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5 Must-Do Marketing Ideas for July

June 23, 2015 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Need some cool ideas to promote your small business in July? Try some of these:

5 Must-Do Marketing Ideas for July

  1. Who doesn’t watch Netflix these days? Every month when Netflix updates its listings, it trends huge on social media. So, tweet out something about your favorite @Netflix show because they are very good are retweeting compliments, which puts your business name in front of their 1.42 million followers.
  2. Now is the time to be pitching to print magazines to get into fall editorial. Magazines will be writing about fall fashion, fall food, fall entertaining, fall decor, fall weddings, fall shows, fall movies, you name it. So come up with a fall-theme story pitch that involves your business.
  3. Creative Market is amazing! They give free goods away on their website including fonts, icons and graphics that you can use in your marketing.
  4. Two big events this month that will trend well on social media are Shark Week and Comic-Con, so take advantage by posting updates from both.
  5. Remember my post a couple of weeks back, 5 Ways to Promote Your Business at Summer Events? Take advantage of free advertising on your car (and your family and friends’ cars) by having a cardboard windshield sun visor made that displays your logo and url and leave it out when parking at popular local events.
  6. Check out my ebook shop for more creative ideas in my Marketing Ideas Ebooks.

© 2015 Gail Oliver, Attention Getting Marketing. All rights reserved.

7 Things Customers Want to See on Your About Page

June 10, 2015 /

customers want to see on your about pageWant to know 7 things customers want to see on your about page?

Writing an About page for your website is necessary, but tough to do when it is your own business. You can be too close to it to be objective and get your message right. You can also be leaving out vital information that might be stopping people from doing business with you. Also called a “Brand Story”, here are some of my tips.

7 Things to Include in Your About Page
  1. Introduce Yourself and Your Business – Customers want to know the business but also the person/people behind the business. Start with an opening paragraph that is keyword friendly (as Google may read this as your default text) that basically sums up quickly who you are and what goods and/or services you are providing.
  2. How Are You Better – Here customers want to know why they should choose you over the competition (without bashing the competition) so highlight your strengths and how you not only match, but exceed, the competition.
  3. How Long Have You Been in Business – This is important as the more years you’ve been in business, the less risky you seem. Now, if your business is fairly new, then spend some time talking about past successes you’ve had either in your career or other business ventures.
  4. Customer Testimonials – Visitors want to hear from people who have done business with you. Don’t just give a first name, that’s seems made up. You have to give a first and last name and a city. Not all of your customers will go for this, so give them an incentive to do so.
  5. Other Testimonials – Be sure to include any press your business has received, any business awards it has won, any major sales records (10,000 copies sold to-date!), and any other milestones such as, “Voted one of the top businesses to watch in 2023 by Yahoo Business” and so forth.
  6. Contact Information – I actually think you should have contact information on every page on your website. You never want people to have to search for how to contact you. So give your email, a phone number (if you have one), a mailing address, a fill in contact form and even a live chat (if you can implement it on your site).
  7. Images – Customers want to see your personal photo (I know some people hate this, but it can be a side profile shot or action shot), as well as photos of the business, your workspace, logos of the awards you’ve won and covers of the publications you’ve appeared in.
Example of a Good About Page (that I wrote for a client)

I love telling stories. But not just any plain old story.

Maybe it’s an awe-inspiring PowerPoint presentation for your brand that will blow the roof off …. or a poignant video montage to celebrate a major life event sure to bring a lump to the throat …. or a revamp of your professional profile guaranteed to have employers jumping through hoops to hire you. As a visual storyteller, I thrive upon creating artistic, captivating and memorable narratives for both personal and business needs.

In my 20+ year role as a branding professional for a Fortune 500 company, I have always been recognized for having a rare talent for being able to magically transform either super complex topics into easy-to-understand visuals or basic content into information that wowed – and always with a keen understanding of the intended audience and desired result. Being that this company is also one of the world’s leading athletic brands, I learned firsthand the role emotion plays in telling a story and making that connection with your audience.

Therefore, I decided to turn my unique skill set into my own business, and hence the creation of LuLu Stories, where I take a strategic, creative and emotional approach to visual storytelling. I intuitively understand how to blend a harmonious combination of captivating writing and innovative design into an impactful and compelling story that resonates with the emotional needs of the audience. I believe in making and leaving a lasting impression!

As someone who is never happy with the ordinary or the boring, I guarantee that you will be amazed by the level of thought, passion and personal connection that I pour into each and every one of my visual stories to ensure you get both the creative “WOW” factor and audience reaction you’re seeking.

I would love to have you trust me with telling your story. So, let’s get started!

LuLu

about page brand story writer

Click to learn more about my writing service.

Hire Me to Write Your About Page

I have written hundreds of about pages and brand stories like the one above. As a marketer and a writer, I know how to tell your story in a way that will engage, compel, and make people want to do business with you! Just email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com if you would like to see more samples of my work.

FINAL TIP: Always write your About page in the first person. You want to be talking to your customers, not act like some distant, mysterious figure. It will make them feel more of a connection.

About Me

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!

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© 2024 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Customers Want to See on Your About Page

5 Ways to Promote Your Business at Popular Summer Events

June 1, 2015 /

 

Summer is almost here and it provides a ton of opportunities to promote your business at every type of popular, well attended event. This is a great time to use your friends and family members to get the word out about your business, and it won’t take much of an investment but could offer big returns.

 

For example, every city and town has some sort of big race – a 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon, Spartan race, triathlon, bike race, walk – you name it. These events typically have a high attendance (and media coverage) and gives you a chance to get your business seen by your local market.

5 Ways To Get Your Business Noticed at a Major Event

  1. If you know anyone (or even yourself) who is participating in a race, it is a chance to get your business name and website url seen on a t-shirt they wear, a headband, a hat, the side of a baby jogger – so many possibilities!
  2. Think about parking your car in a spot where the majority of spectators will be walking, both towards and away from the finish line (so get there early) and make sure it has a large windshield sun visor that displays your company name and website url.
  3. Have a friend or family member that lives close to the finish line? Ask it they will display a lawn sign, window sign or banner promoting your business. Get creative!
  4. If taking public transit to the big race (along with crowds of other people), wear your t-shirt or even carry a large canvas bag that has your business logo on it.
  5. If the race is getting covered by the local news, be sure to have someone wearing your company t-shirt standing behind the reporter when reporting.

Other Big Summer Events

  • Outdoor Concerts
  • Music Festivals
  • Outdoor Movies
  • Farmer’s Markets
  • Art Festivals
  • Food Festivals
  • Film Festivals
  • Children’s Festivals
  • Bazaars
  • County Fairs
  • Parades
  • Trade Shows and Conferences
  • Museum Exhibitions
  • Traveling Amusement Parks
  • Yoga in the Park
  • Fourth of July Events
  • Public Bike Days
  • Major League Baseball Games
  • Golf Tournaments
  • Tennis Tournaments
  • Air Shows
  • Boat Shows
  • Fishing Derbies
  • Rodeos
  • Proms
  • College Graduation Ceremonies & Events
Also to Read:

© 2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

Marketing Mix 4P Example

May 12, 2015 /

marketing mix 4p exampleNeed a Marketing Mix 4P Example? This tends to be a popular marketing question so I thought I would answer it.

The four Ps are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and they should also occur in that order when starting a new business.

Why? Because all the promotion in the world is not going to help you if the product is no good, the price is way off, and you are not selling in the right places.

The “Product” in Marketing Mix

So let’s start with your product. It all really does have to start here. I have so many clients who jump ahead and start designing logos and doing the fun things, but it has to start with the product.

Does the product (or service) serve a need, have a purpose, offer value, is good quality, has desired features, has features competitors do not have, comes in a variety of options targeting various markets and customers?

In other words, have you done your research? Even if the product or service is not new, but one you have been selling for a while, when was the last time you looked at your market and competitors to see what’s new in terms of what customers want.

For example, let’s say you sell graphic t-shirts. So what makes your product special? Is the material good quality? Are they for men, women or both? Are they in sizes from XS to XXXL? Are they in a variety of colors? Does the shirt come in long sleeves and v-neck? Is the graphic design high quality? Will the design stay on the shirt or peel and fade?

I’m not saying you have to have a shirt that covers all of this; it depends on who the target customer is. But they are the things you need to think about.

The “Price” in Marketing Mix

The next P is price. This is based on a variety of factors. First of all, cost of production is number one as you have to make money. If the t-shirt costs you $12 to make, you can’t really charge $13. If all of your competitors are charging $20, you need to stay in this range to be competitive, unless you can justify the higher cost (i.e. luxury branding, higher quality material).

The “Place” in Marketing Mix

The next P is place and it is all about where you sell. There are so many options these days from online to retail to out of your car. Again, where does your ideal buyer shop and where do they expect to find products like yours? Never sell just in one place, it is way too restrictive and your whole business is dependent on that one channel. You really want to sell as many places as possible to widen your reach.

The “Promotion” in Marketing Mix

The final P is promotion, and this covers another type of mix, the promotional marketing mix. This is where your marketing strategy is comprised of advertising, SEO, email marketing, publicity, social media and sales promotions.

Be sure to download my 96-page Marketing Planner and check out my Marketing Coaching.

You might also want to read How to Start a New Business Step by Step.

© 2015-2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Marketing Mix 4P Example

How to Stay Inspired and Motivated When Your Sales Suck

May 6, 2015 /

As I have said before on my blog, if you are going to have your own business, you have to know the success can come and go. As a result, it is very easy to get down on your business and lose motivation when those sales slumps occur. Every business has slumps, so here are some tips to stay inspired and motivated when business isn’t going so great.

Read About Others’ Failures Not Successes

Stop reading about other people’s successes and instead read about other people’s failures, before they had success. The majority of entrepreneurs were not successful right out of the gate. They had failure after failure until something finally worked. The key was, they did not give up, they kept trying.

People who have immediate success usually do so due to a fluke. Also, the people who brag about how successful there, typically are not. Why else are they trying so hard to convince you that they are?

These people are not the norm, so don’t focus on them. Focus on those who have failed and then went onto success as this is much more motivating. Here is a good article, 13 Business Leaders Who Failed Before They Succeeded from American Express Open Forum.

Think Only Positive Thoughts

Seems like such easy advice but it isn’t always easy to do. If I can recommend a book that did wonders for me, it was The Power of Positive Thinking. It is based on the theory that the mind is much more powerful than we realize and positive thoughts bring positive results, whereas negative thoughts bring negative results. Sounds simplistic, but it does work.

So get up each morning believing that you will get new customers and new sales. Don’t even doubt it. As I have said before, it doesn’t matter if anyone else thinks you will be successful, it only matters that you do. But if you don’t believe it, then it probably won’t happen.

Try Something New

On the odd occasion, I will have a client who will dismiss my advice because they think it won’t work. They won’t even try it, and they instead they decide to just keep doing what they have been doing that hasn’t been working for them. I guess it is safer to keep failing. Remember the saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

Therefore, make a list of new tactics to try (my Marketing Plans have hundreds of them) and stop wasting time on things that have proven not to work for you because you already know the results.

Encourage Someone Else

We all need a pep talk every now and then, so why not help out someone else who may be feeling down about their business. Post a nice message on their social media sites, recommend their business to a friend or just email them a compliment. You will probably get kind words back, which goes a long way in keeping us motivated and a little good karma never hurt anyone.

If you need encouragement about your small business, try my one-on-one consultations.

© 2015 – 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

4 Amazing Free Publicity Opportunities for Your Small Business

April 28, 2015 /

by Gail Oliver, Attention Getting Marketing

You may not have heard, but next week (May 4 to 8) is National Small Business Week (be sure to use the hash tag #DreamSmallBiz) and it is a good time to pitch a story about your business to your local press. Anything can be a possible story pitch, including if you have:

  • An innovative product or service idea
  • An eco-friendly business
  • Rapid growth in the last 6 months or year
  • New facilities or location opening
  • Engaged in a charitable endeavor

national small business week 2015Now, I also came across four awesome opportunities to get free publicity for your small business.

1. Get Included in an American Family Insurance Ad

At the dentist office I was looking through a copy of People Magazine (which has a readership of 46 million), and the opening 3-page color ad was from a company called American Family Insurance, with their “Dream Fearlessly” campaign promoting the work of a photographer, a writer, and an artist who are all trying to turn their dream into a business. So, if you have pursued or fulfilled a business dream, submit it to American Family Insurance (scroll down to the form at the bottom of the page) and maybe you will be profiled in an upcoming ad.

2. Share Your Pinterest Success

I don’t know about you, but Pinterest brings a huge amount of traffic to my blog. Therefore, if you have a Pinterest success story of how it has helped your business, submit it to Pinterest and they just might profile your story in emails, on their blog and more, so other businesses can learn from your success. 

3. AT&T Wants to Know Your Business Story

Telecom giant AT&T has a “Real Stories” feature that profiles business owners who have a great story to tell and insights to help other entrepreneurs. Submit your business story to AT&T and you could be featured on their blog (called The Business Circle) and their social media pages (250,000 followers) – a great way to drive more traffic to your site and gain more customers.

4. Be Part of the Globe and Mail’s TakeOff Series

If you are a Canadian small business or entrepreneur, you have from now until July to submit your story to Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, to be profiled in their “TakeOff“ series. Essentially, they want to know what helped or hurt your business from “taking off”. You can get more details about what and where to submit here.

Things to Note

© 2015 GAIL OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Google Tweaks Search Algorithm to Favor Mobile-Friendly: Quick Test to See If Your Site Is

April 22, 2015 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Wonder why #Mobilegeddon was trending on Twitter yesterday? After announcing in February that they would be giving preference to mobile-friendly sites when users search from their phones, yesterday Google officially made the change to its search algorithm.

google mobilegeddon mobile search

If in the next two weeks you see your search traffic from mobile drop off (traffic source usually has “m.” in front) then your site may not be mobile-friendly. With 60% of all searches now being done on people’s phones that could really hurt your business.

What is Google’s Criteria for Mobile-Friendly?

  • sites that streamline interactions for visitors on their site
  • sites that make it easy for visitors to complete tasks
  • sites that can resize to fit whatever screen they’re viewed on (responsive web design)

Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly will show up lower in search results.

How Can You Tell if Your Site is Mobile-Friendly?

Just enter your url in Google’s Mobile Friendly Test Box. If it indicates that your site is not mobile-friendly, just stay on their page and click over to the tab that says “Mobile Guide” and Google will walk you through what you need to do.

Keep in mind this update applies to individual pages, not your entire website. So if your site does come up as not being mobile-friendly, you may have certain pages on your site that are, and therefore these pages will still rank well in mobile search results. 

May Marketing Calendar

Online Shops May Calendar CoverThe May version of my very popular Marketing Calendar for Online Shops is available now. I also have a version for Etsy shops available here.

© 2015 GAIL OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

 

 

3 Awesome E-commerce Tips of the Week

April 21, 2015 /

By Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

I found some really effective tactics being used at some online shops that I thought I would share, that may add value to your e-commerce site.

Make Your Email Sign Up More Attention Getting

The Palm Tree Boutique did something smart. When I land on a home page of an online shop, I typically get an annoying box asking me to sign up for their newsletter that I almost immediately click shut. But Palm Tree did something different and put up a very large photo image instead, plus offering 20%, which is quite generous. It was much more effective.

effective marketing

Let Customers Make Their Own Product Bundles

I love this idea by the makeup company, Benefit, of allowing customers to create their own bundle of products. The price is set at $79, but customers get to choose three products from three different options, plus they also receive free gifts. Great way to up-sell more products.

ecommerce tips

 Give Previews of Your Social Media & Incentives to Follow

I have long recommended to clients to instead of just say, “follow us on social media” to give an incentive to do so, as well as a preview of what you post. The online store Furbish Studios does a nice job of both. letting people know that if they follow on Instagram they will get exclusive discounts, Furbish favorites and design inspiration.

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Screen shot 2015-04-21 at 5.55.01 PM

May Marketing Calendar

Online Shops May Calendar CoverThe May version of my very popular Marketing Calendar for Online Shops is available now. I also have a version for Etsy shops available here.

© 2015 GAIL OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Social Media Acronyms and Internet Slang

April 15, 2015 /

Are you confused sometimes when you see a group of letters in the caption of an Instagram post?Social Media Acronyms Internet Slang

These are called social media acronyms and Internet slang.

I’ve compiled a list of the most popular ones below, and maybe some of these will help you to connect with your target market:

  • AFAIK – As Far As I Know
  • AMA – Ask Me Anything
  • ATP – At This Point
  • BAE – Before Anyone Else
  • BTS – Behind The Scenes
  • BTW – By The Way
  • CSL – Can’t Stop Laughing
  • DAE – Does Anyone Else
  • DFTBA – Don’t Forget To Be Awesome
  • DYK – Did You Know
  • FTW – For The Win
  • FUTAB – Feet Up Take A Break
  • G2G – Got To Go
  • GRWM – Get Ready With Me
  • HIFW – How I Feel When
  • HMB – Hit Me Back
  • HTH – Happy To Help
  • IB – Inspired By
  • ICYMI – In Case You Missed It
  • IFYP – I Feel Your Pain
  • IKR – I Know, Right
  • IJBOL – I Just Burst Out Laughing
  • IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
  • IRL – In Real Life
  • LMK – Let Me Know
  • MTFBWY – May The Force Be With You
  • NBD – No Big Deal
  • OOMF – One Of My Followers
  • OOO – Out Of Office
  • POTD – Photo Of The Day
  • QOTD – Quote Of The Day
  • SMH – Shaking My Head
  • SSDD – Same Stuff, Different Day
  • SWMBO – She Who Must Be Obeyed
  • TFW – That Feeling When
  • TIL – Today I Learned
  • TTYL – Talk To You Later
  • WDYMBT – What Do You Mean By That
  • WFH – Working From Home
  • WOM – Word Of Mouth
  • WYWH – Wish You Were Here
  • YKWIS – You Know What Im Saying

I hope you find interesting ways to use these Social Media Acronyms Internet Slang to connect with your audience.

Be sure to read more of my small business advice on my blog here.

Visit my Shopify and Etsy stores for affordable and informative small business planners, guides and downloads.

 

 

 

© 2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

How to Get Valuable Research from Your Customers

April 8, 2015 /

research your customersResearch your customers on their social media sites to learn vital information you can then use to get new customers.

New clients always ask me how to get in front of their target market and get more customers. One of the problems may be that you don’t know enough about your current customers. Luckily for you, social media has made it very easy for you to find out more about the people who are buying from you (and from your competitors).

Follow Taylor Swift’s Lead

For example, a few weeks back I wrote a post about What Your Business Can Learn from Taylor Swift because she really gets it in that she understands that her fans are her customers. So when she wanted to send some of her die-hard fans Christmas gifts, she went onto their social media pages to learn more about them.

Now, as a business owner, have you done this? Have you tried to learn as much as possible about the people who have already bought from you?

What You Can Learn From Your Customers’ Social Media Pages

It is not as creepy as it sounds, but basically is an exploratory exercise to research your customers. Someone who has bought from you is likely representative of other people who would buy from you. By checking out their social media pages, be it Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., you will find out a lot of information about them such as which blogs they read (because maybe they sent out a link to a recent post), what TV shows they watch (because they have liked their fan page) even what stores they shop at (because they posted a photo of a recent purchase).research your customers

Tactics to Try

All of this information is really helpful in not only marketing your business, but also in creating future products and services your customers might like. Start by looking at their Facebook posts to see the type of content they have liked and/or shared. Then go to their Pinterest page and see which pins they have repined or liked or what type of boards they have created on what types of subjects. Go to their Twitter profile and see which media outlets they follow, which is really helpful if you are trying to find new places to advertise or get publicity for your business. This is why I always recommend to my customers to follow their customers on social media.

You can also use these same tactics to find out more about the people who are buying from your competitors, as likely their customers are following them on social media.

The more you know about your customers, the better chance you have of not only finding them, but selling to them.

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.small business seo

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!

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.

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© 2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Research Your Customers. 

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