Brandon Koon Blog

Growing up, you probably knew of someone that had a “reputation”.  Why?  Because they were usually quiet, mysterious and probably new to the neighborhood. Yet, when you got to know them, they were probably one of the coolest people you’ve ever met.

Working online is somewhat similar.  Unless your brand is already known within a particular industry, then getting people on board can be a little tricky at first.

Creating a Level of Engagement

As a business owner, you’re responsible for the creation, distribution and marketing of your product.  You may even take on accounting duties as well.

While this is common with most small businesses, you also have to be your own PR (public relations) person.

Though you can hire a blogger that’s experienced in marketing and communications, you may want to take a stab at the process before you begin to go through portfolios.

In the meantime, if you don’t have a basic analysis of your customer base needs, now’s the time to find out what type of content you can place on your site that they will find entertaining or useful.

Whether or not you use a blogger/ghostwriter, you should find a voice that will convey best who you are and one that represents the product or service.

Also, don’t be afraid to develop a rapport with your viewers.  Answer their inquiries, if you have additional information or resources to share, provide a link.

Keep communication open and positive as often as possible, especially when you are in the beginning stages.

When Bad Things Happen

A customer says they ordered 12 of an item but only received 10 or half of what they ordered was damaged or inoperable.  They’re hot and you have to fix it, even if it cost you your inventory, shipping expenses and time you may not have.

In business, it happens and the best way to ensure that a bad transaction doesn’t ruin your reputation is excellent communication from the start.

If you’re not in the habit of thanking customers for their purchase, then you may want to start.  This way you can leave your contact information, should they need to reach the person who’s responsible for sending out the order.

Keep detailed records of each action taken to remedy the situation, including dates, confirmation number and their response.  This way, if they post a negative online review, you will have arsenal to defend yourself.

Be Your Own Cheerleader!

When someone says something nice or positive online, post a link on your blog or website.  Even if it’s in print, scan and post as a low-res JPEG so that it can easily be read online.  If you sell through e-merchants like Amazon or Etsy, keep open communication with your customers so that they will feel confident buying from you again.

Even if you operate your own shopping cart through your internet service provider or host, you can create your own short forms where customers can describe their experience.  This will also help you in creating your next promotional campaign or better target your services.

So don’t get caught in the trap of being stuck behind a monitor for hours.  Take the time to get to know your customers and prospects as it will be one of the best investments you will make in business.

Growing up, you probably had a job at a fast-food or retail chain and your boss got on your case about letting customers know that free shakes come with that order. Or, if they buy one pair of glitter shades, the hot pink ones are half-off – today only.

Such wonderful memories they are but this was to get you ready for the world of moving units in business.  Yes, you were probably that employee or boss who wondered why things must be so hard when one small order of fries will not make or break the company.

Yes, that burger clown on TV has a crazy advertising budget and can afford to give away meals to many people before there is an actual loss.  Same goes for that retailer that wants you to create that sense of urgency by implying that the stock is low on a sale item, even though there are more than a few dozen in storage.  And as far as the remaining items go, you knew that they would be marked down to nearly $0 the following week.

Now you’re the one in charge and though you don’t want to twist anyone’s arm, you’ve got bills to pay or worse, you’re working on a credit extension now.

In the online world, there are many business advantages and one of those is that digital items need no storage, other than your hard drive.

So isn’t this more reason to seize the opportunity?  For one, if you don’t ask then you won’t know if your customer wants to buy this extra item at 50% off – TODAY ONLY.

Say you have a series of online articles related to your industry.  Not only do you collect a residual (pay-per-click, or PPC) but since you (hopefully) own the rights, you can tailor them to a particular audience, throw in some graphics and call it an e-book.  Charge $10 (or more) from your site but when you buy ‘X’ product; you can get the book for only $7 as part of a “bundle deal”.

Those big corporations had to start somewhere and most likely used these tactics and more to get ahead.

Another example would be a bookkeeper that is experienced in consumer finance.  Though she makes a nice living preparing taxes during the early part of the year, she’s noticing more business from brand-new small businesses that need to file taxes quarterly.  Most of these people are former 9-5ers who’ve been laid off or decided to strike out on their own.  All they know is to get a weekly check and spend it.

So our bookkeeper decides to reach out by creating a series of e-books based on her revenue-based blog.  These are entertaining yet informative articles that let people know how to spend wisely while transitioning, how to make small investments and find resources that pay more interest than the usual bank savings account.  The bookkeeper can also double her money by placing advertisements from other companies in the book where she already has an  affiliate account. She gives one book away with every referral or new customer and often people return for more unaware that the same information can be found online for free.  It’s only her level of  candor that makes it a great match for her audience.

Sell, sell, sell.

If you remember that curiosity killed the cat, you should also realize that cats have nine lives.  Sounds a little silly but it does apply to your brand when trying to rebound from a dry spell or giving your image a little oomph.  Being nosy and taking time out to observe and make notations can make a huge difference in your profits.

You know that cats tend to be very quiet, sneaky and are serious observers.  In fact, you may have a funny story about a cat walking up on you when it was the least expected.  Maybe you were caught cheating on your diet, your mate or just up to no good.  And you probably were very happy that the cat couldn’t tell others about what was witnessed, that’s where the similarities end.  The more words you use to communicate, the better.

Getting Up is Half the Fun

If you are a person that runs from a challenge, let me tell you that you may want to invest in some fight gear now – gloves, shoes and maybe a raw steak – because you will have to make some decisions that could make you or break you.  That is unless you take the time to work out the kinks.  But you can look forward to getting knocked down at least once while running your online business.

Start with the Basics

Using a keyword tool will help you a great deal, especially if you have a blog or e-zine that is online.  A great one can found at Google (Go to Products>Adwords>Tools and Analysis>Keyword Tool), Word Tracker and others.  Most of these are free though paid options are available but for now, you just want to find keywords relevant to your brand.

For instance, if a person were to call their business “Fancy Feline Footwear”, it may get some attention with the right marketing but very few people are looking for ‘feline’.  Most users want something for their ‘cat’, so this is a term you will want to make part of your search engine strategy.

Wander into Opportunities

You will have times when all of your orders have been fulfilled, you’ve blogged and maybe done some article marketing or bookkeeping and now you’re surfing around the net.  What are you looking for? Recipes?  Celebrity gossip?  How about looking for opportunities that will help you make money? 

If you believe that you have the perfect e-book in mind,  the discipline to teach an online class or just want to look into work-for-hire (WFH) opportunities such as writing sponsored posts for other companies or participating in marketing opportunities where you will be given a product to review and write about.  You can also find out how Pinterest can work for your business,  since it is the new social media craze.  Look directly into these opportunities and begin to do research on those companies that will allow you to make money while you retain your rights.

Your podcast can be converted into a video and uploaded to several video sharing services and if you haven’t sent your podcast to Podcast Alley or other podcast directories, get on it now.

Same goes for your social media accounts.  If you have not created a Facebook page or Twitter account for your business, get started and use the keywords found, update it with fresh (and relevant) content so you can become eligible for marketing opportunities in your industry.

We recently hosted 2 blogging training webinars and we’ve had some
great feedback and comments. Usually the recorded version is for
members only but since you are my internet friend and have been reading my
posts, I want to let you have access to it.

Learn how to get 5-10 leads per day from your blog..

If you’ve wanted to set up a blog and didn’t how, then you need
to watch these videos.  You will see how to do it step by step.

Blogging 101: http://www.brandonkoon.com/bloggingwebinar.html

Blogging 102: http://www.brandonkoon.com/bloggingwebinar2.html