Marketing Tips to Keep Your Small Business Going During a Crisis

1.    Take a look at opportunities for organic traffic growth. Check out your Google My Business listing. Can you update your store hours, business description, photos? Keeping this fresh may help to improve your rank locally for mobile searches. 

2.    Reach out to happy customers and ask for a Google review. More positive reviews can equate to an increase in online exposure and local SEO plus a boost for your brand.

3.    Set up online ordering. Now’s the perfect time to add a shopping cart to your website for customers who want your products mailed or delivered.

4.    Use video. Can you adopt a new video strategy to boost your business? Engage with clients/prospects in one-on-one video consultations or virtual group webinars. Can you supplement your offline products with online video content? Video consumption is increasing during this crisis, so give it a try!

5.    Gather up and organize your client and prospect email addresses. Help your business ride out the storm by emailing your current customers and giving them coupons, free items, or other things they deem valuable. And use email to keep your customers and prospects informed (ex: change in business hours) and/or reassured (ex: precautions your business is taking during the crisis).
If you don't have an email marketing tool for your business, try out a free trial of Constant Contact which gives you all the tools you need to create professional-looking emails to keep in touch with prospects and clients. 

6.    Remain active on social media. If you have a passionate customer or fan base, they want to hear from you! Even if you're forced to temporarily close or cut back, stay in touch virtually. You'll probably see a lot of support come your way and you'll stay top of mind with your community for when you re-open.      

7.    Run a gift card promotion. Run a special offer on gift cards. This can bring in revenue now and foot traffic or attention to your business later.

Have other ideas or suggestions? Please share in the comments. Or contact me for assistance with your business marketing. jocelynm@marketing-er.com

Leveraging LinkedIn for Business Growth

While most of us have profiles on LinkedIn, have you ever wondering if you're using this social media tool to its fullest? Many of us continue to build 'Contacts' on LinkedIn but rarely utilize them for referrals, introductions, conversations and other ways to expand our businesses.

Here are a few ways you can utilize LinkedIn as a sales, marketing and business development tool:

1. Complete your profile
Has LinkedIn rated your profile 100% complete? If not, take the opportunity to get your message across by filling in all aspects of your profile. Give people a reason to want to connect with you. Include the keywords and terms that your potential prospects would use when searching to find your services or products.

2. Join Groups
Groups are a good way to find and communicate with qualified prospects. Join groups that have the same professional, affiliations, goals or interests as you. Try creating a new group if you can't find one that suits your needs.

3. Prospecting
Are you looking for a specific person to connect with? Maybe you're looking for prospects in a certain industry or others with a specific title? Click on LinkedIn's Search field in the upper left-hand corner and choose People in the pull-down menu. Then choose All Filters to the right of the white buttons. Here you’ll find all the options you have to search your LinkedIn connections.

LinkedIn will show you any "shared connections" you have with these prospects to possibly facilitate an introduction. Leverage your current connections to add more.

4. Publish Articles
Publish your professional knowledge and insights on LinkedIn. Publish articles regularly and they’ll become part of your profile and be shared with your connections in their news feeds. Your article can be searchable within and outside of LinkedIn so people who aren’t in your network can find you and connect. To get started, simply click on the Home icon and then click on ‘Write an article’ under the posting box at the top of the page.

Have other questions about how to use LinkedIn? Contact Jocelyn Murray.

5 Tips for Managing Social Media When You Have Limited Time

With the massive number of people actively participating in online social media platforms, it's become a necessity for your business to get organized with your social media marketing.  As social media continues to change the way people communicate, it is an increasingly important tool for small businesses.

But where does a small business owner or manager find the time to create and post content and keep multiple social media profiles active?

Keeping up with social media for your businesses doesn’t have to mean a heavy time commitment.  Here are some tips to help:

1. What’s the Plan?

Every action you take on your social media platforms should be part of a larger strategy and plan. Define what you want to achieve on social media (ex: build your brand, increase sales through offers, drive traffic to a landing page, promote a new product line, etc.) and develop a strategy to get there.  If you map out a plan, the more effective you’ll be in its implementation.

2.  Create Content in Bulk

Set aside time once or twice a month to create your content. Follow industry keywords, relevant people in your industry or trending hashtags to keep up on the latest news.  Create your social posts from all the info you collect.  In addition to info and news about your products and services, offer valuable industry info to keep readers coming back.

3. Advanced Scheduling

Use automation to make your life easier. Who has time to post on multiple social sites daily? Schedule the bulk of your social posts in advance.  Facebook has a built-in scheduler. Just click the drop down button next to the Publish button to select the exact date and time when you want your post to publish.

Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can connect to all your social media accounts so you can create and schedule posts for future dates. 

4. Share and Repost

Sharing, retweeting and reposting content from others will save time while providing strong content. But be sure that the content is related to your brand, products or services in some way and be sure that it offers value to your target audience/followers.

And save time by reposting some of your old content. Not all posts get read the first time around republish your evergreen content.

5. Hire an Expert

If you find that you just can’t keep up with social media, it might be time to hire a professional. Depending on your budget and goals, a freelancer or a marketing agency may help you better leverage social media to grow your business.

Repurpose Your Publicity

Congratulations! You or your business has just been featured or quoted in an article in an industry publication or regional newspaper.  Having a third party publish information on your business, products or services can give you the kind of credibility that no advertisement can.

Now it's time to consider how you can maximize your publicity or leverage it as a useful sales and marketing tool. Here are a few ways to extend the buzz and the life of your press coverage:

1. Post on Social Media- Share a link to the article on both your Facebook  Page and Personal Profile, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networks.

2.  Showcase it in your Newsletter or Blog- Repurpose your recent press by posting a media coverage roundup in your newsletter and/or blog.  Roundups typically revisit positive PR by outlining and linking to recent pieces of coverage.

3.  Include a Link on your Website- Include a list with links of all your news coverage (radio interview, web articles, print, etc.) on a Press Page on your website.

4. Leverage it as a Sales Tool- Print copies or create PDF's of the article for inclusion in your marketing collateral or proposals to prospects and clients.

What other ways have you repurposed your publicity? Leave a comment below!

Is Your Contact Information Easy to Find?

Have you ever gotten really frustrated when you're looking for contact information for a vendor, client or a local business online and can't find it?  Don't risk losing valuable business by making it difficult for people to communicate with you: include your contact information in as many places as possible! 

In addition to your business card and brochures, here's a list of online places to include your contact info to ensure that you'll be found:

1) Web Site

Your phone number should be readily available on every page of your website, especially your homepage, in addition to your contact page. Be sure all of your contact details (phone, email, location/address) are on your 'Contact Us' page.  If you use a contact form, also include your email address as an optional way to connect.

2) Google My Business

Register your business with Google so you're easily found when someone does a search.  Be sure to complete your entire listing so all of your business information can be distributed across all Google products (Google+, Google Search, Google Maps, etc.)

3) Social Media Sites

Every social media site is different but check each one of yours(Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.) and be sure your contact information is complete and easy to find.

4) e-Newsletters

Your email newsletter probably contains lots of useful information and links but does it include your contact info to allow clients and prospects to easily reach out to you?

5) Email Signature

Create an email signature that contains your company name, office and mobile phone numbers, social media links as well as your mailing address.

You can't post your contact info in too many places. Make sure it's everywhere so people don't have to hunt you down!  What other places online should you include your contact details? Comment below.

Save Time and Improve Results with Social Media Scheduling

Facebook Page Tips to Organically Improve Reach and Engagement

With 1.59 billion users on Facebook, marketers want to make the most of their Pages and promote their businesses effectively. We're all competing for users' attention and although your Page's overall organic reach has probably declined, there are ways to make the most of your unpaid posts with some simple tips:

• Like, Comment and Share often
• Include @tag of other relevant Pages in your posts to extend your reach (business partners, customers, etc.)
• @Tag individuals in the Comments
• Post more video
• Mix up post types: images, memes, text only, questions, article links
• Post pics of staff so followers can get to know you better
• Post outside of business hours (evenings, Saturday and Sunday)
• Post when the majority of your fans are online (refer to FB Insights)
• Use a Call to Action in posts ("Tell us in the Comments", "Click Like if you...", "Please share")
• Plan and arrange all of your upcoming posts using Facebook Scheduler.
• Update the FB Cover Photo to reflect current campaign and upcoming 
• Create events on FB and invite all followers
• One to two months ahead of engagement, post who, what, when, and why info and links to web pages with details and registrations info
• Build community: Ask Fans to share their photos on your Page

For help with your Facebook Page or other social media, contact Jocelyn Murray at 203.377.9980.

Marketing Trends To Look for in 2016

A new year means new trends in the marketing industry. Keeping up with new but proven marketing tools and strategies is a key to running a successful business. Keep reading to find out some of the top trends that experts say will be widely popular in 2016!

Use of Video. Businesses are hiring professional videographers to create video content for marketing purposes. In addition, quality cameras in smartphones allow marketing departments to create their own video for content, especially for blogging.

Promotional videos are key to attracting new customers. Compared to infographics or pictures, video content offers the audience an interactive look at the company or its products. Videos are more attention grabbing and entertaining, and have proven to draw in potential customers. According to Microsoft, 58% of consumers better trust companies who produce video content. According to Unbounce, using video on landing pages can increase conversions by 80%. Also, 59% of senior executives prefer to watch video over reading text, according to Forbes.

Mobile Marketing. Converting your company’s online presence so that it is accessible on mobile devices is crucial. In today’s society, people are obsessed with their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Making your company’s website compatible for mobile devices ensures that users will have a readable, usable site, free of frustrations like having to zoom in to read the content! 

Additionally, a mobile-friendly website will increase your search engine optimization.  If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, Google’s search engine will penalize you which could impact your rankings.

Social Media. Creating a profile for your business on social media, whether it be Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, opens up entirely new channels to market your company. Be sure to create a social media strategy and plan that provides structure and a return on your social media efforts.  Also, continue to evaluate new social media. There are a few new social media outlets that became popular in 2015 that experts predict will be big in the marketing industry this year. Snapchat, for example, provides consumers with content in real time. After 24 hours, that content disappears. According to Forbes.com, exclusive content with an expiration makes consumers feel more connected and unique.

Retain Clients with Rewards. According to Microsoft, consumers love being rewarded for good behavior. For example, 37% of Millennials are “strongly motivated” by devices, apps, and companies that reward them with loyalty points. Giving your customers an incentive to take an action is always a good way to encourage them to get involved and interact on a more personal level. For example, try offering a coupon code or a discount on a product or service to anyone who tweets at your company using a hashtag related to a campaign you’re trying to promote.

These are just a few marketing developments to experiment with in 2016. Comment below the trends you think will become popular this year!

Mari Smith's 2016 Facebook Tips and Trends

Facebook marketing expert, Mari Smith, recently offered some great Facebook tips and trends to look for in 2016 during her presentation at the Inbound conference in Boston. Here are a few useful pieces of information that I took away:

1.  Mari discussed three critical Facebook trends:

•  Facebook is disrupting TV and video. Will Facebook overtake YouTube? As of September 2014, Facebook's share of video posts was approaching YouTube's.  The new Facebook Live is a live-streaming feature that's only available to celebrity Pages right now. Strategize how to use live video for your business.
• There will be a stronger emphasis on Messenger for Business. Facebook predicts that businesses will be using Messenger for all kinds of customer communication and transactions. Messenger will essentially serve as an inbox to connect with customers.
•  Brand storytelling: Use Facebook to put the spotlight on your customers, to feature case studies, to use video, and to be more "people centric".

2. Mari also focused on Facebook marketing mistakes that businesses are making:

•  Making posts overly promotional
•  Targeting the wrong audience
• Using only the Boost button
• Promoting posts without a measurable ROI
• Not having an effective landing page to tie in with your ads
• Advertising without using a tracking pixel

3. Regarding content and engagement, Mari recommends that your posts either entertain, inform or prompt a call to action. Here are a few of her common sense content tips:

•  Personalize your posts (write in first person when possible)
•  Address people who comment by name
• Use humor
• Always be prompt in responding to comments/questions

4. While organic reach is on the decline, here are some ways to maximize it:

•  Post more native video
•  Try posting outside business hours
• Mix up post types and post lengths
• Repost popular posts
• Include "@" tags of other Pages
• Drive traffic from other sources
• Embed posts and videos in your blog

Are you using any of these techniques effectively? What other trends do you see on Facebook?

Facebook Adds 'Donate Now' Button for Charities

Last month, Facebook added a "Donate Now" option for non-profit Pages' Call to Action button and linked advertisements.This is a useful tool for non-profits to lead social media visitors directly to their websites to take action and become donors.

According to Facebook, " Now, it's easier than ever for nonprofits to connect with people who care about their causes and encourage them to contribute through the website of their choice."

When visitors click on the "Donate Now" button, a Facebook message alerts them to the fact that they're not affiliated with and don't endorse the organization. Then visitors can continue on to an external site where donations can be made.

Non-profits and charities can also run Facebook ads with the Donate Now button as part of any campaign.

For easy step by step instructions on how to post the 'Donate Now' button, click here.

Paid Virtual Marketing Intern

I'm currently searching for a college student (Business, Marketing or Communications major a plus) who's interested in getting hands on marketing experience. The right candidate must have strong written communications skills, be creative yet detail oriented, Internet and social media savvy. 

Tasks include writing, creating newsletters and other email promotions, doing research, assisting with web site updates, and social media work including postings and performing monthly social media measurements. Experience with web content management systems and Constant Contact email marketing system is a plus but not necessary.  Candidate must have access to the Internet and MS Word.

Up to 20 hours per month. Internship will begin in September 2015. Looking for one year commitment.

Send a cover letter and resume to jocelynm@marketing-er.com.

Instagram as a Business Marketing Tool

Instagram is useful for reaching new audiences through images and short messages. It can be particularly helpful for reaching customers who prefer a visual form of communication. Instagram can be leveraged to create significant connections with customers and improve your brand's visibility. As a result, it can transform the interaction between individuals, brands and companies.

Here are some Instagram business tips to keep in mind:

1. Balance fun images with pictures about your business

Pictures on Instagram can give your followers insight into your company. Use Instagram to tell a story through various images and try to keep a similar theme that is consistent with your brand. Take advantage of the various filters and image editing applications to enhance your images so they are appealing to followers. Remember to track the engagement on your images to find what followers respond to the best.

2. Use hashtags   

A hashtag is simply a hash symbol (#) followed by a keyword or phrase, that is incorporated into social media posts. This makes your post available to anyone with the same interests, even if they are not your followers. Using a trending hashtag that goes along with your marketing strategy ensures you reach a larger viewership. A hashtag is a powerful tool to aid you in reaching your target audience and boost your brand awareness. Try to keep them relevant to your content and use branded hashtags to increase loyalty of your followers.  

3. Engage with followers

Engage by following your target audience and liking their photos. Crowdsource images, so your stream is not just of photos you took. These tactics help build meaningful relationships with followers. Also, Instagram should be about connecting with followers on levels beyond just trying to make a sale. Brands shouldn't just engage; they should also inspire.

4. Reward your followers

Give followers a first look or sneak peak preview of an event or product. Also, provide them with special promo codes and discounts for your products or services. Delivering incentives to your followers will make viewing your social media content a priority.

To make the most of Instagram, post consistently and avoid being too pushy with your brand or product. Show what people can do with your product rather than just showing the product itself. The best time to post on Instagram is from 5-6pm on weekdays and 8pm on Mondays with a sweet spot at 6:00 pm (Source: SumAll). According to an article by CyberAlert, the reorganization of Google+ into separate services signals its downfall. Therefore, Instagram can be an alternative marketing tool for Google+ users.
  

Steps to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy and Plan

With the massive number of people actively participating in online social communities, it's become a necessity for your business to get organized with your social media marketing.  As social media continues to change the way people communicate, it is an increasingly important tool for small businesses.

Here are some steps and tips to help you get started:

1. Define Your Goals

It's critical to specifically define what you want to achieve through social media. Your goals for social media should relate to your overall goals for your business and tie in with your sales and marketing plans.

For example, you may want to use social media to:

• Build your brand-name recognition and credibility
• Execute online customer support - answering questions about products/services
• Increase sales through offers
• Drive traffic to your web site or a landing page
• Promote a new line of products

2. Define Your Target Audience and Where You'll Find Them

A business must have a clear understanding of who they are targeting.  Find out which social media channels your audiences prefer and what information they read, share and post.

If you need help figuring out where to find your target markets, check out research organizations such as Pew Research Center that publish valuable studies with this data.

3. Competitive Analysis

Check out your competitor's social media pages! Where are they and what kind of presence do they have?  How can you position your company in relation to the competition? Use a competitive analysis to help craft your own social media strategy and plan.

4. Content Strategy and Plan

Your content strategy needs to directly support your goals. For instance, if your goal is to increase sales through offers, then you might implement a strategy to issue a monthly discount coupon to existing customers or an introductory discount to new customers.

Also consider developing useful information that's of interest to your target audiences. Choose three to five hot topics or categories of information that you'll post about. Your content should be relevant and fresh, and focus on the clients rather than on your company. What does your audience want to read? What do they want to learn? Remember to plan a variety of content types( text, article links, photos, video, coupons, etc.)

-Posting Frequency

Instead of posting randomly, decide how often you'll post on each network . Remember- consistency is key.

-Create a Content Calendar

To ensure that you cover all the topics that you intend to, and that you pay attention to all of your chosen social medial platforms, consider creating an editorial calendar. Try using an Excel spreadsheet to plan out and outline what, when and where you'll be posting. Try using a social media management and scheduling application such as Hootsuite to schedule posts to social media sites in advance.

5. Track Your Progress

Measure your social media results based on the objectives you set. Check your each social media site's analytics such as click throughs (number of people who took action on your post) and click through rates (percentage of people who click on your offer out of all the people who saw it),

Make it easier to track your results by including a call to action in each campaign or on each platform. Use a unique promotion code or develop targeted landing pages.

In today’s connected world, where customers research purchases online and seek recommendations from friends and family, it is in the best interest of most small businesses to not only have a social media presence but an organized plan to get results.

Sources: Social Media Examiner and Investopedia/Jean Folger

Branding: Identify and Differentiate Your Small Business

Brands aren't just for large companies—they can make small businesses stand out from the crowd. Understand the components of your brand and how to use them effectively in your marketing and communications.

According to marketing guru Seth Godin, “A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one service over another.“

Effective branding will clearly deliver your message, confirm your credibility, connect to your target market and motivate your buyer.

 
What makes up a brand?

A brand is made up of a logo, name, message and positioning.  A brand is often called a business’ “identity”, but branding is really the personification of the core business  and its values, not only what it looks like. When customers connect with you it’s because they share the same values and beliefs that your brand projects.

Successful brands and businesses must be relevant to consumers, unique in relation to the competition and credible. Effective branding leads to higher sales and better differentiation from your competition.    

Tips for Building Your Brand

1.    Define Your Brand

Think about the products or services your business offers, pinpoint the space in the market it occupies and the emotional and rational needs of your potential customers. Your brand character should connect with your target market and differentiate your business. 

2.    Professionally Designed Logo

A robust, professionally designed logo can be the foundation of your brand and the lasting visual depiction of your firm. A good graphic designer can interpret your brand's strategy and create a unique, professional look for your business.  Your brand should emphasize your key differentiators and help you communicate, in a visual image, what sets you apart.

3.    Be Unique

Your brand should be distinct from your competitors, with its own personality and unique characteristics. Consider hiring an experienced graphic designer who can help you create a distinctive, professional look for your business.  

4.    Positioning

Positioning is the conceptual place you want to own in the target customer’s mind. It is one of the most important elements of branding. Try to establish yourself in a specific place within the hearts and minds of your potential customers. Look carefully at the positioning of your competition.

5.    Strong Tag Line and Messaging

The corporate tag line is an often overlooked and under-appreciated part of a brand’s marketing message. A strong tag line should be around three to six words that really highlight the core product or service and benefit your business provides in some way that sticks in a customer's mind.

Common Branding Mistakes

1.     Not Identifying with Your Target Audience

Know your target well and be sure your brand can easily connect with and attract them.

2.     Inconsistency

Managing your brand is vital. Make sure everything is consistent, from the fonts and colors to your messaging. Don’t let your prospects become confused about who you are and what you offer.

Incorporate your brand into your marketing consistently. Make sure that no matter where your business is seen (web site, brochure, ads, emails, product packaging, social media, etc.) your customers and prospect experiences the same, high-quality branding. Establishing a constant, recognizable brand for your business is crucial to capturing and keeping clients. 

Facebook 2015 Mistakes to Avoid

Last month, I blogged about Mari Smith's Facebook 2015 webinar which revealed predictions for trends on Pages. This post will cover Mari's recommended mistakes to avoid on Facebook in the coming year.

Don't make these Facebook errors:

1.  Posts are all the same

Vary your posts to keep your audience interested! Try a combination of videos, links, images, funny quotes, relevant news and quirky news that all work toward your social media goals.

2.  Not responding to fan comments

When fans and followers comment or ask a questions, it's important to respond promptly. Monitor your account often so you can reply or take action as needed.

3.  Advertising to existing customers

When promoting an event or product/service, be sure to filter out attendees or clients. This is an advanced advertising feature that's worth learning.

4.  Ad frequency overdone

Don't run the risk of having people "unfollow" your page! Avoid having your ad shown more than 1-2 times to the same audience. Check your frequency report to see how many times your ad was shown to avoid over exposure.

5.  Not integrating Facebook with other channels

While you probably have a Facebook icon on your web site that links to your Facebook Page, have you considered embedding a 'Like Box' so visitors can click and Like right from your Page? Drive your email lists and other social media network followers to your Facebook Page and vice versa.

6.  Quitting Facebook

Keeping up with the myriad of Facebook changes can be frustrating but don't give up on the platform. While its organic reach has dwindled, Facebook does offer an inexpensive advertising entry point that can be used to find new prospects and customers for your business.

As always, if you need assistance with your Facebook or other social media, please give me a shout!

Online Holiday Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

The holiday season is the busiest selling time for many businesses. If you haven't started, now's the time to plan your holiday marketing campaigns to maximize your seasonal selling success!

Here are a few marketing tips to help you make the most of your online holiday sales:

1. Holiday Season Kick Off

The official holiday season begins right after Thanksgiving. Keep in mind these key shopping dates when planning your marketing campaigns:

• Black Friday 
• Small Business Saturday 
• Cyber Monday 

2. What's the Deal?

Your customers and prospects will be looking for great holiday offers, deals and discounts.  Put some thought into creating the most compelling offer for your target audience.

Try attracting new customers by offering holiday specials on daily deal sites such as Groupon and Amazon Local.  Offer deals that are only redeemable for a short time and extend discounts on high margin products or services.

Email continues to drive traffic and sales. It's consumers' preferable method of contact with brands. Use email to offer holiday coupons to your targeted list of customers and prospects. Treat your customers to specials, free shipping and secret sales tailored just for them.

3. Social-ize

Social campaigns should play a significant role in your holiday marketing. Your customers and prospect will be scanning social networks for gift ideas and the best offers.  It's crucial to create a social posting schedule to ensure that you don't miss a beat. Map out all of your posts for the social networks that are right for your business during the weeks leading up to and through the holiday season.

Remember to balance your promotional posts with useful information. Offer product advice, tips, and include fun stuff like videos and photo contests to keep your audience engaged.

4.  Stay Connected

Don't forget to build your email list! Capture contact information of any new customers and prospects and ask permission to send specials, tips and newsletters, etc. throughout the year so you can drive business beyond the holiday season.

Need help pulling your holiday marketing campaigns together? Contact Jocelyn Murray to set up a complimentary consultation to see how I can help!

Quick Tips for Creating E-Newsletters That Get Read

If you're looking for an affordable communications tool to help you attract new business while keeping in touch with your existing clients, consider an e-newsletter.  A balanced, informative newsletter should support your business' goals, be engaging to the reader, provide useful content and include limited promotions or ads.

Here are some tips to help you create a newsletter that gets read and even shared!

1. Compelling Subject Lines

Give your readers a good reason to open your newsletter. Use the limited space in the subject line effectively by asking a question, stating a key benefit or emphasizing an urgent matter such as a limited time offer.  Avoid using spam trigger words (Free, Discount, etc.), all CAPS and overly promotional phrases.  The best newsletter subject lines grab the reader and get them excited about what's inside.

2. Content Worth Reading

Know your audience and what's relevant and important to them. Useful content is the heart of a strong newsletter. When writing your newsletter, share your expertise in informational articles, offer tips or answer customer questions.  In addition to a feature story, include a message from the CEO, other company leaders or information from relevant departments.  

Update readers with industry news, customer stories or quotes. Coupons, giveaways or contests can work for certain businesses and audiences. Cartoons or jokes can add levity and fun to any type of newsletter.

Your strongest story should take the prime, lead spot in your newsletter.  This top news spot should always be educational, informative and never a commercial.  Overall your newsletter should provide lots of content with little advertising.

3. Simple, Clean Design and Easy-to-Read Layout

If you're newsletter is poorly designed, it's almost a sure thing that readers will be less likely to read it. Brand your newsletter with your logo, consistent colors and meaningful graphics. Consider marrying your newsletter's design with that of your company's web site or landing pages.  Your newsletter should have an original masthead or title that's published in a fixed position in each edition. 

Don't forget to make your newsletter easy to read. Use short paragraphs and sentences, headlines, subheadings and good accent images.  Make use of the white space and avoid too much dense text.

4. Include Ways to Unsubscribe

Most readers expect to find the ability to unsubscribe in the footer of every email.  In accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act (email regulations), your newsletter must include a way for your users to unsubscribe from your list either by sending a reply email or by clicking to an unsubscribe page. Overlook these requirements and risk incurring CAN-SPAM violations and hefty fines for your company.

5. Use an Email Service Provider

For more professional looking emails and better results, use an email service provider (Constant Contact, iContact and Aweber to name a few) for your e-newsletter creation and distribution.  An email service provider will allow you to manage and segment your lists and identify bad email addresses or bounces.  Comprehensive tracking and reports are available in order to evaluate who opened your newsletter and which links were clicked. Social sharing capabilities and higher overall deliverability are just a few more benefits. 

To comply with the CAN-SPAM act's legal requirements, an email service provider will automatically provide your mailing address and an unsubscribe option in every email.

7.  Integrate with Social Media

To expand your readership, your newsletter should always invite readers to connect with your business on social media. Include links to all your social networks in the footer or in a special section of each edition. Also include social sharing buttons at the top of your newsletter so readers can easily post your e-news on their networks. 

8. Test and Measure

Experiment with your e-newsletter. Test variables such as your subject line or whether your audience prefers to read your newsletter on a Wednesday or a Saturday.  Measure which versions have a better open rate in order to improve the effectiveness of your e-newsletter.

Six Innovative Ways to Promote Your Next Event

Looking for some new marketing ideas to give your next seminar, trade show or other corporate event a big boost? Here are some promotional activities that we implement for grand openings, but they can be applied to any event to help turn it into a smart money-making promotion for your business:

1. Be Community-Minded

Is there a way that your event can be tied in with a greater cause? Can your grand opening or event help the local community in some way?  If it can, you're bound to get more attention and publicity!

2. Traffic Generating Incentives

Coupons are always a smart marketing tool.  In conjunction with the event, promote a product or service that prospects will respond to and make it time sensitive to encourage a speedy response.

3. Marketing

Beginning a month prior to the event, send timely emails, fliers and personal invitations and use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) to spread the word.  Create a video for YouTube that acts as a teaser ad for the event.  Don't forget to include your special offer or incentive.

4. Use the Media

For big events, think about media partnerships with local radio stations, TV stations, newspapers and cable companies. In exchange for exclusive rights to promote your event on site, you can try to obtain on air promotions or advertising at no cost to you.

5. Advertising and Public Relations

If your budget allows, advertise in your local daily and weekly newspapers and on the radio for one to two weeks leading up to your event. Write a great press announcement and get it out to all the local trade and community outlets.

6. Form Partnerships    

Team up with related or neighboring businesses so that you all can contribute to and benefit from the buzz of your event.  Who can you create reciprocal marketing partnerships with for this event and ongoing? 

For more event promotion advice, contact Jocelyn Murray at 203.377.9980.    

Social Media Marketing World 2014 Trends and Takeaways

Facebook took a big hit this week.  The keynote speaker at this week's Social Media Marketing World 2014 Conference diminished Facebook in his opening remarks essentially saying "Blog more, Facebook less".

Many businesses have been thoroughly frustrated with their efforts to gain more traction on Facebook.  Status updates are seen by a shrinking percentage of followers and the only way to get any visibility is to pay for exposure.

According to content marketing writer, Ryan Hanley, who was at the Conference, "Facebook, the social media juggernaut, minimized at the largest social media marketing conference in world, in the opening keynote no less."

Conference keynote and founder Michael Stelzner may have minimized Facebook but what he did emphasize was the importance of blogging, Google+ and producing relevant content. Sharing information, answering client/prospect questions and serving as an online resource should be part of your business' marketing purpose.

For those of who weren't able to attend SMMW 14, check out Ryan's blog about the trends and takeaways that he discovered: www.ryanhanley.com

Tips for Using Pinterest for Business

If your business hasn't jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, now is the time. Pinterest is growing faster than another social media network according to a recent report from ShareThis.  Pinterest grew at 58% in 2013 outpacing Twitter and LinkedIn.

The ShareThis report states that Pinterest has surpassed email for online sharing. This means that consumers are now "pinning" things like articles, photos, recipes, etc. to share more than they're emailing links.

In addition to a growing user base and an increase in sharing, Pinterest can also give a boost to your SEO.

Check out these tips to help you get started on Pinterest or maximize your business' current efforts:

1. Create a Business Pinterest Page 
Unlike a personal Pinterest Page, a business Page offers valuable analytics to help you understand what's working and what's not.  Pinterest also offers educational information to help businesses build a community and drive traffic to their Page.

2. Complete your Business Profile
Use all of the 160 characters to describe your business and what you'll be posting on your Page. Include keywords to boost your Pinterest SEO. Under Account Settings you can set up connections with your other social media accounts to easily make your Pinterest posts visible on your other networks. And don't forget to verify your web site so that your Pinterest visitors can see your web address and click through to it.

3. Describe Your Pins
Use keywords and hashtags in each pin's description area to optimize them.  Use up the 500 characters allowed and make your text relatable, fun and relevant.

4. Link Every Pin
Add a link to your web site to every Pin you post. These "back links" can increase your Google rankings and they're a smart and easy way to drive traffic to your web site.

5. Fill your Boards
There's nothing worse than clicking on a Pinterest board with only one Pin! Before you make a board public, be sure to add lots of interesting images and links.

If you sell products, Pinterest is a great tool.  But consider Pinterest, even if you have a service based business.  Think of Pinterest as a way to post relevant web site links with interesting photos that entice people to click!

Pinterest shouldn't be used for the sole purpose of promotion. Use it to offer your audience useful information and to build your business' brand and the lifestyle associated with it.