Author: OKSBDC Webmaster

Fifteen years ago when a business wanted to market their products or service to an audience, the most viable options were print marketing or television and radio advertising. Websites were slowly making their way into mainstream for business, and people were hesitantly boarding the internet train one-by-one. Fast forward to 2017 and the ways in which businesses can market to their customers have changed tremendously!

Websites for businesses are now more than mainstream, they’ve become a necessity. Millions of customers use search engines to find everything they need to know about a business before even making a purchase. Videos are the new shiny attention-getters, and anyone who is anyone has a Twitter or Facebook account to keep up with their friends, acquaintances, and loved ones.

With all of these rapidly-made advancements in technology, this has opened a door not only for internet users and individuals to entertain and educate themselves, but also for businesses to enter the market of online advertising and keep their business in the forefront of their customers’ minds. This is only one reason why a business should be on social media in today’s digital marketing world.

1. Target Your Customer Audience
Social media gives you the opportunity to target your target audience directly via several different networking channels. The social media network(s) that you choose to use will be determined by your customer audience.

For example, if your primary target market is teens and young adults ages 15-30, Instagram would be a great social media platform to communicate your value as a business. It is highly visual, includes video capabilities, and has produced great return on investment figures from customer contests.

According to Actionable Marketing Guide, 71% of the world’s internet users are on Facebook, which amounts to an astoundingly large potential audience for your profile. Businesses can expect great rewards from posting frequently and including a variety of content on their page, including videos, images, and links.

Twitter is largely used for mass marketing tactics that include articles, images, links, and the ever-popular hashtag. Teens and young adults are heavily consuming the market of Twitter, however, some older adults can also be found on this platform. Having a 140 character limit per tweet keeps a business’s posts short, sweet, and to the point for their consumer.

If you’re interested in targeting women ages 18-49, Pinterest is the social media network for you, as 41% of women on the internet frequent this site. It’s popular for do-it-yourself crafts and projects, however, businesses are seeing great results from posting their products, services, ideas, and other items on Pinterest to pull that market into their business. In fact, Pinterest is the second largest referrer of social media traffic for businesses!

LinkedIn is a highly professional and business-oriented social media. I like to say it’s Facebook with a suit on. Business-to-business companies should certainly be on this platform to build brand awareness, gain sales leads, and connect with potential partners and opportunities. Having a company page and posting unique, valuable content to that page regularly is what separates your business from the competition.

Finally, Google+ is a social network that gets an unpopular reputation of only being used by Google employees. This couldn’t be more false. Google+ is a network that if used in conjunction with a Google My Business page can result in instant gratification for your customers and increase search engine optimization for your website and your business.

2. Turn “Likes/Followers” into Customers
The biggest challenge business owners face once acquiring social media platforms is using them! The key to increasing your customers online is interacting with them via posts that can include images, links, videos, articles, and text. The more frequent you post, the better. Customers want to have a reason to interact with a business, and many companies use videos, customer testimonials, contests, and discounts to pull customers from their social media profiles to their websites and/or storefronts.

3. Broadcast Brand Awareness
One of the most common reasons a business might be on social media is to establish and spread awareness for their brand. In today’s ages of technology, having a Facebook or a Twitter account for your business shows that you’re a “real” business that is advancing just as quickly as the technology with which you are keeping up. It’s the equivalency of having a logo or a business card for your business. Customers view your profiles and then judge your business and your brand based on the type of content, frequency with which you post, and the amount of opportunities for value that you offer your customers on your profiles, whether this be articles, discounts, contests, videos, etc.

The important thing to remember about brand awareness is that your profile needs to look as professional and aesthetically pleasing as it can be; this includes having your logo as a profile picture, choosing an attention-getting cover photo, and your business information being complete and accurate in your profile.

There are so many ways social media can help improve the marketing of your business. This article is just the tip of the iceberg of social media marketing methods. Stay tuned for more articles in the future where I discuss each social media separately and give you new and creative ideas to take your business to the next level with social media!

With creativity rising and customers’ attention being captured by anything new and shiny, blogs are the new website. Why is this you ask? I’m glad you did, because the answer can be found in this article!

Let’s start at the beginning. Most people visit a business’s website to get some form of value, whether that be contact info, product pricing, news or events, or other general types of content. When most websites feature the same generic value, how does a business compete with its competitors to capture the attention of its target audience?

This is where a blog comes in. I’m sure most people view a blog as a forum-like webpage where an individual shares their long – and often drawn out – opinions on a particular subject, and people then respond to that article with discussion. That is still valid today, and in fact, a lot of influential people in the world have blogs where they share their knowledge with online viewers. Take Michael Hyatt, for instance.

What’s different about blogs today, however, is the fact that businesses have seen the advantages of utilizing this tool and are working to generate and engage an audience like the “professional bloggers” have steadily acquired throughout the years.

Enter the headline of this article. There are SO many reasons a blog would benefit your business, but I’ve narrowed it down to 5 enticing pieces of blogging pie. It you’re a picky eater, blogging may not be your style or in your capacity, but if you give the blogging world a chance and open your palate to the possibilities of what growing an audience like this can do for your business, I promise you won’t regret it.

1: Blogs provide new and interesting content for your customers.

As previously stated, companies have to compete to provide their customers with new and intriguing content to keep them interested. If a customer becomes interested in your blog and begins to follow it regularly, you’ve gained an instant long-term customer! They view your blog posts as free value, even if you only see them as words on a screen! Might I also add, these posts are not limited to words. Photos, videos, and links are great ways to gain followers’ interest and ensure that they come back for more from your blog!

2: They drive social media & emails to your website.

Social media and email marketing campaigns are great ways to market any website. Including links to your blog posts on social media, e-blasts, and e-newsletters spreads the word about your blog and entices your followers to then visit your website. Conversion from “follower” to “customer” is one step closer when the viewer visits your website. The key to keeping them there is interesting content like a blog. And that’s how blogging benefits come full circle!

3: Google (and other search engines) LOVE them.

When Google views your website pages, it looks for new content it can read. Once your website is reviewed, Google ranks and places it in search engine results that fit the content’s description. Google will not go back to your website unless it detects NEW content. This is why a blog is so important. The more new and interesting information (i.e. text, images, links, etc.) you have on your website (related to your business and/or industry, of course), the more times Google will review your website and rank (to a more specific degree) your webpages for their search results.

4: The only cost is your time. (If you already have a website)

If you already have a website, all you have to do is add a blogging page to your website and begin posting! This blogging page should be included in your web hosting package, essentially making running a blog free to you. The only cost is your time! (Which as a small business owner, I know is hard to come by. I have tips to help with that! *See contact information below.)

If you do not already have a website and would like to have a blog, there are free online blog platforms, such as wordpress.com, that have easy-to-use templates available to set up your website and blog in no time. Using this program is free unless you want to use your own domain name (you should definitely want to!). In that case, you can have a search engine optimized blog for as little as $120 per year!

5: This is the place to put those keywords your web developer keeps talking about.

Blogs are a great way to not only make sure Google sees your website (Reason #3), but also to make sure Google sees those ever-important keywords that every web developer and consultant tells you are important. Using keywords specific to your type of business in your blog posts is a great way to make sure your business’s website show up in searches. The key to great keywords is using words in your blog that people would type into Google’s search engine to find you!

When your customers search for a business online, where do they search?

If you answered, Google, you’re correct! 10 points to you for not living under a rock! Okay, so you know Google is important and you need to be on it. Objective one of this post is complete!

Now I know you’re saying, “That’s great and all, Lyndsey, but HOW do I get on Google?” That brings me to my second objective. I could give you several answers to this question: create a website that is search engine optimized (SEO); create social media profiles and get active; start a blog and contribute to the information sector of your industry; etc.

But the quickest and – in this day and age – most effective way to show up in Google searches is through a tool called Google My Business. And that, my friend, is what this post is REALLY about.

Google My Business is a tool that allows your business to create a profile on Google’s search engine and be searchable by keywords and geographic regions that you specify. This profile allows you to include the following key pieces of information to bring customers from the search engine to your physical or online store:

Business name
Physical address
Phone number
Hours of operation
Website URL
Description
Pricing (noted by dollar signs $-$$$)
Customer reviews
Photos and YouTube videos

Your profile works best when completed in its entirety and consistently updated with status updates, images, and videos to engage your search engine audience. The coolest part of Google My Business is the behind-the-scenes look into how your customers are interacting with your profile. When a customer clicks on your website, directions, phone number, or interacts with your profile in any way, Google keeps track of that and shows you those stats on your Insights page. This feature is so analytical that it can tell you where your customers are located when they click the directions button! This is a great way to know where your customers are coming from and to adjust your local marketing campaigns to fit areas that are lacking in customers.

Google My Business is something that every business needs, and I’ll give you three reasons why:

Google ROCKS! Google is the one of the biggest and most well-known search engines in the world, and if your business is on it that tremendously increases your chances of being found by your customers. And customers = sales = a successful business. I may be a design person by nature, but I know that math doesn’t lie!
It’s FREE. Yes, you heard me right. You will not pay a penny to set up this account or keep it going. Your only investment in Google My Business is your time, and believe me – it’s worth it. It really is. (Plus it saves you money for that success equation I mentioned earlier.)
I can help you set up your account! As the New Media Marketing Specialist for the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, I help businesses everyday by guiding them through the process of setting up their Google My Business account and making sure their profile gets found by Google. That’s not even the best part. This service is completely free to you as an Oklahoma business owner!

Oklahoma State University – International Trade Center

The Oklahoma SBDC at Oklahoma State University – International Trade Center (ITC) is located in the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade & Development. OKSBDC at OSU-ITC provides entrepreneurs with professional business consulting at no cost, management training, and vital information they need to grow and succeed in a complex and competitive global environment.

The OKSBDC at OSU-ITC is a specialty center, whose focus is serving the small businesses of Oklahoma and their international trade needs. The OKSBDC at OSU-ITC is a member of the Oklahoma SBDC Network, a statewide service network funded in part through cooperative agreements with the U.S. SBA, State of Oklahoma and other private and public partners; hosted by Southeastern Oklahoma State University; and nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs.

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OSU International Trade Center, OKSBDC

Wes Watkins Center for International Trade & Development
103 Wes Watkins Center
Stillwater, OK 74078

3 Simple (but Powerful) Website Design Tips for Any Business Owner

An Original Article from michaelhyatt.com

Whether you’re designing your own website from scratch, using an off-the-shelf theme, or hiring a designer to create your website, you’ll need to end up in the same place: with a website that performs for your business. Your website is often the first interaction people have with you and your business. That means it’s a make-or-break opportunity to turn a new visitor into a potential customer down the road.

Here are three tips that you can use when designing (or redesigning) your website to maximize the impact it has on new visitors.

Focus on value. I don’t have to tell you that a great business is built on a strong value proposition. That is, why should customers care about your product or service, and how does it provide them with a return on their investment. The entire goal of your website must be to drive home your value proposition. Your goal should be to make it a “no brainer” for your customer to purchase—or, at the very least, get them to subscribe to hear more from you in the future. How do you do that? By shifting the focus away from you and onto your customer. It’s all about them. Understand the things they care deeply about—their pains and challenges—and craft the copy on your website to resonate with them on that level. Also, speak as if you’re talking to one person, not a crowd of people. This helps you make a connection that builds trust and credibility.
Minimize distractions. One thing you never want a visitor to ask ask is, “Where do I go next?” If there are multiple calls to action, or the navigation has too many links to choose from, their attention is diverted in too many different directions. This means they’re too busy figuring out where to go, when they should be focused on your message and the benefits of your product or service. Here’s what I recommend: Break your navigation into a primary menu and a secondary one. Your primary navigation (the large one near the top of your website) should include links to only a handful of “mission critical” pages. These are the pages that educate and sell your product. The rest of the pages (e.g., a company about page, a FAQ page, and so on) can be included in your site’s secondary navigation, somewhere out of the way but still accessible.
Optimize your call to actions. Everything on your marketing website should be designed around your “funnel.” That is, the path a customer takes from the home page (or a landing page) to eventually converting to a paying customer or subscriber. The bottom of the funnel is your “call to action.” This might be a button to purchase your product or signup for an account. Or it can be a newsletter opt-in or even a phone number to call you.

Here are three easy ways to optimize the call-to-action on your website:

Be explicit. You never want to be vague in your call-to-action. Give your visitor explicit instructions on what exactly you want them to do. For example, a form button with the word “Submit” is too vague. Try something more descriptive, like “Subscribe to our newsletter!” You also want to set clear expectations. Your visitor should never be wondering “what will happen after I click this button?” For example, instead of “sign up!” you can try “Start your free 60-day trial!”

Reduce Friction. Any transaction on the web always comes with some natural resistance. Customers simply are never fully comfortable entering their credit card information or even giving up their email address. There is always a fear of being ripped off, spammed, or scammed. So you must do everything you can to overcome that natural resistance. The way you do that is by reducing friction. Anything you can do to emphasize that there is no risk helps. For example, add the word “free” to the call-to-action (if it really is free). Or try adding small supporting text like “No credit card required, cancel anytime.” Offering a money-back guarantee (and making that visible) is also a good idea. You also want to make them feel secure. There is a very real fear that credit card info will end up in the wrong hands. So try adding security symbols like a lock icon on your credit card forms, indicating this form is secure (of course, the form must actually have security measures in place, like an SSL certificate).
Differentiate them (visually). You’ll want to make sure your call-to-actions stand out visually. One way you can do that is to give them their own unique color. For example, let’s say the color scheme of your website is blue and gray. You might make all of your call-to-action buttons yellow. Make sure your CTA buttons are the only elements on the page using that color. This helps them stand out and attract attention, but it also helps your audience become more familiar with the way your site works. After browsing several pages, when they are ready to take action, they know they should look for that yellow button.

I hope you found these tips helpful as you go about designing (or redesigning) the marketing website for your business.

Click here to view the original article.

5 Ways to Help Young Entrepreneurs Finance Their Business Ideas

Today is International Youth Day – so what better way to celebrate than to talk about the incredible potential of our young entrepreneurs? In 2012, young entrepreneurs ages 20-34 comprised more than a quarter of the total new entrepreneurship activity in the United States (according to the Kauffman Foundation). That was 26 percent of first-time entrepreneurial efforts being led by the youngest age bracket.

Entrepreneurship can be an exciting adventure, and it can be easier than you might think for the young. The barriers – including cost of entry – are low (working at home, online, etc.), and younger people are often unconstrained by the commitments of family and marriage.

So, do you have a winning idea on which you want to establish a business? While you don’t need a business degree or years of experience to succeed, you will likely need financing to get your idea off the ground. Here are some tips to help you secure the funding you need to launch – or ease the burden of trying to finance – your small business.

1. Deferring student loans

If your student loan repayments are preventing you from starting your own business, the Student Startup Plan (through the White House-led Startup America initiative) enables college graduates, including those looking to start a business, to lower student loan repayments. Its Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan can help you keep your loan payments affordable with a sliding scale to determine how much you can afford to pay on your federal loans. This can give you the freedom you need to take risks with new opportunities.

2. Borrowing startup funds from friends and family

With a lack of strong credit history, it’s sometimes challenging for young entrepreneurs to obtain traditional loans through banks or private lenders. In these cases, it’s not uncommon to reach out to friends and family – those who know and trust you already. This is a definite pro, but the flipside comes if something goes sour with repayment or terms and the potentially compromising situation that may develop for you. Check out this blog post for details about best practices and how to work with your friends and family in this capacity.

3. Consider crowdfunding

An increasingly popular method to obtain financing is crowdfunding – a collective cooperation of people who network and pool their money and resources together, usually online, to support efforts initiated by other organizations. Crowdfunding gathers multiple, smaller investments as opposed to a single source of funding. Learn more about crowdfunding here and in this other recent blog post.

4. The peer-to-peer potential

Like crowdfunding, peer-to-peer (or P2P) lending allows you to make your business case to others with the hope that someone will make an investment. The biggest difference between the two approaches is that P2P lending typically focuses on one individual lending to another (versus the “crowd” of lenders). P2P sites allow you to determine how much you need to borrow, define the purpose of the loan and post your listing online. Read about how to prepare your request in this blog post.

5. Avoid overinvesting

If you’re relying on your cash reserves, credit cards or savings to start a business, try to avoid some of the overinvestment traps that young entrepreneurs fall into – whether it’s a swish office, computer systems or inventory overload. Focus instead on building a good product and a positive customer experience. Starting a business from home or online are cost-effective ways to avoid some of these pitfalls. These two guides from SBA can help you get started:

One little known option for setting up your new business is to purchase government surplus products. Just about anything you can think of that your business might need is sold by the government at or below cost, or fair market value.

Click here to view the original article.

Success Story…The Rustic Ranch, LLC

Emily and Dereck Franks began the process to create The Rustic Ranch in February of 2011 with an inquiry on the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center (OKSBDC) website. The Rustic Ranch is a retail store specializing in western apparel, tack and home décor. Emily has years of experience in a local western outfitters store and Dereck, a disabled military veteran, works with leather crafting.

They initially sought help in creating a business plan to acquire a loan for inventory. Morgan Gould was the lead counselor on the project. In addition to assisting with their business plan, Morgan helped them find training opportunities that fit their needs as new business owners. Emily attended the Oklahoma Tax Workshop and completed several Small Business Administration courses online. In April of 2011, they received their requested funding through a SBA loan program called the Patriot Express. In the same month, Emily hosted a “sneak peak” of The Rustic Ranch with great reception from the community.

In July of 2011, Emily and Dereck opened The Rustic Ranch in a small boutique area in a building owned by the City of Indiahoma. They hosted a Grand Opening at the end of the month and made over $1,000 in sales in the first day and an additional $1,000 in pre-orders. Through the next several months business continued to grow and new items were added to the inventory. Tradeshows also became an active part of the work schedule.

In the spring of 2013, they decided to move the store closer to home to allow more time with their son. In June of 2013, the newly remodeled store was opened on their home property with more space and more inventory. Emily said that she sees the business “continuing to grow for a long time.”

Success Story…Hitching Roast Coffee Co.

Dennis Sells, Artisan Roaster, member of the Cherokee Nation, is a great example of creating a business out of his passion. Sells created his retail and wholesale roast coffee shop in a converted garage. Sells was able to utilize the services of OKSBDC to find a solution for his cash flow issue – he could only purchase his inventory certain times during the year. This meant that he would have to purchase inventory once or twice a year. OKSBDC’s Business Advisor, Doris Kendrick, assisted Sells in obtaining financing as well as creating and implementing his marketing plan. Dennis said “I attribute this success to you, Doris, for your persistence in helping me achieve my goal. Thank you so much.”

You can find him on Facebook at Hitching Roast Coffee Co. Dennis Sells, Artisan Roaster or call to order 8AM-6PM 7 days a week at 918-728-1177.

Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center

IRS Resources For Entrepreneurs

Online Support Anytime. The IRS offers many online products and services for small businesses. They’re available any day of the week throughout the year on IRS.gov. Here are just a few examples of the business resources the IRS offers:

The Online Learning and Educational Products page features useful small business tools. The Online Tax Calendar helps you keep track of important tax deadlines. You can subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses to help you stay on top of the latest tax news affecting small businesses.
The Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center is for sole proprietors, independent contractors, members of partnerships, and others who are in business for themselves. Check it out for self-employed tax information and more tools.
The Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center is for small businesses with assets under $10 million. Visit this page for resources like Small Business Taxes: the Virtual Workshop. This popular class helps you learn the basics of federal taxes. It offers nine lessons to help you navigate tax issues so your small business can thrive.

Visit IRS.gov for more information and federal tax news for small businesses. You can also get small business forms and publications on the IRS website or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Click To Watch Videos & Get Answers on the IRS Video Portal

This updated online workshop has enhanced navigation, interactive features and a completely new look and feel to help small business owners learn about their tax responsibilities. Headliner Volume 341 has more information.

IRS Form 941 for 2010
Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return
Updated 8/16/2010 11:51:52 AM | M Mitchell

IRS SS-4 Form (Employer ID Form)
Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return
Updated 8/16/2010 11:51:52 AM | M Mitchell

Instructions for 1099 Form (2010)
General instructions for certain information returns.
Updated 8/16/2010 11:53:56 AM | M Mitchell

IRS Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3
Instructions for forms W-2 and W-3.
Updated 8/16/2010 11:55:17 AM | M Mitchell

IRS Form W-4 for 2010
Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate
Updated 8/16/2010 11:55:40 AM | M Mitchell

IRS W-9 Form
Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
Updated 8/16/2010 11:56:09 AM | M Mitchell

Form 940 for 2009
Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return
Updated 8/16/2010 2:26:24 PM | M Mitchell

3 Simple (but Powerful) Website Design Tips for Any Business Owner