The more you venture into social media and online marketing for your local business, there more you’ll hear about two particular parts of this online/social world: 1) content and 2) relationships. But what do these two terms mean for you and your business online and locally, for your brick-and-mortar store experience? Well, as it turns out, they mean quite a bit.

What Content Means for Your Business
“Content is King” was the cry of the Internet for the first decade or so, and though other forms of interaction rise in the online world, content still holds top position. Content simply refers to any sort of valuable resource, usually information-based, which is produced and shared online. It’s information in a digital format; the posts on a blog are content. The sound files of a popular podcast are its content. A downloadable eBook is content. Frequent updates and notes on a business Facebook page are content.
For your local business, content is the way you get to prospects and turn them into fans, friends, and lifelong customers. When you provide – online – valuable, relevant content that your target market is interested in receiving, you provide the gateway for interaction, connection, and. wait for it… relationships.

What Relationships Mean for Your Business
Let’s step back and look at what relationships mean for your business in the offline world. You don’t need a marketing primer to know that building relationships – real, solid relationships – gives you a solid foundation for ongoing business. The more people like you, know you, and like your products and services, the more they want to do business with you. Relationships also have the positive effect of extending your business into a whole new circle of prospects with every relationship you make. If people really love what you do, they share it with their friends. You form more relationships, you build more business, and on it goes.

Relationships in online marketing and social media are no different. In fact, they have the added quality of spreading faster and further than “offline” relationships can. Because sharing information, reviews, and opinions is so easy online, people are more apt to do it; and more people can read about their information, reviews, and opinions through social media sites like Facebook. Friends can share with friends and the information keeps going.

What Education-Based Marketing Means for Your Business
Education-based marketing is simply a strategy for sharing content that leads to building relationships? You start by sharing information (content) that is educational; it should tie in to your business somehow. For example, if you run a winery, you could start a blog all about growing grapes, choosing wines, pairing wine and food, finding good wines on a budget, storing wine, etc. Anything that provides educational information about a topic closely related to your business becomes valuable content that can lead people back to your business.

Perhaps you have a great local boutique selling home goods, decor, and gift items; your customer’s love your taste and you often get into long conversations about color schemes and decor. The natural step is to take your expertise online. Start up a Facebook page and start writing notes, sharing little tips and ideas. With very little initial set-up, you can easily start producing videos online, leading anyone who views through simple decorating tutorials or sharing tip, hints, and ideas.

The main idea is that before you try to sell, you simply share valuable, educational information. Your target market will naturally be drawn toward that information and will see you as an expert and a resource. It’s not marketing as much as it is simply being useful and thus, building relationships, but the end result is that all that usefulness creates valuable relationships, which end up building your business.

Photo credit: velkr0

I have a case of writer’s block.

Sometimes I have work block. Or house cleaning block. Or organizational block.

Mental blocks are frustrating. And when it comes to small business – costly.

The best thing to do is to just start doing. Face the facts and put one foot in front of another. Don’t sweat the missteps or the imperfections. Just move forward. Break the block. It’s the ONLY way to find success.

Photo Credit: scottobear

A few weeks ago we took the kids on vacation and stopped overnight in Birmingham to visit our blogger friend, Eat Birmingham.

Before we left the next day, the kids and I went on a little shopping jaunt through the villages of Mountain Brook. (If you want to do the same, may I recommend that you get in touch with @shopmtnbrook for advice along your way?) There were lots of fun surprises (we shopped mostly kid-friendly places like the toy stores, kids clothing boutiques and…. Indie Candy in Crestline.

The candymaker in Indie Candy explained to the kids and me how his candy was a better candy: all natural with no high fructose corn syrup or any yucky preservatives of any type. My kids love gummy candy – but it’s TERRIBLE for their teeth. But in this case, I caved. A beautiful selection of fascinating shapes and stained glass colors mesmerized all of us, and as a mom, I loved the somewhat old fashioned look of the signage that announced things like “The Best Gummies EVER” and “Indie Candy: naturally gourmet sweets.” I was sold.

P.S. If your kids love lollipops over gummies, they have lots of those, too – in cool shapes and sizes. See photo.

Indie Candy has a humble shop in Crestline village with a more than friendly and informative candymaker in residence. They’ve made an enterprise by selling their candy through several online candy shops and reaching out to loyal customers through Facebook. What I truly love is that they do what they do well – and they connect well with a dual audience: kids who love candy and mom’s who want healthy choices for their kids. It’s a winning niche with an approachable, friendly attitude.

What niche can you fill in business? How can you connect better with your customers and make something that you can sell not just locally – but beyond? Are you connecting with your customers online and off-line.

The “letter” is probably the oldest form of written communication. But when it comes to e-mail marketing, most of us regularly use HTML based e-mail marketing formats full of photos and image graphics. We’ve also discussed why subject lines mean so much to the effectiveness of your e-mail campaigns. But do you ever get in a rut and just have some things you want to say to your customers without a bunch of fluff and graphic fireworks? If so, maybe it’s a good time for you to go back to basics and just write a letter.

Recently, I got just such a letter from the Editor-in-Chief at a marketing e-zine to which I subscribe, and I actually opened it and read it – something I honestly, rarely do with their mailings.

What do I mean by letter format?

Just how it sounds. A letter format when it comes to e-mail marketing for your small business is just that – a letter written in normal e-mail typing text with a greeting, body, and salutation. A P.S. is also a great bonus because statistics say that those get read the most of any element of a direct marketing letter.

Why does the letter format work so well for e-mail marketing?

I think it boils down to being a real human every now and then. We humans of the earth like to connect with other humans – not mechanical, fancy looking businesses. As a locally owned small business owner, you have an edge on this marketing opportunity – and you should use it. Don’t overuse it, or you’ll lose your authenticity, but maybe once a month, this method would work phenomenally well for your small business. Insert your personality, your passion and your knowledge. Connect with your customers and share something valuable with them. Maybe it’s an event or maybe it’s just knowledge about your business niche that you thought would help them out. Maybe it’s a thank you for their loyalty. But at the end of the day, the letter format inserts another human element into your customer relationships, builds authenticity and leads to increased trust… And these elements lead to higher lifetime value of the customer, increased customer loyalty and stronger referral values.

With that in mind, what are the elements of a letter format, e-mail marketing communication?

Here are some common elements I would probably include in your small business e-mail marketing letter:

1. Greeting with real name. As in “Hi there, Marianna…” or “Hello, Marianna.”

2. A personal, authentic and thoughtful first paragraph.

3. A link to the relevant information.

4. Supporting information in subsequent paragraphs, maintaining the chatty, authentic, personal tone of the human sending the e-mail.

5. Bullet lists of relevant information

6. Close by repeating the main details in summary list format. For example, if you’re sharing an event with them, re-state the details as follows:

Webinar entitled: Seven Marketing Strategies that Work in Any Economy

Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 9 a.m.

Register here: insert bit.ly link

7. Friendly closing that says something like “I hope you can join me…”

8. Your first name

9. P.S. This is the place to restate your offer or add a bonus to the existing call to action offer, if there is one.

10. Skip two lines then insert your “signature file” with links to your web site and social media, general business and contact information, etc.

Please let me know if you’ve ever used this format and what the results were. If you’re considering this idea, what stood out to you or what ideas would you add to this post? Post in the comments below! Happy letter writing!

Photo Credit: a.drien (the letter)

Cheap or free marketing that works really does exist – especially for small business owners. Guerrilla marketing is still alive and well! In this post, several creative and marketing savvy small business owners share their top off-line marketing ideas to increase sales.

Remember these three things when applying these tips:

• Have your goals in place so that what you’re trying to accomplish with any marketing.
• Then, make sure that you have a strategy. This is the tone or slant that will make each of these tactics your own – or even dictate whether the tactics will work or not work for your business.
• Finally, remember that all marketing, even off-line marketing, works best when you use your domain name (your web site address) to extend your brand and your customer experience.

1. Print Customer Loyalty Coupons.
Adeena Mignogna, former retail store owner and author of Cute Little Store: Between the Entrepreneurial Dream and Business Reality, recalls using her own customer loyalty coupons to make the shopping experience fun and memorable while leaving customers with a strong incentive to return for another visit!

“We always had a theme to go along with the coupon. Often it would be a set of different coupons, related to the season or a major holiday coming up. We would make it a lottery and have all the coupons in a bag. At check-out time, the customer would take a coupon from the bag. Since my retail store was very kid and family focused, often the kids would pick the coupon and have a lot of fun doing it. We frequently saw these coupons come back into the store!”

2. Be an Educator.
Shel Horowitz, author of six books on marketing, including his latest, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet, says that he picks public speaking as his favorite cheap or free marketing tip.

“When you have 50 or 100 or 500 prospects in a room who are there to hear your message and learn from you, it does great things for your business!”

3. Label Stuff.
Dave Greenbaum, owner of a small computer repair business, recommends using magazines and mailing labels to market your small business. We think that this is a great concept that could be adapted for many uses. Keep in mind that most waiting rooms are known for having old, out of date magazines…

Here’s how this works:

1. Get magazine subscriptions at a discounted price.
2. Read the magazines and enjoy them, as appropriate.
3. Print a label or sticker that says “Magazine Compliments of…” and include all of your contact information (including web site address) and logo.
4. While visiting your local auto repair center, coffee shop or doctor’s office, leave behind a stack of current magazines with your label on the back (with the blessing of management at each location).
5. Reel in referrals from those who see the label and those who ask office management about “that guy that left the magazines.” “Doctor Dave” tells us that employees at each location rave and add value to the referrals.

It’s a win-win proposition on many fronts. Adapt this one creatively to your own business’ service or product offerings.

4. Take advantage of advertising “remnants.”
Bonnie Harris at Wax Marketing reminds us that “ALL traditional media sell what are called ‘remnants.’ These are open ad spaces in print magazines, outdoor vehicles (like a billboard or bus sign), radio ads” etc. that haven’t sold. She recommends knowing ahead of time what traditional media best fits your business and marketing strategy. Then “call the advertising reps and let them know that you are always interested in hearing about remnant ad deals.” Bonnie warns however, “You have to make a decision quickly. Be available to the rep and have your ad ready to go right away.”

Bonnie says that she’s gotten some incredible deals this way…including a block of drivetime radio ads on a top station for $5 per ad!

5. Wear your marketing.
Beverly Solomon, creative director at muse-solomon, a high-end art business, tells us that she loves wearing her marketing…literally. Beverly says, “I had a run of high quality knits done with our muse-solomon name on it. Yes, it is in effect a fancy t-shirt. However, I can wear it to elegant functions and openings. I also wear it for travel. We also give knits to our models and photographers.”

Name recognition and conversation starters are both key in business marketing. Instead of regular t-shirts and polos, consider a fashionable clothing run that serves you well in most environments. There are so many options out there now! Just be ready if you wear your marketing to tell your story!

6. Help customers find you again.
Kerri Halligan of Athena Creates in Jacksonville, Florida reminds small business owners to make sure your customers know how (and when) to find you if they want to do repeat business. Unfortunately, as Kerri so aptly points out, we sometimes miss some of the most obvious marketing opportunities! Kerri explains, “I get so many repeat customers that sometimes they turn a so-so day into a great sales day. My repeat customers seem to buy more than new customer initial purchases because they now have confidence in my products. I see many other businesses that transact with a customer, but they don’t provide ANYTHING that has the business name or how the customer can find them again.” What a shame, but it’s so true! Aside from great signage, here’s what Kerri does to make sure her customers can find her again:

1. All products have some sort of tag that includes the business name. (We would recommend she also include logo and URL on each of these tags if she’s not doing it already!)
2. She hands out business cards to all shoppers or tucks one into their bag at the time of purchase.
3. Her cash register is programmed to include her business name, logo and web site onto all receipts.

What say you? What are the most effective cheap or free marketing ideas for your business?
Photo Credit: ecastro

Tragedy. It struck Mississippi two weekends ago when deadly tornado’s hit several counties. Last weekend, Nashville, TN hit with torrential rains, not seen since 1937 in that area.

Small businesses are already here, ready to respond, give and help when those events happen. And again the need is great…how can you help? And let’s just be honest, how can your help… help your business?

Remember a couple of things.

1. If you are only doing it for press, don’t do it. It will never be enough to satisfy if you don’t have a generous heart. So if you aren’t generous, why pretend to act that way? People aren’t stupid. You’ll come out way better not giving, than trying to over promote that you are helping. It has to pass the all important “smell test.”

2. Try to find out the NEED that you can meet. Don’t just donate things that you have. Check on Facebook or Twitter (do a geographical search for “HELP” within 15 miles of the place affected). Finding real needs and real people is very easy on these new media tools. Listen and engage to find out who the folks are that are networking and staging supplies and needs. Talk to as many as you can, without taking too much of their time. It’s important to try and get to the right person with the right needs.

3. Once you’ve identified a need you can help fill, engage others to come along beside you. Sure, you are doing something, but see if others will help you, too. Directly asking for outside help via Twitter or Facebook wall posts or status updates are a great way to ask. For example: “We need 3 or 4 more people to chip in to get this truck full of cleaning supplies headed out to help. Can you join us with a donation to XYZ organization?” This isn’t a post bragging about YOU helping; instead it’s you engaging your customer base to help fill the need together.

4. Thanks. A big public thank you to anyone who gave with you or helped you goes a long way. Make them the stars; put the spotlight on someone else. And watch how that works. Everyone likes to be appreciated, so make sure and thank all of those who are willing to let it be known that they helped. Some people don’t want the spotlight, and that’s okay, too. But for some, it will mean a lot to them for you to share the spotlight and talk about how they helped make a difference.

5. Don’t just give once, keep on giving. Often after the main influx of help and supplies, the news media goes away. However, the people on the ground are still very much working away, and the needs sometimes are even greater. Ask again how you can help. Keep in touch with those that you’ve helped before, both for accountability for them and for your own good as well. Tweeting “@personinneed “hey, how are things going? can we still help?” may give you a response that you can help additionally in new ways. Often their network will have grown and your reach in the good you are doing will be greater the second and third time around.

6. Be human. You probably are a time-starved small business owner. I know what that’s like. I’m writing this post at 11 PM, while a client Facebook messages me, and another texts me a last minute question. Trust me, I get it. You are busy. But get out there, in person, YOURSELF if at all possible. Your gifts and time will go much further. You’ll be able to see what you can do better to help those in need and also how you can better leverage the time, money and effort you are exerting. But you might have to get your hands dirty in the process. I highly recommend it.

Editors Note: Andy Chapman, a co-founder of the Results Revolution, speaks from first-hand experience in disaster recovery work. Andy worked in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He helped facilitate thousands of volunteers, as well as hundreds of donors and millions of dollars in gifts during the post-Katrina rebuilding process.

In closing, we’re sending a shout out to our friends at The Rogue in Jackson, Mississippi who partnered with a local church in an affected community within 48 hours of the Mississippi tornadoes to donate over $50,000 in clothing from their own store shelves to help one community recover. He then persuaded several of his clothing vendors to make additional donations and used social media to encourage customers to bring quality, laundered clothing for immediate distribution to families in need.

Interview with Serial Entrepreneur & Publisher, Jack Criss

Jack Criss chatting with ResultsRevTV hostess, Marianna Hayes Chapman.

Yesterday, I interviewed 20-year publishing industry veteran and serial entrepreneur, Jack Criss. Criss is currently publisher of locally-owned and operated Greater Jackson Business magazine. Here are some of the questions we discussed and my paraphrases to his answers. For precise quotes, please watch the full interview on ResultsRevTV here (30 minute video).

Marianna: As a news insider, explain how small businesses can get their business covered in the media? What approach would you recommend?

Jack: Realize that the media love to be contacted and love to have their ego stroked. Recognize their work. For example, “Dear Jack, I read the article you wrote about the Two Lakes project – incredibly well written piece! I love what you’re doing with the new magazine… I have a story idea I think would fit well…” Address press releases or story ideas to specific people. Find their real name and correct spelling and send a personalized e-mail directly to that person’s e-mail address.  Be personal and find ways to connect with them unrelated to the need. Don’t mass send information to 50 journalists and address it to “Dear Sir/Madam” – those messages get trashed immediately.  If you don’t personalize a press release at least make sure it’s well written and correct and keep the information to one page as much as possible.

Marianna: How has technology played into having a successful business?

Jack: The demographic that the magazine is geared towards calls for a print magazine in addition to the website.  Jackson isn’t ready for a 100% online magazine yet, in my opinion. However, corrections can be made online within hours instead of waiting for the next edition to be printed.  We can supplement the print magazine stories, post video and photos not in the magazine and much more. Also, GJB is really a multi-media effort with the print magazine as the cornerstone providing readers and advertisers with a valuable and interesting long shelf life. But we supplement that with Facebook, a weekly radio show and vide on the web site.

Marianna: How have you overcome your fear of technology to keep up with the speed of news?

Jack: Facebook is often primarily used to communicate, network and make deals, in many cases more than e-mail. You have to get over your fear and get on Facebook.  Your competitors are on and you have to be too.

Marianna: How do you use Facebook to network while balancing your personal and professional life?

Jack: I’ve used it in incorporating my business and personal life. I’m just an ordinary guy who likes to run and has two daughters. I love being a father and a runner and a member of the community. I think being who I really am on Facebook helps me connect with others who share my interests and builds deeper relationships.

Marianna: How do you make time to do it all? Facebook, web site updates, sales, writing, events, networking and Twitter, too?

Jack: One way is that I’m leveraging the technology so that some things just happen automatically without me spending any time at all. For example, whenever a news article is posted to the web site, Facebook and Twitter are automatically updated with that information. You can leverage technology to make time to do it all without a big staff.   Facebook and Twitter all point to the magazine and help promote it.

Marianna: What do you do in your business to give back, even when cash is tight?

Jack: I can’t always give cash, but I can always give space in the magazine. Of course, certain “restrictions apply,” but non-profits that need advertising get free advertising in Greater Jackson Business – always. You’ve talked a lot about generosity in recent weeks, and this is how we do it at Greater Jackson Business – it’s important.

Marianna: What have you learned from failure?

Jack: Learn from your failures and be humble. You have to appreciate your customers more than ever.  Make friends with them and take time to develop a friendship. See them face to face on a daily or weekly basis as much as possible. Also, know when to say no and know when not to expand.

Jack talks much more on each point in the 30 minute ResultsRevTV broadcast…watch it now.