There is so much to learn in the Marketing world, its constantly changing with the growth of the internet and social media marketing. I am presenting a series of free workshops at the sunshine coast libraries during February and March. 9 venues and dates available.
find out more and book online here http://library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/sitePage.cfm?code=marketing
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Marketing tips for Mumpreneurs
Working from home allows mothers to earn an income, while still having the flexibility to look after their little ones. So it’s no wonder so many Australian businesses are created by working mothers - 40 per cent of women who run home businesses have children under 15 years old*.
However, running a business is not easy and for working mums with irregular schedules, getting your business to grow can be difficult. Unless you have returned the workforce, or have been offered start-up capital, chances are your marketing budget is next to nothing.
So for those entrepreneurs: how do you get the word out. Listed below are a few fuss-free pointers that will increase your visibility in the marketplace to kick-start your new venture. Best of all, they will cost you absolutely nothing.
Start Networking:
Undoubtedly, the best way to spread the word is to begin by telling all your friends and family. In addition, get talking to other working mums. There are many communities of women you can get in touch with who all support each other; ask around, or find them online. Furthermore, social networking has become the new black. Giving yourself a crash course in how to use Facebook and Twitter effectively can really boost your market outreach and result in plenty more leads!
Get Forum Crawling:
Once you’re accustomed to the internet, crawling through online forums is a fantastic way to promote your expertise. People seem to be turning to the internet more and more to find answers. Tapping into this minefield is a great way to communicate with people who are already interested in your product or service. Make sure that you add your email and website at the bottom of your post, so if your readers want to know more, they can contact you personally for more details.
Form Strategic Alliances:
Time to team up with other small business owners! Approach businesses who you are not in direct competition with, and come up with a reciprocal agreement - this can be as simple as passing on business cards to each others’ clients. Good examples of two complementary businesses are: a gym and massage therapist, or a graphic designer and website company. In today’s media-saturated world, do not underestimate the power of personal referrals!
However, running a business is not easy and for working mums with irregular schedules, getting your business to grow can be difficult. Unless you have returned the workforce, or have been offered start-up capital, chances are your marketing budget is next to nothing.
So for those entrepreneurs: how do you get the word out. Listed below are a few fuss-free pointers that will increase your visibility in the marketplace to kick-start your new venture. Best of all, they will cost you absolutely nothing.
Start Networking:
Undoubtedly, the best way to spread the word is to begin by telling all your friends and family. In addition, get talking to other working mums. There are many communities of women you can get in touch with who all support each other; ask around, or find them online. Furthermore, social networking has become the new black. Giving yourself a crash course in how to use Facebook and Twitter effectively can really boost your market outreach and result in plenty more leads!
Get Forum Crawling:
Once you’re accustomed to the internet, crawling through online forums is a fantastic way to promote your expertise. People seem to be turning to the internet more and more to find answers. Tapping into this minefield is a great way to communicate with people who are already interested in your product or service. Make sure that you add your email and website at the bottom of your post, so if your readers want to know more, they can contact you personally for more details.
Form Strategic Alliances:
Time to team up with other small business owners! Approach businesses who you are not in direct competition with, and come up with a reciprocal agreement - this can be as simple as passing on business cards to each others’ clients. Good examples of two complementary businesses are: a gym and massage therapist, or a graphic designer and website company. In today’s media-saturated world, do not underestimate the power of personal referrals!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Marketing has changed and small businesses needs to embrace new ways
Gone are the days when putting an ad in the paper made the phone ring. Marketing has had a huge shift since the internet became a household research tool. The internet allows the average Joe to access a library of travel information 24/7 from the comfort of their lounge room.
Businesses need to embrace new online marketing methods if they want to move forward and grow as we head to 2010. The internet allows any business large or small an equal playing field for the consumer dollar. Many small businesses with a great online presence are making waves across the industry.
Small business operators need to embrace the internet and online marketing strategies and make the internet work for them rather than being afraid. The internet is here to stay and business owners need to move with the times.
Are you going to be left behind?
Buy "Marketing with No Money ...how to get your business the attention it deserves" online at www.marketingwithnomoney.com
Businesses need to embrace new online marketing methods if they want to move forward and grow as we head to 2010. The internet allows any business large or small an equal playing field for the consumer dollar. Many small businesses with a great online presence are making waves across the industry.
Small business operators need to embrace the internet and online marketing strategies and make the internet work for them rather than being afraid. The internet is here to stay and business owners need to move with the times.
Are you going to be left behind?
Buy "Marketing with No Money ...how to get your business the attention it deserves" online at www.marketingwithnomoney.com
Monday, September 21, 2009
So what is e-marketing and should I be doing it!
The internet has changed the world it has given every business and every one the ability to go global. It also enables us to build massive databases of customers not just in our suburb but worldwide. Seems everyone is talking about e-marketing and debating the pros and cons. So what is e-marketing? Its simply communicating with your past, present and potential clients via email.
Marketing gurus believe that consumers forget a brand, business or product completely within 21 days. Making regular communication essential. E-marketing has taken over in popularity from old fashioned snail mail (post) due to the fact that it’s instant and very economical. An email marketing campaign can cost anything from free to 30 cents per email considerably cheaper than the cost of printing and then posting a newsletter. If you keep your e-marketing interesting and informative, you’ll build customer loyalty and trust
If you use an e-marketing software they provide you with statistics and reports on open rates, click thru rates ie who’s reading and what they’re reading. They offer autoresponders that reply to readers on sign up and can be set to send emails each week, fortnight or monthly and the process is fully automated. You can effectively measure your return on investment.
The key to successful e-marketing is that you must keep your newsletters interesting, if they are full of advertisements and junk it’s basically spam or junk mail and you’ll find readers unsubscribing at a rapid rate. So include a mix of interesting articles, perhaps a product review, a competition, some testimonials, maybe a couple of jokes as long as its correspondence you’d be happy to receive then you’re on the right track. Of course you want these customers to buy so be sure to include an exclusive deal or offer and a call to action ie Members and friends special – 25% off winter stock for one week only, click here to buy online now or drop into our store and mention the newsletter deal.
If your website is a major part of your business and you have an online shop the aim of your newsletter should be to get them revisiting your website. So when you include your articles just put the first paragraph or an enticing summary with a link through to the remainder of the article on your website. The same for any product reviews, tips or competitions.
Your newsletter doesn’t need to be just about you and your business. You want it to be as interesting and informative as possible. So think about who your target market are and provide content that will interest them. A kids clothing store might carry some articles on under 8’s week and the activities on in your local area, their target market is mainly young mums. So they might want to include topics of interest like choosing a school, local playgroups and easy recipes for cooking with kids.
Of course they are going to highlight there latest range and offer a great deal for readers but with their informative, interesting newsletter the kids clothing store is nurturing a following of loyal customers.
So how often should you send a newsletter? It’s up to you and the time you can commit. If you find you have a definite increase in sales after each newsletter you can try to schedule them more regularly but just be careful not to compromise the quality of your newsletter. If you notice your subscribers dropping off then revise your newsletter content or frequency.
for more strategies and tips on cheap marketing grab a copy of "Marketing with No Money" the book at www.marketingwithnomoney.com
Marketing gurus believe that consumers forget a brand, business or product completely within 21 days. Making regular communication essential. E-marketing has taken over in popularity from old fashioned snail mail (post) due to the fact that it’s instant and very economical. An email marketing campaign can cost anything from free to 30 cents per email considerably cheaper than the cost of printing and then posting a newsletter. If you keep your e-marketing interesting and informative, you’ll build customer loyalty and trust
If you use an e-marketing software they provide you with statistics and reports on open rates, click thru rates ie who’s reading and what they’re reading. They offer autoresponders that reply to readers on sign up and can be set to send emails each week, fortnight or monthly and the process is fully automated. You can effectively measure your return on investment.
The key to successful e-marketing is that you must keep your newsletters interesting, if they are full of advertisements and junk it’s basically spam or junk mail and you’ll find readers unsubscribing at a rapid rate. So include a mix of interesting articles, perhaps a product review, a competition, some testimonials, maybe a couple of jokes as long as its correspondence you’d be happy to receive then you’re on the right track. Of course you want these customers to buy so be sure to include an exclusive deal or offer and a call to action ie Members and friends special – 25% off winter stock for one week only, click here to buy online now or drop into our store and mention the newsletter deal.
If your website is a major part of your business and you have an online shop the aim of your newsletter should be to get them revisiting your website. So when you include your articles just put the first paragraph or an enticing summary with a link through to the remainder of the article on your website. The same for any product reviews, tips or competitions.
Your newsletter doesn’t need to be just about you and your business. You want it to be as interesting and informative as possible. So think about who your target market are and provide content that will interest them. A kids clothing store might carry some articles on under 8’s week and the activities on in your local area, their target market is mainly young mums. So they might want to include topics of interest like choosing a school, local playgroups and easy recipes for cooking with kids.
Of course they are going to highlight there latest range and offer a great deal for readers but with their informative, interesting newsletter the kids clothing store is nurturing a following of loyal customers.
So how often should you send a newsletter? It’s up to you and the time you can commit. If you find you have a definite increase in sales after each newsletter you can try to schedule them more regularly but just be careful not to compromise the quality of your newsletter. If you notice your subscribers dropping off then revise your newsletter content or frequency.
for more strategies and tips on cheap marketing grab a copy of "Marketing with No Money" the book at www.marketingwithnomoney.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Todays marketing strategies that wont break the bank
If your business is feeling the impact of the spiraling economy here are four quick tips to implement today that wont break the bank...
- look after your number one clients. We all know its expensive to get a new client so look after your existing ones. Quiet often we spend all our energy and money on getting new clients and neglect the very ones that are the bread and butter of the business
- Get your day in order so you and your staff can be more productive. Take a look at your day and see where you are wasting time. Write a list of things that need doing the night before a busy day and cross them off as you go
- Get out and mingle for the cost of a couple of drinks or a lunch you can make new contacts, strike deals and grow your business.
- Ensure you have a effective email signature. If you sent just 10 emails per day your signaute will appear in over 3500 inboxs this year. Make sure your email signature has weblinks, your latest deals and your contact numbers.
for more strategies and tips on cheap marketing grab a copy of "Marketing with No Money" the book at www.marketingwithnomoney.com
The hidden value of awards
Welcome to the marketing with no money blog. Today I'd like to talk about the benefits of winning awards and how they can springboard your business to success.
Obviously winning an award is the best outcome but even an award nomination can give your business a story for the media, an opportunity to promote that you have an award winning business, you'll gain credibility and trust from your clients and potential clients.
Nominations can be time consuming often having to submit pages of information and answers about your business. However they are a fantastic way to reflect on your business, where your successes lie, your shortfalls and whether you are on track with your goals.
Dozens of awards are on offer each year they can be local, national, across all industries, or gender and industry specific. So start searching the net, your local paper, government business offices and enter your business in an award today....
For cheap marketing strategies log onto www.marketingwithnomoney.com grab a copy of the book online today
Obviously winning an award is the best outcome but even an award nomination can give your business a story for the media, an opportunity to promote that you have an award winning business, you'll gain credibility and trust from your clients and potential clients.
Nominations can be time consuming often having to submit pages of information and answers about your business. However they are a fantastic way to reflect on your business, where your successes lie, your shortfalls and whether you are on track with your goals.
Dozens of awards are on offer each year they can be local, national, across all industries, or gender and industry specific. So start searching the net, your local paper, government business offices and enter your business in an award today....
For cheap marketing strategies log onto www.marketingwithnomoney.com grab a copy of the book online today
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