77 posts categorized "SMB Marketing Tips"

Watch any boxing match or UFC fight and you'll see the power of combinations. One hit after another does more than single shots landed one at a time. This is just as true in the "ring" of SMS advertising. By piggybacking ideas on one another, you increase the impact of each message. Though there is an infinite variety of ways to make this happen, most fall into four categories with different applications.

1. The One-Two Punch

The most common piggybacking technique, probably because it's the simplest and easiest to implement. You send out a message that teases an upcoming broadcast, then follow up with the teased broadcast. Take these examples:

     *At 9 am, your restaurant broadcasts a poll for what your lunch special should be.  At 11 am, you broadcast the result, along with a special coupon for everybody who participated. 

     *Your clothing store broadcasts an announcement of a new clothing line on Monday. Tuesday morning, your second broadcast is a coupon for a discount on that new line. 

2. The Callback

You've seen this used by stand-up comics. They tell a joke, then move on with the routine. Ten or even thirty minutes later, they throw out a line that references the earlier joke. It's effective on stage, and will be effective in your SMS. Try one of these callbacks:

      *Research the broadcast that had the highest response in the last three weeks. Send out a new message offering a discount for anybody who can bring in and show you that broadcast.

     *Give the leadup for a simple joke in a broadcast during one week. The following week, simply broadcast the punch line with no explanation. Those who get it will really get it, and pay more attention to future messages.

3. Brainstorming Seeds

If you're out of ideas for SMS broadcasts, go through your old ones and use them to create new ideas. Bonus points for using only the most popular messages as seeds. Some ways to do this include:

     *Copy down five to ten messages. Come up with five to ten expansions on the theme for each. 

     *Find ways to "reskin" effective messages to keep the structure or concept, but change details to make it feel like a new broadcast. 

4. The Countdown

If you do this with only two messages, it's a one-two punch, but you can build excitement for an upcoming event with a series of messages that really pump it up. Consider five to seven leading messages, organized in templates like these:

     *A simple date countdown to the event in the vein of "8 Days Until Sale-a-Palooza"

     *Broadcast a discount each day for different items related to the upcoming event. These could be thematically linked, or even gear customers might want to accessorize with a new line.

 

What have been some of your most effective piggybacked SMS ideas?  Share with the class by adding a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

As a small business owner, you've already heard how important business plans are to the long-term success of a company. You might feel you don't have time to put together a proper business plan with all its deep analysis and formal presentation. 

Don't panic. A detailed business plan is best if you're seeking investors or a loan, but you can do the most important parts in ten minutes on the back of a napkin. Just follow these steps. 

 

Part One: Write Down Where You Are

List how much your company made this month and the previous quarter, and how much it spent. Do the math to figure our your profits for both periods. If your company has multiple departments or income streams, do this for each instead of all together. 

Write the two greatest strengths and the two greatest weaknesses of your business. Be precise. "Great attitude" is a bad example. "Workforce performs at 80% of average industry cost" is a good example. 

Part Two: Write Down Where You Want to Be

Make specific numerical goals for income and expenditure for each department you listed in Part One. Set goals for next month, next quarter, and this time next year. Keep the goals low-key in the short term and aggressive in the long term.

For each of your strengths, write down a program or policy you can enact to leverage those strengths toward accomplishing your goals. 

Identify one opportunity you can use to increase profits in the coming year. This might be a new product line, a hole through which expenses are pouring, or a service you're underselling. 

Part Three: Write Down What You Fear

For each of your weaknesses, write down a program or policy you can enact to eliminate -- or at least mitigate -- its effect. If your weakness is overly high variable expenses, commit to setting up a way of reducing waste. 

Identify any major potential problems threatening your business or your industry, such as an impending change in regulations or a highly-funded competitor moving into the neighborhood. Make a plan avoid the threat, or to minimize its impact.

Part Four: Create the Plan

Write each of the action items from the previous three steps, phrased as a goal including:

*A definition of "finished"

*A specific timeline

*Who's job it is to do

*Who's job it is to evaluate

 

That's all there is. Using this template for decisions moving forward, you will have a set of goals and metrics that will keep your company on track. 

One of the biggest challenges of coming up with awesome SMS Marketing messages every single day is...well...coming up with awesome SMS Marketing messages every single day. What used to be exciting becomes a grind, and the temptation to just throw out something uninspired can become overwhelming. When you're in that space, consider some of these techniques to get reinspired for SMS greatness.

• Make Time For SMS "Pencil Tapping"
  Because it takes so little time, it's easy to relegate your SMS creativity to the spaces between other tasks. This not only leaves you with insufficient time, but often adds stress and time pressure to the process. Instead, block out time to come up with a week worth of SMS ideas at once...and defend that time as vigorously as any other appointment. 
• Protect Your Ideas
  Promise yourself you will never cross out an idea during a creative session. Once you've generated ten or twenty, you can then eliminate or change the ideas that weren't right for the job. But if you judge your ideas as you come out, you'll end up judging those ideas before you explore them fully. 
• Take a Walk
  A little exercise stimulates your brain and gives you time to let your creative side ramble a bit. A quick walk around the block or up and down the stairs at the office can give you that exercise, or you can schedule your devoted creative time for after a workout. If you know that's the schedule, you'll already be noodling during your gym time. 
• Focus on the Small
  One major roadblock to creativity and motivation is becoming intimidated by the size of the task at hand. If you're having trouble getting started, focus on a small thing -- like a single line or choosing what product to promote -- to get moving. Once you've finished that first task, you'll have established enough momentum to carry you through the rest of the day. 
• Cheat and Steal
  If you're absolutely out of ideas, churn through your most successful broadcasts for ideas you can reuse and repurpose...of go through broadcasts from merchants you follow, or even your competition. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with every post, and once you've repurposed one broadcast you'll have primed those creative pumps enough to keep going on your own. 

What do you do to stay creative when the ideas aren't coming? Tell us your best techniques in the comments below.

Owning a small business means working with a smaller budget than larger organizations. This means cutting corners in some departments, and doing without the bottomless supply closet you'd find in a major corporation.

Even though you can't buy every new business gadget on the market, a few tools you simply can't do without:

1. A Calendar. Any Calendar.
   Given how little time small business owners have, and how many demands get placed on that time, it's amazing how many still try to make it through life without a calendar and schedule. It doesn't matter whether it's a paper wall calendar, an advanced paper planner or one of the hundreds of electronic versions. Your life will be better once you're using one. 
2. ELance and oDesk
   Small businesses lack the budget to hire full-time staff for every task. ELance and oDesk are hubs for freelance professionals looking for gigs. You'll be able to choose from outsourcing tasks to cheap labor to finding local professionals to do the job. Prices stay low because of the competitive environment.
3. Hootsuite and/or Mailchimp
   Hootsuite lets you plan and time posts to various social media platforms. Mailchimp helps you organize and run email lists and broadcasts. In both cases, these tools cut much of the scut work out of your marketing communications, freeing your time to make sure all of your communications are brilliant. 
4. A Smart Phone
   Yes, you can get by with a regular cell phone. No, that regular phone won't coordinate your communications between your phone, text, email, calendar and social media. It won't let you read reports while waiting in line at the bank. It doesn't let you use the countless apps designed to make running a business easier. If you can afford smart phones for your whole team, it's usually worth the investment. 
5. Google Analytics
   Google's analytics service analyzes keyword and website performance to help you figure out how good a job your web team is doing. Without its metrics, your web marketing is pretty much a shot in the dark. If your business model relies heavily on web promotion, you should invest in Market Samurai, the upgrade for-pay version of this concept. 
6. Square
   If you remember the bad old days of leasing credit card machines and paying exorbitant processing fees, you love Square even if you've never heard of it. This is a small attachment you plug into your iPhone that lets you process credit cards anywhere you go. Combined with an order tracking app that connects to your bookkeeping, it replaces between three and five 20th-century tools. 

Readers, what tools save your bacon every day? Tell us about them in the comments below...

Spring has definitely sprung in most parts of the country. Although everybody and their uncle will be shooting out SMS broadcasts about Mother's Day and Memorial Day, the most effective SMS Marketing will be a little more unique.

Try these templates for seasonal SMS to put a little spring in the step of your bottom line for the month.

1. Here Comes the Rain Again
   If you live in part of the country that gets lots of May showers, make a game of it. Hold contests for the best rainbow pictures, or offer discounts based on how many inches of rain came down the day before. You'll be topical and local while simultaneously fostering that sense of community people feel during inclement weather.
2. Fun Running
   May marks the beginning of the fun run/triathlon/adventure race season in many states. It's the first month that's really warm enough for casual athletes. Celebrate success by sending out a coupon for anybody who brings in a runner's bib. You can also reverse the idea by having customers text in their race times. Post them on a whiteboard or other sign indoors, and give a deal to everyone who participates.
3. Those Other Holidays
   Every month has its share of "junior varsity" holidays, and May is no exception. A little imagination will make these broadcasts both educational and profitable. Some lesser-known May holidays include
   • Lost Sock Memorial Day (9th)
   • National Dance Like a Chicken Day (14th)
   • Visit Your Relatives Day (18th)
   • National Hamburger Day (28th)
4. Take Them Out to the Ball Game
   Spring sports season is in full swing at your local high schools, meaning there's a ball game every week the people in your neighborhood care about. Post current scores, or offer a deal when the home team wins. The same goes for other spring sports like track & field, golf and tennis.
5. Gardening Time
   Though the hard-core gardeners have been raising plants in their garages all winter, May is the month the rest of us get working on our yards and gardens. You don't have to run a landscaping business or home improvement center to make relevant SMS. Even a bar can offer a half-price drink for people with dirty knees.
6. School's Out For Summer
   Late May is when the earliest releasing school districts close up shop for the summer. If your business deals with children or youth, a countdown series all month long will be well-received. If you deal mostly with parents, a series of deals to help prepare for the added hassles might succeed.

Share what you do with your May SMS below. Bonus points for photos of your National Dance Like a Chicken Day picture contest.

Not every boss is as tech-friendly as you are, and even those who are might be enamored with social media or pay-per-click options. Whether your job depends on solid SMS engagement, or you just think it's a good idea, here are a few arguments to get The Man (or The Woman) on board.

SMS Marketing is...

Immediate: People respond immediately when they receive a text message, even if it's just to glance and forget it. Smart texting includes SMS polls, contests and short-term offers to test just how many people are engaging with the message. That means you know the same day what messages work and which don't. Compare that to the fire-and-guess methodology of yellow pages, broadcast and print advertising.

Inexpensive: If you have an in-house expert handle things, SMS is almost literally free -- it just costs the time your team spends generating content, managing subscribers and checking results. If you do hire an outside service to manage your broadcasts, the cost per impression still comes in far lower than most other media.

Measurable: Measuring ROI on advertising is hard. There's time lag, confusion about which message made the sale, and the nebulous concept of "brand recognition." With SMS, you have a daily report of specific numbers to show what percentage of subscribers saw, responded to, shared or engaged with your message. Combined with the immediacy of the reports, you can fine-tune your SMS campaign at a level that's unique among marketing modalities.

Scalable: Even with bulk discounts, it costs much more to send 5,000 mass mailings than to send 500. Not so with SMS. With the right plan, the cost can literally be the same as you grow your company and subscriber list. This is because you don't actually make a second copy of anything as you invite in more people. It's all automated and digital. The only added cost comes as you cross the thresholds of your text service plans.

Effective: Reports show that SMS coupons get opened within 15 minutes of sending, and are redeemed at 5 to 10 times the rate of paper coupons. Compare that to the effectiveness of your most recent mass mailing or newspaper spot. The only medium that does nearly so well are those "daily deal" sites like Groupon.

Is your boss raising objections we haven't knocked down here? List them in the comments, and we'll give you the perfect rebuttal.

A lot of SMS Marketing content consists of one-off messages. You have an idea, or an event, and you shoot out a broadcast. A little while later, you have another idea and broadcast another text message. Rinse, repeat. This can be effective, but doesn't build the retention and front-of-mind awareness you'l see with a combined approach to your text marketing campaign. Here are four multi-message ideas to incorporate into your mobile marketing plans. 

The One-Two Punch
The simplest combination broadcast, this means sending a message that promises another message coming soon. This is the text message version of interrupting a sentence with "wait for it...." It builds anticipation and makes both messages more memorable and powerful. Some examples of a one-two punch include:

• Announcing a dinner special at lunch time, then sending the details at 3PM.
• Broadcasting a poll, followed by the results. 
• Sending the setup for a joke, then the punchline.

The Running Gag
They're not just for sitcoms anymore, and they don't necessarily have to be funny. Any theme you can use to link multiple broadcasts together builds momentum in a way individual SMS pieces won't. These can be iterations of a joke, comments on a hashtag-style common theme, or items in a numbered series. For example....

• Develop a habit of sending photos of a particular thing related to your business. 
• Top ten list in the Letterman style.
• A "Friday Fun" message delivering predictable content at the same day and time each week.

The Countdown
Similar to the running gag, but with a finite finish, this can build some of the highest anticipation and engagement. It's exactly what it sounds like: a series of broadcasts leading up to a finishing event or climactic broadcast. Try these examples, or make up some of your own.

• Daily updates for the 10 days prior to a sale or other event.
• Hourly coupons sent in anticipation of a midnight release sale. 
• A "Twelve Days of Christmas" style series leading to a holiday.

Some Assembly Required
This one is more involved, but can be among the most effective and fun combined SMS campaigns. Choose five to ten messages you'll be sending, and include part of a message in each one. Subscribers who pay enough attention to gather all the parts can put it together for a special deal, prize, or admission to an exclusive event. Bonus points for putting the message in a code, then sending the key as a final broadcast. Want to simplify a longer campaign? Use our free drip messaging feature to make it happen automatically!

What kinds of combined broadcasts have you sent out? How have they worked? Join the conversation in the comments below. 

"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey is a force in mixed martial arts. She won Bronze in Judo at the 2008 Olympic Games, and went on to win all 7 of her professional fights with first-round submissions using the same move every time. All the while, she's used a smart media strategy to build her personal brand to the point that she headlined the first women's fight in the UFC. Your business could do worse than to take a few pages out of her media playbook.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, The Web & Instragram!

1. Have an Opinion
   Ronda started early with a willingness to speak her mind in interviews, and recent years have seen her Twitter presence grow into its own force. Though her comments are often respectful of those she admires, she has no problem "trash talking" people or ideas that get on her nerves. The controversial comments generate nothing but extra publicity, bringing those who already like her more fervently into her fan base.
2. Bare it All
   Rousey literally bared all in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, leaving only the parts covered by her strategically positioned gloves to the imagination. Businesses should strive for the same kind of tactical transparency. Rousey knew her mostly male fan base would respond to that kind of revealing coverage. What parts of your business will build trust and loyalty if you show your customers what's going on?
3. Be Unusual
   In a sport full of ultra-aggressive, high-testosterone fighters and their even more macho fans, Rousey is an attractive woman who frequently observes a vegan or vegetarian diet. This gets her more attention than others at her level by giving journalists extra information and fans something to talk about. Identify the things that make your business stand out, and find ways to celebrate them.
4. Stick With What You Know
   A judo champion and daughter of a judo champion, Rousey wins her matches with grappling skills -- in fact, the same grappling skill over and over. She sticks with what she knows and wins by being better at it than everybody else. Though it's good to branch out and be flexible, focus on becoming the absolute best in the places where you excel.

You don't have to rise to the top of your industry by threatening to break people's arms, but that doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two from this fight sport champion. Readers, which of these strategies work best for you -- or which ones do you see your competition using well to your disadvantage?

We know you're reading this blog because you're excited about the marketing potential offered by new media and 21st century communications, but there are still some old-school tricks that bring customers to your door reliably. Even as you master your social media efforts, SMS Marketing campaigns and SEO efforts, it pays to keep them in heavy rotation. 

1. Referral Business
   Word of mouth will probably always be the king of marketing. Nothing influences buying decisions like the advice of a trusted friend or adviser. That's why we encourage SMS broadcasts that offer deals for bringing somebody into the fold. Do everything you can to reward referrals and watch your customer base grow.
2. The Three Foot Rule
   Versions of this have probably been around since the first businesses began to appear, but the rule was expressed this way first by Guerrilla Marketing guru Jay Conrad Levinson. The concept is simple: never let a new person get within three feet of you without knowing about your business. Keep business cards or brochures on you at all times to make this easier. It takes a little getting used to, but you will be amazed how many new customers it brings in.
3. Focus on the Bold Print
   What was true in the newspaper age remained true in the direct mail era, and is still true online. Though all your ad copy should be high-quality, compelling and information rich, you must spend extra energy on the headline and other bold print aspects of your ads. Most people only read that part of an ad, and those that read everything usually only do so if the bold print headlines grab their attention.
4. Radio Spots
   Of the big media options, radio is still the cheapest per impression. Even though iPhones and similar gadgets have replaced much of what radio does, people still listen in droves during their morning and afternoon commutes -- which explains why Google searches for a business spike whenever it gets mentioned on the radio. This works especially well for businesses that you wouldn't expect to hear on the air. Diamond wholesalers and dance clubs get some traction, but a karate studio or hair salon can see real results.

All of these strategies work best if you combine the old-school marketing with modern methods of reaching a maximum number of people. Do you have any stories of how you blended old marketing with new technology? Tell us about it in the comments below!

When you're marketing for a startup -- or just starting some marketing -- don't try to reinvent the wheel. Stand on the shoulders of giants, as they say, by using these essential resources to support, guide and jump-start your efforts.

1. The 5-Minute Guide to Cheap Startup Advertising A guest post by Rob Wailing for OnStartups.com. If you're as new as your company when it comes to startup marketing, here's the best rundown of what you absolutely need to know.
2. The Quick-and-Dirty Tips Network Nobody in a startup has just one job. QDT has short podcasts with tips on everything from marketing, to money management, to public speaking. Each is just 5 to 10 minutes long, and supported by extensive blog content.
3. 10 Marketing Tips for Every Startup The web is full of "X Tips" articles. You're reading one now. But classics are classics for a reason, and this post over at TheNextWeb.com is the best of its genre for this purpose. Read it before your strategy sessions for ideas.
4. The Four-Hour Workweek You've heard of the book and seen the TED talk. Ferriss's ideas won't always cut your work week to 1/10th or smaller what it is right now, but they're always applicable. They'll help you prioritize your time, identify your most important goals point your company in the direction that's best for you.
5. The Blog Tyrant If you think commercial bloggers aren't startup entrepreneurs, you haven't been paying attention. Ramsay Taplin's advice about blogging will help you build a base for your company's web traffic, but it goes beyond the blog into the realm of startup strategy.
6. What the Founders Wish They Knew The only thing better than learning from your mistakes is learning from other peoples' mistakes without making them yourself. This article asks 10 recent startup successes what they wish they'd known before opening their own companies.
7. Startup Success A podcast, now in the 150+ episode stage, where Bob Walsh and Patrick Foley cover startup strategies, tips for marketing and interviews with thought leaders and influential up-and-comers.

The trouble with lists is they're never complete. Readers, what other resources had the skinny you wish you'd known before getting started? Better yet, what advice and experience can you offer yourself? Join the conversation in the comments below.