Marketing Opportunities - Online Directories

If you are not utilizing online directories, your business is missing out on a great opportunity to be seen and heard.  Most online directories are free. There are a few out there that charge to place your listing and you should determine whether your company should list with that directory. Many of the free directories offer paid upgrades that will give you more options and benefits, however, the upgrades are not a necessity to be successful.

The online directories are not just to list your buiness. They are for people to read positive reviews about your business. How? You ask your cutomers to write a recommendation for your business on the directory. Sometime during their buying process, provide them with the web address to write a recommendation on the directories. If you utilize more than one directory, give them options. Just like product reviews on retail ecommerce sites, individuals are using online directories for reviews on businesses.

Here are a few free online directories with the link to my listing:

Merchant Circle
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Davis.Marketing.Professionals.LLC.770-540-7441

Yelp
http://www.yelp.com/biz/davis-marketing-professionals-buford

Google Places
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=marketing+in+buford+ga&fb=1&gl=us&hq=marketing&hnear=Buford,+GA&ei=6oiPTODyOcOblgfy_Nm8Dw&sqi=2&ved=0CC8QtgMwAA&iwloc=8901288723039125281&mid=1284475150

Insider Pages
http://www.insiderpages.com/b/15253492921/davis-marketing-professionals-buford

If you are not listed on these directories, you are missing out on opportunities to be seen and heard - and missing out on potential customers.

Don't Touch That Marketing Budget

I am encountering and hearing of businesses making cuts to their budgets. Whether it is staffing, capital purchases, benefits, marketing and many others; they want to cut expenses and increase revenue. Most are not successful increasing revenues. Just because you cut expenses does not automatically increase revenue.

This chart to the left, provided by Laurie McCabe, a Partner and Analyst at the SMB Group through HubSpot Blog, shows that companies with increasing reveues are more likely to view marketing strategically, and invest more in marketing than their counterparts with flat or declining revenues.

Marketing is one area that a company can not expect to cut and also increase revenue. I know there are exceptions to every rule, however, the majority of businesses that decrease their marketing budget will see revenues flat or decrease. Small businesses find this more challenging than larger businesses.

For small businesses the internet and social media can be the answer. Web-based marketing and social media tools are usually less expensive than traditional marketing. It can be easier to use and more effective than traditional marketing. This is also true for larger businesses.

Using internet and social media marketing does not require you to commit to long term contracts and tie you into a stationery marketing strategy. A continually adjusting and changing marketing strategy is more relevant and effective. You are able to try different approaches with out making changes to a long term agreement. Trying different messages at the same time to determine which is effective is a common strategy.

In order to be effective in internet and social media marketing, you must have a plan. Now that is another blog for another time. It will not take a long term contractural agreement, however, it will take time to be effective.

If you are going to decrease your marketing budget, you must have a marketing strategy that will continue to reach your target market. Internet and social media marketing may be the answer.