Four Ways to Market Your Business in 2009
Four Ways to Market Your Business in 2009
Seminars and Workshops
Seminars and workshops that offer quality information about your business, market, or industry, are becoming popular ways to build a client base. You can differentiate yourself by showing how clients how to use your services and how you fill a need that your competitors cannot. Do not be discouraged if your first seminars do not draw a crowd. If you find a systematic way to incorporate them into your marketing plan, people will show up over time.
Mailers
Some service business owners have done well marketing their businesses through direct mail. Others I have talked to aren't fans of it at all. If you are going to do it, make sure you take the time to do it well. Your mailer needs to be eye-catching and to-the-point. Here are some pointers on direct mail advertising.
Use a targeted list.
Set an objective. Do you want prospects to call for a free consultation? Do you want them to R.S.V.P. for your next seminar? What type of action do you want them to take?
Write a good headline. Try to strike an emotion (pain and fear are often used) from the start.
Include a specific call to action. "The first 10 callers will receive...". "Call (555) 555-5555 now for your free consultation." Those are the types of words you'll want to use.
Test your mailing before sending it out to thousands of prospects. A random sample of 500 postcards or letters should give you a good feel for how the market will respond to that particular mailing.
Several companies have samples of quality direct mail pieces on their website. Google "direct mail sample" and a list will come up.
Radio Shows and Podcasts
Several top service business owners create regular podcasts or even host their own radio show. If you want to see what one of the best in the business is doing, visit John Dvorak's site called crankygeeks.com, click on "Episodes" on the left-hand navigation bar, and download the podcasts. Podcasts can be a great alternative if you don't want to go through the process of starting your own show.
Write Articles
If starting a radio show or podcast isn't your cup of tea, maybe article writing is more for you. Local business journals or newspapers are almost always looking for expert writers on a regular basis. If those channels don't work, you can publish your articles at a number of online submission companies.
The key to all of these marketing strategies is to provide good information to a targeted group of people. You'll be wasting your time if you are marketing to people who cannot pay for your service or who will not use your service. To see how large your target market is, simply google "consumer demographics" or "direct mail target market" and you will find several companies that will provide this service for you. These companies should be able to tell you how large your target market is and other helpful information including where your prospects live by zip code, how much income they earn, and more. You can use this service as a tool to gauge how large your market is and, if you buy the list, you can use it to fill your pipeline with the right kind of leads.
Get a jump start on your marketing in 2009 by implementing at least one of these strategies into your business plan.
Four Ways to Market Your Business in 2009 - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Tamminga's Website.
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Your success as a business owner or executive will be largely determined by how many high quality clients you can attract and retain. Following is a detailed discussion about how to use different sales and marketing techniques to draw attention to your business.
Seminars and Workshops
Seminars and workshops that offer quality information about your business, market, or industry, are becoming popular ways to build a client base. You can differentiate yourself by showing how clients how to use your services and how you fill a need that your competitors cannot. Do not be discouraged if your first seminars do not draw a crowd. If you find a systematic way to incorporate them into your marketing plan, people will show up over time.
Mailers
Some service business owners have done well marketing their businesses through direct mail. Others I have talked to aren't fans of it at all. If you are going to do it, make sure you take the time to do it well. Your mailer needs to be eye-catching and to-the-point. Here are some pointers on direct mail advertising.
Use a targeted list.
Set an objective. Do you want prospects to call for a free consultation? Do you want them to R.S.V.P. for your next seminar? What type of action do you want them to take?
Write a good headline. Try to strike an emotion (pain and fear are often used) from the start.
Include a specific call to action. "The first 10 callers will receive...". "Call (555) 555-5555 now for your free consultation." Those are the types of words you'll want to use.
Test your mailing before sending it out to thousands of prospects. A random sample of 500 postcards or letters should give you a good feel for how the market will respond to that particular mailing.
Several companies have samples of quality direct mail pieces on their website. Google "direct mail sample" and a list will come up.
Radio Shows and Podcasts
Several top service business owners create regular podcasts or even host their own radio show. If you want to see what one of the best in the business is doing, visit John Dvorak's site called crankygeeks.com, click on "Episodes" on the left-hand navigation bar, and download the podcasts. Podcasts can be a great alternative if you don't want to go through the process of starting your own show.
Write Articles
If starting a radio show or podcast isn't your cup of tea, maybe article writing is more for you. Local business journals or newspapers are almost always looking for expert writers on a regular basis. If those channels don't work, you can publish your articles at a number of online submission companies.
The key to all of these marketing strategies is to provide good information to a targeted group of people. You'll be wasting your time if you are marketing to people who cannot pay for your service or who will not use your service. To see how large your target market is, simply google "consumer demographics" or "direct mail target market" and you will find several companies that will provide this service for you. These companies should be able to tell you how large your target market is and other helpful information including where your prospects live by zip code, how much income they earn, and more. You can use this service as a tool to gauge how large your market is and, if you buy the list, you can use it to fill your pipeline with the right kind of leads.
Get a jump start on your marketing in 2009 by implementing at least one of these strategies into your business plan.
Four Ways to Market Your Business in 2009 - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Tamminga's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle'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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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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