Google used to be the one thing you wanted to be tops on, but times have dramatically changed. In literally a few months. Yes, I still want to rank high, but I’d rather have a commanding presence on Facebook which has just surpassed Google with traffic. I’m sure that will change, but for the time being it’s the place to be.

Haven’t got a business page on Facebook yet? Where have you been? If you’re only exposure to Facebook is sending pictures to your mother, you haven’t even begun to tap into the potential. Get yourself a Facebook for Dummies if you need something to study. Or do as the real gurus do and read all the Help areas on the site. And create a Company Page.

Don’t wait until it’s perfect. It will never be exactly what you want. And that’s a way to put off doing it. It’s a real woman issue, unfortunately. And I surely was a member of that group for far too long. You’re not married to your page. You can constantly make changes and tweak it. Each day, spend a few minutes each day promoting yourself. Get a list of followers. And remember, emails on facebook always get answered. No spam filters yet.

I understand. It took me a while too to spend money because I thought everything good was free. Nope. Maybe it was when I first spent money and got some incredible information that I realized the world wasn’t as I’d thought. Sure, I’d received good information from several sites. And my sales had increased. But nothing overwhelming.

But then I looked at people that were successful (meaning they made serious money from their website, or promoted themselves well). And most of them belonged to an association (or several). And they used it. A lot of people join a group (for example mine), and then do nothing because they think that’s all they have to do, belong.

Wish it really did work that way. I joined Stompernet and Third Tribe this year. And the resources are incredible. They don’t send me an email every other day with some new “opportunity” to spend more money, but they send me an email (video link) every month with what’s new on the site. There are webinars (not open to the general public), things it would really help if I do, etc. It’s then up to me to do these things. No one cares if there’s too much to do with things like the house, websites to work on, etc. Here are the resources, now it’s up to me to do them.

That’s why so many people complain that they just don’t get it. They get in a flurry of activity and send in a bunch of listings but fail to even pay attention to what’s required. They spend some hard earned money and join some groups, but then don’t do anything that’s recommended. Even when that’s why they joined, to be given things that would improve their business.

I host web sites, mostly herbal. When I set up a site I give the business a list of things they should do to promote their business. And these things change with new information. It used to be enough to have a really great web site. But Google now looks at how much new material goes up. That’s why it’s really important to have a good blog….it shows recent activity. That’s one example.

And I try to follow up and find out if they’ve followed up on my suggestions. I wouldn’t care if they did other things that they found that worked better for them. But that usually they did nothing. They’ve been too busy. And they don’t understand that the world isn’t going to wait while they get their act together. Very sad.

It’s what you didn’t think about when you started this herb business that matters most….marketing. The days of opening a shop, farm or online store and having people show up are a thing of dreams. Pleasant dreams but dreams none the less. And they might come in (or quickly browse), but you never really register on their radar.

I subscribe to Google Alerts so that I hear about anything herbal that happens immediately. You’d think the alerts would be long with all the people that have an herbal business. But nope, there’s usually one or two about The Herb Farm out near Seattle (Ron Zimmerman is a marketing pro). There’s a few that are usually from sites set up to sell and loaded with e-articles. And the occasional newspaper article on an upcoming herb festival. But alerts that feature herb businesses are few and far between. Their sites are static. They got that web site done and, one less thing to worry about. So it’s not updated for 1 year, 2 years, I have some clients that haven’t changed anything on their site for 5 years or more. 

And I can be guilty of those sins too. Some days you really have to make the effort and do something more to get those eyeballs on your site.

So make this promise to yourself. You will do one thing 3 days a week to market your business. That might mean putting your business of Facebook. And tweeting about it once or twice a week. It means creating a blog and posting at least twice a week to it. And to make it easier, write a long blog and then break it up into three segments so you’ll have something new to post.

Marketing your herb business isn’t hard if you break it into little pieces. Keep that saying in mind…”The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lau-tzu)

Unfortunately, that’s not true. There is no “small” guy as far as the FDA is concerned. If a customer has an adverse reaction to something you’re selling, you have to file a report. If it’s not a problem made by you, you need to notify the manufacturer. If it’s a product you make and sell, there are certain forms you should have on hand and you need to understand that you have to comply.

Are you tracking the inventory you have used in your product? You need to know for a fact (and have the necessary paperwork to show if needed) that inventory from Company A was used in manufacture of Batch 1 and that inventory from Company B was used in Batch 2. It adds some time to the manufacturing process and don’t think that your size will protect you.

Protect yourself and your business by keeping up to date with the regs and complying with them. It does two things, protects you from an FDA that would love to make an example of you, and protects your customers from as inadvertent accident.

If you’re don’t have a company profile on Facebook and aren’t twittering away about herbs, people quickly forget you exist. I have mentors who insist that they stay away from most social media. What most of them fail to say is that someone in their company is on it all the time.

I often wonder if my “herbal heros” from the past would be on Facebook and Twitter today, and I think the marketers of the group would be. Adelma Simmons and Bertha Reppert would have been right there on Facebook posting tidbits to get people into their shop (or site). Before Bertha passed she had totally embraced the Internet and was emailing everyone.

Those that have faded from view the past few years are doing it for two reasons: 1) ageing 2) sales have died off. When I talk to people they say that the age of people interested in herbs has passed. When I mention that people believe in using herbs more now, they whine about the downturn in sales.

What they fail to mention is that they haven’t kept up with the times. People don’t have the time to take leisurely trips to herb farms, but they have time to shop at night online. It’s not the way it once was, but it’s better in so many others. Classes can be had online. Webinars take the place of traveling across the country. Online shopping can offer a better experience than driving from place to place and not finding what you want.

Not only embrace the changes, but be one of the first to use the internet to build a following and your business will grow.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of herb business you have.

Don’t look at this as a sales message where you plug the special of the week. Or as an opportunity to gush about the kids (or grandkids). This as an opportunity to educate your visitors and turn them into fans.

Try giving your blog over to an herb one day each week. And don’t just pull the stuff off the net. Pick herbs at first you’re familiar with and talk about them. I’ll never forget Susun Weed raving about chickweed. Made me want to get home and try it.

But a tribe is more than feeding than feeding your audience information. It’s getting them involved. It’s running a special for readers of your blog….or holding a free class for readers (or a webinar if you’re totally online). ..or encouraging comments or questions….and that gives you more to say.
And things to say that are meaningful are worth the time….keep your cutesy stuff for the personal Facebook page.

Their websites and blogs are filled with personal trivia. Filled to overflowing. In fact, the blog is often an extension of their Facebook page, the personal one. And they can’t figure out why no one but their friends stops by to comment.

You need to look at your blog and your website as a disinterested visitor does. You have only about 5 seconds to take that searching visitor and make them an interested one. It could be a home page that stresses the knowledge you have. Or you could be showing how you’ve been able to “recommend” an herbal protocol through the use of testimonials. Or you could show that you’d really be interested in showing a visitor what herbs can do. (Be careful doing this on your website unless you’re familiar with FDA regs.)

Get away from the “how much fun” you’re having to the “how can I help you” mindset. And make that home page more than a sales page. You can always have a “Know what you want? Go right to the cart” section that can be easily bookmarked. But if I’m new to things, have a little breathing room….like a Q&A area, who is the person/group that’s running this site, how long you’ve been doing this, etc. Visitors should leave (or buy) thinking you 1) know what you’re doing; 2) you can help them or at least point them in the right direction.

Not every visitor turns into an immediate buyer. But you want every visitor surfing away thinking you’re a great business even if they don’t buy a thing….for now.

Now I resume other projects like The Herbal Green Pages which is another “child.” And it always amazes me how people respond. The Herbal Green Pages started long ago in print. It was a way to find all types of herb businesses when there was no google, let alone an internet that was accessible.

I sent companies a simple form that allowed them to explain a little about themselves and herbie folk loved it. And as times changed, we made the switch and brought it online and that’s when I realized why few small businesses made it successfully (means you buy your toilet paper and pay your mortgage). They don’t take advantage of the free marketing that’s offered.

Now I understand the pitfalls of spam filters. I get more junk than most. And I deal with it. But whenever anyone gives me free press, I take them up on it. The procedure goes like this: I find a new (to me) herb business and tell them I’m adding them to THP. Would they please check that I have the correct information on them and take advantage of the free 10 word description so that people know what they’re about.

The result? In 75% of the cases, nada. In another 15% I get “you can find information on our website” (like I’m going to go through that) or they obviously can’t read and send me a long paragraph. And then 10% send me exactly what I ask for and I thank them profusely.

If you have a business, and people want to list you, grab the chance. The herb businesses that took the time required to send in forms in the past, are the ones that are successful now. It’s easy to grow quickly past the competition when you take those little steps to promote yourself.

And this could be their biggest downfall at times. When you’re passionate about something, and those that have an herbal business are passionate, you often spend so much of your time and energy on the passion that you often leave those pesky little other non-passionate items go. We’ll catch up with them later. Things like regulations, or taxes, or other insignificant items.

And those “little” inconveniences can snowball into an avalanche that causes many herb businesses to bite the dust. Suddenly, you’re facing the threat of the FDA because you thought you were too small to matter. Or the IRS has decided you can’t take those strange deductions as business related.

So start today putting at least an hour aside to attend to those details. And you won’t be blindsided later. You can hit them headon.

Joel hasn’t let us down. We get motivating videos every day. Some classmates have invited us to their seminars (for free). Then what’s the problem?

The same problem we face with weekly marketing tasks…..they don’t get done. We get caught up in the daily “chores” of running a business. Add that often to the other demands on our time, be it family, caregiver, education, you name it. And no wonder small (according to the US government small is under $10 million a year) businesses fold all the time.

We have to make time to pursue the dream. You aren’t going to suddenly be discovered. Buying one of those “get-rich on the internet” systems isn’t going to change your bottom line. I’m the same as most of you.

This week, make a plan. And do something to make your business more profitable. And get your face out there. If you haven’t got a website yet, do so.