MarketingMoment

The laws of yin and yang state that there is an opposite for everything. So while many have been preoccupied with the doom and gloom of failing economies, other business-owners are quickly realising that there IS light at the end of the tunnel . . .  if one is prepared to be optimistic.

An economic downturn can provide a smaller company to capitalise on that optimism by gaining market share and moving into a position of strength for the future. Just be sure you:

• Focus on the details. 
• Make sure that you are charging for each and every part of the business. Increase prices if you are undercharging — difficult but certainly doable.
• Reassess the profitability of your customers.
• Go for the low-hanging fruit — your existing customer base; it’s less expensive and unpredictable than going after new customers.

For more ideas on how to be profitable in a slow economy, sign up to my free newsletterCommuniqué for Success. 

Source: Business XL, October 2008, pg38  

Shameless Plug: My proven marketing campaign focuses on maximising your relationships with your current clients or customers AND make immediate changes in your business that will unearth a ‘hidden’ untapped source of newfound profits. Find out how much money YOU are losing right now due to neglecting this one crucial area — simply ask for your free, no-obligation consultation: www.mediaminister.co.uk/contact2.htm  

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

  Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us      

So, as of this morning, the UK is officially on step away from entering into a full-blown recession. It’s hardly surprising, what with all the doom and gloom of recent times.

And you’d be forgiven for thinking that we were ALREADY in the red, thanks to the doomsayers, the negativity and even panic that has been spread by the mainstream media (and, boy, do they LOVE the fear induced by the dreaded R word; it means they fill and sell their papers more), kind of like an infectious disease.

But, before you turn yourself over to an inky-fingered bank clerk cementing your future in his ‘big debt’ book, remember you’ve got to have a little faith…

…Faith in the fact that just as a lack of confidence in the markets has caused this economic downturn (OK, with a large dose of greed thrown in), confidence will get us out of this precarious situation — sooner or later. Faith in the fact that history has shown that it is those businesses who march full speed ahead, actually increasing their advertising and marketing spend, who come out the other end fighting strong. And faith in the speculators who say we’re in a good position to ride any recession wave — no matter how big — with ease. Indeed, I heard one financial expert this morning say that any looming recession will be a short if sharp one, and NOT a long, drawn-out one. He also predicted that we’d be well out of the worst by this time next year.

Of course, there will be difficult times for those companies who need credit, and, yes, people STILL need to have a roof over their heads and eat well. They will still need advice, and services and products, too.

However, to flourish in business right now, you need to  have confidence in your own ability to rise to the challenge . . . and confidence knowing that consumers will always buy. If they didn’t, things would have ground to an almighty and irrevocable halt quite some time ago. 

So to recession-proof your business:

• Ignore the doomsayers
• Have confidence 
• Build value in all that you do and sell 
• Nurture your ‘house’ list
• Aim for excellence in customer service
• Actively seek out the positive in everything you see and hear (there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every dark cloud, if you look hard enough)
• And, above all, market more and panic less.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Marketing, that is. If you cut back on this one vital element to running a business, you WILL feel a hit. These times call for the bold and the brave… 

What about YOU? Are you doing anything differently because of the slowdown? If you have any tips, let’s hear it!

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

 Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us           

I’ve decided to post, every now and then, a little inspiration because I think it’s important for us to reflect on our lives a bit. Plus, it’s amazing how one short sentence or two can change one’s perspective — for the better.

So here’s my first sharing of inspiration. Enjoy!  

“No matter how small and unimportant what we are doing may seem, if we do it well, it may soon become the step that will lead us to better things.”

Channing Pollock

Actor, Writer and Composer

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

 Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us         

Let’s say you’ve just spent the best part of your month creating and fine-tuning your core marketing message. How do you REALLY know whether it is likely to be of any interest to your target market? The research you will have carried out (oh, you didn’t — OK, straight back to the start! Do not pass ‘Go’ and do not collect £200!) is inextricably linked, but so is testing. But there is another, much simpler way to gauge its success . . . just ask yourself: “Would it be possible for anyone to say the opposite of this?”

Here’s an example of what I am getting at:

* Your message: “We firmly believe in always putting our clients first.”

* The opposite: “We don’t firmly believe in always putting our clients first.”

* Conclusion: No one would say the opposite (unless they were intent on committing business suicide!). So this gives a fairly good indication that your message is no-goer. Apart from being meaningless, it isn’t going to rub well with your prospective clients.

OK, let’s try a different message:

* Your message: “Our support team is ready to help you at all times.” 

* The opposite: “Our help desk closes at 11pm.”

* Conclusion: You could certainly say that your help desk isn’t always open. Not everyone can provide a 24/7 service. So your message is worth trying out. 

Of course, the more specific you are, the better the message. And the more you show how you differ from the competition, the greater the chances of your marketing’s success.

Try it and see — and DO let me know of any successes!

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include.

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us     

Holding a competition is a great marketing tool, giving you:

• brand recognition
• positioning in the marketplace
• goodwill in the community
• publicity
• the ability to fish for product name ideas
• leads
• new customers and/or sales

It needn’t be complicated or costly to set up, either.

If you’re looking to build your customer base, then a simple ’send-in-and-win’ tear-off reply coupon is sufficient. You can do the same via email (”Send the answer to the following question to contest@yourdomain.com”). 

You can also get ideas for a new product or service. For example one of my colleagues is giving away $1,000 (approx £550) for the person to come up with the best title for his forthcoming book. This is all being done via social media. 

If you’re a life coach with a local client base, you can ask your clients and prospects to choose their best restaurant, doctor, supermarket checkout assistant, bus driver, milkman or postman and give away six months of coaching to the winner. 

If you’re a gardener, hold a “name that tree” competition, and then donate a tree or two to the local park in both your names. You can do the same if you’re a carpenter, only donate a bench instead… 

The ideas are endless. You just need to get a bit creative. 

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us  

I heard on the news (BBC) this morning that supermarkets are spending more on advertising and less on branding, in an attempt to lure shoppers and defeat the credit-crunch fallout.

Does this mean that you should follow suit?

Advertising – whether it’s advertising in magazines, newspapers, the trade press or online – CAN be yield a good return on business. But it’s generally more appropriate for larger brands with the advertising budget to match their size.

That said, advertising DOES work, and it can work for you . . . providing you advertise the right things to the right people in the right places and in the right way.  

If you do wish to dip your toe in the advertising arena, then I would suggest spending your budget very carefully to ensure you receive maximum returns for your expenditure.  

My step-by-step, lead-generation system High-Powered Ads that Generate Sales reveals where to place your ad – and where NOT to advertise – as well as how to triple the results of ANY ad you write . . . guaranteed! For more information, point your browser to: http://mediaminister.co.uk/products.htm#HPA 

But back to the question of whether you should ditch your branding efforts. I think not. Branding is crucial to any business – at any time and regardless of the state of the economy.

It can reinforce your image so that you stay in your existing customers mind, as well as grab the curiosity of potential new customers. 

Central to effective branding is the concept of consistency. No matter what you do, you absolutely MUST be consistent with your core marketing message. That’s because you want your business image and brand to be easily recognisable, and you want your prospects to conclude that your company is a confident, credible and stable one.

To really strengthen your brand image, as well as being consistent, you should be educating your potential customers about WHY they should buy your product or service (no one likes to be sold, right?). The use of case studies and testimonials is a great way to achieve this. You’ll find plenty of other ideas in posts here on MarketingMoment.

So what about you? How are you educating your customers to increase sales?

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include.

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us  

Perfect for testing an idea before making a commitment, a mini or condensed version of the standard marketing plan can prove valuable in a number of ways. Not least to analyse the year before, review where you are now and focus on what you wish to achieve over the next six months.

Start by heading over to this handy page where you can download a variety of one-page marketing plan templates – F.R.E.E. of charge.

By putting it in writing, you will identify tactics and strategies to help you with your business goals. 

Psssst . . . Not sure where to start? As well as offering worksheets and home-study tools, I can give you profit-multiplying advice and pointers on things you can do straight away to attract new business with my Powerfully Effective Marketing sessions.  

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include.

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us     

The subject line is one of THE most powerful weapons in your internet-marketing arsenal. Yet it’s one of the most overlooked. So how do you get your emails recognised, opened AND acted upon? Easy, sign up to my newsletter and you’ll receive a ‘hidden’ link to the article I ran on this very topic in last week’s issue.

================================ 
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include at the end.

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us        

There you are sitting at your desk sneaking in a quick game of WordTwist on FaceBook. You know you should be writing content for your first email newsletter. But somehow you just can’t get motivated. That blank screen beckons. Another game? Help!

Don’t panic!

There are a number of ways – ranging from the ridiculously easy and quick solutions, to the more involved.

One of the first options is to start with what you have to hand. 
Have you kept any interesting emails – either from customers, quizzes, quotes, competitions or even junk mail? How about questions from clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, etc?

Think about what came through the door today – is there anything you can share with your readers? What about industry news, statistics or trends? Perhaps you have new products or services to offer. You can write about those. How about a ‘subscriber only’ special? An interview with your marketing director or an industry leader?

All these nuggets – and more like them – will form great fodder for your newsletter. They could take the form of articles, news, events, competitions, ads, interviews, tips, and so on. I’ve written pieces on how social media impacts on business, the secret to turning a postage stamp into a stampede of customers, the significance of proofreading a business document, how to write good headlines and so on.

Excerpt from ’Newsletters that Build Customer Relations AND Fill Your Inbox with Orders‘ – my step-by-step  MasterClass home-study system shows you just how easy-peasy it can be to create or polish a so-so newsletter that reflects your business in the best light. Chock-full with useful tools and specific examples on how to set-up, write and send out your business-building newsletter, it really does remove the pain from newsletter publishing. Get the full scoop here.  

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include at the end of the article.

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us       

The lead article in the latest issue of MediaMinister’s Communiqué for Success reveals that far from being the kind of lovely lady who rejoices in handing out cough drops while sipping chamomile tea, Aunty AIDA is more akin to Checkpoint Charlie in character.

AIDA is in fact one of the most useful formulas for keeping your creative thinking on tap. And it has the potential to substitute flagging sales with a roaring trade . . . BUT only if you pay attention.

To read the full article and gain hidden links to recent CfS newsletter editions, you’ll have to become a subscriber. As well as being FREE, you’ll receive a business-building report and audio CD simply for signing up and trying it out. 

Subscribe here.

Recent CfS newsletter issues cover:

• The Most Important Action You Can Take For Your Business This Year 

• Recession-Proof Your Business
• Stand Apart From ‘Me-Too’ Competitors 
• Stop! Don’t Post that Letter!
• Common Mistakes that Can Kill Business
• When Push Comes to Shove
• How to Bolster Trust on Your Website 
• Just How Believable Are You? 

Subscribe here. 

================================
Add my RSS feed to your reader now so you never have to miss a post.
================================

Digg This :: Email This :: Add to del.icio.us