|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilizing Your Best Hidden Asset To Increase Sales
You probably already have in your possession one of the most valuable and powerful assets you can possibly own. But if you're like most business people you probably aren't using it to its full potential.
It's very easy to tap into its power -- and it is very powerful. What could this valuable asset possibly be?
Your mailing list. (You do have one don't you?)
Your mailing list is a surefire way to get repeat business and to bring in new customers but only if you're using it. Don't worry if your list isn't in a usable form yet. You may be further along than you realize and using these 6 tips will make the task easier:
1. Determine what information you already have. You probably already have more mailing data than you realize. Start with your invoicing and sales records. Do you have a stack of business cards lying around that you've collected at networking events?
2. Gather more names and addresses. With so many privacy concerns these days people are not as willing as they once were to give out personal information. But often they are more than willing to complete a form if they think they might win a contest or get something for free. Are you a member of your chamber of commerce or some other networking group? You can often get their membership lists for free or a nominal fee. You can also buy lists of people who have bought products and services similar to yours.
3. Give something away to say thanks. Your customers and prospects will expect something in return for giving you their information. It can be anything of perceived value. Free reports. Coffee mugs, t-shirts, pens one of your products or discount coupons. A candle retailer I know holds a drawing for one of their most popular candle scents every month and their customers are eager for a chance to win and gladly provide their mailing information.
4. Keep track with a database. Once you've gathered the information you need, put it into a contact database where you can easily access the info and create mailing labels. Include additional information such as birthdays, anniversaries, special interests and needs. A bed and breakfast owner uses upcoming anniversaries as an opportunity to send a greeting card and an invitation to come back to the inn to celebrate.
5. Brainstorm ideas for using your list. Newsletters. Postcards. Coupons. Thank you notes. Greeting cards. Flyers. There are hundreds of ways to stay in touch.
6. Use your list. There is a lot of advertising clutter out there. All the more reason to keep your name forefront in your customer's minds so they remember you when they're ready to buy. This means sending continual reminders. Mail something to your list at least once each quarter or more often if your budget allows.
(If you want to do your own marketing but could use the help of a patient teacher to get you started in the right direction, connect with Marty Marsh at http://www.martymarsh.com. His Marketing Mastery TeleClass program can have you successfully marketing your small business in as little as one hour a week.)
Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!
Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!
Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!
Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!
Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!
CNNMoney.com - 15 hours ago
Ace Marketing & Promotions Inc. (OTCBB: AMKT) announces that IMAX Theaters is piloting Proximity Marketing at its Palisades theater location in NY, ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 11 hours ago
Database marketing firm Merkle Inc. has signed up the Limited as a new client in a three-year contract. The Columbia firm will analyze customer data to help ...
Merkle Selected by The Limited to Support Integrated Customer ... MarketWatch (press release)
all 17 news articles
Boston Globe
Bizjournals.com, NC - 16 hours ago
United Parcel Service Inc. rival FedEx Corp. will cut its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, the company recently disclosed on its blog. ...
FedEx cuts marketing spend by more than 25 percent Reuters
FedEx to reduce marketing budgets by 25% Brand Republic
all 43 news articles
Bizjournals.com, NC - 16 hours ago
Downtown Greensboro marketing firm Bouvier Kelly has won three awards from the Carolina Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society for its work with ...
CNNMoney.com - 6 hours ago
TMI's marketing plan includes a program where LTC facilities can lease the equipment necessary to perform skin assessments and store the necessary data ...
Wellstar/TMI Announces Estimated Three-Year Revenue Projections MSNBC
all 9 news articles
CNNMoney.com - 16 hours ago
Proton will start by marketing a variety of enhanced water products that provide health benefits for people and the planet as well as the commercial product ...
MSNBC - 3 hours ago
The initial stages of marketing the properties for sale have already begun, and the Company will expand those efforts now that the properties are completely ...
Indianapolis Star, United States - 13 hours ago
With a team of 25 brokers and additional market research, marketing, and client support staff, Summit Realty Group specializes in office, industrial, ...
MediaPost Publications, New York - 1 hour ago
by Erik Sass, 7 hours ago Katz Media Group is launching a new national marketing unit that will focus on creating custom solutions for advertisers that take ...
Katz Launches Katz Marketing Solutions Streaming Magazine
Katz Media Group Reorgs to Trim Costs MEDIAWEEK
Katz Media Group Launches National Marketing Unit to Exploit the ... Earthtimes (press release)
Radio Business Report - AdAge.comall 24 news articles
Denver Post, CO - 2 hours ago
By Greg Griffin The Bonham Group — a Denver sports marketing company whose clients included the Cleveland Indians, the Ladies Professional Golf Association ...
Denver's Bonham Group shuts doors Bizjournals.com
all 11 news articles
Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote
Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is... Read More
Lack Of Business Isnt Always The Problem
When you're just starting out in business, it's a safe bet that you need more clients. But what if you have been up and running for a... Read More
4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure
Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure without spending any money? You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think... Read More
How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! ? Part 2
First I want to welcome you to part two of the article 'How To Let Customers Search for YOU!', where you can learn how to attract new... Read More
Market Yourself as the Expert
As a small business how do you compete with the big guys and their big budget advertising campaign? The big guys don't read this magazine so we... Read More
If You Can?t Answer This Question Your Business is Doomed!
How do you answer the seemingly easy question, "What do you do?" Do you talk about YOU? Do you talk about your products/services? Do you talk about... Read More
Boost Profits: Market to the Gay Community
Research shows that the gay and lesbian market is worth cultivating, no matter what your product or service. Despite the cultural changes during the past fifty years... Read More
Five Tips for Trade Show Success on a Small Budget
No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can afford to have a successful presence at trade shows without incurring big expenses. Here are five tips... Read More
Successful Surveys: 10 Tips for Better Results
Why would you use an email or online survey when you could simply call your clients and customers and ask for their input?Lots of reasons.- standardization -... Read More
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 2
NB: You can read part one here: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=58690Could buying popcorn in a theatre be a 'conditioned' response? Could it be that people are 'trained'... Read More
Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos
A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a... Read More
The Dare-To-Be-Different In Marketing Checklist
There is a big payoff in being different. When you accept "what is" you place yourself in the category of "sameness," and people don't buy sameness. Why... Read More
Color Part 1: Accuracy
Color is one of the most difficult parts of a design to show accurately to a client.Color perception can be affected by many factors, including:Human perception:The way... Read More
Beyond Fear And Greed: Emotions That Sell
Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Appeal to them, and your success is assured. But isn't there more to life than those two emotions?Yes, there is.... Read More
Discover 7 Hidden Profit Producing Secrets
Would you like to learn the lessons of the businesses that struggled last year without having to follow in their footsteps? I’d like to share with you... Read More
Promotions for Mobile Detailers
Mobile businesses are quite unique in the way they must promote to stay in the customers mind; it takes creativity, savvy planning and a lot of listening... Read More
Consistent Marketing Provides Big Rewards
Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency.When we consciously... Read More
Consumer Thinking And Search Marketing
12/20/04According to a recent article by ComScore Networks, about three-quarters of all consumer product research is initiated through a generic search term, such as "televisions" or "Adoption... Read More
Testing Your Way To Prosperity
I have always enjoyed talking to a Realtor friend of mine about his Father-in-laws business. His business is Gold Mining and he has been involved in it... Read More
Marketing Messages: Your 10 Most Important Business Principles
As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for your marketing efforts: Writing or Speaking.No matter whether or not you do both of these activities or... Read More
Marketing 101: The Power of Marketing
When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive... Read More
Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru
Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics to reach your target audience. Developing a strategy for direct mail is critical to obtaining the best... Read More
5 Tips for Getting the Most out of Exhibiting at Trade Shows
Exhibiting at trade shows can be a cost-effective way to generate business, whether you are a new entrepreneur or have been in business for years. Some exhibitors,... Read More
Give me a Referral any Day - the Power of Networking
I nearly panicked recently! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but here was a situation I had not been in for some time. The freezer had broken down... Read More
Spring Cleaning: How To Do It In Your Business To Make More Room For Success
With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside and into my garden. I had neglected to do some basic maintenance during the previous months and... Read More
Postcards: Awareness Tool or Selling Tool?
Are postcards better for building awareness or for selling?In my opinion, the answer to the above question is, "They can do both jobs. It depends on what... Read More
Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts
Are you struggling to find a new twist for old advertising or marketing campaigns? If you're a small business owner or a... Read More
Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind
What's black and white and read all over? A newsletter of course! And while there are perhaps hundreds of ways to market your business and increase your... Read More
Encouraging Contact
The small time promoter has to work hard and on a shoestring to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth... Read More
Timing and the Right Product Will Make Your Dreams Come True
Are you looking to erase your debt, buy that new luxury vehicle, or impress that special person?You can, if the timing is right and you market a... Read More
Marketing Operations Elevates Public Relations and Communications Professionals
Is your marketing department taking advantage of MOM and MRM? Do you have BAM and DAM systems in place? Do you know how to measure NPV? Do... Read More
Do Not Consider Running the Same Yellow Page Ad until You Read This
Grant Businesses have a love-hate relationship with the Yellow Page directory On the one hand, business owners know they need to be there - even though everyone... Read More
Qualify Prospects Using Direct Mail Marketing
When a prospect responds to your lead generation sales letter, how do you know if the prospect is a qualified lead or not? By qualifying them before... Read More
Burnout
Today I want to share a question from a reader who writes:How do I keep from being burned out while cold calling? My job is to call... Read More
Learn How to Market Your eBusiness in Real Time: Dissect, Study, Emulate
Everything you will ever need to know about internet marketing is plainly available to you everywhere you go on the internet. All you need to do is... Read More
7 Tips for Successful Postcard Marketing
Simple low-cost postcards have become a valuable business tool for modern marketers. They can produce a surge of traffic to your web site or a flood of... Read More
Build your Trade Show - Virtually
Virtual trade shows are gaining momentum as a way to encourage participation in the event - both live and online. Here are a few ideas to help... Read More
Fax Marketing : Reaching a New Niche of Customers
Traditional marketing and advertising assumes that all of your customers are traditional people. Even newer technologies like email assume that the best way to reach people is... Read More
People Do Business with People They Like
People do business with people they know and like! In my networking classes I have been saying this for... Read More
Making Networking Work
Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Well, yes, networking... Read More
Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure
In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing... Read More
Non Products Exist in this World
"Both the market and the distributive channel are often more crucial than the product. Products are within the business as the accountants define it. They are within... Read More
Metaphysical Marketing
The foundation of success is in your mind. You do not need to struggle, seek and strive to build your business. You can use mental and spiritual... Read More
The Forgotten Market
There are a great many online business people who are forgetting the potential that this particular forgotten market can be providing them. The forgotten market I am... Read More
Multicultural Marketing ? Taking Care of Business At Hand
Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is getting the attention of small-business and other organizations looking for an edge in diverse ethnic markets. "Gone... Read More
7 Simple Marketing Tips
Here are 7 simple marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits quickly. All are easy to use and work for any business.Tip 1: You... Read More
Sales and Marketing: Can One Exist Without the Other?
Simply put the marketing people and the sales people depend on each other 100%. One cannot say that a marketing department is any more or less important... Read More
A Questionnaire for Businesses
As best you can, answer the following twenty-five questions. There's no scoring. But you'll know whether you should be satisfied with your answers, or not. If you... Read More
Your Marketing Message - Could You Wring More CASH Out Of It With This Ancient Japanese Discipline?
When it comes to your marketing message, the little things count. Trouble is, you'll never come to respect how much, until you make a commitment to science.Let... Read More
Directional (Not Direct) Marketing
Those who believe the web is not a direct response medium should think again. A recent study conducted by AdKnowledge and published in their recent "Online Advertising... Read More
Global Market in the Cyber world?Go and Get It !
With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global market, everybody is up and running to reap the maximum benefit of this widely used medium. Not... Read More
Getting Personal ? Innovative Marketing for Small Business Owners
The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss Everyone loves a story. Even if you don't particularly like reading them chances are you love watching... Read More