Retail clients ask this question a lot. Which platform should I use in my marketing? NextDoor or Alignable?  Here are some thoughts.

NextDoor and Alignable are both local social networks designed for businesses, but they differ in their target audience and features.

NextDoor is a neighborhood-based social network

Residents can connect with one another, and local businesses can reach out to potential customers in their area. It’s a great platform for businesses that serve a specific neighborhood.

Alignable is a professional networking site

It’s geared specifically towards small business owners. It allows businesses to connect with each other, network, and share recommendations, referrals, and advice. Alignable also offers a directory of local businesses and a search function, so it’s easier for customers to find businesses they’re interested in.

So, is NextDoor or Alignable better for your business?

That depends on your goals and target audience. If you’re a small business owner who wants to network with other small business owners and connect with potential customers, Alignable is a good choice. If you’re looking to reach out to a specific neighborhood or community, NextDoor may be a better answer.

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Want more customers? Ask for more testimonials – they’re social proof. Want some marketing tips? Reviews are so important to build your business.

Here are 5 marketing tips to get more reviews

Most importantly, remember to ask for the testimonial, just like you ask for the sale.

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Are you marketing to Gen Z? Here’s some insight you should know.

A recent marketing study revealed 85% of Generation Z participants believe corporations should be making an effort to create a better world. If you’re under 30, you probably fall in the Gen Z category. Whether you agree with their sentiments or not, corporations are listening and taking note in 3 key ways:

Be Proactive

Gen Z expects corporations to be proactive in their efforts to improve. They even leverage their social media presence to keep the pressure on businesses to change. Expect to see more corporations roll out PR campaigns to proactively announce change within their business, rather than wait to change out of reaction to a scandal.

Be Inclusive

To win the support of Gen Z consumers, brands are changing to become more inclusive. Take Tommy Hilfiger, who recently rolled out attire for all body shapes and sizes, including for those who identity as non-binary or physically disabled. That’s the change Gen Z likes to see.

Be Genuine

Corporations, like people, have a voice, and Gen Z will be the first to give your brand the cold shoulder if it lacks authenticity. Whether you’re reacting to a public scandal or announcing your brand’s support toward a social cause, your communication must sound genuine. Empty platitudes may strip your message of authenticity, causing Gen Z to give your brand the cold shoulder. Keep it real, lest lose their business.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com, then schedule a call. Talk soon.

The post The 3 B’s to Marketing Generation Z appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

You’ve heard of Quora, but how do you use their Q + A platform as a marketing tool?

Want to use Quora like a marketing master? Well, why not?  Here are 5 ways to do that.

5 Ways to Use Quora’s Q + A as a Marketing Tool

1. Create the perfect profile. Take your time writing one because Quora shows the first 50 characters in your profile as a tagline. You’ll also want to add a headshot, to humanize your brand. There’ll be lots of competition answering questions, so make sure that your answers stand out.

2. Research Industry topics. Be active and post though provoking question and answers. Give thought to them, like an expert would (and should). You can also repurpose your own content and save the questions asked. This is awesome because you can use the questions for blogs, articles or presentations.

3. Look for connections. Yes, Quora is a search engine but it’s also a social media platform. You can build relationships with customers and answer questions as the expert you are. Also, take a look at top followers or topics that interest you and contribute to those same topics and industry boards.

4. Choose the best questions to answer. Focus on answering question that deliver value for your brand. You’ll want to key an eye out for thread with a good number of upvotes too, because they’ll get a lot of engagement.

5. Step up to stand out. Show your passion in the way you answer questions. One great way is to use content you already have. Use snippets. Grab a quote. Edit a paragraph from something you’ve already written and create a link. This is an insider’s secret you’ll definitely want to check out.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business and get more visibility. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

The post How to Use Quora’s Q + A as a Marketing Tool appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

Know about Quora? Think it can work for marketing? Listen how.

5 Easy Ways to Use Quora for Marketing

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. You’re not alone if you don’t know everything about Quora. But I love the idea of it to bring in business. For other ideas on how to bring in business, visit my website at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

The post 5 Ways to Market Your Business with Quora appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

Ready for new clients? Listen for 5 ways to Master Client Attraction.

We’re all in this together and doing business in the New Normal. You might be scratching your head thinking, how can I bring in clients or sell my products and services right now? Depending on your business, here are some helpful hints to make attraction marketing work.

5 Ways to Master Attraction Marketing 

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Want a virtual presentation about Marketing in the New Normal for your business or association? Let me know. Reach out at [email protected].  Talk tomorrow!

The post How to Master Attraction Marketing appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

If you think that press releases are dead, you’re dead wrong. In the past, traditional media releases were sent by mail, but now with social media and distribution online, they’re easy to create and send.

Press releases are an important PR tool to keep prospects and customers up to date with what’s going on with your company, and its products and services. They also give you a competitive advantage in your industry. And of course, written correctly, media releases provide valuable SEO opportunities, using strategic keywords and placement.

How to Write a Press Release That Gets Published

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Have a press kit? Or looking to build one? Listen to How to Create a Press Kit in 5 Easy Steps. You can find the link here on my text and also on my podcast page. Talk tomorrow!

The post How to Write a Press Release That Gets Published appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

If you’re on a mission to create more videos this year, you’re spot on.

Videos are the most watched content on social media. And, if you’re thinking of adding music to those videos, you’re at the right place at the right time because today, we’re going to talk about a handful of do’s and don’ts to think about using music for your videos.

Do use music. I love it, you love it, so use it. Adding music to your video content gives it a more polished and professional feeling. You can find tons of royalty-free usic on sites like Bensound, Premium Beat, and HookSounds.

Don’t forget to read the fine print on the license you’re planning to use. Whether it’s for a tutorial on YouTube or in a TV commercial or web ad, make sure you have a commercial license. The license rights for a song can change by website or by track, so check each one.

Do find music that sounds unique. Choose something that vibes with your brand and the purpose of your video. This is all part of your brandspeak.

Don’t use distracting music. In fact, avoid using music in the background of you talking at all. You don’t want to pull the attention away from your information. And your viewers may get annoyed by it and click out.

Do consider using the same music to open and close all your videos. I do this here on the Fast Marketing Minute. It creates brand consistency. People associate it with your brand before the content of the video, or in my case audio, even begins.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Are you looking for a brainstorm partner to grow your business? I’d love to be an adviser to your team. Email me at [email protected] and let’s get a date on the calendar.  Talk tomorrow!

The post The Dos and Don’ts of Adding Music on Your Video appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

Are outreach emails part of your marketing strategy? If they are, are they working? Some say outreach campaigns are the cold-calling of 2020, but done correctly, you’ll get a response instead of a “delete.”

Some basic rules. Don’t use “hello” as the subject line. Longer, detailed subject lines are 25 percent more likely to get a response. You’re also more likely to hear back if you email multiple people within an organization.

Personalized emails are the most effective, just don’t send the same email to everyone. Change things up by customizing the subject line and tweak the content of your email to the audience and to your ask.

As far as stats, outreach emails sent on Wednesdays get the best responses, and sending them on the weekend is just about pointless, from my point of view anyway.

Add your social media links to your email signature. It invites prospects to learn more about you and gives them an opportunity to follow you on social – to see your brand and personality in a bigger way.

In the email, you can also include links to an article you think they’d like or industry facts that affect their business. A roundup of news gets the second-best results. If you’re tracking on a CRM like HubSpot, you can see who opens your email and how many times as well. This is always valuable information.

And, if you don’t hear back, follow up. Sometimes it takes nine times to get a response.

Most importantly, you need a call to action. “Respond to this email” isn’t very exciting. Invite them to download some content. Or give them a limited time offer, creating FOMO — fear of missing out — resulting in clicks and hopefully, in sales.

This is Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you’d like to learn more about attracting your ideal customer, subscribe to my Top 40 Small Business Marketing blog at RobinSamora.com/rainmaker. Talk tomorrow!

The post Write an Outreach Email that Works appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

If Google hasn’t indexed your website, you might as well not exist because no one can find you. Not so good.

First, you need to see if your site has been indexed. Do that by typing the following into your search bar on Google, “site: and then your website name.” This will tell you how many pages of your website have been indexed by Google.

If your website hasn’t been indexed, you can invite Google to index you by going to the URL inspection tool in the Google Search Console. Enter your website URL and once Google checks the address, click “request indexing.” This is a good practice to follow any time you add new content or blog posts to your website. This tells Google, “hey I added something new for you to look at.”

If you’ve done this and still aren’t getting indexed, it can be frustrating but there are a few usual culprits.

Sometimes when your site is under development, your web designer will add crawl blocks or no-index meta tags. Maybe they forgot to remove them or missed a couple before going live. Ask your designer to check your website for code that could be preventing indexing.

Then there are orphan pages. Orphan pages are pages that can’t be navigated to through your website. Having a few landing pages is fine, but delete the ones you aren’t using anymore. Have a lean website, keeping only what adds value, so Google can crawl your website faster.

This is Robin Samora with your Fast Marketing Minute. If you need help getting found by Google, send me an email at [email protected]. I have to confess, Google is my second best friend. Talk tomorrow!

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