3 Reasons to Create a Sales Video

A sales video can transform your sales pitch from boring to interactive. It sells your business to clients and can heighten their interest in setting up a meeting with you. A sales video sells your product or services, and captures why someone should be interested in what you have to offer.

A sales video can transform your sales pitch from boring to interactive. It sells your business to clients and can heighten their interest in setting up a meeting with you. A sales video sells your product or services, and captures why someone should be interested in what you have to offer.

 

Why Have a Sales Video?
 

1) Pamphlets Are a Thing of the Past

 

Today, the average North American watches four hours of television everyday. Compare that to the fact that the average North American reads only one book every year. This information shows us that nowadays people get more of their information from video than anything else.

 

Business’s should consider video as the way to get the word out. Nobody wants to spend time anymore reading long pamphlets or going through a plain PowerPoint. Business videos are quick and get the message across better than any other platform. 

 

2) Sales Videos Create Impact

 

No matter how much you know a movie is not real life, it will always still impact you. Whether it gives you the feeling of happiness, sadness or sheer excitement, a video can cause emotions that a webpage or brochure cannot. It doesn’t have to be a Hollywood video. Simply adding music to a presentation can build impact.

 

3) You’ll Never Be as Good 

 

It doesn’t matter how good of a sales person you are, but you can never deliver information the way a video can. A video can be organized and edited in a way that includes photos, graphics, music and sound, that can truly capture the message you want to send.

 

Email your business video to the individual you hope to set a meeting up with before speaking with them in order to increase excitement that is harder to provide over the phone. 

 

http://www.n5r.com/blog/3-reasons-to-create-a-sales-video

 

The Ultimate Social Media Marketing Checklist Every Newbie Must Follow

Are you just starting out on social media as a platform to market your business? Are you unsure about what you should be doing in order to be a success?

 

Take a look at these handy checklists from Andrea Vahl to see how you are getting along. There’s one for Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.

 

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/08/05/the-ultimate-social-media-marketing-checklist-every-newbie-must-follow/

 

Email Marketing: How to Use Video to Boost Conversions and Sales

Are you looking for ways to improve your email marketing strategy? Have you considered how you can use video to boost your conversions and sales?

 

People love watching videos! In fact, over 6 BILLION hours of video are watched each month on YouTube! With those sorts of figures in mind it probably won’t be surprising to learn that marketers who use video as part of their email strategy report more clicks and more shares.

 

For those figures and more about how and why you should integrate video with your email marketing strategy take a look at this infographic from GetResponse.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/12/30/email-marketing-how-to-use-video-to-boost-conversions-and-sales/

 

The 7 Top Social Media Trends That Will Impact Your Marketing In 2015

2014 saw the world of social media take some new turns; some for better, others for worse. We’ve seen mobile use skyrocket; activity on social media during TV shows rise (according to research by Virgin Media) and the arrival of shopping via Twitter.

 

 

But with the year coming to a close, it’s time to have a look at which of these social media trends will take centre stage in 2015’s social landscape.

 

1. Mobile as Priority

 

According to Roger Katz of clickz.com, carriers’ shelf space for mobile handsets with screens sized 4.7 inches and over has grown from 4% to a third, whilst the number of daily active mobile users on Facebook has grown 15% in 2014 alone. If these stats aren’t enough to send a clear message, consider that the number of mobile-only users on Facebook grew by 34% – a startling spike that suggests mobile is no longer a secondary channel. It’s fast becoming first-choice.

 

Taking Facebook as a guide, Katz suggests ‘mobile-aware’ should become ‘mobile-first’ and think about how their social presence can cater to the mobile user. Big platforms have already been doing this, with Facebook creating its separate Messenger app and purchasing smaller mobile apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and Karma.

 

Twitter, on the other hand, recently purchased the MoPub ad exchange platform in 2013 and even Google Adwords is focusing more on mobile-centred display ads.

 

2. Paid Amplification

 

A recent Forrester report stated that organic interaction on Facebook brand posts has shrunken to just 0.073%. For a while now, Facebook has been pushing its promoted posts feature as a way to further monetize the platform and allow businesses to increase their outreach. And Twitter’s promoted tweets, have become more prevalent, attracting more users with each quarter (Thomas Armitage, site-seeker.com).

 

Katz believes brands ought to “ditch thinking about social media as a free-place market”, and instead take the time to think about audience segmentation and the needs of their particular audience.

 

Once brands have chosen carefully which social platform(s) to focus on, they can invest money into expanding their reach; capitalising on promising demographic and/or encouraging engagement from otherwise passive users.

 

3. Social Shopping

 

The idea of shopping via social media is probably an obvious one in hindsight, but it wasn’t until Twitter rolled out the idea earlier in 2014 that marketers started to consider it as a realistic possibility. With the integration of a ‘Buy’ button in certain tweets, visible only to a small segment of users, Twitter was able to test out the service through select brands like (RED) and Rihanna.

 

Facebook soon followed, rolling out a ‘Buy’ button trial of its own, and even microblogging site Tumblr recently announced it will try out the feature.

 

If engagement rates are satisfactory and there’s no decline in user-base, the chances are companies could be making more of this new feature. And for good reason too – social ‘buy’ buttons would potentially enable them to increase their sales; acquire concrete revenue figures from specific social media activity, and involve users in their brand in a whole new way.

 

4. Vlogging

 

Vlogging is becoming an increasingly common advertising channel for brands both large and small, giving blogging a run for its money as consumers’ go-to platform for reviews and advice. With the growing emphasis on unpolished, human-centred and consumer-generated content, companies are realising that customers want to hear the truth from other customers – not so much brands themselves.

 

YouTube is a platform with over one billion unique monthly visitors, and the second largest search engine according to Laura Harrison of Socialnomics. It has a wide demographic of 18-54, and videos are known to be shared “12 times more than links and text posts combined”.

 

A brand can either host its own vlogging channel or offer indie vloggers free goods in exchange for reviews and exposure. With the rise of young ‘celebrity’ vloggers like Zoella, Alfie Deyes, Tyler Oakley and Lily ‘Superwoman’ Singh, it’s now a strong contender for engagement that brands would be crazy not to take advantage of.

 

5. Social Wallets

 

Earlier in 2014, a Stanford student leaked hacked photos that revealed a line of code in Facebook’s Messenger app that suggested a payment and transfer platform could be on the cards. The payment system would allow Facebook users to not just make payments for goods over social media (hence the integration of a ‘buy’ button) but also send money to friends via direct debit.

 

The concept yet remains inactive, but if it were to come to fruition it would make social media a financial arena as well as a social one. Were users to trust Facebook and other networks with their money, these players would certainly enjoy increased power as a result (and brands would no doubt be able to cash in on this new relaxed willingness of users).

 

When we consider the rise of mobile contactless payment systems such as Apple’s iPay and EE’s Cash On Tap, combined with social media users’ shift towards mobile, the idea of social wallets makes perfect sense.

 

6. Interest-Based, Not People-Based

 

The last couple of years have seen a wave of new social platforms enter the foray; from image-based sites like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr; to Google+ and Ello. The changing trend here has been in how we consume our updates (images over text-based; short GIFS and videos etc). But a new trend emerging is altering the kind of updates we choose to consume.

 

Newer platforms like Foodie, Fitocracy and PlantWorking are geared towards individual audiences rather than taking a ‘everything, everyone, everywhere’ approach. While Foodie is a place for chefs and cooks to share and explore recipes, Fitocracy allows gym bunnies to share workout plans and talk fitness, while PlantWorking is a social network for gardeners.

 

The main takeaway here is that new social networks are likely to be more interest-focused in 2015, uniting users through common hobbies and passions.

 

7. Continued Quest for Personal Privacy

 

With an increasing level of publicity surrounding data sharing and privacy on the internet, several platforms have tried to step it up a notch in 2014 by promising more privacy to their users.

 

Newcomer Ello, for example, promises never to sell user data, whilst Snapchat, Whisper, YikYak and Telegram have each taken a different approach to the social stratosphere. These platforms allow users to engage in conversations privately among their friends, or in some cases, connect with strangers while still keeping their identity private.

 

However, incidents such as the Snapchat hacking and Whisper’s secret compilation of posts and locations (for use in its own search database) have proven that the battle for privacy is not yet won. Ryan Holmes of Time.com has commented that the pressure for privacy will only grow stronger in 2015.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/12/24/the-7-top-social-media-trends-that-will-impact-your-marketing-in-2015/

 

The 10 Biggest Social Media Myths for Small Businesses

Despite the mind-boggling pervasiveness of social media today, certain myths persist about its relevance for small businesses. Can social media really help drive sales and, if so, how and where? Is social media genuinely worthwhile or an enormous waste of time?

 

Here are 10 common social media myths about small business, and reasons to disregard them.

 

1. When I set up a social media account, sales leads will follow.

 

Establishing a presence on Twitter or LinkedIn is just the first step in the process. What you do after that determines whether or not you can generate new business.

 

2. Time spent on social media might be better spent elsewhere.

 

A commitment to social media marketing might seem to be robbing you of time better spent elsewhere. But when you look at social media as a long-term resource for building customer loyalty and gathering a community around your brand — the ultimate benefits of an effective social media strategy—there’s little question that the time and effort are worth it.

 

3. Social media activity requires a daunting amount of time and effort.

 

Mastering a few social media activities will quickly make it clear that you don’t have to be hunched over your keyboard 24/7 to make it work for you. If you post engaging content — a survey question, a fresh idea, eye-catching imagery — people will respond. Plus, online tools to streamline and automate the posting process reduce your own time commitment.

 

4. If my Tweet or Facebook post doesn’t go viral, it’s not worth the effort.

 

Corporate marketing campaigns have the limitless funds and creativity to come up with a message or image that snags millions of views. For your small business, going viral isn’t critically important. The objective is attracting a steady stream of visitors due to the value you offer, one Tweet or blog post at a time. If you keep at it, your fan base (and pool of prospective customers) will grow.

 

5. I can’t attract older customers on social media.

 

This might have been true in the earliest days of social media, but the facts make this myth one of the least convincing. A recent Pew Research Center and Docstoc study shows that people aged 30-49 use social media, and more than half of those aged 50-64 (52 percent) are active on social media, too.

 

“Don’t neglect social media as a means of connecting with older customers,” says Monique Torres of Business 2 Community. “You will be excluding a significant number of potential clients if you ignore places where they can already be found.”

 

6. Twitter works for rock stars and high-profile athletes, but not for me.

 

Any small business would love a million followers, but the truth is, a small but targeted group of loyal followers will likely translate into more revenue. It’s not necessary to tweet 10 times a day, nor do you have to depend on an avalanche of mentions and retweets to succeed (though they’re nice to have).

 

“To make Twitter matter, you need to make your tweets timely, relevant to your customers, and not entirely self-promotional,” says Michael Mothner, CEO of the online marketing firm Wpromote. “Also, make sure that you use Twitter to monitor and engage with Twitter users who reach out to you or mention your company or products.”

 

7. A Twitter profile or photo is unimportant.

 

No one wants to buy something from a business with no description or image. Taking time to craft an appealing profile (and adding a people-friendly image) makes a difference, as does the careful selection of keywords in your bio. 

 

8. The more I post on Facebook, the greater the returns.

 

Posting selectively on Facebook for your small business is different than a teenager posting 12 times about her upcoming prom date. In this particular area, less is better than more. In fact, as Monique Torres notes, “Facebook’s ranking algorithms can penalize too-frequent posters, reducing the chance that future posts will be seen.”

 

9. Video social media is too costly and time-intensive to work for me.

 

Video content marketing is getting a lot of buzz these days. The good news is, it doesn’t require expensive equipment or Spielberg-level production values to work. Something short, snappy and produced on the cheap can attract a surprisingly large number of users.

 

10. Personal branding doesn’t work.

 

These days, it’s hard to separate one’s personal brand with his or her business reputation. Consumers still want to connect with people, and the more they understand who you are as a living, breathing person (through your profile, the type of content you share, etc.), the more inclined they are to seek out your business as well.

 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240502

 

How to Use Pinterest - The Basics

The beginners guide to Pinterest. Learn how to get onto Pinterest, how to set up your profile and Pinboards and how to use the tools on Pinterest. Learn how Pinterest connects with Facebook and Twitter and why it's a great idea to interweave your social networks.

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejaiNn5CmI0

 

Sole Trader: 18 Ways to Market Your Business on a Tiny Budget

As a sole trader it's vital that people know about you and your brand.  The more people you reach, the more sales you'll rake in. Simple. You could be the greatest underwear designer or sandwich maker in the world, but if you fail to market your business and customers don't know about you, how do you sell them your product or services?

 

That's why marketing is such a valuable tool for sole traders. However, it's essential that you get your marketing strategy right. Don't blow your whole budget on one channel: you need to make sure the marketing reaches a wide yet targeted audience.

 

Another point to keep in mind when marketing is that the innovative methods are always the best. Take the route less travelled and make your business stand out from the crowd.

 

We've put together a list of the top 18 ways to market your business on a shoestring.  Give them a go. After all, what have you got to lose? They are as cheap as chips, or cheaper!

 

1. Write a Press Release

 

Send out a press release detailing your business proposition and what makes it unique. Target all relevant newspapers, websites, magazines and radio. Do this even if you think your product isn't the most exciting.  It could be a slow news day and you might be exactly what they're looking for.

 

2. Use Twitter

 

Set up a Twitter account for your business. You need to make people aware of you and your products or services.  If you have a shop or stall, tweet your whereabouts. Twitter's also a fantastic way to spread discounts and offers: tweet out every time you're offering a bargain. Tweet regularly enough and pretty soon you'll have an army of followers, or as they're known in the business world, potential customers.

 

3. Use Facebook

 

Set up a Facebook page for your business. Upload photos of your products and update your status to let customers know what you're up to.  It's another way of letting people know you exist and makes you look professional.

 

4. Set Up a Website

 

For a business to be successful today it's essential that you have a website. The first thing a customer will do when trying to find out about your business is Google it. An attractive website can make your business look ultra professional and should be the home of your online presence. Your social media channels should link back to your website as much as they can. This will help drive traffic to your site and is another way of creating sales.

 

5. Start a Blog

 

This is a fast way to keep your website relevant. It could also encourage people to spend longer on your website and will encourage repeat visitors. You should style yourself as an expert on your particular field or industry. It's the perfect way to enforce brand messages and engage with customers. If people read and like your posts, they'll respect your brand even more.

 

6. Email Marketing

 

Email lets you communicate with thousands of customers or potential customers at the touch of a button. And, for smaller mailing lists, it's usually free. Get customers to fill in a form with their email address on it whenever they buy from you and have a 'Sign up for more information' field on your 'Contact us' page. This will help you build a list of email addresses to contact whenever you have a new product or offer.

 

7. Convert Your Customers into Promoters

 

Potential customers are a million times more likely to use your business if its been recommended by a friend. So why not turn your customers into brand ambassadors? Give them a discount on products if someone they recommended buys something from you. That way they'll be singing your praises and getting you more customers in the process.

 

8. Turn Your Customers into Fans

 

You only have to look at the outpouring of respect for Steve Jobs in the past few days to understand the power of brand loyalty and the impact of a visionary leader. You need to make your service and product - even yourself- so positive that customers can't wait to tell their mates about it.

 

9. Offer a Discount Card

 

It's a great way to reward customers for their loyalty and persuade them to keep using your business. For example, 'buy 9 t-shirts, get the tenth one free'. In order to get the free one, the customer may buy more than he originally intended.  This tactic is a favourite of major companies such as Starbucks and McDonalds.

 

10. Get Happy Customers to Tell You

 

Encourage customers to write a short email or letter about the positive experience they had when using your business. Put these testimonials on your website and maybe frame some exceptional ones in your shop/office. People will be more willing to use you if they see that other customers have had a positive experience.

 

11. Run a Competition

 

Give something away and get people talking about your business. You could run a competition from your shop and advertise it online. This could get more people visiting your shop: more people will see your awesome products and ultimately buy from you.

 

12. Offer to Write for a Trade Magazine or Website

 

A sole traders is the CEO, CTO, FD and CMO of their business. That makes them experts in every aspect of running their venture and their industry.  So offer to write a blog on your business for a trade publication. It's another way of getting your business known and makes you look even more reputable.

 

13. Try and Win an Award

 

Entering for an industry award can be easy. For some, all you need to do is write an application. If you're successful, local press may be interested in speaking to you and it's another accolade to put on your website or business card. It also gives customers confidence in your business.

 

14. Form a Partnership

 

For sole traders, a business partnership can be a godsend. Pairing with another business means that you will have access to their network of customers. You can also pool contacts and share advice. Want an example? A freelance marketing expert could team up with a sole trader in the printing industry. This way, the marketing expert can give advice and help with some social media advertising for the printing firm, while the printers can provide the marketer with branded stationary for his or her client.

 

15. Help Out a Local Charity

 

Help organise a fundraising event or give 5% of your earnings from a particular product or campaign to charity. It will win your business brownie points in the local community and may even get some coverage in the press. TOMS footwear has made corporate social responsibility synonymous with its brand. Its USP is: " With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need."

 

16. Ask Experts to Write on Your Website

 

Just like you, thousands of other businesses and people are looking to market themselves. If they're relevant, why not allow them to write a comment piece and post it on your website? Regular updates help your website to climb the Google rankings and guest posts are great link bait: your blogger will tell everyone they know to read it!

 

17. Get on YouTube

 

Have a YouTube page where you can put videos of your business. If you're a carpenter, film yourself building your latest project. If done well, it can show customers that you really care about what you're creating. It also gives customers an opportunity to see how much effort goes into building that chest of drawers. The same can be done for people selling burgers or even cleaning offices.

 

18. Make a Memorable Business Card

 

Business cards are cheap to make and a great way of ensuring people remember your business. When you meet potential customers at an event, give them your business card. If it's fun and memorable they may show it to friends. Effectively they're marketing your business for you.

 

http://www.smarta.com/advice/sales-and-marketing/advertising-and-marketing/sole-trader-18-ways-to-market-your-business-on-a-tiny-budget/

7 Small Business Marketing Strategies

7 Small Business Marketing Strategies - Top Small Business Marketing Strategies.

 

These 7 small business marketing strategies are designed to help owners of small to medium to sized businesses grow their sales and profits. Often business owners have one thing in common. Although they may be very good at delivering the products and services their company provides, the problem they have is ensuring enough people really know about it!

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=674OfDJwIAI

How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Business

Twitter and Facebook are free and effective tools for building your brand and attracting new business.

 

SOCIAL media used to be an afterthought for many businesses, but getting it right on Twitter and Facebook can transform a business. Large companies now throw huge amounts of money at social media campaigns, but with the right strategy, SMEs with small marketing budgets can use social media tools to get their names out there too.

Nor does it have to be a complicated, time-consuming process. A little effort with these free tools can generate exposure at home and abroad, and help to supercharge your brand.

Here are five ways to can exploit social media to grow your business:

1. Understand your customers. Being interesting is important on social networks, and to catch the attention of potential clients you need to know who you are speaking to. Spend some time researching what your customers do on social media, and which platforms they use. This will help you understand how to connect with them in a way that is relevant to their interests. Concentrate on engaging with them and joining in conversations, rather than trying to reach the most number of people. If the content is good enough, it will grow organically and reach a wider audience on its own; try too hard and it becomes obvious what your goal really is.

2. Give people a reason to spend time with you, says Nadya Powell, managing director at social agency MRY. After all, if people are already busy enough visiting Amazon, eBay, Facebook and YouTube, and talking to their friends, why should they visit you? “Unless you have products to die for, just appearing in search will not be enough – you need to stand for something within your space. So if you’re a butcher, provide content on choosing the best cuts, or recipes and online tutorials. If you're a clothes shop, put some outfits together and feature articles on the latest trends.”

3. Build relationships with your customers in a way that big corporations can’t. Apple cannot reply to every tweet, for example, but you can. Treat every interaction on an individual basis and as a relationship with a customer because if you love them, they will love you back. At the same time, don’t be afraid to see what the big names are doing. Your business may be different, in size and in the service you offer, but chances are the big names are doing something right with a similar group of people so don’t be afraid to cherrypick the strategies that work. This also means spending some time online during weekends – social media doesn’t only work during business hours so neither should you. That doesn’t mean being glued to the screen every waking minute, but check your feeds regularly and listen to the people who are talking to you.

4. Together you’re stronger. Partner up with other SMEs around you and work as a team for mutual benefit. Ms Powell says: “High streets work because the shoe shop brings traffic to the clothes shop, and this is also true online. Build content partnerships with non-competitive but complementary businesses, to deliver more content, driving better search results and more reasons to visit. It’s a win-win.”

5. Make use of free advice and tools. Google organises regular seminars for SMEs where they provide one-on-one advice and tips on improving your business’ online reach. They are called Juice Bars and are free to attend. You should also make the most of Google Analytics, a free service that allows you to see how many people have visited your website, what they searched for when they found your page, which pages they visited and so on. This knowledge will be invaluable when trying to tailor your social profile to your customers. · 

http://www.theweek.co.uk/business/small-business/58445/how-use-social-media-boost-your-business

Facebook to Introduce YouTube-like Video Counter in Next Update

Facebook is planning to take on YouTube with a new feature within its next update that features a counter for public videos.

Through a blog post, the social media network boasted about having over 1 billion videos viewed a day with more than 65 per cent on mobiles. It's likely the autoplay feature that the Facebook app now has as standard has helped, as well as the recent Ice Bucket Challenge videos, but it still sounds like a pretty large number.

The next Facebook update will bring new "views" figures that will be displayed on public videos from people and Pages, which should help you find new and popular videos within the app.

Additionally, Facebook announced another video feature that was in testing which will play related content following the video you are watching.

Video publishers can now also add a call to action like a link to a website once the video ends - another YouTube-like feature that should encourage more professionally published videos.

The update with the new video views feature is expected to land this week.

http://tech.uk.msn.com/news/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=261925304