In advertising, getting the most bang for your buck is not the easiest task.  The following are some helpful ideas to keep you on the right path.

Find  your target.  Keeping a clear idea of who you want to target is crucial for channeling your advertising dollars in the most effective way.   Are they older or younger, single or families with children?  What kind of spending habits do they have?

Decide how to reach them.  Make sure you are spending your money to reach the customer you want.  Keep it simple and direct.  You want to be as specific as you can.  It is important to get in the mind of your target and connect with their interest. 

Demographics. Think of your targets lifestyle.  If you own a pizza place and you are targeting college students then think of where to reach them.  They are most likely going to be living in apartments, listening to rock, hip-hop, reading certain magazines and visiting certain websites.

Marketing Mediums. There are certain ways to reach certain people.  As in the example above you are more likely to reach them on Facebook or Twitter as opposed to a mailing that is targeted at affluent neighborhoods.

Grade your effectiveness.  Develop a way to gauge the success of all your marketing streams.  You may be surprised to find out that some of the most effective are the least expensive.   Remember that some ways may be more effective but take a longer time to develop.  Determine a fair time to see the results of your efforts.

Leave Breadcrumbs. When you are trying a marketing technique make sure you know if it is working.  If it is a website, use an e-coupon.  If it is the radio, have them ask for the radio special.  You will quickly find out what is working.

Mimic success.  Remember the biggest got that way for a reason.  Don’t let them worry you.  Find out what they did to get where they are and use it to your advantage.  Let them make the costly mistakes.  Sometimes being the little guy gives you the advantage.

Getting a new client is only half the battle.  Keeping the great ones is just as important.

Define your ideal client.  Design criteria to find your best customers.  Gauge them on loyalty, referrals, profitability or any other metrics that are important to you.

Get their contact information.  Depending on your clients decide the best way to get in touch with them.  Is it text or snail mail?  It is important to have a clearly defined privacy policy and ensure that their information is well protected.

Build a database.  This can be as simple as a spreadsheet or you can find a multitude of software products or online Contact Managers to use.  You need to make sure that the information that you gather is sort able.  You may want to pick out certain clients for contact opportunities based on criteria in your database.

Stay in touch.  Keep them in your mind for appropriate occasions.  If you have a garden shop you may want to send out a spring reminder.  If you are a romantic restaurant you may want to send out a card for Anniversaries or Birthdays.

Don’t make an e-mistake.  Sure e-mails are cheap.  Don’t get into the habit of abusing the privilege.  If you plaster your customers with e-mails you will find a request to remove them from your database.  Remember quality is much more important than frequency in the e-mail game.

 

 

We use technology every day to find what we need.  How visible is your online presence to your potential customers?

Stay current with your listings on the big three search engines.

Google

Yahoo

MSN

Make sure that your website is optimized for search.

1. Maximize Content - make sure that you are giving the search engine something interesting to read. Make sure to avoid repetition!

2. Use your page title - Search engines sometimes pass metatags when looking for content. The page title makes a great difference in page ranking technologies.

3. Submit a Sitemap - Google uses sitemaps to get a better understanding of the information placed in your website. Make sure to submit one.

Let us help you find success with your online marketing program. It is far more affordable then you think!

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