Category: Running a Business

Social media platforms have revolutionized the way businesses interact with their customers. With billions of active users, social media presents a massive opportunity for small businesses to reach out to their target audience and boost sales. In this article, we will explore how small businesses can use social media to increase their sales.

1. Identify Your Target Audience The first step in using social media to boost sales is to identify your target audience. Knowing who your ideal customer is and where they hang out on social media will help you tailor your marketing efforts to reach them effectively. Use social media analytics to identify your audience’s demographics, interests, behaviors, and preferences.
2. Create Compelling Content Once you know who your target audience is, you need to create compelling content that resonates with them. Use high-quality images, videos, and engaging captions to showcase your products or services in a way that captures your audience’s attention. Create a content calendar and post regularly to keep your audience engaged and interested.
3. Leverage Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy for small businesses to reach new audiences and drive sales. Find influencers in your niche with a large following and collaborate with them to promote your products or services. Influencers can create sponsored posts, reviews, or share their experiences using your product or service.
4. Utilize Social Media Advertising Social media advertising is a cost-effective way for small businesses to reach a larger audience and boost sales. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer advanced targeting options that allow you to reach people based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. Create compelling ad copy and use high-quality images or videos to grab your audience’s attention.
5. Engage with Your Audience Social media is all about engagement. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and reviews. Address any concerns or questions your audience may have promptly and professionally. This will not only help you build a loyal following but also increase your credibility and trust with your customers.
6. Run Contests and Giveaways Contests and giveaways are a great way to increase engagement and drive sales. Create social media contests and giveaways that encourage your audience to participate and share your content with their friends and family. Offer prizes or discounts to winners to incentivize participation and generate buzz around your brand.
7. Monitor and Measure Your Results To ensure your social media efforts are paying off, monitor and measure your results regularly. Use social media analytics to track your reach, engagement, click-through rates, conversions, and sales. Use this data to fine-tune your strategies and optimize your social media marketing efforts for maximum impact.

In conclusion, social media is a powerful tool that small businesses can use to increase their sales and grow their business. By identifying your target audience, creating compelling content, leveraging influencer marketing, utilizing social media advertising, engaging with your audience, running contests and giveaways, and monitoring and measuring your results, you can boost your sales and achieve long-term success.

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Introduction:

Email marketing remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient strategies for small businesses to engage with their audience, nurture leads, and drive conversions. With the right approach, small businesses can leverage email marketing to build relationships, boost brand awareness, and increase sales. In this article, we will explore effective strategies that small business owners can implement to optimize their email marketing efforts and achieve significant results.

1. Build a Targeted Email List:

Start by building a targeted email list consisting of individuals who have shown interest in your products or services. Offer valuable incentives, such as exclusive content or discounts, in exchange for email subscriptions. Ensure compliance with email marketing regulations, such as obtaining permission and providing clear opt-in and opt-out options.

2. Segment Your Email List:

Segment your email list based on relevant criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. By segmenting your list, you can deliver more personalized and targeted messages that resonate with specific segments of your audience. This increases the chances of engagement and conversion.

3. Craft Compelling and Personalized Emails:

Create compelling email content that grabs attention and delivers value to your subscribers. Personalize your emails by addressing recipients by their name and tailoring the content based on their preferences or past interactions. Use persuasive language, compelling subject lines, and clear call-to-action (CTA) to drive engagement and conversions.

4. Implement Automated Email Campaigns:

Utilize marketing automation tools to implement automated email campaigns that nurture leads and guide subscribers through the customer journey. Set up welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, birthday greetings, or post-purchase follow-ups to deliver relevant messages at the right time. Automation saves time and ensures consistent communication.

5. Provide Valuable and Relevant Content:

Focus on providing valuable and relevant content in your emails to engage your subscribers. Offer educational resources, industry insights, helpful tips, or exclusive offers. Strive to deliver content that solves problems or addresses the pain points of your audience. Valuable content builds trust and positions your brand as an authority in your industry.

6. Optimize for Mobile Devices:

With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s crucial to optimize your emails for mobile responsiveness. Ensure that your emails are easily readable and visually appealing on various screen sizes. Use a mobile-friendly email template and test your emails across different devices and email clients.

7. Test and Optimize Your Emails:

Conduct A/B testing to optimize your email campaigns. Test different elements such as subject lines, CTAs, visuals, or email copy to identify what resonates best with your audience. Use the insights gained from testing to refine your strategies and improve the performance of your email campaigns.

8. Encourage Social Sharing and Forwarding:

Include social sharing buttons and encourage your subscribers to share your emails on social media or forward them to their contacts. This extends your reach and allows your content to reach a wider audience, potentially attracting new subscribers and customers.

9. Monitor Email Analytics:

Regularly monitor email analytics to gain insights into the performance of your email campaigns. Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. Analyzing these metrics helps you understand the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions for improvement.

10. Maintain Email Deliverability and Compliance:

Ensure high deliverability of your emails by following email best practices and maintaining a clean email list. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and manage bounces and spam complaints. Comply with email marketing regulations, such as including an unsubscribe link and honoring opt-out requests promptly.

Conclusion:

Email marketing remains a powerful tool for small businesses to engage with their audience and drive business growth. By building a targeted email list, segmenting your audience, crafting compelling and personalized emails, implementing automated campaigns, providing valuable content, optimizing for mobile devices, testing and optimizing your emails, encouraging social sharing, monitoring email analytics, and maintaining deliverability and compliance, you can leverage the full potential of email marketing to nurture leads, foster customer relationships, and drive conversions for your small business.

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Introduction:

Social media has become an indispensable tool for small businesses to reach and engage with their target audience. A well-executed social media marketing strategy can significantly enhance brand visibility, attract customers, and drive business growth. In this article, we will explore effective strategies that small business owners can implement to maximize their social media marketing efforts and achieve impactful results.

1. Define Your Social Media Goals:

Start by defining clear and measurable goals for your social media marketing efforts. Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales, having specific objectives allows you to align your strategies and track your progress effectively.

2. Identify Your Target Audience:

Identify your target audience on social media platforms. Understand their demographics, interests, and online behavior. This knowledge helps you tailor your content and messaging to resonate with your ideal customers, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion.

3. Choose the Right Social Media Platforms:

Select social media platforms that align with your target audience and business objectives. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube are popular options, but consider niche platforms that cater specifically to your industry. Focusing on relevant platforms ensures that you reach your target audience effectively.

4. Develop a Content Strategy:

Create a content strategy that aligns with your brand identity and resonates with your target audience. Plan a mix of content types, such as informative blog posts, visually appealing images or videos, engaging polls or quizzes, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Consistency and quality are key to building an engaged following.

5. Optimize Your Profiles:

Optimize your social media profiles to present a cohesive and professional brand image. Use consistent branding elements, such as your logo, color scheme, and tone of voice. Write compelling and keyword-rich descriptions, and include links to your website and other relevant platforms.

6. Engage and Interact with Your Audience:

Social media is all about building relationships and fostering engagement. Regularly engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions. Ask questions, run polls, and encourage conversation to spark interactions and create a sense of community around your brand.

7. Leverage User-Generated Content:

Encourage your followers to generate content related to your brand. Share user-generated content (UGC) that showcases positive experiences or creative use of your products/services. UGC adds authenticity and encourages others to engage with your brand.

8. Utilize Influencer Marketing:

Collaborate with influencers who have a significant following in your target market. Seek out influencers whose values align with your brand and work together on sponsored content, product reviews, or brand endorsements. Influencers can amplify your reach and lend credibility to your brand.

9. Run Targeted Advertising Campaigns:

Leverage social media advertising to reach a wider audience and achieve specific objectives. Platforms like Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads allow you to target users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Set clear campaign goals, define your target audience, and optimize your ads to maximize results.

10. Analyze and Adapt:

Regularly analyze your social media metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to gain insights into what works and what doesn’t. Use analytics tools provided by social media platforms to track engagement, reach, conversions, and audience demographics. Adjust your strategies based on the data to continuously improve your social media marketing efforts.

Conclusion:

A well-executed social media marketing strategy can be a game-changer for small businesses, providing a platform to engage with your target audience, build brand awareness, and drive business growth. By defining your goals, identifying your target audience, choosing the right platforms, developing a content strategy, optimizing your profiles, engaging with your audience, leveraging user-generated content and influencer marketing, running targeted advertising campaigns, and analyzing and

adapting your strategies, you can maximize the potential of social media as a powerful marketing tool for your small business. Embrace the opportunities offered by social media and stay consistent, authentic, and responsive to cultivate a thriving online presence.

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Introduction:

Building and maintaining strong relationships with customers is essential for the success of small businesses. An effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy helps businesses better understand their customers, nurture relationships, and drive customer loyalty and retention. In this article, we will explore effective strategies that small business owners can implement to enhance their CRM efforts and foster long-term customer relationships.

1. Implement a CRM System:

Start by implementing a CRM system tailored to the needs of your small business. A CRM system centralizes customer data, interactions, and insights, providing a holistic view of each customer. It enables you to track customer interactions, manage leads, and analyze customer behavior and preferences. Choose a CRM system that aligns with your business requirements and budget.

2. Capture and Organize Customer Data:

Collect and organize customer data systematically within your CRM system. This includes demographic information, purchase history, communication preferences, and any relevant customer interactions. Ensure data accuracy and regularly update customer records to maintain a complete and up-to-date customer database.

3. Personalize Customer Interactions:

Utilize the customer data stored in your CRM system to personalize interactions with your customers. Address them by name, understand their preferences, and tailor your communications and offerings accordingly. Personalization demonstrates that you value your customers as individuals, enhancing their overall experience with your business.

4. Nurture Customer Relationships:

Implement strategies to nurture relationships with your customers. Use your CRM system to track and manage customer touchpoints, such as email marketing campaigns, follow-up calls, or personalized offers. Regularly engage with customers to build rapport, provide value, and address any concerns promptly. Consistent communication helps foster loyalty and strengthens the customer-business relationship.

5. Provide Exceptional Customer Service:

Deliver exceptional customer service to build strong relationships. Train your customer-facing staff to be knowledgeable, empathetic, and responsive. Encourage a customer-centric culture within your organization, where every interaction is an opportunity to exceed customer expectations. Promptly address customer inquiries, resolve issues efficiently, and actively seek feedback to continuously improve your service.

6. Implement Loyalty Programs:

Create and implement loyalty programs to reward and incentivize customer loyalty. Use your CRM system to track customer purchases and identify loyal customers. Offer exclusive discounts, rewards, or VIP privileges to show appreciation for their continued support. Loyalty programs not only encourage repeat purchases but also foster a sense of belonging and strengthen customer relationships.

7. Leverage Customer Feedback:

Regularly seek customer feedback to gain insights into their experiences and preferences. Use surveys, feedback forms, or online reviews to gather feedback. Analyze the feedback received and make necessary improvements based on customer suggestions. Demonstrating that you value their opinions and actively listen to their feedback helps strengthen the customer-business relationship.

8. Engage in Personalized Marketing:

Utilize your CRM system to segment your customer base and deliver targeted, personalized marketing campaigns. Send tailored offers, product recommendations, or relevant content based on customer preferences and behaviors. Personalized marketing increases engagement, drives conversions, and enhances the overall customer experience.

9. Build Customer Advocacy:

Encourage customer advocacy by providing exceptional experiences and actively seeking referrals. Offer incentives for customer referrals and implement referral programs. Actively engage with satisfied customers and encourage them to share their positive experiences through reviews, testimonials, or social media. Customer advocacy helps expand your customer base and enhances your reputation.

10. Continuously Analyze and Improve:

Regularly analyze CRM data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of your CRM strategies. Identify trends, customer behavior patterns, and areas for improvement. Use these insights to refine your CRM processes, tailor your marketing efforts, and provide an even better customer experience over time.

Conclusion:

Implementing effective CRM strategies is crucial for small businesses to

foster strong and long-lasting customer relationships. By implementing a CRM system, capturing and organizing customer data, personalizing interactions, nurturing relationships, providing exceptional customer service, implementing loyalty programs, leveraging customer feedback, engaging in personalized marketing, building customer advocacy, and continuously analyzing and improving your CRM efforts, you can create a customer-centric business and drive customer loyalty and retention. Invest in CRM as a fundamental aspect of your business strategy to cultivate meaningful connections with your customers.

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Introduction:

In today’s competitive marketplace, establishing a strong brand identity and differentiation is crucial for small businesses to stand out and attract customers. A well-defined brand helps build trust, fosters customer loyalty, and positions your business as unique and relevant. In this article, we will explore effective strategies that small business owners can implement to enhance their branding efforts and differentiate themselves from competitors.

1. Define Your Brand Identity:

Start by clearly defining your brand identity. Identify your mission, values, and unique selling proposition (USP). Determine what sets your business apart and what you want to be known for. Create a compelling brand story that resonates with your target audience. This foundational step forms the basis for all your branding efforts.

2. Know Your Target Audience:

To effectively differentiate your business, you need to understand your target audience inside out. Conduct market research to identify their needs, preferences, and pain points. Create buyer personas to visualize your ideal customers and tailor your branding messages and strategies to resonate with them. By speaking directly to your target audience, you can differentiate yourself from generic competitors.

3. Develop a Memorable Brand Name and Visual Identity:

Choose a brand name that is memorable, relevant, and aligns with your brand identity. Design a visually appealing logo that reflects your brand personality. Develop a consistent visual identity by selecting a color palette, typography, and imagery that evoke the desired emotions and perceptions. Consistency in branding elements helps build recognition and differentiation.

4. Craft a Unique Value Proposition:

Clearly articulate your unique value proposition to differentiate your business from competitors. Identify the specific benefits or solutions you offer that no one else can replicate. Communicate this value proposition across all your marketing channels and touchpoints. Highlight what makes you different and why customers should choose your business over others.

5. Deliver Consistent Brand Messaging:

Consistency in brand messaging is key to building a strong brand image. Develop a brand voice and tone that aligns with your brand personality. Ensure that your messaging is consistent across all platforms, including your website, social media, advertising, and customer communications. Consistent messaging builds trust and reinforces your brand differentiation.

6. Provide Exceptional Customer Experiences:

Differentiate your business by providing exceptional customer experiences at every interaction point. Go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations and create memorable moments. Train your employees to deliver excellent customer service and empower them to resolve issues promptly. Positive experiences lead to customer loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations.

7. Leverage Content Marketing:

Content marketing is a powerful tool for brand differentiation. Create valuable and informative content that educates, entertains, or solves problems for your target audience. Establish yourself as an authority in your industry by sharing industry insights, expert tips, and thought leadership content. Consistent content creation helps establish your brand as a trusted resource.

8. Foster Brand Advocacy:

Encourage brand advocacy by building strong relationships with your customers. Engage with them through social media, email marketing, and other channels. Encourage customers to share their positive experiences, testimonials, and reviews. Foster a sense of community and make customers feel like valued members of your brand.

9. Collaborate and Partner with Complementary Businesses:

Seek opportunities to collaborate and partner with other complementary businesses. Joint marketing efforts, cross-promotions, or co-hosted events can help expand your reach and enhance your brand visibility. Partnering with reputable businesses can also lend credibility and reinforce your differentiation.

10. Continuously Monitor and Evolve Your Brand:

Regularly monitor the effectiveness of your branding efforts. Gather feedback from customers and analyze market trends. Stay attuned to industry changes and adapt your branding strategies accordingly. Continuously evolve your brand to stay relevant and maintain your differentiation in a dynamic marketplace.

Conclusion:

Effective branding and differentiation are essential

for small businesses to succeed in a competitive market. By defining your brand identity, understanding your target audience, developing a memorable brand name and visual identity, crafting a unique value proposition, delivering consistent brand messaging, providing exceptional customer experiences, leveraging content marketing, fostering brand advocacy, collaborating with complementary businesses, and continuously monitoring and evolving your brand, you can establish a strong and differentiated presence that attracts customers and sets your business apart from the competition. Make branding a strategic priority and invest in building a strong brand foundation for your small business.

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Introduction:

Cost reduction and effective expense management are essential for the financial health and profitability of small businesses. By implementing strategies to control costs and optimize expenditures, business owners can improve their bottom line and allocate resources more efficiently. In this article, we will explore effective strategies that small business owners can employ to reduce costs and manage expenses effectively.

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Expense Audit:

Begin by conducting a thorough audit of your business expenses. Review all recurring and one-time costs to identify areas where savings can be achieved. Analyze expenses such as utilities, rent, subscriptions, supplies, and vendor contracts. This audit will provide insights into where cost-cutting measures can be implemented.

2. Embrace Energy Efficiency:

Reducing energy consumption can lead to significant cost savings over time. Implement energy-efficient practices such as using LED lighting, optimizing heating and cooling systems, and encouraging employees to power down electronic devices when not in use. Consider conducting an energy audit to identify additional opportunities for energy savings.

3. Negotiate Supplier Contracts:

Negotiate with suppliers to secure more favorable terms and pricing. Consolidate your purchasing to leverage bulk buying power and negotiate volume discounts. Explore alternative suppliers and compare pricing to ensure you are getting the best value for your money. Building strong relationships with suppliers can lead to better deals and cost savings.

4. Emphasize Waste Reduction and Recycling:

Implement waste reduction and recycling practices to reduce disposal costs and promote environmental sustainability. Encourage employees to recycle materials, minimize paper usage, and properly dispose of waste. Consider partnering with recycling companies or organizations that offer waste management solutions tailored to small businesses.

5. Review and Optimize Insurance Coverage:

Regularly review your insurance coverage to ensure it aligns with your business needs and provides adequate protection at a reasonable cost. Shop around and compare quotes from different insurance providers to find the best coverage at the most competitive rates. Consider bundling policies or adjusting coverage levels to optimize costs without compromising necessary protection.

6. Embrace Telecommuting and Remote Work:

Consider implementing telecommuting or remote work options for your employees. This can reduce overhead costs associated with office space, utilities, and equipment. Embracing remote work can also enhance employee productivity and work-life balance, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention.

7. Leverage Technology for Cost Savings:

Utilize technology to streamline operations and reduce costs. Implement cloud-based solutions for storage and collaboration to minimize the need for physical servers and on-site IT infrastructure. Explore software solutions that automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and improve efficiency. Additionally, consider transitioning to digital documents and minimizing printing costs.

8. Optimize Marketing Expenses:

Review your marketing strategies and identify areas where you can optimize expenses. Focus on digital marketing channels that offer cost-effective options, such as social media marketing, content marketing, and email campaigns. Leverage organic reach through search engine optimization (SEO) and user-generated content. Monitor the return on investment (ROI) of marketing initiatives and adjust your strategies accordingly.

9. Outsource Non-Core Functions:

Consider outsourcing non-core functions to specialized service providers. Outsourcing tasks like payroll, bookkeeping, IT support, or customer service can reduce overhead costs associated with hiring and training in-house staff. Evaluate the cost savings and benefits of outsourcing compared to managing these functions internally.

10. Implement Employee Cost-Saving Initiatives:

Involve employees in cost-saving initiatives by encouraging them to contribute ideas and suggestions. Recognize and reward employees who identify cost-saving opportunities or implement efficient practices. When employees are engaged in cost reduction efforts, it creates a culture of frugality and responsibility.

Conclusion:

Implementing effective cost reduction and expense management strategies is crucial for the financial success of small businesses. By conducting expense audits, embracing energy efficiency, negotiating supplier contracts, emphasizing waste reduction

and recycling, optimizing insurance coverage, embracing remote work, leveraging technology, optimizing marketing expenses, outsourcing non-core functions, and involving employees in cost-saving initiatives, small business owners can reduce expenses, improve profitability, and position their businesses for long-term success. Prioritize these strategies and make cost management a fundamental aspect of your business operations.

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When it comes to securing funding for small businesses, traditional financing options like bank loans may not always be readily accessible or suitable for every situation. Fortunately, alternative funding sources have emerged, providing entrepreneurs with diverse options to meet their capital needs. In this article, we will explore various alternative funding options that small businesses can consider to secure the necessary financial resources.

1. Crowdfunding:
Crowdfunding has become a popular avenue for entrepreneurs to raise capital by reaching out to a large pool of individuals through online platforms. With crowdfunding, businesses can offer rewards, pre-sales, or equity in exchange for financial contributions from the crowd. This approach allows small businesses to generate funds while simultaneously building a community of supporters and potential customers.

2. Angel Investors:
Angel investors are individuals or groups who invest their personal funds in early-stage businesses in exchange for equity. These investors often provide not only capital but also valuable industry experience, connections, and mentorship. Small businesses can leverage angel investors’ expertise and network to accelerate growth and gain credibility in their respective markets.

3. Venture Capital:
Venture capital (VC) firms invest in high-growth startups with the potential for significant returns. These firms typically provide larger funding amounts in exchange for equity ownership. Venture capitalists are often experienced investors who can offer guidance and strategic support to help businesses scale rapidly. However, securing VC funding usually requires a compelling business model, a large market opportunity, and a strong growth trajectory.

4. Peer-to-Peer Lending:
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms connect borrowers directly with individual lenders. These online marketplaces eliminate the need for traditional financial institutions and offer potentially more favorable interest rates and terms. P2P lending can be an attractive option for small businesses that may not meet the strict requirements of traditional lenders but have a solid business plan and track record.

5. Invoice Financing:
Invoice financing, also known as accounts receivable financing, allows businesses to access funds by leveraging their outstanding invoices. Instead of waiting for customers to pay their invoices, businesses can sell these invoices to a financing company at a discounted rate, receiving immediate cash. This option can help businesses maintain cash flow and address short-term funding needs.

6. Business Incubators and Accelerators:
Business incubators and accelerators provide not only funding but also valuable resources and support for early-stage startups. These programs offer mentorship, workspace, networking opportunities, and access to industry experts. Joining an incubator or accelerator can give small businesses a significant boost by providing financial assistance and guidance to navigate the challenges of starting and growing a company.

7. Grants and Contests:
Small businesses can explore grants and contests offered by government agencies, foundations, and corporations. These funding opportunities are often specific to certain industries, social causes, or innovative projects. While grant applications can be competitive, successfully securing a grant can provide non-dilutive funding and recognition for your business.

8. Supplier Financing:
In some cases, businesses can negotiate favorable payment terms with suppliers, such as extended payment deadlines or installment plans. This arrangement can help manage cash flow by allowing businesses to allocate their capital to other pressing needs while still receiving necessary goods or services.

9. Revenue Sharing or Royalty Agreements:
Revenue sharing or royalty agreements involve partnering with investors who provide capital in exchange for a percentage of future revenue or profits. This alternative funding option allows businesses to access funds without taking on additional debt or diluting equity. It can be a flexible arrangement, especially for businesses with unpredictable cash flow or seasonal revenue patterns.

Small businesses have more options than ever before when it comes to securing alternative funding. By exploring avenues such as crowdfunding, angel investors, venture capital, peer-to-peer lending, invoice financing, business incubators, grants, supplier financing, and revenue sharing
agreements, entrepreneurs can find the right funding solution that aligns with their business goals and financial needs. Each alternative funding option comes with its own considerations, so it’s important to thoroughly evaluate and understand the terms, requirements, and potential benefits or drawbacks before making a decision. With resourcefulness and a strategic approach, small businesses can successfully access the funding necessary to fuel growth and achieve their objectives.

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Why NextDoor? NextDoor is essentially a modern local paper. NextDoor is owned by Ring and creates a community feeling for your town in which businesses can advertise and be reviewed. A good NextDoor account can be crucial to creating a trustworthy local business. 

1. Head to https://nextdoor.com/create-business and select, “Create a Business Account”

2. Enter in your business name

3. Enter in your address

4. Type in a pick a business category that is closest to your business and claim your page

5. Once you do that, you’ll be directed to your account page. Filling out as many fields in your account as you can will help to expand and legitimize your page.

6. An Important next step is to create your advertisement here and begin advertising to your community!

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Why Yelp? Yelp is essentially the modern yellow-pages. With Millions of active users, reviews on Yelp can be the deal-breaker for whether or not someone chooses your business over your competition. 

1. Head to https://business.yelp.com/ and select, “Manage my free listing”

2. Search for your business. If it comes up, select it and head to Step X. If you need to, add your business by typing the full name and select “Add to Yelp for free”

3. Enter in your Business Phone Number

4. Enter in your Website

5. Enter the Category of Business that you are

6. Enter in your business address

        a. Indicate if you have multiple locations or not.

7. Yelp will then ask you to confirm via a phone call or text message

8. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be taken to your Yelp Account Page to finish out the finer details of your account!

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Step 1: Claim Your FREE Page 1 Listing On Google

Google is the gateway to the internet for many, make sure your business shows up first without spending a dime by making a Google My Business listing.  This is how you do it.  Step by step!

1. Go to https://www.google.com/business/

2. Click the large blue Manage button to get started.

          2a. This will open a new tab

3. If you have a google account, log into it 

          3a. If you do not have a @gmail, be sure to make one, it’s quick, easy and free

4. Enter your Business Name

         4a. Attempt to make the name as close to the Legal Business Name as possible

5. Choose your Business Type, checking any that apply
         5a. This will affect which of the following steps you see. We are going to cover them all

6. (Optional). Link your Online Store

         6a. If you have an online store where customers can purchase from you, enter it here. 

7. Type in your “Business Category”, whatever you feel best describes the services/products you offer

8. Enter your Business Address. This is whatever you file taxes for or a physical location.
        8a. This does not automatically add a google maps location, this is simply for your internal profile

9. Add your business’ phone number if you have one

        9a. Do not add a personal phone number unless you are interested in people being able to reach you through this number.

        9b. You can learn to set-up a google VoiP system with our guide here.

10. You can opt into Google Maps. This will make your location discoverable by Google Maps and is vital to finding a wider customer base.

       10a. This ties back to your business category as selecting an appropriate category can make your business discoverable under some of Google Maps’ default search categories 

11. List your Business Hours next.

12. This next part is for Business Messages. Google has a messages feature for people to send you messages and questions.

       12a. If enabled it is something to watch and be active with. It’s very important to have a reputation as an active owner. 

 

13. Write a detailed description of your business. This is more important the more niche your business is or the more B2B you are. 

14. Business Photos are vital for consumer facing businesses. It’s important for people to see what you do. Most average customers won’t read more than a sentence of your business description

15. The Ad Credits are a solid bonus that Google gives here. 500 Dollars is added to your account if you spend 500 in credits. We have a short guide here on these as this is both important and time consuming.

16. You can get a Domain Name if you need one from Google. However if you need one, it’s much preferable to get one from a web host that can host your website. We have more details in this guide about hosting and websites. 

17. That’s it! The first part of setting up with Google business! There’s so much more to cover as Google is its own massive beast. 

Need help or have questions? Text your MNGRS coach so they can help you.  Not yet assigned to a personal coach?  Click here to sign up and get instant access to a Google expert who can help you through these steps.

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