Local Marketing Tips

When people buy locally, the money spent in the community stays in the community to sustain local jobs, pay local tax dollars, and support local schools and organizations. It also promotes a family and community atmosphere. Here are a few creative ways to promote your business locally:

• Introduce yourself and spread the word about your business throughout your community. For example, you could strike up a conversation with someone while waiting in line at a post office or attending a community event. Break the ice with something like this: "I'm Bob, the owner of Bob's Bagels down the street. If you haven't tried us out yet, here's a freebie!" Then pass them a business card and/or coupon.


• Distribute promotional pieces to spread the word. Consider mailing postcards to recipients in a particular zip code, distributing door hangers in local neighborhoods, posting flyers or posters at local businesses, and so on. Offer an enticing discount or coupon to encourage people to visit your location.


• Focus on networking with other area businesses, schools, churches, and civic organizations. Consider cross promotions to increase local traffic, such as distributing coupons or brochures for each others' businesses or causes.


• Create a loyalty program to reward customers and encourage repeat business. Use punch cards or stamp cards, recognize customer birthdays, provide exclusive coupons or upgrades, and consider a customer review panel that receives free products or services in exchange for their valuable feedback and input on how to improve your business.


• Support local fundraisers. For example, a restaurant could donate 50% of profits for guests who have a voucher for John Doe's Cancer Benefit on April 5th. This would not only increase restaurant traffic, but also support a good cause.


• When marketing locally, always use your full street address, rather than a PO box, which doesn't indicate your physical location. Also provide a local phone number in addition to a toll-free option.


• Ensure your business is listed on major local search platforms, including Google Maps, Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local, Bing Local, and similar websites.


• Promote the advantages of purchasing locally, including personalized attention, convenience, and the ability to stop by anytime to see products, ask questions, or get ideas.


• Promote ways your business gives back to your community and supports area organizations. Be an example and make sure you're supporting other local businesses as well.

Be a Real Partner

Business used to be much simpler. The formula for success was to provide value, convenience, and great customer service, which in turn led to referrals that became new clients. This tried and true cycle kept the business world moving forward.

Somewhere along the way, however, the rules seem to have changed, and the apple cart has been upset.

To win business today, you must provide more than value and customer service.

Change is an inevitable part of life and must be dealt with. Change can lead to transformations in which we are active and willing participants, or change can occur despite our best efforts to stop it. In these cases, the outcomes are not necessarily in our power.

An important part of transformation and evolution is to learn from the past. This is a great time to review the past year and make decisions about changes that need to be made for a successful new year.

Reflections On the Past Year

Was 2012 a success for you? If not, where did things go wrong?

-- Did you have enough sales opportunities?

-- Were you presenting the right solutions for your prospects?

-- Did you learn enough about your clients and their needs in order to implement the right solutions for your clients?

There are no right answers here, just honest introspection.

Resolutions For the New Year

To make changes for a successful 2013:

-- Know what goals your clients have for their businesses.

-- Help them achieve their goals with the solutions you have to offer.

To be as successful as you would like to be in the new year, you need to accomplish one important task: look for ways to make your clients achieve their goals. When you can do that, you have aligned their goals with yours. You have become a true partner in their success. This can go a long way in making your new year the best ever.

Spice Up How You Answer Your Phone

If you're looking for a creative way to spread the word about new products or services or to announce an exciting special or upcoming event, it may be time to reconsider how your business answers the phone.

You or your receptionist can add marketing value by simply changing what is said when answering the phone. For example, pizza delivery companies get straight to the point when you call. "Thanks for calling Pizza Palace, this is Joe. Would you like to hear our specials?" As a customer, the thought of saving money is very intriguing and can often entice callers to learn more, even if they already had something in mind before calling.

A captivating introduction can include any type of announcement you'd like to make. For example, you might say, "Thanks for calling XYZ! Did you know that our X products are 30 percent off this week?"

You might also consider tooting your own horn or thanking customers, with a greeting like this: "XYZ is celebrating 50 years of business, and we couldn't do it without customers like you! What can I help you with today?" Even just a simple statement can add excitement. Here's one of our favorites: "It's a great day at XYZ! What can I help you with?"

By adding a creative twist to your phone greeting, you can not only increase awareness and boost sales, but also expand your marketing reach without touching your budget.

Are You the One?

Are you in control of your life, or does it feel like life is tossing you around like a boat in a storm?

Only one person in a hundred may look ahead, picture in their mind what they want, and set a plan to work toward their goals. The other ninety-nine may think about what they aspire to, but that vision will quickly fade, as they consider all the reasons why they can't make their dreams a reality. So they settle for what life throws their way. That's why life for the ninety-nine feels out of control and chaotic.

In order to go from the ninety-nine to the one, you must answer three important questions:

1. What do you really, really want out of life?


2. What is your plan to get there?


3. What is your next step?

All three of these are critical steps to get off the out-of-control merry-go-round and take control of your destiny.

Some people will take the first step and stop. Some will even go to step two. But very few get to step three. The people in the "one percent" group take step three and continue on until their goals are achieved.

Ninety-nine people will read this and believe they knew all of this already. Yet they still won't do anything about it. One will take action.

Life throws challenges in everyone's paths. The ones who are not easily discouraged and remain resilient because they believe in their dreams are the people who end up as the one in a hundred.

Which are you?

There is No I in This TEAM

You may be surprised to learn that Richard Branson, the famous and sometimes brash entrepreneur, when speaking about his many companies or successful ventures, rarely mentions "I" and always refers instead to "we." Why? Because he knows that his success has been due in large part to a team, each of whom brought a certain strength to turn the vision into reality.

There are three essential characteristics of any successful business:

1. A Product or Service -- You must be able to make or provide a fantastic product or service.


2. Marketing -- You must have a great story and be able to sell your story to the market.


3. Financial Management -- You must be a smart money manager and reinvest the cash wisely.

Since each of these skills requires a vastly different mindset, no single person can do all of these with any degree of high expertise.

The most successful businesses have all three of these skills spread among their team. The long-term success and viability of your business depends on these three areas. Therefore, it is vital that you have the best-qualified hires for each skill.

Whether you're a micro business or a global brand, the success and growth of your venture depends not only on making the correct hire but also on getting out of the way and letting the experts manage what you hired them to do. Both of these skills are critical to the long-term success of your company. One does not work well without the other.

Your company may not be the size of Richard Branson's companies, but the lessons of hiring the best possible candidates and giving them the necessary space to manage their parts of the business are lessons that apply to all successful enterprises.

Flash Sale Marketing Tips

Flash sales have become one of the marketing industry's hottest new ways to not only grab attention but also boost web traffic and create front-of-mind awareness. While email is typically the key driver of flash sale campaigns, social media is a close follower. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your next flash sale marketing campaign:

• Create urgency with a short time window for your sales. These can range from a few hours to a day or two maximum. The longer customers put off buying, the less likely they are to make a purchase. Studies show that flash sales with a three-hour window have the best transaction-to-click rates. Most purchases are made within the first hour.


• Be sure your inventory is adequate for a flash sale, and alert customers if supplies are limited.


• Consider a flash sale with an open-ended coupon promo to increase foot traffic. For example, you might offer a $150 salon coupon for only $75 from 11am-1pm.


• Use multiple avenues to spread the word quickly. These may include email, texting, mobile coupons, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social sites.


• Encourage recipients to share or forward your message to their friends.


• Create an attention-grabbing subject line or header, and follow through with a concise message that communicates the necessary details of your sale.


• Consider sending a reminder. Light a fire under the feet of customers who are interested but dragging their heels, and remind them that your offer expires soon.


• Remember that timing is everything, so determine the best times to blast your recipients. The most common times for a flash sale revolve around lunch or evenings, making the sale accessible to buyers who work during the day.


• Monitor your social accounts closely during a flash sale, since customers will want immediate answers to any potential questions or concerns before the sale expires.


• Consider mailing postcards for big weekend flash sale events to grab attention and give customers a little extra time to prepare for your sale. For example, grab attention with an oversized postcard that says "Save 40% off everything in our store for four hours only on Saturday!"


• Consider offering a live online counter to show how many "deals" have been purchased. Popularity sells, so if XX other people thought it was a good deal, many others will think they need to buy one, too.


• Suggest that shoppers follow you on Facebook or Twitter to ensure they don't miss out on your next exciting sale!

Buzz-Free Writing Tips for Better Marketing

Buzzwords and phrases are common to just about every industry and every business situation. But while your colleagues may understand the jargon you use, your customers and prospects probably don't. In marketing, what you say and how you say it are critical to success. Here are five tips to help you swat the buzz and make your next business letter or marketing piece clear, concise, and jargon-free.

• Keep it simple. As a prospective customer, I want to know what your product does and how that will benefit me. I don't want to hear a bunch of techno-babble and gobbledygook meant to make you look like the smartest person in the room. Use short, declarative sentences and plain, common words. Focus on benefits (what's in it for me) rather than technical details. Avoid hype and outrageous-sounding claims.


• Consider the audience. There may be times when it's ok to include some jargon in your communication. For example, if your audience speaks your industry's language and understands its terminology, a little jargon may actually help to build credibility and confidence. But try to use it sparingly, even in these situations. Too much jargon (even with those who understand it) can end up sounding pretentious.


• Provide a definition or analogy. Sometimes, it's impossible to avoid technical terms when describing a product or service. If you find yourself needing to use a technical term that your audience might not understand, try to explain what that word means in simple, layman's terms or through an analogy. Both of these techniques are used commonly on TV shows that deal with highly technical subject matters.


• Avoid acronyms. Abbreviations have their place, but usually not in customer communication. If you can't avoid acronyms altogether, or you believe the piece will flow better with an acronym or two thrown in, make sure you explain what the acronym stands for the first time you use it.


• Get some feedback. Once you've completed your initial draft and proofed it, have someone else in your office read through it, too. Try to choose someone who is not as familiar with the project you're working on, so they can come at it with fresh eyes and a different perspective.