How to Market Your Small Business

How to Market Your Small Business: A specific marketing plan outlining concrete goals is indispensable to a well-managed business; without it, financial budgets and profit plans are incomplete. While even the best marketing plan cannot ensure success, conducting thorough research and establishing specific objectives greatly minimizes the possibility of failure. The marketing plan decreases misunderstanding and increases organized thinking, as well as serving as a measuring tool for annual progress.

For the entrepreneur or small business owner, marketing is a matter of determining demand, matching a product or service with customer needs, and promoting those attributes in the marketplace to produce sales.Marketing is not a one-time event, but an on-going process.

What is a Business Plan Used For?

A business plan is a tool with three basic purposes: 

1. communication
2. management 
3. planning

• Communication

As a communication tool, it is used to attract investment capital, secure loans, convince workers to hire on, and assist in attracting strategic business partners.

• Management

The business plan helps you track, monitor and evaluate your progress. The business plan is a living document that you will modify as you gain knowledge and experience.

• Planning

The business plan guides you through the various phases of your business. A thoughtful plan will help identify roadblocks and obstacles so that you can avoid them and establish alternatives.

Steps to Incorporate Your Business

Steps to Incorporate Your Business

•  Where should I incorporate?

Typically, if you only operate in one state, you should incorporate in that state. If you operate in multiple states, you should determine which state is the friendliest to corporations and incorporate in that state. The friendliest state in the nation is Delaware, it has designed its laws and legal precedents to be very business friendly.

 

• Select a Corporate Name

Selecting a company name can be daunting task. Most Secretary of State (SOS) offices require you to check with them to see if your chosen name is available before registering documents using that name. Most additionally require you file paperwork for your fictitious name (DBA, or Doing Business As) to register it prior to filing your corporate registration paperwork.

Perform an Internet search on Google (you can use the search box on the left) to see if your name is going to conflict with an existing business. In addition, check the US Patent and Trademark Office for an existing trademark for your company name.

 

• Determine Who Will Register the Corporation

You will need a Registered Agent in your state of filing to receive official corporate forms, paperwork, and notices. This can be you, a family member, an attorney, or a service specifically hired for this task. This Registered Agent must live in the state you are registering in. If the state is one you do not do business in, Delaware for most corporations is a popular example, there are companies formed to perform this task for you.

 

• Determine Who Will File the Paperwork

There are generally three ways to incorporate: self-filing, incorporation service, or business attorney. Self filing is the least expensive option, though can cause problems if not performed correctly. Incorporation services generally costs several hundred dollars and can take some of the confusion out of the process. The final and most expensive option is the business attorney who can cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

 

• How Will the Stock be Structured?

When you incorporate, you issue stock to shareholders in the corporation. Depending on the makeup of the ownership in your corporation, this task can be time consuming or simple. In most states, the more shares you issue, the higher the charges and yearly filing fees. You can design several different classes of stock which have different voting and preferential rights in a company. You will define these classes in your incorporation documents.

5 objectives will help keep your business on-target

The following 5 objectives will help keep your business on-target in an everchanging social media world.

Keep it Current

If you have a Facebook Fan Page, what’s the sense in creating it and then abandoning it simply so you can say that you have one?  Content is the most important factor in managing your Facebook ‘Fan’ base (and any social media platform, for that matter).  It’s nice for you to say you have 100 Facebook ‘Fans’, for example, but what kind of content are you posting to drive those ‘Fans’ to your website, or ultimately, to your storefront, which then equates to actual customers who are buying or using your goods and services?

Know Your Customers

When you have an effective marketing strategy, you know exactly who your customers are and who your prospects need to be.  You can (and should) make your Facebook Page the fun place where your existing customers and new prospects are constantly looking to see what you’re offering, and, at the very least, make the appearance of the fun place where customers and prospective new customers are learning about your fun and fact-based place of business on a regular basis.

Develop Your Social Media Strategy

Once you have determined on which social media platforms you’re going to be, make sure your strategy comes with a calendar of events.  Facebook is the most social of all of the social media platforms available to you, so announcing fun events and contests are a must, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses who don’t have the leverage of nationally-known brands.

Manage Your Social Media Objectives

After you have posted regular and fun content on your Facebook Fan’Page, make sure you’re managing the number of ‘Fans’ who will be participating in your contests and events.  Ensuring follow-up is critical to any successful social media marketing strategy.

Leverage Your Business

The whole point of social media and platforms like Facebook is to drive your customer to your website and storefront to learn more about you and what goods and services you’re offering.  Take advantage of steering those Facebook ‘Fans’ to other social media sites geared towards a specific purpose.  Utilize the information you’re gaining from your Facebook ‘Fans’ and turn more prospects into lifetime customers.

Increase Sales Use Email Marketing

idgadgetblogs.com : One of the benefits of email marketing is the demographic information that customers provide when signing up for your email newsletter. Discovering who your customers really are – age, gender, income and special interests, for example – can help you target your products and services to their needs. Points to consider when creating your email newsletter

E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers. It is generally cost-effective, and if done properly, can help build brand awareness and loyalty. At a typical cost of only a few cents per message, it’s a bargain compared to traditional direct mail at $1 or more per piece. In addition, response rates on e-mail marketing are strong, ranging from five to 35% depending on the industry and format. Response rates for traditional mail averages in the 1-3% range.

steps by Steps to Optimizing Your Website for Increased Sales

   Here are Steps by steps to Optimizing Your Website for Increased Sales:
1. Be User-Friendly

      Usability is an important factor in increasing a website’s sales, which can be enhanced by adhering to the following guidelines.

•     Internet users may use Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or any other browser, so the business website must be compatible with all the major browsers. The number of tablet device and smartphone users is on the rise, and a separate mobile-ready version of the website must be designed for them.
•     Viewers need to see all the products and services on offer. They want to go through the technical specifications, customer reviews and other details. If viewers are given access to a video about the products’ benefits or if they are allowed to download the product catalog in a PDF format, the website scores extra points.
•     The purchase button has to be prominent. This is the main part of the website that converts the customer’s interest into action and generates revenue, so it must be designed, built and tested thoroughly. The entire shopping cart functionality has to be reliable and available 24/7; else the company loses business during the period of downtime and also the trust of its customers. This drastically reduces the chance of repeat sales and referrals.

2. Build Trust

•     The website should have a “Contact Us” page. It should provide a physical address for the company, so that potential customers can visit the store if they wish to verify its credibility. Including a phone number is also great; customers who live far away from the store can call up and talk to someone in charge.
•     The shipping policy, return policy and disclaimers must be listed in complete detail; this shows the customer that the company is honest and trustworthy.
•     The overall design of the website also conveys a lot to the viewers. They will draw an obvious parallel; a business that does not care enough to maintain a professional look on its website will probably not care enough about its products and its customers. The layout has to be attractive but not flashy; the content should be accurate and fresh.

3. Engage the Reader
The viewers that are directed to a website through high rankings on search engine results or via backlinks need to be presented with good reasons to stay there and buy something.

•     Many people do not have time to read the entire content on a webpage in detail; they merely skim through it to pick up the important points. A website that understands this will highlight its business-critical content by using bold fonts, attention-grabbing colors and optimal text layout.
•     Engaging content includes the optimal use of multi-media; these images, slideshows and videos should enhance the business message and not draw attention away from it. The matter should be relevant to the industry to which the business belongs. The website should be kept fresh with regular updates, so that viewers are encouraged to keep coming back.
•     References to selling, buying and prices must be avoided in the top part a webpage. Instead, the company should talk about its products and how they can help solve the problems of its target audience. Entertaining content related to the product offerings will also engage readers. Pricing information and details about purchasing online can be introduced once they are hooked on to the website.

4. Create Brand Image
      The website needs to distinguish the business from its competitors by creating a unique and memorable brand image. Whenever customers think of a product that this site offers, they must automatically think of the company’s brand name. Advertisements are very effective in building a brand image, but pop-up ads are annoying and can be blocked by users. Hover ads are a good substitution; they are both appealing and effective in boosting customer conversion rates.

5. Value-Add Features

     A single product focus on the home page allows customers to really get to know the need and benefits of the main product in depth, rather than merely browsing through a huge list with vague, one-liner descriptions. This approach also shows customers that the website owner is aware of its business strengths and USP in the market. Another value-add feature is to offer several payment options, since many people do not prefer using their credit card online for security reasons.

6. Customer Satisfaction

     Besides converting new visitors into customers, the business stands to gain a lot more by trying to retain existing customers and have them coming back for more sales. These repeat customers are gained by ensuring customer satisfaction on every sale. This also carries the hope that the business will be referred to friends and family over competitors.

•     The website should include order tracking for status updates on the product delivery.
•     After-sales service and customer support are important as they make the customer feel that the company genuinely cares for them.
•     A website can hold contests, and offer discounts and coupons from time to time to keep its customer base happy.
• These 6 steps form a general guideline for optimizing a business website towards increased sales. Every business is unique, and so are the effective conversion tactics that will help them generate higher revenue. A continuous process of implementing different tactics, monitoring the change in results and refining / modifying tactics is needed to ensure maximum sales.

5 Step Internet Marketing Plan That's Affordable and Effective

Five Step Internet Marketing Plan follows, created by in the trenches experience with online marketing for small business.

Step 1 :  Define Your Customer
A Defining your customer is as important as defining your products or naming your business. If you have not yet done a marketing plan within your business plan, then you need to do this exercise.

Step 2 : Choose Your Targets

A coordinated effort across several sites and venues commonly frequented by your customers is the most effective marketing campaign. If you are seen in several places your visibility and retained message is much stronger. Where are you going to post your ads?

Step 3 : Budget

You can better create the budget for your online marketing plan when you have a good idea of the costs involved. That can only be done once you've figured out your targets. You probably already have a figure in mind of how much you can really spend, so go back to your marketing campaign sheet and total the costs of all the ad spots you'd like to do. Chances are that total will exceed your overall spending limit.

Step 4 : Creating Your Ad Content

A Online marketing works best when you focus only on one or two things. You may have a variety of products but pick one or two items that are good sellers and have a solid appeal to your target market for your marketing campaign.

Step 5 : Tracking & Monitoring Your Ads

Tracking and reacting to your campaign's successes are critical in maintaining an effective marketing campaign. From your website stats to PPC stats, there are many ways to determine what is working and what isn't. By paying attention you'll learn volumes about your ads and how to hone them for best results.

Communicating Between Tech and Sales or Business

Communicating Between Tech and Sales or Business. Communicate more In Sales And business. Have more conversations. Ask more questions. When sales/business people need a technical solution explain these three components: who you’re solving this for, what the challenge is, and why you need a solution. (The “who”, “what”, and “why”) will anchor the request inside context that is critical for the technical team to understand BEFORE they go develop a solution.

And When technical people need to communicate their proposed solution to sales/business, don’t go into great technical detail, you do not impress anyone, you’re simply writing a document that your audience can’t consume. Your job is to reflect your understanding of the problem and then propose a solution that allows the sales/business people to understand the solution. Don’t go crazy into the details with the business. The business/sales people’s job is to approve your approach not comment on every single pixel placement or feature. Just like you don’t have full context over their job, they don’t have full context over yours.

The Technology is such an integral part of almost every business decision, improving communication is a great way to increase your batting average for solving business challenges with technology. Couldn’t resist a baseball analogy, How about those SF Giants. Both sales/business people and technical people need to change in order to facilitate better communication between them almost everything we do in business involves some technology. We have to figure out a way to communicate with each other for shared success.

5 Steps to Building an Online Business Strategy

Step 1: Define Your Target Market

Understanding your customer is critical to your online business success. Knowledge of your target customer permeates everything you do online, from determining your search engine optimization strategy, to understanding what compelling content would appeal to this audience.

Step 2: Decide on Product Offerings
Consciously and purposefully make a list of the products you want to sell online. The best place to start is what products do you sell today offline? Here’s the key to this step – the products have to be described and communicated in the customer’s language. Online business is self service; don’t speak a language your customers don’t understand.

Step 3: Document Technical Requirements

Different target markets require different features and functionality, for example a business to consumer target market requires a credit card payment option (because you’re servicing customers you don’t know). Different products require different workflows; don’t assume every technology supports all the products you want to offer.

Step 4: Find Enabling Technology

The first (3) priorities for choosing an online ordering system are 1) Ease of Use 2) Ease of Use 3) Ease of Use. If your customers can’t use it, who cares about anything else? Simplicity overrides functionality, less is more. After ease of use, the technology has to meet the specific requirements for your target market and the products you want to sell online.

Step 5: Create a Change Management Plan

Transitioning your business from a primary offline business to an online business is a major change. It is critical to take into account where the resistance might appear and how you’re going to deal with it. Engage your staff in the strategy, collaboration builds momentum, sales resources are critical change agents in organizations – leverage their positive attitude towards change.

Source : thewebandprint

GTA 5 big reveal planned

We know what they say" we wait a long time for some Grand Theft Auto V tips, hints and information and then an avalanche of the stuff descends in just one day" . And First up, Shortlist has revealed a piece of concept art (pictured) that the magazine says shows the game's new protagonist. According to the article, GTA V's new leading man is (an East Coast gangster) who moves out to the fictional city of Los Santos "Rockstar's GTA version of Los Angeles" hoping to make a fresh start, but is soon sucked back into a life of crime.

For Second, the gaming media is abuzz with the information that Game Informer magazine is set to publish an 18-page preview of the game later today at 5pm local time. Game Informer's Editor-in-Chief, Andy McNamara tweeted that the preview will (reveal will have more screens & information than any previous Rockstar reveal we have done [maybe any cover]).

google drops in china search market

After Google's public disagreement with the Chinese government over censorship in 2011, the google  company moved its servers to Hong Kong and has since lost ground to several home-grown Chinese search engines. And According to tech site, the Register, searches on Google from within China often return faulty results or errors leading many to choose the self-censoring local search sites.

From Statistics released by analytics site CNZZ.com last month show Google now sits fourth in the search market with around 4.5 per cent of page views and unique visits. And from Chinese search sites Baidu [(which handles 73 per cent of Chinese search queries], Qihoo and Sogou all sit above Google in the rankings - with Bing coming in at sixth place.

To Google's Maps service has also taken a hit in China, dropping from a 17.5 per cent share to 9 per cent according to figured from Bejing-based Analysis International. And a  future doesn't look especially bright either. The market for mapping applications could get tougher following new proposed regulations and a new Google tool that alerts users if a keyword will cause censorship is likely to irk the Communist Party Chinese government.

Amazon Germany weighs in on Samsung Galaxy S III with 4.7-inch screen and 12 megapixel camera

id Gadget Today--> On May 3 will be a monumental day for Samsung, But 20 April to be quite memorable for the specification of the potential deadly Galaxy S III. Not a chance finding leaks claimed the device itself, which tells the handset will be 4.6-inch screen and 8 megapixel camera, but currently a placeholder appears on Amazon's German site with little contrast specifications. In particular, the 4.7-inch screen and 12 megapixel camera. It makes a little skeptical, because it is far from the official, but the fact that speaking other smartphones sold by Amazon itself by adding a bit of confidence in the product list. In the end time will distinguish which set of specifications, if there are many people assume is true, deny there is no build-up to the Galaxy S III even more interesting.

Amazon Germany weighs in on Samsung Galaxy S III with 4.7-inch screen and 12 megapixel camera

Top Apple Doing "Instagram has jumped the shark"

id Gadget Today --> some news from Apple. One was $ 1000000000 for photo-sharing app Instagram. Once named (app this year) by Apple now "jumped the shark," said Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller.

Schiller not only pollute the service (in a short message to the Apple enthusiast Clayton Braasch), he also had to remove from the Instagram account (@ Schiller) "as several thousand other users".

What Makes Schiller so angry..............? No billion dollar acquisition by Facebook, apparently. (It jumped the shark) while going to Android, an Apple executive. Braasch told Thursday.

Instagram released version of Android at the beginning of the month. In the first five days, the application Android seen five million registered users. It's not as big compared to 30 million iPhone users, but the growth rate is magnificent and highly contributed to his decision to offer the Mark Zuckerberg Kevin Systrom $ 1 billion for his app.

Three reasons to buy Instagram likely bubble up that you do not know about Instagram

What exactly is not clear Schiller. How five million new users in a slightly different platform to make an application (jumping the shark) ....? Instagram many iPhone users have seen their number of followers swelled, but it's hard to see what was wrong with it.

Many users are difficult to see further evidence that (the existence of a nuclear war) Steve Jobs promised to do for Android is running on Apple's successors.

Apple senior vice president for marketing Phil Schiller

If IOS launches Android application will simply get a warning from an Apple executive, the function of a warning for other application developers who simply IOS only.

Needs to know Apple is a company where almost every executive's comments can be calculated one. But it must be painful for Instagram. Four months ago, Schiller diTwitter congratulate them his, which he also put his own Instagram account.

 "@ Pschiller: Congrats to @ @ instagram foofighters iTunes Rewind 2011 and all winners :::Btw: @ Schiller on Instagram ; ->)"

To link your account now, and all you will see the error page Instagram. Many people would argue that with the support of Zuckerberg and $ 1 billion in the bank, Systrom et al do not need the support of Apple. But in fact the majority of users still Instagram iPhone users, and handlers in the new age of the iPhone seem hostile.

Angry Birds blasts into space-Robert Jaques

id Gadget today--> Angry Birds blasts into space

THE BEST SELLING video bold in history has gone into apogee with the absolution today of Angry Birds Space.

The plot, which Google Play ante "low maturity", begins back a behemothic barb kidnaps the Angry Birds' eggs. This bliss off a hunt into a amplitude wormhole that transports anybody to a aberrant fresh galaxy. In this fresh amplitude chance the Angry Birds - which luckily accept been accustomed cool admiral of their own - are amidst by amplitude pigs.

"Angry Birds Amplitude introduces you to fresh adventures on planets and in aught gravity, consistent in amazing gameplay alignment from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With cast fresh birds, cast fresh superpowers, and a accomplished galaxy to explore, the sky is no best the limit!" the game's developer Rovio Mobile said today.

Initial acknowledgment to the barrage suggests that the bold ability alive up to its hype. On Google Play all user reviews at the time of autograph gave the bold bristles out of five. "This is AWESOME!!" Rene wrote.

"I'm impressed!! The creators absolutely did addition up this bold and gave it an upgrade. :-) You can't lose with this one the birds absolutely accept a cutting ambit so you apperceive area the bird will acreage that afresh aggravating all over afresh because the bird landed the amiss way like the antecedent games, this one is AWESOME!! :-)"

The bold additionally has a akin dubbed "Danger Zone", which is billed as actuality the best difficult akin ever.

According to contempo estimates Angry Birds has been downloaded 700 actor times.

Versions are accessible for Iphone and Ipad, Android, PC and Mac.

The PC adaptation that costs €6.00 is here.

The Apple HD adaptation weighs in at £2.00 and is here, while the accustomed adaptation costs £0.70 and can be downloaded from Itunes.

If you accept Android 1.6 and up the bold is accessible from Google Play

Android will become the OS of choice for developers-Role reversal

INDUSTRY ANALYST FIRM Ovum predicts that Google's Android will beat Apple's IOS in accent to developers.

In a axis of the tables, Android will become the operating arrangement (OS) of best for developers rather than IOS aural 12 months, says Ovum. Its additional anniversary developer analysis credibility out that best developers abutment both operating systems, though.

Somewhat in band with IHS' contempo abstracts admiration that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS will beat IOS in bazaar allotment aural three years, the Ovum abstraction indicates growing absorption in the colourfully tiled Microsoft OS, as able-bodied as the Blackberry OS.

Adam Leach, columnist of the analysis at Ovum said, "The growing drive abaft Windows Phone indicates that Microsoft has managed to argue developers that its belvedere is aces of investment; its claiming now is to actuate consumers."

He acclaimed that the changes "mirror closely" what is accident in the smartphone bazaar as a whole, bottomward about anachronistic operating systems such as Symbian and WebOS.

The abstraction additionally appear that developers are affective abroad from acceptable cross-platform methods such as Java and Flash. They are allegedly jumping over to web-based HTML5 but still application beeline advanced means of administration like the Android Market.

Leach said, "A smartphone platform's success is dictated not alone by the cull of consumers and the advance of handset vendors and adaptable operators but additionally by a advantageous abridgement of applications delivered by third-party developers. Therefore, it is important for all players in the smartphone ecosystem to accept the choices developers are authoritative today and the after appulse of those choices.