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Here are a few of the best marketing pointers to get you on your way to producing more leads and more profits today. Produce valuable marketing tools. Think about everything you need each time you visit a client or contact a potential customer and make a list of it. Include brochures, flyers, business cards and stationary. Next, make sure that you have a clear and interesting logo to include on all these marketing materials so that they have a cohesive feel. You’ll look and feel more professional with your branded materials. If you don’t have the money to print all of these materials, at least get them designed and on a disk so that you can print them when the funds come in. You should start with business cards. To save even more money, you could hire a graphic design student from a local college or work with a freelance graphic designer. Upgrade your voice mail. This component may not seem important, but if you just have a regular answering machine, you won’t seem very business-like. Plus this is an easy upgrade. Even phone companies offer voice mail options. Get one with several boxes so that potential customers can press “1” to leave a message, “2” for your Web site address and email address, etc. This will make you appear much more professional than having no voice mail system or a regular answering machine. Make those trade shows benefit you. According to Rick Crandall, a consultant and author of marketing books, if you don’t get a booth beforehand and the show is in your town, ask someone to share their booth with you. You can help them run the booth and they get to know someone who can show them around town. Employ poster printing to catch people’s eyes and draw them in to your booth. And what about booklet printing? You’ll need some booklets or brochures to hand out. Another tip is to go to trade shows even if you don’t get a booth. Make sure to tell exhibitors that you’re a peer looking for some networking opportunities. Don’t pretend to be a potential customer. Crandall also advises to be sure you follow up on your leads. Otherwise, what’s the point of attending a trade show? The Center for Exhibition Industry Research reports that “88 percent of exhibition attendees weren't called by salespeople in 2000.” So there’s no reason to feel like you’re bothering anyone – no one is bothering them! Research your competitors online. Just by browsing their Web site, you can find lots of important information: who their clients are, who they have partnerships with, how much they charge for their products. All information that you can use to become more competitive. Give a free sample. If you design Web sites, for example, you could include links on your own Web site to show potential clients what you’ve done for others. Or, you could offer to do a sample Web page (one page) that won’t take you long to finish. If you have a chocolate candy shop, give free samples at your counter so people will want to buy more. Network, network, network. This may seem old hat, but it’s because it works so well it bears repeating. Join your local chamber, industry association or Rotary Club. When you go to the club or events, ask people what leads they're looking for – and try to help them out. They'll be happy to repay you later. Get online. Email an e-newsletter or join an industry forum. Write articles for Web sites related to your product. These will help you be regarded as an expert, and it also provides another very important marketing tool: e-mail addresses of potential clients. By offering free information, you’ve opened the door to communication. Look for related businesses that you could swap links with on your Web site. Employ play-space marketing. If you’re a breeder, ask your local vet office and groomer if you can display brochures at their offices. If they have a community bulletin board, use a poster printing service to print some nice colorful posters to hang. Get your presence in an environment where your products or services could be needed. Thank your top customers. Recognize the top 20 percent of your clients who yield you the most sales (either in volume or dollars) with thank-yous, whether it's gifts or personalized notes. Guarantee your product or service. More people will be willing to try out your business and recommend your business if you offer ""satisfaction guaranteed."" Period. Be the buzz of the town. Word-of-mouth marketing is the cheapest thing you can do to increase your business. It’s easy: do a great job. If you impress your clients, they'll tell everyone they know about you. Unfortunately, great customer service is not common these days, so be the one company in town that really cares about its customers. Or you can be more aggressive by asking people you know to tout your business. Hand out or leave several business cards with people and businesses rather than just one so they can pass them on. If you’ve used booklet printing, leave the booklets with businesses that are related to yours and offer to do the same for them. Get the business owners talking!
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