... this month in NWAB2B ....

9 Reasons to Choose Text Marketing for Your Business

Imagine if you were the first business into email, Google, or Facebook! By taking advantage of new mobile advertising opportunities, you are separating yourself from your competitors; you are creating loyal customers through the mobile channel before the competition has a chance to steal them; and you are making the statement that your business is moving forward and staying ahead of the curve.  Here are nine great reasons why your business would choose to add text marketing to your growth plan. Read More >

5 Tips for a Successful Mobile Marketing Campaign

1. Promote your call to action -- You can send the best offers to your subscribers, but no one will sign up to
see them if you do not promote your call to action. Add your call to action to your marketing materials, Facebook wall, Twitter, web site, print, direct mail, etc. Also, be sure your employees tell every customer they encounter about the new campaign.

Ted Rubin was in town recently from New York, and shared his expertise with a group of members from the Bentonville/ Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. The workshop was a popular topic: How to win customers with social media. Read More >

Ad placement and repetition is essential online

A truism of advertising effectiveness in traditional media called for repetition in the marketing mix. We're creatures by habit, so the more often we see or hear a marketing message, the more inclined we are to respond. In fact, pundits claim it takes nine times for a marketing message to move a prospect from a state of total apathy to purchasing readiness. Read More >

6 ways to use QR codes in your small business

With one little bleep of the smart phone,  your customers can access just about any information you encode with a URL address. Just Google "QR code generator" to find a program (free works fine) to convert your specific information.  Look for a QR Code Scanner app in your smartphone app store. Here are our top six. Read More >

QR Codes gaining in SMB marketing
The squibble-squabble rectangle of pixels better known as a QR code is gaining in popularity among small business owners looking to add something new to their marketing mix.Read More >

Tips to Appropriate Advertising

 Getting ready to allocate your ad budget? If you're like most small businesses, you could use a lot more ad budget and lot less waste. How do you appropriate the right amount of ad budget to generate business?  Here are 4 questions to ask before you buy. Read More >

Can custom content help our business grow?

Custom content publishing is the combining of marketing ambitions of a company with the information needs of its target audience. It used to be delivered in good old fashioned bill stuffer or newsletter. Now if comes via the internet. Either way, the goal is to move the recipient toward a desired direction. When published by a third party, custom content adds credibility to the marketing mix. Read More >

Need help de-mystifying mobile?

Need to connect with information? Just as the saying goes, there's an app for that -- there's a white paper for it, too.  Read More>

 7 Tips for better email marketing
Email etiquette isn't just about rules and regulations. It's about your business -- its communications, sales, and image.  Here are six best practice tips for getting it right. Read More >

Using Social Media to best your competition

Keeping an eye on your competitors is smart business. You can't really stalk them, of course, but following their social networking activity is a safe and informative way to stay in the know. Here are 7 tips for watching byTwitter-light. Read More >

Advertising is one of the most effective ways to grow your business. There are a lot of options out there, and not all of them are right for you. How do you choose your message? We asked Mark Ponkey of Names and Numbers for his top advertising pointers. Read More >

Marketing consists of more than making some phone calls or taking out an ad. Your marketing effort is the sum total of the sales, pricing, promotional and advertising efforts designed to promote the flow of goods or services from your business to the consumer. Marketing also includes your activities to identify the right merchandise or service, select the right store location, enact effective sales programs, and promote your company to the buying public. In short, marketing is everything you do to get and keep customers. Read More >

The 5 Principles of Advertising

Before you spend your hard earned cash flow on advertising, make sure you plan an effective campaign. Here are five fundamental aspects of advertising that should always be considered. Read More >

Small businesses need effective ways to get noticed– not only to drive sales efforts, but to stay in the mind of their current and future customers. There are several easy things that a small business can do to punch the needle in their marketing efforts. Read More >

 8 ideas for building customer loyalty

1. Put your customers in the spotlight. Customers love to be part of your marketing efforts, and giving them visibility makes them feel the love. Profile customers in your newsletters, write about them in your blog, create a spotlight section in your store or website, or name a special sale day after them – all to give them their 15 minutes of fame. Read More >

Northwest Arkansas’ economy is no longer exempt from unemployment swings and economic vagaries, but is now more aligned with other metro areas. An unemployment rate around 7 percent in Benton and Washington counties is evidence of this. Read More >

Watching the news these days is downright depressing. What’s a business to do? You can’t just throw up your hands and walk away. You must look for ways to promote yourself economically, especially during the tough times. Now is a good time to boost your brand. A brand is a combination of name, words, symbols, or design that identifies a product or service and distinguishes it from the competition. Read More >

Whatever marketing for growth you undertake, the final goal is most likely to generate more sales. We use a variety of techniques and strategies to achieve that goal, but sometimes we cripple our efforts before we even start. How can you avoid expensive self-sabotage? Here are the most common marketing mistakes small businesses make. Read More >

Most business experts conform to a theory of “thirds” – of all small businesses, a third eventually turn a profit, a third break even, and a third never leave a negative earnings scenario. According to a recent study by the U.S. Small Business Administration, only two thirds of all small businesses survive the first two years and fewer than half make it to four.  Read More >

Here are the scenarios: Mom is at the grocery store, and texts SCOPE to a special number to receive an instant coupon for $2 off. A college student is buying a team T-shirt at Wal-Mart. He texts GO HOGS to Nike and receives an offer for a free Razorbacks mobile phone wallpaper. The message is clear:  Consumers are engaged with mobile and social media. Businesses must engage consumers on that level or be left back in the dark ages of black-and-white TV. Read More >

Marketing and Consumer Trends

Looking for ways to reach a niche consumer? From C-Suite Executives  to small business leaders, here are tidbits, trends and reports on marketing.

Read More >

5 Elements to Integrate into Your Marketing Plan

One of the first things a bank wants to see when discussing a loan for a business is the business plan and within that, a marketing plan.  Whether a new business owner or a seasoned vet, a yearly marketing plan is a must for your business. Not having a plan is like going somewhere you have never been and not using a map. Here are five elements to integrate into your company’s plan. Read More >

Corporate Identity, Logos, and You

When you look at a wall of business cards like this, it’s obvious very few of them will stand out and catch a viewer’s attention. When you hand your card out at networking meetings, conferences, and sales calls, will it stand out from the pack? Does your web site, flyer, e-mail, conference presentation, or letterhead bring your company to mind immediately? One solution will make all these elements of your corporate identity memorable. Read More >

Marketing budgets will shift from traditional to interactive media for 2010 says Forrester Research. Cut from the list are direct mail, newspapers, print magazines, and television. Read More >