Small Business Marketing Strategy Advice Social Marketing and Direct Response Marketing

I saw this display yesterday close to my home.
Have to say, Mc Donalds delivers this to perfection!
Watch what you say in your ads!

Most small business owners will scoff at the mere mention of the word branding for small business. At a juncture in their small business where every penny is being watched to ensure movement toward eventual profits, branding a small business hasn’t even entered the equation.

The real truth is that all businesses - big or small - have a brand within them. It’s a matter of finding a way to bring it out to make your company stand apart from your competitors.

Many small business owners neglect branding because they feel it’s an expense they can’t afford. But branding a small business can help position you as the expert in your niche – and it can catapult your profits upward faster than many other components within your business strategy.

While it’s true that the big businesses shell out big bucks to make a brand for their company, it really isn’t necessary to spend that much money. Branding is what sets you apart from other companies offering the same type products or services as you.

It could come from your logo, awesome customer service, the quality of the product you put on the market, or the buzz you generate in your niche. The next time you watch television, actually pay attention to the commercials.

What are some of the brands you see in the companies that placed those ads on the air? State farm insurance has a commercial jingle that says, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” It’s not only their jingle - but also a brand, because it invokes feelings of trust in their target audience.

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get a brand for your company. Figure out what you want to be known for and develop a tag line or motto for your business.

What makes the store Payless shoes stand out from their competitors? The simple fact that the customer pays less for a pair of shoes than most shoe stores! They created branding right in their business name.

Branding is not something you have to break the bank to get. Figure out what your company or product’s strong points are and build from there. Let your business grow and get your company’s image developed by providing a brand to make you stand out from those you’re competing against. This is how a big part of marketing a small business.

When we were in Nashville a little while ago we had the fantastic opportunity to meet Nido Qubein.

Nido Qubein came to the United States as a teenager with no knowledge of English, no contacts and only $50 in his pocket. Today he is a successful businessman and award-winning motivational speaker. How did he do it? Learn from Nido how to achieve success and significance in business and life by: Creating meaningful change that moves you to a deeper, more satisfying level; Distinguishing among tasks, goals and purpose; Developing strategies for going beyond communicating, selling and training; Discovering how the 21st century rewards extraordinary people.

Check out this video:

This is great!

“In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones. And early adopters, not the mainstream’s bell curve, are the new sweet spot of the market”.

[Via TED]

Not everything is about business or small business marketing.
Some days it is just about giving free hugs!

I’m assuming you have a blog. A blog is a must today in business.
If you don’t, please, start one today. It is easy and free.
If you don’t even know what a blog is or why you should have one, you can find more information about blogs here.
Today, these tips are for people that have a blog.

1. Write mostly in first person

2. Attribute links to source material

3. Blog title should include a description of what the blog is about.

4. Write about a variety of topics, some business related, some personal.

5.Headline should be simple and include one of your important search terms

6.Make it easy for visitors to subscribe to your RSS

7. Include photos, audio and videos regularly

8. Use a domain name that match a search term that is important for your business.

9. Your blog should live in your business domain. (ex: buzzbooster.com/blog)

10.Include links to your company.

11. Vary the length of your entries.

12. Invite comments from visitors

13. Respond comments from visitors

14. Have someplace a photo of yourself.

15. Provide readers with a way to contact you.

16. Provide a search option

17. Make it easy for people to bookmark your entries to digg.com, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon and/or other social bookmarking sites?

Blogs are fun, help you position yourself as the expert in your industry, is your own media and helps you build a group of followers.
Time spent blogging is time spent building your business.

We have a great interview with business consultant Rudy Ortiz on the main reasons why small business owners fail and what to do to avoid this kind of problem.
Listen to Why Small Businesses fail.

This doesn’t really have anything to do with business, but it makes me lol every time!

Every characteristic of yours is an asset in business, sometimes we need to learn how to use it in sync with everything else, but nonetheless it can be a valuable asset. So what if you’re a little too creative, or perhaps too analytical, who knows even a little clumsy? Incorporate it to your brand, show the world who you are and allow them to engage with you because of it. So you have a “sneaky paw?” Don’t fight it, use it to get a better grip on that yummy bone!

J.K. Rowling speaks at Harvard Commencement about the benefits of failure, prepare to be enlightened:

“So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default”.

J.K. Rowling speaking at Harvard part 1:

Read the entire text, get mp3, or watch the full video at:
http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html

Why should you attend this weeks luncheon where BuzzBooster will talk about Facebook and its use for business? Because Facebook can help you generate more leads at no cost. Some people are hooked!