Archive for 'Small'

Business Strategies For Small Business

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 6:27 am  
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Business Strategies For Small Business

Business Strategies for Small Business

The following business strategies for small business will help you grow your business, get more clients, retain your current clients and make you more sales.

First of all business owners need to understand that any business strategy needs to be implemented to be of any value. Knowing what to do and how to do it means nothing if you don’t put it into action.

Here a some simple business strategies for small business that will help you if you implement them.

Database Marketing.

Database Marketing is a business strategy that most small businesses do not use to its potential.

It is a simple strategy that involves creating a Database of all your current clients and prospects. Enter their names and contact details in to a program, management system or even a Xcel Spreadsheet. Group the Database in to Categories relevant to your industry. Categorise by geographical location, age, sex, previous purchase history, product needs or whatever category suits your business.

Once you have your Database categorised, you can then begin regular communication with your clients and prospects. Your communication should always be providing value to them. Deliver quality information that is of interest to the category you are addressing. The information can be hints, tips and strategies or you can even discuss a new product giving an independant review of its benefits and setbacks. Always be sure to inform them how the product will be of value to them either personally or to their business.

Give your Database Special Offers that apply only to them. Make them feel special that they are your quality or Premium Client. Have a special link in the communication so that you can track and measure the success of your campaigns.

Time your communication to an average of one every 10 days or so. This will keep your business in their minds. You should be the first one they think of when they need your product or service.

Making use of your current list of clients and prospects will help improve your conversions from Prospect to Client. It will also help improve your client retention.

Internet Stats show that an average of 7 contacts with your Database will result in a conversion to Prospect or Lead.

Referral Marketing.

Asking your Clients and Prospects for a referral is definitely a business strategy that brings great results for small business.

This strategy is reliant on you providing the best quality service, best quality products and outstanding customer service to your clients.

Showing your clients that you are the best in what you do will have them raving about your service and products to their family and friends. Now that you have satisfied clients, you need to ask the question. “Who else do you know that will benefit from our service?” Let them know that your business succeeds because of referrals from current clients.

You can offer incentives to your clients for every referral they make that becomes a new client. Consider a small gift of value, a free treatment or discount on a treatment. Send a Thank You card, free movie tickets or what ever you feel comfortable with.

Let all new clients know that your business has a referral system and they you expect at least three referrals from them if they are happy with your products and services. Every new client bringing in 3 new referrals will grow your business if you are the best at what you do.

Business Marketing Website

This business strategy is the way of the future for small business going in to 2011.

Consumers have certainly changed their behaviours in how they look for local services and products.

Historically, consumers went to the Yellow Pages, Newspaper Ads, Radio Ads and so on. Today, 85% of consumers search on the internet for a local service and products. If you fail to market your small business online you are going to miss a huge portion of market share that could be yours.

Your Website needs to be simple and it needs to be able to get your visitors to do what you want them to do. You have around 7 seconds to keep your visitor interested and to stay on your site. The content on your site needs to be good enough to show them you have integrity, you provide value and that you are the one they should be doing business with.

Big Flash Websites don’t really do much for your business. You need to have a website that is designed from a Marketing perspective to achieve the best results.

Once you have your Business Marketing Website, you need to have that Website on the Front Page of Google under the search phrases that are relevant to your industry. It is vital to be on the Front Page because that is where your prospects are looking. Rarely do people look beyond the first page and a large majority never go past Page three.

To get your business on to the Front Page of Google takes specialized knowledge and skill. We would recommend that you use the services of a Specialist Internet Marketing Consultant. Check out SolutionsToMarketingOnline.com.

These three business strategies for small business are simple to implement and will certainly help you grow your business.

Paul Dwyer is a business consultant in Brisbane. Paul helps business owners solve problems within their business by providing proven strategies they can implement to get more clients, make more sales and put more money in the bank.

For more information and advice you can contact Paul Dwyer through his website.

Visit:

http://www.97businesssecrets.com

 

 

Small Business Marketing

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 at 8:10 am  
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Small Business Marketing

Marketing 101 for Small Businesses

Being a small business owner… gosh, where do you start. You are everything, you have to do everything, and you have a budget of almost nothing to do it with!

Marketing for small business is not easy, but a few simple rules and guidelines will ensure your small pennies goes a long way. And ultimately, get your more sales and customers.

Here are some simple but important marketing guidelines for small business success.

Plan your marketing campaigns

Don’t rush into ‘adding an ad in the local paper’ or ‘printing out 10,000 flyers to promote a sales promotion’. Every marketing campaign, or every dollar you spend should be planned well and thought about clearly. Before you launch into spending say, ,000 on putting an ad in the local paper, ask yourself these questions:

Who are my customers and will this ad actually reach my customers or prospetive customers?
How much am I spending – am I better off spending this money on another marketing channel?
Have I worked out the return on investment (ROI) on this campaign?
Is this part of my business plan?

Market to YOUR customers, not just everyone.

The golden rule of marketing is this: all your marketing, branding, and communications should be relevant, directed, and appeal to your target market – that is, your customers and potential customers.

Who is your target market?

Well, if you don’t know the answer to that, then you shouldn’t be in business! Firstly, this should already be in your business plan. Secondly, everything you do should be focused on your customers – everything (website design, business cards, sales promotions etc). After all, its your customers who’ll paying your bills.

Once you know who your customers and prospective customers are, you’ll know what type of marketing you should do to capture these customers, and get more sales in the door.

Calculate the ROI on all marketing campaigns or projects

For each and every marketing campaign you run, it’s important to take the time to plan it, work out how much it wil cost you, and how much you’ll get back in return – this is your ROI (return on investment).

For example, you’ve got a sale promotion at the moment and you want all your local residents to know about it. A letterbox distribution of 10,000 flyers is the answer… or so you think. If it costs you, say ,000 to run this campaign (0 for graphic design, 0 to print, ,050 for distribution), will you get back ,000 in return to cover the cost? And then what is the profit? The minimum you should make from this example would be say, ,000 (,000 to cover costs, ,000 in incremental sales) a ROI of 150%.

Sleep on ideas

As a small business owner, we’re always thinking of new ideas… often too many for our own good. One of the biggest mistakes we make is thinking of an idea, and feeling the instant urge to execute this big idea that very day, thinking that if we don’t do it immediately we’ll either forget, or someone else will steal this big idea from us.

But it’s quite the contrary.

Every big idea should always be considered, thought out clearly and strategically, and most importantly – sleep on it. Add this to your “Ideas List”, and priortise these with all the other things you want to or need to do.

Consistency, consistency, consistency

Now that you’ve planned your marketing campaigns, what you have out there that represents your business is key. Consistency across all your sales and marketing materials.

Your business cards, online website, brochure design, sales flyer, etc – all as individual items is not powerful. But together, is EXTREMELY powerful.

Small Business Marketing Campaigns

Now that we’ve gone through the basics of marketing, let’s look at some marketing campaigns you can use for your small business. These are efficient, cost effective ways to market to your customers with a small budget.

Website: This is relevant no matter what industry you’re in – plumber, accountant, consultant, marketer, beauty salon. A website is now an online shopfront. Not only does a website give you more sales opportunities online, it’s also a ‘reassurance’ to your prospective customers that your business is what you say it is.

Google Adwords: a cost effective way to advertise online – it’s easy to use, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, and best of all – you’re in full control of how much you want to spend daily. This of course, only works if you have a website!

Letterbox Distribution: a very popular traditional way of promoting a business, particular in the small business industry. This works particularly well if your business is local, you have a sales offer that is appealing (to your customers, not to you!), and you do this regularly (e.g. one letterbox drop a month in the same area, for 3 months). Frequency and relevancy is key here.

Professional Sales and Marketing Materials: it may seem obvious, but most often overlooked. Professionally designed business cards, sales catalogue, websites SELL. A potential customer that visits two company websites, one that looks tacky and the other looks professional – obviously they’ll choose the professional looking one.

Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin – these are all free to use and only takes you 10 minutes a day! These networks often links you with people you already know, so it’s potentially “warm”  leads. By keeping you business up-to-date on these sites and regularly communicating to your linked network, it gives you ‘free’ leads, opportunities, and branding.

 

 

Grace Chau

Small Business Owner, Marketer, Graphic Designer

Attractivo Design (www.attractivo.com.au)

Small Business Marketing 101

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 am  
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Small Business Marketing 101

Having a small business can be very exciting and rewarding. Most frustrations in a small business comes from not having enough leads, not making enough sales and then having cash flow problems. How you market your business determines whether you’ll have those frustrations or not.

The problem stems from most small business owners not knowing which Small Business Marketing ideas to use or which web marketing strategy will get results for their business.

That’s right, small business marketing is a system…not an event. It takes a consistent effort day in and out to generate new leads from people who are interested in what your product or service is.

For your business to be successful online you need a proven small business marketing system, targeted traffic and conversion! Having the ability to build relationships with prospects and educate them on why you are the expert in your industry.

Everybody has a small business marketing website and they are trying to convince you why you need their services. It amazes me when I ask small business owners how many people have bought off their website. They look at me and say ‘we had 500 visitors this month’ my reply is always the same. Do you know who they are, have you got their contact details are you marketing to them? Having visitors is great however rather than having a website that sells ‘only’ why not have a website that captures prospects and adds value to their life. You’ll instantly increase your sales!

We find that many new businesses don’t invest in small business marketing and eventually find themselves with a dwindling bank account and failure in their brand awareness. I appreciate it’s a catch 22 you need money to market and you need to market to make money. So what comes first?

There are a number of ways you can build your profile and market your business without having to spend large amounts of money.

Creating a marketing budget is usually the hardest and most inaccurate part of small business marketing, however without it your travelling blind down the path, hoping that things work out for the best.

Marketing is all about gaining exposure to generate leads from people who are interested in your product or service. When breaking up your day, you should be spending at least 80% of your time on marketing and sales.

Want some inexpensive marketing strategies? Here are a few:

The quickest way to get your business known is with social media. How things can spread viral and how quickly makes this a very powerful tool.

Using blogs and articles is another inexpensive way to gain exposure and build your business profile, this along with video is extremely powerful to getting your message out to your prospects quickly and effectively.

Networking events where you can meet other business owners is another inexpensive way to build your business exposure and gain networks of people that could help your business grow.

Using a number of small business marketing strategies will allow you to dominate your market! In total there are some 45+ lead generation strategies you could use. We only use 19 and we generate 30+ leads everyday.

You need to take charge of your small business marketing efforts. Don’t delay any longer in revamping your small business marketing plan for the 21st century! You want more clients, customers and revenue then you need to let them know that you exist

For your 7 free marketing resources visit http://www.mysmallbusinessmarketingguru.com.au

Why You Should Hire a Small Business Marketing Consultant

Sunday, April 17th, 2011 at 11:46 am  
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Why You Should Hire a Small Business Marketing Consultant

Small businesses are finding it harder than ever to compete during this economic crisis. Many businesses have been forced to close down simply because they were not able to attract the new prospects they needed to grow or maintain their current business. Today, it is more important than ever to be able to attract these new customers and the only way to effectively do that is through a well developed small business marketing plan.

Since many small businesses are spending the majority of their time trying to run their business and maintain their current client base to survive in this economy, there is little time to lend to the marketing of their business. On top of that, many business owners are unsure of the best ways to market their particular business. This is when a Small Business Marketing Consultant can help.

Understanding what a marketing consultant is and what they can do for your small business is important before you seek one out. Not only do these types of consultants have a strong background in advertising and marketing, they also have a wide range of experience in business management. In addition, most have an enormous amount of experience in the areas of online marketing. This is crucial in today’s marketing plans as over 70% of adults now shop online and this number will only grow over the next 5-10 years.

The role of a small business marketing consultant is not necessarily to create a marketing plan for you (although they can also do that), but rather to assist you in identifying your marketing needs and goals so that you are better able to create a marketing strategy that is best suited for your particular business.

Every business is different and what works for one may not work well for another. A small business marketing consultant can help you assess your business and see where you might make improvements so that you can become more competitive and attract the new prospects you are seeking to help grow your business. They can also propose certain specific marketing methods and solutions which can help to improve your company’s presence online.

How you utilize a marketing consultant is up to you. You can have them assist you in every step of your marketing strategy from the start up to full implementation or just have them review your current plan to see where you can make some improvements. It is entirely up to you.

Learn more about how a small business marketing consultant can assist you by contacting us below. We can answer any questions you may have and assist you in analyzing your particular marketing needs. We offer a range of services which can be customized to meet any size business and any budget. Let us help you create a successful marketing campaign designed specifically for your small business so that you can not only survive, but thrive. Join the many small business owners that have achieved success online utilizing our consulting services. Don’t let your small business fall behind.

To learn how you can get a free small business marketing consultation visit us at http://www.rgvcomputerconsulting.com today.

Small Business Marketing- Top 5 Internet Strategies to Generate Quality Leads

Saturday, April 16th, 2011 at 5:00 am  
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Small Business Marketing- Top 5 Internet Strategies to Generate Quality Leads

As a small business owner thinking about your small business marketing, you know that the ultimate goal of your marketing is to Generate Leads that you can then convert into Sales at a Profit.

Running a business can be very challenging not only because of the current economic climate but also because of the way your customers are changing their habits when it comes to searching for the products and services that you offer.

As a Small Business Owner, you have to understand these changes in buying behaviour and use the Small Business Marketing strategies out there to ensure that your product and service is in front of your customers. And guess what, if you are not preparing your business for these changes, your competitors are.

So What Internet Marketing Strategies Should You Use to Drive Visitors To Your Business?

1)Your Website Position on the Web

Firstly more and more people are using the internet to find products and services. Ask any young person when is the last time they picked up a copy of the Yellow Pages. With this in mind, your small business marketing strategy must include your business having a web presence.

However statistics overwhelmingly show that 90% of searchers do not go past the first page of Google and that 40% click on the link at the top. Therefore it is no use just having a website; your website must come up in at least the top 3 position for the keyword relevant to your business.

This is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) which in simple terms is about showing the search engines that your website is the most relevant for the given search term and is done through the way your website is set up, the website content and through the links from other places on the internet to your website which proves to the search engines the credibility of your website.

2)Getting Your Business in Front of Your Local Customers

More and more people are turning to the internet and mobile phones to search for local products and services. The search engines like Google are recognising this trend and have created products to cater for this shift in searching behaviour.

Imagine this: you are out and about and are feeling hungry. You want to find a local Chinese restaurant. You take out your mobile, put into the search bar, Chinese restaurant and very cleverly, it will ascertain your geographic location and bring up Chinese restaurants nearest to you showing distance from your location, reviews, directions, phone numbers etc. The same for when you are searching for a local plumber, dentist, accountant, florist etc.

And so your Local Small Business Marketing Strategy must take advantage of platforms like Google Places, Bing and Yahoo Local, Facebook Places, Local Review Directories like Yelp and ensure that your business is found when a local search is made.

3)Pay per Click- The Fastest Way to Get onto the First Page of the Search Engines and generate Targeted leads

With Pay Per Click Marketing, your business can be on the first page of search engines generating targeted leads within minutes.

Since Google makes up 70% of the Pay Per Click (PPC) market, we will concentrate here on Google. PPC marketing with Google is called Google Adwords and it is the sponsored ads that come up on the top and the right hand side of the Google Pages. It is free for the ads to appear here and you only pay when someone clicks on your add and goes to your landing page. Therefore PPC marketing can be highly targeted and you can easily calculate the profitability of your PPC marketing.

Many small business owners make a big mistake of not using PPC Marketing to generate leads. This is because either they do not know enough about PPC or they have been led to believe that it is expensive and will not give them a return on their investment.

If done correctly, PPC can be a very powerful lead generation small business marketing strategy. In the PPC arena, Facebook PPC is showing a rising trend due to the number of Facebook users and with detailed user profile information available on Facebook, the PPC add can be even more targeted than Google Adwords.

4)Build Relationships with Customers and Generate Leads through Email Marketing

It is a common misconception that email marketing does not work and that most emails land up in the spam box or are deleted without having been read.

However, e-mail marketing, if done correctly, can be an inexpensive and quick way to reach a large audience. The key is in the way you collect emails. You have to get people to want to receive your mailings. To do this, you need to do permission mailing, which means having people either sign up on your Web site for such mailings or provide their e-mail addresses when they purchase something from your company. You need to have a rigorous system of collecting emails making sure that in all cases you have permission to email them.

Once you have an email system in place and your target audience is receiving valuable information, you have a ready market to make offers or advise them of new products etc.

5)Using the Power of Social Media to Gain Credibility and Generate Leads.

Why is Social Media important? For the simple reason that the way people are communicating online is changing and small business owners need to keep up with this changing trend!

Social Networking websites in the UK now account for 11% of all time spent online! In the past year the average time spent on social networking sites grew from 3 hours per month to 5.5 hours.
It is now one of the essential strategies of Small Business Marketing and for building a business online and driving a large amount of traffic to your website.

When we use the term social media we are referring more commonly to websites such as Twitter and Facebook and for businesses more specifically LinkedIn.

People join these networks and create profiles about themselves and share information, photos and videos with their friends or contacts. You can therefore have access to your friend’s friends and spread your marketing message virally.

Juzer Kimti is a Small Business Consultant specialising in helping Small Owner Managed Businesses to Increase Quality Targeted Leads,Increase Conversions and Generate Bigger Profits. Pick up your FREE Report on “Profit Secrets for Small Business Owners” and explode your Small Business Marketing.

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