Starting on January 1 – One marketing tip each day. Just a bite-sized nugget to encourage you to market your business. Not every tip will apply to everyone, but hopefully everyone will learn new ways to improve their marketing! I always welcome feedback and questions!

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Everyone is welcome, so please share with your friends and colleagues who may benefit from these marketing tips!

I’ve always felt that it’s important for my clients to LOVE their own websites. When you love your website, you are proud to refer people to visit, which is very important because your website should be the hub of your marketing plan. Now let me clarify, your website shouldn’t be your entire marketing plan–just the hub–the place where all of your other marketing takes your prospective clients. Why? Your website is the place where you have complete control over the content. At some point, Facebook and other social media channels could disappear without your consent or take a drastic turn that makes them no longer a viable option for you (think: My Space). If your marketing is completely wrapped up in that marketing channel, you could lose all your previous hard work, or it could just be ineffective. The key is to have “all roads lead home”…your website.

If you don’t absolutely LOVE your website, it’s time to think about a change. If it’s not meeting your needs and the needs of your potential customers, it’s time to think about a change. If you have a web designer who has disappeared or isn’t responsive, it’s time to think about a change. If you have no idea how to market your business to attract your ideal target market, it’s time to think about a change. These are all issues that I deal with for my clients on a regular basis–and have for over 13 years.

There are several “types” of people who call themselves web designers:

• The Programer who focuses the back-end coding of a site.
• The Search Engine Optimization Expert who focuses on getting found in the search engines through robotic visitors.
• The Copywriter who focuses on the content of a website for human readers.
• The Artist who focuses on the beauty of a site.
• The Marketer who focuses on the marketing of a site.

Each of these aspects is important, but focusing solely on one will not give you the balance that you need to make your site successful. Over the years, I have worked hard to balance these focuses and become a well-rounded web designer. I do tend to lean a little heavier in the “Marketing Camp,” simply because all of the other aspects need to be considered in your marketing plan. For example, if your site isn’t Search Engine Optimized, it will be harder to be found in the search engines, which is a part of your marketing plan.

As a Marketing Consultant for Small Businesses, I am able to advise my clients on the best way to find and attract their ideal customers. Many small business owners don’t have a marketing plan or even how to create one. That’s where I come in. I help them to really identify and narrow the focus of who they should be trying to reach and how to reach them. Having worked with small businesses for well over a decade, I have been able to identify what marketing methods work best for them and how they can be implemented at a reasonable cost because that’s very important when you’re running your own business!

How about you? Do you LOVE your website? Is it meeting your needs and that of your potential customers? Is your web designer available and responsive? Do you have a marketing plan that is working to attract your ideal customers? If not, I would love to talk to you about how I might be able to help you! Give me a call or drop me an email–let’s talk!

Are you in the majority?  Did you let your marketing sit quietly on a shelf all summer while you went to the beach, took a vacation, or otherwise took a business siesta?  Well, you’re not alone.  Most business owners let their marketing slide during the summer, thinking that people aren’t paying attention…it’s a slow season…people will be back in the routine once fall hits.  I’m not saying this is the right thing to do…I’m just saying this is what happens.

Snap Out of It!  Fall is coming fast and you need to get your head back in the game!  Don’t know where to begin?  Well, I’m going to give you some tips to get you started.

Make sure your marketing plans are in place:

• Is your website in need of changes or updates?
• Do you need to make any changes in your branding or extend that branding?
• Do you have business cards, brochures, postcards, and other marketing materials on hand–0r at least on order?
• Is your email list up and running?  If not, be sure to get a sign-up form on your site ASAP!
• Do you need to invest in any local advertising?

Plan for success:

• Are you working part-time and expecting a full-time pay?  Time to re-think your strategy!  Hard work pays off, especially for the small business owner or solopreneur.  So put in your time and make that success happen!
• Are you doing the things you know you should be doing?
1. blogging at least once a week?
2. marketing your business in some way every day?
3. building valuable connections on social media?
4. getting involved with local business networking groups?
5. continuing your education/training to make you a better business person and better at what you offer your customers?

Reconnect with your past customers:

• Offer them an incentive to come back and do business with you (exclusive sale, sneak preview of new items, etc.)
• Ask them to give you an endorsement that you can use in your marketing (website, promotional items, etc.)
• Send them a token of appreciation or thank you note
• Send out a newsletter, telling them about your plans for the upcoming fall or holiday season

Find new customers:

• Ask your customers to introduce you to people who may be interested in your product or service
• Host an open house of gathering where people can meet you in an informal setting
• Interact with your community, whether that’s a local community or a community of online people with similar interests

The key is to keep juggling!  It’s not easy, but it’s very important to keep building your business–even when it doesn’t seem like you have the time to do so.  Yes, the things you are busy with may be making you money, but if you don’t keep up your marketing, things will eventually slow down and you end up in a cycle of busy/slow/busy/slow.  Wouldn’t it be much nicer to have steady…and better yet, steadily increasing business?

Now, I realize there are a lot of other ways to gear up for your fall marketing campaign than I’ve mentioned here.  I’d love to hear some feedback from my readers.  What techniques have you successfully used to get back into the swing of things after a “vacation” time like “summer break”?  Let me know…that’s what the comment section is for!