Four Ways To Grow Your Business Through Blogging

Besides being a creative outlet to share your thoughts, opinions, and experience with the world, blogging can have some major benefits in growing your business. Here are just a few of the obvious reasons that you should be blogging:

1. Improve Your Search Engine Rankings: The best way to move up on the search engine ladder is to have relevant content that matches what web surfers are looking for. For the most part, blogs are pure text, which makes them a goldmine for search engines. Another way that search engines determine how high you are listed on their site is by the popularity of your site and how many other sites are linking to you. Having a blog with a link back to your site is just one more step to showing Google & Yahoo how much the world loves you. :)


2. Meet Customers Where They Are At: RSS Readers now allow people to have your content delivered directly to their computers. You can now bypass e-mail issues and spam filters as customers are subscribing to receive your content. They no longer have to go anywhere to hear what you have to say and you stay at the top of their mind as often as you update your blog. Staying connected does not get much better than that.


3. Expand Your Reach: Using another feature of RSS Feeds, web publishers can subscribe to your blog by submitting your web feed to their web site. To break this down for you... this just means that your content will appear on various web sites as articles all linking back to you! If you have content worth sharing, then you can be sure that traffic to your web site will dramatically increase as more sites connect to your blog.


4. Build Credibility With Potential Clients: I know how great you are and so do you, but do your potential clients know. If you faithfully post new and valuable content to your blog, people will begin to look to you as a resource for information they need. In essence, you become an instant expert.

Having a great blog takes a lot of hard work and time, but if you are faithful in posting new content regularly, then you are sure to reap the benefits of blogging.

Keep Them Coming Back For More

We all know how extremely difficult it is to keep potential clients coming back to our web sites again and again, so for today's Innovation Session, I'll share a few simple tricks to help you get the ball rolling.

• Keep your web site content fresh. Why would anyone come back to your web site if they've already read everything you have to offer. Even if it's just one section of your web site like specials and promos or news and events, be sure that you keep inviting people back to check out the new content.


• Give them something free! Find something that doesn't cost you a lot, but adds value to what you already offer. How about some kind of free download or free article. It sounds so simple, but I guarantee you that this works. Be sure to capture your visitors e-mail address so that you can let them know when more free stuff is available.


• Stay connected. I'm not sure if you've spent much time online lately, but if you have, you may have noticed the million other web sites fighting for your customers attention. Be sure that you stay connected with your clients. Point them back to your web site every chance you get and always reward them for keeping you in mind. Who doesn't love coupons?!?!

Do you have an idea for keeping clients coming back again and again? If so, let us know. We would love to hear from you!

Blog Suburbia

With the explosion of personal blogs, it is very likely that you've come across 1 or 2... or 100 blogs that look exactly alike. Don't be another statistic. Blogging can be a very effective tool in growing your business if used correctly. What are you doing to stand out from your competition... or better yet, from the other million sites that look exactly alike.

Give us a call to get your blog customized to match your web site for only $60. We promise to make your blog the nicest one on the block in Blog Suburbia! -then all the cool kids will want to hang out at your house.

Your Virtual Marketing Department

After 8 months in the making, we finally took a break from making everyone else look great and launched our own new site! Check it out and let us know what you think.

Oh Yeah! Don't forget to checkout the FREE Resources section for great articles on growing your business.

www.innovativeimpulses.com

The Little Things That Can Kill The Sale

I'm going to address the problems you might be letting go because you can't see them in front of you. What I'm not going to address is the obvious style issues like a perfectly bad business card or a funky looking logo. I'm talking about the little things that make a big impact. Or in some cases the big things with a big impact.

Have you ever heard the expression you can't see your backside so you really have no idea how big it is. You probably haven't because I think I just made that up right now, but it always sounds smarter if you act like your quoting someone.
Anyway, The point of that saying is that everyone else around you can see it, but you won't do anything about it until you see it for your self. Lets cover some back side issues:

1) Messy office. My office used to be notoriously messy throughoutthe day, but you better believe if I have a customer over I'm throwing everything under my desk... or in a drawer and I'll sort it out later. But if a customer drops in unannounced what could I do. I used to lie to myself by thinking it made it look like I was busy, but in reality I new it made me look unorganized. In reality, that is all a messy desk means. If you’re unorganized get organized or at least make it look like you are. If you haven't lost an important paper yet, you are bound to, don't wait till that happens to fix the problem.

2) No signage. If you have an office get a sign. I don't care if itis a piece of paper that's taped to the window. Unless you're running your business incognito. Do something to let people know you're legit. If you work from home and you think people are cool with going into your house, think again. I think it's great to work from home, but if people are meeting at your home, then do your best to put them at ease that yes you do have a business and yes occasionally customers meet you there. Please make your office look like it would if you had an office space. Yes, desk and chairs not the dining room table. I find this works a lot better then "meet me in the bedroom." Besides these things kind of make them feel a bit at ease and can change an attitude from you work at home? To, “Wow! You lucky bastard, you get to work from home. …Or just meet them somewhere, but that can get expensive.

3) Food on your shirt. I always have a clean shirt at the office incase I spill something on myself. It sounds like a stupid thing but chances are you have done it. You spill coffee, Bar BQ or ketchup and o'crap! You have a meeting in 30 minutes. Your appearance is everything no matter how many times you've met with the customer, dress as if it's your first meeting.

4) What's that smell? Use a breath mint and keep deodorant in the car, in the office and anywhere else it can be easily reached. This isn't a problem for everyone but most people that have this problem don't know it and chances are people won't tell you.

5) Get over yourself. Some people hate talking about themselves but some people can't get enough of the sound of their voice. I always recommend letting people know about you because that's just good marketing, but listen to what the other person has to say. If you talk more then the person your speaking with chances are you are not having a conversation, you're giving a speech. One great sales tip I learned is let the other person talk about himself until they give you a clue on how you can help them. It's ok to talk about yourself, but pay attention and wrap it up when the other person gets that glazed look on their eyes. Hint: it's when they stop blinking.

Have You Heard The Buzz On Buzz Marketing?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. One of the best feelings in the world is introducing yourself to someone and saying the name of your company and they say, "I've heard of you guys." It's even better when they say they heard something good. The best way to create buzz is to know what it is, what it isn't and the different ways to create it.
What is Buzz marketing?

It is utilizing the power of word of mouth referrals to increase awareness of your company and produce a positive attitude toward your product or service. What it is not is Hype. Hype is a lot like buzz, because it gets people talking about you, but hype gets exaggerated to a point that customer expectations cannot be reached. As a result you will let people down and you will create buzz kill. This is where the people creating the hype become the ones that kill your company. Ahhh! The power of word of mouth marketing.

Still want to try your hand at it? Here's what you can do. Sorted from most expensive to least expensive.

1. 
   Advertise heavily and do something very funny or shocking in your ads. People will not be able to stop talking about you.
2. 
   Set up a Public relations campaign on something that is media worthy and get the TV and radio stations to back you on it.
3. 
   Hire a bunch of college kids to talk to strangers on the street about your product at random. Or maybe have them hold a loud scripted conversation next to a group of people. Try somewhere crowded like a sports game or movie theater for this to work.
4. 
   Or just do your best to reach people and give them something worth talking about. Construct your message in a way that is easy to regurgitate and pass along. Get that message to as many people in as many ways as possible. (What's easier to remember then Happy Hour $1 margaritas at Innovative Impulses) Also, don't forget to do such a great job with your customers that they actually tell their friends and family about you.

That's the short and sweet version on Buzz marketing. There is definitely a lot more to it and it is worth the investment. If you would like more information on Buzz marketing I would suggest setting up a consultation with your Innovative Impulses marketing director.

If Your Company Had A Soundtrack...

We have this game we play at the office where we kind of just make up songs to words or names we hear. You can usually tell a persons mood by the songs they sing or their lack of singing. One day we got to thinking that we would put a *mixed tape together and create our own soundtracks.

So what was my point? Oh yes, your soundtrack. Your brand is kind of like your soundtrack. It sets the mood for everything you do. It should have a general theme that you can draw on while preparing for a meeting or just doing your job in general. Your logo and employees behavior should reinforce that theme as well as all your marketing material. You also might want to throw some spice in every now and then like that one song by 2-Pac mixed in between your Celine Deon and your Michael Bolton so you don’t get bored.

So here’s your homework. Create a soundtrack for your company. Pick out songs that you think express your company’s attitudes and values. Play those songs while reviewing your image and see if they match. Adjust accordingly. Remember the goal is to make your image into a mix tape your customers want to hear.

*Here is a definition of Mix tape to all of our customers under the age of 23. A “mix tape” was made back in the day by recording songs off the radio for hours on end then dubbing the ones you liked onto another tape so you had one tape with songs you like. Usually you would get one 60 minute tape for every five 60 minute tapes you recorded. This was a really hard way to pirate music, because just when you thought you had the song you wanted the dj would come on and jack it all up. Ahh. The mix tape is a lost art indeed thanks to Itunes and mp3 players!

Giving Big Thinkers A Big Image

Small business owners are big thinkers, but without the right image, it is hard for anyone to take small businesses seriously. That's where we come in. We specialize in giving big thinkers a big image.

Innovative Impulses was founded with one fundamental rule in mind. "Give small businesses the tools used by big businesses at prices that even the smallest company can afford." We provide our clients with all of the resources available to our agency: from photographers to capture the essence of your products to consultants to help you differentiate your company. We have what you need to grow your business.

With effective and visually captivating design, we make sure that you are using your marketing material to its full potential. By listening to the needs and goals of our customers, we shape their brand and help them establish a position in the marketplace. We take the burden off of your shoulders, which allows you to focus on your goals as you set them higher.

At Innovative Impulses, we love serving companies with big dreams.

Call us at 210.223.5200 today to get started

Multi-tasking and Social Media

People’s lives are more hectic than ever. Multi-tasking is the norm and people’s attention spans are dwindling down by the day. The latest marketing innovations allow you to reach your consumer at their convenience and to give them something in return for their precious time. Let us show you how podcasting and downloadable videos are changing the way marketing will be done. Visit the FREE Resources section on our web site for a valuable article and worksheet on podcasting!

Do We Really Read Print Ads Anymore?

Have you ever seen a print ad that you actually read? How about a TV or Radio Commercial that actually captured your attention? At Innovative Impulses, we develop ads that are both attention grabbing and informative. Our focus is beyond having your message seen or heard. Our focus is on having your message communicated.