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  • Are You a Marketing Octopus, or a Marketing Worm

    Posted March 1st, 2008 by
    Categories: advertising solution

    One of the greatest challenges to effectively marketing a business is determining which marketing method is best for your business.

    Most people look at what their competitors are doing to market their businesses and then simply imitate that, whether good or bad.

    The best marketing strategy does not involve selecting only one or two marketing approaches that we see others using. The best marketing approach resembles an octopus.

    An octopus is very effective at catching food with eight limbs. If the octopus loses one limb it may momentarily lose some of its strength and agility, but it adapts and continues on as an effective hunter and predator.

    It’s the same with marketing your business. The more marketing approaches you use simultaneously the more successful you can become and the easier it is to continue growing your company.

    You will continue to thrive despite the challenges facing others. No setback in any one marketing approach will ever devastate you or pose major problems.

    Despite this, many companies use no more than two or three methods at most to bring in business.

    Few realize that there are over 100 methods for bringing in new business, for increasing web traffic, for selling more to existing clients, and for increasing repeat sales that their competitors are not using.

    They basically imitate worms in their marketing attempts. A worm’s approach to life is singular. It does not use multiple limbs because it has none. Its existence is slow and labor-intensive. Very unlike an octopus.

    The great thing about this is that most competitors are making this same mistake. They may be too busy, too shorthanded, or too myopic to do much more than hand out boxes of business cards and sit around talking ‘fish stories’ of the one that got away.

    That is a marketing approach to avoid.

    Instead use as many marketing methods as make sense for your industry, your market, and your company. Then you will become a marketing octopus while your competitors remain marketing worms.

    Where can you find a listing of more than one or two marketing methods?

    Andr

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    Is Your Marketing Working…

    Posted February 1st, 2008 by
    Categories: advertising solution

    That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I’m sure. But is it really!

    Which scenario is better or best for your business, marketing and advertising everyday spending more than you marketing budget allows each month. Or marketing your business based on last years marketing cost for five months straight where after five months you market your business no more.

    You will have no reason to, because your clients will be calling you at will. That’s right I’m talking about a campaign that will free you up to do business without having to pay one dime on marketing after a five month campaign that will in form your potential clients of your business or service.

    It can be done; I will prove it to you with a brief example of it happening to me. I own a pick-up truck with a snowplow on it. To show you that this works I am going to talk about last years snow storm where my clients from over a year ago,
    called for my business this year.

    What makes this so amazing is that I only plowed for these businesses once, during the entire winter season. Never made contact again until they picked up the phone for service this year.

    Now that to me is marketing, you can achieve the same thing by marketing your business all the time. It does not matter where you are or who you come in contact with you must always market yourself or your business.

    This would mean promoting your self all the time with flyers, business cards, ads and what ever else you could think of within your means. When you go to the store, hand out a card. When you are in the supermarket put up some flyers on the community board. Take one day a week during your campaign handing out your business cards to local businesses that will benefit from your service.

    At the doctor’s office hand out your cards to other patients, and staff. They may not need your service at that particular moment but they will remember you. Depending on the type of business you are in, offer samples or show pictures of your work while you are handing out your marketing materials.

    How will you get calls if no one knows what you have to offer? You have to show them, tell them and let them see what you do. Use people around you as well friends, family and co-workers alike. Let everyone you know, what you do and how they can contact you.

    You can go a step further, send letter or email local businesses about your business along with some business cards or flyers or a brochure if you are
    mailing a letter announcing your service. It will pay off in the end, you will see.

    In conclusion, you can get to the point of having you clients call you for business. This is nothing new nor is it something is impossible. My example above should be proof enough that it possible. This was a total of 3 clients I had no contact with for over a year, they remember my little slow plowing service like it was yesterday. You too could experience the same effect ten fold.

    Michelle has been online for about 7-years now. She started out on ebay which she still does some work on occasion. After doing the ebay thing for 2-years Michelle moved over to Internet and Affiliate Marketing. She has not stopped since. Build your own home business now visit http://home-making-money.com for more information today.

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    Smart Business Owners Advertise with Two Things in Mind

    Posted February 1st, 2008 by
    Categories: advertising solution

    The marketing field is flooded with sources and experts. How does a business owner weed through these sources - and all their advice - to find someone who can help grow businesses effectively and affordably? Smart business owners always advertise with two things in mind: 1. The Ten Commandments of Marketing; 2. The Ten Commandments of the Bible.

    The Ten Commandments of Marketing

    1. Get a marketing plan. Even the simplest of plans can help business owners avoid wasting literally thousands of dollars and sometimes years of lost business growth.
    2. A business owner’s main focus should be on growing business. Hire consultants to handle accounting, taxes, marketing or any other tasks that may distract from growing business.
    3. Business owners should know their customers. Their customer is not they or their spouse or their best friend. They should constantly talk to real customers and test their message on them.
    4. Pick a niche. No one is going to believe that one business or product is the best, the fastest and the cheapest. Pick one. And stick with it.
    5. Advertise products’ benefits - not their features. Customers don’t care about the 786-megawatt superconductor. They just want to know how it’s going to save them time, make them money or improve their image.
    6. Specialized products should be advertised through direct media channels. Products offering something for everyone should be advertised through mass media channels.
    7, Keep words to a minimum. Enough said.
    8. Generally, prospects need to hear or see a message at least nine times. Generally, prospects need to hear or see a message at least nine times. Generally…
    9. Stay ahead of customers. Stick with what works, but watch sales trends.
    If trends start changing, products and/or marketing mix may need a change.
    10. Free advertising is the best kind. If something is really newsworthy, let the media know.

    The Ten Commandments of the Bible

    Being aware of the Ten Commandments of the Bible will help business owners select a good marketing specialist. Most marketing specialists probably can’t recite the Commandments. But they should know they frown on stealing, lying, cheating, and a few other things.

    A good marketing specialist will ask a lot of questions; they’ll give some free advice; they’ll provide a very close estimate and guarantee to work within the estimated boundaries. In short, they don’t lie, cheat or steal.

    Smart business owners listen to their gut instincts to find a good marketing consultant. A good one will ask a lot of questions about the specific business, its history, its successes and failures. They’ll ask where the owner thinks the business should go; they’ll give some free advice; they’ll provide a very close estimate for the work they recommend; they’ll guarantee to work within the estimated boundaries. In short, they’ll care about the Client. If they don’t, move on. This sounds like simple advice, but it’s surprising how many business owners throw out these rules and don’t listen to their gut instincts.

    By following the Ten Commandments of Marketing and the Ten Commandments of the Holy Bible, success will come easier. All business owners seem to do a lot of praying when it comes to the state of their business anyway, so it just seems fitting to tie the two together.

    Holly George, Award-Winning Advertising Expert & Marketing Spitfire, shows small business owners how to blast their business to the next level of success. Find out more at http://www.boostyourbottomline.com

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