Monday, August 31, 2009

3 Reasons Why Being Known As The Authority Will Grow Your Business

Word of Mouth MarketingOne of the
most overlooked ways of marketing a small business owner in the
traditional world is to build yourself as the authority in your
industry. In the online world this is very common but most small
business owners don't realize how easy this is or how much this can
impact their business.

 What I'm talking about here is writing articles and publishing them.
Most of the time when I talk to small groups I ask the question if
they think they are writers. Almost no one says yes. Most of them
actually look scared when they even think about this.

 So why are articles so great to use to market your business?

Reason #1
Articles are actually one of the easiest and fasted ways to build your
reputation online and offline in your marketing. They are actually
much easier to write than you might think. All you have to do is think
of the most frequently asked questions you get from your customers on
how to use a product or what they they should know about a product or
service before they but it and then answer that question.

 They don't have to be very long either. Some people think that they
need to write a 20 page report and then they start having flashbacks
from high school. These articles can be anywhere from 300-800 words
long. I personally try to keep them at the 500 word mark when I am
writing.

 It might take a bit at first but the more you do it, the easier it will get.

 If you really have a hard time you can also hire a journalism student
form college to ghostwrite them for you.

 Reason #2
Articles make great website content. Search engines love new content.
That's what they are all about. Your fresh new articles can be added
to your website or posted to your blog easily and this will give you
more content for Google to index. More content = more listings on the
Search Engines.

 You can also publish your articles to online directories for free in a
lot of places. This is a great way to get additional exposure for your
name and your business.

 Reason #3
Local media is always looking for more fresh content. You can take
these same articles and get them published in your local newspapers
and other publications.

 Try getting published in your smaller local papers first. All you have
to do is call and find out who to submit the articles to. Asking never
hurt anyone. They may not need them but if they do, you might be able
to get published very easy and your new articles might even get turned
in to a regular column in the that paper.

 This is a huge credibility piece and really can make a difference for
any business if it is done right.

 The more you are known as the authority in your industry, the more
your business will thrive. Remember that this isn't complicated. Keep
it simple and just answer questions that you get form people all the
time.

3 Ideas To Make Your Business Stand Out From The Crowd

991914_59307097-01.jpgIn today's economy, businesses are failing each and every day. Are we to blame the recession or Hard Times? The answer is no we can't. As business owners, we are responsible for our own actions.

The problem is that in almost every industry, everyone seems to think that they can be just like like everyone else and still do fine. That just isn't the case any more.

To make your business survive in these tough times, you have to stand out from the crowd. You can't be just like everyone else. If you are, then the only thing you have going for you in your price. Price wars are never a good thing and devalues your products or services.

So what can you do to overcome this issue? You need to differentiate yourself from your competition. The following ideas will help you stand out from the crowd and gain more business, helping your prospects know that your are the only logical choice.

1. What are your competitors doing? Do the opposite!
If they are all promoting on price, you should be promoting on extra value. What can you add to your products or services instead of dropping your prices?

If you sell a $100 product and your competitor is selling the same basic product for $90, then look at what you can add to your product that will give the value of $150 or $200 instead.

Anything from gift cards, an extra room of cleaning, to free chair massages at a hair salon can make a huge difference to your customers perception of your company and they will be willing to pay the extra price for the additional services.

2. Be unique
Add personality to your business. Let's look at an example. If you have a security company, your company uniforms could be different than the standard boring "Rent-a-cop" look by having camo-wearing guards or secret service style uniforms. Something to make you stand out from the norm.

This will not only get attention but other potential prospects will take more notice and be sure that all your employees have business cards to hand out if someone asks about your service.

3. Offer special services
How often do you find that it would be easier to get to the bank on a Sunday or later at night? How many banks do you know that are open 7 days a week? I can't count the number of times that I wished they were open because that's the only day I have a chance to get over there.

Stay open off hours, offer pickup and delivery (free or paid), Think about what the biggest complaints people have about your industry and look at creative ways to overcome these complaint. Market specifically to those special added benefits

Ok, so there you have it, 3 ideas that you can implement right away to make your business stand out form the crowd and market your business as the ONLY choice in your area or industry. Don't be afraid to experiment and be creative. The businesses that stand out the most get the most attention are more likely to be remembered in the long run.