Those Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

Free Marketing Tips #10: “Those Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail“

Look before you leap… Only fools rush in… It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark…

Foresight has been the topic of proverbs for millennia, yet many small business owners and entrepreneurs still neglect this essential first step to success in business. Those of us who follow a map are more likely to arrive at our desired location. Simply put,  marketing plans are navigation tools. Good marketing plans lead to business success, and every company needs one, period.

Small business owners should continually ask themselves these questions: what are my goals? do I have a plan for achieving my goals?  is my company following a plan? is our current plan working? If your answer is “no” to any of these questions, then you need to make a change.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for Marketing Consulting!

Open Houses Invite Business

Free Marketing Tips #9: “Open Houses Invite Business“

For a business that has a physical location, an Open House event can work wonders for public relations. When you hold an open house, try to create a welcoming environment at your business location. This can be accomplished by offering complementary beverages, food, and/or entertainment on site.

So, how does a business hold a a successful open house event? Identify something that people enjoy to lure them out their house and in to yours. Some good ideas can include holding a summer barbecue, throwing a holiday happy hour, or even hiring live bands to play a free concert at your location. Business owners should give themselves ample time for event promotion, and to make the event memorable! If your guests have a good time, their memory will trigger an positive emotional response when they receive future promotional offers from your company. The benefit to your sales and marketing campaigns will take the form of higher customer conversation and retention rates following the event. A well-coordinated open house can also facilitate candid 2-way communication with the public, which can help business owners to develop a deeper bond with their customers, vendors, and referral sources.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Cooperative Marketing Makes Good Neighbors

Free Marketing Tips #8: “Cooperative Marketing Makes Good Neighbors“

When neighboring businesses work together to coordinate their marketing plans, magical things happen. As the saying goes, “the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.” This rule certainly holds true when effective marketing partnerships are established between neighboring businesses.

Try forging a bond with a neighboring business that is not a direct competitor. Agree to display each other’s business cards or brochures in your physical store fronts and build reciprocal links between your respective web sites. Work cooperatively when launching new marketing campaigns; when you split the cost of direct mail marketing or radio advertising campaigns, you will both reach larger audiences while lowering your individual costs.

At the point of sale, up-sell or tie-in your neighboring business’ product or service. Distribute each other’s coupons and/or create package deals  to encourage your customers to also buy from your  neighbor “while they are in the neighborhood.” Know that your neighbor will be returning the favor. When coordinated properly, a continuing strategic partnership will increase revenue and decrease marketing costs for all involved.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Marketing at Professional Networking Events

Free Marketing Tips #7: “Marketing at Professional Networking Events”

If you are a business owner, sales executive, or professional marketer, you should always be seeking to expand your professional network. Businesses can generate sales leads just by simply making an appearance at a networking event. Bring plenty of business cards, brochures, and other promotional items and work the room: deliver your sales pitch to everyone you meet, and ask them to give you their business cards in return. Do this regularly, and watch your sales leads grow!

You may contact local chambers of commerce to find a schedule of professional networking events in their area. Many will offer free admission, and others are still worth a minimal admission fee. Don’t forget to follow-up with your new sales leads by running coordinated marketing campaigns!

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Use Holiday Themes to Your Advantage

Free Marketing Tips #6: “Use Holiday Themes to Your Advantage”

Professional marketers are constantly challenged to create a purchasing impulse in the customer’s mind. We go to great lengths with our email, radio, print, tv, web, and direct marketing campaigns just to reach potential customers, but how do we make them feel as if they should purchase our product or service right now? Thanks in part to the Hallmark Corporation, there are several holidays  in every calendar month wherein consumers feel naturally compelled (and sometimes outright “guilted”) into purchasing something for a special someone. On these occasions, marketing efforts seem to have more wind in their sails.

Any savvy business owner should never let pass an opportunity to swim downstream. Make sure to coordinate your marketing campaigns with the holidays, and use the hype as a sales springboard!

For instance: “What better way to say ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ than to give your mom her very own dot-com web address? Visit Earth Web Solutions this Mother’s Day, and pay only $9.99/yr to register http://www.YOURMOMSNAME.com!”

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Start a Periodic Email Campaign

Free Marketing Tips #5: “Start a Periodic Email Campaign”

One of the most important marketing tactics is for businesses to keep their brand always fresh in the minds of customers. Possibly the single-most effective way of accomplishing this goal is through email marketing. Consider the cost vs. benefit. Web-based email marketing software costs less than $8/month through Earth Web Solutions.com and email delivery costs are zero. If you give your customers an value-added incentive for signing-up, they will even look forward to hearing from you (example: Christopher Marketing offers “free marketing advice” each week). It’s well worth pocket change to make sure customers and prospects remember you brand when it’s time to make their purchasing decision.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Put Free Advertising to Work on Community Bulletin Boards

Free Marketing Tips #4: “Put Free Advertising to Work on Community Bulletin Boards”

A wise marketing agent will seek free  advertising avenues and exhaust them. Here is one such free advertising opportunity that can be found in just about every market. Many community-geared businesses display bulletin boards in their lobbies. Posting your brochures or business cards in high-traffic public places can generate great exposure for your product or service. Never let a free advertising opportunity go to waste; keep your eyes open for community bulletin boards everywhere you go.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Utilizing Low-Cost Radio Advertising

Free Marketing Tips #3: “Utilizing Low-Cost Radio Advertising”

Many start-up and small business owners are  intimidated by the cost of prime-time radio advertising. The truth is, radio advertising can earn you a good ROI with on a small marketing budget. Try purchasing late-night spots. Radio advertising rates in most major cities can be very affordable, with prices as low as $20 or even $10 per 60-second spot. Production costs don’t have to be sky-high either. A good marketing company with small overhead (such as Christopher Marketing) can even record a radio commercial for $100 or less…

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Create Walking Billboards

Free Marketing Tips #2 : “Create Walking Billboards”

Every business owner should consider how much advertising value lies in clothing their patrons. A 50-pack of custom-printed T-shirts with full-color print will cost only about $7 each through Christopher Marketing, but they can generate thousands of dollars worth of quality advertising for your brand. Professional Marketers see beyond immediate profit motives to realize the long-term exposure generated by custom-printed clothing. Just think about how many times you’ve worn your favorite T-shirt or hat in public.

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!

Seeking Business Referrals from Friends and Family

Welcome to the premier edition of “Free Marketing Tips” by Christopher Marketing. This blog will contains helpful tips for professionals to consider when developing a comprehensive marketing plan.

Free Marketing Tips #1: “Seeking Business Referrals from Friends and Family”

Many small businesses have found that personal referrals generate more new business than most paid advertising techniques. This is because third-party opinions tend to receive more trust than professional sales pitches. It always makes sense to actively seek referrals from those who know you best. When marketing your product or service, don’t forget to tell all of your friends and family about it. You never know when your uncle’s friend might ask him if he knows of anyone who sells your product or service.

This works especially well in large Italian families…

As always, please feel free to Contact Christopher Marketing for a Free Marketing Consultation!