Attracting new customers by viral word of mouth - Review Engine ROI

In previous posts I have commented on word of mouth being the primary reason new customers walk into my kids shoe store. Friends and family members have mentioned my products and services at informal get together's such as friends catching up, coffee mornings, family gatherings. And yet I still have persisted in paying for print and radio advertising with no discernible result.

Now I am a DIYer in my business, a one woman band if you like. I have set up my own website, based on a free

Attracting new customers by viral word of mouth - Review Engine ROI

Locksmith Wellington

If you are looking for a locksmith in the Wellington area here is the website to contact

Wellington Locksmiths they will see you right.

Fourth of July Decorations

Here is a new website that will get you into Independence Day Party mode. Check out 4th of July Decorations for information including decoration ideas on a budget, July 4th Party Food and Party Ideas.

Catering Hamilton

Here is a new website in Hamilton for a catering company. To find out more of the services and events this company can help you with click here. They will be able to help with whatever types of services you may be requiring including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and more.

An issue facing all small business owners - where to advertise your business

I know that half of advertising doesn't work, the problem is I don't know which half - As a small business owner does this quote ( paraphrased) by retailing tycoon John Wanamaker, resonate with you? Do you want to know where to advertise your business? Knowing how, what & who to advertise with was bad enough when the options where limited.

[caption id="attachment_1081" align="alignright" width="128" caption="where are you going to place your advertising dollar?"][/caption]

Not

An issue facing all small business owners - where to advertise your business - there are far too many choices of where to spend our advertising dollar

Planning to start up a business - try the business model canvas

Are you in the process planning to start up a business or are you wanting ideas to grow your business to the next level. While some businesses start up and grow organically without a formal business blueprint or strategy, most start up business owners have a spent many hours constructing a business plan. So, if you are wanting to know where and how to start planning to start up a business the business model canvas may be for you. What is does is to force you to think about you business

Planning to start up or grow a business - try the business model canvas

Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business

Great entrepreneurs are good at failing. That's what caught my attention in an article by Rhonda Abrams in USA today. Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business. After all we all make them! And that is what I call success, taking those failures, turning them around and applying those lessons to move forward. Rhonda covers Fail Forward, Fail Fast, Fail Smart, Fail Cheap, Fail with Integrity.

To read Rhonda's post in full

Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business

Is cash flow management a problem? perhaps accepting prepayments could be an option

Is cash flow management a problem for your small business? Having enough cash to pay suppliers when due is a common issue, especially in times of

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignright" width="128" caption="a cash flow management a problem"][/caption]

growth when you could be building up inventories. In her article No substitute for cash in the till, Dianne Buckner shares one company's success with accepting prepayments as part of their business model and strategy for cash

Is cash flow management a problem? prepayments could be an option

Good Customer Service Skills - it will mean sales

If you are an on-line business or bricks and mortar store, good customer service skills can mean all the difference when closing a

[caption id="attachment_803" align="alignright" width="150" caption="good customer service skills"][/caption]

sale.

Building a good rapport with customers can also mean that they will be back! I came across a great reminder of good customer service skillsin an article written by Lisa Marie as a guest post on GrowWithStacey.com. Lisa Marie shares 5

Good Customer Service Skills - it will mean sales

Twitter Tips for business from an expert

Sorry to say Twitter still confuses me. I don't see would people be interested in short messages, but anyway they

[caption id="attachment_1020" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Twitter tips from an expert"][/caption]

are and I have to catch up. So if you are like me and want to know more here's a couple of places to start.

These twitter tips for business from an expert, Steve Strauss, who has 10,000 followers is worth listening too. Also below the article link is

Twitter Tips for business from an expert

Tips for making big bucks from selling your business

The word is out Facebook has paid a BILLION for the purchase of Instagram, and this is not the first company to be brought out by the

[caption id="attachment_971" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Tips to get your business acquired by big business"][/caption]

big boys. So how do you follow on from Instagrams success and set up your business to do the same. What are the tips for making big bucks from selling you business? I came across this informative article, written by Ronda

Read more ...

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website?

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website? You are probably aware of the issues faced by

[caption id="attachment_956" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Could your website on a mobile device be deterring customers?"][/caption]

iphone and smartphone users. How having to scroll and pinch the screen to try and read the website just causes frustration for what could be an important part of your customer base. But are you aware of how big the numbers actually are? How much

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website?

Employee Retention Strategies in Small Business

Employees are one of a businesses greatest assets, so it makes sense to do all we can to retain them. As far as employee retention

[caption id="attachment_948" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Retaining employees is key for small businesses"][/caption]

strategies are concerned most commentators agree that remuneration alone is not the sole motivator of keeping employees, there are also the non monetary aspects such as the culture of the business and showing appreciation for a job

Employee Retention Strategies in Small Business

Tips for good small business web design

I've come across a great article on tips for good small business web design. Written by Craig Reardon from Smart Company there 6 are factors to consider when developing, or having someone develop for you, your small business website. And why are these tips for good small business web design important? Here's Craig's view:
It’s a well-known fact that smaller businesses are far more susceptible to costs arising from poor web design than their

[caption id="attachment_930"

tips for good small business web design

How to grow your business into a market leader - personal motivation from a master

This is 8 minutes that may change your business life. If you are wanting to know how to grow your business into a market leader, you must start with the basics, build a solid foundation and, sorry to say, getting policies and procedures in place. Sounding too corporate? don't worry, you can put your own spin on it. This short video featuring Michael Gerber, the author of E-Myth Mastery and others, although recorded in 2009 will never date. Check it out, that is if you have the vision and

How to grow your business into a market leader - video - personal motivation from Michael Gerber

Advertising on twitter, but will it be effective?

The word is out, it's in beta, it will soon be available, advertising on twitter, but will it

[caption id="attachment_880" align="alignright" width="128" caption="The next big thing? Advertising on Twitter"][/caption]

be effective? Will Small Business owners be flocking to the Twitter equivalent of paying for clicks? Anthonia Akitunde in the article 'What Twitter sees in small business' offers this opinion:
smaller firms are likely to be much more aware of the bottom line. "The ultimate

Advertising on twitter, but will it be effective?

Increase Customer Loyalty and Retention and Increase your Bottom Line

It sounds easy doesn't it, increase customer loyalty and retention and increase your bottom line. How does the bottom line increase? Well selling to returning customers

[caption id="attachment_866" align="alignright" width="128" caption="With customer loyalty, the bottom line goes up!"][/caption]

costs less, they know your brand, your products, your service, and I have noted from experience that they can make decisions quicker, requiring less salesperson time. And people love to talk,

increase customer loyalty and retention and increase your bottom line

Facebook for business tip - customer service includes responding to commenters

[caption id="attachment_861" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Engage with fans on facebook, it's good customer service"][/caption]

If your a business owner with a facebook fanpage here's a facebook for business tip, don't forget to engage with those that post comments on your facebook business page, it's a customer service issue. According to Emil Protalinski in an article from ZDnet.com "Retailers have rushed to establish a presence on Facebook with their own Page, in the hopes

Facebook for business tip - customer service includes responding to commenters

Small Business Advertising - Using Adwords Express

[caption id="attachment_823" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Please Mr Google allow us some flexibility with adwords express keywords"][/caption]

I hadn't known about using Adwords Express before reading an article by Brian Carter. It' supposably it is a quick and easy way for business owners to run their adwords campaigns without requiring a consultant. Brian states 'If you’re not familiar with AdWords Express, it’s an easy way for small businesses using Google Places to run

Small Business Advertising - Using Adwords Express

Forget flash mobs, nows there's cash mobs helping small businesses

It's fun and it's helping small businesses and building communities. Known as cash mobs, these facebook & other social media run groups, pick a business, arrive as a mob & spend cash. They are cash mobs helping small businesses.
Cash Mobs Helping Small Businesses
As reported in the Huffington post:
.....target one location bringing as many people to one site as possible but other cities have taken a different approach. "There is no science to it and there are also no hard and fast

Forget flash mobs, nows there's cash mobs helping small businesses

Good customer service skills - free lessons from life

Do you need an example of good customer service skills that you can use to turn a customer service situation around. We can use many lessons from our real life experiences. Here's one I came across from an article by Gayle Beck showing how good customer service skills can be done.
Here's good customer service skills in action
First of all, he says when he comes on the line, I need to

[caption id="attachment_803" align="alignright" width="199" caption="good customer service

Read more ...

Do you need help with facebook business fanpages changes?

Are you like me and require help with facebook business fanpages changes. There is

[caption id="attachment_796" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Create your Facebook Fan Page to Look Great and Engage Fans"][/caption]

so much emphasis now on images and visuals in social media that I am a bit out of my depth. So I'm glad I found this great little ( not so little it's 48 pages) ebook by Louise from Louisem.com. Louise is a great graphic designer based in California and has a great

Help with facebook business fanpages changes

Small Business Social Media - are you using Twitter to gain new customers?

How are your twitter efforts going? Are you seriously using Twitter to gain new customers and drive sales? I've just come across this great free marketing resource from Hubspot.com to help you with just that. Click here to be taken to the download page
How to use Twitter to gain new customers
Our ebook, with a foreword by Laura Fitton, the author of

[caption id="attachment_790" align="alignright" width="225" caption="How to attract customers with twitter"][/caption]

"Twitter for

Small Business Social Media - are you using Twitter to gain new customers?

Visuals have become an important part of a Social Media Strategy

With pinterest on the up and up in terms of users and content, visuals have become an even more important part of a small business social media strategy. Here's 20 reasons why visuals are important sourced from Jason Cassidy as reported on radian6.com
Why visuals are an important part of a social media strategy


Visuals are simple and easy to understand

[caption id="attachment_784" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Social media strategy - visuals are

Visuals have become an important part of a Social Media Strategy

Add a Social Customer Service Strategy to your marketing toolkit

We are all aware of the power of social media and now you can add a social customer

[caption id="attachment_778" align="alignright" width="130" caption="the changing use of social customer service"][/caption]

service strategy to your marketing toolkit. When faced with small problems or wanting to know more, purchasers are now looking to the internet for snippets of information. This is happening in many ways such as asking direct questions in sites such as Yahoo answers, watching You

Add a Social Customer Service Strategy to your marketing toolkit

Small Business Help - use Yelp for better local internet search results

In my last post we looked at how to use Yelp for better local internet search results.

[caption id="attachment_753" align="alignright" width="300" caption="using Yelp can help your small business seo"][/caption]

This was the quick and easy process of claiming you local business listing. Now to turbo charge your listing you need to get reviews. As Jon writes on Noobpreneur.com 'But the most useful part of Yelp is the review section that allows customers to leave reviews for others to

Small Business Help - use Yelp for better local internet search results

Small Business SEO Tips - Claim your business on local Yelp results

Are you after free, quick and easy small business SEO tips for your business website?

[caption id="attachment_753" align="alignright" width="300" caption="using Yelp can help your small business seo"][/caption]

Here is a great tip to Search Engine Optimize your website using Yelp.com that I read from an article on Noobprenrur.com. So don't put this off, use yelp and claim your business so that your website will rank higher in local search engine rankings. Noobprenrur states:
Small

Small Business SEO Tips - Claim your business on local Yelp results

Do customer loyalty programs really work?

My small store does not have a customer loyalty program. Why? A couple of

[caption id="attachment_745" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Dogs are said to be loyal, are people? Do customer loyalty programs work"][/caption]

reasons. Firstly I'm not sure that customer loyalty programs really work, and secondly I haven't found a program that suits my needs. It seems now though, that because other stores have them, potential/new customers are expecting me to follow suit. My opinion,

do customer loyalty programs work

Small Business Marketing - Does facebook advertising work?

Does facebook advertising work? This question has been asked of me a few


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times lately. And unfortunately, like all forms of advertising there is no way of really guaranteeing whether it will work for you or not. However, we can look at other small business experiences to get an idea .
Payvment is a facebook ecommerce platform that build facebook stores for businesses who have

small business marketing - does facebook advertising work

Small Business Tools at a discount

Do you want small business tools at a discount. There are so many great tools on the web that internet marketers use, and the good news is that those in small business can also use them. Be wary, there are many not so good ones as well. Here's a daily deal site that specialises in internet tools, videos, courses. So check it out and get small business tools at a discount. There are many facets to this site including free stuff so do check out all the tabs, it's huge!



Check out the

get small business tools at a discount

Small Business Tools at a discount

Do you want small business tools at a discount. There are so many great tools on the web that internet marketers use, and the good news is that those in small business can also use them. Be wary, there are many not so good ones as well. Here's a daily deal site that specialises in internet tools, videos, courses. So check it out and get small business tools at a discount. There are many facets to this site including free stuff so do check out all the tabs, it's huge!



Check out the

get small business tools at a discount

Small Business Advice - try not to compete on price

This small business advice, try not to compete on price should be changed to DO


[caption id="attachment_721" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Watch the competition but do not compete on price"][/caption]
NOT compete on price, but that may be a bit hard to take. Watching what the competition is doing is important, but following blindly when many are discounting madly could lead to disaster. Here is what Michael Hess has to say in his article on 'Why you shouldn't stress about the

small business advice- try not to compete on price

Small Business Independent Retailers - find new products from small business manufacturers for a competitive advantage

Are you one of many small business independent retailers looking for new products for your store that are not stocked by the big box stores? I am so pleased to be able to share a great new website I have found, based in the US called Retail Pitch. It strives to showcase new products from American small business manufacturers to Independent retailers and will give your small business a competitive advantage.

This video explains more


So all you small business independent

small business retailers - find new products from small manufactueres and visa versa - at retail pitch

Small Business - Trust gives a competitive advantage

Building up business trust in my small business is something I have never thought


[caption id="attachment_707" align="alignright" width="201" caption="Trust gives a competitive advantage in small businesses"][/caption]
about in any depth. Building a relationship with my customers has been a priority, but I have never narrowed the focus down to building business trust. That is until now. In a press release ( yes there is valuable content in some PR) for Valens Point LLC Debra Mendes has

small business trust gives competitive advantage

Small Business Marketing Idea - politically incorrect ways work

Need a small business marketing idea? Think outside the square, be funny,


[caption id="attachment_697" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Politically incorrect marketing works"][/caption]
create a buzz. With social media so accessible if your idea strikes an accord, for the right or wrong reasons then your audience could be bigger than you could possibly dream. The following small business marketing idea shows a touch of genius.
Small Business Marketing Idea - Politically

Small Business Marketing Ideas - non politically correct ways work

Small Business Help - how to calculate charge out rates, don't undersell your time

How to calculate charge out rates is one of the most important things to get correct for any small business owner in service industries. That is plumbers, electricians, computer servicing and consulting, even dentists, accountants


[caption id="attachment_689" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Charge out rates - do not undersell your time"][/caption]
and lawyers. Charge too much and you may lose sales, too little and you will not make a living. So it can be a balancing act but when

how to calculate charge out rates, don't undersell your time

Small Business Marketing Tips- remembering the basics

Sometimes it's hard to know if you are doing the right thing with small business


[caption id="attachment_683" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Small Business Marketing Tips - tick"][/caption]
marketing so its good to get some sort of affirmation from others that what you're on the right track. And that is what I felt when reading an article titled " Marketing: For small-business operators, it’s good to remember the basics" by Bruce Spotleson.
Small Business Marketing

Small Business Marketing Tips- remembering the basics

How about your own daily deal site - daily deal builder

In a previous post I talked about what I didn't like about daily deal sites. Now I have found

[caption id="attachment_653" align="alignright" width="216" caption="Could you use a daily deal builder for your own daily deals?"][/caption]

a web company that specialises in a DIY daily deal builder. That's right, you can make your own deal site by the use of a Getsocio daily deal template!

If you are like me and a DIYer, you've set up your own website and/or social media sites. Or even

Your own daily deal site, a daily deal builder, could help clear excess stock

Does advertising work anymore for small businesses to clear excess stock

Help! please! yes, I am serious. I have this question. Does advertising work anymore

[caption id="attachment_642" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Why hasn't my advertising worked?"][/caption]

for small businesses to clear excess stock? I own a children's shoe store and have excess stock. While this is an extremely common problem for any retailer, the answer has always been so hard to find and now my brain is drained. I decided to advertise in a local newspaper, local

Does advertising work anymore for small businesses to clear excess stock

Small Businesses can beat the big guys with good service service skills

I'm positive that with good customer service skills, small businesses can beat out the big players. Generally speaking, which is always dangerous, as small business owners we are normally closer to what's happening on the shop floor than the owners or CEO's of large companies. Hence, we should know how our employees are interacting with customers and act quickly to fill in gaps by training in good customer service skills. We should also be providing clear polices and procedures of how to deal

it's with good customer service that small business can beat the big players

Content Marketing for Small Business - What is that?

When I first read the article,which is extracted below, I thought What, what on earth is this now? Content Marketing for small business what? My head was spinning ( luckily it didn't come off). Now I'm more of a numbers person, so all this words stuff is hard for me to take in. I had to, again, consult trusty wikipedia :-
Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential

what is content marketing for small business

Content Marketing Strategy example for Retail

[caption id="attachment_616" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="A Content Marketing Strategy for Retail"][/caption]

When I wrote on content marketing previously I knew it was something that I had to look into on a deeper level for my children's footwear store. Andy Stack of You Tube offers this advice "it's important for retailers to develop a content marketing strategy and not necessarily an advertising strategy, and sponsor content that matters to your community and spend money

A content marketing for small businesses

Small Business growth from the use of Social Media

We hear everyday of how we can get small business growth from the use of social

[caption id="attachment_610" align="alignright" width="128" caption="you can get small business growth from social media"][/caption]

media, and most of us consider it free to use. Jeremy Morgan, senior vice president of marketing and consumer insights of Smashburger says "The common misconception about social media is that it's free, Facebook and Twitter are free, but for small-business owners in

small business growth from the use of social media

Small Business Growth Tips - Exporting, huge investment required

Small business growth tips are something most, but not every, small business owner is

[caption id="attachment_130" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Small Business Exporting Tips"][/caption]

searching for. An article I have just read on the American Express Open Forum talks about exporting as a way of growing businesses. Now, I have great admiration for the American Express Open Forum ( note that the articles presented by the forum are the writers own opinions and not those

small business growth tips

Small Business Growth and the Economic Crisis- is growth a magic pill for the economy

Now this has been worrying me for a while it's been one of those niggling thoughts at the


[caption id="attachment_553" align="alignright" width="200" caption="small business growth no magic answer for economic recovery"][/caption]
back of my mind. All this talk from politicians about small business growth and the economic crisis and how growth is the lynch pin of economic recovery. It seams to be global... this is how we are going to get the economy moving... Then I came across this

small business growth and the economic crisis read more...

Small Business Growth Problems

You hear, or read so much about small business being the backbone of the economy,

[caption id="attachment_548" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Small Business growth can mean problems"][/caption]

about economic recovery by small business growth. What you don't hear about are small business growth problems and why some small business choose not to grow. An article I read recently dealt with a few of the reasons. While written for the American market I'm sure those of us in business

small business growth problems... read more..

Small Business Help - Couples working together in business

Running a small business is stressful, so couples working together in business must


[caption id="attachment_537" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Randy Rubin and Craig Rubin source: Crypton"][/caption]
be doubly stressful, or maybe 4 times. And yet there are well over a million couples working together in business in the USA. So how do they make it work? Here are some great tips from Randy and Craig Rubin, owners of Crypton a textile company, on business and work balance for

Couples working together in business tips

How do you use Social Media in Small Business

I was quite happy with my social media efforts for my kids shoe shop until I came across an article by James Debono which has got me thinking. Do I use social media in small business correctly and if not what should I be doing.

Here's an extract from his blog


[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignright" width="150" caption="is this a marketing site or a social site?"][/caption]

Social media for small business should be more social and less about marketing. Those businesses that

how do you use social media in small business

Is there such a thing as work life balance in small business?

Do you think that having work life balance in small business is achievable? And what


[caption id="attachment_512" align="alignright" width="200" caption="is there such a thing as work life balance in small business"][/caption]
about in the start up phase when there is even more pressure to work 24/7. Is it necessary to sacrifice family relationships in the name of business?
I was aware, when starting my own small business, of the challenges and time effort required due to my parents

Read more ...

The importance of logo in business

My bricks and mortar business is changing, it has too. I'm moving from solely children's shoes and adding a sprinkling of women's'. Why I'm doing that is another post. But now I'm worried about the importance of logo in business. Is my cutesy shoe lace logo going to distract from the image that I hope to portray in the future. Do I have to change it?

[caption id="attachment_503" align="aligncenter" width="746" caption="Do I need to change my logo?"][/caption]

 

This is a huge

Read more ...

Do customer service expectations continually escalate

I've been sitting here reading yet another article on customer service and thinking yeah,yeah, same old, same old, yadda, yadda, yadda ***. Then is suddenly hit me, there is an expectation gap between customers and businesses. Not only that but customer service expectations continually escalate, they are expecting more and more.
Customer service expectation gap
I learnt a little about 'the audit expectation gap' when studying Audit for my Accountancy qualification, this goes quite away back

customer service expectations....

Small Business Help Marketing Tips

When I started to read the article below, the word innovation turned me off, I didn't associate the headline that was given with small business help marketing tips. It's funny that a single word can do that, sometimes it all depends on your definition of the word and how it has been used to and by you in the past. In the English language so many words can mean the same thing & also one word can have various meanings. So when I discovered that Steve Strauss was referring to innovating

Read more ...