Broaden your marketing efforts

This is another important concept. If you currently run one radio commercial or use only your business cards to market your business, you’ll have limited the number of customers you can reach.

By broadening your marketing efforts in several directions, you’ll be able to reach more potential customers – and be able to convince them that they should be purchasing your product or service.

Mix your marketing efforts up. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a rut of simply sending out direct mail or advertising through an e-mail marketing campaign. Try something new.

Maybe you could send out a promotional item such as a pen once a month, and then follow up with a direct mailing that advertises a discount on your product or service the following week.

Keep things fresh.

People will see you as innovative – after all you’re always doing something new and they’ll never know what to expect next. This will give your business a reputation for professionalism and creativity, two important traits to customers.

Your clients don’t want to work with stuffy businessmen, but rather creative entrepreneurs who put thought into their customer’s needs and wants.

Marketing can take time to pay off.

However, you will notice that some efforts are more effective than others. Don’t waste your time and, more importantly your money, on marketing tools that clearly aren’t working. If your television commercial hasn’t brought in a single customer or made the phone ring, cancel the ad and book a radio spot instead.

Remember…You will have to experiment to find the best combination of marketing strategies and tools for your business.

Identify your target market for the best results

Before you begin, you must understand one thing. No matter how much money you spend on your marketing strategy, your attempts will be fruitless if you are marketing to the wrong audience.

Before you implement any marketing strategy, first identify your target client.

Determine who wants and needs your product or service. This will ensure that your marketing efforts have a greater chance of success.

You may have already defined your target market. You may have identified your clientele as middle class, 35-55 year olds. This isn’t enough information. You need to know your client intimately.

Learn their education level, their location, and their hobbies. Find out how your clients spend their money. The more you know about your target market, the better able you will be to tailor your marketing efforts.

Your marketing should speak directly to the audience and move them to use your service or purchase your product.

A survey of your target market will help you gain a better understanding of your clientele. You can make your product or service better, and improve communication with your customers by understanding their needs and desires.

Moreover, by listening to your potential customers and acting on their suggestions, you give the client a chance to put their personal mark on your business. What better way to motivate them to give your product or service a try?

Motivate your customers to buy from you

Too much “Hard Sell” can mean “No Sale”.  With the proliferation of advertising both online and off-line, customers have grown wary of products or services marketed through traditional sales methods. 

Entrepreneurs of today must therefore learn how to invest more time and money in soft-sell methods. 

Here are some real secrets to making your customers want to give you their money.

Share Information
Take a look at the web, and you will notice that most corporate sites invest considerable resources on disseminating information to their target market. 

The information that these companies provide is geared not only to give customers a better idea about the products and services offered; they also help these companies build their brand as well as their credibility in their particular industry.

Notice, too, that one of the growing trends in television commercials is the use of controversial, funny or shocking information to grab viewers’ attention. 

Statements like “9 out of 10 women suffer from…” or “the most common defect of…” give information about a topic of interest to the market being targeted.  Use this strategy to educate consumers and position yourself as a credible (and thus quality) supplier of relevant products or services.

The Human Touch
You must also improve your relationship with your customers.  Most businesses –especially those which are hard to differentiate from their competitors – lose a lot of customers because they lack the will or the means to maintain contact with their customers. 

Invest some of your time and money to set up a system which will let you readily and regularly communicate with prospective and past customers.  This will help you capture a larger share of your market, and this will motivate your customers to spend more money on your business.

Lower Perceived Risks
For the regular customer, every purchase decision involves a delicate balance between risks and benefits.  What happens if the product doesn’t work?  Will they replace the defective product with a new one?  Will the product work as advertised? 

These are just some of the questions that are usually raised whenever a customer contemplates making a purchase (especially a big one).

You should strive to lower your customers’ perceived risks.  Offer money-back guarantees or product warranties; showcase testimonials from satisfied customers or industry awards for product quality. 

These and other similar methods will assure your customers that you will always stand by your promise or your unique selling point.  When customers are less wary, there’ll be less resistance to your products and services.

These are just some of the things that you can do to become irresistible to your customers.  Learn more by subscribing to our marketing newsletter.

Why you need a unique selling point (USP)

Having a business without a Unique Selling Point or USP is like running for office without a defining slogan.  The result can be similarly devastating:  you’ll lose. Your business needs a USP.  It’s your business’ unique promise to customers.  It cuts through miles of marketing red tape and categorically tells your customers that “this is who we are and this is what we can do for you that any other company cannot”. 

Lower Conversion Rate

Having no USP almost certainly means a lower conversion rate for your ads.  Your Unique Selling Point is the central marketing message upon which the customers you are targeting will focus; it will be the pivotal factor in converting potential customers into buying customers. 

To illustrate, imagine that you are a typical customer who has become tired of pizza delivery delays.  Wouldn’t an ad for a pizza place that says “delivered within 30 minutes or your money back” compel you to try out the company that made this claim?2.      

Less Memorable

People tend to think of businesses and brands the way they think of other people.  Some are hard to remember and yet others (the noisiest, the most trustworthy, the most artistic, etc) are very easy to remember because of their defining characteristic.  In the same way, businesses that are able to invoke emotional responses from customers through a defining characteristic are usually remembered and get referred to others. 

Loreal’s “because you are worth it” manages to cut through the price issue by addressing its customers’ need for quality and their desire to pamper themselves and to feel good.

Less Focused

Not having a USP also decreases the focus for your business and leads you to try covering all the bases – to try satisfying all of the implicit and explicit promises you make to your customers.  This stretches out your resources for less the market share. 

Consider Head & Shoulders’ USP “you get rid of dandruff”.  By focusing on the dandruff issue, Head & Shoulders is able to concentrate all of its resources in delivering this single promise.  It is also able to corner a specific niche or portion of the shampoo-buying market.  Indeed, being generic hurts your business.  Stand out from the crowd through your unique selling point.  Start by reading about how you can formulate a USP for your business.  Resources abound online; marketing newsletters are especially helpful in this regard.  If you are finding it exceedingly hard to create your own USP, seek professional marketing help.

How to attract as many motivated prospects as you can handle

Hitting the right prospect-rich vein in business is like being given a get-out-of-jail-free card in Monopoly or a toll-free pass at the expressway.  In other words, it’s a fast, free ride to a successful business outcome.  Just like a vein of gold, one prospect will lead to another until you’re swamped with orders, customers and profits.  The question is:  how exactly do you find such prospects?

Prospecting involves casting your net far and wide to determine where the more promising opportunities lie.  Think of it as a market reconnaissance mission.  Far from being a hit-or-miss exercise where you cannot easily anticipate how well things will go, the art of prospecting is actually a very precise way of determining the most efficient use of your marketing dollars. 

Here are some tips in prospecting:

Look before you Leap
Prospecting involves time and money.  To avoid wasting both, you need to do some research beforehand.  Read local trade magazines and newspapers.  Pinpoint the organisations, areas, churches, groups, and networks to which your target market belongs. 

Make sure that your target customers truly belong to these groups before you finalise your prospecting plans.  Furthermore, contact your friends and acquaintances to see if they can introduce you directly to your prospects.

Systematise
The goal of prospecting is to gather as much useful information using the least amount of resources possible.  Thus, you need a definite prospecting plan outlining your prospecting dates, locations, activities, and goals.  This will let you cover the widest area possible and the greatest number of prospects without spending more than the necessary amount of time and money. 

Careful planning, moreover, will let you prioritise highly productive business activities.

Generate Impact! 
Of course, prospecting won’t be very effective if you can’t create a favourable impression on your prospects.  To ensure that you are remembered or referred, briefly explain what you do and offer in the most interesting way. 

For example, if you’re in the construction business, you can provide energy-saving construction advice to people who are planning to build their own homes.  Save your sales slides in your handheld device, so you can do an impromptu presentation whenever an opportunity arises. 

Lastly, don’t forget to distribute professional-looking business cards containing pertinent information – the services your offer, your contact numbers and a website they can check for more information.

Remember one more thing.  Be creative!  Create opportunities where apparently none exists.  Turn PTA meetings, wedding receptions, grand openings, and other similar activities into prospecting opportunities.  As an alternative, you can let a professional “mine” your market for you; you can also purchase a leads list from a reputable list company.

How to write the perfect headline for your next ad

What’s the most important part of any ad or sales letter?

The headline, of course.

What’s the hardest part to get right?

The headline.

That’s correct. The headline will make – or break – your ad and it’s the toughest part to write. Until now, that is.

Instead of struggling to create a headline that will get you the action you need, what if you could simply answer 4 simple questions and press 1 button to get 100 killer headlines? And… wait… what if it only took 17 seconds?

That’s okay. I didn’t believe it either until I saw this amazing software in action. Check out this online video to see Shawn Casey actually create 100 superb headlines:

We’ve all struggled to create great headlines. Some work. Most don’t. What an exercise in futility. You can waste so much time and energy. And who can afford to hire a copywriter. Forget it.

That’s why I was so excited to discover this software. Anyone can create killer headlines – no experience necessary.

You’ll experience new feelings of calmness and control as open the software. You’ll enjoy the simplicity of entering short answers to 4 easy questions. You’ll be astonished as you push 1 button and create 100 killer headlines.

And the best part is… you’ll love the results you get when these new headlines get your ads the response you deserve.

So…

Stop struggling with headlines.

Stop settling for mediocre results.

Stop doing things the hard way.

Grab your copy of this software now and enjoy new success.
 

Why discounting is bad for business

Discounting is a short term fix with long term consequences! While there is some disparity among experts, most say that even in the current marketplace, discounting can cause long term damage to your overall business success. According to www.sm.com.au, discounting is a costly strategy for retailers.

While the book called, You Can Compete, suggests that discounting will double retail sales, most data points towards a business disaster. There are several successful alternatives to discounting that are available for your business.

Retailers who have been indulging in discounting by dropping prices and holding pre-sales before major holidays risk losing customers over the long term. Discounting can cause a business’ customers to become conditioned to sales or discounts. If a change in the economy of your infrastructure were to require a price increase, you will likely lose a large portion of the client base that you worked so diligently to build.

There are several reasons why a business should avoid using discounting as a technique to increase sales, including:

Volume
Too many companies fail to account for the effects of price on sales volume. While reducing prices could yield additional customer purchases; can the purchases match and exceed the necessary volume levels for profitability when taking into consideration the deep discount?

Impact on Customer Relationships
Dropping and then raising a price back up can create ill will within your customer base. Some companies use this pricing strategy to engage a customer or to make a sale, hoping that this sale will result in a residual long term customer.

Once the loyalty has been established, some companies then participate in price gauging, losing those initial customers to their competition who has a more consistent pricing model. Deep discounting can also tarnish your brand, unless you are looking to be considered over the long term as a deep discount retailer.

Impact on the Industry
Price cuts that are not backed up by the manufacturing company’s production cost reductions can lead to competitive counter attacks, potentially eroding your company’s profits. Competition can also be created among similar retailers unexpectedly, forcing you to take a lower than expected profit per item sold.

Margins are an essential component for a business’ bottom line. To read more about the importance of business margins, click here to read another one of my articles. There are several available strategies to avoid discounting your products for sale. Your business can give away gifts with purchases that have a high perceived value to its customers.

Businesses with outstanding client service are not concerned with discounting. Evaluate your current customer satisfaction levels and your current business practices to determine how you and your business can provide outstanding customer service. In addition to great customer service, a company with outstanding products & services does not have to concern itself with discounting.

Ensure that your business is offering the best products available in its field or industry so that you can demand the appropriate pricing for the product’s value.

While discounting may be implemented and appropriate for some retailers and businesses, the concept should be carefully considered for its effects on your business. The use of alternatives to discounting will be more beneficial for your business growth over the long term.

Consider which strategies will be the most effective for your business and business niche.

Auto-responder

The concept of the follow up autoresponder revolutionized Internet Marketing. Now, “Auto Message Setup” promises to bring the field an even greater degree of efficiency.

This recent innovation lets experienced marketers painlessly transfer marketing know-how to their entire downlines. A marketer can now provide each of his downline representatives with a follow up autoresponse system that is already packaged with the marketer’s pre-written messages.

The result? Just a few minutes of work on the part of an experienced marketer, and each of his reps is set up with the same tried and true marketing messages.

Case Study: Marketer Matt and the New Breed

For example, take a look at the case of a fictional network marketer named Matt M:

For years, Matt has been successfully marketing All Natural Pharmaceuticals using a follow up autoresponder. In fact, much of his success can be attributed to the set of seven messages e-mailed to all of his potential customers. Matt has carefully crafted those messages over the years, and they’re really great.

Recently, Matt has been trying to pass what he’s learned along to his downline representatives. He explains his marketing principles over the phone, and he knows that several of his reps pass his follow up messages around amongst themselves.

However, Matt finds that his pearls of wisdom rarely survive this ‘telling and retelling’ intact. He knows his reps aren’t getting anywhere near what they could out of his knowledge. He wishes there were a way to harness today’s technology, and put it to use for the greater good of his downline…

Enter Auto Message Setup

Using an Auto Message Setup system, Matt’s downline reps can order their own follow up autoresponse accounts that are already packaged with Matt’s pre-written messages. They can reap the fruits of Matt’s experience with ease.

Each rep will customize Matt’s messages for himself by logging in to his new follow up autoresponder account, and entering his own contact information.

Here is Matt’s original autoresponse message:

Hi LEAD NAME,Thanks for stopping by the All Natural Pharmaceuticals web site today! We hope you come back soon!Best Regards, Matt M.
matt@all-natural-pharma.com 918 Awl St.
Natural, PA 22314

Notice that the message greeting uses a variable, (LEAD NAME). The variable ensures that each of Matt’s leads will receive a message personalized with his or her own name. Notice, also, that Matt’s name and address are at the end of the message.

Case Study: Downline Dan and the New Breed

Dan is one of Matt’s downline representatives. He’s ordered his own follow up autoresponder through Matt. Since Matt is using Auto Message Setup, Dan’s account came pre-packaged with Matt’s marketing messages. Dan personalized those messages to himself by answering a few questions in his Online Control Panel. Now Dan is sending his own personalized version of Matt’s messages to his customers! All of the basic content is Matt’s, but Dan’s contact information is on the letters. Here is the autoresponse that Dan sends to his potential customers:

Hi, LEAD NAMEThanks for stopping by the All Natural Pharmaceuticals web site today! We hope you come back soon!Best Regards, Dan D.
dan@pharma-ceuticals.com 5 Farm Way
Sootuh, TN 88457

Notice that the contact name and address at the end of the e-mail are Dan’s, but that the greeting at the beginning of the message still includes the name of Dan’s lead.

Mission Accomplished

With Matt’s experience in hand, Dan is now marketing more successfully than ever before. And he isn’t the only one - Matt’s entire downline is now using his marketing messages! Matt’s commissions are growing exponentially.

Matt and Dan’s situation is not unique. Any network marketer with an established downline can take advantage of the opportunities available in an auto message setup system. There’s no better way to put more auto in your autoresponder.

Try this excellent auto-responder service - just click here to learn more

Storefront: Does you store persona say “come in” or “get lost”?

It goes without saying that an effective storefront calls out to potential customers and invites them to look at the merchandise.  No matter how great your items are, if your storefront doesn’t attract passers-by, you will have a hard time encouraging walk-in customers who actually contribute a large part of your sales income.

Have you ever looked at a boring signage that looked completely out of place in front of a store and never gave it a second thought?  That’s how important a good storefront is.  It is not something you put up without careful thought and it is not something that you can just display your name on.

Designing an Effective Storefront

When considering the design of your storefront, you have to take note of the following:

1. Branding – Your logo should be designed in such a way that people will immediately have an idea of what you are about.  For instance, a candy store should naturally have a logo that has a touch of something associated with sweets or sugar or something to this effect.  You get the picture.

2. Window display – Your window display should support your branding.  Let’s go back to the candy store.  Think about children since they are mostly your target market when conceptualising your window display.

3. Concrete theme – Consider the look of your logo/branding and your concept of the window display.  These two should be in sync when put together.  Consider the font of your letters, the logo itself, the colours, and the over-all look of the store.  Everything should work together to convey your marketing message.

4. Materials – These are important too because they contribute a great deal to the coming together of your theme.  No matter what materials and tools you choose, you must be able to successfully incorporate these into your theme.

5. Size – You don’t want something so small it can’t be seen by anyone who’s just a few feet away from the store.  It can be as big and bold as you want for as long as you don’t ruin the look of the store.  In fact, some fun stores will have you walk right through doors or entrances that are part of the theme such as the front part of a car or a pirate’s ship.  These are already calling out to customers.

Get Professional Help

The good news is that you don’t have to go it alone.  Your great ideas can be turned into something more tangible by professional graphic and design artists.  They can help you with the concept as well as design you a powerful logo (taking into account everything you want to incorporate) and then some.

If you don’t know where to look, the internet can help locate some good artists that can design your storefront for you.  Choose those that have portfolios so you’ll have a good idea of how they work and what they’ve done.  The only important thing to remember is that your storefront should attract customers and not shun them away.

Getting the Most from Your Online Presence

More than 10 years after the popularisation of the internet as a means of mass marketing, entrepreneurs are still finding this frontier a place one could easily get lost in.  Case in point are the millions of entrepreneurs worldwide who are finding out the hard way that having a fantastic looking website doesn’t necessarily ensure visibility and increased sales.

In fact, with the new marketing rules brought about by the internet, more and more entrepreneurs are finding their hard earned marketing dollars going down the drain.  What’s worse, these entrepreneurs are literally throwing the baby out with the bathwater as they revert back to the brick and mortar system that’s ultimately doomed to fail.  If you look closely enough though, you will see more similarities than differences between the real world and the internet when it comes to marketing.

Your Website’s Importance
Of course, a fantastic looking website is still a plus and with some work, most entrepreneurs can still benefit from their bits-and-bytes store in cyberspace.  A website though is the virtual equivalent of your actual store.  Thus, just as foot traffic and major crossroads affect your business, so do links and affiliations affect the performance of your website.  Unlike your actual store, however, you can actually increase or decrease the number of roads leading to your website by maximising the use of the following methods.

Search Engine Optimisation
Search engines are the popular navigation tools online – so you are likely to be visible to online users if you exist in the search engines’ maps of cyberspace.  Your existence in search engines’ maps is a function of several factors; among them are the number of inbound links to your website, the relevance of the keywords in your site and the number of visits your site gets everyday.

Building Links
To build links or e-roads towards your online store, you’ll have to leave a trail of “crumbs” for your customers to follow.  These “crumbs” can be in the form of interesting, informative and relevant articles posted in article directories and blogs; viral and relevant video clips in video blogs; helpful posts in forums and social networking sites; and all other content that includes a link back to your website.  Remember, the more links you have, the more roads lead to your business.

Optimising Keywords
Relevant keywords should also be part of your meta tags and content.  Thus, if you’re in the business of providing corporate giveaways, for example, you must make sure that the content of your site contains many keywords relevant to this business line such as corporate giveaways, corporate souvenir items, corporate gift items, etc.  If you fail to optimise your site for keywords that are relevant to your business, your target customers will not be able to find you through search engine queries.

Building Traffic
Traffic volume is important if you want to rank high in search engine results.  To achieve high traffic, you can pay affiliate marketers who will market your products or services in their websites for a cut of your profits.  Depending upon their influence in the internet, affiliate marketers can drive from hundreds to thousands of potential customers to your site.

The above tactics are pretty basic.  Monitor your website statistics and performance and refine your methods further to attain maximum results.