The economic meltdown has created opportunities for us all to look at our business and see where we can improve. Experts have also advised that now is a great time to market your business as competitors are probably pulling back, but it is hard to market when you dont have the sales to fund the marketing and cash flow is tight.
Fortunately,there are tools that can help boost your sales, build stronger customer relationships and increase the return on your marketing efforts that wont cost you an arm and a leg.
Here are some ideas:
1. Build a blog - Blogging is one of the least expensive methods to building a professional presence.
The only investment you need is your time to schedule and research your particular topics and learn the blogging software. Blogging gives you the opportunity to add value to your customers experience when dealing with your organisation and gives you a platform to grow your social networks.
2. Participate in other Blogs by reading and researching other blogs within or related to your industry you are becoming more knowledgable. By commenting on these blogs with valuable input you will gain respect as a person of professional importance and authority and you will also recieve a link back to your blog or website which gives you more “traffic” and more leads.
3. Write a book When talking of authority in your industry what else does it better then a well researched and written book. Providing a book to your target market is a great way to generate leads and offering it to prospects in return for their contact details is a great way to build your database.
4. Email marketing When you have your blog and website providing quality information and have built your database through marketing techniques, you can now start your sales process and direct your database through email marketing to specific areas in your business that will be of interest. These could be new articles or pieces of information that your clients and prospects will find useful or it could be your next major promotion. Just remember to nurture and not always sell to your prospects, it is best to give twice as much as you wish to receive.
5. Order postcards from a low cost supplier Postcard marketing like all good things has stood the test of time. With the introduction of the internet, you can get high quality postcards for upto 50% less then traditional methods. The beauty of these postcards is that you save money through efficiencies and not through a reduction in quality. Postcards are great at: building your database, driving brand awareness, Advertising current and upcoming promotions and nurturing your exisiting customer base. When teamed up with your website, blog, a free offer such as a book or voucher and email marketing, you will start to generate a higher return on your investment. Dont forget to have a strong headline and call to action on your design for maximum impact!
