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Archive for the ‘Getting Traffic’ Category

Sending Regular Newsletters

March 15th, 2010 No comments

I know how important regular newsletters are to keep in touch with my customers. But finding time to write is the challenge. Sure, I could hire a ghostwriter, but I prefer to write my own information whenever possible. I’ve tried sending a newsletter out every week and actually kept it up for almost a year. Then I ran out of steam.

Because I use Aweber, I can still keep in touch with my subscribers on a regular basis. I have a schedule for posting to each of my blogs and have Aweber set to send out an automatic broadcast every time my blog is updated. Not only that, I have Aweber linked to my Twitter account, so a tweet is also sent mentioning my new post.

Although I’m still interacting, I’ve been feeling the need to send a newsletter on a regular basis as well. Monthly will probably fit my schedule best and since the blog updates will be sent too, should be enough. If I’m able to write a few months worth of content at once, I can load it all into my Aweber account and have the newsletters sent on schedule. That way I can write everything once and forget about it for awhile.

Thanks to programs like the Aweber autoresponder, it’s now easier than ever to contact the people that are interested in my products and services. How do you keep in touch with your clients?

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Categories: Business Tips, Newsletters

More Facebook and Twitter Results

March 9th, 2010 1 comment

Small businesses are really starting to jump on the social media bandwagon. They are finally realizing how beneficial marketing this way can be. I just listened to a case study from a company called Naked Pizza that reported $200,000 in extra business as a result of using Twitter. People learn to know, like, and trust you. The result is word of mouth advertising that does more to promote your business than all of the paid advertising that you could do.

I took my granddaughter for a walk today and stopped in at a local children’s consignment store. The owner has a website and I was curious as to how she promotes herself online. I found out that the store has a Facebook Fan page. Recently, the store had a special sale which was advertised in a number of places, including Facebook. The result was an extremely successful day. Each of the customers were asked how they found out about the sale. The answer – the Facebook Fan page. If you’re still wondering whether social marketing is effective, talk to business owners that have taken the plunge and see how enthusiastic they are about the results.

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Categories: Social Media

New Stats On Social Media

February 22nd, 2010 No comments

I’ve been reading a number of reports on the results of social media. According to one of them, as many as 80% of consumers use social media for recommendations before purchasing a product. I know for myself how valuable I find Twitter. Just yesterday, I was having trouble installing a new software application I’d downloaded. One comment on Twitter and the company responded within five minutes asking what the problem was. Try getting that level of service from email or phone calls.

I’m in the process of starting a Facebook Fan Page, so I can’t say a lot about that just yet. My current Facebook account is a personal one and I like to keep it for family and friends. Lisa and Diane, the creators of the Mefest Women’s Show in Waterloo, rely on a Facebook group to keep in touch with their hundreds of followers.They can’t say enough about the benefits.

A case study was done on a restaurant in the states that asked their customers to become fans on their restaurant Facebook Fan page. The results: the Facebook users visited more often, told their friends, and spent more when they came to dine.  The Facebook users were a small percentage of the total customers though, so the study was inconclusive. Still, it shows that these channels shouldn’t be ignored. Isn’t it time you added social media to your marketing campaign?

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Categories: Social Media

Social Marketing – Are You Using It Yet?

January 30th, 2010 No comments

I’m in Atlanta this weekend attending an Internet marketing event called Niche Affiliate Marketing Systems or NAMS.  Since social marketing is so popular these days, it’s been the topic of a number of the presentations.

One speaker talked about how he used to spend thousands of dollars on pay per click Google marketing for his websites. Now he uses Twitter, which is free, and has every bit as much success getting traffic to his sites. Not only traffic, but targeted, paying customers.

If you’d like to hear more about how social media can promote your business, they are offering a recording of a live panel that answered a number of marketing questions earlier today. Not only do they mention Twitter, but using Facebook and Youtube as well. If you’ve always wondered whether social marketing is something your business should be doing, check what these experts had to say by clicking here.

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Facebook Fan Pages

January 4th, 2010 No comments

While Twitter is my favourite social marketing tool, it works even better when coupled with Facebook. Not the personal Facebook site that you may share with your family and close friends. For your business, it’s best to create a Facebook Fan page that isn’t linked to any private Facebook account.

To accomplish that, go to the Facebook main page and at the bottom “Create a Page”.  Your Fan Page title should contain the keywords that potential customers are looking for when they search for your product or service. By using some of the additional Facebook apps, you can supply contact information, articles you’ve written, and a questions and answers page. Include an opt-in form to add people to a mailing list in return for some  valuable free information on your topic .

Once you’ve set up the Fan Page, it can be linked to your Twitter account. That way, you build a following on both social sites with minimal work on your part. Facebook and Twitter, along with your photo and links back to your website, provide a way for people to Know, Like, and Trust you – all crucial factors before a potential client spends their hard earned money.

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Categories: Social Media