Green Apple Sales Blog

How should you advertise your business, using Print Media or Online Advertising?

That depends a great deal on your business, what you’re trying to achieve, and what your service area is.

With offline advertising, the reach of your ad (who will see it) is very limited. Not only that, but the people that will see the ads themselves are typical completely non-targeted.

And, perhaps biggest of all, is the fact that it’s enormously expensive for these print ads. In some cases, you’re paying thousands of dollars for a full-page spread, even more if you want them in color (which is the only way people are going to even think about calling you), and that’s not to mention the fact that you may not even get any calls from the ad.

That’s because the people that see your ad may not be looking for the products and/or services you provide at that time. If someone opens up a paper that you pay to put an ad into, it doesn’t mean they’re looking for what you have. They may be looking for the Dog Grooming Service on the page next to yours.

You don’t know and you can’t control it. And that’s how online advertising differs from print advertising.

When someone looks for something online, they’re usually interested in whatever that is RIGHT NOW. They wouldn’t search for “plumbing repair in Joliet IL” if they weren’t in need of a plumber right then. So, if you’re a plumber in Joliet and you come up first in that search, you’re getting found by people that want what you have right when they search for it. And chances are they’re in Joliet, too.

So, the first major difference is that online advertising is incredibly targeted.

And let’s say you find that there are 200 people searching for that keyword phrase every month. You can track that, by the way, and see exactly how many people are searching for that phrase (you knew that, right?). That’s SO powerful, to be able to not only see what people are typing into the search engines, but how many are searching for that.

As you can see, the second major difference is that you can track everything online. You can track anything and everything from:

• how many people are looking for what you have via the internet
• what keywords people search for when they want to buy what you have
• how many people even saw your online ad

That’s some pretty impressive information. Best of all, it’s much more cost effective to advertise online since you completely bypass printing, production, fees, and/or mailing costs of print ads. Like I said before, it can cost thousands of dollars for a print ad, and you don’t even know who’s going to see it. Or, if they’re going to need your services when that ad gets published.

It’s therefore much more cost effect for online advertising, since you CAN control all of that. With online advertising, in order for people to find you they need to be looking for you. That means the customers are coming to YOU.

I’m sure you’ve seen that almost everyone is online now. Even major companies like Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, CNN News, and every other one. The entire marketplace, including the consumers and YOUR future customers, is shifting to the digital world, so it’s your top priority to capitalize on this RIGHT NOW.

You need a presence on the internet if you’re to grow or thrive. That’s what we do at Green Apple Sales: we bring your business into the digital world and use the internet to put more customers into your business.

We’re here to help you. If you want to see what you can do for your business, just give us a call at 312-569-9420. Even if you just want some information to see what your options are, it’s best to see how we can help you. Don’t miss out on this, as it’s the single thing that’s going to help your business.

Talk to you soon,

312-569-9420
Green Apple Sales

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You couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather in downtown Chicago. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was also the day of the 6th Annual 5k/10k charity run and walk hosted by Share Your Soles. When I got down to soldier field around 8:15 a.m, there were already around 150 people registering and getting ready for the race. There were a wide range of people from the casual walkers to the seasoned marathoners.  Some people just came to Donate Shoes.  For me, I left my running shoes at home. It was just going to be a nice walk along Lake Michigan for a great cause.

The race started with a lap around Soldier Field before heading down the paths along the Lake. WGN news was there filming the start of the race. It was pretty cool being able to participate in such an awesome event. Share Your Soles has donated over a million pairs of shoes over the last 11 years. There are a lot of underprivileged people in the world who will never get to experience something like this. It is a great feeling knowing that by walking that beautiful May morning, I was helping get shoes to those who would not have otherwise had them. The race ended back where it started, right in front of Soldier Field. I think my time was 58 minutes and some change.

There where drinks and snacks for everyone after the race. We were also fortunate enough to get to watch the Jessie White Tumblers perform. WOW! That is pretty much the only way I know how to describe them. If you have never had a chance to see them perform, I highly recommend trying to catch one of there performances. What is just as impressive as there flips, was the fact they were doing it outside in about 80+ degrees. I was sweating just standing and watching them.

The morning ended with a few awards and a thank you from Share Your Soles founder Mona Purdy. Mona is a wonderful person and very dedicated to her work with Share Your Soles. I think I can speak for everyone at our Chicago Web Design firm Green Apple Sales,  when I say it is a pleasure working with Mona and Share Your Soles.  Everyone who participated received T-Shirts and gift bags with miscellaneous goodies. I have to admit it couldn’t have been a better way to spend a Sunday morning in Chicago.

Green Apple Sales, inc.

(312) 569-9420

If you’ve read this blog before, you may have seen the post I made about Video Marketing.

Video marketing is completely under-utilized by local/small businesses, so I’m going to attempt to de-mystify how you can harness the power of video in your own marketing.

Here’s the one principle thing you should understand: humans, by nature, are all voyeurs. We like to know what’s going on. We like to SEE it, not just read about it. (Why do you think YouTube – the video-sharing site – is the 3^rd most visited site on the internet?)

When a customer lands on your website, no matter where they come from, what do you think they’d like to see more: a page of solid words for them to read or a short video they can watch of you telling them about your business and showing them around your shop or office?

Of course they’d like to see INTO your business, see who you are and about what you do. We’re voyeurs, remember? If you want to make an impression on your visitors, show them around your business. Talk about who you are and why you’re the person they need.

I’ll use a car repair shop as an example. Go to Google and look around at the various car repair shops in a given area. How many of them are using video on their website? Probably not many are (if any). That essentially means that no “one” website or business will captivate you over the others.

Now imagine about this…

You go to a website looking for somewhere to take your car. You land on a website, but instead of a wall of words describing how their business has been around for 15 years and is family-owned and operated since 1998, you see a simple video.

You click “Play” and immediately the owner of the shop comes on – let’s say his name is Jim – and Jim welcomes you to his site. Then he proceeds to show you around his shop, showing you what kind of work he does and takes you for a quick tour. He ends the short video with mentioning how you can even get a coupon for half off your first visit to the shop.

Now think about how much MORE LIKELY you are to go to this shop over the others. You’ve already met the owner and seen what kind of person he is. His video casted his shop in a friendly light; you’ve seen the kind of work he does and how the shop operates. Where so many other auto body shops are more secretive and rumored to be untrustworthy, Jim here is open and inviting.

He even offers you coffee in the waiting room if you decide to stick around waiting for your car to get done.

You’re sold before you finish watching the video. And because his website has a built-in Google map (something we always provide for websites we make at Green Apple Sales), you can instantly get complete directions to the shop.

Yeah, that happens all the time. And it’s so easy to do. All you need is a $120 Flip camera or camcorder and an extra 10 minutes to shoot the video.

So to recap, here are the top 2 ways to use video in your marketing if you’re a small/local business:

1. As a welcome to your site for visitors (just welcoming them to your site and thanking them for stopping by)
2. As a product or service demo (showing them your shop/office or simply telling them about what you do)

Now, the other main thing to keep in mind is that if you use video in combination with a lead capture form, as I talk about in this article, then you have a recipe for online success!

And as always, I’m here if you need anything or just want to go over ideas that will help you bring more sales into your business. Just call us at 312-569-9420 and we’ll set aside a time to talk!

Talk to you soon,

312-569-9420

Digital Marketing Firm

Small businesses need more than just a flashy website and a search engine ranking to generate sustainable, long-term results. Granted, both of those elements are essential to your web presence and netting sales from the internet, but there’s more to it than that, which is what I’m going to cover in this article.

The thing most people don’t understand is that a website and search engine rankings – while both are key components to a successful online campaign – are only parts in a system, not the entire system itself.

Imagine a machine. There are numerous cogs in the machine that allow it to work, and each cog has a distinct purpose in relation to the whole. Without a single cog, the machine won’t function.

Your marketing and sales system needs specific cogs to function properly and run on autopilot, generating leads for you non-stop (even if it’s at 2:00 in the morning).

Also, the entire system that results in more leads and more sales needs to incorporate both online AND offline strategies, with an emphasis on getting as many customers onto your email list as possible.

To do this, you first need what’s called an autoresponder. This is a service that allows you to keep track of all the emails you have in your database, and send them all an email simultaneously. You can even automate when your pre-written messages go out (for instance: an email can be automated to go out 1 day after they “opt in” to your list, then another can go out 4 days after they opt in, and so on).

Or, you can simply create an email and choose to send it to “all contacts in your list”.

This is the perfect tool to use if you want to run a promotion or special offer. People can “opt in” to join your email list in exchange for a coupon or promotional code for a discount on your products/services, which will allow you to get onto the job site. From there you can upsell them on other services, which is more revenue and future services to be rendered.

This is incredible since it means that you can offer your initial service for a steep discount or a break-even price (or even take a slight loss), as it could lead to more business in the future. Hey, it’s another lead in your system, only more than that because they’re already pre-qualified and have bought from you before.

After you do, you can implement offline strategies such as yard signs for all the customers you’ve done services for, which will provide visual marketing and spread the word to local prospects. Word of mouth marketing is arguably the best form of marketing in the world, and this small strategy capitalizes on that.

But, the key idea is to provide a URL (which is a website address) for a prospect to go to so they can get a coupon for your services at a discounted price.

From there, to capitalize more on the leads already in your system, you can implement a referral program to turn your current clients/customers into lead-generating powerhouses.

So to summarize, some cogs in your marketing machine include:

• your website and search engine ranking for exposure (and email captures) from the internet
• your email list for automated sales generation
• yard signs to hurl your name out there and collect more emails
• a referral program to turn your current leads into even more sales

All of these cogs function best when combined into the overall system; the marketing system, that is.  Independently, they are only as powerful as the next one, but when you integrate them into a cohesive unit, they will provide you with more business than you may be able to handle.

Hopefully this article has helped open your eyes to a successful business strategy. If you need help or ideas on how to implement it into your business, feel free to give us a call at 312-569-9420. We’ll be happy to sit down (or converse via phone) with you and figure out how this will explode your business.

Talk soon,

312-569-9420

Digital Marketing Firm