Small Business Online Marketing

What Business Image do You Display

2010-08-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I need to remind myself to “use a mirror” and look at what kind of image I am displaying. We do this when we get dressed in the morning, add jewelry, makeup and do our hair. This is equally if not more so important when it comes to your business image. So, take a look at your website, business cards and fliers. If you didn’t know yourself, would you like what you see? Let’s take that one more step, shall we. Let’s say you have a beautiful website, however, no one sees it. It’s like getting all decked out with a suit, hair and makeup done up, and then sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring. Yes, the internet is a wonderful thing and can play an instrumental part in marketing your business. But if you don’t do the other marketing to get clients to your site, it won’t do you a bit of good. You cannot take the philosophy of “if I build it they will come”. I was reminded of this when I went to my monthly networking group meeting last night. Just being there I met new people and was able to share my business information with them. Today some of them visited my website because now they know:)

Is Social Media Overtaking Email Marketing? Latest Data

2010-08-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

The following link will take you to a very worthwhile article about email vs. social media marketing. I hope you find this helpful.

http://www.wheelhouseenterprises.com/resources/internet-marketing/email-marketing-and-social-media.aspx?utm_source=The+Wheelhouse+Enterprises+Vendor+Newsletter&utm_campaign=28995e56f2-Wheelhouse_Newsletter_August_2010&utm_medium=email

Multiple Streams of Income

2010-08-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago I had a book that listed 500 different types of home-based business ideas. I used to spend hours and hours reading through it and trying to get a feel for what I could see myself doing. One thing I knew for sure was that the whole concept of multiple streams of income makes perfect sense. In this economy especially, everyone should be realizing by now that you need to have more than one way to earn a living. Just ask any of the thousands of people that are unemployed. They had all their eggs in one basket, and now they have to figure out how to reinvent themselves. My advice to everyone is to think "multiple streams of income". Don't dismiss a viable income strategy just because when it stands by itself it doesn't pay the bills. Think in terms of putting together numerous ways of creating income and everything will pull together.

Let me know about your experiences with developing multiple streams of income. I'd love to hear about them. This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

3 Steps to Setting Up Your Computer Desktop for Success

2010-07-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

You have been using a computer for years, whether for work or personal use. If you are a business owner, you probably put your business hat on every time you are in front of your computer. You spend long hours in that position, so how about implementing some time-saving skills to reduce that time? Use some of my streamlining approaches at your computer and you'll definitely be working efficiently.
1. Setup your computer desktop files the way you would your physical files. Think in terms of categories, i.e. Marketing, Sales, Customers, etc. And don't forget to categorize your personal items (i.e., Household Misc, Subscriptions, etc.)
2. Are you a visual person? Then setup your files to be positioned right on your desktop. It may seem neat and organized to have a clean desktop, but there is nothing unorganized about having your files literally one-click away. This does not mean that you should save everything on your desktop. Remember, we are saving our documents into categorized files. So when you look at your desktop you should see file icons and maybe some application icons. That's it.
3. Have you ever had your computer go out of commission, leaving it impossible for you to get to your important files? In the old days of floppy drives it was very cumbersome to back up your files. But nowadays there are all kinds of fast and easy solutions. Whatever backup system you prefer, make sure you have it on your weekly schedule to do.
This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Marketing Success: Why Should You Find Your Niche?

2010-07-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Even if you haven’t been formally trained as a sales person, you’ve probably heard the expression that “sales is a numbers game”. The more people you reach, the better your chances of a sale. However, the part that most people don’t tell you is that your success level will increase dramatically when you hone in on a specific target or niche.

Not only will this improve your sales, but it will also make the job of figuring out your marketing plan ten times easier. Let’s look at an example. My brother has his own business in real estate. Now, everyone knows how crowded this industry is. But because of his niche, even in these turbulent economic times, his business is solid. You see, his niche is finding those homes that he can purchase for an extremely low price, rehab, and then turn around and sell. Most times, he has the buyer for the home before he ever even finds the home! His marketing plan doesn’t include looking at every single house on the market. He has to hone in on finding the right neighborhood, right seller, and right price to make everything work together. Sounds difficult, but looking for the needle in the haystack is exactly what you want to do. When the needles find out who is looking for them, they gravitate like magnets.

So, start asking yourself, 1) who really is my ideal customer; 2) what’s their average age; 3) what are their interests; 4) where do they like to shop; 5) what interests them? Once you start evaluating your answers to these questions, you will start to understand exactly where you should be focusing your marketing.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

5 Steps To Handle Your Workload

2010-07-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Every small business owner struggles with managing their workload. As a part of my new series, "The Self-Sufficient Entrepreneur", I am offering a FREE report on the '5 Steps to Handle Your Workload'. Simply follow this link to get your FREE report and start enjoying your new-found control! Be sure to come back here and leave a comment to tell us what improvements you've made on handling your workload.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Who is your Customer?

2010-06-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when I ask you this question -- "Who is your Customer"? The old-school answer is "everyone". But, if you are a small business owner I'm guessing you don't have the money it would take to advertise to "everyone". This is why one of the most important things you can do when setting up your marketing plan is to think about who your ideal customer is. Let me give you an example.

I am in small business to help other small business owners. Here are some attributes of my ideal customer:

New startup business owner.
Average age group of 40-70.
Great at what their product or service is, but doesn't know how to go about getting customers.
Needs business coaching to organize the day-to-day activities of their new business.
Willingness to embrace the use of technology to make their job easier.

Once you paint your picture of your ideal customer, start looking for these customers where you think they would be.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Where do you go?

2010-06-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I need to find a service, buy something, or research something, the FIRST place I go is the internet. Whether I search on Google, Yahoo or even go to the online version of the phone book, it's the internet that I rely on. So, wouldn't it stand to reason that if you are a business owner you would want your customers to find you online?

On another note, have you ever compared the cost of putting your business in the hardcopy phone book vs. online? The savings by just being online is great, AND, your customers will find you!

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Time Management and Business Coaching

2010-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I think everyone would agree that time management is difficult no matter who you are and what you do for a living. But, as a small business owner I can truly say that time management is ALWAYS challenging. Even though I've always been a list-maker and keep my calendar on me at all times, I still need to give myself some self-talk and constant reminders to plan my work and work my plan.

If you are looking to start your own small business or need some refreshing ideas to keep you focused, why not consider a business coach? Business coaches are a wonderful resource for small business owners. They can help you keep your prospective and on task. If you are looking for a business coach, give me a call. In addition to providing this service, I also know others that specialize in business coaching.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Branding

2010-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Are you "branded"? Branding is an easy way to establish your company's identity. This can be as simple as making sure that all of your marketing supplies match. The colors in your business card should match your website, banners, brochures, everything!

If you need help deciding on your branding, or just pulling everything together, don't hesitate to ask for help.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Too Smart for their Own Good

2010-06-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

The other night I attended a networking meeting. In talking about the benefits of online marketing with someone I had just met, he was telling me about a very intelligent person that used his technical expertise to create a program that will make your social media look like you have a ton of followers. Now, I don't know about you, but two things jumped into my mind. One, it doesn't matter to me how many followers a blog has -- if I find the information useful or entertaining, that's what motivates me to become a follower and keep tabs on them. Secondly, I think some people use their technical expertise to cheat the system. Sure, I could figure out how to generate false information, but why would I want to use my time and energy on something dishonest? I would rather have gained a few loyal customers who appreciate my honesty, then have a hundred fake ones. But that's just me. What do you think?

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Your Online Marketing Questions and Buying Links

2010-06-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you have any small business online marketing questions, please feel free to leave a comment and ask your questions. At least one post a week will be specifically for answering your questions.

Today, I want to talk about buying links. Most people I talk to think that buying links is the only way you can increase traffic to your website. That depends. Search engines are very particular and would like to see links to your site be valid because of content, not just how much money you spent on them. I believe the best way is to barter -- "I'll post your link if you post mine". Another way is to get your link published in someone's monthly newsletter. You may have to pay a small fee, but typically, if it is the right audience for your business, than this is just good ol' fashion networking.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Social Media 101

2010-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

The two most common ways to use Social Media to market your business is through the use of Blogs and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We've talked a little about blogging, but today I would like to discuss Search Engine Optimization. This is the #1 mistake self-produced websites make. When you use a website designer to create your business website, they are going to be able to incorporate SEO. Search Engine Optimization is just what it sounds like. It's the way you increase your chances of others finding your website out of the zillion others that are out there. A good website designer will know how to optimize your site without the use of fee-based services and without "spamdexing". If a designer uses unethical approaches to optimize your website they could get your site black-balled from top search engines. This is why your choice of web designer is as important as performing the SEO for you.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

Blogging for Business

2010-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a natural fit for small business owners. In small business, most of your business should come from good referrals. When you utilize a blog as part of your marketing, you are basically performing an online version of networking for referrals. I suggest that every business owner maintains a blog. This is where you can let the potential customers get to know you and your expertise. It gives them insight into what you have to offer, and should lead them to not only wanting what you have to offer, but also referring others to you.

Another good thing to keep in mind is that bloggers are very loyal. I personally have been following hundreds of blogs over the past few years and can tell you first hand that I know who I would and wouldn't strongly recommend or do business with, simply based off of their blog.

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.

The Power of a Website

2010-05-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Having a website is just the beginning step of using the internet to market your business. It gives you the capability to establish a personal relationship with your audience. Let them see pictures of you, your employees or events. And don't forget to include customer testimonials. Sharing pictures and testimonials makes your audience feel that you are approachable -- real. Don't believe me? Just look at other websites online, comparing those that do this and those that don't. Which one would you be more comfortable doing business with?

This blog features the ramblings of Linda Barutha of Linda Barutha Designs, LLC, an online marketing company specifically for small businesses. For more, visit me at www.LindaBaruthaDesigns.com.