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How to Increase Customer Retention with Email

New customers are great. There’s something undeniably exciting about attracting someone to your business who might not have found it otherwise. That’s the reason that new customer marketing gets all the attention. It’s the glitziest way to grow a business.

But guess what? It’s not a very cost-effective way to grow a business, which is why it never ceases to amaze me that more local businesses ignore customer retention as a growth strategy.

If you’re wondering the best way to increase your customer retention, look no further. Email is the answer.

Onboard New Customers and Subscribers

Your plan to retain customers should kick-off at the beginning of your relationship. A lot of businesses make the mistake of ignoring customer retention until people are at the point of leaving. We’ll talk about that later, but for now, let’s talk about what you can do after someone buys from you for the first time...

Try These 7 Growth Hacks to Help Your Small Business Soar

Wouldn’t it be great to find some simple tricks that would help you leap ahead of your competitors and see your small business soar to new heights?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growth hacks – little tricks you can use to fast-track your growth and increase your sales and profits. By definition, a hack is meant to be simple – something you can do right away. Sometimes hacks are clever and weird things but sometimes, they’re well-documented things that small business owners overlook.

Let’s focus on the latter because I’m willing to bet you’re not doing some of these things. Here are 7 growth hacks that I think you need to start using – today.

#1: Use Content Upgrades to Grow Your List 

You know what an upgrade is. It’s something that allows you to increase the value or utility of something you’ve already...

Why SMS Marketing Should Be in Your Mix Right Now

Marketing is always changing and the changes in 2020 have been profound, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve all had to adjust our work and home lives as a result.

With more consumers working from home and budgetary concerns at the forefront for most people, you might be thinking that mobile marketing isn’t as important as it used to be. After all, people aren’t spending as much time out and a lot of the advantages of mobile marketing don’t apply in the same way.

But guess what? I’m here to tell you that mobile marketing is more important than it ever has been – and you need to make room for SMS marketing in your budget right now. Here’s why.

SMS Marketing Statistics

You might not be convinced that SMS marketing is worthwhile, so let’s look at some statistics to give you an idea of just how popular, effective, and expected it is for companies to reach out to their customers...

Get More (and Better) Traffic with Your Local Business Blog

You already know that content marketing is widely considered to be essential for your business. Maybe you’ve already got a blog that gets some organic traffic.

What’s next?

The sad truth is that most local businesses aren’t blogging about the right things in the right way. As a result, they’re losing business that’s going to their competitors.

If your blog is getting minimal traffic, you might be tempted not to post often or even to write it off entirely. That’s a mistake. Instead, keep reading to learn about the types of content that will help attract more qualified visitors to your site and help you grow your business.

What Does the Buyer’s Journey Have to Do with Your Blog? 

I see a lot of local businesses that think that all blog topics are created equal. I cringe when I see post after post about internal company business or news that doesn’t tie into defined...

How to Ask for Reviews (And Get Them Fast)

I hope you’re not sick of me talking about online reviews because I’m about to do it again. Why? Because they can have a huge impact on your business and bottom line.

91% of consumers between the ages of 19 and 34 trust reviews and consumers are more likely to trust your company if you have at least 40 reviews. If you don’t already have a solid review presence, it’s time to get serious about building one.

The great news is that 68% of customers who are asked to leave a review are willing to do so. Here’s how to ask them.

Asking for Reviews in Person

If you’ve got a brick-and-mortar store, then asking for reviews in person may be the way to go. The trick is doing it in a way that doesn’t feel forced or put undue pressure on your customer.

Conversational flow is important. One option is to have your cashier(s) engage with customers when they check out. They can start by asking if the customer found...

Marketing Hacks (That Make Your Life Easier)

Marketing your local business can seem like a full-time job. Most business owners can’t afford to have a marketing department which means that you’re adding marketing to all your other responsibilities.

Since there are only so many hours in a day, it’s essential to have a few tricks up your sleeve: things that can help you fine-tune your marketing and get the most bang for your buck. Here are some marketing hacks to help you focus your attention and reap the rewards.

Pay Attention to Your Data

When was the last time you looked at your data on Google Analytics? If it’s been a while – and if it has, you’re not alone – then it’s time to take corrective action.

The truth is that your analytics provide a wealth of information that can help you improve your marketing and grow your business. For example, do you know which page on your website has the highest bounce rate? Can you pinpoint which blog...

10 Practical Local Marketing Ideas You Can Deploy Right Now

You already know that local marketing is the name of the game if you want to grow your business. The challenge – especially during this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic – is choosing practical local marketing tactics that can help you without breaking the bank.

I hear you. So, without further ado, here are 10 of the most practical and affordable local marketing ideas I know.

#1: Fine-Tune Your Yelp Categories

Yelp is the gold standard of crowd review sites for a reason. When your customers search for reviews in your area, Yelp pages are likely to appear at or near the top of Google’s SERP.

The best way to make sure your business makes an appearance is to check out your Yelp categories and make sure they’re an accurate reflection of your business. For example, if you own a hair salon that specializes in hair extensions, then you should add the Hair Extensions category to your Yelp page. You can...

Facebook Ad Objectives… Explained

Most local businesses should advertise on Facebook. That’s what I believe, and the evidence backs me up. It’s cost-effective and, if you do it right, it can help your business to grow.

Easier said than done.

The issue is that while Facebook ads are effective, a lot of local business owners don’t know which objectives to choose for their ads. Choosing the wrong objective may lead to a low return on your investment and the feeling that you’ve wasted money.

With that in mind, here’s my rundown of Facebook ad objectives to help you understand which objective makes the most sense for your business.

What are the Available Ad Objectives on Facebook? 

When you create an ad for your business on Facebook, you can choose from 11 objectives divided into three categories: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. Let’s review them.

1. Brand Awareness. These ads generally do not get a high click-through rate because...

11 Marketing Ideas to Get You Through the Pandemic

Have you cut back on marketing due to the COVID-19 pandemic? You’re not alone. A lot of business owners are trying to save money by reducing their spending.

Cutting back is understandable and may be necessary, but marketing isn’t a luxury for your business. It’s a necessity. And it’s possible to keep things going even if you need to reduce your spending. Here are X ideas to help you stay in the marketing flow.

#1: Focus on Social Media

According to Statista, Americans are spending more time on social media now than they did before the pandemic. That translates to an opportunity for businesses that need low-cost ways to engage their target customers.

It’s a good time to share the ways your business is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the ways your business can help people cope with social distancing and stay-at-home orders. You may also want to consider boosting your ads or running a page...

Increase Your Website Conversions with These Helpful Tools

In the world of digital marketing, traffic gets a lot of attention. Small business owners understand that without visitors to your site, it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to grow or sustain their businesses.

I’d argue that the focus on traffic isn’t helpful unless it’s paired with a focus on conversion. After all, you might be able to attract thousands of visitors a month – but if none of those people are buying from you, what’s the point? You’re paying for traffic without getting any real return on your investment.

With that in mind, here are some of the most useful tools I know to help you boost your conversion rate and turn your traffic into revenue.

Content Research Tools 

A  high conversion rate starts with great content. If you’re not sure what content gets the most traction, then these tools can help you find out.

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is one of the best...