If It Is Worth Anything, It Is Worth Marketing

The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre has conducted many presentations on marketing in the last 20 years. In that time marketing trends have come and gone, but the fact that marketing is essential to your business has remained.

Marketing is an important business function that can set the ground work for sales, finance, customer service, public relations, research and development. It is a function that allows you to establish relationships with potential customers and is made more effective through creativity and planning.

Marketers face a diverse yet dizzying array of choices including newspaper ads, radio, internet, signage and more. You must find the right vehicle for your message at the right time and the right price. How do you decide which is the best one for your business?

Smart marketers base their plans on research. You want to reach your target market, customer and set yourself apart from your competitor.

A key part of your success will be effectively using ad design to create a unique identity that will support your positioning. Using a professional designer to create a unique identity for your business separates you from others. Remember to:

• Be consistent in the use of your logo, colour and other design elements in ALL of your marketing materials
• Pay attention to the design concepts and strategies that other companies employ
• Keep copies of advertisements and brochures that you feel are effective
• Avoid making the same mistakes that are evident in materials that you feel are ineffective

Marketing costs money. Even though there are low cost or free options, you must use a variety of tactics, some of which are expensive, and you must budget for this. Track your marketing efforts so that you are able to determine what is effective and what is not.

Please contact the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre if you would like to schedule a complimentary marketing consultation!

The Value of Reciprocal Link Sharing

Ever wonder how the rankings on Google are determined, and if there is anything you can to move your site up?

There are a number of elements that Google looks at when determining the ranking your website scores; Google wants the most relevant information to appear first.

One aspect they consider is the quality of the links coming into your website, sometimes known as “Reciprocal Link Sharing”. Why? If an external website links to your website, it is their approval of your website.  As the supplementary E-Biz book “Increasing Traffic to Your Website Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques” describes it:

“A Web page that has links from many pages that have a high Google PageRank receives a higher rank itself. The absence of links means that there is no support for that page and it will not get a high page ranking.”

In the last few years there has been debate as to whether link sharing is an important factor in increasing a website’s page ranking. Some argue that it is no longer a crucial element because people have tried to pay for links to their website to receive a higher page ranking. Google will recognize if the links are not legitimate or spam. Every day Google performs searches and scans to eliminate spammers and viruses. You want to ensure that the links from web pages that are appropriate to your website and are of good quality.

So how do you find quality websites to link to yours?

• Talk to your local Small Business Enterprise Centre. At the CBEC, we have a program called Entrepreneurs in Action. In this section we create a media release about a  new business, and then link to the business website for more information
• If you are part of your local Chamber of Commerce or a networking group, ask if they have member profiles on their website with the option to link to your website.
• Businesses that share the same target audience, but are not direct competitors, may link to your website. For example if you are a custom cake designer, you might approach wedding related businesses to link share with you. Remember they may ask you to link back to their website.
• Part of sponsorship packages often include a logo and link on the event website.
• National and/or professional organizations that you are a member of are valuable links both to your business and in improving your Google ranking.

Make sure links coming in to your website and going out are legitimate and relevant to your visitor. For more information on link sharing, please visit the MEDTE E-Biz website.

Public Speaking

Every day as a business owner you will to talk to people you don’t know. This can be a single customer or a crowd of attendees at a business seminar.

Many people are not comfortable in these settings or speaking in front of people. You may feel nervous or anxious, but you must do it anyway. We talk about this in length in the blog post “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”.

It might not always feel as simple as “Doing it Anyway”. In order for your business to thrive and for you to be recognized as an industry leader, you must find a way to overcome these fears, take charge and yes, speak publically.

If public speaking does not come naturally to you, there are some helpful tips to consider. Remember that the more you do it, the more comfortable you will become.

1)      Create an elevator speech. This 30 second introductory speech should describe the “Who, What, When, Where and How” of your business. Once you know your elevator speech you will not be caught off guard when having to explain the main function of your business.

2)      Remember that it is natural to be nervous. Even the best public speakers get nervous when speaking in front of a crowd. Accepting your nerves will allow you to move on and prepare for your presentation.

3)      Practice your 30 second elevator speech with someone you know who will provide you with constructive advice.

Toastmasters International is a world-wide organization to enhance public speaking. Toastmaster meetings are a great place to put these tips into practice and to learn more about public speaking in general. Some of the helpful tips Toastmasters provides include:

• “Don’t apologize for nervousness or problems- the audience probably never noticed it”
•  “Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than it is to strangers”

These tips are very versatile and must be put in practice to be effective. Visit the Toastmasters International website for information on a branch nearest to you.

For more information on events and seminars where you can put these tips into practice, please visit our website!

Strengthening Your Brand

In the last couple of years, some teen clothing stores have used chalk paint on sections of the store walls to allow their teen customers to write messages. I have also seen this used with mirrors and window markers. Of course the messages are monitored for appropriateness, but they are often quotes, lyrics or symbols that resonate with other teens.

Not only is this a fun way to decorate the store, but it embodies the store’s vision of trendy, fun and youthful looks while engaging their target market: youth.

Like these teen clothing stores, if you have a retail location or an office space, you can design that space to truly emphasize your brand.

As soon as you walk into your office or store you should have a sense of what your brand is all about. For example, an accounting firm will have a professional look with streamlined office equipment to welcome their professional clients. On the other hand, a children’s toy store will be very colorful and interactive for kids. You are more likely to attract your target audience if you visualize your brand in your workspace.

As soon as customers walk into your workplace you want them to have a sense of what your brand is about. You can convey this using color, pictures and furniture. If you are not sure how to go about this you can hire a designer, or utilize DYI options that can be found on websites like Pinterest.

Make sure to include central elements in your space (like a reception area or customer service desk), but get creative in how you present them.

You should consider:

• Creating space by using furniture to maximize your workspace.
• Allowing employees to personalize their space (with guidelines, of course)
• Using your products to decorate if applicable.
• Making sure your workspace is not cluttered.

Regardless of how you design your space, make sure you and your employees are productive and not distracted by the design.

For more information on branding your workspace, please visit:

Rethink Your Office Design: Designing a More Effective Workspace- entrepreneur.com  

How to Transform Your Brand Image with Easy Office Upgrades- socialmediatoday.com

Risky Business

Nobody likes to talk about risk, but the reality is that there are risks associated with every business. Risk must be taken seriously by every business owner.

It is common to hear “there are no risks associated with my business.” This is simply not true. Yes, some industries have higher risk than others; for example, there is no comparison between a construction business and an ice cream parlour. The risks are different, but the fact is that they do exist and need to be evaluated for each business.

An ice cream parlour has risk in the improper use of equipment, allergic reactions to ingredients, injuries and even dealing with an irate customer. As a business owner, you must put procedures in place to protect your customers as well as your employees.

So how do you minimize risk?

Be sure to cover all bases. If there are potential risks, such as a peanut allergy, make sure your customers and employees clearly understand the risk by putting up signs and indicating on the ingredients list.

You must also ensure that your employees understand the risks associated with your industry. Train every employee on health, safety and WHIMS and make sure training material is always easily accessible.

Consider the following questions:

• Are there aspects to your work that present a personal risk to you?
• Is any aspect of your work hazardous?
• What aspects of your work might present a risk to your customers or the general public?

It is better to think about potential risks before they occur. If you wait, it can result in injuries and/or a costly solution.  Make sure to include your risk analysis in your business plan and be sure to detail how you will minimize it; this can include providing training, obtaining insurance and implementing safety practices and procedures in the workplace.

If you have any questions about analyzing risk, please schedule a complimentary business consultation today to discuss with our Business Consultant.

 

Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch!

What do Facebook, Freshii and Mashable have in common? They were all started by young, ambitious entrepreneurs. These individuals took their idea, made a business plan and created thriving enterprises.

More and more young people are going into business. In Ontario, 40% of businesses are started by young people between the ages of 25-34 and 16% by youth under 25.

Assisting young entrepreneurs is an important part of the Business Enterprise Centre mandate. Young people who are interested in business are creative, determined and passionate about their ideas.

Right from the beginning, young entrepreneurs have an advantage. Generation Y has grown up in the evolving technological world and embraced social media. The ability to adapt to new technology is beneficial in any business start-up.  A new contest called “Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch” encourages students to explore entrepreneurship by using film technology.

“Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch” encourages students in grades 9 to 12 to film a two minute video to pitch their business idea. The video will be voted on by the public and expert judges. Finalists will present their ideas in front of a judging panel in Toronto at Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery 2013 for a chance to win entry into the Summer Company program. This high school age entrepreneurship competition is presented by the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment and its partners.

This is a great opportunity for students to think about their business idea in a creative way. It fosters originality, entrepreneurial dreams and youth engagement.

If you are a young Ontarian, consider taking advantage of “Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch” and Summer Company, the flagship youth program in Ontario. They are both great ways to explore business and experience hands on business support.

So what are you waiting for? Check out “Young Entrepreneurs, Make your Pitch” and Summer Company for more information.

Is your website mobile-friendly?

Let’s face it- almost everyone has a mobile device. Mobile devices are used not only for calling or texting, but for browsing the internet. More and more consumers are turning to their mobile phones to get information or to shop online.

The way your website appears on your computer is not the same way it will look on your phone or tablet; one of the most frustrating things for a consumer is a website that is not mobile-friendly;

For example, think of how many times you have seen this message at the beginning of a movie:

 This film has been modified from its original version to fit your screen

The way a film looks on a movie theatre screen is different from how it looks on your television. It is modified so you can properly view it at home.  The same idea applies for your mobile device. If your website is not compatible, your customers will have to zoom, scroll and shrink the website to view it properly. If you are a retailer, you could lose a potential sale if your website is difficult to navigate. If your website is not mobile-friendly, your customer could simply go to your competitors.

So, how do you determine if it is worth having a mobile-friendly website? First, you have to analyze the level of traffic your website receives. You can view these statistics by using a program like Google Analytics or a built-in Insights application on the back office of your website. If you are not sure what the statistics mean, ask your website designer. If you determine that your website receives a high level of traffic, a mobile-friendly website is something you should consider.

How do you create a mobile-friendly website?

It is easier to create a mobile-friendly website from scratch. You can work with your web designer or take a DYI approach. If you decide the DYI approach, programs such as WordPress offer mobile-friendly templates.

If you have an existing website that you would like to make mobile-friendly, the best approach to take is to talk to your web designer. They will help you to make your current website compatible. If you are using a DYI template, check to see if there is a mobile-friendly plug-in you can install (WordPress has these available). Some DYI websites, like Weebly, have already taken the initiative to make their templates mobile-friendly.

Making your website mobile-friendly will increase your web audience, and ultimately your customer base. Would you like more information on marketing your business website? Please contact us!