Steve Gasser» small business

The Mystery Business

Beth Gasser — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:30:53 +0000

Every town has one; a mysterious business that nobody seems to know what they do. No one seems to know another person who works there, and the mysterious business seems to elude social events and sponsorships that other area businesses use to thrive. I wonder if these businesses know they are so mysterious. I wonder if it’s intentional or a horrific series of decisions that have led them down a path that has accidentally ostracized them from the rest of the community.

Are you now self-conscious and wondering if your business is “one of THOSE businesses”? You are in luck because there is a guaranteed protective shield especially for you to protect your company from ever being called a Mystery Business. It’s called a blog, and it’s used to educate people about what it is that you do better than anyone else in the world. It’s uniquely designed to include everything you need to answer questions you never knew were even being asked about your business and communicate with those who want to know what it is that you do.

Stop the whispering. Combat small town gossip- get a blog today!

5 Tips to Writing Regular Blog Posts

Beth Gasser — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:15:23 +0000

One of the most common concerns small businesses have about starting a blog for their business is the task of writing regular blog posts.

Where will the ideas come from?
When will I have time?
What will I write about?

Ideas are all around you each and every day. If you write about common everyday things such as a question from a customer, an experience on a project, an observation from your desk or an email you receive, the ideas will turn into great articles. Your customers DO want to read about these things, because they often address questions they are afraid to ask, observations they have made as well, and insight into doing business with you. You are an expert in your specific industry, and your customers trust what you have to say!

There are several methods that work great for capturing your ideas that pop into your head at inopportune times, and turning your ideas into great articles.

Remember those small spiral-bound Mead Memo Pads? They are cheap and fit into your pocket, purse, or the cup holder of your car. Keep a memo pad with you at all times and scribble your ideas down to refer to later. One blogger I know uses her memo pad religiously and NEVER forgets an article idea.
Another option is using sticky notes. Choose a specific color for your blog post ideas and keep a pad at work, home, and in the car. Jot down quick ideas and stick them where they won’t get lost. When you sit down to write, look for your color-coded sticky notes with ample ideas. If you need to, stick them to the computer, TV, your brief case, or where ever you know you’ll find them.
Feeling particularly full of ideas? Write them down in a brainstorm list. I have certain times when I get tons of ideas floating into my head, so I write them in a brainstorm list. For me, key times are during business meetings when important, interesting, and inspiring topics come up. Another time I get inspired with blog post ideas is when I am reading books or magazines. I’ve been known to rip a page from a magazine I’m reading to serve as a reminder of what I want to write about. I simply set it on my desk.
Keep a clearly labeled folder of ideas near your computer. Slot ideas in the folder. I get ideas from junk mail, advertisements, newspaper articles, magazines, and even things my kids have written, said, or drawn. It’s great to flip through your file for article ideas when you are ready to write.
WordPress offers the option of draft blog posts. Feeling particularly inspired or have some time on your hands right now? Write a few blog posts and save them for later.

Anyone can write great articles for blog posts, and every business should consider adding a blog to your marketing mix. The information, relationships, and business growth that result from blogs are priceless.

Social Media with a Rural Focus: 3 Tips for Marketing with Social Media as a Small Business

Steve Gasser — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:20:53 +0000

When you have a rural small business, your clientele and target customers are clients that are likely spread out and difficult to categorize in any one specific group. Marketing with social media to such a wide variety of people can be a challenge. Knowing how to appeal to a diverse group of people is never an easy task. Here are three basic tips to keep in mind when marketing with social media. As you get more familiar with your target market’s presence on social media sites, you will get a better idea of how to tailor these tips for your specific needs.

Marketing with Social Media Tip 1:

Keep in mind that you should not be focused on selling yourself. Social media networks are largely about building relationships. In a rural area, it is likely that most of your targeted market knows of you, so take advantage of social media to let them know who you really are.

Marketing with Social Media Tip 2:

Find your angle. Some people use social media to link useful tools, apps or stories to their followers. Others use social book marking sites to promote niche topics. Some use social media mainly as a conversational tool. Once you choose your angle or style, be sure to stick with it. It is essential to your brand to have not only a consistent message, but a consistent presentation as well.

Marketing with Social Media Tip 3:

Remember how big the Internet is. No matter how small your local community is, remember that any social media messages you post or sites you promote, targeted customers in your small local area are not the only ones that will be able to see them. It is important to not get too casual or veer into unprofessional, which can be tricky with the free flowing, instantaneous nature of marketing with social media.

Marketing with social media is constantly growing in popularity. With no sign of waning, it is safe to assume that sooner or later, your small business is going to have to get involved with social media. Keeping in mind these three tips for marketing with social media is a good start, with many more resources available for your perusal as you get more comfortable with your social media presence.

Rural Small Businesses Can Use Social Media to Compete

Steve Gasser — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:23:01 +0000

Small businesses, especially in rural areas, can struggle with keeping customers loyal when big box and chain stores are opening in the nearest major city. Competing can be tough, but social media for small business can give you the edge that you are looking for.

Consider the example of a small, locally owned coffee shop competing with a newly installed Starbucks. Here are a few quirky tips using social media for small business to make the local coffee shop seem like a much more interesting option than the popular chain.

Offer free wifi and let customers Twitter their orders. Imagine it. Customers come into the shop to chat or work, and from their phones and laptops, can place orders without worry of losing their seat or disturbing the conversation. Regular customers stopping in on their way to work can Twitter their order before arrival and have it ready to go when they get there. Social media for small business offers convenience that the big chains simply can’t.
Run a coffee shop blog and allow visitors to contribute. Set up a free blog with a guest account. Services like WordPress allow you to moderate posts before they go live. Encourage your patrons to post about the coffee shop, compose poems, or simply express themselves freely.
Put a “secret password” up on Twitter every afternoon and encourage people to come in for a coffee happy hour. Those with the password can receive discounts, a free pastry or an entry into a happy hour drawing.
Feature your favorite tweet of the day up on your menu board. Name a drink after one of your Twitter followers for the day. Enter each of your Twitter followers into a drawing to be the “Follower of the Week,” entitling them to one free coffee each day of their reign.

These are just a few quirky and creative ways social media for small business can be used to set the local guys ahead of the big brand players. These types of ideas can be applied to any type of local business. Take your time to think up a few ways that social media will allow you to offer benefits and services to your customers that the big guys can’t.

Caffeinated Conversations

Do you visit coffee shops as regularly as I do? I think you will enjoy learning more about “Caffeinated Conversations.” I met Jason from Caffinated Conversations on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and I have found his blog fascinating. Striking up, facilitating, capturing, and collecting conversations at coffee shops, coffee houses, cafés, and other conversation friendly places.

Rural Small Businesses Look at Ways to Use Twitter

Steve Gasser — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:36:10 +0000

I have met some amazing people in small towns across Minnesota. Recently I had the opportunity to give two presentation on social media in Arlington and Redwood Falls, MN.

At the end of the presentation, we do a group exercise and ask the participants to gather in groups of 5 to answer the question, “How could you use Twitter in your business?“ Below are some of the responses to the question.

Great responses to the the Twitter question

Idea 1: A local strawberry patch could use Twitter to communicate good picking days and share recipe ideas that are posted on the blog.

Idea 2: A tool and die company could use Twitter to educate people on the industry, show a human side of the people in the company, and information about the life of the tweeter. This would help create relationships and bonds based on common interests.

Idea 3: An embroidery shop could tweet about recent jobs they have done – sending traffic back to their website with pictures. They could also use Twitter to share stories and inspire ideas – both would direct traffic back to their website.

Idea 4: A landscape business would use Twitter to educate their followers and help them maintain their landscaping. They would send tweets when it is time to seed your lawn or prune your trees. They would also use humor and stories. One example would be to share stories like: “This isn’t a weed.” This series would educate people on what is a weed and what is not a weed – but a plant with benefits! Most tweets would link back to their blog with more details, ideas, and inspiration.

Idea 5: The local used car dealer has several clients that call and ask about his inventory. He could use Twitter to post new vehicles and ask questions about the types of vehicles clients are interested in.

Idea 6: An Avon lady could use Twitter to post links to videos taken of clients.

Idea 7: An auto body shop could use twitter to offer tips. It would also be good if they followed others in the industry to stay up to date on industry news and gather feedback they can share with their clients.

Idea 8: A residential and commercial carpet cleaner could use twitter as a referral tool.

Idea 9: A day care could use twitter to let parents know what activities kids are doing, meal plans, and any changes in day care schedules.

Idea 10: A traveling hot dog stand could use twitter to update his followers on the location of his hot dog stand.

Idea 11: An alternative energy company could use twitter to find people in the industry to talk to when they can’t find anyone locally.

Yes, Small Businesses can benefit from Twitter

There is a business use for Twitter no matter what business you are in. We all hear the big success stories like how Dell reported that they can directly attribute $3 million in sales to their Dell Outlet Twitter account. But you don’t have to be Dell to reap the benefits of Twitter.

Here are just a few benefits you can find from Twitter

Enhance Customer service while reducing costs
Manage your online reputation
Instant access to what is being said ‘right now’
Share current events – citizen journalism
Constant stream of new ideas and links
Extend your reach – become a thought leader
Network with other in your industry

More Twitter Inspiration

What is your Twitter Story?

We all have stories to share. What stories do you have to share about Twitter? The smallest things can inspire greatness in others.