Small Business Marketing Tactic: Email Marketing!

OFFER A PRIZE AS YOU COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS

Yes, it's one of the oldest forms to capture pertinent data from your customers, but it works! Remember, your prize does not need to be a huge "trip for 2" to some remote island getaway. If you own a coffee shop, simply offer to provide Coffee & Refreshments to the winner's office staff/personnel (which gets you into their door and can even expand your business even further!).

Do you cut hair? Then, offer a discount to the winning card.

The thing to remember, you already have them as a customer. Now, you can capture their email addresses and communicate them more frequently. Be sure to remember let them know that they are agreeing to receive emails from you in exchange for the FREE PRIZE drawing.

Enjoy!

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Successful PR!

Successful public relations (PR) begins with your treating the local media contacts as a target market! Just as you have worked hard to identify your customers, you need to work to target your key media.

You have information you need to communicate to them. Your job is to ask them...

- WHAT THEY WANT

- HOW THEY WANT IT

- WHEN THEY WANT IT

- HOW BEST TO SUBMIT IT TO THEM

Get to know them and get them to trust you.

Where to start?

1. Create a list of your local newspaper, radio, television that your target market reads, listens to, & watches.

2. Identify the key people in the media outlets that might care about your field of business

3. Research to determine extra ways that those key contacts are communicating to your target audience (i.e. blog, reading the many articles he/she writes to figure out how you might eventually pitch them an idea in the future, etc)

4. Forward them relevant information based on the articles they write in your field (i.e. provide them with industry statistics from reliable sources, give them inside information to the industry-related announcements that may interest your community by tying in your expertise of business, etc)

5. After several communications with your media contact when you have developed a a relationship, you can pitch a story idea to them (or share some very IMPORTANT news with them that they can use to publish in an article.)

6. After some months, treat them to lunch.

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Creating Buzz!

Creating buzz for your business means having a great product or service. Creating that great product or service is an art!

* Identify your target market

* Learn as much as you can about your audience

* Build your product or service to BENEFIT your congregation

* Regularly evaluate your business to make sure you continue to BENEFIT your customers (i.e. ASK THEM!)

Your business success depends on the BENEFITS you deliver to your consumers!

Small Business Marketing Tactic: COUPON SHEET

Partner with local market business owners to create a 1-page COUPON SHEET that YOU distribute within your local community.

- Local public/private schools (many schools allow business flyers into their teachers' mailboxes)

- Local college campus (student union, professor)

- Radio stations

- Grocery stores (many have bulletin boards, "Take One-Free" bins, etc)

- Daycares

- Churches

- Nursing/Assisted Living Homes

- etc.

As you begin to grow your distribution list for the coupon sheet, you can add a new revenue stream by charging the participating businesses a small fee to be included on the flyer.

Remember to include a coupon on the Coupon Sheet for your business as well!

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Make Sure Your Friends Know What You Do!

Yes, I know it sounds simple because it is. Make it a point to let ALL of your friends, family, neighbors, etc know exactly what you do for a living. People like to do business with their friends, so it's important they know what you do.

Just possibly, they will even start telling their network of friends, family, neighbors, etc.

Of course, do NOT bombard them with a marketing pitch that threatens your relationships and leaves them feeling abused, simply make it a point to let them know your business. There's a high probability they are connected with your target audience members, and this knowledge could prove extremely valuable to the success of your business.

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Celebrate Those "Life" Moments

Celebrate those special "life" moments with your customers and strengthen the emotional connections and their loyalty. As a small business entrepreneur, you have an incredible opportunity to connect and STAY CONNECTED with your growing customer base.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. Congratulations On Your New Arrival!

A baby brings much joy to a growing family. Take the opportunity to extend your personal congratulations when you:

a. laminate the birth announcement and include it within the card/gift that you deliver to the family

b. include the birth announcement on your website and your weekly email serviced to your customers

2. Congratulations On Your Graduation

Every year, your customers' children are graduating from kindergarten, high school, or college. A simple card acknowledging the achievement will go a long way to building customer loyalty.

3. Appreciate Your Efforts

The local news is a great way to identify those "life" moments. A small business owner, who tunes in to the local news and recognizes the customers' community efforts is sure to win friends.

a. Laminate the newspaper announcement or article and mail it along with a "Thank You" card to show your appreciation for their efforts

b. Telephone your customer and express your "Thanks" for a job well done

Small Business Marketing Tactic: OFFER FREE SHIPPING to spike online sales!

YES! Offer FREE SHIPPING, and your consumer are more likely to make an online purchase!

According to a new survey from Experian CheetahMail, 70% of respondents from online companies had higher conversion rates on emails offering FREE SHIPPING than on other types of marketing emails. Of the 70% respondents,

- 78% saw increased transaction-to-click rates

- 47% had higher average order values

Of course, small businesses need to make sure the FREE SHIPPING offers are with products that consumers are actually interested in purchasing. Remember, your consumers are YOUR CONSUMERS...learn them, speak to them, service them.

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Reward Your Customers

Make effort to keep your current customers happy.

1. Offer a deep discount when they come to your store on a designed date/time.

2. Provide a special event for your special customers:

- breakfast gathering before you open on a select date/time of week

- after hours shopping endeavor where customers receive an additional discount off MSRP

3. Deliver additional savings to your customers when they bring new customers to your business.

4. With purchase of $50.00 or more, GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS an in-store credit so they are encouraged to return at a later date & redeem it!

Small Business Marketing Tactic: MAKE IT PERSONAL!

Much deeper than the nonchalant greeting when they enter your door, your consumers welcome personal attention. They hunger for genuine interaction.

What to do?

1. Identify your top-tier of customers

2. Grab your letterhead and a pen.

3. Write these words, "Thank you so much for your business!" & sign it

4. Fold the letter and insert it into an envelope

5. Apply a stamp and mail it.

Yes, I understand these are 5 very basic steps. But still, your efforts to create personal interactions are sure to pleasantly surprise your valued customers while making a significant deposits into their emotional bank accounts.

Other thoughts:

- Send them personalized Christmas cards

(Yes, you must write the greeting.)

- Deliver them birthday/anniversary cards

(They are your customers, so you SHOULD know this information.),

- Call their home and leave them a "Merry Christmas" voicemail message

One of my friends owns and operates his own lawncare business. For Christmas last year, he selected his top 100 customers and sent them a personalized Christmas card along with a gift book "Case For Christmas" by Lee Strobel

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Social Networking Can Add Revenue!

According to a study by Sage Software and AMI-Partners, more than 260,000 small businesses in the US and Canada employ social networking tactics.

51% - Professional social networking (i.e. LinkedIn, etc)

44% - General social networking (i.e. Facebook, etc)

38% - Niche/industry-specific communities

37% - Job Sites

28% - Blogging/microblogging (i.e. Twitter)

The most widespread uses of social media were for responding to customer questions, networking, and reference and educational purposes.

64% - Responding to customer questions

57% - Networking

44% - Reference/Education

33% - Advertising/promotion of business

So, how do you incorporate social networking into your marketing mix, which can effectively generate additional REVENUE?

Here's an idea:

1. Create a conversation with your followers & keep them engaged

2. Provide a VERY DEEP DISCOUNT sales promotion just for them, sell some last-minute inventory

3. Record the sales BUT DO NOT STOP THERE....monitor your list of friends because there is sure to be a spike in the number of people adding you as friend just as soon as their friends let them know of the sales promotion you just offered exclusively to them through your social media friendship.

Social networking - it's a new revenue stream!

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Local School Fundraising

Local schools seem to always be looking to raise funds.

Review your product offerings and identify how to best approach a local school (private, daycare, etc) and offer a fundraising opportunity to them. The effort is sure to increase awareness of your business as well as generate a great press coverage opportunity in your community.

Small Business Marketing Tactic: Goodwill In Your Community!

Use your business to spread goodwill throughout your community.

Beyond the superficial, "look at me!" announcement when a business donates time and resources to community, a small business owner has a genuine opportunity to positively impact his or her local culture when donating a portion of profits to a charitable cause. Only secondary, entrepreneurs may contact with local media and clients/vendors at deeper levels to partner in your service to community.

Ideas:

- Become a collection point for a canned food drive

- Host a Red Cross blood drive

- Schedule a Goodwill/Salvation Army drop-off event in your parking lot

Small Business Marketing Tactic: The Power Of Direct Mail

Within this age of digital mania, I just recently read an article from someone, who had publicized her event using the various digital offerings, such as:

- email,

- websites,

- Facebook, and

- an html press release.

Moving closer to the date for her event, her RSVP list still did not grow. Puzzled, she soon dropped her well-designed direct mail piece into the mail, and registrations for the event almost sold out in less than two weeks.

Don't underestimate the power of direct mail even in this digital age.