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Posted on Fri, 02/3/2012 - 07:30 PM by
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That one company mentioned? It happens to be mine. Early on, much wasn’t being spent on marketing simply because the funds weren’t available. Some dabbling was done with the usual suspects: the Yellow Pages, online ads, etc. None seemed to do more to build my brand online. So now, five years later, surprisingly nothing is being invested in marketing yet enough was earned to profit and expand. Intrigued? Read on.
Unfair Advantage I’m a big proponent of social media, blogging and networking. To be honest, my business has an unfair advantage in using these tools since it’s a marketing firm that ultimately provides these services to others. Churning out blog posts or social media updates comes naturally. However, not all small business owners may have the same ease with the keyboard or the time to do it themselves. Marketing Strategy There aren’t hundreds of clients coming from Twitter or Facebook. Occasionally someone will pop up and ask about a service. A few people have stumbled across blogs and made contact. So you see, it’s not a clear cut A to B path that gets new business. It’s more about branding and building your presence online. Projects are bid on through Elance and Guru and some proposals might not stand out more than others. But you see, it’s really about what people find when looking at blog posts and the other 4 million results that appear when Googling your name. Potential clients can read blogs to get a sense of your writing style as well as where you stand. They can find social media posts that share links to great articles. And in my case, they can also find a few answers on Quora and Focus. In short: Potential clients can get a degree of confidence by looking at what you’ve done online. So you see, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get marketing results. Become known for what you do and make sure that when people search for keywords in your industry – your business appears. Social media and blogging work; just ask the hundreds of companies who use it daily to brand themselves. Take the time to figure out what works for you and your company, regardless of how little it costs – and run with it. Zero Dollars Photo via Shutterstock MORE NEWS FROM SMALL BUSINESS TRENDSNominations Are Open for the Small Business Influencer Awards!Does a special person or company come to mind when you think of someone or something important in the world of small business? Perhaps you think of a client of yours. Or maybe a favorite vendor or supplier, or a software app that has transformed your small business or made it more profitable. Or perhaps you think of a favorite journalist who covers issues important to small businesses. G8 Leaders Call for Growth: Six Things You Can DoLeaders the world over including those at this week’s G8 Summit are calling for economic growth, not just budget tightening, in an effort to combat world market instability and speed recovery. But for all the talk in policy circles, this growth will ultimately come from the private sector and especially here in the U.S., from small to medium sized businesses that create many of the jobs and employ many of the workers already in our economy. Here’s a look at the economic growth G8 leaders are calling for and six things you can do to promote growth in your business today. Can a Gas Tax Fuel Clean Energy Innovation?With gas prices already reaching nearing $4 per gallon in many places, most business owners don’t relish the idea of them rising even further. Yet, some people are still calling for the government to deliberately increase them – by raising the gas tax. What Job Are You Helping Your Customers Do?Marketing is often described in terms of a product life cycle. The development, the launch, continued support, and finally, discontinuation all have specific marketing efforts associated with them. From social contests to reduced prices and giveaways, the emphasis is nearly always on the product or service provided. However, this does not take into account the way that customers actually search for and find products. Small Business Loans and Small Loans to BusinessA few weeks ago, I wrote about the decline in “small loans to business” during the Great Recession and economic recovery that followed. Now I am back to tell you that data on “small business loans” paints an even worse picture of the small business credit markets. RELATED SMALL BUSINESS NEWSHow Ads on Your Site Can Affect SEO (Video)Your search rankings could be suffering if there are a number of advertisements above the content on your website. ... SBA Seeks to Boost Small-Dollar Loans With New Push (Video)The SBA is looking to increase the number of smaller loans in underserved communities with a new push. ... You’re the Boss Blog: A Start-Up Wants to Help You Cut Through the Clutter and Noise OnlineOne concern: the pitch could have done a better job of discussing the potential for competition. ... First State Bank Of Nebraska Recognized As Community Lender For 2012The First State Bank of Nebraska has been recognized as the Rural/Community Lender of the year 2012. SBA has recognized the bank for its efforts in Nebraska. State Bank Nebraska has served the community in a number of ways. Want the Right Stuff? Start With Your Help-Wanted AdA top-performing team starts with writing a thorough and accurate job description. Consider these five tips. ... |
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