Mobile phone users are rapidly switching over to smart phones, which have become a preferred entryway for billions of people accessing the internet these days.  This makes mobile marketing one of the greatest methods of advertising for your small business. When done correctly, it can really increase the traffic to your website or number of customers to a store. Here are some tips to help you incorporate mobile marketing into your marketing plan.

Make your messages relevant. This is the most important aspect of mobile marketing. A text message can be very personal and it interrupts someone no matter what they are in the middle of doing. Your text message should be short and very relevant to the audience whom you are sending them out to.

Offer special discounts or value to your mobile marketing customers. Because mobile followers usually require customers to elect to receive information, make it worthwhile for them to enroll. You can do this by offering them greater discounts or exclusive offers than those available through your web site or print marketing. This can increase the number of customers enrolled in your mobile marketing campaign.

Be short and concise with your SMS messages for your mobile marketing campaign. Messages are limited to 160 characters, so put some thought into how to convey your information clearly yet briefly. If you use abbreviations in your messages, make sure they are commonly accepted and make sense to your customers.

Make sure your advertisements work for all types of mobile devices. If your programming is only accessible by one type, like an Android, you will lose out on entire populations of prospective clients from other platforms. Using cross-platform programming is the best method to attract the most customers to your business. It helps to maximize your business sales. 

Get a location. Using a defined location on your media and mobile marketing actually interests a lot of customers. They like knowing where a business is, should they ever choose to visit that area. Take advantage of this by informing your customers of your actual location, and watch their interest grow.

Decide now whether you're going to use QR or 2D codes in your mobile campaign. Your audience may not understand how to leverage certain technology out there, so you need to ensure that you're going with something current, popular and people-friendly. You're marketing to basic folks; not everyone will be tech-savvy.

Your natural inclination may be to send out unsolicited messages with your new mobile marketing campaign, but spamming people is never the way to go in any campaign. It is a huge turn-off and can possibly leave a permanent stain on your reputation and cause you to lose regular customers.

Enlist the help of friends and family to try out the effectiveness of intended advertising campaigns, mailings, websites and more. To get a truly unbiased opinion, you could pay an outside firm to test out your campaign.

Take the tips that you have learned through this article and apply them to your marketing plan. Your business is sure to benefit from the time and the energy that you put into your mobile marketing campaign. Keep with your plan and you are sure to see the results you seek.

With the holiday season in full swing, we hear it over and over, the holidays are a slow time of year for doing business.  Ladies, we are here to tell you: Don't you believe it!  With all the holiday parties, events, and family visits, the holiday season provides some of the best networking opportunities of the entire year.

To help you make the most of your holiday season, here are eight tips for turning Holiday Parties into Networking Goldmines:

1. Say Yes! Successful people take action, they show up
Make a list of the holiday gatherings you are invited to, and attend a few! If you're looking to fill your pipeline with new people, you'll meet them at everything from the neighborhood open house to the family gatherings, as well as those special holiday business networking events.  Attending holiday events is also a good way to follow-up with the people you already know, like your clients, business acquaintances, referral partners, and friends and family.  

2. Go with the a winning mindset 
How often have you heard, "you can't create a positive life with a negative mind?" Say no to a negative attitude. Arrive with your best mindset and most charming mood. Otherwise, it will be obvious to everyone around you that you don’t want to be there if you have a miserable look on your face. Remember, nobody wants to associate with a party pooper, so smile and decide to have a great time.

3. Attend with goals in mind
Yes, it is a holiday party; however, when you attend any networking event you should have a set goal in mind. For example, you might want to establish three new connections that can develop into business relationships. Go in with a goal and work the room until you meet and/or exceed your goal. 

4. Send out Holiday Greetings
Join in on the festivities! This time of year is a perfect time to send cards, letters, emails, and newsletters.  It lets your clients and business associates know you are thinking about them.  You can further leverage holiday events, by sending the people you've just met a holiday greeting card too! If you have not sent out those holiday cards as yet, read: 5 Tips For Sending Out Holiday Cards

5. Step out of your comfort zone and ask for introductions 
Remember tip #3? Know who you want to meet and don't be afraid to ask your friends,
relatives, and old and new acquaintances for introductions. Leverage existing relationships and  work your plan to meet and/or exceed your set goal.

6.  Dress Appropriately  
Remember, this is a business event, first and foremost.  And, You are your business. Holiday parties are not dates. Dress as your most festive and stylish self, but refrain from flashy or too revealing attire because they look unprofessional.

7. Have fun, but don't overeat or drink
It's a party, so relax and enjoy yourself.  Still, remember that this is a business event. It's fine to have a good time, but you don't need to be the life of the party. Represent your business well, at all times by keeping it professional.  Don't over drink or eat. Keep it at a minimum. 

8. Make Follow-up Calls  
Sending emails are great but you can make a more personal connection with people by calling them, especially around the holidays! This works not just with friends and family but
with your best business connections as well. Take the extra step by picking up the phone and simply letting the people you met at the Holiday party know it was a pleasure meeting them. They will remember you for it!

MACs-iMize every opportunity to network and use holiday gathers to fill your pipeline with new contacts and to reconnect with old ones. Keep your conversations a nice mix of personal and business. Don't stuff business cards at everyone you meet. Ask interesting questions like, "How do you know the host/hostess?" "Who do you know at this event?" "What has been the highlight of your year?" "How's the family?" "What plans do you have for next year?" "How was business this year?" "What kinds of clients are you looking for these days?" Be prepared to answer these questions as well! And be your most gracious self. You might just find a goldmine of new clients during the season and in the coming year. 

Sending Holiday cards is a wonderful gesture of goodwill and friendship in business.  As simple and straightforward as this may seem, here are some tips businesswomen should follow when sending out cards. Proper etiquette will ensure your holiday cards are received in the same warm spirit with which they were sent.

Read these 5 tips before sending out your holiday cards this year.

1. Schedule Wisely

As a rule of thumb, it is best to mail your holiday cards early, rather than late.  Some business owners get there cards out around Thanksgiving. If you haven't, not to worry. You can get those cards out this week, which gets them delivered with time to spare. Plus, it keeps your business top of mind during the buzz of the holiday season.   

2. Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

This is not complicated and is solved with basic etiquette. When mailing  to your client-base send cards that say Happy Holidays. When in doubt err on the side of diplomacy. However, if you know your client is a Christian who is celebrating Christmas you could, by all means, send them a 'Merry Christmas.' Likewise, 'Happy Hanukkah' to a customer you know is Jewish, etc. To keep it festive and simple, sending warm wishes can be done with Happy Holidays! 

3. Signing Your Card

When personalizing your business holiday cards be certain you are following proper greeting card etiquette. So, what is the best way to sign them? There are a number of perfectly correct options; it's just a matter of finding the right fit for your company's image and style.  

Are you printing cards embossed with your company name and logo? Or,  are you purchasing cards from Hallmark that will be handwritten? Well,  whichever you decide, here are a couple of examples;

For example, imprint:

And hand sign:

Or a more relaxed style:

FROM ALL OF US AT
MACSWOMEN  

Warmly, 
Michelle

4.  Include Your Return Address

Never send out a Holiday card unless you have your name and return address listed on the upper-left side of the envelope. This will not only allow the client to instantly see who the card is from, but it will also gives them the option of sending a thank you card or a Holiday card of their own back to you.

Also, having your return address on the envelopes will make it possible for the post office to return any cards that they are unable to deliver. In that instance, it is an opportunity to contact the client by phone and get their correct information. 

5.  Hand-Write A Small Note

Whether it's just your name or an extra greeting,  send your holiday card with your own, unique signature and customized note. Writing a small personalized note lets clients know you took the time to give your greeting an extra personalized touch.  It shows how much you care.

Keep these simple, easy to follow, etiquette tips in mind when preparing your Holiday cards this year. From all of us here at MACsWomen, we wish you Happy Holidays!

You’ve worked hard to build a profitable email list, and the last thing you wish to do is make your subscribers disappointed by using bad email practices.

Here are 4 email marketing rules you should not overlook to gain your subscribers trust and improve your click through rate.

1) Avoid long paragraphs; keep sentences in your email to less than 200 characters. Remember, people have the tendency to scroll down so if you force them to read too much content from left to right they will lose interest fast.

2) Limit the use of full capital letters. Full capitals through out your email will come off as spam. Capitalize the first letter of the word and/or use for emphasis, as in our bonus "tip" - below.

3) No weird looking links. Don’t send links that have a lot of gibberish alphabets (usually happens in affiliate links or long titled links from blog posts). Instead, use a link cloaker or a URL shortener like tinyurl or bitly.

4) Treat your subscribers with respect. Provide value along with sharing your offers, if you wish to boost profits in your business. Educate, share best practices and other valuable industry information your subscribers will appreciate. You’ll find less opt outs from your list.

In short, take these easy, great email practices into consideration when writing your email.

MACs-iMIZED Tip: Use free online tools like WordCounter to automatically count the number of words and characters you enter.

Do you have a tip you'd like to share? Please leave a comment below; we'd love to hear from you.

Convert more Website Traffic
Providing value to your target audience is excellent for getting more website visitors. Now that your visitors are on your site, create a plan for how you can maximize conversion. Conversion means persuading readers to do the thing you want them to do, whether that's to buy a product from your online store, download your free offer in exchange for their email addresses or to call you to set up a consultation.  Drive email list signup with a basic popup, or amp up conversion rates with an offer-backed popup from Privy.

Create Landing Pages
A landing page is any page on a website where traffic is sent specifically to prompt a certain action or result. Use Privy's landing page editor to design a brand-matching landing page within minutes. Many small business owners are throwing valuable, resource dollars into an online marketing “black hole”. Sending that traffic to a specific page; a landing page, could pay off in the level of leads and sales to help grow your business.  Many business women are ignoring this critical part of online marketing – to their detriment.

Privy offers easily publish responsive, mobile-friendly landing pages in seconds. Distribute and track conversion across social and ad networks. Their simple, mulit-channel publishing helps you create sharing links that you can distribute across digital channels like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and more.  To learn more about Privy's landing pages click here.

Beyond Popups and Landing Pages
Watch this 9-minute webinar, Privy recorded for those who currently have a popup installed, and are looking for other targeting techniques and distribution techniques for growing their email list. 

Source: Privy

 Sign up for free to use the product to capture inbound leads on your website and spin up mobile friendly landing pages in seconds. Privy also offers a paid service that further tracks ecommerce or in-store sales derived from every campaign. Try out Privy today and let us know what you think!

Facebook is always at the cutting edge. Keeping up with the fluidity of technology. It was only a matter of time until Facebook got on the live video bandwagon that appeals to so many; not excluding businesswomen and online marketers. Now the social media giant is introducing their live video feature that will allow users to share with their friends and followers as an event is happening in real time. 

Now you can bring the photos and videos you share on Facebook to life with live video and collages, to help friends and family feel like they’re in the moment with you. 

This is not entirely new, as we shared back in August on our blog, video streaming was made available to celebrities and public figures. 

​Read: Go 'Live': Streaming video is now on Facebook. Move over, Meerkat and Periscope
​

To share live video, tap on Update Status and then select the Live Video icon. You can write a quick description and choose the audience that you want to share with before going live. During your broadcast, you’ll see the number of live viewers, the names of friends who are tuning in, and a real-time stream of comments. When you end your broadcast, it will be saved on your Timeline like any other video, which you can then delete or keep for your friends to watch later.

You can discover live videos from your friends and public figures you follow right in News Feed. While watching a live video, you can tap the Subscribe button to get notified the next time the broadcaster goes live.

How will you be using Facebook's Live Video? Will you be sharing your best business tips and tricks or your product offerings? Maybe, you on vacation with you family? Share your thoughts below as to how you will be MACs-iMizing Facebook with this new feature, now being made available to everyone!

Source: Facebook

Building a business is not that simple. It includes learning strategies, brainstorming about goals, forming visions and finding the right people who will work with full honesty. These are some of the things that you would need to consider at the start of and throughout your business career. This is where passion comes in. 

When you are passionate about what you are doing, you will continue nurturing, even during the challenging times. Let's think of businesses like we think of plants. They need proper care and nourishment in order to grow and bear fruits. Like plants, businesses have the capacity to multiply and they also have roots which are their foundation. 

Even with careful planning before starting your business, it is unavoidable that there will be times when things go wrong. There will be problems in operations especially if it is run by a new business owner. And because of this, monitoring feedback on the systems, as well as evaluating the performance of your team are needed.

Being a leader of a company is a complicated situation since you have to hear out issues objectively, and provide feedback. Addressing problems as quickly as possible shows strong leadership and conveys an environment of proactiveness. With the goal of providing the best quality products and services to your clients, when issues arise, it truly becomes a matter of communicating your vision, mission and policy with your team, business partners and clients. 

Learning to phrase criticism constructively is also another great leadership quality successful business women work at. Women are adept at sugarcoating bitter truths and during times of constructive criticisms, is a good time to use that womanly trait to your advantage. Way too often delivering negative feedback in business become challenging because they weren't phrased constructively. Instead of sounding critical, make others feel that you are motivating them and challenging them with your feedback. They will respect you and acknowledge your authority more if you do this.

In conclusion, starting a business can present challenges at the beginning. Joining a community of women entrepreneurs to help support your journey can help fast-tract your success. It also helps provide much needed moral support, since most business women work remotely, from home. During challenging times tap into the passion for why you started. Hold a vision of how you are helping to positively impact lives with your business. And just like plants, keep nurturing and watch your business bear the fruits of your labor. 

A stained online identity can be a cause for you to have a bad reputation with your clients or target audience. Businesses have fallen prey to harsh reviews and  hurt credibility because of mistakes made online.  It serves to remind business women that the internet without clearly-defined rules, can be a place for rumor mongering and spreading lies that can damage the reputation of small business owners and start-ups. In some cases, the damages are very big and irreparable and could leave the small business owners no other recourse but to close their business and move on.

However, if you find yourself in this position, do not lose hope. There are some things you can do to clean up your reputation and win back the integrity of your online identity as a female entrepreneur.

• Social networking sites. What you post on your walls represents you. You should be careful not to post something that might destroy your reputation. Your identity is defined based on what you post. There are people who do not know you personally so it is wise to be considerate of your varied readership because once you have made a post that they have read, that will remain in the minds. Do not attack others in your posts, unless that is the nature of your business. Customers can also react adversely to your posts and no longer patronize your business. The rule of thumb is: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

• Post informative things that might encourage other small business owners. If you cannot remove the damaging posts, you should just make up for it by posting something more positive and inspiring. You can slowly win back customers and clients by being apologetic and humble.

• Forums. Forums are places where there are discussions between like-minded people.  You may be able to find allies here who will be willing to help you and other entrepreneurs with start-ups get good reviews or good publicity online.  Getting your best customers to leave reviews on sites like Yelp, can help improve your online reputation. 

• Talk to your customers. If you find yourself or your business in the middle of a smear campaign, the best course of action to take is to talk to your customers. You do not need the whole world to believe you, just the people who matter to you. If you can convince them that the rumors are not true, chances are the issue will die a natural death and your business will not have to suffer because of it. You can send a personal message or send an email blast to them and assure your customers that nothing will change when it comes to the quality of your service and the delivery of your products.