Posts Tagged ‘Small Business Marketing’
Small Business Marketing
If you are an owner of a small business and do not have a marketing plan, you are destined to fail. And I’m not necessarily talking about a business plan with all the financials and stuff. Those are important too, but if you choose not to have a concrete plan for your marketing, all you’re going to accomplish is to become one of the 90% of small business failure stories.
Planning is integral. You won’t even go to the supermarket without some sort of plan. How do you expect to run a successful business without one? As you read through every one of these tips you’ll realize that your small business marketing success depends on having a great marketing plan. 5 crucial elements of a small business marketing plan are as follows:
1) Vision -It’s important that you create a vision statement for your small business. Something that can always be there to let you know what it is your business is all about and where you want to go. Here’s an example from Microsoft: “a personal computer in every home running Microsoft software.”
2) Your Clients – Your small business marketing plan should also include who your ideal clients are. Those people you want to open their wallets and give you their money. If you can determine the age, gender, income, habits, likes and dislikes of your ideal client you’ll be far ahead of the game when it comes time to strategize.
3) Competition – Just as it’s important to figure out who you’re selling to, it’s also important to figure out who is already selling to them. Once you narrow down who your competition is, you can determine what they do that works and what they do that doesn’t and craft your own campaigns accordingly.
4) Goals – Just like you’ve gotta have vision, you also gotta have goals. Set a reachable one year goal and this will help you in deciding which actions to take along the way. Your goal can be financial, or in terms of customers or market share, or all of the above. Just be sure to make it lofty enough for a challenge, but realistic enough to stay focused.
5) The Strategy – Once you’ve figured out all of the above elements, it’s time for the strategies themselves. What marketing actions are you going to take over the coming year that will enable you to reach your goals? Will you be doing radio spots? Print ads? Web marketing? A combination of the three? There are countless tactics you can use. If you can’t decide which way to go you can always hire an agency to help you out. They aren’t always as expensive as you think.
If you can follow these 5 crucial elements of a small business marketing plan you’ll be well on your way to small business success.
Author: Cara McCarron
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Tags: Business Marketing, Business Marketing Plan, Small Business Marketing
Ecommerce Business Plan
The Ecommerce Business Plan is a plan of action. An action plan dedicated to the needs of the customers. Make sure your Ecommerce Business Plans meet these needs.
This is where the online business venture begins.The ecommerce business plan is a plan of action, without which nothing of real value can ever be achieved. The ecommerce business plan will cover a number of features from the design of the web site to the fulfillment service methods; each of these features should be the best available with a heavy bias towards the customer. The product, around which the whole ecommerce business plan will revolve, will have to fulfill certain criteria in order to make the online venture a success.
These are:
Homogeneity – the product, though obtained from different suppliers/sources will have to be of a homogenous quality and dimensions. Whether it is a mobile set or a book the item should be favorably comparable to the ones that are bought elsewhere.
Ability to ship the product – before you launch your online venture you should find out whether the product can be shipped easily. This is will a daunting task if the product is bulky or very fragile. If the customer cannot get the product quickly and in tact, you will loose repeat customers and word of mouth advertising.
Cost of delivery – in similar manner heavier items will cost more to deliver to the door step than lightweight items. The cost of delivery is an important factor that decides the customer uses when deciding whether or not to buy an item. Hence, keep this cost as low as possible.
Cost of the product – many customers are attracted to the online shopping because they get many of their favorite products at a much lower cost than in the real- shops. You need to keep the cost at least 10 percent less than what is available in the brick-and-mortar market.
Availability – do you plan to have a good stock of the product that you propose to sell or do you have a good tie-up with some supplier(s) which can provide you with the product on the spot. If the product is not available easily to the customer – after the payment is processed – you will have a very unhappy customer.
Target market – think whether you need to address the needs of a certain age group, geographical area, or it is to be available for all people, all over the world.
Payment options – what type of payment options you are offering will greatly influence the sale of your product.
All these and more will have to be taken care of right at the beginning; at the stage where the ecommerce business plan is completed.
By:Kerry Ng
Kerry Ng is a successful Webmaster and publisher of The Ecommerce Blog. Click here for more helpful information about Ecommerce: http://www.ecommerceinfoblog.com/best-ecommerce-site-to-meet-your-needs
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerry_Ng
Small Business Workbook on How to Start and Structure a Business …
Wilmington, DE (PRESS RELEASE – June 9, 2009) — Starting a small business with a focus and plan of action are the purpose of a business plan. SCORE Counselors. … Entrepreneurs can get the latest information on how to launch a Web site, attract visitors, and avoid e-commerce mistakes. SCORE CEO Ken Yancey says, “How to Really Start Your Own Business provides valuable information that can help start-up entrepreneurs achieve their business goals…
Thinking Made Easy: Market Communication Plan for the Sunny …
Competition is an important factor to consider before entering a business. Companies should have successful competitive strategies to be able attract, retain and grow customers. However, before the company can plan and execute these strategies, ….. The Internet is changing the way we do business, whether it’s finding new streams of revenue, acquiring new customers, or managing a business supply chain. E-commerce removes the geographical separation …
R Padayachie: Internet Solutions Internetix Business Conference
This ISAD Plan is informed by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Plan of action and the development challenges facing the country. What the department has been undertaking in the last few years, as the lead agency in government for ICT developments, has been to establish a policy … The main purpose of this Act was to provide for e-commerce but it also included sections on e-government, the need for an e-strategy and strategies to meet universal access . …..
Online Business Strategy & Marketing
Online Business, eCommerce Strategy and Marketing Blog, Webtarget, web target. … the website’s requirements in terms of functionality and design which both should support the performance objectives. Once the performance driven website is under production, organizations should then focus on their marketing plan (online and offline). And here again, performance should be the decision making compass in order to maximize return on investment and conversions.
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Adsense – A Quick Start Action Plan – web Admin first Step
These concise quick study marketing plans are designed to jump start your online business venture. Each action plan will focus on one marketing strategy and will explain the basics of the strategy; the advantages of choosing that strategy; and a reality check to … In one of the most ingenious moves in business history, Google has broken out of the mold of “web search engine model” and has emerged as a phenomenal force in the world of e-commerce…
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Tags: Business Marketing Plans, business plan, business plan internet, Business Plan Service, ecommerce, Small Business Marketing, startup business plan
Small Business Marketing
Small Business Marketing Strategy for Brand Promotion
Brand as the base of the marketing triangle. Brand is much more than a logo or a sign.
Successful small business marketing can best be viewed as a triangle containing three essential elements: Brand, Package, and People.
Brand forms the base of this marketing triangle. Brand is the foundation your business is built upon in the mind of your customer. When you rest a heavy load on a weak foundation, a crooked and cracked house is the inevitable outcome. It’s no different when building your business. A strong brand is critical to your small company’s long-term business health and profits.
Brand is really your company’s identity. Brand is the essence of your company–the who of your company in the mind of your customers. Think your customers pick up your company’s identity by osmosis? By that latest brilliant advertising slogan? Sometimes, but for most small businesses, new customers learn of you–and your brand– from another customer or from one of your employees.
Yes, employees–definitely the most under-utilized marketing referral source in small business today.
So, weaving a Brand Banner that customers and employees can carry around for you and then wave at the right time–for you, unsolicited–is an ultra-effective way for your small business to advertise. This Brand Banner must be easy to repeat and memorable. Your advocates will bear your Brand Banner because of the natural human inclination to share helpful information with other people.
Just remember, if you let that Brand Banner get soiled, ripped or grimy, then that’s the flag that’ll be out there flying for your business. Not the impression you want to make. This is yet another reason customer service is so vitally important.
Brand isn’t your company logo, latest advertising slogan or catchy jingle any more than your best suit is you. The suit can improve your image, but even casual acquaintances will still recognize the essential you underneath.
Brand is similar to integrity–if you’ve earned it, your small business can make errors along the way and still become very successful. Customers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect attention. If they trust you to do the right thing by them, even when you mess up, you’ll boost your small business integrity and your brand. But without integrity, you can pour out thousands of advertising dollars to look great and sound slick, but still fail in the end because you are essentially anchored to nothing more solid than shifting sand.
So, if Brand is Identity, and your small business marketing is built on referrals from customers and employees, then a critical next step is for you to understand just how it is that customer’s perceive you. Like beauty, Brand is in the eye of the beholder.
Remember: People (customers and employees) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + Brand (who you are) = Marketing Success.
2006 Marketing Hawks
Marketing Hawks Blog
Craig Lutz-Priefert’s marketing blog
By Craig Lutz-Priefert
Published: 10/1/2006
Small Business Viral Internet Marketing Experts
As viral marketing is an efficient and cost-effective promotion strategy, more and more small business enterprises are depending on internet marketing experts providing viral marketing on the internet.
Small Business Marketing Strategies
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Tags: Business Marketing, Small Business, Small Business Marketing, Small Business Marketing Strategy
Starting a Small Business
General guidelines:
- Be willing to put in everything to grow your business. Even though it is possible to get rich quickly, it does not come by lying down. Be willing to live “on bread and water” in order to get your business on its feet.
– Think out of the box. An “out of the box” idea does not need to be a total new product. It may have to do with the structure of your business – how you run it.
– Try to create a business model where you are not indispensable. If you want to retire one day, you must be able to sell or hand over your business to someone else. Besides that, it will also help you to expand or grow your business.
– Build your business around your skills. If you are not a good salesman, avoid engaging in something where you do not feel comfortable. You have to enjoy your work.
– Beware of get rich quick schemes, pyramid schemes, and even multi-level marketing (MLMs). Despite the fact that many of these are illegal, the time you join them, you will probably merely contribute in making someone else rich.
– Structure your business in such a way that you do not do all the work. There are many ways of growing a business without it being necessary to hire employees. E.g. you can work with subcontractors, you can bring in business for someone else and earn a commission, you can bring buyers and sellers together, etc.
Practical tips:
- Plan your strategy. A good, practical business plan will help you to be realistic and determine all the costs and logistics. Try and think through the whole process and budget for it. This is also helpful if you need to acquire a loan.
– Start off with the minimum expenses. See if you can work with other established businesses, e.g. try starting off as consultant / agent.
– Try to avoid hiring expensive office space if you do not have an established clientele. See if you can work from home or an office where you can rely on other means of advertising to get clients except direct visibility.
– Acquire an affordable book keeping system that is right for your business.
– Try to work with what you have as far as possible and try to avoid borrowing money.
– Make sure your business is legal, and that you have all the appropriate documents, that you are registered for taxes / VAT, etc.
– Dream on! It is never too late for a new business idea. Many people have more than one business. You can grow a new business while you have another more established business.
– Good service and business integrity is key to long term success.
Author: Philip Du Toit
The Best (Online business mentors|home business… ideas)
Small Business Ideas: 400 Latest Greatest Small Business Ideas From Around The World is the perfect book if you are interested in any of these topics: work from home, work at home, home business, home based business, … data entry, starting a business, home jobs, how to start a business, home based businesses, home based jobs, start a business, small business opportunity, data entry from home, jobs at home, jobs from home, work at …
Franchise and Business Opportunities over Internet
If you are planning to start your own business, a franchise model makes for an attractive option mainly for the reason that the business is already.
Work From Home And Small Business Advice From Real Mompreneurs
Hear the true stories about working from home and starting a small business from people who have done it! Success stories, failures and solid advice from marketing to manufacturing. …
Ideas for Starting a Small Business | Small Business Ideas …
Which leads me to the real point of this blog post, I have thinking about ideas for starting a small business | small business ideas. If I just depended on my employee’s income, I might not be able to become financially independent. …
Starting a Small Business 6/8/2009 – Seven Oaks on Blog Talk Radio
Today well be speaking with Sheri Rhodes owner of Mountain View Studios a small manufacturing company located in Tennessee. Sheri never though shed own a resin casting company As a sculptor though she looked for ways to cast her own …
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Tags: how to start a small business, Small Business Marketing, start a small business, starting, starting a new small business, starting a small business, starting a small bussiness
Small Business Marketing
This article can help any small business owner develop a strategic marketing plan to draw customers.
Marketing is a crucial part of small business success. In order for any business to survive, other people need to know that the company exists and what they can do for them. It is even more important for small business owners to make a name for themselves. Developing a good small business marketing strategy is what you need to rise above competitors. Careful research, proper introduction and good follow up are crucial to building a strong customer base.
Research Your Market
Do you have a target market in mind? Get to know the customers you want. Find out what groups your products or services will attract the most. For a small business in the community, you can visit local events to network and let people know you are there. Bring business cards or something small to hand out to people that you meet.
Find companies and agencies that need your products or services in the area. Really research your target market for an accurate assessment of the things you may be able to offer. You can send out a short poll (no longer than 10 questions). It is a quick and easy way to find out what they need.
Examining the competition closely will help to find areas of neglect your company can fill in. For example, if you own a restaurant, what special dish can you make that the competition doesn’t offer? Figure out what special niche your company fills that others do not. Studies show that specialty companies do better than those who try to do it all.
Once you have this information, you can put it to good use.
Introduce Your Business
Start out with a simple brochure or flyer. Any piece of marketing should include these basic elements:
-who you are
-what you offer
-where you are located
-how to contact you
Appeal to prospects by emphasizing those unique specialties that only your business offers. Target their specific needs in your advertising. This is where all the research comes in handy. The thing to focus on is one or two particular needs they have that you can take care of for them.
You can send a uniform flyer or brochure, or you can customize each one to maximize the appeal to each business you send the information to. As long as you have the important key elements, the rest is flexible.
Make the most of the experience you have. Don’t make anything up, but if you have a track record, people will be more likely to pay for your products and services. (ex. Serving for 25 years and counting!) Let them know of similar clients that you have had and similar work that you have done. A long time in the business is something you should take confidence in.
Other things you might include in an advertisement are:
-grand opening/reopening date
-special sales
-top selling products
-number of clients to date
-company slogan
Follow Up
One of the most neglected aspects of marketing is follow up. It is always good to have new customers, but to truly be successful, you need at least some of those people to come again. There are some very simple things that you can do to inspire repeat business.
If you get phone calls or emails, respond to them. Give a call back or a reply message to thank them again for inquiring. This is especially important if the client has purchased your product or service. Reminding them that you are still in business and appreciate them as customers will encourage loyalty. Offering coupons, discounts or a free item (ex. pen with company logo) is also a way to thank clients and encourage them to come again.
If you follow these steps to an effective marketing plan, you will see your business take off. Once you find out what works for you, do it again and again.
By Chesley Maldonado
Published: 3/7/2007
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Tags: Business Marketing Plan, Developing a Strategy, Small Business Marketing, Small Business Marketing Developing a Strategy, Small Business Marketing Plan
