Action Promotional/Gloria Lafont’s Weblog

A few weeks ago many business people I know were nervously waiting for our government to come up with the magic formula to save our economy from collapse, as financial giants tumbled.   Although it was good and necessary, for most of us, it didn’t make a difference in our business reality. In the end, there is no bail out for us. Our business success or failure depends solely on our ability to find possibilities in these tight financial times. A lot has been said about small businesses being the basis of our economy so the real way out of this economy mess is in our hands, small business owners. 

No question about the fact that there are a lot of hurting businesses out there, watching their sales decline which, along with the news networks, can cause a lot of worry and fear. 

 But history proves that in the worst economy there are many businesses that flourish. While it’s wise to anticipate that your customers will have less to spend and therefore a you’ll experience a sales decrease, it is necessary to have a strategy to keep the pipe line full.  Keep in mind, many of your competitors will be cutting back in advertising as they think of it as an expense instead of an investment, therefore loosing presence in the marketplace and shrinking. This is the time for you to make your move, investing wisely in bringing in more business. This is no time to hide, out of mind, out of business.  It’s time for a consistent action plan that will keep you top of mind, right in front of your prospects. 

Focus your marketing.

There is plenty of people with enough money to buy what they want, including  your product, so focusing your marketing efforts on this audience will keep new customers coming to your door, regularly.  The key is to have a plan that includes several tactics to make contact with your prospects on a regular basis. 

Use Direct Mail

Objective: effectively put your message in your ideal customer’s hands.

Here are some guidelines:

1. Get the right mailing lists. Get lists with very specific characteristics that describe your  ideal customer’s profile in detail.

2. Include a headline in your mailing piece that addresses a problem you solve for your ideal client.

3.  Include a call to action: like calling for a free consultation,  or visiting your website, registering for a newsletter, etc.

4.  Do at least 3 mailings at set intervals, the more the better. It can take between 3 and 7 contacts before your prospective client will take action.

5. Include a promotional product in one of the mailings, with instructions to keep it in sight for when they need you.

6. Devise a method for tracking the response before hand, so you can have control of what’s working best. 

Use Online Free Resources

Objective: to spread information about your expertise so when your prospect researches your business they find good information about you.

1. Create a blog and write a few articles about your trade.

2. Participate in forums. Research the forums where your prospect it’s likely to participate and create a profile with links to your site and blog. Start answering questions and refer to your blog posts, encouraging readers to go there to read more about the subject.

3. Register in on line directories. Include information about your blog and website. 

Be a Sponsor

Objective: To be visible to your prospective clients generating good will.

1. Select events where the attendants fit your prospect’s profile.

2. Use promotional products to be distributed in goody bags, making sure the item selected and the printed message are thought provoking and conducive to a response.

3. Have a large banner made to reuse every time you have a chance. 

Network

Objective: To develop business relationships

1. Join only those organizations you’ll be able to be active in.

2. Before joining, do some research to make sure your ideal customer will be there.

3. Host networking events at your place 

To ensure maximum results it’s worth working with a marketing expert to avoid improvisation that tends to lead to wasted money and poor results.