Internet Marketing Blog » Small Business Marketing http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog Free tips, advice, ideas and how to's for Small Businesses Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:54:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Blogging for Non-Writers http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/blogging-for-non-writers/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/blogging-for-non-writers/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:54:24 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2627

Here’s a great article for anyone wanting to start a blog but is worried about not being a “good enough” writer.  Blogs aren’t just for “great writers” and can be used in a variety of creative ways.  You can use a blog to feature your art and/or photography and let the visuals “speak” for themselves.  Or you could use your blog to collect and organize information and articles that you know your clientele/audience is interested in.  The possibilities are endless….

For more inspiration on how to start a blog when you aren’t a great writer, check out the article below.

How to Blog When You’re Not a Writer
by Mark Hayward

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/blogging-for-non-writers/feed/ 0 Great Ways to Use Twitter for Small Business http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:24:30 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1438 Here are some links to some great ways to use Twitter for your small business.

Here’s an article about how to use Twitter’s Advanced Search  to find new leads for your business….

How One Small Business Doubled His Clientele Using Twitter

When J.R. Cohen, Operations Manager for CoffeeGroundz (@coffeegroundz) Cafe in Houston, Texas first heard about Twitter from one of his customers, he was puzzled but intrigued. Today, he credits Twitter with almost doubling his clientele and with opening his eyes to a whole new way to build Community.  Read the article here…

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/feed/ 0 Email Marketing Options http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/email-marketing-options/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/email-marketing-options/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:24:54 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1562 The following are a few recommended email marketing companies that I suggest for building an email mailing list and sending periodic email blasts and newsletters to your past and potential client lists.

VerticalResponse, Inc.

iContact – Using email marketing to directly connect you with your customers has been simplified. Sign up for an account today – empower your businesses’ online communication needs. Sending personalized emails to your customers and prospects doesn’t get any easier than this!

Constant Contact – Email marketing made easy.

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/email-marketing-options/feed/ 0 How to Build Facebooks Fans http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/how-to-build-facebooks-fans/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/how-to-build-facebooks-fans/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:06:45 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2435 John Haydon had a great idea on his blog for building Facebook Fans by offering Fan-Only content.    Check out his article link below to learn how to do it…

How To Create An Incentive For Visitors To Fan Your Facebook Page

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/how-to-build-facebooks-fans/feed/ 0 GoMyLocal.com http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/gomylocal-com/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/gomylocal-com/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:04:32 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2437 Here’s another local directory/social media site that you can add your business to for free.  GoMyLocal.com directory listings are a free and easy way to get more exposure online for your business or store front.  Visit the site and see if your business is listed, if not click on “Add a Listing” and fill out a short form with details about your business.  Even if you have a website it is important to have listings on local search sites too.

www.GoMyLocal.com

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/gomylocal-com/feed/ 1 Present a Professional Image http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/present-a-professional-image/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/present-a-professional-image/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:02:01 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1591 It’s been said that a photo is worth a thousand words.  With such a competitive marketplace especially for visitor and tourism related businesses, it’s very important to project a professional image with high-quality, professional photography of your business.

As a website developer I look forward to projects where the client has invested in professional photography, because not only are quality photographs powerful in and of themselves, but they can and often do lend to the design direction of the site.   Our society is very visually oriented and and in many cases, visitors to your website have only the photography you provide to make a buying decision.

I recently worked with professional photographer, Kicka Witte for my own photography as well as for a clients’ upcoming project.  It’s amazing what professional photography can do to highlight the fine points of a person, property or product.   Kicka is amazingly talented and a joy to work with and specializes in portrait photography, architectural photography, fashion, lifestyle and panoramic photography.  Kicka captures the essence of each subject she photographs.  Truly a worthwhile investment!

Visit Kicka’s website here.

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/present-a-professional-image/feed/ 1 Encourage Reviews on TripAdvisor http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/encourage-reviews-on-tripadvisor/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/encourage-reviews-on-tripadvisor/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:50:08 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1593 TripAdvisor is a free travel guide website that allows users to post opinions and reviews of travel related issues.  TripAdvisor-branded sites alone make up the most popular and largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million unique monthly visitors, 15 million+ members, and more than 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 500,000+ hotels and attractions in the U.S.   With this kind of travel market share you can easily see why TripAdvisor is important to all visitor/vacation-related businesses.

5 Things You Should Do Today (if you haven’t already)

  1. Go to TripAdvisor.com and do a search for your business name.
  2. Peruse the traveler reviews to see if anyone has posted a review or comment about your business.  Pat yourself on the back if what you find is positive, think “opportunity for improvement” if what you find isn’t so great.
  3. If there are reviews of your business click on your business name which should be a hyperlink to your business listing.  If you don’t see a listing for your business, then it’s time to set one up.
  4. Create a user account and listing for your business.  (Follow the link for instructions).  Be sure to complete all the information requested and add photos to your listing too.
  5. Start encouraging your guests/patrons to share their experiences on TripAdvisor.com (click here for the down loadable flyer) or sign in to your TripAdvisor.com account and download the high resolution flyer.  You can also make your own flyer (recommended) and post it prominently at your business location and email it with a note of thanks to your guests/patrons after their visit/trip to encourage reviews.

What about bad reviews?

One bad review is NOT the end of the world, but it can be harmful if ignored.   If you’ve found a review of your business that is less than flattering I recommend submitting an “management response” to that review offering an apology and to share what you are doing to correct the issue.  By publicly acknowledging the problem that occurred you’re letting other potential guests/patrons who read the review that customer satisfaction and your reputation is important to you.  The best medicine for a bad review is to encourage more people to write reviews and over time it will become evident what customers can expect from your business.

Reviews should be monitored regularly (use a Google alert to make this easy) as this will help you to identify the areas where you can improve your customer experience.

Once you have a TripAdvisor listing and some good reviews established I recommend installing one of the TripAdvisor badges on your website, which will help to further promote your credibility and encourage future patrons to write about their experiences with your business on TripAdvisor.   You can access the TripAdvisor badges once you are signed in to your account.

More Owner/Representative Resources on TripAdvisor.


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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/encourage-reviews-on-tripadvisor/feed/ 3 Small Business Web Marketing on a Shoestring Budget http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/small-business-web-marketing-on-a-shoestring-budget/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/small-business-web-marketing-on-a-shoestring-budget/#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:15:14 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1553 I’m moving over some content from my website and found this gem of an article from David Wallace.  It’s a few years old but the advice and suggestions for small businesses on a shoestring budget (who isn’t these days?) is still great.

Increase the Visibility of Your Small Business Website on a Shoestring Budget

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/small-business-web-marketing-on-a-shoestring-budget/feed/ 1 Claim Your Google Maps Listing http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/claim-your-google-maps-listing/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/claim-your-google-maps-listing/#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:38:03 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1550 Here’s a free way to get some great local exposure for your small business on Google – claim your Google Maps listing.

Watch the video on how to Claim Your Google Maps Listing.

To determine which categories to use for your Google Maps listing, go here….

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/12/claim-your-google-maps-listing/feed/ 0 Promoting Your Facebook Page http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/11/promoting-your-facebook-page/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2009/11/promoting-your-facebook-page/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:59:01 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1527 I’ve posted a bunch of posts on the topic of Facebook and how to create a page for your small business.  Now here’s some resources for promoting your Facebook page outside of Facebook, like on your blog or website or other social media sites.  Click on the link below to see Facebooks’ guidelines for promoting your FB page and to find FB images and  a FB badge to be used on elsewhere on the web.

Promoting Facebook Page Outside of Facebook

Places to Promote your Facebook page:

Email Footers
Your Website
Your Blog
Twitter
LinkedIN
Other Social Media Sites Profiles where you can add links

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