Many clients have been asking us about social media and how it can benefit their business. If you haven't heard the term, you will. Social media has become more popular over the last year or two as YouTube, MySpace and Facebook has gained even more momentum with the general public. Believe it or not, these entertainment oriented social media sites have benefited businesses and paved a new marketing path.


So what are the benefits to social media and what sites should you focus your efforts?

The Benefits
The most obvious and exciting benefit of social media is that it's free. Seriously, what better way to promote your business than free advertising. Social media also has a far reaching and almost viral aspect to it. People will share what you say (if you say it well) and ultimately promote and sell your business for you. It's also a great way to network with people, or potential customers.

The Best Out There
Start with Linked In - it's the premier business networking site out there. You'll be amazed at the tools the site offers to free members. Theoretically, you would never have to pay for this site unless you get to a point where you need more than the free service offers.

Once you have a Linked In account, get on Facebook. It's a lot like Linked In, but focuses more on personal relationships. Make sure you create an accurate profile and add plenty of information about your business. You never know who knows someone interested in your products or services.

Another one of the popular ones out there is Twitter. It's the simplest out of the bunch. The goal of this site focuses on one question "What are you doing right now?" You can use this to do some one sentence promotions.

If you don't have a blog, don't wait any longer. Get out there and start one up. There are many blog sites out there, but we like blogger for it's universal simplicity. Create a theme that revolves around your company and write content that's short and sweet. And make sure you're content is conversational, like a letter to a friend.

And don't forget YouTube. Most people don't see the potential of marketing their business on YouTube, but the possibilities are endless. Create videos or professional presentations about your business and upload them for millions of people. Again, you never know when someone will be searching for your services, and YouTube shows up on popular search engines like Google and Yahoo!

Finally, the most important thing to remember is be real and be creative when promoting your business. All these services are free so there's no good reason for you to dismiss them. If they work for the Fortune 500 companies, they could work for you.

Posted by 2MONSTERS at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

Have you been down on the economy lately? Do you find yourself referring to the economy as the ominous and untouchable villain that keeps us all from living the American Dream? Is the economy keeping your business from growing and making money, or worse yet, causing it to shrink and lose money?

Tough times are inevitable. It's what we do in these tough times that define us as business owners, as regular people just trying to live the dream. So let's talk about what you can do right while weathering the storm.

1. Don't give up! I know it sounds cliche, but pulling all of your marketing and advertising while the economy is struggling is the opposite of what you should do. Right now it's easier than ever to negotiate better rates with publications and stay in front of your customers. You could potentially advertise more, so that when this passes and when they're ready to buy again, you'll be in the forefront of your customers' minds.

2. Keep moving forward. Sure, it's a Walt Disney quote, but it stands the test of time.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Who knows, that new path might save your business money. While others are frantic and losing sight of their goals, remain focused and positive. Remember that customers can sense fear and panic. Why give them a negative brand experience when you can reassure them and provide them with some certainty about your business.

3. Live your brand. This is a crucial step in inspiring employee enthusiasm and loyalty during hard economic times. Most people are worried about their jobs right now. Make an effort to talk about and emulate the brand promise as often as possible – this is a significant part of how you build credibility, trust and hope. Your employees will look to you for guidance, so the more you show them how the brand should come to life, the more likely they are to represent it properly when they are in front of your customers.

Posted by 2MONSTERS at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Yep! It's hard to believe, but the holidays are here once again. It seems like every year comes and goes in the blink of an eye. So why not hit the ground running this year and get a head start on the holiday shopping season?

Pinching Pennies
I think we can all agree that the economy has not been kind lately. Many people are holding onto their money pretty tight these days. Which is why this year it is especially important to deliver exceptional customer sevice while providing new and value oriented incentives to your customers. A positive outlook always creates an opportunity to win new customers, and to keep the loyalty of existing ones. Where there's an incentive...there is a way!

It Depends On You
Are you in retail? Or do you you provide a service? What you give as an incentive is totally dependent on your core business.

If you're in the retail industry...
Try focusing your advertising messages around deals like "Items Under $10" or "5 Under 20". Make them feel like their dollar is being stretched. Another approach might be to give the customer a 10% off discount of orders totaling $25 or more. Then there's the old standby of free shipping. Combined with another offer, free shipping could give your customer that added push of choosing you over your competitor. If that hasn't worked for you in the past, try a BOGO offer or a special free product with their order.

If you sell your services for a living...
Those of us that depend on our skills to bring home the bacon can't always promote free shipping or gift ideas for under $10. So instead, try promoting your services in packages. This way you're creating value for your client/customer and giving them a price reduction incentive. In return, you might sell a service that you normally would not have if sold separately. Plus you just created an opening for future business with that customer.

Regardless of how you entice your customers this holiday season...it's important to remember to start early. This is the time. Act now!

Have you started your holiday advertising yet? Let us know. We love to hear from our readers. We promise not to solicit you...unless you ask us to!

Posted by 2MONSTERS at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments