How to Make Every Marketing Piece Effective
How to Make Every Marketing Piece Effective
There are four essential elements you need to try and squeeze into every marketing message you put out to the public. This Cheat sheet will help you remember what is important.
1. Get Attention.
Use a headline or something that will catch the attention of your prospective customer. If you are selling to housewives then use a headline the starts with: “Attention Housewives…” or if business owners: “Special Report For Business Owners in Jackson County”
It’s good to use a benefit laden headline: The two words “How To….(whatever solution you’re offering)” are very effective in catching attention.
2. Demonstrate How It Will Benefit The Customer
Focus on benefits not features. Will your service or product provide better health, more comfort, more money, more free time, acceptance, improved appearance, improve their business, provide security?
Or will your product or service keep them from looking foolish, get them out of poor health, keep them from poverty, or escape boredom?
Paint a word picture of them enjoying the benefits of using your product or service.
3. Show proof
People decide with their emotions but need to justify their decisions with proof.
This is where testimonies come into play. There is nothing more powerful than the word of someone who has spent the money and is happy with the results. Before and after pictures are very good to use.
Other forms of proof: studies, admitting shortcomings, details of how it was made, independent research.
4. Ask For Action
Do you want them to call, send in a card, visit a website, or come into the store? Make it clear and walk them through the steps of what you want. Confusion loses customers clarity attracts them.
18 Ways to Attract Qualified and Highly Interested Prospects to Your Business (Even In a Recession)
Thank you for taking the time to order and read this report. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the ideas found here. Often it is the simple steps that make the biggest advances.
Just start with one idea, do it today, one idea acted on is better than a thousand thoughts left inside the head.
Don’t despise the little things.
Have fun because business done right should be fun.
Be sure and read the attached letter. I’d love to help you not just get good ideas but also implement them. Your investment in my services is guaranteed.
Let’s get started!
- Increase the value of each sales transaction. You can do this by providing deluxe versions, add-ons, or pushing accessories that will be helpful to the customer. For example selling socks and shoe polish when you sell a pair of shoes. If you’re painting a house exterior than offer a special for doing an interior room. What are your customer’s wants, desires, problems and irritations? Make a list of them, then brainstorm about the possible services or products that could meet their wants, solve their problems or get rid of the things that irritate them.
- Mail to your customer list as often as it’s profitable to do so. Mail them helpful hints on a regular basis. Offer them special rates or times to shop just because they’re regular customers. If they bought a consumable product, send them a reminder that it’s time to buy again.
- Discover the magic of full color postcards. Postcards are an underused yet highly profitable and effective means of reaching potential customers or current customers. At Overnigntprints.com you can purchase full color postcards for as little as 6.5 cents. And the postage is only 27 cents. Keep the design simple; focus on only one offer and use a benefit filled headline. You can send them to a website, have them call, or have them come into the store for a special offer.
- Reactivate old customers. Every business has prospective customers, current customers and old customers. Use a postcard, letter, or telephone to get in contact with your old customers who haven’t purchased from you in awhile. Invite them back with a special “get reacquainted” offer. A large percentage will respond favorably. Most people switch to other businesses because of neglect. Stay in touch with your customers and they’ll stay in touch with you.
- Make ads perform better. Make sure you have the four essential elements to an ad: a good headline, proof that what your saying is true (testimonies work here), description of the customer enjoying the benefit and a call to some form of action (an offer). One of the easiest ways to double the effectiveness of your ad is to change the headline. Most headlines are company focused and not customer focused. Let your heading clearly state a benefit to your customer. A potential customer is really not very interested in who you are or how good you are or how pretty your building is. The potential customer is asking, “what’s in it for me?” If you can answer that question you’ll be over half way to the sale.
- License your unique service or product. A car wash service had a unique way of getting customers to upgrade to a higher and more profitable service. They took this technique and marketed it to other car wash services around the nation giving them permission to use this licensed method for a percentage of their increased profits. This generated thousands of extra dollars a month to the originators income without them having to do anything.
- Do something every day to market your business. Make a phone call, write a sales letter, send out a thank you card, write and place an ad, do at least one thing and at the end of the year you will have made over 200 small steps to advance your business. Those little things add up to create a powerful synergy. If you find it hard to make time for this then set your alarm and get up 30 minutes early. Use that time to do a marketing activity.
- Pre-sell. Use educational selling. Don’t push your product or service until you’ve given the potential client good solid information that helps them in making a wise decision…even if that means they won’t choose you. This will build a bridge of trust that will have a positive long term effect on your business
- Use the power of an excellent guarantee. Often a business will back up their service by refunding or going out of their way to correct a problem. But they don’t let the customer know that up front. By giving a big guarantee you remove the worry the potential client has about doing business with you. Yes, some will take advantage of you but that will be greatly outweighed by the amount of extra profit your make form those who choose to do business with you because of your outrageous guarantee.
- Strengthen your marketing without spending any extra money by using a USP. Your “Unique Selling Proposition”. This is the thing about you, your product or your service that sets you apart from your competitors. A well chosen and utilized USP can make a great and immediate impact on your business.
- Stir up immediate action with incentives. For example if you have a limited amount of something let your customers know they need to act quickly. Use bonus gifts if they respond by a certain date. I know a painter who would give his regular quote but then say that if they made a decision today he would lower the price by $500. And if they called within 3 days he would lower it by $300. Give them that extra push – a strong enough reason to respond immediately.
- Over deliver. Promise a lot but give more than expected. Make their experience with you positive and satisfying. Make them feel valued and you’ll build long term loyal relationships. Plus they’ll be anxious to tell their friends about you. Use the power of a smile to make someone’s day special.
- After the purchase send a thank you card. This common courtesy is so unusual that it will make you stand out from your competitors. How often have your received a hand written thank you note? Make this a habit after every purchase it’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways to build good will.
- Narrow your niche and become the expert in that area. Trying to be all things to all people waters down your message and will put you out of business quick. Become the expert CPA for attorneys or if you’re a window cleaner focus on residential homes only. People will pay more for a heart specialist than for a general practitioner. What can you do to narrow your focus and become the expert in that field?
- Use testimonies. Begin to collect testimonies and use them in all your marketing materials. These are proofs of your claims. How do you get testimonies? Ask for them. Most people who have had a good experience are glad to help you out. A testimony is a third party endorsement that helps establish credibility for your product or service.
- Always remember people are not buying products or services they are buying a solution to a problem. They are paying to receive the benefit that is in your service or product. You don’t sell eyeglasses you sell better eyesight. You’re not selling clothes but acceptance by your peers. A nice restaurant is not selling food but a romantic, relationship building experience.
- Partner with other businesses. Find other business that are not direct competitors but who service the same kind of clientele. A CPA who services high end clients can give away a coupon to a nice dinner house. This dinner house by giving away a free meal will get a new customer for a low investment. The customer they get will be prequalified and will most likely become a regular customer. Plus how many people go out alone to a nice restaurant. When you give a free meal to a qualified customer they will bring in a guest who will be paying for their meal which will at least cover the basic overhead of both customers. The CPA gains the favor of his clients and the restaurant gets two new customers they can convert into long term repeat customers. Both parties win with very little expense.
- Ask for referrals. Once you’ve over delivered on your services and or products, ask your customer if they know of anyone who would benefit from what they just experienced. You can prompt their memory by asking if they have any family members or co-workers that might be interested, maybe they belong to an organization or church. Not all will have referrals but enough will to make it worthwhile.
As I said at the beginning pick one idea to put into practice this week. Learning the power of focus and concentration is a prime business skill and marketing your business is the most important aspect of business life.
You can have the best products and the greatest service, but if nobody knows you’re around then you’ll not get any customers, and without customers your business is no more.
Choose an idea and concentrate on it. Put it into practice, measure the results and tweak it as necessary. Don’t be worried about mistakes it is better to step out and move then to sit back, afraid that you might not do it right. Not every idea will work but you will learn from every attempt and those lessons learned will make it easier and easier as time goes on.
Do You Need That Extra Boost
Being an entrepreneur for 29 years I understand the difficulties, frustrations and struggles of the small business owner. Often you’ll have great ideas but just can’t get them implemented. You’re stuck in the sand and you’re wheels are spinning.
I’d love to help give you that push and get you back on the road. As a business coach I come along side of you to encourage, exhort, and give that gentle push to get you back on track. I bring the expertise of years of hands on experience, reading dozens of books, and training. I also maintain ongoing training to keep my marketing skills sharp and current.
Call me and we can discuss your situation. There will be no pressure and no obligation. Call 877-766-6511 toll free.
May God bless you as you apply diligence and wisdom to your business.
Jeff Testerman Your friendly business coach Integrity Based Businesses Call me at 877-766-6511 Toll free
Download… Sales_letter_for_Marketing_analysis_
Online Business Owners: Avoid These 5 Outsourcing Mistakes
For those considering outsourcing in their online business, the goal is to create a more profitable company while streamlining the owner’s work. Taking the time to avoid common outsourcing mistakes will make the process go much smoother and avoid the feeling that you are spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. Or to quote Nicole Dean of www.OutsourceWeekly.com “You must plan your outsourcing wisely. Otherwise, you’re simply throwing money into the wind.”
As with any part of business, outsourcing has its good and bad points, however if you are aware of the potential problems before hand, you increase your chances of an enjoyable experience.
Here are 5 potential outsourcing mistakes every online business owner should be aware of, in order to avoid making them.
1. Not Knowing Who You Are Dealing With
Most business owners who outsource will tell you the biggest benefit of doing so is the fact that their assistants work remotely. The number one problem when it comes to outsourcing, though, is not thoroughly checking out the contractor or company who will be performing the work. Keep in mind that sometimes this independence can work in the opposite direction if not taken seriously. Make it a point to carefully interview the people you are considering working with before assigning a task or project to them. The person or company should be someone you can trust to represent your business.
2. Non-Communication between Owner & Assistant
Whether you are outsourcing tech support, writing, web design or something else, there is a great deal of effort needed in order to keep the lines of communication open. If you allow your workers to do work for you without communicating your goals and what it is that you need, you will find that they your work will not be done as you’d hoped. Assistants are not mind-readers and do need guidance. Take some time to make sure that you and the people you outsource to understand your expectations. This is an important part of making sure that you get what you need.
3. Forgetting to Budget Wisely
In order for outsourcing to work properly, you’ll need to keep a good eye on what you are spending for the work being done. While some projects will require single payments to your assistant, others may involve recurring or retainer payments and you will more than likely have some type of contract or agreement that binds you. Some of your assistants may charge by the hour while others may invoice by project or expect payment based on a commission of some sort. Take the time to figure out how much money you can afford to spend on certain tasks and budget appropriately.
4. Under Utilizing Your Contractor & Their Resources
When you choose to outsource certain tasks, make certain you are using your assistant to their fullest capabilities and not just outsourcing for the sake of outsourcing or splitting up work between two assistants when it makes more sense to have one handle both jobs. Sometimes you can find freelancers who are willing to work on a recurring basis or who will complete larger projects at a reduced rate in order to get and keep your business. Don’t be afraid to ask potential contractors if they have room for more than just one or two jobs and don’t outsource something just to say that you’re on the outsourcing wagon.
5. Misunderstanding Your Role as the Outsourcer
As the one doing the outsourcing, you need to understand your role. In order for the relationship between business owner and assistant to flourish, you’ll want to keep the lines of communication not only open, but clear as well. Be detailed in what you expect from your help. Also keep in mind that you are probably not their only client and as much as you would love to have them all to yourself, that probably isn’t the case. Be respectful of their time and give feedback on their work. This will help them do a better job and respect your time in return.
Making yourself aware of possible problems that often occur in the outsourcing relationship now allows your business to grow by leaps and bounds. Don’t be afraid to start your outsourcing journey, especially that you are now better prepared to do so.
Outsource? Of Course! Get started now at www.OutsourceWeekly.com
The Three Causes of Failure
There are three reasons for failure in business, life and relationships. My wife and I have done marriage counseling and family counseling, we’ve taught child training seminars, and worked with many wounded people.
I’ve talked to and counseled with business owners and I can say that all failures whether in business or life boil down to these three areas. These three have been hindering the human race for thousands of years.
Lack of knowledge, lack of vision/clarity, lack of action.
1. Lack of knowledge.
It was written a long time ago, : “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” And in the book of proverbs it says: “ He shall die for lack of instruction.”
I’ve seen marriages on the verge of failure because there was a lack of knowledge concerning basic communication skills. We all know the famous statement; “I didn’t know that would hurt your feelings.”
Lack of knowledge can undermine your progress in business. Be honest about the areas you are weak in and pursue knowledge in those areas.
“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge”. Benjamin Disraeli
” The dumbest people I know are those who know it all.” Malcolm Forbes
2. Lack of vision
Words of truth were spoken long ago, “Where there is no vision My people perish.” There needs to be clarity and focus. In other words you need to have good vision to run your business.
In the physical body we call a person with no vision, blind.
Are you running your business blind. Blindness in business can always be healed so get help if your stumbling around.
Your employees will be insecure if you lack vision and your customers will go someplace else where they can be led by a person with sight.
3. The lack of action.
Brace yourself for a profound thought: “Nothing will get done if you do nothing.” Planning is good, goal setting is very important, but someplace along the lines you’ve got to take action. Do it and do it now.
“The lazy desires and yet has nothing. But the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” Proverbs 13:4
“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” Robbins
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare” Ancient Proverb
Not knowing, not seeing, not doing.
In your business you need to make it a priority to get knowledge about the areas that affect your business.
You need to get clarity about why you’re in business and where you want to be a year from now.
And then you need to take aggressive action to put what you know into practice.
May God bless you in your business.
Jeff Testerman
Integrity in Marketing and director of http://www.christian-business-owners-association.com/
5 Benefits of Outsourcing for Online Business Owners
When you are in business for yourself, especially one that is conducted online, you’ll find there are a number of different things for you to learn about that can save you time and make you money. Outsourcing is by far one of the more exciting things to discover and put to use.
All too common is the business owner who feels they have to do everything themselves in order for things to go smoothly in their online venture. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! In case you’re curious about why so many online business owners are singing the praises of outsourcing, keep reading to see just five of the many benefits it can obtain.
More Value for Your Time
When you own an online business, one of the most important things to remember is how much your time is really worth. When you think about the dull or repetitive tasks that you are doing, you’ll find this work is not worth your high per hour price tag! When you outsource, you’ll pay someone else to take care of those responsibilities while you give attention to the more important, money-making projects.
Saving Resources
Think about everything that goes into the tasks that you would outsource. This will range from things like your time and space to costs such as Internet and software. After awhile all of these costs add up. For instance, graphics software can get quite expensive. If you are outsourcing an activity, you get more than just the task itself out of the way. You will also get someone who specializes in areas of your business that you may not know quite as well as or have no desire to learn. More than likely these people will already have the tools needed to complete their assignment. Depending on the project, this might save you money and learning time. This brings me to the next benefit of outsourcing.
Going to the Experts
The tasks you are outsourcing might not be ones that you have no desire to learn about, whether they are troubleshooting, manufacturing, taking orders, website design and maintenance, or something else. By handing the work over to an expert who enjoys and makes it their business to know these things, you’ll be able to take advantage of their knowledge in the area without having to learn it yourself. This in turn will give your customers or clients more than you could possibly give them yourself.
Expand
When you outsource, you will soon realize that you are in a great place when it comes to getting more involved with your business. You will be able to expand and provide everything your customers need. Outsourcing frees you up to try new things with your business, learn more and experience new aspects of your industry.
Accountability
When you outsource, you will have a contract with the person or company you are working with. By having someone else who is depending on work from you, you are more apt to stay ahead of the game by planning better and making sure that you’re tasks are getting completed as well.
When you first begin learning about and implementing outsourcing techniques within your business, you’ll find out those boring or repetitive tasks can easily be handed off to someone who enjoys doing them. This will allow you, as the business’ owner, to free up more time to concentrate on more important aspects of your business such as product creation, advertising, networking and other marketing practices.
These are the things that will help your business to grow even more profitable.
Are you a slave to your Online Business? Break the chains. Check out www.OutsourceWeekly.com to find out how!
5 Easy to Outsource Tasks for Online Businesses
When you are looking to save yourself time and to make sure that your online business is running to the best of its ability, you will find that one of the things that you should look at is outsourcing. You may consider outsourcing to be something that only huge companies do, but you’ll find that online business and outsourcing are a perfect fit. Because online business calls for a wide variety of skills and talents, no one person can or should tackle them all on their own. There are several tasks that can easily and, more importantly, beneficially be outsourced elsewhere. Here are just a few of them.
Writing
For many people, writing is not a strong point in their business. Therefore, putting well written, action provoking content on their website is a difficult task. However, this is NOT an area to be skimped upon when it comes to online business. The content on a website has a direct effect on search engine rankings. Copy that is neglected will show when it comes to a business’ bottom line. If you find it difficult to get the results you are looking for with your writing, consider outsourcing it to a qualified writer. You will find that there are a ton of freelancers who can help you get the content you want, to help generate sales from your visitors.
Recommendation: www.Shelancers.com/directory
Website Design
If you are running an online business, you need to put as much time and effort into your website as you would a brick and mortar store. Getting an attractive, easy to use website is not easy and you will find that there are many professional website designers who are looking to wow you with their expertise. This is something that is well-worth the money spent. You’ll be able to rest assured that your website design is attractive and easy to navigate, which is always a plus for turning visitors into buyers.
Search Engine Optimization
If you run an online business, you already know how important search engine traffic is to your success. In order to rank high for your keywords and phrases, hiring a search engine optimization expert or link-building service will help to put you on the map. Search engine optimization, when done correctly, will increase the traffic to your website and is an easy way to get your business name out there for the entire world to see.
Recommended Service:
http://easyplr.com/vana.htm – Sit back and let this service write blog posts on their network of blogs and link to your websites.
http://easyplr.com/kings.htm – This new service will create a youtube video about your website, submit your blog to RSS directories, and handle your social media for you, while you focus on other parts of your business.
Customer Support
For those who sell a product, whether it’s candles or ebooks, more than likely you will need customer support. Outsourcing is a great deal easier than putting together a full support staff, training them, and then getting them set up with equipment. When outsourcing customer support, you will be making the most out of your time and ensuring that your customers get the most out of their products.
Blogging
If you’ve been online for any amount of time, you already know that Web 2.0 and all that goes with it are important parts of your business. One way to add value to your business is to create a blog. You can easily find a qualified contractor to help you update the blog and provide ghostwritten blog posts for you. A great way to keep in touch with customers, clients and others interested in your business, outsourcing your blog tasks will keep you from overextending yourself.
Outsourcing is something that every business owner, whether large or small, can do to help make their business more successful. Put the work in the hands of the experts and you can focus on the things that you enjoy and come easier to you.
These are only a few of the many business activities that you can outsource.
Check out www.OutsourceWeekly.com for a step-by-step guide to get started.
More information coming soon
More information coming soon