country or all over the world. That is no longer the case. Many people now use the Internet to search for local businesses much the way they once used the telephone book. While your action plan will need to be created specifically for your business and your marketing niche, the following are a few key factors that should be considered for both local and Internet marketing actions.
Local Marketing
•B usiness Cards – Don’t overlook their importance. Keep them with you all the time and hand them to develop name recognition in your local area. There’s no point in having them nicely tucked away in your desk drawer. •B rochures – Often overlooked by many firms…especially smaller ones…a brochure is a defined synopsis of your business that can be handed out to prospects or left in areas where your ideal customer congregates. •M edia Coverage – Every area has some type of communication media whether it is a newspaper, magazines, radio or television. And every one of these media outlets is looking for stories and information…and editors typically scan press releases to find the stories and information they are looking for. Become familiar with press releases or find someone who can do them for you to help establish your expertise, publicise your community involvement, or provide information that will bring you to the attention of the buying public. •C lient Referrals – Your current customers are your best marketing tools…ask them for referrals. •C ommunity Involvement – Be an active part of your community to help get name recognition for your company. •N etworking – Join networking groups or local business groups where you can meet people who are either a part of your niche market or can help communicate your services to your niche market.
Internet Marketing
The costs for Internet marketing are extremely affordable and can be highly productive if managed well. •W ebsite – Keep it up-to-date and SEO optimised…and if you don’t know what that means, find someone who does. There are Internet traffic companies that can help you attract local customers to your website so that you are targeting the specific customers that you want to attract.
"... One of the most important parts of any marketing strategy is to track your results, but many businesses forget this important step." •E mail Marketing – Using email to communicate your expertise or to provide your customers and prospects with information that will be helpful to them is a great way to keep your name in front of your niche market and ideal customer. Don’t overdo emails, but monthly or quarterly newsletters that are done well can be very effective. •S ocial and Professional Online Networks – The Internet has created a new type of marketing called social media, which is a format where likeminded people link together via the worldwide web to exchange ideas and information. The strongest sites for business interaction are: www.Linkedin. com; www.facebook.com and www. twitter.com
which applies to many things in life is especially true for marketing: eighty percent of your results will come from twenty percent of your efforts. It is critical to know which of your marketing strategies are covered in that twenty percent so that you can consistently recreate the action and thus the results. As I said, marketing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, it just needs to be targeted, planned for, and executed on an ongoing basis in order to bring you the results you desire. To obtain a free copy of our Shocking Report “The 7 Big Mistakes That 72% Of Business Owners Are Making...” simply download directly from our site www.davisbusinessconsultants.com
Paul Davis FCMA CMC Davis Business Consultants Business Growth Specialist P: (01) 288 5563 E: paul@davisbusinessconsultants.com www.davisbusinessconsultants.com
•B logs – Many businesses use blogs as a way to promote their business and establish themselves as an expert in their field. There is no expense to create a blog…it can be done at www. wordpress. com and then linked to your website.
Tracking Your Marketing Endeavours
One of the most important parts of any marketing strategy is to track your results, but many businesses forget this important step. It’s easy to do…when someone calls your office or comes in as a new customer, simply ask them how they heard about you. And then record that information. By doing so, you will know which part of your marketing action plan is bringing in the desired results. The 80/20 rule
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