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Small business marketing – internet marketing and me!

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Internet marketing enables every small business just like mine and yours to reach a huge audience for a fraction of the cost of marketing in the bricks and mortar world.

The beauty of this medium for small business marketing is that it allows our potential customers to search for, and find our products and services in their own time, day or night.

Our challenge is to get our online messages in front of them in response to their search – whenever and however they choose to search.  However not all the searching is done online.

Customers could be searching through a search engine, checking their emails, opening an envelope, social networking (online or offline), reading a bumper sticker or consulting their favourite fridge-magnets on the freezer door.

Although people like to search online, they also like to know that we the business owners actually exist in the physical world, and that we are honest, decent people.

So there are endless ways to circulate your online presence (URL).  Invariably that journey takes us offline back into the brick and mortar world, where many of us started.  Believe me the good old business card is not likely to be superseded any time soon.

Back online though, there are some incredible tools used in the online marketing process.  But if I look past the bells and whistles, the essence of internet marketing comes down to a few home truths:

  • A marketable site
  • Good content
  • Appropriate keywords
  • Traffic building
  • Sales conversion
  • Quality products and services

I have found that the best marketing tool that I have ever had is me.  I have tried to make my site look professional but at the same time reflect the ‘down-to-earth-but-know-my-stuff’ image I want to project.

More people respond to my videos than to anything I write.  That’s because I am putting myself out there.  People are getting to know this ‘old dog’ business coach with an unusual mix of business and aikido, who just wants to put the decency back in business.

My small business marketing philosophy is this – to build a fan base of people who relate to my messages.  The money will just look after itself.  It doesn’t matter what service you provide or what product you sell, people always want to buy from someone they know and trust.

Because my business is all about communication, inspiration and education, I chose a blog as my internet platform.  It doesn’t just hang there in cyberspace doing nothing like static web sites do.  I use it to broadcast words, pictures and videos.  I use it to promote myself.   Everything else that needs to happen just flows from there!

If there is one internet marketing lesson that I have learned, it is this – anonymity and invisibility will get you nowhere.  People are interested in products but ultimately they buy from real people.

Until next time!

Gary

Small business marketing – become a teen entrepreneur (part 2)

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Extraordinary photograph courtesy of Spiral Photography

Continuing on from my last post, here are two more innovative ideas for teen entrepreneurs to join the small business marketing process.

Techno problem solver

If everyone over 50 is like me, then they don’t have the first clue about programming the new TV, undoing the onscreen nightmare that’s created when a wrong button is pressed on the TV remote; setting up the DVD player; and what the hell does a router do; getting online with a brand new computer; creating a Facebook page; organizing the first Skype conversation; setting up Windows Outlook; and making the plethora of associated gremlins go away.

The list goes on and on!  I need my adult children around just so I can live my life without an electronic or online disaster.

Therefore if you can effortlessly take care of all this stuff then you are valuable to almost half of the Australian population.  People will pay you handsomely for your assistance and advice.

Personal concierge

Busy people who work long hours don’t have time to do anything for themselves.  The main reason is that they have no time during the week when other businesses are open.

Many are also reluctant to give up valuable weekends to do boring stuff like food shopping.  Here are just a few things that need to get done:

  • Pick up children from school or daycare
  • Make medical & dental appointments
  • Go shopping for clothes
  • Do grocery shopping
  • Make travel bookings
  • Get dry cleaning done
  • Find theatre & concert tickets
  • Find a good restaurant
  • Buy Christmas, birthday & anniversary gifts
  • Organise events and other people

People need things to get done but they don’t have time to do it themselves.  Many are willing to pay someone else to get things done so life can go on harmoniously.

The trick here is to be super-organised, good at multi-tasking, very creative, and to have great contacts around town.  There will always be the occasional difficult request which distinguishes the very good concierge from the ordinary.  Having a good personal concierge is like having a good hairdresser and a trustworthy mechanic.

If you want to read more about becoming a teen entrepreneur and tips about small business marketing go to http://garyweigh.com/recession-riches-and-wealth

Until next time

Gary

Small business marketing – become a teen entrepreneur

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3D animation by the young wizard Daniel Lloyd

Ever thought of becoming a part of small business marketing?

Exams are done, schoolies week is finished and many new school leavers suddenly have an abundance of time on their hands.  For those that have not settled in their career choice, it might be the right time to launch into a small entrepreneurial venture.

For stay-at-home teens, rent is cheap, overheads are low, Mum and Dad are at their most anxious to see their pride and joy on a productive path in life and time is plentiful.  That opportunity won’t come around again.

So while you have an in-built support network at home, think about a business opportunity for your self, or at least a part time income earner that takes the pressure off your parent’s budget.

Business should be fun, so think about your passions in life.  How can doing what you’re passionate about be called ‘work’?  Also think about how you like to spend your time (other than sleeping), what you are good at and what your strengths are.

So if you are among the 40% of young people who dream of their own business someday, here are a couple of ideas to spark your fertile imagination:

1. Social media network consultant

As teens, you have been brought up with Facebook, Twitter and other social media.  You know it inside out.  It’s second nature.  What you probably don’t know is that social media is big business in the outside world.  Teens are the gatekeepers although most don’t realise it.

The fact is that older people in business want to get into social media marketing.  These days it is integral to small business marketing.  Business owners know the high value of accessing social media but many don’t know where to start.

This means that any Facebook / Twitter savvy teen with some imagination can charge for his or her services as a social media network guru.  It’s all about getting paid to do what comes naturally.

For example, I have a personal Facebook presence but I want to set up a Facebook site for my business (Gary Weigh & Associates – coaching, start ups, internet marketing etc) and then I want to attract 5,000 friends to it.   If I was a teen I’d have it done by now.  But as a busy business person I just don’t have the time.

2. Online writer

An online writer is essential to the small business marketing process.  If you love the English language and you always enjoyed essays and story writing then online writing may be for you.

Everyone in the online world needs content in the form of text, images and video.  It might be for web sites, blog posts, commenting in online forums, writing keyword-rich text, or writing articles.

I write two blogs and have just paid an online writer (I have never met) a couple of hundred dollars to write a bunch of articles for me.  So there is definitely money to be made here.

So if you are feeling the slightest entrepreneurial twinge, give it some thought.  let me know at gary@garyweigh.com

Until next time

Gary