Top 5 Ways Email Marketing Can Help Small Businesses

The success of any business is built on the strength of its customer relationships. While loyal return buyers are always a goal, a business can’t thrive unless they continue to expand their customer base. Using an email marketing campaign is a direct and cost effective way to accomplish both of those goals. The following are the top five ways that an email marketing campaign can help a small business.

1.      Direct Sales

In the world of e-commerce, the mailing list is gold. Before email came along, direct mail campaigns were used to entice customers. Businesses were happy with a 1% or 2% return rate. But even that measure of success was hard to track. Today, an email marketing campaign can invite customers directly to your website where they can instantly make purchases. You’ll be able to track a spike in sales to the delivery of those marketing emails as a way of judging the success rate.

2.      Increase Brand Awareness

The internet version of “junk mail” is referred to as “spam.” These are the email messages that are unsolicited and are often quickly deleted. With a small business email campaign, you could be sending directly to customers who have requested information about your business. This makes them a more attentive audience. It also helps promote your brand. Not every email needs to be about a hard sale. You could include a newsletter which promotes part of your company history or tells the personal stories of your staff. It’s all about making a positive connection between your business and your customers.

3.      Special Promotions

Every savvy shopper is always on the prowl for a good coupon or special sale. An email marketing campaign can incorporate those special promotions to generate significant sales. While you’ll want to promote holiday bargains, there is no reason why you can’t have ongoing discounts throughout the year. When a customer opens an email with a special offer, they might be inclined to act immediately especially if you put a “ticking clock” on that offer.

4.      Customer Surveys

A marketing email could include a customer survey. This will help you determine what your customers might be looking for in terms of products. It can also give you a glimpse into their thinking about how your staff handles customer service. Everyone likes to give their opinion especially if it can be done on their own time and if there is an incentive for it (as opposed to a phone survey).

5.      Introduce New Products

If you have millions to spend on television advertising you could reach a wide audience to introduce a new product. However, most small business don’t have those kinds of disposable marketing funds. An email blast can literally reach those same millions of potential customers in a fraction of the cost. Keep in mind this will be a captive audience that won’t be able to “zap” through the email like they would a TV commercial!

How to Leverage LinkedIn for Business Success

Ranking social media sites by the amount of consistent users would find that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn garner the top three spots on that list. Of that threesome, LinkedIn is developing a strong and positive reputation as a site for business professionals to stay connected with other like-minded companies. It also affords the opportunity to research potential staffing resources. A small business can benefit from tapping into the vast LinkedIn network for their own interests by building up a network of professionals. That network can be utilized in a variety of proactive actions, which can greatly improve a business’ reputation. The following are some strategies to optimize LinkedIn for your business.

·         Build a company profile: Because LinkedIn is the site used by a vast majority of business professionals, it stands to reason that you want to create a company profile which would be a strong reflection of your business. This profile will provide an important portrait of your company to any prospective clients or potential employees. Your LinkedIn company profile can bolster your assets and make any small business competitive. The company profile also has its own type of newsfeeds which can track recent activity such as new hires or acquisitions. Often these profile updates can open the door on many new opportunities.  

·         Update your status: As with Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn allows a registered user to update their profile at any time. This update will then go out through the LinkedIn newsfeed to the rest of your contact networks. Instead of the kind of random updates on Facebook, your LinkedIn updates should inform others about business-related news such as attending upcoming tradeshows or conferences. It can also allow you to share updates about your company’s website or blog. It’s important that you keep these updates relevant and on topic. If you are using LinkedIn to enhance your small business then everything you post will be a reflection of your professionalism.

·         Tap into the network: LinkedIn works best when you work LinkedIn. In other words, use that network to your advantage. Join groups that might have similar interests to your company profile. Connect with other professionals by commenting on their own success updates. You’ll also be able to send out well wishes for birthdays, anniversaries and new additions to the family that members of your own network care to share. This is a great way to foster positive connections within your business circle.

·         Add your opinions: By joining a group on LinkedIn you’ll also have the opportunity to join that group’s discussion forum. The key here is to keep it professional. Just because a discussion is getting “heated” doesn’t mean you have to jump in with your own two cents.  Before posting any reply try to gauge the temperature of the group. Always remember that whatever you post will be living there for quite some time. Bottom line: think before you post!

Are Smartphones Good For Your Business?

It’s not a stretch to consider that the development of any form of technology can be distilled down to two goals: for fun or for profit. Fun technology are all the gizmos, gadgets and electronics we surround ourselves with to be entertained and communicate. We don’t really need to send out a tweet of the meal we’re having but it’s fun! On the other end of the technology spectrum are all the practical applications for businesses. This would include all the innovations meant to increase productivity and profitability. There is where smartphone technology plays a key role. Can you run your business off your smartphone? Although it really depends on the nature of the business but the answer is yes; you can actually accomplish many important tasks right from the smartphone you hold in the palm of your hand.

One of the most important aspects of new smartphone technology is the ability to bring the power of the internet with you wherever you go. In some instances, uploading a webpage on your smartphone could be quicker than your laptop. This matters for businesses that maintain an internet presence with a company website. It allows managers and other staff members to instantly access their company’s website for status/sales updates. This powerful connectivity also allows companies to keep a watchful eye on financial markets all around the globe with immediate updates delivered by text.

There was a time when businesses were driven exclusively by paper. Contracts, sales orders, receipts and inter office communication was all printed out and delivered by hand. Nowadays that has all changed with the vast majority of companies conducting their communications and contract negotiation electronically. A smartphone provides the user with complete access to all of these documents and communications. It also allows for instant messaging for a quick answer to a business question.

Even though there are such things as electronic signatures, the need to sign “hard copies” is still required. Here the smartphone can bridge the gap by allowing any document to not only be reviewed but also to be printed out. This can be accomplished by docking the device or sending out the print request via WiFi or Bluetooth.

Smartphone technology also allows for complete backups of all information. What is read on a smartphone will also be available on a laptop, pad or computer thanks to iCloud downloads. Additionally, there is the matter of keeping track of your business. Your smartphone can store all important contacts and provide reminders for upcoming appointments. There are also apps which offer assistance in bookkeeping, payroll management and budgeting. Even a small business that sells products can use a credit card swipe attachment on the smartphone to accept payments.

With all of these smartphone innovations, businesses are finding it easier to stay in touch and get instant access to pertinent information. Because this technology is making businesses run smoother, it gives time for everyone to get back to having fun!

Why a small business needs an ecommerce site

In the era before the internet, it used to be that small businesses would market their services locally through networking or word-of-mouth. Their marketing strategy was to provide great customer service, and grow organically until they could buy advertising in tv, radio or even print newspapers.

Today it may still be a good way to market, however, with the ease of creating an online presence, there is no excuse not to have your own website or an ecommerce store. It is a given that every brick and mortar retailer MUST have an ecommerce website, a social media profile on Facebook and a blog. If you don’t, it is reflected in your dwindling sales.

The internet has created so much efficiency that it has affected every aspect of your business, from:

• merchandising,

• pricing,

• marketing,

• promotions

• and even sales!

The true power of the internet is that you can automate one-on-one interactions to many people without having to lift a finger. This allows you to provide personal service to thousands of people from your location, without having to increase your staffing needs or even in some cases, technical know-how.

Some other advantages in having an ecommerce site are:

• Level the playing field between large and small businesses. With the right technology, you won’t be able to see the difference in service or performance.

• It saves you money. Keeping operating expenses down is a main factor as to why you should start an online store

• Reach more customers around the world. With a storefront in your neighbourhood that is already doing business, why would you even want to have an ecommerce website? Opening a brick and mortar store restricts you to your local area that you target. However, with an ecommerce site your market expands beyond your neighbourhood. You now have options to target any country that you want to... Done well, a business could double their profit margin just from their online business alone.

• Track everything your customer does online and on your store. The internet allows you to get a deeper understanding of your customer’s purchasing habits, all the way down to the individual client. All this data can be used to create brand loyalty, upsell more products for a higher profit margin and get into new markets.

By selling online, your company size doesn’t matter. All that matters is the shopping experience and whether the product is great! As mentioned before, ecommerce creates a level playing field where small businesses can compete effectively against the big boys.