Define Your Identity:
Create or maintain an honest identity that reflects your personality and “brand.” This image should be consistent throughout all your advertising. Use the same colors, the same typeface, the same photography or style of photography and the same tag line.
Remember Who You Are:
Define your audience. Who buys your product or services? After you find your niche, go after it. Are your products or services for the upscale? Middle-class? Price conscious? After you have determined your market, remember that’s whom you’re talking to in all your advertising, promotions, and communications.
Reinvent:
Does your logo need updated? Your marketing materials need tweaked? If the same old things aren’t producing results, it’s time to try something new.
Image Counts:
Afraid to spend the big bucks on your image? Don’t be. Spend the money to have your identity professionally developed for your initial launch, and then copy those formats for future literature.
Remember the Role of Advertising:
It is only 1/100 of the whole marketing process. Marketing is not just advertising, but a small part of the whole picture that also includes product, price, location, competition and availability.
Get Involved:
The more people you meet, the more contacts you create and the more opportunity you have to talk about and sell your products or services.
Cross-promote:
Display signs or flyers of other businesses at your location and they’ll do the same for you. Share the cost of production of flyers, brochures, coupons, mailing, etc., by including other non-competing but related companies in your communications.
Establish Publicity Contacts:
Make contacts with your local newspaper, radio and tv stations through personal phone calls and e-mails. Offer your expertise for future stories or pitch them an idea concerning your business.
Stage a Special Event:
Create a contest, donate services or products to charity, or become a sponsor of a community event. All of these activities get your company name in the public eye. Don’t forget to write and send a press release to your media contacts on all upcoming events and the results of the event.
Maintain a Customer List:
If you don’t have one, start it today. If you do have one, add to it, update it and market to it though Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, e-mail, direct mail--anything that gets your message across.
Obtain Testimonials:
Satisfied customers add credibility to your message. They have more impact than all the glorious, wonderful things that YOU say about your company. Most people are happy to let you use their testimonials on all your marketing materials.
Join Clubs and Associations:
Become part of the community and make friends. This is the most inexpensive way to spread word of mouth advertising.
Give Free Samples:
This is proven to be the most effective marketing tool ever devised—the cosmetic industry was built on it. Don’t forget to attach a coupon and/or business card and a bounce back coupon on the free sample so the customer has an incentive to buy it and knows where to get it.
Write a column for a local newspaper or web site:
Offer to write a column or article on something related to your industry that appeals to the reading public. Don’t ask to be paid for the article, just ask for a mention of your name, phone number, web site, and e-mail address.
Use Catchy Classified Ads:
Not much in your advertising budget? Classified ads in community newspapers are inexpensive and are perceived as personal and friendly.
Create a Newsletter or a blog:
Write and produce a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter and mail or e-mail it to your customer list. Include coupons, promotions, testimonials and tips related to your product or services.
Promote Gift Certificates:
If your product or services make a great gift, always promote them.
Make it Easy for Your Customer to Buy:
You can hand people catalogs and brochures all day long, but if it’s not easy to purchase your product or services, you won’t make a sale. What’s the easiest way to purchase? Assist them in filling out order forms or have the product with you so you can make the sale right there.
Sell the Benefits:
Don’t tell people how good your products or services are; tell them how good your products or services will make them feel.
Don’t Assume Your Customers Know More than They Do:
Over-explain your products and services until your message gets across.
Repeat Yourself:
Repeat your offer in every marketing message. Repeat your company’s name. Repeat your tag line.
Ask them:
What do customers and future prospects think of you, your company and your products or services? Find out how you are perceived by asking everyone you come in contact with to fill out a questionnaire and/or feed back form. Don’t forget to ask your buying customers why they buy from you.
Need a new angle, promotion, logo, or package for your product? Go to www.ShanahanResources.com or e-mail sylviart@sbcglobal.net
