| Do you need to get more clients? Are you trying to | | | | immediately! |
| get your first client? Is your marketing budget | | | | 5. Get involved online. |
| equivalent to the cost of a Happy Meal? The | | | | Find out where your target audience hangs out and |
| following tips and techniques are not by any means | | | | participate in those online discussion groups and |
| hidden secrets, but they are some of the most | | | | forums. Yahoo Groups is a great place to find a wide |
| overlooked ways to market a small business today. | | | | variety of discussion groups. Several business owners |
| 1. Know your target audience. | | | | also belong to Ryze -- an online networking forum. By |
| As silly as it sounds, many small business owners kick | | | | consistently offering your help to others, you will |
| off a marketing campaign without regard to whom | | | | position yourself as an expert that others will turn to |
| they want to target. If you send out a coupon for | | | | when the time is right for them. |
| NASCAR tickets to the first 1,000 people in the | | | | 6. Get involved offline. |
| phone book, some will undoubtedly be thrilled and will | | | | Getting involved with local organizations can help to |
| do what's necessary to earn the tickets (akin to | | | | build your reputation as a "doer", a "go getter" or |
| dropping 1,000 mailers from an airplane -- some will hit | | | | just a really dependable individual (all things which will |
| the target). But just imagine the response rate if you | | | | help your business). Just remember that you are |
| sent out the same 1,000 NASCAR ticket coupons to | | | | representing your business in everything you do and |
| only those people who attended a NASCAR event in | | | | act accordingly. |
| the last year. You've gone from wildly shooting to | | | | 7. Word of Mouth/Referrals. |
| steadily aiming your campaign, thus increasing your | | | | We've all heard the saying that a happy customer |
| response rate and decreasing your cost per | | | | tells somewhere between 1 and 3 people about her |
| customer. | | | | experience while an unhappy customer tells up to 12 |
| 2. Publish an e-zine (or newsletter). | | | | people about hers. Keep your customers happy, ask |
| Publishing an e-zine or print newsletter (even as short | | | | for feedback as to what you could do better, and |
| as a page) is a great way to keep in touch with your | | | | once you know they're happy, then ask for a |
| customers and clients. You can produce one online | | | | referral. People generally are willing to help those they |
| using a program such as Constant Contact for little | | | | like. |
| to no money and can even set your e-zines up in | | | | 8. Use postcards. |
| advance using easy-to-understand templates. | | | | Whether you are an online-only business, a brick & |
| 3. Have a website and keep it updated. | | | | mortar establishment or a hybrid, you can effectively |
| All businesses, no matter your size or field, need a | | | | use postcards to market your business. Postcards |
| website these days. You can get a domain name for | | | | are easy to do, inexpensive to mail and have a high |
| as little as $2.95/year and, using templates, have a | | | | readership. Many people associate postcards with |
| basic design done in a few hours. Once your | | | | personal notes from friends and family and don't |
| customers, clients, and potential customers and | | | | even think before they turn it over to read the |
| clients have visited your website, they will find fresh, | | | | message. With this method, you have already gotten |
| quality content in the form of new e-zines, articles, | | | | into the hands of many people that wouldn't take |
| blog posts and tips. This will keep them, and the | | | | the time to open junk mail. |
| search engine spiders, coming back for more. | | | | 9. Have others do it for you or with you. |
| 4. Opportunity is calling. | | | | Never underestimate the power of cooperation and |
| While not usually viewed as a marketing technique, | | | | reciprocal agreements. Is there a vendor that has a |
| answering the phone and follow-up is critical in this | | | | related, but not directly competitive, target audience |
| day and age of limited valuable time and impersonal | | | | to yours? If so, form a strategic alliance where you |
| service. Have you ever called someone only to not | | | | recommend his products/services and he |
| get a call-back or sent an email and waited days for | | | | recommends yours. For example, a movie theater |
| a response? More clients and prospects become lost | | | | and a restaurant could share customer information |
| revenue these days due to inadequate, or | | | | and play off each other for promotions. |
| non-existent follow-up. If you receive a phone call | | | | While many of the above tips and techniques will |
| from a prospective client or from an existing client, | | | | arouse the "DUH" response, it's constantly surprising |
| call him back as soon as possible or, better yet, | | | | to me how many businesses |