Affordable,Marketing,for,Your, marketing Affordable Marketing for Your Small Business
Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie
When Istarted my business four years ago, I had enthusiasm and passion for my work,but a very small marketing budget. I also lacked a marketing plan for gettingmy message out to my target customer. I have learned a lot along the way andhope to impart what Ive learned onto you. Whether you just started your smallbusiness or are in your tenth year, there are some simple, affordable ways tokeep your name in front of prospective clients and customers. Newsreleases. I recommend to clients that they distribute three to four newsreleases (better known as press releases) each year. This gives clients anopportunity to shout news out to the world about new products, services orpartnerships; key hires; industry awards and certifications; new locations;events and more. News releases should be distributed on a timely basis to localmedia, trade publications and online. In addition, a well-crafted news releasemakes a great direct mail piece or a nice addition to your sales or media kit.Depending on whether you do the writing and distribution yourself, costs arevariable. Distribution costs will also vary. Distribution via e-mail or fax isvirtually nothing. Online distribution varies. Many news distribution sites arefree, but I like to include a contribution to PRWeb.com to guarantee inclusionin popular search engines. Onlineforums and networking sites. As social media continues to grow, relevant onlineforums and networking groups (Linked In, Connexions, Konnects) are a great wayto interact with professionals and prospective clients. By activelyparticipating in Q&A forums, you expand your reach. To take full advantageof these free opportunities, make sure you complete your online bio; includeyour contact information and web address; and participate regularly. Suchparticipation can also help to position you as an industry expert. Referralprogram. About half of my business comes from client referrals. To let clientsknow I appreciate their referrals and to encourage them to keep sending them tome, I include my referral program in my business agreement. In exchange for aprospect who does business with me, I offer the referring client twocomplimentary hours of writing, editing or marketing services. Aside from mytime, this costs me nothing and benefits both my clients and my business. Newsletter.There are so many affordable e-mail services these days that sending ane-newsletter to prospective clients is a no brainer. The service I use costsabout $5 per month, and it not only maintains my e-mail lists for me, but itprovides templates and tracks reader stats. Clients can opt-in, unsubscribe orchange their e-mail address at any time. This is an inexpensive way to stay intouch with clients and prospects. The nextquestion, of course, is how and when to implement the above. I recommendpulling out your calendar and scheduling time for marketing and businessdevelopment. Schedule a news release for each quarter, or at least three times ayear. For online forums and networking sites, set aside a certain amount oftime each week to participate. A referral program requires a little bit ofset-up time and a notification to clients of the new program, but aside fromthat, it doesnt require much time. For your newsletter, I recommend sendingthem to clients at regular intervals. If you cant manage biweekly or monthly,at least put together a newsletter on a quarterly basis. Save ideas in a folderso they are all in one spot when youre ready to get started. Try theseideas for at least six months and watch your business grow and, if you findthat one method works better than the others, focus your efforts in thatcategory. Enjoy your new affordable marketing solutions!
Affordable,Marketing,for,Your,