Proven Marketing Tips For Any Small Business
Over more than ten years of marketing experience, I’ve seen my fair share of successful Internet marketing and marketing campaigns. I’ve also seen others that from the start were deemed as great ideas only to result in total failure. The question I’ve been asking myself as of late is what sets the most successful campaigns apart from those that don’t work. The answer isn’t always simple but the good news is that success leaves plenty of clues.
Internet Marketing continues to evolve each and every day. No matter how complicated marketing seems to become, basic marketing principles still apply. It’s very common for those considering new marketing initiatives to forget about some of the tried and true methods in exchange for anything that’s new and promising. A good example is Web 2.0. So many people are jumping on the bandwagon, sometimes at the expense of proven marketing methods.
Know your audience. Successful campaigns get that way because marketers know their audience. They understand their needs, how to help meet those needs and how to create demand. Knowing and understanding your audience through proper market segmentation means a well targeted campaign that gets results.
Focus on the offer. A marketing offer is the driving force of marketing promotions that drive results. In fact, testing has proven that the offer is the most significant element for conversion. Focus on your offer if you want to succeed.
Split testing. The concept of split testing is quite simple but surprisingly, few ever take the time to. When you split test a post card or jump page, you determine which version produces the better outcome. Each time you test a single element so that you continue to improve results over the long term. This is time and money well invested.
Don’t do everything on your own. The most creative marketing ideas come from working with other creative people. Don’t feel like you need to have all the answers or great ideas. You may start with an idea, but an open dialog with creative individuals will make it better.
Don’t sell on price. I’ve seen so many marketers fail because they sell on price alone. This leads to a discounting war, lower profitability, and often financial losses. Rather, focus on creating so much value that the perception of price becomes insignificant to the value you are creating for the prospect.
Keep your messages consistent. One of the most effective strategies is messaging to your prospects in a way that is consistent. Whatever you are saying to your clients, be sure that it’s not contradictory. Early in the sales process, establish key message points and repeat them time and again. This improves buyer confidence and allows you to establish a long-term relationship with your buyer.
Build customer relationships. Marketing doesn’t end once a sale is made. In fact, more emphasis should be placed on enhancing with existing clients. This can often create significantly more revenue at a much lower expense. Consider how you’ll grow your customer relationships and invest your marketing budget. This is an investment that you can’t afford to overlook.
Test. Test. Test. In addition to split testing, you should use multiple forms of testing in each marketing discipline. For direct mail, test headlines, offers, copy, timing, etc. Consider testing a life long requirement.
Consider integrated marketing. Find multiple ways to generate business. To do so, test different forms of media such as print or online. There are endless sources of leads and customers and your job is to find as many as you can that can produce a positive return on investment. This reduces your risk and improve your options.
Rely on your own experience. Many small business owners or website owners read a book and think they’re an expert. Nothing could be further from the truth. The best results I create have always come from learning through my own experiences. As you try new things, you learn what works with your audience and what doesn’t. Nothing can replace the actual experience you get by doing things on your own.
These marketing tips have been developed from more than ten years of experience. Consider applying basic techniques that can deliver results. Once you’ve established baseline results, test campaign variations and measure your success. Rinse and repeat. Keep these marketing tips in mind when you initiate a new campaign.
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