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[M269]Marketing Ideas For Small Business

by Dana Blozis, Dan

When I started my business four years ago, I had enthusiasm and passion for my work, but a very small marketing budget. I also lacked a marketing plan for getting my message out to my target customer. I have learned a lot along the way and hope to impart what I've learned onto you. Whether you have just started your small business or are in your tenth year, there are some simple, affordable ways to keep your name in front of prospective clients and customers.

News releases. I recommend to clients that they distribute three to four news releases (better known as press releases) each year. This gives clients an opportunity to shout news out to the world about new products, services or partnerships; key hires; industry awards and certifications; new locations; events and more. News releases should be distributed on a timely basis to local media, trade publications and online. In addition, a well-crafted news release makes a great direct mail piece or a nice addition to your sales or media kit. Depending on whether you do the writing and distribution yourself, costs are variable. Distribution costs will also vary. Distribution via e-mail or fax is virtually nothing. Online distribution varies. Many news distribution sites are free, but I like to include a contribution to PRWeb.com to guarantee inclusion in popular search engines.

Online forums and networking sites. As social media continues to grow, relevant online forums and networking groups (Linked In, Connexions, Konnects) are a great way to interact with professionals and prospective clients. By actively participating in Q&A forums, you expand your reach. To take full advantage of these free opportunities, make sure you complete your online bio; include your contact information and web address; and participate regularly. Such participation can also help to position you as an industry expert.

Referral program. About half of my business comes from client referrals. To let clients know I appreciate their referrals and to encourage them to keep sending them to me, I include my referral program in my business agreement. In exchange for a prospect who does business with me, I offer the referring client two complimentary hours of writing, editing or marketing services. Aside from my time, this costs me nothing and benefits both my clients and my business.

Newsletter. There are so many affordable e-mail services these days that sending an e-newsletter to prospective clients is a no brainer. The service I use costs about $5 per month, and it not only maintains my e-mail lists for me, but it provides templates and tracks reader stats. Clients can opt-in, unsubscribe or change their e-mail address at any time. This is an inexpensive way to stay in touch with clients and prospects.

The next question, of course, is how and when to implement the above. I recommend pulling out your calendar and scheduling time for marketing and business development. Schedule a news release for each quarter, or at least three times a year. For online forums and networking sites, set aside a certain amount of time each week to participate. A referral program requires a little bit of set-up time and a notification to clients of the new program, but aside from that, it doesn't require much time. For your newsletter, I recommend sending them to clients at regular intervals. If you can't manage biweekly or monthly, at least put together a newsletter on a quarterly basis. Save ideas in a folder so they are all in one spot when you're ready to get started.

Try these ideas for at least six months and watch your business grow and, if you find that one method works better than the others, focus your efforts in that category. Enjoy your new affordable marketing solutions!

Copyright ? 2007 by Dana Blozis, Virtually Yourz

If you need to market your company, you know that marketing is getting more competitive everyday. It seems each new day brings a different batch of marketing techniques, making it hard to keep up. If you want to make your product stand out in the crowd, it is important to find marketing techniques that will do just that. Get your team together now to start coming up with ways to make your marketing unique. Here are some tips to help get your brain jump started.

One of the best ways to sell a product is to get it into the eye of the media. Try looking up world records and find something related to your product. Make an attempt to break this record in some sort of public arena. This will bring out the media to cover this interesting story. Also, try sponsoring a local event or sports team. The coverage given to the even or team will benefit you as your company name and product will be publicized.

Besides supporting local events, use your business' profits to support a local charity that applies to your business and customers. This doesn't mean giving away large amounts of cash: instead try giving a percentage of customer purchases to this charity. This will give customers incentive to buy your product. Advertise your generosity by placing information about the charity on your product if possible.

Another way to get your product known is to send out a bi-monthly or monthly newsletter dealing with your business. Write about recent happenings and include coupons for discounts. Add some humor to articles written by employees or comic strips to make it more interesting. Finally, add a section focusing on customers such as "the question of the month" or "the customer of the month." For the latter you can pick a customer each month to interview and feature in the newsletter. Just make sure your newsletter is "opt-in" to avoid junk mail.

You can make your company more desirable to customers by creating a referral only business. This is not a good tactic for a business just starting, but once you've made a name for yourself you can become more exclusive. Being referral only will give your business an alluring nature and make potential customers interested in what they are missing out on.

Another way to give your company some credibility is to start creating articles and submitting them to article distributing sites. Write about topics that interest your customers and become an expert on the subject. Try to create "Top 10s", "How Tos" and "Tips" as these articles are more appealing to readers. Another way to gain credibility is to create an award sponsored by your business. Publicize this annual award and make it something local businesses aspire to win.

You can use your website to your advantage by creating an area specifically for customer feedback and comments. This should be a type of forum where customers can ask you questions as well as interact with each other. Not only will this make your more credible to your customers but it will give great feedback about your product. In this section of your site, offer discounts as incentives for repeat purchases and offers or free trials.

One of the best ways to get your product and business name known is to create something free to give away to customers. Such items range from a pen to a t-shirt-anything is good as long as your company name and information is printed on it. Just make sure the item you give away will be useful to your customer. Also, try to make the object something relevant to your company. For example, it you own a massage parlor, give away stress balls or small samples of massage lotion to your customers.

Lastly, always give serious thought to ever marketing idea you receive. Some may seem crazy, but it doesn't hurt to try them out. If the idea flops, you'll know not to do it again. If the idea is a success, you'll be happy you tried it. Try as many as you can to find what works right for your business.

Article Source : Pg. 4

About Author

Both Dana Blozis & Melissa Mashtonio are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Dana Blozis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Interview Questions and Online Marketing. With 20 years of business experience, Dana Blozis of started her own Seattle area-based writing, editing and marketing business. In addition to writing. Dana Blozis's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.

Melissa Mashtonio has sinced written about articles on various topics from Higher Education, Health Insurance and Small Business. Melissa Mashtonio writes for Manta.com, the go-to site for . The site (http://www.manta.com) offers free market research on more than 45 million companies world. Melissa Mashtonio's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.