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Archive for the ‘Traditional Marketing for Small Business’ Category
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
Traditional marketing for small business is just as effective for online businesses as it is for offline businesses. The core of any decent marketing program is a strategic plan than acts as a blueprint for each step.
Strategic plans are not new. They have been one of the laws of the business jungle when it comes to bricks and mortar businesses. For some reason, once we start to build an online business we throw away business practices that have been effective for hundreds of years.
Whilst it’s true that online businesses are different to offline businesses, many of those practices still apply. Putting together a strategic approach is one of them.
You know your business. That includes knowing your product and customer base. Putting together a strategic plan is not difficult – what seems to be difficult is the follow through. I have seen many business plans for online businesses, however most have been filed away and forgotten. If they had been followed, many of these businesses would have been far more successful.
Marketing is one area that is a little different. However, many of those traditional marketing for small business practices still apply. Do you have a strategic plan> If you do, do you ever read it to see if you’re on track? I bet many don’t!
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
It is increasingly becoming an irrelevant question – either/or. A few years ago you might have had a choice, but today your choice should be both. Promote online and offline.
Most shoppers these days begin their shopping online. Even if they purchase offline they are doing research online. That means the opportunities to touch your potential customer are manifold more than what they used to be. Before the Internet all you have was print advertising, TV, radio, and outdoor advertising. You have more options than that online today. Plus, there is mobile advertising, e-mail, etc.
The most effective advertising utilizes a mult-tiered approach that focuses on reaching the right audience with the right message. Don’t toss out a medium just because you don’t understand it or don’t see the need. Do some research and study the market then attack where your prospects are.
Tags: advertising, off line marketing, online marketing
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
When it comes to marketing, one of the most important questions you’ll ask yourself is, “Who is my ideal customer?” This is an important question because that’s who you should be marketing your services toward. Everything you do should be targeted toward your ideal customer, but there are some basics to get out of the way before you start marketing. Ask yourself these questions:
- Are there enough people that fit my ideal customer profile to make marketing toward that audience worthwhile?
- If I can snag just 2% of that defined market, what price point would I need to make a full-time living? Is that possible?
- Where does my ideal customer hang out? What websites does she visit?
- What does my ideal customer read?
- Who are my ideal customer’s friends?
- What values does my ideal customer hold?
- What is the best way to build rapport with my ideal customer?
Answering these questions can give you some clue as to whether or not you should pursue your business plans. You may need to tweak your plan based on the answers to these questions. If capturing just 2% of your target audience couldn’t possibly earn you the money you want to earn then you may not have a broad enough audience. How do you fix that?
The goal is to know your ideal customer. You have to know as much about her as you can so that you know how to reach her and how to communicate with her once you do. How well do you know your ideal customer?
Tags: customer, marketing
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | No Comments »
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
If you’ve been online for a year or more you’ve likely heard someone yell out in a crowded theater, “Content is king!”
OK, if you don’t go to crowded theaters then you may not have that. There. But you’ve heard it somewhere. But here’s the news. Content is NOT king. According to Carl Ocab.
Actually, Carl makes a good point. Marketing is Numero Uno. And content is a part of marketing. I agree with this, of course.
It’s been this way since the beginning of advertising. Ever since the first cave dwelling brochure, written in hieroglyphs, of course, marketers have been the king of the world. They do their best work through content. But it’s the marketing that wins the prize.
So, do you have a marketing plan? Does it include great content? Talk to someone who can make it happen.
Tags: content, marketing
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Let’s face it, you only have so many hours in a day and you can’t spend all that time marketing. You have just a limited amount of time for that one activity. How do you spend your time marketing? Should you be on the social networking, optimizing your website, buying banner ads, link building? What activities should you put your time and budget into?
That’s a good question and one that, inevitably, every business owner will face. Many small business owners just brush it aside and never answer it. Then they wonder why they go out of business a year or two later.
Marketing is important. Today and tomorrow. You’ve got to define your marketing funnel and the sooner you do so the better. Who is your ideal customer? What does he or she want? How are you going to help that person achieve their goals? What do you have to offer him or her? Better yet, how are you going to reach him or her?
In order to reach the ideal customer, you have to know a little something about him. You have to know what he desires and what he needs. But you also need to know where he hangs his hat. Will you find him at the local barber shop or down at the mall? Once you define who your idea customer is and where you’ll find him + what his most heartfelt need is then you can start marketing. Spend your time in the same places as your ideal customer, participating in activities that will allow you an opportunity to build rapport. That’s marketing 101 and it hasn’t changed.
Tags: customer, marketing, marketing funnel
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 6 Comments »
Monday, August 10th, 2009
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to prospect for new clients in your local area without using the Internet, there is an old-fashioned way of prospecting that requires nothing more than a phone book – the Yellow Pages. Take them out of the attic, they are still useful!
Here’s what you do:
- Open up the Yellow Pages to the business category that fits the profile of the clientele you want to do business with
- Scan the ads in that section of the Yellow Pages to see who has purchased the quarter page ads or larger
- Circle all the large ads with a big red marker
- Compile a list of businesses whose ads you circled – include name of business, type of business, address, and phone number
- Send a personal letter to the business owner asking for a meeting to show them what you can do for them
- Follow up with a phone call
Note that this works best for business-to-business professionals. If you target consumers then the Yellow Pages won’t help you. But many B2C businesses use the White Pages as a cold call list. The Yellow Pages can help you plant a seed in your local community by targeting known paid advertisers of a certain business type.
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 5 Comments »
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
Whether you have an existing online business or a traditional storefront with an online presence, you will likely find yourself in situations in the real world where you’ll discuss your online business with people in the real world. Off line, that is. How do you take advantage of those situations?
There are a variety of ways to take advantage of off line promotions. One of the most powerful and effective ways is to simply put your web address on your business cards. People do read those and they keep them for future reference.
But I’d consider the business card a starting place, not a stopping place.
You’ll also want to utilize other ways of self promotion. You can use car magnets, which usually work while driving around town (and if you do a lot of driving a car magnet can increase your visibility tremendously), T-shirts, pens and pencils, banners at trade shows and such, and even billboards. If you have the budget for it, you might even try T and radio advertising.
The idea is to use off line methods of promotion to drive traffic to your website. This is perhaps the best way to get new traffic to a new local website since you are active in your community and doing business with local people. Become a master of off line promotion and you’ll see your online business survive and thrive.
Tags: off line promotion, online business
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 5 Comments »
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Things are starting to happen. President Obama’s stimulus package is now in place, and people are just plain tired of being miserable. Besides, it’s spring. We’ve endured the winter, the economic kick in the gut, the financial fall out–but life goes on. Some people are fortunate enough to get new jobs, and even the real estate market showed a small sign of life last month. If you’re a small business and you’ve been limping along, it’s time to make some plans.
Eveyone has had to tighten the reigns, and even though it’s going to be a slow comeback, it’s time to think about the future. We had to nix those three and five year goals we made back in 2007, 2008 because it’s a “new economy.” But that doesn’t mean that you can’t regroup and make more realistic plans.
Stage Your Comeback by Asking These Questions:
What have we learned?
What are we really good at?
What’s the meat and potatoes of our business?
What areas can we specialize in?
How can we protect our business financially?
How can we best care for our employees and meet our financial goals?
What online and traditional marketing techniques have worked in the “new economy,” and what has proved less useful?
Who are we networking with–and who should be we networking with?
Are we using our tools (website, blog, e-newsletter) to build an online presence?
How can we incorporate “green” practices in your business and personal life?
Everyone’s office is leaner. Perhaps you moved your small business home, or had to cut your staff. Perhaps you sold off some of your product line or tailored your services to meet the market. Maybe you’re now offering maintenance to your customers more than you’e selling them new products. That’s okay. Now you know–what works and what doesn’t.
Begin to stage your comeback. Most likely, it’ll be a bit more conservative than those goals you made back in 2007/2008, but we’re different now. We’re all grateful to work, grateful to have a business, and we’re adjusting.
Your small business could make a difference–in your community, your online community, with your loyal customers who have stood by you. As you move forward–know that as our country rebuilds, you’re part of the new foundation.
Tags: online marketing for small business, Traditional Marketing for Small Business
Posted in Business Writing, Networking for Small Business, PR for Small Business, Reputation Management, Tools for Small Business, Traditional Marketing for Small Business | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
“Do you really want everyone to like you?” That’s what I told my teenagers when they were feeling the need to cave into peer pressure. Sometimes trying to fit in costs you your true identity. It’s the same for small businesses. Sometimes we try to cover too much territory. Our true power lies in what we’re good at. You’ve earned the right to call yourself an expert–by hard work, dedication, and doing one thing well.
If you haven’t honed in on your area of expertise, ask yourself:
What makes my company unique?
If I had to only do one thing, sell one item, what would it be?
If I had to let go of one line of service or product, what would it be?
What do I do/sell that no one else does? (Or very few)
What services do I offer that fills a real need or void?
If someone introduced me/my company at a party, what would they say?
What other business is the most like mine?
Does my website really state your expertise?
Do my keywords reflect my products or services accurately–or are they only close but not spot on?
What segment of the market have I not quite tapped into yet?
What do I enjoy doing the most? What’s easy for me?
Once you answer a few of these questions, then make sure you input these changes into your online marketing, local marketing, and traditional marketing plans. What good does it do to specialize and then not let people know what you’re good at!
Ways to promote your expertise:
Do a news release (also known as a press release)
Start a separate website that focuses on your expertise–and list is as a separate page on your main site. Besure to list your new site on the various directories. Go to OpenDirectory.com and register your site. Now that you’ve learned a thing or two about websites and SEO strategies, implement your knowledge.
Begin to blog about your expertise–what you have to offer, how you got to be good at this one area, and focus on how you can help others.
Change or add pertinent keywords and keyword phrases
Pitch yourself to a radio show. Start using your voice and stating that you’re an expert in a given field. Don’t consider it arrogant. If you’re really good at something, then it’s a service to offer your advice and direction to others–as long as it’s presented in a way that’s helpful.
Do a search on your area of expertise and check out the competition. You should have less now that you’ve narrowed your focus. What are they doing right? How can you tweek your site to offer something slightly different?
Mention your expertise when it’s appropriate on your social media–especially in your profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Author Marcus Buckingham reminds us in his book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, is that we shouldn’t try to be good at everything. Our brains are even hardwired at birth to begin to pull away from the less strong connections, and that our neurons bundle around one strong cord–that’s how we begin to specialize–and why some of us can play the piano and others can whiz through calculus. By fleshing out and then promoting your expertise, you begin to define your small business and discover your true market.
Tags: expert, internet marketing for small businesses, Social Media
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Local Internet Marketing, Networking for Small Business, SEO for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Traditional Marketing for Small Business, website development | 2 Comments »
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
Brand recognition is important–for big and small businesses. It’s everything from the font you use on your website and store front–to the icon that’s on your stationary and business card. The key to branding is to stay consistent and use your brand “look” everywhere–so you become instantly recognizeable.
There are lots of tried and true methods to create brand recognition–and now thanks to the Internet, there are fresh ways to utilize all your hard work.
Tips for Creating Your Business Brand:
1. Pick a font and color for your company name and look–and stick with it.
Font matters. You don’t think it does, but your business card, web pages, blogs and posts should all have the same font. It’s a subtle identification of who you are.
Many companies don’t have a cute lizard selling their product–they simply state their name in a color that is clear and definable. IBM, Xerox, Subway, Barnes & Noble are great examples. I say these words and you can instantly see their name in your mind. IBM is blue. Subway is yellow and light green. Barnes & Noble is a darker green. You see them clearly–all the way to the ones whose letter slant and those that don’t. It’s as simple as color and font–and it’s used in everything they do.
You argue, you have a font and a color aready–great–but how much are you capitalizing on it?
2. Use your name (and the colors and font you’ve chosen) on all of your promotional materials.
Let’s go with our Subway example. Not only can you see Subway in your mind on the lighted sign outside the restaurant, you also see it on the paper they roll and tuck their sandwiches into–and their napkins–and the shirts their workers are wearing, and the door you opened to walk into the restaurant. Just as an experiment, the next time you walk into a fast food chain (and you know you will), count how many times you’re exposed to their name (or mascot) in the first five minutes. Brand recognition comes after the public is literally inundated with your product “look” everywhere they turn.
3. Use your brand name and color on the web.
From your website to your social media networking, to your blog posts, repeat your brand look everywhere you go. You don’t have to point out the fact that our colors are red and gold, simply make something on your website–gold–and something else red. Use this idea on every webpage, and if you have a product or a company log line (a phrase that you use–it usually goes under your name), make sure it follows you wherever you go.
4. Are “you” the brand? Is your name, face part of your business? For many local brick-and-mortar companies, this is true. You’re part of the community, and you need to carry you, the brand, with you into “internet land.” Put a picture of yourself on the webpage and as your avatar when you’re on various social media sites. Just like Colonel Sanders or the Mac and PC guy, you become synonymous with your product. When you become the brand, and then use it wisely. People trust in you–they want you to be consistent–and part of consistency is showing up on the web just like you do at the store.
Small businesses can learn from the corporate giants who have learned the importance of brand recognition. Brand recognition leads to brand preference, and brand preference leads to brand loyalty–and that’s a goal worth aspiring to.
Tags: brand marketing for small businesses, internet marketing for small businesses
Posted in Branding, Networking for Small Business, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Traditional Marketing for Small Business, Uncategorized, website development | 1 Comment »
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