Small Business Marketing Center

Top Marketing Strategies For Businesses on a Budget

Guest column by Janice Jenkins

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on marketing. In fact, Americans spend over $250 billion per year just on marketing alone. That should tell you how important marketing is for businesses big and small. No one would do it if it did not work.

Of course, there is also the statistic that four out of five new businesses fail within the first five years of being open. To avoid becoming one of those types of statistics, use the smart marketing moves outlined here.

Discover your niche. I am talking about two niches here.

1. Figure out your niche in the marketplace amongst your competitors.
2. Figure out your niche target market. Once you find out how you are different than your competitors and what you can offer customers that other businesses cannot, you have a unique selling proposition (USP) that you can use over and over again in your marketing materials.

Now, who do you market to?

That is the second part of discovering your niche. You should have a narrow target audience, or target market, that you are trying to reach. The mistake most small businesses make from the start is to try to market to everyone. You cannot be everything to everyone. No one has succeeded with that line of thinking.

Use color in your marketing materials. Full color brochures and flyers are much more appealing and eye-catching than black-and-white ones. Color printing might seem expensive, but compared with television and radio commercials, it is actually quite a bargain. Use brochures, postcards and flyers to advertise your business until you have enough money to invest in other types of media.

Gain expert status. How do you do this? Write articles, e-newsletters, contribute to online forums and anything else you can contribute your opinion on. Write emails to local television or radio shows and offer your time as an expert for any upcoming stories. You can also host seminars and workshops for people in the community. People would rather buy from an expert than someone they have never heard of, so get your name out there as a local expert.

Develop relationships with non-competing professionals. Swap business cards and stories with professionals in businesses that complement yours. A dry cleaner could develop a relationship with an alteration service, for instance. Both businesses probably have a similar client list, but they are not competing for business. They can be marketing partners: split the costs of advertising, keep brochures of the other company in each other's stores, etc. This is a great way to share resources without giving up a lot of money.

Ask for referrals from customers. Whenever you have a satisfied customer, give them your business card and ask them to think of you the next time someone they know needs a service like yours. Referral cards that sweeten the deal work really well: offer your current customers a credit of $25 or $50 for every referral card a new customer brings in with the current customer's name on it.

Janice Jenkins is a writer for a marketing company in Chicago, IL. Mostly into marketing research, Janice started writing articles early 2007 to impart her knowledge to individuals new to the marketing industry.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com

How to Market Your Way Out of Tough Times

Guest column by Patricia Fripp and David Garfinkel

There's gloom and uncertainty in the air, and most businesses are making a terrible mistake right now in their efforts to ride out the tough times. They're cutting back on marketing and waiting until the economy improves.

In an economy like this, cutting back on marketing is flirting with business suicide. What you should do instead is increase your marketing without increasing the amount of money you spend. This will not only protect you from sales declines, but will also strengthen your business against the threat of deep-pocketed competitors, who may see tough times as a great opportunity to outmaneuver you and grab some of your customers.

How do you get more marketing bang for fewer marketing bucks? By using proven lower-cost, higher-yield methods. Here are five sure cures for marketing woes in tough times:

1. Get back in touch with old customers. It's all too easy to ignore your old customers, but they are often your best source for new business. Sometimes sending a personal note, making a phone call or inviting an old customer to lunch is all it takes to rekindle a business relationship. If you want to do this through direct mail or email, you can give old customers a special "Welcome Back" offer - a freebie, a discount, or a bonus when they resume doing business with you.
2. Offer prospective customers a free sample. This is an obvious but often overlooked strategy that certainly can work for your business. Everyone from grocery stores (who offer tidbits of food) to high priced consultants (I spoke to one last week who snared a $10,000 personal coaching client by offering a free first hour) can use this strategy effectively. Don't think it will work in the corporate world? Hmmm... ever hear of a company called AOL?
3. Focus your advertising. Many businesses think "keeping your name in front of the public" is a valid advertising strategy. It's questionable at best, but it's way too risky and low-yield in tough times. Instead, make sure your advertising is only in publications that reach your best prospects, and - this is the most important part - make a specific offer and call to action to get readers of the ad to call you. One of my clients used this strategy and progressed from 10 lukewarm leads that wouldn't turn into customers, into signed contracts with 35 customers representing millions of dollars worth of business.
4. Let your customers help you out. Business is always a two-way street. Some of your customers who you've helped in the past will be glad to return the favor. Often, all you have to do is ask. Two things you can ask for: testimonials and case studies you can use in your sales presentations and advertising. Another way they can help you: by giving you referrals. And if you have an influential customer who's appreciative of what you've done, ask that customer to write and send an endorsed letter to others recommending your business. Offer to pay for the printing and postage, and help with the writing if necessary.
5. Give extra attention to high-integrity behavior. If you think you're the only one who's a little nervous about a lot of things right now, you're not alone. Recent tragic events have increased feelings of distrust across the board. To set yourself apart in the marketplace, go out of your way to conduct business in an especially trustworthy manner. Bend over backwards to be fair about refunds and exchanges. Do all you can to act in your customers' best interest, even if it means referring them to a competitor (if you don't think you're the best choice for what they want). High-integrity actions can hurt a little in the short-term, but payback is remarkably quick and well worth any sacrifice you may have had to make. If you get (or strengthen) a reputation for being trustworthy, that can be the most precious marketing asset of all in the times ahead.

This is also a great time to invest in sales training. If you would like to know more about how Patricia Fripp can help, see everything you need to make an educated decision www.fripp.com. Hundreds of companies can't be wrong!

David Garfinkel has been described as "the world's greatest copywriting coach." He's a successful results oriented copywriter and the author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich, which shows you exactly how to adapt proven moneymaking headlines to your business. Find out more about David Garfinkel here.

Best day/time to send your emails

This just came across my inbox from email marketing firm SubscriberMail... a lot of my clients are always asking if there is a "best" time to send out their email promotions, ezines, and other small business email. The answers you'll find below are very interesting and right on-target!

-- David Newman, Small Business Marketing Speaker

After all the time and testing that goes into producing a polished email message, a common fear among marketers is that when they send will have a greater influence on success than what they send. To an extent, these fears are warranted, but the idea that there exists any "right" day and time to send email is an easy trap to fall into. Instead, try keeping a few key points in mind the next time a last-minute image swap delays your email deployment and panic begins to set in.

Relevance Rules the Land

The most important question to answer before sending email to your mailing list is this: is the content relevant to the recipients? If the answer is yes, you've cleared the biggest obstacle between an average performance and a successful one. Remember, the majority of your subscribers receive email seven days a week from a variety of sources, and relevance plays the most important role in making your message stand out from the pack-no matter when you send.

The 3-day Work Week Has Yet to Catch On

Historically, Tuesday through Thursday have proven to be the days when the most commercial email is delivered each week, and with good reason; vacation days, summer hours and busy weekend schedules tend to put a dent in the performance of emails sent on Friday through Monday. However, this knowledge has scared many email marketers completely away from mailing on non-peak days, leading to three days of crowded inboxes around the world during the middle of each week. Some marketers try to send late at night in an effort to be "top of the inbox" the following morning, but this can backfire as many recipients delete non-work related emails as soon as they begin their day in order to narrow down the number of messages they need to sort through. If your emails' performance starts to slip, it would be worth sending to a portion of your list on a non-peak day to see how the numbers measure up. Arriving as one of a few unread messages in an inbox on a Monday might help your message stand out more than arriving as one of a dozen (or more) messages the following morning. Another testable approach is to schedule your deployments at off times rather than the top and bottom of the hour favored by many marketers.

Your Audience Is Busy

After all the testing and fine-tuning that goes into an email message, it's easy to forget the largest variable is the one that marketers have no control over-the availability of their subscribers. Refreshing your ESP's reporting tools for updates every five minutes after deploying a message would make sense if your audience was collectively champing at the bit in anticipation of your email, but the reality is that a significant amount of activity often occurs more than 12 hours after the initial send. For your busy subscribers, leaving a message unopened so they can revisit it when they have more time is one of the great luxuries of email. Give your metrics time to accumulate if they aren't where you want them to be shortly after a message deployment, and never sacrifice quality in the name of sending by a certain pre-determined time. Even if it means sending at the "wrong" time of day, taking extra time to make your message as attractive as possible is worth the risk.

Email Marketing Is Made for Flexibility

Remember that the power of email marketing lies in its ability to be customized and utilized in many different ways, and the day/time you send your messages is no exception. Unless your weekly e-newsletter is titled "Wednesday at 10:30 a.m." you have free rein to test the performance of your messages on any day at any time until you find the schedule that delivers the best results. Ask 10 email marketers for the best time of day to send emails, and you may get 10 different answers. They didn't figure out the best day and time to send email, they figured out their best day and time-and so will you.

For more information on this and other over-hyped email marketing issues, download our new white paper
"Don't Believe the Hype!: Focus Your Email Marketing Energy Where it Really Matters."

Small business marketing: How to Be an Expert in Your Field and Have Clients Coming to You

Guest column by Peter George

When it comes to marketing your services, two facts hold true. One is, when things are important to people, they buy -- or at least attempt to buy -- from a recognized expert. The other is, to be most profitable, you must differentiate yourself from your competition. One of the most effective ways to differentiate yourself is to be a recognized expert in your field. So why don't more people market themselves as experts? It's simple. It's only because they do not believe themselves to be worthy of the title.

Let's take a look at what an expert really is. It is not some mythical stature, achieved by a select few. The Oxford Dictionary defines an expert as "a person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area." Nowhere does it state that you have to be the absolute best at what they do. Take Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, for example. Is he an expert hitter? You bet. Is he the best hitter to ever play the game? No, but that doesn't make him any less an expert. Is Dr. Arun Singh at Rhode Island Hospital an expert cardiothoracic surgeon. Definitely. Is he the best in the world? Most likely not, but he is one of the very best in the New England region.

How to be recognized as an expert
First and foremost, you have to decide that you are, or will be, an expert. If you need additional knowledge, skill, or experience, get it. Read, take courses, give free services ... do whatever it takes to overcome what it is that keeps you from being an expert. Perhaps all you have to overcome is your fear of sounding pretentious. Don't give this a second thought. By using the word judiciously, this isn't a problem.

Although considering yourself to be an expert is the first step, being considered an expert by your target audience requires consistent demonstration of your expertise. Following are some of the ways you can accomplish this.

Here's one caution. Do not try to become an expert at everything. I often here people say, "I specialize in all aspect of my profession." I highly doubt that's true. Even if it is, does it benefit them? Would you want to have brain surgery done by a doctor who told you he is a neurosurgeon, cardiologist, otolaryngologist, and proctologist? Probably not.

Speaking
Speaking is an excellent way to showcase your knowledge, accomplishments, and abilities. The opportunities are almost endless. They include being a keynote or breakout speaker at conferences. You can produce your own seminars or do so with the help of your local Chamber of Commerce or other organization. The same is true for workshops. You can serve on a panel at your industry's meetings -- local, regional, or national.

Because there are so many opportunities, you might not know where to begin. My suggestion is that you look at your industry or a related field. If there are monthly meetings, do they have speakers? Are there special events where speakers are featured? Do chambers in other areas of the country invite people in your profession to speak, and if so, on what topics? Once you begin investigating, you'll be surprised at the number of possibilities that exist.

Writing
When I mention writing, people think of newspapers, magazines, and books and that their chances of getting published are slim. Even if that were true, there are many more avenues available to those who want to write about subjects they know well.

Let's discuss writing articles. To begin, you don't have to look any further than the Chambers of Commerce. They are often looking for well-written articles that they can use in their newspapers. You can also provide articles to your local newspaper and industry journals. Of course you can publish your own newsletter or write for someone else's. The correct option is the one that works for you.

Above are some of the outlets for articles on paper. Online vehicles offer you a completely new set of tactics. Just like the paper versions, you can write for your own newsletter (often referred to as an ezine) or for someone else who already has a list of subscribers or recipients. Another venue for articles is online article depositories and distributors. These are places where you submit your articles for review. If accepted, the articles are included in the databases. From there, people can either read them or actually use them in their online publications. This is done at no charge. How does this help? The people who use the articles agree to include your resource box. This is where you let readers know how they can benefit from your services or obtain additional information -- much like my resource box at the end of this article.

Writing a book or books is an extremely powerful way to demonstrate that you are an expert. Whether published by publishers or yourself, a book has long been the epitome of writing. Even accomplished news columnists are compelled to write books. And it's not as difficult as you may think. Let's say you have written a number of articles. Then you have the basis for several chapters in your book. And a book does not have to be lengthy. It can be as short or long as necessary to get its point across. You can also write an e-book, which is a short book that is made available for downloading online.

Other opportunities
The list could go on, but I will conclude with just a few more ideas. People who are interviewed by the press are looked at as experts. By prudently sending out press releases and becoming known to the press, you better your chances of being one of the people they turn to. Speaking of interviews, you may also make yourself available to other experts who are writing their own books or articles and need opinions and personal viewpoints.

Tips sheets and special reports make wonderful products that you can give to your prospects and clients or use as add-ons. These are generally rather short, but they once again indicate that you have sufficient expertise in your field.

Now you have several ways to be a recognized expert in your field. It's time to jump in and start swimming!

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Peter George is the marketing coach and recognized expert who is known for helping self-employed professionals attract more clients, make more profits, and have more time to enjoy life. Immediately download "101 Ways to Attract More Clients" at http://MoreClientsMoreProfits.com

Small Business Marketing 5 Great Ways to Get Referrals

1. Rewards programs. Give prizes/discounts/points for every referral. Points are nice since you can encourage multiple references and allow people to redeem points for free or discounted services with you, building repeat customers.

2. Useful info. Provide a newsletter filled with fun, funny, useful information (NOT corporate bumpf or sales pitches) and encourage customers to share it with friends and colleagues. Of course, you will have a single, effective sales/discount/introductory pitch in the newsletter.

3. Discount coupons. Give each customer three coupons, with their name/ID# on them (so they can't redeem the coupons themselves). The coupons will give new customers a discount on your services, so the existing customer is doing a nice favour for their colleagues or clients by giving these out.

4. Ask. You'd be amazed how willing happy clients are to refer you to other people. It should be part of your standard closing with happy clients to request that they let others know about their good experience.

5. Make it easy. Give clients the URL of that discussion board about your industry where people post about their experiences. Provide postage-paid postcards they can sign and drop in the mail to friends. Send them a well-designed e-mail outlining their savings/value that they can simply forward to people they think might be interested.

There. That's five. Do I get a cookie? How about a referral? <Grin>.

-- David Newman, Marketing Expert

Bob Parsons' 16 Rules for Business and Life

Just came across GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parson's list of 16 Rules for Business and Life and found these incredibly relevant to small business marketing and entrepreneurship. See if you agree with me (and mainly Bob) on these words of wisdom... 1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers." 2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity. 3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." 4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you." 5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be." 6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time. 7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages. 8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow." 9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves. 10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there. 11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place. 12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal. 13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare). 14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel." 15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are. 16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"

10 Proven Ways to Accelerate Your Profits

1. Make copies of your web site in many different languages. This'll allow foreign speaking people to read your web site and advertisements. 2. Give your customers a surprise bonus for buying. When you give customers more than they expect, there is a good chance they will buy from you again. 3. Send greeting cards offline or online to customers on holidays. You'll get the chance to increase your orders by including your ad inside the card. 4. Market your products or services to your target audience. For example, don't try to sell a football in a cooking magazine. 5. Give people the option of buying other products or add on products when they decide to buy your main product or service at the point of sale. 6. Think of new ways to attract people to buy your products or services. You could add on extra free bonuses, delivery options, payments options, etc. 7. Give other businesses the option of selling your product. It could be a simple joint venture deal or an affiliate/associate program. 8. Follow-up regularly with all your prospects and current customers. When people see your ad more than once they are more likely to buy. 9. Learn sales ideas from reading and studying other business' advertising and marketing material. It could be ads, brochures, tv ads, sales letters, etc. 10. Educate yourself with new strategies to increase your sales. You could take classes, subscribe to e-zines and magazines, read books or ebooks, etc.

Small business marketing 7 online strategies

Here are 7 inexpensive strategies you can use to jumpstart your Internet marketing even when business is slow and you've got more time than money: 1. Comment on blogs. Use Google Blog Search or Technorati to locate higher traffic blogs that your target market might read. Use a blog feed reader, like Bloglines, to receive regular updates on these blogs. Make it a part of your daily habit to read the updates each day and post thoughtful, relevant comments on those posts (not just "Hey, great post") where you have something to add. Adding your email signature file and your call to action is a no-no when commenting on blogs, so instead, use the name field of the blog comment form to your advantage. Instead of just entering your name, enter a quick nickname for yourself as well, such as Jane Smith Sales Diva or Holly Johns Marketing Maven. Compel those readers who have learned from your posts to check out your website. 2. Submit articles. If you're not busy working with clients, get busy creating content. Writing and submitting articles to major article directories will drive traffic to your site, establish you as an expert in your target market's eyes, and give you content to repurpose into information products. Tips-based articles, like this one, are the easiest to create, the easiest to repurpose, and are the easiest for the Internet surfer to digest. 3. Host teleseminars. With the vast availability of free bridgeline services, it's quite easy to hold a teleseminar. You can use one of your tips articles as your starting point, put together a description, list the teleseminar in various places online, and record your class. You've engaged your audience by delivering valuable content to them (part of the like, know and trust process), have added subscribers to your list, and have a complete info product that you can sell or make available to your website visitors. 4. Embrace social networking. No longer do you have to get dressed in your business suit, jockey for a parking spot, and pay a fee to attend networking events. Online social networking, like on Facebook and LinkedIn, can now be done from the comfort of your home office, with comparable results to attending a face-to-face networking event. Determine where your target market hangs out in the social networking arena, and create accounts with those services. Complete your profile and start making friends and connections. Ask, questions, provide answers, be helpful, and build your business. 5. Speak before groups. Have you created your signature speech or teleseminar that you can present whenever you're asked to speak to a group? If not, there's no time like the present to create one. Research groups that contain your target market both in your geographic area and online. Contact the meeting hosts and offer to speak to that group and provide the host with your signature speech descriptions. Make it as simple as possible for them to invite you to be the speaker. Once you've landed the gig, strategize your best call to action for the group -- do you want participants to sign up for your email list, purchase a product, or book a consultation? 6. Seek out strategic alliances. Brainstorm a list of business colleagues with whom you'd like to create some type of alliance. Make a phone call or send an email to set up a get acquainted (or reacquainted) meeting and explore the options of what each of you can offer to the other's business. Perhaps you can offer to interview your colleague and invite your list, or maybe you'll think of a project you can work on together. In slow times, who you know becomes more important than what you know, so make the most of your down time and create some strategic alliances. 7. Start a podcast or create a video. With the download of free recording software, like Audacity, or purchasing an inexpensive video camera like the Sony Flip, you can create an audio podcast or a video quickly an inexpensively from your home office, and list it in various podcast directories, like iTunes, or in video hosting sites like YouTube. If you're not sure what to talk about in your video or podcast, take a look at your articles and read one of those for your audience. Don't forgot to include your call to action for your listeners/viewers. A recession doesn't have to mean gloom and doom for the savvy business owner. Take advantage of this slower time and ramp up your Internet marketing efforts by using strategies that won't break the bank. You'll become better known, have content ready for information products, and become the "top of mind" expert in your industry.

3 Ways to Multiply Your Marketing Efforts

Guest column by Anne M. Obarski

Being contagious in the world of business is not a bad thing, it is a necessity. You have something the customer wants and you want them to do anything to get it.
However, if you haven't noticed, you aren't the only business that sells or does what you do. If you think you are, then just go "Google" your product or service and you will be in for a shock.

I believe that one of the best ways to get the customer's attention is through marketing. It is also one of the best ways to announce that you are "contagious"! Marketing is more than just advertising; it is the lifeblood of any successful business. I recently heard that we are exposed to 5,000 ads a day; from the size of a postage stamp to ads on floors and sides of buses. Let\'s focus on the three most important areas of marketing and those that "make us look"!

1. Classic marketing.

Newspapers, newsletters, postcards, and any other type of print advertising fall under the category of classic marketing. I heard a marketing professional offer the following strategy when deciding when and how to keep in touch with your customers. He called it 1-12-250. What it stands for is, once a month for every month of the year, keep in touch with a specific number of your customers. The number 250 could be 50 it could be 2,500 it could be 25,000, but I believe that number should represent your best customers.

If you choose only to use "classic marketing" techniques, then in January you would target newspaper advertising, in February you would send out postcards, in March you would publish your quarterly newsletter and the cycle would start over. Each month you would be in touch with your customers in some way. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.

2. Updated marketing.

E-mail, e-zines, websites, and any other technology based ways to stay in touch with your customers. These could easily fit into the 1-12-250 strategy and could be done monthly as well. If you are able to acquire your customer\'s email addresses, then this is an easy way to stay in touch. There are a number of great programs that allow you to send out your announcements to your customers and personalize the greetings. I receive ads and coupons from dozens of retailers and restaurants that I do business with and many times the savings are only for the "on-line" customers, like me.

E-zines are a form of a published newsletter. It is just another way to send important information about your products or services to your customer database. Both of these channels of marketing fall prey to the "delete key" just as the "paper" advertising can end up in the "circular file". The goal is to remain top of the customer's mind.

Along with email and e-zines is the most important, a current and updated website. A basic website stating how to get in touch with you, the products or services you offer and current contact information is critical. I believe that websites don't need to look like TV shows, they just need to be current and easy to use. Hire a high school kid or a college intern and your website can be up and running in days.

3. Cutting edge marketing.

Viral marketing, pod-casting, blogging and video email are all new additions to the marketing arena. These are all technology based and are becoming easier to use. Viral marketing is a savvy way to get your customers talking about you and doing it online. It creates a frenzy of activity and readers flock to a website or a "blog" just to find out what is going on with a person, product or a business.

Pod-casting is the new generation of listening to information as we have done in the past with audio tapes or CD\'s. You can produce your own podcast with important information you would like the customer to know about. It can be easily downloaded and listened to when ever and where ever the customer wants to. This can also be the future of training employees, especially the "Y" generation employees.

Blogging is a way for anyone to post their thoughts or ideas on the internet. Many people just use them as a way to be "published" but smart businesses use them as an informational as well as a lucrative selling tool. If you have a website you can allow people to click on a link that will take them directly to your blog so that they can "chat" with you. This makes the customer feel closely linked to the company.

Video email is one of my favorites. Technology is becoming so advanced and so affordable that we will be able to "see" the people we are talking to over the internet whether through pod-casting or email or web conferencing. What a great way to send your customers a video email saying, "Thank you for your order today, we couldn\'t be in business without great customers like you", and they received it within minutes of placing the order. Simple, inexpensive and something that the competition isn\'t doing, yet!

4. Old school marketing.

Be in stock and give great customer service! You might not have thought of this as "marketing" but it is what your customers talk about. According to a new survey by Accenture, 72% of their respondents reported that customer service had a significant influence on whether or not they buy something. More than half said that "helpful" customer service was lacking in stores.

Three-quarters of those surveyed said good product selection played a key role in their decision of where to shop, yet over one third said that having a limited selection was a problem.

The conclusion was made that those retailers that bridge this gap to offer better product selection and customer service can reap the rewards of improved sales and margins.

A business can do all of the fancy advertising and embrace all of the technological bells and whistles, but if the customer can't find the product or service that they need and much worse, can't find an associate to even talk to, you are wasting your marketing dollars.

Word of mouth marketing is powerful. It\'s what produces repeat and referral business and that\'s the contagious effect that every business wants to be a part of! Focus on using one or two items from each of the marketing areas discussed and your customer's will end up saying, "I see you everywhere"! Now that's contagious!

Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://marketing.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author:
Anne M. Obarski is The "Eye" on Performance!" Anne works with companies and organizations who want profit building strategies to keep their customers coming back! Contact Anne soon to present a keynote, break-out session or customized training for your next meeting. Sign up for her free ezine at http://www.merchandiseconcepts.com or email Anne at anne@merchandiseconcepts.com

How Self-Employed Professionals Can Flourish in the Recession

Guest column by Peter George

Recently, there has been a great deal of talk about the possibility of a worldwide recession. But is this something you should fear or manage?

You’ve probably heard or read some of the nerve-wracking headlines that have been leading the financial news. The gloom and doom includes "Caterpillar, Inc. Joins Other Large Corps Warning of Recession." "Broad Profit Woes Spark Stock Plunge On Recession Fears." "Shares Tumble as Fears of Recession Cap Gloomy Week." "CEOs, Wall Street Warn of Recession." If these were warnings about an impending blizzard, milk and bread would be flying off the shelves.

Is a recession indeed on its way? If so, will it be a mild one as some are predicting, or will it be a doozie as others suggest? In either case, how will it affect your business? When it comes to answering that last question, you have more say than you may think.

Time to get a bigger boat
Referring to the metaphor about a rising tide lifting all boats, a recession generally lowers all boats. But that doesn’t mean that your business is going to sink. In fact, a recession can prove to be an excellent time to work on getting a bigger boat.

Many businesses decide to cease most or all of its marketing activities when times get tough. However, you may discover that, as your competition reins in its marketing, you have the opportunity to take a greater share of your target market. Then, when the economy rebounds and the tide rises, you and your competitors all rise. The difference is that you have a bigger boat than you did before, i.e. a greater market share.

Profitability is more important than ever
Profitability should always be a concern. But when a recession hits, you have to be extremely aware of your profit margins. When they are too low, you find yourself struggling to a greater degree. But when they are at a healthy level -- even with lower revenue -- you have the means to promote your company in an effective manner. Your competition, however, is forced to market less ... wondering how you continue to push forward.

Start low-cost, high-return marketing now
There are a number of marketing tactics that cost little more than time, so they are perfect for businesses to employ during the good times and the slow ones ... as long they meet two criteria -- one is that they fit your overall strategy, and the other is that you can implement them consistently.

Several of these tactics are web-based, such as beginning a blog, consistently adding to your current one, and keeping your site fresh by frequently posting news. Another opportunity is adding an autoresponder to your site. An autoresponder delivered this message to you. (To add an autoresponder to your site, visit www.MoreClientsMoreProfits.com/more-clients-resources.html)

As Leonard Lardaro, Professor of Economics at the University of Rhode Island, recently wrote:
"Recessions serve a macroeconomic purpose -- they force firms and industries to be more efficient and thus profitable. Those either unwilling or unable to make required changes are ultimately forced out of existence."

Don't be one of the ones the go out of existence. By managing the effect a recession has on your business, as opposed to just reacting to it, you give yourself the opportunity to not only survive a recession, but thrive during and after it.

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Peter George is the marketing coach and recognized expert who is known for helping self-employed professionals attract more clients, make more profits, and have more time to enjoy life. Immediately download "101 Ways to Attract More Clients" at http://MoreClientsMoreProfits.com