Ways to Promote Your Business During the COVID-19 Crisis

It’s a tricky thing, figuring out how to promote and market your business in a time of crisis. On the one hand, many small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, hoping they will be able to weather the storm and reopen when the crisis is over. On the other hand, nobody wants to appear callous or opportunistic.

That said, there are still ways to promote your business during this unsettling and scary time. The key is to do four things at once:

• Meet your audience where they are.
• Provide clear value in a time of need.
• Be sensitive to the times and avoid missteps.
• Take advantage of special advertising offers and promotions.

Here are some suggestions to help you.

Meet Your Audience Where They Are
In some ways, the fact that most people are staying home and avoiding social gatherings gives small business owners a unique opportunity. At the risk of seeming too cavalier about the seriousness of the situation, you have a captive audience.

That means that the people you want to reach are spending more time than they usually do online. Digital marketing is going to be more important now than it ever has been – and small business owners can and should take advantage of it.

This is a good time to revisit your marketing mix. You should consider pulling money from things like direct mail marketing, if that’s something you’ve been doing, and putting it into:

• Social media advertising
• Search engine advertising
• Email marketing

It’s also a good time now that we’re a couple of weeks into the nationwide “stay at home” order to revisit your analytics and see what’s happening with them. Do you have a bunch of new followers on Pinterest? Your marketing budget should reflect that.

Provide Clear Value in a Time of Need
While many Americans are scared and out of work, there are a lot of people who are working from home and eager to support local businesses. This is a good time to get creative and think about how to serve them.

For example, I’ve seen some businesses offering “Buy Now and Save Later” promotions where they introduce offers even if the business is closed right now. It’s a good way to keep your audience engaged and buying from you – and to create some continuity to help you through a temporary closure.

Another option is to find ways to put your regular services online. This isn’t a solution for everybody, but a lot of businesses have adapted in ways that are truly inspirational. If you can figure out a way to harness technology to help your audience, now is the time to do it.

If you’re a manufacturer, then there are potential opportunities to help people in a way that’s direct and concrete. A good example is Toast, a company that normally makes phone and laptop cases and other products out of natural materials such as wood and leather. In a short time, they have retooled their machinery and engineered a completely reusable face shield that they’re making available to hospitals and emergency workers.

Refine Your SEO
Your marketing should reflect what you’re doing to provide value. If you’re providing emergency services or virtual services, you may want to put some money into SEO for keywords related to the changes. For example, a restaurant that now is focusing on takeout and delivery might put some marketing money into local keywords that include those terms to ensure they reach their audience.

However, it’s not a good idea to stop spending for your regular keywords completely. Remember that both Google and Facebook have ad credit programs for small businesses to use during the pandemic. It’s still important to maintain your Google rank for your usual target keywords. If you don’t, then you may find that your ranking takes a hit – and if that happens, it may be difficult to recover when we return to business as usual.

Keep the Conversation Going
If your business is closed temporarily or providing limited services, you can still invest in “soft” marketing to keep your audience engaged and involved. Two of the best ways to accomplish this task are social media marketing and email marketing.

You might be sick of hearing me go on about email marketing, but it still has a very high ROI and it’s a great way to stay in touch without being overbearing.

The same is true of social media marketing. Your organic posts offer an opportunity to spark conversation, find out what your followers are thinking, and remind them of your value. Promoted posts can do the same thing.

Be Sensitive to the Times and Avoid Missteps
One of the trickiest things about marketing during a crisis is striking the right balance between sensitivity and business concerns. Any business that is seen as trying to take advantage of people is likely to suffer unpleasant consequences.

The first thing to do is to avoid any marketing that appears to be taking the present situation lightly or being dismissive of the very real pain and fear people are feeling. Empathy is the word of the day and businesses that demonstrate are will be rewarded by their customers.

The second thing is to keep your focus on your customers and not on your financial worries. There’s nothing wrong with being worried about the survival of your business, but if it seems like the only thing you’re worried about, you may end up alienating the people you want to attract.

Be Adaptive
None of us know what next week or next month will bring. It may be that a marketing campaign that works today will be twice as effective in a week, or that it won’t deliver any results and you need to revamp.

I realize that might not be reassuring, but I truly believe that with the right mindset, it can be a good thing. Check your analytics regularly. If you can afford it, do some A/B testing to refine your campaigns. Change things as needed – and be prepared to change them again if you must.

Marketing your business is still a must during the pandemic, but you’ll need to think on your feet and do everything you can to serve your audience. If you can do that, then your business will come through the crisis.

Article Source Here: Ways to Promote Your Business During the COVID-19 Crisis

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

Social Climb In The News: Local Restaurant System To Change The Face Of Online Ordering

Social Climb has launched it's new Local Restaurant System which was developed as a result of the current conditions in our country. The coronavirus pandemic has changed how consumers purchase everything from groceries and food to electronics and cars.

The restaurant industry has especially been hit hard and the small local restaurants are unfortunately finding themselves struggling to generate business. Because of this we now have a commission free online ordering system for restaurants. It's a robust and simple website add-on that will let customers order directly from a restaurants website.

Commission Free online Ordering System

Yes, it is commission free so restaurants keep 100% of the profits from each and every order!

Read the full press release here

Get more information about the Local Restaurant System here

Read Full Article Here: Social Climb In The News: Local Restaurant System To Change The Face Of Online Ordering

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

What to do Now – COVID-19? Resources for Small Business Owners

If you own a small business, you might struggle to be profitable even at the best of times. The current COVID-19 pandemic has dialed up the stakes for most businesses in the United States and around the world. Non-essential businesses have closed their doors in an effort to halt the spread of the virus, and there is no clear end in sight.

There is a glimmer of good news. There are many resources available to help small business owners in this difficult time. Some are resources that were already available in some form but have been retooled to fill the changing needs of small business owners. Here are some resources and tools that may help you.

US Chamber of Commerce
The US Chamber of Commerce has created a comprehensive guide for small business owners that includes links to many useful resources, including:

• Loan and grant programs for small businesses
• The Paycheck Protection Program, which is a key provision of the CARES Act that was recently passed by Congress
• A to-do list for small business owners

It’s a very useful page with lots of links out to other resources and information. It’s also a good idea to check out your local Chamber of Commerce for additional resources. You can find your local organization here.

Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides resources to small business owners all the time, including small business loans and government grants. They have some special resources for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic:

• The Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
• SBA Express Bridge Loans
• Guidance for Businesses and Employers
• SBA Products and Resources
• Government Contracting
• Local Assistance

EIDL loans have been expanded under the CARES Act. These are low interest loans that are coordinated at the state level with the help of governors. They can provide up to $2 million in loans to businesses to help them replace revenue lost as a result of the pandemic.

Even if your business does not qualify for an EIDL, you may still be able to get a $10,000 emergency grant to help you meet your payroll commitments and other business expenses.

Centers for Disease Control
While many small businesses are closed with employees working from home, some are still open. Restaurants have retooled as takeout and delivery services, and some other small businesses have been identified as essential.

If your business falls into one of those categories, then the Centers for Disease Control website has a resource that you’ll need: Resources for Businesses and Employers. The page includes interim guidelines to keep your business safe, recommendations for cleaning and sanitizing your workspace, and a link out to OSHA guidelines for COVID-19.

US Tax Credits
Expanded loans and payroll protection aren’t the only things in the CARES Act designed to help small business owners. There are also several tax benefits that may help you recover lost income.

Here are a few highlights.

• The proposed bill waives tax penalties if you withdraw money from a retirement account before you reach the age of 59 ½. The waiver applies for amounts up to $100,000 and is good through the end of 2020. To qualify, you must demonstrate that you or an immediate family member were diagnosed with COVID-19 or that you experienced significant loss of income due to a layoff, reduced hours, or a business closing. You may still be required to pay income taxes depending on the type of retirement fund you have, but you can spread out the payments over three years.
• The bill also includes a credit for employer taxes if you either closed your business for one quarter in 2020 or you can demonstrate that your income decreased by 50% or more due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are additional provisions that allow for increased charitable deductions. You can find a full explanation here.

Finally, you should know that the Internal Revenue Service has extended the deadline for paying taxes to July 15, 2020. You are still required to file by April 15, but you may wait until the extended deadline to pay any taxes you owe.

Google Small Business Fund
While some big companies are asking for government handouts, others are doing what they can to help small businesses in this time of crisis. A good example is Google, which announced that it has created an $800 million commitment to help with the pandemic.

There are two key elements of the fund that apply directly to small business owners. The first is a $200 million investment that will be given to non-profit organizations and financial institutions to provide bridge loans and assistance to small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

The second is a $340 million commitment to provide Google Ads credits to every small business with an active account in the past year. The credits will appear automatically on your Google Ads account and may be used on any of Google’s advertising platforms (including YouTube) through the end of 2020.

It’s also worth mentioning that Google is providing support and funding to any manufacturing business that can retool their facilities to produce needed materials, including hand sanitizer and Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers.

State Relief Programs
In addition to small business relief programs at the federal level, most states have programs to help small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find a partial list in this Forbes article. It includes loan programs, grants, and other assistance.3

If you don’t see your state on the list, you an either do a Google search for your state + COVID-19 relief for businesses. You can also find your state governor’s website on this page.

Keep in mind that some states may be lagging on offering assistance simply because they have not yet been as strongly impacted by the virus as places like Washington, California, and New York. Based on projections, that is going to change pretty much everywhere, so if you don’t see something now, keep checking back.

Facebook Small Business Grants Program
Another big company that’s doing something tangible to help small businesses is Facebook, which recently announced the creation of a Small Business Grants Program.

The program will provide up to $100 million in grants to 30,000 eligible small businesses in 30 countries around the world. The grants may be cash, ad credits, or a combination of the two.

There is limited information available as of this writing, but if you click on the above link, you can sign up to receive updates and get more details as they become available.

UK Resources
For businesses in the UK, there are several assistance programs available. There are too many to list all of them here, but some highlights include:

• Deferment of VAT and income tax payments
• A statutory Sick Pay Relief package for small and medium-sized businesses
• Small business grants of up to £10,000 for companies in receipt of small business or rural rate relief
• Up to £25,000 in grants for companies in the hospitality, leisure and retail industries
• The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which offers up to £5 million in loans to small and medium-sized businesses impacted by the pandemic

You can find a complete list of the programs and resources available on the governments dedicated COVID-19 response page here.

Canadian Resources
The Canadian government has responded vigorously to the pandemic, providing multiple assistance programs for businesses impacted by the outbreak. They include:

• Business Credit Availability Program to provide $10 billion in loans to qualified businesses
• Enhanced Work Sharing program
• Tax deferments until August 31
• A $5 billion expansion of Farm Credit Canada

The government has also put out a call to manufacturing businesses requesting help making needed items for healthcare workers. You can find more information on this page.

Other Resources
The resources we’ve listed above are some of the most widely available and directly useful, but we also found an array of other resources that you should know about.

America’s Small Business Development Centers has created a comprehensive resource page for small businesses. It includes some of the same information we’ve covered above, as well as additional resources that you may find useful.

Small Business Majority has a collection of resources, as well, which includes live and recorded webinars to help small business owners cope with the crisis. You can find it here.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has a resource page that includes webinars, legal resources, FAQ, and more. You can find it here.

The ICIC has a resource page that includes webinars, a network for members, and federal and banking resources to help small businesses with their financial needs during the pandemic. You can find it here.

SCORE has a web page dedicated to pandemic-related resources for small businesses. It includes remote mentoring, webinars, and local chapter workshops and events. You can access it here.

Finally, you can access FEMA’s emergency plan for businesses here. It includes guidelines to help you plan and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This list is as comprehensive as we could make it, but there are likely to be additional resources that we didn’t cover as well as new resources that become available in the coming weeks and months. We will keep you posted, but we also encourage you to seek resources on your own. If you don’t see your country represented, we suggest starting at the main government website, where you should be able to find announcements and links to resources.

The best thing you can do at this time is to educate yourself about the available resources and be as practical and calm as possible. The more you know about what’s out there, the easier it will be to choose the resources that are most helpful to you and your employees at this difficult time. For more information about surviving and thriving during these hard time contact us.

Original Post Here: What to do Now – COVID-19? Resources for Small Business Owners

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

15 Awesome Strategies for Marketing Your Content to Drive Leads

Did you know that article marketing strategy earns an average of 3 times more leads than paid searches? And more than 20 billion new blog posts were published on WordPress in 2019? That's a significant number and it's one that highlights the ongoing significance of content in marketing.

That said, your content isn't going to do you any good if no one sees it or interacts with it. Bummer, right?

The key to propelling involvement and using your article to create leads is recognizing how to advertise your article. Promotion is what will certainly make certain that folks see the great article you're producing and recognize how your business and products or services can help them.

So, without further ado, here are several of the very best ideas I know to promote your post, locate your target market, and kick-start your lead gen.

Utilize Your Social Network Cover Photo to Advertise Content
Do you have a deal you'd like to advertise on a recurring basis? One very easy way to obtain more website traffic is to include your offer right into your cover photo on Facebook. You can hotlink the picture to your landing page and replace it regularly as needed.

Produce a Hashtag to Promote Your Content
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all permit users to employ hashtags to categorize the content they publish. Best of all, anybody who wants to can develop a new hashtag and use it. The next time you have content to market, consider developing a customized hashtag to use with it. You'll obtain the most effective outcomes if you use popular words at the beginning of your hashtag since more people will see it when they search.

Utilize Numerous Hyperlinks to Your Deal on Your Site
A mistake I see a many companies making is only promoting their content in one place. There's no reason you can not have several web links to your most important information on numerous web pages of your site. You can either integrate them right into your text or put them in a box next to other content.

Put a CTA (Call To Action) for Your Deal on Your Home Page
Your home page is the first thing many people that look for your business online will see. Therefore, you need to always have a call to action for your primary deal on your home page-- ideally above the fold.

Blog About a Piece of Content Numerous Times
When you've spent your valuable time creating a lead magnet, it makes sense to promote it as long as feasible. One means to do it, is to blog around corresponding subjects from various angles. End each related blog post with a call to action leading back to your article.

Produce a Content Library on Your Site
If you've created numerous pieces of evergreen information, why not place a content library on your site? A content library can make it simple for guests to your website to discover your most valuable content. You can develop a system where visitors have to supply their email address to access the content. Then, you'll have a list of prospects you can turn into paying clients!

Create a Trigger-Based CTA

Static calls to action can be powerful, yet it's much more effective to display a CTA based on actions. A trigger CTA can pop up when a site visitor has been on your web page more than 5 mins or when they've read more than 50% of your article-- or when they're about to leave your site without opting in!

Motivate Social Sharing
Among the easiest ways to get your article in front of even more individuals is to encourage visitors to share it on social media. Including share buttons and also embedded Tweets is easy-- both can be done with a free plug-in-- and your website's visitors will likely do the rest.

Make a Sales Video
Landing pages with video media convert at a higher rate than web pages without video. You don't need to spend a ton to produce an unforgettable sales video which you can upload on your landing page. On a related note, you can additionally publish excerpts on YouTube and social media sites with a web link to your content landing page.

Produce YouTube Pre-Roll Promotions

You know the video footage advertisements that appear prior to most YouTube videos? You can develop an easy ad and pay to have it show up prior to videos that are related to the keywords you pick.

Link E-mails to Your Article
Do your emails have a signature at the bottom? If so, you can merely revise yours to provide a hyperlink to the content deal you wish to market. If you don't have a signature, you can add one with any type of e-mail service provider you use and include the link in it.

Email Your Customer base
One more quick and simple method to let your existing subscribers find out about your web content is to email them with a hyperlink to your landing page. You can make use of the e-mail to motivate them to download the deal and share it with their friends and colleagues.

Increase a Facebook Post
You most likely already know you can publish your content special offer on Facebook. Since Facebook's algorithm can make it tough for your followers to see it, you can use part of your marketing budget to boost the message and get in front of a larger crowd. (Tip: Develop a lookalike audience to get to individuals that might not otherwise see your information).

Partner with Some Other Local business.
A lot of times, local businesses share customers in common. If you know some other business owners in your area, why not collaborate to share one another's information? Simply make certain to set the agreement in writing, to make sure that all parties recognize their obligations and commitments.

Obtain Industry Influencers to Link to Your Post.
When you hear about influencer marketing, it often pertains to big stars. Nevertheless, somebody in your industry or niche with a decent social media following can do your organization a great deal of good by talking about your information. Seek influencers and work out a deal to have them market your content to their followers.

The point? Advertising your web content and creating leads doesn't need to be challenging and it doesn't need to cost you much cash, either. The concepts here are going to allow you jump-start your lead generation and expand your business this year. If you're ready to learn more about generating more traffic, leads & sales for your business call (303) 900-4688

Originally Published Here: 15 Awesome Strategies for Marketing Your Content to Drive Leads

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

Is Mobile Marketing A Smart Option For My Business?

First, let me say that not every business needs mobile marketing but it is fair to say that most businesses can benefit from a smart mobile marketing strategy. Experimenting without a plan can result in lost revenue so it is best to start with a plan and some guidance.

Knowing how you want to implement your mobile plan and ensureing you have a way to track your results should be the most important part of your plan. Today almost everyone has a mobile phone so demographics is rarely an issue but you should still take your audience into consideration as part of your plan.

Most businesses have services and products that are ideal for mobile marketing. Retail, for instance is one that can benefit tremendously from a mobile marketing program. Every retail business should definitely have some type of mobile marketing program.

The mobile marketing opportunities for most businesses and other organizations like Realtors, promoters/event coordinators, churches and schools are endless!

There are many other types of local businesses that can benefit greatly from mobile text marketing including, but not limited to:

• Home Services
• Restaurants
• Nonprofits
• Politices
• Automotive

• Spas
• Gyms
• Healthcare
• Sports
• Real Estate

Imagine the benefits of offering coupons, sharing recipes, health tips, managing fan clubs, loyalty clubs and VIP clubs. Or how about ticket sales, class schedules, details on properties for lease or for sale. Share store events and new publications by a favorite author or musician and appointment reminders.

Clearly, this isn't a complete list. You can take many of your offline promotions and modify them to work on mobile. You may have promotional ideas the wouldn't work offline but can be executed online. There are no limits to using your creativity with mobile text marketing!

Examples Of How You Can Use Text Marketing:

It’s beyond the scope of this guide to discuss in detail all the ways your business can market using mobile, but a mobile marketing consultant is able to help you plan your marketing campaigns.

We’ve found Mobile Text Marketing will deliver the best ROI and is the most affordable way to market to this huge audience. Text Marketing out performs even the best mobile website which requires a smart phone to view and therefore only reaches 28%.

To learn how your business can incorporate mobile in your marketing strategy schedule a free consultation.

Read More Here: Is Mobile Marketing A Smart Option For My Business?

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

Effective Use For A Call Tracking System In Your Business

Call tracking systems give your business the ability to see how effective your businesses advertising and sales methods are. You will be able to determine just how well your businesses sales and advertising budget is being spent, make adjustments where needed to ensure its effectiveness and success. Call tracking systems will help your business to become aware of any ineffective sales and advertising methods with ease.

Begin to Utilize a Call Tracking System Within Your Business

If your business is looking for a way to determine the effectiveness of your sales and advertising methods through a secure process then begin utilizing a call tracking system today. You will not only be able to learn how the interested party found your business but it will make it possible to track where your businesses most profitable leads and customers are coming from.

The Ability to Monitor Incoming Phone Traffic

Using a call tracking system will give your business the ability to monitor incoming phone traffic from nearly any form of advertising, such as yellowbook or yellow pages, TV, radio, print ads, Google, and even business cards.

You will be able to determine which advertising method your business is using is effective by assigning each campaign a unique phone number. For those web based sales and advertisements your business will be able to track the referring domain where the prospective customer came from.

Big Results with Call Tracking Systems

With call tracking system technology growing there are many benefits to your business as far as reviewing the effectiveness of sales and advertising methods. Your business will be able to promote growth through a top call tracking system. Your service based business will be able to keep your businesses advertising budget in check and ensure the productiveness. Your business will be able to increase the success of your sales and advertisement as well as customer satisfaction by using a call tracking system.

Read Full Article Here: Effective Use For A Call Tracking System In Your Business

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi

How to Improve Your Reputation As A Roofing Company

Every business—big or small—needs to have a good reputation. Having such a solid standing in the community gives a business a much better chance of being patronized by more people. Even with similar products or services on the market, the company that people speak well of often becomes the preferred one.

Building a reputation for offering top-notch products or services takes some time and effort on your part, though. If you’re a roofing contractor and you want to boost your roofing company’s reputation, then you might find the tips below useful:

Put a premium on your professional appearance.
How you, your employees, and your company vehicle look in public is extremely important. Your workers can’t be pulling up to a customer’s house on a filthy, rusty truck with no logo or contact details. Nor can they stand in front of a customer wearing tattered jeans and a shabby statement shirt.

Your employees' appearance is indicative of the level of respect they have for them, and showing up for a job looking like any of the above shows a lot of disrespect, whether they realize it or not. A roofing company is in the service business, and workers in the service businesses must look professional at all times.

A professional appearance doesn’t mean they’ll have to wear a suit to work. A simple but clean pair of jeans and a shirt that serves as a uniform will do. An actual uniform with the company logo emblazoned on it would be even better. That company logo would also look good on your company vehicle, which should look clean and fully functional as well. It also wouldn’t hurt if your company vehicle bears contact details like phone numbers, email addresses, website address, and social media accounts.

Establish an online presence.
In a world where just about everyone is on the Internet, having a website for your roofing company only makes perfect sense. With a website, you should be able to show off the kind of roofing work that you do. You can also put all the information about your services that customers and potential customers are going to need.

A social media account can also help you improve your reputation. If your roofing company has a Facebook or Twitter account, you get the chance to engage with existing customers and prospective ones. You can even establish your company as an authority in the roofing industry by sharing tips and advice on how to care for their roofs and other relevant topics.

Get listed on business review sites.
Claim a listing on review sites like Yelp and Yahoo! Local and get reviewed by customers. If you’re confident about the quality of work and level of service you provide, then you are going to get glowing reviews. You can then use those reviews to promote your services, and your reputation will get a boost.

Get roofers’ insurance.
There was a time when all customers cared about when choosing roofing contractors is the quality of their work. As long as they provide excellent roofing service, homeowners will readily hire such roofers with little to no questions asked.

That no longer holds true these days, not when homeowners have become so much smarter when hiring roofers and other types of contractors.

Roofing is an inherently risky job. It is, in fact, listed as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The risk of injury or even death is high, and customers wouldn’t want to be held liable for any injury or property damage that may occur within their property.

When looking for a roofing contractor, customers now ask if the company has roofers insurance, and will likely pass on roofing contractors that don’t have one. These days, having roofers insurance is an excellent way of building your reputation as someone who cares about the protection of clients.

Reputation may take time to develop, but everything will be worth it once it helps you get a steady flow of business for your roofing company.

Learn More Here: How to Improve Your Reputation As A Roofing Company

Social Climb
8310 South Valley Highway, 105A
Englewood CO 80112
(303) 900-4688
https://goo.gl/4OFHNi