| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Are We There Yet?
Small business marketing is not like taking a family vacation. Did anybody take a family vacation this summer? Do you have children of your own, or do you remember what it was like when you were a kid taking a trip somewhere? I can still remember the family vacations as a youngster growing up. Our famous treks across America in the family station wagon or the rented RV, when the station wagon became impractical. Now with my own family we've taken some similar but generally smaller scale trips. It seems like one of the most asked questions from a child - "Are we there yet?" Or the other favorite is, "How much longer?" Even families that fly to their vacation destination I'm sure can relate. What does this have to do with marketing? I think sometimes (maybe many times) service business owners can become like that child in regards to their marketing. Are we there yet? How much longer? You work on a web site, or a brochure, or go to networking events and send out letters. Then you wonder when you're going to start getting results. When does the fun start? You know, the fun -- when prospects start calling and others refer and send business your way. And much like the family vacation, continual asking of are we there yet or how much longer often leads to unplanned stops or detours. You stop to work on other things because there is so much to do and it's sometimes hard to see how this marketing is going to work. Marketing shouldn't start and stop. Most people say they understand, even if their actions say differently, that marketing is an ongoing activity. Marketing isn't like a vacation where you have a final destination and then you stop traveling because you're there. Unfortunately, many small businesses get frustrated or burned out when they work on their marketing. They want to know, "how long this is going to take". Are we there yet? And far too many times, they abandon their marketing "campaign" because it wasn't getting them results and taking them where they wanted to go. But even worse than that, many times the "are we there yet" mentality didn't even let them finish planning or put the idea into action. Eventually they start planning, or maybe just take off on, another marketing trip. Once again, they start wondering how much longer it will be. Are we there yet? Marketing needs to be an ongoing, lifelong kind of journey for your business. It takes regular and consistent effort to keep your pipeline full of good, high-quality leads and to keep moving your prospects forward until they become paying clients. That means continuously marketing even when you have clients you're busy working with. Keep Moving On. The question "are we there yet?" needs to become "how do we keep going?" Yes, you do need to monitor results so you can assess how well things are working to get you where you want to go. When your measurements show you that something is working, keep doing it. In fact, do more of it. But you can also keep striving to reach new heights as well. How can you continuously improve even the things that are working to get even better, more consistent results? If you continue to ask the question, "Are we there yet?" you might just stall out on your journey. You see, eventually you'll discover some marketing strategies that will start to attract attention and generate the response you've been hoping for. It might seem like in fact, "you are there" and so you put the marketing on cruise control. How to keep moving forward. When you find yourself asking this most asked question, consider any or all of the following ideas to keep you continuously moving forward. Study up on marketing. There is no shortage of resources out there. You need to find them and begin consuming them. There are lots of books available on the subject. Look for the ones that offer proven, hands-on strategies and tactics. Remember, one or two good ideas now and then could make a significant difference to your business. Form or join a "think tank" or mastermind group. Find a group of people who care just as much about your success as you do, just as you'll care about their success. This is not a group of friends who will simply stroke your ego. Look for an honest group who will ask the tough questions and demand accountability from each other while supporting each others' efforts. Attend talks and workshops. If you go and participate fully, you'll often get just as much from the other participants as you will from the session itself. Get hands-on assistance. Working with a coach or marketing consultant who can help you focus, set goals, prioritize, create action plans and help hold you accountable could be an invaluable experience for your business. Support from outside resources like this can help you shift from a mindset of "are we there yet" to a mindset of "how can we keep going." They'll help you continue to see possibilities beyond where things currently stand in your business. (c) - Kevin Dervin, KPD Marketing About the Author: Kevin Dervin is focused on helping small businesses that are ready to grow, but struggle with how to consistently attract more clients. Visit http://www.proven-small-business-marketing-solutions.com for more great marketing information you can put to use in growing your business today. Find Kevin's Kansas City based KPD Marketing practice at http://www.ABCDgrowth.com and subscribe to his free ezine called ABCD Grow.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing - The One Marketeer I'm regularly asked to speak to people, that have either just started a business or have been going for some time. So many of these people are absolutely brilliant at working "in their business" but not so good at working "on their business" In other words; they're good at making the product or providing the service but they're not so good at finding new customers and generating more sales. Incestuous Relationship Between Football and Marketing Thousands eyes were fixed. Hearts were beating hard against the chests. Making the Intangible Real How do you make the intangible real? How do you take an idea or concept, something that can't be seen or touched, and convey its essence to others, quickly and easily?That challenge faces many of us in this age of information and knowledge marketing. In advertising and other marketing communications, we have to convince prospects to respond to words and ideas. Refresh Your Web Site So you have a Web site. And so does most every business these days. 10 Beer Budget Event Marketing Tips Are you planning an event or participating in a trade show any time soon? If so, consider the following 10 low-cost marketing tactics before mailing your payment.Event Marketing Tactic #1 -- Is the purchase decision-maker attending the event? Are you certain? Let's say you sell gifts that help increase employee moral and you're considering exhibiting at the National Association of Human Resources annual conference. Tooting Your Own Horn "If he who has a thing to sell Goes and whispers in a well, He won't be so apt to make the dollars As he who climbs a tree and hollers!" -- AnonymousEvery day in your business, something happens that others should know about. You give exceptional service to a client; you reach out to a new type of customer; you demonstrate your expertise on an important topic. Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design. I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past 15 years. I have been fully submerged in the medium. Unique Marketing Ideas That Generate Cash! First of all - keep in touch with your customers! One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter. Today it's easier than ever to have a newsletter - use email. The Lone Wolf is Blind When Advertising, it's not always better to be the lone wolf.Before using a certain medium to advertise, consider those that went before you. Every Days a Holiday! You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But did you know that it is also Kiwi Fruit Day, Laugh and Grow Rich Day, and Bonza Bottler Day(tm)? Each of these holidays was created by someone who wanted to commemorate or promote something. Marketing Strategy - Whats Your System? Where Do Most of Your Clients Come From?Is it from your marketing and sales system?When I meet people for the first time and they understand that I'm a marketing consultant, I'm frequently asked, "Where do most of your clients come from?" Many times I believe the question is asked innocently enough. But, quite often I feel like the person asking wants to know if I have a magic answer that might work for them. Using a Contact List Profitably Part One In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that list once you have it. Powerhouse Marketing With Persuasive Postcards The lowly postcard?it's more than just a "having fun, wish you were here" delivery system. This tiny billboard is actually a powerhouse of a marketing tool with almost unlimited uses. The Importance of Interpersonal Communcation Skills Interpersonal Communications is the transmission of information from one person to another and their understanding of it through the use of common language or symbols. It is a way of interacting and happens always at all times whether you want it to happen or not. Insiders Secret to Selling Mailing Lists If you've got a mailing list of at least a thousand names or more, you're sitting on a gold mine. All it takes is for you to get the word out that you've got a mailing list for rent, at a competitive price, and you should be home free!First of all, you've got to have a bonafide list of customers - a list of names of people that have responded to an ad or bought from you. Questioning the Data of Demographic Off The Shelf Marketing Products I have been working on a direct mail campaign for our team in many areas and we are finding that the yellow page listings and business list CDROMS contain so many closed companies that we are spending too much on the mailings which are opened a little less because of the anthrax scare. Even customized lists are of little value. 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 - easy to get large numbers of responses - easy to tabulate, analyze - easy (and often fun) for your clients and customers - inexpensive - non-intrusive - time-efficient (for you, and for your clients and customers) - protect your customers' anonymity (if important) - professional - no "cold calls" - no answering machines!And have you figured out how long it would take to have 100 fifteen-minute conversations instead? (I don't have to do the math to know that it's WAY too long!)So in this article, I'm going to talk surveys. The Role of Marketing for Boards of Directors Small and emerging companies often do not put together a board of advisors or board of directors for many reasons. Some entrepreneurs believe that businessmen and women would not be willing to serve on their board of advisors for the little or no compensation that the new company can afford. 3 High-Impact Fixes For Your Marketing Woes How many times has your competitor gotten one over on you? The feeling of being left behind just eats away, until you do something about. The problem is that we often feel that we've got to come up with some grand plan in order to get our business skyrocketing again. To Web or Not to Web? Do I need a web site? That is the question often asked by business owners. The answer will usually depend upon the type of product or service offered and what the business is trying to achieve.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
