4 Ways To Add Flair to Your Website & Company Brand

Many business owners feel that having a well-designed website will give them everything that they need to attract customers. However, the worldwide web can be a very impersonal and sterile environment, so it is important to remember that your business whether in a storefront or online, is still about people buying from people, each of your customers is a human being.

This means that most of them are looking for something that will make your business stand apart from the competition. With that said, you need to think outside of the box, along with having an attractive + easy-to-navigate website.

1. AN INFORMATIVE BLOG WITH LOTS OF PERSONALITY

It is a good idea for every company to have a blog on their website, and to post on a regular basis. This will make it easier to attract the attention of new customers, and it is also a good SEO tool. You can also use your blog to let people learn about the personality of your company; consider writing posts introducing your staff and even having them write their own additions to the blog. For example, if you go to an industry conference, you could let each member of your staff write a blog post about the experience from their own point of view.

2. WEBSITE CHAT

Installing a website chat box gives your customers a more personal shopping experience on your website. Some sites make the chat feature available on a daily basis for individual shoppers. Potential customers appreciate the ease of engagement and the ability to get their questions answered on the spot. 

3. TWITTER CHATS

Hosting regular Q+A twitter chats allow your customers and prospects to ask questions about your company, products, or services and is a good way to increase your level of consumer engagement, increase your brand's footprint, and increase your followership.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media marketing gives your business a megaphone and attracts attention to your brand. Your consumers will really embrace these interactions. Therefore, you should always respond to questions, and maybe consider encouraging participation by having contests, and question and answer sessions via Facebook, Twitter and/or Google Plus. Taking the time to offer a more personal approach will make your customers feel more comfortable, and it will also give you the opportunity to learn from the experience.

3 Strategies To Make Your Social Media Content Sing

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are necessary social media marketing channels for today’s small & medium business owners because word-of-mouth advertising is very powerful. 

Having a consistent presence on social media is no longer just a “nice-to-have” for a business; customers expect it. You need to earn the trust of your audience so they will recommend your products or services to their friends.

Chances are that you're already using these platforms to create engagement and thought leadership in your space. For most business owners, though, being present and informed about all the different social channels can be tough, so Like a Celebrity, LLC is here to help with some basic tips.

1. DON'T SELL. SERVE.

Depending on what you sell, your brand’s social channels should be marketing content that is relevant to your audience. If you sell jewelry, staying on top of and sharing current trends, especially those with which your products compliment, is very smart. Sharing related products and services will keep your audience engaged when you're not pushing your own products and services. Your content marketing strategy should come from a place of how you can serve, rather than what you can sell.

2. KEEP IT 80/20

You shouldn't share only your products, services, blog posts and promotions. Along with staying true to your audience, sharing curated content (meaning, content you or your company didn’t create) should be the majority of what you share on your social channels.

Why you ask? Social media is about being social, not about getting attention.  No one wants to hang out with someone who talks about themselves incessantly.

The most sought after social media management companies believe that 80% of what you share should be shining the light on someone else (example: retweets, replies, comments, other company’s articles, relevant studies, images ...). Only 20% of the content you share should be directly related to something you're brand has actually created.

Be careful about sending potential business to your competitors. When sharing content, think complimenting industry content not competitor content.

3. BE A CHARMING & LIKEABLE BRAND

A brand is a set of perceptions and images that represent a company, product or service. While many people refer to a brand as a logo or a tag line, a brand is actually the essence or promise of what will be delivered or experienced.

Having a company brand is marvelous and should be desired, but don't forget that many people are on social to connect with other human beings. Just because you're behind a company name doesn't mean you should be cold, corporate and sterile.

Don’t be afraid to share cool things happening around the office, or use a more conversational tone of voice when posting or commenting. The “peek behind the scenes” posts, especially with pictures and/or videos can win you cool points and engagement with your customers and keep them coming back.

5 Fool-Proof Ways To Attract New Customers

Attracting new customers to your business is the most important thing you'll do, but how on earth does a small business actually make that happen?
These tips are foolproof ways to get the word out, attract new local customers, and grow your small business.

1. LEVERAGE EXISTING CUSTOMERS

If you don't already have existing customers who love you, it will be a challenge to cultivate new fans. Nurturing a customer base who'll add tremendous value starts with OVER delivering.

Zappos is infamous for their over-the-top crazy customer service policy. They maintain a stellar reputation by exciting their customers into spreading the news about their experience.  Their high intensity customer satisfaction objectives won't take a multi-million dollar marketing budget. 

You can achieve the same results by going out of your way for your customers and hiring people who will do the same. Some people will naturally talk about you online, most people might need a little nudge.

Here are a few friendly nudge ideas:

• Give coupons or discounts in exchange for referrals & reviews.
• Offer commissions on referrals like we do.
• A review for a contest entry — “Review your experience for a chance at a $200 shopping spree!”
• Appeal to your social media followers - shout out customers publicly.
• Ask them! — send a handwritten note or make a personal phone call.

Treat them right, provide incentives, and you've got a great sales funnel at your disposal.

2. BECOME YOUR OWN PUBLICIST

Who needs a fancy pants, expensive publicist? Well, you do - but you can also be your own PR expert!

Resources like HelpAReporter.com (HARO) are fabulous ways to get your name in lights!  Reporters, radio stations, magazines, newspapers cruise HARO looking for leads and sources for their stories. Journalists post queries and anyone can respond as a source.

Other DIY PR platforms similar to HARO include:
•    Source Bottle
•    PitchRate.com

With effort, these free resources will get you noticed and have you saying buh-bye to the languishing world of anonymity. There's no excuse!

3. SOCIAL MEDIA

When it comes to social media, the benefits are far too huge to overlook.

A surefire way to tap into a whole new group is to explore new social media sites, especially ones where your customers are hanging out. Most of us can maneuver Facebook and Twitter, but what if you're not reaching the right audience?

Depending on the platform, the audiences on social media will vary from site to site, so do your research, find your market, and hang out with them!

4. SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

In most cases, we want to hear from the expert, so defining yourself as an industry expert is a dynamite way to create demand for your business. Giving a speech is a surefire way to showcase your expertise. It’s that simple—talk about what you love, what you do, what you know, and people start to see you as a knowledgeable source. And it's not uncommon for speaking engagements to lead to free press.  BAM! Insta-demand!

5. STEP UP YOUR ORGANIC  LOCAL SEO

Google receives over 40,000 search queries per SECOND!  Yes, you read that right — almost four billion searches every day.

Here’s the thing: you can buy a domain name and set up a website that’s perfectly designed to convert customers, but you need traffic. If you want to be visible to search engines and the people who use them (everyone), you have to wrap your brain around local search engine optimization (aka SEO).

Here are some quick & easy tips for improving your SEO:

•    Keep your content fresh – update regularly.
•    Don't be a wallflower – get on Google+, get on StumbleUpon, get on Yelp.  Put your name as many places as you can.
•    Spread Your Love - seek out guest post opportunities with influential bloggers & authority sites