|
|
|
|
|
Marketing Strategies | |
Marketing and Promotion - Plan and Track Your Expenses
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
Marketing and promotion expenses are one of the bigger outflows that you need to contend with. From the start you should be thinking about putting aside cash for marketing and promotion expenses on a regular basis. If you manage it properly, your marketing and promotion expense is more of an investment than an expense. When you start planning your marketing and promotion expense, you should think about tracking every dollar that you put in. Not every campaign you run will be a winner, but you should be able to track it nonetheless. That's the trick to managing your marketing and promotion expense. The tracking is key because there is no one sure thing. There is no one thing that works 100% of the time. If you want a sure thing get a job. When it comes to marketing and promotion, you need to try a lot of different things. When you think about your marketing and promotion plan you should aim to have three, four or five balls in the air at once. Have three, four or five different marketing vehicles going at the same time. Out of the five things that you do, one will wind up being a huge winner, one will be a complete failure and if you're lucky, three of the five things will be mediocre. The key thing to think about when you are choosing your different marketing and promotion activities, is that not all five of them are going to be successful. Fortunately, it's also extremely unlikely that all five of them will be complete losers. It's like putting together your retirement account. You don't want to be all in one shop or all in one sector. Diversity is very important. The Bottom Line on Marketing and Promotion Marketing and promotion expenses will be big. You need to think smart about how to best use your cash. The key thing is tracking what you spend, and where you spend your marketing and promotion dollars. If you play the odds, something is bound to be a huge winner, one will likely be a dog, and the others will be somewhere in between. If you keep diligent track of your marketing and promotion expenses you'll know which is which. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance} Advertising Strategy, Direct Marketing Advertising Sales Process Wedding Gifts, Bridal Shower Marketing Budgets 101
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
You only have a limited amount of money you can spend on marketing a given product, service, or event. The way this money is divided up and spent is what is known as a budget. To determine a marketing budget, the first step is to determine how much money you can afford to spend to advertise the given product, service, or event. There is no magic formula for coming up with this amount. A well-established business may be able to spend millions of dollars marketing a product (such as Coca Cola or iPods), but a new business may only have a few thousand (if not a few hundred) dollars to spare. Each industry has different advertising trends. Some industries rely more heavily on print, others more on television, and others more on the Internet. By gaining knowledge of the industry that your business is in, you will also gain a better idea of how best to effectively position yourself within that industry and what media to use to do so. A budget explains not only how much money will be spent but also how the money will be spent. As a result, a marketing budget is generally broken down into the ad spend for each of the different mediums that will be used in the campaign. For example, a mock sketch budget might look like the budget below: Media : Cost Print : $150 Internet : $50 Promotional Items : $500 -------------- Total : $700 In detail, the budget will more specifically dictate which ads the money will be spent on, when they will run, and how much each will cost. It is important to remember that budgets are fluid. Sometimes you can predict your ad spend perfectly. Other times costs may be more or less than what you expected. Always leave some wiggle room in a budget so that if an opportunity arises that you did not foresee, you are still able to take it. Mountain Wildlife Refuge, National Fish And Wildlife Service Consumer Watchdog Org, Business Association Healthy Vegetarian Diet, Eat Healthy Marketing For Law Firms Via Attorney-Client Matching Services - Part I
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
What are these new attorney-client matching services? Who are the players? What do they cost? What is the risk to me? What is the return for me? What is the buzz on them? Are they ethical as marketing for law firms? Will they save me money and are they for me? Will they get me clients I would not have otherwise?In part one of this article we will look in depth at a relatively new wrinkle in marketing for law firms known as “attorney-client matching services”. Part one focuses on the facts about these firms. Part two gives you my conclusions and recommendations as a result of my research. First a little background is in order. The legal services market segment is expected to reach $82.5 billion in 2008 according to Euromonitor International a market intelligence firm. In recent history consumers have been finding attorneys through word-of mouth or through the yellow pages. Often the word-of mouth advice does not deliver people to the best possible solution for their particular needs and the yellow pages is certainly not a great place to select a lawyer I am sure you would agree. Additionally, according to the Pew Internet & American Life over four million consumers and small businesses currently search for legal services via the Internet every month with these numbers expected to rise to over seven million by 2007. I think you can see this is a huge market getting larger. It is imperative that attorneys understand this marketplace if for no other reason your potential clients and clients are moving to the Internet and yellow page advertising is a dying marketing for law firms vehicle. Understanding attorney-client matching services is one new way to tap into this Internet marketplace. What I will not be talking about here is attorney-listing services. Please don’t get confused between attorney-listing services and attorney-client matching services. The two majors in the attorney-listing services arena are Lawyers dot com or FindLaw dot com that are used by many in marketing for law firms. With attorney marketing one might want to get a minimal listing on one or both of these two major sites. Both do drive a large amount of traffic to their sites for sure (in the millions of visitors per year). If you do get a listing then track your results carefully and see if being in the middle of a pack of listed attorneys actually does produce clients for you. Please don’t spend more on them than the basic listing that will run about $150 or so per month, at least until you can document results with the basic listing. Also, don’t buy your website through either of them, even if after testing you find good results, for many reasons that can be found under the Internet marketing tab on my website. One last note here, you probably don’t want to test most of the lesser attorney-listing competitors like LawInfo dot com, LawCore dot com or AttorneyFind dot com is my take, however if you do be sure to track your results. The rest of this article is about attorney-client matching services. Attorney Marketing Via Five Attorney-Client Matching Players In the attorney-client matching field there are five competitors for the attorney marketing dollar offering online attorney-client matching services. The first and originator is LegalMatch dot com and its newer competitor being CasePost dot com as well as a third competitor LegalFish dot com. The two big players that offer almost everything in attorney marketing, Lawyers dot com and FindLaw dot com; have also recently begun to offer a version of attorney-client matching services. Lets begin with LegalMatch that was established in 1999 and is based in San Francisco. LegalMatch uses a double blind matching system. By double blind they mean the consumer does not see identifying information about who the lawyers are and the lawyer does not see identifying information about who the consumers are although all the cards are put on the table for both to see before any contact is made between them. Through an allocation model LegalMatch makes the decision about which lawyers get the consumer’s information. Consumers can opt into “priority service” for a fee to talk with a LegalMatch staff attorney about their case and work with that attorney in selecting the attorney for their case. LegalMatch does have partnerships with the Utah State Bar Association, ATLA and NACDL. Membership fees for this marketing for law firms vehicle run from $2,500 to $25,000 per year (they will finance the membership fee if desired) depending on practice area and geographic location of the attorney. For example, a PI attorney in Los Angeles would likely be charged more than a family law attorney in Los Angeles, while the family lawyer in Peoria is likely to pay less than the family law attorney in Los Angeles. Their guarantee consists of extending your membership at no fee until your revenues have exceeded the fee you paid them. The details of the guarantee are available on their website. Are There Legal Marketing Ethics Issues with Attorney-Client Matching? A relevant digression here, since this model is not a lawyer referral program, a pre-paid legal service plan, a joint or cooperative advertising or a directory listing service it is not subject to ethics rules around much of marketing for law firms it has been asserted. Recently the Professional Ethics Committee of the Texas State Bar was looking into these practices and that committee received a seven-page letter (May 26, 2006) from the FTC that was agreed to by a unanimous vote of the FTC commission members that this attorney marketing practice is indeed ethical. Already the states of North Carolina and South Carolina found the practice ethical. The Rhode Island Supreme Court specifically named in an ethics opinion that online matching services are ethical. Finally, the Utah State Bar (a mandatory bar) has retained LegalMatch as their lawyer referral service clearly indicating their thinking about LegalMatch’s ethical nature it seems to me. Naturally you do need to check with your state bar to be sure this is an ethical practice in your state. Now back to the options in the marketplace. CasePost, based in Southern California, was established in 2002 is a second player in this area of marketing for law firms. They operate in a similar fashion as LegalMatch in matching clients with lawyers; however, the directory of attorneys is shown to the consumer immediately. The consumer can decide whether they want to remain anonymous or give their contact information to the attorneys. The consumer is limited to four attorney responses. Thus the consumer determines what attorneys will get their information. In May of 2006 CasePost has made a major expansion as a result of their partnership with HandelOnTheLaw dot com that is powered by a successful nationally syndicated radio show on over 120 stations with attorney Bill Handel. This show has been running since 1985. They also have a strategic relationship with LegalZoom dot com that began in 2006 that has increased their reach. Like LegalMatch the membership fees for this attorney marketing vehicle are from $2,500 to $25,000 per year (financing is available if desired) depending on practice area and location. Their guarantee to a member is based on a minimum amount of referrals over the year. LegalFish is a third player in this arena. It entered the marketplace in 2003 and is based in Chicago. It is a bit different than the other two in a few ways. Like the other players the consumer can input their information and post their cases to the site as well give their identifying information or not. In a number of cases LegalFish will contact the posting consumer themselves by telephone or email to delve deeper into the needs of the consumer so they are not totally automated. There is an allocation model used by LegalFish in referring the cases to their members. Another difference is LegalFish charges a monthly fee for this marketing for law firms vehicle ranging from $180 to $750 to members that are non-contingency based practices. For contingency based practices the fee ranges from $1600 to $5000+ monthly only if the client retains the attorney. If LegalFish does not deliver a referral to a member that retains that attorney they don’t charge a fee to that attorney for the month (a form of a guarantee). Creating something of a “shared risk” system. Naturally, with this type of shared risk system, long-term success for both parties is based on LegalFish’s ability to generate new client opportunities and create demand for legal services, and their member attorneys’ ability to convert those referrals to paying clients. Both parties have to “pull their weight”. Finally, LegalFish reports they are particularly committed to serving the solo and small firm market with ten employees or less. The next player in this marketing for law firms arena is Lawyers dot com (mentioned earlier in this article about their directory listing or attorney-listing service) with their new Attorney Match Service. If you go to their homepage what stands out on that homepage is their “Find A Lawyer Quick Search”. This is their free to the consumer attorney-listing service (this is why you might want to test a listing with them and track results). To get to the Attorney Match Service you have to know to click on “Contact Lawyers” navigation tab or notice it up there at the very top of the home page. Clicking on that takes you to a page where you input your zip code and the practice area you are seeking, however, it also tells you how many lawyers there are listed that “are interested in receiving your request”. You are required to fill in the identifying information with other case information. Once you do that you see the attorneys listed and pick the ones you want to send your request to and wait for their replies. The fee for the attorney member is $495 per year, however, you must have a biographical level listing on the site to be on the Attorney Match Service and that is $150 and up per month depending on the size of your firm. There is no guarantee for this service. The final player in this marketing for law firms arena is Thompson’s Findlaw (mentioned earlier as an attorney-listing service) with their new attorney-matching website http://www.LegalConnection.com. The FindLaw system is similar to the Lawyers dot com system with three steps of #1 Select your legal need; #2 Tell us about your case; and #3 Choose the attorney that’s right for you. It is different from Lawyers dot com’s system since they have broken it out of their attorney-listing services completely with its own dedicated website. Their fees generally run from $500 to $1000 per month depending on your practice area and geographic location. They do not have a guarantee. They do report that they do set targets for each geographic area as well as practice combination and then will manage their marketing to get positive results for attorneys. Well, now we have all the players in this particular niche of marketing for law firms with a lot of information. I think it would be imperative for me to mention one more item. Both Legal Match and CasePost have negative information on the Internet and it needs to be considered. If you go to Google and search just the term LegalMatch and then do the same with CasePost you will be able to find details about the negative information. One location that covers the negative information on LegalMatch with relevant links is at Wikipedia dot org (go to the site and look up LegalMatch) although that is disputed as not being sufficiently neutral in tone, which is one of Wikipedia’s requirements. If you want to see a string of negative information on CasePost go to: http://counsel.net/chatboards/marketing/topic111/6.23.04.11.34.29.html . I am not sure one needs to be overly concerned about this information since it is mostly in the past and you need to consider it. See Part II of this article for my conclusions and recommendations as a result of my research. I can tell you now that this approach does have some merit but there are definite cautions as well so do read Part II. Dance Entertainers, Talent Agency Environmental Consulting Services, Renewable Energy International Moving, Packing Paper Marketing Ideas For Small Businesses
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
I have been running a small business for nearly ten years and have used various forms of marketing ideas to help promote my services and to attract new customers. In this article, I write about these marketing strategies which I hope will benefit the people who read it.When I was twenty-three, I had what I believed was a good business idea. I was going to offer a speech coaching service as I had managed to overcome a speech impediment and believed that the techniques which had helped me could help other people as well. It is all well and good having an idea but if no one knows about the service you are offering, it is basically worthless. I had no real business experience and was unsure on how to proceed. By reading a number of books on marketing for small businesses, I managed to find some potential routes which could help me to get started. Direct marketing This was one of the first areas I tried. I had a small leaflet produced which explained the speech coaching service that I was offering and then with the help of some friends and family, went around my local area delivering them. This was not as successful as I hoped it would be, however I am sure that this area of marketing could work well for other types of business. Newspapers I then decided to speculate to accumulate. I contacted a number of the local newspapers in my area and paid for an advertisment which would appear on a weekly basis. This advert would reach quite a large number of people and even though this was quite an expensive form of marketing, it did work for me in the early days. Open days I wanted to expand the area that I was going to offer my services. I decided to hold an open day or presentation in various parts of the country which would help to promote my business. This was successful as newspapers were happy to report this open day free of charge, as it was a local event which would be of interest to their readers. Yellow pages I advertised in the yellow pages for a number of years but their prices just seemed to increase to an unrealistic level. More and more people now have access to the internet and I believe this is where they are more likely to search for the services they require. Yellow pages or as it is now called Yell, has become more expensive when in reality probably less people are using it. Advertising in the yellow pages did prove successful for me for a number of years however, and is certainly an area of marketing which could work for other small businesses. Websites I paid a company to design and build me a website around seven years ago and this has by far been the best marketing investment I have made thus far. I have worked hard to promote this site and it is now doing well in the major search engines. Radio and television marketing This is an area of marketing which I have not tried as yet as it is very expensive. I have heard from other sources that advertising on the radio or television can be very beneficial for certain businesses, if they can afford the initial outlay. I am sure there are many other ways of marketing a small business and I will seek them out in the future for my own business. The above ideas are what I have learnt about and as you may have read, I have tried some of them myself with mixed success. Every business is obviously different and it is basically a form of trial and error to find which ones will work. Fireplace Stove, Electric Fire Commercial Design, Basement Hospital Jobs, Healthcare Marketing Forums: Necessary If You Expect To Be On Top
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
So you are an internet marketer. You have been doing your thing for about 3 years now and you are just starting to feel like you have a handle on what is going on. You feel like now is the time to take what you have going and start improving things slowly based on all of the data you have been able to collect. This is a good time for you and you are excited about some of things that you have learned on the marketing forums that you are in.In fact when you think about it some of the most useful and productive things that you did was to join these marketing forums. Being relatively new the internet as a sales place has so much untapped potential. There is also a relatively few number of people trying to sell things like you. This makes it nice because the competition is much less threatening. As there are new things being invented every day to automate different steps in order to ramp up the scale of your operations it is useful to be able to share this knowledge freely with each other. At this point in the game this is as close to symbiosis as it is ever going to be in this business. Marketing forums are valuable both as a way to share information among fellow marketers at the same level as well as a way for the "elder-sage-types" in the industry to teach and coach others concerning all of the secrets you possess. Knowledge is power after all and power in this industry is worth a lot of money. So not only is it a way for other internet "gurus" to make money but for you too to cash in on your valuable experience. Forums, marketing forums specifically, are really the perfect form of gathering among internet marketers. They allow privacy for the sensitive information that is being passed. It allows anonymity when that is important for certain questions, challenges, and general statements. The software is inexpensive, if not free, and works really well for open lines of communication between participants. They also usually allow file sharing which is often necessary. Lastly it makes a great place to unveil your products. So what you are doing is using marketing forums to market your products which pretty much have to be marketing tools and specific strategy models. Geothermal Heat Pump, Heating And Air Environmental Consulting Services, Environmental Group Chain Fence, Railings Marketing Material for Mortgage Brokers
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
If you are a mortgage broker or loan officer looking for a good source of marketing materials, here are a few simple things to consider.I’m sure you are aware of the power that lies behind your business cards, but it bears repeating and here is a twist you can put on it. Always give customers or potential customers two or three cards. One for them, and ask that they use the others to distribute to a friend or family member that may need your services. It is imperative that you continue to distribute business cards and keep them in circulation. The next time you go to the super market, pin your business card to the message board. Another material that can be used to market your business is the standard greeting card. Use thank you cards to send to new customers and make it a point to keep a record of customer birthdays and special occasions, than send them an appropriate greeting card for each occasion. People are truly thrilled by the fact that you would remember them on such an important occasion in their life, and this is a perfect way to keep your name on the tip of their tongue should a referral opportunity show up. Fire Protection, Fire Training Garden Equipment Uk, Construction And Building Materials Cic Hearing Aid, Speech Language Marketing Strategies: 3 Mistakes To Watch Out For When Asked, "So What Do You Do?"
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
OK, so you’re standing in line in the supermarket, or you’re in an elevator, or you’re at a party, or you’re in a networking group. Sooner or later, someone is going to say to you, “So what do you do?”. This is what you want, free publicity so to speak. However, how you handle this question could determine whether this person becomes a prospective client, a prospective referral source or just walks away.This article exposes the 3 mistakes you could be making and why they don’t work. Then you’ll discover the ideal answer and understand why it’s important to use it. Here are 3 common answers: Mistake #1 You say to little You say something like, my name is Jane Doe and I’m with _______________________ Real Estate Company. And then you smile hoping the other person will ask you a question. Probably they won’t. This is a mistake because you have made a short statement that doesn’t engage the other person’s attention. It doesn’t invite questioning. The other person may politely say what they do to fill in the awkward silence or they may excuse themselves in some socially graceful way. Mistake #2 You say too much and ask for the business You say something like , “My name is Jane Doe. I work for ____________________________Real Estate Company and I specialize in country homes. I love the country and I love to show country property. It feels so good to get outdoors, breathe the fresh air and help someone find a home they love in the country. So who do you know who is seeking to buy or sell a country home?”. This is a mistake because you said too much about yourself, you did not ask a question that would engage the other person’s attention and it’s way too early to ask for the business. You should be cultivating a relationship with that person. Remember, people do business with you when they know, like and trust you. With someone you just met, you’re still in the “getting to know each other stage.” The most you should ask for is their business card and give them yours. If you have a connection with that person and would like to contact them in the future, you might consider adding them to your Sphere of Influence and sending them an Item of Value once a month. Mistake #3 You talk on and on about yourself and your career I know this may sound hard to believe but you’d be amazed at the things people say when they are nervous and trying to make small talk. So someone says, “So what do you do?” and you answer, “My name is Jane Doe and I’m with ___________________________ Real Estate Company. I have been with them for 5 years. It’s a great company. All the people there are so friendly and helpful. I am so glad I chose real estate. I love the flexible hours and the income potential. This really beats my corporate job and...”. This is a mistake because it’s “all about you”. Not only that but the only things you’re promoting here are (1) The nice atmosphere of your office and (2) what a great career real estate is . If you keep going you might talk the other person into becoming a real estate agent but they won’t be a prospective client or referral source. So, what should you say? In my 10 years of specializing in coaching real estate agents in doubling their incomes I have found one amazing answer that does wonders and I’m about to let you in on that secret. Here’s the scoop. When the other person, asks , “So what do you do?” , you need to ask them a question to engage them. The question is , “Well, you know when people are buying or selling a home how nervous and stressed out they can get?” Pause and let the other person respond with a “yes”. Then you say, “Well I take care of all the details and paper work, I hold their hand through the process and make the whole thing a relaxing, enjoyable experience for my client. My name is Jane Doe, and I’m a real estate agent with _______________________company". Now, what do you think you’d feel or think if you heard that? Most likey you’d want to do business with that person. Why? There are 3 reasons: 1. They didn’t talk about themselves. 2. They showed that they have a thorough understanding of the issues and problems people face when buying or selling a home. 3. They provided specific solutions to the client’s problems. When you give this kind of answer there are a lot of benefits. Can you guess what they are? The other person will be genuinely interested because you’ve engaged them. The other person will begin to trust you because you put the client’s needs before your own. Finally, you answered in a unique way and that sets you apart from the crowd. So the next time the person has a real estate question, they are going to call you because you have demonstrated that you care. With those kind of benefits wouldn’t you want to use this answer, memorize every word and have it roll off your tongue the next time someone says, “So what do you do?” You bet you would. Just watch your income increase. Night Clubs, Night Life Gynecologist Clinic, Ob Gyn Group Excavating Contractors, General Contractors Marketing Techniques... What Works & What Doesn't for the PC Repair Business
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
Following are techniques that I tried, how they failed or succeeded, what works and what doesn’t and why. I show many different ways of advertising your new PC Repair Business, and what to avoid. I also show several unique types of advertising that get good results, which you may have never heard of before, but they work! There is a lot here to read, but you won’t regret learning everything that I have to show you. Don’t make the same mistake I did, with trial and error. Let me show you what works. Enjoy!NEWSPAPER ADS I knew quite a bit about graphic design (being a graphic designer for many years), so I would put an appetizing ad, no, in fact, a COUPON, in the local newspaper. People are always looking for a discount. And EVERYONE has computer problems. So I should just get swamped with business just off this one ad. NOPE! I got one phone call from my ad. I had placed the ad in the local newspaper (our city’s main newspaper) which went to 33,000 homes, and I had it come out on the biggest readership day: Sunday. The ad I placed was a professionally-designed Computer Tune-up ad that I had done, giving them a discount from the regular price of $69, to $49. They were saving $20! It was an incredible deal! But I only had one response. Why? What did I do wrong? Unfortunately, I was forced to use a horrible, red border. It is HUGE! In order to get the deal I was getting for this ad, my ad had to be put in with a couple of other ads (not related to the computer business) and have an ice cream-looking coupon border around it. The ad had all of the elements of a good coupon. It was a GREAT deal! They were saving $20 off the regular price (this is the next best thing to FREE – a dollar value of savings). They had to act now (call to action) because it was for a limited time and expired in two weeks. People are graphic in nature and the picture of the computer and the words, “Computer Help!” in the screen would identify with people having computer problems. The headline was bold and heavy, it stood out from the rest – so that it don’t have a paragraph of information that people won’t read, and it spoke directly to people having a slow computer (everyone has a slow computer). Then it went on to explain the headline in more detail with a subhead. Plus, there was a GUARANTEE of a speed increase. You CAN’T go wrong with an ad like this, can you? Well, I did. I don’t believe that the ad was evil and won’t work. I believe that I had the ad where people did’t look. Whenever you get ready to do any type of advertisement, you should test-market it, first. Whether it is an ad, a website (or page), direct marketing (such as mailers, mailed brochures or ads), etc., you should test it on different types of people to see how they will respond, and record their responses. In the case of the ad, I should have passed this ad out to several people and got their responses of the ad. I should have then placed this ad on a page with several other similar ads and got responses from different people looking at the entire page of ads, had them put down the page, and asked them to tell me what stood out. Could they remember any good deals? This would tell me if my ad would stand out in a newspaper, among other similar ads. In my particular instance of only getting one response from my “great” ad, it was literally buried in with other ads that looked similar to mine. In fact, my ad was not even on a page with other services, but “hidden” on a series of pages that had nothing at all to do with what I was offering, or computers, or even a story about a computer… nothing! People who would be looking for my type of service were not going to look where my ad was, and that is the lesson: PUT YOUR AD WHERE YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WILL LOOK, NOT WHERE YOU GET A GOOD DEAL ON ADVERTISING ! and DO TEST MARKETING. After my ad came out, I gave my wife the newspaper and asked her to find my ad (test marketing after the advertising came out… too little, too late). It took her TWO TIMES of going through the newspaper, page-by-page (and this is a small city newspaper) to find my ad (and she knew what to look for and what the ad looked like). So how are potential customers going to find my ad if they don’t even know that they need to look for it??? They won’t! Think of it like this… if you want to sell motorcycle parts, put your ad in a motorcycle magazine. You have to think like the customer. A customer wants motorcycle parts, so where should they go? They start looking at places that sell motorcycles and accessories, groups that are associated with motorcycles, magazines that cater to the motorcycle crowd, message boards and websites that are all about motorcycles. You may or may not go to the newspaper and look through every page and see if someone is selling motorcycle parts. In fact, it is probably safe to say that a person looking for motorcycle parts won’t leaf through pages of articles in a newspaper, looking for motorcycle parts. They may look through the only place in the newspaper that they think might list places that sell motorcycle parts, and that would be the business section of the newspaper and/or the classifieds. So, if you were in the business of selling motorcycle parts, you would want to have an ad right where your potential customer expects to find an ad for motorcycle parts. Place the ad in those sections ONLY. Do not place it where I did (in the middle of a bunch of articles) because I got a good deal. So, in case your eyes just rolled back in your head, here is the gist of what I just said… when placing an ad for PC Repair in your local newspaper, either place it in the Business Listing for Services in your area, or place it in the proper classified sections, where people will look for your type of service. Do a test: ask a few people you know where they would look in your local newspaper if they needed PC Repair Help. Let’s say that their computer was running extremely slow and they needed help before they pulled out the rest of their hair, where in the newspaper would they look. Ask at least 10 people. And whatever the majority is, that is where you should place the ad (no matter how much it costs). If not, you are just wasting your money. Remember to always think like your customer. WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING Once I started getting customers, because I always did a little extra for the customers, I received really good word-of-mouth advertising and referrals. Referrals are gold! When you can call or stop by and see someone about computer problems that you already know that are having (from their friend or relative) and you can drop a name of someone they know who sent you, you are as good as IN THE DOOR! If your service was good for their friend, it will be good for them. And when you have the name of their friend, it is like you are their friend as well. One way to get referrals from your customers is before you are completely done with the job you are doing for them, and they can see a definite improvement, give them a piece of paper and a pencil and ask them to write down 3 friends or relatives of theirs who could benefit just like they did. Most of the time they will be happy to give you the names, if you have made them happy. If you do this at every job, your business will snowball! This is the best way to build a business: by doing a good job and having a good reputation, with a network of people who sent you to the next customers, stamped with their seal of approval. It doesn’t get any better than that! YELLOW PAGES ADS A Yellow Pages ad is a good thing, but you don’t need to spend the big bucks and get the biggest, most colorful ad, with ALL of your possible services, mother’s maiden name, the history of your business, etc. on it. You need something a little more than the listing (just to stand out from the other guys a little). Your ad should list your company name, address, phone, and some services. One thing that has helped me get business over my competition is that I offer FREE Computer Pickup. People either don’t like to, or don’t know how to, unhook the web of tangled cables to their computer, for fear that they will never get them hooked back up. I offer a FREE Computer Pickup, where I come by and work on their computer right there, or I unhook it for them and take it back to my shop to work on it. And when I return, I don’t just drop it off at the front door, I go in and hook it all back up for them. This is not only a HUGE benefit of them going with me over my competition (who is standing behind a pretty glass case, waiting for business to come through the door), but also shows that I really did fix their computer and it now works and works better. It is a reassurance factor and builds credibility. In a Yellow Pages Ad, you can get carried away by trying to do a long sales pitch, when, in fact, you can just list a few important things you do, and tell them to visit your website for the full details. This gets them to your website and there you can give them the full scoop and exactly how you can help them. Just don’t spend $100 or $500 every month to tell a story that you can do for free on a website. Here is my Yellow Pages Ad. I spend $50 per month. (my logo) • Computer Tune-Ups • Small Business Networking • Wireless Networking • PC Troubleshooting & Repair • Custom-Built Computers • Computer Upgrades • OnSite Support • Microsoft-Certified Techs • Website Design & Hosting • FREE Computer Pickup (website address) (address) (phone) BROCHURES & BUSINESS CARDS Of course, you definitely need something to leave with potential and current customers. You absolutely MUST have a brochure and business card, and NOT the peel-off or perforated card stock you get from your local office supply store, and print them off on your ink jet printer! Your brochures and business cards are sometimes the only thing that a potential customer will see that represents your company. Now, you may work out of your home, but you don’t want it to look like you do. You want to appear as if you are a HUGE computer company, capable of handling any of their computer needs. A basement business card job doesn’t say that. If you want to gain good credibility, spend a little money and get commercially-printed brochures and business cards. You will want a good image design (designed by a professional) with raised ink on the business cards and some kind of color (no black and white business cards or brochures). If you can afford it, get matching business cards and brochures, with the brochures on a white or ivory, gloss stock (like a 70# gloss text). You don’t want it to look like you photocopied the brochures. And it is proven that by adding some color to your marketing pieces, your responses are MUCH higher, than with black and white. And by having matching business cards and brochures (the same color stock and printing), you show your potential customers that you have it together and this isn’t some basement operation (although it might be). Appearance and perception is everything. And your marketing material represents how you appear to your customers. Don’t skip corners here; you will regret it and it will cost you more money doing it the hard way. Trust me! If you would like to have the rest of this article, in the form of a 15-page “Marketing Techniques… What Works and What Doesn’t For a PC Repair Business”, along with accounting forms for a PC Repair Business, a PC Repair Business Website FULL of Content, Step-by-Step How-to’s and much, much more, visit http://www.LapeerTechGroup.com/businessplan.asp for all of the details. © Copyright 2005 Lapeer Tech Group www.LapeerTechGroup.com If you would like to use this article for any publication, you may do so if you do NOT change any of the content, and the tag lines remain intact. English Garden Tools, Landscape Equipment Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Lims Baby Adoption, Family Law Adoption Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
Boring is one thing you can't afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you want to be heard above the racket. Your marketing message is how you communicate with the public; it needs to be appealing and memorable. In order to do that, consider the concept of the meme. A meme is a thought, idea or belief that replicates over time. What that means in terms of your marketing is creating a marketing message that is strong, bold, and exciting so that it stays with the customer and becomes a part of their thinking. A good example of this is Nike's “Just Do It”. This phrase is used in a lot of different contexts outside of talking about Nike's products. People get what it means because it has permeated our culture. Below are some ways that you can avoid being boring by adding extra marketing appeal to your message. 1. Add visuals. There are so many ways to bring attention to your marketing message. One of the best ways is to add something visual. As a picture speaks a thousand words, so too can it communicate all sorts of things about you and your business. What types of pictures or graphics would you use to convey who you are? Adding a picture of yourself on your website or in other marketing materials will help form a stronger connection between you and potential clients. 2. The meaning of colors. Colors hold great meaning when it comes to your marketing message. Yellow elicits high levels of attention. Orange and red indicate quickness. The concepts of money, health, and nurturing are symbolized by green. Black can mean power and strength, but it can also indicate hiding or blending into the background. Purple is the color of royalty and wealth. What types of colors are you drawn to? What meaning do you want to convey to people by the colors you use on your business cards, brochures and even on your website. Too many colors are distracting and look chaotic. Certain colors on colored backgrounds can cause the same reaction. Make sure to work with a professional when selecting colors so you can communicate your business in the best light. 3. Try technology. Adding audio or video to your web site is a great way to allow someone to get to know you better. Adding real audio recordings of your classes, an interview, or even a welcome message gives someone an opportunity to hear your voice. Because technology is so low priced and easy to use nowadays, you might even consider adding a short video as well. Again, it will help to develop a rapport with your audience. One thing to keep in mind is that while technology is great and exciting and can do wonderful things for us, not everyone has the bandwidth to enjoy it fully. Over 50% of consumers are still using dial-up computer access which limits their ability to enjoy both real audio and video to its fullest. 4. Creative business cards. One great way to stand out from the crowd is to develop a creative business card. Add your picture to it or a professionally designed graphic. Use a brochure type card, which allows you 4 different surfaces to print contact information as well as information about what you do. You can include quotations, a mini-brochure about your company, or even some helpful tips or a short quiz. Think about the use of colors and type of fonts, which also can add excitement and pizzazz. 5. Action. When people see or read about action, they often feel empowered to take action themselves. Employing motion on your website is another way to add appeal to your marketing message. You can have text that changes colors on its own, or graphics that move. You might even have a marquee. One thing to keep in mind is that motion can also quickly drive people away from your site as it can be considered obnoxious and childish. Talk to a web professional before using these techniques. You can also imply action by the types of words you use in your web copy. 6. Target your audience. A quality-marketing message speaks directly to its target audience. Who is your target audience? Is it moms, singles, seniors, solo-professionals? The words you use to communicate with a mom are quite different from the words you would use to communicate to a corporate human resources manager or to a medical doctor. The words you use must fit your audience. If they don't, you'll have an immediate disconnect with people who read your message. 7. What's in it for me? Fundamental to all marketing messages must be the mantra…”What's in it for me”? The only reason anyone is even looking at your brochure, viewing your website or reading your business card is to see what they can possibly gain for themselves. People are busy and are inundated with thousands of marketing messages each day. The only ones they will pay attention to are the ones that really speak to their needs. They have problems or issues they want solved and they are looking for solutions. An appealing marketing message is one that speaks to the typical problems faced by your target audience. Communicating how you can solve those problems quickly and cost effectively is critical to attracting new clients. 8. Ask “yes” questions. If you want to capture someone's attention, ask them questions that they can answer “yes” to. Whether you are asking questions on a website, in a brochure, or during a sales presentation, make sure they are worded in such a way that the respondent will answer “yes” consistently. The word “yes” opens people up to accept more feedback, whereas the word “no” will quickly close them down. Also, create questions that can help the reader or viewer identify with what you're saying, giving them the sense that you truly do understand their problems or issues. 9. Features and benefits. Don't just tell people what you do. Instead, relate the features and benefits of what they can experience as a result of doing business with you. A feature is some aspect of the product whereas a benefit is the feeling or result that someone will experience as a result of that feature. For example, a hospital unit might feature some of the latest innovations in new baby care and services. The benefit to the new mother will be the confidence, security, and peace of mind that she and her baby will be cared for in the best ways possible. 10. Be unique. Show how you, your product, or services are unique. Not only will that help people to remember you, it will make you remarkable. The sense of being remarkable is that people will comment about you to others. Word of mouth advertising is some of the best advertising because it costs you nothing and it comes with a testimonial from the person who is telling others about you. Can you relate what you do to someone in history? Or are you the first at doing something or introducing something? Do you use unique ingredients in your products or employ specialized knowledge in the work you do? This type of information will make your marketing message not only interesting and memorable, but remarkable. © Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith Social Services, Social Work Lawn Garden Equipment, Lawn Equipment Residential Landscape Design, Landscape Plans Marketing Tips - On a Budget
06:25, 2009-Mar-12
.. 0 comments
.. Link
I don’t know about you, but when I started my business and even today with a son in college and two kids at home who love to shop as much as mom, I don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing. I need to make sure that every penny I spend is spent wisely, very wisely. So when I market my business, I need to make sure that I’m creative and use all the tools I have available that don’t cost money. Here are some tips that I have found that worked for me.Radio/Media - It’s not that hard. Have a plan of action and stick to it. Each week decide to send out so many press releases, contacts to radio stations, local media, etc. Look to woman’s networks, work-at-home networks, and others who actively look for guests. Stay in tune with what’s currently happening and see if it’s something that you can share about. I’ve found that having an angle works. Once you have that angle write and pitch your angle hard. Also consider starting your own radio show. Jill Hart and I do a weekly podcast and it’s a great way to network. Check it out sometime at http://www.cwahm.com. Forums / Listserves - Being active in forums and listserves is so beneficial to your business. You establish yourself as an expert and also you gain friendships and alliances with others. Plus, it’s a great way to promote your business. Naturally you never want to blatantly advertise your business, but when you answer questions and show your expertise, people listen. I know I’ve found many a subcontractor this way. Take advantage of these. Remember you also establish those friendships that can last a lifetime. And then when you get the opportunity to meet them in person, you already have a bond. Writing Articles - Submitting articles is an excellent marketing tool and I highly recommend it. Make sure you submit to your targeted market. Write on topics that you are familiar. Don’t just write for publicity --Give something back. Make sure that your topic and information is of value. Write articles using “The Top 5 or 10” or “The Best 5 Ways To Do Something.” Think about the magazines you buy at the stores, don’t you normally gravitate to those articles. I know I do. Get those keywords in the title. That’s where they count. Also, plan, plan, plan. What are you going to do today that is going to gain recognition for your business? Marketing a business doesn’t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business. Concrete Floor, Wall Tile Telephone Communications, Ip Phone Answering Service, Television Advertisement |
About Me My Profile Archives Friends My Photo Album LinksMotorcycle Dealership, MotorbikesAdvertising Strategy, Online Marketing Investment Companies, Financial Advisors Hosting Websites, Graphic Designers Insurance Broker, Insurance Group Insurance Agents, Insurance Brokers Life Insurance Agent, Accident Insurance CategoriesRecent EntriesMarketing and Promotion - Plan and Track Your ExpensesMarketing Budgets 101 Marketing For Law Firms Via Attorney-Client Matching Services - Part I Marketing Ideas For Small Businesses Marketing Forums: Necessary If You Expect To Be On Top Friends |
| |
|