Small Biz Success Tips – Since 2012

Category: My Marketing Advice (Page 2 of 26)

How A Thank You Card Can Be An Awesome Marketing Tool

thank you card marketing toolA thank you card can be a very versatile marketing tool. Two things it can do:

  1. Gives you an opportunity to get repeat business by offering a discount off their next purchase, or other type of offer.
  2. Gives you an opportunity to be remembered by your customers, for repeat or referral business, by putting something useful on the back so they will keep the card.

 

For example, take my editable Thank You Card template shown here. Let’s say that you sell gifts. Then the back of the card having a calendar highlighting the various holidays throughout the year makes sense. The customer is more likely to keep this card and post it to their fridge, desk wall, etc., and remember your business as a result.

For example, in my Etsy Holiday Sales Planner, I always recommend including a Christmas cookie recipe card in every gift package, because the customer will keep it, and then pull it out year after year and remember your business.

Other Ideas for the Back of a Thank You Card:
  • For a Hair Salon: “10 Classic Nail Colors”
  • For a Travel Agency: “Travel Packing List”
  • For a Plumber: “How to Turn Off Your Home’s Main Water Valve”

Be sure to also read: What to Post to Social Media in April.

©2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How a Thank You Card Can Be a Marketing Tool

Using Your Business Forms to Get More Sales

You should always be trying to make a sale, even when you just made one.editable Canva invoice

For example, I created this new Editable Invoice Template and at the end I added:

WANT A FREE GIFT?

Refer us to get a $25 gift card for every new customer you send our way!

Why not use your invoices and other business and marketing collateral to their maximum sales potential?

This same offer could also go on your business cards, social media profiles, order forms, customer receipts, packaging – anywhere your customers will see it.

It doesn’t have to be a free gift. It could be a discount off a future purchase, a free service, anything to keep the sales funnel going, but the point is, this is free ad space for you!

Remember, always be selling!

Be sure to also see my Editable Thank You Card and Editable Order Form.

©2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Using Your Business Forms to Get More Sales

Email Customers This Spring Newsletter Idea

If you don’t have a blog, you can still take advantage of content marketing by sending your customers an informative spring newsletter based on top trending topics in March.

Write a short article for your newsletter based on one of these top searched topics below. The key is that within the article (or at the end) you can include links and references back to your business.

As a bonus for reading, offer a giveaway contest for customers to enter on your social media sites, and now you have a combined email marketing, content marketing and social media marketing strategy.

And don’t forget this awesome social media idea of mine for Daylight Savings (March 12th).

Email Newsletter Ideas for March:
International Women’s Day (March 8th)
  • Women Who Have Won the Nobel Prize
  • Women’s History Month Facts
  • Gender Pay Gap Facts
St. Patrick Day (March 17th)
  • Green Nail Designs
  • Great Irish Stew Recipes
  • How to Make Green Beer
  • Where to Get Corned Beef and Cabbage Near Me
  • Green Food Ideas
Spring (March 21st)
  • Favorite Spring Scented Candles
  • How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets
  • Spring Break Activities for Kids
  • Healthy Spring Dinner Recipes
Earth Hour (March 25th)
  • What to Turn off for Earth Hour
  • What is the Effect of Earth Hour
  • Thing to Do During Earth Hour

Get more timely ideas for email newsletters in my 365 Blog Post Ideas.

You might also like: What to Post to Social Media in March

 

 

 

©2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Email Customers Spring Newsletter Idea

A Fast Way to Discover Who Your Target Customer Is

a fast way to discover who your target customer isNeed a fast way to discover your target customer? Well all you have to do is simply read your top competitors’ reviews.

Here you will see a name and sometimes a photo, and this will help you determine age and gender.

Then they will also typically have their country and maybe even their city. Again, these are all key demographics.

If you actually read the reviews, you will learn more as well. Maybe who they were buying the item for, or what they planned to use it for.

Then you can determine things like, maybe they have a lot of men buying this as a gift for their wife, or a lot of professionals are using the product as opposed to the end user.

You may even learn where the customer discovered the brand in the first place i.e. I saw this on Instagram and had to buy. 

Visit my Etsy store.

Read more of my blog.

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. A Fast Way to Discover Who Your Target Customer Is

An Easy Way to Measure Online Ad Success

Need an easy way to measure online ad success?easy way to measure online ad success

When you run online ads – whether it is on Google, a blog or social media – here is a quick way to see if your ads are working.

One key metric you will get is AD IMPRESSIONS / REACH. This is the number of times your ad appeared to potential customers. If your ad impressions (or reach) for your ad campaign is not at least 10,000, I’m not sure you are going to make any sales. Here is why:

If we take the benchmark 1% rule, this means that 1% of ad impressions should turn into clicks, and 1% of clicks should turn into sales.

Therefore, 1% of 10,000 ad impressions means you should get at very least 100 clicks. Of those 100 clicks, again, at very least 1% should turn into orders. 1% of 100 clicks is 1 order.

Therefore, at a bare minimum, 10,000 ad impressions will lead to 1 order. But this is just a benchmark and obviously will vary depending on the product, ad creative, etc.

If your ad creative is very effective, causing your click through rate to be more like 5% of ad impressions, then this means those 10,000 ad impressions will turn into 500 clicks. Then, maybe if your sales conversion rate is also very good at 5%, then this means those 500 clicks will turn into 25 orders.

So, if you only got the basic 1% conversion, and let’s say you were paying .20 cents a click, this means you spent $20 to get 1 order. If the order is for $200, that’s great, but not so great if it is only for $25.

However, if you had the 5% conversion rate, and paying .20 cents a click, this means you spent $100 to get 25 orders. Even if each order is only $15 ($375 total order), this is a fairly good return.

FINAL THOUGHT: If you are not getting at least 10,000 ad impressions, you either need to increase your ad budget and/or change your keywords. If your clickthrough rate on ad impressions is 1% or less, you have to change the ad creative and/or the demographics of who is seeing it.

Be sure to also read: My Simple Tip for More Cost-Effective Ads. If you need to understand and improve your ad strategy, be sure to set up a 1:1 Phone Consultation with me.

By the way, I was quoted in an article in US News & World Report last week, called Low Cost Home Based Business Ideas, if you wish to check it out.

 

 

 

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. An Easy Way to Measure Online Ad Success

Why Your Business Should Set Up Google Alerts

In my 12-Month Marketing Plans, one thing I always recommend is that you set up free Google Alerts.

What this means is you give Google certain keywords that you wish to be alerted for, so when a blog post, magazine article or news report shows up with those keywords in it, they send you an email letting you know.

For example, let’s say you are a Boston seafood restaurant. You can set up Google alerts for: Boston, Boston restaurants, Boston seafood restaurants and your restaurant name.

If you sell fashion jewelry on Amazon, maybe you want to set up alerts for: fashion, jewelry, jewelry trends, fall jewelry, Amazon, ecommence, gifts and even a competitor’s name.

How Google Alerts Can Help
  1. It’s a great way to create a media contact list by noting writer’s names and publications that write about your line of business.
  2. You can comment on these articles, which means your business name will now be seen by their readers. Most comment sections also allow you to add your business url, so it counts as a backlink, which helps your SEO.
  3. You can see the types of articles writers like to write about in your field, and this helps when pitching a story about your business.
  4. You can stay on top of key trends in your market and industry.
  5. You get ideas of what to write for your own business blog.

So set them up today using the link I gave above. Again, they are free.

More Articles
About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall 🍂”.

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

 

 

 

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Google Alerts Set Up. 

Why You Need to Do a Customer Audit

Why do you need to do a customer audit?customer service audit

I recently decided to break up my Strategic Business Planner into smaller modules, because it could be a little overwhelming to do an audit of every aspect of your business at one time.

The truth is, you do need to do an audit of all aspects of your business from time to time, in order to rethink your overall strategy, but you can focus just on the most urgent issues you have.

My Own Findings About My Customers

One of the first components I broke out is my Customer Audit. Now, I took the audit myself, and discovered some interesting things that I hadn’t realized because I hadn’t been taking the time to look at my business.

One thing I realized was that my male customers seemed to be lower than previous years. Also, I have less UK customers than prior years. I also seemed to be getting more customers in their early 20s. All of this is valuable information in terms of my marketing strategy.

It made be realize that I hadn’t updated my email opt-in incentive for a while, and that there was more I could be doing in terms of my pre-sales and post-sales customer experience, among many other things.

My Customer Audit consists of 8 very easy-to-follow worksheets that will help you ensure that you are targeting the right customer (in terms of age, income, gender, etc.) as well as identify new customer segments, and evaluate your customer service strategy as well. It also prompts you to examine what is your customer experience, both pre-sales and post-sales, what are you doing to retain customers, what are you doing to get referrals and more pressing customer questions.

So many times businesses come to me wanting to find new customers, but are you getting the most out of the customers you already have?

customer service audit

Click to download

If you are interested in analyzing your current customer base and improving your overall customer experience, download my Customer Audit.

More Customer Articles
About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall 🍂”.

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

 

 

 

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Customer Service Audit.

Best Online Side Hustles for Teachers

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultantbest side hustles for teachers passive income side job online

Are you a teacher looking to make more money in your spare time? One of the best ways is to sell your knowledge.

For example, there are two shops on Etsy making thousands of dollars a month selling their study notes from nursing college.  Their study note products range in price anywhere from $50 to over $200, and they are getting it! What seems to be resonating with buyers is the realistic handwritten, note-like layout. Being a teacher, I’m sure you have study notes like this. Keep reading and I’ll tell you what and how to sell them, but here are some ways to package them:

Educational Products for Teachers to Sell

  • Study Notes for Students in Teacher’s College (for every year & every subject)
  • Study Notes for Elementary School Students (for every grade & every subject)
  • Study Notes for Middle School Students (for every grade & every subject)
  • Study Notes for High School Students  (for every grade & every subject)
  • Lesson Plans for Home Schoolers (for every grade & subject)

Educations Products That Are Trending

Nursing Study Notes for Sale

You can also look at Google Trends to see the type of educational materials people are looking for. For example, this past week these were top searches, and all of these could be How-To Guides:

  • How to teach phonics?

  • How to teach reading comprehension?

  • How to teach sight words?

  • How to teach phonemic awareness?

  • How to teach prosody in reading?

How and Where to Sell

If you wish to sell your study notes and lesson plans digitally all you have to do is scan your notes and turn them into a PDF for customers to download, and then sell on Etsy or Gumroad.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ON ETSY

If you also wish to sell them in printed form, you can do this through a print fulfilment company like Printify, where they will handle everything, even the shipping. But you still need a storefront like Etsy or Gumroad.

If you have no idea how to start your side hustle, I highly recommend downloading my best-selling  How to Start a Small Business Planner.  It will help you easily get your business quickly up and running with step-by-step planning pages and checklists with everything you need to do. It even includes a hyperlinked list of print fulfillment companies and an Etsy set up checklist saving you valuable time.

The possibilities are endless, and you likely already have the materials. If you have certain knowledge, study or learning tips that work, why not sell them!

Decorate Your Classroom with $2 Printables!

 

About Me

etsy success tips

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ON ETSY

With 20+ years in marketing, my advice has appeared in publications from the New York Times to Success Magazine. My blog was chosen by AmericanExpress Open Forum (the people behind Small Business Saturday) as one of their “Top 10 Small Business Blogs“. I am also a contributor at Business2Community.com and a Small Business Expert at SheKnows.com, the #1 Women’s Lifestyle website. I have gotten my clients coverage in Real Simple, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Glamour, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride, Martha Stewart, Buzzfeed, just to name a few.

©2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Your Marketing To Do List for August

august marketing to do listHard to believe August starts on Monday, so prepare your small business with my Marketing to do list August.

Back to School

If you sell anything back-to-school-related, the searches have already started. According to Google Trends, these were the top searches this past week:

  • Back to School events near me” has increased over 100%.
  • Back to School haircuts” and “Back to School cookie cutters” searches have both more than doubled.
  • “Bento boxes” searches have increased over 250%.

And the top back to school products are:

  • Mesh Backpacks
  • Clear Pencil Cases
  • Storage for College Dorms
  • Twin XL Mattress Protector
  • Bed Risers
  • Shower Caddy
Labor Day Sales Publicity

If you get the free HARO (Help a Reporter Out) emails, you will see that there have been several requests in the past week from major blogs and publications looking to feature Labor Day Sales. It’s a great way to get free publicity for your sale, and “Labor Day Sale” is one of the top searched sales of the year. Also read: Labor Day Sales Opportunity.

More PR Opportunities

If you’re a hispanic-owned business,  start pitching to blogs now to be included in articles such as, “Hispanic Small Businesses to Support for National Hispanic Heritage Month”, which starts September 15th.

SEO Tips

Something as simple as adding the current year to your keywords can help your SEO, as people do search this way. i.e. Fall 2022, Back to School 2022, Halloween 2022, etc.

Create Social Media Posts

Post a reel to Instagram (as it is the most viewed type of content) of a quick pan overview of all of your new fall 2022 collection #reelsofinstagram.

Don’t forget about Pinterest, because it is still used as a search engine by millions of people. So create a Pinterest board titled with a long tail search phrase (4 to 6 words) related to what you sell and even make it seasonal i.e. The Best Fall Sweaters for 2022. Then make sure that every pin you pin to it, also has that long tail search phrase (or at least the keywords) in the pin title and description.

Be sure to read my post, Social Media Ideas for August, and my post Creating Social Media Posts Using Canva.

Halloween Products & Services

Halloween has become the second biggest retail buying occasion. Last year, spending on costumes, decorating and other Halloween items was more than US$10 billion. In fact, it is so big that many retailers have already launched their Halloween collections, which might inspire you:

More Marketing To Do Lists

My 12-Month Marketing Plans are essentially marketing to do lists, but much more detailed and specific to your business. They will help drive more traffic and sales, without spending a lot of money. Be sure to also read my post, My Top Marketing Ideas for August.

Prepare for Holiday Sales
August Marketing To Do List

Click to download

If you sell on Etsy, download my best-selling 2022 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner, packed with the top search phrases, product trends, planning tools, press contacts and so much more!

Me in the Press!

I was quoted in an article on Yahoo Finance called, “4 Types of Businesses to Start in the Fall. Check it out for more inspiration!

About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Forbes, Success Magazine, Yahoo Finance, American Express, GO Banking Rates, Big Commerce, Business2Community, SheKnows to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I sell online on Shopify, Etsy, Gumroad and on Amazon back in its early years. This, combined with my decades of marketing & business experience means I can advise, mentor as well as come up with creative new ideas for your business. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective.

I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride – just to name a few. Be sure to try my Publicity Pitch and other Marketing Services.

I hope you enjoyed my marketing to do list for August.

 

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Marketing To Do List August

Examples of Engaging Product Descriptions

how to write product descriptions examplesNeed some engaging product description examples?

I love writing all types of marketing copy, but product descriptions are some of my favorites. If this is something you struggle with, below are some examples of copy I have written that might inspire you when writing your own.

I personally do not like it when the writing gets too flowery, as the customer still has to understand what you are selling. I always like to follow an engaging opening paragraph with bullet points of the main features, for those who don’t always want to read a big block of text.

I also always like to end with a call to action getting people to contact you with questions, and a thank you for shopping or visiting the store.

Product Description Example #1

Woven Friendship Bracelet

Beautifully woven from high quality cotton thread, our stylish friendship bracelets come with a sweet message card that you can customize however you wish. With three different styles to choose from, these bracelets are a simple but thoughtful way to reach out to a friend to say hello and send loving and supportive thoughts, so important during difficult times.

BRACELET DETAILS

  • Woven from cotton threads with tie closure.
  • Three different design styles: Thin Braid, Thick Braid, Woven Wrist Plate.
  • Choose from various colors for each design style.
  • A customizable message card comes with each bracelet, with 5 captions to choose from.
  • Bracelet comes in an eco-friendly semi-transparent Glassine envelope (no plastic).
  • Option to have the bracelet come in a high quality gift box.

Your satisfaction is always our top priority and we love to see you happy, so please message us with any questions you may have.

Thank you so much for shopping with Store XYZ!

Product Description Example #2

Thanksgiving Theme Dog Collar

Have your dog or new puppy beside you watching all the Thanksgiving day football games wearing our cotton vanity play collar in a whimsical turkey and football print. The perfect holiday gift for any dog owner, complete the look with the matching leash and ID tag below!

ABOUT THIS COLLAR

  • Get the matching dog tag here.
  • Brown with turkey and football cotton print.
  • Metal D ring adjuster.
  • Side release buckle.
  • Sizes XS to XL (see size chart photo #2).
  • For dogs or cats.
  • Completely customizable.
  • We do not recommend using our vanity collars as leads for strong pulling dogs.
  • FREE shipping.

Please feel free to message us with any questions you may have.

Thank you so much for shopping with Store ABC!

More Product Description Examples

Below are some snippets of other product descriptions I have written:

Men’s Silver Cross Necklace: Chunky in scale, this 925 Sterling silver cross pendant necklace is stunningly handcrafted, making a powerful but still minimalist statement. Featuring a unique silver brushing technique for a grainy texture, the black oxide finish gives it a masculine aesthetic. Completely made by hand, this is true jewelry craftsmanship, for a piece that will last a lifetime.

Monogrammed Leather Portfolio: Are you thinking about gift ideas just yet? How about this zippered Personalized Leather Portfolio for the executive in your life. It’s great for anyone really, laser engraved with a monogram, initials, logo, or even a graphic. It’s made from leatherette (faux leather) so it’s vegan-friendly, and there’s a pocket for a writing pad (included), a half pocket, business card pocket and pen holder. It also has a secure zipper closure keeping everything safely organized inside – and it just looks so good!

Wooden Beside Phone Stand: Are you in need of some night stand organization? This wooden bedside phone stand is the perfect size to hold your phone while it charges overnight, as well as your watch and glasses. You can even have it personalized with a name or monogram for an awesome gift idea for him. Handmade from eco-friendly Ukrainian oak wood, it’s shown here in a chocolate stain, also available in a blue or light wood stain.

Camping Moon Art Print: Wonderfully serene and peaceful, this art print offers a whimsical view of two children camping under a majestic full moon, sure to calm your little one off to sleep. Ideal for your nursery, child’s room or playroom, it comes in three different sizes and mixes beautifully with other prints in our shop to create a captivating gallery art wall.

Also Read: How to Write Product Descriptions That Sell

If you need marketing copy of any kind, please send me an email at attentiongetting@gmail.com to discuss. From brand stories to About pages to blog posts, I write it all!

About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Read more about my services, products and marketing plans.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few. More about my Publicity Pitch service.

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Product Description Examples.

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