Think Non-Traditional Marketing Can’t Help You?

Submitted by: Sarah Day - Founder, Managing Director

Think again! It’s time to save a slice of the advertising pie for online marketing.

Online marketing channels can be very effective ways to reach and engage customers where they live — online. Use of channels such as e-mail and social forums is increasing each year. These new methods can help you to build a more personal relationship with potential clients, spread news of your products or services more quickly, and provide a great return on advertising dollars.

Start with your website.
Think of your website as your 24/7 salesperson. Keep the content fresh and clean. You can highlight new products, special promotions, or maybe even write something about your best customers (with their permission, of course). The more often customers visit your website, the more often you should update it.

Incorporate e-mail marketing.
Send monthly or quarterly e-mail newsletters to clients. Write short one-paragraph “teasers” that will drive customers to your website or blog for detailed information. Establish links to your website within the e-mail so clients can reach your site with one click. Email marketing providers such as Constant Contact or iContact allow you to upload addresses, manage your contacts, create email newsletters and cards with easy-to-use templates, and help prevent your e-mail from being labeled as spam. The fee structures vary, but you’ll find substantial savings compared to direct mail costs. Keep it short — most people don’t have the time or interest to plow through a long newsletter.

Add one or two online social forums to the mix.
Share your business expertise with a blog, a relatively inexpensive way to deliver pertinent information to potential customers and increase awareness of your company. Check out blog network providers such as BlogSpot, TypePad or Blogger. Internet forums that are related to your industry or are likely to be visited by your target customer are a great place to post samples of your work, provide information and answers to questions, and make yourself known. Create links from your message post back to your website or blog, but be sure to check the rules of each forum. Creating a page on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn or another social site may be a benefit. Invite friends and associates to view your page, join or begin a group that is relevant to your business, and ask to be invited to join the pages of others to expand your network.

Tell two friends, and so on.
At the very least, share your website, blog, or personal pages with friends, family, and business acquaintances. Encourage them to share it with people they know. Post your services on other websites that encourage peer and customer reviews. Ask other businesses to post a link to your website from theirs, and offer the same courtesy.

Integrate your marketing efforts.
Build and expand your business by integrating new marketing methods with more traditional methods. With an integrated marketing strategy, you can use direct mail; print, radio, and television advertising; display advertising; and e-mail, forums, and social sites to steer customers towards your website or your phones for more in-depth information about your company.

Sarah Day is the founder and managing director of Day One Business Services, a general management consultancy for small to medium sized businesses. Every day Sarah helps guide small enterprises through the process of change - whether that be through the start up process, rapid business growth or a turnaround situation. She does this using a wealth of management experience gathered during a twenty-year career managing a variety of functions in both small businesses and large corporations.

Sarah holds a BA from Marquette University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Minnesota. She is also an accredited executive associate of the Institute for Independent Business, a nonprofit research, training, and accreditation organization established in 1984 to give independent businesses direct access to top management advice. She continues to work with a variety of small businesses on resolving their key issues and sits on the board of a local non-profit agency.

Sarah DayDay One Business Services
952-938-3435
PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE begins DAY ONE
Accredited by the Institute for Independent Business