[This is a continuation of our Marketing 101 series] Your website is the front door of your business – it’s where perspective customers get to know you, and where perspective funders get their first impression of your business. Crafting compelling website copy about your products and services, even about your company, is essential for a small and growing company. You don’t have to be! Not everyone is a trained copywriter, but by the simple virtue that you’re a small business owner, you have a built-in story to tell: your own. This is where knowing your audience from our previous exercise comes in handy. The best, most compelling website copy is genuine. It should reflect a desire to help solve your target persona’s problems, and show a sense of solidarity with the individuals or companies in your market. It should speak in a voice that is honest and respectful. Also, use … Read More
Affordable Care Act 101 Webinars for Small Employers
The SBA, the Department of Health Human and Services, and Small Business Majority have teamed up for a free weekly webinar series where small employers can learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and what it means for their organization and employees. Topics covered include cost containment, the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, and Employer Shared Responsibility. Webinar content will generally be the same each week. Below are the registration links for upcoming webinars in English. October 30, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register November 6, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register November 13, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register November 20, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register December 4, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register December 11, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register December 18, 2014 at 2 pm ET: Click to Register Spanish-language ACA 101 Webinars … Read More
Small Business Marketing: Engaging Your Customers
[This is a continuation of our Marketing 101 series] Email marketing is one of the most effective ways you as a small business owner can keep in touch with your customers. It’s relatively easy, it can be very cost-effective, and if you do it right it can help you increase loyalty and even grow your audience. In addition to email campaigns, social media is the other low-cost marketing channel available to your small business. But how do you get started with these platforms — and how useful are they? There are a lot of strong options out there for small business owners looking to start basic email marketing, or manage a newsletter. Some of the more popular ones include: CakeMail MailChimp Constant Contact Mad Mimi AWeber GetResponse I recommend you spend some time doing your own research to figure out which tool best fits your need, and also ask … Read More
Small Business Marketing: Understanding Your Market And Customers
[This is a continuation of our Marketing 101 series] Let’s start with the basics. Every marketing program contains four components: Your Product Or Service: This includes everything from your unique product, to the line of products you sell, to the services you offer. Promotion: Keep in mind that promotions aren’t limited to advertising. They include direct customer interactions too. Honest and friendly salesmanship is essential for a small business like yours, especially if you don’t have a big marketing budget. It can make or break a customer’s experience, and turn a potential evangelist into a fired-up Yelp critic. Price: Higher prices often mean lower volume. However, what’s unique about small businesses is that they can often leverage higher prices because of their craft offering or local services, or because their core customers are willing to pay more for a better product. Distribution: Working through an established distributor is generally … Read More
Marketing 101 For Your Small Business: What Is Marketing?
Most people tend to think that marketing equals promotion: an ad on television; a poster on the subway a promoted post on Facebook. By definition, “marketing” is the action or business of promoting and selling products or services. But in practice, it’s a much larger and broader discipline. As a small business owner, marketing is integral to your success, but if you don’t have a background or past experience in it — where do you start? If you look past the viral marketing fads, guerrilla gimmicks, and multi-million dollar ad campaigns from the Fortune 500 world, you’ll start to see that marketing is both a science, and an actual art. Marketing is the entirety of how you present yourself and your business to the world. From how you identify your customers, to understanding your competitors and your advantages over them, to social media and ads in the newspaper. It’s the … Read More
Get Ready For The Holidays: Tips For Preparing Your Small Business
If you’re a small business owner, September means it’s time to start planning for the holidays. Are you ready? We spoke with our network of entrepreneurs, and collected the following tips that will prepare you for your small business’ most productive holiday season yet. Start Planning Early We all know that holiday shoppers shift their shopping habits online, but if last year’s trends continue, 30 percent of consumers will actually begin their holiday shopping prior to Halloween. Which makes now the perfect time to get your holiday plan for your staff, inventory, and marketing in place. Let’s start with your staff. Depending on your business, the holiday season can be a particularly busy and stressful time for them as well as you. Consider their needs, and make sure that your holiday prep list includes ways to help them better serve your customers. For example, come up with lists of gift … Read More
Strategy Spotlight: Macy’s Fashion Incubator of San Francisco
Last week, PCV’s Business Advising team held a Strategy Roundtable session at the Macy’s Fashion Incubator of San Francisco’s (FiSF) headquarters and design studio, whose home is the former Macy’s executive offices. The session brought together of a diverse group of PCV advisors, FiSF staff, and a member of the FiSF board. Following a presentation from FiSF’s Betsy Nelson and Jeanne Allen, a robust and productive discussion around fundraising and sustainability resulted in great insights and feedback from all of the participants. The team is looking forward to watch FiSF grow as an organization and for the benefits it will bring to the city. The Fashion Incubator San Francisco is one of San Francisco’s most unique new organizations – with a mission to bring the fashion industry, and jobs, back to our City. When we think about the fashion industry, we usually think of design – but we don’t always … Read More
4 Marketing Hacks That Will Save Time & Boost Your Business
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to marketing your small business. The good news is that as a small business owner, you are the perfect person to promote your product or service! You’re knowledgeable and passionate, which are two of the main ingredients in an effective marketer. The bad news is that marketing can take up a lot of time. And extra time is not something that entrepreneurs come by very often. We have put together 4 simple marketing “hacks” that will help boost your small business marketing efforts and make your life as an entrepreneur a little easier. Identify your strengths There are a ton of options for marketing your business – newsletters, social media, attending events, etc., which can all attract and retain customers. Figure out what marketing efforts are paying off, whether it’s your Facebook page or the email sign up list you … Read More