Business networking with social media
With everyone from your neighbours, family, friends and colleagues jumping on the social media bandwagon, there is no surprise that companies are using the continually evolving digital platform as a valuable marketing tool.
Branding Basics - How do I use my brand strategy?
Together with your competitive positioning strategy, your brand strategy is the essence of what you represent. A great brand strategy helps you communicate more effectively with your market, so it is vital to follow it in every interaction you have with your prospects and customers.
Building a brand
A brand identity represents a mental or emotional association in the mind of a customer. It is initiated by the images used in your advertising, and by the words used to describe your products. After sufficient impressions, the customer remembers these associations and a brand is born.....
Market like a guerrilla
Many small to medium sized enterprises start up their businesses with high hopes, a million and one things to take care of and – no marketing plan. Ironically, a solid marketing plan with structured activity over 12 months is the one thing that can keep your business going when customers become scarce and the economy falters.
Knowledge is power
Have you ever heard the expression, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you?” Well unfortunately we’re about to turn that expression on its ear, because it’s what you do know about your customers that is going to make your business the great success that you are striving for.
It's midnight and you're not famous yet!
You know what you’re doing is good. Right? You know that nobody can do it quite as good as you with just the right amount of this and that and nobody can surpass you in quality and service. Right? But how many other people out there know that?
Tracking costs by lead – the what and the how
Every business can only afford to spend a set amount of money on marketing, so read on for steps to reduce expenses by tracking costs per lead.....
Give your eMarketing an 8 point health check
eMarketing is not a set and forget solution. There are 7 key areas that can stop your strategy performing.
5 ways to get Christmas all wrapped up
A third of the year’s retail trade occurs over the holiday period, so it make sense to capitalise on consumers’ desire to flex their purchasing muscle. Here are five easy tips to make the most of the Christmas rush.....
Raise profits through referrals
Why seek referrals? Establishing a systemised process for obtaining referrals is one of the most cost effective ways of acquiring new, qualified customers for your product or service......
Get on the media's good side
No matter what business you’re in, seeking to attract positive media attention should be right up there on your list of ‘to do’s’ – after all, you can’t have your competitors grabbing all the headlines, especially if you know that your product or service is superior and better meets your markets’ wants and needs.
Marketing during the holidays
A look at some simple and inexpensive marketing strategies to re-connect with your clients during the Christmas holidays.....
Making money from affiliates
These days, nearly all businesses (mostly like yours included) have an online presence. What you might not be doing however is making the most of that presence, nor squeezing every last drop of money making potential out of it. One way to make sure you’re getting maximum ‘bang for your buck’ from your business website is to look at linking up with an affiliate program.
Social media marketing
The rapidly evolving social media network, when taken advantage of, can become an advanced marketing platform.
Cheque's in the mail
If you ever send your clients anything by mail, be it a letter, free sample or discount voucher – you MUST read this…
Keeping track of your customers & prospects to improve your sales
The simplest way to increase your business sales is by getting your existing customers to buy more from you and to do that you need to know your clients inside out.
What are you really saying?
How to build a brand that speaks volumes.
Double your database
Sometimes your database just doesn’t give you the leads you need. If so, it’s time you started drumming up some hotter prospects by cleansing your current list and sourcing new contacts from outside sources.
Stop being stood up with this one simple tool
When you’re in business, it’s very easy for prospects/contacts to conveniently forget about a scheduled meeting. If you’ve ever been in the situation where someone was unexpectedly ‘out of town’ when you were supposed to be seeing them, you’ll know what I mean. Or, darn, they’ve gone and double booked themselves again. Sometimes, the less creative prospects will just have their receptionist give an excuse as to why they can no longer meet with you and won’t even speak to you themselves.
The ONLY 7 ways to grow your business
It doesn’t matter what business you are in or where you are located, fundamentally there are just seven ways to increase the profitability of your business.
How to be seen as THE Expert in your field & attract "A" class clients
Positioning your business, or positioning you personally as an industry expert means that people instantly see you as the authority on a certain topic. This coveted position enables you to charge a lot (a lot) more for your services because people know that the advice they receive is going to be outstanding. Better still, as your expert status grows, you'll find that you start attracting a higher calibre of clients to your business.
DIY PR in 10 easy steps
Improve your business profile with these 10 public relations strategies and educate potential and existing customers about your business and products.
Building your business one tweet at a time
If you haven’t yet heard of Twitter then it’s possible you’ve been living on another planet for the past couple of years. Or, if you’re like most business owners, you’ve simply been really, really busy. Or at least too busy to bother with social media sites (which is what Twitter is, in case you’re still wondering).
7 Strategies to increase your online orders
Here’s a hint: the easier you make it for people to purchase, the more sales you’ll get. In the online world, there are some specific things you can to do to increase the perception of ease, safety, and reliability on your site that will in turn lead to increased purchases.
Network to get work - selling, sometimes just doesn't sell
With a contracting market and reduced consumer spending, it’s critical to continue marketing your products and services if you want to maintain sales. But how can you do that if your marketing budget has been slashed?