A survey of business owners and marketing professionals conducted by HubSpot has revealed some useful information about inbound marketing for small business owners:

• Among the survey’s respondents, social media and blogs account for 8 percent of sales leads generated — the same amount as trade shows.
• The top sources of inbound lead generation are search engine optimization at 16 percent, followed by email marketing and PPC at 13 percent and 14 percent respectively.
• While outbound marketing methods, such as PR and traditional online and print advertising, account for 25 percent of leads, the cost per lead is almost three times the cost of inbound methods ($84 per lead for inbound marketing compared to $220 per lead for outbound marketing).

If you haven’t experimented with inbound marketing methods, such as SEO, PPC, blogging, and social media, you’re missing out on the most cost effective way to generate sales leads. With all of the social media options currently available, now is a great time to get started.

For more facts and figures, check out the full survey results at HubSpot or this data breakdown at Media Post News.

In today’s technologically advanced world, every business needs a website.  Just think how many times a day you hear someone say, “What’s your web address?” or “I’ll have to check out that website,” or “I’ll just buy it online.” The number can be staggering when you stop and count.

Having a website just makes good sense.  Consider it your very own spot on the Internet that has the capability of reaching customers worldwide. It is the place where important company and product information can be accessed by millions of current and potential consumers. In a nutshell, a website can be an advertising machine for your business.

But have you ever stopped to think about where your website “lives” or where you would even go to get started? The skills of the company you select to build and/or host your website can have a profound impact on its success.

Below are a few pointers on what to look for in a web hosting company and how to go about getting your business on the Internet.

Reliability

The web host you select must be reliable. It is essential to the online success of your business. Any length of time your website is “down” translates into lost customers and revenue. If your web host cannot guarantee 99% up time (or close to it), it is time to look for a new web host.

Support

Select a web hosting company that offers 24/7 support.  After all, the Internet is the technological city that never sleeps. Customers are always shopping. You want your web host’s support staff to keep your company’s “lights on” day and night.

Security

The bottom line is your website must be secure. If customers do not trust your website, they will simply shop somewhere else. Ask about the security your web host offers and make sure it fits your needs.

E-mail

E-mail is an absolute necessity. It is the primary way your online customers establish communication with your company. Make sure your web host can provide you with dependable e-mail services. The reliability and support that is so crucial to your website should also apply to your e-mail.

Storage

Websites take up space on servers owned by your web hosting company. Simply put, storage is how much disk space you are allowed to use on the server. Make sure you find out how much storage space will be allotted for your website. You should also confirm that you would have the ability to increase your storage as your online business grows.

Bandwidth

In layman’s terms, bandwidth is the amount of traffic or information passed from your website. Most web hosting companies measure this on a monthly basis and charge accordingly for any overages. Bandwidth is typically not a concern for starter online businesses, but it can become an issue as your business thrives. Bandwidth is like storage in this regard – make sure your web host allows you to increase your bandwidth allotment as your company’s website increases in size and popularity.

Other Considerations:

Above all, make sure you do your research. Know what your website requires to function properly and select a web host that knows how to support the programming language(s) used in building your site.

Remember, web hosting is not a “one size fits all” type of business. You should select a company that offers multiple solutions to meet your hosting needs. Look for several different package options and web applications. By having choices, you will ultimately be able to push your website to its full potential.

Lastly, find a web hosting company that offers personal service. Your questions and concerns should be addressed and resolved in a timely manner. Nothing is worse than having to wait on hold to talk with technical support and being treated like “just a number.”

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the new Bike Cycles Shop website. This new and improved website was redesigned to display more images promoting Bike Cycles with a darker, edgier color palette. Carrying a uniform look throughout the website, the new Bike Cycles site features an attractive rotating header, news module and flash photo gallery. Similar to the previous Bike Cycles website, this eye pleasing site was built within a Content Management System enabling the client to continually add new content, manage content, and keep the site up to date.

This year advertisers are putting their millions to good work, and not just their own. With the costs of Super Bowl airtime running an estimated $3 million per 30 seconds, advertisers are using their seconds wisely and perhaps for a new cause this year. Following in the footsteps of companies like Fiat, both Kellogg and Pedigree will be promoting charitable causes.

Kellogg plans to feature Tony the Tiger delivering a message for viewers to nominate a children’s play area to be upgraded and rebuilt at Kellogg’s expense.

Pedigree is taking their devotion to their cause one step further. They’re opting out of promoting their product and focusing on the worthy cause of animal adoption. Moving away from the recent tear jerking Adoption Drive campaign, Pedigree will be adding a bit of humor and a non-traditional approach to their ads this year. This new campaign will focus on the mayhem that can be associated with adopting unique pets. One ad will feature an adopted rhinoceros, while another illustrates an ostrich chasing a mailman. Even though the delivery may be light, Pedigree is delivering a strong message that all animals need our help.

Some may say that in such a turbulent economy spending millions of dollars and not advertising your product is corporate suicide, but Pedigree stands behind their past double digit sales returns on adoption centered ads.

While Kellogg and Pedigree are only two examples, other advertisers are focusing their attention on the greater good. This Super Bowl Anheuser-Busch will be donating the money they would be paying their spokesperson (Conan O’Brien) to the The Fresh Air Fund (at O’Brien’s request, of course).

Could our current economic situation be helping advertisers turn over a new leaf?

It seems like everyone’s starting a blog these days – with good reason. Blogging is one of the best ways to reach your audience, boost search engine rankings, and establish yourself as an expert in your industry.

Before you rush out and start a blog, though, there are several steps to make sure you’re doing it right. Blogging is effective, but if you do it wrong it can be a waste of time at best and a PR disaster at worst.

Here’s how to get started and stay on the right track:

Slow down

As a self-proclaimed blogaholic, I know how exciting starting a new blog can be. I’ve done it myself about 50 times. The problem is, when you start a blog without planning, organizing your thoughts, and researching, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Too many blogs start out with five posts a day and dwindle to a post a week before they eventually stop updating at all. Don’t let that happen to your business blog.

Research

Start by reading as many blogs in your industry as possible. Add them to a blog reader (I like Google Reader) by clicking the “subscribe” button. Stay up to date with what others in your industry are writing, and be familiar with how they maintain their blogs.

Plan

After spending some time reading industry blogs, sit down and make a serious plan for yours. It’s not enough to know your industry. You have to plan a purpose for your blog. Do you want to share information or expertise? Who is your audience, customers or other businesses? This information will dictate how and what you write. Be sure you know the answers before you start.

Personalize

Don’t run your business blog from a free blogging platform (like www.domain.blogspot.com) or from a separate domain. Add it to your current domain in a subfolder (www.yourdomain.com/blog). WordPress is probably the most popular blogging platform because it’s free and relatively easy to use, but there are a ton of other options such as Moveable Type, TypePad and Drupal. Setup can be pretty technical. If you’re not comfortable setting it up yourself, may I suggest a professional?

Design

Don’t just use the default design template. Your blog is an extension of your web site and your company; it should look professional. Blogging platforms are built for customization. Play with different designs to make your blog look professional and fit with the design of your web site. You don’t want visitors to feel like your blog is a separate site.

Post

The more you post, the better. Keep reading other industry blogs, actively seek out post ideas, and make notes of interesting things that come to you throughout the day. This can be easier if you get several people in your company involved. You’re immersed in your business all day every day; now is your chance to share all of your ideas.

Edit

This is the most common mistake I see in business blogs. Your blog should be maintained and edited by a writer. If several people contribute, designate one person with writing and editing skills as editor to maintain consistency, grammar and spelling, and overall message. Content is the most important aspect of any blog, and yours should be professional and well written. It’s not enough to post frequently — quality outweighs quantity, grammar and spelling count, and consistency is essential.

Participate

Remember all of those industry blogs you read to get started? Don’t stop reading them now! Network with other bloggers in your industry, seek inspiration from their ideas (but don’t use their ideas without linking back to them and NEVER copy and paste their posts into your own blog), and participate in the conversation. Comment on interesting posts. Not only will this get your name out into the community, but your comment will include a link back to your blog and increase your traffic.

This week in my quest to find some rad ads, I stumbled upon an advertisement that was refreshingly fun, interactive and actually quite entertaining. Willing to accept any creative challenge, I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Hoodie Remix … even though I’m not frequently seen sporting a hoodie!

I urge each and every one of you to check out this amusing, interactive website contest. Champion created a website that allows the average consumer to get in touch with their creative side and actually design a hoodie! Equipped with a diverse color palette and fun patterns, the site allows you to become the designer. You can create as many designs as you wish … the sky is the limit!

If you aren’t feeling creative, take the time to view the gallery of submitted designs and vote on your favorite. You can continue to submit and vote for designs until March 31. The winner will be announced on May 29 and will actually have their design produced!

This ad campaign blends all of elements of interactive advertising and viral marketing. Not only does it encourage the audience to get involved, but the easy to create widget allows users to share their creations with friends (while spreading Champion’s marketing message throughout the Web).

So this Friday, I challenge you to express yourself creatively! Go to Hoodie Remix and create your own designs or browse through the gallery to view what others have created! For your viewing pleasure, here is my work of art!

Now that we’ve established that social media isn’t going anywhere, you’re probably wondering how you can harness the power of social media for your business. You don’t have to be the President to make it work.

But first, a word on social media marketing: If you want to make the most of your social media campaign, it is essential that you get involved. An Internet marketing consultant can help you set up your campaign and teach you how to use it, but in the end its success or failure depends on you.

Social media requires that you put a face on your business, whether it’s yours or someone within the company to whom you designate that responsibility.

And that’s only the beginning. Social media also requires constant participation and maintenance. It can be a lot of work.

It’s also no use if you don’t contribute to the community in a meaningful way. Social media can be a powerful marketing tool, but if all you do is market then you’ll be ignored. You have to offer something useful to the other users, and most of them crave personal interaction. You have to mix your marketing messages with valuable participation.

But don’t let that scare you. It’s also a fun, targeted way to reach your audience on a personal level with wide range of great results for marketing, search engine rankings, and traffic. And it’s free!

Here are my favorite social media sites with some tips on how to use them:

Facebook

Facebook has surpassed MySpace, which used to be the top social networking site. Facebook also offers a PPC platform, which in my experience hasn’t offered great results. The power of Facebook lies in its networking capabilities.

While Facebook does not allow businesses to build personal profiles, you have two options for promoting your business: building a business profile page and creating a group for your business. I suggest both. Use the page as a central hub for information about your business on Facebook, and use the group as a forum where fans and friends can interact with you and each other.

Facebook is people oriented. The only way it’s going to work is if you’re willing to get involved in the conversation. You’ll need to build a personal profile, seek out friends in your target audience, and participate in groups related to your industry.

Twitter

Twitter has quickly grown to become one of the most powerful social networking tools on the Web. It’s also the social networking tool that many novices have the hardest time getting into. Twitter allows users to broadcast short, 140-word messages to other users who “follow” them.

It’s no fun, and no use, if your target demographic isn’t using it. I suggest you do some research to determine if you can reach your audience through Twitter. If so, start following them and they’ll follow you back. Use it to share useful industry information, personal messages, and news about your business. If you have a blog, link it to your Twitter account so your followers will be automatically notified of new posts.

Oh, and be sure to follow me (@KGSams) and Amanda (@AmandaKRue) for news on Sage Island, marketing, and Internet marketing.

Social bookmarking

Sites like Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, and StumbleUpon allow users to bookmark certain pages. Some have a voting system that ranks sites based on popularity. Others simply track how many times a page has been bookmarked to let you know what content is most popular on your site or allow users to find your site if it matches their interests.

If you blog, frequently update your inventory, or offer information or tools on your site that are useful to your industry, you might try adding a social bookmarking tool (like AddThis or AddtoAny). Be mindful, though — these sites work best with great content that’s constantly being updated. If you add social bookmarking to a page and bookmark it yourself, it’s unlikely to gain any traction if it’s not useful to users.

This is by no means a complete list of social media sites that can help promote business. There are hundreds of other sites and social networking tools. These are just the popular ones I’ve found most effective. But social media marketing is like any other marketing: different tactics work for different businesses. Spend some time exploring and consult with an Internet marketing professional, and you’re sure to find a social media strategy that works for you.