By Debbie Gregory.

The event will be held on May 5, 2020.

The El Paso Community College’s Contract Opportunities Center is excited to announce that it will once again host its Procurement and Contracting Symposium (PCS) and it will be held at the Centennial Banquet & Conference Center, 11199 Sergeant E. Churchill, Fort Bliss, TX.

PCS has historically been considered one of Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico’s premier networking event and has been supported by agencies of federal, state and local governments, and their prime contractors.

In planning the event, the objectives are to provide a venue where buyers, contractors, suppliers and providers can come together and begin developing relationships; to provide excellent training opportunities from national, renowned trainers for vendors currently engaged, and those seeking guidance in government contracting; and to provide information to potential government contractors and the regional business community.

The following organizations and individuals should plan on attending this event:

• Representatives of federal, state or local government agencies seeking to extend or continue outreach activities in the region.
• Prime contractors seeking to identify potential subcontractors, teaming and joint venture partners.
• Small business firms wishing to network with federal, state or local government representatives, prime contractors and other firms.
• Individuals interested in taking advantage of training sessions on hot topics relevant to federal, state or local government contracting.
• Representatives of firms interested in upcoming forecasted projects.

Sponsorship opportunities will be available for businesses seeking to highlight and market their firms to symposium attendees.

Booths will be available for federal, state or local government agencies, and vendors interested in personal and interactive market research opportunities as well as the opportunity to conduct a training workshop or present on forecasted projects, if interested.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & REGISTRATION PLEASE VISIT:

www.elpasococ-events.org/conference

By Debbie Gregory.

Our last blog article discussed asking for testimonials, making it easy for people to get in touch with you, and how important it is to provide excellent customer service. Moving forward, we will discuss the importance of engaging people on social media, monitoring your online reputation, maintaining a positive image both in person and online, and how making donations that will improve your business reputation.

Engage People on Social Media:

Social media is important. The challenge is to get people talking about your business. Social Media is an excellent method to use for customers to talk positively your business. Ask people for their opinions, reviews, and thoughts. Remember that social media is an active conversion and respond in a timely manner.

Actively Monitor Your Online Reputation:

As you spend time actively engaging customers or potential customers online, it is important to monitor what is said about your business and what platforms that you are being talked about.  You can do the searches yourself to see who is talking about you and what they are saying or you can utilize online reputation monitoring tools to help. Some tools you can use are:

• Social Mention
• Trackur
• StepRep

Maintain a Positive Image:

As a small business you are never off the clock. You need to work hard to maintain a professional, helpful, and friendly appearance at all times; especially if you drive a vehicle with your company logo or are wearing company branded clothing. Your behavior in public, when not directly in front of customers, can affect how people view your business.

Clean and Pleasant – In Person or Online:

This one goes hand in hand with the past point – your office, vehicles, attire, and online presence all must match the atmosphere and brand of your business. You want people to have their best experiences working with you. You want them to view you and your business as experts in your field that are professionals who are approachable, helpful, friendly, and clean. Would you want to eat in a dirty or see the chef with a crusty, dirty apron and dirty hands? You would only NOT eat there; you would tell everyone what you experienced. It works the same with positives.

Obtain Positive Publicity & Contribute Visibly to Your Community:

As a small business, it makes sense to invest in your local community. It helps both your community and helps your business grow.  Contributing brings your business front and center in the minds people’s minds of those who may need for your products or services. These contributions not only enable you to do good and be part of your community, but they provide your business high visibility and very positive word of mouth    from supporters. It improves the reputation of your company and is very good for business. Consider donating your time or money to things such as:

• Contributing financially to a local charity
• Participating in holiday charity events
• Sponsoring local tournaments, school sports, or other competitions
• Sponsoring community or charitable events
• Joining a public board of directors
• Working with community organizations
• Donating time to city council committees

Provide Free Public Lessons or Seminars:

This can take more time to plan and execute properly but giving away your time at very public events provides an opportunity to showcase your expertise and gain positive publicity.  It also sets you up as an expert in your field.

Word of mouth happens whether you pay attention to it or not. It is such a powerful marketing tool that you would be remiss to ignore it and allow it to flourish without your guiding hand. Take the time to tune into to what people are saying about your business and help them spread positive words about you, you won’t regret it.

By Debbie Gregory.

Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful advertising methods.  People highly value and trust the opinions of those they know and love. If you can get them to speak positively of your business, odds are good their friends and family will be knocking at your door as well.

Even word of mouth from strangers can have a huge impact on a person’s buying habits. Online reviews are very important with approximately 9 of 10 people reading and being influenced by online reviews. Most people use online reviews to determine whether a business is trustworthy and deserving of their business. This is consistent with all types of businesses including doctors, attorneys, restaurants, tradespeople, brick and mortar retail stores, E-Commerce stores and more.

What can you do to get people to talk positively about your business? Below are some ways to help you foster more positive word of mouth endorsements and grow your business.

Ask for Testimonials and Display Them Prominently:

Customer testimonials are powerful endorsements. Make sure that your business is in the habit of asking for testimonials and make sure that you display prominently where others can find and read them. Share the testimonial on your website, on your social media channels and you can even print and post them in your place of business.

Make It Easy for Your Customers to Contact You:

Poor communication will frustrate people and drive customers away from you. You need to be reachable across multiple platforms and in multiple ways. Make sure that your website is easy to read and navigate.   Being responsive can make a huge difference. Make sure contact numbers, emails, or a contact form are all easy to access and use. It is important that your phone connects, that someone answers courteously, and that your voicemail has space to receive new messages if no one can pick up the call. Answer all voicemails, emails, and messages received through social media in a timely and professional manner.

Provide Excellent Customer Service:

Excellent customer service is the most important thing you can focus on to gain positive word of mouth as well as set yourself apart from your competition. If someone is unhappy with your customer service, they are even MORE likely to tell their friends and family than if they have a positive experience with your business. They will also take their own as well as the business of those near and dear to them elsewhere.  It is critical that you demonstrate to your customers how important they are to you. Treat them as you would want to be treated, with kindness, courtesy, respect, and show that you are interested in their needs.

Stay tuned for the second part of this series which will discuss engaging people on social media, monitoring your online reputation, maintaining a positive image both in person and online, and how giving your time or and/or donations that can greatly improve your business reputation.

By Debbie Gregory.

In Part 1 of our Competitive Analysis Series, we reviewed the basics regarding the analysis; In Part 2, we covered the information you need to collect; and Part 3 will provide you the rest of the information you need to collect as well as tips for sorting and utilizing the information in order to grow your business.

Social Media:

Social media is a fantastic tool to see what your competitors put out there as well as find out what real people think about the products and services that your competitors offer.

On Your Competitors Social Media, Look For:

• What platforms do they use?
• What types of posts do they post?
• How frequently do they post?
• Who do they talk to, if anyone?
• What kind of language do they use?
• What is the tone of their posts?
• Are the conversations they have different on different platforms?
• Are they working with influencers and is that successful for them?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Analysis:

It is important to know where your competitors rank. When you Google your competitors’ business name, where do they rank in the search engine results? When you Google your relevant keywords, where do your competitors rank in the search engine results compared to where you rank? The results of your search should provide you a fair idea of the effort your competition is putting forth into their online content and SEO measures.

Check out the following:

• What keywords give your competitors search engine rank?
• What keywords do your competitors rank for that you don’t?
• What content ranks well and attracts links?
• How often are competitors releasing SEO-focused content?
• What sites link to your competitors’ site(s)?
• How have your competitors gained their links (paid for, trade, guest author, etc.)?
• What content on your site is in direct competition with theirs?

Using any search engine, even in Incognito mode, will not be entirely accurate when it comes to rankings. Search engines personalize your results based on your usage, profile, location, and quite a few other demographic items. Do not take these results at face value.

Putting It Together & Using to Grow:

When you look at all the information that you have gathered, you may feel a bit overwhelmed.  Pause for a moment and then get to work sorting the information in a format to make it most valuable to you.

• Place each item in order based on importance to your current business goals
• Categorize and sort your findings to determine where they fit into your strategy.
• Work through the findings with your co-workers so that everyone is on the same page. You can put together quick cards or a single sheet with your competitor’s major strengths and weaknesses so your team can quickly reference them as needed.
• Utilize the data to leverage your own marketing.

It is imperative that you put all of your hard work to good use helping to grow your own business. Make sure the information is kept up-to-date and is easily accessible by everyone in the company.

A good competitive analysis does take a lot of work, but the rewards can be massive. It helps you removes blind spots, helps you improve your overall business, strategy going forward and offerings.   A good competitive analysis is essential for excelling in your industry. Take the time and energy to do it right.

By Debbie Gregory.

In the first part of our competitive analysis series we covered the basics including what the analysis is, how it will benefit you and your business, as well as how to get started. In Part 2 of our series, we will cover more of the information you need to be collecting such as your competitor’s pricing, financial records, job postings, and what is on their website.

Pricing and Financial Records:

Knowing what your competition charges can help you make sure that your products and services are priced competitively in your overall market. If competitors do not list their prices on their website. You might want to make a call to obtain a sales quote or a sense of what they charge with their sales or marketing people.

If your competition is a publicly held company, it will be quite easy to obtain their financial records. Don’t become discouraged if your competition is privately held. Most companies will occasionally talk about their finances in press releases, interviews, blogs, and the like. Keep an eye out for any nuggets of information while you are conducting your search.

Check Competitors’ Job Postings:

Looking at who they are trying to hire can tell you a lot about what is going on inside of the company.

For example:

• Hiring developers or engineers? Odds are good they have a new project in the works.
• Hiring sales people? Odds are good they need more customers.
• Lots of openings all over the board? Odds are good either they are in a growth mode or there is turmoil at the company causing high turnover rates.

We also recommend looking at websites such as Glass Door that allows ex- and current employees to leave reviews about their employers   This information can give you some very interesting insights into the company’s culture.

A Long Look At Their Website:

We all know how valuable a company’s website is. Websites remain the number one marketing tool for informing, selling, and gaining new leads. A website should be kept up-to-date with all of the current trends as well as useful content for prospective clients.

Website Items to Check Out:

• Is their site utilizing up-to-date technology and is it easy to navigate?
• What are they attempting to do and is really working?
• What are they attempting that isn’t working?
• Do they have a blog that is kept updated?
• What types of content do they create and share?
• Are they getting ahead or falling behind?
• What gaps can you fill that they’re failing to?
• Do they offer any valuable content such as eBooks, guides, or reports?
• Who are they targeting?
• How are they using their site to acquire leads or sell items?

In Part 3 of this series, we will go even deeper into the information you should be collecting. We will look at your competition’s social media channels, as well as their SEO performance, and provide you a few tips for sorting and utilizing the information.