Category: Home (Page 2 of 34)

Want Your Website Traffic to Skyrocket This Fall?

August 10, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Every fall, local searches for “fall festivals near me”, “pumpkin patches near me”, “haunted houses near me” and other seasonal events SKYROCKET on Google.

Since Google automatically knows the location of your website or blog, your business website will show up for these “near me” searches if you have a dedicated page on your website with this information.

Already a breakout search on Google

So, whether you’re a travel agent, realtor, e-commerce site – whatever your is business – by simply adding an SEO-optimized page that says “Fun Fall Events 2023 in {Your City}”,to your website or blog, you can get a ton of local traffic from August through to late November.

Therefore, I created a copy-and-paste SEO-optimized template in Word that will allow you to get a Fun Fall Events 2023 in {Your City} page up on your website or blog today.

BENEFITS OF THIS TEMPLATE:

Will drive tons of local traffic for FREE, year after year.
Page ends with a call to action for your business.
You can also use an opportunity to do free cross promotion with other local businesses.
If it becomes popular enough, you could even charge companies to list their event, providing another revenue stream.

All the headings, sub headings, intro text else and SEO is done for you to simply copy and paste into your website or blog editor. All you do have to fill in some of the information about local events in your city.

Download today and start driving more traffic!

You NEED This Document If You’re a Small Business Owner

July 11, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

If something happened to you tomorrow, what would happen to your small business?

When you run your own business, it can be very autonomous. As such, your spouse, partner and/or grown children might not know the ins and outs – things like your passwords, what you have to pay every month, who works for you, when are your business taxes due, who your suppliers are, what is the name and phone number of your accountant – the questions are endless!

If you were to suddenly pass away, take ill or just want to take an extended vacation, would they know what to do? This is why I came up with the Business Continuity Instructional Plan.

Completely editable and fillable, this 19-page Google Docs file will help you document all of your key business information, logins, passwords, codes, employees, contracts, suppliers, professional contacts, banks, insurance, financial commitments, and daily and monthly tasks and much more.

19 EDITABLE / FILLABLE PAGES INCLUDING:

Business Information
Where Things Are Kept
Business Assets
Employee Information
Customer Information
Professional Contacts
Third Party Services
Sales Channels
Supplier Information
Financial Information
Financial Commitments
Important Papers
Computer Information
To Do List
Master Phone List
Other Things to Know

Again, you can completely edit and customize this 19-page Google Doc anyway you like. You can add or delete rows and columns, change text, colorize the text, delete tables, delete pages and so forth.

You can also print it out and fill in the information manually if you prefer not to have a digital copy of such sensitive information.

Designed specifically for the small business owner and sole entrepreneur, I guarantee you will find this document invaluable, and give you tremendous piece of mind.

NOTE: Before you purchase, please ensure you have a working Google account, as this is a Google Doc.

31 Social Media Ideas for Every Day of July

June 20, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Click to download!

I just updated my 365 Social Media Calendar to go from July 2023 to June 2024, so as a freebie, here are July’s ideas for free!

Social Media Posting Ideas for July

JULY 1: Post a fun Canadian fact, graphic or meme wishing Canadians a happy #canadaday (i.e. Canada has a 99% literacy rate).

JULY 2: Post a poll asking followers their favorite UFO movie for #worldufoday.

JULY 3: Post a fun fact about tonight’s full moon, the Buck Moon (i.e. In July, the Full Moon is called Buck Moon to signify the new antlers that emerge on a deer buck’s forehead around this time).

JULY 4: Post answers to some of the top questions people search for today in a carousel post: “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?”, “Who signed it?” “Where was it signed?” #independenceday.

JULY 5: Post a list of favorite summer wines for #winewednesday #summerwine.

JULY 6: Post 3 tips to quickly get a summer beach body for #summerbody #beachbody.

JULY 7: Post a graphic or meme that says, “Workin’ for the Weekend”.

JULY 8: Post a photo of something interesting going on in your city for #saturdaynight #saturdaybuzz.

JULY 9: Post your favorite 3 lifestyle blogs for #sundayblogshare.

JULY 10: Post a photo of a Pina Colada in front of a #sunset for national #pinacoladaday.

JULY 11: Post the name of the city with the world’s highest population, for #worldpopulationday.

JULY 12: Post an answer to “What is the Difference Between a Tropical Storm and a Hurricane” (a top search every year).

JULY 13: Post a vintage beach photo for #tbt #throwbackthursday.

JULY 14: Post answers to top searched questions in a carousel post: “What is Bastille Day?”, “Why iS Bastille Day celebrated?”, “How to say Happy Bastille Day in French?”

JULY 15: Post a #giveaway for national #givesomethingawayday.

JULY 16: Post a This or That poll i.e. Chocolate or Vanilla? for national #icecreamday.

JULY 17: Post a poll asking followers which emoji best describes their mood today for #worldemojiday.

JULY 18: Post a #shoutout to a local restaurant that has a great outdoor patio for #tastytuesday (they might repost, giving you a shoutout).

JULY 19: Post a This or That poll i.e. Strawberry Daiquiri or Watermelon Daiquiri? for national #daiquiriday.

JULY 20: Post tips on how to make the drive more fun on a road trip (a top search every summer).

JULY 21: Post a fun fact about the most popular junk food for national #junkfoodday (i.e. Did you know that Oreos are vegan?)

JULY 22: Post a cute meme of England’s Prince George for his birthday today.

JULY 23: Post a This or That Poll i.e. Mustard or Ketchup? for national #hotdogday.

JULY 24: Post a few interesting traits about Leo for the start of their Zodiac sign.

JULY 25: Post the 3 top cheeses and the best wines to have with them for #wineandcheeseday.

JULY 26: Post an answer to a top summer search, “How to Make Iced Coffee”.

JULY 27: Post an answer from a top health blog on “How to Treat Heat Exhaustion” (a top summer search).

JULY 28: Post a #fridayfunfact slide post (where you slide for the answer) such as, “Which City has the Highest Number of Dog Walkers” (answer: Orlando).

JULY 29: Post one of your best selling products (or services) and tell customers why for #bestsellersaturday.

JULY 30: Post an answer/reel to a top summer search, “How to Grill Corn” for #sundaygrill #sundaysupper.

JULY 31: Post a graphic that says, “Bye Bye July”.

Click to download

Get all 365 social media ideas for July 2023 to June 2024 in my best-selling 365 Social Media Ideas Calendar. I also have one for Realtors and one for Schools.

Also Read: 8 Instagram Reel Ideas for Small Business

The Hottest Tiktok Trends Right Now

May 30, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

If you use Tiktok to market your small business, you know that it can be all about trends. Here are some the hottest Tiktok trends right now that your business might be able to benefit your business.

#Cleangirlaesthetic

The clean girl aesthetic covers decor, fashion and beauty, and is all about minimalism and understated sophistication, along with prioritizing your self-care. Simple, neutral color palettes, pared-down style, but high quality.

#Mermaidcore

The #mermaidcore trend is influenced by the release of the latest Little Mermaid film, and it has to do with fashion, jewelry and makeup involving pearls, ruffles, seashells, low-rise skirts, sequins and sparkles – all in the traditional mermaid color palette of purple, blue and green.

#Whimsigoth

This trend is inspired by any magic or witchy type TV show you watched in the 90s, so it focuses on vintage stars, moon and other celestial decor.

#Railscapes

Railscapes is a hot #decortok trend whereby houseplants line the balusters of your indoor staircase.

#Dopamine

The dopamine #decortok trend is all about decorating with things that are fun and whimsical that gives you a rush of dopamine when you see them.

#Paintedbread

Painted bread is a popular #foodtok that is basically handmade bread, which has been decorated with floral and vine graphics using food coloring and food gel.

#Teabombs

We’ve had hot chocolate bombs and coffee bombs, now tea bombs are the current rage, which are a mixture of tea and other botanicals inside a dissolvable sugar shell.

#Cottagecheese

This retro health #foodtok is making a comeback with Tiktok users looking for recipes for cottage cheese pasta, cottage cheese ice cream and cottage cheese toast, among other things.

#Vintagecakes

The vintage cakes trend has Tiktokers showcasing their over-the-top cake creations that are also ultra feminine with rows and rows of sugar pearls, an abundance of edible roses, an overload of piped icing, and just really gaudy, decadent designs.

#Customweddingnapkins

Your #weddingtok #bridaltok trends should include custom or personalized wedding napkins that come with a cute story about the couple or special messages from the bride and groom.

#Packanorderwithme

Many small businesses are packing customer orders on camera, and people seem to respond to this, including their customers excited to see their own purchase getting ready for shipment.

#Dayinthelife

A day in the life video follows a small business owner throughout their day so that the viewer gets some idea of all the tasks and activities involved in what they do.

If you need more social media content ideas, be sure to download my 365 Social Media Ideas Calendar.

Also Read: 8 Instagram Reel Ideas and My Favorite Home Office Finds

You Have To Try This Email Marketing Idea

April 30, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I saw this email in my in-box and I thought the subject line was simple but brilliant:

This florist, who I have purchased from in the past, is using the various national days to drum up business, and you can do the same.

Below are some upcoming occasions to email customers about the way they did (except, you might want to say “This Month is” instead of “Tomorrow is“):

May 2 – Teacher Appreciation Day
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 12 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 12 – Nurses Day
May 13 – Dog Mom Appreciation Day
May 14 – Mother’s Day
May 24 – Brother’s Day

Click to download

I have a detailed timeline of every major holiday, event and other occasion for each month of the year in my brand new 2023 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner.

Today’s Marketing Idea I Love

January 5, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

marketing ideas I love Happy new year everyone!

So here is today’s marketing idea that I really love, and that I thought you might want to try with your own business.

I was on the website of the furniture retailer, West Elm, and I really liked how they include this “Why West Elm?” graphic at the end of every listing description.

It focuses on five key elements of their value proposition, with short-to-the-point text and easy to understand graphics.

The goal is to reinforce to first-time customers your business’ values and credibility, to create trust in buying from you.

If you need help writing your website copy, About page, Brand Story, blog posts, press releases, listing descriptions, and so forth, I offer a variety of affordable marketing writing services that create engagement and are optimized for SEO. Just email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com to discuss or head over to my Services page at my Shopify store or on Etsy.

I know you’re busy, so here are more of my 30-Second Reads.

A Fast Way to Discover Who Your Target Customer Is

December 16, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

a fast way to discover who your target customer is Need 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.

An Easy Way to Measure Online Ad Success

December 7, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Need an 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.

All New Small Business Ideas for 2023

November 9, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

One of my most popular posts this year was 54 Creative Small Business Ideas for 2022.

Well I just updated it with some new small business ideas for 2023:

Home Grown Flowers – Did you know that flowers were impacted by the supply chain? So, buy yourself an affordable green house on Amazon and grow flowers for people to purchase for weddings, Mother’s Day, even poinsettias for Christmas. This makes a great seasonal side hustle; it does not have to be full-time.

Upsized House Plans (or Homes) for Boomers – Believe it or not, more baby boomers are upsizing their homes rather than downsizing. They want more space in their golden years to accommodate live-in elderly parents as well as out-of-town children and grandchildren who come to visit. As a result, the type of house has changed whereby they require two to three bedrooms with their own ensuite bath, wheel chair accessibility, and single level with a first floor owner’s suite.

Pop-up Store Liaison – A lot of commercial retail property is sitting empty after COVID, so it would help if there was someone who acted as a liaison between small businesses who wanted a short-term popup retail presence (just for a weekend, week or month) and the lessor, owner or realtor for the property. You make your money by getting a piece of the commission.

Spiritual Awakening Trip Planner – People are really investing in their mental health, so they like to seek guidance in far off exotic places that have a tradition of helping with spiritual healing, such as Varanasi, Machu Picchu, Kyoto, Bali, and Jerusalem. A great business idea is to be a travel planner specializing in these types of excursions, especially targeting single people travelling on their own.

Home Energy Expert – With energy costs at a record high, people want to find ways to save on their energy bills as much as possible. A service whereby you can come in and evaluate a home (or actually do the work) and provide ways for the home owner to better insulate and cut costs is invaluable, not to mention it can also qualify the home owner for various government rebates.

Wellness Coach – You’ve heard of a Life Coach, but a Wellness Coach focuses purely on your physical and mental health choices. People know they have to take better care of their health, but rarely make the time. A wellness coach gives you a plan and makes sure you stay on course.

Sleep Expert – It is believed that between 30% and 48% of older adults suffer from insomnia. It is becoming a serious health issue with many people seeking relief, so a sleep expert who could help solve their problem would be a service worth paying for.

Want to start your own business in 2023? Set up a phone consultation and I can advise on some ideas that would be right for you as well as how to get started. You can also download my Starting a New Business Planner.