Hit the Digital Airwaves

Podcasts are hot right now. Consider making a podcast about your industry that will establish you as a professional in your field. Listeners will want to know more about your company and visit your site, resulting in sales!

Become an Expert!

Publish articles online in your field to secure your expertise. People who read your articles will visit your site, and because they feel comfortable with you, they'll buy!

Make Your Website Work for You

Does your website stand out? Does it make visitors stay to learn more about what you do? Does your site generate business?

If the answer to these questions is no, listen up. Your website is one of the most important marketing tools you have. You have to make sure your site is well designed and searchable.

Hire a Professional
Chances are, you are not a web designer. So why would you try to design your own site? Hiring a professional designer will ensure you get a top-quality website that will impress visitors constantly.


A professional will have great style and know techniques to maximize your website’s look. Usually a designer will present you with two or three different design options to choose from.

Optimize Your Searching
You’ve probably heard of Search Engine Optimization, but what is it?? It makes sure people can find your website when they don’t even know it exists. SEO works with keywords. When someone searches for “Houston dog kennels,” your kennel site will appear, if you’re using SEO.

Your designer should know how to effectively use SEO to increase traffic on your site. Ask what kind of traffic he’s generated for other websites to get a feel for what he can do for your site.

Jump on the Bandwagon
Search engines don’t automatically know you’re out there. On Google and Yahoo!, you can submit your link into the database of websites so that everyone can find you. Look on these websites for instructions on how to get listed.

Additionally, Google offers a local business tool, where your business can appear on a map. If someone searches for bookstores in the Orlando area, you can get your website for Brenda’s Books to appear!

Promotion is Material for Your Business

Do you have promotional material for your company? A brochure? Flyer? These are great resources in that they quickly tell a potential customer everything he needs to know about your company, and helps him instantly make a decision as to whether or not he is interested in your products or services.

That very instant quality of marketing collateral can be your downfall if you’re not careful. If you don’t properly highlight what makes your business great, then it will be a big waste of resources.

What’s So Great About Your Company?
Make a list of wonderful qualities about your company. You can include:

• Product Specs
• Awards Won
• How Much Lower Your Prices are Than Competitors’
• Service Benefits

Choose the ones you really want to focus on for your brochure, flyer or postcard. Word them in an appealing way (or have a professional writer do it).

Tie It All Together
Design (or have a designer create) marketing material that includes professional graphics that reflect what you do. There are great templates available online that let you customize beautiful designs. Tie in your marketing copy and make sure everything flows together.

Don’t forget to spellcheck!

Professional Printing
Don’t get this far and then print the brochures on your inkjet! Send the files to a professional printer or copy shop to make high-quality copies with vibrant colors and a smooth finish on premium paper.

Got a Design in Mind?

Logos are a great way to express what your company does, and who your company is! You can make yours stately, zany, cute, catchy or sophisticated. Your logo is what will stand out to people on your business cards, letterhead, envelopes and signs, so you want to pick the best logo for the job.

Consider Your Image
What do you want to portray about your business? If you run a law firm, you’ll probably want to show that your firm is professional and refined. A cutesy logo won’t cut it. If, on the other hand, you run a doggie day care, you want a logo that expresses the fun side of your business.

Make a list of 5-10 characteristics that represent your company. Then come up with image ideas for each one. If “classy” is on your list for your bar/restaurant, maybe a martini glass can signify that.

Get to the Drawing Board
Whether you’re designing the logo yourself or letting a professional do it, sketch out a few ideas that express the different facets of your business. Figure out how you want to incorporate your company name, or if you want to leave it out completely (think: the artist formerly known as Prince).

If you want your designer to do all the work, give her some concepts to get started and see what she comes up with.

Test Market
Get together three of your best logo samples and test them out on customers and friends. Make your final selection and start promoting your brand!

Down to Business with a Business Card

You’ve probably heard this before: your business card is your billboard. You want it to catch eyes and make people take notice. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should fill it with information! Remember: keep it simple.

Basic Info
Your card serves as your contact information holder. It should have your:

• Name
• Title
• Phone number
• Fax number
• Email address
• Website
• Address (optional)
  

Logo
Since you’ve already designed the perfect logo for your company, it should be a cinch to get it on your business card. Let the logo subtly dominate the card. No need for neon colors. If the logo is well-designed it will get people’s attention.

Going to the Other Side
The back side of a business card is a source of much debate. Some feel it should be blank so that people can make notes about you on it (“met Bill at Expo. He’ll call to set up meeting.”), while others are of the “make it useful” school. Some cards have calendars, coupons or appointment slots on the back for convenience. Decide what suits your needs best.

Off to the Printer
Nowadays, you can get business cards printed for next to nothing! This is great if you want to play around and have some cards with a coupon on the back, or some cards in another language for your foreign counterparts.

Just make sure the quality is what it should be. There’s nothing tackier than a poorly made business card with perforations on the edges!

Making Media Kits

You know your business inside and out. But how do others see it? Do you provide enough information for someone to make an informed decision about whether to use your services or not?

A media kit is the perfect way to package up everything that’s great about your business, and are usually for more high-end products and services (if you’re selling fast food, you can skip it). A media kit gives you the opportunity to brag about your company. It typically includes:

• Overview of the company
• Bios of management (if you’re more than a one-man operation)
• Product/service descriptions
• Benefits of services or products
• Press releases or relevant news
• Awards or certifications won
• Contact information

You won’t give everyone that walks through your door a media kit, just the people who are genuinely interested in what you do. You can go through the kit with them, using the material included as good sales points in a presentation.

Once a potential client walks away from your store or office, your media kit will follow them. It may sit on a desk, lost under piles of papers, but you can bet that when the time comes for that person to make a decision about what you sell, you will win out over competitors without media kits.

Interview With The Entrepreneur

The best publicity is free publicity. Or publicity that doesn’t appear to be downright advertising. Offer yourself up to a local radio or cable show for an interview as the local entrepreneur. You can get exposure in your community without paying for a tv spot!

Don’t forget these helpful hints for your interview:

• Prepare yourself. You may be able to give the interviewer specific questions you want asked so that you can target parts of your business. For instance, if you’re starting a new product line, request that the interviewer asks you about it. Come up with answers for any questions you might be asked, including your company’s history, what your company does, what your personal background is, products you sell, and how people can get more information.
• Make an impression. If you’re being interviewed on television, dress your best. You want to come off as professional, so forsake the overalls for a suit. If you’re doing a radio interview, be sure to clear the frogs in your throat before going live.
• Sell subliminally. Whenever you can, give little business boosts, like mentioning that you’re offering a special right now, or state your website address several times. Make it easy for viewers or listeners to get in touch with you.
• Leave a forwarding address. Give the radio or television station your contact info in the event that a listener or viewer contacts them for more information on your company.

Clever Marketing Campaigns

You’ve heard it a million times: “think outside the box.” But if everyone’s doing that, where does the box go? In marketing your company, you have to stay sharp and come up with unique ideas that will get people’s attention.

Here are some easy ideas to get you brainstorming.

More Than Direct Mail
Everyone gets junk mail – ahem, direct mail every day. How often do we really read the postcard or letter from a business? Rarely. But don’t give up on direct mail. What about sending a small gift to potential customers that includes a small note or letter pumping your company? If you have a targeted group of possible clients, you could send:

• Flowers
• Gift basket
• Pen, notepad
• Office toy
• T-shirt
• Coupon

You’re more likely to get feedback if the mail makes the recipient stop and pay attention.

Personalized Email
Just like our mailboxes, our email Inboxes can get flooded with advertisements. So as a business owner, how do you get your email to be read?

If you research a small group of people that may need your services, you can send a targeted letter that won’t end up in their junk boxes. It will take longer than a mass email, but your results are guaranteed to be better. Open with an introduction of you and your company, as well as what benefit you can provide that particular person. If you know something about the reader, let it show.

Other out-of-the-box marketing ideas include:

• Online digital video ad
• Walking billboard (people wear a digital billboard with your ad on the back)
• Text message ad

You Can’t Afford NOT to Advertise!

You’re a small business owner. You know you need to advertise to make money, but you don’t have the capital. Unfortunately, many small businesses will fail because they didn’t advertise. What’s a poor entrepreneur to do?

Take Risks
You wouldn’t be in business if you weren’t willing to take risks. You may have taken out a second mortgage on your home, raided the nest egg, or scrimped and saved to start your business. All of that is a complete waste if you do not advertise.

If no one knows about your business, no one will visit your store or website. If no one visits, no one buys. If no one buys, you’re out of business. It’s up to you to make sure your company name is known.

You Have a Plan, Right?
Before you started your business, you made a business plan and budget, right?? If you haven’t done this, stop reading and go write one immediately.

Build your marketing and advertising expenses into your monthly budget, along with electricity, web hosting, inventory, etc. Designate a percentage of your anticipated monthly sales for advertising. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Maybe just 10%.

All Advertising is Not Created Equal
Don’t waste your money on advertising that’s not right for your type of business. If you run a web radio station, brochures and flyers are a waste of time, because your audience is worldwide. If you run a doggy bakery in Sacramento, nationwide web advertising may not be for you. Think about who your customers are, then research advertising options.

Expert Articles

Becoming a known expert in your industry may seem like a long-term project, but you can actually do the job pretty quickly by writing articles. By writing about the business you’re in, people can see that you know what you’re talking about – and while you’re not blatantly trying to sell them on your product or service, you are planting subliminal seeds in their minds that will grow into future business!

Here’s a quick how-to for article writing:

1. Choose Your Topic: Decide what you want to write about. If you are a veterinarian, you could write about how heartworms kill animals, or how the right flea product can prolong your pet’s life.
2. Write an Appealing Article: Your article should be informative and to the point. Don’t make it too long (try 400-600 words). You should give the reader knowledge they didn’t already have.
3. Find a Publishing Resource: There are many websites that publish articles. Some even pay for your articles! Also look into trade journals and publications in your field. If you operate in a small industry, the chances of your article getting coverage in a publication is pretty high.

When people start to associate you with knowledge, they’ll visit your store or website more frequently, which of course will turn into sales!

Use Technology Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Despite what you’ve been told, you don’t need a big-time budget to get your small business off the ground. There are several technology tools available online that don’t cost a dime, but can help generate sales for your business.

Blogs
Blogs are a casual form of marketing. Rather than sending stuffy emails or letters, you can let your clients and potential clients know what’s going on with your company in a blog. While you can cover strictly company information, such as new product releases, frequently asked questions, and customer concerns, you can also write about your industry in general, making your company a known expert in your field.

There are tons of free websites that let you easily set up a free blog and link to it on your website. You don’t even have to be an IT guru to figure it out!

Podcasts
Podcasts are another great trend in advertising right now. With a cheap digital recorder (or using recording software on your computer), you can record regular programs and upload them to your website for visitors to listen to.

You might cover industry news updates every week, then plug your company at the end.

E-Newsletters
If you have a database of clients and interested parties, stay in their faces. By sending out an email newsletter every month or two weeks, you can keep them up to date on what your company is doing, as well as offer them special promotions not available to the general public.

Extra! Extra! Read This Press Release!

If your company has exciting news that you want everyone to know about, write a press release. Press releases are sent out “over the wire,” which means multiple news sites, TV stations, and newspapers receive your release. Typically, your press release will be posted instantly on the majority of the news sites that get it. Television, newspapers, radio and magazines are harder to get into. If your news is earth-shattering, or extremely relevant to a specific population, one of these forms of media may contact you to do a followup story or interview. But in general, your best best is the online news sites that publish your release.

Keep in mind, no one wants to read fluff. You should genuinely have news to share. Your news may include:

· Grand opening of company

· New product being introduced

· New addition to executive leadership

· Company going public

· Award or recognition given

· Major client secured

Your press release should be quick and to the point. The first paragraph should have all the pertinent information: who, what, when, where, and why. Readers will only spend a few seconds skimming the first paragraph before deciding if they want to read the entire thing in detail.

It should be no more than 400 words. It can be challenging to get everything you want to say in 400 words, but the purpose of a press release is to give a news blurb, not a detailed story or feature.

Be sure to include your company’s contact information and website so that people who want to learn more about your products can do so.

What’s the Plan?

Even if the best-laid plans sometimes go awry, it’s still necessary to have a plan in the first place. Just because your business is growing in leaps and bounds, don’t think you can get away without a marketing plan. You must have a marketing plan that establishes what your company goals are. Otherwise, you will end up with a ball of knotted yarn down the road.

Strengths and Weaknesses
An effective marketing plan should lay out what your company’s strengths and weaknesses are. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the operations of our business that we don’t see the bigger picture. By writing it out, you can easily see how you can play up your assets and compensate for your Achilles heel.

Opportunities and Threats
With your nose to the grindstone, you’ll never see the opportunities that are right in front of you. But if your marketing plan assesses what’s going on in your industry, you may see new possibilities appear.

Analyzing your business means analyzing your competitors. If you know how they operate, you can devise a plan for how you can rise above them and corner your market.

Timeline
In developing your marketing plan, set a timeline for your goals to be met, and follow up every month or quarter to chart progress. You can always make changes to your marketing plan, but if you keep your eye on where your development falls in relation to the plan, the changes will be only minor.

Promoting Your Brand With Products

You’ve probably owned your fair share of company-branded pens and notepads. But how many of them ever got your attention? How many promotional products have stimulated you to buy from that company? Probably not many.

Promotional products can be very effective forms of advertising, if they are chosen carefully.


1. Do not skimp on your promotional product budget. If you’re not prepared to spend some money, you will end up buying pens no one reads. You want to go above what your competitors do, and that may cost you. Keep in mind that the cost will more than be made up with the boost in sales you will have.

2. Think outside the notepad. Today, promotional products include unique items like stress balls, clocks, and desk toys. You want something that people will look at frequently and register your company name. Get creative and it will pay off.

3. Your logo should be eye-catching. If it’s not currently, consider a redesign before you order products. Your logo should be pleasing to the eye with attractive color schemes. Avoid having too much text on a small product.

4. Splurge for big-payoff clients. If you have big clients or potential clients that could mean a major win for your company, invest in special gifts for this crowd. Nice pens, a polo shirt, or duffel bag with your logo can really impress a client or close the sale.

Naming Your Baby: First Step of Marketing

You may consider only your advertising efforts to do the heavy marketing for your company. But your company name has just as much clout when drawing in new business. Think about businesses you have worked with or purchased from. Can you remember the names? If so, there was thought put into naming those companies.

Here are some tips to help you in the brainstorming phase of naming your business.

· Get relevant. Your company name should infer what you do. If you’re a dry cleaning store, Dian’s Dry Cleaning gets the point across better than just Dian’s. You don’t have to be so obvious, but it should be clear what your business does.

· Get creative. This is a name you’re going to be stuck with for a while, so choose a good one. If suitable, pick a fun name that will generate a buzz and get people asking you questions about your company name. People will remember Egg Marketing over SNR Marketing Agency because it’s fun and creates an image in people’s minds.

· Get specific. If your company is an LLC or is incorporated, decide if you want to include that title in the company name and logo. You can leave it off if it doesn’t go with the rest of the name. However, you may like the official ring it gives your company name.

Once you have a few candidates for names, try them on friends, family and customers. Ask what associations your audience has with each name. If there are any negative connotations, toss it and move on. See which names are more memorable and which make the audience feel like learning more about the company.