Back to the Business Basics

Many business owners have wisely spent time and money to keep their business name out there for the buying public.  With everyone working on their SEO program, having a presence with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, attending networking events and happy hours, you may find yourself saying "Am I doing all I can?" 

Remember the basics of running a business.  Do not overlook how your staff is answering incoming phone calls, email responses and greeting customers.

Answering the phone by saying "ABC Company" isn't the way to answer the phone.  Saying "Good morning, this is ABC Company" is a more professional way to answer.  It is up to the office manager or business owner to ensure your staff is properly trained on answering phone calls. 

Review your companies email policy.  Does the staff respond to emails within a reasonable time?  Is the reply email worded in a professional manner?  Keep in mind the written words should be written as if the person is in front of you. 

How does your staff greet customers?  As soon as a customer walks into your business, greet them with at least a "Hello" to acknowledge you know they are there.  Your staff may not be able to assist them right away so have a policy for these situations.  If a customer is not greeted professionally they could walk right out your door, therefore, you probably lost a sale and potential customer.

Customers come to your business for your expertise.    Each business and profession has different terminology.   Do not assume your customers know all about your business terminology and processes. Remind your staff that they may need to talk in more basic terms when explaining a project with customers.   People in nature are sometimes afraid to admit they are not familiar with a process.      Customers will appreciate your staff taking to time to explain your business terminology or  showing them the process.

Generating Leads on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site businesses need to know how to use.  We came across a few ways businesses can use LinkedIn to generate leads.

Create a company page as we did for MarketMailPrint and fill out your profile as much as you can.  Have the staff participate by creating an account to help get more visibility to your company page and name.    Remind the staff to maintain a professional image of their profile.  LinkedIn should not be used to post party pictures or silly personal information.  

Once you have a company page created, do not let it go dominate.  Promote your company page profile on your blog or twitter accounts.  Do you have a blank side on your business cards?    Since you are handing out your business cards, have your business cards have a dual purpose.   On the blank side, print  a QR code that drives traffic to your LinkedIn profile.  Another idea is to include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your email signature.  

Be active with LinkedIn profile by joining groups and participate in some discussions. Select your groups wisely.   Look for groups that have a lot of participation.   Stay away from groups that have lots of members but little activity.  

Use Google analytics to track who is viewing your LinkedIn profile.  Track those people who have viewed your profile, these may be potential leads that are researching your company.   Follow up with an email or phone call to see if they may be a viable lead.

Generating leads from LinkedIn will need some investment of your time but it will help introduce potential customers.

Do you need a new Marketing Plan?

Has your company been doing the same marketing strategy for years?   If so, it may be time for you the change.  Social media  and QR Codes have introduced several  new marketing strategies.  See which ones may work best for you to help grow your business.

You will need to figure out  what marketing activity worked from your marketing plan last year.  There is a simple way to find out, just  ask how you are doing.  Publish an online survey, phone calls or ask customers in-person.    Feedback may be difficult to hear sometimes but listen to everything your customers are saying.  They will give you a different view of which promotions worked and which ones did not work as well as you had planned.  

When considering changing your marketing plan, remember to consider your Return on Investment.   Look at each marketing activity and evaluate if it was worth the Return of Investment instead of evaluating your marketing budget.   Make changes to marketing activities that were lacking.   Keep the marketing activities that had a good Return on Investment, you may want to think of ways to improve them.

No Cost Tips to Market Your Business

Attend networking meetings and event to meet potential customers.  Be present when you attend networking meetings and talk positively about your company.

Networking groups allow you to meet other companies you can partner up with that might complement your business.   A joint venture with another company will get publicity from your current customers and you will be able to hopefully benefit from attention from their customers. 

Having a strong presence with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter does not cost anything.  Once these online tools are in place, it will help with your SEO ranking of your website.

Network groups are always looking for speakers to talk about a variety of topics.   This is a great opportunity for you to introduce your business to a small group of potential customers.    Share some educational aspect of your business to the group.   

Show a little gratitude to your current customers.   Sending a thank you note to show them you appreciate them as a customer.    This may help promote your brand positively.   These customers are then more likely to talk about your business positively within their own networking groups.