In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. - Harold S. Geneen

International Coffee Day!!!!

Coffee in the morning to wake up; grab a cup of coffee and catch up with friends; stop for coffee with clients – we drink coffee morning, noon and night. There are coffee shops on nearly every street. Today is International Coffee Day! Enjoy!!!!

Always remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up with a purpose...it would also be nice to make it to your bed.

3 Ways to Tell If Your Website Design is A-OK

A website is a great investment for a small business if it works properly.  You can get all caught up in what your website does not have. There is always some new bell or whistle you can add, but do you really need it? Probably not.

Here are some ways to tell if your website is A-OK as it is today.

Your site is mobile-friendly

Last April, Google changed its search algorithm making any business without a mobile-friendly website less competitive in Google’s search engine results. If your site is mobile-friendly, you’re doing better than more than half of the businesses out there. You can check to see if your site passes Googles mobile-friendly test by clicking here.

If your site doesn’t pass the mobile-friendly test, make getting your site mobile-friendly the one improvement you make to it this year.

Your site immediately tells a user what it offers

A new visitor to your site should very quickly be able to tell what your company offers. You have 60 seconds to get your message across before you lose them.

Letting visitors know what you offer in less than 60 seconds isn’t easy. Your website has to have strong, clear copy and a design that does not distract from the message.

Your site loads quickly

Today’s website visitors want a website to load in less than 2 to 3 seconds. Studies show that most site take 5.2 seconds to load. Page size, un-optimized images and complexity can contribute to a slow load time. If you want to test the load time of your website, go to Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

How to calculate your hourly rate as a consultant

Here is a quick and easy formula for calculating your hourly rate as a small business owner or consultant.

Have You Heard? Facebook Announced a New ‘Dislike’ Button is Coming

Facebook does a really good job of understanding its audience and giving us what we want. But for many years, Facebook has refused to add a Dislike button. After all, we don’t like everything, do we? There are some posts on Facebook that require the option to dislike the post.

Finally, this week, Facebook announced they will be adding a Dislike button. An official release date has not been set but rest assured you’ll soon be able to dislike insensitive comments and posts.

What do you think about Facebook’s new Dislike button?

Happy Constitution Day from Blue Dog Marketing!

On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 brave men who changed the course of history.

3 Marketing Mistakes Consultants Make

Blue Dog Marketing often has consultants as clients. Some are just starting out and

others have been in business for many years. We have found a few similarities amongst them and even other small business owners….they often make the same marketing mistakes.

Mistake #1 – Lack of an Organized Message

Most consultants are extremely talented people. They bring many skills to their consultancies but they often lack focus about their expertise and niche. They don’t have a way to clearly communicate who they are, what they do and how they can help a prospective client.

What is the fix for this mistake? Tie all your talents, passions, experience and skills into ONE cohesive message that is unique to you. This will make you stand out from your competition.

Mistake #2 – Failure to Connect

Many consultants are great connectors when talking to prospects in person. However, their written marketing materials don’t connect with their target audience. They use buzzwords and jargon that makes them sound too generic. They stifle their own voice by trying to sound ‘right.’

How can you fix this marketing problem? Find the words that best describe you and your offerings. Learn the pain points of your target audience and address them clearly by getting personal and being yourself when writing your message.

Mistake #3 – No Real Marketing Plan

Many consultants, and small business owners, either don’t have a marketing plan or don’t stick to it. They spend their time chasing the latest shiny marketing object without learning if it is the correct marketing endeavor for them. They waste energy, time and money.

The fix for this mistake is preparing a good marketing plan and sticking with it. Work hard on your marketing plan, do your research and execute it according to the plan and you will see that you look more attractive to clients and your message is clear and consistent. 

Happy Grandparents Day from Blue Dog Marketing!

EASILY CREATE GREAT CONTENT FOR YOUR WEBSITE

If you are a small business, you should have a website so prospective customers can learn more about you. You can easily make your website fun and easy to read when you have a clear message. How do you achieve that clear message? Here are some easy steps to writing great content for your site:

Know your Audience

Who is your target audience? Before your start writing, you must ask yourself some questions about who you are writing for and what their pain points are. 

Questions you should ask about your target audience are:

• -         Who are your target audience?
• -         What are their pain points?
• -         What are they looking for on your site?

Address their pain points

Once you understand who your audience is, you need to figure out how you can solve their problems. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• -         What do I offer?
• -         What makes my products or services unique?
• -         What specific challenge or pain point can I solve?
• -         Why should my target audience care?

Now that you’ve put yourself in your audience’s shoes, you can start drafting your copy. Your website should sound like you, so write as you speak. You can always smooth out the text later. To make your first writing exercise easier, imagine you’re having an informal conversation with your clients.

Keep it short & sweet

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re editing your text:

• -         Use bullet points to break down long lists of ideas
• -         Introduce sections with brief, fun titles that will draw attention
• -         Stick to one key message for each section
• -         Keep sentences short and focused

Enlist your friends’ help

You don’t have to go it alone. Send your finished copy to a trusted friend for an honest review. Ask them if it’s clear, interesting, and most of all, fun to read! An outsider’s perspective is a great way to get an unbiased second opinion on your text.

Your website should address your customers’ pain points and how you can solve them. Talk about “you” in the ‘About Us’ section while the majority of your site is about your customers’ needs.

If you need help writing your website content, feel free to reach out to us at Blue Dog Marketing. We’ll be glad to assist you!

Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your product or service, and that bring friends with them. - W. Edwards Deming

Happy Labor Day from Blue Dog Marketing!

Cause Marketing

Learn what cause marketing is and how your business can participate and benefit from cause marketing.

Afraid of Video Marketing?

Are you afraid of video marketing? Don’t be! We have some tips that will get your videos seen and have customers wanting more.

Studies have shown that people are 97% more likely to purchase a product featured in a video. This reason alone should have you whipping out your smartphone and creating a video.

If you have a smart phone, you can create good quality videos for your website and social media networks. A video on Facebook is more likely to be seen in a newsfeed than a written post. Videos on your website also help move your site up higher in search rankings. These are all good reasons to incorporate videos into your marketing plan.

Do you want a more professional look to your videos or do you want to create a longer video about your business or products? Consider having a professional videographer create your videos for you.

If you are the DYI type, experiment with different locations or times of day when creating your videos. If you are filming at your office desk, the morning light might be too bright, so filming in the afternoon might be a better option for you.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when posting your video on your website:

·         Make sure your video thumbnail features a person. People are more likely to click on a video that features a person rather than a product.

·         Size your video correctly. The best video width is between 401 pixels and 600 pixels. This size won’t overwhelm your page and yet will grab the attention of your visitors.

·         Place your video above the fold. Your video will be seen and played if it is positioned above the fold.

·         Make sure your video aligns with the content on your page. If you don’t do this, you will confuse your visitors.

·         Include a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) at the end of your video. If you don’t, you’re missing out on a huge lead generation opportunity. Use actionable language such a join, learn, discover, start and stop. And keep it simple. Any CTA that is more than 10 to 15 words long is probably too long.

·         Make sure your video is share-friendly. Social media shares are endorsements for your brand. If you really want people to share your video, ask! Encourage people to share your video if they found it valuable. You can easily do this at the end of the video as you close.

Grab your smartphone and start filming!