QR Codes and Social Media

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Social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are massive marketing tools for businesses. However, having a sign, postcard or newspaper advertisement telling readers to “like” your social media profile is not efficient. Enter into the equation QR codes. Also known as a Quick Response code, this is a useful tool for inbound marketing in the hands of potential customers and clients.

How QR Codes Work

A QR code is a square shaped symbol filled with matrix code that functions in the same way as a bar code on a product at the supermarket. Individuals can scan these codes using a digital reader with a camera feature, such as a smartphone or tablet. The information saved within the QR code will lead the user to a social media site, where they are then able to like or comment on your profile. For instance, someone can read about your business in a magazine. If you’ve included a QR code for your social media profile, they’ll be able to scan the code so to connect with your social media page.

Creating QR Codes

Start by utilizing a website that will create a QR code for you. All you need in order to create a QR code is the address to the website in which you want to connect to using the code.

Utilizing a QR Code

Once you have a QR code you can print off a copy of the code and paste it onto various forms of print media. For example, you would want to include the QR code for your social media sites along with your press releases, advertisements, YouTube videos, and business cards. Brick and mortar establishments for businesses often include a QR code linking to their social media page on signs placed strategically throughout the building. By allowing customers to connect to your social media site in a clever and efficient manner, you ensure that more individuals are reaching your marketing platform on the web.

Applications of Direct Marketing

Direct marketing puts the customer and the business in direct contact with one another, therefore the term direct. The main benefit of using this form of marketing is that the results can be measured using hard data, such as through numbers or statistics. This allows marketers to understand if the applications they are using to engage customers are working. In terms of applications of direct marketing, there are several to mention.

Print Media

Years before there was Internet, print media ruled the world of direct marketing. Today it is still useful, albeit with less of an emphasis. Catalog distribution, fliers and promotional letters are three of the most common forms of direct marketing. Additionally, if your business publishes magazine or newspaper advertisements that encourage a response, such as a survey or coupon to be used in a store, this would be considered direct marketing.

Internet Methods

As email became a commonplace way to communicate, it joined the ranks of direct marketing applications. Often you will see web based forms asking users to submit their email address either for contest entries, a newsletter sign up, or to receive free material such as an eBook. This is another form of direct marketing as it allows businesses to create a database using the email addresses of web users. Blogs that promote interaction between customers are another form of direct marketing online. The website advertisements that encourage users to click to redirect to a business’s page allows marketers to track web users’ activities so they can measure the success rate of such ads.

Mobile Technology

One of the first direct marketing applications using the telephone was through telemarketing. Marketers continue to use this technique. However, the methods have changed from cold-calling to connecting with customers who call in to customer service agencies for specific needs, such as when signing up for a credit card or updating banking information via the telephone. Cell phones with their ability to text message provide businesses with another form of direct marketing. This application allows marketers to reach customers through their mobile devices as yet another means of connecting with potential customers. Often times a text will include a coupon or sales ad that will promote a business, while helping marketers track the users of this application of direct marketing.

Make Your Website SEO Friendly

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Your website is the equivalent of a physical storefront. If visitors can’t find it through the search engines, they are not going to translate into sales for your business. This is why it is so important to have a website that is SEO-friendly. This will increase your search engine rankings and help you drive more traffic to your site.

Crawlable Link Structure

The search engine spiders are constantly looking at new webpages to determine how to rank them. However, it is also important for the spiders to find more than one page on your website. This means you need to make sure your website is structured in a way where the links create a natural flow for the spiders to follow. This will increase your search rankings.

Proper Keyword Usage

This can be one of the most difficult aspects for many web designers. When they are creating content for a website, they may think the more often they use a keyword, the better the site will rank. Today, search engines look at quality, as well as which keywords are used. In addition, the search engine spiders work hard to identify websites that overuse keywords. There is a delicate balance in the number of times these words should be used to attract the attention of the search engines.

Tags

Tags are extremely important to the success of your website on the search engines. For instance, you title tags should run about 65 to 75 characters long and include the keyword near the front of the tag. Meta tags should also be used to increase your rankings on the search engines. These tags should also include the keyword and provide a good description of what the page is about.

When you make use of these important SEO elements, you will increase the rankings of your page. when your site ranks better on the search engines, you will generate more traffic, which in turn will equal more sales for your business. This will help you build a productive business online.

Which Social Media Sites are Most Beneficial?

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Social media encourages online readers to interact with one another through comments, likes and web based friendships. While businesses are encouraged to use social media to market their services or products, it can be an overwhelming process. Certain social media sites are more popular, whereas others are targeted for particular audiences. Here are the social media sites you should be focusing on.

Facebook is the most popular social media site with more than 1 billion active users worldwide. Eleven million businesses have pages on this social networking site. Therefore, you can bet you should have one of your own. The key here is to remain active by adding posts on a daily or bi-weekly basis. Additionally, to build up your social network on Facebook, respond to comments posted to your page.

Twitter is the second most popular social media site, attracting more than 200 million active users. While your comments are limited to 140 characters, this fast moving social networking format allows you to share information with a wide range of Twitter followers. Join groups and build your network to expand your horizontal reach. However, keep in mind that the number of followers you have should be approximately equal to the number of people who you are following in order to get the most out of your Twitter handle.

Other social media sites that offer more specific services include YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn. YouTube is ideal for sharing videos, which can become viral in an instant. Create commercials, offer how-to videos, and explain your products on YouTube. Pinterest is another visual media site, yet here you are focused on photos rather than videos. You should set up a board, or twenty, that offers helpful tips, links to blogs, and projects that are on par for your target audience. Include “pins” to your own website or blog on your boards for better results.

LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows businesses, colleagues and job seekers to interact. For your business, include a comprehensive history of your company along with any contact information for potential employees. You should also create a personal profile illustrating your resume details and work history so to attract potential clients and customers.

Establishing a Successful Direct Mail Campaign

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Although they are often overlooked, direct mail campaigns are one of the most effective means of promoting your business. In order for it to be successful, however, there are a few key elements you should incorporate into the campaign.

Research your target area. Choosing the right target area for your mailing is critical. Make sure the recipients are ones most likely to benefit from your products or services. For example, a roofing and siding company would not benefit by targeting newly built homes.

Create a mailer that stands out. Whether it’s a post-card, flyer, brochure or letter, your mailer needs to be eye-catching and attract the reader’s attention immediately. Grabbing the recipients’ attention will be the difference between having your mailer be read or tossed into the trash without a second glance. Use bright and bold colors, easy to read text and an opening sentence that makes them want to read more.

Make an offer. The point of a direct mail campaign is to attract business. Give the customers a reason to want to do business with you. For example, a service based company can give a discount offer on services performed, a product based company can offer a free item.

Provide company information. This is key! Customers can’t contact you if they don’t have your contact information. Be sure to supply a range of methods including your business location, phone number, website and social media platforms. Consider placing a QR code on your mailer if it fits with your target audience.

Send multiple mailings. Sometimes, your first mailer is cast aside. Maybe even the second. It often takes several mailers to obtain a response.

Track your results. Develop a way to track the results of your direct marketing campaign so that you can measure its effectiveness. This information can be used to improve future direct marketing campaigns.

Incorporate Marketing into Your Printed Materials

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Social media marketing is one of the hottest marketing trends. There is a huge amount of people using social and nearly every company has a marketing scheme designed to conquer different social media platforms. With the shift towards social that does not however mean that traditional print marketing should be abandoned altogether. Rather than ignoring print marketing it is now important for marketers to adopt a system that incorporates social media marketing into print. Making sure branding of social platforms and tags are all made available through print is a must as the social world progresses and people start looking for new ways to advertise themselves.

Combining both forms of advertising is a must as print media previously was self-reliant. Social can be self-reliant but it is more beneficial for a company to allow both users of social and non-social to know about each other. The goal is to market the company or brand and incorporating social branding into a print campaign can save a great deal of money and increase an ROI altogether. Incorporating marketing into your printed materials is a fantastic way in which to establish new customers by tapping into the vast potential of people who didn’t previously know about your company and its functions.

Print marketing still reaches a huge amount of people. People like to hold and possess physical objects and always will. By providing a physical printed sheet full of your company’s information, you can easily reach a new potential number of customers that previously seemed out of your grasp. Utilizing print marketing is a must to go beyond the traditional set barriers of marketing and merge the old and modern world together for huge results that are beneficial towards a companies growth and help to maintain sales and influence within a market in an industry.

5 Tips for a Successful eNewsletter

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There’s no doubt eNewsletters are highly effective ways to market goods and services to both existing and prospective clients. But how do you create a successful newsletter that customers will read and respond to?

Here are some tips to consider.

1. Write an effective subject line.

The first thing the reader sees is the subject line. Make sure it’s enticing and lures the reader into your content. Otherwise, the piece get sent straight to the trash folder.

2. Use the masthead appropriately.

Make sure your masthead includes your logo (linked to your site, of course) as well as a catchy name for the newsletter. The masthead shouldn’t take up too much space either. You want your content to be prominent and not “below the fold.”

3. Include a table of contents.

The average reader will spend less than a minute deciding if he or she will read your content. Make certain you’ve given them a clear picture of what’s in store if they investigate further. Oftentimes, a reader will use the table of contents to select the content the want to read instead of reading what you’ve placed at the top. The result? More clicks for your site.

4. Avoid sales speak.

Newsletters are supposed to contain just that – news. Readers don’t want a blatant sales pitch. Include facts, figures, photos, infographics, statistics, how-tos, tips and other helpful content that a reader can actually use. Sales pitches should be made in separate emails.

5. Highlight clients.

Incorporate testimonials and client spotlights so readers know your business is a quality outlet. Plus, by highlighting a client in your newsletter, you’ve secured your relationship even further.

Use these tips to create an effective eNewsletter for your customers and prospects. You’ll enjoy greater client engagement and increased sales thanks to a little forethought.

The Secrets to a Successful Website

There are many different successful companies out there today that have a less than successful website. Maintaining a successful website takes hard work and dedication and unfortunately some people aren’t willing to put in that effort. If you are willing to put in a bit of work and follow these simple and effective tips for creating a successful website, you’ll already be one step ahead of the rest.

3 Secrets to a Successful Website

  • Appearances are everything. Your well designed website should show the world that you are stable and successful. You want readers to take you seriously and come back for more. You should take the time to create a visually appealing and easy to navigate site. Break up content with pictures, videos and links to other information. The main thing to remember here is to keep your reader entertained.
  • Update content often. You should be updating your site every few days. Readers want to come back and see something new. Whether it’s a new blog post or new pictures, make sure you are providing new content for your readers to enjoy on a regular basis. Give visitors the option to contact you and give feedback as well. The best way to hear what your readers want to see is directly from the source itself.
  • SEO is your new best friend. In order to drive traffic to your site you need to brush up on your Search Engine Optimization skills. Using keywords to your favor is a great way to drive traffic to your site. Having a site rich in SEO keywords helps you to become visible on Google, Yahoo! and other search engines. By becoming visible on different search engines you are essentially investing in free advertising for your site!

Keep these secrets in mind when building your successful website. If you follow these simple steps and are offering your readers plenty of content to keep them engaged, you can be sure they’ll be coming back for more.

The Solution to Retail Mobile Marketing

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In today’s society we are all practically glued to our smartphones; in fact, I bet the majority of you are reading this blog post from a 4.5” by 2.3” screen. It is no secret that small and large businesses have been trying to crack the mobile marketing secrets for years. From failed text messaging advertisements to recent QR codes, mobile marketing has been a necessity that has yet to deliver the desired results – until now. Apple has once again stepped to the forefront with a mobile marketing tactic that is affordably available to big and small retail players.

Have you ever heard of the iBeacon? The iBeacon uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to create a transmitting beacon around regions, which alerts your store’s app when a user enters into the beacon’s space. Imagine that you are approaching a Macy’s store. As you enter into the Macy’s iBeacon region your phone will transmit customized coupons and even walking directions to the specific aisle where a discounted item is located. iBeacon can go so far as to prompt customers with special promotions or a personalized recommendation based on past shopping history.

A recent Bloomberg article examined the mobile marketing implications of the iBeacon. According to Bloomberg analyst Bill Carmody, at just $99 for three 50-meter transmitting beacons, “It’s as if you just added Google Analytics to your physical store – the real-life equivalent of being able to analyze page views and click throughs.” iBeacon allows retail store owners and manufactures to analyze retail traffic patterns, specific hover zones, and purchase patterns.

The possibilities for targeted mobile marketing are now endless. As we enter the busy holiday shopping season we will soon discover if iBeacon proves to be the mobile marketing breakthrough that it currently seems to be.

[Source: Business Week – http://ilnk.me/15588]

Tricks To Effectively Utilizing Google+

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The most successful businesses are constantly looking for methods and techniques to expand and find new customers. For businesses looking to connect with new customers and expand their reputation, Google + offers the world’s second-largest social networking website in the world. Through Google + users have the opportunity to create their own profile and connect with others through the formulation of “circle” groups. Google Plus users grow their network by posting useful information, posts, images and videos that can quickly go viral. Below, we will examine how to effectively utilize Google +.

1. Link your Google + Account to Other Forms of Social Media

To generate more traffic and interest in your product or service, consider placing your Google+ Badge on your company website, blog and social media site to generate new and loyal customers. Because Google + can be linked and shared to thousands of users, the content on your profile can go viral in an extremely short period of time. Invite your friends, business partners and existing clients to your Google+ circle where it can be shared and viewed by all of their contacts and associates too.

2. Market to the Right Audience

Prior to launching a Google + profile, spend time considering who your target audience is. Once this is determined, market your Google + profile to cater to these individuals. If you are trying to connect with a younger demographic, post and share content that is relatable to their age group.

3. Inviting People to Join your Circle is only Half the Battle

If your Google+ account is not updated on a regular basis with new and interesting posts, people who are in your circles will forget about your profile. Start with an introduction post that tells your connections what you are offering and continue to update this information with useful content.