As one of the first social media consultants in Red Deer I have had to pave my way to create a community who understands the importance of Social Media. Does this mean that Red Deerians were not using social media before me? Haha NO, not even close!! It means that most although they were using it didn’t really know why they were using it and had no plan on how they were using it.

As a business this presented an interesting problem for me, as a player in an industry early in it’s area. The problem was, though it is always nice to have little competition it also means that I hold the responsibility of educating the public in my own hands. A job I take very seriously and enjoy. There is nothing more exciting then seeing the light bulb go on in a clients eyes when they learn the one step they were missing to find success with social media.

Since I began a few other consultants have ventured into Red Deer’s Social Media world, which is exciting since it adds to the knowledge and opens more people’s eyes to the importance of Social Media in Marketing.

To attend any of my upcoming classes and education dates please check HERE

If you are interested in having me speak at a company training event or in hosting a laptop party in or around Red Deer area please contact me. I am always interested in speaking opportunities.

Some of the topics I speak on include:

• Introduction to Social Media
• Social Media for Direct Sales and Multi-Level Marketing
• The Wonders Of LinkedIn
• Twitter for Beginners
• Blogging for Business or Pleasure
• Protecting Your Kids Online, What Every Parent Should Know About Social Media

Tagged In:Guest Speaker, Keynote speaker, Laptop Parties Red Deer, Public Speaker, Red Deer Alberta, Red Deer Blogging, Red Deer Classes, Red Deer Consulting, Red Deer Direct Sales, Red Deer instructions, Red Deer LinkedIn, Red Deer Public Speaker, Red Deer Social Media, Red Deer Social Media Consulting, Red Deer Social Media Help, Red Deer Social Media Speaker, Red Deer Speaker, Red Deer teaching, Red Deer Training, Red Deer Twitter, Red Deer Wordpress, Social Media in Red Deer Alberta, Social Media Marketing Red Deer, Speaker

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When building an online business it is extremely important to remove any opportunities that make your customer concerned.

We have all been there. We have found something online that we really want. It is cheap and looks great. But we are just not sure. In a brick and mortar store we have the opportunity to use our senses (touch, smell, taste, hear and see) when deciding if we want to buy a product. We also get the satisfaction of the instant purchase we get to take the treasure home with us right now. No worry of shipping charges or how long it will take to get here. We hear horror stories all the time about online scams, which also adds some worry.

So as a business we know the challenges we face when it comes to selling online.

The key is to remove as many concerns as we can so that the customer can make the purchase without worry.Here’s how:

Have a FAQ Page (Frequently Asked Questions)

Creating a good FAQ page will not only help your customer but will also save you time on unnecessary questions. Some points to include in your FAQ page are shipping costs and times, taxes, extra charges, guarantees and return policies

Testimonials

A good testimonial should include the persons first and last name as well as location. When possible a photo would be ideal. The best testimonials include results. Ex. “Thanks to John I lost 40 pounds in 6 months and have kept it off for 3 years” OR “Thanks to Pam I earned $10,000 in 5 days wearing my pj’s”

Stats/Facts

People trust Stats!  For example a business considering whether Facebook would be worth it for their business might take comfort in “One in every nine people on Earth is on Facebook”

Guarantees

Almost anyone will order something that has a 30 day guarantee and unless your product sucks (which why are you selling it???) very few will ever ask for their money back. It is giving your customers a safety net and people like feeling safe

Use PayPal

PayPal is the world’s most trusted online money transfer; don’t risk using some cheaper unknown version to accept money. People want what they trust and it will make you back the money you spend in fees

Site Design

Let’s face it looks do matter. Kind of like we would not be impressed for someone to show up unshowered and in their pj’s for a job interview, we are not impressed by a 20 year old website. I am not saying that you need to spend a fortune on a custom design by with wordpress and web template options galore; there are options at every price range.

Contact Info

Nothing makes me want to run more than a site with no contact information listed. If you take your business serious and want to come across as legit. I suggest listing your email, phone, social media profiles and if applicable an address. The more ways a person has to contact you the more they will trust you.

Images provided byCopyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Tagged In:online business, online sales, Red Deer, Red Deer Businesses, Red Deer Social Media, selling online, Shopping online, social media

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Recently I have been attending some local small tradeshows. My goal is to not really sell anything but to network with the other vendors and spread the awareness of my name.

Years ago, before I was a web designer, I actually did some event planning including hosting tradeshows. So I know the work that goes into even the smallest of shows. There is booking a space, booking the booths, advertising, getting insurance, setting up tables and chairs, arranging food, getting food licences, worrying about the weather, worrying about attendance blah blah blah…… So when I am at a show and hear vendors complain it really rubs me the wrong way.

SO I decided I would post my best tradeshow tips for you in hopes that every tradeshow you do from this date forward will be a major success.

1. Choose your shows carefully
Not all shows are great for every business. When choosing a show, stop and think of your target market. Does the show reflect your target market? Does your target market live in that area? Does your target market even attend tradeshows?

2. Cost should not be a deciding factor
One thing I hear a lot is “This show is way too expensive” , My answer to that is “ You knew the price before you booked a booth, if it didn’t fall into your budget you shouldn’t have booked a booth” Answer is simple.

3. It is not solely up to the planner to draw in attendance
As a vendor it is partially your responsibility to get attendees to the show. Just think, if there are 100 vendors at the show and each one of them brings in 10 unique visitors, that would be 1000 extra visitors to the show.

4. If no one shows up…. Network
Often I see a show where attendance is slow and the vendors start sitting in their booths, playing on their phones or staring unhappily into space. My theory is; I paid for this booth and I am going to make the most out of it. How I do this is…. I try to always have a helper so that if I have to leave the booth I have someone who can stay there. I then walk the isles talking to the vendors, shaking hands, handing out business cards and just being friendly. If you make 1 great connection you will get your tradeshow money back 10 fold.

5. Follow basic Booth Rules
The worst thing you can do at a show is eat at your booth, sit down, and look unhappy or uninterested.

6. Build your leads
Get as many people as possible to sign up for newsletters or offers by filling out your draw box ballots.

7. Follow Up
Follow up with anyone that wanted more information.

Just remember that whether it’s busy or not you can make sales and connections with the people around you, no matter how many people go through the trade show.

Unless you’ve actually organized a tradeshow yourself and have seen firsthand how much work it takes to put it on, you have no right to complain about the attendance.

Images Supplied by Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Tagged In:Direct marketing, direct sales, Jennifer Belanger, small business, Tradeshows

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