10 Low Cost Marketing Strategies by: Felena Hanson
10 Low Cost Marketing Strategies
by: Felena Hanson
PreviewPreview
The Three Rules of Marketing The Three Rules of Marketing
Low Cost TacticsLow Cost Tactics
Plan, Execute, MeasurePlan, Execute, Measure
ResourcesResources
"Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.” American Marketing Association
“Marketing is the core business philosophy which directs the processes of identifying and fulfilling the needs of individuals and organizations through exchanges which create superior value for all parties.” World Marketing Association
“Marketing is the management process for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” Chartered Institute of Marketing
What is What is Marketing?Marketing?
Solving customers' problems profitablySolving customers' problems profitably
Anything you do to get your product/service Anything you do to get your product/service in the hands of the in the hands of the rightright customer customer
or
The Ground Rules The Ground Rules of Marketingof Marketing
Small biz has the advantage - talk directly to your customer
What is your customers’ pain? How can you solve it?
Invite best customers out to a nice lunch and ask them for an informal appraisal
Why do they give you their business? What can you do better?
Rule # 1 of Marketing...Rule # 1 of Marketing...
You You MUSTMUST find out what your customers find out what your customers valuevalue before you plan your marketing strategy before you plan your marketing strategy
Know Your CustomerKnow Your Customer
If you try to be known for
EVERYTHING
you’ll be remembered for
NOTHINGNOTHING
Positioning is imperative! Too much clutter! We only remember a few brands for every category
Rule # 2 of Marketing...Rule # 2 of Marketing...Focus, Focus, Focus!Focus, Focus, Focus!
We Can Do Everything!We Can Do Everything!
What are you known for?What are you known for?
CARS
Safe Economical Luxurious Tough
Fun Durable Runs Forever Holds Value
Good 4 Environment Low Maintenance Fast Mid-Life Crisis
It costs 7 times more7 times more
to
EARNEARN a new customer than to
KEEPKEEP an existing customer
Rule # 3 of Marketing...Rule # 3 of Marketing...
Place the majority of your focus on Place the majority of your focus on growinggrowing
and gaining and gaining referralsreferrals from from EXISTING customersEXISTING customers
Cultivate What You HaveCultivate What You Have
What is your Strategy?What is your Strategy?
Rule #2 - FocusTurn to the person next to you to discuss and note:
What position do you want to occupy in the market?
After you have a complete grasp onAfter you have a complete grasp onthe 3 rules of marketing...the 3 rules of marketing...
Plan TacticsPlan Tactics
Set GoalsSet Goals
Traditional Traditional TacticsTactics
We Don’t We Don’t Make Time Make Time
ForFor
What people say about you is 10x more impactfulthan what you say about yourself
1. Get Your Customers 1. Get Your Customers Talking Talking
Encourage customers to talk behind your back http://www.yelp.com/sandiego - local businesses http://sandiego.citysearch.com - local businesses http://sandiego.kudzu.com - local businesses www.epinions.com - products
Ask for a written testimonial fromevery client
Use in your marketing communications
Whenever a customer compliments you... "I'm so pleased you're happy with my work. Do you know anyone
else who can benefit from my services?”
Make referrals part of your initial agreement "If I do a great job for you--and I will-- will you agree to give me X
number of referrals?”
2. Ask & You Shall Receive 2. Ask & You Shall Receive
Follow-up is a must! Follow-up is a must!
Offer Incentives discounts on future business free samples cash
Create a referral form and send with your invoice
Get to know the writers Read their columns Play off recent news
Story Ideas New Product, Service, Store Land big contract/client Local girl makes big Survey results Tips/How to Charity
Be Specific Website Designer - 8 Ways to Generate Buzz Like Apple Realtor - Secret Tips to Sell your Home in Less than 30 Days
3. Tell Your Story3. Tell Your Story
TARGET - What do your customers read, watch, listen to?
Track it for FREE: www.google.com/alerts See appendix See appendix for more infofor more info
Many Ezines are hungry for content"syndicator" sites - publishers can select these articles for their own
websites and newsletters, provided they include your bio - most are free!• www.ezinearticles.com • www.ideamarketers.com• www.goarticles.com
PR RulesPR Rules
Inform, DON’T sell Be available Plan ahead Make the writers job easy
Submit Direct or Syndicate
Takes time and persistence, but can pay off big time!Takes time and persistence, but can pay off big time!
Marketing Marketing 2.02.0
Tactics Tactics with with
Big BangBig Bang &&
Little CostLittle Cost
Every customer contact is a branding opportunity!Every customer contact is a branding opportunity!
Email Address - [email protected] Signature Line
Outbound Marketing Campaigns Quarterly newsletters Advertise specials Provide useful information Get permission - don’t SPAM!
Can get fined and black-listed
4. No More Snail Mail4. No More Snail Mail
Use a Email Management System Example: www.ConstantContact.com
Landing Page Tracking Timing is Key Test your Subject Line
Organic Search vs. Pay Per Click
Keywords Find out what are people looking for? https://www.wordtracker.com/trial
ShowsShows Related searches that include your term Estimated number of times that term was searched on last month
Use in page content, titles and meta tags
Links Outgoing Incoming
Submit Target top search engines
5. The Search is ON5. The Search is ON
Optimize for GoogleOptimize for Google
Submit your site - www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
More free tools - http://bizsolutions.google.com/services/
See appendix See appendix for more infofor more info
Google currently has 60% of market. Some say they will have 90% in the near future.
Local Web Search is the new buzz...
Virtual reputation will be a major contributor to marketing success - ties into tactic #1
Provide great service to your customers and this will in turn get you more customers
6. The Yellow Pages are 6. The Yellow Pages are DeadDead
Need help? www.localpull.com
http://local.google.com http://local.yahoo.com http://local.live.com www.local.com www.insiderpages.com www.switchboard.com/ http://sandiego.citysearch.com http://sandiego.kudzu.com
Start your own blog - host on your website Gives customers a reason to come back Keep it updated Invite others
Join other blogs that have the eye of your customer Like going to a dinner party - find a way into the conversation
Resources typepad.com blogger.com wordpress.com
7. Blogging All the Way to 7. Blogging All the Way to the Bankthe Bank
Podcast - Turn text into streaming audio readspeaker.com audiodizer.com http://new.talkr.com feed2podcast.com
Not sure where to begin... blog search - www.blogsearch.google.com / www.technorati.com
8. U - G - C8. U - G - C Invite customers to broadcast their love
Create a contest
UGC is also Google-Juice!UGC is also Google-Juice!
Host customer reviews on your site www.powerreviews.com
Customer forums - like a directed blog Example: www.woot.com/forums Can use: www.setbb.com
Only 6% believe you... Forrester Research
Approximately 100 social networking sites Business sites include:
www.linkedin.com - 12.5 million users www.APsense.com - targeted home-based biz www.ryze.com www.ecademy.com www.ojeez.com
Can’t just sign up and forget about it
Don’t disregard www.myspace.com & www.facebook.com
If targeting anyone under 35 Get your 15 year old niece to do it for you!
9. Get Social9. Get Social
Also try www.boomj.com for BB generation
Offer free or low-cost courses to educate your customers on issues that matter to them (See Marketing Rule #1)
Where? Onsite Through SCORE, SBA, WBCC
Go DigitalLow Cost Webinars
http://planetteleclass.com www.cculearning.com
Post a calendar of classes on your website -Free tools- Google - www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/overview.html - RSS Calendar - www.rsscalendar.com/rss/
10. Knowledge is Power10. Knowledge is Power
Marketing KillersMarketing Killers
1. Saying too muchOne or two key messages
2. Being inconsistentCommunicate often and predictably
3. Changing your messageIMC
4. Not tracking and measuring tacticsWhat will you spend your marketing budget on next year?
Be patient - just like relationships... Be patient - just like relationships... Marketing takes persistence and dedicationMarketing takes persistence and dedication
Apply Your KnowledgeApply Your Knowledge
Partner with a person at your table with whom you’ve not spoken
Use the chart on the following page to begin sketching outyour action plan for tactics 5 - 10
Plan, Execute, MeasurePlan, Execute, MeasureTactic How When Results
1. Testimonials
2. Referrals
3. Public Relations
4.Community Relations
5. Email Management
6. Search Engine Optimization
7. Local Search
8. Blogging
9. Social Networking
10. Education
Questions?Questions?
I welcome feedback!I welcome [email protected]@PerspectiveMktg.com
619-889-7852619-889-7852
Websites www.knowthis.com www.inc.com/resources/marketing http://startup.wsj.com/howto/marketingsales www.quickmba.com/marketing www.wilsonweb.com
Books
Marketing That Works: How Entrepreneurial Marketing Can Add Sustainable Value to Any Sized Company - by Leonard M. Lodish, Howard L. Morgan, and Shellye Archambeau
Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking - by Andy Sernovitz and Guy Kawasaki
The Ultimate Marketing Plan: Find Your Hook. Communicate Your Message. Make Your Mark - by Dan S. Kennedy
401 Killer Marketing Tactics to Maximize Profits, Increase Sales and Stomp Your Competition - by Tom Feltenstein
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries
Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business - Jay Conrad Levinson
ResourcesResources
Resources:Resources: 101 Marketing 101 Marketing TacticsTactics• 800 Phone Number
• Ad Words by Google• Ad Tracking• Affiliate Marketing• Articles• Auctions• Audio Marketing• Auto responders• Award Recognition• Banner Ads• Bartering• Birthday Reminders• Blogging• Bonus Offers• Bookmarks• Brochures• Business Cards• Case Studies• Cause Marketing• Community Events• Contests• Courses• Cross Promotion• Customer Loyalty Programs• Direct Mail• Discussion Groups• Domain Names• Ebay• Ebooks• Eclass• Email Marketing• Endorsements• Exclusives• Ezines
• Feedback forms• Follow-up Marketing• Forums & Newsgroups• Freebies• Guarantees• Holidays• Interviews• Joint Ventures• Keywords• Link Strategies• List Building• Mailing Lists• Magazine Advertising• Mastermind Groups• Membership sites• Network Marketing• News feeds• Newsletters• Newspaper advertising• Niche Marketing• Phone consulting• Pop Ups• Postcards• Posters• Postscript (PS)• Presentations - PP, Flash• Private Label• Private Sites• Public Relations• Public Speaking• Publicity• Publishing• Radio Internet• Referral Marketing
• Reports• Reviews• Rewards Programs• RSS• Sales letters• Search engine optimization• Seminars • Signature files• Signs• Speaking Engagements• Special Events• Surveys• Sweepstakes• Syndication• Talk Shows• Tele-Seminars• Testimonials• Thank You pages• Tips• Toolbars• Training• Translation• Troubleshooting• Tutorials• Unsubscribe message• Up-selling• Videos• Viral Marketing• Voicemail• Web Site Design• Welcome or confirmation
message• Word of Mouth• Yellow Pages