If you’re a small business owner in Atlanta, then you should check out the free Dex One Local Leaders Forum on Feb. 23. The forum will be led by business author Barry Moltz and will feature Mary Ellen McClanahan, director of entrepreneur & small business development at the Georgia Department of Economic Development; John Ernst, business consultant at the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center; Sarah Robinson, CEO of the entrepreneur blog Escaping Mediocrity; Jim Beach, founder and instructor of School for Startups; and Bob Cusick, sales manager at Dex Digital.

The forum will be held at Turner Field from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Local business owners have found previous Local Leaders Forums extremely helpful. For a taste of some of the highlights of those events, check out our article on 6 Tips from Local Business Expert Barry Moltz, as well as 13 Tips from Local Business Leaders.

As Facebook becomes more business friendly it is making inroads as a way for customers to express their likes and dislikes about local businesses — and select where they shop.  For example, the “Like” button, which Facebook launched in 2010, is more popular than Yelp as a way for customers to show their support for a local business, according to a new Harris Interactive survey.

Survey results also reveal that no single source or factor dominates the consumer decision-making process of which local business to choose.  In other words, customers consult numerous sources when making local purchase decisions – especially when trying something new. The key for local business owners is this:  While having a Facebook page and encouraging “Likes” is important, taking steps to reach customers through a variety of methods, both online and offline, is critical as well.

Here are some other top findings from the Harris Interactive study:

• When it comes to recommending a local business or a professional service, a whisper in the ear still trumps a click.  Three out of four local customers (75%) still recommend businesses by word of mouth. Also, 20% of people say they will “Like” a local business on Facebook to show their support, compared to about 13% who say they’ll write a review.
• Younger age groups are much more likely to hop on Facebook over Yelp, as are women.  While about 40% of people under 35 will “Like” a business on Facebook, the figure is 49% in the 18-24 group. Also, 18% said they would write a review.  About 25% of women hit the “Like” button, and 11% write reviews.
• Daily deal sites aren’t as big a factor as some people think. Despite the frenzied attention given to Groupon, Living Social and others, discounts and offers do not appear to be a major factor in how consumers choose a merchant.  Less than 1 in 10 people (8%) said a deal is the No. 1 thing that influences them to try a local business.
• More than half (52%) of adults under 35 visit more than two websites before visiting a local business; 63% of respondents under 35 head to Google; 24% visit Facebook; and 21% look at reviews sites.  Much to marketers’ chagrin, a hefty 17% say they simply click on the first link in a search result, whatever it happens to be.
• People do care about the face behind the business. When doing their homework, customers under 35 say that feedback from the business owner can carry equal weight to input from friends or social networks.  The message is clear:  When doing online marketing, be sure you are personally represented along with your deals or specials.  Almost half (47%) of people under age 35 are more influenced by the owner of the establishment than a friend.
• High gas prices and distance are changing how consumers decide;  67% of people overall said that gas prices factor into their decision about which businesses to visit – 87% of women ages 18-34 said gas prices and distance influence their decision, compared to 67% of men in the same age range.

A recent Dex One webinar, “Increase Your Business by Using Quick Response Codes,” gave local businesses the lowdown on QR codes, thanks to Anne Doty, a Dex One product manager who is launching the company’s QR code initiative, and Whitney Hillyer, director of account management and client services of Scanbuy, a mobile barcode solutions company.

To start, the two women filled in attendees on smartphone and QR code usage.

• 1 in 3 would give up chocolate over cellphones.
• There were 31 million scans in 2011.
• 72% are more likely to remember an advertisement when they scanned a QR code, according to 1to1 Media.
• Currently, men do 63% of the scanning, but women are expected to surpass them in the near future because they make more purchasing decisions.
• 53% scan QR codes to get a coupon or discount, according to a survey in 2011 by eMarketer.

Next, the presenters got into the specifics of building and understanding QR codes.

• QR codes should be at least 1-by-1-inches with one-tenth of an inch of space on all sides. The background should be white or light to make them easily scanable.
• It’s important to test the QR code on different types of smartphones — it may work on some but not others.
• If there’s enough space in your ad, tell readers to download a scanner to scan your  QR code. When an ad includes this instruction, Scanbuy says there’s an increase in scans.
• If you have a one-eighth page ad or larger in the Dex directory pages, you get a free QR code with your ad.
• An additional benefit: While print directories and ads are static, QR codes connect to online content that can be updated and changed to reflect new products or deals.

One of the main takeaways: Every scan is a lead to your business — and a lead you might not have gotten without the QR code. If you would like to learn more, view the slides at Dex One Quickstarts page. There are other helpful webinars there.

Set a goal

Is your main goal to promote a new product, collect email addresses, change brand perception or something else? Certainly, you can have more than one goal, but make sure the primary goal never gets lost in the shuffle.

Set up your booth with that goal in mind

If your main goal is to promote a new product, make sure you have enough of that product on hand, as well as corresponding literature and samples, if practical. If email addresses are important to you, have a sign-up sheet that requests email addresses and get ready to explain to attendees how giving you their email address benefits them.

Do some pre-show marketing

Promote your participation in the trade show or business expo on your website, blog, e-newsletter, Linked In, Facebook, Twitter or whatever mediums you use. Tell people why they should stop by your booth or exhibit. If you’re going to be offering a special deal to attendees or releasing a new product, say so early or at least give a teasing hint.

Make your booth noticeable and welcoming

Professional-looking signage is key, so spend the extra money and have one made with good paper and ink at a printing company. If it’s durable, it can be reused at other events. Adding your logo and contact info would also be valuable.  A layout with comfortable seating for attendees to rest will be appreciated and set you apart from the traditional booth setup. Scheduled demonstrations and giveaways are good for drawing a crowd.

Determine what most complements your business

If you’re a company with an eco-friendly slant, setting out a ton of brochures doesn’t reinforce your eco-friendly stance. Instead, you may want to use a QR code that will leads visitors to a site with more information on your products. Or a token gift may be the best takeaway for your business — whether it’s food or a branded USB drive.

Tailor your message to your audience

You will encounter consumers, like-minded business owners, PR people and journalists at trade shows and business events. Don’t assume they’ll all respond to the same thing. While there’s no need to create different literature for different groups, you ought to think about how your message might change from one group to the next.

For example, with consumers, the message needs to be tailored to try to close the deal.  talk to them about what the product or service can do for them, then gauge whether are near a decision. At the very least, try to come away with some way to contact them for a follow-up, or ask them to Like you on Facebook. A journalist, blogger or PR rep is more interested in what is new or different — the reason for a brand shift, an innovation, a new product. Highlight what sets you apart.

Follow up

Did you make some good connections at the trade show but are feeling slammed by work upon your return? It doesn’t matter — you must follow up in a timely manner. Don’t give your new contacts a chance to forget you. These connections are the reason you went to the event in the first place.

Cell phone penetration in the U.S. has now passed the 100% mark. And with that kind of reach, this is a must opportunity for marketers.

What is mobile marketing? It started as text messaging but as the capabilities of mobile phones have grown, it now extends to any form of marketing that can be done through the web. In fact, Gartner, a respected research company, predicts that mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common device used to access the web worldwide by next year.

Benefits of Mobile Marketing

Because most mobile users are tethered to their phones 24/7 and ready to interact, many consider mobile marketing to be the ultimate direct response tool. Some of its more attractive benefits include:

• Immediacy – Mobile users usually keep their phones within easy reach, so your message can be received within seconds of it being sent. Even if the device is in standby mode, your message will be seen as soon as the customer or client turns the phone on.

• A 100% opt-in form of marketing – Unlike direct mail, where businesses can purchase a mailing list, a customer has to provide their phone number in order to receive mobile offers. In most cases, these consumers are previous customers who have a history with a business and want to receive offers from them. This results in less waste and higher response rates.

• Personalization – Because messages are only sent to customers who have opted-in, personalized offers and content can be sent to increase response rates. Marketers can even open up direct dialogues with users via text messaging and get instant customer feedback.

• Mobility – Customers can receive your message on their mobile device anytime, anywhere versus needing a computer, radio or TV to receive it. There are even programs that can generate an offer any time a customer gets within a specified distance of your business.

• Affordability – Mobile marketing can be very easily and economically integrated with most business’s marketing programs to help increase response rates. And, like most mediums, the more customers you reach, the lower your cost per lead.

• Effectiveness – According to many surveys, text messaging has over a 90% open rate (83% within one hour) and, generally speaking, mobile response rates average around 15%.

• Highly trackable – User response can be tracked almost instantaneously. Plus, mobile marketing can be used to track other marketing methods by including a direct call to action (e.g. “text ‘WINBIG’ to 12345″) in a radio or TV commercial.

• Viral potential – Like email, mobile marketing is easily shared with friends and family. So marketers can get a whole lot more exposure with no additional cost or effort on their part.

Ways to Integrate Mobile Marketing

Now that prices are coming down on mobile marketing, there are a number of ways local businesses can incorporate it into their current marketing programs.

• Mobile-friendly websites – One of the best ways to tap mobile users is to make sure your company’s website is mobile-friendly. This means tweaking elements of your website so that any visitor using a mobile browser is able to navigate your site. Another option is to create a specific mobile version (e.g. m.dexknows.com) of your site that looks good on mobile browsers and features your most popular content or functions. Google is featuring mobile-enabled sites on their mobile search browser. So the sooner you can optimize your site for mobile, the more likely you are to appear in the coveted top mobile search results in your category.

• Text messaging – This is perhaps one of the most used methods of mobile marketing, in part because of its high response rate. Text messaging involves sending out short messages (160 characters or less) to phone numbers of prospects and/or customers who have provided their phone numbers. These numbers are often collected through contests, opinion polls and in exchange for consumer discounts.

• Email messaging – These days many customers also read their emails on their mobile devices, so you should keep your main message short and within the screen so they won’t have to scroll down. Another tip is to provide a link to your website within your email so customers can instantly bring up your page without having to remember to visit it the next time they log in on a computer.

• Mobile GPS coupons – Thanks to a struggling economy and numerous new mobile marketing applications, the concept of distributing digital coupons to customers’ mobile devices has really taken off. These new apps automatically retrieve coupons via GPS, eliminating the need for consumers to browse for offers, remember text codes or juggle ZIP codes. Consumers simply use the apps to download a coupon and redeem it by showing their phone screen to the store cashier.

• Mobile commerce – This function allows customers to purchase or order something directly through your mobile site or application. While it may not make sense for many businesses, with more consumers using their mobile devices for shopping, it might be something to consider.

• Reputation management - At the very least, make sure your business listings are correct and up to date on directory sites such as Dexknows.com, reviews sites like Yelp, as well as social-sharing sites such as Facebook or Foursquare. Mobile users turn to these sites when they are out and about shopping or looking for entertainment. Keeping track of this data and making sure it best reflects your business is known as reputation management.

• QR codes – A simple form of street-level marketing, these squiggly codes can be put on a sign in a shop window, on a poster, a label or a print directory page listing. Scanned with a mobile phone, they take the user to your website to view the details about a product or an offer. To find out how to get one for your business, Dex can help.

How to Get Started

Like any marketing tool, the first thing to determine is whether it makes sense for your business and its goals. Mobile marketing works best when it is integrated into your whole marketing program. It is not a magic bullet that will solve all your marketing problems.

Once you’ve determined what you want your mobile marketing to accomplish, you’ll want to get connected with a Dex One local marketing consultant.

If you haven’t already, start collecting customers’ mobile numbers and follow all industry accepted privacy practices (your marketing consultant should be able to help you with this). Then, make sure the offers you send out are truly valuable and unique and not something customers will find elsewhere. Also make sure that your offers are consistent with the rest of your marketing program. Make your messages fun, with plenty of polls, trivia, sweepstakes, freebies and other great discounts that customers will want to forward to friends. Then, start keeping track of which offers and messages receive the best response.

Due to its opt-in nature, highly personalized offers, high open rate and low cost-per-customer rate, mobile marketing is one of the top marketing trends to keep an eye on. Local business owners owe it to themselves to discover whether mobile marketing is something they should be incorporating into their marketing mix in the months and years ahead.

YouTube recently reinvented itself to act more like a social media platform, which is good news for small businesses. In the past, YouTube primarily featured viral videos, but this move gives all videos a better chance of being found.

YouTube Channels

The biggest change is that YouTube is now organizing itself by featuring channels more. The move to channels means customers or clients can add your business’s channel to their favorites.  So if you haven’t done so already, go into your channel settings and make sure they’re optimized. Use keywords in your video titles, description and tags so when YouTube users search, your channel has a better chance of showing up in the results.

It has also become much easier for you to link to other media, whether it’s your website, Twitter feed, Facebook or Google+ page. Take advantage of this. And if a customer shares one of your videos on a social medium, that video will show up on the YouTube home page of all the people in that person’s gmail universe.

YouTube Feed

A subscription feed, similar to Facebook’s news feed, puts the videos of subscribers to front and center, instead of the viral video of the moment. If a subscriber comments on your business video, their subscribers will see that as well.

This means the more active you are, the better. As a small business owner who is already busy, the idea of having another platform that requires regular updates may not be appealing. But there are small, less time-consuming steps you can take to stay on the radar of YouTube subscribers.

Rather than uploading videos in big batches, consider spreading out the uploading over the course of a few days or weeks. Then, subscribers will get multiple alerts of your updates over a period of time rather than just once. The reach of your videos will grow as well when followers like, comment, etc. them. And whenever you interact with videos that aren’t your own, YouTube followers will be alerted of that as well. So whenever you’re on YouTube, make a point to comment on videos you like that pertain to your business or product.

Video Metrics

YouTube is offering new metrics, which makes it easier for you to pinpoint which videos work and which don’t — and perhaps more important, when they do and don’t work. If everyone is tuning out at the 30-second mark of one of your videos, try to figure out why and fix it. If you can’t fix it, at least make sure that it doesn’t happen in future videos. Conversely, if viewers are replaying something at the 30-second mark, duplicate that in future videos.

•  29% of shoppers in a study for the University of Cincinnati said they were drawn into a store just based on the quality of the sign. In the 18-24 age group, the number rose to 55%.

•  49% in the same study said they had driven by a store because the signs were too small or hard to read.

•  40% of customers at convenience stores, 20% at supermarkets and 25% at sit-down restaurants did not intend to stop at those places when they started driving — they were drawn in by signs or just seeing the store, according to a study by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

•  A study for the Small Business Administration calculated that on-premise business signs are the cheapest form of advertising when figured on a cost-per-impression basis, coming in at nearly a tenth of the cost of the nearest competitor  — outdoor billboards.

So how do you go about selecting and placing signs on and around your location? Some of the key factors:

Visibility

Signs are best viewed without clutter behind them or obstructions in front.

Readability

Keep the message simple and peg the size to the passing traffic in front of your business. At 55 mph, a driver needs to see a sign from at least 440 feet away to grasp the message; at 40 mph, 320 feet; at 25 mph, 200 feet.

Angle

A driver scanning the road ahead has a limited field of vision to the right and left. For the best visibility, a sign by the road should be at a 90-degree angle; perpendicular and parallel signs need to be bigger to have a chance at getting noticed. For instance, at 25 mph, a perpendicular sign should be 25 square feet; a parallel sign, 50 square feet.

Graphics

Keep it short and clean: the text should be three to five words in length; white space 30 to 40% of the sign. Best contrasting colors: dark blue, black or red text on white or yellow. At 55 mph, letters should be 16.5 inches high; at 40 mph, 12 inches; at 25 mph, 7 inches.

Lighting

For visibility at night, signs may be lit from within or without or be made of reflective material. One general rule of thumb: Text must be four to 10 times brighter than the background.

Local codes also determine the size, placement and brightness of business signs; your sign shop should know  those requirements.

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Sign companies offer a long menu of choices. Some of the typical business sign types:

•  On the building, wall-mounted signs lay flush, projecting signs can be a single “blade” design or v-shaped, material covered awnings can be lit from within, canopy signs look like movie theater marquees, and up top there are roof signs or lettering added to the parapet, the area just below the roof. “Dimensional letter” signs are individual letters cast of plastic or metal and mounted to the wall.

•  Around the building, you can choose monuments (those tombstone-style markers favored by office parks) or signs elevated on pylons or poles.

•  Outdoor LED screens and other digital signage display a changing message (announcing a sale, for instance) and can mount under a conventional sign.

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Don’t think of your sign as one of your building fixtures. It’s a key element of your effort to brand your business. Ideally, your sign starts with the design of all your branding and fits seamlessly with your logo and the rest of the elements that will make drivers hit the brakes and stop at your place, especially when they had left home with something entirely different in mind.

Resource:  For a more extensive introduction to business signs, take a look at this handbook developed by the New York State Small Business Development Center and the Signage Foundation for Communication Excellence.

Twitter is the easiest way to update your website without going into the back-end mechanics of your site.

I recently spoke to the owner of a gourmet store who told me what a pain it was to update his website. Soon after, I noticed one restaurant’s clever approach to that issue.

It was Monday, Jan. 2, and many local businesses were observing the New Year holiday and had closed. I called a few places to see if they were open — most were not. Then I visited Fundamental L.A’s website and saw via the company’s Twitter feed on its site that they were closed for the day. I appreciated that I was spared having to make a phone call. It also struck me as such an easy way for small businesses to update their websites with new information.

If you feel it’s not worth the time to build and maintain a following on Twitter, that’s fair. Maybe your customers aren’t on Twitter. But you can still snag a Twitter handle and use Twitter just to update your website.

However, in order to do this, you need to use a Twitter widget — rather than a simple Twitter button — that shows your latest tweets. Fundamental L.A.’s is particularly nice because it has no frame around it — it appears to have been customized. This makes the tweets feel like they’re an integral part of the page. Also, because their website is uncluttered and requires no scrolling down to see the feed, readers’ eyes go right to the tweets.

It’s a good way to post a one-time change in store hours or a sale you’re having. However, keep in mind that if you use Twitter to disseminate nonessential information, make sure the most important information is still viewable on your website. So, if you tweet that your store will be closed on Monday, don’t tweet three more times about other items, which would push the tweet about being closed off the page.

If you have any other useful ways to use Twitter for your local business, let us know in the comments.

If playing music is feasible for your profession, we highly recommend it, but there’s a little more to it than simply plugging in your iPod to a couple speakers. Here’s what to consider.

Are you, by law, allowed to stream or play music in your business?

This may come as a surprise, but you may need to get a license to play most popular music in your small business because the songwriter and publisher legally own the song — and you are playing it in a public forum at a for-profit business. That said, there are exemptions. Businesses that fall below a certain capacity can be exempt. You may also be exempt if you limit the number of speakers you use. For more details, visit the licensing information sections of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers and Broadcast Music Inc.

Can you simply play the radio?

The radio is subject to similar rules as all music with similar exceptions. In addition, we don’t recommend you play the radio because it’s a wild card. You never know what sort of music you’re going to get, you and your customers will be forced to listen to commercials, and some customers may have a low tolerance for chatty deejays.

Are there other instances when you need to pay for licensing?

Believe it or not, if you want to play music when you put a customer on hold on the phone, that’s considered a public performance by ASCAP and you need to get permission from them. The same goes if you have a jukebox in your restaurant or bar. For that, you need to contact the Jukebox License Office, which handles virtually all copyrighted music.

Are there ways to do it so you don’t need to pay for licensing?

Yes, there are ways you can play royalty-free music, but it’s not entirely free either.

What’s the best way for me to play music in my business?

Consider getting a solid set of speakers and hooking them up to your iPod. CDs aren’t ideal because they can scratch and you need to change them out. (You have enough to do already.)

What music should I play?

DMX and PlayNetwork are services that put together “music experiences” for businesses, while Jamendo offers music channels. On the other end of the scale, you can make a playlist yourself, but keep in mind you’re playing music for your demographic, not yourself. Do you want to be seen as edgy and hip or solid and dependable? Think of music that reflects the image you want to project.

When you visit a business and your ears perk up at the music, determine why and apply that philosophy to your playlist. (And if you have a smartphone, Shazam or Soundhound can assist you in identifying songs you haven’t heard before.)

The safest bet for most businesses is something mid-tempo and positive. You don’t want to put your customers to sleep with slow pieces and you don’t want to agitate them with manic ones either. The Bird and the Bee, for example, might be a good bet for some businesses — they sing updated versions of Hall & Oates songs. Hearing something that’s familiar in a different way might get your customers’ attention.

Professional businesses, on the other hand, may want to opt for music without words. Classical or movie themes, as long as they’re not too dramatic, might be a nice option over the typical Muzak. Spotify can be a great tool for finding music and it will make recommendations too.

Remember: Playing the right music can define your image and be a powerful tool to increase sales. If you have additional suggestions or stories about what you use at your business, we’d love to hear them!

How you respond to your leads is critical – especially the ones who aren’t quite ready to buy … yet.  This is where “lead nurturing” comes in.  Basically, lead nurturing is the process you use to follow up on leads and turn those prospects into customers. How well businesses do this varies radically — and so do the results.

The goal of lead nurturing is to keep your prospects engaged and moving through the purchasing funnel. The best way to do this is to keep providing valuable information about your products and services in drip-like fashion (gently, with a light hand), in a way that’s memorable and has impact.  Before you even start trying to “nurture” leads, however, you should have a firm grip on where your leads are coming from, and how much they are costing you.  Local businesses that use Dex One, for example, have 24/7 access to easy, at-a-glance reports that track leads from sources such as promotions, coupons, online traffic and even phone calls.  Dex Counts is a reliable way to track the actual number of calls generated by a specific Yellow Pages ad or program through a unique phone number.

Here are nine steps to effective lead nurturing for your local business:

Establish a plan

The best approach to lead nurturing is to have a detailed plan that begins immediately (think real time) and shepherds prospects down the path to conversion in a consistent, logical fashion. That is, of course, easier said than done. Local businesses regularly lose leads because they lack solid follow-up policies. (If you’re not sure how to create a plan to generate and nurture leads, you can get a free marketing consultation from Dex One. There’s also a customized “Guaranteed Actions” program that lets you name the number of leads your business needs.)

Be quick and nimble

When it comes to converting leads, speed is a huge factor. Most lead conversions go to the businesses that respond first. Quick response should be at the top of your list. If you don’t respond quickly, you lose.

Nurture the “not yet ready” prospects

While some leads may be ready to make a purchase immediately, many others must be carefully cultivated over time. To succeed you’ll need to anticipate the prospect’s needs based on who they are (using characteristics such as age, income, etc.), and what stage they are at in the buying process.

Provide information in bite-size pieces

Give your prospective buyers the information they will need to make a wise purchasing decision.  But keep it simple. Provide the information in snack-size increments. Keep in mind that nurturing is about helping prospects throughout their buying “journey.”

Tap tools and tech

There are many terrific tools and web-based services that can help you nurture leads. A few examples include VerticalResponse.com, SwiftPage.com and ConstantContact.com (all for email campaigns); AWeber.com and SendPepper.com (auto-responder services); Enthusem.com and Thankster.com (for sending greetings and thank you messages).

Track prospect behavior and respond

The tools mentioned above can help you do this via customized reports and metrics. Use features that automatically track and respond in an appropriate way when a prospect opens an email, fills out a form, clicks on a link or performs another action.

Vary your format

People respond differently to different types of communications, so you should include different formats throughout your nurturing process. In other words, don’t just keep hitting them with emails. Also include newsletters, personal notes, white papers and other types of content. Make it a series of communications where each step has a clear goal to move prospects along to the next stage.

Segment your prospects

For most businesses, prospects fall into different categories. Look for ways to build unique prospect profiles and customize your nurture messages to their needs. Segmenting will ensure that your messages resonate with the recipients.

Make it personal

This is another way of saying keep it customer-focused. Use a personalized approach, addressing prospects by name when possible. Try to design each message so it answers one specific question related to what’s in it for the customer.

Remember: This is about converting contacts you already have, not generating new ones. If you don’t have a detailed plan and execute it, you will be wasting your marketing money and ultimately paying more for the leads that do convert. Here’s where to get help with all of your local marketing needs.