Although most small businesses have already felt the most intense negative effects of the COVID-19 lockdown, chances are that they’re still recovering on many levels. Small businesses in every community are still fully financially recovering and can use your continued support. Want to be a long-term partner in the success of the entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses in your area? We put together some actions you can take: Use your social media audience to support small businesses. Make an effort not only to buy local but also to post about it on your social accounts and spread the word. Word of mouth recommendations can go a long way, too. Have a friend looking to purchase a gift? Recommend a local gift shop. Most small businesses have online shops, so geography doesn’t matter. Buy essentials at your local family-owned shops. Even if the price is a bit more than what you’d usually pay, you […]
Pinterest launched three years ago and has since amassed 70 million loyal pinners. Of these, there are about 500,000 business accounts, as more and more entrepreneurs look into how this visual medium can benefit their web traffic. While Facebook remains the top social source of referrals to company blogs, Pinterest comes in second place, beating out Twitter referrals. So read on to learn: 8 specific ways you can use Pinterest to boost your blog’s success. 1. Make your blog more visual. The popularity of Pinterest has made bloggers take a second look at each blog post. If you’re not including pinnable images with each post, it’s time to take another look. People are gravitating toward Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other visual websites for a reason. You can make custom graphics in Photoshop watermarked with your business name to get added publicity. If you don’t have Photoshop, consider using one of […]
Marketing is a daunting task when you’re on a shoestring budget. According to Entrepreneur, you can calculate a reasonable advertising budget by taking 10-12% of your projected annual gross sales markup… and deduct your rent. One benchmark study found marketing expenditures as high as 25% among startups. The bulk of a startup’s marketing is spent on advertising, followed by press releases, trade shows and loyalty programs. Offline advertising is good at drumming up leads, but poor at converting sales. The landscape is very different online, which provides better bang for your buck. Here are 8 recommended marketing strategies for startups… 1. Business Branding Consultant Packages A package is one quick, easy way to get the marketing end of your news business going, while you focus on building your core company and clinching sales. We can set you up with a website, blog, social media sites and PPC ads. We can also help […]
The Super Bowl is the most highly anticipated advertising event of the year. Even if you don’t have the budget for a multi-million-dollar TV spot, your business can still learn a lot from what advertisers are doing during this high-profile event. Lesson 1: Exposure Is Expensive! Super Bowl 2012 attracted a whopping 111.3 million viewers, making it the “most-watched telecast of all time.” WOW! To have your product and your brand in front of that many people is going to cost you, though. Nielsen reports that the cost for a 30-second TV spot is creeping up toward $3.5 million. Lesson 2: Sometimes It’s Worth The Splurge. It’s not practical for small companies to take out a loan just to run a Super Bowl ad. However, for companies that gross millions or billions a year, the splurge on a well-thought ad could be worthwhile. Nielsen data suggests that ads running during last […]