Small Business Marketing

A recent blog post by Jay Hamilton-Roth of ManyGoodIdeas.com made me sit back and take a good look at my own business.  I realized that I have a passion for helping small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed through applying the knowledge and experience I’ve collected in 30+ years of marketing.

This video is about a small organic farmer from Northern California, Johann Smit of Hidden Star Farms but if you listen closely, there is a lot to learn (and maybe rediscover) about the passion each of us feels for our own small business.

Question Details: I want to get more search engine traffic to my business’ website. I have Googled and found a company that does Search Engine Optimization.  They are quite flexible and give a money back guarantee. Should I hire them to do SEO for my site?

Answer:

Before you jump into hiring an SEO, you need a bit more information.

There are good SEOs and bad ones. When we hire a Search Engine Optimization contractor, first we look for one with experience in the business type we are looking to promote. This is critical to developing good links back to your site, which are a core component of improving SERP placement, as well as implementing the best website practices for that type of business.

Before you can hire someone to perform optimization, you must understand the basics of SEO, Google has a good beginners SEO guide.

There also a number of very good SEO blogs such as Search Engine Land that will be useful in getting a better understanding of the subject.

You may decide to just take on doing your own Search Engine Optimization.

Another good place to start would be to run your site through Website Grader a free tool offered by HubSpot. They also offer a lot of resource material on SEO, which they call Inbound Marketing.

If you have questions contact me through our website: www.hollicogroup.com

A good small business ad doesn’t have to be difficult to create. If you follow a few fairly simple guidelines you can put together an ad that will produce results for your business.

First, I’m assuming you have some idea of who your customers are, their age, at least some of their interests and why they do business with you. You will want to create an ad that they will notice and be interested in enough to read.

How would a potential customer benefit from the product you want to advertise? How would they benefit from buying it from you and not your competition – remember that price isn’t always the most important consideration.

Don’t make the common mistake of trying to advertise – cram – everything you offer in one ad. Focus on one or two related products or services – leave the others for subsequent ads or other marketing efforts.

A time tested formula that describes the basics of a good advertisement is AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action).

Get their Attention: create an effective headline

This is where you snag their attention while they are reading an article. It has to be short, easy to understand and catchy. You can lead them into the body of your ad with a sub-head that tells them why they should read on.

Stimulate Interest

Use the product’s benefits for your potential customer to connect with them – now your talking their language: “If I get an XYZ widget, it’ll be easier to cut the grass and look better when I’m done.” Follow up with the reason they should by the product from you: “Exclusive dealer for XYZ widgets… or the best selection of XYZ Widgets in town… or experts in the selection of widgets.”

Create Desire

Here’s where emotion comes into the mix. How would your customer feel when they buy your widget? Create the desire to own the product or service, to do business with you. Offer proof. Testimonials work well. Easy-to-understand statistics or facts that reinforce the benefits are excellent. Security of their purchase works (Money-back guarantee, or 5 Year Manufacturers’ Warranty)

State a Call to Action
Give the customer a reason to take action now. A limited time offer works. Limited supply is another reason. What do you think will make your customers buy now? The better you know the people who shop in your store or use your services, the easier it will be to give them a reason to act.

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