Wednesday, October 26, 2011

MARKETING AND PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS THE SIMPLE WAY.

As a business owner you will be aware that there are two sides to the success of your business. The first, of course, is that you need to be offering a killer product or service that people will want to purchase or use. The second is that potential clients and customers need to be able to find your service or product at a time when it might be useful to them - this is where a solid marketing strategy comes in.
The Simple Way to Market Your Start-Up
To ensure that your business has high visibility to those within the market that you are targeting, there are a number of simple marketing steps that you can take. Marketing strategies should encompass both on and offline platforms and should seek to capitalize on potential customers or clients. Tactics that you may wish to consider when marketing your business include:
•Creating a Media Buzz: If you want people to know about your business then there is no better way to get noticed than to be the focus of media attention. Think about what is unique, interesting or unusual about the product or service you offer and create press releases explaining this in an engaging and exciting fashion for distribution to print and broadcast press outlets as well as to the trade media. Remember that for a press release to be picked up there needs to be something unique about what you are saying or offering so try and use a bit of imagination when putting releases together.
•Engaging the Online Community: The internet is an essential part of any marketing effort and you will need a cohesive online marketing strategy to succeed in the marketplace. You will need an enticing website, as well as a credible online presence through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Create social media profiles for your company and ensure that you are active in communities that relate to your business. Think about blogging on topics that are interesting to your customers.
•Cultivating Real Life Contacts: While building business in cyber space is a great idea, there is still a lot to be said for meeting people face to face as a means of business marketing. Join a Chamber of Commerce or business network and attend trade shows and conferences. Think about offering people a promotional keepsake from your company to keep you top-of-mind after the initial contact, items from pens to branded USB flash drives can be given away as a marketing reminder.
•Capitalize on Customers: One marketing trick that is often missed by new businesses is the opportunity to continue to sell to those who have previously used their product/service. Keep up-to-date databases of client details and use these to send out marketing messages such as newsletters and offer to keep customers coming back for more.
•Become a Life-Long Learner: In today's fast changing economy, keeping your skills razor sharp is essential for business owners and home-based businesses. Gain the knowledge & expertise to leverage changing marketing trends to acquire new customers.

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