Tag: marketing

Marketing tactics to try in 2016

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In the war to win new business and new customers and clients, it’s essential that entrepreneurs keep up to date with the latest marketing tactics that are favoured by those in the know. When you’re running your own business though, it goes without saying that you’re going to be pretty busy. You simply don’t have the time to dedicate huge chunks of your day to finding out what could work for you, so it pays to get a little guidance. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place! Let’s take a look at the approaches that are set to be big news in 2015.

Podcasting

In the past 12 months, podcasting has really taken off. It’s been around as a medium for years, but it’s only recently that marketers and big brands have started to sit up and pay attention. This could perhaps be attributed to the runaway success of Serial, a weekly series that examined a murder case from 1999. It racked up 5 million downloads. The sponsorship deal that MailChimp managed to strike up was regarded as one of the biggest marketing wins of 2015. In short, people are listening to podcasts, and it gives you a fantastic opportunity to connect with your audience. You’ll need to create exceptional content that adds value for your listeners if you want to make sure you’re heard, but keep in mind that you’re an expert in your field, and you have plenty to share. It’s just a case of getting creative and stepping outside of the box.

Video marketing

If you aren’t creating videos as part of your marketing strategy, you could be missing a trick. Many businesses, from small one-man start-ups to huge multinational corporations, are taking their seat at the table, and using this method to connect creates deeper relationships with their prospects. You could demonstrate your products, share tips and techniques, or simply share the story of your business. The great news is that it can also be pretty easy. You don’t need a huge budget, or any advanced equipment. These days, you can get started using most laptops and PCs, and your clips can be shared in seconds using YouTube.

Traditional networking events and exhibitions

In a time when there’s so much hype about online marketing tactics, it’s easy to forget that sometimes, the old approaches can be just as good. If you’ve previously had great results from attending events, armed with lanyards and banners and lead generating tactics, then why would you want to abandon your existing strategy? Though it’s always wise to experiment and keep up with the times, use your common sense and continue to develop in the areas that are already bringing in the cash. Be sure to keep your eyes open for new opportunities, such as recently set-up networking events catering for your industry in your local area.

There’s no uniform approach that’ll work for all businesses, so it’s essential that you try new things, assess your results, and build upon your successes. Avoid complacency, and don’t be scared to try new things and take calculated risks. The key here is preparation. Carefully plan your strategy, and get everything in order. Need items like stationary and lanyards? Order them today! The companies that take quick action are likely to come out on top.

Are you ready to create a marketing strategy that will deliver the results you need over the coming weeks and months? Which of these tactics will you be adding to your toolbox?

Marketing tactics to try in 2015

Posted on

In the war to win new business and new customers and clients, it’s essential that entrepreneurs keep up to date with the latest marketing tactics that are favoured by those in the know. When you’re running your own business though, it goes without saying that you’re going to be pretty busy. You simply don’t have the time to dedicate huge chunks of your day to finding out what could work for you, so it pays to get a little guidance. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place! Let’s take a look at the approaches that are set to be big news in 2015.

Podcasting

In the past 12 months, podcasting has really taken off. It’s been around as a medium for years, but it’s only recently that marketers and big brands have started to sit up and pay attention. This could perhaps be attributed to the runaway success of Serial, a weekly series that examined a murder case from 1999. It racked up 5 million downloads. The sponsorship deal that MailChimp managed to strike up was regarded as one of the biggest marketing wins of 2014. In short, people are listening to podcasts, and it gives you a fantastic opportunity to connect with your audience. You’ll need to create exceptional content that adds value for your listeners if you want to make sure you’re heard, but keep in mind that you’re an expert in your field, and you have plenty to share. It’s just a case of getting creative and stepping outside of the box.

Video marketing

If you aren’t creating videos as part of your marketing strategy, you could be missing a trick. Many businesses, from small one-man start-ups to huge multinational corporations, are taking their seat at the table, and using this method to connect creates deeper relationships with their prospects. You could demonstrate your products, share tips and techniques, or simply share the story of your business. The great news is that it can also be pretty easy. You don’t need a huge budget, or any advanced equipment. These days, you can get started using most laptops and PCs, and your clips can be shared in seconds using YouTube.

Traditional networking events and exhibitions

In a time when there’s so much hype about online marketing tactics, it’s easy to forget that sometimes, the old approaches can be just as good. If you’ve previously had great results from attending events, armed with lanyards and banners and lead generating tactics, then why would you want to abandon your existing strategy? Though it’s always wise to experiment and keep up with the times, use your common sense and continue to develop in the areas that are already bringing in the cash. Be sure to keep your eyes open for new opportunities, such as recently set-up networking events catering for your industry in your local area.

There’s no uniform approach that’ll work for all businesses, so it’s essential that you try new things, assess your results, and build upon your successes. Avoid complacency, and don’t be scared to try new things and take calculated risks. The key here is preparation. Carefully plan your strategy, and get everything in order. Need items like stationary and lanyards? Order them today! The companies that take quick action are likely to come out on top.

Are you ready to create a marketing strategy that will deliver the results you need over the coming weeks and months? Which of these tactics will you be adding to your toolbox?

Getting your clients to help you with your small business marketing

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Running a small business is never easy, and one of the biggest issues around running a small business is being able to market it effectively. This takes a lot of work, but because you are working so hard to keep the business afloat and running well, all the work that is required to market it sometimes falls by the wayside.

However, often the answer is on your own doorstep. There are ways to market your business effectively as long as you look for the key people that are able to bring you value in your marketing. These are your current clients. If you use their opinions and their perceptions well, they can become marketing agents for you.

All you have to do is contact 5 to 10 clients and ask them if they wouldn’t mind being part of a formal phone interview. In this phone interview you will gather information that you can use in your marketing efforts. It doesn’t take long to do, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to other marketing efforts. Here is what you have to do to make sure that it works well for you.

Get that letter out there first

First of all send out a letter to your current clients asking if it’s okay for someone from your company to contact them for a phone interview. It’s always important to ask for permission first, otherwise it could be a problem as people get annoyed with the contact.

Then, choose an interviewer from your company, even yourself, and get them to ask the following questions. The answers to these questions should help you to make changes in marketing.

Get your interviewer to ask, for example, what problem was it that the client had that they felt your company could solve? By identifying the problems that your company solved for them, you can use these in your marketing efforts in the future. You obviously solved the problems for a client, and you can do this again. By being able to articulate the problem carefully through this contact with the client, you have a much better value proposition.

Where is the value?

Ask your current clients to identify what they valued most about your work. If they are able to do this, then this means that you can show this value in your marketing efforts. Whether it’s putting a message on the lanyard that your employees wear to a company event, or even the content of an email marketing campaign. With the value clearly articulated, it is much more effective.

Then ask these clients if there is any aspect of your service that they think could be improved to make it much more valuable and attractive as an offering. This is the crucial question, because it means that they are able to articulate to you how you can improve your service. And obviously, a great part of marketing for any small business is a consistent improvement of the service you bring.

Don’t underestimate the power of your current client base for marketing ideas and extra support in your marketing overall. They can provide you with plenty of ideas and contributions as regards how you can improve your service, and they can also tell you what you are doing well at the moment.

You can express those ideas in your marketing, and therefore continue to improve the service that you offer overall. At the same time, you’ll be attracting new clients through marketing that clearly outlines and illustrates just what you can do for those clients. It’ll work wonders for your future marketing efforts, and add to the revenue that you bring into the company.

The foundations of marketing for small business owners

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Running a small business is hugely exciting, but it can also be a quick route to burning out. You’re likely to have most of the responsibility, from ensuring that clients and customers are happy with their purchases, making sure that they get everything on time, keeping them coming back for more, and of course, spreading the word about what you have to offer. Marketing is the lifeblood of your business, and without it, the future of your operations is on very shaky grounds.

Work out who you’re selling to

The biggest mistake that most small business owners make when they start a new marketing campaign is that they think just about everyone out there is their potential customer or client. You might have products or services with a really wide appeal, and that’s great, but if you try to please everyone, you’re going to end up pleasing no one. Instead, narrow it down as far as you can. Who do you really want to serve? Is it stressed out stay-at-home mums? Is it highflying business executives who are cash rich but time poor? Is it solo traders operating service businesses from their spare room? Once you get really focused, that’s often when the magic starts to happen.

Create your compelling marketing message

Now that you know who you’re targeting, it becomes so much easier to create messages that resonate with that particular group of people. You can get into their minds, and work out what you need to say that will really strike a chord with them. What are their worries? Their dreams? Their ambitions? Their fears? And what difference can you make with your products or services? When you can really get to grips with this, you’ll notice a shift in your marketing. Instead of having to chase after people, they’ll start to seek you out and come to you. Of course, you’ll also know exactly where these people are ‘hanging out’, both online and offline, so you can make sure that you’re putting your irresistible messages in the right places to capture their attention. It’s this easy once you know how!

Spend your budget only on the essentials

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to spend huge amounts of cash on a multitude of different things. Perhaps you’ve seen a marketing course that you think you really need, or you’re thinking about investing tons of cash into Facebook advertising, or you’re tempted by a deal that your local newspaper is running on advertising space. Often, these things aren’t necessary. With advances in the World Wide Web, there are low cost and free options available quite literally at your fingertips. Some things are non-negotiable though, so do set aside a little cash to pay for the essentials. For example, if you’re running an event, you’re going to need some promotional materials and perhaps some lanyards. That said, these things needn’t cost you a fortune. Keep a keen eye on your budget, and make sure you’re spending it in the right places.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with marketing, and end up burying your head in the sand, putting it off until ‘another day’. This approach will do your business no favours though, so why leave it any longer? The sooner you get started, the sooner you could start to see results. Use these tips as your foundations, and you really can’t go too far wrong. Creating a connection with the people who need what you have to offer needn’t be rocket science!