Small Biz Tip: Target Audience: How to grow your target audience
Tips from August 13, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss target audiences: how to grow your target audience.
Create a web page for your biz to increase visibility online. Contact info, map of your biz, description of products/services.
Have an event/sale or write an interesting story about your business. Contact your local press to pitch your event/sale/story. Being in the paper/news/magazine will ensure a growth in your target audience.
Open a new media stream: blog, twitter, LinkedIn. If you are unaware how to tackle this, ask an employee to create a work based one. This is reach out to others in and interested in your industry.
Give your customers a discount for bringing a friend or family member into your store.
Daily Overview: Discover new communication streams to reach your target audience from all mediums.
By Frances Foley · August 13 2009
small business tips, small business, growth, target audience
It seems that with rising unemployment and ever tighter budgets, American consumers missed the message that we are in an economic recovery. We hear talk of the recession “bottoming out” or that economists see this or that “good sign” or that the Treasury Secretary has “green shoots” in his sights. The fact is, all these people talking about how the recession is ending would have just as much success predicting what the economy will do if they slaughtered a goat and tried to read the entrails.
If you want to know what the economy is really up to, go to the people who are there, in the trenches, each and every day. Talk to the people who are on the unemployment lines, the salespeople in shops—people who live with the recession and must cope with it every day—not the bureaucrats and statisticians in Washington trying desperately to spin the numbers, including this group and excluding that in order to be able to report something that the Adminis...
By Charles M Cooper · August 13 2009
small business, sales, congress, obama
Government, Politics and the Economy
Jobless Claims Rise
There was an unexpected jump in first-time unemployment claims even as continuing claims drop. FoxBusiness.com
Management and Operations
The Most Annoying People to Work With: The Top 13 Irritations
Wherever you work, even in your own business, you find people who have turned the merely annoying into high art. Now that art has been classified and here are the top 13 offenders. ManageSmarter.com
By Charles M Cooper · August 13 2009
small business brief, marketing, small business, economy
Tips from August 12, 2009The Small Business tips today discuss target audiences: how to get your message to your target audience. 1. Establish the goal and what it is going to accomplish. Example: getting in more customers, making a sales goal for the week, etc. 2. Identify the medium for your goals to be best communicated. Example: cold call, email, advertisement in the newspaper, etc. 3. Motivate your target audience to accomplish your goal. Example: offer a limited time sale to reach your sales goal for the week. 4. Offer a way for your target audience to give feedback regarding the medium in which they were reached. This will ensure you have used the correct medium or need to reevaluate.
Daily Overview: Identify the goal, medium used to contact, motivation to participate, and feedback to ensure correct practice to message your target audience.
By Frances Foley · August 12 2009
small business tips, small business, communication, target audience
Government, Politics and the Economy
Survey: Poor Sales Lead to Business Closings
According to a recent NFIB survey, poor sales are the number-one problem afflicting America's small businesses. Moreover, few small business owners expect consumers to start spending again any time soon. CNNMoney.com
Fed to Keep Rates Steady and Slow Bond Purchases
The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady and intends to "slow the pace" of its emergency bond-buying program. USAToday.com
Management and Operations
By Charles M Cooper · August 12 2009
small business brief, marketing, small business, economy
Tips from August 11, 2009The Small Business tips today discuss target audiences: how to tailor to your target audience.
Utilize communication streams that your target audience most frequently uses. Blogs, e-mail, advertising in niche magazines, and fliers all relate to specific age categories.
Configure business hours to meet the lifestyles of your customers. Business workers usually cannot reach a store until after 5PM so stay open later than 6PM.
Make your business accessible by having access to parking and easy entry for those of all ages and capabilities. Make sure your business is accessible online as well.
The environment in your business must make your target audience comfortable and welcome. If your customers have kids, have a play place for them.
Daily Overview: Your business needs to be accessable, comfortable and convenient in relation to the preferences of your identified target audience.
By Frances Foley · August 11 2009
small business tips, small business, communication, target audience
Government, Politics and the Economy
Congress Urged to Raise Debt Limit
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has saddled Congress with the task—for the second time this year—of quickly increasing the maximum amount of money the federal government can borrow, something increasingly unpopular with the American people. WSJ.com
Management and Operations
Are Your Employees Ever Really Off? n the age of online social networking, when the goings-on in your business tweeted or written on Facebook walls, the after-hours activities of your employees may count as much as what they're doing "on-the-job." ManageSmar...
By Charles M Cooper · August 11 2009
small business brief, marketing, small business, economy
Tips from August 10, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss target audiences: how to define them.
Research your business or similar businesses online to get a better understanding of what your industry, products, and services are categorized under. Ask current customers their perception of what industry your business falls under.
Look at the demographics of the customers who purchase from your business. The age, sex, location their from, economic status, etc. will give you a better idea of the people your business attacks.
Ask customers about their preferences when shopping in your business. Ask how your business fits into their lifestyle.
Pay attention to what your customers have in common. The media they use, how much time they have when they are in their store, if they shop for something specific or browse for new products.
Daily Overview: Understand and evaluate the customers that you see everyd...
By Frances Foley · August 10 2009
small business tips, small business, demographics, target audience
