Newsletter 4 - When the going gets tough the tough get marketing!

Last month I wrote about the importance of keeping in touch with existing customers and gave you tips on how to find new ones.  Continuing that theme, this newsletter will cover marketing techniques you can use to achieve that, and at minimal cost.

When looking to develop your business a good marketing plan is essential.  You have to find the most efficient and cost effective ways of getting your business noticed.  Below are some examples of proven marketing techniques you can use.  You will notice that sitting in your office praying really hard that the phone will ring doesn't appear on my list. You have to get yourself noticed.

Before we get into the detail, let's be clear that you should be using as many different marketing techniques as possible.  And not just the ones you feel most comfortable using.

In my first newsletter  I pointed out that people are not the same.  Everyone has different preferences for how they like to do business and if you only work within your own comfort zone then you will miss out on lots of business opportunities.  

Another key point is that you should be marketing all the time, not just when you need new customers.  Many business people use the phrase "feast or famine" when describing how they go through periods when they either have more business than they can handle or no business at all.  Well that's because they only do marketing when they aren't busy.  Big mistake.  Make time for marketing every day.

Probably the easiest and cheapest marketing technique is to go out and speak to people.  Simple as that. Speak to everyone you know about your business and get them to tell everyone they know. 

Word of mouth works really well in business because people are more likely to trust referrals from friends, family and colleagues.  Trust is vital because no one will buy from people they don't trust. If you don't already have it you need to build it and that takes time. 

Other ways to use speaking as a marketing tool include giving presentations, attending networking events, doing local TV or radio interviews, creating a video, CD or podcast about your business.

Writing about your business is another essential marketing tool.  As well as producing leaflets and flyers, many people now believe that using the Internet and, in particular, social networking is more successful than advertising in newspapers, magazines, on TV and radio.  It is also much cheaper.

It is relatively easy to set up your own website. Write articles or a blog, post in forums.  Advertise on free sites such as gumtree.com or welovelocal.com. Publicise your business on Facebook and Twitter.  If you aren't confident about doing this yourself you can always hire a web designer or copy writer to get you started. 

Giving away free samples of your product or service is another great marketing tool, because it gives potential customers a chance to try out what you do and provides that element of trust before they hand over any hard cash.  Even if you don't make a physical product to give away you could always give a talk or produce a free newsletter about your service.  Yes, just like this one...

Many of the examples listed above are low-cost or even free.  Spending a lot of money with a marketing agency doesn’t guarantee a return on your investment.  However, if you do want to spend serious money on advertising your business then make sure the ads are going where your best customers are.  Don't try to sell fridges to Eskimos.  Work smart, not hard.

OK, so which marketing techniques work best?  Impossible to say, because different approaches will work for different businesses at different times.  That's why you have to use as many as possible to reach the most customers.  And remember that marketing rarely has an immediate impact.  You need to be patient and keep doing it.   However, when you find the methods that are most successful then make them work for you.

If you would like more information about marketing tools (and there are literally hundreds) just get in touch. 

In the meantime, please pass this on to anyone you think would benefit from it. 

Next month I will be writing about the importance of business planning and making sure you act on it.