Small Business Quick WINS w/ Jay Schwedelson l Presented By Thryv

In this episode of Small Business Quick WINS, host Jay Schwedelson interviews Kenneth Burke, Vice President of Marketing at Text Request, about how small businesses can get quick wins that help build their business.In this episode, you'll learn how to leverage SMS and text-based marketing to better connect with customers. You'll hear about the benefits of text messaging for small businesses, tips for getting started with SMS marketing, important compliance considerations, and common pitfalls to avoid.Best Moments:(02:17) Why text messaging is effective for small business marketing — texts have high open and response rates(03:39) Getting started with an existing customer database — segment, upload contacts, customize messages(05:52) One-way broadcast texts vs. two-way conversational texts(10:04) The #1 thing small businesses should do is start collecting cell numbers and SMS consent — EVEN IF you aren't using SMS marketing yet!(10:45) Important compliance tip — ALWAYS get opt-in consent before texting customersGuest Bio:Kenneth Burke is the Vice President of Marketing at Text Request, a business text messaging platform. He has over 10 years of B2B tech marketing experience and has won numerous awards, including being named a 20 Under 40 Honoree by The Tech Marketer.

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay Schwedelson talks about the power of customer segmentation and how to use  it as a game changer for your small business. He outlines three key customer segments that your business should focus on ASAP — new customers, lapsed customers, and your biggest spenders.Best Moments:(02:16) New Customers and how to approach them to keep them from churning (03:06) Lapsed Customers and how to WIN them back(04:03) Biggest Spenders and how you can improve that relationship to keep them spending BIG(06:00) Businesses that use segmentation strategies experience a 760% increase in revenue(07:16) Using segmentation to identify niche markets and tailor products to your customers' needs, resulting in a 33% increase in new product success ratesTry Thryv For $1?!?Click HERE to get this $1 offer for 1 month using Thryv's Business Center!

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay Schwedelson discusses the importance of "secret shopping" your own business to uncover any leaks in your sales and marketing funnel.Jay shares a startling statistic that 50% of small businesses fail by their 5th year. The #1 reason cited? A lack of demand. Or is the real issue a lack of follow-up due to undetected leaks in their pipeline?Best Moments:(01:02) Why you should "Secret Shopper" YOUR business(03:45) You have 3 hours to get back to a potential customer that fills out an online form or you'll lose 40% of those opportunities(06:27) 22% of businesses fail within the first year of their business(07:23) Only two outcomes can come from "Secret Shopper" strategyINSANE VALUE From Thryv:Click HERE to get this $1 offer for 1 month using Thryv's Business Center!

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay Schwedelson discusses the importance of "secret shopping" your own business to uncover leaks in your sales funnel. He shares alarming statistics about small business failure rates and how lack of follow-up is the main reason businesses fail, not lack of demand.Key Discussion Points:- Secret shop your own business by calling your phone number, filling out web forms, and replying to emails as a mystery shopper to evaluate customer experience- You have just 3 hours to respond to a web lead before losing 40% of opportunities- 22% of small businesses fail in the first year, 50% by year 5 (00:05:40)- #1 reason small businesses say they failed is "lack of demand" but it's really due to lack of follow-upClick HERE to get this $1 offer for 1 month using Thryv's Business Center!

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay Schwedelson shares an easy and free tactic small business owners can use to increase engagement on their social media posts and email marketing campaigns. The tactic is to incorporate curiosity by framing things as questions instead of statements.Main Discussion Points:- Humans love questions and answers. Incorporating curiosity triggers interest and engagement- Framing social media posts as questions leads to over 50% more engagement- Framing email subject lines as questions leads to over 25% higher open rates- Curiosity helps marketing stand out instead of blending into the background- It's easy to turn any promotion or offer into a question to spark interest

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay talks with Mickey Kennedy, founder of press release distribution company Ereleases. They discuss strategies for testing new ideas in your business, best practices for press releases, and advice Mickey has received over his 25+ year career.Key Discussion Points:- The origin story of Ereleases and how Mickey fell into the press release business- What A/B split testing is and how Mickey applies it to different aspects of his business- Tips for developing newsworthy press releases that earn media coverage- The benefits of press releases for search engine optimization (SEO)- Examples of bad advice Mickey has received from customers that led him down the wrong pathGuest Bio:Mickey Kennedy: Founder and CEO of Ereleases, a press release distribution service for small businesses. He has over 25 years of experience in PR and earned media. Mickey also has a background in creative writing and poetry.

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, host Jay interviews entrepreneur and author Ramon Ray about mindset, personal branding, and advice for small business owners. Ramon shares tips on managing the voices in your head that may be holding your business back, letting go of perfectionism, firing bad customers, building your personal brand, and more.Key Discussion Points:- Recognize the negative voices in your head but don't let them hold you back from moving forward and launching your business or product- Perfection is the enemy of progress - don't get stuck chasing perfection, get your product or service out to customers to get feedback- It's okay to "fire" rude, unpleasant customers that negatively impact your business- Humble self-promotion, highlighting others, and ensuring your branding looks professional are key for building your personal brandGuest Bio:Ramon Ray is the publisher of ZoneOfGenius.com and author of 5 business books. He has built multiple successful companies and interviewed many high profile entrepreneurs and business leaders, including President Obama and the Sharks from Shark Tank. You can learn more about him or contact him here!

In this episode of Small Business QUICK WINS, host Jay Schwedelson discusses how small businesses can use personalization to improve their marketing and promotions. He explains different easy personalization tactics beyond just using someone's first name, such as leveraging geography, targeting specific homeowner types, and calling out upcoming seasons.Key Discussion Points:- Using geographic locations in subject lines and posts increases open and engagement rates by 30-50%- Calling out if content is for "new homeowners" or "older homes" also improves open rates- Personalized landing pages have over 20% higher form submission rates- Referencing the upcoming season, whether actual seasons or things like hurricane season or summer, boosts engagement by 40%

In this episode of Small Business Quick Wins, Jay interviews Danielle Hayden, CEO of Kickstart Accounting, about common pitfalls and best practices for small business accounting and bookkeeping. Danielle shares tips for properly separating personal and business finances, hiring qualified bookkeepers, and understanding financial reports.Main Discussion Points:- Importance of separating personal and business finances- Qualities to look for when hiring a bookkeeper- Bookkeeper roles vs payroll, HR, benefits, taxes- Getting organized with the help of your accounting team- You don't need to be an expert in everything to outsource tasksGuest Bio: Danielle Hayden is the CEO of Kickstart Accounting, a leading bookkeeping and accounting firm for small businesses. She started the company 9 years ago after working as a CPA and CFO for large corporations. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs grow healthy, sustainable, and profitable businesses through proper accounting and financial management. Check out her podcast, too!

In this episode of the Small Business Quick Wins podcast presented by Thryv, host Jay talks about the importance of capturing website visitors' contact information through pop-up forms. He shares statistics showing that even with minimal inconvenience, these pop-ups can help convert a significant percentage of first-time and repeat visitors into newsletter subscribers or contacts in your database.Main Discussion Points:- Pop-up contact capture forms can help convert up to 9% of repeat website visitors into contacts or subscribers- People rarely abandon a site due to pop-ups - they just close them and continue browsing- Capturing contacts builds your database which is crucial for promotions, renewals, etc.- Always be asking "How can I grow my database?"- 5% of first-time website visitors will fill out pop-up forms- Thryv's website widget makes adding pop-ups easyThryv provides an all-in-one platform to help small businesses manage operations and grow.Try their Command Center for FREE!https://www.thryv.com/command-center/