Are you wondering why you would actually need to spend the money to hire a social media consultant for your business? I mean, can’t you just have your secretary monitor Facebook or bring on an intern for a couple semesters to set up social media accounts for you?

We get it, there is a lot of information on the internet that makes you question whether or not you are running your small business properly. Now you are questioning whether or not you need an email marketing strategy. Keep on reading to get the basics on how businesses can use consumers’ inboxes to increase awareness and gain more customers.

If you run a business, an online strategy for marketing is crucial for success in today’s world. There are many different types of marketing methods online, and it’s better to utilize several and come up with a plan that brings them all together. Here at Half a Bubble Out, we work with an inbound marketing approach that ties multiple digital marketing services together. You may or may not run a large enough company to hire an agency, but even if you run your own marketing it is important to be aware of the different pieces of digital marketing.

While Google’s mobile algorithm already rolled out, there are still many unanswered questions amongst small businesses. In order to remain on Google’s “good list” your website MUST be mobile friendly.

Take a look at your small business. Are you wanting to not only grow your business but also be the best in your industry? Then it's time to evaluate your marketing strategy and the budget that you have in place for it. We all want that easy fix for any problem that we have but with marketing or even growing your business, this will take time.

When I say “ice cream” what three brands come to mind? You’re walking down the frozen section aisle of the grocery store. Ice cream is on the list. Which brand do you buy? You might think that you’ll buy whatever is on sale. Or whatever you have a coupon for. Or whatever your favorite brand is. I almost always buy Breyers, even if it’s not on sale. It’s just the one I like – or is it? Lately, I’ve been seriously considering Ben & Jerry’s. Why? Because I want to try The Tonight Dough™ “caramel & chocolate ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls & gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough & peanut butter cookie dough.” I know! It sounds like mouth-watering madness! Go ahead. Wipe the drool from your mouth and stop teasing your taste buds.

When it comes to marketing, a lot of business owners don’t see the need to invest a lot of money. Sometimes figuring out the best marketing channels is confusing and intimidating, so it’s easier to just invest in a small marketing piece here and there, or not do any marketing at all. What every business owner needs to know, however, is how to become a company that is top of mind when people are in need of your services. How do you do this? The basic idea is to have frequency in your marketing.

What if we told you that there is a proven frequency formula that can help your small business be top of mind when someone is seeking a product or service that you offer? This information we are about to give to you is hands down some of the most important and useful information that many businesses just don’t get. However, if it’s implemented in accordance to the proven frequency formula we will soon be sharing with you, we guarantee you will start to see a change in your business's success.

Growing up we were taught that quitting is worse than failing. We were taught to try, try again until we succeeded or we couldn’t try any more. Now fast forward to the present, you are now facing the same dilemma you did back when the playground was your stomping ground. Should you quit your marketing strategy or should you keep going? I am going to tell you a story about a client that we have that has been in the same situation as you are. 

As a business owner, we are sure you are aware that the internet world is constantly changing. Even more important for you to know, it’s changing and you need to keep up if you want to remain a successful small business. Constant updates by Google and changes in algorithms should be keeping you on your toes, however, we know it’s difficult to keep up.

Are you spending money on marketing your small business and wondering where it’s going? If it currently feels like you’re throwing your money out the window while driving down the highway at 70 miles an hour; or watching the coins slowly slip through your fingers like grains of sand on the beautiful beach you wish you were spending your hard earned dollars on vacation, then you need to examine your small business marketing strategy.

How do you know when you need to quit what you are doing? How do you know when it isn’t working and it is time to bail, versus, when to keep pushing through the hard stuff to make it to be the BEST in the business?

Today we are going to highlight one of our clients and talk about how sometimes sticking to a unique marketing campaign can really pay off. LivinginChico.com has been a client of ours for over 5 years now. It's an apartment searching website that helps people find the best apartments in Chico, California.

Let’s take a quick look at your small business. You have your employees, your product or service that you sell, your office, and your warehouse. With so many moving pieces and parts, it is inevitable that at some point in time your business will have a crisis or a point of transition, maybe even similar to the two examples below.

We’re going to start off with a story. Imagine that you are the CEO of a very large company. You show up to work on Monday and are informed that over the weekend a number of people became sick or died after ingesting your product.

Every organization goes through transitions. Whether it is planned or unplanned, it is part of “the circle of life” of a business or organization. As a leader, in the midst of transitions, you can keep your organization moving forward and stay on track to be the best you can be and move through the transition, coming out better than before!

Transition in any small business is inevitable. It comes in many shapes and sizes – expanding to a larger facility, adopting new industry trends, hiring or losing employees, financial hardships, or a client that decides to go in a different direction. Transition in your organization and in the lives of the people who make up your organization, can affect your ability to market and communicate your message clearly. Transition also provides an excellent opportunity for your small business to get some clarity in your messaging and marketing.

Google is always rolling out new updates, and many times as businesses and marketers we aren’t too excited about them. They often impact your small business in a way that requires you to tweak your internet marketing strategy. Well, the most recent update is actually a good one, in my opinion. You just need to make sure your business is on board so you don’t get punished.

What kind of marketing do you invest in for your small business? Somewhere along your journey as a successful small business owner you’ve probably tried billboards, radio ads, print ads and other types of traditional marketing. As a business owner who is constantly keeping up with trends and competitors, you probably have also invested in online marketing and have a decent looking website and Facebook business page. How’s all that working out for you?

Do you want to be a business that people like? Do you want to be a business that people enjoy working with, buying from and associating with? Most people would answer yes to all of those! As a small business owner you can have two different types of philosophies when it comes to your marketing. In order to grow your business and give back to your community, there is one philosophy that is the right answer.