Marketing Organic Products

How companies are successfully marketing organic products

Do your concerns, lifestyle choices, and attitudes influence the kinds of foods you buy?

Judging by advertising campaigns and outreach efforts targeted at consumers, organic food producers and marketers believe so. By exploring the qualities of the average food consumer, these companies and organizations sharpen their marketing strategies, educating consumers about the potential health, environmental, and lifestyle benefits organic foods offer.

In recent years, retail sales of organic foods have blossomed as consumers have educated themselves about potential benefits associated with buying organic. While studies regarding the dangers of non-organic foods are largely inconclusive, that hasn't prevented the organic food industry from topping nearly $31.4 billion in sales in 2011, up from just $3.6 billion in 1997, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Web Marketing

Explore the Strategy of Web Marketing

The Internet has fundamentally changed nearly every aspect of our lives. From how we interact with friends, family, coworkers, and businesses, a technology that was in its infancy just 20 years ago is now considered indispensable to many people.

Companies understand the value that the Internet offers to them, providing interactive opportunities to connect with current customers and attract new consumers. As the Internet evolves, businesses will continue to refine their online marketing efforts, reaching a greater number of potential buyers than before.

What is Web Marketing ?

Web marketing refers to a broad category of advertising that takes many different forms, but generally involves any marketing activity conducted online.

Marketers have shifted their efforts online because it tends to be significantly less expensive. Many online advertising spaces are free to use. Companies can upload videos to Youtube or start a blog for no cost at all. Other outlets like official websites or paid search marketing cost a fraction of what a major television advertising campaign would.

The web also presents exciting new opportunities for companies to profile their customers. The interactive space of the Internet simplifies a company's ability to track, store, and analyze data about a customer's demographics, personal preferences, and online behavior. This data allows the advertiser to provide a more personalized and relevant ad experience for the customer. (See also Behavioral Marketing)

Types of web marketing

Display Advertising 

– The use of banner ads and other graphical advertisements to market products online.

Search Engine Marketing

– Using search engines to help connect users with the products and services they are most interested in. Companies can pay to receive preferential ranking in a list of search results.

Search Engine Optimization

– A free and organic way for companies to improve their visibility on search engines.

Social Media Marketing 

– Using sites like Facebook and Twitter to connect with customers.

Email Marketing 

– Communicating with customers through the use of carefully designed emails.

Referral Marketing

– Using internet channels to encourage consumers to recommend products to their friends and families.

Affiliate Marketing

– Working with other businesses to make it easier for consumers to shop for products online.

Inbound Marketing 

– Boosting the value of a company's web presence by adding unique content like blogs, games, and tutorial videos.

Video Marketing

– Using web videos for promotional purposes.

Organic search 

Companies invest a significant percentage of their marketing budgets trying to improve their ranking in search results. In some cases, they will pay to improve their ranking. In other cases, they will rework the content on their site to get a better ranking. The chart below, based on data from a MarketingSherpa survey, shows how important it is for a company’s website to receive a high ranking. As much as 60% of web traffic goes to the first three sites listed on the results page. Contrast this with the less than 2% of users who click on sponsored ads and the need for a positive ranking becomes clear.

Who Employs Web Marketing ?

Most businesses today have developed some kind of online presence. Free templates make it simple to develop a professional looking website, and social networking profiles are free and are accessible to millions.

Companies that sell products on a national or international level have the most to gain from web marketing. Imagine a local auto body shop. They have no incentive to try and connect with customers on the other side of the country. A simple website with their hours of operation and customer testimonials may be all the web presence they need (See also Consumer-Generated Marketing). However, major retailers within the global market must use web marketing aggressively. The easiest way to connect with a scattered customer base in a cost effective manner is to engage with users on the Internet.

How is web marketing plan developed and implemented ?

Web marketing combines a wide range of marketing strategies, requiring traditional marketing comprehension and an understanding of emerging technologies. Marketers must understand the strengths and weaknesses of various online marketing efforts as they develop their marketing strategy, analyzing these aspects by creating a marketing plan.

The marketer must understand what they are selling and who their target customer is. Different advertising strategies appeal to different segments of the population. Social media, for instance, is widely used by young people, while older Internet users are more dependent on email. An extensive analysis of market research reveals telling information about what customers want and where they gather.

Once the company has determined their target audienace and general strategy, they should start developing their online presence. This can involve everything from producing videos to creating entire websites. The technological infrastructure behind web marketing is just as important as its message and aesthetic. Companies must ensure that their marketing messages are accessible to everyone regardless of the technology they are using.

After the ads appear online, the company tracks how big of an impression they are making. Web marketing makes it easy for companies to track how successful their websites are. Every time a banner ad is clicked or a video is watched, that information is sent to the marketer. If the goals of the website are met, the campaign can be considered a success. If the target numbers are falling short, the company will need to refine their advertising strategy.

Consider the example of Zoka coffee, a small, Pacific Northwest chain. They had a Facebook profile but very few followers. In order to increase the impact of their social media efforts, they created a new eye-catching profile picture and page design. Zoka coffee then identified trend setters in the world of coffee, and started targeting them with Twitter and Facebook posts to spread the word about their brand. The company also used online contests and promotions to create incentives for followers, eventually leading to an 800% increase in traffic. (See also Facebook Marketing)

Careers in web marketing

social media marketing manager

What do they do?

Social media marketing managers plan and supervise the way that companies use social media. They will direct marketing campaigns using Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other social networking tools. Their job will be to maximize the potential of current technologies while scouting for the promising new technologies of the future.

Education/Experience

Most social media marketing managers have a degree in marketing with a specific focus on digital and new media marketing. They will need to understand the unique conversation that takes place over social media and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly. Extensive personal experience using social media is mandatory.

Average salaries of web marketers 

Social Media Marketing Manager

entry level - $50,000-$70,000

after 10 years - $80,000-$120,000

Digital Marketer

entry level - $40,000-$70,000

after 10 years - $100,000-$170,000

SEO Specialist

entry level - $30,000-$50,000

after 10 years - $70,000-$110,000

Digital marketer

What do they do?

Digital marketer is a catch all term that refers to any advertiser who directs their focus online. They will be responsible for everything from sending Tweets, to designing banner ads, and driving traffic towards online videos. These experienced web marketers use any and all online tools to promote a company's message.

Education/Experience

Digital marketers will need to have a bachelor's degree in marketing. More experienced professionals often have advanced degrees in specialized areas of web marketing. Anyone working in this field will need to be an expert in both the technology and the culture of the web.

SEO specialist

What do they do?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. SEO specialists maximize the chance that a company’s products and services will be found by users doing internet searches. They understand the algorithms that guide search results and how to manipulate them to a company’s advantage. Their duties require both creative and technical proficiency.

Education/Experience

SEO specialists aren't required to have degrees in marketing, but they can be very helpful. Most of their responsibilities involve raising awareness just like any traditional marketer. Some professionals enter the field after receiving degrees in English or communications. SEO specialists must understand the unique and ever changing nature of online search engines.

Persuasion Marketing

Imitation is the most sincere forms of flattery, at least, 

according to advocates of the "mirror technique."

By mirroring a target's physical posture and gestures (while maintaining casual conversation), you can develop an unspoken bond with that target, making them feel that you two are "in sync." Then, introduce a gesture of your own—if the target copies your gesture, you know you’ve gone from following to leading. Only now can you interject your own ideas in conversation, hopefully extracting a response of “That’s just what I was thinking.”

So much of communication and decision-making occurs at the subconscious level, requiring marketers to consider the psychological underpinnings of purchasing behavior. By understanding the factors that apply at this level, they can be far more effective at persuading people to choose what they want them to choose (and buy).

What is persuasion marketing ?

Persuasion marketing applies what we know about human psychology to develop techniques to market products or services. In this case, it specifically applies to the promotions aspect of the marketing mix, and builds on a customer's impulsive behavior to lead them to purchase.

In terms of Internet commerce, persuasion marketing includes how a web page is designed. Again, applying human psychology to web design—focusing on the part of the decision-making process that’s not consciously controlled—elements such as layout, copy, and typography, combined with the right promotional messages, encourage website visitors to follow pre-planned pathways on the website, and take specific actions, rather than giving them free reign of choice in how they interact with the website. (See also Consumer Psychology)

Who employs persuasion marketing ?

Salespeople have been using persuasive techniques for as long as they have been around, and now work to translate these techniques on the web. Persuasion marketing, in fact, was a top subject discussed by keynote speaker Susan Bratton at the 2011 SES (Search Engine Strategies) San Francisco convention, attended by more than 1,000 marketing and advertising professionals. It’s a topic, and a strategic approach, that appeals to marketers in a variety of industries. If you have an e-commerce website, then you want to convert visits to sales—and persuasion marketing techniques ease that process. (See also E-Commerce Marketing)

Elements of persuasion Marketing

Structured communication — control the order of a conversation, 

or how information appears to the consumer 

Storytelling and copywriting

Neuromarketing — market to the 90 percent of the decision-making process not consciously controlled

For what kinds of customers is persuasion Marketing effective ?

One of the insights of persuasion marketing is that customers’ sensitivity to persuasive arguments varies according to a number of factors, including their immediate emotional state. Therefore, in order to increase the chances of converting a customer, a salesperson or marketer needs to look for a “persuasion window,” open one if they can, and make the deal before it closes again.

Examples of persuasive windows

when in a good mood

when the world doesn’t make sense

when indebted to a favor

can (or must) take immediate action

right after a mistake

right after being denied a request

Consider a visitor who has just registered for a newsletter or promotion on a website and lands on a "thank you" page. Since that visitor has already engaged with the website and is in an "interactive state", additional offers on "thank you" pages typically earn a 39% conversion rate.

Another way to generate persuasive windows is to “alarm clock” a website. Many marketers design pages in a way that people have reasons to regularly check it to avoid “missing out” on opportunities or offers. When people visit a website on their own time, they arrive already open to persuasion.

How is a persuasion Marketing campaign developed ?

There are four primary elements of persuasion marketing: 

structured communication, storytelling, copywriting, and neuromarketing.

Structured communication, like the “planned conversation” of interpersonal sales, is about controlling the order of the dialogue, or how information is presented to the consumer. The goal is to move a customer along his or her “impulse curve,” initially encouraging a customer’s impulse, and making a call to action after that impulse level has been raised to its highest point. In website design, it means that the first page the customer sees does not immediately seek a sale, but instead presents the initial message and encourages further exploration of the website.

Storytelling uses a narrative framework to invoke a customer’s emotional and subconscious responses, so that they join—or dominate—their more analytical responses.

 Use of particular words and images evoke habitual emotional responses, such as affection, familiarity, empathy, and desire for triumph/resolution.

Copywriting is using the right words and phrases for headings, captions, product descriptions, and other text. For example, when people scan material (and most Internet pages are scanned before they’re read), questions stand out more than statements, so “What is the best way to capture attention?” catches more attention than “How to capture attention.” The persuasion marketer field-tests different kinds of copy, in order to determine which is most likely to produce the emotion or answer he or she’s looking for. Different words describing the same thing can have very different connotation. “Choices,” for example, produces a positive emotional response, but “trade-offs” produces a negative one. Additionally, the copywriter and marketer must remember that the fear of loss is more motivating for most people than the promise of gain. Thus “don’t miss out” has more impact than “this can be yours.”

Neuromarketing (See also Neuromarketing) is perhaps the most important component of persuasion marketing, applying psychology to the marketing message. Psychological research reveals information about the diverse factors that contribute to a decision—and as much as 90 percent of that all takes place beyond our conscious reasoning. For example, research demonstrates that visual and olfactory cues are important for “priming” a particular mood; therefore, grocery stores display flowers in the front in order to “prime” customers with the image of freshness. In terms of website design, it means using color scheme and particular visual imagery to improve visitors’ response to the website. Another major feature is testimony from other people. Businesses typically display customer testimony on therir websites, developing a “wall of social proof” approach. Businesses post photos of happy—and attractive—customers, so new customers are comfortable being associated with them.

Elements of storytelling

passion

hero (the customer)

antagonist (or bogey, like the fear of loss)

moment of awareness

transformation

Weapons of persuasion

Reciprocation — obligate people emotionally by giving them something

Commitment — secure a small commitment, then build on it; people don’t want to back out on the initial commitment, so they are more likely to comply with new terms

Social Proof — testimony of peers

Authority — perceived expertise

Liking — people are more likely to buy if they like you, so be friendly (and be physically attractive—never show ugly people in your pictures)

Scarcity — of either the product, the offer, or the time; this does not need to be real, only perceived

E-Commerce Marketing

Almost 42% of Americans plan to shop mostly online in 2012, according to the “2012 Shopping Outlook” survey by PriceGrabber. Another 45% plan to make most of their purchases through a combination of online, brick-and-mortar, and mobile shopping, 

while just 12% plan to only shop in actual stores.

E-commerce, also known as online shopping, is becoming more widespread as more consumers look to the Internet for purchasing decisions. Consumers can find a wider variety of goods, often at more competitive prices, than they would at their local brick and mortar retailers. According to Understanding Online Shopper Behaviors by Forester Research, E-commerce business-to-consumer product sales totaled $142.5 billion in 2011, representing about 8% of retail product sales in the United States.

However, because shopping online requires much less commitment than shopping in a store – consumers can fill up a virtual shopping cart from the comfort of their living rooms at any hour of the day – as many as 95% of online shoppers don’t “convert” (or purchase) from a website on their first visit. Businesses implement e-commerce marketing strategies hoping to solve this issue, easing consumer decision making online.

Once buyers are ready to purchase, what will make them choose to buy from the online shop above all the other options? Many new e-commerce store owners believe that an eye-catching, easy-to-use website and competitive pricing are more than enough. However, e-commerce websites need much more than this to stand apart from the competition. They need to know how to increase their online presence, convert their web traffic into paying customers, and drive repeat purchases.

 (See also Web Marketing)

Without a strategic e-commerce marketing plan, a business’s website will fall in among the thousands of other companies selling similar products for similar prices. Marketing strategies like search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, email marketing, and traffic analysis can help an e-commerce website gain – and keep – shoppers.

What is E-commerce marketing ?

E-commerce marketing is the practice of guiding online shoppers to an e-commerce website and persuading them to buy the products or services online.

 E-commerce marketing can include practices like:

Search engine optimization to help a website to rank higher in organic search engine listings

Affiliation with better-known websites through referral marketing or banner advertising

Retention of current customers through email marketing

While there are many similarities between marketing an e-commerce website and marketing a brick and mortar store, e-commerce marketing involves some unique challenges and opportunities (See also Brick-and-Mortor Marketing). Online, consumers don’t feel invested in a shopping venture the way they would if they’d gotten in their car to visit a physical location, because visiting an e-commerce website requires no more effort than a mouse click.

Additionally, e-commerce businesses don’t have opportunities to draw customers in with the physical enticements of a well-run store – there is no soft music, relaxing smell or helpful, well-dressed salesperson to help them make their choice.

On the flipside, however, shopping online is faster, easier and more private, which makes it very appealing to tech-savvy consumers. With a fully-functioning, easy-to-use website and effective customer engagement tools, an e-commerce website can make shoppers want to complete their transactions online. This is financially beneficial, as e-commerce businesses require much less overhead to run successfully.

Still, many e-commerce marketing companies use this lack of investment in online shopping to justify high spending on increasing traffic to the website. Often, if a marketing firm puts thought into their e-commerce marketing strategy, this high spending may not be necessary.

Who Employs E-commerce Marketing ?

All manner of retailers – including clothing stores, fabric wholesalers, furniture manufacturers and technology companies employ e-commerce marketing. Sometimes, brick and mortar retailers make conscious decisions not to build e-commerce websites, because they want the experience of visiting their store to be a unique, elite experience. These retailers are often not interested in expanding their businesses or selling for a competitive price.

However, any other business that is interested in increasing their sales should not only build an e-commerce website, but put thought and effort into marketing it effectively. For example, Door-to-Door Organics is a business that partners with local farmers to deliver fresh, organic produce to customers’ doorsteps. While fresh produce is not the first product that comes to mind for an e-commerce website, the usability and intuitive functionality of the website contributes to Door-to-door Organics’ success (See also Marketing Organic Products).

A famous Marketing campaign:

Amazon.com began in 1994 as an online bookstore. While this is how they are still best-known, the e-commerce website now sells everything from clothes, to vitamins/ to MP3s, to previously-owned electronics. Sales are made through their own suppliers, third-party vendors, and private individuals. Amazon’s reign continues because they continue to push technological boundaries (their proprietary e-reader Kindle has taken the nation by storm) and because their e-commerce platform is functional, easy-to-use, and secure.

What kinds of customers are effectively marketed to with 

E-commerce Marketing ?

Young, Internet-savvy consumers are the most likely to be affected by an e-commerce marketing campaign (See also Youth Marketing). Older consumers who are not as familiar with the Internet are less likely to make their purchases online in the first place. But when they do, they are also less particular about the quality of the e-commerce website.

One thing that is universally important to e-commerce consumers is security. Because buying online necessitates the transfer of personal information including a credit card number and personal shipping address, it is extremely important to ensure that your e-commerce website takes great care with customer information. Nothing can damage an e-commerce marketing campaign and a reputation faster than a slew of stolen identities or other financial security breaches.

E-commerce Marketing priorities

Entice visitors to your e-commerce website through:

Search engine optimization

Pay-per-click campaigns

Public relations – news releases, articles and stories

Online advertising

Convert visitors into customers through:

In-site promotions

Product discounts

Customer recommendations

Opt-in email promotions

Website usability

Encourage repeat customers through:

Quality products

Competitive pricing

Building relationships

Increasing per-customer purchases

After-sale marketing and relationship building

How is an Ecommerce Marketing plan developed and employed ?

An e-commerce marketing plan is developed by focusing on three objectives: helping new visitors to find the website, turning visitors into customers, and enhancing your website’s usability and after-sale marketing to encourage repeat visitors.

Enticing visitors and converting visitors work hand in hand. One without the other dramatically reduces the opportunities for creating new customers. A website needs to entice new visitors to visit and then provide sufficient incentive to turn those visitors into a buying customers.

Helping new visitors find a company’s e-commerce website is largely dependent on search engine positioning and banner advertising. A successful e-commerce marketing team needs to have expertise in search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, social media marketing, and display advertising to reach the top of search results.

Search engine optimization, better known as SEO, is one of the most critical parts of e-commerce marketing. It is based on special algorithms that analyze the instances of specific keywords on your website. Because users navigate the Internet through search engines like Google, these results play a large role in the success of your website. A good SEO campaign can position your e-commerce website to rise to the top of the Google rankings. For example, Googling “pretty yarn” brings up Dragon Tale Yarns sold by the e-commerce branch of Earth Guild, a store based in North Carolina, as the fourth result. Earth Guild is not a large, well-known craft store, nor does it have a particularly appealing web presence. What it does have is excellent SEO – because it shows up so quickly in the search results, it likely experiences much more traffic than its competitors.

Pay-per-click advertising operates similarly to SEO since it is based on keywords. However, whereas search engine optimization works organically (meaning that a marketing firm doesn’t have to pay for it), PPC results are the results that show up in yellow boxes on Google. Marketing campaigns pay to be represented by specific keywords, and owe money each time a user clicks on one of these ‘sponsored’ links. PPC and SEO campaigns often work very well together, by covering a variety of organic and paid keywords. (See also Pay-per-Click Marketing)

Social media marketing can be very important to e-commerce websites. By creating an effective Facebook business page and enticing potential customers to ‘like’ your page with exclusive offers and discounts, you will not only gain immeasurable word-of-mouth advertising through the network, but will establish yourself as a trustworthy, reputable Internet business.

Display advertising can be intimidating to smaller Internet retailers, but it has been found to be very worthwhile. By buying small banner ads on related blogs, message boards and other websites, you can showcase your business in front of people who wouldn’t have found it otherwise.

Effective, strategic marketing is sometimes enough to attract visitors to a website, but the work doesn’t end there. Next, an e-commerce marketing campaign will convince them to purchase the available product or service. Website visitors become customers because of their experience on your website. While the quality and pricing of the product is important, the user experience is just as important. The domain name should be easy to spell, it should load quickly, and it should look good and be easy to read.

On the product pages, it is essential that all offerings are easy to find, easy to understand, and are accompanied by extensive details and photos. Online shoppers are drawn to purchase if they know right away how much your product and shipping costs, if they can see multiple views of a product, zoom in on your photos, read reviews from other customers, and save products they’re considering in a shopping cart. All of these actions mirror the way they shop in a brick and mortar location.

Repeat customers are earned through customer service. Year after year, Zappos.com, an online retailer that specializes in shoes, ranks very highly as a place that customers would recommend to friends and use the next time they need to purchase shoes. The reason for this is excellent customer service. Zappos offers free shipping both ways, no-questions-asked returns and exchanges for a full year, video descriptions, and comprehensive reviews of almost every product. Additionally, they employ a staff of customer service representatives who handle every interaction with a lighthearted expertise. (See also Sales Representatives)

What types of of careers work with Ecommerce Marketing strategies ?

Because e-commerce marketing is a digital marketing field, a career in e-commerce marketing requires marketers to not only have a marketing background, but also a firm understanding of the ever-changing world of social media, search engine analytics, and broad-based online marketing. An effective e-commerce marketing team will be made up of individuals who are extremely comfortable with technology trends and have the creativity to let your e-commerce website stand out from the crowd.

Marketing Manager

Entry level: $60,230 

Experienced: $155,050

SEO Specialist

Entry level: $27,989 

Experienced: $60,247

Webmaster

Entry level: $29,701 

Experienced: $73,873

*Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics

Marketing Managers:

What do they do?

A successful e-commerce marketing campaign should be led by a marketing manager with the knowledge and training necessary to manage and effectively strategize campaign activity. Typically, marketing managers oversee all activities within a company’s marketing, advertising, and promotional department. They establish brand guidelines and growth strategies, evaluate customer needs, and tweak marketing plans dependent on success.

Education and experience

Most marketing managers hold at least a bachelor's degree in marketing or a related major like communication, advertising or business. Marketing managers generally begin in entry-level marketing positions and work their way up the career ladder.

SEO specialist:

What do they do?

SEO Specialists ensure that their websites are optimized to attract and engage the largest amount of applicable visitors who will eventually convert into customers. They do so by making sure that the website’s branded content across all platforms leads Internet users to their offerings by building search engine rank, reputation and traffic.

Education and experience

A Bachelor’s degree in marketing is the best path to a career in SEO, and a background in programming can also be extremely useful. Beyond formal education though, individuals who want to pursue an SEO career should continue their training individually by staying up-to-date on the ever-changing world of SEO.

Webmaster:

What do they do?

A webmaster collaborates with the e-commerce marketing team to develop and maintain the look and feel of a website. He or she is responsible for the usability and functionality of a website day-to-day, and ensures that it is performing at the best possible level. By monitoring traffic and customer experience, the webmaster can adjust expectations and improve performance.

Education and experience

Beginning a career as a webmaster generally requires a Bachelor’s degree in business or computer programming, as well as a working knowledge of programming language like HTML. Usually, a webmaster will have a few years of experience in the programming industry before becoming responsible for a website.

Consumer Psychology

Explore basic psychological concepts behind
 marketing various products ...

Understanding the complex process with which the minds of consumers take is the holy grail of marketing. It is the key to creating wildly successful marketing campaigns and expanding the reach of whatever product you offer.

And as any astute individual who has seen large corporate marketing campaigns fail miserably to make a positive imprint on the minds of consumers, understanding consumer psychology is not easy.

Always Be Closing..

Free Advertising

 What is Free Advertising?

 “Free Advertising” is basically marketing that costs you nothing. 

Zip. Zilch. Nada.  

Advertising & Marketing.

 Let’s be honest:

You can’t run a real business without paying for advertising.

The key to finding customers… making sales… building a customer list…  and ultimately, growing your business –  is Advertising & Marketing.

 “Without advertising, something terrible happens. Nothing.”

To survive and thrive in any business… small or large… you’ve absolutely got to advertise.

Without advertising, “Nothing” happens.

7 Marketing Tips For Small Businesses

1. Throw out your old marketing guide.

It is important to use marketing techniques that are working today. 

That’s why it’s so important to keep current with the latest techniques and strategies so that

 you are always employing the most effective methods that will bring you the best results.

2. Use email marketing

One of the most powerful

and extremely cost effective forms of marketing is email marketing.

 The cost is very low and it offers predictable results. 

It also has the advantage of providing you with personal ownership of the list,

unlike having social profiles and pages on social networking sites like Facebook 

and Twitter where you don’t control or own the sites.

One of the strongest assets you can have, in addition to your website, 

is an email list that you can market to on a regular basis. Treat your subscribers well.

Offer them valuable and interesting content in addition to special offers 

and discounts on your products.

3. Marketing Tips – Build An Effective Website

Your business website is capable of being your 24/7 sales or lead generating machine.

  If you design your website right, you will be able to generate very high quality leads,

calls and sales from customers and prospects.

You need to have your website designed by a professional and then effectively market it. 

 Make sure it is attractive, has clear navigation and is filled with interesting content.

Your website should also be optimized for the search engines so that it shows up highly in

the search results for your most important keyword terms.

4. Be Active On Social Network Sites

Setting up social profiles at the main social networking sites

 such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is imperative these days.

You need to be where your customers are, and they are most likely to be all over these

 sites. You need to offer interesting content to keep readers engaged. 

5.Take mobile into account

More and more people these days do their surfing and shopping using their mobile phones and other devices.  So you need to have your website and advertising campaigns mobile friendly in order to get the best results.  Make sure your website has a responsive design so that it reads well on mobile devices.

6. Make Customer Service A Top Priority

Customer service may not seem like a form of marketing at first glance.  However, if you have poor customer service all of your efforts will be wasted. On the other hand, 
if customers feel like they are being provided with good service and are well taken care of, they are much more likely to become repeat customers and tell their friends out your products or services.

7. Marketing Tips – Encourage Customer Feedback

Encourage customers to provide reviews, give testimonials and offer you feedback.  When prospects see that customers are active and giving their personal experiences about your products, the trust level in your company and products will go up dramatically.  Word of mouth is the most valuable form of marketing.  So if you can establish good rapport with your customers, they will also be more encouraged to share their experiences about your products with people they personally know.

The above Marketing tips and Techniques for Small Business are the foundation and starting point for your success.  Be sure to take the time to implement the advice given in these tips.  Focus on marketing fundamentals and you will be successful.  Also be sure to track your results so that you know which marketing techniques are working the best for you.  Successful marketing is all about continuously trying out new methods, refining them and expanding those that are the most effective and profitable for your business.