Marketing, even for a small business, is not rocket science. It can be done effectively and (relatively) cheaply, if done right. Follow these suggestions to set you along the right path.
Step One: Find Your Target
If you have ever shot a gun, you know that you have to aim at the center of the bulls eye. If you don’t, you are not going to hit your target. The same is true in marketing. You have to know who your potential customers (prospects) are in order to attract them to your business.
Your prospects are people who need or want what you provide. They are the consumers for whom you are filling a need. If there are no people who need what you provide, then you have no business.
Determine who needs your product or service. This is your target.
Step Two: Contact Your Prospects
Find a way to attract your prospects to your business. This is where the traditional advertising methods come in. You can place a small space ad in a publication that is circulated to many of your potential customers. You can run a postcard marketing campaign, and send postcards to your prospects. You can mount an email effort. Whatever you do, get in touch with your target customers.
Be careful, however, not to try to “sell” your customers at this stage. You are not trying to convince them that your company is great. You are trying to remind them of a need that they have, and then you are letting them know that you can fill that need.
Step Three: Tell Your Prospects What to Do
Attracting prospects will not do you much good if you cannot close the deal. Customers will only do what you tell them to do. If you make it difficult for them to buy from you, they simply won’t. You have to make it as simple as possible to make the sale.
Keep this in mind when you contact your prospects. Whether you are doing a postcard printing or a small space ad, be sure to make it clear how the prospect should proceed with the transaction. If you want them to call you, tell them so and include your number. If you want them to email you, tell them so and include your email address.
Make it as simple as possible for the customer to use your product or service.
Step Four: Push Them Along
We have all seen ads that say something like, “Act now!” or, “Offer Ends Soon!” Why do you think we continue to see those words? Because they work!
Convince your prospects that there is a sense of urgency. Simply plant a seed that tells them to act quickly, and they will. Most of us are compulsive procrastinators, and we need motivation to act. You need to give your customers that motivation.
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