As a boomerpreneur, you may not have the resources to launch a hugh, glitzy marketing campaign. But have no fear! June is "Entrepreneurs Do It Yourself Marketing Month" and to celebrate, I have ideas for some easy and inexpensive marketing that you can do yourself. And I am going to share one of my favorite resources for marketing ideas.
If you need some inpiration to get you started on a DIY marketing campaign, here are 23 ideas that I have used successfully:
1. Start an e-mail marketing campaign
2. Post client testimonials on your website
3. Sponsor a charity event or local sports team
4. Host a free teleconference or webinar for your target market
5. Comment on blog posts
6. Host a giveaway on your website or blog
7. Join a professional organization or trade association
8. Start writing and submitting articles online (check out EzineArticles.com)
9. Offer incentives for referrals
10. Create an elevator pitch
11. Use your email signature to promote your business
12. If you don't already have one, start a blog for your business
13. Develop a pay-per-click campaign
14. Attend a live event
15. Sign up for the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) e-mail list (I just discovere d
this and I love it!)
16. Run a contest and give away a free sample of your product or service
17. Write and submit a press release
18. Start an affiliate program
19. Launch a social media marketing campaign
20. Offer to speak at meetings and events
21. Launch a Google Adwords campaign
22. Create a Facebook page
23. Design a sales page for your latest product or service
Just think - if you do one of these each day for the rest of the month, you will have completed 23 marketing activities to promote your business! Still looking for some guidance? I can help with that! Let me recommend one of my favorite resources to learn exactly HOW to do this marketing stuff. "31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles" by Tracy Repchuk is my absolute go-to book for ideas on internet marketing. Tracy covers every aspect of Internet marketing. From something as simple as your email signature to article marketing to product creation to PPC, Adwords, and Facebook - Tracy covers each one in depth. But the best part is that she means it when she says 31 days! And so she leads you by the hand, step-by-step, telling you what you need to do each and every day.
Time for a little DIY marketing! Let me know which tips you used. And don't forget to check out Tracy's book. You be glad you did. Do you have a favorite DIY marketing strategy to use? Be a sweetie and share!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
The Secret Of Effective Business Communication
Effective communication is one of the key factors in a successful business. If you cannot effectively promote your business to your clients, how will you keep your business growing?
As an entrepreneur, your business depends on your ability to sell your product or services. You need to be able to convince prospects that your product is the right one for them and that you are the best person to do business with.
Promoting your business involves both verbal and written communication. You must be able to do both well in order to be successful. Fortunately, there are a few rules for each that will help you become a better communicator.
1. Be clear and concise. In business, it is critical to be able to communicate your ideas quickly and clearly. You may have the most brilliant idea, one-of-a kind service, or valuable product on the market today, but if you cannot make me understand that, your idea, service, or product is useless.
2. Proper pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are vital. There are many books and classes available that teach these basics. I don't have a particular favorite. At the risk of betraying my age, I went to school when grammar, punctuation, and penmanship were still taught in elementary school. I have seen several books on these subjects at the local Barnes & Noble, however, and most of them seemed likely to be effective. If someone has a resource to recommend, please feel free to post it in the comments.
3. Improve your vocabulary. You don't need to memorize the dictionary. But you do need to have a large enough vocabulary to always have the right word at your disposal. When I was 13, my grandmother gave me a subscription to Reader's Digest for my birthday. Believe it or not, I was thrilled. This magazine held a wealth of treasures for me, including a feature called "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power." Each issue came with 20 words, their definitions, and an example of their usage in a sentence. It was an easy way to increase my vocabulary by 20 words each month.
4. Be consistent. Once you have perfected your message, make sure you tell it consistently in your e-mails, on your website, in print materials, on social media, and in any advertising and marketing.
Nothing is more confusing to prospects than hearing differing messages from the same business. They don't know which to believe. Be sure your clients know who you are and what you stand for with every interaction.
5. Learn to listen. Good listening is a skill. Concentrate on the speaker's message and keep an open mind to others' ideas. Indicate you understand what the speaker said by repeating/rephrasing key points: "Let me be sure I understand correctly. What you are saying is...."
So what is the "secret" to effective communication in business? Where do you go to learn to put all of the basic skills together into an effective package? The same place I did - Felicia Slattery. Felicia is a communication consultant, speaker, and coach specializing in training busy professionals to succeed by communicating effectively with clients and prospects. You've seen her mentioned in many of my blog posts as one of the people whose opinions and input I value and trust. If you really want to learn how to get your message across, she is the one person who can help you.
Learn to speak and write clearly and concisely. Practice the skills necessary to communicate with ease and confidence. Who knows what might happen?
As an entrepreneur, your business depends on your ability to sell your product or services. You need to be able to convince prospects that your product is the right one for them and that you are the best person to do business with.
Promoting your business involves both verbal and written communication. You must be able to do both well in order to be successful. Fortunately, there are a few rules for each that will help you become a better communicator.
1. Be clear and concise. In business, it is critical to be able to communicate your ideas quickly and clearly. You may have the most brilliant idea, one-of-a kind service, or valuable product on the market today, but if you cannot make me understand that, your idea, service, or product is useless.
2. Proper pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are vital. There are many books and classes available that teach these basics. I don't have a particular favorite. At the risk of betraying my age, I went to school when grammar, punctuation, and penmanship were still taught in elementary school. I have seen several books on these subjects at the local Barnes & Noble, however, and most of them seemed likely to be effective. If someone has a resource to recommend, please feel free to post it in the comments.
3. Improve your vocabulary. You don't need to memorize the dictionary. But you do need to have a large enough vocabulary to always have the right word at your disposal. When I was 13, my grandmother gave me a subscription to Reader's Digest for my birthday. Believe it or not, I was thrilled. This magazine held a wealth of treasures for me, including a feature called "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power." Each issue came with 20 words, their definitions, and an example of their usage in a sentence. It was an easy way to increase my vocabulary by 20 words each month.
4. Be consistent. Once you have perfected your message, make sure you tell it consistently in your e-mails, on your website, in print materials, on social media, and in any advertising and marketing.
Nothing is more confusing to prospects than hearing differing messages from the same business. They don't know which to believe. Be sure your clients know who you are and what you stand for with every interaction.
5. Learn to listen. Good listening is a skill. Concentrate on the speaker's message and keep an open mind to others' ideas. Indicate you understand what the speaker said by repeating/rephrasing key points: "Let me be sure I understand correctly. What you are saying is...."
So what is the "secret" to effective communication in business? Where do you go to learn to put all of the basic skills together into an effective package? The same place I did - Felicia Slattery. Felicia is a communication consultant, speaker, and coach specializing in training busy professionals to succeed by communicating effectively with clients and prospects. You've seen her mentioned in many of my blog posts as one of the people whose opinions and input I value and trust. If you really want to learn how to get your message across, she is the one person who can help you.
Learn to speak and write clearly and concisely. Practice the skills necessary to communicate with ease and confidence. Who knows what might happen?
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