Andrew Gazdecki says, “Small business marketing is tough — especially on a shoestring budget — so developing a community outreach program is an excellent way to gain local traction and up visibility without a huge investment. Here are three low-cost community outreach strategies that add real value to your marketing campaign and give you more bang for your buck.1. Donate to schoolsApproach schools in the area and offer them something their funding typically won’t cover, like discounted services for faculty and personnel or classroom donations. It’s a win-win for them, so... [...]

Larry Alton says, “Any business that believes marketing can be divided into neat little categories is destined for failure. There’s no such thing as an online marketing strategy and an offline marketing strategy. Local marketing requires a unified effort, regardless of the medium.The Rule of SevenThe rule of seven is one of the classic principles of marketing. It says that, in order for a prospect to become a customer, they must see your offer at least seven times. In other words, once a customer has seen a brand’s offer on seven different occasions, they have everything they need... [...]

Larry Alton says, “Any business that believes marketing can be divided into neat little categories is destined for failure. There’s no such thing as an online marketing strategy and an offline marketing strategy. Local marketing requires a unified effort, regardless of the medium.The Rule of SevenThe rule of seven is one of the classic principles of marketing. It says that, in order for a prospect to become a customer, they must see your offer at least seven times. In other words, once a customer has seen a brand’s offer on seven different occasions, they have everything they need... [...]

Brian Smith says, “There’s a reason many brands don’t track in-store attribution for local marketing: it’s hard. Really hard. I’m reminded of the old adage that says half the money you spend on advertising is wasted; you just don’t know which half. Similarly, half your customers walk into your store as the result of local marketing; you just don’t know which half.Proving that someone visited your store because they saw your online local marketing efforts at some point is a complex undertaking. Most out-of-the-box attribution tools don’t make it easy to differentiate between... [...]

Martha France says, “It’s exciting to be part of a growing business. But growth can also be stressful, especially for the corporate marketing department. In fact, sometimes growth can cripple your business if you do not have the resources to adequately support it.Perhaps you are a bank that has made an acquisition and you’re now in the process of integrating many new branches into your organization. Or maybe you’re a franchiser with dozens of new locations under construction or scores of new franchisees under contract.With new locations come many more local representatives... [...]

Martha France says, “It’s exciting to be part of a growing business. But growth can also be stressful, especially for the corporate marketing department. In fact, sometimes growth can cripple your business if you do not have the resources to adequately support it.Perhaps you are a bank that has made an acquisition and you’re now in the process of integrating many new branches into your organization. Or maybe you’re a franchiser with dozens of new locations under construction or scores of new franchisees under contract.With new locations come many more local representatives... [...]

Greg Gifford says, “Is it just me, or does it really seem lately like every marketer is looking for a silver bullet when it comes to SEO? Even though nothing even close to a silver bullet exists, the search is always on for the “one big thing” that can really jump a site up in the rankings.It’s time for another installment of Greg’s Soapbox. Stop trying to look for silver content bullets! Stop trying to be lazy or look for shortcuts! If you put in the time and do things correctly, you’ll win in the long run.It’s fall conference season, and I’ve sat in on countless sessions... [...]

If there’s anything any business needs, it’s a steady stream of new potential customers or clients. Current customers drop out through death, moving out of area, or changing needs, even if they like the business, so profits will go down unless there are new customers coming in.Businesses that know how much a new customer/client will spend, on average, know what they can afford to pay for a new lead. They more they hope to earn, they more they will pay.This creates an intriguing business opportunity for the marketer who knows how to find good leads. They can find the leads at a small... [...]

We found this infographic through the Huffington Post.Source: 99 MediaLab99 MediaLab [...]

On the Moz webswite, Alexandra Tachalova reports, “When it comes to brick-and-mortar storefronts, local businesses often struggle to compete with neighboring big brands. Statistics show that, even for a well-known local store that’s established a strong relationship with its customers and built a community through the years, having such a neighbor can be detrimental. But what about a newly opened business? Does it have any chance of competing with popular brands? My experience has led me to believe there’s only one way a locally owned business can overcome big competition: it... [...]