Archive for October, 2009

Promote Your Social Media in Print Ads

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

If you’re looking for ways to drive traffic to your social media tools, like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, then consider using your traditional advertising tactics, like print ads, radio, and TV, to inform your customers about your presence on certain social media tools. The image below was captured from the local Clipper Magazine circulated in the Lansdale, PA area. It shows how a small business is using their print advertisements to promote their Tranquility LIFE Spa & Hair Design Facebook fan page.

Eventually, Tranquility won’t have to pay for those expensive print advertisements because they will have already built a strong following on their Facebook fan page. Those coupons you see in the ad can very well be placed on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s a great Twitter Coupon application that’s free to use. Eventually free social media tools, like Facebook, will completely eliminate the need for small business owners to pay for expensive ads, like this print ad. Hopefully those reduced costs will increase profits for business owners, while at the same time, reduce costs for customers. This is one way social media is changing the game of marketing small businesses.

Social Media Promotion Tips for Small Business Owners

  • Use existing advertising channels to promote your social media tools
  • Use in-store promotions
  • Post feedback on industry blogs & include links to your social media sites
  • Use your business cards to promote social media

It’s really great to see Tranquility LIFE Spa promoting their Facebook fan page in their print ads. If you’re going to incur the expense of print advertising, then you mine as well get as much value out of it as possible. Use this example to think about the different ways you’re currently promoting your products and services and figure out how you can integrate your social media messaging into those existing ads. If you’re getting ready to buy any traditional advertising, then definitely be sure to include information about your social media sites in those ads. I know I just became a fan of Tranquility’s Facebook fan page and I’m sure many others have as well.

How are you promoting your social media tools through your traditional advertising campaigns? What have the results been like?

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New Social Business Profile: Asher’s Chocolates

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Our latest featured New Social Business is Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store of Souderton, PA. This Montgomery County small business has been using the internet as an effective marketing tool. Asher’s Chocolates has not only used online tools like Facebook in their marketing strategy, but they have embraced the idea of carrying that social behavior through to their retail store.

The mind behind the Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store Facebook Fan Page is Emma Hodgson, the Retail Store Manager. She has changed the way she, and other employees of the store, interact with customers. They now reference their Facebook page in conversations with customers. Many times customers will bring up different things that have been happening on their Facebook page. It gives customers and Emma a reason to engage in conversation, as opposed to the standard, “can I help you with anything?”, which often times makes customers feel uncomfortable and they politely decline. Now, through Facebook, customers and Asher’s employees have connected online, which provides a real opportunity for Asher’s employees to take their conversation to the next level during their in store meeting.

Philadelphia Area New Social Business

Emma Hodgson has been working at Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store for 11 years now. Earlier this year, she had the idea of putting an Asher’s coupon up on her individual Facebook page, as customers began finding her on Facebook to talk Asher’s Chocolates. Once that began to take off, in early March 2009, Emma went ahead and created the Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store fan page. It’s been an overwhelming success so far for the chocolate maker as they have over 500 fans. Asher’s Chocolates is a Philadelphia success story and they’ve been evolving their business along with the times since they opened their first retail store in Germantown, PA in 1892.

Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store is currently running a campaign through Facebook. The coupon has been associated with the following sales:

  • June 2009: 13 purchases
  • July/August 2009: 26 purchases
  • September 2009: 3 purchases

The coupons have the highest average purchase amount compared to any other campaign Asher’s has run including print, radio and internet. Perhaps you want to re-read that statement…especially if you are someone who doesn’t think social media marketing can drive sales. A free tool, in this case Facebook, has driven more sales than any other promotion they have run in the past. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store uses Facebook to the fullest. They have a link on their website to point people to their Facebook page. When they do participate in traditional advertising, such as in the local Clipper Magazine, they are sure to include the Facebook logo so that people know they can find them there.

When I asked Emma how the owners of the store are reacting to the success on Facebook, she said that they love it. She quoted them as saying, “we’re not spending any money on this”. They are exactly right. It simply takes time to maintain the page, as well as, a change in philosophy throughout the organization. Employees need to be up on the latest developments on the page so that they can interact with customers. The marketing department needs to know to put links to the Facebook page on their website and insert Facebook logos into their print ads. Everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to social media marketing for it to work to it’s fullest potential.

For now, Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store plans to stick with Facebook as it’s sole means of social media marketing. At this point, maintaining one site takes plenty of Emma’s time. That’s something we certainly understand, as we have built Catalyst Marketers around the idea of helping business owners with these tasks, so that they can focus on what they do best. If you haven’t been to the Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store, definitely stop by and visit the “bartenders of chocolate”, as they have so many special products in their store. It’s only right up the street for many of us, so be sure to check them out. Grab your coupon from their Facebook fan page before you go. Click the map below for directions.

Asher’s Chocolates Retail Store is running a photo contest on their Facebook page. Become a fan of their page and participate. Here are the official rules of the Asher’s Chocolates Facebook Photo Contest: Upload your pictures of someone enjoying Asher’s Chocolates. We will pick our favorite 3 photos for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Winners will receive a gift basket or gift certificate to the retail store in the amount of $100 (1st place), $50 (2nd place), or $25 (3rd place). Start uploading those pictures now! You may enter 5 pictures per person. Contest ends ends November 30th, winners will be notified by December 7th! Good Luck!

If you think your business has what it takes to be featured on our blog as a New Social Business, then leave a comment on this post, or email Catalyst Marketers.

Posted in New Social Business, Small Business | 2 Comments »

Select the Right Social Media Tools for Your Business

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Everyone is talking about social media and the marketing potential it provides for businesses. What you don’t hear a lot about, unless you’re listening to the right individuals, is how to select the proper social media tools for YOUR business. Just because you only hear about Facebook and Twitter, doesn’t mean that they should be the ONLY tools you use. It may be that you shouldn’t focus on Facebook and Twitter at all…Perhaps LinkedIn and Squidoo are better suited for your business. This post is going to cover the process you should take when determining what social media tools you should be using to support your online marketing strategy.

So, before you jump in and create profiles on all of the latest social tools in the news, do a little planning. Proper planning won’t ensure success, BUT it will significantly increase the chance for success. Below are the steps that we recommend you take once you decide that an online marketing strategy makes sense for your business. If you have any additional steps that you think should be added to this list, please leave us a comment with what the step is and where it fits into the list below.

7 Steps to Choosing the Right Social Media Tools

  1. Be sure your company is prepared for social media marketing. Social tools allow businesses to interact with customers and prospects on a level never before achieved in business. With that said, you have to be sure that your business is setup to thrive in this environment. For example, customer service is changing with the explosion of social tools. Customers will expect that they can Twitter a question to you and you’ll respond within a reasonable amount of time (24 hours or so). Customers will express their happiness with your service and they will also express frustration if you are not meeting their needs. You should be prepared to use social tools to embrace these types of interactions.
  2. Determine your goals for social media marketing. It’s always a good idea to establish your goals up front, this way you have something to measure against. Ask yourself the following questions:
    1. What am I trying to achieve with social media marketing?
    2. What is a reasonable time frame for me to achieve these targets?

    I’d recommend that you go back to your goals quarterly. If anything needs to be changed within your marketing tactics, then you can do so at that point.

  3. Find out where your target customers are hanging out online. If you are a new business and you haven’t already identified your target customers, then you should definitely do that first. Once you know your target (age, gender, spending habits, interests, etc) then do a little research to find out where those types of people are spending their time online. So if you’re a recruiter, your target market is other business professionals. With a little research, you’ll find that LinkedIn is a great place to find other business professionals who are looking for work and for businesses looking for workers. Make a list of the top four or five social tools that your customers are using. Research each of those tools to find out what they do and how they are benefiting other businesses.
  4. Align your market research with your goals. Now that you have determined where your targets are spending their time online, you can use that information along with your goals to determine what social tools to use. As we discussed earlier, some social tools make more sense for your business than others depending on your goals and customer information. If your goal is to create an online space where your customers can connect with you and other like-minded people, then you might consider using Ning or Facebook. If your target customers are senior citizens, then Ning is probably better than Facebook because seniors, although a growing Facebook audience, are not using Facebook as much as others. It’s all about matching your goals with your market research to come up with the top social tools to spend your time developing.
  5. Build your profile. Now comes the fun part. Go ahead and build your social profile on each of the tools. Post as much information as possible. Explain what the site is about and how it will benefit those who sign up. Share images, articles, event information, and special offers with your online followers.
  6. Promote your social tools. Once you have your social tools to a place where you’re comfortable sharing them with others, then start promoting your tools. Include links to your social tools on your website, in your ads, on your business cards, and within your email signature. Seek out people in your life who are on the same social tools and invite them to join your network. Search for other local business owners who also have sites on the social tool and become a follower of theirs. Hopefully they will do the same with you. It doesn’t make sense to invest the time in social media marketing if nobody is following your moves. Get out there and promote your social tools.
  7. Continually update your site and interact with your followers. Social media marketing takes time. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Be sure to answer any comments that come through from your network. Try to post valuable information at least once a day. Start discussions. Encourage your network to interact with one another and not just with you. If you stay with it, I guarantee you will have success using social media marketing.

Do you have anything to add to the list above? Perhaps you have a success story that you’d like to share with us? Please leave a comment below OR connect with us on Facebook to share your information.

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Today’s Top 5 Business Influencers

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Everyone has someone, or a select few individuals, who have influenced them in their lives and their careers. We have personal influencers, more times than not, these are friends and family members. And we have professional influencers. A few years ago, professional influencers were mainly found at your current job or even at a past place of employment. These are people who you respect, trust, and admire. These are people who you take business advice from and put it into practice for yourself. Through the rise of social tools like blogs, email, e-books, Twitter, etc. it’s becoming easier to find business influencers all over the world, as opposed to the next cubicle over. This post is a dedication of sorts to the people who have had an positive influence on me and my company.

Here are my top 5 business influencers today. I want to say thank you for helping so many of us understand your thinking, hone our skills, and put into practice what you preach.

  • Seth Godin: Seth is today’s predominant marketing guru. You can see his ideals coming through in all great marketing agencies work. He has the ability to recognize new trends and then turn them on their heads in order to capitalize on them. He’s the author of many bestselling books. Some of my favorites are, Survival is Not Enough, Unleashing the Ideavirus, and Tribes (notice I didn’t mention Purple Cow and Permission Marketing – 2 of the greatest marketing books of all time). I’ve been following Seth for years now and he never ceases to amaze me. Thank you sir.
  • Anita Campbell: Anita is the Executive Editor of Small Business Trends. She’s also a renowned speaker. Anita has dedicated herself to helping small businesses thrive in today’s economy. Through her site, she spots business trends and relays them to her followers in a way that’s easy for us to understand. I recently began following Anita and the results have been impressive so far. If you’re a small business owner, I suggest you visit Anita’s site, go hear or speak, or follow her on Twitter: @smallbiztrends
  • Chris Brogan: Another person who I didn’t discover until last year, but someone who’s made the biggest impact on me in the shortest amount of time. Chris Brogan is to Social Media what our government is to America (or at least supposed to be), “of the people, by the people, for the people. Chris Brogran runs an ultra-successful blog, which he updates practically daily, if not more. The people love what he’s about, which has increased his popularity. He’s dedicated to helping everyone he comes in contact with understand how to take the next step in social media marketing. With that said, many of his topics transcend SMM. He just wrote a new book, Trust Agents, and I cannot wait to read it – don’t spoil it for me (I’m finishing a few other books right now Chris ;) ). Go pick up a copy, or stop by his blog to see what I’m talking about.
  • Daniel Pink: Dan Pink is probably best known for his book, Free Agent Nation. It’s a remarkable book, which urges readers to rethink their approach to their professional lives. Perhaps getting good grades in order to get into a good college, so that you can find a good job, just isn’t working anymore. Perhaps you need to nix that thinking and strike out on your own. Daniel Pink, through his books and his blogs, provides readers with “A Whole New Mind” on working for yourself. His ideals are grounded in statistics, which gives credibility to his statements. Dan’s got a new book coming out, Drive, which I cannot wait for. Everything this guy does turns to gold (which is quite valuable these days – Thanks Mr. Kiyosaki). He helped motivate me to quit my job and start Catalyst Marketers. Thanks Dan.
  • Robert Kiyosaki: Last, but certainly not least, Robert Kiyosaki. Robert is, in my opinion, the leading financial thinker of our time. Perhaps you’ve heard of his bestselling business book of all time, Rich Dad, Poor Dad? Robert has dedicated his life to helping others find financial freedom. He is a student of history, which helps him make bold predictions on the future…and guess what, most of his predictions turn out to be correct. If you want to escape the “rat race” and live a full life, free from financial insecurity, pick up everything ever written or sponsored by Robert Kiyosaki, as it will change your life forever. Robert, thank you for taking the time to educate us all on the importance of financial literacy. You have truly made an impact.

These are my top 5 business influencers. Who are yours?

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How Can Social Media Marketing Help My Business?

Monday, October 5th, 2009

It’s a valid question. A question that has been asked millions of times and will continue to be asked until everyone understands the power of social media marketing. If you’re a business owner or if you know someone who is currently exploring the idea of using online marketing as a way to drive growth for their business, please check out latest Catalyst Marketers YouTube video on social media marketing. If you like hip-hop or laughing, you’re in for a treat…please ReTweet. ;)

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Jay-Z Built a Following to Build his Business

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

"Had a couple of meetings no offers yet,
Maybe I ain’t good enough for these offices,
Back to the drawing board ducking officers,
It’s all good cuz the streets is A&R’ing this,
So with or without any of your involvement,
I’m coming for all of this, respect my conglomerate,
I went from pauper to the President"
- Jay-Z “So Ambitious” from Blueprint 3

A little hip hop first…I have to say I’m a big Jay-Z fan. Growing up I always listened to BIG and remember PAC slamming Jay-Z on a few songs, so I never really gave Jay enough of a chance. A decade later, I think he’s one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Just look at his latest song, So Ambitious. Talk about pumping you up as a business owner…

"Motivation for me was them telling me what I could not be,
Oh well, I’m so ambitious…
No matter what the conditions,
Forget the personal issues
When you been what I been through,
Hey if you believe it,
Then you could conceive it."

Not only are Jay-Z’s lyrics incredibly motivational, but they hit on a big change in business today. Through the internet, and more specifically, social media and other online tools, people have been able to connect with other like-minded individuals in a way that we have never seen before in history. What that has done is even the playing field for entrepreneurs and startups when it comes to competing with larger organizations with bigger bank accounts. If you can build a large following, the big competitors will have to begin paying attention. Just listen to how Jay-Z became successful.

Jay tells us in his lyrics from So Ambitious when he says, "Had a couple of meetings no offers yet, Maybe I ain’t good enough for these offices, Back to the drawing board ducking officers, It’s all good cuz the streets is A&R’ing this, So with or without any of your involvement, I’m coming for all of this, respect my conglomerate, I went from pauper to the President". When he says, "the streets is A&R’ing this", he is telling the big record labels who wouldn’t sign him that it’s OK, he has built a following of supporters and through their support, he is building his own successful brand.

American business used to be built on selling products and services, but now things have changed through the advent of online tools. They allow entrepreneurs to sell nothing but ideas. Ideas that other people across the world can get behind. As the idea spreads, people will find a way to monetize it if it isn’t already generating revenue. Need more evidence that this change is occurring? Hearing Jay-Z talk about it and me write about it just hasn’t convinced you? ;) No problem.

Check out Seth Godin’s "Tribes". Seth talks about the power of building your tribe. Seth Godin is, in my opinion, the leading marketing thinker on the planet, so I tend to give a lot of credibility what he says and writes about. If you’d like even more evidence of this change, look at Twitter. The micro-blogging service is supposedly valued at $1 billion after their recent round of funding. Twitter doesn’t generate any revenue at this point, though they have left the door open for future advertising initiatives. What they do have is millions of users who love their service. Twitter is literally changing how numerous industries do business. So not only is Twitter a great example, along with Jay-Z, as to how building a following is a legitimate way to become a successful business, but the service it provides actually allows entrepreneurs to do the exact same thing!

So go buy the Blueprint 3, listen to So Ambitious, and start building a tribe for your business today. Take advantage of the many free online tools out there like Twitter and Seth Godin’s Squidoo. Let us know if you have any questions about what social media tools to use.

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