50 Tips in 50 Minutes

1. 50 Tips in 50 Minutes Presented by: Michelle Glennie & Cheryl Strege

2. Social Media

3. Tip # 1 Consider a social media policy. Whether it's a simple one-page set of guidelines or full-blown documentation regarding what is and is not acceptable employee behavior surrounding social media, it’s a good idea. Value: Make your employees accountable for their actions in the social media scene. It’s a hard area to regulate so this gives you some power.

4. Tip # 2 Value: This will increase your searchabilitywithin the LinkedIn network. Make sure you have 100% Profile completeness on LinkedIn.

5. Tip # 3 Value: This makes your company searchable. Ask employees to update their profile to be associated with your company. Create a company profile in LinkedIn.

6. Tip # 4 Poll your network on LinkedIn. Value: This is a tool that is free if you only poll your network. Use this to poll your customers on industry trends or new ideas you may be considering in your company.

7. Tip # 5 Create a Group within LinkedIn just for your customers. Value: This allows you to offer another benefit to your customers by giving them tips & tricks in addition to letting them know about events, webcasts or training that you have coming up.

8. Tip # 6 Watch the questions that are being asked in the Answers tool. Value: You can build your reputation as an industry expert. If your answers are selected as the “Best” you can earn Expert points.

9. Tip # 7 Add the Google Presentation feature to your LinkedIn profile. Value: Post company overview, sales and other informative presentations that you have done. This will build awareness for you and your company and highlight industry expertise.

10. Tip # 8 Use the Events tool to promote your next meeting, training or customer event. Value: You can generate excitement about your events in addition to informing your customers and prospects about all your company offers.

11. Tip # 9 Know who is viewing your profile. Value: Not only will you will see the traffic that your profile is getting, you will be able to see the types of people that are viewing it.

12. Tip # 10 • Value: The LinkedIn Outlook Toolbar allows you to quickly and easily build your LinkedIn network from within Outlook. Download the free Linkedin Outlook Toolbar. On the homepage of Linkedin scroll down to the bottom and click on Tools.

13. Tip # 11 Add your connections to Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook to your email signature, website, and in other email campaigns. Free Social Media Icons: http://dryicons.com/free-icons/ Value: This will show people where you are posted online and bring awareness to your profile on these sites.

14. Tip # 12 Update your social networks on ONE dashboard: www.hootsuite.com Value: Limits the time you spend on logging in and out of all your social networks to make daily updates. You can even schedule posts in advance.

15. Blogging

16. Tip # 13 Value: This can help improve your search rankings and drive traffic back to your website. When contributing to a blog, make sure you link relevant information back to your company’s website – the words you link in the blog should be listed somewhere on that web page.

17. Tip # 14 Link to multiple pages within your website. • Home page • Product page • About us • Others that are relevant Value: Google counts every link in your blog and increases your visibility and SEO.

18. Tip # 15 Recruit multiple bloggers- Effective blogs are updated frequently. Value: This ensures your blog will be a compilation of multiple viewpoints and relevant expertise that attracts a variety of readers. Plus, each blogger’s writing style will incorporate keywords in different ways to attract search engines.

19. Tip # 16 Don’t pitch with every blog post, post content that will actually benefit others. Stay Away from… “Buy Now!” Or “Limited Time Offer!” Value: Your readers will see your blog in a different light and will more likely be loyal.

20. Tip # 17 Be always on the look out for new blog topics: • Keep a folder on your desktop for blog ideas • Sign up for Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts Value: When you’re ready to actually write, you’ll have somewhere tangible to start.

21. Tip # 18 Make sure you have a keyword in mind and have that keyword in the title, description, tags, body, and anchor text (the text that you click on in a link). Value: This will enhance your SEO ranking. When people search for what you’re offering, they’re more likely to find you.

22. Tip # 19 Value: Group blogs increase SEO value for your own website and can gain more frequent readers. Join the CRM Software Review Blog: http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/

23. General Marketing

24. Tip # 20 Try out Pixability to create a professionally done video for $795. They will send you a Flip camera, you shoot your footage and send it back to them, and then they will give you back a professionally done video with music, transitions, titles and your logo. Visit: http://www.pixability.com/. Value: A cost effective way to get a professional video of your company, customer or product.

25. Tip # 21 Set up a company YouTube site to post demos, customer testimonials. Value: YouTube is one of the largest search engines – get your company noticed! You can also link these videos to your website.

26. Tip # 22 https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/partnermembershipcenter.aspx Value: A great way to get your name out there. In the Partner Membership Center, make sure to check the box allowing Microsoft to post your company profile.

27. Tip # 23 Value: You can use this at tradeshows to build your opt-in list, create contests and games, poll your customers, make important announcements, or even update the contact information you have in your CRM system. Consider running a text message campaign with a provider like Cellit, www.cellit.com.

28. Tip # 24 If you market to Not-For-Profits, visit www2.guidestar.org to get a list of NFP organizations in your state. The cost per state is approximately $400. Value: There is not a SIC code for NFP’s, but they have to file a 990 with the IRS to claim they are nonprofit. This give you a good list to market to.

29. Tip # 25 Sign up for a FREE subscription to Competitive Insights for Microsoft Dynamics Partners at http://partnercompete.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=24d316df313e266e093868353&id=0368183164. Value: You receive quick snip-its and links to content that is relevant to help you sell Microsoft Dynamics products.

30. Tip # 26 Use Leadlander (www.leadlander.com) to know who has been visiting your website. Value: You will understand who you site is tracking and follow up with them.

31. Tip # 27 Create a compelling offer for your audience to benefit from and learn more about you: EBooks Webinars Whitepapers Value: Instead of promoting over and over again, you are finally bringing value to the table. Prospects notice this and respect it.

32. Tip # 28 Take advantage of free templates on http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/ Brochures Business Cards Labels Newsletters Value: Save time not having to start from scratch on some simple forms of marketing.

33. Tip # 29 Value: If your server has been blacklisted this can prevent your emails from being delivered. Go to http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx to test to see if your mail server has been blacklisted.

34. Tip # 30 Value: You can determine what address your mail is being sent from and make sure that you have not been blacklisted. Don’t know what your mail server’s address? You can visit http://www.mxtoolbox.com/ or send an email to ping@mxtoolbox.com.

35. Tip # 31 Create an account on www.prlog.org to submit free online press releases for your company Value: In addition to free submission and distribution, this site also has tips on how to write a press release

36. Tip # 32 • Value: This is a cost effective way to learn about Canadian companies across industries, how the industries are performing, in addition to contact information Marketing to Canadian companies? Visit Industry Canada website at www.ic.gc.ca and do a search on companies by categories or NAIC and get comprehensive detail about each business

37. Tip # 33 Try DemoMate to create internal and online demos. Microsoft has negotiated a year subscription for $199 which is 60% off the standard pricing! Visit PartnerSource at: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/marketing/marketingcollateral/demos/demomate.htm?printpage=false&stext=demomate. Value: This tool not only helps you to create your demos easily, but hosts them and tracks the viewing stats for you.

38. Tip # 34 Value: Take advantage of this free tool to find prospects who are similar to your best customer. Clone your best customer using infoUSA’s Quick Customer Cloner. (www.infousa.com)

39. Tip # 35 Value: Not having to develop your own emails and presentations will save you time and allow you to get to market faster. Take advantage of the pre-created emails and presentations Microsoft has posted on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 launch page. https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/deployment/resources/productreleases/crm2011launchpage.htm?printpage=false&stext=CRM Additional CRM marketing materials are located the Ready-to-Go site at www.mspartnerdirect.com.

40. Your Website

41. Tip # 36 • Value: Use this to see what you have previously done on your website to help influence the growth and evolution of your current website. Use the Way Back Machine at www.archive.org to view the many revisions of your website. 

42. Tip # 37 Performance of your website - You might design great sites, but you need to make sure that the site load time is reasonable. Value: Making it quick and easy for your prospects and customers to browse your website improves the chance they’ll come back.

43. Tip # 38 Fresh content on your website - There is nothing better than having fresh content on your site. Value: Google searches for new content on the web. So refreshing your website with blogs or news increases your search engine optimization.

44. Tip # 39 Put a “tell a friend” link on multiple pages of your website. Value: This makes it easy and accessible for your fans to talk about you excessively. Don’t give them a chance to forget. 

45. Tip # 40 Make your Call to Action Clear! Every page should have a clear C2A. It could be “download”, “subscribe”, “contact us” etc. Value: If your prospects want to reach you, make it easy for them!

46. Tip # 41 • Value: This will give you a good starting base of key words to evaluate with your team. Use the Google Wonder Wheel to help you find the right key words for your web pages.

47. Tip # 42 • Value: You will get true analytics of outside • traffic that will not be tainted by internal company traffic. When setting up your Google Analytics, be sure to set a filter to exclude internal traffic from your own IP address www.google.com/analytics

48. Tip # 43 • Value: You can quickly connect to your IT department or website host if your website goes down. Use Hyperspin , www.hyperspin.com to monitor your website and be alerted if it goes down for free.

49. E-Mail Marketing

50. Tip # 44 Make sure you have a call to action in your email campaigns and be repetitive. Include it at the top of your email content and again at the bottom. Value: Readers will be more responsive if they know what they are supposed to do.