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Awesome Business Idea of the Week

October 15, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

this weeks awesome business idea Searches for “Haunted Car Wash Near Me” are up 950% this week on Google. It shows just how popular Halloween has become, and how a seemingly unrelated business can take advantage.

Basically drive-through car washes (the ones where you stay in the car) are hiring actors to dress up and scare patrons as the car makes its way through. They also get to charge a little more than the traditional car washing fee, and customers are loving it!

It really is a brilliant idea because you have to get your car washed anyway, so why not turn it into a fun Halloween experience. It is also a great way for the car wash to get some free local publicity.

So, is there anything about your business that you can turn into a haunted experience? Why you’re at it, start thinking about Christmas!

Find all kinds of creative marketing inspiration in my Etsy store.

This Week’s Easy SEO Tip

September 28, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I have an easy SEO tip for your business. I was on a major retailer’s website recently and I noticed their website sections as the following:

Two of the section headings, “Featured Outfits on TV” and “Jeans and a Going Out Top” struck me as feeling like a search query.

Since your website sections can also come up in Google search results as their own page, does it not make sense to frequently rename your website sections after popular searches that are showing up in your Google Analytic stats, or just based on trending searches in your market segment as a whole?

SEO Example 1

For example, let’s say you’re a travel agent. Go to Google Trends and type in “trip”, “travel” or “vacation” and look at searches for the last 7 days. One breakout search that came up was:

4 Day, 3 Night Las Vegas Vacation Packages with Flight

Therefore, why not make that a section on your website as it is already optimized for Google SEO?

If you feel that the search phrase is still not right for your local market, then narrow the Google Trends searches down by your city or state.

SEO Example 2

Maybe you’re a realtor in New Jersey. Look at the top Google Trends searches for the last 7 days and you will see breakout searches like, “Lake Houses for Sale in New Jersey” and “2 Family Houses for Sale in New Jersey”. Again, make these website sections to improve your local SEO, even if just for the short term.

SEO Example 3

Maybe you sell throw pillows online. In the last seven days, “Lilac Throw Pillows” was a breakout Google search. I am not sure why, but what could it hurt to make it temporarily a shop section and see what happens.

More SEO tips on my blog:

This Week’s Brilliant Marketing Idea

September 18, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

When I was checking out a hotel online in Nashville recently, I typed in the date I was interested in going and this screen came up:

It was a graphic alerting me to events that would be going on in the city during those dates. I thought it was brilliant, because the hotel was providing me with extra information in helping me make a decision as to whether I should book a trip.

So it got me thinking….

What extra information are you giving potential customers to help them buy from you?

For example, if you’re a realtor and someone clicks on listing, maybe have a pop-up graphic that indicates how long the house has been on the market, how many offers it current has or how much the value of other houses in the neighborhood have increased over the past 5 years.
If you’re a travel agent, when someone clicks on a certain destination, maybe have a pop up graphic indicating the best time of year to go, or what location would be a better option for this particular time of year.
If you’re a hair stylist, when someone clicks to make a reservation, maybe have a pop up graphic showing photos of the three latest hair color trends.
If you’re an ecommerce store, when someone clicks on a Halloween product, maybe have a pop up graphic indicating the number of days left until i.e. Just 32 days until Halloween!

The key is to close the sale by either providing more incentives and/or removing any possible apprehensions to buying.

Why You Need a Brand Story

September 12, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Today’s small businesses really need that personalization factor in order to connect with potential customers and secure their business … and a brand story can do just that. I have to be honest, the About Me section is one of the first places I go to on a website before I even think about buying.

why you need a Brand Story

A brand story is a great way to make a connection by sharing information about you and your business story, and really help to humanize your brand to potential customers and create a sense of trust and comfort in buying from you. Don’t you want to know who you are buying from?

It can be a powerful marketing tool that makes your brand more memorable and differentiates you from your competition. But a lot of people do not write them correctly.

First Person Only!

The first big mistake business owners make when writing their brand story is writing it in the third person. Big no-no! You don’t want to sound like some far away, shadowy figure who is above talking to their customers. How many times have you been to a restaurant and the owner comes around to the table? It makes a difference. So, write it in first person if you want to make that connection.

A Little Background Info

Then you need to give a little background on why you started the business, its mission, its values, and what qualifies you for this business. You want to show your accomplishments, so it looks like you know what you’re doing, but without seeming like you’re bragging.

Talk to Your Target Audience

But, most importantly, you want to show that you understand your target customer – their wants, their needs, what they value – because they want to buy from someone who gets them.

Call to Action

Finally, you want to end your brand story with a call to action. Nothing too gimmicky, just suggest they can reach out to you by email, phone, text or even just click over to your products/services page to learn more.

An engaging and effectively written brand story can turn potential customers into real customers. If you are in need one, be sure to see my Brand Story Writing Service or email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com to see samples I have written for others.

Social Media Ideas for September

August 13, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

If you’re planning your social media calendar for September, here are some creative posting ideas. If you need more ideas, be sure to download my Best-Selling 365 Day Social Media Calendar newly updated to cover July 2023 to August 2024!

September Social Media Posting Ideas

September 1: Post 5 online Labor Day sales (a huge search every year) that your target market might be interested in (including your own sale).
September 3: Post a positive mantra to recite today in honor of #selfcareawarenessmonth.
September 5: Post a carousel of crock pot tailgating recipes (this search phrase peaks this week).
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ON ETSY
September 6: Post a favorite quote from a classic book for #readabookday and ask followers their favorite classic book quote.
September 8: Post a quote from Queen Elizabeth II in honor of the one-year anniversary of her death.
September 10: Post a question asking, “What is your favorite pumpkin spice food?”
September 14: Post 5 fall festivals in your city. This is why last week’s blog post, Want Your Website Traffic to Skyrocket This Fall?, was so important to read!
September 18: Post a This or That Poll i.e. Pumpkin Patch or Apple Orchard?
September 27: Post 3 ways to celebrate the Mooncake / Mid-Autumn Festival on September 29th (a top search every September).
September 29: Post a photo or interesting fact about tonight’s full moon, the Harvest Moon (maybe the fact that the name came from farmers who depended on the moon’s light to harvest their crops late into the night).
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ON ETSY
Get the rest of my Best-Selling 365 Social Media Post Ideas Calendar.
Download my 12-Month Marketing Strategy Plans for all types of small businesses to help drive more traffic & sales.

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!

Poor Etsy Sales? This Is What To Sell on Etsy

July 22, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Are your sales on Etsy not doing so hot? A lot of the time, success on Etsy is really based on WHAT you sell.

Click to download

Customer Success Story

When I consult for an Etsy shop, analyzing their product line is a large part of it, where I try to find more lucrative product niches for their shop, including product niches that are growing and ones that are about to take off.

For example, a few years back I was consulting for a scented candle shop on Etsy. In doing my research for them, I saw a breakout Google search for “vanilla cashmere candles”. At the time, there were less than 100 listings on Etsy for a vanilla cashmere scented candle, so I convinced them to quickly add this candle to the shop, which we then optimized for SEO, landing it on the first page of search results, and the candle quickly became their best seller.

My new ebook What to Sell on Etsy outlines (in easy to read chart form), key sales opportunities by looking at products that are currently highly searched but have a low number of listings on Etsy. In other words, high demand with low supply.

In Demand Products on Etsy with Little Competition

Another example. You might think that the art category on Etsy is completely saturated. However, there are 15,000 searches on Google each month for “romanticism art” and yet only 4,000 listings on Etsy. That’s an opportunity.

Same with “yoga posters”. There’s over 165,000 Google searches a month, but only 21,000 listings on Etsy.

Download my Best Seller!

Another example, is “flared yoga pants”. Over 18,000 Google searches a month, yet under 2,000 listings on Etsy. If you’re a print on demand shop, I would be contacting my supplier today about getting flared yoga pants in my shop!

The goal is to also make sure you are selling the right product within the segment.

For example, there are a whopping 436,000 listings on Etsy for “summer linen dress” even though it is only searched 4,000 times a month. However, there are only 3,500 Etsy listings for “linen overalls”, which gets twice as many monthly searches. Not to mention that the average price for linen overalls on Etsy is US$100 compared to US$60 for a summer linen dress. Therefore, why not sell something that not only is MORE in demand with LESS competition, and has a HIGHER price point?

Another huge opportunity I identified is for floating shelves, with over 246,000 monthly searches, yet only 32,928 listings on Etsy.

What Else to Sell on Etsy Right Now

A few more of the 200+ product niches I found:

Gold Apple Watch Bands
Shower Steamers
Floating Candles
Crystal Advent Calendars
Halloween Costumes for Dogs
“Most Likely To” Christmas Shirts
Blanket Hoodies

Best Seller! Click to download!

I share all of this research in my new download, What to Sell on Etsy. You will love this ebook because I did extensive research on some of the top product niches on Etsy, including reviewing search data from Etsy, Amazon, Google Shopping, Google Trends and a few other SEO tools, all to discover over 200 opportunities in over 40 top Etsy product categories. where there is HIGH product demand but LOW supply.

Discover 200+ Product Opportunities on Etsy!

Also read: A Few Highlights from my Etsy Holiday Sales Planner.

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

Attention Getting Marketing

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Awesome Business Idea of the Week

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