Step 1: You’re going to need a budget

In business, if you’re not going to spend money, you’re not going to get far. The cool thing with Facebook is that you’re going to be able to spend what you want on a daily basis. Do you want to spend $1 a day, or even $55 a day? It’s up to you.

Step 2: You’re going to want to know your niche

Since this company came to me, I asked them a simple question. Who is your audience? Who purchases from you the most? We had found out that many males and females in their 30-40s tend to purchase the most services.

Step 3: Target your audience

The cool thing about this social networking giant is that I’m able to pinpoint exactly who I want. So, what we did was find married families in their 30s that owned a home. We also made sure that we were only advertising to those within 50 miles of their zip code. Right away, Facebook had told us we could market to about 50,000+

Step 4: Brand yourself

Now, keep in mind that people aren’t going to purchase right away. If you keep showing the same logo and ad over and over again, it’s going to be a great way to brand. Sure, you may want to change your ad, but the picture is going to be embedded in their head, which is great!

Step 5: Sell yourself

So, the next thing we did was put up a logo of the company. We decided to test run 5 different ads. One ad targeted a bathroom remodel, while the other one talked about how we can fix up your deck. The remodeling ads seemed to do the best.

Step 6: Make them click

You want people to click your advertisement. Why should someone click on it? An example ad that we had put up was one like the following…

• Gorgeous Bathroom Remodeling
• Is your bathroom still living in the 1970s? Give us a call for a free estimate. We’re insured, BBB accredited, as well as have 100s of happy customers. We beat all quotes by at least 5%. (555) 123-1234.

Step 7: Have a great landing page

Now, when they click on your ad, you still have to sell them. With the construction company, we just set up a simple logo with a contact page. The customer could then either call and request more information or if they wish, they could fill out a form to have them email or call back.

Every company is going to be different. You’re going to want to tweak as much as possible. Find out what’s going to work. Facebook is a great way to target your audience at a low, low price!

This is a guest post written by Elizabeth C. She runs FindBizCards, a small business credit card site / blog helping small business owners find the best rewards based credit card for their business.

Happy Tuesday! I saw this video and it contains some pretty noteworthy factoids. You’ve probably come across some version of this video but this is the most updated one. Enjoy!

1. Social news sites like Reddit are useful because the push time sensitive nature.
2. User generated content from sites like YouTube allow variety. Users can share anything and everything!
3. And of course, social networking sites like Twitter.

What’s the best thing about blogs? They have the ability to cover the span of these three categories. Wes and Francis talk about the difference between internal and external blog sources. It’s important to keep track of the analytics and they really delve into the details – besides their company is an expert in the field! The guys also talk about how you can use paid search to boost your viral campaign efforts. In these ads, you want to point users to a very specific place and get them to participate. Whether it is to comment, retweet, or vote, a call to action is crucial.

Very insightful stuff. I also like Tech Crunch’s look into more so-called secrets behind viral campaigns.

Prosper is a peer to peer lending destination. Home Exchange allows homeowners from all over the world to swap homes for a more exotic location. Fiverr is a new site where people can buy what other people have to sell for just $5. If you’re interested in effectively participating in any of these sites, the key is to selling yourself of course! If you’re looking to spruce up your self-selling methods, here are some old favorites that are good to keep in mind.

Give yourself credit. Are you an expert in a certain field? Update your portfolio and keep testimonials handy. You want your potential customers to trust your work and the more specific your examples are, the better.

Add value. When you talk about yourself, don’t forget to include how you can benefit your customers. They want to exactly what they will gain by choosing you over others.

Be yourself. From your social media profiles to your resume, it’s important to stay true to yourself. Don’t inflate your credentials and experiences. Instead, polish up your past successes.

If you can successfully sell yourself, you will inspire confidence in others about your company and its products and services. A meeting with you could well be someone’s first encounter with your brand, and you want to give them the best first impression that you can. Good communication skills will make your job a lot easier.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on marketing yourself if it’s not effective. Budget your time and efforts to let your skills shine through. As many would agree, peers will find you if you continue to be honest about yourself.
Have any secret tips for selling yourself?

A New Way to Look at Direct Marketing
John began with asking what we thought about the definition of marketing. It’s always evolving and people have their own different interpretation. According to John, the most succinct way you can think about marketing as “getting someone with a need to know, like and trust you”. By keeping this in mind, it will help you really think about your marketing strategy before implementing your tactics. Do you have your own definition of marketing that differs from John’s?

How to Differentiate and Dominate
Another standout point that John brought up was how small business strive to differentiate and dominate but are often doing it in the wrong way. As John says, most business pride themselves in offering “good service”. What marketer wouldn’t? John also mentions that a lot of people and businesses are sometimes afraid of being different. The key is to highlight a unique selling point that will create value for your customers. Entrepeneur has a few tips on differentiating your business that is worth a quick read.

The Marketing Hourglass vs the Marketing Funnel
Traditional explanations use a funnel to describe the marketing process. John has a better idea and presented us with the idea of a marketing hourglass. The difference is that whereas a funnel utilizes a blast method in an attempt to capture as many customers as possible, the hourglass takes into consideration your pursuit of the “ideal” customer. Yup, that’s a lot to digest in one hour but very informative in the end!

More Useful Factoids

What Kind of Local Strategy?
Another strong point that Gregg brought up that was many businesses don’t have a comprehensive view of their online marketing strategy. As he put it, it’s not an either/or but an and strategy. This includes efforts in paid search, organic search, internet yellow pages, social media and mobile content. Just because you’re doing well in one segment doesn’t mean that you should scale back or ignore the other ones. The most successful businesses will realize the benefit of having a wide-ranging plan of attack to stand out against their competitors.

Resources for Local Search

If you haven’t already, there are many resources that you can take advantage of in starting your local search campaign. Gregg recommends: internet yellow pages, major search engines, Angie’s list, local search sites (Citysearch/Yelp), industry related blogs (including your local chamber of commerce) and more. Here’s a handy list of tools from Duct Tape Marketing.

Chris went over some history about how some of the biggest companies started and flourished by promoting free stuff. Did you know that Gillette promoted free products to create a need for their disposable razors? And Jell-O began by giving out free recipe books with their main product as the key ingredient? Even in early 1900′s, marketers were looking for ways to appeal to consumer wants of “free” stuff. Nowadays, this idea can still be applied to digital goods and services.

This led to another topic that I found interesting – freemium. This refers to web services that are free for the general public, while the upgraded services come at a cost. Great idea, isn’t it? Take a look at Flickr and the New York Times. These sites are free to use but if you really want the good stuff, it will cost you. Free is not just a marketing gimmick, but a viable source that some companies thrive off of.

When it comes to your business or small businesses in general, how do you foresee the use of “free”?

Applying Marketing Goals with Twitter
From raising brand awareness to simply gaining sales, there are many different direct marketing goals. You can even use Twitter as an extension of your customer service. As you think about the goals you want to set for your business, you should also think about using Twitter to reach your audience. There are some different consumers to consider before you start and today, we’re going to discuss the Twitter voyeur.

Taking a Look at the Voyeur
Let’s face it, there are lots of them. They go by many names: the voyeur, the lurker, the shy guy, or even the n00b. Not everyone on Twitter is actively contributing, but their presence can’t be ignored. For example, you may be a boutique owner. Although it’s great to network by following others in your industry, they’re not going to buy what you have to sell. It’s the customers you want to reach out to. Offer rewards and give your followers the inside scoop. Inactive users may stay quiet, but they make take advantages of good deals you offer. Not everyone wants to build and maintain an online relationship with their so-called “friends”. It takes thought and effort, so others may just not have the time.

Monitor with Twitter
Even for those who don’t post to Twitter, it doesn’t mean that they’re not watching. Twitter is a useful, social, and entertaining resource. Some may just browse Twitter’s trending topics to see what others have to say. Twitter is a great tool for small business or individuals to use to gain insight. Bigger companies definitely use it to monitor their brand.

Use Common Sense
Although Twitter is an informal channel, don’t fly blind by forgetting to set a goal. In direct marketing, you have the influencer, decision maker, buyer etc. You can appeal to these same types of consumers when it comes to Twitter. The best thing you can do is to be consistent with your marketing message. Keep some Twitter don’ts in the back of your mind while you do so, and have fun!

The Ever-Innovative Apple

Of course, these aren’t the only two things that make business possible, but they are arguably the most important functions. Apple is an excellent example of an innovative company. From the iPod to the pending iSlate, Apple has definitely set a higher standard when it comes to setting technology trends. Since its groundbreaking introduction in 1984, Apple has revolutionized the way that we work and play. Sure, other companies sell similar products, but Apple has an advantage when it comes to market share. Innovation? Yes, but their marketing tactics are also responsible for their success.

Comparing Marketing: Target vs. Wal-Mart

Marketing serves an essential business function. The general marketing mix focuses on the four P’s of: product, price, promotion and place, but it does much more than that. I mean, who cares if you have a fantastic product if no one knows about it? Let’s take two retailers for example: Target and Wal-Mart. Although these two giants are not identical, they offer similar items. From toilet paper to fresh produce, both convenient retailers offer household items and more. Target’s marketing and fun advertisements has made cheap – chic, while Wal-Mart’s cheap approach… just seems cheap.

In short, business consists of many elements that would not work without each other. If you want to succeed in business, you can’t just do one thing and do it well. It requires you to wear different hats – whether it is marketing, finance, self-management or something more. Most importantly, you have to be prepared to keep up with the changing times.

Where do direct marketing efforts stand during a recession? Surprisingly, the increase of marketing efforts can clearly be seen, even though marketers have been struggling. In light of the rough economic times, some companies may be putting their direct marketing efforts on the backburner. While pushing this segment aside is a questionable approach, it’s still best for most companies to incorporate multiple methods in their marketing mix. Like any other investment, you should accurately monitor its performance for the most effective use.

Why Direct Marketing?

Experts predict that with every $1 spent on a direct marketing, companies can expect a return of about $11. Be doing your research and targeting the right consumers, companies may see excellent business from their investment. When you first hear about direct marketing, telemarketing may be the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, other effective forms of direct marketing includes: direct mail, coupons, emails, infomercials, and a combination of all of the above. With a wide variety of advertising channels, marketers have the choice of utilizing a method that best suits their needs.

Change Your Approach

If you continue your marketing efforts as scheduled, it may pay off to change your approach. During Christmastime, my email inbox gets loaded with offers. Most of the time, these pesky email blasts go straight in the trash. As one spectator pointed out, it helps to help consumers. Why not differentiate by informing them about something they’re interested in or helping them out with a problem? In a way, your smaller budget is a positive asset as it forces you to be more creative with your marketing plan. As the holidays come and the year draws to a close, it’s the best time to think of your strategy for 2010.