Here are some marketing ideas for your business that you might find useful…

1. Direct mail – Quality not Quantity
Try this…
…Instead of mailing 500 potential customers with a letter, pick a small number of organisations you would really like to be work with. Then think of the most attention grabbing idea you can.

For example here at Brighter Marketing, we sent out 10 cocktail kits to organisations we really wanted to work. Contained in a bright postal blue tube was the following:

• 1 shot glass
• 1 miniature vodka
• 1 bottle of Tabasco
• 1 set of instructions on how to make up the hot shot cocktail accompanied by a strong message “If you want to give your marketing a KICK like this then “CALL US”

You can guarantee that everyone will open the tube and take a look at what’s inside. Most of the recipients phoned up straight away to let us know they thought it was great and thought that if we could grab their attention like this, what could we do for them and their marketing campaigns? Those that didn’t get in touch with us we called and had a good reason to call.

This idea may not be relevant if you are selling computers. However, what could you do that would be different and cost effective?

Here are 6 m

2. Promotions – Give it away
Get your logo on everything you can afford to, from letterhead to T-shirts to pens to
mugs. It works and if you have a mug that they use everyday your logo is in front of them everyday promoting your company.

3. Networking – Meet the right people
Get out and meet as many people as possible. There are plenty of opportunities with local business clubs and Chamber of Commerce-run seminars and networking events in your area. They are usually run as a breakfast briefing, at lunchtime or after work so they don’t impact on your working day. You meet a range of people and it’s a worthwhile marketing activity, as you get to meet potential customers face to face.

There are some networking clubs and it is up to you if you want to join them – they usually include an annual fee and you normally have to bring in one lead for another member of the club each week Undoubtedly, they work for some organisations and if you feel you can meet this criteria, then you too could be the recipient of a lead from someone else in the club. Here at Brighter Marketing we keep an eye on local events and attend the ones that we feel will be relevant and talk to as many people as possible. And REMEMBER – don’t forget your business cards. And don’t forget online networking sites such as Ecademy

4. Seminars
Run your own FREE seminar or breakfast briefing. They can be very effective and inexpensive compared to taking a stand at an  exhibition, providing the event is well organised and offers relevant topics and speakers. Use direct mail or email marketing to invite potential customers and let them know what to expect. Don’t hide a sales pitch behind an educational seminar, as it will only irritate those delegates who attend. Don’t just talk about products, give them industry information which is relevant and helpful, they will remember this and take it with them. And whenever possible present a real-life case study.

Set your company up as the authority on a subject that is relevant to your products and services and educate the delegates. Always provide refreshments at the beginning and the end as it gives your sales team a chance to talk to potential customers. Always follow-up before and after the event with a letter and phone call – including the people that didn’t make it.

5. Case studies/Testimonials
Ensure you build up a portfolio of customer success stories and where appropriate, approach them to gain approval for a case study and testimonial quotes. They are invaluable because they substantiate that you have actually implemented real life solutions. Case studies are also excellent as sales collateral, and as material for seminars and especially good for PR if you can get a relevant paper or magazine to run the story.

6. Telemarketing
This is particularly effective when supported by direct mail. Decide on what your objective is: to set an appointment, sell direct or influence a purchase? Whether you are using an external agency or embarking on your own campaign, make sure that you have a tight script and good quality contacts to call. Qualify at the beginning of the call and make sure that your team have access to information to combat common objections from prospective customers. Overall, ensure that the calls you make are of a good quality and do not pressurise.

7. PR
PR can work but it takes careful planning and effort. You need to decide what you want to achieve and draw up a specific PR plan and measure the results. It’s the only way to see if your expenditure is working.  If you decide to retain an agency or consultant work with them to ensure that your campaigns are well executed and are delivering results. Avoid sending out endless press releases about your latest product; you need interesting newsworthy releases to gain attention as well as keeping up-to-date with the latest forward features and requests for information from journalists in your particular vertical industry. Getting good PR coverage is good for awareness of your company but it won’t generate hundreds of sales leads on its own.

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