Our Top-Ten Secrets for Business Marketing.

"All too often, business people put basics on the back burner.  Day-to-day tasks can overshadow standards for great marketing.  We hope these marketing fundamentals have not faded from your habits, but if they have ... here's your chance to put them back where they belong."

Here they are ... the Top Ten, and one more for good measure.

  1. Focus on your prospects, not on your company.

It is easy to focus on you - after all, you know a lot about your business. Focus your communications on the prospects. Talk about "what's in it for them" when they do business with you.

  1. Learn all you can about your prospects ... and their needs.

The more you know about the people you want to do business with ... and the ones you already sell to ... the easier marketing becomes. Discovering prospect needs and communicating the benefits you can provide is key to attracting customers. Don't ask yourself why someone should buy what you are selling! Ask your customers and prospects! Use their answers in your communications. It's that simple.

  1. Aim your marketing at specific prospects ... speak to them directly.

Niche marketing has become the rage these days ... because it works! Simply put, this new technique speaks directly to a specific prospect. There are hundreds of examples of more focused, segmented prospect groups. Your campaign will sell more to a smaller, more focused group of prospects and save money in the process ... cutting your cost-per-sale dramatically.

  1. Communicate the specific benefits you provide.

Study the benefits of owning your product or using your service. A "benefit" differs greatly from a "feature". Features are characteristics of the product or service: benefits satisfy customer needs. When you focus on benefits important to the prospect, not features of the product or service, people respond.

  1. Qualify prospects before spending hard-earned money selling to them.

Most of us have received expensive mailings without ever having first been qualified as needing, being able to afford or having an interest for the product? Money was wasted because we were not "qualified" beforehand. There are efficient ways to qualify a prospect ... such as prospect response using reply cards or an "800" number. Smart marketing uses qualification techniques at each stage of the sale.

  1. Enlist fear as an ally for your marketing campaign.

Fear is a powerful, yet widely misunderstood, marketing tool. It can be the most effective element of a marketing campaign. "Pay now ... or pay more later to rebuild your engine," state the FRAM oil filter commercials. Prospects respond when they recognize the price of ignoring your message.

  1. Gain attention using the very first words of your message.

Capture the attention of your audience ... immediately! Introduce a benefit before you say anything else. Perhaps it's a solution to a problem, or a better price. The first thing your prospect should see is something they really want!

  1. Create urgency ... convincing your prospects to act now!

Motivate your prospect to take immediate action. Use expiration dates, special "limited time" offers, cash discounts ... explain how acting right away will deliver benefits. Give your prospects a compelling reason to act TODAY!

  1. Work testimonials into your marketing plan.

To someone receiving your marketing message for the first time, your company has little or no credibility. You are unknown. Assuring your prospect that your customers are pleased builds confidence in doing business with you. Create a "Testimonial" file ... use it whenever you create sales and marketing messages.

  1. Guarantee satisfaction.

The "wives tale" that offering a guarantee will entice more returns is not true. Offering a no-strings guarantee of satisfaction sells more and ensures return customers. Your guarantee is a deciding factor ... convincing prospects to make an early purchase decision.

An eleventh secret for good measure ...

  1. Make purchasing quick & easy.

If purchasing is difficult, your prospects might go elsewhere. Install an "800" number to answer questions and take orders. Provide a "postage-paid" return envelope so customers can respond now, without a stamp. Ordering efficiency increases sales and retains customers.

If you want more marketing secrets to help your business excel, contact us today.