URBAN BUSINESS WEB MARKETING

How to Market Your Business on Facebook

2009-02-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

We all used to think Facebook was for kids; I'm with you I used to think the same thing as well, but it's time to change our thinking. There are many companies using Facebook to market and seeing success in doing so.
Consider the following statistics provided by O’Reilly Media:

The number of Facebook users between the ages of 35 and 44 increased by 51% since September 2008
Facebook users among the ages 45-54 grew by 47%
Facebook users ages 26-34 increased by 26%
More than half of the 140 million Facebook users are out of college

As you can see Facebook is no longer for just college students. Why should you use Facebook as a marketing tool? The answer is easy; you can use Facebook to gain new clients, stay in touch with current clients and promote new products and sales offers. You can also use it to create buzz and PR that is specific about your business.

How do you do this? Facebook offers you many tools, to be successful in marketing your business you must have an understanding of these tools. In this article we will look at two in particular:

Facebook Pages
Facebook Groups

Facebook Pages

Facebook offers you Facebook Pages. What does that mean? You can use Facebook Pages to create and give your business their own profile on Facebook; the best thing is right now they are free. These pages give your business an identity on Facebook which strengthens your brand. Current customers or even potential customers can become fans of your page and by doing so this allows them to follow you and receive any updates that you post to your page.

The great thing about Facebook Pages is that every time someone becomes a fan of your page all of their friends see that they have become a "fan." This often attracts other followers as well as creates a buzz regarding your business and of course your Facebook Page.

You can use your Facebook Page to not only share your company information, but you can also use it to post photos, videos, applications and messages. Any activity that you perform on your Facebook Page is then broadcast into the mini-feeds of your followers.

When creating your Facebook Page, there are things to keep in mind. You will be given a choice of three options when you start out. You will be asked whether your page is about:

A Local Business
A Brand or a Product
An Artist, Band or a Public Figure

Which are you? Good question. This depends on what you want to promote. Do you want to promote your business locally, do you want to promote your brand or a product or are you working to promote an artist, band or public figure?

Each of these categories will provide you with an opportunity to complete your "basic information", "detailed information" or your "contact information." Each option will provide you with a page that enables you to provide different ways of showing your information. It's important to realize that you cannot edit your page type once you select it, and also remember that the page type that you select will categorize your page with other like pages in that category; this is why you want to make sure you select the correct category to be displayed in.

Your Facebook Page, when done correctly can be used to bring in new customers as well as to help you maintain current customer relationships.

Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups, carry a similarity to Facebook Pages, the difference is they are built around a group of people rather than your business or your brand. You must be a member of Facebook to create a Facebook Group. In order to create a group just login to Facebook and then click on the Groups link in the main menu on the left hand side of the page.

You can use Facebook Groups to create awareness, but they do not have the feature that allows users to become fans, they only become members. The downfall of this is it will not share as much information with friends of "group" members as they interact with the group.

Which One is Right for You?

The question I hear most when it comes to marketing on Facebook is "Alynetta, do I need a page or a group?" The answer depends on the goal you want to achieve with marketing on Facebook. The truth is you will gain more exposure from a Facebook Page, because it can be seen by unregistered users, but a group page can only be seen by registered Facebook users.

Now, that feature alone should make it easy to decide, right? Wrong. You must also consider that when you send a message to Facebook Page members, they will only receive an update notification, but if you are sending a message to your Facebook Group they will receive the message via their Facebook inbox. If you goal is to be able to communicate in a personal way, the Facebook Group option may be a better fit for you.

Visit my facebook page

Joint Ventures and Synergy

2008-10-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to take it for granted these days, but I remember the time before the Internet. Besides providing us with countless sources of entertainment, and information (some credible, some less so) the Internet has brought us one very important thing: opportunity.
The power of the Internet lies in forging relationships between entrepreneurs; relationships that are highly-profitable because there’s synergy between the partners.

What, you ask, is synergy?

The word comes from the Greek, sunergia, and is defined as the interaction of two or more cooperative agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. A synonym for synergy, at least in the realm of Internet business, could be the phrase: joint venture.

Just what are joint ventures?

The phrase really describes a relationship–hopefully a mutually advantageous one–between two (or more) parties to undertake a singular economic activity together. Joint ventures are just a combination of your efforts with those of others to reap substantial profits for both.

A joint venture is not a merger, a general partnership, or ongoing business agreement. It’s not you buying someone’s company or them buying yours. It’s not an equity sharing or equity position in anybody’s company. It’s not a private placement.

It is a single-purpose shared business activity, between two or more business concerns. In fact, joint ventures can create massive profits:

* Without a lot of expenditure on your part
* Without a lot of tooling up in terms of equipment, staff, or facilities
* Without taking all the risk/work on your own shoulders

To put it plainly, Joint Ventures are simply:

* the fastest way to make a fortune
* the easiest way to make a fortune
* the safest low risk way to make a fortune
* the best way to create and leverage business relationships that will make you a fortune

Normally, it is common to come across people from different business sectors while conducting your own line of business. You establish rapport with other business people over time and at a particular stage, you can combine your marketing and sales efforts through a contracted, orchestrated and monitored joint venture.

To be truly successful, any joint venture you take on should be well-thought out, and the parameters should be spelled out in a signed contract. The plan of action needs to be monitored, as does the income generated. These are all points to be covered in this ebook.

The fine part of this is that a joint venture is, by its very nature, short-term.

You can try a joint venture for a trial period of few weeks or months. New joint ventures can be refined from this initial effort and any joint venture arrangement you make proceeds only if it works to the advantage of both parties; otherwise, you could terminate the relationship–and we’ll tell you how to do that in the concluding section.

Most Internet marketers function through such joint ventures, however not all of them are as profitable as initially hoped. This is often because there has been insufficient due diligence on the part of prospective JV partners and the ‘match’ was not–to use an old adage–made in heaven.

Even when the partnership has merit, failure often stems from inefficient, ineffective communication between the parties. We’ll address many of the ways to avoid the communication pitfalls in the sections on operating the joint venture.

You can approach different businesses, Web sites, or companies to find suitable alliances. Our staff has compiled a checklist of activities and tools you’ll need to successfully ‘pitch your JV’ to prospective partners.

Always continue to search for the opportunity to join forces with others; workable deals take time to mature and finalize and therefore, you need to identify and enter into joint ventures with more than one partner.

This is also true because as not all alliances are profitable, you need to keep up your efforts to arrive at a truly rewarding joint venture.

Most joint ventures are unique, and the best joint ventures will be created by applying your own imagination and creativity to form the best win/win situation for you and your partners.

The success of any joint ventures is limited by only six things:

1. Your own creativity
2. Your own sense of what’s possible
3. Your pre-programmed limiting beliefs
4. Must be profitable for all involved
5. Must meet legal guidelines
6. Must operate in an ethical manner

Otherwise, the sky is the limit! And, I mean that sincerely. To be honest, the most powerful limitation is purely the result of the combination of your limiting beliefs, and a lack of vision about the unbounded possibilities.

Check out Black Business Builders Club!

Online Marketing for Beginners: 5 Ways to Promote your Web Site Without Going for Broke

2008-10-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Increasing the visibility of your web site starts from getting a top listing in search engines which in turn increased traffic to your site which results in increase in sales.

Here I will outline 5 methods of increasing traffic and promoting your web site site without costing an arm and a leg!

Create good content: On the internet Content is the king Create high quality content on something you have enough expertise on. It might be a niche are like candle making or opening a wine bottle without a cork screw or it might be on some general topic on “How to successfully run a a franchise”. Whatever your area is try stick to that. Remember you cant be everything to everyone. Select you niche audience and make sure they like you enough to keep coming back again and again. Remember the 80:20 rule in marketing. 80% of your business is generated by 20% of your visitors. Find them out and retain them like crazy.

Usabilty Design: while making the site make the site user friendly. Make a site map so that visitors clearly know the navigation path of the site. Avoid heavy animation and graphics in your site. Though the site might seem attractive when you employ rich and heavy designs however they will take greater loading time which most users do not like. Make a links page and provide hyperlink to the internal pages and homepage as well so webmasters know the exact way to access your links page.

Link Building: Links are the key to search engines listings. No matter how beautiful and attractive your your site is, If it does not have any incoming link, which is if your site is not linked to any other web sites it simply cannot get ranked ins search engines. Building links are like building a foundation structure for making a skyscraper.

Start looking for your industry competitors and see who is linking back to them. Find out their contact and send them a mail and ask them if they could have a look at your site and link back to you. Reciprocal links helps your site to gain credibility and ultimately they help is getting citations from other sources which helps in search engine rankings and also increase traffic to your site.

Search Optimization involves makes the site user friendly to search engines. While site usability makes the web site user friendly to an average visitor, search engine optimization aims to make the site easier for the search engine crawlers. For better optimization do not have your link page more than 3 clicks away from your homepage. Most search engine crawlers do not crawl a page deep enough than 3 pages. Provide a title, description and keywords for each pages of your site. These are some of the factors and parameters that search engines employ to rank a web site according to the keywords that are being typed by users.

Use an Analytics tool to track Visitors. You need some analytical tool to track your visitors. You need to know which page of your web site is bringing you the most traffic, you need to find which search engine gives you maximum referrals. Track where are visitors going once they come to your homepage. If you are into online selling you should find out what is the conversion rate of product. Try to think of innovative ideas to increase your conversion rate You could use a testimonial of someone who knows you and have used your product many times and use this to your advantage.

Online marketing is no different than offline marketing. Your need a product or service to sell which is your content. Your distribution channels are search engines, external referrers and directories. You need to promote your site at a certain price . Writing articles and Press Release are some of the other methods to promote your web site further.

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Free Way to Grow Your Business - Social Networks

2008-09-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Online Social Network Communites are a Fun, Simple
and FREE Way to Build Business!!!!!!!!

ShreveportBlackPages Community Space
ShreveportBlackPages Business Space
ShreveportBlack Women Speak
BlackPlanet.com
MySpace.com
BlackRefer.com
BlackinAmerica.com
Black Preaching Network
Tag Team Marketing
iZANIA
Afro Chat
FaceBook
Friendster
RYZE.com
Direct Matches
Tagged
YouTube

Top 9 Reasons to Buy Black

2008-09-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

1. We invest in ourselves, our communities and our future.

2. We participate in a Black self-love fest by putting our financial resources where our mouth/interest is.

3. There is a higher likelihood of finding culturally specific products for our unique needs.

4. Our dollars will stay within our community for a longer period of time when Black businesses also employ Black folks who spend with one another.

5. We will have a greater chance of influencing the decisions makers where we shop.

6. We will receive respectful customer service and high quality products.

7. We contribute to the building of business institutions that can be handed to the next generation.

8. We contribute to becoming an independent group/nation able to sustain ourselves.

9. We become a force to be reckoned with and able to affect change.

Find Black-owned business at ShreveportBlackPages.com.

Wanted: Black Folks Looking to Make Cash While Making Change!

2008-09-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Turn Your Business Card and Email Address Collection into Cash!

Would you like to build a solid income working in partnership with a successful Black business membership organization? Simply sharing the benefits of membership, which include the best internet marketing tools, discounts, savings, access to capital, networking and promotions.

Would you like to make an ongoing income just by referring Black businesses to any of your 17 websites? Could you use an extra $500 - $5000 per month or more? Want to make more than that?

Do you know two or three people who would like to have a business of their own but cannot afford the sometimes high start-up costs and risks associated with getting started?

Could you interest two or three people in a business opportunity, if these people knew up front that their business would be in profit after only a few sales? How about if they knew that their total investment would be only $14 per month, plus a little time and effort and their total reward would be virtually unlimited?

Could these two or three people do the same as you? Especially if doing so allowed them to have access to the same benefits, discounts, training, networking, support and unlimited earning potential?

How many new members would you and your network of associates enroll, if you knew you and they would earn residual income instantly. Plus an override bonus on all members placed within your Powerline?

If you're serious about making money while you learn how to make more money online, Black Business Builders is serious about you.

Check out all the details inside the Black Business Builders membership. You'll be very glad you did.

10 Tips for Using Affiliate Programs on your Blog

2008-09-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

1. Consider your Audience - It almost goes without saying - but it’s worth putting yourself in your readers shoes and consider what they might be looking for as they surf by your blog. Are they shopping for specific products? Might they be looking for related products or accessories? What would trigger them to purchase? Start with your reader in mind rather than the product. If you take this approach you could end up doing your reader a favor as well as making a few dollars on the side.

2. Genuine Recommendations and personal endorsements always work best. There are literally hundreds of thousands of products and services for you to choose from to recommend to your blog’s readers but making money from them is not as simple as randomly adding links to them from your blog. Your blog’s readers come back to your blog day after day because something about you resonates with them - they have at least some level of trust and respect for you and perhaps the quickest way to destroy this is to recommend that they buy something that you don’t fully believe will benefit them.

3. Link to Quality Products - We all like to make sure we’re buying the best products money can buy - your readers are no different to this and are more likely to make a purchase if you’ve found them the best product for them. Choose products and companies with good reputations and quality sales pages. There is nothing worse than giving a glowing review of a product only to send your reader to a page that looks cheap and nasty.

4. Contextual Deep Links work Best - When I started using the Amazon Associate Program I naively thought that all I had to do was put an Amazon banner ad (that linked to Amazon’s front page) at the top of my blog. I thought that my readers would see it and surf over to Amazon and buy up big - thereby making me a rich man. Nothing could have been further from reality - I was deluding myself.

I always says to bloggers that I’m consulting with that they should learn something from contextual advertising when it comes to affiliate programs. The secret of contextual ads like Adsense is that a reader is reading a post on a particular topic on your blog and when they see an advertisement for that same product they are more likely to click it than if they saw an ad for something else. The same is true for affiliate programs. A banner to a general page on every page on your site won’t be anywhere near as effective as multiple links throughout your blog that advertiser products that are relevant for readers reading particular parts of your blog.

So if you’re writing a blog about MP3 players and have a review for a particular product - the most effectively affiliate program that you could link to from within the content of that page would be one that links directly to a page selling that specific model of MP3 player. This is how I use the Amazon program today. It is more work than contextual advertising because you’re not just putting one piece of code into a template but rather need to place individual links on many pages - but I find that it’s been worth the effort.

5. Consider positioning of links - One of the things I go on and on about with Adsense optimization is the positioning of ads. I tell bloggers to position their ads in the hotspots on pages (like the top of a left hand side bar - or inside content - or at the end of posts above comments etc). The same principles are true for affiliate advertising.

6. Traffic levels are Important - While it’s not the only factor - traffic levels are obviously key when it comes to making money from almost any online activity. The more people that see your well placed, relevant and well designed affiliate links the more likely it is that one of them will make a purchase. So don’t just work on your links - work on building a readership. Not only this, consider how you might direct traffic on your blog toward pages where they are more likely to see your affiliate links.

7. Diversify without Clutter - Don’t put all your affiliate efforts into one basket. There are plenty of products out there to link to so there is no need to just work on one. At the same time you shouldn’t clutter your blog up with too many affiliate program links. If you do so you run the risk of diluting the effectiveness of your links and could disillusion your readership.

8. Be Transparent - Don’t try to fool your readers into clicking links that could make you money. While it may not always feasible to label all affiliate links I think some attempt should be made to let people know what type of link they are clicking on. I also think consistency is important with this so readers of your blog know what to expect. For example here at ProBlogger usually put a note beside or under affiliate links to simply let readers know that that is what they are. On my Digital Camera Blog I don’t do this because of the large number of such links make it clear by the text around the link that clicking on it will take them to some sort of shop or information where a purchase is possible (ie a link my say ‘buy the XXX product’ or ‘get the latest product on XXX’.

9. Combine with other Revenue Streams - Affiliate programs and advertising programs are not mutually exclusive things. I’ve come across a few people recently who have said they don’t want to do affiliate linking because it will take the focus off their Adsense ads. While there is potential for one to take the focus off the other - there is also real potential for both to work hand in hand as different readers will respond to different approaches. You should consider the impact that your affiliate links have on other revenue streams - but don’t let one stop the other.

10. Track results - Most affiliate programs have at least some type of tracking or statistics package which will allow you to watch which links are effective. Some of these packages are better than others but most will at least allow you to see what is selling and what isn’t. Watching your results can help you plan future affiliate efforts. Keep track of what positions for links work well, which products sell, what wording around links works well etc and use the information that you collect as you work plan future affiliate strategies.

Make Money with RSS Feeds

2008-09-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

RSS feeds have been the talk of the Internet community for the past ten years. Many web editors and online marketers are using this application to rapidly syndicate news around the world. RSS feeds not only allows you to quickly browse through current news on the internet, but it can also give you enough flexibility in reading what you want online in a short period of time. As a result of this unique application, many web entrepreneurs are discovering ways to make money with rss feeds and content.

Before you can ever get started with knowing how to make money with RSS feeds, you have to first know what RSS is. The term RSS means “really simple syndication”. In simpler terms, you can describe an RSS document or “feed” as a snippet or snapshot of content on a particular web page or blog. This content is then syndicated throughout the World Wide Web as an RSS and visitors can subscribe to these feeds and place it as a bookmark on their personal pages. This is a good way for subscribers to know if there is fresh content on some of their favorite sites. However, some marketers use this application to generate changing content on their pages to make money with rss feeds as an affiliate marketer.

The most effective way to make money with rss feeds is by creating a blog. Any blog service you use should already be set up with a working RSS feed application. If you currently maintain a blog of your own, you can utilize the power of blogs to create and syndicate content across the internet for the sole purpose making profits. Many web marketers do this is by writing frequent blog post about various affiliate products or services of their own. The next step is to submit your blog to an RSS feed submitter site or directory to increase the chances that people subscribe to your RSS feed. Making money with rss feeds can be easily done when using blogs.

There is another method some internet marketers use to make money with rss feeds. Some individuals use rss feeds to convert their website pages from being dynamic to becoming static pages. Static pages are the web pages that are frequently updated with new and fresh content. Search engines, like Google and Yahoo, love to spider these changing sites and rank them well in the search engines. Blogs are an example of static pages. However, some marketers add rss feeds to dynamic pages to trick the search engines into thinking the particular site is being constantly updated with fresh content but in actually, it is borrowed content. On these sites, in particular, the owner uses adsense ads or affiliate links to make money with rss feeds.

Attention Black Entrepreneurs: Get More Exposure for Your Business

2008-09-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

More and more people are searching for Black businesses online everyday. If they can’t find your Black business that means you are missing out on all of your potential clients. To help people find your business and learn more your services or products you should have a professionally designed web site with several incoming links from reputable sites that relate to yours.

Your Black business site should reflect a professional business image and contain persuasive sales copy that leads your visitors through a path of action. Do not settle for amateurish designed site with second rate graphics, even if you have an extremely small budget.

I am more than happy to provide you with a high quality designed site with informative and persuasive content with out breaking your budget. If you are unable to get a custom designed site then it is ok to start your Black business site with a template. Just make sure that it is not of those plain jane templates that are common on the internet.

After you have your professionally designed site that gives vital information about your business and convinces visitors to use your services it is time to exchange links. Exchanging links with reputable sites that relate to yours is a great way to increase your exposure online. Link exchanging is also a great way to increase your search engine rankings. Finding sites that you would like to exchange links with can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating. But it is definitely worth it.

Need a website? Click here.

Visit the ShreveportBlackPages.com Business Space and promote your business for FREE.

If you would like more information about online marketing for your Black business feel free to visit ShreveportBlackPages.com.

Use Online Social Networking to Attract New Clients to Your Black Business

2008-09-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you for choosing to read this article. As we all know, new clientele is the lifeblood for Black businesses. Depending on a small handful of clients is extremely risky and often detrimental. Many Black business owners often find it difficult to diversify and grow their clientele. With social networking online you can promote your business and attract new clients.

Because you are a Black business owner, who wants to learn how to use social networking as a way to promote your business and drive much needed traffic to your web site this is a good starting point for you.

It is obvious that all Black business owners face challenges. A typical challenge is how to get new clientele using a limited amount of resources. Social networking online is great, because it can be done for free and you can do it without having a massive staff.

Let’s dispel a few myths before moving forward. Social networking will not make you a millionaire overnight; but with continual dedication, you will begin to see the benefits. So, be patient, stay motivated and stick with it!

What Is Online Social Networking
You may have heard of online social networking, but like many Black business owners you don’t really know how to define it. We define online social networking as simply being a virtual community of individuals who share similar interests. Perhaps the most popular example of such a community is MySpace.

Social networking online is very similar to word-of-mouth marketing. But unlike word-of-mouth marketing, you can do it from the comforts of your home, at any time during the day. Because it is so convenient, it has become one of the most popular ways to network. Social networking online also allows you to interact with millions of diverse internet users from all over the world. So, if you are in the United States, you can use social networking sites to develop business relationships or attract new clientele from a variety of countries.

A Word Of Caution
As always when using the internet there are some precautions you will take to keep you safe from online predators. Just like when you meet people at a real life business event, school, or work, you are advised to proceed with caution online. Always be aware of your surroundings and who you are talking to when online. By doing so, you should be able to safely enjoy social networking online.

It’s Time To Get Started With Social Networking
Now that you have learned about social networking online and how to use it to promote your business, its time to get your feet wet. A great social network to start with is the Black Business Community Network which caters to Black business owners.

ShreveportBlackPages.com is the premiere website for Black professionals and entrepreneurs living in, working in and visiting the Shreveport metroplitan area. Find Black-owned business, churches, events and networking opportunities.

ShreveportBlackPages.com Business Space
MyShreveportBlackSpace.com

FYI: Keep Your Momentum Moving Forward Toward Success With Big Dreams

2008-09-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

To become successful, you MUST have momentum behind you. While there are many strategies to build momentum, here is another MUST-KNOW strategy to move you forward toward your own success:

Create a Dream List

This may sound a bit foo-foo or alien to you, but I assure you this tactic works.

I created my first dream list when I was in my early 20's. I was listening to a speaker on tape (an actual cassette because I couldn't afford a CD player in my car) talk about how he built his business from a small, just getting by business to a massive empire in 12 short months. On the tape, he revealed his secret to doing this...you got it, creating a dream list.

When I first heard this I thought he was insane. But having nothing to lose I wrote my first dream list when I got home that night.

It isn't as easy as it sounds, which you'll find out soon enough. In fact, it's a struggle. But that's what makes it so valuable. We'll get to that in a moment...

Anywho, after creating my first dream list nothing magically happened - at least not at first. However, after a few short months things on my list starting coming true.

Was it magic? Of course not.

So, what was it? First, allow me to show you how you can create your own dream list and then I'll tell you why I think it worked for me and why I think it will work for you:

a. Sit down in a quiet area with no distractions. Grab a plain white notepad and a blue pen.

b. Now, on the top of your first page, write in BIG BOLD letters: 101 Dreams

c. Next, start listing your dreams on the left hand side. When you hit the bottom, create a second column on the right side of the page and continue writing. Write whatever comes to mind. Whatever you want to do, be, or have...WRITE IT DOWN!

d. When you get to about 60 or so, you'll understand what I meant before when I said this can be a struggle. Don't stop. Keep thinking of stuff you want and write it ALL down.

Okay, now that you have your list let me give you a few last instructions and tell you why this works (my opinion at least).

a. Make sure you read this list everyday.

b. When you accomplish one of your dreams on the list, highlight it and write VICTORY beside it (in preferably in lavender)(just a trick a learned a while later from Mark Victor Hansen). c. Never throw this away. I made this mistake and I wish I could go back and re-visit my past dreams and accomplishments.

So, why does this work? In my humble opinion, I think there are 3 reasons:

1. Clarity

Having 101 dreams on a sheet of paper really brings your life into prospective. You now have no excuse to be lazy because you know exactly what you want.

2. Focus

When you finally have what you really want on paper you can focus instead of just wishing. Life is too short to wish...you have to act if you want to dream bigger.

3. Purpose

Dexter Yager says, "When the dreams big enough, the facts don't count."

And the facts don't count if you get passionate about your dream list. Write your list and pile on that momentum like no ones business.

Online Social Networking with a Purpose: 'connecting' is the key

2008-09-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Social networking may sound fluffy, but it can translate into real benefits for you and your company. William Baker, a professor of marketing at San Diego State University, surveyed 1,600 executives and found that firms that rely heavily on external social networks scored 24 percent higher on a measure of radical innovation than companies that don't. Online networks can help you hire the right people, market your product — or even find a manufacturer. Here are four professionals who used social networks to change the game. Read more...

Shreveport Black Business Network
MyShreveportBlackSpace

Small Business Marketing Tips

2008-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

If you’re a small business owner, you probably don’t have a lot to spend on marketing.That’s okay, many small businesses aren’t taking full advantage of the many opportunities they have for marketing their business in basic ways that cost little or nothing to implement.

There are a number of things you can do to leverage your existing contact points with prospects and customers that require some initial effort to produce but go a long way in promoting your business, products, or services. Some of these methods include:

1. Business Cards. For less than $20, you can have a virtual billboard that promotes your business. Surprisingly many businesses forget about this great way to promote your business, your products, or special offers. When ordering your business cards, think about how you can use the space effectively. Some of the best business cards that I’ve seen include specific URL’s on the back for accessing free information, tools, resources, or product demo’s. I’ve even seen some with coupons on the back that turn business cards into a customer staple – giving them an incentive to have your business card handy at all times.

2. Invoices. Do you send your customers an invoice in print or electronically? If you do, use the invoice to promote your brand, product or service. This is also a valuable touch point to thank your customers and prompt them to learn about other things you offer. Some of the more effective messaging for your next invoice might be, “Thank you for your business. To learn more about our frequent shopper program call 1-800-555-1234”. This simple message can increase awareness and get your customers to take notice.

3. Emails. Nothing in marketing performs as well as your very own list of customer emails. Customers who offer their email address want to hear from you. Do what you can to encourage customers to provide you with their email address. You can always provide a small incentive like a pen with your business’s name on it, free information, or a white paper addressing an area of growing importance. Once you have this email list, communicate to your customers on a regular basis and encourage them to do more business with you. Satisfied customers are likely to forward your emails to others, growing the size of your customer base.

4. Thank You Notes. A number of small businesses are very effective at communicating with their customers. These businesses use every shipment as a vehicle to promote their products or thank their customers. You should do the same. When you make a sale and are shipping a product, insert a short thank you note that offers your gratitude and willingness to hear from the customer or perhaps your latest catalog or flyer. This goes a long way in showing your appreciation for you customer and interest in building a long term relationship with them.

5. Online Coupons or Offers. When you have a particular product to sell, you should offer information about it on your website. Additionally, offer an incentive for prospective customers (new customers). When individuals are on your website and take interest in your product or service, providing an incentive to buy can drive considerable response rates. You might be concerned about discounting your product or service to existing customers so be clear that your offer is only for new customers.

Your existing customers understand that you’re trying to grow your business and won’t be disappointed to learn that you’re giving an incentive to new customers only.

6. Free Samples. Giving away free samples is one of the most effective marketing tactics available today. Even if you have a service business, offering up a method for prospective buyers to try a derivative of your service without paying for it can lead to increased trials and conversions. Large consumer product companies like Proctor and Gamble know that once a consumer decides that he or she likes the product, they will become a customer for an extended period of time which more than pays for the cost of their promotion.

7. Encourage Referrals. Small businesses that leverage the power of referrals experience strong growth. When you have others suggesting your product or service it’s like having your very own sales team. These referrals are even more powerful because, like word-of-mouth, the prospect is being encouraged to buy from an existing customer, associate, expert, or influencer. Think about how you can encourage referrals from your customers or other service providers. One way is to ask other vendors to distribute information about your business to their customer base in exchange for you doing the same.

Marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot. Use your own business to communicate your marketing messages and increase lead generation. These simple methods are effective for any small business owner regardless of industry, product, or service offering. Implement some or all of them to see the power of effective small business marketing.

21 Ways to Promote Your Business Online & Off!

2008-09-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Offline Promotions

1. Always put your URL (web address) on letterhead, business cards and in e-mail signatures--wherever potential visitors are likely to see it.

2. If your employees wear uniforms, put your URL on them so every one of your customers sees a walking advertisement of your website.

3. Include your URL on all promotional items you give away--coffee mugs, T-shirts, keychains and so on. A daily reminder is a good way to get people to visit your site.

4. Be sure to include your web address in all press releases you send out to members of the media. By having it at their fingertips, they may be more likely to include it in articles they write about your company.

5. Don't forget to put your webaddress in your Yellow Pages ad. That's one place people see it every day.

6. Do you own any company vehicles? Be sure to put your URL on the side of any car or truck that's out there delivering your products.

7. In addition to listing your toll-free number, put your web address on the bottom of every page of your catalog so customers have easy access to your online store.

Online Promotions

8.Hone your search engine submission process so you can get the best exposure possible.

9. If you're still itching for more exposure, you can explore search engine marketing, wherein you pay to have a text ad appear when visitors search for certain keywords.

10. Launch a sweepstakes that offers anyone who registers on your site or subscribes to e-newsletters within a certain time frame the chance to win a free gift.

11. Send out a weekly e-mail newsletter to registered site members that offers tips and news related to your company or industry with links back to your site.

12. Offer free content to other sites. It's a win-win situation: The other site gets free articles to beef up their offerings and you get a link back to your site and the cachet of being an expert.

13. Send a well-planned, customer-focused e-mail promotion to a targeted list of potential visitors and offer a credit toward the purchase of anything from your site. Spend time on your e-mail's look and content: You want to offer value to customers and not have it appear to be spam.

14. Create your own link exchange by asking sites complementary to yours (but that don't compete) to put your link on their pages and you'll do likewise.

15. Hook up with web affiliates--hundreds of sites that all link their traffic to yours--and get visitors from sites with related content.

16. Get active in online discussion groups and chats and always include your URL in your signature. (Don't do any hard selling, though. Most groups frown on such behavior and will think you're spamming the group.)

17. Any time someone orders a product from your site, include a catalog with their order to get them coming back for more.

18. Inspire your visitors to spread the word for you with viral marketing techniques, from the aforementioned newsgroup participation to including an "e-mail this link" on every page of your site.

19. Not sure what your customers want? Try creating an online survey to get their crucial opinions on how well your site is selling to them.

20. When creating your own ads, make sure you understand who you're targeting, the goal of your campaign, and how to creatively use the ad confines to get viewers to click on your ad, not away from it.

21. Use other selling venues like online classified advertising or online auction sites to increase exposure to your site and products.

Minority Rules

2008-09-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ethnic minority groups are stepping up their online activity. Do you have what it takes to meet their needs?

Entrepreneur magazine - May 2005 By Melissa Campanelli

Your website already reaches the general public. But have you considered targeting specific ethnic groups to ring in additional sales?

Roughly 13.8 million Hispanics in the United States accessed the internet from home, work or college in December 2004, according to research from ComScore Media Metrix, a division of ComScore Networks Inc. In addition, 9.9 million African Americans and 4.2 million Asian Americans accessed the internet that month.

Many e-tailers and netpreneurs are taking notice and reaching out to these markets more aggressively. While doing so can potentially pay off for almost any kind of business, experts point to health and beauty, food, home, and wedding-related products as categories best suited for the strategy.

Before targeting ethnic groups on the internet, though, it's important to understand that such an undertaking requires time, effort and money. "While the trend among retailers continues to be launching language-specific websites, such as Spanish- or Chinese-language sites, setting one up can be a challenging task for smaller e-tailers," says Heather Dougherty, a senior retail analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings in New York City. "Smaller e-tailers usually have a very small and specific marketing budget, and parsing it out among specific ethnic groups can be difficult."

Answering the CallSometimes, however, targeting a specific ethnic group is important enough to make it a key part of an e-business plan. Consider Teri Gault, CEO and founder of The Grocery Game Inc., a Santa Clarita, California-based website that analyzes and shares information with members about coupons that appear in the Sunday newspapers. When Gault started the company in 2000, she made its list available mainly to members in Southern California. However, in 2003, the company began offering franchises to people throughout the United States and now offers the list in 37 states.

Almost since the company started, "we had people contacting us who wanted to see the list in Spanish," says Gault, 45, who expects sales to hit $5 million this year. Currently, Spanish is the first language for 3 percent of The Grocery Game's members. As a result, Gault plans to launch a Spanish-language version of her website by this fall that will mirror the English-language site. To reach the site, Spanish-speaking consumers will click on a link that will send them to the Spanish-language site.

To accomplish the task, the company had to build a new website that integrates with its current site and its automatic billing, password access, ordering and transaction processing. It then had to hire a translator to translate the site's text. The total cost of creating the new site was about $100,000, and Gault expects it to increase 2006 sales 5 to 10 percent. The company also hired some Spanish-speaking personnel to answer customer-service e-mail messages.
A lower-cost alternative to hiring a multilingual employee is to use translation software. There are a variety of companies that offer this type of software.

On TargetAnother e-tailer targeting ethnic groups is The Rosemary Company, a Tecumseh, Michigan, business offering gifts and favors for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, anniversaries, parties and memorials. "[People started] asking if we had any products targeted to African Americans, so we added some to see how it would go over," says Judith Cheney, 58-year-old president and founder of the $1 million business. "It went over well, so we started adding more products. It's been a tremendous market for us."

Later this year, the company plans to add more products for blacks and will also launch web pages devoted specifically to those products. Cheney estimates these pages will cost about $500 each to build. She is also planning to launch pages targeting Hispanics, and estimates this addition will cost about $5,000 to build because she would like to write them in Spanish.

One clear benefit of this strategy is that separate pages targeting ethnic groups will most likely be found higher up in search engines. "Customers who are searching for African-American merchandise are likely to use the terms African American, black and Afrocentric in their searches," says Jamila White, an internet strategist in Bowie, Maryland, who consults on online marketing. "By including terms that are relevant to their niche markets, businesses increase the likelihood of connecting with those customers." White provides more details in Attracting Black Customers Online, a 90-minute audio course available at http://www.ecommercediva.com/.
Will targeting ethnic groups be a part of your plan? Before making that decision, remember that any marketing initiative needs focus, attention to detail and follow-through.

Assistance with Online Advertising

2008-09-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

1st I suggest you build a website. If you don¢t have one and would like one for free with your own domain name I suggest you go here http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/default.aspx this is a good way to attract customers via the web. People usually want something to look at.

2nd check out a few of these sites www.blackrefer.com, www.blackbusinessplanet.com, www.aabl.com, www.africanamericanbusiness.com, www.local.com/, www.craigslist.org.

Here is something else I found helpful

1. Create the best content you can with the best products you can possibly offer. Your content is your best advertisement - if visitors love your content, then they will go back and spread the word to others.

2. Make it easy for users to recommend your site. Viral marketing is very important — and easy to tap on the Web. But give your users the tools. Get a Recommend this Site script from websites such as cgiscripts.com and similar directories of scripts. Some even go as far as giving incentives to those who recommend the site to their friends. If only 10 people go to your site, but these 10 people invite 10 more - that’s additional traffic that you get for FREE!

Recommend Site Scripts (various)
Big Nose Bird Recommend this Site
CGI Resource Index
Hostscripts

3. Rank well in the search engines (organic search results, not the pay per click). SEs can be a big source of traffic. The key is to create the best content in your niche. If you have good content, other websites will gladly link to you and offer your site as a resource to their audience. Check the on-page factors and be sure to get linked from authority sites in your topic area.

If you are going to read only one piece on search engine optimization, I suggest you read Brett Tabke of WebmasterWorld.com’s “Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone: 26 steps to 15k a day.” http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm

4. Send out press releases. While outfits charge as much as $650 per release, there are free press release submission places on the Web. Press releases allow you to (a) attract media attention; (b) get more back links to your website without sending each website an email request; and (c) get more visibility especially if your press release gets in Google News or Yahoo News. You can send your press release via our Press Release Submission Form

http://www.prleap.com/sign_up.html
http://i-newswire.com/
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi
http://www.pr.com/press-releases
http://www.prfree.com/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index.shtml
http://www.theopenpress.com/
http://www.przoom.com/
http://www.prweb.com
http://www.newswiretoday.com/
http://www.free-press-release.com/

5. Submit articles. Write articles and submit them to websites accepting author submissions. You get exposure for your business; establishes you as an authority in your field, and allows you to get back links for your website. If 50 websites publish your article and it contains a link back to your website, then you easily get 50 links from a single article. The more links you have, the greater your chances for increasing your search engine rankings.

6. Improve your conversion. Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article “10 Ways to Convert Visitors to Buyers” for tips on how to improve your conversion rates.

7. Syndicate your content. You can auto-pilot your marketing and attract visitors every time you update your content via RSS feeds. Or if you have a blog, you can use it to draw customers repeatedly to your website. Bookmark our Resources for Marketing Your Blogs and RSS Feeds to help you spread the word about your RSS feeds or blog.

8. Use free classifieds. Post a link to your site for free where it is allowed (always read the Terms of Use). Examples are:

Craigslist
Google Base
Classifieds for Free
Text Link Exchange
Recycler.com
Yahoo Classifieds
US Free Ads

I really hope that some of this helps you in your quest to take your business to the next level.

Don't want to do it yourself? I can help! Email me @ alynetta@shreveportblackpages.com

Sizing Up Your Web Competition

2008-09-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

In my quest to have the best website for Black Entrepreneurs and Professional plus appeal to Black consumers (www.shreveportblackpages.com) I have learned that in addition to creating good content, I have to know what some of the 'Best Black Websites' actually look like. It's important to know where your online viewers are going when their not quite getting to your site. It took a while for me to figure out what types of Black Sites are most popular to online browsers, and I'm still working on that. I have discovered a few things that help a long the way.

Whatever your area of interest is, do a google search on your keywords, and see what comes up. Browse through the results, taking note of those webpages that have a page rank of 5 or better. You can find pageranking tools all over the web, I like www.seochat.com.

Once you know who the Big Playas are analyze their content and compare it to yours. See what's working for them, and how it could work for you. Look if they have a link exchange program or advertising packages. Placing your link on their site is a great way to reach your target audience and help boost your page rank.

Also, check out alexa.com and run a search for your site. Once you find it, click on your 'site info' link and review your traffic details page. On that page you will find a graph that displays your monthly traffic. Below that graphic is a nifty little tool that I recently discovered. You can plug in the url of one of your competitor sites and review their traffic stats in comparison to yours on the same graph! This is great way to size up the competition and see which sites are REALLY as popular as they say they are.

10 Rules for Web Start Ups

2008-09-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Summary of a great post: 10 Rules for Web Startups

1. Be Narrow- keep you content niche specific - dont try to conquer the world
2. Be Different - duh!
3. Be Casual - lots of people are loggin on nowadays - create content that appeals to day to day activties and the average person
4. Be Picky - don't jump at the first gift horse or freebie - if it ain't quality let it pass - always maintain your standards
5. Be user-centric - if it ain't user friendly it ain't gettin' used
6. Be Self-Centered - produce / promote the thing that interests you most
7. Be Greedy - if you got something to sell than sell it
8. Be Tiny - hmm... read the original post on this one
9. Be Agile - role with the winds, if you must change a bit - do it - don't stay stagnant in the web game
10. Be Balanced - workaholics eventually crash and burn - enjoy the job but don't become it

How to Make Money Online

2008-09-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Must-do Checklist

Join Paypal
PayPal is how individuals and businesses send and receive money online.

Revenue Howtos
Affiliate Programs
Amazon Associate
Black Affiliate Programs
BlogHerAds
Bravenet Referrel Program
CafePress: Print On Demand
Chitika eMiniMalls
CD Baby
Commission Junction: Affiliate Program
Generate Revenue
Google Adsense Tips
Ebay Tips
E-Book Sales
Etsy: Homemade Crafts
iUniverse Self Publishing
Kunaki: Create and Sell Cds
Linkshare Affiliate Program
Lulu.com Self Publishing
Money Widgets
Make Money Online Tips
Payloadz: Sell eBooks and software
Paypal
Pay Per Click
Print on Demand
Self-Publishing
Sell Online
Text Link Ads
Zazzle: Print On Demand

Recommended Reading
Business Blogs: Free Marketing & Money
What to Consider When Availing of POD Publishing
How To Uncover The Deepest Secrets For
Choosing The Potential Affiliate Programs

Resources for Black Women in Business

2008-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Why Blogging for Dollars Make Sense

2008-09-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Free Marketing for the Black Entrepreneur...

Blogging is a great way to get connected (and stay connected) to your online audience and new & potential customers while generating additional marketing and income through pay-per-click ads.

What is a Blog?
Well, you are reading one of my blogs right now! A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.

Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.

In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.

It's easy to start a Blog.
You can set up a free blog account using one of the blog hosts below, after that all that is required is you taking the time to create a few quality posts a week that showcase your knowledge on a topic of choice. Once you are writing about something other's can benefit from or simply creating a space in which your customers can stay connected, you are on your way to developing a successful Blog. Then you can take take it a step further and start promoting your blogs RSS Feed, so that anyone has access to your content in their personal RSS Readers or on a site that connects to your feed. I won't get into RSS here, 'Real Simply Syndication', but if you are unfamiliar with RSS and want to participate in the latest Web Marketing Techniques, it will be worth your while to start researching the subject.

Promote your blog by joining social networks, link and banner exchanges and creating your own networks. Also, join affiliate and pay-per-click programs. The more viewers you get to your blog, the more dollars you bring in.

See more business articles on this blog.

Blog Hosts
Blogger.com
Word Press

Useful Web Links
Googledit