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Don’t Miss 30 Second Elevator Pitch

September 15, 2009 By 2 Comments

Many small business owners advertise in the Yellow pages, online, and in newspapers. You’re throwing your money away if your ad doesn’t stand out from your competitor’s. For example, let’s say you own a flower shop and advertise in the Yellow Pages. Your ad is probably next to another flower shop advertisement. The ads probably use different words, but the message will be the same. Using an elevator pitch in your ad help you stand out from the crowd. More importantly, customers will look to you as the expert in the field.

An elevator pitch is “an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds and 100-150 words).”

Elevator Pitch

Elements of an elevator pitch

An effective elevator pitch answers the following questions:

  • How you solve the customer’s problem?
  • What is your product, service, or project?
  • What does it do for the buyer, investor, or sponsor (benefits)?
  • Who you are and why your organization will be successful?

If you’re not a strong writer, you may want to hire a freelance writer to create your elevator pitch. This could mean thousands or millions of dollars to you and your small business. This is why hiring a freelance writer is the best solution. Take the stress out of writing an elevator pitch so you can concentrate on growing your small business.

Example of an elevator pitch

Here’s an example of an elevator pitch for a flower shop from One Coach…

HOW TO GIVE YOUR WIFE EVERYTHING SHE WANTS IN ONE QUICK AND EASY 10-MINUTE STEP!

We solve the dilemma forever by starting with the universal symbol of love, the rose…and developing it into a “super rose” with bulbs twice the normal size and colors so dazzling they let that special someone know that you carefully selected the very best and that you love them no more than ever before!

All it takes is one elevator pitch to increase profits. You could create two different elevator pitches and see which one does the best. Analyze which one brings in the most business. If you receive a ton of business from the freelance writer’s elevator pitch, you may want to forge a long-term relationship with that writer before your competition “snatches” her away from you!

Rebecca

How is your elevator pitch working for you? Share your experience.

Filed Under: Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Take Advantage of a Bartering Service

September 8, 2009 By 2 Comments

Many freelance writers and small business owners can benefit from using a bartering service like Premier Barter located in AZ. This is a great way to exchange services and network at the same time. Not only will you receive what you need, but you’ll meet great people and possible clients.

Bartering is nothing new. People have been bartering for centuries. Due to the current economic conditions, bartering services have been receiving a tremendous amount of attention. Some services charge a monthly fee while others charge a flat fee or commission. The fee you pay will pay for itself because you’ll save time and money on the services that you need.

“Bartering occurs when you exchange goods or services without exchanging money. An example of bartering is a plumber doing repair work for a dentist in exchange for dental services. The fair market value of goods and services received in exchange for goods or services you provide must be included in income in the year received.” Visit the IRS for more information on bartering.

Benefits of bartering

  • Networking opportunity. You meet other small business owners from different industries and develop relationships with them. Eventually, they can become paying clients.
  • Exchange of goods and services. If you’re a small business in need of advertising services, you can exchange your products and or services and receive the advertising and marketing services that you need for your business.
  • Save money. You’d be surprised at the amount of money you save from using bartering services. It really is a win-win situation.

Working with a bartering service is a great idea no matter how tough the economy is. In times of economic unrest, small business owners do their best to cut costs wherever they can. Bartering can help defer costs like advertising and marketing which take up most of a business’s budget in addition to payroll costs.

If you use a bartering service you must report it on your taxes. The form to use is the 1099-B. Consult your CPA if you’re not sure how to report bartering services on your taxes. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the IRS.

Research bartering companies before you select one. Attend networking events because you’ll find at least one or two representatives from the local bartering company. Schedule a time to meet with someone from the company because you’ll gain a better understanding of bartering services. Getting the facts before you sign up will save you time and money in the long run.

Bartering for goods and services can help put your small business on the map. Once you establish a rapport with other business owners, you can grow your business. Word-of-mouth advertising still works. Remember, a person knows at least five or more people. Not only will you receive great services and or products, you’ll receive referrals as well. It’s another win-win situation!

Rebecca

What’s holding you back from using a bartering service?

Filed Under: Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing Tagged With: , ,

Travel and Tourism Promotion Boosts The Bottom Line

August 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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I recently drove to Northern California; the East Bay and South Bay areas of San Francisco. Don’t ask me why I chose to drive 12 hours instead of boarding a plane. It was a grueling drive because I was the only driver. I think I’m done with road trips for some time. I did contribute to the economy by spending most of my money on gas!

What surprised me about my visit to Northern California is the lack of travel and tourism promotion. I stayed at an independent hotel and they had no travel information. I looked around the lobby and front desk, but couldn’t find any. I thought this was odd since it was not a BIG hotel chain. They did offer free WiFi and provided a computer and printer in the lobby for guests. Still, it would have been nice to have some travel brochures that provided me with information about the area.

Small businesses within the travel and tourism industry can benefit from advertising and promotion. If you own a bed and breakfast, independent hotel, spa and salon, or restaurant, make sure to have promotional material readily available for guests. It’s a good idea to have a couple of travel brochures about the area as well.

If you want travelers to spend money in your community, you’ve got to help them out. Some travelers like to “fly by the seat of their pants” (I sometimes do) and don’t plan every little detail when they travel. How will they know what historic sites to visit? Where will they dine and shop? How can they improve your area’s economic situation if they don’t know what to do or where to go? This translates to lost dollars for your community.

Of course, I was in the area known as Silicon Valley. Maybe the area doesn’t need any improvement to its bottom line because the techie companies are “pumping cash” into the local economy.

Travel and tourism promotion along with great customer service can improve the bottom line of a small business. Promoting your business will ensure that travelers come back to your establishment. Have plenty of brochures at the front desk or in the lobby. When it’s time to check out, travelers can take a brochure with them. Remember, word-of-mouth is still a viable means of advertising.

Savvy Writer Rebecca

How do you promote your business to travelers?

Filed Under: Clients, Tips and Tricks, Travel Writing Tagged With: ,

Automate Twitter Promotion and Marketing with Tweet Adder

July 31, 2009 By 1 Comment

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Small business owners who don’t want to spend a lot of time on social media sites such as Twitter, may be interested in purchasing Tweet Adder. It’s not the cheapest software on the market, but it could help you grow your business.

Getting web traffic to your website can be a daunting task if you don’t have a staff to help you out. Tweet Adder can help you gain ‘targeted’ Twitter followers and automate your Twitter posts.

Twitter has exploded and is not going away anytime soon. Oprah, CNN, and major celebrities ‘Tweet’ each day. If you’re a small business owner that would like to enter the social media market, Tweet Adder can assist you with your Twitter account.

Features of Tweet Adder

  • Find like-minded Twitter followers.
  • Increase Twitter traffic to your website to gain customers and increase profits.
  • Set and forget it because Tweet Adder runs daily.
  • Automate your scheduled direct messages.
  • Set-up multiple accounts and create unlimited Twitter profiles.

If you’re apprehensive about spending the money on Tweet Adder, try it before you buy it. Tweet Adder offers a ‘free demo’ that can be used on Mac OsX or Windows. Get to know the program and see if it’s for you and your small business.

The minimum to amount of hours to spend on social media is approximately 40 hours. Tweet Adder can free up some of the 40 hours. If you go on vacation you don’t have to worry about ‘Tweeting’ on your vacation. Your Twitter account will be updated daily!

Let’s face it, small business owners are focused on growing their business by getting in front of people NOT sitting in front of the computer. This is why they’ll outsource work to freelancers such as freelancer writers or SEO experts.

Small business owners who want to gain new customers via social media, consider purchasing Tweet Adder or at least download the demo version. Test the software and monitor your web traffic and sales. How did web traffic increase? How many new customers did you receive? What happened to your ‘bottom line’? Did it increase or decrease? Do some analysis so you can see how much value Tweet Adder added to your small business. If there’s a lot of value, purchase Tweet Adder. If not, find another software that will work for your business.

Savvy Writer Rebecca

How many Twitter applications do you use?

Filed Under: Overcoming Obstacles, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , ,

Some People Have the Audacity to Create Podcasts

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Small businesses owners can benefit from uploading podcasts onto your website. There are a ton of programs that you can use to create an audio recording. Audacity is a “free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems.”

“Audacity is free, open source software (available to anyone). It was developed by a group of volunteers and distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).” This is free software and you’ll have the freedom to use Audacity and to study how it works, especially if you’re new to creating podcasts.

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If you use a MAC platform in your small business, you can still use Audacity. All you do is download the software and you’ll be able to create podcasts which can help drive web traffic.

Podcasts can help drive traffic to your website! If your small business is in the pet grooming business, you could create a daily, weekly, or monthly for your visitors. Give them FREE tips how they can keep their dog or cat’s fur nice and shiny. Tell them what shampoo to use if their cat or dog has allergies. The more information you can provide the better. Your business will be known as an AUTHORITY on pet grooming on the internet. Visitors will remember your website and tell others about it.

According to Audacity’s website, you can use the software to do the following:

  • Record live audio.
  • Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
  • Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
  • Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
  • Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
  • And more! See the complete list of features.

Adding introduction and ending music is not necessary for podcasting but it does give it that EXTRA SPECIAL something. Make sure the music you use IS NOT commercial or mainstream music. Meaning, don’t use music from your favorite recording artist. You can get into a lot of trouble by doing this. Find Royalty Free Music to incorporate into your audio recordings.

Loopsound is a company from the U.K. that offers Royalty Free Music. You can purchase music and use it over and over again. Take the music that you purchase and “mix it” to create unique pieces to use in your podcast. Make sure you keep the introduction and ending to a maximum of 20 seconds. Anything more than this can be too much.

Podcasting Tips

  • Write out a script. If you feel that you may stumble through your podcast, write out a script. Make sure you HIT the points you’d like to make. Once you record a few podcasts, you may not have to use a script.
  • Familiarize yourself with the program. Before you begin using Audacity get to know it. Go through the Help section and read up on the different aspects of Audacity.
  • Keep podcasts to a minimum of 20-30 minutes. Actually, the shorter the better. Many people will not listen to a lengthy podcast. They may lose focus and start surfing the net or walk away. You may consider “breaking up” your podcasts if they are longer.

Podcasting can set your business apart from another business. Whatever you can do to BOOST web traffic to your website, just do it! Remember that the way people find and receive their information is ever evolving. Make sure you’re part of the process and not left behind in the dust!

Savvy Writer Rebecca

What podcasts have you created? What software did you use?

Filed Under: Freelance Writers, Search Engine Optimization, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , ,
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