Marketing

Posted by earthskater

Building Big Connections

Marketing, Social Media

10-Tips-to-double-your-LinkedIn-connections

We use social media like LinkedIn to make connections, establish business contacts, and build mutually beneficial relationships.  Often, we must reach out to people blindly, so to speak, without any formal introduction or direct connection.

I’ve acquired these tips through experience and hope they will work for you as well as they have for me.

1. Persistence

If you reach out to someone and they do not respond back, first do not take it personally. Popular and successful people receive hundreds of messages daily from people looking to connect, get advice, need help, and everything else under the sun.

Mr. Louis David Spagnuolo, whom I’ve had the great honor and pleasure of meeting, is one of the most popular and inspiring people on LinkedIn, and he get’s flooded with inquiries 24/7, so start thinking about how you can stand out from the crowd.

Reach out as many times as it takes to establish a contact that you truly believe should be made… just don’t go overboard chasing after one contact because there are many others that you may click with sooner.

2. Timing

If you reach out and you get a response or your invitation is accepted immediately… this is great!  This means your timing was right and the context of your message was on point.

However, if you do not get an immediate response or connection, you will not give up because of rule #1. Now, you must focus on the timing and context of your next message. Do not send a second message right away and do not wait too long either.  One idea is to get to know their social media schedule so the next message you send will be at a time when you are fairly confident they may read it.

It took three years of effort before I connected with Mike Mann, a king of the domain name world, and it was largely due to persistence and timing.

Today Mike is a great collegue, I’ve worked with him personally, and was honored to serve as CTO of his company DomainMarket.com for a period of time.

3. Context

Take the time to learn about each person you want to connect with.  The key is to findhow you can provide value to your contact.  Compare their business and services with your skills and your experience.  Think in terms of what you can do for them and not what you can receive.  Think about how you can differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd of other inquiries they receive.

As Mr. Louis David Spagnuolo puts it, “If you want a seat, first bring something to the table”.

This is where context comes in.  If you explain yourself well, and within the context outlined here, and within the criteria your contact is looking for, then you will have done the work for your contact and they will instantly be able to acknowledge how you may be of immediate value and put your expertise to use.

Therefore, you must craft your message in the context of the need or desire you can fulfill.  Your message should be about helping your contact to fulfill that need for free (gratis, pro-bono) if possible or on an introductory (trial) basis.  Only then, with the right timing and the right context, are you most likely to get a response.

Once you establish your new connection, work as quickly as you can to iron out the details of your offer and then to fulfill the terms of your discussion or agreement.  You may have one foot in the door but you are only one step closer to your goals.  Once you have made a new contact, it is up to you to work even harder now to cultivate that relationship in the spirit of mutually beneficial success. 

BONUS TIP:  Pick up a copy of Napoleon Hill’s “The Wisdom of Andrew Carnegie As Told To Napoleon Hill” and study the 17 Principles of Success that many of your big contacts probably follow.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below and I will be pleased to reply.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sener Korkusuz is the Founder and CEO of EarthSkater.com, dedicated to helping small business owners succeed online with custom tailored eCommerce solutions.  He is the Co-founder and CTO of the LinkedOpinions.com, a free tool used to survey your LinkedIn connections and the co-founder and CEO of the A7FL. The American 7’s Football League, The Game America Wants.

Posted by earthskater

Social Networking: Making The Right Connections

Marketing, Social Media

astronaut_with_laptop_in_space_hi

As an entrepreneur, networking plays an important role in building your business.  Even if you could do it all on your own, you would still need to network, and the sooner you start building your network, the better.

Building a network of entrepreneurs both in and out of your field starts to tell a story about who you are professionally, what opportunities you are seeking, and what inquiries you may have interest in hearing.  You can connect with everyone from industry thought leaders and influencers to potential partners and clients. First making the connections and then following your connections puts you in the position to reach out proactively so that you are prepared when a perceived opportunity arises.  The best networkers research their connections to understand them better so that they can take the right action, at the right time, with the right contact.

What does it tell you when someone does not accept your connection?  Maybe they did not get to it yet… that’s unlikely.  What is likely, is that they researched you, checked your profile, and not accepted your connection.  This can give you valuable insight as well.

Your hopeful contact chose not to accept your connection which can mean multiple things.  I’ve listed these red flags in the order of likelihood based on my experience in not connecting.

  1. Spammy looking profile (no photo, few if any connections, red flags are going off when googling you)
  2. Your approach may have been at the wrong time or if you sent a message it may have been off target  (were you soliciting first or were you bringing something to the table first
  3. You may be perceived as a direct competitor and potential threat
  4. They may see themselves as a valuable contact and not want to lend you the credibility of the connection

BONUS TIP:  If you didn’t make the connection the first time around, and you believe it is an important connection to make, don’t be afraid to try again, build your value, pick your timing, adjust your message, and try again.

Personally, I accept almost all of the connection requests I receive, but I definitely avoid #1 almost always (sometimes it’s hard to tell so I give the benefit of the doubt)… so with that, please feel free to leave your comments and questions and I look forward to connecting with you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sener Korkusuz is the Founder and CEO of EarthSkater.com, dedicated to helping small business owners succeed online with unbeatable web design, web hosting, and online store service.

Posted by earthskater

Becoming an Influencer by Blogging

Marketing

achieve-success

As a CEO, you are already the thought leader of your organization.  Your thoughts drive the actions your company takes.  Ultimately, you are the ONE responsible for leading your team, or pushing yourself, to continuously take the necessary actions to achieve success.  The goal is to increase the scale and range of your influence as a thought leader and to leverage your following and network of connections to create new bigger opportunities.

You are already the thought leader of your organization.

At this point in your career, your mind may have already shifted towards the bigger picture. Using your thoughts, your expertise, your experience, to gain influence in your market to attract new clients, partners, and opportunities.  On the other hand, you may just be beginning to get started with social media, social networking, and even the idea of blogging, let alone becoming an influencer.

JUST DO IT!

In either case, the solution is the same, as the slogan goes, JUST DO IT!  The point is to start blogging… PERIOD.  You have the passion to promote your business.  You have a likeable personality and will increasingly become more  effective in networking and making business connections.  Lastly, you have built up the feverish obsession to become successful in your business and blogging and becoming an influencer will only help you to achieve greater success.

Do not expect to, nor will you, become a national or global thought leader overnight.  But, take comfort in knowing your unique perspective holds true value to those in your industry, whether to potential clients, partners, investors, or other interested parties like press and media.

That which you are seeking is causing you to seek.

You should already be thinking about things you could blog about related to your market.  As you get involved in social networking and make new connections you will get additional ideas on what to blog about relevant to your community.  You will attract the opportunities you are seeking.  As the saying goes “that which you are seeking is causing you to seek”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sener Korkusuz is the Founder and CEO of EarthSkater.com, dedicated to helping small business owners succeed online with unbeatable web design, web hosting, and online store service.  He is the co-founder and CEO of the A7FL, American 7’s Football League.  He is the Co-founder and CTO of LinkedOpinions.com, a free tool used to survey your LinkedIn connections.

Posted by earthskater

Small Business Tip of the Day – Blogging

E-commerce, Marketing

I am often asked by small business owners, how can I get more traffic to my website…

…the simple answer to getting more traffic to your website is in BLOGGING.

Often, there is very little to no budget available for PayPerClick, social media advertising, or other paid advertising.

On the other hand, business owners with passion are willing to do the work themselves, the thing is, they just want to know what to do…

After working with expensive strategic advisors and marketing experts, I can tell you that the simple answer to getting more traffic to your website is in BLOGGING.

A blog is just a silly word for a web page.

Your blog can be built into your website or hosted on a different domain name entirely.  Your blog is organized by date and category, which is why you need to use a blog content management system like WordPress or similar because it will ensure your blog posts are in the proper format and organized for your readers.

It is up to you, just like the sharks of SharkTank, Mark Cuban and the like, have become expert bloggers.  They’ve defined the  idea of becoming an influencer, of becoming a thought leader, and if they can do it… then why can’t you?  There is NO reason why, it’s a rhetorical question!

I myself, personally, am starting right now, with this, my first post of what I anticipate to be a regular stream to follow.  I am opening up, reaching out, and helping small business owners/entrepreneurs through the benefit of my background and expertise as a CEO in e-commerce.

My aim is to help entrepreneurs through my unique point of view and perspective on e-commerce and provide food for thought on how to compete in increasingly competitive marketplaces.

So, to sum it all up, start your blog, post your perspectives on the marketplace, share those posts on your social media accounts, and get active on the platforms you are posting to, build your community, and the rest will follow.

Look for more posts on these topics and others related to e-commerce, online stores, marketing and advertising, and visit me at www.earthskater.com to learn more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sener Korkusuz is the Founder and CEO of EarthSkater.com, dedicated to helping small business owners succeed online with unbeatable web design, web hosting, and online store service.  He is the co-founder and CEO of the A7FL, American 7’s Football League.  He is the Co-founder and CTO of LinkedOpinions.com, a free tool used to survey your LinkedIn connections.

Posted by earthskater

Quick & Deadly Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

Marketing, Social Media

Social media is now mainstream.  Businesses across the globe use it to promote their wares.  Today, it forms an integral component of brand marketing.  Above all, it is a simple and valuable tool that can generate substantial investment returns for companies.

Yet, a majority of social media marketers continue making some deadly mistakes that stunts business growth.  In this blog, we will explore some of these mistakes and suggest ways to address them:

No strategy

A well-developed social media strategy enables companies to effectively deliver their desired message. It helps build more powerful and impactful social media campaigns.

Having a comprehensive social media strategy makes it plausible for marketers to set goals, frame a roadmap to achieve them, and most importantly, measure results.

Posting without thinking

Too often, marketers post whatever comes to their mind. It is crucial to reflect on the message that firms intend to convey to their audiences.

Before posting content, social media marketers need to think of ways to improve each post. Ultimately, online users want engaging and thought provoking content that adds value to their lives.

Too many social media platforms

Although each social media platform has its own significance, businesses should avoid using too many social media marketing platforms. Small businesses, in particular, should focus on one platform before branching out to the next.

And most importantly, marketers should refrain from promoting the same product on all of their platforms. As most people follow their companies on multiple channels, they will receive duplicate content that won’t go down well.

Not interacting with followers

Social media is all about interaction and engagement with followers. Aside from posting information about brands, interacting with followers builds trust and a long term relationship.

But remember, social media interaction requires time and effort. Marketers should strive to do it at least once a day and then gradually increase the interaction rate. It is possible that this interaction rate will be low in the beginning. However, it will build up as time passes.

Not focusing on brand value

From startups to established companies, almost every business is on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram these days. With so many brands out there on social media, marketers need to focus on their key value proposition. They should strive to show the audiences what makes them different from their competition.

Not converting followers

It is critical to convert followers into customers. Conversion is essential for business growth. Hence, firms need to develop engaging posts that can compel their followers to make a purchase. Equally important is to identify and engage those followers who regularly share product posts.


There is more to social media marketing than simply posting content on Twitter or Facebook. Successful social media marketing requires concerted effort and planning.

If you need help with setting up your social media account, we can help.  As one of the best website design companies, we offer valuable services for website set up as well as its marketing and advertising. Click here to contact us.

Posted by earthskater

The Art of Converting Visitors into Loyal Customers

Marketing, SEO, Web Design

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Have you ever walked into a shop and grabbed the first item on your list without even looking at it because you know that it’s your go-to item, no matter what? Your complete trust in that product is what makes you a loyal customer. As someone who works in the industry of providing customers with the products and services they need, the first thing you need to understand is the mentality of a basic customer. So why is it that your business hasn’t garnered loyal customer base? Why can’t the product or the business hold on to a visitor?

As we discuss the process of converting visitors into loyal customers, we shall learn some of the strategies which can be used to make sure that these customers stay long term, along with some of the mistakes that should be avoided so that the customers stay connected to the product.

Engaging Web Design

If you do not have a professional web design that boasts your product in a positive way then it won’t matter how good your product is. For example, as one of the best website design companies, we at Earth Skater try to create a versatile web design which is not only aesthetically pleasing but also clean and crisp enough to give the customers all the information they need at first glance.

Reason for Return

If you have an online store setup, then you might notice that many customers leave their shopping carts without purchasing anything. According to fairly recent research, it is found that 37% of customers leave their carts because the product is either too expensive, or they were just browsing. The best way to have a loyal customer base is to give them a reason to actually want to come back. Study the numbers you get from your own economic plan and try to give customers near to what they need so that they are more tempted to return.

Building a Connection

Studies show that only 32% of customers place more orders in their first year as a customer, and most do not even visit again. The reason behind this is because they do not maintain a connection with the company. If a customer signs on to a website, they supply their name, contact information, their likes and interests and what they’d like to see. Using this information to send them important news such as new arrivals or deals can give the customer a chance to come back and buy a product that sparks their interest, thus creating a connection between them and the company. Also, if a customer asks something, give prompt feedback so that they know that you value their opinions and questions.

Rewards

One strategy which cinches the deal is that of giving the customer something extra. Everyone likes gifts and rewards, and if you want a customer to have a long term relation with your company then you need to give them a reason to opt for the membership. Movie tickets, coupons, free samples or latest releases of products are just some of the deals that would surely cinch a loyal customer membership.

The whole package needs to be proper if you want to convert visitors into loyal customers, and by using these strategies, you will find that the customer will actually bring in more revenue and new customers with them if you value their importance in the first place.

Posted by earthskater

Top Tips for Providing the Best Online Customer Support

Marketing

In order to keep prospective clients engaged, efficient and effective online support is indispensable. Poor customer support means that your customers are not getting the deserved attention and this factor might end up being the biggest hurdle in converting customers into ‘loyal’ customers. Customers get engaged and show loyalty only when they feel that their needs are not just being met, but consistently being met. A customer demands to be guided in the right direction to establish a lifelong relationship with the brand.

In a nutshell, to assure the overall success of your business, the following tips must be followed to generate best online customer support:

Offer Consistent Support

Businesses that offer multichannel support must ensure that the customer support is consistent. Customers must not feel any hesitation and difference between communicating over one channel and another. If you are operating through a single channel, then offering customer support is fairly easy; however, if you are introducing another support channel then additional efforts must be made to ensure that your brand conveys the same message across all platforms.

In simpler words, your customer support team must provide the same answers and advice on every podium. In order to do this, make sure your support team has a comprehensive product and service knowledge, are good at diagnosing and solving problems, and are courteous and considerate.

Value Your Customers’ Time

Nothing could frustrate your clients more than waiting for customized solutions for their problems. Businesses must understand that customers must have instant access to the support team. Make sure someone informative, helpful and considerate is always present on duty to help resolve client queries and problems. The ultimate purpose of live chat is to allow clients to come in direct contact with customer representatives. Ideally, the response time over a live chat mustn’t be more than 60 seconds; in case there is a delay, make sure the representatives are able to convince customers with valid reasoning.

Talk in Layman Terms

When your customer service representatives are interacting with clients, ask them to avoid using jargon and technical terms that customers cannot comprehend. Train them to talk in the simplest manner, utilizing plain and ordinary spoken words. For instance, if a large chunk of information is to be explained to customers, make sure it is broken down into smaller, simpler sub-sections and explained one by one. Moreover, agents must ask the clients in between whether or not they are grasping the concepts and are finding the information useful.

If you are looking for affordably priced online store software for online store setup, then Earth Skater is your solution. In addition to offering the best customer support and services, we provide the right guidance and assistance to our clients as to how they can draw and retain their customer base. Here’s how we can support you in case you have any queries.

Posted by earthskater

Some Awesome Features That Earth Skater Offers

Marketing

Online retail markets have been booming since the early days of e-commerce. Moreover, accounting to convenience and expediency, consumers prefer shopping online than from traditional stores. While the process of setting up an online store seems daunting, it isn’t as difficult as it seems to be.

This is exactly the purpose of Earth Skater. We are an online store builder, specializing in online store development. Our aim is to provide all those aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to set up an online store which would not only be operational on laptops and PCs, but also on mobile devices. By hiring us, you are allowing our team of technical experts to take on the responsibility of setting up an online store ranging from website designing to programming and marketing the store to the target market.

Earth Skater’s range of unequaled services include logo/banner creation, product transfers, web content, icon creation, developing shipping connections and payment gateways. Regardless of whether you are a nascent entrepreneur or a sought after businessman, we will have everything covered for you at nominal rates.

Online Store Features

We permit our clients to choose one of our mobile friendly responsive sites or stick to their current website design. From website design to logo, setting up shipping to payment settings, and content and product transfers, we handle it all on your behalf. Your account home page will consist of easily accessible variables such as email, webmail, stats, SSL security, PCI compliance and backup. As a recommendation, we have a features list that allows you to pick and choose essential features that your website must have such as taking donations, charging credit cards or checks, offering wholesale prices etc. Once your online store setup is complete, we will continue to assist and help you out whenever needed, at affordable rates.

Affiliate Tracking Program

Our Affiliate tracking program will be a part of your website where anyone can become an affiliate and refer business to your website to generate sales for a certain commission. Affiliates make use of their own unique links to refer customers to your website. At Earth Skater, we offer multiple marketing banners to choose from. Moreover, we offer the ability to track affiliate clicks, conversions, commissions and payments.

Setup Features

Every hosting package offered by Earth Skater includes a complete and complimentary setup so you don’t have to do anything on your own. Our online store setup includes responsive and mobile-friendly website design, product export & import, transfer content, starter logo design and email setup and more. Moreover, each and every plan includes a free 1st year domain name, whereas, standard and above plans include a 1st year SSL security certificate.

We will allow you to have a website that you will be proud of! Specializing in e-commerce, we guarantee a professional website every time.

Posted by earthskater

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Marketing

Businesses that do not utilize social media as a marketing tool consider it nothing more than a steep, complicated learning curve that has no practical advantages. On the other hand, there are entrepreneurs that realize the true power of this fad and believe that its full advantage must be taken before the spotlight hogs onto something else.

According to a research conducted last year, 92% of the marketers asserted that social media was important for their business; while 80% indicated that their efforts increased the traffic on their website. Needless to say, social media has a great potential to boost sales, required if businesses have a thorough knowledge and understanding of social media tools.

Read below to find out how social media marketing can improve your business performance:

Greater Brand Recognition

Every opportunity that you come across to pool in the content and increase your visibility is vital. Consider social media as another tool to voice your business idea and content. They not only permit you to reach out to new customers, but also make your business more accessible, familiar and recognizable to existing customers. For instance, a customer on Facebook would get to hear first about your new offering while browsing over his/her news feed. The fact of the matter is, customers become better acquainted with your brand when they witness it over multiple social networks.

Better Conversion Opportunities

Each and every post you make on social media is a prospect for customers to convert. Every blog, image, video or post you share over the internet allows someone to react, and every reaction leads to a site visit and ultimately a conversion. Once businesses build a following, they will concurrently have access to new, recent and old customers. However, keep in mind that every reaction will not result in a conversion, but increase the likelihood of eventually turning into one.

Reduced Marketing Costs

If the recent statistics are to go by, 84% of the marketers stated that it required no more than 6 hours per week to generate increased traffic. For a communication channel as big as social media, 6 hours are not very significant. If you spend a single hour per day to develop your content and syndication strategy, your efforts would bear fruit soon. Paid advertisement on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter charge relatively less than other advertising tools.

If you are on a limited budget and want maximum exposure for your budding online business, then turn to Earth Skater, the best website design company. We are the best online store software, offering online store development services at affordable range. Read through our services page or contact us for your queries.

Posted by earthskater

Justifying A Search Engine Marketing Budget

Advertising, Marketing, PPC, SEO

How do you justify the investment of Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Content Marketing, and other traffic generation methods to your VP of Marketing, CFO, President, or CEO.   And how do you quantify the value of search engine traffic?

How To Calculate What Your Visitors Are Worth

Some search engine optimization firms charge on a pay-for-performance basis.

A top 10 ranking would almost definitely produce more click throughs than a top 30 ranking.  Typically, they are the only rankings that generate real traffic for your website.  If we use the figure of 200 monthly visitors from one top 10 ranked keyword that is relevant to your business, the value begins to become more clear.   Factor in the sales that those clicks generate and you are close to the numbers.

Don’t forget that once you achieve a top position, little effort is required to maintain that position. So, in reality, it could generate as many as 2,400 visitors in a year.

Analyze your log files. How many visitors do your top 30 search engine positions bring in each month? Now multiply the average of number of monthly visitors these search terms bring in by 12. This is your average return-on-investment of each top position for a whole year.

How much does it cost you to acquire a visitor at present?

Top positions in pay-per-click search engines, may cost you from $2.50 to $10 per click.

As you can see, search engine optimization clearly produces an excellent return-on-investment.

Don’t forget that search engine positioning is effective, because the traffic is very targeted. Prospects who find your site through search engines are actively looking for information on products and services just like yours.

Search Engine Optimization Is A Science

Just like other forms of marketing and advertising, search engine optimization requires persistence and a lot of testing.

The optimization process is complex and time-consuming. You’re trying to align your Web pages with the ranking algorithms of the search engines, while at the same time trying to out-smart your competitor’s optimizers.

But the fact remains, search engine optimization is cost effective, and should not be ignored.

Call 877-627-2492 to discuss your marketing plan today.

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