which resulted in a steady and consistent growth in daily website visitors.

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

HARO began as a Facebook group that grew quickly.  It is now an independent website connecting REAL authors and journalists to credible “experts” in specific topics.  Basically, it was designed to help promote FREE public relations and provide new resources for professional writers.  HARO is also still developing and evolving; in the future it will offer even more specified topic lists, a database of published articles linking sources to writers, and more.

Registering for this service as a source of information will generate three custom emails per day with lists of topics to be responded to.  Professionals in any field would be absurd not to register for this and start responding to topics relative to their niche.  The service currently (4/30/10) has nearly 30,000 authors submitting queries and looking for new sources.  HARO can be powerful way to organically drive traffic to your site of interested potential clients and customers – get on this NOW!

Meetup

Many people may argue that business is losing the face-to-face human interaction element as we plow through the web 2.0 era; Meetup.com effectively combats this issue.  This service is designed to promote human interaction through live groups in your community.  Meetup has over 6 million users in 45,000 cities, and it promotes over 180,000 meetings every month spanning 28,000 topics.

Meetup allows visitors and users to search for groups of people based on topics of interests and/or city (zip code).  For example: Searching for Business in Denver yields 390 active groups meeting within 25 miles of Denver, CO.  Search results also clearly articulate how many members are in the group, where/when the group meets, and what topics are actively being discussed.

Becoming a member is FREE, so users can search, find, and engage peers in their interests at no cost.  However, creating and hosting a group comes with a very reasonable price tag, but it is well-worth the investment.

Pluggio

Most “experts” on the topic of Twitter agree that keeping a steady stream of valuable information is a good practice for businesses that use Twitter.  Pluggio is a (paid) service that allows direct linking between RSS feeds and your Twitter stream – it also allows you to manage (and “kind of” automate this interaction).  Users can direct several RSS feeds into this service, schedule when to forward articles and blogs into their twitter account, and customize these tweets.  Basically, it takes a (usually) three-step process and shortens it to one.  It does not violate twitter TOS because users must find articles, select them, and manually click them into the “queue” of tweets.  Users can even manage how often and between what hours tweets go out.

Pluggio is very simple and very useful.  I recommend personalizing the blogs and articles you are promoting, as it is very easy to seem like a “bot.”  Simple notes at the beginning of a tweet that indicate the value of the article to you and/or why it was put into the stream will make a world of difference.  Also note that this is not to replace working on twitter to maintain interactions with followers.

Blogs are the new news articles; it is a fact.  Newspaper circulation is down, and blog reading is up.  Blogs allow authors to interject opinion, philosophy, feelings, and more into their text, while promoting ideas, practices, and news.  With RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and programs like google/reader, it is easier now to “subscribe” to great content that is almost always free.

In 10 minutes, most readers will be able to “scan” at least four blog posts or actually read two.  Following (at least) five people that regularly create remarkable content can keep you informed about trending business topics, new technologies, and more.  If you haven’t yet, then you should start right now.  Start a google account, utilize reader, and find some remarkable content.

Fun-facts about blog reading

50% of Americans can read 110 words per minute
The average blog reader spends 96 seconds “reading” a blog post.
53% of blogs are 100-249 words
Most readers will only read 176 words of a blog

A few great blogs that we like

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
Michael Michalowicz has a great approach! He is fun, entertaining, and (most importantly) right on!

Seth Godin
Seth Godin’s blog was ranked the best business blog of 2009.  His content is consistently remarkable and it challenges his audience to do business better.

Business Week – Small Business
Businessweek is one of the most read and identified magazines in the business world.  The small business section offers regular articles about creating and cultivating your successful business.

Tech Crunch
This website can keep you posted in technology, digital trends, and what is the next big thing.

INC Magazine
INC utilizes several authors to keep a steady stream of remarkable content – expect several good pieces per day.

FADS (Fight Against Destructive Spin)
We just “stumbled” on to this a few weeks ago, and it constantly impresses with useful and helpful information.

Websites with links to other great blogs

Evan Carmichael Blog Network

Best Business Blogs Of 2009

Business experts advocate clearly knowing your business’ target demographic – knowing who you want to buy your products simply makes sense.  Companies that understand what kind of people are primarily buying the products and service will excel even more if/when they begin focusing marketing to that demographic.

Even global companies can find that their target demographic might not be “who” is buying their product.  A great example of this phenomenon (on a massive level) is Old Spice – a leading company known for male hygiene and toiletries products.  Old Spice found that, though their products are for men, women do most of the buying when it comes to their product – this statistic inspired the February 2010 advertisement, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.”  The campaign depicts a handsome man speaking directly to women about how their male counterpart could (at least) smell like man in the advertisement.  Old Spice learned from their market research and adjusted accordingly.

Unfortunately, not all business can afford official market research, but you can pay close attention to trends with your business.  Through our social media interactions (predominantly Twitter), Smeester & Associates is finding that 78% of our “buzz” is coming from women over the last 30 days.  This is great news for us for several reasons, most importantly because we enjoy and value working with women in business.  This information will result in an increase in our marketing and interactions focusing on an even more targeted demographic than it has been before.

Business owners that are not effectively tracking their clients, sales, and interactions should start immediately.  Keeping a close eye on who is talking about you can provide clear and invaluable information that can help business.  Above all, it is wise to know who you want to do business with and who you actually are doing business with.

Spread the good news of your business with blogging

1) Share who you are

With information readily available about you and your company, people naturally want to do their business with companies that have a face – the human element is returning to business. Blogging allows you a forum to share who you are with your audience. The most recognizable bloggers and social media experts all agree that blogging is about authenticity and promoting remarkable content.
For so long being professional has superseded being yourself in the business world, and now (with social media) individuals and businesses are being encouraged to let their authentic personality shine through. There is still the need to monitor the message being sent, but presenting your thoughts, beliefs, and values is an absolute must.

2) Give people a reason to come back
Keep up with your blog! Maintaining regularly generated new content gives readers an opportunity to come back. When readers come back, the relationship begins to develop; that relationship can turn into business. Posting (at least) three times per week encourages readers to “stay tuned” if they find your content to be accurate, credible, and helpful.
With tools like google reader, people can “subscribe” to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed and get updates when new content is posted. This also means that you should definitely make a link on your web page to your RSS feed so that users can follow your great content.

3) Expand your digital real estate
Each blog post that you create adds another page to your digital network, and thus expands the potential sales net. The more opportunities people have actually find you, the more likely you are to naturally be found. As you create diverse content that illustrates your business, more traffic can find its way to your website.

Most blogging websites also offer SEO (Search Engine Optimization) packages. When maximizing your blogs SEO, make sure to put in appropriate keywords to your website, business, and blog topic. Organic traffic through search engines is some of the BEST traffic that sites can get.

4) Maximize your credibility
Maintaining credibility can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. Credibility will come through showing your audience your expertise. If you know that you are one of the best resources of information available for people – let that knowledge shine on your blog. Create a schedule of topics that you want to write about based on your existing expertise and skill set.

5) Share your passion
The primary value of blogging is in the opportunity for you, the writer, to get excited. If you are discussing relevant topics to your business, shouldn’t you naturally get excited about your passions? Letting your passion shine through will push your credibility through the roof, because people get behind and support passion and excitement.

Blogging is a critical piece of the social media marketing puzzle. Now is the time to start if you haven’t already, and to recharge your blog if you have been working on it for a while.

Social media marketing leads to sales, and sales research and development is part of what Smeester & Associates does. Contact us for more information about how to recharge your business and increase revenue.