Many of us try to guess what customers type into Google when we’re writing the text for our website, but Google are such a great company, they help you get the facts.  For free.  So you can use them in your online marketing.

If you visit https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer?__u=1000000000&__c=1000000000&ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS#search.none you can have a look at the tool and discover what people really type into Google.

You can type different phrases into the box at the top of the page and then search on those phrases and see how many people use them.  Google will produce a report for you which gives you the data for your chosen keyphrases and they’ll also suggest other phrases you might want to consider.

The report will tell you how many people search on a given keyphrase each month globally and locally (UK).  And it will also tell you how many sites compete for that keyphrase – which is important data about your competitors and your chances of getting to the first page in Google for any given page.

Top Tip… If someone calls you and tells you they can get you to the top of Google for a given phrase, run it through this tool and see how many people are searching for that phrase.  If it’s a low number, then a monkey could probably get you to the top of Google for that phrase, but it still wouldn’t bring you very much traffic.  This is one of the latest marketing scams, but now you have the marketing knowledge, you can catch them out at their own game.

Have a play around and enjoy finding out what people really search on!

It’s easy to be swept up in the news and general negativity of the economy and perhaps be tempted into thinking it’s too late to make a difference to your income for this year… but of course I’m bound to tell you that you’d be wrong.  There are at least a full 80 days left between now and Santa’s visit and they’re 80 days that definitely shouldn’t be wasted.

What top three things could you do (for free) every day to boost your profits pre-Christmas?

1. Call five existing customers and ensure they have everything they need for this quarter / ask whether they need any help with other items you provide
2. Call five past customers and remind them you exist.  Perhaps tell them about your autumn special offers and incentives
3. Make contact with five prospects and give them a special offer if they buy before Christmas

If you did this every day to Christmas, you’d make contact with 1200 people who already know, like and/or trust you – in other words, the people most likely to buy from you.

I’d love to hear your results – if you stick to the plan, I’m certain your tills will be ringing into the New Year.

Good luck!

It used to be the case that companies simply had to interrupt their prospects to persuade them to buy.  We used advertising to catch them on the way to work, whilst listening to the radio, watching TV or reading a newspaper.  We were so determined for our message to be heard we made the adverts louder than the programmes and used billboards and jingles to shout ‘look at me’ and stand out from all the other messages prospects were being bombarded with.

How times have changed. And for me, they’ve changed for the better.  Customers now have an endless source of information about products they might like to buy.  They can review them on forums and ask their friends about which they’d recommend.  They can ‘Google’ the brand and test how socially aware a company is.  And, ultimately, they have the power to decide who they buy from.

Convenience is king – and the internet has brought that in spades.  It’s changed the way our high streets look and created a whole new raft of brands unheard of 10 years ago.  Most companies now have a large number of competitors; some online and some offline and, unless you’re doing something unusual, it’s very difficult to stand out from the crowd.

Generalist services and companies have given way to niche products and services.  Customers like to know you understand their particular wants and needs and can offer them better customer service.  The plus side is that they’ll then share you with their friends online – provided you make it easy for them to do so.

Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi said in a recent interview “We’ve moved from an attention economy – where marketing was about interrupting people – to a participation economy, where people want to pass on things they like to a friend”.

What exciting times we live in…We hope you’re taking advantage of those changes in your business.

Our series of cost-effective marketing techniques continues today with reconnecting with your prospects.

Did you know… most people say no seven times before they are ready to buy, but most sales people give up after 5 times.

Do you have a follow-up procedure in place that captures prospects and ensures you are in front of them when they’re in a position to buy?  If not, that could be a great use of your time today.

This isn’t about selling people something they don’t want – but for many prospects, ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘never’.  Chances are, they were interested in your product or service when they called / asked you to visit, but the timing may not have been right, or they may not have had the budget necessary.  But things may have changed.

Keep in touch with your prospects – they are warm leads who could boost your business relatively easily.  Could you maybe call just two each day this week and reconnect with them?

I was absolutely thrilled to see the public vote with their feet in this year’s contest for the Christmas number one.  And it’s a great example to remind everyone that it’s the public who control what happens, not some well-designed marketing formula that has worked well for a number of years.

Unfortunately for Simon Cowell, I think he’s become a figure some people love to hate, which no doubt fuelled the desire to ensure he didn’t get everything his own way.  But that has always been the case – customers like to feel they’re in control, not the other way around.  And that’s exactly how it should be (which is why there has been the most horrendous backlash against the Iraq war).

So, how can you harness the ‘power of the people’ in your business?

1. Listen to your customers – what are people saying about you?  Are they happy, or are they leaving dissatisfied.
2. Ask people what they think.  With modern technology, people could be writing complaints about you online without you even knowing they weren’t happy.  It’s always better to ask and deal with any issues immediately.
3. If people are happy, ask if they will put something in writing or whether you can quote them – testimonials give people a great deal of confidence in your abilities and can be used in your marketing materials.
4. Be nice – manners cost nothing and this is where Simon Cowell comes unstuck – he can be just plain rude.  I actually don’t watch X-Factor for that reason – I have no time for people being nasty to others – and neither do your customers.  If you’re a likeable person, customers will tend to stick around.
5. Get your customers and prospects together.  If you can find a way for these two groups to meet, your happy customers can do your selling for you.

Remember that the days of business being done to people are long gone – they now have a very siginificant voice.  If you’re in any doubt, just take a look at ‘United Broke My Guitar’ on YouTube.  It’s been viewed over 719,000 times.

It’s fair to say that people are absolutely fed up with the recession, and the doom and gloom it’s brought.  We’ve started to see some signs of recovery and, feedback from the hospitality industry suggests this Christmas could provide an amazing opportunity for plenty of businesses.

Christmas party bookings are coming in thick and fast, and it appears people are set to have a huge amount of fun this party season, after a tough year – so how can your company take advantage?

Here are just a few of our top tips:

1. Create a pre-Christmas offer to encourage sales before the holidays
2. Ensure your Christmas menus / products are out early (now at the latest)
3. Contact all the people who bought last Christmas and ask for their order
4. Send cards to all your customers and prospects thanking them for their business
5. Hold a Christmas party for your staff and your customers
6. Thank the people who referred you business this year

Some of these may sound like small details, but it really is the detail that counts.  And, if you don’t thank your customers, referrers and suppliers, someone else may well do next year.