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The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook: Converting Online Conversations to Offline Sales PDF

194 Pages·2013·4.66 MB·English
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Coverdesign:PaulMcCarthy Copyright 2013byAnnieTsai.Allrightsreserved. PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey. PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada. Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinany formorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanning,orotherwise, exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,without eitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher,orauthorizationthroughpaymentofthe appropriateper-copyfeetotheCopyrightClearanceCenter,222RosewoodDrive,Danvers,MA 01923,(978)750-8400,fax(978)646-8600,oronthewebatwww.copyright.com.Requeststothe PublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,JohnWiley&Sons, Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,(201)748-6011,fax(201)748-6008,oronlineat www.wiley.com/go/permissions. LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbest effortsinpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantieswiththerespecttothe accuracyorcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbookandspecificallydisclaimanyimplied warrantiesofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreatedor extendedbysalesrepresentativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontained hereinmaynotbesuitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessionalwhere appropriate.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorshallbeliablefordamagesarisingherefrom. Forgeneralinformationaboutourotherproductsandservices,pleasecontactourCustomerCare DepartmentwithintheUnitedStatesat(800)762-2974,outsidetheUnitedStatesat(317) 572-3993orfax(317)572-4002. Wileypublishesinavarietyofprintandelectronicformatsandbyprint-on-demand.Some materialincludedwithstandardprintversionsofthisbookmaynotbeincludedine-booksorin print-on-demand.IfthisbookreferstomediasuchasaCDorDVDthatisnotincludedinthe versionyoupurchased,youmaydownloadthismaterialathttp://booksupport.wiley.com.Formore informationaboutWileyproducts,visitwww.wiley.com. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData: Tsai,Annie,1979– Thesmallbusinessonlinemarketinghandbook:convertingonlineconversationstoofflinesales/ AnnieTsai. pagescm Includesindex. ISBN978-1-118-61538-6(hardback);ISBN978-1-118-77015-3(ebk);ISBN978-1-118-77013-9 (ebk)1.Smallbusinessmarketing.2.Internetmarketing.I.Title. HF5415.13.T7472013 ’ 658.8 72—dc23 2013020039 PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Introduction vii 1 Understanding and Connecting with the Connected Consumer 1 2 Building a Plan for Your Small Business’s Online Reputation 13 3 Connecting Your Offline Business with Your Online Presence 39 4 Online Offers That Convert into Lasting Business 53 5 Optimization Tips for Email and Social Marketing 79 6 Activity: Build Your 12-Month Online Marketing Plan 103 7 Reduce Overall Marketing Spend: Get Offline Customers Online 115 8 Leverage the Magic of Word of Mouth Effectively: Social and Community 127 9 Design an Effective Customer Rewards Program 147 10 ‘‘I Brake for Testing’’: Measuring Success and Tweaking Your Program over Time 157 Summary 167 Appendix 173 Acknowledgments 175 Index 177 v Introduction The formula for success as a small business doesn’t seem to have changed much since the beginning of time: bring a great product or servicetotheneighborhood(orvillage),anddeliverexceptionalservice. Nottoocomplicated,right?Soiftheformulaissostraightforward,why aresomesmallbusinessesfailingwhileothersarewildlysuccessful? Mostofusarewellawarethattechnologydevelopmentsoverthepast 10yearshavechangedthewayallbusinesses,nomattertheirsize,mar- kettoandinteractwiththeircustomers.Peoplerarelymakeapurchase nowadayswithoutsecuringpriorvalidationfromasourcetheytrust,beit consumer rating websites, online testimonials, or simply a conversation withafriendoracquaintance.Consumershavefoundtheirvoiceonthe webandareregularlyhavingpublicdiscussionsaboutexactlywhatthey likeanddislike.GiventhatmycompanyDemandforcealonehashelped its customers generate and syndicate millions of customer reviews for theweboverthepastseveralyears,it’shardtoignorehowpowerfulthe consumervoiceis. This shift toward empowering the consumer voice has dramatically redefined the relationship between the browser, buyer, and seller over time, to the point that it’s simply no longer an option to ignore the consumervoice.Businessesthatembraceandleveragethisshiftquickly leapaheadofthosethatdon’t.Thelattergroup—thosecompaniesthat attempt to control the conversation and are therefore unable to evolve how they market themselves and deliver service in the new world—is destinedtofail. There are additional factors that successful small businesses focus on—thingstheywanttodobetterthaneveryoneelse.First,theynotonly deliver exceptional service, but they also build relationships with their customers to generate a strong referral business. Then, they leverage those relationships online, making every recommendation a powerful referralenginefortheirbusiness. vii viii INTRODUCTION THE SOCIAL CONVERSATION IS STANDARD TO YOUR SUCCESS EQUATION Whether you like it or not, people are talking to each other about their purchase experiences, both online and off. Small business owners still don’t have a strong sense of what’s happening in the offline world; for example, does the old adage that there are “five bad reviews for every positive good review” still hold weight? In 2012, consumers reported that offline word of mouth still accounted for 62 percent of the conversations around deal sharing.1 But it’s challenging for small businesses to measure how effective offline marketing, word of mouth, andreferralprogramsareforthem. Alternately,onlinebusinesseshaveaccesstoawealthofharddataon avarietyoffactors,includinghowconsumersarebrowsingtheInternet andwhatthey’redoingwiththeirtime.Ifbusinessesknowwhatthey’re lookingfor,theycangetamuchclearerpictureofwhichaspectsoftheir programsareeffective,andwhich they shouldtweaka bit or evendrop completely.Mostimportant,theprofusionofsharingtakingplaceonthe webgiveseveryoneagoodideaofwhomconsumersareengagingwith, andwhatthey’retalkingabout. Therealchallengesmallbusinessesfaceintermsofinfluencing—or even joining—the online social conversation is that there is simply too muchinformationoutthere.It’sdifficulttoknowwheretostart,where to focus, and where to invest the marketing dollars and time you have. Forexample,ifyouaccountforoneineverysevenminutesthatpeople spend online globally, you’ll find that Facebook seems to dominate the socialconversation.Therefore,theobviouschoiceseemstobetosignup for Facebook ads. However, the context surrounding the kind of social conversation you have on Facebook depends on the type of business you’re running, and who your customers are. It’s important to have the right kind of conversation and invest in the right social channels. Otherwise,youcouldverywellhavenoimpact—orworse,adetrimental effectonyourbusiness. You may already be aware of these as critical factors to success in today’s online social economy. But let’s face it: You’re a small business 1September 2012 report from Valassis and RedPlum, www.marketingcharts.com/wp/ direct/us-consumers-willing-to-get-social-for-deals-23182.

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The small business marketing experts at Demandforce help owners kick off their online strategySmall business owners are exceptional at delivering on their product or service. Many, however, don't know where to start when it comes to online marketing. The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook will
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