How to build a profitable blog | Money. Viral Marketing : ViperChill. Best Industries to Start and Grow a Business, 2011: Green Toys. For six decades, the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair, the world's largest trade fair for toys and games, has demonstrated the innovation and imagination behind childhood fun. Its 62nd show, held in February 2011, showcased the newest, burgeoning sub-sector of the toy industry: sustainability.
Spielwarenmesse's environmental focus highlights the emergent potential of the green toy industry. Green toys currently represent only a sliver of the $21.87 billion toy industry and are defined loosely and at the manufacturer's discretion as "environmentally friendly. " But the NPD Group, a leading market research company, and estimates that green toys retail is outperforming its parent industry by 150 percent. Green Toys Inc., a producer of toys made entirely out of recycled materials and entirely in the United States, has seen an 80 percent growth in sales each year since it began in a California garage in 2007. "Parents are starting to look at toys like they look at food," he says. Seven Ways to Generate Website Conversions. The real measure of a Website’s effectiveness is the ability to convert Web users into sales. This is not an easy task and there are no quick fixes. It starts with learning the online conversion process and what works. Here are seven important strategies to effectively drive online conversions. 1.
Websites exist for conversions. Direct Website visits and targeted page visits.Inquiries via email, phone or Web-based forms.Visits to the “Contact Us” page.A direct sale via the Website.Email newsletter subscription.Viewing or reprinting driving directions.PDF download or application submission.Webinar registrations.RSS subscription to podcasts and blogs.Sending content to a friend or co-worker. This is not a complete list and conversions are only limited by one’s imagination, business needs and user intentions. 2. It is important to identify how conversions happen by getting inside the head of the Website user and understanding their needs, hot buttons and intent. 4. 5. 6. 7. Steps to Easy Relationship Building. Prospecting, Sales, Marketing – oh my! It can all feel quite overwhelming and frustrating at times, can't it?
Recently, I spoke with an acquaintance who has been in the job market for over a year. I noticed a pattern in John's marketing of himself that I've seen in many business owners as well. John is a great connector and has no problem selling his skills to prospective employers. Whether you are selling yourself for an employment opportunity or selling a product or service, make sure you cast a wide net. Let's talk about a few simple ways to find people and develop relationships with them.
Call in to my podcast today, Monday, April 4th between 2-3pm ET, for an "Ask the Coach" opportunity if you'd like to discuss your marketing and prospecting challenges! - Review past successes. . - Identify the social media platforms where your ideal client is most likely to hang out. . - When was the last time you asked clients for referrals? Now, here's where most people miss the boat – follow up! How to Make Your Small Business Seem Bigger (Using Tech) Ramon Ray, journalist and editor at Smallbiztechnology.com, sums it up perfectly: "Small businesses can do BIG things using low-cost technology and readily available expertise.
" It doesn't matter if you're running a business out of your home, the local Starbucks (free Internet), or an abandoned warehouse, if you have the right tools to reel in a large consumer base, it's not necessarily important how small your business is because it's doing big things. With all of the technology tools out there, small businesses are now in a better position to compete.
"With the rise of social media and ubiquity of online software the time is NOW for small businesses to reach a big business audience," Ray says. Simon notes that with today's technology, smaller businesses now have the capability of being just as powerful as larger companies. "In fact," he says, "you can argue they're more powerful because they've got less stuff clogging the technological artery. Anne Hill: 5 Great New Social Media Strategies.
Most business owners understand the basic premise of social media marketing today, which is that linking your website to your company presence on other social networking hubs (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) is more effective than just getting a lot of SEO for your site. Consequently, I spend a lot of time advising small businesses on how to create and maintain their Facebook Pages, and how best to improve their LinkedIn presence.
However, there are some golden opportunities for creative marketing that haven't been widely adopted yet, that would be even more effective for many professionals. While all your competitors are concentrating on updating Facebook and LinkedIn, wouldn't it be fun to outshine them all by doing something completely different? Here are five new strategies for business marketing -- things that have only become possible quite recently, that will make your service or storefront even more relevant in a crowded field. 1. 2. 3. 4. Camera shy? 5.