10 Easy Ways To Increase Your Business

 (Without increasing your budget)

A Special Marketing Report by Debbie Evans

Introduction

A primary reason many marketing efforts used by small businesses fail is that owners attempt to use big business strategies, which cost too much and are simply not effective for small businesses. Fortunately, cost does not have to be a deterrent to effectively market your business. You can run a successful marketing program, specifically designed for small business success, on a shoestring budget. The key is to choose only those strategies, which are proven to work for small businesses and to invest the time in making these strategies work.

Three key elements are required in marketing a small business or professional practice:

1)  Ongoing commitment: One of the hallmarks of a successful marketing program is that every element builds upon every preceding element. A hit or miss, off and on program will simply not bring in new business.

2)   A Niche or area of expertise to market. The most successful way to market any  professional, including a small business owner, is to promote her as an expert. To do this most effectively you must narrow your area of expertise. This is not your only area of expertise; however, it should be the primary area for marketing. You should stay up-to-date on the latest trends and/or information in your business. You are the expert.

3) Set specific, measurable, and attainable goals and objectives for your marketing program. Evaluate your progress in meeting these objectives on a regular basis.

THE LIST: 
10 Easy Ways to Increase Your Business (without increasing your budget)

This is not a Top 10 list! Number one is not necessarily better than two or even 10.  Pick those items that are most relevant to your individual business and those to which you feel you can make a commitment.

1) Write feature articles. Writing and publishing articles is an excellent way to present yourself as an expert. Not only does the article show your knowledge, you receive the added benefit of an implied endorsement from the publication, which publishes the article.

The key to these kinds of articles is to know your target market and where to find them (i.e. what publications are they reading), write clearly and concisely giving practical information the reader can use right away. However, the information should also tease a little so that the reader wants more information (and will call you).

The best subjects for these types of articles are how-to articles (give a problem and a solution) and new information articles (articles which explain, in laymen’s terms, something new which involves your business).

2) Become a media source. Develop relationships with those writers/editors who deal in your area’s subject matter. Let them know that when they’re working on a story concerning that issue, you are the expert available to answer questions, confirm information and/or provide quotes. Regularly keep them informed about interesting developments or latest trends through press releases, letters, and phone calls (only call after a friendly relationship has been established).

There are two important things to remember if you want to be a media source:

    a)      Don’t be a pest. Only contact the editor when you truly have something newsworthy to report;

    b)     Make absolutely sure you’re available when your hard work pays off and the editor calls you for a quote or to answer a question, otherwise, he’ll cross you off his list (permanently), call the next “expert” on his list and you’ve wasted weeks or months of work.

3) News Releases. Develop a regular program of sending informative news releases to the media. Face it; editors want to publish news that is beneficial to their readers. They don’t particularly care whether you’ve hired a new employee or celebrated another year in business. However, if you send a news release which explains a difficult process, or gives a solution to a common problem, they’ll be much more interested in publishing it.

The difference in these “mini-articles” and the feature articles we discussed earlier is that you can send these same news releases to every media contact on your list. Your feature articles will be targeted to only one publication each.

Establish a regular schedule for sending your releases (every one or two months is preferable); however, only send newsworthy information. You may want to go ahead and choose your first six topics in advance, just to make sure you can pull this technique off.

The advantages are numerous: not only do you establish yourself as an expert with the publications’ readers, you’re reinforcing your role as expert with the editor and, by regularly sending news releases, you’re assured that when that editor needs a source, she’ll remember you. However, if you sent one really fantastic news release, but it was six months ago, she probably won’t remember you!

4)     Response Publicity.  Also known as targeted public relations, response publicity ensures that your PR efforts will achieve a response from your target market. Most PR is designed to create an image for a business or professional. However, your small business can’t afford image building or ego stroking; you need concrete leads. Here’s how to get them. Select a freebie you can give away which will have a definite perceived value to your prospects and to editors (such as an informative report or booklet—lists like this one are very popular). This is your offer.

In every news release or article you distribute, include a brief paragraph with your offer: “For a free copy of “My Free Report”, call...” Even if a prospect has no immediate need for your business, he is likely to call you for your freebie. You then have his name, address and phone number on your prospect list and he has tangible proof that you are an expert in your field. Without an offer, that same prospect may have read your news release and been impressed, but without having an immediate need for your product or service, may not have saved the information or even remembered your name. When that prospect is ready to buy, you are back at square one, lost in a sea of competitors.

The key to using response publicity is to make sure that your offer is newsworthy; otherwise an editor will just cut out the paragraph with your offer. Editors have no reason to publish a self-serving, blatant attempt to get prospect names, unless they believe their readers will truly benefit from the information in your offer.

5)   Response Advertising. This is the same technique as in response publicity. Include your offer in every single piece of advertising you produce, including your yellow pages ad. Give the potential prospect a reason to save your ad and give the active prospect a reason to call you (and not one of your other competitors). Since you’re paying for your ad space, you don’t have to be as careful with wording your offer; however, your offer should still have a strong perceived value to your customers.

Although a coupon or other discount is a form of response advertising, it is only of benefit to those prospects actively seeking your service or product. Choose an offer that is of interest to those prospects that do not need your product or service at this exact moment. You’ll be on their minds down the road when they become active.

6)  Networking. Don’t just join; get active in various organizations (whose members happen to be in your target market). Don’t just attend meetings. Be visible. Join committees. People like to work with people they know and like, so make sure everybody knows you and likes you. When members need help in your area of expertise, they’ll be much more likely to turn to someone they know and like—you—than they will to turn to a stranger. Likewise, if any are asked for referrals, they will be more likely to refer you, whether or not they’ve actually worked with you.

7)  Speaking. Networking and speaking go hand in hand. The organizations you belong to all need speakers. You can’t sit back and wait for them to ask you though—you have to volunteer. Let them know why you should be their choice as a speaker. Your speeches and articles can be very closely related (less writing time).

Mention to your current clients or customers that you’re a speaker. Many of them belong to associations that need speakers. Let attendees at your speeches know that you’d like their business (be subtle—no hard sell, please). For added benefit, when you speak for an organization, submit a copy of your speech to their newsletter for publication later on (for those who missed it—you’re just trying to help!)

8)  Get referrals. Work your network. The best way to get referrals is to give referrals. Cultivate other profession­als or small business owners who have the same target market as you, but who are not direct competitors. To get a referral from another professional, you have to be well liked and/or respected by that person. She wants to feel good about referring you. Always follow up with a thank you note within a few weeks. Make clear in your note that you intend to reciprocate the favor. Then do it at the first opportunity.

Let clients or customers know that you’d like their referrals. “If you know anyone else who could use our services, please give them my name.” When people ask, “How’s business?” Reply, “Business is great, but we’re always looking for new clients.” Sometimes clients think that you’re so busy you don’t want or need new clients— they don’t want to burden you! This is especially true for professionals with small practices.

When they find out you want their referrals, however, most clients are eager to cooperate.

9)   Knock-your-socks-off service. Your best (and cheapest) source of new business is current clients. Always do your best work, considering the entire package of services and not just the end product. The customer may not always be right, but he should always be treated with respect and compassion. Clients should feel like you care about them. If they like you, they’re more likely to recommend you—and come back.

10) Make the most of your collateral marketing materials. If you have a brochure, make sure it’s used to its full advantage. It won’t do you any good sitting in a supply closet. Leave it behind wherever you go. Send it out with your outgoing mail. Give your best customers several to pass along. Ditto for business cards. If you distribute a client newsletter or use direct mail, clean up your mailing list on a regular basis. Wasted postage can add up quickly. If your brochure or other materials are not getting results, redo them. The extra you spend here will more than be saved in the long run.

BONUS

Web Marketing - 1) Have a professional website, 2) Make sure your website is designed and written to SEO standards, 3) Include your website URL on every bit of marketing materials, 4) Take advantage of the full-range of web marketing available to you, from blogging to social networking, to email marketing.

Conclusion These ten techniques can all be very effective methods of marketing your small business or professional service. Remember, however, that marketing doesn’t always show immediate results, so don’t get discouraged. It takes time to achieve measurable results, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Once the results start coming in they are usually ongoing, steady and impressive.

Copyright 2002, 2008, Deb Evans