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If your business could sit with Santa this holiday season, what would it ask from Santa for the New Year? You have to be quick! Remember, there are other little businesses waiting to talk with the big guy in red. Would it ask for shiny new customers? Increased brand awareness? More time in the day? Higher quality clientele? Perhaps some recognition for a job well done? I am sure each business owner could come up with a long list of wants; however I am not so sure Santa’s elves at the North Pole know how to build brand awareness, or how to wrap more time in pretty paper and a big bow. Santa most likely won’t bring you a high quality client and leave them under your tree.
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National Small Business Week highlights local small businesses and puts them in the spotlight.Small Business week provides the opportunity to show consumers what local small business hasto offer. With more small businesses competing for attention, it’s important that entrepreneurs take every chance they have to get the word out. This year during Small Business Week, businesses should focus on creative marketing efforts specific to their local market. With numerous social media outlets and countless ads from big businesses your clientele can quickly become desensitized to large scale advertising. As larger organizations attempt to hit mass markets, local businesses can gain an edge by including information specific to local events and issues with their marketing efforts. Marketing your business and local events helps to personalize the efforts and can strengthen a connection between your brand and your local clientele. Don’t let the National Small Business Week spotlight fade away! Use this week to highlight your local business, support other small businesses in your area, and gain some marketing momentum. Capitalize on this week, if you’re not sure how, reach out to us here at Next Move Marketing, we can work with you to get the most out of the local spirit of business.  What experience does your web audience gets when they visit your website? I’m sure you carefully cultivated it to represent you and your company. But what about tablet visitors? Smart TVs? What about your own cell phone? Do they get the same kind of experience? Go ahead, check it. I’ll wait….
What did you think? Not sure? Here’s the deal… With the average site receiving anywhere from 30% to 60% of its traffic from tablets and phones you have no choice how, when, where, or on what your audience chooses to connect with you. Having a mobile-friendly site is no longer a luxury or an upgrade. It is a requirement to succeed in this multi-device world. It is a simple question. How does your website perform on small screens? But the answer is more complex. Does it look good on your devices? How easy is it to navigate? Is your site Mobile Responsive? A responsive site gives you the best opportunity to deliver a good user experience for your audience no matter what device they are using. The fastest way to test if your website is using responsive design is to check your site using a computer:
Still curious what you look like mobile? The easiest way is to try accessing your website on numerous devices. If you don’t have access to different brands and styles, go to a store that sells multiple devices and test them out. Hey, if you’re a bit of a tech nerd like me, playing with different tablets can be a lot of fun, (but that’s a whole different post). So What If You’re Not Using Responsive Design? It’s simple. You aren’t managing what your audience experiences. Your website is given less credibility by search engines and drops lower in web search results. Think about the implications of that. Google and other search engines are the primary way your mobile audience is going to find you, but also your competition. A site that isn’t mobile responsive puts you a step behind before you even get started! If you go through the above steps and realize that your website is not mobile responsive, don’t panic! There are plenty of ways for you to get started. Contact Next Move Marketing and we can walk you through the process and improve that mobile experience. This is a question just about every business faces at one time or another. There are a lot of factors to review before you tackle the task of marketing your small business. I compiled some thoughts to consider before you make the move to hire a marketing firm.
Your first marketing decision is whether to bring in an outside firm or hire an employee to act as your marketing department. I can speak from experience in both of these capacities. Hiring an employee requires going through the hiring process, hours of training, and additional payroll and benefits, all before that person can even begin to start marketing your business. If you find the right employee, they can be a priceless asset to your firm, for as long as they stick around. However, odds are a talented individual will eventually move on to a larger company, and you will have to start the hiring process all over again. When you bring in a marketing firm, you remove many of these uncertainties and pay only for agreed upon services. A marketing firm has already established connections and resources immediately available to you and your company. Often small businesses and entrepreneurs are apprehensive about bringing in outside help. This is a natural reaction for self-starting individuals who often feel that they have to do everything. Bringing in a marketing firm goes against those instincts; however what it does do is bring a new dynamic to your business. This hire brings in a team member with experience executing marketing plans who can immediately begin to implement those plans. No need to wait for training or HR; a firm is hired for your specific needs with no additional overhead, or tax liabilities. The firm will be efficient, available short or long term, and if you're crunched for time, a strong marketing firm will deliver rapid results. As a small business owner, you're constantly faced with making decisions about how to utilize your resources and invest your money. Consider your options, keeping in mind that a good marketing firm will not take your money unless they truly believe that they can help your business. A marketing firm acting on this principle will support you and grow your business, allowing you to focus on your core competencies, the things you do best. |
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December 2016
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