It’s tempting to believe that, as in the business world, English serves as the universal language of the internet. It is the most commonly used language online but even so, it accounts for only just over a quarter of all usage according to <a href=”http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm“>Internet World Stats</a>. To truly tap into the global marketing potential of the World Wide Web you have to go multilingual and the following quick tips will help you do just that.

Employ a translator for text and keywords

You can translate your content using a translation widget such as Google Translate or by inline translation code, but automatic translation is prone to mistakes. A native-speaking translator from your target market will help avoid mistakes, retain nuance and meaning and can supply cultural references that would not otherwise translate. This is even more important when it comes to SEO keywords, as literal translations often don’t work, with colloquialisms, abbreviations or synonyms being used instead.

There’s less competition for keywords in some languages

An unavoidable problem with keywords is that the most effective are also the most widely used by your competitors. This is the same in any language but, as mentioned, English is still the most widely used language online and there will be less competition for the best keywords in other languages. Use these but put a little extra effort into identifying narrower ‘long-tail’ key search terms as well.

Research keywords in the most popular ‘in-country’ search engine

Google is the most widely used search engine worldwide but in some markets other search engines rule the roost – in China it’s Baidu, while Yandex is the most commonly used search engine in Russia. The basics of keyword research are the same but search engines all have their own algorithms and quirks so, while you should never neglect Google, you should also use the keyword research tools of whichever search engines are dominant in that market.

Invest in PPC to test keywords

Using keywords in a test ‘pay-per-click’ (PCC) campaign is a good way to check the conversion rates of particular keywords as opposed to which ones will merely direct traffic your way. There’s a tendency to rely on gut feelings when it comes to keywords but thorough research is essential, especially when dealing with an unfamiliar language or market.

Go social in the popular local social networks

Social networking is an increasingly important part of online marketing. Ensuring your content is of high quality – and for localized sites this means good quality translation – will increase your chances of being referred to on sites like Digg and StumbleUpon. You should also research the most popular social networking sites in your target market and focus efforts on these, as well as the localized versions of big hitters like Facebook. The South Korean Cyworld, for example, boasts more than 24 million registered members, making it a huge potential resource if you’re aiming for that particular market.

Good luck with your online marketing endeavours!

Microbiography

Christian Arno is founder of Lingo24, an international language services company. Specializing in website localization and optimization, Lingo24 has clients in over sixty countries and is on course for a turnover of $7m USD in 2010.

A good media mix makes sense when you are looking for small business marketing tips. Having a strong internet marketing strategy, along with traditional print media like direct mail, magazines, Yellow Pages or other directory advertising, trade shows, seminars, etc., work with this type of business.

Get a Good Website and use Web Marketing Strategies

This is an important and effective way to promote your business. Use graphics, your portfolio and before and after shots of your work, testimonials from happy customers, and pricing on packages that you offer, on your website. You do not have to stick to these prices but it is a way to get your foot in the door. You can always up sell from there.

And incorporate search engine optimization website promotion. This can be done on a local geographical level so you can target where you want to get business from. It is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to promote your business. If you need help with this contact  Advantage Solutions.

Traditional Print Media still works for some types of Businesses

One of the great things about Direct Mail  is that you can pin point where you want to advertise. Promote your website on your marketing piece, and offer something that will make the customer pick up the phone and call you or go to your site. Include some pictures and testimonials. Keep it simple as in this type of advertising less is more. People prefer bullet points to paragraphs. It is better to mail the same area twice than to try another area. Repetition works.

Do some research to see if there are any home decor magazines that would make sense for you to advertise in. Ask them how they are distributed, whether it is through subscriptions, which is the most preferred, mailed out to homeowners, or just dropped at various retail locations. Look who else is advertising in there. Maybe call them and ask how it works for them. Also, always ask for a discount when negotiating the price with the sales rep. They expect you to do that. In print media that is very common.

When people are ready to buy they will look for you in the Yellow Pages

They may have seen your advertising somewhere else and just didn’t need your service at that time. Your rate of return on  Direct Mail advertising  increases by 15% when you combine it with Yellow Pages advertising. It also gives you credibility. Don’t miss out by not being in there as your competition will get the calls. You don’t have to be the biggest, you just have to be in there.

Do some  Trade Shows  and get some Speaking Engagements

Have a reason for people to come to your booth and talk to you. Maybe a draw for a room makeover, free consultation, painting supplies, etc. Quite often they have free seminars at these trade shows. Look into being one of the guest speakers. Become an expert in you field.

Build relationships with Realtors and Home Builders

And finally, building relationships with whomever you come in contact with will always help you. Realtors and Home Builders are a good source of leads as they are constantly in touch with potential clients for your business. You may want to offer and promote home staging services to get more customers.

Much Success!

Joe.

Looking where to invest your Advertising Dollar to get your phone ringing? Be in the Yellow Pages!!

Did you know that 80% of people who have an emergency go to the Yellow Pages for help. Whether it be a plumbing issue, heating, or even an emergency for the family pet, people will consult the Yellow Pages to get a phone number quickly. Let their fingers do the walking and find you! Sure you may think that print is on it’s way out the door but that’s not entirely true. And everything that’s in the Yellow Pages is automatically populated on their web directory.

You don’t necessarily need the biggest ad if that’s not in your budget, especially if you are just starting out. Work with your Yellow Pages consultant and let their design department come up with something that will get you noticed! And it doesn’t cost extra for this service.

When people are ready to make a purchase they will look for you in the Yellow Pages!

Vehicle Signage

The best vehicle signage that I have ever seen and that gets noticed is a picture on the driver’s side door where he is actually sitting on a toilet. It is very funny. Do a Google search under images for ‘plumber truck’ to find it. There are other great examples of vehicle signage there as well. This will give you credibility and also get you noticed when people look for you on-line and in the Yellow Pages.

Promote your Website using Website Optimization

It is well worth it. You can take a course that will teach you how to do it but I would recommend hiring a professional that does it all the time. They will be up to date on the best ways to achieve results. Contact Advantage Solutions for professional on time service at unbeatable prices.

Always try to think like your customers think. How would you look for a plumber if you needed one? I would recommend these three basics and stay away from display ads in newspapers or magazines if most of your work is servicing emergency or on demand clients.

Good luck with growing your business!

Joe

Want to get more business? Better qualified customers?

Not sure how to promote yourself or your business?

As a home renovation contractor you know there’s a lot of competition out there. And you know it’s hard to find the time to even think about how you are going to promote your business.

Plan Out Your Advertising Campaign

Advertising is only expensive if it doesn’t work. You have to look at it as an investment. You must also use different mediums in order to reach a more diverse group of clients and that will ultimately deliver a greater ROI (return on investment).

It is very important to set a budget for the whole year and stick to it. Take time during the slower months to figure out how much more business you want, how you want to advertise, and how much you are committed to spending. If you take the time to do this you will create a better more effective plan and you will save money by not doing a little here and a little there. During the year when you get approached by advertising salespeople trying to sell you something you don’t have to give it another thought because you have already decided what you are doing. You can always consider what they are offering when you are planning next year’s advertising.

Planning your advertising a year in advance also removes a lot of stress and pressure from these salespeople. Simply tell them that they can call on you at that time of the year if you want to even think about doing business with them.

Market Your Business With Yellow Pages

Media Mix The first place to start would be the Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages is sometimes overlooked in today’s market but it is still the most used directory. It has the most complete listings of all businesses and that is why in Canada, for example, it is used eight times more than any competitor.

When people are ready to buy they will look for you in the Yellow Pages. The average ROI is $26 to every $1 you invest. Your Yellow Pages advertising will also go onto yellowpages.ca and canada411.ca. You can ask your Yellow Pages rep to do some research for you; they have access to specific information:

• Demographics of each area or market.
• On-line traffic reports for your type of business in each market
• Results for print ads.
• Call measurement studies, where they give the advertiser a specific phone number that is only published in that ad.
• Track the amount of calls they get and give them a report.
• You can also ask to see the ones they have done with other businesses.

Designing a Display Ad

When designing a display ad it’s important to quickly create interest.  People have only seconds to glance at your specific ad which seems like a challenge, but the good news is that they only need a brief moment to decide.  You do need to think about why someone would be motivated to use your service?  Do you offer the best service, best quality? Once you determine what that reason is then placing a short value statement, or pitch at the top of the ad will generate interest, that’s your “Brand Difference”.    If you are not sure simply look in the Yellow Pages and see what your competition is doing. If you want to attract higher end clients you can design your ad to reflect this by making it look expensive through colour and graphics. If you don’t have a logo contact a company that can create one for you like  Advantage Solutions  or you can contact a college to see if they have students that can do this for you.

Signage

Another way to get your name out there is with signage. When working on a project put up signs with your name, number, and website on it. Keep it simple. Have signage on your vehicle as well. But it is important to remember that people will now make assumptions about you business based on the look and quality of that signage.  It will be important to keep the signs clean, and the area where signs are displayed such as on the side of a truck.  Whether its fair or not people will make assumptions about you quality of work based on how clean your truck is, that may also apply to the driving habits of your personnel.

Direct Mail-Direct Response

Using Direct Mail is also very effective. It works really well if you have the right offer. If you have Val Pak available in your area I would suggest that. And mail the same area over and over again. People have to see you more that once before they necessarily do business with you.

Display advertising in the newspaper is hit and miss. Instead I would suggest just doing a weekly classified ad.

Craig’s List has become one of the number one ways that people find service providers in their market.

Internet On Line Exposure

If you do not already have a website, it may be important to get one. Start by accumulating pictures of your work, before and after stories and shots are a great way of highlighting your work. With digital cameras it’s not hard to do. If you are a tech savvy and have time, you could do it yourself.

There are a lot of free resources on the internet. Or contact a company that can create the site for you: Advantage Solutions Call around for rates. Since your business is aesthetic people need to see your work. Get testimonials from past customers as well.

By using these different media mixes you will be able to set up a successful and cost effective advertising plan. As a matter of fact, when you combine Yellow Pages advertising with your direct mail campaign, you increase your ROI on the direct mail by 15%.

Wishing you much Success!

Steps to Starting a Small Business

One of the first steps to starting a small business is to take the time to plan out your marketing strategy a year in advance. It is much more effective than trying the hit and miss approach. I have seen too many new businesses try that approach unsuccessfully. And it costs way too much.

How to Effectively use the Yellow Pages in Your Marketing Plan.

The Yellow Pages print and on-line directories are a great way to promote your roofing business. When people are ready to buy they will look for you in the Yellow Pages. In Canada, for example, 72% of adults use the Yellow Pages once a month, and 60% of their usage is still the print. They have also been actively using web marketing strategies and positioning themselves as an online leader to connect buyers to sellers.

How much should you spend? It depends on what your budget is and how much business you can handle. Another consideration would be to figure out how many jobs would you have to get in order for this to make sense. You must also set aside part of your budget for other  business marketing ideas  so you are not putting all your eggs in one basket. And lastly see what your competition is doing. How much are they spending? You do not have to have the biggest ad in order for it to work. Ask your sales rep for testimonials and examples of other advertisers in the roofing business.

Referrals !

Referrals are golden. They give you instant credibility. But they may take longer than you want when you are  starting a small business. You should get in the habit of asking for referrals from your happy customers.

Web Marketing Strategies are an Important Way for You to Grow Your Business

More and more people are using the internet to research businesses before they choose to do business with them. They want to see if you are credible and reliable before they want to pick up the phone and talk to you. They see this as a time saver, a convenience. I know that I won’t even call a business if they don’t have a web site. So it is very important to get a website.

You can do a website yourself, hire a web designer, or a  search engine optimization company. The later is best as a search engine optimization website promotion will get you traffic to your site. You can do this in a geographical area that would make sense to your strategic marketing plan. Do your research to find a reputable company or visit  Advantage Solutions  to get this done.

Use Signage on Your Vehicles and Job Sites

This is an important part of your strategic marketing plan and building your brand. Use a clean bold design that includes your phone number and web site address, and is easy to read.

Radio Advertising

When you have covered the basics in marketing and promoting your roofing business, have a larger budget, and are looking to do more advertising, consider radio. It brings immediate results. When looking into this ask for demographics, reach, and any other marketing stats that they are willing to provide you with.

I recently heard an excellent radio commercial promoting an on-line directory for qualified, trustworthy renovation contractors. It was very well done, but there was one really big mistake. The speaker mentioned the web address a couple of times throughout the commercial but I could not make it out. He did not say it clearly. That is really too bad because if I had a hard time hearing it my guess is that so did everybody else. The advertiser spent all that money and will not get the results because of that one seemingly small error.   

I wish you all best when promoting your roofing business!

 Joe.

Here are some key ingredients for a Strategic Marketing Plan for a Hair Salon

After you’ve done your business plan you should know what type of clientele you are looking to attract to your salon. Always keep that in mind for everything else you do moving forward. It is important to develop a consistent brand. The reason why is that if it is not consistent your customers will get confused and when people are confused they will not make a purchase.

Choose your location, if you haven’t got one yet, with your  target market  in mind. Does it need to be trendy, lots of parking, etc. Most salons do not rely on walk by traffic so it is not necessary to pay high rent for high traffic. It just depends on your clientele.

The atmosphere and appearance of your shop is important. Use music and aromas to convey the mood you want. Good lighting and fixtures are important as well.

Develop a Referral Program and Frequent Member Card Program

You could develop a program where your customers get a free haircut, hair product, or spa treatment if they refer a friend. This is such an inexpensive way to advertise and promote your business, and more importantly you are rewarding the person sitting in your chair!

A frequent member card works really well too because it develop a buying habit. Studies have shown that people need to shop at a business three times and then it becomes a habit. You could reward them the same way as the referral program.

Get involved in Local Charity Events and Fashion Shows

Get out there and introduce your business to people who would not be normally exposed to you or even to remind people that you are still there. This is also a great way to develop relationships with potential customers.

Follow Industry Trends

Stay current and continue to take courses on the latest fashion trends. Display and talk about your recent courses. This gives your clientele the confidence to trust you and they will be willing to pay more for your services. They will also tell their friends.

Keep a mental check list of things to promote when talking with your customer. Try to find a need a fill it. Do they have problem hair, need a special conditioner? Would they be interested in any spa treatments that you may offer? Are they getting married or have another special event coming up that they may want extra services for? Get into the habit of promoting other products and services. It’s hard to get into the habit but will have a big impact on your bottom line. That’s why I suggest developing a mental checklist.

Invest in a Website

A good media mix of  internet advertising and marketing,  as well as traditional methods work. They feed off each other. Get a website and include great graphics, hours of operation, map, all your services and pricing, and customer testimonials. Also boast about any current courses you and your staff have taken. Maybe even talk about the latest trends.

This is such a service industry and that’s why it is so important to treat your customers like gold. Make them feel special and they will always come back!

Wishing you all the best, Joe.

Location

Location, location, location. This is the most important thing. If you don’t have the walk by traffic it will be very, very difficult to attract business. I would say this is more important than spending money on advertising.

There is a lot of competition out there! After investing a lot of money in the new arrivals it is difficult to find the money to spend on advertising. You have to make every dollar count. I have seen new businesses that are so excited when they open their doors that they spend their whole advertising budget in the first three months. Then in month four, when the new fall arrivals come, they don’t have money to promote that.

Plan your Marketing

It is very important to plan how and when you are going to promote your business a year in advance. That way you will get a more effective plan and it will cost you less. More bang for your buck.

Newspaper or Local Magazine

 If you are just starting out contact these local sources of media and ask them to come by for your Grand Opening. They will do an editorial and take picture of your new business, all for free. People are more likely to read that than an ad. They will ask you to advertise with them. Ask them for their rates. With that information you can plan how much you will spend with them. And when placing ads always ask for a discount. They will give it to you, in fact they will expect you to ask. Also, tell them that you want your ad to appear on the upper right page nearest to the front as possible. People will look there first. And lastly, if your budget is tight, only advertising here when you have a sale. If they ask you to advertise here and there, just say no thanks, ‘I have my budget set for the year’. That will take the pressure off of you when they call.

Pick Your Target Market

You can’t cater to several niche markets at the same time. Pick your target market, whether it is teens, middle-aged, casual, or business

Retail Merchandising

Set the right mood the second your customer enters the door. Use lighting, music, décor etc to make them feel good and excited about coming into your store. Train your sales staff to smile and greet your customers by asking ‘How can they help’ your customers.

Direct Mail

This tool works for this type of business if you use the right offer. Don’t offer discounts, offer dollars off based on your average sale. For more information see the Direct Mail section on this site.

On-line and Email Campaigns

Suzy Shier does this best. Go to one of their stores and sign up for their membership. With that you get a card for special discounts and you are put on their email list. Even if you are a small independent retailer you can do this very effectively. They send weekly emails of their new arrivals and special promotions. It is a low cost way for you to keep in front of your customers. You can choose how often you will do this. Your manufacturers might be able to supply artwork.

When customers come in to shop ask them in a low key way ‘How can I help you?’ I like it when people ask me that as I like the assistance and attention. The number one reason why businesses lose customers is not because of sub-standard product or service, it’s because of customer indifference. Make people feel good and they will come back and tell their friends.

Member Cards

This is becoming more popular. One reason is that it creates customer loyalty. People have been becoming less and less loyal and more price conscious. Just look at the big box and discount outlets. You can set yourself apart from these and become a more attractive business for your customers by giving them personalized service and reward points etc for their loyalty. La Senza, Susy Shier, American Eagle all use membership cards. I have seen small, independent stores use them as well.

Wishing you a prosperous season!

Joe.

There is an awful lot of competition out there. You have to be constantly promoting yourself and making your business stand out! How do you do that? Invest in your business.

Location and Aesthetics

That is the first step. You have to be visible, easily accessible, and where your customers frequent. You have to focus on presentation. If people are not sure about your cleanliness they will not come back. It is absolutely necessary to invest in the restrooms and keep them clean, both in appearance and odour. You will not get a second chance with that. If people get turned off by this they will not return and will tell their friends not to as well.

Colours

Blue is an appetite suppressant. (If you want to drop a few pounds buy blue dishes and table cloths) Ever notice how Mac Donald’s, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut all use red, yellow, orange, and brown? Those are the colours you should use the most. It increases your appetite.

Target Market

Know what type of customer you want to attract. Use that information to establish your menu, pricing, atmosphere, etc. Present a unified brand or image. When people are confused they cannot make a decision and; therefore, do not act.

Press Releases

Call your local media and invite them to your grand opening. This will get you in the spotlight and it’s FREE. You can also host charitable events at your restaurant to get additional exposure. People get bombarded with advertising and tune it out, but they will look and read about events in their community.

Advertising and Promoting Your Restaurant

As I had mentioned, people get bombarded with advertising. The average person sees, reads, and hears over 35,000 ads a day! That is completely mind boggling. It must work though, to some extent, or businesses wouldn’t do it.

Direct Mail or Direct response

The best way for a restaurant to increase traffic is through Direct Mail or Direct response.

Take Out

Mail out your menus to your target market. Perhaps that may include businesses or the Neighborhood. Do it as often as you can and to the same areas. Why, because people need to see and advertising on average seven times before they will act.

Change it up a little by adding specials and coupons. Make sure you include your address, phone number, methods of payment, hours of operation, and if you offer free delivery. Maybe you only deliver to certain areas etc.

Check with your local Yellow Pages as well. Some larger urban areas offer the Menu Guide at a very reasonable cost. The ROI on that is very good if done correctly. Work with your  Yellow Pages  rep or contact  Advantage Solutions  for guidance on how to put your ad together.

Fast Food

Coupons, coupons, coupons. Use coupons in a direct mail format. If you have Val Pak in your area use that. This way you share the mailing costs with other businesses. Also, your Val Pak rep can guide you on how to design your coupon and what offers to use. You can also contact  Advantage Solutions  and they will be able to guide you as well. Use a 30-60 day expiry date as well. That creates a call to action.

Sit down Restaurant

Use direct mail coupons for this type of restaurant as well. Offer a free dinner (of equal or lesser value). You will find that your average sale will go up. Sure there will be some people (approx 10%) that will just go for the minimum purchase in order to take advantage of the offer, but you will also find people will now order a drink and/or dessert where they would not have before. They figure that they are saving on the free entre and so will spend more on other items and in the end, spend quite a bit more.

I would also recommend looking into the Menu Guide of your Yellow Pages.

People will always remember how you make them feel, so make them feel important and they will come back and bring their friends!

Website

Get one if you don’t have one! Post your menus, specials, testimonials, and lots of mouth watering pictures. Be sure to include hours of operation, methods of payment, map of location, and of course, your phone number.

Wishing you lots of success!

Best, Joe.

The social media marketing  new way of marketing: people are engaged in conversations online and, as predicted by the Cluetrain Manifesto – markets have become conversations.

Recommendation from another person is becoming the most trusted for of advertising today.

Often used as division of customer relationship management analytics (CRM analytics), Web analytics may include determining the probability that a particular customer will repurchase a service/product, customizing the website to customers who visit it frequently, supervising the dollar number of purchases made by each customer or by certain groups of customers, detecting the geographic areas from where the maximum and the minimum number of customers visit the website and buy particular products, and forecasting which products interest customers the most and are likely to be bought in the future.

Web analytics aims at promoting particular products to customers who are expected to buy them, and to decide which products a particular customer is most probable to purchase. This can better the proportion of revenue to marketing costs.

Web analytics may also include monitoring the drilldown and click-through actions of customers in the Website, determining the sites from where the customers most often turn up, and corresponding with browsers to follow and analyze the respective online behavior. The Web analytics results are presented in the form of graphs, charts, and tables.

There are two types of web analytics:                 

Off-site web analytics denotes web calculation and analysis regardless of whether you possess or run a website. It comprises the assessment of a website’s prospective audience, amount of voice, and comments that occur on the Internet

On-site web analytics determine a visitor’s entire tour through your website. This comprises its drivers and conversions. For instance, it determines which landing pages persuade visitors to purchase your products. On the whole it measures the efficiency of your website in a commercial perspective. This data is normally weighed against key performance indicators and utilized to upgrade a web site or marketing campaign’s visitors’ response.

By and large the benefits of using Web analytics are as follows:

It improves your advertising drawing more sales

It helps you monitor and understand your visitors and customers better

All the best, Joe