Learn to Love Marketing AND Selling for Your Small Business

Can you market so well that you never have to sell? 

I saw that published once from a marketing guru. You can market so well that you'll never have to sell again.

Forget about it – that’s my opinion. As I wrote on my Running a Small Business blog, if you’re the owner of a small business then you have to sell either to customers or you have to sell your vision to employees and perhaps business partners.

So what if you’re scared to death about selling and you’re a consultant just starting out? Can you get enough referrals to generate business? Perhaps. But getting enough referral business to make a living is going to take a couple of years. 

You’ve got to be the one to make the sale. But don’t sweat it. 

Instead, click here to read this article on what helped me overcome my fear of selling. It’s brief but I trust it will be helpful for you.

The article was published on Yahoo! Finance.

Making sense of writing copy for a web site

Here’s how I broke out a proposal for a Business-to-Business client wanting to market their small business using a web site and improved web presence.

I simply made a list of how I go about my tasks to get the copy down:

1. Interview – a structured questionnaire to cull the info from the senior partners
2. Research – reading through 3 to 5 industry competitors and highlighting strong and weak copy
3. Site Map
4. Draft 1
5. Client Review
6. Draft 2
7. Final Revisions

I also broke out the pages. Most basic web sites need a few key landing pages with a headline, sub-head, and call to action.

• Home -- appx 75 to 150 words
• Services – appx 250 words
• About – appx 250 words
• Contact
• Industry News or Resource Page

Sites needing more content and pages can have those. However, professional service firms may choose instead to write downloadable white papers.

I’ll put together a series on developing your online presence and more about the interview process. That's a key area and worth focusing on.

I invite you to click here and visit my Right Touch Marketing site to learn about the web platform that's a great fit for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses.

My writing can expand your reach and marketing efforts

The content I write for clients can expand their reach and position them favorably in front of their target customers.

Recently, I rewrote the web copy for Redtop Coffee Shop.com on a project from Joltwise Marketing.

I interviewed the owners, wrote the web copy, and then used the additional material to write three articles on Examiner.com where I'm the LA Business News Examiner.

The Internet is a great way to leverage information. Copy written for websites can be re-written for online articles, guest blog posts, and even expanded into white papers or e-books.

When writing for the web, show readers how you solve the problems and challenges of your customers and why a reader should do business with you over the competition.

Why I market Omega-3s to manage stress in business and personal life

A year ago, I began taking a high grade omega-3 supplement and found that it helped me manage my stress while running a home-based business in a home that had up to 10 people living in it.

I invite you to come to the Pasadena Central Library on Saturday March 17 from 10am to 11am and get the facts on high-grade omega-3 supplements. It's free. Click here to attend.

I'll present facts, cut through the hype, and offer rationale on why omega-3s in the right dosage can help us achieve optimal health.

For many of us, our businesses rely on our brain power and certainly marketing requires focus and imagination.

Find out how you can give your brain the very best and see if omega-3s might be helpful for you.

Flash drives have become indispensible for transferring our word documents and Power Point presentations from one laptop to another. Here's a way to compare flash drives without having to drive to an office supply store.

I offer businesses a way to get cash back on all office supplies, including flash drives and other electronics. One of my favorite stores is Tiger Direct.com which has free shipping and speedy delivery to California.

Here's how you compare flash drives for price, value, and shipping costs.

Option 1

Log on to this link which takes you to Shop.com, a comprehensive web portal, with a site leading to Tiger Direct.com. You'll notice my name above.

Click on the shop now button and enter your email. Now, you're in the Tiger Direct.com store and can compare flash drive prices.

Once you make your purchase, you can qualify for getting cash back on your purchases and there is free registration.

Option 2

Log on to Shop.com with this link that has "flash drives" in the search box. Be specific if you want certain size flash drives like 16 gigabyte. My favorite is the Patriot flash drive.

You can do this with any product. You'll notice different prices and different stores offering the product.

Go ahead and log on. If you have any questions, please email me, Don Simkovich, at dsimkovich@righttouchmarketing.com.

Marketing your online presence for small business owners

I just wrote three blog posts on marketing your online presence. This requires a strategy and consistent actions. It's not hard to do, but marketing online and building an audience, or presence, requires consistency. 


For a free website demo, see the link at the end of this post.

1. It begins with your website. Click here for the post.
2. Social media plays a role. It enhances your website presence. Click here for that post.
3. Offering articles and white papers to your readers is another part of marketing online and developing a following. Click here for that post.

Having content that readers find helpful on your website and articles is the most important place to start.

Offering a valuable giveaway for free markets your knowledge.

Participating in social media conversations builds relationships.

Each one deserves its own series and I'll be developing that for the near future.

I help small business owners, including professionals and performers, market to get noticed online and attract new clients.

For those who want a free website demo visit Right Touch Marketing.com.

Marketing your online presence as a professional with articles and white papers

Share quality information that your readers can put to use immediately through articles and whitepapers and you will make major strides in setting yourself apart from your competitors.

Writing articles, or white papers, is a way to meet the needs of your customers and while earning a position of authority. You can share your knowledge about your industry, trends, specific products, and how your services will help your clients save time, money, find new customers, generate revenue, improve their health -- or whatever their needs and wants are.

Article Types

Tips articles are excellent topics to produce.

About articles are good to provide an overview of an industry.

Case studies show how you've created results.

Article lengths for online writing should run from 350 words to 600 words. Use headings and sub-headings to break up text and make paragraphs no more than a few sentences.

White papers should be more formal and include citations from journals and quotes from industry leaders. These should contain more detailed information on macro forces shaping an industry and then building a case for actions your prospective clients should take.

Make sure your website pulls in your blog where you can post your article. Click here to see a free demo for a website content management system that can pull in Wordpress blogs or Blogger blogs.

Marketing your online presence as a professional with your social media

A social media presence is essential for a professional who wants to maximize the use of online marketing.

Social media does not take the place of a website, but rather the use of sites like LinkedIn and Facebook should enhance a professional's website exposure and marketing efforts.

The most basic purpose of these platforms is to participate in conversations, add your knowledge based on your experience and industry trends, and thereby build new relationships.

Social media is a way to say "hello."

This is the same principle as meeting others in person at a business networking function. You wouldn't walk into a room and immediately begin asking people if they want to buy your services or products. You wouldn't say, "I charge 'x' dollars per hour for a consultation" while chomping on appetizers. Or at least I hope you wouldn't. Social media is similar. Strike up conversations and join in conversations.

For those who simply strive to promote links to their own sites, or promote their own content, social media will be a time waster and likely not yield any new business contacts.

Remember, your website is the most important tool for your online presence. Make it personable so visitors get to know you thoroughly. Use social media to engage in conversations that otherwise would not be possible on your site.

To see a web solution in action, log on to Right Touch Marketing.com and request a free demo.

I'm also offering a free e-chapter, "How to Position Yourself as an Expert." Learn how to build your brand for your clients and media outlets. Get a free copy by emailing me, Don Simkovich, dsimkovich@gmail.com. 

Photo used courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1065245

Marketing your online presence as a professional using your website

For professional consultants, salespeople, and trade professionals your website is more than a tool for marketing your online presence. It's your opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition.

Attorneys who have their own practices, medical professionals like dentists or doctors, real estate agents, bookkeepers, and accountants may provide the same or similar services that other professionals in the same city or region provide.

But your personality is different, plus your hobbies, and the culture in your office.

Use your website, or build a website, to market your differences and to show your web visitors why they should do business with you and not the competition.

I was having coffee with a friend who's a financial consultant on Lake Avenue, south of Green Street in Pasadena, and I said, "there must be a thousand financial consultants within two miles of this place." He laughed and said, "There must be two thousand financial consultants within a mile."

In Pasadena, Glendale, and the greater Los Angeles area there are opportunities for new business but there's also fierce competition due to the high number of practitioners in any given field.

Make sure your website is effectively marketing your online presence.

Your pictures: I recommend having at least three images--a professional headshot, an image showing you in action, and an image showing you pursuing one of your hobbies. This alone can set you apart from the competition.

Your text: state clearly what you do, why you do it, the services you provide along with the benefits to your clients.

Your testimonials: collect 3 to 4 testimonials from satisfied clients and/or those who have worked with you on a volunteer project.

Your call to action: invite someone to give a call or request a giveaway.

Your freebie: give something away like an ebook filled with tips for your clients or a fun product from a local business person.

Make sure your site also has a box to give visitors an opportunity and a reason to offer you their email addresses.

For a free demo of a website with a powerful content management system, click on Right Touch Marketing.com and contact me, Don Simkovich, to schedule phone or in-person consultation.

A realistic overview of small business marketing on Facebook

I read a report yesterday that puts small business marketing in Facebook in perspective and gives a realistic overview. Summary: use social media to enhance your web presence but have your own niche site to control your web presence.

Now, I believe in using Facebook for business and some small companies use it much more effectively than others. But the report confirms that having a web site separate from Facebook remains essential for attracting a niche market.

The article in Social Media Today entitled "Facebook, Why Nobody is Listening" by Urs E Gattiker indicates that most people go on social media won't interact with status updates from brands.

Research, based on 400 million Facebook fans, indicates that only 3.5 to 7.49 percent see your status update (Parker, Brian, June 21, 2011). Also, just 0.25 to 0.90 percent interact with the status update.

To put this in email campaign terms, only 3 to 7 percent open it. Moreover, less than one percent click-through on one of the links you provide in your email newsletter. That sounds like a nightmare for any marketer.

Therefore, 50,000 Facebook fans (or email newsletter subscribers) represent just 3,750 active Facebook likes (or newsletter subscribers). The rest is deadweight, fake user accounts or robots who certainly are not potential clients.

A niche website should be your focal point

A responder to the article left a comment citing a Pew Internet and American Life Project on “Why Americans use Social Media” provides some insight. In essence, people use social media sites to connect with friends and family. Everything else (including your website) just gets in the way.

Summary of the report:
“Two-thirds of online adults (66%) use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn. These internet users say that connections with family members and friends (both new and old) are a primary consideration in their adoption of social media tools.

Small businesses--and I would emphasize independent consultants and solo entrepreneurs--won't fare as well.

That doesn't mean a Facebook for business isn't valuable, it is. But it also means don't count on Facebook alone or one of the other social media sites to drive traffic.

Getting into search engines requires having a stand alone website that is optimized for your niche and your area of expertise.


Click here to read the report on Social Media Today.