Mobile Marketing Plus Local Marketing

Small Business Marketing Tips from an Alaska Village

We can learn a lot about small business marketing from the Alaska village of Talkeetna, which is about a two and a half hour drive up from Anchorage. With an area of less than 50 square miles and a population that fluctuates from 700 - 1,000, depending on the season, they seem to keep town hopping all year long. Some say this is the town that the TV series Northern Exposure was modeled after.  If it wasn't, it sure could have been.

Not sure if the town's small businesses discuss their marketing together, but what happens seems to benefit all the businesses in town.

Attracting visitors with creative events is what they do best. The summer is easy.  The railroad brings in tourist from cruise ships that stay in a lodge in town, and another lodge that is about an hour north. Tourists descend from the train and load onto buses that transport them to their lodging. But many stay in town for lunch, or grabbing a plane ride around Mt. McKinley, or floating on the rivers. Like I said, summer is easy. But even then the town comes up with other reasons to keep those visitors in town a little bit longer.  On Friday evenings there is music in the park, and on weekends local artists gather under tents to sell their wares.

While the summer months may be easy, the winter months, which are October through April, are a bit more of a challenge.  Marketing gets a bit more creative and non-traditional.

When you think of winter in Alaska, you might think of snow and the Aurora. But this village thinks on another level - people. Bring people together to share good times that are not the same old thing.

In December they host the Wilderness Woman Competition, which draws in people from all over the world. Bed and Breakfasts fill up, bars fill up, and restaurants fill up. You meet people around the bonfire burning in the middle of town. Since this is held  in the dark days of winter, the bars fill up early. That night, the Talkeetna Bachelor Ball draws in even more visitors which bid on local talent. A weekend you do not want to miss. And the revenue from this weekend surely helps the local businesses through the month of December.

Other creative marketing events are scattered around the calendar.  This weekend is St. Patrick's Day, and we were hoping to head to Talkeetna for the weekend, but found out the Oosik Classic is going on - a ski event that draws in hundreds of skiers. No room at the inn for us. They did not stop there.  Since this is St. Patrick's Day weekend, there is beer tasting at the local Roadhouse, and I am sure plenty of green beer at the other bars and restaurants in town.

So what can your small business do to keep things rolling all year long?  Let's get creative.  The buying public needs a change. Something exciting to get their brain juices flowing. Make them say WOW! I need to go there and do that. Share some of your ideas here.

 

 

Would a Parade of Homes 365 Days a Year Help Your Builders?

Ten years ago, placing ads in newspapers, having short radio announcements, and if you had the budget, a 30 second television commercial would bring in all the people you needed to your Parade of Homes or Showcase event. But today, newspapers are becoming smaller and smaller due to dwindling sales. People get their news online. Radio ads are still going out, but who is listening? Satellite radio, internet stations like Pandora, and mp3 players now compete with radio stations but without the commercials. DVR allows us to see an hour television show in 40 minutes with no commercial “interruptions.” The message here is that traditional marketing is no longer as effective for reaching your target market.

Today your buyers are online. New marketing techniques create a more interactive and personal experience, which is what the public is looking for. This is evidenced by the popularity of social networking sites, YouTube, and review sites.

Imagine this scenario.  Home buyers attend your spring Home Show and learn about your Parade of Homes event. They are at your home show meeting your vendors (members) so they will not be able to attend all the builder member homes that are open that weekend. You give them a postcard with the URL of your Virtual Parade website which has 360 virtual tours of each home, builder information, home stats, and more. They can still visit each home from the comfort of their own home and contact the builder or their representative for a viewing when they are available.

Or how about this scenario. Tom and Samantha have cleared their weekend to see the homes in the Parade event. They found the event while doing a search online for homes in your area and coming across your Association website. The website suggested they Like you on Facebook to get a download of the Parade map.

Easy enough. They also saw a video message from your Association president. With map in hand, they begin their visits.  They reach the first home and see a QR code posted at the door.  Once scanned onto their phone, they are taken to a mobile website with the stats for that house, including price, images, and contact information, plus a bio on the builder. After the 4^th house they are thankful to have those mobile websites saved on their phones for later viewing because they all begin to blur together.

And yet another example is Maude. Her husband is working on the road and feels bad that she has to do most of the leg work on finding them a new home. She begins her search online as most people do. She comes across the Virtual Parade website for your event held 3 months ago. She reviews each of the 20 homes and saves the links to the ones she likes best and emails them to her husband. They decide on the builder they want to talk to and Maude sets the appointment.

The components offered in this ebook will save your Association money, while extending the reach of your event well beyond the live event. The benefits to your members are outstanding and should even increase your membership. Why? Because all of these components are measureable. You can show results. The best result of all is an increase in leads for your members.

Read on to learn more about the 365 days per year Parade of Homes!
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Industry Trade Show Marketing Tips

For years now trade show attendance has been dwindling. Without reading the reports, I think we can agree that budget cuts for travel is one major contributor, as well as a feeling of disconnect from the organization holding the event. But recently I have come to realize how social media and mobile devices can play a big part in making the benefits of attending a trade show far outweigh the perceived negatives. So before you say no to your next industry trade show, think about how important it can be for your business.

As I prepare to head out to my first trade show in a few years I began thinking how to take advantage of the opportunity to be around people of similar interest from around the country - especially since I am traveling from anchorage to Orlando (which gives new meaning to red eye). And of course I wanted to incorporate my inbound marketing skills so that my company might benefit as well.

One great thing that has changed is that I no longer need to haul my heavy laptop case through the airports. I now only need my smartphone and tablet to do just about everything I need to do. And what I need to do is create content through blogging and then promote that content through my social media channels. Social media is also a great way to connect with people at the event.

Let's look at some ways to enhance the trade show experience and help your small business at the same time. Your return on investment should prove that attending the trade show is much better than not showing up at all.

Blogging

Creating content is such an important component of a small business marketing plan. By attending education sessions and speaking to vendors on the trade show floor, you can get enough information to write 100 articles! Here are some ideas to plan for your next show.

• Interview experts presenting the education sessions. Video interviews would be 1,000 times better!  A picture may be worth a 1,000 words, but video is worth 1,000 pictures.
• Post the top 5 topics or top 5 trends you hear being discussed at the event.
• Review products that will benefit your customers
• Capture questions being asked during sessions and post answers given. Expand and comment with your own suggestions and ideas about the topic.

You get the idea. My plan is to post at least one blog page per day.

Promote with social media

Now you have the content written and it's time to push it out. Depending on your industry and intended audience, that might mean Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or a number of other sites you prefer.

One way you might use your smartphone is to take a picture of a cool new product your followers would enjoy and share some information about it through your Facebook business page.

Making connections with LinkedIn

I’m a big fan of LinkedIn and especially at events that are away from home. After all, LinkedIn is all about connections. Here are some ways you might use it to enhance your experience at the next show.

• Look up profiles of speakers before you attend their session to see if you can learn more about them.
• Arrange a social meeting with other attendees that are in groups you follow.
• Share your content with groups who would benefit.

There are many other opportunities to help your small business.  For example, I plan to create an ebook that the audience would benefit from.  A handout will have a QR code that links to the page to download for free. 

What are you planning for your next trade show that will boost your return on investment?

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Sandi Sturm is the inbound marketing specialist at Alaskarama.com and mobile marketing specialist and developer at MobilePlusLocal.com.

 

 

QR Codes Ideas for Marketing New Homes

The market for new homes has been on a roller coaster ride that analysts predict will be on the upswing in many areas of the United States in 2012.  Now the challenge is marketing for the home builder more effectively with less marketing dollars available, due to lower sales in recent months.  Traditional advertising has higher costs and a blended approach is needed to spend marketing dollars wisely.
 
Web-based information is more affordable and more home buyers are searching online than in print for a home purchase.  With that said, many builders have achieved success with newspaper and magazine print ads in past years.  Here is the challenge.  Print ad space has higher costs but a builder wants the company message to be seen by the prospective buyer.  

Enter QR Codes

One solution is QR codes.  QR codes are in essence, a printed link to web information.  Smart phones are becoming more and more the norm instead of the exception and the phones come already loaded with the program to read the QR codes.  The program takes a picture or scan of the code which takes the user to online information.  If the codes are new to you, they are not new to prospective buyers.  Overall, 44% of Americans now own smartphones.

Marketing is Timing

Many areas in the US have limited building seasons so a home builder must not gamble on missing leads by sticking with print or web marketing exclusively.  My suggestion here is to have a smaller, more affordable print ad with a QR code linked to the larger message.  On the print ad, have the builder logo, contact information, slogan, etc. and a QR code linked (preferably to a mobile website) to the builder biography, building standards, available lots, available homes, testimonials, etc.  Get the picture?  Less print cost but the message is still found by home buyers with smartphones.  

Have you are anyone in your team used QR Codes? If so, where did you have the link go? Was it readable on mobile devices?  

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Wayne Sturm is the Owner and Virtual Tour Photographer at Alaskarama.com and mobile marketing specialist and developer at MobilePlusLocal.com.

 

 

IBS will be better if you have LinkedIn app on your smartphone

As you know, there will be lots of people at the International Builders Show that you will want to meet. You will be participating in many educational sessions and seeing lots of vendors.  How can you make that experience more manageable and more effective for your business? Use LinkedIn of course.  

Here are some tips using your mobile LinkedIn app to help you be more prepared for this year's event. Or any event you may attend in the future.

1. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is beefed up before you leave.  Do you have all your current accomplishments on there? Do you have a current picture so people can recognize you? Set aside a half hour and make sure your profile tells the real story of who you are and how you can help others.

2. Do a search for the speakers at educational sessions.  Learn more about them before the event and connect with them for further contact.

3. Post important information you are learning throughout the day so your connections can benefit. Share a condensed list of the key points you learned. This is also a great method to help you remember the same information.

4. Find out if any of your connections are at the event and schedule a meetup so you can finally meet face to face.

5. Once you get to a computer, write some blog articles about the concepts you learned and be sure to share them with your Linkedin groups.

6. If your company is hiring be sure to post the job in your company profile and send people there that you meet who might be interested. You might even consider setting up some interviews.

Can you think of any other ways you might use Linkedin at the IBS this year?
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Sandi Sturm is the inbound marketing specialist at Alaskarama.com and mobile marketing specialist and developer at MobilePlusLocal.com.

 

 

Will Facebook Make Me Smart?

Using social media for business is a perfect place to establish your role as an authority. You have the opportunity to rise above your competition and be seen as the expert in your field.

I hear you saying, "What? Facebook can make me the king (or queen) of (insert local industry here)?"

Yes. You can use social media for business to prove to your audience that you know what you are talking about. It is a great venue to show your clout firsthand. Where else can you do that this easily?

But Facebook is where I post pics of the kids

First you must know the difference between the Facebook used by your family and friends to keep up with EVERYTHING, and the business Facebook Page developed for conducting business.  Two different creatures.

You are a "friend" on your personal Facebook and are able to see what everyone that is your friend adds to the feed. You see what they post and they see what you post plus other extraneous stuff.

You "like" or follow a business Facebook Page that is developed for a business and followers, and your Page, only see what is posted directly to the Page.

The great news is that the average person that follows a business has 300 friends. If they like what you are posting, and they share, then your outreach grows very quickly. So the goal is to be informative and interesting.

Ways to project authority

Share your knowledge! Here are some possible posts you can add to Facebook to do just that.

1. Write helpful articles on your blog that your audience will find interesting enough to share. Might be tips and tricks, how to do a process, or an opinion piece.
2. Take video of events, or show step by step how to's.
3. Share a slideshow presentation with notes that you presented at a recent conference or meeting.  Also shows you participate in outside groups.
4. If you have a business to business model you can establish authority by posting statistics on industry trends. Or talk about new products related to your field.
5. If your model is business to customer then sharing testimonials, case studies, and user reviews can be very powerful.  Or talk about new products related to your field.

Using Facebook for business and other social media sites help build, and more importantly maintain, contact with your customers and potential customers. Each time you post you are adding to your credentials. You become the authority.

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Sandi Sturm is the inbound marketing specialist at Alaskarama.com and mobile marketing specialist and developer at MobilePlusLocal.com.

 

 

10 Ways to Use QR Codes at Parade of Homes Event

You may have seen these funny little codes on anything from wine bottles to sides of trucks. What is their purpose?  You might think they are replacing the old bar code on consumer products, but they are actually a powerful marketing tool.

Think of the QR Code as a virtual connection between the customer and information you want to share with them.  A way to access the internet from printed materials.

Using QR Codes at your Parade of Homes event allows the home to be the expert.  They assist the new home marketer in telling the home's story. It creates interaction between the home and the visitor and keeps them interested longer. The more you educate the visitor, the better chance they become a buyer.

Here are some ideas of how you might use them in your next Parade of Homes or Showcase event. I would not suggest you use them all at once!

Ways to use QR Codes at Your Parade of Homes Event

 

1. Showcase subs and affiliate members - Place QR Codes at areas where your sub-contractors did their finest work.  Maybe a code on the heating system that links to a video that explains the functionality and benefits of having this system in the home. 
2. Place in all print advertisements - If you use an event map and booklet that shows each home, place a QR Code next to each home and link to a video with a welcome message from the builder.
3. QR Code for each home - Place a large code at the door that links to a mobile website for the builder, showing bio, contact information, images, and anything else you want the public to know.
4. Use for voting - Create a mobile webpage to collect votes for each home. Direct visitors to the voting station where you have the QR Code posted.
5. Highlight options - Place a QR Code on various items in the home, such as flooring and cabinets, and link to mobile web page that shows additional standard options for the item. Could also show upgrade options.
6. Showcase custom features - Place on a unique custom item, such as a fireplace mantel, and link to a video of how it was produced or the process used by the artist.
7. Show warranties - Place QR Code on appliances and link to any warranties or key features.
8. Use for promotions - Create a code to be linked to a mobile webpage that enters the person into a special drawing or giveaway.
9. Create walking billboards - Create an event commercial or announcement and link to a code that can be printed onto hats and shirts. Wear at public events 2 - 4 weeks before event.
10. Create mobile billboards - Create a large temporary magnetic sticker with QR Code and place on vehicles.  Link to commercial or promotional give away - or both.

Make the Most of It

As with all marketing there needs to be a plan.  A QR Code marketing plan for your Parade of Homes is no different. Here are some things to consider from the beginning of your planning sessions.

• Make sure your QR Codes are linked to mobile friendly pages. Might be a video, form, or webpage. People will be viewing from phones so think small screen.
• Educate your staff that will be at the homes on how customers will interact with the codes and how it will benefit the users.
• All uses should be coordinated and planned.  Don't use all the ten suggestions above at once!  That would really confuse your visitors.
• What are your expectations? Do you want greater interaction with visitors? Or maybe using to gather marketing lists or as an educational tool. Know why you are using QR Codes in your marketing plan.
• Show those that are afraid of technology how easy it is to use.  QR Codes are one of the simplest tools they will ever use. It is simple point and click.

Share any stories you might have with using QR Codes at your events. I am thinking the possibilities are endless!

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Sandi Sturm sits on the board of the Mat-Su Home Builders Association in Wasilla, Alaska and is co-owner of Alaskarama Web Marketing and MobilePlusLocal. Her team created the Online and Mobile Marketing Plan for the 2011 Fall Parade of Homes event.

 

 

Can a Negative Review Hurt My Business?

I still have clients that do not want anything to do with social media or anything online beyond a website.  Can you imagine?  The fact is, whether you participate or not, your business is going social.

Customers today have tons of tools at their disposal on which to voice their opinion.  Behavior is still the same as it was when word of mouth advertising was the only way people talked about your business.  When you do something right, they may tell a friend.  When you do something wrong, they will tell everyone that will listen.  Well today, they no longer have to wait until they see someone to share that experience.

For example, if you own a restaurant and a customer has a terrible experience, they can have their opinion online before they pay the bill. And if you are not paying attention that is what others see when searching for a place to have dinner.

Negative reviews can certainly hurt your business.  Here are some ways to get involved so you can manage your online reputation.

Pay Attention to Negative Reviews

If someone is taking the time to write a negative comment, you should take the time to find out what is going on in your business to make that happen.  Let's continue with the restaurant example.  Your room may be full every night, but maybe it is because you are close to home and they like your hamburgers.  But a lot of negative comments are being posted about how rude your wait staff is or how dirty the bathroom is. 

By reading these posts, you can take action and make things better. You may not have noticed these things otherwise in the heat of the dinner rush hour.

Be Active and Engage with Customers

Customers have taken the time to write about your business, so it is a good idea to engage with them and comment to their posts. Responding to a complaint in a public forum is great PR. It shows you care about them and you want to make things right.

Find out where people are talking about your and make sure someone is paying attention to those sites.

Post Your Own Content

Let's revisit those clients of mine that refuse to do anything beyond a static website.  If their customers find a reason to post negative reviews online, even if it was in 2009, then that is what is going to show up in searches.  That is the only activity online about your company.

Don't let this happen to you.  Create good content for your customers, be active in social media discussions, and write blog articles. Inspire your customers to post good reviews when they are happy. All of these things will make those previous negative reviews be hidden in the mix the next time someone Google's your business. 

Go ahead. Google your business now.  See anything that might need attention?

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Image by Fredo_Photo

 

 

6 Ways to Promote Your Parade of Homes using Facebook

Facebook can be a very important tool in promoting your Parade of Homes or Showcase events. Many of you might not think so because you think of Facebook as something you use to see what family and friends are up to. But there is a whole other side of Facebook that is used for business called the Page.

A Facebook Page does not show all the postings of those "Liking" you, known as following, your organization.  It shows what you post and the comments of your followers. If someone is following your organization, whatever you post shows up in their personal Facebook page and is seen by all their friends.

The average person that Likes a business page has 300 friends on their Facebook account. 

Beginning to see the importance?

Now you can also create special pages inside your Facebook Page that look just like a website.  This has opened up a lot of possibilities! Here are some things you might use in your Facebook marketing plan for your next Parade of Homes or Showcase event.

1. Create a special Welcome page and include a video from your President or Chair.
2. On the Welcome page tell visitors of a special offer they will receive if they Like you. Once they hit the Like button, they are taken to another page with that offer. 
3. Add a download of the Parade map or other important information.
4. Create a separate mini webpage for each builder. Add bio, images, stats, contact info, and links to your Parade of Homes main website.
5. Have a space for Open House announcements after the event.
6. Offer a Reviews page, which is a Facebook App available to add to your Page.  Visitors to the event can post reviews for each home.

To further promote your Facebook Page, which is now an interactive marketing powerhouse for your builders, you might consider placing a Facebook Ad for a week or so before the event.  Your ad only needs to run for your geographic area.  You will also want to let all your members know about the Page and ask them to Like you so it shows up on all their personal pages so all their friends see it.

For example, if you have 100 members and they all Like your Parade of Homes Facebook Page, and the average person has 300 friends, then there is a potention for 30,000 people seeing your Page. In a perfect world.  But you can still see the potential, right? 

What have you tried on Facebook?

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Sandi Sturm sits on the board of the Mat-Su Home Builders Association in Wasilla, Alaska and is co-owner of Alaskarama Web Marketing and MobilePlusLocal. Her team created the Facebook page for the 2011 Fall Parade of Homes event.

 

 

Satisfying Customers through Mobile Marketing

Remember the days when you left your desk and were totally disconnected and unreachable?  You only received email and accessed the internet on your desktop computer and when the phone rang on your desk you had to answer it to see who was on the other end. The same was true at home, if you were lucky enough to own a home computer. 

Things are a lot different today. Once we leave home and the office we are in mobile mode. The world of business is at our finger tips. We want instant gratification and so do your customers.

Let's say you own a restaurant downtown in a medium sized city. A group of workers are leaving the office two blocks away.  The usual conversation begins, "Where do you want to have lunch?" Some in the group are already on their cell phones texting other friends about meeting up for lunch. Another person types in "restaurants" into their mobile browser and a list of possibilities shows up. Will yours be there? If so, will it entice them enough to walk over two blocks?

In this scenario, the group needs some satisfaction in finding a place to eat and have a reason to choose one over the other.  In your business, you need to figure out what it is your customers want, and then decide how you will provide it.  Here are some things to consider.

1. Make sure you are fully optimized locally and for mobile search.  This means setting up your business in local directories using the right keyword phrases, get great reviews posted, and add a new special at least once per month. That way, in this scenario, when someone searches as they are walking out to lunch you are showing up and offering a great option.

2. Once they find you, have a mobile website with the information they are going to want to see.  In this scenario, a restaurant would offer a menu page, hours of operation, location map, and links to phone numbers. A specials page would also be enticing. The pages should load very quickly. Remember, they are already walking out the door!

3. To be even more aggressive, begin a SMS text messaging list and push out a special at timely intervals. In this scenario, if someone in the group had signed up at your restaurant to receive text message specials, and they receive one just at noon as they are looking at their phones, then you would be ahead of the competition!

Takeaway: We live in a society that wants everything right now and right here. Make sure your business is there when people are looking.