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7 Ways to Successfully Promote Your Next Business Event

7 Ways to Successfully Promote Your Next Business EventIf you have consistent events to promote your business, you know that it can be challenging to get people to attend.  Here are some tips on how you can successfully promote your next business event:

  1. Create an online Event Page–  this page will be the central hub for the information about your event.  The event page will include the details of the event including date, time, location, RSVP ability, etc.  A great tool to use to create an event landing page is Constant Constant’s Essential Toolkit which includes the online event creation tool (used to be EventSpot).  Learn more…
  2. Send an event email to your email list-  Evites are great because they are easy and convenient.  You should send between 3 to 4 emails before the actual event.  The first email should be a “save the date” email, the second email should be the actually event invitation, the third should be a reminder email, and the fourth one should be a “don’t miss out email”. I recommend starting this series of emails four weeks before the event.  You can also use the Constant Constant’s Essential Toolkit to send event emails to your email list.
  3. Send an old-fashioned invitation in the mail  People receive so many emails that sometimes an e-vite can get lost in the shuffle.  Sending an actual invitation in the mail can be more costly (card, envelope, stamp, etc), but it is almost a guaranteed way to make sure people actually see your invitation.  A great tool to use to automate the sending of cards is SendOutCardsSendOutCards is an online greeting card and gifts company.  The system allows you to upload the information for your contacts, select an invitation from their card gallery, or create a card from scratch, customize and even personalize the card, and then it will be printed, stuffed, and mailed out to your contacts for you.  Learn more…
  4. Create an event on Facebook–  Facebook is a great social network to promote events.  When you create an event within Facebook, it makes it easy to invite people via Facebook, and also makes it easy to promote the event via Facebook.  You can include a link to your actual event page on the Facebook page, so everyone is directed to one event page.
  5. Create an event hashtag (#Event)–  Using an event hashtag helps to create a buzz for your event.  This especially works on social networks such as Twitter and Instagram, but can also work well on other social networks like Facebook.  It makes it easy for people to search for comments or pictures regarding the event, and is also a great way for people to start conversations about the event and make connections before, during, and after the event.
  6. Promote your event on several social networks  Although Facebook is one of the largest social networks, you can get a lot of success by promoting your event on various social networks where your target audience may exist like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, etc.  A great tool to use to automate your social media posts is hootsuiteYou can load all of your event posts in the system and schedule them to go out over an extended period of time on various social networks.  Learn more….
  7. Offer special event promotions-  another great way to get more people to your event is to offer a special incentive.  This incentive could be anything from a swag bag, to a special drawing, to a discount, etc.  People always like to know that they are getting something for FREE or they are getting a great deal.

What techniques do you use to promote your business events?  What other tools would you suggest that helps to promote events?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 7 Ways to Successfully Promote Your Next Business Event  |  in Uncategorized

Top 7 Types of Events That Can Grow Your Business!

Event Marketing ImageWhen it comes to growing your business, it is important to have consistent events to showcase your product or service.  There are many types of events that you can have to increase brand awareness both online and offline.

Here are 7 types of events that can help to grow your business:

  1. Tele-seminars–  Tele-seminars may not be considered a typical business event, but it is a great way to grow your business and your email list.  The great thing about tele-seminars is that they are fairly easy to implement.  All you really need is a telephone and a conference line!  There are tons of conference call companies that can host hundreds of people on the line at one time.  Tele-seminars give you an opportunity to educate individuals on your particular product, service, or industry.  They are also a great way for you to introduce your program, product or service as a solution within the marketplace.  Some conference call tools include:
  2. Webinars  Webinars are online events that are great to increase your brand awareness and provide value to your community.  Webinars are a little more technical than tele-seminars because of the need to show the visuals via a website, but with so many easy to use webinar tools it’s not difficult to host a webinar for your business.  Webinars are a great way to educate your community and provide value while promoting your business, service or product.  Some webinar tools include:
  3. Grand Opening Events–  If you have a physical store front, or an office that is open to the public, having a grand opening event is a great way to announce yourself to your local community.  Most chambers of commerce offer grand opening ceremonies for local businesses that are new to the area and are members of the chamber.  The grand opening event is a great opportunity to showcase your business, products, or services to the local community.
  4. Launch Parties–  If you are launching a new website or new product line, why not have a party to let everyone know about your new product or service?  Launch parties are a great way for people to learn more about your product or service and also create a buzz about your business.
  5. Customer Appreciation Events–  Showing your customers how much you appreciate their business by having a special event to thank your customers is a great way to get repeat and referral business.
  6. Workshops/Seminars  No matter what type of industry your business may be in, hosting an educational workshop or seminar and giving good tips, tools, and techniques on how people can use your product or service can be very beneficial for a company.
  7. Conferences/Expos–  Hosting a large conference can be a lot of work, but it is definitely a way for you to grow your business.  Every industry has annual conferences and expos, and people are always looking for ways to learn more and to network within their industry, so creating a conference or expo is a great way to grow your business.

Are you consistently having events to promote your business?  If so, what events are you having?  What other types of events would you add to the list?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Top 7 Types of Events That Can Grow Your Business!  |  in Uncategorized

7 ways to use Relationship Marketing to grow your business

According to dictionary.com, Relationship Marketing is a marketing strategy in which a company seeks to build long-term relationships with its customers by providing consistent satisfaction.  There are several ways that a company can provide consistent satisfaction by using Relationship Marketing tactics.

Here are 7 ways to implement relationship marketing tactics in your business:

  1. Offer EXCELLENT customer service.  When a customer purchases a product or service from you, you should go above and beyond to make sure that the customer is happy with your service.
  2. FOLLOW-UP after the purchase–  Many companies do not do this, so it will put you way above the rest if you decide to do this.  Depending on the product or service you offer, be sure to follow-up with the customer a couple of weeks after the purchase to ask them how they are enjoying the product and to see if they have any questions.  This is a great opportunity for you to build up trust and loyalty with your customer.  Some people don’t want to do this in case the customer has a compliant about the product or service.  However, I think this is  a great way to reach out to them and solve the issue if they do have one.
  3. Send a customer satisfaction SURVEY–  In addition to a follow-up phone call or email, sending a customer satisfaction survey to get feedback on how they felt your company’s customer service was is a great tool for you to show that you care about the type of service being offered, and to get valuable feedback and shed light on areas in your service that may need improvement.
  4. Send a “Thank You for Your Business” Card–  This may seem old-fashioned, but it is a way for your company to really stand out by sending each customer a “Thank You for Your Business” card in the mail.  It shows your gratitude for their business and solidifies the new relationship.
  5. Send an “Anniversary” card or email  This is  a great way for you to stay top of mind.  Send your client an email or card that marks the anniversary date of when they used your service or purchased your product.  An anniversary card or email is also a great way to send a special offer that encourages repeat business (i.e. $10 off your next purchase, 20% off, etc.)
  6. Send a Birthday card-  This is a nice way for you to stand out.  Most people no longer receive cards in the mail for their birthday, so receiving a card from your company is a nice way to stand out and stay top of mind with your customer.
  7. Send a Holiday card and/or email–  There are several holidays that many people celebrate throughout the year.  Sending a special email or card to your customers on the holidays is a great way to stay top of mind.  Adding a special holiday offer (i.e. $10 off your next purchase, 20% off, etc.) can be a nice touch.

Do you use relationship marketing in your business?  If so, what other strategies do you use to implement your relationship marketing?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 7 ways to use Relationship Marketing to grow your business  |  in Uncategorized

7 Surprising Ways to Get Repeat & Referral Business

It is a fact that one of the best ways to grow your business is by building the relationship that you have with your current customers.  Most small businesses overlook this fact and concentrate on new customers and new business, but don’t neglect your existing customers because they can really help you grow your business.

In this blog post, I will cover 7 surprising ways you can get repeat and referral business from your current customers:

  1. SendOutCards-HappyBirthdaySend your customers a birthday card. Yes, I am talking the old fashioned in the snail mail birthday card.  Now a days, so few people take the time to send family, friends and customers physical cards that it would be a welcome surprise for your customer to receive a card from you.  Depending on the size of your customer database, this could be an expensive undertaking, so I suggest if you cannot send a birthday card to every customer, make sure that you send one to your most loyal and repeat customers.  It’s a great way to show that you care about your customers, and it’s a great opportunity to add a special offer for additional products or services.  I get a birthday card and a $10 off gift card from a popular women’s apparel store every year, and most of the time I go in the store to use my gift card.  I am pretty sure this strategy is working for this retail store because I continue to get a card every year.
  2. Send your customers an anniversary card.  You should have the date that your client started using your services on file, so wouldn’t it be great if you sent an anniversary card close to the anniversary date?  It is a great way to stay top of mind, and to stand out in your client’s mind.  An auto dealership used this strategy and sent out anniversary cards to all customers who had purchased a vehicle from the dealership each month.  The card included a discount to use their auto parts & service department.  It was a great way to strengthen the relationship with the customer and get them to come in for additional services.
  3. SendOutCards-ThankYouSend your customer a “Thank You for Your Business” card.  Whenever you close a deal or get a new account, it is the start of a new business relationship.  Why not show your customers how much you appreciate this new relationship and send a thank you for your business card.  You will be surprised how this can make you stand out as a business and strengthen the new business relationship.  Paying attention to the little details also makes customers more encouraged to send referral business to you because they know you will treat the person who they refer with as much care as you have treated them.
  4. Send your potential customer a “Thank You for Your Time” card. Sometimes you may not get the business on the first appointment.  That’s why it is important to follow-up with the prospect with a card thanking her for her time.  This will allow you to stand out and when the customer is ready to make a purchase because you took this additional step, your chances of being the one to get the business is much higher.
  5. SendOutCardsSend your customers holiday cards.  Whether it is one of the popular holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, Independence Day, or one of those less popular holidays like President’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, etc.  take the time to send your customers a holiday card for the holidays that you feel would be appropriate.  I know I have said this before, but people just don’t get a lot of cards anymore, so receiving a card from your company on a special holiday can really make your company shine!
  6. Send a customer a life milestone card.  Sometimes you may know of a special event that occurred in your customer’s life, like the birth of a grandchild, or the graduation of a child, or an engagement or marriage.  Whatever the special occasion may be, sending a nice card to your customer to recognize the milestone is  great way to build the business relationship and for you to stand out as someone who cares about your customers.
  7. Send your customers a special invitation to an upcoming promotional eventHaving consistent events to promote your business is always a smart thing to do, but making sure you send a special invitation to your VIPs, loyal, or repeat customers is sometimes overlooked.  Receiving an email about an event can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, so sending an invitation via the mail can help your event to stand out and will keep your company and the event top of mind for your customers.

You will notice that the common element for each one of these tips is to send a card!  A great system to use to automate the sending of cards and gifts for your clients is SendOutCards.  SendOutCards is an online system that allows you to select a card, customize the card, add the contact information for the recipient or upload a list of contacts, and hit send.  The card will then be printed, stuffed, and mailed to the recipient(s) all by the click of your mouse.  In addition, you’re able to keep track of all the cards and gifts that you send because the system keeps a record of everything for you.

For more information go to www.SendOutCards.com  If you decide that you want to use the system to send your cards and gifts, you can use id#155454 to join.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 7 Surprising Ways to Get Repeat & Referral Business  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Events, Event Marketing, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

How to Create a SIMPLE & 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:

  1. 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!

  2. 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. žImagine 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!

  3. 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!

  4. Why should they buy from you and not your competitors?  žWhat 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. 

  5. 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). žPlaces 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.

  6. How do you reach your target market?

    Are you reaching out to your target offline through networking, advertising, media, or žonline through your website, social networks,blogging, etc.

    You should have several ways both online and offline to reach out to your target market.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.  žKnow the best keywords and buzz words to use in your content.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on How to Create a SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan  |  in Uncategorized

Do you have a business MAP?

Blog Image-  Business MAPWhen 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 on Do you have a business MAP?  |  in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

Are you practicing “RAM” in your business?

When-you-fail-to-PLANWhen it comes to marketing, most people know it is an important part of business, but not everyone takes the time to fully understand and implement their marketing activities.  Therefore, they practice what I have heard referred to as “Random Acts of Marketing” (RAM).  This is when you try this marketing activity and see if it works, then try that marketing activity, and so forth, and so on.  This is the worst type of marketing effort, in fact, it reminds me of the saying when you fail to plan, you plan to fail and that is why having a Marketing Plan and someone who will keep you accountable to execute that plan is very important for a small business owner.

The first step to stop RAM in your business is to create a Marketing Plan.  When I casually talk to various business owners at networking events, I ask them if they have a written marketing plan and most of the time people do not have a written plan.  It’s good to have an idea of what you want to do for your marketing, but a written marketing plan will help you to get clarity in several key areas of your marketing including your target market, the solution that your product or service offers your specific target market, and how you can successfully reach and convert members of your target market into paying customers.  When you have clarity on your marketing, then you have clarity in your business, so let’s look at each section in more detail:

KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET IN DETAIL

The biggest thing I hear a lot of business owners say is,  “anyone could use my product or service”, but “anyone” is not a specific market that you can reach out to and create a strategic marketing campaign.  The smarter thing to do would be to pick a specific group or groups of individuals who are looking for a solution to a specific problem that your product or service offers a solution for.  Get to know that market inside and out.  Not just the typical demographics of age, gender, income level, etc., but know the psycho-graphics, what they tend to believe, what hobbies they tend to like, the places they like to go, etc.  This is smart marketing and helps a company to achieve better results.

KNOW WHY YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE IS THE “IDEAL” SOLUTION

Once you full understand the needs of your target market, the next step is to let your target market know why your product or service is the ideal solution.  Unless you live in a bubble, there are probably other people out there who do what you do, so you have to be very clear on what makes you different and ultimately what makes you better, which will encourage people to use your products or services instead of your competitors

KNOW WHERE YOUR TARGET MARKET “HANGS OUT”

Now that you know your target market, you know what their problems are and you know why your company is the ideal solution, now you need to let them know you are available to help!  The best way to do this is to find places where your target market hangs out in large quantities and to stand out as the ideal solution for their needs.  This can be done in both online and offline.

KNOW THE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY TO CONVERT YOUR PROSPECTS TO CLIENTS

A lot of marketing involves psychology.  It involves getting in the mind of your target audience, understanding their needs, desires, fears, etc. and showing up as a solution through varies marketing activities and using the appropriate terminology to attract your prospects to your business, product or service.  It’s one thing to be at the right place at the right time, but it’s a whole other thing to be at the right place, at the right time, saying the right things!

The second step to stop RAM in your business is to have accountability.  When I say accountability, I mean someone either internally or externally that is responsible for making sure that your marketing plan is executed successfully.  In most medium to large companies a Vice President of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, or Marketing Director is the person that is held accountability for the marketing activity of the company, but for smaller businesses that don’t have various departments or the person who is a Entrepreneur or a one man show, he or she tends to add the role of Marketing to the many additional titles and roles that need to be done in the company.  The problem with this is that it can be overwhelming at times to manage all the marketing activity and the day to day management and operation of the business, and sometimes the marketing activity falls to the side.  That’s why outsourcing some marketing activity to individuals who can assist you can be useful.  This could include getting help for some of the strategic marketing planning from marketing experts, and outsourcing some of the marketing activities to individuals who can assist you including:

HIRING A MARKETING COACH

A marketing coach can help you go through the necessary steps you need to take to write your marketing plan and help you to put together a marketing calendar to make sure you schedule out your marketing activity.  A coach can also help you to get clear on who you really  need to be targeting since most people feel they should be targeting everyone (WRONG!).

HIRING A MARKETING CONSULTANT

A marketing consultant can assist you with looking at your overall business and determining the best type of marketing strategies, systems, and support you will need to accomplish the goals that you would like to achieve.

HIRING A MARKETING ASSISTANT

A marketing assistant can help with getting those marketing activities done.  Let’s face it there are only a certain number of hours in the day and having someone available to accomplish those necessary daily, weekly or monthly tasks needed to execute your marketing can be very useful.

So in conclusion, in order to stop practicing Random Acts of Marketing (RAM) you must put together a marketing plan and execute your plan!  If you are unable to execute all aspects of your marketing it may be a good idea to get some help from a coach, consultant or assistant.

How do make sure that your company is not practicing RAM?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Are you practicing “RAM” in your business?  |  in Uncategorized

How to Pick a Social Media Management Tool

When it comes to keeping up with managing and measuring your business social media networks it can be overwhelming at times, that is why a social media management tool is essential to keep your social media activity organized, scheduled and current.

Here is a look at three of the most popular social media management tools:

HootSuite

HootSuite is a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard. This tools allows you to schedule messages and tweets, launch marketing campaigns, identify and grow audiences, and distribute targeted messages using HootSuite’s unique social media dashboard.

You can also streamline team workflow with scheduling and assignment tools and reach audiences with geo-targeting functionality. You can also invite multiple collaborators to manage social networks securely, plus provide custom reports using the comprehensive social analytics tools for measurement.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+ Pages
  • Foursquare
  • WordPress
  • And more…

In addition, HootSuite offers a suite of social content apps for:

  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • Tumblr
  • And more…

COST-  HootSuite has a FREE account and paid packages with additional features start as low as $8.99/month

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media management software for business.  It’s a management and engagement platform for social businesses.  This tool allows you to engage, publish, analyze, and monitor across several social networks.

Sprout Social allows you to reach your audience across networks and promptly reply to your customers.  It makes it easy for teams to keep tabs on conversations and effectively engage at all times.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+ Pages

COST-  Sprout Social offers a 30-day FREE trial and the lowest paid package is $39/month after the trial period.

Social Oomph

SocialOomph.com is a service that provides free and paid productivity enhancement services for social media users. Easily schedule updates, find quality people to follow, and monitor social media activity.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feeds
  • Blogs
  • Plurk
  • App.net

COST–  Social Oomph has a FREE account, and offers a FREE 7-day Social Oomph Professional trial, paid packages start at $17.97/bi-weekly

The key to finding the best social media management tool for you is to understand exactly what  you are looking to do on your social networks and identify which management system will allow you to automate and simplify these tasks.

Are you using a social media management tool to manage your social networks?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on How to Pick a Social Media Management Tool  |  in Uncategorized

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:

  1. DEMOGRAPHICS–  this is a description of your target market that includes factors such as age, gender, income level, marital status, ethnicity, etc.
  2. 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 on How to reach your IDEAL Target Market  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized

Learn How to Create a SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan

marketing-strategy-planYou 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:

  1. 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!

  2. 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. žImagine 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!

  3. How does your product or service solve that problem?

    žBe 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!  

  4. Why should they buy from you and not your competitors?

    žWhat 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.

  5. 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). žPlaces 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.

  6. How do you reach your target market?

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

  7. 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.

  8. 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.  žKnow the best keywords and buzz words to use in your content.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Learn How to Create a SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan  |  in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized