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LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found.  And that is why you need a profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile.  I see many people making fundamental mistakes that actually work against them in this aspect.  If you’re going to spend time putting together a profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?

Read the full article on WindMill Networking

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More and more Companies today are finding their reputations tarnished online by one or multiple people, who may have ulterior motives, such as sabotaging the company or someone within it. Such occurrences on the internet can ruin a company’s reputation and cost them a lot of money as a result.

Not only could your reputation be at risk, but your rankings (that is how you show up when people search for your kind of business online) can also be negatively affected, costing you many potential customers, that instead are going to your competitors.

The truth is, your business may be being hurt by the Internet and you may not even know it.

In the video below I’ve included a clip from a recent online tutorial I gave on this topic, addressing the three things you must do to protect your business online, and grow a substantial online presence so that prospective customers will find your business and want to do business with you.

It may sound high-tech, but this is one of the most simple, effective, non-technical (and legal) methods out there to combat the new bathroom wall: the Internet.

If you care about your business, you won’t want to miss out on this important video. (Click below)

Click The Image Above

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If you own a retail business, now is the time to learn how to market your business on the Internet.  Just because you own a brick and mortar store does not mean that the Internet will not become a valuable tool in your marketing initiative.  In fact, because online marketing is so powerful, your business may suffer if you do not incorporate the Internet into your marketing campaigns.

97 Percent of Customers Search for Local Businesses on the Internet.

More than 40% of consumers won’t shop at a business or brand if they can’t research it or find your business online. Marketing online doesn’t just give you greater exposure, but it also increases credibility and keeps you in front of your customers, so they will buy from YOU (and not your competitors) when they are ready.

Here are 3 tips on how to effectively use the Internet to market your local retail business, so you can beat out the competition both locally and online.

A Social Networking Presence Can Be Free Marketing

Social Networking has become extremely popular.  With more and more people creating profiles on a daily basis, you can reach out for free and let your presence be known.  The most used and known Social Networking sites include Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll want to set up profiles with both and make them a simple point of contact for your customers.  As you start to generate followers and fans, more and more people will try out your store just because their friends did.  You can also advertise sales and new product releases to generate even more interest without paying a dime. It’s important; however, that you know that simply throwing out ads without engaging with your prospects and customers isn’t enough to use Social Networking as an effective marketing strategy. To learn more about Social Media Marketing and how to use it as part of your retail business’s marketing strategy, click here.

Ask Your Current Shoppers to Subscribe

Your loyal customers want to know when you are having sales and promotions.  The best way to get your customers to subscribe online is to ask them at the register.  Make it a routine to ask for email addresses when you are scanning all of the products the customers are buying.  Customers want to save money and you want to stay in contact with the customers so they continue to think of you and continue to come buy from you. You can also use Mobile Marketing strategies, such as SMS (Text) Marketing (i.e having your customers text your short code to receive coupons or notifications of special events).

Make Sure Your Website is Professional and Updated

If you do not have a website, it’s definitely a good idea to get one built for your retail business.  Make sure you do not go for the cookie cutter templates that everyone uses.  You want to stand out from your competitors! If you are not good at website design, hire a professional team to design the site for you and it will pay off.  Once you have a website, you can use it combined with additional online marketing strategies, such as article marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to increase your website traffic and gain great visibility on the web.

If you think that marketing retail business on the Internet is difficult, just know there are many ways to be creative on how you do this. There are plenty of tools on the world wide web that you can use to your advantage. Some of these tools are free and others will cost money.  Many smart retail business owners and managers choose to consult with local online marketing agencies when it comes to building a marketing plan that is appropriate for their particular type of business, that will deliver great returns on their marketing investment.

Not sure where to get started with marketing your retail business online? We can get you “off to the races” with a 90-Day Marketing Plan. We welcome you to contact us today to learn just how simple and quickly your business can begin seeing results from your online marketing efforts.

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It’s Not Enough To Advertise On Social Media Websites.

When searching for social media marketing tips for local businesses, it is important to remember that social media is all about creating relationships with your customers. It is not enough to advertise your wares on social media websites. You have to focus your efforts on creating genuine relationships with your customers in an engaging and mutually beneficial way. In order for your social media efforts to pay off in the long run, your customers have to be engaged with your brand in a way that makes them want to share your brand with their network.

The hottest social media websites to have a brand presence on at the moment are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.While there are other challengers like LinkedIn, Google+ and Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest currently remain the heavy hitters in terms of sending profitable traffic to your business. The key point to remember with the big three is that you want to share information that is important to your local audience.

You can share pretty pictures on Pinterest, but if they are not sending local traffic to your website, your efforts might be in vain. Think about the type of content you are sharing and ask yourself whether it would be of interest to local customers. Not only does the content you post to social media websites need to be of interest to your local market, it also needs to be shareable with their network of friends and associates. Keep your focus on locality and share-worthiness…and you can’t go wrong.

When local businesses are considering investing time on social media websites, their concern is often whether they will see a significant return on investment. In order for business owners to see a significant ROI, they need to share content that is of value to their customers. This does not mean simply touting your own wares via social media. It means sharing content that your customers truly care about in order to build ongoing relationships. Engaging with customers on topics that are important to them builds a rapport and encourages brand loyalty.

• Tweet information that is useful and helps to build your brand’s personality.
• Pin images to Pinterest that local audiences will engage with and that help to define the business ethics of your company.
• Ask questions on your Facebook page that encourages conversation with your local audience.

By focusing on building valuable relationships with your local customers, you will ensure that your social media efforts deliver lasting, profitable results.

Not All Social Media Networks Are A Fit For Every Business

Even though we’ve discussed the “Big 3″ of social networks, keep in mind that not all social media networks are a fit for every business.

For example, some businesses will find that Pinterest is not a good use of their marketing efforts, because it’s platform is just not a fit for their type of business. The main thing to keep in mind when deciding what social networks to join and be active within is…where are your prospects and customers? Just like any local business on the street, where do your customers hang out? What do they like to do? These same questions apply to the virtual meeting places (social networks) online.

Getting Help To Handle Your Social Media

Of course we realize that local business owners have plenty on their plates in running their businesses, let alone trying to be on the cutting edge of marketing and keeping up with social media.  Many smart business owners have hired marketing assistants or added to responsibilities of their employees to keep up with their company’s social networks. However, some have found that the cost to have a full-time marketing assistant isn’t an option for them. Others have found that simply adding social media to their employee’s list of responsibilities is ineffective (since driving traffic through social media isn’t something that is just done: it’s a skill-set…and your receptionist or office manager likely doesn’t have any experience or training in social media marketing).

The next best thing these smart business owners have found to launch their social media marketing campaign, and keep them running efficiently (with the focus to bring in new customers and retain existing customers), is to outsource these efforts to an experienced local marketing agency. They have found that the cost of outsourcing social media in this way is often less expensive than they expected, and later find that these efforts lead to more profits, which not only pay for the outsourcing, but ultimately contribute more to the bottom line of their company. After all, don’t we all want a ROI when it comes to our marketing efforts?

If you are a business owner and find that you’re lost in the social media world, not getting results, or finding it’s just consuming your time, we encourage you to give us a call here at Big U Marketing. We have social media packages that are customized to fit your business, your needs, and your marketing budget, along with a skilled team of social media marketing experts who are focused on getting you results…not just being sociable   Call us today for a free consultation. (505) 890-4607.

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Everyone is online these days, and it should come as no surprise that people are increasingly relying on Google and other search engines for finding local businesses. The message in this is clear: you need a pronounced online presence. Here are a few tips that will point you in the right direction.

Start With Your Website

It is standard for all businesses to have a website now, but a remarkable number of local businesses still try to cut corners in this respect. Sketchy information, poorly written content and boring designs and layouts are almost the norm. Consequently, if you are willing to put in some effort in making your website engaging and appealing, you should immediately get a head start over your competition.

If you are not confident about writing your content yourself, hire a professional copywriter. Similarly, consider the services of a web design professional or at least spend some time educating yourself on how to make the best use of free templates and hosting. This may cost you a bit in terms of time and money, but the gains will rapidly justify your investment.

Optimize With Your Contact Information

Speaking of your website, it is also important to have your local address and contact information on every page. This will not only be convenient for your customers, but will also indicate to search engines that you are a local business. As a result, you will get a higher ranking on relevant local search terms. The one thing you need to remember here is to put in your contact information in text format rather than as an image. Search engines cannot read images. Additionally, have a prominently displayed ‘contact us’ page, preferably with a map to each of your outlets.

Get Your Prospects To Find You With Search Engine Optimization

No discussion on online marketing is ever complete without a reference to search engine optimization, or SEO. Simply put, when someone in your local area searches for a term that is relevant to your business, your website should appear on the first page. This will require some amount of technical input, constructive publicity and paying attention to relevant keywords. These days SEO packages are available with professional internet marketing companies at reasonable costs. However, make sure you only approach companies with an established and credible reputation.

Get Listed On Google Places And Online Directories

As a local business, it is extremely important to be listed on all online directories relevant to your location and industry, especially Google Places. Make sure your contact information is accurate, and add in an attractive picture and a map entry. Also, ask your customers to leave reviews and ratings for you. Most people would not mind taking a minute out of their time, and this will go a long way in enhancing your online reputation. Besides, when you have several reviews, you will reach near the top of the Google Places list for your industry. This will improve your search engine visibility considerably. Realize however, that as effective as this strategy is, it can be quite time consuming. If you’re already crunched for time, considering hiring an internet marketing company that specializes in Local Business Listing Marketing.

Use Social Networking (Social Media)

It is clear social networking is here to stay. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and a host of other similar sites are fast becoming a part of our dictionaries. This presents a big opportunity to local businesses, especially since people generally use social network sites to connect with services in their local area. Engage with local groups, interact with your customers and share useful advise and information pertaining to your industry. Remember, social networking is not primarily about promotion and advertising; it is about engaging and connecting.

Save Time & Get Results By Enrolling Help

Tapping into these strategies on how to use online marketing to grow your local business will expand your client base rapidly. Of course we all know that to implement all of these tactics overnight is unrealistic and would be overwhelming to any business owner. More and more local business owners are finding it beneficial and cost effective to partner with local online marketing experts, to help them easily make the transition from offline to online marketing. A good local marketing agency will custom tailor which marketing avenues will be the most advantageous for your local business.

Contact us to learn how our simple online marketing solutions can help grow your business and reach new customers at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing strategies. To learn about additional local online marketing solutions, click here.