Create a Plan

If you're like me, you frequently have tons of ideas running through your mind, different ways that you'd like to try marketing your business. My problem is, I never have nearly enough time to implement them all. That's why it's important to have a plan. By having a plan, you can be sure to devote the proper amount of time to all the various marketing strategies that you want to try. Giving each idea the time and effort it deserves will really give you an idea of whether a particular method has been effective.

The good news is, you don't have to try all your ideas at once. Without a dedicated marketing team, it would be difficult to implement too many marketing methods at one time, and even more difficult to determine which ones were working and which ones weren't. Creating a strategic plan will allow you to clear all those great ideas out of your head and put them on paper. One good way is to try one or two new techniques each quarter. Three months is usually enough time to get an idea of the effectiveness of a marketing technique. If one method is showing signs of promise, you can continue it.

When you come up with new ideas, write them down and add them to your plan. That way you'll have a few months to prepare in advance, and you can continue your proven marketing efforts while trying one or two new techniques at a time. This will help you eliminate the confusion of trying to try out all the new and exciting marketing ideas at one time, and over time you'll develop a base of marketing strategies that are successful in building your business.

Consistent Marketing Efforts

Well here we are at the end of September and I haven't posted to the "new" blog since March. I'm ignoring my own best advice that I always give to clients: Be consistent with your marketing efforts! Many marketing strategies don't produce immediate results, and a lot of businesses miss the boat by giving things a try for a very short period of time and then giving up on them too soon because they didn't receive this amazing response after very little effort. If you are continuous and consistent with your marketing strategies and your message, you will see results over time. Unfortunately, there's no magic pill in the world of marketing, and it often takes a combination of strategies over a period of time for a marketing campaign to achieve its full potential. In some cases, it may be possible to acheive a tremendous response from a single message, such as sending a hot new offer to a huge list of email subscribers, but that kind of response requires a lot of back-end planning and building. It takes time to build a subscriber list, to build a brand, and to gain name recognition among your clients. Be consistent with your efforts and your message, and one day you'll reach a point at which you can boost your sales by sending a single email!

Too many businesses fall into the trap of thinking they don't need to advertise because business is booming. Any business will experience periods of feast or famine, and maintaining a consistent marketing campaign throughout both busy and slow times can make your income stream a little more consistent. Marketing only when times are tough will only exacerbate the feast or famine syndrome we all hate. You can certainly ramp up your marketing efforts a little when you have extra time between clients or when business is slow, but you should have a plan that you stick to regardless of the amount of business you have coming in at any given time.

My commitment now is to follow my own best advice and start maintaining this blog to provide my clients and visitors with the advice that I've promised. During times of feast and times of famine, you'll now see regular blog posts from me!

Don't Be Afraid to Use Coupons and Discounts!

Attention business owners everywhere - small, large, international, Fortune 500 - take note: It will not kill your business or significantly decrease your profits for you to offer your customers a coupon, a periodic discount, a reward or a special offer! In fact, you will more than likely see an increase in your profits!

I just cannot believe the number of business owners I come across who are stingy with their coupons. They don't want to give any coupons to any non-profit organizations for any promotions or fund-raising efforts. They're afraid to offer a sale or discount on any of their products or services, until they're so desperate for business that they have to in order to move anything.

The number one reason I get from people who balk at the idea of offering a promotion of some sort is that they simply can't afford to take that cut into their profit margin. I guess it never occurs to them that by offering even a small snivel of a dicount, they would probably move a lot more product or sell more services during that time frame, because bargains attract buyers! And even if your profit margin is a little bit less on those few items or for that short amount of time, if you bring in twice your normal number of customers due to the offer, you would more than make up for the difference in your profits.

Hmmm...do I really want to be sure I'm making no less than $5.00 profit on each and every item I sell, or would I rather sell more items and probably double my normal profits for the month?

Generating Internet Buzz

In the new online media landscape, new strategies have emerged that allow businesses to create viral marketing through what is essentially "word-of-mouth" advertising via the web. It's a highly effective way to create buzz about your business without placing direct advertisements that could be ignored by your potential customers. It also enhances your web presence by providing backlinks to your website, which will generate higher page rankings in the search engines.

Web marketing consultants, like Stringfellow Creative, offer web publicity services that will generate interest in your business through forum postings, discussion groups, blogging and the use of social media and social networking. It's not the right solution for every type of business, but for some it's an incredibly effective strategy.

To do it right requires a lot of time and dedication, and some specialized knowledge and researching skills. It makes sense to hire an expert who knows where to find your target customers and how to communicate with them, saving you the time and energy it takes to launch an effective campaign. If you're looking to increase your web traffic and generate more business, and your market is not geographically restricted, this strategy may be right for you. Send an email to info@stringfellowcreative.com for more information.