The Secret to Getting Your Prospects to Listen

Get your customers to listen

Two words: Speak up!

Being humble is overrated. Too many small business owners don’t give themselves enough credit for having knowledge that others would want to learn or read about.

But if you think about it, how many times have you given advice, or given your opinion to help your customers? Probably quite often.  So why not put this advice on the web?

It’s the best way to get people to listen. And listeners are more willing to buy from you than a business they have never heard of because you become more familiar.

Start with the Basics

What are some of the things you wish your customers knew when coming in to your store?

Your first few posts could be as simple as:

  • 10 things to know before you buy <blank>
  • Questions to ask when shopping for <blank>
  • What your might not be telling you

Starting with basic information could be the building blocks to your blog’s success.

Do a quick poll around your store about questions customers often ask, or even set up a fishbowl near the register where people can submit questions or ideas.

Chances are if they are asking you, then other potential customers out there are also typing it into Google.

And that’s your chance to really build a following (and its no secret that regularly updated sites get ranked higher on Google and other search engines).

Make the Content Digestible

Once you start writing, make sure your content is easy to read, understand and put into action.

Avoid writing long elaborate essays that show how wise and all-knowing you are, but rather short and simple tips friendly advice that customers can digest. Think of it as elementary level writing.

If writing is not your strength, then perhaps a great copywriter can help.

Blogging does not have to be complicated, and it will help you gain better search results. But the best part of all of it is, when you do sell, people will be listening.

Image credit: Flickr atelierpompadour

Stop Doing, and Start Loving Your Business

This is not a fair world we live in.

As a small business owner, one expects mountains, if you are to compete with the bog box stores, you are expected to give exceptional customer service, great prices, be flexible, reachable, deliver on quality, and provide choices, choices, choices.

All this could be setting yourself up for failure, don’t get it? Here’s an illustration: Continue reading “Stop Doing, and Start Loving Your Business”

You paid what? -Rethinking Value

Image credit: PC World

Oftentimes to compete with the big box stores, small businesses  take to lowering their prices to bring in those customers. After all a lower price is linked with a higher value.

While this is true, there is a link,  it is not the end all to competing on value.

There is a missing element to this equation that can mean a whole different ballgame completely.

Continue reading “You paid what? -Rethinking Value”

Would I buy into this?

“There’s this guy who has this fantastic service using this (insert gizmo here) marketing tactic that can really double my sales.”

And on and on it goes.

Before you spend your hard-earned money on this marketing gizmo, ask yourself Would I buy into this?

If the answer is no, that should be your first red flag.

Continue reading “Would I buy into this?”

“Who Cares?” A litmus test for marketing

One of my journalism professors used to have a very simple litmus test against which our submissions to the student newspaper were measured “Who cares?”

It was a question that regulated both what we wrote, and how we wrote it.

To be honest I have been guilty of forgetting this lately, especially when it comes to regulating my content.

This morning, I read about how attention is a currency, and a very important one at that. Due to the number of messages people receive everyday, we have all become less tolerant of mediocrity, and to command attention with content that is relevant to your audience is a powerful tool.

Continue reading ““Who Cares?” A litmus test for marketing”