Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 22, 2008 under Marketing | 
- 13. Host a seminar. This is an inexpensive way to get “pre-qualified” prospects. You can even “joint venture” with someone in a related field to share the costs. Example: a veterinarian and a pet groomer. Be sure to give good quality information, not a 30 minute “sales pitch”.
- 14. Talk is cheap. Word-of-mouth marketing is not only the cheapest thing you can do to increase your business, it’s one of the best. People like to brag about the “great service” they received or the “great product” they bought. The best way to attract referrals is to over-deliver whenever you can. Do more than what you agreed to do or do it faster or better than expected. Impress your clients and they’ll tell everyone they know. And don’t hesitate to ask for referrals. “Who do you know…?”
- 15. Offer a guarantee. “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” “Thirty Day Money Back Offer.” These few words can greatly increase your business and cost you next to nothing.
- 16. Keep in contact. Whether by phone, email, cards, or in person, continually contact your clients. Make use of a service or an automated program if necessary, but the personal touch is best. Ask if there’s anything you can do for them, even if it’s not going to produce immediate income for you.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 21, 2008 under Marketing |
- 9. Join online chat groups or forums. Find ones that relate to your business, and join the discussions. After you are used to the group, you can offer good information and suggestions. It is usually acceptable to identify yourself and even provide a link to your website. But be very careful not to make “sales pitches” - this could get you banned forever.
- 10. Appreciate your best clients. Send thank-you cards, personalized notes or offer to buy lunch. It doesn’t cost a lot, but it’s a great way to let your best customers know they’re appreciated.
- 11. Get on TV. Cable access shows offer a unique opportunity to establish yourself as the local “expert”. You may not be able to advertise a product or service, but it’s a good way to become better-known. For example, if you create websites, you might start an instructional program about how to use the internet. You could give away something or have a contest. When people call or write in, you can start a mailing list and then contact them about your business.
- 12. Get full value from trade shows. If you can not afford a booth yourself, you might be able to find someone who would be glad to share their space with you. You can alternate running the booth and mingling with the attendees.
Even if you do not get a booth, attend anyway. You can learn a lot from visiting the exhibits and might be able to do business with some of the exhibitors. You could even pick up tips from your competition.
After the seminar, absolutely, positively follow up on your leads. Either email or phone every contact. Since you will be one of the very few people who do follow up most people will be receptive to your contact.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 19, 2008 under Marketing |
Use these tips to help you find the customers you need to expand your business.
- 1. Go online to study your competition. Click on your competitors’ sites and find out what they are doing. The internet is a gold mine of information. Use it.
- 2. Focus market. Narrow your target audience to highly qualified prospects. Instead of joining a number of networking groups, choose two or three groups that best suit your business. Think quality, not quantity.
- 3. Create quality marketing tools. Make a list of every item you’re going to need each time you contact a prospective customer or client. At the minimum, this list should include a stationery package, brochures and presentation tools. Even if you can’t afford to print them all at once, at least you will have a coordinated, professional image ready when you need it. Once you have these basics, you should strongly consider a professional looking Web site.
- 4. Network. Consider networking groups like Business Network International (BNI) or a local leads group. You can find them by searching the web. Also consider joining your local chamber of commerce, your industry association, or civic clubs like Rotary or Sertoma. Don’t just join to ask for leads - ask the people you meet what leads they’re looking for. You will reap what you sow.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 17, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the eigth and final post of an 8 part series.
8: Do It!
You now have an effective step by step plan that will help you reach your target market in a well researched and carefully constructed manner.
But your marketing plan should be revisited and revised from time to time. Track results and if something isn’t working, discard or change it.
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Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 16, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the seventh of an 8 part series.
7: Schedule Your Projects
Once you’ve broken down the steps involved in each marketing activity, determine how much time each step will take and set a deadline to each step. Take small steps if necessary and be ready to adjust to the results.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 15, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the sixth of an 8 part series.
6: Budget Your Marketing Plan
Often when business slows down the first place business owners cut is the marketing budget. But this should be the last place to make cuts! In fact, the marketing budget should increase in slow times - you need to make potential customers even more aware of your products and services.
A better idea is to look at where you are spending those precious dollars. Track results carefully and use your budget where you will get the best return on your investment. You need to monitor the budget and prioritize
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 14, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the fifth of an 8 part series.
5. Create an Action Plan
This is the essence of your marketing plan. Create a strategy, key messages and a series of specific steps that will help you accomplish your goals.
Consider all available media and then select those that may be best for your specific market. In addition to the usual newspaper, radio, TV, magazine or outdoor advertising consider direct-marketing programs, including postcards, sales letters, fliers, business reply cards, and newsletters. In addition, think about 800 numbers and PR elements such as publicity, events, speaking engagements, sponsorships, opinion polls and the like.
Don’t neglect the power of the internet with pay per click advertising and especially your own website. Online promotional opportunities include blogging, posting articles, or uploading information to a newsgroup or special-interest forum.
Other options to achieve your goals and cut your costs include teaming up with related, non-competing businesses for in-store promotions or cross-promotional outreach.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 13, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the fourth of an 8 part series.
4. Research
There is a variety of sources you can use to obtain information about your target market. Many of these sources are free. You will want to learn about the demographics (the physical characteristics) such as age, geography, income level, etc of your market as well as insights into trends, buying habits, market segments and the like.
For business to business (BTB), there are industry specific resources such as trade associations and industry publications. Your state or county Department of Economic Development can provide information about consumer audiences in your region. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is another free resource.
Armed with this information, you will now be able to write a detailed profile of your market segments. Include all the demographic and psychographic information that you can. Again, the more specific you can be in defining your target market, the better your plan.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 12, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the third in a series of marketing tips.
3. Focus
What is your target market? If you don’t know, how will you ever be able to reach them? Don’t try to be all things to everyone. Break your target market into distinct segments and create your messages to reach each segment. Be as specific as possible. Are you marketing business to business or business to consumer? If you have several markets, rank them in order of priority.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 11, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the second in a series of marketing tips.
2. Determine Your Goals
Now you can decide where you want to go. What you are trying to accomplish with this plan? Increase the number of sales? Increase the value of each sale Obtain new clients? These are the three basic ways of building your business and the right marketing plan is critical to your success.
Be as specific as possible as you outline each of your goals. Optimism is great but use a healthy dose of realism to keep you grounded. “I want to double my sales” might seem like a worthy goal but is not specific and may not be realistic. “I plan to increase the number my sales by 10% by target marketing to current clients” is a good start and probably is obtainable. If you have multiple goals, prioritize them so that you can create a realistic plan to achieve them.
Posted by Internet Marketing Jim on December 10, 2008 under Marketing |
This is the first of eight posts on developing a marketing plan for a small business.
Trying to achieve success in business without a good marketing plan is like boarding a plane and not knowing its destination. While you will get somewhere, it probably will not be where you want to be. Without a marketing plan, you will waste your marketing dollars and your promotional budgets will not yield the best results. In order to really succeed, you and your business need to have a plan to reach out to prospective customers.
Creating a marketing plan is not that difficult. Just follow these simple steps, and you will be able to make your marketing part of your everyday routine and reach your growth goals that much sooner.
1. Examine your current business.
The first step in your marketing plan is to figure out where you are right now. What is your core business? What is its position in the market? Do your prospective customers see you the same way you do? One thing you may want to do is to ask some of them for their feedback.
Try to summarize your business, including its philosophy, strengths and weaknesses in four or five paragraphs. It does not have to be a book–just get everything down on paper. Be concise and be specific.
