Business Marketing

Business marketing starts with one thing: quality customer service. A happy customer is a walking billboard. They will use Facebook, Twitter, etc., from their new, fixed machine to tell their friends and family how happy they are with their fixed device. Friends and family will be your first customers. And from there, customer referrals will fuel most of your initial growth.

While marketing starts with satisfied customers, it doesn't end there. Old-school networking, online social networking, and a website are important components to the marketing strategy for your budding business.

Not everyone wants to rely on a Google search to find someone to fix their computer.

With online social networks taking over the networking scene, it's easy to overlook old-school networking and its value. Use your existing fraternal, alumni, religious, sports, professional, etc., networks to spread the word that you are starting a new business. Always have more business cards than you think you could possibly need. And, if you are soliciting business, present yourself with a flyer or brochure that outlines your services.

To support your old-school networking efforts, make sure you have high-quality, physical materials to hand out. At a minimum, you should have beautiful business cards that leave a lasting impression on the recipient. Designing and printing business cards and brochures can be expensive.

Being good at repair doesn't mean you are great at design. Check out these business card examples. It should be obvious which one is better:

(This professional design example is available as Business Card Template.

This business card needs improvement.

This business card looks professional.

Outstanding design and printing services are available at

MOO. Printing with MOO may be more expensive than your online competition, but the print and paper quality is far superior. Additionally, the design features are more versatile and unique.

Affordable, professional-quality design and printing services are available at Vista Print.

Social networking is not a panacea. Having a Facebook Page for your business doesn't mean new customers will come flooding in. Social networking requires a continuous investment of time. It is important to communicate regularly with "friends," "likes," and "followers." Share interesting articles, thoughts, and images to keep people engaged.

Two important warnings about social networking:

1. Social media makes it easy to be praised and insulted very publicly. Unhappy customers are more likely to post on your page than happy customers. Always ask customers, in person, to compliment your service online.
2. A successful social networking strategy does not mean having a profile page with every online network. There are tons of online social networks. If you choose too many networks, you won't be able to invest the time to make your online presence successful. Choose one or two networks and engage with them actively.

Create a Facebook Page for your business on the largest social network in the universe. The '''Steps to a Successful Facebook Business guide is helpful for new users.

Communicate with the world in 140 characters or less on Twitter.

If you intend to attract corporate clients, LinkedIn (the online resume for businesses and individuals) can be useful.

Complete your iFixit profile. Participate in the community and get all the Answers you are looking for.

IFTTT is not a social network. But, it will make your online presence much easier to manage. You can set up links so that all of your online pages update with the same information, images, links, etc. When you find yourself making the same update on several different websites, try IFTTT.

Most first-time customers will not look for your business by name. They will use a trusted online source to search for the service they need in their area. That means your business website is unlikely to be the first thing they see. Make sure to register for online business listings to ensure that the customer who finds you for the first time actually finds you.

A note: ''on business listing sites, you won't be able to remove nasty comments about your company. Always ask customers, in person, to compliment your service online. And keep a close watch on your online listings so you can respond quickly to any negative comments."

Google Places provides a free listing for your business. Register at Google Places and your company will be searchable on Google based on your company name, services, and location.

Bing Business Portal provides a free listing for your business. Register at Bing Business Portal and your business will be searchable on Bing based on your company name, services, and location.

Create a business profile on Yelp and encourage your customers to rate your service by offering them incentives. All you need is a few ratings to gain valuable credibility.

Angie's List is a paid membership community for people who want trusted ratings for local services. Businesses can be listed for free.

It is a good idea to have a website, even if it is little more than an online business card. Repeat customers may search for you by name. Make sure they can find you. There are countless web page providers. Here are the providers we strongly recommend:

Strikingly delivers exactly what it promises: "gorgeous, mobile-optimized sites in minutes." Their service is free, but you will have to pay to have your own URL.

[http: //www.wordpress.com | Wordpress] is another free web service that offers a wide variety of templates and plugins to build exactly the site you want. Custom URLs and certain features require a paid account.

The internet is home to over 600 million websites. How are you going to make your page stand out? It's not about making your homepage pretty or choosing the right font. SEO is building your website in a way that search engines understand what content is available at your web address. There are many companies you could hire to help optimize your site, but we recommend that you start with a

Beginner's Guide to SEO.