Category: Marketing & Advertising

Today’s sluggish economy can be tough for small businesses, but there are steps you can take to tighten your belt and still get great results from your marketing efforts. One way to do this is to trim the excess from your marketing budget, leaving only the best, most cost-effective tactics to do the work. Below are five tips that can help you save some money as well as help you build your own lean, mean, marketing machine, so give them a try!

1. Objective Analysis – Take a good look at the marketing activities you are currently investing in. Are they really working for you, or are you doing them because it’s always been that way? Before you renew your ad in the Yellow Pages or print that annual catalog, make sure they are still bringing in dollars and are really worth the investment.
2. Test & Measure – By keeping track of marketing campaign results, you can easily spot the activities that work well for your business and also identify the ones that don’t. Spend your dollars on the winners and dump the losers.
3. Update Your Web Site – When times are tough, customers tend to take longer to make buying decisions and thoroughly research their options before making purchases. And where do they turn to do this research? The web, of course! That’s why it’s important that your web site is up-to-date and can stand up to the inevitable comparisons to your competitors.
4. Segment Your Lists – When considering a new marketing campaign, be sure to segment your lists so you can weed-out the unlikely prospects. Spend your marketing dollars only on your “best-bets” to keep costs down and ROI up.
5. Use Web Marketing – Finding new prospects is easy and cost-effective when you use online marketing strategies. E-newsletters, web advertising, Google click-ads, and search engine marketing are typically far less expensive than traditional advertising and direct mail activities. Replace the pricey, old-school marketing tactics with some new online initiatives to get great results while keeping the budget under control.

Careful spending of your marketing budget can certainly help during an economic downturn, but it’s also good practice for the long-term success of your business. Don’t be afraid to try new things, especially new web initiatives that are typically inexpensive to test drive. Keep track of what works so you can build on your successes and drop the activities that don’t produce great results for your business.

Most of us have heard the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” all of our lives – we’ve heard it so much that it’s become a cliché. Cliché or not, it happens to be especially true when it comes to small business marketing.

Most of the time, you want your business to be on the minds of your customers and prospects. So don’t let your business stay “out of sight” for too long! Keeping your company name and message in front of customers on a regular basis can help trigger buy events and increase customer mindshare, which ultimately helps drive sales. Here are some ideas for keeping your business in-sight and in-mind so your sales continue to in-crease!

• E-Newsletters – Monthly E-newsletters are one of the most effective marketing tools available to small businesses today. They are typically inexpensive to send (especially when compared with their printed counterparts), and E-newsletter campaign results are completely measurable (e.g., how many clicks, opens, bounces, etc.). It’s also a great way to make sure that customers see your company name in their inboxes each month, reminding them that your business has the products/services that they need.
•  Press Releases – Whether you’re announcing a new product, an employee promotion, or a client win, press releases are always useful in getting your company’s name (and links!) out there. You can use a traditional wire service distribution, or try some of the press release outlets on the web – many are low-cost or no-cost to use.
• Advertisements – A marketing stand-by since the beginning of marketing, advertising can be an effective way of getting attention for your business. To help keep costs down, look for web advertising opportunities, try smaller, local publications, or find creative ideas that can offer lots of exposure at a reasonable price (like magnetic signs for your car).
• Sponsorships – Another great way of staying in the spotlight is to sponsor an event or organization. Most sponsorship opportunities are designed to give you exposure in the community (e.g., your logo on signage, links to your web site, publicity opportunities, etc.). And sponsorships give you the added benefit of having your business associated with an event or organization that is beyond your own four walls.
• Search Engine Rankings – This is one tactic that helps build your business in lots of ways. Most of us know the benefits of good search engine rankings for driving web traffic and boosting sales, but being on the first page of Google can give your company exposure millions of times per day, every day! Just be sure you have properly optimized your site so that when your business comes up in a search, your company name and description are visible in the results.

Most marketing today can be considered motivational, since its ultimate purpose is to convince others to purchase your products or otherwise do business with you. Motivating your audience with a combination of a quality message and a clear call to action is one of the most effective ways to move them from browsers to buyers to loyal repeat customers. If you can provide your readers with a strong, benefits-oriented marketing message, they will be eager to take the next step – so don’t lose them! Make sure you motivate them to take action by using a very specific, obvious call to action.

The Call to Action
To be effective, a call to action should be very clear and direct. Specifically tell your audience what you want them to do, such as “sign up for our newsletter” or “download our white paper.” An example of a simple call to action is to put a “Buy Now” button beside your product or service on your web site that takes buyers to a secure online payment page. Customers who click on the “Buy Now” button know that they have taken action, which is both effective and reassuring for customers because they didn’t have to guess what to do next.

Although a “Buy Now” button is about as direct as you can get, sometimes it takes a bit more convincing to get readers to take a desired action. The examples below are for online marketing, but they could be applied to any type of marketing as well:

• On your web site, engage your audience with great copy and quality content, and focus on the end benefit they will get from doing business with you. Be sure to close with a strong call to action that encourages them to act right away.
• For e-marketing campaigns, consider offering special pricing or other incentives, and create a sense of urgency by including an end date for the offer. You may want to also include some testimonials from other customers or clients to help motivate recipients to take action sooner rather than later as well.

Loud and Clear
Often, the best motivator is a compelling call to action that states clearly and specifically what you want a customer or prospect to do. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, but also make sure it is easy to take the desired action (make your phone number or contact info visible, include links to your web site, provide live email links, etc.). When customers and potential customers are motivated to take action as a result of your marketing, your conversion rates will begin to show improvement – right along with your bottom line.

No matter what you call it – economic slow down, one-state recession, troubled economy – you’ve probably noticed that business is a little sluggish for many companies today. No doubt times are tough, especially here in Michigan, and that has prompted lots of small businesses to tighten up their spending and budgets to compensate for the change in revenue. It makes perfect sense, of course, but the challenge for many companies comes when deciding which expenses to cut back on, and by how much.

When business slows down, it’s tempting to cut back on marketing and advertising activities since these are often considered to be non-essential expenses. But if your sales have slowed down, that’s precisely the time when you should turn up the marketing on your business to help bring in new customers and jump start your sales again!

So before you make any drastic cuts to your marketing spending, consider implementing some marketing activities that have a low cost but have a high ROI. Specifically, I’m talking about good ‘ol email marketing!

Ready, Aim, Send
Email marketing is a reliable, proven marketing strategy that’s inexpensive to implement, especially compared with more traditional activities like print ads and direct mail. It is also a more targeted strategy than other conventional methods, enabling you to deliver a specifically focused message directly to the customers and prospects that you want to reach. For instance, if you were to segment your e-mail recipient list into categories, you could then tailor your email message to fit the needs of the recipients in each category. So unlike a print ad that is published for a broad audience, an email campaign can be aimed directly at your target audience.

Tracking Results
Email campaigns are also highly measurable, making it easy to track the effectiveness of each campaign. After sending out an e-campaign, the campaign stats can reveal all sorts of useful information, such as the number of recipients who opened the email, how many emails “bounced” or were not delivered (and why), which links the recipients clicked on, the number of opt-ins/opt-outs, how many times the email was forwarded to a friend, etc. By analyzing this data, you can tell if your message prompted a response (such as clicking on a link or visiting a web site), or if your message was even delivered in the first place!

Weathering the Storm
When times are tough, it pays to be smart about your marketing choices. Cutting back on pricey marketing activities is fine, as long as you don’t give up on your overall marketing goals. Marketing’s purpose is to help generate sales and boost your bottom line, which may be even more important if your revenue has slowed down. To help ride it out, try implementing marketing activities that will get the job done, but will do it for less money – like email marketing.

With all of the marketing techniques, tools, and tactics available today, it can be easy to overlook a basic marketing tool that you probably use all the time – your business card!

Business cards are the ultimate permission-based marketing approach. When you offer your business card to another person, he or she almost always takes it, reads it, maybe makes a note on the back, and then saves it somewhere in a collection of other business cards.  Business cards have staying power – people tend to hang on to them and actually re-visit them from time to time, unlike other kinds of marketing collateral that is read once or twice and then tossed.

To make the best impression, your business card should:

• Have consistent corporate branding – use the same logo, corporate colors, fonts, etc. that you use on other marketing collateral for your business
• Provide up-to-the-minute contact information – don’t cross out an old phone number and hand-write in a new one ( just order new business cards instead)
• Make use of white space – don’t cram too much information on the card, and make sure the layout is clean and attractive
• Be professionally printed – don’t print business cards yourself unless you absolutely have to.  If cost is an issue, try using a web-based printing service that prints high-quality, low-quantity jobs
• Include your slogan, marketing message, or call to action, if possible
• Be complete - don’t forget to include your web address and email address on your business cards, and if either one changes be sure to print new cards!

Even though business cards present a large amount of information in a small amount of space, they can still be very creative and interesting.  Try using colored ink or colored card stock to add some interest, or consider using an image or photo as long as it doesn’t clash with your company logo. Be creative, but use good judgment.  Business cards are a great marketing tool, so make sure yours live up to their true potential!

You probably already know that e-marketing is a very cost-effective way to reach customers and prospects, but do you know how well it works?  According to a new study by data analytics firm Prospectiv, people today get most of their product information from e-newsletters, followed closely by search engines as their primary source of product information. This is a huge vote of confidence for e-marketing, especially for e-newsletters! The power of digital marketing is growing quickly, so if you’re not already sending out e-newsletters or tracking your search engine rankings, it might be time to “just do it!”

“Dear Readers“

E-Newsletters have long been a favorite e-marketing activity, since they give businesses an opportunity to communicate consistently with customers and keep the company’s name and message in front of them.  If you have a small business with a small marketing budget, it’s also a great way to regularly publicize the latest information about your products and services, and can help build credibility and establish your expertise with readers. Since research now indicates that users rely on e-newsletters as a primary information source, sending out a company e-newsletter appears to be a “win-win” for most businesses.

Be Nice to Spiders

Another powerful e-marketing strategy is search engine optimization, also known as SEO.  Millions and millions of people use search engines every day (mostly Google, Yahoo, and MSN), and good search engine positions typically translate into more traffic, new leads, and improved sales for your business.  If you’re like most businesses, you want to show up on the first page of the search results, but it takes some very specific work (and maybe a little luck) to actually get there. 

If you haven’t optimized your web site for the search engines, consider investing in SEO as soon as you can, since it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months before you start seeing results.  In the meantime, make sure your site can be read correctly by search engine spiders, and that your web site is in compliance with industry “best practices” such as CSS, keyword-rich content, appropriate site structure, site maps (XML and HTML), complete meta data, etc.

Where the Customers Are

Consumers typically like e-marketing because it fits into their preferred method of receiving information – electronically – via email, web sites, and search engines.  Businesses are drawn to e-marketing because it’s easy to do, it’s low-cost, and it works. With so many affordable e-marketing strategies available, it seems logical to use them to get your business where the customers are already looking.  And according to recent research, they’re looking at e-newsletters, search engines, and other e-marketing messages - so make sure that your business can be found!

Good marketing is built on good relationships, which often means marketing that goes beyond the usual print ads, direct mail initiatives, or business directory listings.  Good relationships are built with consistent, credible marketing activities that also include some level of personal involvement.  Whether it’s the message of your marketing or scheduling face-to-face meetings with leads and potential clients, “the personal touch” can be instrumental in building a good marketing relationship with your customers.

One of the most effective “personal touch” methods, of course, is networking.  But are you doing everything you can to make sure your networking efforts are working for you?  Here are some easy networking strategies you can use today to help improve referrals, create new introductions, and generate more business!

1. Make sure your business associates, customers, and colleagues all have a really good understanding of what you do.  If these people clearly understand what you have to offer, it will be easy for them to recommend your products and services to others.  Take advantage of this “mini sales force” and equip them to work effectively for you!

2. Get some “face time” with new prospects.  When you receive a new lead from someone you know, ask if he or she would like to have lunch and invite the new lead to join you.  This way, you get an in-person introduction to your new lead, and can also show your appreciation to the person who passed along the lead to you.

3. Be intentional about referrals.  Let others know that your goal is to grow your business, and that “word of mouth” referrals are a key part of achieving that goal.  Be sure to be a good referral partner for others too, and ask how you can best refer business to them as well.

4. Consider joining a networking group. There are many business networking groups for you to choose from, so be sure to select one where the primary objective is to refer business to each other.

5. Attend networking events. This seems like a no-brainer, but it bears repeating.  Make the time to attend business functions, Chamber of Commerce events, and community events as part of your regular marketing efforts.  It will help you gain visibility for your company as well as build credibility in the community. Plus, you never know who you might meet that could be a great referral partner or your next big client!

According to a recent Marchex report, small businesses are not establishing a web presence as quickly as customers online are looking for their products and services.  It’s not that small businesses aren’t spending marketing dollars, they are just not spending very many of them online.  The report stated that small businesses will spend more than $100 billion on promoting locally, but only 5% of that money will be spent on web and online marketing.

In fact, the second-most common web activity today is customers searching for products and services online, second only to using email. Since it appears that your customers are already looking for you on the web, make sure that your marketing mix includes online strategies to help your customers find you, instead of your competitors.

Online marketing is more than just banner ads or pay-per-click campaigns. It involves investing in strategies that strengthen your web site and overall internet presence.  Here are some marketing strategies that you can use to improve your company’s online results:

• “Friendly” Web Pages – Make sure you site can be read by the search engine spiders and included in the search engine databases
• Optimization – Use quality sources to research and select appropriate keywords for your business, and optimize your site for keyword use, densities, meta data, internal linking structures, etc.
• Inbound Links – Build an inbound linking program to create “votes” for your web site in the eyes of the search engines (especially Google)
• Relevant Content – Be sure that your web site content is informative, interesting, and useful to your visitors
• E-Newsletters and E-Campaigns – Use the power of the web to promote your business and reach your customers and prospects through various email techniques
• Internet Trends - pay attention to new technologies like web video and blogs, since visitors expect this type of functionality from business web sites today

Using the internet in your marketing mix is not only highly effective and measurable, but it is also very affordable compared with old-style media like TV, radio, newspapers, and magazine ads.   By using email marketing tactics, keeping your web site information up to date, and adding new web features and technology, you can reach potential customers quickly and establish additional credibility for your company.  So when you’re planning for next year’s marketing budget, be sure to consider using online marketing strategies as part of your overall marketing mix.

Although web sites like You Tube can be filled with silly, homemade video clips that are designed to entertain visitors, web video can also be a very effective communication method for business web sites as well.  Of course, you won’t want to post a clip of a water skiing squirrel on your corporate homepage, but using this new form of advertising provides even small businesses with a targeted, memorable, and cost-effective marketing tool.

The challenge of using web video on a business web site is that you must figure out how to turn your message into content that is useful, engaging, and entertaining.  Unlike television commercials that are “pushed” onto viewers, web videos are watched because users choose to do so, making visitors more receptive to your message.  As long as your web video provides users with more than a dull sales presentation, people will not only watch it, they will remember it and pass it along to their friends and colleagues.

So why should you care about web video?  Because web video is quickly becoming a standard feature that people will expect to see on business web sites, much like they have come to expect online shopping, blogs, or other interactive capabilities.  It’s no longer good enough to publish a web site that is merely an online “brochure.”  Today’s users expect a certain level of sophistication in order to take your business seriously, and that increasingly includes using web video on business web sites.

Web video can also be a great asset to your business when it comes to the search engines.  Google and other search engines have recently incorporated Universal Search technology that indexes not only your web pages, but also your images, blogs, web videos, and other multi-media on your site.  So by using web video, it’s possible to expand your presence in the search engines, giving customers yet another way to discover your business on the web and bring in new leads and increase sales.

To create a successful web video for your web site, you have to turn your message into content that is clear, interesting, and yes, even a little entertaining.  Tell your story in a compelling way, and your business will rise above the competition and visitors will definitely notice.  Web video is quickly becoming the next “big thing” in web marketing and has the power to deliver a strong marketing message that attracts new interest in your business, new prospects and leads, and ultimately new customers.