Friday, February 27, 2009

4 Keys to Using Trade Shows In Your Marketing Mix

Trade Shows are a great way to capture leads for your business. Remember that getting the lead is the most important part of any marketing plan. You are building a list of hot prospects that are interested in your product. The best kind of lead out there.

1. Don't sit behind the booth!
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people at trade shows do. You spent a lot of money to be there. Don't waste it by sitting behind your booth like a bump on a log. Stand in front of your booth and be interactive with the people walking by. Catch their attention. Talk to them and invite them over to look at your materials. Answer questions related to your products. Don't just let them look and walk away.

Ask people that do come up to your booth if they have any questions. Ask them if they are familiar with your services or products. Engage the audience. Think about the carnies at the fair midway. You are similar to them. You don't get paid if people don't play. Now you don't have to as annoying or pushy as them but you do need to stand out and engage people so they don't just walk past your booth without talking to you. They may not even know they need your product but after you talk to them they might see a whole new light and really be interested in talking more. Guess what... That's a lead!

2. Get their name and phone number!

So what are you really at the trade show for? To get leads. If anyone tells you trade shows are just great name awareness, walk away and try not to laugh at them. Yes, that is one reason to be there but it's not the main reason. Just because they saw your booth, doesn't mean they will remember you once they've gone through two more rows of booths. You need to collect their information. If it's a Business to Business trade show, collect business cards from everyone you meet. If it's Business to consumer, have a simple form to fill out so you can follow up with them after the show.

One of the best things you can do it have a Free Report or Consumer Awareness Guide that you can mail or email to them after the show. Offer to send it to them the next day if they give you their name, email address and physical address. Now you are building your list. You now have someone specific to market to!

Offer a free giveaway item. Everyone has seen the fishbowl drawings at trade show booths. They don't do this just to get you to stop by their booth. They do it because you now have given them your contact information so they can follow up and market to you in the future. You should be doing the same. It doesn't have to be something big like a free vacation if that's not in your budget. It can be for a gift basket of your products or even as simple as a gift card to your local coffee shop. People always like the opportunity to get something for free. They will go out of their way and fill out your registration form in order to get something for free!

3. Stay to the end
It always amazes me how many vendors at trade shows stay for an hour or so and then pack up because they're bored or tired. Guess what! You paid to be there. Stick it out to the end. I've personally made more connections in the last 30 minutes of trade shows I've attended than in the entire three or four hours I've been there. This is especially important if you are in a Business to Business trade show. You can make more connections with the other vendors than the walk through traffic so don't discard the value of visiting the other vendors there also. It might be the best connection you make. You will never know if you leave after the first hour.



4. Follow up after the show

So many people I see at trade shows collect business cards or names on a list and never do anything with them. They expect that just because someone saw them at the trade show that they will call the vendor to buy something. It's your responsibility to follow up and get the sale. Not their's. This is your chance to make a great impression on them and follow up as soon as you can to set up a meeting, send them more information about you or just to ask them if they are ready to buy. Offer them a free estimate.

You just need to follow up as soon as you can and keep them in your database for future promotions.

This is how you can build a list quickly and use trade shows to build your list of prospects quickly and get the most out of any trade show you are part of.

Small Business Marketing Ideas – Using Door Hangers To Market Your Local Businesses

If you own or operate a retail business, door hangers are a great way to get your name out and get customers in your local area in the door. Most of the time, people only think about door hanger for the local pizza delivery place down the street but why do you think they use this method of marketing? Because it works very well and is usually where most of their business comes from. Adding door hangers to your marketing mix can be very effective and drive people from your local community in your door just as well a it does for the local pizza joint.

There are many companies that specialize in delivering door hangers to local neighborhoods for a very affordable price. You could also hire students from a local high school to do this for you and help out a couple of local kids in the process.

This works best with anyone in the food industry but almost any business that has a retail location targeting consumers can benefit from this type of marketing. If you own a massage spa you can promote a grand opening or a neighborhood special event to get people in the door to see who you are and the services your business offers. This is a great way to bring awareness that you are in their area. People love to find services that are in their local area. This is convenient for them and also gives them a sense of community when they spend their money with the business down the street instead of driving across town.

More and more, people are aware of the community and want to spend their money locally to build their community instead of buying somewhere else. Many times, they will even be willing to spend more to help out a local business instead of the cheaper guy online or that is further away from them.

So, find local neighborhood communities in your area that are your target market. You may need to do a little research to make sure that these areas are your target market. Be sure you are catering to people that are your target market. If you offer physical therapy for the elderly but your office is surrounded by communities of young couples, then you need to look a little further. You'll be wasting your money to market to these neighborhoods.

Find out as much information as you can about these neighborhoods. Income levels, are they married, do they have kids, etc. These all will tell you if this neighborhood is a good fit for your marketing. It will also tell you more about how to craft your door hangeras well as what offer to put on the door hangers.

Your offer is going to be the most important part of the door hanger. This is how you track how effective this marketing piece is for you. You want to know exactly how effective it is so you can evaluate if it is the right market. If it's not as effective as you think it should be, what's wrong? Is it the neighborhood you are promoting to or is it your marketing message? Is it the offer? These are all things you need to test in order to make your advertising dollar as effective as possible.

Here's a couple of things to keep in mind for your door hanger design.

Make it easy to read. No hard to read or script fonts. Make it simple for them to know exactly who you are and what you are offering them.

Be sure to include every way that they can contact you if they are interested. Phone number, website address, and physical address are all important. Be sure to include a detailed map if you want them to come in to your store. This makes it much easier for them to find you and also helps them realize that you are right down the street from them.

Always include an offer. Let's say you own a coffee shop. Offer a free drink coupon on a specific day with the coupon on the door hanger People love something for free and most of the time, people will come in with someone else so they will end up spending more money anyway. Plus, if they like your products, they will likely come back again and next time they will also tell their friends about it too.

Be sure to include at least one coupon on every door hanger. Discounts and freebies always get people to take action. Be sure they know they need to bring in the coupon when they come so you can track it and see the response.

Also include an expiration date. Any discount or offer you have should always have an expiration date. This encourages customers to come in sooner rather than later. They don't want to miss out on their free drink or even two for one offer. Not having an expiration date will let them think they can hold off and then they may end up forgetting completely.

Make the coupon stand out. Make it look like a coupon. Design your coupon to have a dashed line around it like they should cut it out. Also try to include a photo of your product. This also will increase response as they will see what it is they are getting.

Door hangers are a great way to get in front of local customers for any local retail location. From coffee shop and pizza joints to day spas and gyms, door hangers are a great way to promote locally and get the community aware of your business.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Using The Right Trade Shows In Your Marketing Mix

Using trade shows as part of your marketing mix can be a great way to get in front of a massive number of your ideal prospects in a short amount of time and for a small amount of money if done correctly. If you are planning on using trade show marketing as a piece of your marketing mix, there are a few things to keep in mind when planning your event in order make it as successful as possible.

First off, you need to find out who the audience of the trade show really is. Is it for consumers and the general public or is it actually geared to other businesses like yours?

I see a lot of businesses spending huge amounts of money on trade shows that only cater to other businesses in the same industry. Let's ask a simple question. Are the other businesses in your industry, maybe even your competition, your ideal customer? Though they may be good partners for cross promotion and that's great, they aren't your ideal customer.

If you are in a consumer market and the majority of your business comes from home owners then an Industry trade show that doesn't market to home owners as attendees of the trade show, isn't going to do much to bring you in business. I see a lot of trade shows that cater to others in the industry. If that's not your target market, then it's going to be a waste of time. You want to find trade shows that market to bringing in those home owners that ARE your target market.

Spend a little to make sure your booth looks professional and stands out from the crowd. The great thing about trade show booth presentations is that if you do it right, it can be a one time investment. You might spend a couple hundred dollars to get a great display board and banner to hang on the front of your table but keep in mind to design it so it won't need to change for years. Don't put pricing on your display boards. Be sure that everything you use is evergreen. I've designed presentation displays that I've used for 5 years and never needed to change.

Use bold colors and styles that make you stand out. Many trade show booths are all going to look the same. You can easily stand out from the crowd with the right use of colors and design on your display boards and banners.

Be sure to include plenty of take away materials. You need to have postcards and/or brochures or flyers that people can take with them when they visit your booth. Again, make them stand out. You want people to remember you after they leave. If they have an interest in your products or services, you want to make sure that your materials don't get lost in a back of stuff they picked up from 200 other booths at the event. Use the same bold colors and design that you used for your display board. This helps build your branding and makes everything match.

Trade show marketing can be a great marketing idea for your business as long as you plan ahead. Make sure that the show is geared to your target market and that you are prepared to stand out and make a great impression for the attendees of the trade show and the trade show can pay for itself many times over.

Only 157 Days Left To Vote!

Okay everyone, we are getting down to the wire. And we need your help to make this happen. Here in Arizona (where we are based) there is a publication that comes out each year called Ranking Arizona. Here is their explaination of what they are, right off of their web site:

"Ranking Arizona is the outcome of the largest business opinion poll in Arizona. Each category is selected by the staff of Arizona Business Magazine for the general public to vote on and are based upon business and leisure activities of Arizona's business professionals."

So here is the favor, we need you to go vote. There are a few businesses that they have listed that we would like to help get the mention in the 2010 publication. Voting is really easy, you simply click the link, click search by name, enter the name, pick the right one from the list, enter your email address and click "Cast my vote". A few simple steps and you help a small business get a bit of publicity.

Cast Your Vote



Show the world the power of the internet and help us out in the process. Thanks a million!

Companies Looking For Votes:
Knight Tymes Designs (Advertising & Marketing/Graphic Design Firms)
Coyote Targeted Promotions (Advertising & Marketing/Promotional Products)
Westworld Paintball (Entertainment/Family Amusement)
Deborah Mitchell - West USA (Real Estate - Residential/Real Estate Agents)

Cast Your Vote Today!



If there is someone I did not see on the list, I'm sorry. And if you know of another business in Arizona please feel free to vote for them. Year after year the same (big) companies make the top ten and I thought that this year we should shake up the list a bit :)

You can vote every 60 days per company, per category, so you can still vote for each company twice before the voting ends!

Please take a minute and help out some small business owners. In today's economy we all need all the help we can get.

Thanks again, hey and be sure to leave your comments below letting everyone know you voted (you also get a link back to your own web site, when you leave a comment here :) )And if you area has a simular publication, let us know so we can go vote for you.

We will remind you again in a couple of months and we will let you know how your votes helped and what the final standings are at the end of the voting.

Remember click the link, click search by name, enter the name (from above), pick the right one from the list, enter your email address and click "Cast my vote".

Cast Your Vote

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

7 Tips To Using Flyers As One Of Your Small Business Marketing Ideas

It doesn't matter if you are a service business like a landscaper or a retail shop selling Pastries and coffee, flyers are one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to get your name out there and market your business. When done right, using flyers can be an easy way to get new customers in the door.

Here are 7 tips to making the most of using flyers as one of your small business marketing ideas.

1. Keep it simple and not cluttered
Many people try to get every product or service that they do on one 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper when they design their flyers. Most of the time, you just can not fit that much on the page and it makes everything look too generic and cluttered. Try to focus on just a couple of your main services and be more detailed about those services.

2. Use customer testimonials on your flyers
This adds credibility to your company and your services or products. You should include testimonials in each of your marketing ideas. Not just flyers. Anywhere you can, include customer testimonials and be sure to include their full name and a photo if at all possible.

3. Don't go crazy with the design
To many colors and fonts can confuse people and they won't be able to focus on what you actually are offering them. Keep it simple and use only 1-2 fonts.

4. Use Full Color if at all possible
Full color flyers stand out from the others. Look at a black and white copy and a color copy together and the color one will stand out and catch your eye much easier. They look much more professional.

If color isn't in your budget, then use a bold color paper with black copy. Bright yellow or pink tend to stand out more than any other color. The goal is to get your flyer to stand out.

5. Don't run cheap photo copies
You should always run copies off the original or use a service that is printing them from your files instead of running photo copies. Photo copies tend to look cheap and your flyer won't look crisp and professional. This will really make an impact for your first impression on potential clients.

6. Be sure to include a coupon or discount
People always love a discount. You'll get much better results just because of the coupon than anything else. Make sure it is a good discount that will impress them. If you do a good job with your first job for them, you'll more than make up for it on future jobs.

Include a photo of the product you are offering a discount on. If it's a service business like a plumber, you could show a photo of you fixing someones water heater. Showing the product or service will increase the number of people that will redeem your coupons.

7. Make it easy for them to find you
I can't count the number of times I've seen flyers that were perfectly designed and had a great compelling message but... I couldn't figure out where they were. They forgot the add their address. Or, they only included a phone number though they were a retail shop I just wanted to drop in.

Make it as easy as possible for them to contact you. Tell them what to do.

Come in today to 123 Somewhere Street on the corner of Somewhere Street and 1st Ave

Include a map if you can. Make it as easy as possible. If you want them to order online, include your website. Make it big and bold. Your call to action items should always be much bigger than the rest of the text on any flyer.

Keeping these 7 tips in mind when you create your next flyer, you'll be sure to get the most out of your time and effort on any flyer you distribute.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Marketing Strategy - Making Your Testimonials As Effective as Possible In Your Marketing Pieces

Testimonials are a a must in marketing or advertising you do. They are one of the best ways to put your prospects at ease to the credibility our company has and will boost the effectiveness of any marketing idea you use. You do need to keep a few things in mind to make your testimonials more believable and have a greater impact on your audience.

1.Use testimonials that are descriptive and and not just basic fluff

Which is more impressive to you?

“I just love the service that XYZ company gave me!”
or...
“My new widow coverings where just what I wanted. Company XYZ came out and asked just the right questions to make sure that they gave me exactly what I wanted. They even suggested a few things I had not thought of to make sure I made the right choice. They came back to install the new coverings and were fast, made sure that I was happy with how they looked and even had a checklist so I made sure that everything was done correctly the first time. They also made sure that everything was put back just like it was before they were there. The only reason you'd know they came to install everything is because of how much more beautiful my living room looks. Thank you so much for such a painless process!”

The second testimonial is much more descriptive and really shows the emotion that the customer had. You can almost see the smile on their face as you read it. This is what you want from your customers. This is what will really impress new prospects and gain their trust to do business with you.

2.Don't use generic names
I can't count the number of times I've seen a testimonial from “John D” in someone's advertising or on their website. Well... Who's “John D”? How do I know that this person actually exists? Don't try to hide your customers from new customers. If they are happy with your products and services, they won't mind if you use their real name. This isn't Witness Protection here. This is proof that you have excited, happy customers that are happy to rave about your wonderful service! Use their full name. Even show what city they are in. People aren't going to stalk them because of a testimonial they did for you. Using a real name makes your testimonial more believable People aren't going to trust a quote form someone that doesn't look real!

3.Use a photo if possible
The testimonial sample we did above is great. It's detailed, happy and shows the emotion and positive image the customer has towards the company. But... a picture is worth a thousand words. Right?! So take a picture of the customer with their new product and a great big smiling face. Not only do you have a great testimonial with a real name but now the prospect has a face to put with the name. Now... This is a REAL person. Just adding a photo of the customer next to the testimonial will increase the trust and believability ten fold!

See, by adding just a few little things in ind you can use your customer testimonials as a great tool in all your marketing and advertising plans. It doesn't take much but just by making a few small changes you can make a huge impact towards the effectiveness of any marketing you do.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Marketing Idea - Making The Most Of Yellow Page Advertising

Now I'm going to start by admitting that I'm not a big fan of Yellow Page advertising. I think its too pricey for many businesses just starting out and with the popularity of online directories, it's not the most effective use of the marketing budget for many businesses. But.. I do know many people do still use the yellow pages and if you plan on marketing your small business via yellow pages, then you want to ensure that your advertisement is as effective as possible.

Most yellow page ads that I see look the same and say the same thing. So how does the user pick the best choice? Usually it's because of the bigger ad or the first one on the list.

With just a few changes to your yellow page ad, you can easily out pull all the other ads on the page. Why, because you're ad won't look just like all the others listed on the page.

1.Your company name isn't a headline!
You need to use an eye catching headline, not your company name or logo at the top of the ad. Everyone else is using their logo or company name as the first thing in their ads. No one cares what the company name is. They want you to solve their problem. Start by asking a question in your headline.

“Did you know that termites can cost valley home owners $1000s every year?”

If I'm looking for a pest control company to get rid of termites, you've got my attention right away.

2.What makes you different? What extra's to your customers get that most companies don't offer? What's your guarantee? State it clearly and bold. Stand out form the rest of the ads on the page.

3.Offer a free report or consumer awareness guide. Educate them on what to look out for in scams in your industry and why they should use you instead of some Fly-By-Night that is using inferior product that will ultimately cost the customer more money in the long run. Be creative, and specific.

4.Include a CLEAR Call To Action
Send them to your website to claim their free report. Make your phone number big and bold. How ever you want them to contact you, make it clear and TELL them what to do. “Pick up the phone right and call right now for your free estimate” or “Visit our website to claim your free consumer awareness guide”. Be specific.

Just making these small changes to your yellow page ads, you can turn your “less than effective advertising expense” in to a lead source that pays for itself month after month and leaves your competition confused as to why their larger ad isn't getting all the calls they used to.

I would like to invite you to claim your FREE Quickstart Guide “Step By Step: Writing Ads That Actually Work!” when you subcribe to learn more about the book Maximum Profits Marketing. Stop struggling to figure out what works and what doesn’t in marketing with this recipe book of marketing ideas. You can claim your free Quickstart Guide at http://www.MaximumProfitsBook.com

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Small Business Marketing – Nothing Beats Direct Mail For Results

Direct mail is one of the staples that should be in any small businesses marketing mix. IT is one of the most effective and easiest ways to promote your products or services to your local area quickly and actually see results in a short amount if time.

Most small businesses think of sending a huge mailing when sending direct mail to new prospects and get overwhelmed with the thought and costs involved. Though this is the way that the big boys do it, it isn't the way that a small business needs to market. As a small business owner, you can start with a small list and mail to 10 – 100 prospects a week instead of having to mail to 10,000 all at once. Keep it small if your budget is limited.

There are two main important things to keep in mind with any marketing mailing that will increase the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

First, mail to a targeted list.

You need to make sure that your list is mailed to people that would be interested in your service. It doesn't do any good to mail to a thousand people when only ten percent of the people would ever be interested in your product. Try to get your lists as targeted as possible.

Next, be consistent.

One mailer isn't likely to get their attention right away. Remember that it takes six to ten times before a prospect actually pays attention to your message and knows who you are.

The first mailing will get the potential customers that need your product right now. But, not everyone will need your product the day that they see your mailer. That's why repetition is important. I've sent postcard campaigns and seen 2-3 times the response on the second or third mailing than the first. Why? Because the first time they didn't need what we offered. The second time, they had been thinking about it and remembered the first mailer we sent them. By the third time, we are now in their mind and they are ready to move forward.

I've also done four letter campaigns to very small lists get 1-2 calls from the first mailing but on the fourth mailer we'd get eight or nine calls. All from the same small list of about 25 people. As long as your list if very targeted, you can easily get higher results form more mailings. Even if your list is small.

So, remember, don't think that you have to have a large list in order to have a successful direct mail campaign in your marketing mix. You can start small and increase the size as your budget allows.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Marketing Tips - Are You Using The “You” Test In Your Marketing?

Any time you are working on an advertisement or marketing idea, there is one simple thing you can do to increase the effectiveness of any marketing you do. Brochures, classified ads, flyers, email marketing, and even your website, it doesn't matter. This test will increase response to any advertisement you are doing.

Most businesses promote what their product does and how great it is. If they are a service, sometimes it's even worse and all they talk about it themselves. Let's be honest here... Your clients don't care about you. They only care about what your product or service can do for them.

I'm sure you've heard this before, but let's ask the question that your prospect is going to ask when they see your ad or go to your website.

“What's in it for me?”

This IS the ultimate question in the mind of your prospect and you need to keep this in mind when you are writing any marketing material. They don't care that it's a family owned business over three generations. They don't care about the awards you've won. They want to know how this benefits them. It goes back to benefits versus features.

So, what is the “You” Test?

As you are writing the copy text for your next marketing piece, glance through it and count up the number of times you see the words “we”, “I”, “us” or “our”. Add them up and see what you get.

Next, glance through the ad one more time. This time, count up the number of times you see the words “you” or “your” and ad those up.

Let's compare the two numbers. If you have more of the “us” words than “you” words, it's time for a re-write. You aren't talking to the reader. You are bragging about yourself.

You need to be talking to the reader. Talk to them like you were right there in front of them and explain the benefits of why your product is the best choice for them.

What do they get out of it that your competition doesn't give them?
Why is this important?
Will it save them money?
Will it save them time?
Will it take risk away?
Will it make them healthier so they can spend more time with their family?

Do you get the point?

Taking a few minutes to run through each marketing piece that you have with this simple test and making changes so you are talking to the reader will almost always increase response to any advertising or marketing materials you have.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Maximum Profits Marketing - Adding Classified Ads To Your Marketing Mix Arsenal

One very simple yet overlooked tool many businesses overlook is the classified ad. This simple and inexpensive little marketing tool is a great piece to test and add to your company's marketing plan.

We're not just talking about basic printed ads though. It's more than that.

The best way to use classified ads is to offer a Free Report, How To Guide or Consumer Awareness Guide as the primary promotion in the ad. Don't just advertise your business like everyone else does. Then, well... You'll just look like everyone else and you won't get much of a response.

You need to make your ad stand out and give them something that will catch their attention.

Let's say you are skimming through the newspaper and you happen to need a handyman to fix up a few things around your house. You see two classifieds about handyman services but the first is pretty basic. It says what they do, their price and a phone number.

Ok, so you'll keep that information because you do need to call someone soon. But...

The second ad reads “Don't risk your home to any handyman service until you've read this FREE report on “7 Things you should know BEFORE hiring any handyman service!” with a website to download the free report.

Don't you think that it might be important to know what those 7 things are before you call the other guy? It won't hurt anything and you might save yourself money or remove the risk if the other guy doesn't make the cut after reading the free report.

Now, if you are offering that report, you have the advantage over the other guy. You now control the information in the prospects mind BEFORE they even talk to anyone else. And overall, by the time they've read your report, they'll be more likely to call you even if your price is a little higher because you educated them and saved them from making a mistake and hiring the guy that isn't as good or honest with their customers.

See how powerful this can be? Classified ads are simple and easy little ads that are inexpensive to run and can create a great way to build a list of prospects. Be sure to check with some of the smaller local publications. You'll be surprised how inexpensive this can be to test a 3 day or 5 day classified ad.

Now... don't just think of classified ads at the ads you see in small local newspapers. Did you know that Craigslist is also a classified ads system? You can post your same printed ad online on sites like Craiglist and other online classified ad systems. Some for very cheap and many for free. Just search Google for classified ads and you'll come up with a few ideas. See if you can find directories that are local to your area in order to keep your listings to your local area.