Marketing Archives - Page 15 of 17 - Nadine MullingsNadine Mullings

March

25 2014

Do you have a business MAP?

When you’re planning a road trip, it is important to map out your route and decide the best way to reach your destination. In the old days, when people went on long road trips, they would use an old fashion map to plot out the best roads to take, and to decide which route would be the shortest, the most scenic, or would have less traffic. Now a days, in the technological society that we live in, people have GPS systems in their cars or on their smart phones. These GPS systems help to guide them to their next destination. No matter whether you are using an old fashioned MAP or a GPS, it requires that you take action (drive) in order to get to your destination.

Similar to a road trip, navigating where you would like your business to go requires a MAP that will help you determine the next step to take, and the best way to go. I consider a MAP for your business to be a Marketing Action Plan (MAP). A MAP shows what action you need to take daily, weekly, monthly or yearly to get your business to your destination (whatever that destination may be for your business).

So how do you create a business Marketing Action Plan (MAP)?

Step 1- Determine where it is you want to GO.

The key to this step is to be specific in what you want for your business. For example, do you want to reach a certain amount of sales for the month? Do you want a certain amount of qualified leads? Do you want to have a certain amount of referrals per week? You need to be clear on exactly what your business goals are, before you can put a plan in place to reach it.

The key here is to set your goals before you start your trip!

Step 2- Determine the ACTION required in order to reach your goal

Sounds simple enough right? Now that you have determined what your goals are, what necessary steps and action do you need to take in order to reach your goal? It could be as simple as two prospect meetings a week, three follow-up phone calls a day, four networking meetings a month, etc. You have to work out the numbers that make sense for your business and take the necessary ACTION to reach those numbers.

The key here is once you know how many meetings, events, phone calls, etc. that it takes to get a closed sale, then you need to take the ACTION in order to achieve those numbers

Step 3- Create a PLAN

Ok, I know I say this a lot, but you really need to have a plan for almost everything you do in business, and this includes having a plan for the action you are going to take on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. Your plan is something that is forever changing, but you MUST have it in place in order to be successful and reach your destination. A Marketing Action Plan is different than a Marketing Plan. Check out my last post about creating a Marketing Plan. An action plan is more like your daily, weekly, or monthly “To Do” list that helps you to move forward to reach your ultimate business goals.

The key here is to have it in writing! It’s amazing what will happen when you take the things you have in your head as to what you need to do and put it on paper. Once you put it on paper, you are bringing it to life!

So in conclusion, much like when you go on a trip you make sure you have directions, a map, your GPS, etc. the same applies for your business, you must have a business MAP in order to successfully reach your destination. Once you have taken all the necessary ACTION, you can say, “I have reached my destination!”

Do you have a business MAP? What do you do to make sure you are taking daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly ACTION in order to reach your business goals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

February

09 2014

4 Reasons Your Business should be on Social Media

When it comes to social media for businesses, the question really isn’t if you should be on social media, but which social network your business should be on. There are so many social media networks out there that it can be hard to decide which social media network is right for your business, but for those business owners who are still undecided as to whether they should even be on any social networks, here are 4 reasons why your business should be on Social Media:

To Stay Top of Mind with Your Current Customers- Social Media is a great way to keep the conversation going with your customers. It allows your customers to be able to see another side of your business through the posts that you include on your social networks. This also helps to build a stronger connection with your customers. Statistics show that people who follow a company on social media are more likely to purchase than if they do not. Being in someone’s news feed is a great way for them to remember your business and when they are in the market for what you have to offer, your business will be top of mind.
To Reach New Prospects for Your Business– Social Media is also a great way to reach new prospects and potential customers. You can reach new prospects through two main avenues via social media:

Organically– When one of your followers or fans share your information with their networks, it gives your company an opportunity to be introduced to a new group of people. If they like what you posts you could also get some new followers and fans.

Paid– If you have a marketing budget, you may want to consider investing in some advertising on your social media networks because this allows you to reach individuals who are not current fans or followers and potentially get new fans and followers.

3. For Market Research– Social Media is a great place to conduct market research. No need to hire a market research company, you can question, survey and poll your followers on social media. This is a cost effective way of finding out the needs of your market and to make sure you are providing the right solutions.

4. To Remain Current– As much as we don’t like to admit it, customers kind of expect that your business will be on social media. You want to show that your business is current and involved in the newer ways to communicate. It’s kind of like when businesses first started to get websites, after awhile if you didn’t have a website your business did not look current or up to date, so it is important to stay current, which includes being involved in social media.

What reasons do you have for your business to be on social media?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Blog, Business, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media

January

15 2014

How to pick an Email Marketing Service Provider

Are you using email marketing for your business?
Are you trying to decide what email marketing service provider to use?

If you are using email marketing for your business, or you are considering using email marketing, you have probably found out that there are hundreds maybe even thousands of email marketing service providers out there. So how do you decide which one is right for you? It would be impossible for me to mention them all in this post, so I have narrowed it down to the top three that seem to be at the top of everyone’s list; MailChimp, Constant Contact, and AWeber. Based on the popularity of these companies, I decided to do a post that compares these companies on customer base, price and product features.

MailChimp

MailChimp has the largest customer base with over 4,000,000 customers according to their website. I suspect that their large customer base may have to do with the fact that they have a “Forever Free” product that allows small businesses to use their product and several of the main features for free as long as they don’t have more than 2,000 subscribers. In addition, if someone opted to upgraded to a paid account, MailChimp has the lowest priced monthly package of the three companies at $10/month.

Another advantage MailChimp has over the other Email Marketing Services providers is that they have several great features like automated list segmentation. Their system allows you to segment your email list based on several already defined factors that you can select or adjust (i.e. member rating, subscriber activity, location, etc.). MailChimp is also great if you want to upload an unlimited amount of images to use in your email. Constant Contact and Aweber have limitations on the amount of images you can upload to their systems or the storage size available for the images you upload.

MailChimp also offers the following features that neither Constant Contact or Aweber offer:

Event Triggered Autoresponders– this allows you to send a follow-up email to someone based on an action they have taken within your email.
A/B Testing– this gives you the option of testing elements of your email campaign to see which one works better via A/B testing.
Inbox Preview– this offers you the ability to preview your email and see how it looks over various email providers like gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is in the middle of the three companies with over 500,000 customers according to their website. They are also in the middle with price. They offer a 60-day FREE trial option, and their lowest priced package after the trial period is $15/month. One of the features that stands out with the Constant Contact email marketing product is the fact that they offer you an extensive Contact Management System that allows you to treat your list as not just subscribers, but contacts in which you can add additional information on each contact like the person’s phone number, address, special notes, social networks, etc. making the system more of a type of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) instead of just a list of subscribers. Constant Contact also offers its customers direct access to quality stock images to use in their email, but there is an additional cost for this feature.

In addition, although email marketing is their main product, Constant Contact offers a suite of solutions for small business owners (at an additional cost). Allowing you to create a dashboard of online marketing tools that complement your email marketing product. These tools include:

EventSpot- A tool to help you manage events online
Social Campaigns– A tool to help you grow your fans on social media
SaveLocal– Allows you to create offer deals to send to your customers
Online Surveys– Online Surveys, Polls, & Questions to get your customers feedback
And more…

Constant Contact also offers a lot of support. Depending on where you are located, Constant Contact offers many local FREE workshops and seminars to help educate the community about email marketing. Another great feature that Constant Contact offers is FREE coaching for its customers and phone-based customer service.

AWeber

AWeber comes in at the lower end as far as amount of customers served with over 120,000 customers according to their website. AWeber does not offer a free option or free trial, but does offer the first 30 days for $1. After the first 30 days the lowest priced package is $19/month. As far as features, an outstanding feature that is include in the AWeber email marketing system is the ability to convert your blog post into an email newsletter with the click of a button (MailChimp also offers this feature). AWeber also claims to offer some of the best email delivery rates in the business.

AWeber also offers customer service via phone 7 days a week (Constant Contact also offers phone support).

So the key takeaway from this analysis is you have to figure out what features are most important to you and select the company that has those important features!

Please see the chart below for a full comparison:

	MailChimp	Constant Contact	AWeber
Customers	Over 4,000,000	Over 500,000	Over 120,000
FREE Option	Forever Free	60-day Trial	No (first month for $1)
Lowest Priced Package	$10/month	$15/month	$19/month
Features of Lowest Priced Packages:
Subscribers	0-500	0-500	0-500
Emails per Month	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
List Features:
Contact Management System	Limited	YES	NO
List Segmentation Available	YES	YES- Limited	YES
Sign-up Forms	YES	YES	YES
Geolocation	YES	NO	YES
Email Features:
Customizable Email Templates	YES	YES	YES
Image Hosting	Unlimited	Limited (Up to 5 images)	Unlimited (Up to 10 MB)
Access to additional Stock Images	YES- via APP	Additional Cost ($5/month)	NO
Drag & Drop Editing	YES	YES	YES
Mobile Responsive Email Templates Available	YES	YES	YES
Autoresponder Emails	YES- New Subscribers and Event based	Limited- New Subscribers Only	Limited- New Subscribers Only
A/B Testing	YES	NO	NO
Inbox Preview for various Email Providers (i.e. gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.)	YES	NO	NO
Integration Features:
APP & Integration	YES	YES	YES
RSS/Blog Integration	YES	NO	YES
Social Media Features:
Share Email with Your Social Networks	YES	YES	YES
Social Follow Buttons	YES	YES	YES
Social Share Buttons	YES	YES	YES
Reporting/Archive Features:
Campaign Archives	YES	Additional Cost	YES
Reports	YES	YES	YES
Google Analytics Integration	YES	YES	YES
Customer Service:
Phone Customer Service	NO- Text or Chat Only	YES	YES

All information in this posts is based on information on the email marketing service provider’s website or obtained after talking to a representative from the company. Features are based on current (January 2014) information.

Disclosure: I have used both Constant Contact and MailChimp for my clients. I have not used AWeber. Although I like to feel that my analysis is not bias, I believe it is important to mention that I am a Solutions Provider for Constant Contact.

Posted by Nadine Mullings | 1 Comment | in Blog, Email Marketing, Marketing, Small Business

January

06 2014

4 Reasons Email Marketing is Key to Your Online Marketing Success

Are you using online marketing to promote your business?
Is email marketing a part of your online marketing strategy?

No matter what type of online marketing you engage in, blogging, social media, sales pages, podcasting, video marketing, etc. You will find that one key element that can help in the success of your online marketing is Email Marketing. Some people are under the impression that Email Marketing is dead and that nobody really reads email anymore. Although it may be true that most of our inboxes are inundated with email messages, and it is getting harder and harder to get people’s attention in a crowded email box, email still plays an important role in our daily communication.

So why is email marketing so important to the success of your online marketing? The simple answer is own, control, personalize, and act. So let’s look at these four reasons in detail:

You Own Your Email List– Compared to other online marketing mediums, email is one of the only mediums that allows you to own the information that you collect on your contacts. Therefore, the goal of your email list is to own a large list of people who are interested in what you have to say and are engaged with your brand. The larger your list is with engaged, interested subscribers, the higher your chances of successful email marketing. It is also important to use all of your online marketing channels to encourage your loyal followers, fans, etc to join your email list. As the saying goes, the money is in your list!
Control of the Visibility of your Content– compared to the social network platforms, email marketing gives you more control of who sees your information, and the actual information that they receive. Almost on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, some major social network is making changes to its algorithm, which influences, how, when or if your posts, tweets or whatever is being seen by the audience that you have on that network. Therefore, there is limited control as to how much of your information that your audience will see. Let’s face it, these networks are looking for ways to monetize every area, so the visibility of your posts will be less and less unless you plan to spend some advertising dollars. Take control of how often and what information your followers see by consistently sending valuable email marketing campaigns (the keyword here is valuable).
Personalization– Most online marketing efforts have a “one-to-many” feel. When we are on large social networks it feels like you are at an online event, or an online party and although the marketing messages are geared to be personal, it still feels public. Email on the other hand although it may be “one-to-many”, it feels more “personal”. Especially if you add various personalization throughout the email like the person’s name, business name, etc. This gives email marketing more of a stronger relationship building feel for a brand than other forms of online marketing.
Strong Calls to Action– Email Marketing is also the best place to use strong calls to actions and to inspire your audience to take the next step with your company. Whether that next step is purchasing, learning more, referring business or just having your company top of mind. After all the end results of good marketing should be consistent exposure, which leads to consistent sales.

Do you feel email marketing is important to the success of your online marketing? Be sure to share your comments below.

Posted by Nadine Mullings | 1 Comment | in Blog, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing

December

27 2013

When it Comes to Your Marketing Message, What You Say Matters!

When it comes to getting your potential customers to take ACTION and PURCHASE your product or service, what you say really matters! For a business to consumer (B2C) type of company, potential customers are more moved by emotional reasons rather than logical reasons for purchasing, so creating messaging that plays into the emotional side of the sale, really works well for a B2C type of business.

On the other hand, for a business to business (B2B) type of company, businesses are less interested in the emotional side of the sale and more interested in the cold hard facts and the bottom line!

So how do you make sure you are communicating your message effectively?

Business to Consumer (B2C)

Know the WANTS of your customers
Know how your customer FEELS
Know how your customer would like to FEEL
Show your customer how your product or service can make them FEEL
Show the BENEFITS of your product or service
Show other customers just like them who are enjoying your product or service

Business to Business (B2B)

Know the NEEDS of your customers
Know the PROBLEMS your customers may be having
Show how your product or service solves the PROBLEM
Show how your product or service can INCREASE the bottom line
Show other companies who have used your product or service and have found success

How you communicate to your target market can make the difference between SUCCESS and FAILURE. Use messaging that your target market can UNDERSTAND and RELATE TO.

What type of marketing messaging have you found to be successful for your business?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Blog, Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business

December

17 2013

How do you differentiate your small business from all of the rest?

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cynergy/2607120416/

Your small business is probably not the only business in the world that does what you do, so how do you differentiate your company from all of the other companies out there? The answer can be found in identify your unique selling proposition (usp). These are the things that make you and/or your company different, but sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what your unique selling proposition is? Follow these three tips to help you to differentiate yourself from the rest of the market:

KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY– the first step is to know what is going on in your industry. What is the latest and greatest thing out there. What changes have you seen in your industry? What has remained the same in your industry? How can you be an innovator within your industry? You want to make sure your company is doing things differently, don’t go with the flow, go against it! Most of the major brands out there became successful, by doing it differently or offering it in a different way. Apple did not get to be such a major brand by following the crowd and doing it the same way as the others in their industry, no Apple became a super brand by being innovative!
KNOW YOUR COMPETITORS– It helps to know what your competitors are doing, so you can be aware of what they are offering and how you can offer it in a better way. Nobody really likes to snoop around (well maybe some people do), but it helps to secretly shop your competitors and get to experience the way they do business. Sam Walton the founder of WalMart was known to be obsessed with his competitors, he wanted to know what they were doing, how they were doing it, when they were doing it, etc. so he could do it better!
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE– I know I probably say this in almost every post, but knowing your target market inside and out is really key in knowing the needs of your customers, and identifying what makes your product or service the ideal solution for your customer. McDonald knew that people wanted food quickly. They did not plan to be the best burger and fries out there, but created a system that offered reasonably good food (I know that is debatable) in a very fast way, which is what the consumers wanted!

So if you strive to be innovative, to do things differently than your competitors, and to know the needs of your audience, you are on the path to differentiate yourself from the rest of the market and becoming a successful brand!

What ways do you use to differentiate your small business?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Small Business

December

11 2013

How to reach your IDEAL Target Market

One of the first steps to any successful marketing campaign is to IDENTIFY your IDEAL target market. When it comes to identifying your ideal target market, there are two main factors that you should consider:

DEMOGRAPHICS– this is a description of your target market that includes factors such as age, gender, income level, marital status, ethnicity, etc.
PSYCHOGRAPHICS– this is a description of the personality type and interests of your target market and includes things like, values, beliefs, characteristics, hobbies etc.

Once you take the time to describe your target market, then you are better able to REACH your ideal target market!

The next step after defining your target market is finding out where your target market gathers in LARGE quantities both online and offline. This could include places like:

Associations
Clubs
Organizations
Conferences
Tradeshows
Networking Events
Meetup groups
Facebook groups
LinkedIn groups
Specific Social Networking Groups

Now you know WHO your target market is and WHERE they hangout, the next step is HOW to reach out to them, and this could include activities such as:

Sponsoring Events
Participating in Tradeshows
Attending Conferences
Speaking at Meetings
Joining Clubs & Organizations
Partnering with associations
Online Advertising
Adding to conversations on online groups

Once you know WHO your target audience is, WHERE they hangout in large quantities, and HOW to reach out to them, you are ready to start executing your marketing campaign.

What other techniques do you use to identify and reach out to your target market?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

December

02 2013

Learn How to Create a SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan

You may have heard that all small businesses should have a marketing plan, but did you know that very few actually take the time out to create one. The task of creating a marketing plan may seem daunting and intimidating, but you can create a simple and effective marketing plan by answering the following 8 key questions about your business:

Who is your target market?

You’ve probably heard this before, but it is VERY important to understand exactly who your target market is for your product or service. When it comes to understanding your target market, it is not limited to just knowing the demographics like the age range, gender, geographical location, income level, etc., but also knowing the psychographics of your target market. This includes items such as belief system, personality traits, attitude, etc. Once you understand the demographics and psychographics of your target market, then your marketing effort becomes much easier!
What is the problem that your target market has (as it relates to your product or service)?

List specific problems that your target market has as it relates to your product or service. Imagine how these problems make your target market feel stressed out, overwhelmed, uncertain, etc. Once you fully understand how your target market feels, you will be better able to communicate effectively to your target audience!
How does your product or service solve that problem?

Be sure to focus on how the benefits of your product or service solves their problems. You can mention some product features, but the benefits are what people are interested in. Benefits focus on the advantages i.e. your product makes a person look younger, become healthier, etc., and features focus on the characteristics of your product or service i.e. over 10 years on the market, fast acting, etc. Your message should be 80% about the benefits of your product or service, and only 20% about the features!
Why should they buy from you and not your competitors?

What is your unique selling proposition? These are the things that make you and/or your company different. Your customers want to know what makes you better than your competitors.The more able you are to effectively communicate why your company is the best solution, the better your marketing efforts will be.
Where is your target market?

You need to find out where your target market is located geographically and specific locations. This could include local (cities, counties, etc.), international (countries). Places could include associations, festivals, groups, organizations, etc.Find out where your target market is in large quantities, so you can reach them in large quantities.
How do you reach your target market?

Are you reaching out to your target offline through networking, advertising, media, or online through your website, social networks,blogging, etc.You should have several ways both online and offline to reach out to your target market.
When do you reach out to your target market?

Create a marketing calendar. Plan out the next 90 days, 6 months, to a year of marketing activity. Schedule your activity daily, monthly, quarterly, and stay organized.Plan out your marketing activity in advance in order to successful execute your marketing activities.
What do you say to your target market?

How you communicate to your target market can make the difference between success and failure. Use messaging that your target market can understand and relate to.Use appropriate messaging that your target market can relate to. Know the best keywords and buzz words to use in your content.

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

November

27 2013

3 Ways to Get Referrals from Your Current Customers

Are you currently offering your clients an incentive for referring someone to you? If you have customers who already know, like and trust your company, use that to your advantage by asking them to refer their friends, family, and colleagues to your company. Remember, people like to do business with companies that a trusted friend or family member has referred them to, so it is almost guaranteed business for you.

If you don’t already have a referral program, here are three ways to start a referral program.

1. Offer a Referral Incentive– You can offer the referrer a discount on your services or products for each referral that you receive that turns into business for you, or you can offer a visa gift card or a store gift card like Target, Starbucks, etc. Offering an incentive encourages people to actively refer business to you.

2. Create an easy way to submit a referral– For tracking purposes, I would suggested creating an online referral form where people can easily send you a referral online. A great free tool that you can use to create a referral form and track it is Wufoo. You could also have people call or email you directly to submit a referral, but you have to be sure that you have a way to track a referral that is submitted via phone or by email.

3. Promote your referral program. Just like anything else in your business, you have to promote it in order for people to know about it. You should promote your referral program on all of your communication pieces to your customers (i.e. your business card, your enewsletter, your brochures, your website, your blog, etc.)

Do you have a referral program? If so, what techniques do you use to encourage referrals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business

November

21 2013

3 Ways to Get Repeat Business by Rewarding Your Customers

A great way to get repeat business from your CURRENT customers is to start a rewards program. Rewards programs have become popular over the last decade or so in various industries including credit card companies, restaurants, and retail stores to name a few. Rewards programs are great because they encourage repeat business and increase brand loyalty. They don’t have to be complicated, you can create a simple rewards program for your customers.

Here are three types of rewards that you could offer:

Birthday Rewards– Send your customers gift cards on their birthdays. This is a great relationship marketing strategy to strengthen the relationship you have with your customer, and it is also a great rewards benefit because you are rewarding your customer’s loyalty by offering a special discount on the customer’s birthday.
Repeat Purchase Rewards– When a customer purchases from your business, show that you appreciate the business by offering some type of incentive to purchase again in the future. For example, you could offer, 50% off on your fifth purchase, and/or a FREE items on your tenth purchase, etc. You will have to have a way to ensure you are tracking the purchases accurately and that items are awarded at the appropriate time, but otherwise from that, this is a fairly easy type of reward to implement.
VIP Sales Events– Offer VIP Sales Events where your customers get a special offer only available to your VIP customers at a special sales event. This type of reward works well because it makes your current customers feel special because they are being offered something that the general public does not have access to, and it allows you to reward them for their loyalty.

Do you have a rewards program for your customers? If so, what types of rewards do you offer?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business