Plan your Holiday Marketing #Thanksgiving #BlackFriday, #ShopSmall # CyberMonday #GivingTuesday

Are you planning your last push for your company’s sales or your nonprofit fundraising? Remember that whether you are a retailer, non-profit or service company, you can reach more people and enhance your promotion if you tie it in with national deadlines from Thanksgiving to GivingTuesday. Now is the time to plan your marketing emails and promotions. Start with a Thank You to your past customers and contacts, then add a promotions from the list below of national promotions and hashtags below. Join my FREE Marketing Workshops &  Webinars to learn more about promotions and content that can help you be even more successful.

1. #BlackFriday is the Friday after Thanksgiving (when some retail companies sell up to 40% of their annual purchases). Why? Because  consumers are waiting for these promotions and actively planning their shopping around it. Your sale can tie into national ads by using the hashtag #BlackFriday to include your company in the online shopping  search for consumers who follow that conversation on social media.
2. #ShopSmall is Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express is a national promotion held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a day designated to give small businesses a leg up by nationally promoting the event and allowing small local businesses to set up an event on their national website and use the hashtag #ShopSmall where consumers can find deals and events when clicking local on the #ShopSmall feed. Your offers and check-in offers  get more attention and you can also promote or boost them on Social Media. Get more info at #ShopSmall here.
3. #CyberMonday is the Monday after Thanksgiving and savvy shoppers are used to  putting their gift list next to their computer and taking advantage of the specials offered on that Monday only. It is a well promoted event and you should tie into it if you have any packages or offers you can offer in a one day flash sale. Some companies also use #CyberWeek so they can stretch out the benefits for a week. This is also effective for service businesses who put together packages or recorded programming that is free or discounted on #CyberMonday only.
4. #GivingTuesday is the 1st Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is the launch for nonprofits to challenge themselves to create an event to tie into the hashtag and national promotion that will help them get bigger and more donations than last year. Brainstorm with your team and design a fundraiser that provides incentives and dates to get those donations in the beginning of December, leaving you 1 to 2 months to follow up with slower donors who want to give tax deductible donations. Visit the #GivingTuesday website to learn more here.
5. #FreeShippingSaturday is the second Saturday of December and companies offer Free Shipping and promise that the shipment will be there by December 25th.
6. #SuperSaturday The Saturday before Christmas is the last Saturday with excellent deals for last minute shoppers. Retailers outdo each other as they try to maximize their revenue during the last shopping weekend before Christmas. 

Don’t forget to include the national logos, hashtags and #tags that can help you launch with national organizations’ efforts. See what other merchandisers in your area have done in the past by looking at the #feed. Then get your staff together and brainstorm about what you can do to join the conversation and be represented with your own push during these very social media promotions. For more tips on how to get this done, join my Rock your Holiday Promotions Webinar on 12/2,  If you need help, email us at tmade.mkt@verizon.net and request an appointment for a brainstorming meeting online ($145/hour or packages starting at $290).

For more information on improving your business marketing or your website performance, contact Tailor-Made Advertising to review and improve your efforts. Liz Harsch has been helping business owners maximize their marketing budget since 1988. For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. Liz is a valued Marketing speaker and trainer for SCORE, SBDC, Constant Contact, Chambers of Commerce and Small Business Groups on Traditional and Online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, email her at tmade.mkt@verizon.net or call 310-791-6300.

Are you planning your last push for sales or fundraising for your nonprofit? Remember that whether you are a retailer, non-profit or service company, you can reach more people and enhance your promotion if you tie it in with national deadlines from Thanksgiving to GivingTuesday. Now is the time to plan your marketing emails and promotions. Start with a Thank You to your past customers and leads and add a promotion or two from the list below of special events and hashtags for your marketing plan: #BlackFriday, #ShopSmall, #CyberMonday and more. Join my Marketing Workshops &  Webinars to learn more about promotions and content that can help you be even more successful.

1. #BlackFriday is the Friday after Thanksgiving when some retail companies sell up to 60% of their annual purchases. Why? Because  consumers are waiting for these promotions and actively planning their shopping around it. Your sale can tie into national ads by using the #BlackFriday to include your company in the online shopping  search for consumers who follow that conversation on social media.
2. #ShopSmall is Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express is a national promotion held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a day designated to give small businesses a leg up by nationally promoting the event day and allowing small local businesses to set up an event or sale using the hashtag #ShopSmall so consumers can see where a local event is happening by clicking local on the #ShopSmall feed. Since they are out and about, your offer and check-in offers  get more attention and you can also promote or boost them on Social Media for even more reach.
3. #CyberMonday is the Monday after Thanksgiving and savvy shoppers are used to  putting their gift list next to their computer and taking advantage of the specials offered on that Monday only. It is a well promoted event and you should tie into it if you have any packages or offers you can do for a one day sale. This is also effective for service businesses who put together packages or recorded programming that is free or discounted on that day.
4. #GivingTuesday is the 1st Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is the launch for nonprofits to challenge themselves to create an event to tie into the hashtag and national promotion that will help them get bigger and more donations than last year. Brainstorm with your team and design a fundraiser that provides incentives and dates to get those donations in the beginning of December, leaving you 1 to 2 months to follow up with slower donors who want to give tax deductible donations.
5. #SuperSaturday The Saturday before Christmas is the last Saturday with excellent deals for last minute shoppers. Retailers outdo each other as they try to maximize their revenue during the last shopping weekend before Christmas. 

Don’t forget to include the national logos, hashtags and #tags that can help you launch off other organizations efforts. See what other merchandisers in your area have done in the past by looking at the #feed. Then get your staff together and brainstorm about what you can do to join the conversation and be represented with your own push during these very social media promotions. For more tips on how to get this done, join my Rock your Holiday Promotions Webinar on 12/2,  If you need help, email tmade.mkt@verizon.net and request an appointment for a brainstorming meeting online ($145/hour or packages starting at $290).

For more information on improving your business marketing or your website performance, contact Tailor-Made Advertising to review and improve your efforts. Liz Harsch has been helping business owners maximize their marketing budget since 1988. For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. Liz is a valued Marketing speaker and trainer for SCORE, SBDC, Constant Contact, Chambers of Commerce and Small Business Groups on Traditional and Online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, email her at tmade.mkt@verizon.net or call 310-791-6300.

Holiday Marketing: Plan Your #GivingTuesday, #BlackFriday, #ShopSmall Saturday & #CyberMonday Now!

Are you planning your last push to get funds for your nonprofit or increased sales for your business? Here are a few special event events you may want to tie into your marketing plan: #BlackFriday, #ShopSmall, #CyberMonday. Join my #HolidayMarketing Workshops &  Webinars to learn more.

1. #GivingTuesday is the 1st Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is the launch for nonprofits to challenge themselves to create an event to tie into the hashtag and national promotion that will help them get bigger and more donations than last year. Brainstorm with your team and design a fundraiser like the national teams that provide incentives and dates to get those donations that push it to the beginning of December, leaving you 1 to 2 months to follow up and meet the 2017 deadlines for donations.
2. #BlackFriday is the Friday after Thanksgiving when some retail companies sell up to 60% of their annual purchases. Why? Because those are consumers’ deadline dates. Annually they plan that Friday to seriously dent their holiday shopping list. Your sale can tie into national ads by using the #BlackFriday, including your company in the shopping research for consumers who follow that conversation on social media.
3. #ShopSmall is Small Business Saturday or also called #ShopLocal. It is a day designated to give small businesses a leg up by nationally promoting the event day and suggesting that small local businesses set up an event or sale using the hashtag so consumers can see where a local event is happening. Shoppers already know that if they follow that #ShopSmall they can click on local and see offers, promotions & events at service businesses that day in their area. Since they are out and about, your offer and check-in offers  get more attention.
4. #CyberMonday is the Monday after Thanksgiving and savvy shoppers are used to  putting their gift list next to their computer and taking advantage of the specials offered on that Monday only. It is a well promoted event and you should tie into it if you have any packages or offers you can do for a one day sale. This is also effective for service businesses.

Don’t forget to include the national logos, hashtags and #tags that can help you launch off other organizations efforts. See what other merchandisers in your area have done in the past by looking at the #feed. Then get your staff together and brainstorm about what you can do to join the conversation and be represented with your own push during these very social media savvy promotions. For more tips on how to get this done, sign up for my next Social Media for the Holidays Workshop or Webinar. If you need help, email tmade.mkt@verizon.net and request an appointment for a brainstorming meeting online ($135/hour).

 

For more information on improving your business marketing or your website performance, contact Tailor-Made Advertising to review and improve your efforts. Liz Harsch has been helping business owners maximize their marketing budget since 1988. For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. Liz is a valued Marketing speaker and trainer for SCORE, SBDC, Constant Contact, Chambers of Commerce and Small Business Groups on Traditional and Online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, email her at tmade.mkt@verizon.net or call 310-791-6300.

Twitter is Now on Google Search-Use it to Grow Your Business

Last month Google started serving twitter posts on google search on smart phones, making it easier for twitter content to get more eyes on it. It also allows Google search to have more new content to serve in a more timely manner. That means that if you have a twitter account and you are including keywords, your post can be served by google on the topic you discuss.  It also means that hashtags on conversations that are current topics may include your tweet.  Here is how it works:

1. If someone sees your Tweet among the search results on a trending topic or your industry, they can learn alot about your social account right away: the Twitter handle, the profile pic, & the time the Tweet was posted.
2. It’s mandatory you take a good look at your twitter profile on a smart phone and your tablets in addition to your PC or laptop and optimize your profile and check your profile for keywords that make sense.
3. Trending topic searches are more likely to show Tweets first because they are more recent and often more relevant. Remember twitter is a format that in 140 characters describes what the content is about.  So while  Tweets won’t always show up as a top result, or show up at all—it all depends on the subject of the user’s search.
4. In the official announcement of the feature, Google states that Tweets in Google searches are “a great way to get real-time info when something is happening. And it’s another way for organizations and people on Twitter to reach a global audience at the most relevant moments.”
5. So, if your brand or blog features content that adds to a discussion of a trending topic, your Tweets containing the appropriate keyword or hashtag have a chance of showing up when that topic is searched. To maximize your chances revisit some strategies on how to write engaging Tweets, and how to use trending hashtags wisely.
6.  In addition to just seeing the Tweets show up in search results, you might want to explore how a mobile audience would see your page. All the profiles on the new Twitter mobile app are responsive, but not all cover photos would look ideal on a smaller screen. Plus, keep in mind that your Tweet conversations won’t be separated from the main stream, so you still need to identify your company and your company focus the best first impression on new visitors to your page.

Download my twitter getting started guide from my facebook page to help you navigate your twitter business account. Each month I give away a different free tool.  “Like” my page to be alerted each month for next free tool. Come to my local or online FREE Social Media, Email Marketing and Strategy Classes and Webinars or one of my hands-on laptop classes to actually expedite your campaigns and develop your marketing plan or next promotion.  Would you like to try Constant Contact to grow your business? Click here to get started adding this robust tool today.

Liz Harsch, has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988.  Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising, is an Authorized SCORE & SBDC workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, The City of Los Angeles and other Organizations. If you are interested in getting help for your marketing plan or your marketing projects or you need a trainer, Email us at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.  For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com or call us at 310-791-6300.

5 Tips on Increasing Your Sales

The only difference between leads and customers is “yes”. However the key for today’s businesses is are you asking the right questions to achieve the “yes” to convert a lead into a sale? Here are a few tips on how to achieve the conversions from potential customer to a paying customer:

Step 1 – Ask the Right Question

Increase Your Sales by Improving Your Lead Follow Up

Don’t assume that the questions you have asked potential customers in the past are the right questions today. Example: Are you ready to buy our one year package? May work better today as “Would you like to purchase our one year package or would you prefer trying it first on a month-to-month lease?” Today’s customers like having choices and they don’t like to feel cornered, so offering them a choice can make them feel heard better and also give them an incentive to make a longer commitment on their own terms.

Write down the questions you ask potential customers today and try mixing it up a bit with an approach including alternatives. Then measure your success.

Step 2 – Review Your Past Prospects and Learn Something About Your Company

While it is important to determine your closing ratio (leads to solds) it is equally important to review who you sold to last month and the month before and compare who they were and what product or service they bought. Then compare them to previous customers to see if their priorities or needs have changed. One of the advantages of being a small business is you are able to move your strategies quickly when you see a trend change. However if you are too busy to review who is buying from you lately, you may miss an important trend that can propel your company over your competition. Take the time to review your current customers and their buying trends this year over the past.

Take a minute to jot down who you thing your primary customers are and what you think they buy the most and why? Then compile the actual statistics from your sales and a customer description. Do your expectations match the results or is there any trend you may have missed? If so, consider if there is a product or service that would help your business grow or  improve customer satisfaction?

Step 3 –How are you reaching your new leads 7-9 times to gain their trust?

Did you know that it takes 7-9 impressions with your brand in order for potential leads to trust you enough to become a customer? Write down on a piece of paper a trail from your brand’s first contact with a lead to how you would reach them 7-9 times using Email, Social Media, Traditional or Online advertising. How much time does that take you? Then reduce the time from first contact to 7-9 touches.

Step 4 – Don’t Skip the Phone Call or Phone Number

When you send out information to a potential customer make sure your phone number is there. Also make sure a personal call or Email is part of the plan in Step 3. Remember the goal is trust and in order to trust you, I need to feel like you personally reached out to me (even in an E-Mail). By creating an outbound calling follow up, you will achieve more trust than sending out another Email or ad. If your target market prefers texts, make that part of your follow up.

Step 5 – Track Your Successes

Don’t forget this step, track your leads and when they close. Record the steps in between and you will find a winning formula for now. Always be open to changing your program but note when it works well and as your ratio of leads to solds increases recognize that your planning led to the difference.  Then stay open to observing the next trend in three months, go through this again and see how your sales process has changed

Final Step – Come to my next Workshop and Learn More.

Liz Harsch has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988. Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising is an Authorized SCORE workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, the City of Los Angeles and other Organizations. For more information about her company and to learn about her FREE Workshops and Paid laptop bootcamps like facebook (next one 5/30 in Torrance), twitter, linkedin and analytics, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. To schedule her as a speaker for your organization, association or department, email her to request a date at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.

Are YELP Reviews hurting your Business?

I get a lot of questions about YELP when I do social media training and also through my own clients. So I recently talked with my YELP provider and pinpointed the questions I am asked about the most. You may agree or disagree on the answers YELP Corporate provided me, however if you have received a negative review the information may be helpful to help you resolve the issue.

Keep in mind however that my best advice to you is to be sure that you are reviewed by satisfied customers on YELP and other review sites at least 3 times a year. I know that can be a challenging goal depending on the age of your target market, however there are some steps you can make to get those reviews:

1) Make a computer available so customers can review you right after their purchase or provide a quick link to your Yelp review page for them to easily know where to post that review.

2) Send out an Email each quarter that is designed to get folks to your review sites quickly with the goal of achieving reviews with easy links to your pages.

3) Make sure you let customers know they can thank you online, it will be faster for them and more helpful for you.

4) Many review sites take into consideration how often the reviewers use the site, so try to determine which of your customers use those review sites regularly.

Here is the corporate answer on my questions customers ask most:

How come my reviews on yelp have been removed?

Our Support team may have removed it because it violates our Terms of Service or Content Guidelines, or a reviewer might remove her own review of her own accord. We also try to showcase on business pages the most helpful and reliable reviews among the millions that are submitted to the site. Not all reviews make the cut, and those that don’t are posted to a separate “Filtered Review” page. Filtered reviews don’t factor into a business’s overall star rating, but users can still read them by clicking on the link at the bottom of the business’s profile page. We address several common questions asked by business owners here: https://biz.yelp.com/support/common_questions

2.    Does advertising on YELP makes a difference to a business’ YELP reviews and results? No effect at all. Please see our myths page that addresses this: http://www.yelp.com/myths

3.    What can I do if I am reviewed poorly by a customer and the review is unfair?: We have an entire section on responding to reviews in our business support that best addresses this question:https://biz.yelp.com/support/responding_to_reviews

4.    What is my recourse with Yelp and who do I contact to expedite a solution? All questionable content is evaluated by Yelp’s User Support team.  They review the content the user has written and compare it to Yelp’s Review Guidelines.  To get the evaluation process started, please follow the steps below:

A. Go to http://www.yelp.com/contact.

B. Select “Questionable Content” from the drop-down menu.

C. Identify your business.

D. Provide commentary as to why you’d like the review evaluated.

Our User Support team should respond to your inquiry within 2-3 business day.

5.     Is there a phone number where I can get help?  Our user support team is email based and can be reached via www.yelp.com/contact. They will respond to your questions within 2-5 business days.

Let me know if these tips work out for you. For more information about my company or a FREE Email or Event Marketing Trial, Contact Liz Harsch.

Liz Harsch, has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988. Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising is an Authorized SCORE workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, the City of Los Angeles and other Organizations. For more information about her company and to learn about her FREE Workshops and Paid laptop bootcamps like facebook (See Liz’s FREE Workshops Schedule) twitter, linkedin and analytics, visit tailormadeadvertsing.com. To schedule Liz as a speaker for your organization, association or department, email her to request a date at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.

How To Update Your Twitter Profile-New Format

Have you updated your Twitter page Profile? Now you can brand it better with a larger format similar to facebook.  If you are ready to pump up your image in Twitter, just follow these steps:

Step 1 – Know the Layout Specification

• Custom header images should be sized to 1252×626, and will be resized by Twitter.

• Your profile picture, or avatar, will be placed close to the top in the middle of your custom header, so make sure there is no important information there.

• Your profile information, for example, your name, location, and URL, will be placed on the header under your profile image.

Step 2 – Update Your Profile

• Log in to Twitter.

Step 3 –Select Settings Icon From The Menu On the Right Top

Select Settings from the menu

Step 4 – Select Profile From the Settings Pull Down Menu (see right)

Select Profile

Step 5 – Changing for Your Profile Page (see below)

• Select Profile from the menu

• Click “change header” to upload your own header. When uploading notice that you can click and drag it to position but you must design it to leave space in the center of the image for your posting profile and description to be dropped in and the copy will be readable. Don’t be afraid to try a couple of times since you can save over it if you don’t like the look.

Change your images here

• Looking down a little, you can see the option to upload a new custom background, or choose a color. You also have the option to change the link colors.  Make sure your new pattern or color is not distracting from your new profile photo.

• To Change your background colors or design a new background, refer to the Settings menu and select Design.  Looking down a little, you can see the option to upload a new custom background, or choose a color. You also have the option to change the link colors.  Make sure your new pattern or color is not distracting from your new profile photo.

• When you are finished remember to hit “save changes!”

Now your new header is consistent with your facebook, Google+ and your website. Try to make all of your branding consistent so you will be able to capture a mind share from prospective buyers as well as reinforce your brand with your content throughout the Internet. Enjoy your new design. Please post your new profiles on my facebook page so we can show them off.

Liz Harsch, has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988. Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising is an Authorized SCORE workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, the City of Los Angeles and other Organizations. For more information about her company and to learn about her FREE Workshops and Paid laptop bootcamps like facebook (next one 11/14 in Torrance), twitter, linkedin and analytics, visit tailormadeadvertsing.com. To schedule her as a speaker for your organization, association or department, email her to request a date at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.