Top 5 Tips from “Duct Tape Marketing” by John Jantsch
The book “Duct Tape Marketing” by John Jantsch is easily one of my favorite business marketing books. Jantsch takes tried-and-true marketing concepts and breaks them down into understandable, usable, basic methods – suitable for the average business person. In no particular order, here are my favorite strategies: Identify your ideal client (page 2). This is actually chapter 1 in the book, and for good reason, if you don’t know who you are marketing to, you will have no focus in your message. If your business is handyman services, your ideal client is probably a 40-ish woman who either doesn’t have a man around the house or has one that isn’t getting household projects done. How you relate to that market segment is completely...
FREE Bing Local listings = FREE Advertising
While Microsoft has had some growing pains in developing their “Bing” search engine, they seem to be moving along. In any case, since Bing is on the rise it would be foolish not to add your business to their local listings. It’s free. Free advertising is ALWAYS good. https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx You have to have a Windows Live ID, but that only takes a few minutes to set up, so don’t use it as an excuse. Make sure to take advantage of all the category and services fields, just like on Google Local, the more information you provide, the better your listing will work for you. For instance, instead of just saying “handyman”, spell out “tile repair, cabinets, faucet installation, etc.” Really use the...
Promoting Your Business Using Press Releases
Press releases are a great way to get media coverage of your business as well as links to your website. The trick is getting the press releases to the right people. There are several ways to go about this, some are free and some cost money. For now, let’s consider the free options. There are many, many sources out there that will distribute your press release for free. I found a fairly comprehensive list of free press release sources in an article on Mashable. Another source of contact information is to pay for access to a site such as Mondo Times. They maintain comprehensive lists of staff members, editors, etc., for most newspapers, magazines, tv stations, etc. Each record contains the name, phone number, fax number, email address, and street address. The...
Why Small Businesses Need Both A Logo And An Identity System
By Erin Ferree Experts urge small business owners to “brand” their business – to use a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials. But, they rarely go into the reasons behind this advice. Here’s a list of some of the benefits to having a professionally designed logo and marketing package: Not to look so small – Home-printed business cards with perforated edges, or cards printed with standard designs available through Microsoft software or online business card vendors (like Vistaprint) scream, “Small-time vendor!” to your potential clients – and you’ll be similarly compensated. To increase your chance of getting venture capital or selling a business – If you present a thorough business package, including marketing materials and...