Social Media Marketing | Martin Print Blog

May 09, 2013

BAD MANNERS AND RUDE BUSINESS
How to Avoid the Most Common Ways
of Annoying Your Clients and Colleagues

“Good morning, Sir. You’re looking well today! May I take your coat? Please do take a seat. I’ll be with you as soon as I possibly can. May I offer you some refreshments while you wait?”

This is the kind of greeting that I often dream of hearing as I’m reluctantly making my way to the local gent’s hairdressers just around the corner from Martin Print H.Q.

However, the reality never quite matches my hopes.
Instead, I usually get something along the lines of;

“Oh no, not you again! Are you really due another haircut so soon? You’re determined to ruin my day, aren’t you? Oh well, sit down and be quiet, and try not to scare off my other customers. Don’t touch anything either, I’ve got my eye on you…”

To be fair, it’s not quite as bad as it may sound. I’ve been enjoying this kind of ‘banter’ with my local hairdresser for years. Besides, he’s the only one around for miles, so he knows that I’m unlikely to take my custom elsewhere.
I’m fairly sure that he wouldn’t treat new clients like this. If he did, his business would never have lasted much longer than a week…

But are Small Business owners ever in danger of accidentally annoying customers and colleagues with Bad Business Etiquette? Could some of us be at risk of displaying common rude behaviour without even realising it?

I got thinking about this topic as I settled back down at my office desk again, following my typically blunt experience at the Hairdressers.
Doris, our resident cleaner, popped her head round the door to say hello.
Well, kind of.

”Oh no, you’re back again!” she cried. “I was going to clean your office, but you’re in my way again. You’re always in my way! Can’t you just go away and do something constructive instead of sitting there and pretending to look busy? Why don’t you go and get your hair cut or something? What? You have? Oh, right. It looks terrible. Did you ask for your money back?”

Hmm.
You know, any normal person might start to feel paranoid about constantly soaking up so much abuse in one day!
But, fortunately for everyone concerned, I’m far from normal.
And I know for sure that no harm or malice was intended in any of these abrupt conversations. No offence was taken.

I’m also fairly confident that most of us would never dream of communicating in such a seemingly discourteous manner in the professional arena of Small Business – either to customers, business associates, or fellow team members.

But what if we’ve picked up some bad business habits which cause offence without our knowledge?
Here are some of the most common examples of rude business behaviour which should be avoided at all costs…

CONTINUE READING

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Posted In Business Clinic, Customer Care, Customer Complaints, Customer Rewards, Entrepreneur Zone, How-To's and Tutorials, Social Media Marketing, Staff Management, Technology & The Web

May 08, 2013

STRAPPED FOR CASH?
How to Improve Your Small Business Results Without Blowing a Tiny Budget

“I wish I could concentrate more on growing my business. But I just don’t have the funds for it. A big shame, really. I don’t suppose there’s much I can do about it.”

Oh dear.
I could see that Gloomy Graham was unlikely to provide much merriment and laughter today down at Smokey Joe’s Small Business Bar.

To be honest, when I’d first walked through those doors and caught a quick glimpse of his long face, I made a clumsy attempt to walk right back out again.
But it was too late. He’d already spotted me.
Hitting my head on the door and yelping like an animal probably didn’t help my effort to slip out undetected.
Gloomy Graham insisted on waving me over so that I could buy him a drink and listen to his tales of business woe.
I sometimes wonder why I ever bother coming to this place…

“It’s so frustrating,” he grumbled in his typically less-than-uplifting manner.
“I look around and I see everybody else happily moving forward and expanding their businesses by pouring more and more money into them. But I just can’t compete with that at the moment.
I don’t have that kind of budget. It looks like I’ll just have to keep plodding on and hope that things pick up eventually.”

That last sentence almost made me choke on my Fizzy Watermelon Surprise.
The very idea of Gloomy Graham ever actually hoping for something positive seemed a bit of a far-fetched prospect to me.

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Posted In Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Customer Care, Entrepreneur Zone, Finance In Focus, Marketing Secrets, Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Print and Design, Promotional Material, Social Media Marketing, Starting a New Business

May 06, 2013

NFC FAQ
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About
Those Amazing New NFC Cards But Were Afraid to Ask…

I lost my voice today.

I was hoping that some kind-hearted members of the Martin Print team may have shown some sympathy, and perhaps even fetched me a hot drink or two to help ease my burning throat.
They all know that I’m trapped here alone in my office, croaking helplessly away to myself, and unable to even answer the telephone.

But no.
Every time somebody wanders past my door, I attempt to wave frantically at them or throw something soft in their direction in a desperate bid to grab their attention.
But it never works. Not even when I panicked and accidentally threw my chair at Old Bert.
No, everyone is always far too immersed in their own conversations which usually revolve around how particularly quiet and peaceful it is today.
Nice.

However, even a lost voice can’t dampen my enthusiasm too much this week, as I’m thrilled to report that the incredible new NFC Cards are now rolling into production right here at Martin Print H.Q.

These wonderful new Cards deliver an extra digital dimension to your savvy Small Business marketing, and can be used in all kinds of deeply funky and highly functional ways.

I’ve been excitedly babbling on about this dramatic new digitally-enhanced development in custom-crafted Cards to everyone I’ve bumped into over the last few days in all kinds of places – here in the office, down at Smokey Joe’s Small Business Bar, even whilst waiting patiently in the queue down at the Sweet Pastry Shop.
Nobody was safe from my bubbling buoyancy.
Well, until I finally lost my voice and just ended up croaking into people’s faces and scaring them away.

Since that unfortunate moment, my burning throat has made it difficult to answer all the burning questions on new NFC Cards that continue to pour in from every direction.
I did briefly consider handcuffing myself to Old Bert so that he could handle all the queries on my behalf.
But I eventually decided that it would make far more sense to compile an ultimate list of the most frequently asked questions on NFC Cards right here on the Martin Print Blog!

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Posted In Archives, Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Entrepreneur Zone, Marketing Secrets, May 2013, Mobile Phones/Smartphones, Newsdesk, NFC Business Cards, Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Print and Design, Promotional Material, Social Media Marketing, Technology & The Web

April 29, 2013

THE TOP TEN LIST
OF THE BEST EVER TOP TEN LISTS!
Why Your Small Business Customers
are Attracted to Numbered Content

Here are four points that I was considering this lunchtime on my way to the Sweet Pastry shop.

1) The experts say that Content is King.
If your small business is hoping to reach out and connect with a wider audience, then it certainly pays to produce new and original content on Websites, Blogs, and Social Media channels.
But how do we go about cooking up and dishing out fresh content on such a regular basis?

2) Could it be that the good old-fashioned Numbered List may well provide a useful springboard for cracking new material?

3) Why are people so attracted to lists anyway? Why do lists seem to have more pulling power than the usual servings of standard prose?

4) Why is it always me that gets sent to the Sweet Pastry shop?

We may never unearth the answer to that last question.
I’ve been trying to work that one out for years.
But it was whilst I was browsing my daily list of Sweet Pastry requests from the rest of the Martin Print team that I began to ponder the hidden value of the Numbered List.

It’s such a simple and well-loved little format which can come in handy for all sorts of different types of content creation.
For example, a well-crafted list can be used for;

1) Quickly describing the benefits and selling points of your products and services on your business website.

2) Engaging your readers and potential future customers with an easily accessible Blog article, or Guest Post, or Email, or Forum Message, or indeed any suitable slice of online content.

3) Creating a fun or informative status update on Social Media which is guaranteed to intrigue your readership into exploring further.

4) Highlighting important points for your potential clients to consider in professionally produced marketing material such as Brochures and Catalogues.

But why exactly is the Numbered List packed with so much power in the first place?
Simple lists of Top Tens and Top Reasons and Top Bests and Top Worsts surely can’t be anyway near as insightful and informative as well-written articles which are made up of proper sentences and paragraphs, can they?

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Posted In Business Blogs, Business Clinic, Content Bombs, Creative Marketing, Email Campaigns, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, How-To's and Tutorials, Marketing Secrets, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Technology & The Web

April 23, 2013

THE PEAK OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Is Australian Social Networking on the Decline?

“Well, that’s it then. Looks like Facebook is on the way out. It didn’t take long for Australia to get bored with the whole idea, did it?
“Ah well. It’ll be interesting to see how we’re all going to waste our time in the future.”

I hadn’t really expected to hear this kind of talk when I popped into Smokey Joe’s Small Business Bar for a quiet drink.
In fact, I almost spat out my Fizzy Apple Cocktail in surprise.

Facebook on the way out? That couldn’t be right, could it?
I certainly hoped not.
I’d just come up with a couple of really funny status updates and images for later on this week.

“Yup, it’s all in there,” said Sharp Simon, slamming a few reports down on the bar as he joined me for a drink.
“Facebook, Twitter, everything really. We’re falling out of love with Social Media sites in general. The kids of today are getting particularly bored with it, which hardly bodes well for the future, does it?
“A pity, really. I’m kind of regretting spending all that money on Facebook advertising now. I didn’t realise it was all going to be over so quickly.”

Hmm.
So, is Social Media really falling out of fashion so soon?

I finished off my Fizzy Apple Cocktail, and thumbed through the reports on the bar.
There certainly seemed to be some grains of factual truth in the rumours of a decline in Social Media.
But maybe it’s just a matter of looking at the whole scene from the right perspective…

Information Services Group Experian has been conducting mind-bogglingly vast research into global internet habits, collecting data from 25 million internet subscribers worldwide – including no less than 3 million Australians.

Whilst the popularity of Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter might appear to have been increasing rapidly over the last few years, you might be surprised to learn that Australians are actually spending less time on these sites than we used to.

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Posted In April 2013, Archives, Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, Marketing Secrets, Newsdesk, Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Technology & The Web, Twitter

April 04, 2013

EXPENSIVELY GOOD VALUE
Why You and Your Business Customers Could
End Up Paying the Price for Cheap Bargains

Do you often find yourself battling against certain pesky business rivals who charge much less than you do for similar products or services?

How do they do it?
I’m sure that in many cases, it’s simply because they’re not offering or delivering the same levels of quality and excellence as your own business.

But it can be frustrating trying to get this message across to some potential customers who are keen to sniff out a bargain, and who are only ever interested in snapping something up at the lowest possible price.
Especially when you know that these supposed ‘bargains’ will end up costing the customer far more in the long-term…

It was a visit to Old Bert’s little office, just down the corridor, that got me thinking about this today.
I’d just popped in there to deliver his lunchtime sweet pastry, and I noticed for the first time that his office chair was beginning to look a little worn.
I suddenly realised that Old Bert had been using the same chair for years and years and years without a single complaint. I actually started to feel a little guilty, as I knew that I’d probably been through about 10 or 12 different chairs in the same period.
So, in a fit of spontaneous generosity, I offered to buy him a brand new one.

I was quite taken aback by his startling reaction to my offer.
“Get out of here with that kind of nonsense talk!” he bellowed.
“I’ve had this chair for twenty years, and I’ll keep it for twenty more! There’s nothing wrong with this chair! It was built to last, not like the sort of cheap rubbish that you keep buying for yourself! Get out of here! And give me that sweet pastry before you go!”

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Posted In Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Customer Care, Customer Rewards, Entrepreneur Zone, Finance In Focus, Marketing Secrets, Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Weird & Wonderful

March 28, 2013

ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
Why the New ‘Reply’ Option on Facebook Business Pages is Good News for Your Fans!

This week, Facebook rolled out a small but perfectly formed new feature for Business Pages, which could prove to be far more useful and valuable than it may appear on first glance.

The new ‘Reply’ option underneath individual comments on your posts means that you can now reply directly to the person who left the comment, instead of having to post your responses right at the very bottom of a potentially huge thread.

In order to appreciate the significance and worth of this handy new feature, let’s take a quick look at the sort of lunacy and sheer madness that used to take you by surprise when you were simply trying to engage with your treasured Facebook fans.

Here’s a snippet of the type of bewildering conversation that could so easily have popped up on the Martin Print Facebook page in the past…

MARTIN PRINT: Another cracking day of custom-crafted printing ahead! Please just let me know if you have any queries at all that I can help you with!

CLAIRE LANGFORD: Hi Martin Print! I was just wondering if you can create Business Cards in a special die-cut shape, and how I go about getting a quote?

PATRICK POTTER: Hello! Can you tell me if you run tap-dancing classes for dogs? Not sure if I’ve got the right page.

MARTIN PRINT: Yes, of course, we certainly do! If you pop along to the Quotations page on our website and give us a few details, then we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

PATRICK POTTER: Oh, great! Can I give you a few details now? My dog hasn’t had much tap-dancing experience, but she’s quick to learn. She’s a Miniature Fox Terrier called Poppy. Is that all you need?

MARTIN PRINT: No, no, I think there’s been a misunderstanding, we don’t provide that kind of service.

CLAIRE LANGFORD: Really? I thought you guys were a print and design company? Oh well, never mind, I’ll go and have a look elsewhere for my Business Cards. You should think about changing your business name, though.

CONTINUE READING

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Posted In Archives, Business Clinic, Customer Care, Customer Complaints, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, How-To's and Tutorials, March 2013, Newsdesk, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Technology & The Web, Weird & Wonderful

March 26, 2013

COVER PHOTOS AND PROFILE PICS
How to Choose the Best Images for Your Social Media Business Pages

“Aaargh! The stupid thing keeps chopping my legs off!”

Hmm. I always get a bit worried when I hear this kind of thing coming from Old Bert’s new little office just down the corridor of Martin Print H.Q.
It tends to bring back memories of that awful accident he had last year with the nail gun and the solar powered bird sweeper.
It still makes wince in sympathy even now.

However, on this particular occasion, there was really no need for me to go barging into his office in blind panic with a first aid box and a folding medical bed.
It turns out that Old Bert was simply having a spot of bother with the dimensions of his new Facebook Cover Photo…

Our friendly resident caretaker has taken rather a shine to Facebook since Josh helped him to get up and running with a personal profile a little while ago.
After having just returned from The Bi-Annual Australian Grandmaster Caretakers Conference, Old Bert was keen to update his Timeline with an allegedly fascinating photograph taken at the event.

But he was dismayed to discover that his chosen image couldn’t really be squeezed into the unusual dimensions of the Facebook Cover Photo without giving the impression that he and his pals were all just disembodied heads.
In the end, he gave up and reverted back to his boring old Cover Photo of his favourite mole wrench…

Whether you’re using Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or YouTube, choosing the right images for your Social Media Business pages can be a tricky business in itself.

Exactly what kind of images should we be using to proudly promote our products and services? What are the exact dimensions that we need to consider for every unique Social Media platform, and where are we supposed to find all these attention-grabbing images anyway?

Here are four top tips to help you cook up the perfect pictures for all your crucial Business Pages on Social Media…

CONTINUE READING

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Posted In Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, Google+, How-To's and Tutorials, Marketing Secrets, Online Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media Marketing, Twitter

March 21, 2013

RISING SHARES AND FACEBOOK AFFAIRS
How to Attract More SHARES for Your Facebook Posts!

Have you experienced a rise or fall in your Business Shares recently?

Don’t worry; I’m not talking about shrewd financial investments bobbing up and down on bewildering graphs.
I had enough of all that business years ago, when I received a hot tip to invest a stack of money into a company that was producing The Wake ‘N’ Bacon.
It was a special alarm clock/grill combination which woke you up and started cooking you a few welcome slices of sizzling bacon at the same time.
I really thought it would catch on.
It didn’t.

But no, I was actually talking about a far more interesting and far less risky form of business share;
The Facebook SHARE!
Are your posts and updates attracting a healthy amount of Shares from your Facebook fans, ensuring that your messages are getting passed onto a wider audience?
If not, don’t panic. It can be quite a tricky business…

We often make a lot of fuss about the value of attracting LIKES on Facebook.
Perhaps this is because one of the most fundamentally important elements of the whole Facebook experience is to get users to LIKE your Business Page in the first place!
Otherwise, we’d just be sat here talking to ourselves all day…

But when it comes to the actual Facebook posts that you compose for your audience, it has to be said that a SHARE from one of your fans is far more powerful than a simple LIKE.
The bad news is that a Share can also be a slightly more elusive beast to capture…

Of course, attracting Likes for your Facebook posts is still an incredibly effective way of engaging with your readers and spreading the word.
Whenever one of your fans Likes or Comments on your latest update, a big chunk of their own friends will see this activity in the little news ticker over on the right hand side of the Facebook page…and some of these friends may well be intrigued enough to click on the item and explore a little deeper.

But if one of your fans chooses to take that extra step and Share your latest thrilling status update, then this activity is usually given much more prominence, and the whole of your post is far more likely to appear in the main news feed of this user’s Facebook friends.
So, they get to see the full story in all its glory, instead of a very brief item just popping up in the News Ticker.

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Posted In Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, How-To's and Tutorials, Marketing Secrets, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing

March 19, 2013

GROWING A BIGGER SMALL BUSINESS
Planting the Seeds to Help Make Your Business Blossom

“You know, growing a good business is a bit like nurturing a garden. All the tools are right there are at your fingertips. The trick is to find out the best way of making them work to your advantage without accidentally chopping all your fingers off and getting blood all over your best clothes.”

Hmm. Old Bert has a habit of dishing out some very odd advice whilst I’m innocently trying to eat my bowl of Froot Loops in the Martin Print canteen.
But today was definitely going to be even odder than usual…

As you’ll already know if you read yesterday’s article in the Martin Print Blog, our office currently resembles an indoor jungle, after Old Bert discovered scientific evidence that decorating your workspace with plants is officially good for your health and boosts business productivity!

As the rest of us struggle to find our desks and chairs and noses in this overwhelming wilderness, Old Bert seems to have developed a strong passion for these new plants, and he was keen to learn some tips and tricks from the experts.
So, he popped along to an evening class last night, in the hope of gleaning some fascinating new insight into growing and nurturing the best possible results.

Unfortunately, due to a careless error on Old Bert’s part, he ended up having to sit through a lesson on growing and nurturing a business, rather than a Trailing Watermelon Begonia.
“They should have made it clearer on the advert,” Old Bert grumbled when he first told me all about it this morning. “I only stayed until the end because they promised to hand out free biscuits.”

Still, it wasn’t a total waste of time, as Martin Print’s resident caretaker can now share with us some of the golden nuggets of Small Business advice that he picked up from the class.

He couldn’t quite remember all of the topics that were discussed on that blunderous night.
I suspect that he fell asleep during the bits about financial planning and tax returns.

But if you’re genuinely interested in taking your Small Business to the next level, here are four pearls of wisdom to bear in mind when planning for natural growth and expansion…

CONTINUE READING

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Posted In Business Clinic, Creative Marketing, Customer Care, Entrepreneur Zone, How-To's and Tutorials, Marketing Secrets, Online Marketing, Print and Design, Social Media Marketing, Staff Management, Starting a New Business, Weird & Wonderful