Infusionsoft Contributor on the Big Ideas Blog

May 23, 2013 by Infusionsoft Contributor Leave a Comment

3 Ways Free Giveaways Will Generate Leads

Guest post by George Nielsen

“Free” is a powerful word in business. It’s how Google penetrates new markets (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Fiber, etc.) and how Burger King showed the world its fries didn’t stink anymore (remember when they gave out free fries? That was a while ago!). But the word “free” shouldn’t just be a word that benefits the buyer, there are powerful ways to use “free” in your own funnel to generate leads, specifically with free-giveaways.

Get Creative with your Lead Magnets

Ever had a booth at a business expo or conference? Having to compete with hundreds of other booths to get the attention of walk-by traffic is no easy task. The Draw Shop, a video production company that specializes in whiteboard animation videos, decided to put their money where their mouth was and offer free illustrations of anyone that subscribed to their list. The illustrations were fast, fun, and completely free. The illustrations were an absolute hit at the conference and all the good feelings were associated with The Draw Shop. Instead of paying for more advertising space at the conference or other marketing mediums – they invested in giving away something free and exposing the skills of their illustrator. It no doubt paid off as they picked up several new clients at the conference and continue to receive referrals from the event. You bet they’ll be attending that conference again.

Invest in Swaying the Fence-sitters

ApplicantPro is more generous than most businesses would be with their free give-aways, but for a good reason. With hiring software as the product and conservative HR professionals us the target market – it can be hard to get them off the fence, so a little more incentive is needed. When a qualified lead signs up for a free trial – they get a free Android tablet (costing $199). Why are they willing to give out that chunk of change? Because they close 80% of their leads when the following criteria are met:

Company of 50 – 5000 employees
Currently hiring
Currently do not have an applicant tracking system
Willing to post a job and get actual applicants

Instead of trying to have the cheapest “lead magnet” created, why not invest more in increasing your conversion rate? Once you know your cost per lead, cost per customer, and the lifetime value of a customer – then giving away a $199 tablet like ApplicantPro might not seem as crazy.

Let Your Free-giveaways Sell You

One of my favorite marketing books is “Free Marketing: 101 Low and No-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business, Online and Off” by Jim Cockrum. I’ve probably listened to the audiobook 6+ times in the car. In the book he tells the story of how one of his clients made a lot of money in the real estate niche. The real estate broker had a lot of success using his marketing methods and decided to create a training course for other real estate agents. After spending $1000s to produce the course, he was ready to market the product. After several months of promoting the course – he only had a handful of sales. Jim recommended he give the course away for free. With all the time and money invested, the broker was extremely reluctant. But after seeing minimal success, he decided to trust the advice anyway. Jim’s client didn’t make any money directly from the course, but eventually landed over $100,000s in monthly coaching contracts. How’s that for a ROI? By giving the course away for free, more subscribers were exposed to his expertise and wanted personal consulting. Instead of selling the training course, “the training course sold him”. Jae Baer, one of the speakers at InfusionCon 2013, calls this approach Youtility – it’s time to start selling less, while giving and teaching more

Effective marketing always takes some form of investment, whether it’s time or money (PPC = Money & SEO = Time). But instead of throwing your money at getting in front of targeted prospects only – why not throw it at converting more leads? With most lead magnets being eBooks, reports, or other digital give-aways – think you can be a little more creative? If you’re thinking: “How do I create the cheapest lead magnet possible?” – are you really maximizing your conversion potential? Think of it in a different way – stop selling and start giving.

How are you utilizing free give-aways in your funnel?

Check out how to generate leads with a variety of methods listed in Infusionsoft’s free e-book.

George Nielsen is an internet marketer who loves writing about lead generation strategies. Find him on Twitter.

Filed Under: Lead Generation Tagged With: generate leads, giveaways, small business marketing

May 22, 2013 by Infusionsoft Contributor Leave a Comment

5 Ways to Jazz Up Your E-Commerce Storefront

Guest post by Megan Totka

If you’re like many businesses without a brick-and-mortar building, you may need to jazz up your the storefront to your e-commerce business in order to grow your small business. StoreFront 5 Ways to Jazz Up Your E Commerce Storefront Have you ever stopped to consider how your prospective customers see your online storefront? Do you think your website attracts customers and entices them to purchase your products without being able to touch or try them until they show up on their doorstep?

For small businesses that sell online exclusively, this is a common problem that is all too frequently overlooked. In fact, businesses that make use of the web are expected to grow 40 percent faster and are almost two times as likely to create jobs. This just reiterates the importance of making sure your businesses maximizes its web presence.

So how do you demonstrate your differentiators like your values, involvement in the community and customer service? Here are 5 ways to jazz up your online store:

Share Your Story.

A great way to appeal to your online customers is to share your story. If you know your target audience, find things to share that resonate with them to generate a response. For instance, if you sell food that’s made of locally grown, organic ingredients, share this on your website.

Remember to also introduce yourself and your team. Share your passion, your background and your goals. Don’t forget to use images and videos so your customers can see your face and meet you virtually.

Use Refined Images That Engage Customers.

When it comes to telling a story online, images are a must-have. If you’re not skilled in the area of photography, consider hiring a professional or someone who’s good behind the camera to best showcase the products you sell. Make sure the photographs on your website flow in a way that makes sense to your prospective clients and show a true representation of your brand.

Don’t forget about your logo. Does it portray your business the way you desire? Will your customers remember it? It’s worth the money and effort to get your logo right.

Extend Your Online Presence.

Use social media to build a community around your business. Find the places where your customers are and let them interact with you. Promote your social media presence in your emails and on your website so your customers know to like you on Facebook and follow you on Twitter.

Welcome Feedback.

To engage yourself with your customers beyond the transaction, ask for feedback. To better know your customers, seek feedback via online polls, surveys and social media. Consider allowing review options on your online store and keep your eyes peeled for third party review listings on Yelp or Google.

Review 5 Ways to Jazz Up Your E Commerce Storefront

Blog!

Blogs are much more important than many people realize. They afford you a way to personalize your website, boost your rankings on search engines and give you a way to indirectly promote your products or services.

The lynchpin of success for small businesses both on or offline many times boils down to the qualities that make the business stand apart from its competitors. Use these tactics to make your online store more appealing and engaging and boost your business.

How do you demonstrate your differentiators to engage new customers?

Make sure you’re driving customers to your website in the right ways. Take tips from the e-book, “Green Light: Driving Website Traffic.”

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Filed Under: E-Commerce Tagged With: blog, e-commerce business, hi resolution images, megan totka

May 21, 2013 by Infusionsoft Contributor Leave a Comment

How Small Businesses Can Think Outside Boundaries

Guest post by Christian Arno

In part one of our series on small business expansion we discussed expanding web presence, blogs & social media and researching markets. Read on to learn how small businesses can work towards expanding.

Consider outsourcing

Taking on new staff can be a big commitment in an uncertain economy. An alternative is paying freelancers to do some of the work. Expertizing.com, a media company based in Newton, MA, has outsourced much of its work to virtual assistants. This means it can concentrate on its core function, with extra resources when needed. The non-profit organization, the International Virtual Assistants’ Association, is a good source of information.

Think multilingual

Did you know Spanish speakers are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the population, and more likely to spend money online? Sear’s, Amtrak and Best Buy are some high-profile companies who saw sales soar after launching Spanish language websites. Catering for Hispanic customers (or speakers of other languages) is also an effective strategy on a smaller scale. If you already have Spanish-speaking staff, consider advertising this on your website. A translation of your homepage and key product information doesn’t have to be expensive, and can result in big pay-offs.

Think outside your borders

Going global seems like an impossible dream, but it can be easier than many business owners expect. If you have a thriving ecommerce site, the chances are that you’re already showing up in search rankings for customers in Canada or the UK. Tools such as Google Analytics can pinpoint where your existing traffic is coming from. Research the best payment and shipping options for these countries, and include details on your site. If there’s enough interest, you might consider a dedicated website aimed at your target country.

Despite a tough economy, thinking outside your city, state, and borders can pay off for small businesses. A little research and imaginative thinking can put you on the path to success.

For help in developing your marketing plan, download “7 Steps to a Complete Small Business Sales & Marketing Plan.”

Christian Arno is founder and CEO of the global translation agency, Lingo24. Originally a home-based start-up, it now has hubs on four continents, a network of 4000 translators, and translates 65 million words a year. Clients include American Express, the UN, Bloomberg, MTV, and a wealth of small businesses. Lingo24 made The Times International Track 100 in 2011.

Filed Under: Sales and Marketing Trends Tagged With: multilingual, small business tips, web presence

May 20, 2013 by Infusionsoft Contributor Leave a Comment

How to be Successful on YouTube Through Sharing

Guest post by Christopher Vella-Bone

In part one of this two part series on using YouTube marketing for small business success, we covered the content of videos and using the correct keywords. Keep reading to learn how to implement a sharing strategy.

Now that you have produced a video or two, you need to get people watching them. There is no quick fix to this, unless you have some really high-powered friends. My favorite saying is “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and the same can be said for a successful YouTube channel. You need to put in some real hard work if you want to have millions of people watching your videos and subscribing to your channel.

Here are a few things you should do every time you upload a new video to YouTube:

Share it with everyone you can:

If you are active on social media either on a personal or business level, share your videos with all your friends and followers. This can really help to give your channel that initial social push that it needs and you might get a few subscribers out of it.

You can also contact other YouTubers or bloggers and ask them to share your video with their followers. This type of outreach or exchange can be difficult but also extremely profitable if the right people share the video.

Post on your website:

If you have a website, you can use it as a gateway to your YouTube channel since your visitors are exactly the sort of people you want watching the videos. I don’t just mean creating a small YouTube button that links to your channel. Actually embed a few of your videos into your website so that they stand out and can easily be seen by visitors.

As your videos get more views, comments and subscribers, you will see them rise in YouTube’s search results.

I understand that not all small and medium sized businesses have the time to devote to building a highly successful YouTube channel. So sometimes it’s worth hiring a less expensive Internet marketing company to do the work for you. Either way, YouTube is a fantastic resource of which businesses need to take greater advantage.

For tips on growing your small business, check out “8 Ways to Grow your Small Business.”

Christopher Vella-Bone is a marketer working with Cheap Internet Marketing, a marketing agency that serves small and medium sized business. Christopher graduated from Newcastle University in 2012 and has a passion for all things business and marketing.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: sharing, social media, videos, YouTube