Marketing your business is really not that complicated, the biggest struggle marketers are faced with is finding the time to do the job effectively and consistency. If your business is run well and your services are second to none your current clients should be sending you referrals. Word of mouth marketing can effectively grow any business, but this method is a slower process and cannot be relied on alone to grow your business. A powerful marketing plan with marketing systems put into action will elevate your businesses grown faster and more consistently.
There are two types of marketing you should focus on, brand and direct marketing. With brand marketing, the goal is to create a sense of familiarity in potential clients as well as with your current clients to up sell them to other products and services. When they need your product or they know someone that needs your services, you want them to think of you. Direct marketing on the other hand focuses more on specific targeting of your market.
Brand Marketing
One of the most common ways of doing this is with promotional products. These are giveaway items like pens, mugs, usb flash drives, etc. imprinted with your brand – that you give out to current clients and to potential clients at events you attend, in order to cement your name into their mind every time they use the giveaway. If the promotional products are useful items they will continue to expose your brand to clients and prospective clients for months, even years in some cases.
Social media and video marketing are two other brand marketing vehicles most businesses are not leveraging properly. Allowing people to engage with your brand on social media sites creates that sense of familiarity and builds a personal connection like no other medium. Social media brings you into their home or office, like a friend they talk to online and they are more likely to share and refer your product and services to their network of friends.
Videos are similar. A good video showing off what makes your products and services remarkable will go a long way towards swaying the decision of a potential client in your favor.
Brand marketing is something you “put out there” and wait for it to bring results. In general, the only way to know if it’s working is by looking for an overall increase in business, and from hearing clients talk about how they found, remembered or were referred to your business.
Direct Marketing
If brand marketing is like a net which catches potential customers over time, direct marketing is like a harpoon that reels them in. Good direct marketing starts with identifying a particular group of potential clients you can contact. These may be past clients who haven’t used your services in a while, or they may be potential new clients. Once you know who they are, you reach out and show them why they should choose your brand.
Direct marketing can take many forms. It may be buying advertising on search engines, so people who search for “your product in [your area]” see a link to your website. It may be sending out postcards or a newsletter to past clients which talks about your new products or services. Direct marketing can even be handing out brochures and promotional products at community events.
No matter how you choose to do it, you need to set up marketing systems using both brand and direct marketing techniques. Then put them into action, track and test every single dollar you put into your marketing – you must be able to track the results of your direct marketing efforts and ensure that every dollar you spend produces results. Marketing lets you take control of your business and will build you a strong and thriving business that will dominate your market place.
To Your Success!
Tim Somers
Bizarre Marketing
Leave a Reply