Southern Oregon Marketing Coach

Take a look at the following video developed by the Newspaper Association of America.  It shows just how far the typical “newspaper” reader has come in the last 15 years.  News was clearly one of the first industries to be altered by the internet  and it is amazing how far we’ve come in response to these changing behaviors.  We have 1,000s of readers every day who choose to access their Medford news via each of these methods

• Printed Newspaper
• Computer or laptop
• Smart phones
• Tablet devices such as an iPad

You see them in the hands of so many of your customers.  You probably have one yourself.  You use it all the time – and probably not just to play Doodle Jump.  If you own a business in Jackson County, you probably DON’T yet reach out to your customers via these incredible devices – even though your customers are using them to make all kinds of purchasing decisions.  I know you are busy with the day to day of your business, but here are some new figures from Strategy Analytics that should help you focus on how your customers smartphone can help you work even smarter.

It should be no surprise to you that smart phones are becoming more and more popular in the US in general, and within your customer base here in southern Oregon as well.  What may be news to you though is how much money is projected to be spent on these devices in the upcoming year.  According to the research, consumers are projected to increase the amount we spend on our data plans and app purchases this year by another 22%!

There aren’t a lot of sectors of the economy growing that fast.  The reason behind the growth is because your customers are fast realizing the potential of these devices to help them with many aspects of their lives.  Not least among them is the ability to simplify purchasing research on the fly.  Is the item that Sally Customer is searching for available anywhere else in town?  Is it in stock?  Is it less expensive?  If YOU sell that must have thing she is looking for, can she find you on her phone?  You should hope so as this process is taking place thousands of times per day all across our little valley.

Your Competition May Be Getting Ahead of You

While this trend may be daunting to consider, the other part of the study is even more so.  While the consumer side of the equation is growing at a brisk clip, the business side is growing even faster.  Businesses in the US are increasing their spending on mobile type advertising by over 120% this year – 5 times as fast!

There are two primary reasons for this difference.  The first is that our customers got a head start on us.  Mobile usage by customers greatly outpaces businesses efforts, to date, to meet these needs.  This is especially true here in the Rogue Valley where only a small percentage of businesses offer mobile friendly data on their websites.  The second is that more and more businesses have started to realize the vast opportunity available to them in the ability to reach their customers via a device that they have on their person most hours of the day.  Smart phones are fast becoming our own miniature personal assistants, recommending where to go, what to eat, how to buy.  Smart businesses realize that being a part of these considerations is fast becoming a critical component to their success.

We see just that here at Southern Oregon Media Group.  The mobile versions of our two news sites – MailTribune.com and DailyTidings.com – are visited by thousands of readers every day and continue to be the fastest growing part of our online footprint.  You can leverage our expertise in this arena in two different ways.  First, let our experts help you morph your marketing message into a mobile friendly format.  No need to learn through trial and error when we’ve been working in this space for years.  Second, let our large mobile audience know that your business is ready to meet them on their phones by advertising your mobile content on our sites.

You’ll be surprised by how simple and cost-effective we can make this for you.  Your customers are mobile and your competition is fast becoming so.  Now is the best time for you to get involved too.

Contact your SOMG representative to learn more about the next steps your business should take.  The analysis and advice are always free.

Your customers are social media addicts. The majority of us are involved with at least one social media site. In fact a recent study by comScore said that 43% of the adults in the US were on a social media site yesterday! Yes this includes us here in sleepy little Medford. Tap into this new ability to have real connections with your potential customers.

You know that your business should take advantage of this new potential way to reach your potential customers. But where should you start? With all of the social media sites out there, it can be overwhelming. With all the contradictory advice out there, it can a big waste of your time and resources too if you are not careful. Southern Oregon Media Group is offering a FREE seminar to help you cut through all of that clutter and move your business forward in a more effective way.

Wednesday, May 16th you can join us at Kids Unlimited for this intermediate to advanced level discussion on the best ways to leverage social media for your local business. Two times are available – 8:30 and 12:00 – to fit with your busy schedule.

Some of the questions we’ll answer…

• What social media platforms should I use – and HOW?
• I’m on Facebook. Are there any new sites coming along I should pay attention to?
• How do I get more people to LIKE or FOLLOW my business?
• How do I manage social media without it completely dominating my time?
• How do I measure the return on my investment in social media?

And as always, we guarantee to answer ALL of your questions on the topic as well in this highly interactive gathering. You will learn actionable steps that you can take immediately to grow your online footprint.

You will even get fed while you are there. While the seminar is free to local businesses, registration is required.  You can do so online or by calling Marilyn Zimmers at (541) 776-4427.

Not sure if your business is a good fit for social media? (Hint: It is!) Please contact one of the multimedia experts at SOMG and they will help you evaluate the potential.

Have you ever wished you knew what customers were saying about your business? What about the competition? Ever wonder what your customers think about your service or how they feel about specific products? Would you like to respond to misconceptions customers may have about your business? These are all valid concerns for business decision makers. You now have the ability to highlight your strengths and handle your negative feedback. People take to sites such as Yelp, Facebook, esouthernoregon.com, and over 8,000 others to air their good experiences and help potential new customers to decide between you and your competition. With the reputation management tools found in Southern Oregon Media Group’s BE FOUND! package, you will be notified of the customer reviews from all of these sites. You can easily thank customers for positive reviews and help to heal the wounds of a bad experience before they affect other potential customers. This time saving tool can allow you to put yourself right in the middle of your word of mouth advertising and influence how it helps or hurts your business. We all know that a negative review is bound to happen, but you should have the ability to handle the situation and change that customers mind. Customers are also relying more on sites like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing to tell them at a glance where you are located and how to get in contact with you. What if when they found you the address is listed incorrectly, the website listed is not yours, or your listed phone number is for a competitor? This is going to happen when you have to claim your listing on over 350 websites. With the BE FOUND! package your business information will be verified and claimed on all of these sites – automatically. You will see where you are listed and keep the internet up to speed on changes that may affect how potential customers find you. Don’t let the freedom of the internet allow your competitors to skim your bottom line, take control of how customers connect with you. As a part of the Promo Pak portion of the BE FOUND! package you can also keep customers up to date on your sales and specials. List 3 deals or coupons on esouthernoregon.com, mailtribune.com and dailytidings.com and track their results by being notified of the number of customers that click them. It allows you to know how effective your coupons are and allows you to change them based on customer needs. Think of having the ability to know when someone is clipping your coupon out of the paper before they bring it in! According to Marketing Blacksmith, “Coupon sites are the third fastest growing category of websites. The value of online coupons redeemed in 2009 was $8.3 billion in the US alone. That figure is expected to triple by 2015.” Don’t you want your portion of the estimated $24.9B pie? Take control of your online reputation and maximize your digital presence with the BE FOUND! tool from Southern Oregon Media Group. Change what customers think, drive traffic through your doors and track how your customers feel about your promotions. If you want to know more about how your business is talked about on the internet then give me a call!

The business world is constantly evolving as competition gets tougher and small business owners have to be more progressive than ever before just to keep up with the competition.

One of the best ways for your business to move forward no matter the size and increase revenue is by having a professional website. A custom and functional website is not as expensive as you might think and when done properly can give you more return on your investment than almost any form of advertising or promotion you can find.

How often do you search for a particular business or service online, realize they do not have a website and little information to compare to others? Nowadays, consumers spend hours researching potential businesses, products and services prior to making an educated purchase. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to give your customers and potential customers the information they want and need to make an educated purchase decision by foregoing a company website. Even if you are the only business in your local market that carries a particular product you are competing for local customers with everyone that sells your product or a similar product online.

If you need more convincing here are a few reasons why your business needs a website NOW:

A website will help you build a professional image

A professionally designed website is one of the best ways to instill confidence in your potential new customers who are not familiar with your company already or even increase the confidence of your existing customer base. It gives the customer the impression that they are dealing with a company they can trust and will generate a sense of respectability with your service and/or product.

Information is available 24/7

You are able to communicate address, phone numbers, fax numbers, hours of operation special offerings, directions, what you do and don’t carry, the prices, how one of your services “works”, and yes you are open on Sundays too. You’d be surprised how much a website will take off your shoulders while simultaneously driving business to you. Web pages serve the customer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consumers are increasingly becoming busier and busier every day and by providing information and services online you are able to attract the people who are simply just too busy to handle all their needs during their 9-5 workday while working around your 8-6 office hours.

Evolution of how people search for your number

More Americans than ever before have high-speed internet access at home or work or both and as technology for web browsing is increasingly in the palm of your hand with an increase in smartphones and tablets consumers search for businesses through traditional means like the yellow pages less and less. Almost every employee in the country that gets paid more than $30,000/year has a computer at their desk and a whopping 85% of college students have their own personal PC while few have a copy of the yellow pages nearby. As habit, they will simply jump online to find what they are looking for before they hunt down the one copy of the yellow pages that was left in the break room or on their dorm floor.

Reaching your Target Demographic

The internet is arguably the highest mass-market demographic available, mostly consisting of college educated consumers making high salaries. These demographics are the ones who will be going online to do product and service research, looking for general business information, and seeking that automation and convenience.

Inexpensive and Almost Risk Free

How much do you pay to lease the space for your business? A website is your storefront at all hours of the day. For an initial investment and low cost to host, your website will have paid for itself in no time and your benefits far outweigh the cost. There is virtually “no risk” in having a website for your business. You can easily customize your website and make changes at your convenience. You can do as much or as little as your business goals and budget allow. When people first began to adopt the internet these benefits would have been very costly and out of reach of the average small business owner. However, while every other advertising medium has increased in price over the past decade, website development and hosting has decreased significantly.

Being Found

Without a website, you simply do not exist to the average consumer. If you don’t have a website consumers can’t find you. So, if your website either didn’t come up in the search engine or perhaps you do not have a website at all, you are losing out to your competition. For me and many other consumers, you didn’t even exist when I was making a decision on whom to do business with. So, first you need a website, and then we can discuss Search Engine Optimization and Marketing.

The answer is, to Like.

Your website and social media dashboards are, or should be, another “store front” to your business. The ultimate goal is to direct all traffic to your website through social media while impressing current and potential customers along the way.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Social Media is: forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and micro blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos). Some of the most common forms of Social Media include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

I’ve explained what social media is; now for the why it’s so important to your business. Below are some reasons why you should consider using social media tools to help promote your business.

1) Build Recognition for Your “Brand” - Using social media allows your business to reach the highest number of potential customers possible. Getting your name out there is incredibly important.

2) Monitoring – Having a social media presence allows you to be cognizant of what current and potential customers are saying about your product or service. Through this monitoring, you have the opportunity to address negative comments and correct false or inaccurate information about your brand.

3) Generate Site Traffic – By updating regularly on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with posts that link back to your site, you can create additional traffic to your site.  Greater site traffic has a big effect on your search rankings.

4) Find New Customers Through a Company Profile – Your company profile is a great opportunity for you to post regular updates on your activities, but also about important news and trends in your industry. This will catch the attention of new customers interested in your industry and increase your reputation as an expert in the field. It’s critical to post regularly if you want to increase your followers or fans and convert them to potential leads.

5) Increased Search Engine Rankings – Social media profiles frequently rank highly with major search engines. Using brand names and keywords in your postings can help you to generate traffic for your social media sites and homepage.

I think by now you understand that social media is essential for your business. So now what? Give one of us a call, we can help.