Tweet

Keep your Business Alive with Smart Marketing

Written by: George Torok

Article Overview: Growth is the real goal That is the litmus test of keeping your business alive. Look at nature. Everything that is alive continues to grow. Growing your business is the best way of keeping it alive in the long term. How do you continue to grow your business? Feed it, nurture it, invest in it and treat the business as a journey - not a destination. On your journey you must keep one eye immediately on the road in front of you and the other on the horizon. Invest in your business success with smart marketing. Smart marketing does not entail expensive advertising campaigns

Keep your Business Alive with Smart Marketing

As long as you eat and breathe you will stay alive. But is that really living? In a crisis that might be enough. If your business is in crisis - deal with it. But the magic potion to keep your business alive is growth.

Growth is the real goal
That is the litmus test of keeping your business alive. Look at nature. Everything that is alive continues to grow. Growing your business is the best way of keeping it alive in the long term. How do you continue to grow your business? Feed it, nurture it, invest in it and treat the business as a journey - not a destination. On your journey you must keep one eye immediately on the road in front of you and the other on the horizon.

Invest in your business success with smart marketing. Smart marketing does not entail expensive advertising campaigns. Instead it means managing all the messages you send about yourself and your business. Be aware of the unintended messages as well as your conscious messages. Test for your unintended messages by polling your best clients. Ask those who did not give you the business - why did they choose to go elsewhere.

Marketing for the long term
Marketing is a long term investment. Because of that, many get frustrated, and complain, 'I tried marketing and nothing happened.' The credibility you build today will help you gain business months or years later. It may seem tough to justify that. But don't stop running the day-to-day activities - just invest a little in your future

Marketing is like planting bamboo. In the first six years the seedlings only grow about 12 inches high. It could be very discouraging to the bamboo farmer. Then 'suddenly' in the seventh year the bamboo sprouts to 6 feet tall. In marketing nothing happens suddenly. It takes time for results to appear. Prospects need to see your name many times before they remember you and recognize your value. You may think nothing is happening because you don't see the growth. You are the bamboo farmer.

Not only is marketing sometimes a slow pay back. It is uncertain. Not everything works all the time. It's been said that half of your marketing efforts are wasted. The problem is to discover which half. You don't know - so do it all.

Personal marketing
Make your marketing personal. Relate to people because people buy. Companies don't buy. But don't take rejections - real or imagined - personally.

One of my good clients stopped returning my calls. I continued to call and send information. I felt discouraged. I thought she didn't like me any more. A year later she called to say, "I had a major operation and I did not feel like talking to anyone." Boy, did I feel stupid for thinking it was about me. Often when we don't hear back from our clients and prospects -we think it is us. How can we be so self centered. The world does not revolve around us. Just ask any teenager - it revolves around her.

Fine-tune your database of clients, prospects and contacts. Treat your best clients special. Offer them special services. Airlines do this with their frequent flyer points and special status. Stay close to your best clients, keeping them informed and staying informed about them and their business.

Be unique. Discover the 'unwritten rules' of your business then break them to be different. Dell broke the 'rule' that computers must be sold through dealers. Dell is now a leader in computer direct sales. Stand out from the crowd. Watch for changes in your industry that may threaten your market. If the crowd goes down you don't have to go with it. The leaders in any market do well even in downswings.

Network with leaders in other businesses. Learn about the changes, threats and opportunities in their industries. These are people who may or may not actually buy your product - but you gain information, prestige and inspiration from them. You might partner with them for a joint promotion. It builds your credibility to be seen with leaders.

Be seen as the expert
Build your credibility as an expert with the help of the media. Develop your media contacts. You will get the best results from appearing in print. Print has the greatest credibility and you can photocopy it for those who did not see it. Build relationships with editors, writers and reporters in the publications your prospects and clients are most likely to read - or respect. Include these media contacts in your database and treat them like your best clients. Keep them informed of changes in your business. Meet them for lunch or coffee. Offer to introduce them to some of your other contacts that they might be interested in meeting.

Write articles about your expertise for the publications. Don't expect to be paid for the articles - you want to get your name out often. The easiest articles to write are tips lists. Editors like them and readers love them because they are easy to read and use. Once you get published recycle the article and offer it to other publications. Photocopy the article and send it to everyone on your database - or at least to your best clients so they receive useful information and note you as the expert. You must be an expert if your words are in print!

Keep your business alive; invest in your growth through smart marketing.

Related Articles
  “Market Research” Story
  “Your Strategic Thinking Coach Shares Six Smart Marketing Strategies For Professional Service Firms”
  LEADERS NEVER LET THEIR DIPLOMA FOR DEALTH CERTIFICATE
  The Value of Feedback
  Smart Women Have Dreams Too!

Article Tags: marketing ideas, marketing principles, Power Marketing Tips



Related Forum Posts
Re: Fill in the blank: The best decision I ever made with my bus - Focusing on my Internet Marketing Business
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital
Re: How many mambers of this forum are also member of WF? - Hi Kevin, I have to agree with Tanny. All forums are unique in their own way, but doesn't mean that one is better than the other. What you might get out of one forum, you may not get from another. For instance, the WF focuses on Internet Marketing, while this forum focuses on Entrepreneurship. Each has their own set of benefits. I don't think you can really compare one to the other, unless of course they focused on the same topic. I have learned a lot from this forum, stuff I would never have gotten from the WF. With that being said, I've learned a lot from the WF, specifically since I need to know about Internet Marketing and running an online business. The addition of the Online Business forum here will help, and Jeff is doing a great job as moderator.
Network Marketing Business - Hello all, Recently, I had join a Network Marketing Business on a part-time basis. Does anyone here who has some knowledge on this type of business? I want to learn as fast as I can from all the gurus here


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Coaching Tip: Identify Your Core Values

Avoid Burnout: Do the Limbo Regularly

Smart & Simple Internet Techniques

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.