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Does Your Business Need A Mobile App?

By TSMB BLOG on Friday, November 25th, 2011 | 0 Comments

In 2010, Fox Business ran an article, “Does Your Business Need Social Media?” Can you imagine an article like that running in today’s digital world? It would be rejected and shrugged off. Of course your business needs social media! Social Media is no longer whether you do it, it is more how well you do it. The ROI of Social Media is that you will be in business three to five years from now.

Business owners from every vertical should be engaging current customers and prospective customers on every level and at every opportunity. No matter where your customer goes, he/she ALWAYS has their cell phone with them (even while using the bathroom). If your company has a mobile app, you are literally just a tap away at all times. To sum it up bluntly, companies that don’t utilize every communication channel available are missing valuable opportunities to engage their customers . . . which increases frequency of visits and transaction values. The ROI of having a mobile app for your business is extremely profitable and the proof is in your hands or near you right now. Where is your cell phone? Would you leave home without it?

Will your app be the next Angry Birds that has experienced over 300 million downloads? I am guessing we both know the answer to that. However, if you could have an open line of communication with your customers (known as PUSH notifications on a mobile app), free of noise or distractions, and also have the ability to send one on one direct messages straight to their cell phones, you wouldn’t pass that up, would you? Of course not!

The future of business is CLEARLY having a mobile presence. We are just around the corner from consumers expecting to see their favorite stores and brands in the app stores. When they search for your business, will they find your mobile app or your competitor’s? The choice is yours.
TheSocialMediaBoss.Com is passionate about helping businesses of all sizes stake their claim in the mobile app market. Your business can be on Smartphones and tablets in no time. It only takes 7 to 10 business days to get a mobile app that not only engages your customers, but increases your traffic and revenues. As we head for 2012, it is time to GO MOBILE!

Your Business and the 80/20 Rule

By TSMB BLOG on Saturday, December 25th, 2010 | 0 Comments

You’ve heard the statement I am sure in the sales world that your top sales people produce 80% of your sales revenue.

The same holds true with your customers/clients in business. The top 20% of your customers/clients will produce 80% of your revenues.

It is true that it is fairly easy to track sales people, their sales and activities (or lack thereof). However, I often hear all too often from retail business owners that they do not have a system in place to track their customer purchases. Things like how often they visit, how much they spend etc.

And even better yet, going deeper into your customer/client info. When is their birthday? What is their spouses (or significant other) name? And all the specific info that would matter in making the sale to your customer/client.

I love the TV series 24. And within this great mystery suspense series it is ALWAYS about collecting intelligence info. That is why you hear “What intel do we have?”

Marketing to your customer/client is no different. What intel do you have? If you have little to none, you have many missed opportunities and you are leaving lots of money on the table. And that money is likely going to your competitor.

For example, if you were running a clothing store, wouldn’t it be good to KNOW the size your customer/client wears? So that in your communication you can state that directly on any sale you might have. It is well known that most of the buying decision of mens clothing is done by the spouse. Hence the reason for knowing who the spouse is.

Did you know that most businesses lose 20% (or more) of their customers each year? To achieve a 10% increase in sales you need to add 30% in new customers. And the cost to add a new customer is usually six times more than simply concentrating on your best customers (your top 20%).

The statistics are alarming as to WHY customers/clients stop doing business with your business.

* FACTOID *: A survey on “Why customers quit doing business with you” found that 20% of them do so for the following reasons . . .

Three percent move away, five percent develop other friendships, nine percent leave for competitive reasons, 14 percent are dissatisfied with the product or service, and a whopping 68 percent quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the customer by the business owner, manager or employee.

So that breaks down to 82 percent of the survey result was the lack of taking care of your customer! And that can be (and should be) fixed by you the business owner.

But before you can do that, you must have information (intel) on or about your customer/client.

I also hear from business owners often that they fear asking for customer information for fear that it will be too intrusive. Yet it is probably the single biggest expense in your business NOT doing so.

To put your mind at ease, I offer up another FACTOID. Have you ever visited a Radio Shack? They ALWAYS ask for your information at the point of sale. And would it surprise you to know that 98% or more give it without any hesitation? Most likely, because they think it has something to do with their current purchase.

So put your fear aside. One of the largest electronic retailers does it as a regular practice. You should too!

And once you do my business friend, magical things will start to happen once you use this intel.

There are many systems available for the business owner to collect this intel with ease without it burdening the business or employees.

For example the use of cell phones. Who do you know (with few exceptions) who does not have a cell phone? Current studies reveal that these devices are kept within arms reach 22 plus hours of the day. And there are systems in place now to collect customer intel from the use of their cell phone and is convenient for the customer and the business because it all happens in 15 seconds or less.

You owe it to yourself and your business to collect customer intel. You will start adding black ink to your financial statement instead of swimming in red ink and failed marketing attempts. You already have customers. You already have products and services you sell every day.

Start applying these techniques and you will find that you can literally cut out the need to advertise in dying Yellow Pages, Newspapers, Radio or any other form of advertising medium.

Said another way would be “Paying attention to your current customers/clients does NOT cost, IT PAYS!”

If you would like to DISCOVER more techniques and systems for your business grab a FREE PDF copy of my book “Creating Customers For Life” here:

http://www.HowToCreateCustomersForLife.Com

In it, you will learn how to make your business thrive even in the worst of economic storms. Also, receive a FREE 15 minute phone consultation from me.

I wish you the best of success in your business!

Don’t Be Anti-Social If You Want To Survive The Economic Storm

By TSMB BLOG on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 | 0 Comments

Quotes & Excerpts from Harvey Mackay:

“Is social media a fad or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?” asks Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics. Consider these statistics he presents, and my analysis of them, and then decide how connected you should be. Hint: Your company website alone is no longer enough!

As of 2010, Generation Y — those born between 1980 and 2000 — outnumbers baby boomers. And 96 percent of them have joined a social network! There was no initiation, no dues, no recommendations. Just a few taps on the keyboard and voila! Instant connection to friends and family, immediate information sharing, finding the kid who sat next to you in kindergarten story-time.

As technology improves and changes, it also changes the way we live. It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users. It took TV 13 years, the internet four years and iPod just three years.

Perhaps the star of the social media show is Facebook, which added 100 million users in just nine months and now has over 500 million users. Not bad for a company that began in a dorm room. If Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population behind only China and India. The fastest growing segment of Facebook is women ages 55-65. (The jury is still out on how many of those women’s children have accepted a “friend” request from their mothers.)

We no longer search for the news; the news finds us. More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook daily. In the near future we will no longer search for products and services. They will find us via social media.

One out of eight couples married in the United States last year met via social media.

Generation Y and Z — the youngest techies, born after 1995 — consider e-mail passé. In 2009, Boston College stopped distributing email addresses to incoming freshmen.

For those who prefer their communications in 140 characters or less, a Twitter account is a must. Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Ireland, Norway and Panama. Approximately 80 percent of Twitter usage is on mobile devices people update anywhere and anytime. The apps for Black Friday sales changed the way shoppers planned their retail strategy. On the downside, imagine what an unfavorable tweet means for bad customer experiences.

As a business person, I often wonder how we functioned before LinkedIn. One of the most remarkable employment statistics I discovered while researching my last book, Use Your Head To Get Your Foot in the Door, is that 80 percent of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees.

Remember the advertising slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?” That’s a little misleading, because it also stays on Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, My Space, YouTube or any other social media you use.

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. It contains 100 million videos and receives two billion viewers each day. Wikipedia has over 13 million articles. A whopping 70 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds have watched TV on the web, while only 33 percent have ever viewed a show on DVR or TiVo. And 25 percent have watched a video on their phones in the last month. With a growing number of e-readers, 35 percent of book sales on amazon are for the Kindle. Some publishers estimate that eBook sales will reach 50 percent in the next five years.

There are over 200 million blogs, and 54 percent of bloggers post content or tweet daily. Without knowing who or what organization is actually behind the blog, here are some facts to consider:

34 percent of bloggers post opinions about products or brands.
78 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations.
Only 14 percent trust advertising.

Perhaps the most astonishing fact of all is that social media have overtaken porn as the number one activity on the web.

Successful companies in social media have learned the importance of listening first and selling second. Qualman says, “They act more like party planners, aggregators, and content providers than traditional advertisers.”

Social media represent a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. To stay current — and competitive — in business, don’t be a “twit.” Put on your best “face” and “link” into these tremendous opportunities.

YouTube Videos Result In Higher Ranking In Google

By TSMB BLOG on Saturday, November 20th, 2010 | 0 Comments

In 2006 (which is a long time in Internet time), Google made one of the largest dollar value purchases by acquiring YouTube for over $1.6 billion. Who would have known that would have morphed into one of the world’s most trafficked websites.

Google has taken advantage of the undying appetite of Internet surfers who watch over one billion videos per day. Google index’s those videos and more often than not, you will find YouTube videos appearing on the 1^st page of search results. They can even outrank aged and established organic listings.

Since Google has given priority to YouTube videos, your business can truly take advantage of YouTube and here is just a sampling of the benefits:

Most often, your videos receive a high ranking in Google’s organic search results.
Resulting in a measurable increase of traffic to your website.
Most people are visual and with video you are building a bigger trust.
If you choose, you can have your increased amount of visitors opt-in to your offer.
Which ultimately means you will make more money and shorten the sales cycle.

It is quite easy to get your video up on YouTube. Here are just a few tips and techniques that will help you get going immediately.

1. Shoot Your Video

Create a short (less than two minutes is best), content-rich video on a topic that you are versed in and passionate about (it will show). Shorter videos are viewed much more frequently. These days you can pick up an HD Flip Video or Kodak Zi8 for just over $100 dollars and they even have the software included so you can upload your video(s) directly. Opening a YouTube account is FREE and simple.

2. Keywords You Use To Name Your Video Are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

Include in the name of your video keywords that you expect searchers would use to find information on your topic. I can’t stress how vital this is. IMPORTANT: Make sure EVERY word in the title of your video is relevant to your content. Don’t include the date or time in your title. ONLY include the location if it is relevant to the search.

Applying the formula above can result in your video listing landing on page one of Google in 24 hours. It is important to remember that Google favors video content since it owns YouTube.

Read on to further optimize your video listing.

3. Create Incoming Links To Your Video Listing

Anchor Link TEXT is the visible text in a hyperlink. The words “Anchor Link TEXT” are the words or text in the link. Within your website and/or blog, link back to your YouTube video using your keyword(s) in your anchor text. Also, you can ask friends and associates to link back to your YouTube video using the same method.

By applying links to your YouTube videos, and having other sites do the same, it “tells” Google that your videos are relevant to the keywords or keyword phrases you have chosen.

Once you have great positioning in Google there is another formula you can apply to actually drive visitors to your website. Read on . . .

4. Drive Visitors From Your YouTube Video To Your Website

Now that visitors are finding your video listings for the keywords you have chosen you have created a lead generation path that will last for a long time to come.

HOW TO maximize the number of people that visit your website during or after they watch your video:

Make sure to mention your website address during the video.

Place a screenshot of your website and MORE IMPORTANTLY your website address at the start and end of your video so viewers know how to get to your website.

Since I have discovered that people truly are lazy and unless your video is very compelling, they will not take the time to type your website address into a new browser. But there is a better way! You can actually include your HOT LINKED website address into the description for your video.

Here’s how you do that on YouTube…

When posting your video you’ll want to fill out the “About This Video” section. This is where you will insert your website address. Make SURE to do it right at the beginning of your description. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to include the http:// at the beginning of your website address BECAUSE without it, it will not be a hot link or hyperlink. In other words, your viewer will not be able to click on your website link.

Once your viewer has clicked your website link, another way to increase your subscriber base is to drive them to a landing page (sometimes known as a Squeeze Page) where you make a compelling offer to receive a FREE report. Once they opt-in, then redirect them to your website. This formula will certainly help you build a list and increase your income. Enjoy!

My blog has HIGHLIGHTER enabled. You can highlight any of the text in this article and share it on your favorite social media channels. Give it a try.

Maximizing Facebook Pages

By TSMB BLOG on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 | 0 Comments

Facebook Pages are the most straightforward way for businesses to have a presence on the Facebook social networking website. A Page is similar in its appearance to a standard Facebook profile (which are used by individual who join Facebook), except that it’s designed to be the Facebook profile of a business.

People are becoming comfortable with conducting an increasing amount of their online activities exclusively on Facebook. Rather than using a search engine to find a product or service they need, some people are simply asking their Facebook friends for recommendations, or doing a search on Facebook itself. If you don’t have a Page set up for your business, you’ll be limited in how many of these potential customers can find you.

Begin the sign-up process by visiting the Pages area of Facebook. When you create a new account, try to choose a Page name that is as close to your real business name as possible. This will make it easier for people who you already do business with to find you on Facebook.

Once you’ve set up your Page, you can begin to build a following for your business. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that social networking tools such as Facebook are generally not very effective sales tools – at least in the traditional sense of the term “sales.” Facebook users that receive sales pitches on their Facebook walls tend to view the companies making them rather negatively. In fact, companies that try to use Facebook as a direct sales tool are quite often viewed– rightly or wrongly –as “spammers.”

Instead, you would be better served by viewing your Facebook Page as an opportunity to build a following or community around your business. For example, whenever someone follows or becomes a “fan” of your company’s Facebook Page, any time you post a status update or link or other item to your Page, your followers will get a notification in their main news feed. You can use your Page to announce new product offerings, sales or special offers that you may be conducting, or other interesting news about your business.

Resist the temptation to try to sell to these people by posting multiple status updates or notes every day. If your followers feel overwhelmed by the volume of updates from you (especially if it seems to them like some of the updates are “forced”, or not noteworthy information), there’s a good chance that they’ll simply un-follow you, and you’ll lose Facebook as a means of reaching that customer.

You should also consider how your business’ Facebook Page provides a new way to engage in a dialogue with your customers and potential customers. Ask customers what kind of new products and services they’d like to see from you, or how they might want you to refine your existing offerings. Once the conversation is underway, you may find that a greater number of people participate.

Sometimes the “business intelligence” you’ll gain from your Facebook Page is something you’d never be able to get any other way.

To get a full in-depth FREE Report on “ALL” things Facebook, go to:

TargetingWithFacebook.Com

To Your Facebook Success!

Using Facebook Messages to Communicate with Your Prospects

By TSMB BLOG on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 | 0 Comments

Facebook has become a very popular way for people to interact with one another on the Internet. In fact, Facebook has in many ways replaced some of the traditional means of Internet communication. For example, many people now use Facebook’s messaging system much more often than they use their traditional email accounts.

Lots of people log into Facebook every single day, so if their friends are already Facebook members, it’s easier to send messages from within Facebook than to go to another web service like Yahoo mail or Google mail just to send a quick message. Most people also like to maintain only a single contact list or address book, and since Facebook does this for them automatically, it becomes very easy to send messages directly from Facebook.

You can use Facebook messages to strengthen the relationships you have with your customers. For example, by offering your customers the option of contacting you on Facebook for customer service issues or questions they may have, you do so in an environment that they are already comfortable in, and spend lots of time using – Facebook.

Many people feel like their traditional email inboxes have simply become a source of spam and unwanted email, and that attitude can sometimes affect how they view the people who are sending them email.

The most convenient part of using Facebook messaging is that each time you become a friend of a business contact (or potential business contact), or they link themselves to your business Page, you immediately have a way of contacting them directly. There’s no need to take the extra step of asking for an email address.

To create a message, click the “Messages” Link that’s near the upper left hand corner of your main Facebook page, and then click the “New Message” button that’s in the upper right hand corner of the screen. You’ll then be asked to enter the recipient’s name (or list of recipients), the message, and you can also attach a photo, video clip, or link that’s related to your message.

Using lists can be a convenient way to manage different Facebook messaging campaigns. For example, you can have lists of “current customers,” “new prospects,” “potential business partners,” and send differently targeted messages to each. Since an individual contact can be a member of multiple lists, there’s no need to struggle with trying to fit each person into a distinct category.

Be sure that you are not overwhelming your customers and prospects, however. It is very easy for someone to disable all the messages you send (effectively blacklisting you), which could make it very difficult to get into contact with them when you have information that impacts them directly (perhaps a product warranty or recall notice, or information that they have specifically requested from you).

If you strive to balance your desire to expand your business with your customers’ desire to not feel like they’re being “spammed”, then Facebook Messages can be an effective part of your business’ promotional strategy.

I would love to get your feedback on how you use Facebook currently or how you apply any of the methods that I have written about. Our comment tool below lets you post your comments on any of the social networks you belong to as well.

For more detailed information about using Facebook to ramp up your business go claim your FREE Report chockful of more nuggets here:

TargetingWithFacebook.Com

Make it a great day!

Using Facebook Groups as a Business Promotion Strategy

By TSMB BLOG on Monday, September 13th, 2010 | 0 Comments

Facebook can be a great way for you to expand your professional network, provided you take care to manage your online persona. But there are other, less obvious, ways to use Facebook to boost your business and your career.

For example, Facebook has a feature called “Groups.” A Group is a community of Facebook users who share a common interest or hobby. The official categories of Group types are: Business, Common Interest, Entertainment & Arts, Geography, Internet & Technology, Just For Fun, Music, Organizations, Sports & Recreation, and Student Groups.

The key to successfully using the Groups feature is thinking broadly. You probably don’t want to create a Group for your business itself – you’d want a Facebook Page for that. Instead, you want to your new Group to be an online space in which potential customers can interact with one another about things that interest them.

Think about whom your business serves, how those people’s interests relate to the business, and create a Group that covers some element of those interests. If you own a small online craft shop, perhaps you could start a Group about a particular type of craft or crafting technique. People who don’t have a place to go in order to talk with other people about the things that interest them will likely join your Group if you just provide them a venue.

Again, you shouldn’t look to tie the Group directly to your business. You want to become a spokesperson or representative for a part of your industry. The most important part of the process is to create something that will provide genuine value to people who are interested in things that are related to what your business does.

To create a new Group, login to Facebook and go to the Create a Group page. You’ll need to enter a Group Name, Description, and Group Type.

You’ll have to decide whether group will be “open” (meaning that anyone can see the Group information, and anyone can join), “closed” (meaning that new members must be approved, and even though anyone can see the Group description, only approved members can actually see the wall, discussion board, and other Group content), or “secret” (meaning that the group does not appear in any search results or member profiles, and membership is by invitation only). Since you’re creating this Group for business purposes, you’ll likely want it to be an open group.

When you create a new Group, you will automatically be listed as a Group administrator. A Group administrator has the authority to control both the membership of the Group, as well as what gets posted on the Group’s wall.

An administrator controls membership in two ways: (1) by approving new member requests (that is, people who’ve clicked on the Group page’s join button) if the Group is a private group, and (2) by removing members. Administrators can send messages to the entire group, and edit the Group’s basic information and settings. By managing the Group, you position yourself as a trusted resource, so when people see that you are the owner of a business, much of the goodwill you’ve created is automatically transferred to that business.

As an administrator, you can also add new administrators who have those same powers, although you can later remove any administrators that you appointed. As your Group grows, you can use this power to enlist the help of trusted colleagues. When your customers are an active part of the community you’ve created, the degree of trust they have in you increases greatly.

Would love to hear your feedback. How do you use this for your business?

Receive a FREE Facebook report chock full of more information here:

TargetingWithFacebook.Com

My Best To You,

FourSquare Adding 15,000 Users Per Day?

By TSMB BLOG on Friday, May 21st, 2010 | 0 Comments

As reported by Jacob Brody from VentureBeat :

As rumors of VC funding and acquisition offers persist, blazing hot location startup Foursquare continues to grow. At Business Insider’s Startup 2010 event in New York, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley revealed that the service is adding 15,000 users a day.

In an on-stage interview with Business Insider editor Henry Blodget, Crowley explained how Foursquare will evolve beyond a simple check-in service which announces users’ physical location to their friends.

“What we’re trying to do is build this rich layer of services,” said Crowley. One of the services he indicated would be introduced is what he described as “Google Analytics but for small coffee shops,” comparing Foursquare’s forthcoming reporting tools for small businesses to the Web-traffic analysis tools offered by Google.

Crowley sees a future where Foursquare serves as a platform for customer-loyalty programs. Foursquare has already inked a deal with Starbucks to provide Starbucks “mayors” — the users who most frequently check in at a given location — with a discount on Frappuccinos. Foursquare also has signed partnerships with Bravo TV and others to provide customized badges for check-ins at specific locations. When an audience member posed a question about custom badges for small businesses, Crowley said he was interested in implementing such a program.

While the location-based space is becoming cluttered with richly funded competitors like Gowalla, Booyah, and others, Crowley isn’t worried about competitors producing a better service.

“Nobody’s going to beat us at product,“ he said.

He also shrugged off attempts by Yelp and others to create functionality similar to Foursquare. Specifically referring to Yelp’s check-in functionality, he quipped, “I don’t know anyone who uses them.”

He pointed to Facebook’s attempt to mimic Twitter’s functionality as evidence that Foursquare could beat bigger competitors playing their game: “Twitter faced the same thing with Facebook…. Facebook didn’t kill Twitter.”

Crowley envisions a day when Foursquare will have around 10 million users, which is around ten times Foursquare’s current user base. He doesn’t, however, see the service becoming as mainstream as either Facebook or Twitter.

Many in the media have expressed concerns about privacy issues related to location-based applications. But Crowley dismissed these concerns.

“As long as it’s opt-in I don’t see the problem,” Crowley said. Passive location applications like Google Latitude, he said, are more of a concern. “It haunts me more than it helps me.”

In a brief conversation after his interview, Crowley told VentureBeat he would be interested in seeing a mashup of Foursquare and Latitude that preserved user privacy while providing a nudge to check in when you’re at a location.

SnackSquare + FourSquare = Big Social Media For Your Business

By TSMB BLOG on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | 0 Comments

Yesterday I wrote about FourSquare for business and had no idea they were going to announce SnackSquare.Com.

It spells out how FourSquare is encouraging businesses to reward Mayors of their establishment.

Below are three examples in the Scottsdale, AZ area.

FourSquare has the mapping and GPS thing down and getting better.

Remember, “Birds of a Feather, Flock together.” So with the locator, if a user is at a nearby business, the FourSquare mobile app will pop up suggestions and specials nearby once they check-in. Friends of friends like referrals. And this activity will increase floor traffic. I am the MAYOR of three businesses in the Phoenix area. While you’re thinking about it “Friend Request” me at: Troy’s Four Square Profile

SnackSquare is in very early BETA, but as I see it will be huge for retail businesses and storefronts.

Keep a close eye on this. For business there is a built in CRM platform.

Retail businesses should take note of the following:

First it was the Internet and now it is mobile. New technology is creating a plethora of challenges for businesses, one of which is the new, empowered consumer. Retailers need to have mobile enabled sites if they want to stay on top of the game.

Don’t get left behind as mobile search reaches explosive growth! Currently one quarter of U.S. internet search comes from mobile devices with a growth of 130.5% per year.

It is interesting to note that Facebook is taking pot shots at FourSquare when in my humble opinion they should be finding a way to work together. GOOGLE on the other hand is the master of most of this technology, but as I was discussing this with my GOOGLE expert friend Chris Lang this afternoon he indicated GOOGLE just has not figured out how to put the fun in their applications YET (keyword being YET).

They have the map thing, and the GPS capabilities. GOOGLE Buzz is going to soon crush Twitter. So the rest of this year should be very interesting in the Social Media world. Stay tuned and ENJOY the ride!

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