Happy New Year from Blue Dog Marketing!!!

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. – Zig Ziglar

Do or do not; there is no try. – Yoda

Merry Christmas from Blue Dog Marketing! Wishing you peace, love and a wonderful day with your family!

The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect. – Adam Osborne

Quick Facebook Update Ideas

I know it takes time to keep your social media posts current. Would you like some short cuts you can use for your business Facebook page?

Great! Here are three quick and easy ways to write a Facebook update.

1. Start or end your update with a question. Questions encourage your fans to respond and that is the start of the ‘social’ conversations you want have with your fans.
2. Use an image with a quote. Find a really great quote and picture that goes with it. Put the text over the picture and use that as your post. Quotes are a great way to inspire your fans and to share what motivates you.
3. Share a link. I don’t recommend sharing all the time but sometimes it works. If you find a really great article or post that you want to share with your fans, share the link to the article but also write something about the article. Let your fans know why you’re sharing an article and what you think about it.

Today is the first day of winter. Enjoy the snow and cold!!

Start Your New Year with Marketing Tips That Will Revive Your Small Business

Do you want to start the New Year out by trying some new marketing ideas? If you’ve found yourself in a business dry spell, we have some marketing tips and ideas that can take you from stuck to productive in no time.

Remember the 80/20 Rule

80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. What are you doing to remarket to your current and past customers? Add them to your newsletter list or just send out an email blast offering a discount on a specific product or service. By touching your current and past customers in this way you can stay top of mind with them.

Ask for Referrals

Referrals can help your business grow. People are more likely to trust a friend or business associate over an advertisement. Ask your family, friends and customers for referrals…don’t be shy about it either!

Use Social Media

Social media is free to use, the only cost is your time, so use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter on a regular basis. If your business has products that can be photographed, take good quality pictures and post them on Pinterest and Instagram.

Ask for Testimonials

Testimonials are a great way to influence potential customers to use your services or buy your products. Ask your current and past customers for testimonials. Not all testimonials have to be written. You can create a video of a client testimonial for use on your website and social media sites. Videos are also a great way for your customers to demonstrate how easily your product works.

You are the Expert

Position yourself and your business as the expert in your industry. Look for opportunities to speak to area Chambers or other business groups. Write articles for your local newspaper and don’t forget to blog. If you get your name out there, people will remember you when they need your products or services.

Give one or all of these ideas a try. Make 2016 your best year ever!

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. – Albert Einstein

Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Are you starting your small business and your marketing budget is small or non-existent? Don’t think you can’t do any marketing, because you can. Here are three great ways to start marketing your new business while on a shoestring budget.

Network

Go where your potential customers are and talk about what you do. Networking opportunities are everywhere. Check out Meet-Up groups and local Chamber events. Every week, look in your local Sunday newspaper for a listing of networking events happening that week and attend as many as you can.

Use Email Marketing

Using email is a fairly low-cost marketing effort. MailChimp is a great, and free, email service you can use. MailChimp allows you to have up to 2,000 subscribers and send out 12,000 emails a month. They have templates you can use to easily design a great looking email or newsletter.

Use Social Media

Social media is a free way to reach your current and potential customers. Use LinkedIn to search for and connect with a vast number of people that can help grow your business or become customers. Other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, can be used to develop relationships with potential customers. Social media can be used to talk about your products or services. It is a great way to share information, educate your target market and set yourself up as an expert in your industry.

As a small business owner, you will eventually have to invest in your business by spending money on marketing. Until you have the funds to invest, use these ideas that won’t bust your budget. 

Effective Marketing Materials

Have you ever been handed a business card or brochure that is cheaply printed? Where did they end up…in the trash? Professionally designed marketing materials can capture your potential clients’ attention.

Here are four tips to ensure that your printed marketing materials turn prospects into customers.

Keep it simple

Your brochures, sales sheets and flyers should have plenty of white space, bullet points and short paragraphs on the basics you need to cover. Remember, in-depth information can be covered during your face-to-face meetings.  With bullet points and some headers, your marketing materials will be easy to read.

Be true to your brand

Be consistent in your branding. The color, design, content and your voice must be the same for everything you do for your business…from your website to your business cards and brochures. Put your logo on all your marketing materials and focus on what differentiates your from your competition and why customers should do business with you.

Use pictures

Having nice pictures in your marketing materials will make you look professional. Invest in professional photos of your staff and your offices. Pictures tell a story and the story must be yours.

Use testimonials

Testimonials provide ‘real person’ authenticity to your story. Having customers say how great you are is much more believable than if you say it about yourself. Ask your customers for testimonials and use them on your website and in your printed marketing materials.

Often, your marketing materials are the first impression a potential customer will see. Marketing materials are an investment in your business.

Do you need help designing the perfect brochure or flyer for your business? Let Blue Dog Marketing create your spot-on marketing materials for you.

Happy Hanukkah from Blue Dog Marketing!

Pantone 2016 Color of the Year

For the first time, Pantone has picked two colors for their “Color of the Year.” For 2016, their color choices are Rose Quartz and Serenity. Look for a lovely blend of pastel roses and blues in everything from clothing and makeup to furniture accessories next year.

Read more about it at Pantone's website: Pantone Color of the Year 

Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Common Marketing Mistakes

Having been in marketing for many years, I have observed some common marketing mistakes that small businesses often make. These mistakes can cost the business lost income and unnecessary expense. If your small business is on a tight budget, you don’t want to make any marketing mistakes that will cost you money.

Here are four common mistakes that many small business owners make:

No Marketing Plan

Do you have a written plan of how you are going to market your business over the next six to twelve months? Are you failing to plan or planning to fail?

A marketing plan allows your business to define its marketing objectives and clearly communicate your product or service to your team and your customers.

You Don’t Know Your Target Market

Can you clearly describe who your target audience is for each of your products or services?

All of your marketing decisions should be based on knowing and understanding your target market. If you haven’t determined your target audience, take the time to discover who they really are.

No One Is Assigned to Marketing

Is there one person in your business that is responsible for your marketing? If everyone is, then no one actually is.

As a small business owner, you may not have the finances available to hire a full-time marketing person. But it is important that a knowledgeable marketing person be responsible for your marketing, even if you have to outsource it.

You Don’t Track Marketing Results

Do you track each of your marketing campaign results? Do you track your website visits?

In today’s digital world, it’s easy for you to track your results. Google Analytics, for instance, can help you see who is visiting your website, how long they stay and what pages they looked at. This information can assist you in seeing if your home page content and call-to-action are working properly.

If you work to correct these four areas, even on a tight budget, you will position your small business favorably for 2016.