For those of you who are in the advertising and marketing industry and those off you who have been marketing for a while, this is probably something you already know but I hope to help all the other small business owners who need as much marketing information as they can to make intelligent and constructive decisions about their marketing.

When you read a page, a banner or a web page, your eyes scan in a Z format from left to right, top to bottom.  All your reader will do that and you should place the information or offers you want with this in mind.  Your money spot is the top right area of the page.  This is where you want your attractive offer for your business.

About The Author

 Are you looking for Web Marketing Experts to help your small business with it’s online marketing?   Someone to help you create and implement your social media strategy?  I know what you are up against.  You need to find the right fit that is within your budget and trust that person to know what he/she is doing and to get it done.  You want someone to market your business online.  You want to end each day knowing your online marketing strategy is successful and expanding.  You want to give that worry to someone and spend time on the parts of your business that you enjoy.  You want to tell other internet marketing experts, “thank you, but I already have an amazing internet marketing system in place that is bringing me all the business and money that I need.”

My name is Alison Elliott and I help small businesses succeed online.  You can read more about me, my internet marketing system and how I use social media strategy and web marketing expertise to create, implement and manage your online marketing and presence, on mylocal internet marketing experts web site. 

To help move you in a positive direction, I am offering you a free thirty minute consultation to see if my services are the right fit for you.  If nothing else, you will leave the consultation with a clearer idea of what you are wanting and how to attain it.

If you think about it, service (including everything from wait times, cleanliness and safety) is marketing.  Anything where you are interacting with a customer is marketing, because that customer has a choice about using your services again based on his/her experience.  So, I thought I would write a brief post about a recent trip to the car wash.

There is a car wash near my house but I will never go there again.  I now drive an extra 15 minutes to a different one.  I think of things I can do near that car wash and drive there. Why?  Because of my three previous experiences.  The first time I went to this car wash there were very few people there.  Everyone was nice.  It was a clean place.  They had a nice waiting area where you could watch TV or read.  It took 25 minutes to wash my car!  In my mind, I am thinking how can it possibly take this long, there is no one here.

I visited the car wash a second time, weeks later with about 30 minutes until I needed to leave … I thought plenty of time.  At 28 minutes, I see my car finally come out of the wash and start lining up to be cleaned inside.  I had to go outside, get my keys and come back later to clean the inside.

On the third visit (which was actually a return from the second visit) it took 45 minutes to wash and clean my car … seriously?  That is ridiculous.

So, they have lost my business because those are unacceptable times to expect someone to wait for a simple car wash. 

You can take this logic and apply it to a web site.  If your site is ugly, doesn’t work right, hard to read or has long load times, you may lose customers before you have a chance to interact.

About The Author

 Are you looking for Web Marketing Experts to help your small business with it’s online marketing?   Someone to help you create and implement your social media strategy?  I know what you are up against.  You need to find the right fit that is within your budget and trust that person to know what he/she is doing and to get it done.  You want someone to market your business online.  You want to end each day knowing your online marketing strategy is successful and expanding.  You want to give that worry to someone and spend time on the parts of your business that you enjoy.  You want to tell other internet marketing experts, “thank you, but I already have an amazing internet marketing system in place that is bringing me all the business and money that I need.”

My name is Alison Elliott and I help small businesses succeed online.  You can read more about me, my internet marketing system and how I use social media strategy and web marketing expertise to create, implement and manage your online marketing and presence, on mylocal internet marketing experts web site. 

To help move you in a positive direction, I am offering you a free thirty minute consultation to see if my services are the right fit for you.  If nothing else, you will leave the consultation with a clearer idea of what you are wanting and how to attain it.

Selling to Men versus Selling to Women:  I was recently at a small business conference.  At this particular event, as a female I was in the minority.  A fairly famous marketing guru took the stage and proceeded to weave his fame and his “I am so cool” ness into his talk.  By the end, he was offering some special that involved thousands of dollars for the first two hundred people.

I thought to myself – this is ridiculous, who would buy based on this hard sell – and the men went in droves.  They lined up, but not one woman rose.  I watched in amazement.  So, this is why there is so much hard selling that is a turn off for me.  Obviously, it is not a turn off for the male gender.  I actually believe that it is because the male population (and I am generalizing here) wants to be the big man on campus – excuse the pun.  But as a woman, I define success in a different way.  I like the relationship of the sale.  I want the person who is selling to me to at least act like he/she cares about me and my business … instead of only about himself.

Isn’t it fascinating?  It just goes to show you … you must know your customers intimately to sell successfully because that technique would never get a penny out of me while the men who were running up there to be first might not buy from someone who was more relationship oriented.  It just reinforces the idea … know your audience intimately!

About The Author

 Are you looking for Web Marketing Experts to help your small business with it’s online marketing?   Someone to help you create and implement your social media strategy?  I know what you are up against.  You need to find the right fit that is within your budget and trust that person to know what he/she is doing and to get it done.  You want someone to market your business online.  You want to end each day knowing your online marketing strategy is successful and expanding.  You want to give that worry to someone and spend time on the parts of your business that you enjoy.  You want to tell other internet marketing experts, “thank you, but I already have an amazing internet marketing system in place that is bringing me all the business and money that I need.”

My name is Alison Elliott and I help small businesses succeed online.  You can read more about me, my internet marketing system and how I use social media strategy and web marketing expertise to create, implement and manage your online marketing and presence, on mylocal internet marketing experts web site. 

To help move you in a positive direction, I am offering you a free thirty minute consultation to see if my services are the right fit for you.  If nothing else, you will leave the consultation with a clearer idea of what you are wanting and how to attain it.

YouTube Works, So Why Isn’t It Working For Marketing Your Business

I love this article because it goes to a specific point – if you don’t know your audience or how to sell to them, you won’t sell anything online.  Here is a great example using YouTube:

So it appears that although you already have 347 views on YouTube that no one wants to buy your MLM business secrets, online marketing consulting or graphic design super special?

It’s no accident that your viewers are not converting and don’t you dare point your finger at video marketing being the problem.

Why isn’t this strategy performing the way that you thought it would? Here are three factors that could be currently working against you:

1. You don’t know your audience’s intent.

2. You don’t understand the medium that you’re using.

3. There is nothing remarkable about your message, products and services.

Let’s address the first point, why does your audience go to YouTube? Did they suddenly decide that they wanted to see a PowerPoint presentation about SEO services today? Did they say to themselves, “My roof is leaking and I need a repairman immediately. I better go check out YouTube.”

Read more

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

Small businesses are also not convinced that the social space holds the impact that they need to engage and convert consumers. In fact while 36% of survey respondents thought their customers were socially active, 27% weren’t sure to what extent and 20% didn’t believe that their customers were utilizing social networks.

Are they? Metrics from both eMarketer and comScore indicate that consumers are not only visiting social networks, they are returning day after day, playing games, watching video clips and otherwise engaging with friends and brands. eMarketer reports that 57% of US online adults are active on social networks; by 2014 they believe that percentage in increase to at least 66%. Meanwhile, comScore reports that of the 50 most visited websites, Facebook ranks 4th behind search engines Yahoo, Google and Microsoft.

“Social media is no longer limited to one demographic, everyone is adopting,” said Neal Creighton, CEO and co-founder of RatePoint, “While many small business owners are uncertain, big brands are investing heavily in social media. Social media can be a great equalizer for small businesses to compete alongside larger brands and SMBs are missing out if they are not involved.”

Read the entire article

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

I love this article, helping small retail businesses think strategically this holiday season.

Some marketing ideas can aid your retail sales efforts.

• Emphasize Uniqueness

According to the Business Know-How website, a key to marketing success is to determine what sets your store apart from your competitors and make this feature the focus of your marketing efforts. This unique feature will differentiate your business from all the others and help you carve out a niche in the market. For example, if you operate a health club, perhaps your unique feature is that yours is the only club in town that offers martial arts training.

• Use Contact Information

Make a point to obtain your customers’ contact information, especially their email address, whenever you conduct a transaction. This allows you to send them information about special promotions that will keep them coming back to your store. You can also send an email newsletter with timely industry or product information that will help position you as an expert.

• Offer Value

As a small retailer, you may have difficulty competing on price with the larger chain stores. A way to get around the price issue is to offer something of value and make this a part of your marketing strategy. For instance, you can offer free delivery or an extended warranty as a way to promote the value of doing business at your store.

• Prize Drawings

Prize drawings are an effective way to develop a buzz about your store and to encourage repeat business. Each time a customer makes a purchase, allow her to fill out an entry blank that is entered into the drawing. The more times she comes to your store, the more times she can enter. The winner can receive a cash prize of perhaps a high-end item that you sell.

• Direct Mail

Direct mail allows you to send a personalized marketing offer to a select group of people. You can target your prospects by categories, such as where they live, how much they earn or their line of work. Your offer should include a special promotion that will entice them to come to your store. According to the AllBusiness website, using a professional direct mail company can be more effective than if you tried to do the mailing yourself

Here is the full article

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

Here are some bookmarking sites, in case you want to go bookmarking crazy with your small business marketing:

• Digg.com
• Propeller.com
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit.com
• Del.icio.us
• Newsvine.com
• Fark.com
• Blinklist.com
• Clipmarks.com
• Shoutwire.com

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

I recently went on a tour at Zappos and it was a blast.  The whole experience was literally out of this world – a completely different company culture and work environment to any I have experienced thus far!   My perception of the whole experience was this:  the environment would not be for everyone.  I could name many people, including some of my dearest friends and my step dad in that category, but the freedom of expression and the ability to let the employees establish the culture was great.  The idea that each business can build a comfortable environment for the ideal worker of that business was refreshing.

My point is that when you can identify you ideal client and your ideal worker profile (in the type of worker that would be comfortable in your business environment and type means what a person likes, not who they are, what they believe or where they come from), your business will build a strong business, both internally and externally.

You can get a free culture book by Zappos here.  Zappos Insights also offers help with building the right culture and here is a link to get started.

When your insides are right, your outsides can grow and expand too!

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

Marketing Your Business Negatively, Be Very Careful

I have had several experiences lately with people being very aggressive or negative by email and email newsletters.  By aggressive, I mean downright rude and not necessarily directly to me, but the effect on their business (negatively) can be astounding.  Here is where I come down on this issue:

E-Mail Aggression

I recently had an e-mail aggressor. Someone, who I know personally and professionally, decided that she wanted something she wasn’t getting and she wanted it for free.  Now, it could be that she was told she deserved it or it could be that she needed it and money is tight (knowing the situation, I vote for the latter) but a really rude email came to me demanding services for free on something she thought she deserved and wasn’t included in her contract.  What was most interesting about this is that I offered it more than once and even suggested she take the offer for this particular item, but she didn’t want to pay for it and declined the product multiple times (all by email, of which I have record). 

The point isn’t about the situation, but more the aggressive and rude tone of the initial email.  To everyone out there, let me remind you of a few things to consider before sending an email:

1.  Would you say what you just wrote in your email in person?  Or would you tone it down and sugar coat it a little?  Because, relationships are an art and even if you are mad, you kill more flies with honey than with vinegar.

2.  What are your chances of getting what you want based on the tone and words in your email?  If you like to vent by email, kind of like drunk dialing, maybe you should call the person on the phone so that you can control your urge to say things you shouldn’t.

3.  Are you burning your bridges with this email?  Are you making the person angry?  Will you need this person in the future?  Does this person control something important to you?  Do you know this person or is this person in your circle of influence?

If you are mad or angry … write the email, read it and delete it.  Then wait a day and call the person or start your email again.  It will save you a lot of heartache later – especially in business.

E-Newsletters As A Way To Dis

I have stopped reading an e-newsletter recently.   This is something I receive every few weeks (along with other business colleagues) and find the newsletter in bad taste.  The person who writes the newsletter disses on people, talks down, makes fun of others and makes totally unnecessary comments.  I have come to realize that this is the person’s life.  It is how this person lives his life.  It is how he does business and the people attracted to him accept and tolerate but I do not … I don’t see any reason to look for the bad in people, in fact I do the opposite.

I look for the best of someone and I really don’t appreciate all the negativity, so I stopped reading it, plain and simple. 

But that isn’t the story … I was talking to a business colleague and we were talking about something unrelated.  Suddenly the conversation turned and he expressed shock at the overall rudeness of this particular newsletter and it got me to thinking.

Maybe this person thinks he is being funny, smart, witty and possibly using the newsletter to elevate herself … but what he is doing is hurting his business – plain and simple.  Be very careful when you decide it is appropriate to throw rocks. Especially in the glass house of the internet.

I found this great information on the Internet about marketing your business with article marketing.  Here is the information I took from the article:

Article Marketing Secrets: 1. Article marketing is a long-term online marketing strategy.

If you want a significant ROI from article marketing as a traffic creation strategy, then you must write and submit articles on a monthly basis. Every article published on the Web is an agent selling for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Therefore you want to increase the number of agents selling and promoting your books, products and services online.

The more publicity and exposure you have online, the more money you will make.

2. Choose ONLY the best websites, ezines and article directories that accept article submissions

Why waste your time submitting articles to websites with:

• Little website traffic
• Little credibility
• No reader interest in what you have to offer

By carefully selecting ONLY the best websites, ezines and article directories we helped:

• Internet Marketing Extraordinaire Yanik Silver reach over 300,000 targeted prospects in just 1 week
• Lesley Mattos, Founder of Adesso Albums, triple her website traffic
• Dr. Karen Sherman and Dr. Vicki Rackner gain worldwide exposure and build a publishing platform for their books.
• Promote Dr. Mark Hyman’s book to the top of the New York Times Best-Sellers List

3. Do NOT use article submission software

Here’s what we discovered:

• The software was not automatic in any way, shape or form. You still have to go to each site, register for each site and confirm your registration.  Then after confirming your registration, you have to go back to the website and put in your username and password.
• Each site has different requirements. There’s no way software can automatically take care of each site’s different requirements.
• The article submission software kept freezing my computer. So, I had to take extra time to shut down and reboot my computer. It took me longer to submit articles using the software than when I submit articles myself without the article submission software.
• Most importantly, article submission software doesn’t allow you to submit articles to the top websites like About.com. You could only submit articles to article directories, which will only get you links. But, you will NOT get more publicity, more prospects and more profits this way!

I hope this was helpful in marketing your business online. 

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Unique, Interesting and Great Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.