If you stick with us, we are about to show you some useful advertising tips that you can start implementing right away. And guess what: the ones we will cover here today are free, and if not completely free, then budget-friendly. 

Let’s start with the tools you can use to advertise your business.

Cost-free Tools

In a nutshell, the common denominator for the majority of cost-free tools is content. You’ve probably heard the expression: “ Content is the king”. Good content is an absolute necessity. Why? Well, it helps you stand out among your competitors and it emphasizes your value proposition even more. Also, it makes you more visible.

Engage on Social Media

Speaking of free advertising, what better than social media. The major mistake people make is that they don’t engage with their audience or with other potential partners or influencers. Speak up, share your opinion on relevant matters and draw attention when starting a company. 

Promote your blogs, follow other influential people, take part in online conferences, and create polls. Regularly posting quality content, content that your audience will benefit from, is one of the best advertising strategies you can do. And it’s free. In reality, you can hardly make a mistake here. The only mistake you can make is being dormant and just lingering on social media without providing value for your business.

Email Campaigns

Although some people may complain that there are too many emails nowadays, the fact remains that most business communications come from emails themselves. With the help of email automation tools (many of them, like AWeber offer automation in their free plans), you can really keep your clients engaged by creating welcome emails, thank you emails, email newsletters. You just schedule them according to your business priorities and they pretty much do the work for you. They are a great time saver.

Blogging

The power of words, be it spoken or written is undeniable. It’s the strongest “weapon” because it hits directly into the heart. What better way to advertise starting a company than to write blogs? Use your expertise and make a blog easy to read. Make it entertaining while shedding some light on the hottest topics from your industry. 

Blogs are a great way to show your knowledge, engage with your audience and also do some networking. You can present your business, show what sets you apart from your competitors and where your value lies. There are educational platforms for entrepreneurs that post blogs and other educational material. These platforms could be a great place to share your wisdom and attract new customers or build powerful business relationships. 

Word-of-Mouth Advertising

It goes without saying that we live in a digital age, but word-of-mouth advertising should definitely not be underestimated. Why? The answer is very simple: people buy from companies they trust. You know yourself that trust is one of the most difficult things to build because it takes lots of time and patience. 

However, with word-of-mouth advertising that process goes much faster. Your loyal customers will spread the word to their friends, families, and colleagues. Those people would be more inclined to buy from you because someone they trust recommended you. You don’t need to go through hoops to earn their trust. 

You already got yourself a nice foundation on which you can continue to build your business relations. And although it isn’t directly linked to advertising, don’t forget to reward your loyal customers. Show them how much you appreciate them.

Partnership and Branding

When you are a small business, partnering with other respectable brands can make you more visible and attract more leads. At the same time, don’t forget about your own brand. Your brand is your ambassador. Thus, it needs to be in line with your business mission and value proposition. The key is consistency so that people can start connecting the brand with you. Consistency in this case equals trust and a sense of security. 

Moreover, it makes your business more memorable. In order to achieve consistency, make sure to use the same “voice,” the same visual branding across all social media channels. Emphasize your (key) value proposition so that the next time somebody sees your logo, for example, they immediately recognize it and know what to expect.

Internal Communication

All the advertising tools that we presented in the lines above are there to help you grow your business and connect more with your target audience. However, you should bear in mind that all these tools can’t compensate for the lack of internal communication in your company/team. It is essential that you nurture this type of communication in order to really create a high-quality working environment. 

This environment will further impact the work processes, and ultimately, the way you deliver your product. To think that the relations within the company/team don’t affect the relations with your customers would be a huge mistake. 

The statistics clearly show how important this aspect is and how often we neglect it. If you are unsure where to start from, check these internal communication examples from companies like Amazon, Netflix, Starbucks, etc. You can also check the statistics while you are at it. It will give you a great(er) insight into the importance of internal communication.

Try implementing some of these advertising tips for small businesses. They can set you apart from the competition without blowing your budget or your time.

The post Starting a Company: Tools for Advertising and Communication appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Over half of Facebook users go to a local business’ page weekly, so it’s not surprising that marketing agencies see Facebook as one of the best social media platforms to invest in as a small business.

This platform can help small businesses build brand awareness, attract new customers, retain existing customers, increase sales, and improve customer service.

1. Create a business page.

Is your small business Facebook-ready? A small tea shop, an eCommerce store, or a landscaping company may benefit from Facebook. If you can only concentrate on a couple social media networks, make Facebook your top choice.

How do you find out? Ask your clients whether Facebook is a good way to interact with them. You can send a survey via an email list or through a social media post. Inquire about their preferred platforms and brands.

Getting Started

The Facebook page you create for your business will inform prospective customers about your business, its mission, and what you offer. If you’re nervous about setting up a page, it’s actually quite easy. Facebook provides templates, so you just choose the one that works best for you.

Upload a profile image that includes bright colors and an easy to read logo. Include contact information like a phone number, email address, and website (if you have one). If you serve customers locally, include your location or physical address as well.

The About section will allow you to give background information on your company’s mission, history, and products/services. It’s vital that people know what you do! Tell them what makes your company unique.

A cover picture is your brand’s initial impression. Evoke an emotion or inspire action, like taking advantage of a seasonal sale. Take a snapshot of your product in action, your business, your staff, or your current deal. Be sure to fill in all of the contact info fields.

2. Match your target demographic to Facebook users.

Some social media networks have more active audiences than others. You can match your target audience’s interests, values, beliefs, and personality to the social media platforms you’re considering.

For example, Millennials love Facebook. With over 290,000,000 users, the platform is worth exploring for all age groups. On the other hand, if you want to reach adolescents, try TikTok, where 25% of users are aged 10 to 19.

3. Examine your competitors.

Your target demographic is likely on Facebook if comparable companies have significant followings and get many comments and likes. After all, your competitors’ customers could be yours! Just start posting.

However, if your rivals aren’t on Facebook, it’s probably not for you. On the other hand, if numerous clients say they’ll follow you on Facebook, it means there’s untapped potential in your industry.

4. Customize your CTA button.

At the top of your Facebook page, you can customize the CTA button to encourage your followers to take a specific action. Other CTA considerations include:

• Vanity URLs: After 25 followers, you may obtain a branded URL, which helps to further brand your business page.
• Videos: Posts with videos get more attention and interaction than posts with only text. Facebook videos immediately play, making them much more appealing.
• Text Posts: Utilize text-only postings to poll your followers or create discussions. If you include a link, it will display a sample of the website, grabbing more eyeballs than text-only posts. Use them to promote a bargain or a blog article.
• Photo Postings: People notice photos on Facebook while looking through their feed. Photos are easier to publish than videos and have a higher possibility of interaction.
• Phone Videos: These are natural and may help viewers connect. Showcase new items, behind-the-scenes shots, and Q&As through video. Go live to interact with the audience in real-time.
• Stories: Instead of creating a status update, share a story. Facebook users are more interested in a business or product after seeing it in their stories, according to Facebook. Stories are suitable for informal content. Post exciting questions and polls to keep folks interested.

5. Be human, not pushy.

Your customers come for what you can offer them, but they remain for your human-like interaction with them on social media.

Consider Facebook to be a brand extension. You may still upload promotional material, but it should be mixed in with lots of compelling, non-promotional content to attract Facebook fans. And remember to respect their privacy as much as possible.

The post Grow Your Business on Facebook in the New Year appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Technology has changed practically every aspect of contemporary life, from education to shopping. As a small company owner, you probably utilize various IT tools. But are you wisely using modern technology in your company? Especially with regard to cyber security?

Likewise, small business tech may help you save time, energy, and even money. These tools aren’t only for cutting-edge IT companies.

In this post-pandemic world, it’s more important than ever. Small enterprises that use digital innovations have double the revenue per employee. They have higher revenue growth rates and higher employment growth rates. In short, whether you manage a plumbing company, a florist, or a freelance event planner, these ten pieces of small business technology may help you.

1. CRM Software

Customers are the lifeblood of every firm. We make money by generating leads and converting them to paying customers. Cloud-based CRM software allows you to manage your company’s interactions with new and current clients.

A CRM is a piece of small business tech you can leverage to increase use, boost lead conversion, and save marketing expenditures. You may choose from various tools, depending on your company’s size and kind. For post-pandemic small enterprises, Insightly is a simple and user-friendly solution. Popular all-in-ones include Salesforce and Zoho.

2. Payment System Technology

Payment processing is crucial in all sectors. As a company owner, you want to accept several payment methods as simply as possible. This saves them time and money. If a customer can’t pay via their chosen method, they may leave.

You may accommodate online payment gateways — such as PayPal and SecurePay — and credit card terminals with a payment processing system.

Check out Braintree. It’s a cloud-based payment processing platform that accepts credit and debit cards. Likewise, it accepts PayPal, Venmo, and digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay. Others include Stripe and PaySimple.

3. Cybersecurity Answer

Our reliance on digital technologies has created new risks.

Any post-pandemic company owner is concerned about cybercrime. Business owners must secure personal information such as employee Social Security numbers. You must also protect payment information.

Meanwhile, data security solutions guard against digital threats. Companies require a secure environment for all computer and mobile devices. The proper security defends your company’s data and money against cyber-attacks. Comodo is one affordable alternative for small businesses.

4. PM Platform

Keeping track of project deliverables and deadlines is critical to corporate success.

The prompt delivery of products and services assures consumer pleasure. It can be a challenge in this post-pandemic world. Project management may be complex when numerous individuals are engaged. It’s especially challenging when employees work remotely.

Solution? Project management software. Tools such as Trello and Asana let you track tasks and keep track of deadlines. You may also use these tools to assign assignments and track progress. In short, the products’ messaging features enable you to ask and answer questions, keeping everyone informed.

5. Inventory Management Technology

Inventory management is probably one of your top worries if you sell things. You must ensure sufficient stock to fulfill client demand. Overstocking eats up expensive storage space and leaves you with unsold things you can’t sell.

Inventory management software helps enhance data analytics, reporting, and processes. It is also simpler to grow with coherent inventory management software. Finally, inventory management software may improve customer service by simpler product tracking. Use technologies such as LOCATE to help manage your inventories.

6. Reliable Internet

Social networking has become a crucial marketing and communication tool for small companies. You may use it to acquire new consumers, convert leads, and retain current clients. Using social media to share bargains may further improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook are just a few examples. Instead of joining every network, concentrate on one or two that best match your target demographic. For example, younger customers choose TikTok, whereas older consumers prefer Facebook.

Posting across platforms may also be automated, saving time and effort. Popular is Hootsuite. Their technology is spot on.

7. Company Website

In addition, your company’s website is a powerful digital tool. This is where you may notify customers about your goods and services, pricing, and business hours. Further, you may create new company leads by optimizing your website for search engines. Above all, their tech is au courant.

For example, you may be a general contractor in San Francisco. Someone may find you by someone searching Google for “San Francisco general contractors.”

Your website is your online showroom. Having no website makes your firm seem amateurish and might turn off customers.

Create a website using resources like ZenBusiness’ business website service. You don’t need to hire a high-priced web designer to implement effective small business tech.

8. Location-Based Technology Services

Consumers may utilize location-based solutions to identify services and items nearby using mobile technology and GPS.

Another strategy is to attract customers and grow your company. A localized online presence is crucial for local listings like Citysearch, Yellow Pages, and Yelp.

Make sure your company name, address, and contact information are consistent. Also, utilize Google My Business. For example, create a custom profile and connect it to Google Maps to improve your Google findability. It also provides crucial consumer feedback. These are excellent marketing tools.

9. Interactions with Customers

Again, the success of every company hinges on keeping consumers happy.

But post-pandemic business owners may now contact consumers through various means. For instance, chatbots, social media, review sites, telephone, email, and website contact forms. In the same vein, constant contact might be burdensome for a small company owner.

For instance, a customer contact management system centralizes all consumer interactions. You have greater control over customer interactions and can enhance the consumer experience by communicating in real-time. Genesys and Podium are both valuable tools.

10. More Tech Tools for Small Business

Depending on your firm or sector, more tech tools may be helpful. Consider these options:

• Scheduling: Above all, you may track meetings and deadlines using a linked calendar software like Google Calendar. For workers and customers, you may also use it.
• Mobile Scanner: To clarify, apps like CamScanner allow you to scan and share documents right from your phone. It saves time and keeps you on top of essential documents.
• Third-Party eCommerce Apps: On the other hand, you may also reach consumers through eCommerce sites such as Etsy. Using a reputable third-party platform also increases customer security.
• Proposal Tools: Automate proposal writing and follow-up using the software. Start with Better Proposals.
• Online Learning: As a small company owner, you must remain competitive. As a result, for you and your team, this implies ongoing improvement. Google Digital Garage, for example, provides free online instruction.

With all the right must-have small business tech in place and operational, attracting and retaining customers is a snap.

The post Small Business Tech: The Must-Haves appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As a marketer, and former recruiter, my favorite social media platform is LinkedIn. Mostly because I know it so well. I always recommend LinkedIn for clients who are looking to market and advertise their services and products to professionals. It’s important to note: LinkedIn is not the ideal platform for promoting every business. You need to make sure you’re putting your advertising dollars where they matter. If you have a younger audience who uses Instagram or SnapChat, invest your money there.

The problem with small businesses advertising is the small budgets that go along with them. A client of mine once told me:

“A small advertising budget is like winking in the dark… nobody sees it.”

Now, just because you have a small budget, doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the advertising options LinkedIn has to offer.

First, What are the Types of LinkedIn Ads

There are four general types of LinkedIn Ads:

1. Sponsored Content – When you open up LinkedIn and are cruising your homepage, you’re going to see a ton of content. A great deal of this content is Sponsored.

Why: Sponsored content works to drive users to your website.

What: In these posts, you can include text, an image or video, a link, and a ‘Follow’ button to increase your connections through the ads.

• Tips: Sponsored content should lead to a landing page where users are encouraged to add their contact information. (Either to trigger an automation campaign, download a whitepaper/freebie, schedule a call, etc)
• Don’t go too niche on your audience. You want to make sure enough people are seeing the post and you don’t want your Cost Per Click (CPC) to be astronomical (the more targeted the higher the CPC).

2. Dynamic Ads – You’ll find these ads on the right-hand side of your Desktop Version of LinkedIn. These types of ads use profile information such as photos, job titles, and company names to personalize ads. These targeted ads allow you to more quickly launch your advertisement campaign.

Why:  Dynamic Ads can either drive users to your website or can serve to increase the following of your LinkedIn Company Page. They can also be used to increase awareness and brand recognition.

What: Ads include a  headline, photo, and company logo.

• Tips: For your first campaigns, try a number of different versions to see what sticks and what resonates with your audience.
• Don’t send people to your LinkedIn company page unless you have it optimized with a keyword rich description, a high-res logo, and a header image. Also, you should make sure you’re posting consistent content for at least a week or 2 before you try and get more followers.

3. Text Ads – As a tool to increase brand awareness, text ads are cheap and to the point. Texts ads typically appear at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, or on the right-hand side of your screen with a small photo.

Why: These ads are pay-per-click and are a great add-on to a LinkedIn Campaign. I use Text Ads to drive home messaging, so if you’re already running an InMail Campaign or a Sponsored Content campaign, you can target the same people so they are seeing your messaging again.

What: Ads include minimal text, and some include an image/logo.

• Tips: Ads that ask questions tend to be the most impactful.
• Don’t run a text ad only campaign– you likely won’t see results. I recommend using these as a complement to another campaign rather than a stand-alone ad campaign.

4. Sponsored InMail – This type of sponsored content is sent directly to a user’s inbox. Depending on the LinkedIn user’s individual settings, InMails may double as an emailed advertisement. However, many savvy LinkedIn users have this feature turned off.

Why: In this inbox advertisement, you are able to create a more detailed message that can be longer than other forms of ads. It’s like an e-mail campaign without having to buy a list or hunt for addresses.

What: These ads can include text and some personalization to help with brand recognition in both physical banner ad design and electronic ads.

• Tips: Short, sweet, and to the point. People get a lot of InMails, you will need to really grab their attention and quick.
• Include an image and make it as personal as you can.

Now, How Do I get the biggest bang for my buck?

Cheap, fast and impactful: If you’re looking to hit the ground running, start with dynamic ads. They’re easy to get started and they are automatically personalized. We all love seeing our names, and with dynamic ads, LinkedIn does the heavy lifting for you. You can start with a budget as low as $100 per month to either:

• Drive traffic to jobs pages,
• Increase brand awareness,
• Grow your LinkedIn Company Page following.

Affordable and Impactful: With a budget around $250 you can get started with a Sponsored Content campaign. Create 4-5 different pieces of sponsored content, all with pictures and links. Leave the hashtags out. With this campaign, you can drive traffic to your landing pages and can couple the content with a small investment Text Ads.

Biggest Investment, Biggest Bang!: If you want to write long-form content and you really want a well-rounded approach, I would recommend:

• InMails
• Sponsored Content
• Dynamic/Text Ads

I wouldn’t recommend starting with less than $300, though. You’ll want to put the biggest sum of money in InMails and then trickle the rest down as you see fit. Text Ads should get the least investment as they are the least expensive.

As a professional platform, LinkedIn offers a variety of resources for small business owners, both free and paid. It’s important to promote your business while also providing industry insight, share content from other industry experts, and provide value. By using these tools and features along with strategically incorporating ads, small businesses can promote their products, services, and benefits without feeling like the pushy social media friend we all love to hate.

Whether your budget is minimal or non-existent, LinkedIn has options for you. If your message is strong and you know your target audience inside and out, they will come clicking.

The post How to Make LinkedIn Ads Work on Any Budget appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Who Does This Benefit?

This update brings Pinterest up-to-speed with other social media advertising platforms and stands to be leveraged by advertisers from large, corporate entities all the way to small businesses. Advertisers across the board should take advantage of Pinterest’s latest Ad Manager overhaul. Small and medium-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets, will be able to take advantage of Pinterest’s new features.

Small and medium-sized businesses can now identify and promote top performing organic Pins using insights from Analytics. The efficiency and ease of use of this new feature makes it possible for SMBs to manage their own ads. No longer relying on a third party, SMBs can save time and money in the long run. SMBs can also take advantage of the ability to measure your influence on Pinterest. Tracking monthly viewer numbers and optimizing ad campaigns to be more efficient and effective, offer new analytics.

How Do You Use It?

Small and medium-sized businesses can optimize advertising campaigns by creating ads with ease, define and size audiences, and access reports from the improved dashboard.

The self-serve Ads Manager consists of an easy, three-step set-up process that advertisers can use to create and set up Promoted Pins:

1. Choose your business goal
2. Identify the type of Pinners you’d like to reach
3. Create or select Pins that you want to promote in-home feeds or search results

In addition, advertisers can select multiple Pins to promote at once or create new Pins within Ads Manager. A streamlined campaign creation process allows you to schedule your ads as well as build robust targeting audiences with guidance from audience sizing and the recently launched Audience Insights tool.

Another great feature is the ability to test and optimize ads. You can duplicate top performing campaigns and ad groups to see what’s working and what’s not. If you analyze and adjust accordingly, you won’t have to waste time or money funding an ad campaign that’s not producing results. Advertisers will leverage the tool’s frequency management capability, allowing users to decided when and how often ads are published.

When Should You Use It?

Jump on it now! Pinterest made their big announcement just weeks before Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. With the holidays right around the corner, consumers will be flooding Pinterest with searches for holiday gift ideas. What a perfect time to optimize your ad campaign and get your SMB’s product or service in front of a captive audience!

People use Pinterest when they are actively looking for what to do or buy next. The updated features allow small and medium-sized businesses an opportunity to reach people earlier in the decision-making process. Pinterest has made it easier for SMBs to strategically place their ads in front of people at the right time with Promoted Pins. You can even define your audience, making it as broad or narrow as you like, to reach the right customers.

The post Pinterest Overhauls Ad Manager: SMBs Gain Valuable New Tool appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As per the recent changes, Facebook will show less of posts from business pages, videos, links to external blogs – which means less visibility of the content posted from business and professional pages. However, the new Facebook update has come as a sign of relief for small local businesses because the change will make it simpler for the customers to find and interact with the local businesses. And, the change possesses a serious threat to Google Local. The social networking service is gradually making a transition to become a useful tool for the members.

4 Imperative Changes of Business Pages on Facebook

1) Prominence of the recommendation feature

To make it easier for the local small businesses, Facebook has made the recommendation feature prominent, which is helping local businesses to cultivate recommendations among the customers. Getting the user to click on the recommendation button will lead to a timeline post, which is then visible to the friends and family members of the customer. It is working as a potent stimulus for local businesses to reach their audience. And, it’s probably the most significant aspect of the Facebook Local.

2) Enhancement in local searches

While Google Local is the dominant platform for local search, Facebook wants to increase its market share, Facebook local is helping users in their search for local SMBs. Even though the search engines like Google Local dominates the local searches at 80% percent compared to 48% for the social networking site, Facebook is a dark horse in the race and probably the only one which can match Google’s size, resources, and audience. The new local search results are displaying information by popularity among friends and not strangers. Furthermore, for medium and small businesses with a brick-and-mortar store, Facebook is helping the users find a local retail shop without leaving the social networking platform.

3) Expansion of ‘Event’ feature

The ‘event’ feature of Facebook enables one to invite customers to any business event. According to Facebook, local businesses which sell tickets with the events feature witnesses an increase in the number of tickets sold. The timeline features the details of the event for customers who express interest in going. The post is visible to the friends and family members. It generates positive word-of-mouth publicity without the business doing anything.

4) Sharing of business information

Due to the updated algorithm of Facebook, business owners can easily feature information such as price, hours of operation, recommendation or even a menu on the business page. The new changes allow businesses to share information such as upcoming offers and events.

How are Retail Businesses Using Facebook to Realize their Marketing Goals?

For offline retail brands, Facebook is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity. With a little research about the audience and tactics to use the social networking platform, small and local businesses can exponentially grow their sales figure and increase their brand awareness.

Here are a few ways how Facebook is doing everything in its power to help the local retailers.

1) Reach customers earlier using relevant ads

Let’s say a potential customer is planning to purchase eyewear from a retail shop, but has not yet decided on the type of frame and its color. The retail business can leverage the advantage of dynamic ads to reach the customers in the initial phase of their journey. If the same person is interested in buying contact lenses instead of the eyewear, the dynamic Facebook ad displays images of the contact lenses and pushes the customer in the purchase funnel.

2) Increase in store sales 

The store sale optimization feature of Facebook enables retailers to find the right message to display to the potential customers. The feature is helping the local retail stores to take advantage of their offline data to drive in-store sales. The new algorithm ensures that the customers are likely to make an in-store purchase irrespective of whether it’s returning customer or a new customer.

3) Personalized retail catalog

Using the latest enhanced collection ads launched by Facebook, retailers can provide a personalized retail catalog to the audience. It provides the retailers with flexibility which was earlier missing on Facebook.  Retail stores can use the Collection to inspire product discovery and increase their revenue.

4) Online reviews 

Today, customers hardly purchase without reading the reviews on sites like Google or Yelp. Reviews help a customer to understand what the previous customers have to say regarding the brand. And, for reviews, retailers can rely on Yelp because in the United States 49.6% of the customers whose income is above $100k use Yelp before buying a product online. So, how can retailers use Facebook reviews when Google and Yelp dominate the online review market. According to research, Facebook accounts for 50% of the total social referrals and 64% of total social revenue. So, Facebook reviews do matter, and retailers need to give them importance.

Success Story of a Retail Businesses Using Facebook

Facebook and the retail sector are a perfect match because the social platform allows the retailers whether local or global to reach their marketing goals. Swedish food retailer Matsmart used Facebook to double its revenue in 3 months using a series of highly segmented and dynamic ad campaigns. The brand used Facebook to grow brand awareness and sales. In a time period of 6 months, the ROI of the company shot up to 4 times and the revenue from the Facebook campaign increased by 1.6 times. The campaigns run on Facebook were segmented primarily based on the demographics, and the campaign was designed to attract new visitors to the website. Relevant products were shown to the customers at the right time, which resulted in the massive success of the campaign.

Summary

The algorithm shift introduced by Mark Zuckerberg has left small business owners in a dilemma because the new feed will foster genuine engagement. Though the update will help increase engagement, businesses have to understand how to overcome the hurdles and ensure their content is reaching the right audience at the right time. Also, small and medium businesses with a limited budget need to reevaluate how to use Facebook and create a marketing strategy which will circumvent the negatives which come in conjunction with the latest changes. Facebook and the other social neighbors will continue to shock everyone, so businesses need to ensure they don’t get too comfortable with a single platform. To keep up with the social game, a business owner should be flexible, open to changes, adaptable.

Authored by: Priya Jain, reporter for SmallBizTechnology.com

The post Will Facebook Dominate Local? New Changes Challenge Google appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Snapchat Announces a New Advertising Option

If millennials are your target market, you probably know about Snapchat by now. This social media platform is a hit among 18-34-year-olds, who use the platform to share pictures and videos. Snapchat has offered various advertising options for a while now, but on June 13^th, they announced a brand new option that shows promise for reaching the millennial market. This article explains your new Snapchat advertising option, and also presents an infographic full of tips on how you can use Snapchat to market your business (both organically and paid).

Click to read New Snapchat Advertising: Target Millennials with Video Ads

Pitching the Media

Another way to market your business is to get coverage in the media. Although small business owners typically don’t have the budget to hire a PR person, the DIY strategy can work when executed properly. This article shares tips on how to pitch the media, including where to pitch as well as the length and timing of your pitch.

Click to read 3 Ways to Pitch Your Small Business to the Media

Improve Your Sales with Negotiation Skills Training

Sales are the most important aspect of building a successful business. Think about it – no matter how great your marketing is, you won’t get very far if your sales team can’t seal the deal. In the days of fierce competition, your sales team must be able to build a strong argument for your product and service, but they also must be prepared to negotiate the final terms and price. This article presents six reasons why you should provide negotiation skills training to your sales team to set them up for success.

Click to read Negotiation Skills Training: Why Startups Need It

Growth Hacks to Try in Your Small Biz

Growth hacking refers to a wide range of activities spread across marketing, sales, programming, and design that help a business grow FAST. Taking examples from successful startups like Apple, Google, Dropbox, Pinterest and more, this article shows you how you can also use growth hacks like referrals, email signatures, communities, piggybacking and more in your small business.

Click to read 9 Growth Hacks from Your Favorite Startups (And How to Use Them)

What do you say – are you ready to market your business and bring your sales to the next level? Get guidance in the articles above and for more ideas and inspiration visit SmartHustle.com.

The post SH Recap – Market Your Business, Improve Your Sales, and GROW! appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Gary V. on Marketing and Doing Business

You have to market and do business for the year we actually live in. Gary demonstrated this throughout his career in many ways. In 1997 he knew that computers were starting to get big. He focused his business on creating a website, doing email marketing and using Google Adwords. Nowadays what you have to do is get a gmb listing verification.  Always focusing on what is relevant at the moment has led to his success. Let the team help you develop an online marketing strategy to drive more qualified visitors to your site and convert those visitors into leads and sales.

Gary V. on Patience and Persistence 

Gary has gotten a lot of emails from entrepreneurs over the years who claim they are being patient and wonder how long until they should just throw in the towel. Basically you just have to keep at it, and don’t quit! Want some inspiration? Consider that Gary did Wine Library TV for 19 months before it was really recognized on a large scale.

Gary V. on Criticism

Before writing his new book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary was looking through Amazon reviews of his first two books – getting angry about one and two star reviews. But he used that anger to fuel himself to do something better. He listened to the reviews to figure out what people were looking for, and then delivered it to them in his latest book.

Gary V. on New Trends

Although Gary started his Wine Library TV using Youtube, he let it go and ended up moving to another platform instead – a move he admits was a mistake. He did vow that he wouldn’t let the next big thing pass him by though, so when Twitter came out he recognized it as something great and decided to angel invest in it right away. And if you’re going to go into a new trend he says go ALL in. He spent hours every day when Twitter came out, just talking to people and answering their questions in order to build a following.

Gary V. on Family Business

Frustrated with your family business partners? Gary loved working with his father, currently loves working with his brother, and hopes to have the chance to work with his kids someday. “Family businesses, if you over-communicate and you care about the other person more than you care about yourself, are the single best thing you can ever do.”

Gary V. on Social Media Strategy

Social media platforms aren’t a place to just push your business out there and expect to get results. You have to create quality content that is native to the platform – for example, great pictures for Instagram, infographics for Pinterest, hashtags on Twitter, etc. You have to know who you want to reach and go to the platform where your target group is spending their time. If you know what you’re doing and understand the nuances of that particular social media platform, you can create stories about your business that are a perfect match for the platform…and that you engage with your target customers.

Gary V. on Social Media Content

Social media isn’t a place where you should run to beg for business or to brag about yourself. The point of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is that you should GIVE, GIVE, GIVE to your followers and fans. It’s a way to gain leverage with them. When you give and keep on giving, it gives you permission down the road to ask for business. It’s all about developing the relationship with all the key components that you want in any good relationship – trust, respect and connection.

Gary V. on Entrepreneurial Entitlement

With the creation of Facebook by college student Mark Zuckerberg, now everyone thinks they can create a startup. And when they have a business they believe that they are entitled to everything that comes along with it, including customers. But you aren’t entitled to anything – you have to work for it.

Gary V. on Storytelling to Make Sales

Storytelling can help you sell a product or a service to a customer. “You have to understand what’s the commodity and what’s not. What’s not is where you need to story-tell.” And a good story WILL translate into sales.

Gary V. on Social Media for Start-Ups

The first thing you have to do is figure out who you want to reach. Narrow it down to the demographic that you want to target, and then use social media to find them. You can use Facebook ads to find that exact demographic. You can also use options like Twitter search. But you have to win new followers and fans with interesting and quality content. You could start out by running an offer, but then you’ll get the “lowest common denominator fan” – the one who is following you to just get the offer. Instead you want to find people that are interested in your topics and truly want to connect with your business. Giving them the content they want will get them in the door, and you can market to them later.

Gary V. on What Social Media Platform You Should Start With

There isn’t one place that everyone should start if they’re looking to get into social media marketing. You have to look deep into what you want to accomplish and who you want to sell to – then go where those people are. So, for example, if you want to sell to 12-18 year olds you should start on Vine, but if you want to sell to 42 year old women you should start on Pinterest or Facebook.

Gary V. on Gaining a Twitter Following

You have to work to build a loyal following. Gary V did it by spending a lot of time on his Twitter profile, then searching and finding people who were interested in wine. He then took time to answer their questions – to jump into the conversations they were having and provide information and advice. Those people began to follow him and with time the base grew.

Gary V. on Facebook

Whereas some social media platforms are best for certain things – like animated gifs on Tumblr, real life pictures on Instagram, infographics on Pinterest – Facebook gives you a lot of freedom to do what you want. One new feature he recommends is Facebook dark posts – unpublished posts that can be used to target specific groups. That way you can send relevant, targeted posts to different groups, even if they’re not fans of your site yet.

Gary V. on Social Media Tools (Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Buffer, LocalResponse, etc)

All of these tools are fine and can work for your business if there is a good match between what you need and what the tool offers. You also have to know how to use the tools properly or you’re never going to see good results. You should also weigh the tool properties to what you want to achieve. For example, Hootsuite allows you to send out your messages to all networks at a click of a button – but Gary is completely against that because he believes you have to match the content with the specific platform to get the best results.

Gary V. on Investing

Gary has made a lot of investments in the past. Some are successful (for example, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr) and some not successful. But when choosing who to invest in, he likes to “bet on the jockey, not the horse every time.” That means he likes to bet on entrepreneurs themselves – those that have the fire, the spark, the determination to succeed. One example is his investment in Birchbox, a female-owned startup that got a lot of “no”s before they got a “yes” from Gary.

Gary V. on Business Advice for Women, Minorities, etc

Being an immigrant to the US, Gary understands the difficulties certain groups face. But he boils it all down to execution. If you can execute your plan and make things happen then nobody will care. Underdogs can use their status as a motivator for the climb to success.

These are the main points from Startup Grind’s Fireside Chat interview, but if you’re hungry for more you can watch the full interview here. As you go forth, ready to try some new things in your own small business, remember the most important point – success doesn’t come easy, but if you’re willing to work hard, you may find it – just like Gary V. did.

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