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Marketing tips to grow your business

Written by: Jo Macdermott

Article Overview: No doubt you have been reading in the press a fairly grim outlook for the Australian and Global economy in 2009. What I haven’t read though is a more positive perspective of how to grow business and do better in 2009 regardless of what is happening in the broader economy. Have you? Here are my seven strategies that you can implement, right here, right now in your business to get new customers and earn more money this year. Yes, in 2009. Sound like a good idea? Then keep reading!

Marketing tips to grow your business

Tip 1. Have the right attitude
Business is about attitude and the most important thing you can do right now is to have a positive one. When you start work each day, you can choose to be negative and grumpy or be fun and positive. Make the right choice and people will be naturally attracted to what you do and your business.

Tip 2. Go to a new networking event each week for three months
To get new customers means that you will need to meet more people. It is a numbers game. To meet more people you will need to do different things than what you are doing now. Here’s an idea, why don’t you, for the next three months, go to a different networking function once a week. Make sure
you follow people up. Add them (with permission) to your e newsletter. Keep in contact and keep connecting.

Tip 3. Generate buzz around your business
Have you heard about the Queensland Gold Coast meter maids? I saw them on the prime time TV one night they are certainly eye catching. Perhaps your business alone hasn’t got the capacity to generate such significant buzz, but your local business community might. Do something different as a group. Take a stand on a local issue. Be a little controversial, stand out from the crowd and be noticed.

Tip 4. Send out an e newsletter at least once per month from this month
Having good and regular e newsletter with content is challenging. I send one out each fortnight. I understand. I get my ideas for good content from reading lots of magazines (I have about 5 subscriptions) and have a rule with myself, as soon as one edition is sent; on that day (or day after) I write the next edition. It works for me. Try it out. It is a great and affordable way to keep your business in peoples minds.

Tip 5. Do you have a shoebox of business cards?
Why don’t you pick up the phone and ring 2 of them a day for the next month. Here are some suggestions to help you pick up the phone.

You are calling to:
• Conduct some market research about a new product idea you have
• Ask their opinion about an issue
• Ask them what they have been up too
• Ask them to talk about themselves in some way….

Tip 6. Offer free sandwiches, morning teas.
People always appreciate something for free. Ring up a hot lead or a really important client and offer to shout them lunch. It doesn’t have to be expensive, perhaps a coke and a sandwich if you like. Shout a different client each week, perhaps on a Friday. Only take 45 minutes of their time. Have a plan of what you want from them and work that into the conversation.

Tip 7. Focus on your target audience…
Is your target audience busy and difficult to catch?

Here is an example of an activity that I was involved with in a 'previous' life.

The company I worked for was in the commercial furniture business and the target audience was Interior Designers who specified very large projects. What we found was, it was difficult to get time to showcase our product offer to the Designers. So we selected a few companies who we really wanted to influence, and offered them a limo pick up service to and from their office to a free lunch at our showroom. All within one hour. The entire exercise really wasn’t that expensive and
provided to be highly successful. During this time, we had their full attention, away from emails and phone calls for almost one hour. Priceless.

Not all of these suggestions will fit directly into your business. However, think about any of the seven tips and consider how you could use them to suit your target
audience.

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Article Tags: attitude, business cards, business tip, different things, fortnight, local business community, local issue, market research, meter maids, networking event, networking function, numbers game, peoples minds, prime time tv, product idea, queensland gold coast, right choice, ring 2, shoebox, three months



Related Forum Posts
Re: Advertising is the Key to success! - Hi Aaron, Welcome aboard! As an entrepreneur I always welcome tips that are intended to boost my business. You have rightly pointed out that Advertising is a chore activity related to gaining popularity. When you are new in the market and very few people know you, its the major resource that makes people aware of your existence. But as you grow, you are more known for the a. The product(s) that you are into b. The kind of support you provide (after sales support) c. How many customers keep coming back to you and is it because of the fact that they like your product or services! For these, word of mouth becomes the major factor and acts like an advertisement for your organization. But still, when you grow you might want to expand to newer horizons (geographically) and there also you need to advertise. Keep up the good work and do post your tips that are intended to increase the business.
Re: Sales with no start up fees. - Thanks for all of the tips. They will be useful for us as we grow the business. It's nice to know the forum is here and that I can come here any time for great ideas when we seem to be running out.
Re: Don't read this unless... you want to help me! - Hi Jamie. I am a business coach as well and I think I can offer some insight. I think there is a wide spectrum of things people are being challenged with. Some of the common ones are Twitter Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Copy writing and personal branding. If you want to build your business you will need to Invest in yourself by reading books, attending courses/seminars. With the type of business you are in you are going to want to make yourself valuable to a wide variety of people with a wide variety of problems. I make an excellent living what I am doing but I never stop growing myself as a person and an entrepreneur so keep growing yourself, and over time your business will grow with you.
Persistence gives live to small business. - While I was reading about the 10th year anniversary of google, I counted back 10 years and what I see was persistent. Every small business can grow big if we will be persistent. Persistent actually brings consistence. There is no business that cannot grow big if the owner will not be too haste to succeed. Hastiness has always been the bane of colapsed small business. Whatever you do as antergreneur keep at it and be innovative about it, you will soon be celebrating growth. To me, there is no business that cannot grow be if persistence is employed.
Re: Persistence gives live to small business. - [quote="topeyinka":160scfau]While I was reading about the 10th year anniversary of google, I counted back 10 years and what I see was persistent. Every small business can grow big if we will be persistent. Persistent actually brings consistence. There is no business that cannot grow big if the owner will not be too haste to succeed. Hastiness has always been the bane of colapsed small business. Whatever you do as antergreneur keep at it and be innovative about it, you will soon be celebrating growth. To me, there is no business that cannot grow be if persistence is employed.[/quote:160scfau] Thanks for the contributions am real informed better now!


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