Market Your Business By Sharing Your Knowledge

How often do you find yourself taking time to read about or listen to information that can help you improve your business?  I bet it's quite often.  In fact, you're probably reading this blog because you want to learn more about marketing and advertising your business.  You're not alone.  There are millions of people surfing the web, looking for answers that can help them to do everything from cooking gluten-free meals to studying for state certification. 


You can gain valuable exposure for your business by offering your expertise to a highly targeted market of web surfers.  As I discussed in a previous post, sharing can be a very important step in building your business. Offer your expertise as a free service, whether its answering questions directly, posting how-to videos, writing articles, blogging or producing podcasts.  Helping others to learn can be an important part of your marketing strategy.   


I'm not speculating about the benefits of knowledge sharing.  For years, marketing gurus have used this technique to build name recognition and grow their businesses (think of the many free videos and ebooks that are available). Creators of good quality free content not only position themselves as experts, but build trust for their brand, and can increase conversion rates from website visitors to customers.


Give it some serious thought.  And don't fret about giving away too much information.  The important thing to remember is that you want to be able to share in a way that helps others and creates interest in your business.

What's In a Brand?

Just pick up any marketing or advertising trade publication, or visit the numerous websites focusing on these industries, and you'll come across endless articles about the brand.  I've have read many definitions of what a brand is, even what it is not.  I've also found that there are as many different definitions, or interpretations of what constitutes a brand, as there are experts.  My own definition is really quite simple.  A brand is the essence of your business, represented distinctively and consistently.

10 Ways SMBs Can Engage Customers in a Tight Economy

Daily Mentions returns from it's break today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that more than one million self-employed Americans decided to shut the doors to their businesses due to the recession.  According to Kristin Arslen, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association for the Self-Employed, diminishing opportunities and few customers are behind the failure of so many small businesses.  Despite the promises made by politicians, few are able to simply wait for the eventual economic turnaround.

However, according to Arlen, some small businesses are actually thriving in this anemic economy.  These are businesses that have been awarded state and federal contracts, or are in the healthcare or technology sectors.  Good for them.  But what about the majority of small businesses that don't get

Another Way Technology is Leveling the Playing Field

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, in business, technology is really the great equalizer. Small and mid-sized businesses can compete in ways they never would have been able to just a few years ago. They can pretty sell anywhere they choose, tapping into previously unapproachable markets. If you sell soap, the Internet allows for a global client base. No longer do the mom and pops of the world have to sit back and dream about expansion. Anyone with a well-designed website that has quality shopping cart software, and the appropriate fulfillment and distribution systems can have the same web presence as a multinational corporation.

Marketing and advertising options have also greatly improved for SMBs thanks to technology. And the one device that I believe holds the most promise going forward is your cell phone. A great example is text marketing or Short Message Service (SMS). In fact, SMS marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels, and for good reason too. Mobile phones are everywhere; audience measures on mobiles are 9 times more accurate than the Internet, and 90 times more so than tv.

The benefits are quite significant; when a mobile user texts your business, it's to request information or participate in your offer, so that's even better than permission marketing; you can get started for well under $100; you can create promotionals that require a quick response--and get it; you can develop creative promotionals that require an action such as forwarding your text to a friend, and of course the mobility factor can greatly increase traffic into your place of business.

Are you currently using text marketing? If you haven't thought much about using text messaging in your marketing plan, then perhaps it's time to consider it. Send me your feedback.

An Advertising Opportunity that Small Businesses Shouldn't Miss: Part 2

In part 1 of this post, I mentioned that there's a shift taking place in online advertising, and that the shift can have a positive impact on the advertising and marketing efforts of small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profits.  The affordability of online ads can help you expand your advertising campaign.  I hope that if you're already using media, you have incorporated online as part of your mix.

But if you're not, for as little as $50 you can test how well online can work for you (actually, this can be done for much less, but spend at least $50 for better testing analysis).  For a small amount of money, you can start advertising online, increasing your exposure in a meaningful way.  However, it's important to note that buying media, whether tradional or new, requires a knowledge base.  In other words, there's more to it than simply buying space. Knowing the difference between CPA and CPM or various display media channels is critical to your success.   Learn as much as you can or hire a company to work with you.

But the shift in online advertising comes from the battle for market share between top web publishers.  According to data from comScore's Ad Matrix,  Facebook has emerged as the leader garnering more than 31.2 % of the 1.11 trillion display online ads in the fourth quarter of 2010.  This represents a 23.1% increase over the third quarter.  Here's the breakdown (percentages represent market share):

Facebook 31.2%, Yahoo 10.1%, Microsoft sites 4.8%, AOL 3.0%, Google sites 2.5%, Turner Digital 1.6%, Fox Interactive Media 1.1%, Glam Media 0.9%, CBS Interactive 0.8%
Viacom Digital Media 0.8%

The above data represents big players, but there many others to choose from, and in a competitive market, buyers are in the position of strength--even with so-called fixed rates.  So don't cast off this information as only being important to large advertisers.  As I mentioned in part 1, small and mid-sized business owners are quickly becoming the belles of the ball. Your small ad dollars matter in a big way.

When it's all said and done, getting conversions is the bottom line for your online campaign.  One thing that really jumps out at me about the comScore list is that although Facebook is in the number one position, their ads are known to have lower clickthroughs (that's when a visitor actually clicks on your ad and goes to your website) than the industry standard, about half (according to Webtrends).  So what's behind the popularity of Facebook for advertising?  It's really not a big mystery, but I think the answer bodes very well for SMBs.  Well take a look at this in the third and final part of this post.

Have you used online advertising before?  If so, did it work for you?  If you haven't, why not?

An Advertising Opportunity that Small Businesses Shouldn't Miss: Pt. 1

Being in the business of providing marketing and advertising services to small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profits, I know all too well the hesitancy that many prospects have(whether they explicitly express it or not) about spending money on "those things" in a tough economy. But it's not just small businesses, large corporations are also cutting back on advertising and marketing. When reading trade publications or participating in online industry forums, it's apparent, everyone is feeling the crunch. Which also explains why many of the big agencies are now courting small businesses (which they once routinely ignored).

However, I tell propects and clients alike, that they need to advertise, because it's NOT a non-essential item. Personally, I believe when it comes to advertising, small businesses can actually use an economic downturn to their advantage. Here's why, most businesses cut back or stop advertising during a downturn. But if you continue to advertise, guess who comes to the consumer's mind first when it's time to make a purchase? Another advantage of advertising in a tightened economy is that you'll get a good deal. Most reps will be happy to negotiate with you.

But there's another reason to pony up your advertising dollar; online advertising. Online advertising is what many small businesses already use, and now a very interesting shift in the landscape is taking place. This shift, which I will discuss in my next post, should be cause for any SMB to get really excited about planning their next online campaign. But I'll give you a couple of hints, cost and customization.

I want you to watch the short video below from Borrell Associates. They're talking about their survey, 2011 Outlook: SMBs Become Everybody's New Best Friend (you can get the survey on their website, but it'll cost you). If you've never advertised online, you need to. Funny, it took a survey for the large agencies to learn what those of us who've been serving small businesses already knew, online advertising works well for small businesses AND it can be really affordable.

On a scale of 1 to 5, for small and mid-sized businesses, how important is having online advertising in the mix?

Memory Lane

In my last post, we looked at Street Team marketing. Later in the day, I started to think about one particular Street Team event that swept me into nostalgic bliss. It was probably 20 years ago. I was out on lunch, walking across the Daley Plaza in the heart of Chicago's loop. Across the plaza, I saw an familiar vehicle parked at the curb. I knew it well, eventhough I'd never seen it in person, and the last time that I even saw it on tv, I wasn't even a teenager yet.

I got so excited that I began to double-time it, making a beeline to this iconic symbol of fun and deliciousness. As I approached the vehicle, a perky young lady from the Street Team approached me and asked if I would like special gift? Was she kidding me? Could there really be a perfectly grilled Oscar Mayer wiener steaming inside a special compartment of the Weinermobile? "Sure" I eagerly responded. And she told me to step over to the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

I wasn't the only one delighted to see the Weinermobile either. There were 50-60 other friendly folks who had gathered around, just as excited as I was to get close to the giant frank on wheels, and to get our prize. Funny thing, I don't think there was a child in the entire bunch, after all it was lunch time in Chicago's business district. No, this crowd was there to re-connect with a simpler time from long ago. I know this because several of us sang the popular Oscar Mayer wiener jingle without hesitation--not a care in the world.

Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener
That is what I truly want to be
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener
Everyone would be in love with me.


The Oscar Mayer Street Team members were real pros. They cajoled us, laughed and applauded us, extinguishing any vestige of embarassment that may have been lingering. Aa for the prize? It was even better than a smokey weiner on a bun. The Street Team members handed out official Oscar Mayer weiner whistles!

I blew a short note and quickly placed mine in my purse. I'd said it before, but this time I really meant it, "lunch time is just too short".

Exactly Who Are You Marketing To?

It’s been said that nobody can toot your horn better than you. If you’re investing time and money in a venture that requires exposure, such as operating a business, launching a product or service, promoting a book or even brokering a radio show, then you are probably all too familiar with this axiom. 

In an ideal world, your marketing and/or advertising needs would be turned over to a team of creative professionals, dedicated to your campaign’s success.  But alas, this is the real world, so the job of building awareness is just one of the many hats that we wear. We need people to know that we exist.  We need them to know what we do, how well we do it, and why they should do business with us (or read our book, or listen to our radio show). So you launch a marketing campaign.  

Here’s where things can get a little tricky. You work hard designing all the requisite collateral; email, sales brochures and other print products,  PowerPoint presentations, web content, product data sheets and so forth. You're making sales calls, you’ve even made a few presentations, but sales remain elusive.

So what’s the problem?  Your marketing materials contain the most impressive facts about your venture:  the numerous awards…the storied history of the business…the enviable sales volume…the fact that you were the first to offer a premium brand or that the mayor shops at your store.  There’s no question about it, you have lots to boast about.  But perhaps that’s exactly the problem.  Simply put, you’re doing a great job of communicating why you’re important, but you’re not communicating why you’re important to your target.

If you’re going to spend the time and money to do your own marketing, then it’s imperative that you first conduct market research.  Without the proper insight of your customer base, it’s impossible to communicate value to that target—not your value, but what the target deems valuable.  For some it’s cost.  For others, it’s time, or perhaps it’s something else still.  But you’ll have to first gather information about your market.. Learn all you can about your target market (and your competition for that matter).  You should know who, what, when, where and most importantly why, before you launch your campaign.  It’ll be well worth your time to spend a few hours at the library or online gathering this data, conducting a few surveys and making calls.  Once you’re armed with this information, you’ll then be able to develop an effective marketing campaign.

Maximizing Your Marketing Efforts on Facebook

Facebook has become a favorite destination for anyone wishing to market a product, service, organization or even themselves.  And why not?  It's very functional.  You can post photos, videos, links and customize your page with an assortment of applications, just for starters.  If you are conducting a campaign, you can send updates--even targeting those updates by age, gender or location, set up an events calendar or engage in discussions.  With an investment of time and creative energy, you can succeed in the all important areas of branding, customer engagement, new customer acquisition, reputation management and lead generation, the very things that make a marketing, advertising or public relations campaign successful.

Thanks to a study conducted by Buddy Media, Facebook's marketing firm, we are learning more about best practices for posting on Facebook's brand pages.  Yesterday, we looked at a finding from the study which showed why customized URLs are important for extending a user's length of engagement.  Another key finding is that we should KISS our posts.  Not literally of course, but keep it short and sweet.  According to the study, posts containing 80 characters or less on average, had a 27% higher rate of engagement than those with more than 80 characters, however, these accounted for only 19% of all posts.  This can be a real challenge because we have so much to say, and of course it's all so very interesting. Perhaps one solution might be to post more often, using shorter posts.  Think Twitter, or maybe that's think micro Twitter since you can post up to 140 characters there.

Other key findings from the study:

• Thursday and Friday are peak interaction days.  The rate of engagement jumped by 18%.  More people commented and "Liked" posts on these days. (Data from Facebook reveals that there are actually certain days when we are happier and Friday appears to be that day as activity on the site jumps by 10%.  Read more about the Gross National Happiness Index.)
• Monday through Wednesday, engagement rates dropped by 3.5%, and by 18% on Saturday.
• As for the time of day, the Buddy Media study reveals that 60% of posts are made between 10:00am and 4:00 pm.  However, engagement rates are 20% higher outside of traditional work hours. "By posting within business hours, brands miss the critical opportunity to get the visibility they need for maximum engagement," according to the report. "So schedule posts to appear early in the morning or late at night. Don't publish simply because you're in front of your computer," noted the report.

Other recommendations from the report include:

• Avoid the hard sell.  Use promotional keywords like "winner" and "events" rather than the more direct terms "contest" or "coupon.
• Keywords like "how," "who," "what" and "when" are useful for driving interaction -- but "why," is not. "'Why' has both the lowest 'Like' and comment rates and may be perceived as intrusive and/or challenging,"
• Be direct in asking users for "Likes" and comments.  Place questions at the end of a post (rather than the beginning or middle) to increase the chances of getting a response. Posts ending with a question have a 15% higher engagement rate.

The bottom line:  Facebook can be a great tool for business.  But don't just rely on the site's bells and whistles, use a strategic approach to your Facebook campaign to maximize your marketing efforts.

Facebook Marketing? Full URLs vs Shortened URLs

Facebook's marketing firm, Buddy Media, conducted a study to determine the best practices for posting on the social site's brand pages.  During a two week period, Buddy Media examined the wall posts, including the "Likes" and comments on the Facebook pages of 200 of their clients.  I found one of the findings of the study to be particularly interesting.  The study found that full length URLs in posts had three times the length of engagement than those using a shorter URL.  This is interesting because URL condenser sites such as bitly and TinyURL!  or QR Code generators, allow users of Twitter and  mobile platforms to save coveted space.

So what's the reason?  "It's likely because the 'indicators' a user normally gets from reading the text in a full-length URL are missing with a shortened URL," according to the report.  So where does that leave the savvy marketer?  To get around that problem, the report suggests using a condensed URL that still includes some brand identification in the Web address instead of simply a series of numbers and letters.

For example, our web address is http://www.deborahrowemedia.com/.  But if we use a URL condenser, say bitly for example, it becomes http://bit.ly/fkgpNa.  However, if I select bitly's "Custom" feature, I get a customized shortened URL like this http://bit.lydebrowe/. 

Coming up, I'll have more results from the Buddy Media study on attracting and engaging fans on Facebook brand pages