Technology! Help! Which Way do I Turn?

How are you keeping up with how technology has changed the business landscape? How many emails do you get every day? Do you have multiple email accounts? How many social networks do you belong to?

Are you bombarded with invitations to join new social networks? How about directories? Is your inbox filled with newsletters? Do you belong to tons of Facebook and LinkedIn groups? 

Does the latest new shiny “toy” or tool attract you to try the free version to see if you want to purchase the upgrade? Do you include various marketing initiatives to promote your business? Are you getting dizzy yet?

Welcome to the Internet

The Internet has opened up amazing exposure opportunities for all businesses. However, there is a down-side. In order to keep up with the latest and greatest, we might find ourselves joining and jumping on the bandwagon to keep up with what “everyone else” is doing.

In the case of our competition, if THEY are “there” (wherever “there” is) we need to be there too. Products/services/novel ideas come and go in this new world of the World Wide Web.

For example, QR codes came out in the US with a vengeance. I was just getting used to the idea of using these cute little images, and was surprised to read Death to the QR Code and even more surprised at the reference in this article to Google’s dropping them.

Of course, just because Business Insider wrote this article doesn’t mean everyone is going to stop using them.

One trend that has been growing and isn’t going away is video. Video is changing the way the world communicates and the way businesses brand themselves.

 

Using video to promote your website, services, or products has become an integral component of online advertising.

 

With the explosive popularity of sites such as YouTube (now considered the number two search engine online), Vimeo, and others – it’s time to embrace video and make it work on behalf of your company and your website.

How Can Your Small Business Keep Up On with Technology and the Internet?

Helpful Tips When Using Video

• Be creative – be compelling. Give your audience a reason to WANT to watch your video and to share it with others. Be funny, different, unique, or even a little off-color. Create that “spark” or “hook”, evoke some type of emotion, and grab their attention.
• Showcase your brand! Include your brand’s colors and logo(s) to increase brand awareness.
• Use video to SHOW your audience what OTHERS say about you and your brand. They carry much more weight than what you have to say. These video testimonials don’t have to be perfect – the more real and genuine they are – the more believable they will be.
• Use video to show how your product/service works. Many people are visual learners and would prefer to SEE what your brand is than read about it.
• Create a FAQ video about your product or service. If you have been in business for a while, then you already know what questions have come up about your brand from your current customers. Be proactive and answer these questions for potential customers BEFORE they ask. If you have a customer service department, creating FAQ videos can cut down on the number of calls. Your videos can answer their questions before they call you customer service department.