How to Better Understand Your Marketing Efforts: 5 Questions to Ask

Doing a self-assessment of your marketing efforts will keep you on the right track and stop you if something is not working. Here are five questions a small business owner should ask themselves to get the most out of their marketing efforts.

1. Are your sales and marketing efforts working well together? Sales and marketing have to support each other within a unified strategy centered on your customers.

2. Do you really understand your clients and your target market? You may say “yes”, but in today’s constantly changing market, it is not always easy to keep up with your clients’ needs. We can break this question down to some relevant sub-questions that can assist you in better assessing your answer:

- How well do you know the needs of your clients?
- Do your employees share information about clients’ needs and use this data to modify your products or/and services?
- To what extent is your team proactive about building customer loyalty?
- How well do you anticipate the needs of your customers?
- Are you able to successfully impact their purchasing criteria?
- Do you take the time to think about how your company’s products or services create more value for your customers?

3. Do you know who your competitors are and what they offer? Constantly gather up-to-date information about your competitors’ products, marketing activities and even their company structure because this data helps you see where your market is going, what your customers really need, and which tactics used by your competitors have a positive impact.

4. How do you handle negative comments about your products or services? The negative feedback you receive can be a great marketing opportunity. Learn how to deal with negative feedback in a constructive customer-oriented fashion.

5. Are you using the latest marketing tools to promote your company? Evaluate if you are making the most out of the must-use marketing tools available. Social media, a great website and email marketing all provide excellent ways for small businesses to get their products or services noticed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Pi Day of the Century!

Today is an epic day! It is a once-in-a-century thrill for math geeks that will not occur for another 100 years.

Today is 3.14.15 and at 9:26:53 the date and time will be the same at the value of pi.

Just a fun, geeky factoid for today!

3.14.15 9:26:53

How To Respond To Angry Customers On Social Media

Social media is a wonderful tool for promoting your business and building your brand. But what do you do when you receive an angry complaint from a customer?

You may want to ignore the complaint or delete it. Don’t! You must respond to complaints. Studies have shown that customers’ buying decisions are influenced by negative online reviews. Clearly, dealing with a customer’s complaint on social media is important. But more important is how you respond. For many small business owners, a complaint is taken personally and you might be inclined to respond with an angry retort or even delete the comment. That will only make the customer angrier and the situation worse.

Before you delete or respond here are some things to consider:

Determine if the complaint is valid. Are they a customer? Did they purchase what they said they did?

If the complaint is from a customer, then it is important that you respond quickly, but only after you have taken the time to fully understand the situation.

When possible, remove the issue from the public view of social media and respond offline. If possible, contact your customer by phone to discuss the problem. When speaking with your unhappy customer, validate their concerns. Most people write complaints in the heat of the moment and really only want to be heard. Empathize with them, even if they are wrong.

Next, take responsibility, even if you are not completely at fault. We all admire companies that step up and take accountability.

Online, you can provide information for the person posting the complaint and those reading it that gives direction on how to contact you directly, your phone number or email, to discuss the issue further or even point them to an FAQ section of your website where they can find more information.

If you cannot delete the complaint online after you have resolved it over the phone, post how you resolved the issue to show that your business can calmly and appropriately handle complaints. If you are able to resolve the issue satisfactorily, ask the customer to post a follow-up message about how you resolved the situation.

Always take the high road when dealing with customer complaints. Responding to complaints on social media is unquestionably essential for a business. Just be sure to put more effort into your response than the customer who posted their complaint. 

Business Cards Are a Great Marketing Tool

 How do you create a memorable impression with prospective customers? When networking, how do you effective communicate what your company does? Business cards can give your small business an edge and the personalization of the cards can make you memorable.

Great business cards do not have to be expensive. Hiring a marketing firm, such as Blue Dog Marketing, to design a card for you will help you stand out from your competitors. There is nothing worse than giving someone a card that you had printed by an online business card store that looks just like the card they handed you. That occurs more often than you think with so many people using online business card companies.

You and your business are unique, so a card that clearly expresses that uniqueness and lets people know what you do is the best way to compete in today’s business climate.

Here are some ideas for creating a stand-out business card:

Consistency

Your business cards and all your other marketing materials should have the same look. This means your website, brochures and newsletters must have the same logo and color scheme. This branding lets customers recognize your business and helps you stand out from your competition.

Logo

If you do not have a company logo, get one right away. Pick your company colors. A marketing design firm can educate you on the meaning of certain colors so you make a smart choice for your business. A great logo will help people remember you company and what you do. Use your logo on all your marketing materials.

Message

What is your mission statement? What do you want people to know about your company? You can use your mission statement to create a tag line that will let your customers know what you do.

Use your business cards as a foundation of an overall marketing program to build relationships and create opportunities for your small business.

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

5 Blogging Tips to Boost Your Marketing

Are you blogging because everyone else is doing it? Blogging has become increasingly popular so you may think you should have a blog too. Well, you are correct in making the decision to blog. Blogging could be the next window of opportunity for your small business.

Blogging can definitely boost your current marketing endeavors. Here are some tips on ways to use blogging to enhance your current marketing efforts:

Tip One: Commit To A Schedule

At Blue Dog Marketing we blog twice a week, which may seem like a lot for your business. It does take time to build a blog to the point where it draws a lot of traffic. To get there, you must commit to a regular schedule of blog posts. You can post your blog daily, weekly, twice a month or even monthly, the choice is yours. I recommendation you choose a frequency that you can stick to because your followers will learn your schedule and return to your blog expecting to see a new post. Blogging will get easier once you are in a routine and your readers will be coming back for more.

Tip Two: Stay Up-To-Date On What is Happenings In Your Industry

The best way to make sure you have something to write about is to keep informed about what is happening in your industry. Remember, content is king when it comes to having a successful blog.  

Tip Three: Give Your Readers Value

Blogging is about establishing yourself as an expert in your field. When you blog you also build trust and rapport with your readers. But you also need to find a way to share your knowledge with your readers without “giving away the store.” Sharing information that solves a customer’s problem or answers questions they may have will keep you top of mind in with them and present you as the expert they should turn to.

Tip Four: Promote Your Blog

Having a blog online is great, but how will your customers find it? One way is to attach your blog to your website. Promote your blog through social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Posting your blogs on social media sites allows you to extend your reach. Put a link to your blog in your email signature. You should also promote your blog on all of your marketing materials such as brochures and newsletters.  

Tip Five: Keep Blogging!

It does take time to grow your blog and generate a regular readership. So it is very important to stick to your blogging schedule and be persistent. Have fun while you blog and you will see positive results.