Mother of Invention

Coming up with brand new ideas usually doesn't happen when you are trying. It happens when you need it to happen.

On Friday I came up with a
marketing concept that was literally forming in my mind the same time it was coming out of my mouth while selling it to a potential client. Their reaction was positive, so I immediately went home and wrote it out. It will be the cornerstone of my business from now on. I would not have come up with it if I were sitting down trying to come up with something.

The most important thing to remember is to keep moving, even when you are not sure the direction. Sometimes the answer lies in the journey, and would have been missed if the trip was planned in advance.

- Accessorizing the business world, one woman at a time.

Location:Towle Pasture Dr,Epsom,United States

Social Media posting tips from Leap Year Marketing

If you are one of the brave people who take on your own Social Media, congratulations! Not a task for the faint of heart. Putting your self out there can be a little intimidating (which can stop people from doing it) and finding the time can be challenging (which is why some people hire someone like me). So on your next venture to find relatable and relative content, here are some tips for you. Someone shared this with me once (I think it may have been Chuck Sink from www.chucksinklink.com). In any case, it is good advice and I am happy to share what I know works.

Remember that your posts should be one of three kinds:
1) informational
2) entertaining
3) what's in it for me (offer)

Generally speaking, any posts are fine, but too much of one kind loses its effectiveness. Look for a funny but appropriate cartoon about your product or service, quotes about character or leadership, or websites that are good sources of articles about your industry that are OK to share that might talk in more layman's terms about your industry and maybe not so technical. Remember that spending money is an emotional transaction, so try to appeal to people's sense of responsibility in their purchase or possibly their fear of not acting on the sale (without scaring them to death!). "This offer is only good until midnight!" "Insurance is your way of telling your family you love them." "Your responsibility is to your customers. Our responsibility is to you."

People want to do the right thing most of the time, so make it easy for them to fulfill their duty by telling them how easy it is to set up an appointment or move forward. If consultation is free, tell them that too. Most people do not want to have to deal with the technical aspects of their business, things like insurance or marketing, so remind them that it is better for them to partner with someone who specializes in handling it rather than doing it themselves. They will get better results and probably pay less when an experienced professional is looking out for their best interests.

This advice is good for all Marketing, but if you are handling your Social Media yourself, and you are not a Marketer, these guidelines will help gather your thoughts and produce good content for Social Media posts.

If  you have more questions or need some guidance for your Marketing, give us a call. 724-603-LEAP
Joanne Randall
Leap Year Marketing

My mom would have been proud of me today. Our softball team won the Championship Tournament this afternoon.Yes, I know it was a Church league. Yes, I know it was slow pitch. However, this 44-year-old recently-injured player pitched two games in the heat and we came out on top. Bet your bippie I kept the game ball.
We had such a good team this year. Many women showed up each week to play (we are required to have two playing each game) and our regulars really had a great reason.
When my mom died a few years ago, many (almost all) of her friends showed up to the wake in their softball uniforms. I should explain that. She had been in high school at the time Title IX passed, allowing girls to play in league sports. So she was one of the first to sign up. Many years later, she started a women's softball league in her retirement community, The Villages, in Florida. She even took that team to the Senior Olympics! Most importantly, to me, she was my first softball coach in 4th grade.
So even though today was Church league slow pitch, I am pretty happy to be continuing the tradition of kicking butt in softball. Did I mention my daughter was on the team this year? The tradition continues.

I played a game once called red black. When the game was over I learned that I had been quitting things in my life when they became difficult. The game taught me to not be afraid of success and to work through those difficulties. At first it was easy to see some of the smaller difficulties that I had been allowing to stop me from moving forward. As those difficulties disappeared, however, I  found that difficulties were still there and looked differently than before. 

Sometimes they catch me offguard and I am not prepared. I find myself sometimes feeling like I want to quit. But I know it is just those old programs coming to the surface. There may come a day when I decide to quit. But today is not that day. Tomorrow looks pretty good too.

Notes from the Field: Leap Year Marketing

Notes from the Field: Leap Year Marketing

I often get asked, "How much does it cost to build a website?" Here is a very good general rule of thumb. The cost of a website is directly proportional to the amount of time it takes to build it. The amount of time it takes to build a website, is directly proportional to the amount of functionality a business owner wants or needs in the website. If you need a simple, basic, but attractive and functional website, you will not pay as much as someone who needs, for example e-commerce, videos, and many other dynamic characteristics.

Other costs to consider are, purchase of URL name, hosting, and general managementof the website. A good website person can offer any or all of these services as part of a website package.

Websites have replaced the Yellow Pages and customers expect a credible businessto have an online address, or website. I am happy to consult with that small business owner, who needs some advice about what functionalities he or she may want and need in their website. Our packages are flexible and affordable. We also refer larger clients to other website companies if the functionality is beyond our level of expertise. But don't take my word for it. Shop around and ask a lot of questions. There are some bad eggs in the carton, so to speak, so make sure you check up on your website company's reputation and history.

How Much Should I Pay (If Anything) for SEO?

I get SEO guys calling me all the time.

Here is the deal. As a business owner you have to decide how much money one new paying customer brings in for you on average. This will be your gauge to compare value of SEO, advertising, or any marketing expense, including the cost of hiring someone like me. If you feel the expense has or will bring in enough paying customers times the value of  new paying customer, then do it. OR if utilizing a marketing program, like Leap Year Marketing, saves you time and/or money because you are not trying to do it yourself and can now focus on income-producing activities, then it is worth it. If it isn't saving you time or money in this fashion, then you shouldn't be using it.

With that said, SEO is very effective, but only if your business is something people search for. If you are and you have competition, then SEO is a good idea (this is most people). If people are already finding you or there is limited demand (and therefore not a lot of searching going on) then don't pay for it. SEO can be expensive, but you need to compare it to the value of a new paying client. 

SEO will drive people to your website, so make sure the site is something worth looking at where willing people can make purchases or find the information they need to make the next move toward purchases. 

If you have questions about SEO, websites, or Marketing Strategy, contact us at Leap Year Marketing, 724-603-LEAP, or joanne@leapyearmarketing.com.

For decades, small businesses have had to scratch and claw their way to be even a little competitive with their larger counterparts. Countless contracts have been lost to competitors due to marketing proposals that were less than stellar. Most small businesses never even got the chance to submit proposals. Even if they were the best fit for the client.

Those days are gone. Thanks to numerous effective social media networks, small businesses can market themselves against the best of them. Platforms such as Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter allow business owners to communicate with current and potential clients, and create a sense of community around their business. The little guy can now build on the “buy local” trend by highlighting (read: capitalize on) the fact that they are small and local. For once, it is working for them instead of against them!

Two of the most attractive features about most social media networks are cost and control; two things near and dear to the hearts of small business. The major (and most, if not all of the smaller) networks are free. Free to start, free to use, free to share, free, free, free. In addition, the Administrator of the networks for the business has 100% control over the content posted and interaction in and around the content. It is easy to set up notifications on email or smart phone to alert if there is activity on the account. Some businesses choose to limit or eliminate the option for others to post on their business pages.

You have three choices: You can work these networks yourself. You can hire your cousin’s sister-in-law’s new boyfriend who is in college to do it. Or you can hire a professional to manage the networks for you at a reasonable cost. Notice you do not have the choice to NOT do it.

850 million people on Facebook are not a fad. The train is leaving, time to get on board.