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Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Email Marketing: A Business Necessity That Isn’t As Troublesome As You Thought

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Sending email marketing materials is one of the most cost effective tools to keep your business in the minds of your clients and contacts. The pain comes when you think of: what will it look like? How will I design it? Who will actually see it in their inbox? How do I know if my efforts are reaching my audience? I wanted an automated system that could design and monitor the campaigns. Armed with a list of questions, I went on a hunt to find a program or a company that could help me out.

I found no shortage of options and companies that provide fantastic campaign tracking and monitoring, but Mad Mimi stood out for its easy interface that didn’t burden me with the retrospective wish that I had taken design courses in my college years. As “one of those people who can’t draw”, the simple layout and design features paired with the traditional marketing tools sold me. Or was it the cute picture of the founders of the company that are still managing operations?

The video below features Gary Levitt, CEO of Mad Mimi, describing his experiences building his business on the Ruby on Rails web framework. Enjoy!

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Posted in branding, entrepreneurs, marketing, small business marketing, tips and tricks | 1 Comment »

How To Network To Increase Sales And Gain New Customers

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Let me say from the onset that networking is not multilevel marketing (MLM) or a pyramid scheme. Having said that, networking is the building of business relationships. Note that the primary focus is on building relationships.

  • Sales and business connections are often developed from the relationships we have with other people, and networking provides the opportunity to meet people and expand your contact list.
  • Choosing the right group to join or event to attend is crucial, otherwise you will meet people who have very little or no interest in what you have to say. Focus on the quality of your contacts not on quantity. Getting two quality contacts who will answer your phone calls or read your letters are better than having ten who will not.
  • The first impression your contact gets about you could be what cement the relationship or take it apart. A firm handshake, a pleasant facial expression, a demonstration of interest in your contact, and attentiveness to his/her name and line of business will convince your contact that you are not only there to sell some product, and quickly move onto your next victim.
  • Your first meeting with a contact should be about understanding his problems, needs and concerns and collecting contact information. Clearly state what you do in 15 seconds and in 30 seconds what you have done to help people with similar problems. Don’t use the initial meeting to promote your credentials. Your contact is not interested in your credentials, not yet, but in how your solution can solve his problem.
  • The follow up after a networking event is where many small business owners come short. Send a handwritten card to the people you met the next day, referring to the networking event where you met. Within two weeks send them letters arranging to meet for lunch or coffee to learn more about their businesses and how you can help.
  • If a month goes by with no communication between your contacts and you, they may forget about you, and potential customers may be lost. You may talk to your contacts by phone, but you will get better results by using a letter, newsletter or articles in your blog to demonstrate your expertise or the value of your product by sending them useful ideas and suggestions they can use immediately.
  • The average person is estimated to know about 250 people. This means each person you meet has the potential to connect you with over 60,000 people. The more people you meet, and the quality of your relationship with them will take your name and products to places where alone you could never have reached.
  • This reach will allow you to become a powerful resource for your contacts. The quality and regularity of the ideas and suggestions you send to them will keep your product on their minds, and be the first person they come to when they need help.
  • Your contact list will further expand when you follow up on referrals that others give you. Contacts who give you referrals have confidence in your expertise, reliability or the quality of your product. They have found your solution to their problems helpful, and would like to share with their family and friends what they have found. Be sure to follow up on your referrals.
  • Social medias like facebook, twitter, myspace and linkedIn are providing networking opportunities for millions of business people on the Internet. But you will agree that eventually you have to meet your contact in person and shake his/her hand before you feel comfortable enough to sign that $100,000 contract.
  • If you are not networking, you are losing thousands of potential customers who have money to spend and need your service or product, but do not know that you exist. Go to events where you will meet large number of people. Initiate conversation with people you meet. Ask to be introduced to people you don’t know. Express genuine interest in your conversations. Give out your business cards, and follow up on your contacts.

The primary purpose of networking is the building of business relationships; the buying and selling of goods and services are its byproducts. Only when you have developed those relationships will you get their byproducts in increase sales.

By Ben Aidoo

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Posted in branding, marketing, sales and selling, small business marketing, tips and tricks | No Comments »

How Do I Prevent My Small Business From Failing?

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Why is my business failing? Thousands of businessmen and women have asked the same question at one time or another, especially during the early days of their businesses. To be sure, the marketplace is a high-tech jungle where only the fittest survives.

The bottom line reason your business is failing is that you are not selling enough of your product (goods or services) to cover your operating expenses and make a profit. But the problem is not with the product, it is with the elements that make the product what it is. What are those elements?

  • Do you have the right product for your target customers? Obviously if you don’t they will not buy it, at least not in the quantity that will make you a profit. Choose a product that already has a demand, but emphasize a unique benefit of the product that your competitors are not. It should be a product that is consumable, so that your customers will come back to buy more.
  • Is your product quality and durability comparable to your competitors? The quality of your product is the primary element to which all the other elements are anchored. If you do everything right but have a bad product you will not have repeat customers. Majority of your customers will be one-time customers, and the bad news about your business will spread like a virus.
  • Is your product easy to use or consume? Customers are irritated when they spend their hard-earn money on an item, but cannot get it to work. Next time when they go out shopping they will choose an item that they won’t need the brain of a biochemist to get it to work. Choose products that are customer friendly.
  • Is the price of your product competitive? If a customer can buy your product at half the price from your competitor two block down the street, why would he buy your product? Look around and do some comparison shopping to check on your competitors prices and adjust your price accordingly.
  • What is the platform from which you sell your product? Do you sell your product on the Internet or in a brick and mortar store? If you sell on the Internet, is your website or blog pleasant to the eyes, easy to read and navigate? Being mindful that if a visitor to your website is not able to solve a problem he encounters on your website in 3 seconds you’ve lost him.
  • If you sell in a brick and mortar store, does the layout of the store give customers easy access to your product? Are the price tags conveniently displayed to avoid having the customer to ask for the price of each item? Are your salespeople informed about the product enough to answer customers questions? Your aim is to give your customers a pleasant experience in the store to make them want to come back again.
  • Once you set up your website with quality content and products, nobody will know that you exist until you advertise it. How much it will cost to do so will depend on the type of ad, and the competition in your line of business. You may choose to submit your website to the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN or Bing, and wait for months to have your website pages indexed, or buy ‘pay per click’ (PPC) ads that will send visitors to your website within 24 hours of signing up.
  • You will need to know about keywords and their placement on your website. When a visitor goes to the Internet for information, s/he types in a word or phrase. The search engine checks through its indexed web pages for websites and blogs with keywords or key-phrases that match the visitor’s query, and present them in order of relevance. Search engines are scrupulous in their selection, because if they provide the wrong information they will lose the visitor, and that is bad business.
  • Advertising a brick and mortar store normally involves running ads in the local newspapers or on TV. Since this can be expensive, you may want to set up a website or blog and encourage your customers to go there for discount prices and information about your product.
  • When you attract customers to your website or store, and they buy your products, the next step is turn them into repeat customers. Ask for their names and email or postal addresses. Because this information is valuable to your customers, offer something for it. Give them a discount or a coupon in exchange for their personal information.

You can stop your business from failing by selling more of your product to satisfied customers who will buy from you again and again because you sell the right product, high quality product, easy to use and at competitive price; because they know where to find you from the weekly information you provide them by email, letters, on your website or blog about new products, discounts and coupons. Shall we get to work now?

By Ben Aidoo

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Posted in branding, business coaching, entrepreneurism, entrepreneurs, marketing, sales and selling, web design | No Comments »

How To Get The Most Bang For Your Marketing Buck

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Every business owner wants to use time-proven, effective marketing tactics that build strong brand awareness and increase its clientele.   Small business owners today may not necessarily have the tools to spend an insane amount of money on television advertising, radio spots, or other costly advertising avenues such as billboards emblazoned with state-of-the-art graphics.  Other advertising methods exist that are cost-effective and have the ability to get the company’s branding message across.   We have looked at some of the most efficient and least expensive advertising measures from websites such as www.BusinessKnowledgeSource.com for small business owners that we believe will fit in with your budget while helping to create a profitable business.  These include:  

  1. Postcard marketing
  2. E-mail blasts
  3. Social networking sites (i.e. Twitter or Facebook)
  4. Podcasting
  5. Creating a website 

It is no surprise that 163.3 million Americans use the Internet whether it is to find out new information, shop online, or learn about a business.  For this reason, it is crucial for start-up and small businesses to leverage the power of the Internet instead of focusing on traditional advertising maneuvers such as print media and television advertising.  

Postcard marketing may seem slightly outdated, but it is important to highlight the massive effect of postcards.  Postcards printed on 4” by 6” index cards are highly noticeable in the mail because they can be flipped over and read in a matter of seconds.  Immediately, the message is sent across to the end-user without them having to peruse through a pamphlet or packet that usually instills a lack of interest or frustration.  

E-mail blasts are excellent for small business owners to send out to their network of contacts.  Even better, they’re excellent for building a database on a website.  E-mail blasts should be kept simple, to-the-point, and underscore promotional offers to gain the reader’s attention.  Moreover, they can be sent out to multiple parties from the recipient, increasing word of mouth buzz.  

Social networking sites have become a marketing phenomenon that is helpful for businesses in spreading their brand, mission, and services and/or products in the form of a user-profile.  Also, sites such as www.Twitter.com and www.Facebook.com have changed the face of Internet marketing by establishing the online sphere as a word of mouth metropolis.  Now is the time to take advantage of social networking sites.  

Another helpful marketing suggestion is to create a simple podcast.  Not sure how or where to start?  Make sure your computer has a web cam.  If it doesn’t, these gadgets can be bought at inexpensive price at large computer and electronic retailers.  Introduce your business concept through the podcast that is less than 30 seconds.  Podcasts are an excellent marketing tool because they can be posted on a website, sent through e-mail, and posted on sites such as www.YouTube.com. According to www.Quantcast.com, www.YouTube.com averages 72.5 million users per month.  

With the implementation of these media, businesses are likely to see an increase in interest.  The next step would be to create an intuitive, user-friendly website that summarizes the concept of the business without too many graphics or distractions.  For example Ethos 360 (www.Ethos360.com) offers affordable branding solutions for entrepreneurs. Following these steps can help an entrepreneur bolster their brand and reach their selected demographic.

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Posted in business, small business marketing | No Comments »