Technology issues that affect your business

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Online and On Message: Marketing Through Social Media, PT II

More ways to building interest in your store without expensive advertising.

by Heather Gooch (February 2, 2009)

(Note: In the previous issue Heather detailed how to use the new media – blogging and social networking – to target the indie crafter. To read the article, click on the title in the right-hand column.)

Users of Twitter send short messages called "tweets" to their followers. It's social networking in a 140-character limit per tweet, so it's somewhat like the other networking sites in that you can see what other people are talking about, but brevity is key. The benefit here is that an increasing amount of consumers are getting Twitter updates on their cell phones, so a well-crafted tweet might entice them to stop by your shop on their way home.

This blanket term really boils down to building up a database of customer emails, and sending them newsletters (monthly or quarterly) and alerts (as needed) that will give them a reason to visit you. Whether it's a trunk show, a killer sale, or a must-take class, let them know about it in writing. Make sure you have their permission first and are following CAN-SPAM law regulations. Here's a link to the FTC page: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/index.html.

If you made a new hire or added a product line, make an announcement. Give your customers a new reason to stop by, and give local media a heads-up that a local business is doing OK in a recession, should they want to explore it further. This ties into the previous recommendations, because you can blog about the announcement; make it part of your next newsletter (or even a special email blast to your customers, if it's big news); post it on your online profile; and make a tweet about it, too.

One of the most popular variations of this concept is Google AdWords. Have you ever noticed when searching on Google.com that results for your search – "sock monkey," for instance – are accompanied by sponsored links in the right-hand column ("Sock Monkey Collection," "Sock Monkey at Amazon," etc.)? The sponsor only pays up when a visitor clicks on his or her link. And before you say "I'm just a local business," consider that you can specify that your ads would only appear in your city, state or region.Yahoo and Microsoft have similar ad-word programs.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

These days, you can easily find businesses that do nothing but SEO for businesses (they're often called "search engine optimizers," or more conveniently/confusingly, SEOs). In laymen's terms, SEO is about increasing Web site traffic by inserting terms on your site that are popular search keywords. It can make sure the photo of your product is near the top of the results, for example, or if a visitor is adding your home state, you get even further up the ranks.

We live in interesting times, where consumer comfort levels with technology run the gamut of not having an email address to not shopping anywhere but online. That dichotomy even pertains to the elusive indie crafters. Make sure your marketing program covers all your bases, and you'll be sure to weather the ongoing economic storm.

(Note: Heather is Vice President of Gooch & Gooch LLC, an editorial services and marketing company specializing in business-to-business media, including the professional needlearts and craft industries. To learn more about the company's wide range of services, click on Service Provider Archives in the right-hand column, and visit www.goochandgooch.com and www.positiveyarn.com.)

xxx

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