@YSmallBusiness Online Marketing Twitter Chat Recap

Brad Dorsey

6 min read ·

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We hosted a live chat on Twitter yesterday to discuss the topic of online marketing in general and the new Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard in particular. It was hosted by @SmallBizLady, aka Melinda Emerson, host of #SmallBizChat, Author of the book, "Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months" http://www.succeedasyourownboss.co.

We compiled the highlights of the chat into the following transcript. The only changes have been omissions and a few corrections of typos to improve clarity. We also made a Twitter list of all the active participants which you can subscribe to here: https://twitter.com/#!/YSmallBusiness/ydashboard-chat.

Chat questions and answers

@SmallBizLady 12:29pm
Good afternoon everyone and thanks so much for joining us for the Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard Tweet Chat!

@SmallBizLady 12:32pmQ1 What are some techniques to attract new customers?

@YSmallBusiness 12:32pm@SmallBizLady is the author of Become Your Own Boss and blogger of Succeed As Your Own Boss.

@SmallBizLady 12:32pm
A1 The tools that I find to be most useful for attracting new customers are blogging and using social media.

@SmallBizLady 12:33pm
A1b When you position your business with an authoritative blog you will attract customers to you.

@SmallBizLady 12:33pm
A1c Your blog should already show that you are qualified to solve your customers business challenge.

@SmallBizLady 12:35pm
RT @YSmallBusiness: One Q1 answer. 4 Cost-Effective Tips to Get More Customer Leads for Your Business yhoo.it/MBFsXE

@MarcREnriquez 12:36pm
A1a No matter how attractive your product/service is, people may not be ready to buy right now.

@AlexSocialMedi1 12:36pm@SmallBizLady I actually think social media is more important at this point, especially if there is good interaction.

@SmallBizLady 12:37pm@AlexSocialMedi1 I agreee totally.

@MarcREnriquez 12:37pm
A1b You must therefore put out educational content to alert prospects to the nature/severity of their issues.

@SmallBizLady 12:37pmQ2 What tools generate the most customers for you?

@YSmallBusiness 1:05pm
A2. more tips Managing Your Reputation is the New Key to Customer Service yhoo.it/MBFley

@MarcREnriquez 12:38pm
A1c As well as content to describe ways to solve those issues – this develops interest in solutions.

@SmallBizLady 12:39pm
A2 I have found the best results in using Twitter and LinkedIn to find customers with Facebook being the third option.

@SmallBizLady 12:39pm
A2b Writing guest blogs on other high profile websites also is a big help.

@MarcREnriquez 12:39pm
A1d By offering valuable knowledge before trying to sell, you become a trusted advisor to your market.

@AlexSocialMedi1 12:41pm@SmallBizLady Most of my projects are local, and Facebook is the best for that, in my opinion.

@SmallBizLady 12:41pmQ3 How have you optimized your website for the search engines?

@MarcREnriquez 12:42pm
A2a The key to having #marketing efforts pay off is having a SYSTEM to convert prospects > leads > clients.

@MarcREnriquez 12:42pm
A2b Everything else you do – #socialmedia,#publicity, #directmail, etc. – simply feeds your system.

@SmallBizLady 12:42pm
A3 I use the WordPress platform for my blog which has built in SEO functionality

@YSmallBusiness 12:43pm
30% of US Small Businesses need help identifying the right keywords.

@YSmallBusiness 1:05pm
Q3 answer from YSB advisor – the single BEST way to optimize SEO is to provide great content for your clients and customers

@easton_place 12:43pm@SmallBizLady hi all! Jumping in while I can 🙂 A2: Social media is a wonderful tool IMO

@harriscommerce 12:43pm
A3: It's good to incorporate key search terms that also help describe your services.

@YSmallBusiness 1:05pm
Q3 answer. Online Marketing Revolves Around Your Reputation yhoo.it/NGOII1

@SmallBizLady 12:44pm
A3b I use Scribe scribeseo.com to get keyword suggestions for each blog post to increase the searchability of my website

@MarcREnriquez 12:44pm
A3 WordPress w/ SEO and #socialmedia plugins help a great deal – but it's the content that draws visitors to you.

@easton_place 12:44pm@SmallBizLady Agreed! Twitter is top if the list.

@harriscommerce 12:45pm
A3: It's good to incorporate key search terms that also help describe your services within your website content.

@YSmallBusiness 12:46pm
The Free Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard makes it easy to understand what keywords are driving traffic yhoo.it/JzZJtK

@SmallBizLady 12:48pmQ4 What are the best sources of leads for a small business?

@MarcREnriquez 12:48pm
A3b As important as SEO and content are – make sure your site is also "CRO'd" – Conversion Rate Optimized

@MarcREnriquez 12:49pm
A4a In general, best source of leads is referrals from existing clients. They come at least partly pre-sold

@harriscommerce 12:50pm
A4: State contracting websites have been helpful leads!

@SmallBizLady 12:50pm
RT @LoisMarketing: The best sources of leads for a small business? << Referrals from existing customers/clients

@MarcREnriquez 12:51pm
A4b But even referred leads aren't necessarily ready to buy – make sure you have a nurture system in place.

@SmallBizLady 12:51pmQ5 Do you use analytics to determine where your website traffic is coming from?

@easton_place 12:51pm@SmallBizLady A4: Best leads always come from referrals. Happy clients = return clients & quality referrals & leads 🙂

@MarcREnriquez 12:51pm
A4c And unless you know how to REALLY leverage them, it's a bad idea to buy leads generated by someone else.

@SmallBizLady 12:52pm
A5 Since my blog is my business, I look at the analytics of my blog and#Smalbizchat from Twitter each week.

@SmallBizLady 12:52pm
A5b We use Google Analytics and tweetreports.com to pull the data.

@SmallBizLady 12:52pm
The Free Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard makes it easy to understand what keywords are driving traffic yhoo.it/JzZJtK

@MarcREnriquez 12:53pm
A5 I use WordPress referral data as well as Google Analytics.

@SmallBizLady 12:54pm
A5c I also use @ZimanaAnalytics to produces analytics reports with a summary and suggestions of what we need to adjust.

@YSmallBusiness 12:54pm
.@SmallBizLady the free Marketing Dashboard seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics: yhoo.it/JzZJtK

@YSmallBusiness 1:04pm
Q5. The Path To Recommendation — What Every Small Business Needs to Know yhoo.it/LSbLz9

@harriscommerce 12:52pm
A5: Have not yet utilized analytics for SEO traffic; I know it's needed but it seems overwhelming.

@MarcREnriquez 12:55pm@harriscommerce Unless you're willing to hire it out – you're gonna have to make time to learn it. #Analytics are vital.

@SmallBizLady 12:55pmQ6 How do you use email to engage your audience (newsletters, special offers, etc.)?

@Zigginnators 12:57pm@SmallBizLady I use it for links to other info, keep them up to date on company happenings and to give special offers

@MarcREnriquez 12:57pm
A6a Email (and even PRINT) newsletters are VITAL – but to be engaging they have to do MORE than be salesy.

@SmallBizLady 12:57pm
A6 Email is really the only way to monetize social media.

@MarcREnriquez 12:58pm
A6b You need to produce content that not only informs but also entertains, and shares personality.

@SmallBizLady 12:58pm
A6b I'm a big social media user, but I can't do business unless I have my customer's contact information.

@contentwithlane 12:58pm
A5: We use Google Analytics and HubSpot for Analytics.

@MarcREnriquez 12:58pm
A6c If you aim for "Pass Along Value" (meaning it makes readers want to share) – you're doing it right.

@SmallBizLady 1:00pm
A6c I have several ways to engage my web visitors to give their contact information: free downloads, blog sign-up, giveaways

@easton_place 1:00pm@SmallBizLady A6: Monthly newsletter with or without special offers. Always a follow up email a week after product received:)

@MarcREnriquez 1:01pm
A6d FYI, most people aren't interested in *another* newsletter, so entice subscribers w/ free content.

@YSmallBusiness 1:03pm
Branding Through Social Media Profiles | Profit Minded – Yahoo! Small Business Advisor yhoo.it/KPkk1F

@MarcREnriquez 1:04pm
A6e Also, paid newsletter/continuity programs = high perceived value = high readership & purchase frequency.

@SmallBizLady 1:05pmQ7 How do you entice customers to sign up for your mailing list?

@harriscommerce 1:07pm
A7: Build quick sign-ups by offering a teaser to the prospective subscriber. Engage them to keep them wanting more.

@MarcREnriquez 1:08pm
A7a Most service businesses can offer a free report or content related to what they do.

@MarcREnriquez 1:09pm
A7b #Retail businesses are often unsure what to offer to entice subscription. Doesn't have to be coupons.

@MarcREnriquez 1:10pm
A7c #Retail biz can ALSO offer variety of reports related to things to do w/ what they sell.

@MarcREnriquez 1:10pm
A7d So the grocer can offer recipes, and the hobby shop can offer model painting tips.

@SmallBizLady 1:11pm
A7 Offering a free quote is a great way to get contact information as well.

@YSmallBusiness 1:12pm
Ten tweeting tips for small businesses | Profit Minded – Yahoo! Small Business Advisor yhoo.it/LSarfH

@SmallBizLady 1:12pmQ8 Do any of you use online directories or local online business lists?

@YSmallBusiness 1:14pm
Small businesses say online directories are the marketing option they use most now and are most likely to use in next 12 months

@YSmallBusiness 1:17pm
The free Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard gathers ratings, reviews, mentions from up to 8K sources: yhoo.it/JzZJtK

@contentwithlane 1:17pm
A8 @SmallBizLady Yes, I used getlisted.org when I first started.

@SmallBizLady 1:18pmQ9 What are some ways you get customers to write reviews for your biz online?

@YSmallBusiness 1:18pm
How does online data affect your biz's rep? 83% of consumers say online reviews influence their perceptions about companies

@MarcREnriquez 1:19pm
A8 Get listed in as many directories as possible – provides citations to search engines' local listings.

@consultlisainks 1:19pm@radiantcosmetic I am more likely to sign up for a free eBook than newsletter.

@YSmallBusiness 1:20pm
According to eMarketer, 8 of 10 Web users said negative info online made them change their mind about purchase decisions

@consultlisainks 1:20pm
I just ask and provide a link. RT @SmallBizLady: Q9 What are some ways you get customers to write reviews for your biz online?

@SmallBizLady 1:21pm
A9 Within 7 days after a purchase send ur customer an email with a link to ur yelp page to ask them for a review. Make it easy!

@MarcREnriquez 1:21pm
A9 One favorite review-gettin' strategy: Offer monthly raffle entries for people who write reviews.

@harriscommerce 1:21pm
A9: Convey to customers to allow your company to remedy any concerns so that any review posted is positive.

@WithinEssence 1:23pm
@YSmallBusiness @consultlisainks @radiantcosmetic Same here! I love e-books

@easton_place 1:23pm
A9: I ask them when I send the follow up email or handwritten letter. A happy client is thrilled to give a review/feedback!

@harriscommerce 1:24pm
A9b: Having an excellent/high/good rating is esp important on eBay and sellers include that request in the product listing.

@YSmallBusiness 1:28pm
Try the Dashboard to discover lead gen opps. 1 mo free of Rep Mgmt Quarterly w/ the code DASHREP1MO. yhoo.it/JzZJtK

Brad Dorsey