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How a Marketing Consultant Can Help Your Small Business

When you are running your company, you could become so busy looking after the different aspects of your business that you might not realize its true needs, especially implementing a sound marketing strategy.

Here are some ways in which a marketing consultant can help lead your small business to financial success.

Giving Concrete Shape to Your Ideas and Business Plans

A marketing consultant can translate your ideas and transform your business plans by showing you concrete paths that can be followed to attain success.

They will tell you the defects in your plan (if any) and show you how to avoid the pitfalls. They will also set a realistic time frame in which you can attain your business goals.

Selecting Your Business Priorities

Your marketing consultant will guide you on the aspects of the business that you need to place the most priority on, so that you can maximize your sales, profits and cash flow.

That way, once your business is stable and flourishing, you can attend to the lower priority aspects of your business.

Extracting the Maximum Out Of Your Marketing Budget

Depending on how your sales and your profit margins stack up against your expenses, your marketing consultant can guide you on developing a budget that can be set to successfully market your products. They can also guide you on which type of media will be more suitable for your business, be it newspapers or TV or the Internet.

An experienced marketing consultant can also save you a lot of money, which otherwise would have been spent in finding the right method of advertising for your products and services.

A good marketing consultant can look at your business from a professional angle and then give you a definite route to follow to attain ultimate small business success.

How to Make the Most of Your Press Release

Getting your company’s name mentioned in any press release will give your small business a lot of publicity. It also gives it authenticity and respectability.

Below are some steps that can help your business get more out of each and every press release.

Use Your Contacts

If you have a friend that works for a magazine or newspaper, then use that resource. Find out if they are genuinely interested in your company’s details or any breakthroughs that you might have achieved.

This arrangement could work both ways, as you would get your press release printed, and the magazine or newspaper would get an exclusive story in return.

Hire A PR Agency

You could also hire a PR [Public Relations] agency. They could use their contacts and arrange interviews, or even get press releases from you and forward them to newspapers or magazines and get them printed.

However, hiring a PR Agency is an expensive proposition, so make sure that you expect to get much more in the way of profits and publicity than what you would be spending.

DIY

Alternatively, you could get the names of prominent magazines and newspapers in your field from a media guide or the Internet. You can then follow up by calling the person who is handling the press release department and inquire about the status of your release.

This method is more difficult and time consuming; but if you don't have any other choice, then it's the only way to go.

Try the above methods to ensure that your press release does the job it was meant to do in the first place.

Using Gift Certificates to Promote Your Business

If you are in the retail business, then issuing gift certificates is an excellent way of increasing your business - and ensuring that your customers remain loyal to you.

Below are some of the ways that you can use gift certificates to give your bottom line a boost.

Issue Gift Certificates to Existing Clients Bringing In New Clients

You can have a program where you reward existing clients who introduce their friends and relatives to your products and services.

That way, your existing clients will have an incentive to bring in new clients - and you will benefit by roping in new customers without much effort.

Use Festive Occasions

Issue gift vouchers that can be presented by your clients to their loved ones and which can be used to buy products during festive seasons.

Customers always appreciate getting something for free, especially during festive seasons such as Christmas and New Year's. Normally, people end up buying much more than just the value of the gift certificate, resulting in additional business for you.

Issue Gift Certificates to Your High Value Clients

You can issue gift certificates to clients who make high-value purchases. Instead of simply giving them discounts, this is an even better method that you can use to ensure that they keep buying from you. It will also make them feel that you appreciate their business.

Distributing gift certificates is an excellent way of rewarding loyal customers and generating new business. Try giving out gift certificates to your valued customers. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

What Does A Good Brand Strategy Involve?

A good brand strategy doesn't just involve designing logos and punch lines. It involves studying the psychology and the requirements and expectations of your intended market before you can put your plan into action.

Here are some methods to ensure that your brand strategy is right on target.

Do a Proper Survey

Don't let your employees devise your brand strategy by simply sitting in the office and surfing the Internet.

Talk to actual people connected to your products and find out the perception of your company and your products from them. Find out if any changes are needed to improve your products, services or the image of your company.

Check Out Your Competition

Look into the strategies used by your competitors and find out as what techniques you can adopt in your business.

You can also convert their products or service advantages into yours, if you have a superior product or a higher level of service.

Include Your Company History

Companies like Coke like to remind their customers that they trust any of their current or future products because of their long and illustrious company history.

You can include your company’s history and link it to your products in a way that any future launches will have the stamp of trust associated with that product right from the start.

Out Of Sight Is Truly Out Of Mind

Explore, innovate and implement your brand strategy - but ensure that you are always visible to your existing and potential customers. Use all possible forms of media to stay visible.

Current market conditions call for aggressive but tactful brand strategies to create interest and desire for your products in your potential customers. Use the above methods for a successful brand strategy.

How to Find Fast-Selling Items for Your Online Business

Once you start your online business, then you will need to find fast selling items, so that you get maximum cash flow and don't end up with dead inventory in your hands.

Here are some ways that you can zero in on fast-moving items - and make money selling them online.

• Visit Seller Sites Like eBay: You can visit sites such as eBay and check out items that are searched for the most.

  You can do this by going to eBay Pulse, which will show you the 10 top searches for all the different categories on eBay. A higher-numbered search indicates a higher demand for that item.

• Find The Source For Those Items: Once you get a list of items in hot demand, then you need to find out the cheapest wholesalers or drop shippers for those items.

  Try to get a good deal by purchasing those items directly. Then, depending on your online experience, you can buy those items and sell them yourself. If you don't want to bother with shipping and fulfillment, you can just pass on your orders to a reputable drop shipper.

• Ask Your Drop Shipper or Wholesaler: If you have had a good experience with a certain drop shipper or wholesaler, then you can also ask for their guidance.

  If you do a lot of business with them, they will probably be happy to give you a list of their fastest-selling items. Use their experience to your advantage.

• Do Not Hold On To Dead Inventory: If you are not able to sell some of the items in your inventory, then mark down the prices of those items and sell them immediately - even if you have to make a loss.

Sell Your Products on Your Credit Terms

Depending on the type of small business that you run, you might have to extend credit to some of your customers. This may be due to the size of the order or the relationship that you share with certain customers - or maybe just because the rest of the market is extending them credit.

Here are a few tips that will help you increase your sales without ending up cash-strapped.

Check Out Your Potential Credit Customers

Do a check on the reputation and credit worthiness of your customers before agreeing to sell them products on credit. Never agree to sell goods to new customers unless you are sure of their ability to pay.

Establish Some Ground Rules - and Stick By Them

Make it clear to your customers that you are quite strict with your credit terms. Ensure that your customers pay you by the end of the credit period without exception.

If you ignore payment delays, then in the future it may be very difficult for you to recover the money. If some customers have pending payments, then do not stop selling to them, but rather cut down on the value of the products that you supply to them so that slowly their credit limit and amount paid are equal.

Provide Incentives for Prompt Payments

If your customers want to pay you before the due date, then you can offer them up to a 2% discount, so that both of you are happy.

Use the above tips to ensure that you sell your goods on your credit terms and that your customers do not take advantage of you.

Reach Into Prospects’ Pockets with Promotional Keyrings

Promotional keyrings are a very economical and effective way of promoting your small business. And this mode of advertising also ensures that your business details are always present in customers' pockets at any given time.

Given below are some aspects that you should consider when ordering making and distributing your keyrings.

Decide On the Type of KeyRing

You can have your keyrings made in leather, plastic or metal, and you can even have the keyring shaped according to the type of products that you sell.

For example, if you have a car dealership, you can make your key ring in metal and give it the shape of a car. That will visually link your key ring to your business.

If you sell leather products, then you can have a leather keyring shaped like a miniature bag or shoe.

Keep Your Printing Large and Clear

You should print your business name, contact number and your website address on your keyrings. Keep the font large and clear and match the color with your keyring - but ensure that it stands out clearly.

Keyring Add-Ons

In addition to your key ring, you can also add on a small LED flashlight or other practical item in the loop. This feature will be useful to your customers.

Distribute Them Generously

During trade fairs, conferences or workshops, give out your keyrings to everyone. If you like, you can also get two keyring designs; one exclusive design for your top customers and prospects, and one regular design for all your other customers.

If you are running a small business, then you probably already have your hands full. But diversifying your business makes perfect economic sense in these competitive times.

What is Diversification?

It is just not smart business to only sell one type of product or service. Today's business environment demands that you be more diverse.

Diversifying doesn't mean selling entirely different products and services. That wouldn't be smart, especially since most small business owners specialize in one particular area.

It does mean branching out and selling many related products and services. For example, if you sell skateboards, you could also sell helmets and knee pads. You could also go one better and partner with a design firm, so you could also sell customized skateboards with unique designs.

Branching Out

Diversifying your small business helps in building up your brand name - and that helps in increasing sales. You could diversify in fields other than your current one if you want your business to spread out, instead of being concentrated in a few niche products and services.

In the skateboard example above, you could partner with an action sport clothing company, stocking some products that would appeal to skateboarders. In this case, you would not produce the clothing, only market and sell the clothing line of another company, giving you a new stream of income.

Diversifying your small business is easier than you think, and doesn't require lots of work. It does take vision, time and effort — and the results will be well worth it.

Running a successful small business is not only about selling products, but also developing relationships with your customers.

Just as you feel good after every successful sale, your customers need to feel good when dealing with you - and you should let them know that you appreciate their loyalty and their business.

What You Need To Do

You will first need to make a database of all the customers that you plan to send greeting cards to. Then you need to decide when you're going to send cards to each particular customer. While sending cards on holidays like Christmas and Easter may seem like a no-brainer, it isn't quite that simple.

Some customers of certain faiths might get offended if you send them greeting cards on certain occasions (like Easter, Christmas, Passover and so on); so indicate in your database the customers that this may apply to.

Personalization is Key

If possible, write personally in your greeting cards so that customers realize that you have not just sent them a card for the sake of it, but that you really mean to stay in touch.

You can write a specific line for customers that you know personally. You can also send out greeting cards to new customers so that you start a tradition as they turn into your ‘old' customers. Make sure that you have customers' names written or printed correctly on envelopes, and also make sure that your greeting card reaches your customers in time.

Avoid sending greetings by email or by fax — this is highly impersonal and smacks of cheap marketing.

Using greeting cards as a marketing tool doesn't cost a lot, but when done right, it is very effective.

A sales letter should be like a king's messenger announcing the arrival of a king. It should be clear, precise and should keep the reader's interest alive. Most of all, it needs to inspire prospects to take the action you want them to take.

Here are a few things to keep in mind to write sales letters that get RESULTS.

Content Matters

The introduction of your sales letter should be dynamic. It should also be personal, so that the reader feels that it has been specially addressed to him or her. To accomplish this, you might have to do some research to ensure that your sales letters reach their intended target - or else it could be a waste of time and money.

Keep the letter humble and clear. You should make sure that you succinctly highlight your products and services, explaining the advantages of your products over others in the market. Above all, make sure that it connects with your target audience and solves a problem they have. You can do this through examples, testimonials or short stories.

If you are targeting your letter to a specific person in an organization, then you should address your sales letter in their name. This will increase the chances of them reading it and responding positively.

If you are too busy or simply unable to write an effective sales letter, note down all the important points you would like to incorporate and hire a professional writer to do the work for you.

Keep your sales letter short, humble and simple. Start by grabbing your prospects' attention and keep it flowing by sticking to your marketing message to the end.