Ok, 2011 is history. The fact is, the New Year is here!
So what’s on the horizon for businesses – large and small – in the coming year? When it comes to marketing, there are a lot of things to focus on. And a few things to stay away from! We’ll try to sort out the “Yes!” from the “No!”
On the “yes” side, you can count on referral selling. Referrals from friends and customers are becoming more and more important in what is now called the “referral economy.” Use as many tactics as you can to get referrals from your customers!
On the “no” side, forget buying lists and cold calling people. Fact is, nobody wants a solicitation call, and most people won’t answer a number they’re not familiar with.
Another “yes” is your website. Don’t dismiss it because it’s not “social media!” Make sure you optimize your site for the local shoppers who search online but want a local place to buy from.
The “no” to this subject is to ignore the Internet. In the coming year, if you’re not on the web, you’re simply “not” in the minds of consumers.
What about those coupon websites and daily deals? Make sure you follow up to any type of deal you put together. Use Mob Manager or something similar to help build a long-term relationship with customers.
The “no” side of this is using Groupon, Living Social and others as part of your long-term strategy. You’re going to find it’s oversaturated and very unprofitable.
In the coming year, a big “yes” is to hiring a real pay-per=click professional who can really drive traffic to your website.
A “no” for pay-per-click is experimenting with Google Adwords, Microsoft AdCenter and others like it. If you don’t really know what you’re doing, you’ll be tossing money out the window!
A very big “yes” for 2012 is getting an app so your prospective customers can gain access to your company through mobile devices. It’s worth every penny you’ll spend, because that’s the direction marketing is going.
A “no?” Any website that isn’t accessible from mobile devices! Get it updated as fast as you can! Otherwise your competition will leave you in the dust!
Stay tuned – there’s a lot more to come – in the coming year.
So what’s on the horizon for businesses – large and small – in the coming year? When it comes to marketing, there are a lot of things to focus on. And a few things to stay away from! We’ll try to sort out the “Yes!” from the “No!”
On the “yes” side, you can count on referral selling. Referrals from friends and customers are becoming more and more important in what is now called the “referral economy.” Use as many tactics as you can to get referrals from your customers!
On the “no” side, forget buying lists and cold calling people. Fact is, nobody wants a solicitation call, and most people won’t answer a number they’re not familiar with.
Another “yes” is your website. Don’t dismiss it because it’s not “social media!” Make sure you optimize your site for the local shoppers who search online but want a local place to buy from.
The “no” to this subject is to ignore the Internet. In the coming year, if you’re not on the web, you’re simply “not” in the minds of consumers.
What about those coupon websites and daily deals? Make sure you follow up to any type of deal you put together. Use Mob Manager or something similar to help build a long-term relationship with customers.
The “no” side of this is using Groupon, Living Social and others as part of your long-term strategy. You’re going to find it’s oversaturated and very unprofitable.
In the coming year, a big “yes” is to hiring a real pay-per=click professional who can really drive traffic to your website.
A “no” for pay-per-click is experimenting with Google Adwords, Microsoft AdCenter and others like it. If you don’t really know what you’re doing, you’ll be tossing money out the window!
A very big “yes” for 2012 is getting an app so your prospective customers can gain access to your company through mobile devices. It’s worth every penny you’ll spend, because that’s the direction marketing is going.
A “no?” Any website that isn’t accessible from mobile devices! Get it updated as fast as you can! Otherwise your competition will leave you in the dust!
Stay tuned – there’s a lot more to come – in the coming year.
