Word Chef Seeks Small Business Owners with Websites for Marketing Study

San Jose, CA, June 30, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Word Chef, a copywriting and marketing consultancy specializing in helping small businesses with their online strategies, is conducting a 3-month marketing study with small business owners beginning August 1, 2011. Applications are being accepted through July 15, 2011.

The study aims to uncover ROI and best practices for small businesses doing online marketing.

Participants of the study will receive free education and assistance with their online marketing strategies and tactics in exchange for their commitment and participation. The first phase will study 100 small businesses.

The Hypothesis: That any small business owner with a solid product or service can be taught how to improve their online marketing efforts; and when implemented, those efforts will at least double the number of qualified leads that business receives from those efforts.

First Study Period: August 1 to December 31, 2011 (100 seats available for first study)
Outcomes: Will be published in 2012.
Participant Qualifications: Participants must:

*Own a small business (0-50 employees, NO multi-level/direct marketing) with a solid product or service offering
* Have 10 hours per week available to devote to all marketing efforts, including time in the Test Kitchen
* Have an existing website that uses some sort of analytics to document traffic (Google Analytics preferred)
* Have a Facebook account and be willing to create and manage a Fan page for their business
* Have a Twitter account and be willing to use it
* Be absolutely committed to doing the necessary work to grow their business
* Be willing to share the outcomes of their efforts with the public via testimonials, case studies, or other formats.

Test Kitchen Schedule:

* Applications will be accepted until July 31, 2011.
* Participants will be notified of their acceptance into the program within 7 days of submitting application.
* Participants will begin receiving instructions via email and webinar no later than August 1, 2011.
* Participants should expect to take part in a bi-weekly 1.5 hour webinar through the end of November 2011.
* Participants will give results of their participation no later than December 31, 2011.
* Results will be analyzed and shared with the public no later than March 1, 2012.

Interested parties may apply for the Test Kitchen Project at: http://www.thewordchef.com/test-kitchen.

Please note: There is absolutely no cost to take part in this study.

Topics Covered: Each target market has it’s own needs. The program will cover all the foundational aspects of online marketing, but will ensure that participants know how to tailor these for their audience:

1. Copywriting – How to present ones' best self and engage an audience so they act.
2. Lead Generation – How to capture leads online
3. Advertising – How and where to advertise for best results (e.g., Facebook? Google? Other?)
4. Email Campaigns – How to do them so they work for a particular audience
5. Social Media – Best practices and which tools to use for a particular audience
6. Blogging & articles – How to develop expert content
7. Videos – How to harness the power of video on your site and elsewhere
8. Audio & Podcasts – How to use for a particular audience

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