Psst. When’s the Last Time You Checked Your Company’s Online Reputation?

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

How Your Business is Perceived Online Will Affect Sales – Here’s How to Manage Your Online Reputation

Your Company’s Online Reputation

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It’s easy to think your company’s “online reputation” involves only your website and social media networks, like Facebook. But it goes WAY beyond that. Those are the places you see and likely monitor on a regular basis. What about all those other places where people might talk about you? We’re talking lesser known review sites, status updates by people who aren’t fans of your Facebook page, and blog posts by people you’ve never heard of. Do you monitor these? When’s the last time you did a vanity search in Google on your company’s name (and some of its key players)? What are your employees saying during their down time? This post isn’t meant to alarm you. Instead, it’s going to arm you with easy ways to keep tabs on what people are saying and how to manage your online reputation.

1. Set up Google Alerts. We love this free and easy-to-use tool from Google (you can read how to set up Google Alerts here). You can monitor your company’s name, the names of key players, and different brands of products/services. Any time these phrases are mentioned online, you’ll receive an alert via email. The beauty of this? It gives you back control: you can post comments (when appropriate) to articles, reach out to happy or unhappy customers, share positive news with your fan base, and get ahead of any negative stuff. Google Alerts also eliminates the need to do regular “vanity searches” on your name or your company name in Google.
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2-in-1 Promotional Products that Rock!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by

Get two fabulous promotional items for the price of one and WOW your customers and prospects

2-in-1 Promotional Products that Rock!

Since the value of promotional products depends on how useful the product is, we’d say that by choosing 2-in-1 products, you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck.  People who receive your promotional product have double the reasons to use yours (and plenty of incentive to avoid your competitors’ gifts). For example, if you offer a flashlight pen, there’s no need for someone to carry around your competitors’ pen, right? Your promo product has more value.

So let’s get to it: here are five of our favorite 2-in-1 promotional products.

1. Marcello Stylus Pen. It’s a stylus! It’s a pen! Oh, wait – it’s both! Enjoy the popular Marcello pen design…with a bonus! The polished silver barrel is also ergonomically designed for added comfort. You’ll find a pen on one end and a stylus on the other to help easily navigate screen devices. And, of course, there’s plenty of room for your custom logo or message.

marcello stylus pen

2. Phone Holder ‘n Screen Cleaner. Keep your phone safe and clean with this cool holder-and-cleaner combo. There are plenty of colors to choose from and oodles of space for your logo and custom message.
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7 Questions You Must Ask When Hiring a Marketing Consultant (and What The Answers Reveal)

Posted on March 28, 2013 by

Hiring a Marketing Consultant

Last summer, we wrote a post about how to know when it’s time to outsource your marketing. Now, we’re going to talk about seven questions you must ask the marketing consultants you interview and how to evaluate their answers.

Question #1: Describe your marketing firm, the types of clients you work with, and how you work with them.

Why it’s important: OK, so this isn’t a question per se, but it’s an important piece of info and one you should open with.

How to evaluate the answers: Here’s the information you’re looking for: how big is the marketing firm? It’s certainly OK if the firm is owned by one or two people, but the real question is this: does the firm have a “stable” of creative people to handle all of your needs (e.g. graphic design, website programming, social media, PR, copywriting, and so forth)? Your best contenders should be able to handle all of your needs “in-house” (even if they’re outsourcing the work to their stable of freelancers).

Does the firm have experience with clients in your industry? This doesn’t need to be a deal breaker per se, and it will depend on your industry. But if you own a b2c organization and the firm you’re talking to has only worked in the b2b space, then this might indicate a potential disconnect. Continue reading →

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Suffering from “Lead Generation Overload”? Here are 5 Strategies for Prioritizing Your Next Steps

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

Implement lead generation “management” techniques for handling hot, warm, and cool leads

Lead Generation - Prioritizing Your Next Steps

What happens when you have too many leads coming in? People typically say, “Well, that’s a great problem to have.” But the key word in that sentence is “problem.” Having tons of leads coming in can be overwhelming, even paralyzing, to the point you might not turn any of those leads into customers, simply because you don’t know where to begin or how to prioritize.

Never fear! This post will provide strategies for quickly identifying and handling hot and warm leads…and what to do with those “cool” leads that need more time to cook.

First, here’s how we define the following:

Hot leads: We’re talking about people who not only sound/act like your ideal customer, but also indicate that they’re ready to buy. Example: someone filling out a contact form on a design/build firm’s website, and she says she was referred by a friend who had used the firm in the past. She indicates that she’s planning to renovate her kitchen and she’s looking for a builder and she really likes the project portfolio and the renovation in her friend’s home. That’s definitely a hot lead because she indicates readiness, familiarity with the business, and the fact she’s contacting the firm based on a referral.

Warm leads: Many of these folks might seem like your ideal customer, based on the information you collect on your forms (more on this below), but something about the action they’ve taken on your website indicates they’re not ready to buy quite yet. For example, perhaps someone downloads your free checklist “20 things to look for in a design/build firm.” This person obviously has an interest in your design/build services, but given what she downloaded, she might be more in research mode. She could easily tip into the “hot lead” category, but she’s not quite there yet.

Cool leads: These leads are usually fairly easy to identify. The forms they fill out are incomplete or provide inaccurate info (e.g. typing in 555-5555 for a phone number). They might ask general questions or questions that “feel” like they’re fishing. That doesn’t mean that all of these leads should be dismissed. There’s bound to be a nugget or two within, meaning there’s probably a couple of people whom you can lead from these cool waters to warmer and, eventually, hotter ones. It’s how you do this that’s important. You don’t want to waste time on leads that aren’t going to materialize into anything.
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5 Biggest Marketing Takeaways from Techie Press Conferences

Posted on March 21, 2013 by

Marketing Takeaways from Techie Press Conferences

Whether it’s Apple unveiling its latest tablet at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) or Facebook wowing the crowds at its annual F8 conference, there’s a lot small business owners can learn from these tech celebrations. Here are five takeaways.

1. Rumor mills can create playful, positive buzz. Oh, the prognosticators have so much fun predicting what different companies are about do, unveil, or unleash. Mixed in with tamer and more accurate predictions are some “out there” ideas, which helps build the buzz, intrigue, and viral nature of these conferences. Even with more scaled down events, like Facebook’s big announcement in January (which turned out to be Graph Search), bloggers were making all sorts of predictions — and having fun while doing it.

Takeaway for your business. If you’re getting ready to launch a new service or product, and you want to create this sort of buzz, create a plan for doing just that. A few weeks prior to the launch, do some or all of the following:

  • Pepper your social media platforms with hints and teases. Ask people to share, retweet, etc.
  • Consider holding a contest and asking people to “guess” what the big news is going to be. Offer prizes for accurate answers as well as the most creative answer, since this will invite the sort of playful predictions that surround techie conferences.
  • Schedule a “big reveal” event in your store, your office, or online via live streaming. The key is to have fun and let people know you’re giving a nod to folks like the late Steve Jobs…this way people will approach it with a fun attitude as well.
  • Reach out to local bloggers and media outlets. Tease them with details and ask them to make predictions (bloggers are always looking for fun ideas) or ask if you can write a guest article where you provide hints about what’s coming up.

2. Regular events receive the most year-round hype. Techie events (and even non-techie events, such as Fashion Week) are hyped year-round simply because people know they’re going to take place. There’s nothing like hot anticipation to fuel the hype and buzz.
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9 Must-Have Promotional Products for Spring 2013

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

Must-Have Promotional Products

Spring is in the air – finally! And that means it’s time to unveil some exciting promotional products, ones that are bound to add a dose of sunshine to your marketing efforts.

1. LED Light Pen with Carabiner
Light, pen, AND carabiner? Three-in-one promo products for the win! Bonus: plenty of imprint space for your logo or message. Can you say “winner”?

LED light pen and carabiner

2. Paper Clip Tumbler
Finally, an efficient and super cute way to store paper clips! No more groping around in desk drawers or “borrowing” a handful from the mail room. Now, your customers, prospects, and employees can store their paperclips in a stylish tumbler.

paper clip tumbler
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5 Cool, Real-Life Examples of B2C Companies Rocking Repeat Business

Posted on March 14, 2013 by

Rocking Repeat Business

As the marketing adage goes, it’s always easier to sell to past/current customers than it is to brand new shiny ones. The question is, how can you encourage repeat business, especially for B2C companies that depend on getting people into their stores?

Here are some examples of different brands rocking repeat business…and how your company can implement the ideas.

1. Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Days. Ben & Jerry’s sets aside a day every year and gives away its frozen treats for free as a way to “thank our customers for their support and to celebrate over 3 decades of scooping.”

Why this idea rocks: Um, who doesn’t love FREE ice cream? And what a great way to get people into ice cream shops where they will get the full Ben & Jerry’s experience, see all the other flavors and treats available, and be reminded why they should visit again soon.

How you can implement this idea: What product or service can you give away for free? If you have a brick and mortar storefront, consider some sort of “free” day or free combo day (for example, if you own a salon, perhaps you offer a free pedicure with every haircut booked in June).
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