Maximizing Attention for Your Small Business
Maximizing Attention for Your Small Business
As a small business owner you probably don’t have millions of dollars to spend on advertising campaigns to drill your company’s name into your prospects minds. That’s okay. Many small business owners find their success by effectively developing and using their marketing message. You can use your marketing message to position your business in such a way that your prospects will think of you when they decide it’s time to take action to tackle a problem they have that you help solve.
A marketing message is not a slogan or catch phrase. There is an important difference. An effective marketing message speaks directly to a specific audience and features benefits, results and the value of a product or service. Slogans and catch phrases often have nothing to do with a specific market or results and benefits. Slogans and catch phrases are used by big companies to imprint their corporate image in our minds simply by sheer repetition. They need not relate to hamburgers or sneakers for us to immediately associate a couple of words with the appropriate company.
Here are five simple steps you can take to help maximize attention for your business.
1. Drop the Slogan
If you’re using a slogan or catch phrase to market your small business you’re probably missing opportunities to have prospects identify you as the solution to their problem. If your slogan does not clearly identify the population you serve and the results you provide you are definitely allowing business to pass you by.
Make the decision to drop the slogan and develop and use a marketing message. You will increase your ability to develop new business.
Did you get your FREE copy of Jumpstart Marketing? It features marketing ideas, plans and strategies you can use to grow your business. Request your FREE copy.
2. Develop or Correct Your Marketing Message
Once you have decided to let your slogan go the way of the Dodo you must develop your marketing message. When writing your marketing message think about those you help and the benefits they seek from your product or service. Ask yourself as many questions as you can to identify your customers and the results they seek. When you’ve answered these questions you can use the information you’ve gathered to put together a marketing message that sells.
3. Use Your Marketing Message
Once you’ve developed your marketing message you’ll want to include it any aspect of your business where a marketing opportunity may present itself. Remember, the purpose of using a marketing message is much the same as that of a slogan or catch phrase, you want to position your business in your prospects minds so that they think of you when they decide to take action to solve their problem.
Because you don’t have the capital to run thousands of television and full page print ads in major periodicals, you must massage your marketing message into the every-day occurrences of running your business.
For example, how often do you give someone a business card or answer the phone? These are great opportunities to splash your prospects with your marketing message. You don’t need a $2.5 million commercial to run during The Big Game to successfully market your business. So, do some brainstorming and come up with a list of other frequent opportunities where you can use your marketing message. You’ll be glad you did!
4. Demonstrate Value
If your marketing message is good it will help your prospects recognize you as the solution to their problem and it will also inspire them to take the action you want them to take; visit your web site, for example. Use this step to demonstrate value to your prospects. Once you’ve drawn them in, show them you’re for real by giving something away for free in exchange for their contact information. Some common giveaways are E-Books or instructional articles. By giving something away you create the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and you also give your prospects something to talk about with their peers and colleagues. There’s nothing like word of mouth referrals.
Did you get your FREE copy of Jumpstart Marketing? It features marketing ideas, plans and strategies you can use to grow your business. Request your FREE copy.
5. Develop a Relationship
Once you have your prospects’ contact information you can maximize attention for your business by staying in touch. I suggest publishing a helpful newsletter. Send it as often as you can, but probably not more than once a week. You don’t want to become a bother to your prospects. Get permission to send it when your prospects sign up for your freebie. We don’t want to send unwanted email.
By sending a periodic newsletter or other correspondence you help to keep yourself on your prospects radar screen. As time moves on you will maintain your position in your prospects’ minds and vastly improve your chances of having them turn to you when they decide they need help. You can also use your newsletter to inform them of new products and services as you develop them.
Move Your Marketing Forward
Make the decision to drop the slogan and take the time to develop, use and follow through with your marketing message. You will be amazed by your ability to have new clients contact you.
Maximizing Attention for Your Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Cohen's Website.
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If you have a great product or service that people want you are well on your way to being successful. However, in order to lock in and grow your success you need to maximize the attention your products and services get.
As a small business owner you probably don’t have millions of dollars to spend on advertising campaigns to drill your company’s name into your prospects minds. That’s okay. Many small business owners find their success by effectively developing and using their marketing message. You can use your marketing message to position your business in such a way that your prospects will think of you when they decide it’s time to take action to tackle a problem they have that you help solve.
A marketing message is not a slogan or catch phrase. There is an important difference. An effective marketing message speaks directly to a specific audience and features benefits, results and the value of a product or service. Slogans and catch phrases often have nothing to do with a specific market or results and benefits. Slogans and catch phrases are used by big companies to imprint their corporate image in our minds simply by sheer repetition. They need not relate to hamburgers or sneakers for us to immediately associate a couple of words with the appropriate company.
Here are five simple steps you can take to help maximize attention for your business.
1. Drop the Slogan
If you’re using a slogan or catch phrase to market your small business you’re probably missing opportunities to have prospects identify you as the solution to their problem. If your slogan does not clearly identify the population you serve and the results you provide you are definitely allowing business to pass you by.
Make the decision to drop the slogan and develop and use a marketing message. You will increase your ability to develop new business.
Did you get your FREE copy of Jumpstart Marketing? It features marketing ideas, plans and strategies you can use to grow your business. Request your FREE copy.
2. Develop or Correct Your Marketing Message
Once you have decided to let your slogan go the way of the Dodo you must develop your marketing message. When writing your marketing message think about those you help and the benefits they seek from your product or service. Ask yourself as many questions as you can to identify your customers and the results they seek. When you’ve answered these questions you can use the information you’ve gathered to put together a marketing message that sells.
3. Use Your Marketing Message
Once you’ve developed your marketing message you’ll want to include it any aspect of your business where a marketing opportunity may present itself. Remember, the purpose of using a marketing message is much the same as that of a slogan or catch phrase, you want to position your business in your prospects minds so that they think of you when they decide to take action to solve their problem.
Because you don’t have the capital to run thousands of television and full page print ads in major periodicals, you must massage your marketing message into the every-day occurrences of running your business.
For example, how often do you give someone a business card or answer the phone? These are great opportunities to splash your prospects with your marketing message. You don’t need a $2.5 million commercial to run during The Big Game to successfully market your business. So, do some brainstorming and come up with a list of other frequent opportunities where you can use your marketing message. You’ll be glad you did!
4. Demonstrate Value
If your marketing message is good it will help your prospects recognize you as the solution to their problem and it will also inspire them to take the action you want them to take; visit your web site, for example. Use this step to demonstrate value to your prospects. Once you’ve drawn them in, show them you’re for real by giving something away for free in exchange for their contact information. Some common giveaways are E-Books or instructional articles. By giving something away you create the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and you also give your prospects something to talk about with their peers and colleagues. There’s nothing like word of mouth referrals.
Did you get your FREE copy of Jumpstart Marketing? It features marketing ideas, plans and strategies you can use to grow your business. Request your FREE copy.
5. Develop a Relationship
Once you have your prospects’ contact information you can maximize attention for your business by staying in touch. I suggest publishing a helpful newsletter. Send it as often as you can, but probably not more than once a week. You don’t want to become a bother to your prospects. Get permission to send it when your prospects sign up for your freebie. We don’t want to send unwanted email.
By sending a periodic newsletter or other correspondence you help to keep yourself on your prospects radar screen. As time moves on you will maintain your position in your prospects’ minds and vastly improve your chances of having them turn to you when they decide they need help. You can also use your newsletter to inform them of new products and services as you develop them.
Move Your Marketing Forward
Make the decision to drop the slogan and take the time to develop, use and follow through with your marketing message. You will be amazed by your ability to have new clients contact you.
Maximizing Attention for Your Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Cohen's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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