Marketing — Growing a Business — It Isn’t Business as Usual Anymore

May 19th, 2011

Marketing has changed.

The way we do business has changed. But you’ve tried it the way you knew how, didn’t work, and now what?

Just think how you look at incoming marketing.

  • Direct Mail — If it looks like, feels like, or smells like “marketing” it gets thrown, usually before it ever gets opened.
  • TV — You leave the room during the commercials, or flip channels.
  • Incoming Cold Calls — Same as direct mail, it probably takes you 3 seconds or less before you can tell that this is a prerecorded marketing call and you hang up, ANGRY over that darned call. If it looks like, feels like, sounds like a “sales” call you’ll hang up before you even listen to the content.

We Tune Out Marketing. . . Marketing Overload

Our Marketing detector is going full tilt, tune it out, throw it out, hang up on it. We receive so much of it that when we see it, feel it, hear it we now tune it out.

Marketing, the way it’s been done for years, no longer works. It isn’t business as usual anymore.

What’s interesting though, is that some businesses are thriving, even when marketing as WE know it is failing us, and during a recession which makes things worse.

So, what’s the difference for those that are thriving?

Marketing that Works

Marketing that works has changed. It started back a few years as the internet started out, and has continued to change even more rapidly year after year. So what worked 2 years ago may not work now.

Marketing the old way was called push marketing, or interrupt marketing. That was when we pushed our marketing in front of people, interrupting what they were doing. It was direct mail that we shoved out there and got them to stop what they were doing to read it. It was a radio or TV ad that was shoved under our noses while we were watching the program we wanted to watch (it interrupted our thoughts).

But now we all have been conditioned that if it looks like, sounds like, feels like an ad we tune it out, or throw it away. We don’t even hear or see the message.

But, you know what?

Even with everyone tuning out of anything that looks like an ad, people are still looking for what you do. And as long as you keep doing what you’ve been doing they’ll keep tuning you out and your marketing won’t work. It won’t connect.

The Secret? — Be where they are looking for answers

Today’s marketing that works is called pull marketing, or attraction marketing.

Instead of shoving it under their noses, interrupting their day, we have to be where they are looking for their answers, and attract them to us among the other thousands, or even millions of competitors.

Just think how you use the internet today. You have a problem you want solved, business or personal. You look up some keyword that represents what you want, naming your problem . . . if you don’t know the solution you are still looking to see what someone proposes as a solution . . . or if you already think you know of a solution then you may be searching for a keyword around that solution.

But, the bottom line is . . . you are out there looking for a solution to your problem on the internet, and yet if a direct mail piece came across your desk with that solution you probably threw that mail so fast that you didn’t even see that solution among them.

The Secret — Be Where They Are Looking for Answers . . . and Then Be Found

What this says is, if you provide answers to people’s problems where they can find them, you’ll have all the business you can handle.

For instance, I was talking with a construction company who said that his business has gone to hell in a handbasket when the real estate market had crashed, and that NO ONE is buying. When I showed him that there were 13,000 people right here in Kansas City every month, he couldn’t believe it. And, that was at Christmas when he told me that’s the worst month of this worst recession.

All he has to do is get in front of those 13,000 right where they are looking and get their attention (another secret around how to get attention, but certainly another article to come later).

A lawn mowing company was worrying about how to get business for next season, and said that more people are doing their own mowing now, and no one was buying at Christmas time anyway, so how could he grow his business BEFORE next season. I showed him that there were 2,500 people looking for a lawn mowing service right here in Kansas City. . . and in December. Almost unbelievable isn’t it. I even found that hard to believe, but, there really were that many looking. We turned on an ad campaign in January and he filled his summer schedule before Spring came around.

The secret is to be found where they are looking and get their attention.

You have to be found where people are looking and asking for help. If you are seen as “an expert” rather than “a salesman” your sales will go up even during the worst recession in your lifetime. People still need what you do, and they are actively looking for it, but they are avoiding marketing as usual.

For your marketing to work, you need to be found for what people are looking, the way they are looking, and to provide what they are looking for. They are looking for help resolving their problems. They are looking for “experts” not someone selling them something.

Develop a marketing message that GRABS Attention around what they are looking for, not what you are selling, and then be sure that you are where they can find you, either at the top of a natural search engine, or an article in an ezine, or a pay per click ad at the top of a search engine. or a local listing, or a directory, or better yet, all of the above.

Find How Many Look for You on Google Keyword Tool . . . Then Capture them.

Try this, go to Google and look up Google Keyword Tool. Type in the keywords you BELIEVE that people would use to find you. Google will come back with data showing how many are searching THAT  WAY, and will also give you other keywords, other ways people are searching for the same thing. You may be surprised that far more are searching in a different way than you would. So, you may have to change how you approach your market if they are looking for you differently than you would.

After all, what’s important here isn’t what you sell, but how they are looking for the soluton to their problem. You have to be found before you have an opportunity to lead them to what you sell. Starting at the wrong end results in very few new customers.

If you do local business versus nationwide business, after discovering the right keywords, then add your local city to the search term and go again. How many are searching for what you do right there in your city?

Now, how many of those end up on your website? How many of those end up calling you, or contacting you in some way?

Goal  . . . Capture AT LEAST 5% of All Those Who Are Looking

If you arent’ getting at least 5% in each of those listed on Google Keyword tool monthly you’re missing out.

When I met a Mary Kay lady back at Christmas I showed her there were 1,000 people a month looking for a Mary Kay lady right here in Kansas City, and told her that should result in about 5%, or 50 people in about a month. Actually, we set up a pay per click ad, and she had 72 within 2 weeks, that’s 140 in a month, almost 3 times what I estimated that ended up as traffic to her Mary Kay website, and about 10 additional sales a week, or 40 new customers a month.

And Another Key to Growing Your Business

Ask yourself if you are getting at least 5% of all of those looking. If you are way below that, then there are two things to look at. Are you getting your marketing out there enough times in front of enough people? And are you capturing 5% of those that saw your add? If Not then it’s what you say and how you say it. It’s your marketing message

It’s time to redo your marketing message. Check out “30 Seconds to Prospects CHASING You” to find ways to increase that marketing message PULL rate.

So, are you still playing the old marketing way?

To Your New Marketing Success

Alan Boyer

The $100K Small Business Coach

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Get “the Marketing Formula“, weekly emails on ways to get more clients almost scientifically according to the formula.

http://www.100k-small-business-coach.com

 

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Integrate SEO Techniques for Great Results

May 19th, 2011

Numerous SEO techniques have been established that provide great traffic. In a lot of cases though, SEO experts or webmasters only pick one or two strategies to concentrate on. One reason for narrowing down optimization options is the idea that some methods are better than others. Choosing to implement an integrated approach however may still be worth considering.

Before you even imagine optimizing pages for search engines, you have to follow the right path to site launch. There are many different theories and opinions on how this should be done. In a lot of cases though, a simple general guide can be used for majority of sites. An example of such a generic guide begins with researching for keywords, creating content based on these and then using an AdWords campaign to establish profitability. There are also some on page SEO strategies that need to be implemented early on. This includes keyword insertion in pages and page tags.

After launching a site, you can leave it as it is and wait for it to get crawled by engine robots for indexing and ranking. This is the point when website owners often look for ways to optimize pages for faster ranking. The most well known current legitimate practices include press releases, social networking, article marketing, video marketing and social bookmarking.

Since there are so many different strategies to choose from, it is only natural for optimization specialists to attempt to filter out the best ones. For online business owners who have limited resources and time, picking out the best SEO techniques makes sense. You should consider though that every method can be used to your benefit.

You may, for instance, start with the use of articles for marketing purposes. This can be accomplished by writing pieces with related keywords in them. These can then be forwarded to article directories that allow back links to be incorporated in either the main article paragraphs or in resource boxes.

Step two for many site owners involves using the texts of your articles to make videos and audio pieces. These can then be submitted to popular sharing sites that also permit back link inclusion. These new SEO strategies are fast growing in popularity because they are naturally appealing to online users.

The next phase in an integrated campaign involves letting people know that your great contents exist. The best way to do this would be to submit press releases, bookmark content and inform members of your social groups about your work. For some individuals with a lot of connections, the social aspect is one of the easiest methods to hurdle.

In general, every off page optimization strategy shares common advantages with other methods. The common factor in all of them is that back links are created. Establishing links in high quality sites is what can get your site indexed and ranked. Once you’ve caught the attention of search engines through these links, you will begin to experience the influx of interested traffic.

The diversity of SEO techniques makes it tempting to cherry pick. You might however lose out on the great value that other methods can bring to your site. If you want to generate the best traffic quality from your optimization campaign, an integrated approach designed by SEO specialists is worth considering.

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10 Ways To Get Free Backlinks To Your Website

May 9th, 2011

Poor visibility of a site reflects low search engine ranking which can be disastrous for growth of an online business. Owing to this, every online entrepreneur finds himself taking measures to resolve this issue. Now there are a number of different ways to get backlinks to your website but following are the basic and most effective 10 ways to get free backlinks to your website.

Article Submission:

Article writing and submission to various article directories is one of the most effective techniques for getting free backlinks to your site. All you need to do is just write informative content that somehow is related to your site’s content and at the end of it, provide a link to your site.

Blog Commenting:

You can get free backlinks to your website by posting comments on various blogs. But make sure those blogs are relevant to your site and also your posted comment should contain valuable information that compliments the content given in the blog. If you ensure these things, rest assured you will get a powerful backlink to your site.

Blog Creation:

Creating your own blog is rather easy and can help a great way in getting backlinks for free. There are a number of online sites offering free blog creation. Though blog creation is easy, but for maintaining it, you need to put in a little effort like you have to keep it stuffed with fresh and invaluable content to make it a crowd-puller.

Guest Blogging:

In case you are in no mood to put in the needed effort to establish a new blog yourself, you can always go for guest blogging. There are numerous blogs that welcome guest blogging and hence you can use them for getting backlinks for free.

Commenting On Forums:

Find relevant forums and start posting comments regularly there. Show people how adept you are in a particular field and remember using the signature section for pasting your link to get free backlinks all the same.

Link Exchange Program:

This is also a superb way of getting backlinks absolutely free. What you do in this program is, you review other blogs/sites and advertise their links and in turn they do the same for you. But it is important that you find a high ranking site or blog to get powerful backlinks otherwise it may not be of much use.

Social Bookmarking Sites:

Over the time these sites have been proved immensely helpful in providing the needed backlinks to various sites. So make sure you get yourself registered with some of these sites and post your site’s link there.

Press Releases:

Press releases are also a great platform to get powerful backlinks from. So start writing some good press releases or get yourself associated with sites giving out press releases.

Social Media Platform:

Use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube etc. usefully to get backlinks to your site according to the format of each of the media platform.

Web Directories:

Ensure submitting your website’s link to the most popular web directories like Dmoz, Yahoo directory etc. It is one of the most effective ways of getting backlinks easily.

Guest Blogger Robert Kennedy is a Penticton website designer, and search engine marketing expert.  His Penticton SEO company specializes in helping Canadian, and local businesses rate higher in the search engines.

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Advice On Promoting Your Website

May 9th, 2011

In regards to promoting your site there aren’t a lot things that are going to work if you don’t know what you are doing. Look at article marketing for instance, if you don’t know what keywords to go for or what niche to write in then you could just be wasting your time. Something lots of people don’t understand is what will work for some people will not always work for others. It is really important that you do a successful marketing plan for your website as opposed to simply doing what works for others.

Something to think about

Does your site have analytics on it? If so, does it show you how people are coming to your website and how long they are staying on it? If you have this then look into it and see what the numbers are because this will tell you where you should be promoting your site. If your traffic is rather high in search engine visitors and very low for social media then it is normally a sign that you need to quit tweeting and using Facebook and stay with search engine optimization.

Two ways to promote your website

Guest posting – The greatest way that I’ve found that works to promote a site is by doing guest postings on some relevant sites. The nice part about doing this is that you can write as many guest posts as you can and possibly get hundreds of links very fast. One thing you will realize is that guest posts will attract more traffic and links than you could even imagine and because of this your site will quickly grow and eventually earn cash online.

Commenting on blogs – This just could be one of the most utilized and least effective methods of promoting your site, but that’s because individuals do not do it right. Do you know what the correct way to do blog commenting is? The most effective way to comment on other blogs is to compose anything that stands out so that the websites readers will think it is really part of the post. Do not write short sentences because people won’t read those and the links will be less valuable.

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Website Creation Made Easy

May 7th, 2011

Every now and then something comes along to make our lives easier, faster and more efficient.  One of the most difficult tasks, with out a doubt for any internet marketer or company has is acquiring a professional looking website. It either costs to much to get done or it takes to much time to learn.

 Let me introduce to you MarketerCMS, a complete website creation solution.  Marketer CMS provides optin page, multiple sales letters, video sales letters, built in blog, built in copywriting system. Basically the easiest way for anyone to build a complete marketing system.

 Enjoy these great features with MarketerCMS:

 - Simple Easy To Install WordPress Theme Plugin

MarketerCMS is more than a WordPress theme and it’s much more than a plugin. It’s a complete sales content management system which builds a complete website for you in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

- No Technical Skills Required

Unlike many of the so-called themes out there. They proclaim you don’t need a technical degree to use it, but once you made your purchase, you have to jump through hoops in order to use it. MarketerCMS is simply plug and play. Upload, install and start using it immediately.

 - An All In One Solution – Optin Page, Sales Letter and Blog

In ONE COMPLETE SYSTEM MarketerCMS gives you everything you need. You’ll be able to create an optin page, five different kinds of sales letters and you’ll automatically have a completely customized blog for you.

 - Your Own Built In Copywriter

If you can fill in the blanks, you can create amazing sales letter copy just like the pros do.   The same psychological format which Armand has personally used to write million dollar sales letters, MarketerCMS was built with. You too can have incredible sales letters at the push of a button as now all you have to do is fill in his easy to use sales letter builder.

- NO HTML Knowledge Required

You don’t have to be some techie geek in order to create a website. Everything is built into MarketerCMS. You can change the background, use one of their many header images and even upload your own logo to suite your needs. You’ll never have to ever touch one single line of HTML code and your prospects and clients will be utterly amazed.

 Armand Morin has put a lot of thought behind MarketerCMS. They’ve designed it with everything that they would want in their own systems. In one easy and simple to use solution you benefit by taking advantage of their knowledge and persistence.  They know just by creating your first website with MarketerCMS, you’ll never settle with the old mundane methods again.

Think about this. If you’ve always wanted to be in total control of your business and website then MarketerCMS can give you that in less than a few short minutes. Never again will you be held hostage by uncooperative or inexperienced webmasters. The tide has turned and now you too can not only create a sales letter, but a complete website creation system in less time than it takes to have dinner.

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What Makes a User-Friendly Site

May 4th, 2011

Traffic to your website will generally increase as long as the website has been constructed well enough, even if a website designer software has not been used. Users of the internet need a lot more encouragement to keep them interested and stay on your website. Improving the accessibility of a website through the use of a web-designing plan is one way of achieving this. From time to time studies have revealed the exact same results regarding the impatience of internet users, that they can spend as little as three seconds deciding on their interest in a website and its contents. Navigation difficulties and load times for websites are the biggest deterrents to maintaining a hold on traffic. The following describes a range of segments within a website, that are considered user-friendly.

Some visitors can still have slow internet connections, and if that is the case, any interesting flash animations for instance, simply will not load quick enough. If there are far too many images to comprehend, in addition to flash components, that is only going to result in a complete lack of user-friendly functionality. Holding yourself back on the constant uploading of media for your website is a sensible decision especially if you are just starting out. Based on recent figures, many internet users actually do not like pop-ups in the slightest, and more so if they block the user from being able to navigate elsewhere on the website. Users do find pop-ups that are difficult to close or hide extremely irritating. If your plan is to have your website just sit online and get no traffic, then by all means put in all the pop-ups you want. A pop-up or two wouldn’t hurt if they were used only if the visitor was about to leave the site in a short space of time, for instance. You can create from scratch the pop-up styles that you want to use, in some web designer programs like XSitePro.

Other user-friendly options include the use of menus across all web pages in a website, and not just for the home page. The best position to put a menu tab is in the upper left corner of the page. It is strongly urged that site maps are used here. This is where people usually go when they are specifically hunting for something in your site. In order to make menus and sitemaps easily, be sure that the website designer software has the tools in helping you set up your website’s sitemaps and menu bars.

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Learn How to Increase Your Productivity as a Blogger

May 4th, 2011

Effective blogging is all about knowing what to do, and when to do it. If you want to become a reputed blogger then you should know exactly what it takes to grow your productivity and take it to the next level. If you wish to use Blogging to its best effect be sure you promote new products such as Clickbank Gamers Review.

First and foremost, try to write more than one post at a time. It’s best to have as many posts written in advance as possible. This is a way to get a head start by having posts all done when you’re ready to post them, so you have more time for other tasks. It’s typical for blog owners to hurriedly finish every post just before publishing it. This kind of pressure will make it harder for you to create quality content, and it also makes it harder to stick to your schedule. You should always be on the lookout for new ideas that you can use in your blogging. The worst way to get blogging ideas is to sit at your desk and try to think them up. Instead, carry a piece of paper and a pen, so that whenever you get an idea, wherever, you can note it down. It’s important to write them down, because otherwise you’ll forget them. So have a place where you can easily save all your ideas and then refer to them when you write your blog posts. Ideas are one of your most valuable resources as a blogger, and you’ll be glad to have them in front of you when you want to write a post. Smart productivity is all about making use of your time effectively, and there’s no better way to do it than working on it this way. If you wish to use Blogging to its best effect make sure you promote new products for example Clickbank Gamers Bonus.

Finally, make sure you do what needs to be done, even if it’s not fun. The fact is, you simply have to get certain blogging activities done whether you feel like it or not. You know, for instance, that you need backlinks if you want your blog to rank well in the search engines, but building them isn’t something anyone really likes to do; still, you have to make yourself do this. So if you want to be productive, you have to find time for everything that’s necessary. It’s a natural tendency to want to not do unpleasant tasks. However, if you give in to this, you’ll never get many important things accomplished. In the long run, you’ll end up wasting your time and also not get the important tasks done. If you find the thought of doing something difficult to imagine, make it into several smaller and easier to manage tasks. You won’t solve anything, though, but simply not doing something or putting it off.

In conclusion, blogging the right way can open doors for you. But in order to produce blog posts that are useful, it is crucial that you become more productive and take your blog the next level. Once you discover how to gain the most from your blog in a shorter amount of time, it will a lot less difficult to control your blog and not have to compromise quality. Besides that, as a blogger you’re not limited to one single blog. This means that you can have various blogs in different subjects or in one great big subject. However, to make it all fall in place, you need to be highly productive and persistent in your efforts.

If you like Blogging you will soon realize that many new launches for example seonuking bonus benfit greatly from this style of marketing.

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Your Business needs to Use Local Search Marketing

May 4th, 2011

Local search marketing has become an integral part of any marketing plan aimed at getting exposure for a business on a local level. The number of internet users increases every day and the internet is growing at warp speed. Many people use the internet to search, research, and buy various products. You will find it easier to reach out to the local market when you use local search marketing for your business. The following are some tips to help you get the most out of your local search marketing campaign. It is pretty incredible how much of a difference Authority Pro can have, of course you have to think about certain factors. Like so many other things, you have to evaluate what you are working with and weigh them against each other. If you incorrectly overlook something, the consequences can be unpleasant, to say the least. If you want to increase your ROI, so to speak, then you need to seek out what kind of choices you have. The bottom line is you need to know the following about the subject so you can make an educated decision.

First, the way that the content on your website describes your business is very important in terms of local search marketing. You have to be certain that your keyword phrases are added to the business description of your website. This is so that you will rank for it. For instance, if your site is about a dog training service in Brooklyn, the keyword phrase that you would be targeted here would be “Dog Training Brooklyn”. This is so that when people want to find information about dog training in your community, they will see your website. This is just one of the many things that must be done to get you optimized for local search.

Secondly, when generating keywords for your local search marketing, don’t get confused by focusing on too many keyword tools. A lot of businesses waste time using the wrong tools to find the solution for finding the right keywords. The Google keyword tool is efficient and reliable and nothing comes close to it.

Brainstorm as many keyword phrases as you can, then use this tool to enhance that list. As you work to generate keywords, remember that quality is more important than quantity. What have just discussed is crucial for your knowledge about Authority Pro, but there is much more to think about. But there is a great deal more that you would do well to study. However, you will discover them to be of great utility in your search for information. Do consider the time and make the effort to discover the big picture of this. But we have saved the best for last, and you will understand what we mean once you have read through.

Last but not the least; before you jump into local search marketing, have a plan ready as to how you’d go about the whole process. There’ll be less confusion and more action when you know from the start what needs to be done. Most of the time, it’s the lack of clarity that forces businesses to think otherwise, making it difficult for them to succeed. You will find it easier to handle your campaign and make it successful, the clearer your plan is. You will have a complete plan of action to refer to if you can organize and structure everything on paper first. But keep in mind as it concerns SENuke that you have to realize what you are working with. You just have to really be watchful about where you get your information, at times. Even though many people have the best motives. You should also keep the following in mind because it will make a huge difference for you. All in all, this article shows how important and effective local search marketing is and how it can help your business. It does not matter what market you are focusing on. As long as you have a prosperous niche, you will be able to reach out to your audience over the internet. So, begin focusing on the things that have been discussed in this article and you will see results on your own.

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Twitter Marketing Tips To Boost Your Recognition

April 27th, 2011

Depending on how you decide to use Twitter, it can either help you or be a dead end. With the right strategy, Twitter will be well worth your time. When it comes to Twitter you can pick and choose what works best but there are some practices that you should always include in your marketing. Some internet marketers understand how to leverage Twitter into a powerful marketing tool and are enjoying every benefit that comes with it. Trust me, by doing this correctly you will outlast and outsell anyone who is looking to make a quick buck. You are never to spam the site, your mission is to help people, socialize, and provide value. Twitter is a site whose members do not tolerate spam, doing it will make your followers run away and some will even report you. This article will be dealing with the ins and outs of Twitter marketing to help you give your business the Twitter effect. You can come up with an attractive Twitter Status to capture your followers attention. Don’t be afraid to tell others what action you want them to take. When you need something specific done, then it would be best to ask for it in a straightforward manner. How will people know to re-tweet your message if you never asked for one? Most will do as you’ve asked. The second thing you can do to maximize your presence on Twitter is to personalize your profile. One option is to add your personal information and a brief welcome message that is displayed on your page; you should craft it as an attention grabber. Besides this, although it’s not necessary, you can have your own custom Twitter background to stand out. Adding a background isn’t necessary but if you choose to do it you can opt to use a logo or your business name. Even though there are many services you’ll find online where you can buy quality backgrounds, you can actually do it yourself if you feel the need. The purpose is to create a brand that is recognizable.It will be a great idea to learn How To Use Twitter effectively to market your products and services. You might be doing everything right on Twitter, but if you aren’t grabbing people’s attention, then all your efforts would be worthless. To make it on Twitter you must focus on getting attention. There are too many other people trying to get attention too, so does it make sense to be a bore? Overall, your goal with Twitter, as with any marketing tool, is to make sales, you do this in an indirect manner by offering help, and value to your targeted group of followers. Use our advice and your business will benefit from this powerful marketing method. Remember that huge amount of people are eager to Use Twitter for Business.

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Small Business Marketing Tips

April 26th, 2011

Marketing a small business can be a daunting task – trying to generate as many sales as possible at minimum cost. Whilst a small business cannot even attempt to compete with big businesses there are some tips that can lead to marketing success.

Write a Marketing Plan

Before you begin your campaign it is vital that you do your research, write a marketing plan and more importantly stick to it. Successful marketing encompasses many aspects of the marketing mix and it is for this reason that planning is so important. Your plan should include recognising your brand values, competitor research, your marketing delivery methods and also set yourself SMART objectives so that you measure your success.

Offer Free Trial

Winning new business in a new marketplace can be very difficult as most people who already use a product / service similar to yours will already have a preferred supplier. Therefore providing a sample of your product /service to show why yours is superior can help you win their custom.

Offer a Discount Version

This may not be applicable to all businesses but if possible you should offer a discounted version of your product. During these difficult times, you might find that people are interested in your product / service but simply cannot afford it.  By offering a cut down version of your product / service at a discounted rate can help increase your revenue stream.

Set up Strategic Partnerships

Attending local business networking events are a great way to meet other small business owners in your area. Try to find a non-competing business owner in your market and arrange to promote their products to your customers and vice versa. This is a great way to win some extra business with very little expenditure.  

Use your Existing Customer Base

If you already have a customer base then use them to your advantage. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful promotional methods around. So why not offer your customers an incentive for discussing your products / services with their friends and family?

Mail shots

Before you start a mail shot campaign it is important to identify prospects who are likely to purchase your product / service. So for example if you are in the B2C marketplace then you could target addresses in your local area. If you are in the B2B market then you want to target customers who are financially stable and who are likely to pay within your invoice terms.  To help you build a list Creditsafe offer UK customers a variety of prospect data and will even give 100 free prospects as a trial. A word of warning however, if you are going to be trading with other businesses it is vital that you credit check them first using company credit reports.

Get a Company Website

Cashflow is a constant concern for small business owners however building a company website is a definite must these days. With the Internet being so readily available most people will search online for a product / service before purchasing. There are so many web development companies out there that you can have a simple brochureware website built for a few hundred pounds. When looking to purchase a website ensure that you include your company name in the domain name as this will help keep the cost of the domain down and help you rank well in the search engines. It is very important to remember to include in your website a landline telephone number and a contact form which asks for an email address. Building a database of customer email addresses will assist your customer retention later.

Email Marketing

Email Marketing is a very cost effective method of marketing, however to make it as effective as possible there are some simple steps you should follow. Firstly think about your subject title – we all receive hundreds of emails a month, so determining which ones are useful can be difficult. A study conducted at Yale University found that the most powerful words in the English language are; You, Money, Save, New, Results, Easy, Health, Safety, Love, Discovery, Proven and Guaranteed – try including some of these subject lines, see what happens? Another important point to remember is that customers need to opt in to receive emails, (they also require a method to unsubscribe) as otherwise you run the risk of being reported to your ISP for sending spam emails.

Pay Per Click

Whilst Search Engine Optimisation will provide longer and more stable results a Pay Per Click campaign can be very useful in generating interest in your product / service in a very short period of time. However a tip for operating a PPC campaign would be to avoid the big traffic driving keywords as these will be bid on by the big companies and their marketing budgets will greatly outweigh yours so don’t even attempt to compete with them. Instead go for low traffic keywords as these will be much cheaper to bid on. If your product / service is available locally then you can optimise your PPC campaign so that your adverts only appear to IP addresses in your locality. You can get a free trial worth $75 by following this link – Google Adwords.

And finally Experiment, Test, and Experiment some more!

Marketing is not a precise science – what may work well for one company may be utterly useless for another so experiment and test.  It is a progressive process so keep experimenting and analysing the results and you’ll be sure to be a success!

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