Have you taken the time to think about how people get to your website? A sales funnel is key. Even though we are firmly in the age of the internet, there are countless small businesses out there that maintain a “real world” focus on their company. The online part of their business isn’t given as much thought and focus as it should. First off, online IS the real world. Everything we do is online nowadays. Even before the pandemic hit, online sales and interactions were starting to outnumber in-person interactions. And now, well, there isn’t even a contest. Just look…
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About 30 years ago, do you know one of the best places to connect with your customers? Their car. The very first thing they did after they got into their car in the morning was turn on the radio. And chances are that it remained on for their entire commute to work, both back and forth. This offered advertisers a captive audience (literally, if the driver was on the highway!) But then around 15 years ago, things started to change. People stopped listening to the radio as much when they headed to work. Instead, they would put on music from…
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Do you have the right tools to run your online business? With countless businesses shifting to online-only, many long-time small business owners are worried that they might not have the tools they need to manage their business effectively. Keeping on-track when you’re working from home can be challenging, and without the right resources, it’s much, much harder. Thankfully, I’ve been working from home for years, so I can help. Here are some of what I consider to be indispensable tools for any online business, small, medium, or large. What’s even better is that most of them are 100% free for…
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Have you ever taken an online course? While there are many community colleges and universities that offer exceptional training programs, many of us simply don’t have the time to dedicate an entire evening to class. Hence, the rise of the online self-directed course. With these, you can learn the material at your own pace without having to worry about long classes that you have to fit into your already-tight schedule. Online courses offer an incredible opportunity to small business owners and other entrepreneurs who are looking to make a name for themselves as an expert in their field. On top…
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Do you know what a hashtag is? Or how to use them? Do you remember the very first time you heard the term “Hashtag?” Nowadays, if you are even slightly aware of social media, then you know what a hashtag is. Not only have they become a key component for getting your marketing message out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, but the word has even been added to the Oxford English Dictionary! You may know what hashtags are, but do you know how to use them? Well, here is a quick primer that will explain everything…
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Ok, pop quiz time! What exactly is branding? I wouldn’t bother trying to look online for the answer. You look at 100 marketing websites, you’re going to find at least 100 slightly different ideas. Why is it so difficult to nail down a single definition of branding? It’s because branding… is huge. It’s massive. It encompasses everything about your business. Trying to shrink that down to a single sentence is nearly impossible. So I’m not going to try! Instead, I’m going to break it down that massive concept into some smaller pieces, helping you understand what branding means for YOU…
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Cross-country marketing can be a fascinating thing. Companies can take the exact same product but market it entirely differently depending on the country they are in. For example, there might be completely different advertising campaigns for a product like Pepsi in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. This is despite the fact that they’re all located on the same continent, two of them primarily speak English, and it’s the same product. It all has to do with local conventions of the media, cultural differences, and values when it comes to marketing. Marketing on social media is a little bit like…
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As small business owners, the internet has given us so much. It’s often used for procrastinating, with cat videos on YouTube or reading random articles on Wikipedia. But that’s the “bad” stuff. It’s also given us social media networks that we can use to connect with clients directly.
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When was the last time that you went to the mall? Didn’t it seem just a little emptier than it used to be? That’s because it is. eCommerce is quickly eating up much of the market share of big and small brick and mortar companies alike. If your business sells either products or services, you should be making a huge push online. By doing so, you will be able to reach so many customers that you otherwise would never have met. The Importance of a Digital Shopping CartIf you want to be able to make sales online, it needs to…
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