Friday, 30 March 2012

Artikel Terkini Perniagaan Internet - SmartUsaha.com: Siapa Sasaran Perniagaan Anda?

Artikel Terkini Perniagaan Internet - SmartUsaha.com
Artikel terkini di blog SmartUsaha.com.
Siapa Sasaran Perniagaan Anda?
Mar 30th 2012, 21:15

Adakah kita pernah tertanya, mengapa perniagaan kita lesu daripada sambutan pelanggan? Sudah pelbagai cara promosi dilakukan, tetapi tetap gagal meraih mendapat pelanggan yang ramai.

Pelik dan ajaib juga, walaupun produk sudah berkualiti super, tetapi perniagaan tetap gagal mendapat keuntungan yang memuaskan.

Keadaan semakin teruk apabila orang yang terdekat seperti keluarga dan rakan-rakan mula memandang sinis terhadap usaha perniagaan yang kita lakukan itu…

Formula Mudah Melariskan Jualan Produk

Pada kali ini, saya akan kongsikan satu perkara yang cukup penting dalam sesebuah perniagaan. Sebelum itu, saya ingin nyatakan bahawa, perniagaan adalah mudah dan keuntungan pula boleh terhasil pada bila-bila masa yang kita mahukan (dengan izin-Nya).

Maka persoalan ini akan mula timbul, "Tetapi, mengapa produk saya tidak begitu laris terjual?"

Apabila kita memulakan sebarang bentuk perniagaan, ia akan melalui proses yang sama walaupun berbeza produk dan perkhidmatan. Soalan kritikal dan pertama yang harus ditanya oleh usahawan adalah, "Siapakah sasaran utama perniagaan / produk ini?" Sasaran adalah bermaksud, kategori pelanggan dari segi umur, keinginan, keperluan, kerjaya, tahap ekonomi, jantina, bangsa ataupun pendidikan.

Kegagalan akan berlaku apabila kita tidak jelas sepenuhnya mengenai sasaran perniagaan kerana ia akan menyebabkan kita tidak fokus, hilang daya konsisten, kerap menukar strategi, kurang yakin diri dan tidak mampu menyampaikan maklumat produk dengan baik kepada prospek.

Sebaliknya, kejayaan akan diperolehi apabila kita memulakan sebuah perniagaan dengan mendefinisikan pelanggan kita dengan spesifik dan jelas. Kita akan lebih mampu beraksi dengan penuh keyakinan diri, kerana kita tahu sasaran sebenar tanpa perlu berkomunikasi dengan prospek yang tidak sesuai.

Sebagai contoh, katakan kita mahu menjalankan sebuah perniagaan seminar dan latihan. Tidak mustahil kita boleh mensasarkan kepada semua golongan masyarakat di negara ini, namun adalah lebih mudah dan menguntungkan apabila kita memfokus kepada golongan tertentu sahaja.

Contohnya, kita hanya menganjurkan program-program untuk para usahawan sahaja. Apabila kita jelas bahawa pelanggan sasaran kita adalah usahawan, maka kita semakin ligat dan mudah memikirkan idea-idea yang menguntungkan, selain senang melakukan promosi secara konsisten.

Berbanding jika kita mahu mendapatkan peserta daripada pelbagai golongan, kita perlu memikirkan bentuk mesej yang berlainan bagi menerangkan program yang kita anjurkan, selain perlu menyediakan pelbagai kemudahan yang bersesuaian bagi setiap golongan.

Begitu juga jika kita mahu menulis buku, kerja penulisan dan pemasaran akan menjadi lebih mudah apabila kita fokus kepada satu golongan pembaca sahaja seperti dari segi umur, kerjaya, tahap pendidikan, minat dan sebagainya.

Soalan Ringkas Yang Berkuasa

Bagi pembaca artikel ini yang akan memulakan perniagaan, soalan ini boleh ditanya berkali-kali sehingga mendapat jawapan yang jelas, "Siapakah pelanggan sasaran untuk perniagaan / produk ini?".

Manakala bagi usahawan yang sudah memulakan perniagaan, menanyakan soalan berikut pada diri sendiri dapat membantu menilai keadaan semasa perniagaan sama ada kita sudah jelas ataupun tidak dengan sasaran sebenar perniagaan, "Adakah usaha pemasaran selama ini ditujukan kepada sasaran yang tepat dan sesuai dengan produk yang ditawarkan?"

Soalan itu begitu mudah, tetapi berupaya memberi impak yang besar kepada perniagaan.

Saya doakan pembaca dipermudahkan dalam usaha perniagaan yang dilakukan. Sebaik-baik bantuan adalah daripada Allah jua.

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Brafton: Google launches Consumer Surveys to help businesses target content marketing

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Google launches Consumer Surveys to help businesses target content marketing
Mar 30th 2012, 18:35

Google launched Consumer Surveys recently to help businesses improve their understanding of target markets.

On its Small Business blog, Google announced the launch of Consumer Surveys, a service from the company that will allow organizations to create polls to gauge the potential success of different products, services and other ideas. The surveys provide B2C companies with an inexpensive option for research that can inform content marketing campaigns.

Businesses can create the surveys, which are entirely customizable, and collect results for $0.10 per response. While this is similar to other market research options, Google believes it will be more beneficial for companies because its surveys will be less expensive. However, the ultimate accuracy will be interesting to assess since it's likely anyone visiting a website will be able to take the survey.

In a video discussing the new service, Google said that companies can offer their respondents access to premium content or other benefits in exchange for their insights.

Among the most difficult elements of content marketing is tailoring articles or blog posts to suit to target audiences and emphasize the service or product benefits that will most appeal to them. Businesses can use Google's new Consumer Surveys to guide their content marketing strategies.

Understanding the needs of a target audience is critical to the success of any campaign. Brafton recently reported that businesses in the men's health industry have an especially strong avenue to attract new prospects with content marketing, as male consumers increasingly seek health information.

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Brafton: Report: Video content marketing boosts conversions

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Report: Video content marketing boosts conversions
Mar 30th 2012, 17:42

Using video content marketing can help companies improve their ability to convey messages to consumers.

Businesses looking for a new element for their content marketing campaigns may want to consider video, with market research firm comScore reporting that video marketing is among the best ways to boost web conversions.

The report found that prospects were more frequently engaged when they saw original video content from a company. ComScore measured a series of indicators, such as response to messages, and found that each performed well with video content.

More than half of respondents said they developed a better understanding of a campaign's key message when they were exposed to video content. Moreover, 79 percent said the video was easy to relate to, and they considered the message conveyed by the spot to be important 84 percent of the time.

ComScore also included user-generated video content within its survey. While some responses were higher with this kind of material, branded video was most consistently strong performing.

"We found that consumers perceived feature benefits as more believable when coming directly from the brand through professionally-produced content, while the unbiased user-gen videos were more believable in verifying specific product claims, such as superiority and convenience," Jessica Thorp, vice president of marketing at EXPO, said in the comScore release.

Brafton recently reported that video content has become more popular on the web, with 180 million users watching clips last month. Google's YouTube was the most popular website for video content.

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Brafton: Creative B2B content marketing drives conversions, study suggests

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Creative B2B content marketing drives conversions, study suggests
Mar 30th 2012, 15:53

B2B content marketing should target the emotions of prospects to improve conversions.

Content marketing can help B2B marketers convey a sense urgency among their prospects about the need for their services.This is a benefit companies should consider, as a report from Upshot found that marketing campaigns aimed at businesses are struggling to evoke emotional responses that often trigger purchases.

While any B2B purchase decision is going to be made based on the best value for the buyers, companies targeting these organizations have grown increasingly bland in their marketing efforts, according to Upshot. Using content marketing to create material that demonstrates an understanding of the pain points for a prospect will appeal even more than articles focusing solely on value to a target audience.

Upshot's research found that similar marketing campaigns, one focused solely on the industry and one with a more uplifting message, produced different results. The study suggests an initiative that shows both the value of certain products or services along with a positive message is more likely to result in conversions.

"Against all the cynicism surrounding B2B marketing, tapping into people's emotions absolutely has an impact on their reactions to marketing messages," Lionel Knight, senior vice president of planning at Upshot, said in a release. "B2B marketers should work to inspire their audience with creativity, be it a conference event, a website, a sales presentation or advertising."

Brafton recently reported that companies using content marketing often struggle to retarget their articles when they gather more information on prospects. Using custom reporting to identify frequently ignored campaigns versus those experiencing more success should help companies adjust their initiatives for maximum return.

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Brafton: Most companies increasing social media marketing investment

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Most companies increasing social media marketing investment
Mar 30th 2012, 14:10

Facebook and Twitter are among the platforms businesses are using to increase their focus on social media marketing.

A report from the Creative Group found that most businesses with active social media marketing presences are increasing spending across all platforms moving forward. Most of these companies have found that the channel increases their ability to reach their prospects, while bolstering other elements of their overall web marketing strategy.

Fifty-three percent of companies using Facebook said they will spend more money and dedicate more resources to the social giant this year. The platform's massive user base has continued to grow, and businesses are finding more innovative ways to use Facebook for marketing.

Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of businesses said they plan to boost investment in both Twitter and Google+. Each platform offers separate benefits that can help companies. Twitter provides a direct channel of communication to prospects, and it's an easy forum for distributing website content to a information-hungry audience.

Google+, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly important for those leveraging search engine marketing as well as social. Google+ is primarily a sharing platform, and content on the network can now help companies rank higher in Google SERPs with the launch of Search, plus Your World.

Brafton recently reported that Facebook marketing has become even more appealing since the launch of Timeline in late February. While the profile layout is has yet to be adopted by all businesses on the network, it has increased engagement 46 percent.

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Thursday, 29 March 2012

Brafton: Men’s health industry ripe with content marketing opportunities

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Men's health industry ripe with content marketing opportunities
Mar 29th 2012, 19:04

The men's health industry presents especially strong content marketing campaigns as more men look to the web for this information.

A report from AYTM Market Research found that an increasingly high percentage of men are interested in diet advice. However, many are unsatisfied with the advice and content currently available to them, with 65 percent saying the plans they see advertised do not appeal to them. Content marketing opportunities abound for health businesses that take the time to target their blogs and articles to this audience.

Businesses in this industry need to understand the needs of male shoppers and adjust their strategies to better appeal to them. More than 56 percent said they have tried some form of new health plan in the past, but most saw only moderate improvements.

Creating articles as part of an overall content marketing campaign that discuss best practices and guide people - particularly men - in their diets can help improve the effectiveness of a health or lifestyle company's plans. Men included in the survey were generally responding to print content or televised information about diets, but men are increasingly moving toward digital channels to do research and Brafton has reported that men outperform women in terms of sharing online content.

Other industries have used increased demand for information to inform targeting for content marketing - especially as prospects increasingly turn to the web to research purchases. Among the industries men are looking into more frequently on the web is fashion, which presents a similarly strong content marketing opportunity.

Brafton recently reported that 89 percent of consumers turn first to the web to research new purchases. Search engines are the channel that prospects on the internet use to begin their research. Creating website content will help businesses improve their search standing, while also helping to inform these prospects.

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Brafton: Businesses spending more on local web marketing campaigns

Brafton
News Content Marketing
Businesses spending more on local web marketing campaigns
Mar 29th 2012, 17:41

Focusing on local businesses will help companies improve prospects and potential sales on the web.

A report from BIA/Kelsey found that a focus on local campaigns and channels is contributing to the growth of overall internet marketing investment. The company that spending on local marketing initiatives will continue to grow through 2016, as businesses look to enhance their ability to appeal to nearby prospects.

While local marketing typically applies to the B2C businesses trying to appeal to shoppers in their areas, a changing economy has placed emphasis on spending money locally for B2B buyers as well. Shifting web campaigns to focus on nearby prospects will help companies succeed moving forward.

According to BIA/Kelsey, American companies will spend more than $136 billion on local marketing in 2012. By 2016, that figure will likely grow to more than $150 billion, the report suggests.

Leveraging new media marketing campaigns that include the use of localized keywords can help businesses improve their presence on search and other channels. Multichannel marketing campaigns that integrate content marketing and other web channels are ideal for targeting both local audiences and other prospects.

Brafton recently reported that more than half of marketers understand the growing importance of local marketing. As such, many plan to boost spending on local new media marketing campaigns with just 12 percent saying their current efforts are sufficient.

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