Small Business Marketing Tips and Ideas

What is your marketing style? Are you a relationship marketer?

It seems that most small business folks believe that relationship building is an important component of marketing. You've heard the common phrases...

"The bottom line is this business is all about relationships."

"I focus most of my efforts on relationship development."

"You need to maintain your network of contacts and really work at building the relationships."

Here is the definition of relationship marketing found on Wikipedia:

Relationship marketing is a form of marketing that evolved from direct response marketing in the 1960s and emerged in the 1980s, in which emphasis is placed on building longer term relationships with customers rather than on individual transactions. It involves understanding the customers' needs as they go through their life cycles. It emphasizes providing a range of products or services to existing customers as they need them.

There's notion in business that all things being equal, people prefer to do business with those that they know, like and trust. Getting people to know, like and trust you happens when you focus on building long-term relationships.

The problem for most small business folks is that they don't have any relationship marketing plan. Relationship marketing takes a lot more than calling a few targets and telling them you'd like to meet with them. It takes more than telling them about your services and how they and others can benefit. Even those rare professional service providers that are great at grabbing attention likely don't succeed until they begin to master relationship marketing.

So stop winging it. Create a relationship marketing plan and you'll put your business in a position to get all the clients you can handle. Here are some key thoughts to include in your relationship marketing plan:

• Don't just simply show up at networking events. Think about how you can be helpful to others that you connect with and think through your follow-up plans ahead of time.
• Don't just simply send direct mail pieces with your name, logo and phone number on them. Think about items of value that you can send your contacts such as articles, suggestions for books and web site resources, etc. When you send them information they can actually use, your credibility as someone who can help goes up.
• Don't just tell your contacts that you'll stay in touch. Put a stay in touch plan in place to follow-up with your contacts on a regular and consistent basis. Use a combination of letters, phone calls, emails, hand-written notes, and information of interest such as newsletters with useful articles.

What's in your relationship marketing plan? If you don't have one, get busy creating a plan today.

April 10, 2006 08:02 - Marketing Activity without a Plan

There must be something about springtime. It makes people do things without always thinking first. There is excitement and enthusiasm, but not always careful planning.

I see more and more small businesses that are ready to crank it up now that it's spring. They're coming out of their winter doldrums and tuning up the marketing engine.

The problem is that there's a lot of marketing activity, but no plan. It's a far too common small business marketing blunder. You've got a few ideas and so you just launch into them without planning because you need the business now.

Most small business folks tend to be doers, not planners. Yes, you know that planning is important, but who has the time when there is so much to get done? And so you mistake activity for some kind of forward progress.

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Time for a new brochure.
• Let's get back in the swing of things with our networking events.
• Maybe we could send some springtime special flyers out and ask our clients to hand them out also.
• We could add a 10% off referral offer to the back of our business cards.

One of the biggest small business marketing mistakes is launching into it without adequately planning and preparing.

Resist the urge. Be clear and focused how any springtime marketing activity fits into your overall marketing plan. Here are three things you should know about any marketing activity:

1. Know your destination - What exactly is the marketing activity supposed to result in? What's the ultimate objective and outcome that you're expecting?
2. Know your clients and prospects - Be sure you're staying focused on your target market. So many times small business owners put something together without any regard as to what kind of clients it might attract.

3. Know your message - Be clear about the core marketing message that you wish to send. Is it relevant for your target audience and does it help them answer what's in it for me?

A little bit of planning will go a long way towards making sure your excitement and enthusiasm is not wasted. Marketing activity without planning is not forward progress. The time you spend planning will pay off ten times beyond rushing into that next marketing activity.

April 15, 2006 12:01 - Marketing Message - What Does Your Customer Service Say?

The customer service standards you operate your business by send a very loud marketing message. Even if you haven't consciously set customer service standards, your business is sending a marketing message.

Are you conscious of the marketing messages your business is sending every day?

Too many small businesses are not paying attention to this on a day to day basis. You put your marketing messages out there to attract a target audience to your business. But, your customer service standards and how you conduct business day-to-day might be sending a very different message. And that message may be killing your chances of attracting more high-quality customers.

Your actions always have and always will speak much louder than your words. Anyone who is a parent or has experience working with children knows the truth behind that statement. That's why it's so critical to pay attention to the customer service standards you set for your small business. And, if you haven't consciously set customer service standards for your business, then you better define some quick.

The experience your prospects and clients have when they interact with your business will either reinforce or override the message your marketing is sending. No amount of great marketing will be able to overcome poor customer service. Ultimately it's the experience that clients are paying for. And if the experience isn't good, then folks will look elsewhere. It's as simple as that.

Create over-the-top customer service standards and hold yourself and your staff accountable for adhering them. Review your standards on a regular basis including what's working well and why it's so important. The natural tendency in business is a gradual deterioration of sensitivity and attentiveness to customer service. Don't let this happen to you because the message it sends can be a killer to your business.

Continue to train yourself and your associates so that the customer service becomes part of your culture. Be sure that the standards that you set are in alignment with the marketing messages you want to send for your business.

Commit to the little things. Never dismiss the marketing power of all the little things. Together they can make a world of difference and really separate you from the competition whose customer service is continuing to send the wrong marketing message.

• Return phone calls and emails on a timely basis.
• Provide useful information to your important contacts on a regular basis.
• Communicate with your clients constantly (using more than just email) - call them, take them to lunch, drop in unexpectedly on occasion.
• Follow-through - If you say you're going to get something to someone or follow-up, then do it.
• Show appreciation often with hand-written thank you notes.

Pay attention to the marketing messages your business is sending every day. Customer service standards are critical to supporting the health and growth of your business. Great customer service will make all of your marketing efforts easier.

April 24, 2006 08:46 - Master the Laws of Small Business Marketing

Are you struggling with your marketing?

Many small business owners don't even like to talk about marketing. Nobody likes to be rejected. Nobody really likes to admit they don't know what to do or don't know where to start. Lots of small business owners wish their hard work would lend itself to business just coming to them.

If this sounds like you and your business, you are certainly not alone. If your marketing is a struggle, don't be so hard on yourself. If you're like my clients, then you didn't educate and train yourself to be a marketer. You're excellent at what you do. You've just never been given a framework to market your business efficiently and effectively.

Most small businesses don't understand the laws of marketing. Your marketing doesn't work because you're too focused on trying to get something. Activities and efforts are too channeled in trying to GET that next client to work with you. This all too common flawed approach to marketing doesn't leverage the laws of marketing to your advantage.

Great marketing is almost magnetic. Really good small business marketers know how to draw clients in without a lot of effort.

In order to become a 'client magnet' yourself, you need to understand the key laws of marketing that work for a business like yours. Then it's a matter of applying those laws consistently throughout your marketing and sales efforts.

On Wednesday, April 26 at 12:00 noon central time, KPD Marketing is putting on a TeleClass called Mastering the Five Indisputable Laws of Marketing. This interactive teleclass will expose you to the most important laws of marketing and reveal how you can begin to master them in building your own business.

For all the details including how to sign-up for this second session in the Marketing TeleClass Series, go to:
http://www.abcdgrowth.com/marketing-teleclass-series.html

These teleclasses are a way for me to continue sharing my passion for helping small business owners that are tired of struggling with marketing. Join us for this call and see for yourself how empowering a little bit of understanding is for propelling your efforts and your business forward.

April 28, 2006 09:06 - An Attention Getting Marketing Introduction

Do you know how to get attention with your 30-second introduction? I tell all my clients and attendees of my marketing presentations that I believe it might be the most valuable marketing tool you put in your toolbox. It has the power to transform your marketing results.

So how good is your introduction? Have you even taken the time to work on this so you don't feel so awkward at your next networking event?

Be prepared to answer that most asked question, "What do you do?" Grabbing attention and getting someone to know more is the first step in marketing. Creating your own unique attention getting introduction is the key to making that happen more often.

Consider these tips for developing a more attention getting 30-second introduction.

1. Start with the first 10 seconds. That's important because 10 seconds might be all you get. Does your first sentence tell your listener enough so they understand what you offer and inspire them to want to know more?

   There's no one perfect approach. However, here's the most simple, but effective approach I've come across. "I work with [type of clients] who have [these types of problems, issues, or challenges]." For example, "I work with professional service providers who struggle to attract clients consistently." That's it. Don't try to sugar it up or create some kind of catchy phrase.

2. Avoid the 'what you are approach.' You've heard this and probably even used it yourself - "I'm an accountant" or "I work for XYZ Company." The problem is you're leaving it up to the listener to define what that means. Their definition may not match yours. It's up to them to figure out if you might be able to help them in any way.



3. Beware of the 'what you do approach.' This is another flawed but common approach. "I provide financial planning advice." It's not only boring, but it still doesn't help the listener understand what they would get as a result from working with you.
4. Share how you solved a problem or served a client. Reinforce your first 10-second statement with a second sentence that shows how you solved a problem or overcame a particular issue for a client.

   It's easier for your listener to understand why they or someone in their network of contacts may need you. You're helping them understand who you help and what problems or challenges you help them solve.

5. Tell them why you're unique. It's important to articulate what make you stand out from the crowd. Find your uniqueness and begin to communicate it as part of your core message throughout all your marketing.

Make your 30-second introduction an attention getter. Start with the first 10 seconds. You can always build from there once it starts getting more attention. Write out several possible introductions and practice them out loud several times until you can just say it naturally.