Low Cost Marketing Tips

"Consistency is important to keep your product or service in front of your customer at all times, even if your marketing budget is limited."

AMW Marketing is pleased to offer you a few tips to consider when times are tough:

 

People don’t want to do business with your brand; they want to do business with you.

 
Strategy No. 1:
GET OUT THERE

People don’t want to do business with your brand; they want to do business with you. Opportunities to get out and meet potential clients and referral sources in person are only limited by your imagination.

 Attend association meetings in your industry.

 Get involved with networking events at the local chamber of commerce.


 Make yourself available as a speaker at service club meetings.

 Offer to lead a workshop or conference.

Be prepared to provide business cards and collateral. By positioning yourself as a resource and authority, you encourage the trust of potential clients.

Strategy No. 2:
COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES

At trade shows, association meetings, or conferences, you will have the opportunity to meet a variety of people. Don’t forget to exchange business cards, and guard those business cards with your life! Communications by email could include:

 A personalized "pleasure to meet you" with an invitation to further opportunities.

 Connection emails that build relationships, including attaching relevant articles or website links.

 A "thank you" note to new clients or customers to add that personal touch.

A marketing copywriter can assist in making these messages relevant and memorable. Software is also available to automate emails as your business grows. Your newsletter gives your readers insight into your business personality.

Strategy No. 3:
SHARE INFORMATION

Develop an interesting and creative e-newsletter with bits and pieces of your personal industry wisdom, current trends, and relevant humor.

 Use the email list you’ve created to keep connected with potential clients and referral sources.

 Post the newsletter on your website and let people know it’s there for their viewing whenever they like.

 You can collect additional email addresses from interested surfers on your website as well.

Your newsletter gives your readers insight into your business personality and ability to meet needs. Software is available, or you can give the raw material to a professional marketer to design and format.

Strategy No. 4:
CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

Social media allows you to connect directly with potential and current clients. In no other time in history have businesses had the ability to directly affect public perception, one person at a time. Some popular social media are:

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Blogs

Although you want to put a face on your company, remain professional and avoid inappropriate postings on Facebook.

The most common error new Twitter users make is bombarding their followers with ads for their business. Social media is about building relationships.

Blogs are easy to set up, but will only gain a following if they are interesting and personal, even when related to business.

There are specialists in Internet Marketing who can assist you in starting social media accounts or maintaining blogs.

For the remainder of the FREE helpful, low-cost marketing tips from AMW Marketing, click on the following link:http://www.amw-marketing.com/cc-fb.html

Marketing in a Tough Economy I

When money is tight, a business owner’s first instinct is to cut back on marketing. After all, saving dollars is a priority, right? Maybe not. It’s important to keep your product or service in front of your customer at all times.  Otherwise you are leaving the door wide open for your competitor to swoop in. Here are a few tips to consider when times are tough:

#1) Track everything! – Tracking is ALWAYS important but never more so when every penny counts. If you are using lists or placing ads, it’s imperative to know what kind of response you are getting from every marketing dollar spent. All marketing activity can be tracked in someway (websites count hits, collateral has inventory and a distribution channel, ads have 800 numbers, etc.). I know it seems like common sense but you would be amazed at how many businesses don’t track a thing!

#2) Utilize economies of scale – Now is the time to consider making collateral (i.e. brochures, reports, postcards) with a longer shelf life. Take out time sensitive information so you can print larger quantities. You might even consider removing individuals’ names from material in the event the person is no longer with the company, rendering the pieces outdated. Printing larger quantities helps you save money as your cost per piece goes down.

#3) Move communications online – If you haven’t already done so, consider making your quarterly newsletter an email blast. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on printing four times per year, develop an interesting and creative e-newsletter to send to customers via the web. Post it on your website and let people know it’s there for their viewing whenever they like. Start building a good opt-in list and you will save significant dollars. Instead of reinventing the wheel, lots of printed material can even be used for your own blog. What other communications can you email to people or post online instead of mailing?