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Section 3 – Marketing  |
Send Memorable Holiday Cards
Beginning around December 12, corporate mailboxes are stuffed with holiday cards- some funny, some serious, some boring. What makes one card stand out from another? Originality.
Instead of sending a standard card produced by a greeting card manufacturer, design your own. This may cost a bit more , yet the end results are worth the expense. If you're not artistic, hire someone to handle the design and layout.
Making labels work well for everyday business mailings. When sending holiday cards, take the time to address each one by hand or hire someone with good handwriting to address them for you. In addition, take the time to sign each card. You don't have to write a personal message, just add your signature. There is something impersonal about receiving a card engraved with your company name and no signature. It will take time to sign each card, but your clients will appreciate that extra touch.
There is no rule of thumb that you must send cards in December. You can send Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, or Fourth of July cards. It depends upon your relationship with your clients and your willingness to break out of the corporate mold.
Give people the opportunity to sample your product properly
As the old saying goes, “You have only one chance to make a first impression.” People's looks, actions, and words all combine to determine the impression they make. However, a product's quality and benefits are not always apparent. The way you choose to sample your product can open doors for you, but it can also slam them in the face, so be careful.
Attitudes not related to your product, but rather to a person's environment, can influence their buying decisions. If you do not give clients ample time to test your product and push them to make a decision, they may reject your product immediately.
Perhaps your product or service is complicated or difficult to understand. If potential clients are unclear about what you are offering, they may be too embarrassed to admit it. When pride stands in in the way of a new business relationship, skillful product presentation can salvage it.
It's natural to present the features of a product or service and forget to mention the benefits, even though they may be obvious. By presenting a complete package, including what the client will gain by working with you, you'll give your client enough information to make an informed decision.
Give speeches to promote your business
A national study showed that the fear of speaking before a group ranked as the number one fear in the United States. That outranked death. Although a few speakers may have died – figuratively speaking – in front of an audience, the benefits of public speaking far outweigh the risks.
There are several options for speaking before groups. You can present two-hour workshops or one-hour motivational keynote presentations. Other options are half-day, and multiple-day seminars. The key to a successful presentation, no matter what the length, are preparation, knowledge, and a passion for the information you share.
If the person standing before an audience is not interested in what he or she is saying, it's obvious to everyone. In that situation, even the presenter shouldn't be there, much less the audience.
Make one promotional piece do more
Because printing and mailing promotional materials can end up costing you quite a bit, it is important to be creative with your design.
When you make up a postcard, think of several ways it can be used. You can jot quick notes to clients or prospects, or send reminders throughout the year to your best clients. Design the card so that one side is blank and the other contains a printed message. If you want to mail it, you must have a blank side to write the client's address and your return address. If you want to use the card as an enclosure note, you can write on both sides.
Authors often have extra book covers printed. One side contains the jacket content of their book, and the inside remains blank. You can use the jacket as a promotional vehicle with information about your company printed inside. You can also cut the jacket in half and paste the front cover on a two-pocket folder. Or fold the book jacket in half and include it in your press packet instead of using the actual book.
A one-page sales sheet can be used in proposals, or as the back of a handout you give to audiences when presenting speeches.
Make your letterhead design work for more than just letters. Keep the design generic enough to be used for invoices (if you don't have separate forms), news releases, or proposal cover sheets.
Your business card can become a mini-brochure. Instead of using a traditional business card, use one with a flap. The front flap ca carry a catchy phrase, and the inner flap can contain your name, company name, address, phone, e-mail address, fax number and web address. It can also include a brief description of your company and services.
Before you design your next sales piece, think of different ways that it can serve you. You will be able to invest in a higher quality promotional piece and won't be stuck with thousands of printed materials that you use only occasionally.
Make all of your marketing materials first class
You may work in a state-of–the-art home office, yet your clients may never see it. What they will see, however, is the information generated from within your home office. Make sure that whatever leaves your office is the highest quality you can afford.
Your office furniture doesn't have to be the best available and your computer doesn't have to be the latest model. Those items do not necessarily affect your output. A low quality printer will. If buying a new printer will put a crimp in your budget, cut back somewhere else and buy the higher quality printer.
Take a close look at your letterhead and envelopes. Are they printed on low-grade paper, or on a heavier stock? Your business cards don't have to be printed with raised letterings, but the printing should be clean and easy to read.
Are your materials up to date? If you move to a new home office or decide to use a postal suite, do not scratch out the old address or put a sticker over the old address. Reprint your letterhead. You can always cut the address off of your old letterhead, if it's printed on the bottom, and use the outdated stationery for short notes.
Your image will be reflected on whatever you send to clients or prospects. Make every effort to make a positive impression.
Create a website
Any business serious about competing in the global market must have a web site. It's not enough to have a toll-free number and a business listing in the yellow pages. You have to have a Web presence. For a relatively small amount of money each month, you can provide visitors with valuable information and, of course, a reason to contact you for your services or to buy your products.
If you have the skills to create your own site, you'll save money. Those of us with little or no creative skills have to rely on Web designers. By using Someone else's talents, you can spend time on other tasks that you can do better.
After you've decided to create a site, use a simple name that will bring visitors to you. If you refer to your business often, use your business name. If clients will search for you by your own name, use that. If you offer an interesting product or service, use that name. You could even use the title of a book you've written (shortened of course). A web address should be short and easy to remember. Some companies offer free Web site hosting, but then you'll receive an address within an address. It's worth the small investment to register your own address with your name, business name, etc. with “.com” after it. It's more professional and easier to remember.
Make sure you include your Web address on everything that leaves your office an register your site with all of the search engines. Also, change your content often to give visitors a reason to frequent your site.
Teach classes
An old saying states that those who can, do, and those who cannot, teach. That myth is dead. Those who can, teach and share their skills with others. In addition to imparting their expertise, the self-employed build their reputations and gain new clients. Junior colleges and various universities welcome business professionals as teachers for their continuing education courses. Some business people use teaching as a way to supplement their incomes, while others view teaching as an ongoing marketing tool. If a business specialist's class is announcing in the course catalog each semester, he or she gains exposure to audiences who might otherwise know nothing about the person.
Corporations often turn to continuing education departments for seminar leaders. Companies bring these instructors into their businesses to train employees. Sometimes the university may impose a referral fee, but these fees are often reasonable.
Continuing education requires no degree. You need only a good understanding of what you teach and an ability to convey your message clearly and concisely. This is not an eight-week infomercial about your company, so be careful to keep your course informative, educational, and interesting. |
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