By mrmilesyoung on Mon, 11/21/2016

​Starting a business is an accomplishment in itself but this does not guarantee that it will be a success. Obviously the most important thing is that the product or service you provide is of the highest quality. The next step is to market your small local business in the correct way. Great marketing means nothing without a great service or product but poor marketing can cripple a business no matter how great a service they provide. Many business owners are great at what they do but might not understand how to market. The following are a few tips that will help you market locally and turn your business into a local icon.

Don’t Forget SEO

People do not check the phonebook anymore when they are searching for something. They go straight to their smartphone or computer to see what Google has to say. SEO for those who do not know is search engine optimization or in laymen terms getting your site to the top of the search engine for a specific phrase. This can be done in a variety of ways including posting on industry sites with your link or simply claiming social profiles as they come up high on the search engines. There are plenty of service available that can help you with this, just make sure they are well-reviewed as many people claim to be a guru at SEO when in fact they are not.

Online Reviews Are Important

What most people do in today’s world is look at online reviews of businesses. These reviews are generally very accurate about the quality of service a business provides. For example, this dentist has a comfort dog in case you are afraid of the dentist. This can be great for those who have had a phobia of the dentist as well as petting a dog before getting a tooth drilled is always nice. Maintaining these pages and responding to reviews also shows care for customers. Leaving complaints bland shows the opposite so make sure that these pages are claimed and monitored.
Referrals Are Gold

Referrals are gold for a small business in a local town. If you are a car mechanic or an AC repair company, families tend to stick with the same companies for life unless they are prompted to do otherwise. People will not refer friends or families unless they are sure of the service that you provide. Those with large social circles can bring in quite a bit of business. Incentivizing these referrals can make them pour in whether it is a free oil change or maintenance on an HVAC system. Smaller town referral systems can lead to your company being the only one in town!

Running a business will take some great marketing if you want it to be successful. Follow these tips and you will be well on your way!

Source: ​http://www.blufftontoday.com/blogs/mrmilesyoung/2016-11-21/how-market-your-small-local-business

Today I have some resources to help you improve your holiday marketing strategy on Pinterest. Here’s four links with tips and tricks to kick start your Monday.

Pinterest is one of the top social networks for brand visibility and generating sales. Businesses can take advantage of this valuable resource to gain more exposure online. In order to attract more customers it helps to have access to the right tools. Would you like to increase your sales from Pinterest? Take advantage of these four resources, and let me know how these work for you!

1) Turn images into attractive pins – Pablo
Make your pins more visually attractive and provide your followers with images they will love to share. Pablo from Buffer is an easy to use graphics tool that allows you to edit images from their selection or yours. Features include a text editor and various filters with options for sharing on social media.

2) Group board directory – Pingroupie
In order to grow your followers it helps to connect with the right audience. Pingroupie helps you find the right groups for your business niche to pin and interact in. Just choose the right category and click search. Results will provide you with how many members and the date when the group was created. The is a great way to start making connections right away.

3) Sync your Facebook page to Pinterest – Pinvolve
​Convert your Facebook photos into pins instantly. Pinvolve, available for free with paid options, and allows you to connect your Page and save time in designing pins. Features include storing your photos in one place, converting posts to pins, and posting your pins to your Facebook Page. Soon users will also be able to embed Pinvolve on their website or blog. This is a perfect solution for busy visual marketing professionals and bloggers.

​4) Take your Pinterest marketing to the next level – loop88
​Create branded content that your followers will want to share. loop88 helps your business develop a targeted profile that helps you connect with influencers in your market. Manage promoted pins and create stunning visuals that will increase your sales results.

​Hopefully you will find these Pinterest tools useful to your holiday marketing strategy. Are there any that you would like to add as well?

Source: http://www.business2community.com/pinterest/4-pinterest-tools-boost-holiday-marketing-01710748#AgjDPRX0Cm47pLkB.97​

By Cheryl Conner ​​

​If you own a small business, it’s not too late to generate some extra PR for Small Business Saturday, on November 26. This week I tapped the social media universe for creative ways entrepreneurs are using the occasion to capture additional holiday sales. Here’s what they’re doing this year:

1. Offer a deal. This is one of several ideas from Lori Riviere, of PR Couture: Provide a discount or a gift with purchase that can lure additional eyes to your website or footsteps into your store. Promote your deal on holiday shopping sites. Find out if your local papers and news sites are promoting Small Business Saturday deals, and if they are, prepare a media alert or get your information to the editors post haste. Promote your deal on your social media properties as well.
2. Spiff up your Facebook page. Alex Schitter, marketing specialist and communications coordinator for In Touch Credit Union, in Plano, Texas, says, “The best advice you can give folks participating in Small Business Saturday is to get their Facebook page polished, now. Have your business hours displayed prominently and post photos to showcase your featured products. Don’t worry about costly video—it’s not a necessity.” This approach is not limited to “last minute” shoppers or “impulse buyers. Savvy shoppers do their homework before shopping and will do the majority of their decision making online,” Schitter says. They also share what they’ve found, so make your posts interesting and visually appealing as well. Direct them to the people living nearby, and extend the courtesy of mentioning popular shops, salons, restaurants near your business as well, as it will also help to increase interest in a particular neighborhood. Another idea from Schitter: For all of Small Business Saturday’s growth, it is still an event that’s not widely touted. ShopSmall.com provides resources to help, but at the current late point, Facebook, online advertising, event guides and town websites (if they’re willing to include the shops and services who participate) are probably your best bets for stirring up last-minute interest.
3. Make a photo collage. Doug DeVitre, of St. Louis (author of Screen to Screen Selling) suggests you make a photo collage of the influential people in the community who’ve visited your business. You can post the pictures online and share information about what the prominent customer purchased or enjoyed most about their visit.
4. Get cooperative. A marketing idea that Spencer X. Smith, of Madison, Wis., has remembered since his days of running a band is to find ways to use your existing social media channels to help someone else. Use your posts or even your wardrobe to tout a customer, vendor or nonprofit that you’re passionate about. The vendor and employees will naturally share and engage with the posts, bringing visibility to both you and them.
5. Use marketing materials from American Express. Riviere notes that American Express (one of the primary creators and proponents of Small Business Saturday) provides a variety of resources such as the ability to list a store or site on the Small Business Saturday website, boosting the brand’s SEO and also drawing more shoppers. The site also offers printable sign templates for store window displays for graphic elements you can embed in your site.
6. Go social. Social media is a great way to spread the word about what you’re doing during Small Business Saturday. You can spread the energy even further by including the tag #ShopSmall. Another idea from Riviere: Offer Saturday shoppers an extra discount if they’ll tag your business on social media with #ShopSmall. This will increase your social media impressions and boost SEO for your website as well.
7. Host a small-business soiree. Consider holding an in-store event at your retail location, or partner up with another business that complements yours. If there’s time, mail out a holiday flier to your customer base and offer refreshments, a photo booth and extra deals to guests. You could also hire a local blogger or social media celebrity to host the event and promote it on their blog and social media channels.
8. Alert the media. Be sure to take photos of the event and send an after-event press release to news outlets who cover small business or local retail. For an online store, use photos of your employees packing and shipping the goods. Make sure the coverage you pitch will compel readers to come back to see you during the continuing season. Remember that the best win of all is a new set of customers who will bring you business during every time of the year.

Source: ​http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2016/11/21/8-last-minute-marketing-ideas-for-small-business-saturday/#3abe55e77834