For businesses, LinkedIn can be a goldmine for those who know how to use it. Here are four ways your business might benefit from using LinkedIn for generating leads:
Participation. Encourage your staff to participate with LinkedIn. Your business will have more visibility when staff creates an account so more professionals will associate with your business.
Presence within LinkedIn. Make an effort to spread the word about your availability in LinkedIn. Promote your profile on your blog and Twitter feeds. Add a QR code to the back of your business card that drives traffic to your LinkedIn profile. Include the LinkedIn link on your email signature. Add clients as connections to see their contacts (aka, new potential prospects).
Group Think. Contribute to active group discussions and position yourself as an expert in your field. Don't waste time on groups that have low member counts and little or no participation. Give thoughtful and expert responses to questions. Don't pitch your services on LinkedIn, there will be other opportunities for that.
Follow Up. Track who is viewing your company website and your profile. These people may be potential leads researching your company. Follow up leads with an email, LinkedIn's InMail or phone call.
Lead generation within LinkedIn does require some investment of your time. But by engaging with professionals from relevant industries on social media sites, your list of prospects will grow.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Branding on Social Media
Social media is a trend that is not slowing down in the branding world. Almost everyone is using one type of social media. Not everyone has signed on to social media but they have utilized social media almost every day. Creating a company page is another way to advertise your brand.
Before you jump into creating several social media pages and posting random tweets or comments on Facebook, think about how your business wants to use social media. Identify what you intend to achieve with each social media outlet. Facebook could be used for customer service comments and Twitter can be used to express your industry expertise. Even if your business is not ready to go ahead for a social media campaign , create a page in each social media outlet to claim your business name. You don't want to wait to sign up and then have your business name taken.
Try to be consistent with using social media outlets. Try to interaction with your followers as much as possible to engage them in your brand. Be careful on the content you publish, if your company is a longstanding traditional brand, don't post something that is not consistent with the way your business operates.
Remember to post on a regular schedule. By jumping into social media outlet and then not posting or replying to followers can potentially hurt your brand. The more your business brand displays on computer, ipad or phone screens, the more your brand is being instilled in your followers minds.
Visit us at www.austinmmp and like us on our Facebook page.
Before you jump into creating several social media pages and posting random tweets or comments on Facebook, think about how your business wants to use social media. Identify what you intend to achieve with each social media outlet. Facebook could be used for customer service comments and Twitter can be used to express your industry expertise. Even if your business is not ready to go ahead for a social media campaign , create a page in each social media outlet to claim your business name. You don't want to wait to sign up and then have your business name taken.
Try to be consistent with using social media outlets. Try to interaction with your followers as much as possible to engage them in your brand. Be careful on the content you publish, if your company is a longstanding traditional brand, don't post something that is not consistent with the way your business operates.
Remember to post on a regular schedule. By jumping into social media outlet and then not posting or replying to followers can potentially hurt your brand. The more your business brand displays on computer, ipad or phone screens, the more your brand is being instilled in your followers minds.
Visit us at www.austinmmp and like us on our Facebook page.
Monday, August 5, 2013
After Hour Networking
When drumming up new business, almost everyone is reaching out to consumers via social media and/or direct mail campaigns. Meeting new people at after hour networking can be a challenge for some personalities. Here are some tips on how to tackle the after hour networking event:
Don't be shy when it comes to networking. You need to put yourself out there and think of every interaction as a networking opportunity. If you tend to be shy in this environment, you can overcome that by being prepared. Find volunteer opportunities that will help you get comfortable talking with strangers to overcome your shyness.
Don't just think of the traditional happy hour events as your only place to find new business. Try to engage with people everywhere you go. You never know where your next customer may come from. Example - while at the dog park and talking with another dog owner, it came up we own MMP and they happen to need a poster rushed the next week. We gained a customer by interacting with other dog owners. Keep your business cards on you at all times for these unexpected opportunities.
Don't overwhelm people with a long elevator pitch. Make the pitch short, simple and relevant to the person you are engaging with. You will also want to find a way to stand out from everybody else.
Don't force a business relationship. Find commonality with people by sharing hobbies or passions before talking business. Not everyone you meet will become a customer, however, you never know if that introduction might turn into a referral.
Like us on Facebook and visit us at www.austinmmp.com
Don't be shy when it comes to networking. You need to put yourself out there and think of every interaction as a networking opportunity. If you tend to be shy in this environment, you can overcome that by being prepared. Find volunteer opportunities that will help you get comfortable talking with strangers to overcome your shyness.
Don't just think of the traditional happy hour events as your only place to find new business. Try to engage with people everywhere you go. You never know where your next customer may come from. Example - while at the dog park and talking with another dog owner, it came up we own MMP and they happen to need a poster rushed the next week. We gained a customer by interacting with other dog owners. Keep your business cards on you at all times for these unexpected opportunities.
Don't overwhelm people with a long elevator pitch. Make the pitch short, simple and relevant to the person you are engaging with. You will also want to find a way to stand out from everybody else.
Don't force a business relationship. Find commonality with people by sharing hobbies or passions before talking business. Not everyone you meet will become a customer, however, you never know if that introduction might turn into a referral.
Like us on Facebook and visit us at www.austinmmp.com
Friday, July 19, 2013
Turn your Office Place into a Green Environment
We all have heard of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. This may be easy to do at home but harder to
accomplish in the workplace. However,
if you are able to make your marketing material green than there is a chance
you might attract a variety of customers by advertising with the green
approach.
Reduce -- If your habit includes sending emails, internet
new articles, projects to the printer to have
a hard copy of then you may want to change your habits. Although it is
important to see how the product will actually look on paper, employees tend to
print unnecessary documents. Encourage
employees to limit clicking the print button.
Reuse and Recycle -- Do
you have left over letterhead, flyers or other materials that are not
used anymore? Before tossing them, think of
ways to reuse this paper. Create a bin for paper that can be used
again. Put back in the printer to print
on other side. Use this paper as scrap
note paper. See if the staff can come up
with creative ways to reuse paper.
Many customers appreciate hearing about what your business
is doing to help the environment. Be
honest of your recycling practices that you have established. They may be no brainer practices, but is can be easy
to embellish your recycling practice.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Planning for Successful Project
Planning is important for a business to be success. A well detailed plan can fail if not executed successfully. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Communicate to employees what is the most important to accomplish by prioritizing goals. Don't have employees spend too much time on things that do have much impact on the end result.
Setup procedures for keeping everyone updated about problems and progress. Not every issue needs to be shared, however, let people know what questions and information they should bring to you and who else needs to be informed. Establish a time line to review progress on a regular basis for all large and small projects.
Document what decisions were made and what actions were taken for large projects. So when the project comes around again, you can be better prepared to avoid mistakes or misunderstandings. Evaluate the project if needed, discuss on what the team achieved and what process needs to be changed.
Visit us online www.austinmmp.com and like us on Facebook.
Communicate to employees what is the most important to accomplish by prioritizing goals. Don't have employees spend too much time on things that do have much impact on the end result.
Setup procedures for keeping everyone updated about problems and progress. Not every issue needs to be shared, however, let people know what questions and information they should bring to you and who else needs to be informed. Establish a time line to review progress on a regular basis for all large and small projects.
Document what decisions were made and what actions were taken for large projects. So when the project comes around again, you can be better prepared to avoid mistakes or misunderstandings. Evaluate the project if needed, discuss on what the team achieved and what process needs to be changed.
Visit us online www.austinmmp.com and like us on Facebook.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Social Media and Customer Feedback
Most consumers are connected in social media in at least one way if not more. Your business will get positive and negative feedback from customers so you will need to understand how to respond strategically to their feedback.
When you joined a social media, were you thinking you might be putting your business at risk. Being open to customer feedback on Facebook or Twitter can help your business.
Customers want to interact with you on social media. It is great to get positive feedback for the attention. Keep in mind negative comments still can have value when your response is appropriate.
If a customer has a negative comment to make about your business, let them say it. You should respond to the negative comment appropriately. You might be surprised when you find loyal customers coming to your defense.
The rules for responding to complaints on social media is the same as in person. Review the complaint and then look into the situation. Respond right away if you plan on responding on social media. Handling negative feedback on social media well, could turn into a positive. Customers and prospects may be impressed on how your business handled the comment.
Keep an eye on your business’s social media properties so you can turn a bad customer experience into a sales opportunity.
Visit us on Facebook and check out our website www.austinmmp.com
When you joined a social media, were you thinking you might be putting your business at risk. Being open to customer feedback on Facebook or Twitter can help your business.
Customers want to interact with you on social media. It is great to get positive feedback for the attention. Keep in mind negative comments still can have value when your response is appropriate.
If a customer has a negative comment to make about your business, let them say it. You should respond to the negative comment appropriately. You might be surprised when you find loyal customers coming to your defense.
The rules for responding to complaints on social media is the same as in person. Review the complaint and then look into the situation. Respond right away if you plan on responding on social media. Handling negative feedback on social media well, could turn into a positive. Customers and prospects may be impressed on how your business handled the comment.
Keep an eye on your business’s social media properties so you can turn a bad customer experience into a sales opportunity.
Visit us on Facebook and check out our website www.austinmmp.com
Monday, June 17, 2013
Streamline all your Marketing Channels
Streamline all your marketing channels campaigns to help your customers identify your brand.
If your customers are familiar and can identify your business based on your branding, it is a better chance your customers will feel comfortable with your business.
Design all your business materials such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards to be consistent with your branding. Before you create your next marketing material, ensure they all match with your brand’s color scheme.
Take a look at your in-store signage and other promotional pieces. Do they have the same look and feel? Does the in-store signage match what your website or social media accounts are saying? Point of purchase should match your email marketing too.
When creating your direct mail flyers, remember to keep these pieces should connect with the rest of your marketing materials. When you send out direct mail flyers, you want your flyer to jog a prospect’s memory of seeing your branding before.
The two most important elements that need to be streamlined is email and website. The color scheme in your email message ought to complement your website’s colors. If you catch a customer’s attention from your website, expect an in person visit. Thus the in-store theme should match the website.
Streamlining all your marketing channels is important for customer retention and closing a sale. Link every element to keep them hooked.
Visit our website for more information, www.austinmmp.com
If your customers are familiar and can identify your business based on your branding, it is a better chance your customers will feel comfortable with your business.
Design all your business materials such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards to be consistent with your branding. Before you create your next marketing material, ensure they all match with your brand’s color scheme.
Take a look at your in-store signage and other promotional pieces. Do they have the same look and feel? Does the in-store signage match what your website or social media accounts are saying? Point of purchase should match your email marketing too.
When creating your direct mail flyers, remember to keep these pieces should connect with the rest of your marketing materials. When you send out direct mail flyers, you want your flyer to jog a prospect’s memory of seeing your branding before.
The two most important elements that need to be streamlined is email and website. The color scheme in your email message ought to complement your website’s colors. If you catch a customer’s attention from your website, expect an in person visit. Thus the in-store theme should match the website.
Streamlining all your marketing channels is important for customer retention and closing a sale. Link every element to keep them hooked.
Visit our website for more information, www.austinmmp.com
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