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Marketing mix background concept glowing 

 

In business, marketing is the key to survival. Marketing takes a lot of planning, organizational skills, budget measures and timing. Proper planning and accountability measures will enable you to position your business for success.  To ensure maximum ROI (Return on Investment) of your marketing plan, these are 6 tips for a successful business:

 

1.   Update Your Marketing Plan

If you are planning to expand your business or wish to give it a directional turn, then it is important to update your existing marketing plan. With a well thought out marketing plan, it becomes easier for a business owner to systematically promote the company.

In addition, it is imperative that marketing collateral such as business cards, logo, signage and promotional material are in alignment with your overall message.

Updates to your plan should be based on careful assessment of the market, understanding the needs of the consumer and consideration to the objectives and outcomes of the plan.

 

2.   Create a Marketing Budget

Marketing is crucial for business success. For every marketing plan to reach its full potential, it is vital that a budget is in place.  Allocating too little capital can be a detriment to your future goals. For example, a new business that calculates start-up costs for business cards, logo, flyers, a website and custom shirts is a smart move.

In addition, a business owner should follow a goal-based budgeting plan; one that includes customer service initiatives, communication, and all prospecting activities.

 

3.   Implement a Marketing Campaign

A marketing campaign includes several activities carried out to accomplish a pre-planned goal; generally the promotion of a product or service.  To see how well a marketing campaign works, consider planning it as a 30-day or 90-day trial to avoid unforeseen losses. By running it for a short period allows you monitor the feasibility of the plan with your target market; set clear campaign objectives; and plan the outcomes accordingly.

Successful campaigns are carefully researched and centers on details and implementation, rather than on a single, big idea.

 

3 Memorable Marketing Campaigns:

  1. “Just Do It” – Nike
  2. “Where’s the Beef?” – Wendy’s
  3. “Absolutely, Positively Overnight” – FedEx

 

4.   For Heaven’s Sake… Find FREE Marketing Opportunities

When you want to reduce your marketing budget, it is essential to take advantage of free marketing opportunities. With so much impetus being laid on web-based marketing services, you can find a multitude of free PR on the internet. There are numerous press release and article submission services, Google and Yahoo local listings, online directories and similar services to create company profiles and promotional opportunities.

 

5 FREE Offline & Online Services

  • Social Media Networks - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Foursquare, Google+
  • Guest Blogging
  • Customer referral program
  • Public speaking
  • Business Network Group – online and offline

 

5.   Ask For Referrals

Referrals… a powerful selling tool!  To be introduced to a potential client through a personal recommendation is GOLD! Asking your clients, associates, partners or consumers for referrals is a cost-effective way of expanding your network. People do business with those they know, like and trust. So, the best compliment you can earn is from those who like your product or services.

There are also fee based referral programs that provide extensive leads to specific consumer markets.

 

6.   Always… Always Follow Up!

Last but never the least, always follow up!  A follow up process is extremely important in securing business from new clients and in maintaining rapport with existing ones.

4 Easy Ways to Follow Up: 

  • Send a thank you note
  • Make a phone call
  • Email a greeting card
  • Mail a special gift


 In business, there are no guaranties for success; however, incorporating these 6 tips will significantly improve your chances of having a profitable company.

 

About Sylvia:  Sylvia Browder is a small business consultant, trainer and author. She is founder of National Association Women on the Rise, a virtual community for aspiring and established women entrepreneurs. She has served as an online volunteer SCORE counselor since 2004. For FREE weekly articles go to Sylvia Browder’s Blog for Women Entrepreneurs, www.sylviabrowder.com.  Want to work with Sylvia? Go to, www.browderconsultinggroupllc.com. She can be contacted at info@browderconsultinggroupllc.com.

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DR. MARGARET HILL RUNS FOR SAN BERNARDINO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD

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Dr. Margaret Hill announced she will be running for the San Bernardino City Unified School District School Board. The announce came a week ago and with it... an enthusiastic committee and a lifelong community of support from those she has dedicated her entire life to is!.


Since 1971, Dr. Hill has opened her heart and soul to youngsters through her distinguished years of teaching and education. Through her commitment to excellence and upward learning, Dr. Hill's career evolved to Vice Principle of Curtis Middle School, Serrano Middle Schooland San Bernardino High School. In 1988, Dr. Hill became Principal of San Andreas High School. Today, Dr. Hill is Assistant Superintendent - San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and has recently received an Honorary Doctorate Degree, Educational Social Justice from the University of Redlands,


Along her path, Dr. Hill has become an ICON of the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and has been recognized with success distinguished awards such as: Order of the Eastern Star Community Service Award, the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino Appreciation Award, and the Association of School Administrators Valuing Diversity Award to name a few.

These awards and many others are just a small THANK-YOU to all the BIG life long changes Dr. Hill has instilled and thousands of peoples lives through her teachings and endless involvement with community outreach organizations such as: Highland Woman’s Club, the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation, Kiwanis of Greater San Bernardino, Inland Center Kiwanis, Highland Family YMCA, East Valley YMCA, Time for Change Foundation, Sheriff’s Department Information Exchange Committee, the San Bernardino Police Department Citizen Advisory Group, Mustard Seed Tutoring, Inland Empire Stop the Violence Foundation, San Bernardino Community Hospital and Community Action Partnership. Dr. Hill is one of the founding members of the CREST (Community Reentry Education/Employment Services and Training) Program and also has her own non-profit, Maggie’s Kids Foundation.

WHAT ARE GOALS DR. HILL WILL ACHIEVE as an ELECTED Board Member for the San Bernardino City Unified School District;

  • Reducing the Dropout Rate
  • Improving Student Safety
  • Increasing Student Achievement and Staff Accountability
  • Improving School and Community Relations:
While these goals may seem like cliches for political "likeness", these and many other objectives are the heart, soul and lifelong attributes Dr. Hill has devoted to every person and entity was has been a part of...get her students to graduate, be concerned about the safety of all students at all educational institutions, instill self accountability for successes and to always keep communication between students, parents, faculty and the political and governmental entities.

THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT DR. MARGARET HILL invites you to SUPPORT DR. MARGARET HILL BY:
  • Going to her FaceBook Fanpage and "like" it. Then share the page with your friends. http://www.facebook.com/MargaretHill2011
  • Volunteering to distribute flyers, posters, walk the communities
  • Attend various FUNDRAISING events
  • Send in financial donations...contributions can be made to Margaret Hill for School Board 2011 and mailed to PO Box 726 Patton, Ca 92369
  • For more info on how to be supportive, call Erika Johnson 951-314-7802
SUPPORTING DR. MARGARET HILL to be ELECTED as BOARD MEMBER for the San Bernardino City Unified School District....means.. YOU SUPPORT 40+ years of educational and community service!
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This time is local. Less than one month after successfully debuting in Black Enterprise Magazine, the members of the Black Business BuildersClub are working together to start local Black Business Awareness campaigns.First stop - Jersey City, NJThe Bergen Avenue Bus Lines is one of the Old Bus Lines in Jersey City NJ. Itgoes from Bayonne to Journal Square. Daily people ride the bus to commute towork, school, or just the pursuit of entertainment. With Black Community ofover 67 thousand Blacks according to the US Census Bureau 2000 data."Making the Black Business Builder Club and the Black Folks Guide a householdname within the Black Community is our goal for 2009 and 2010", stated ClarenceCoggins (aka Crown PRince of WeB 2.0), Project Coordinator.This project is the genesis of other efforts in our communities which will be acontinuation of a long legacy of Blacks striving for Economic Empowerment andFinancial Freedom. The Black Business Builders Club is a membership organizationthat teaches it members how to use the Internet to generate income from home.The Black Folks Guide to Making Big Money on the Internet was written by LeeGreen, Chairman of the National Black Business Trade Association and Founderof the Black Business Builders Club. It serves as an guide for members to getthe most out of the club and the internet.The deadline for participation in the second coop is July 15, 2009. For Moreinformation visit http://hudsonliberty.com/bbbcoop2 or call 973-943-4073
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How Obama won The Presidential Election…

How Obama won The Presidential Election…Most of the newspaper in America has Obama advertising in it.And the ad’s always tells you everything you need to know about why he should win the election.He didn’t win because he’s the candidate of “change” or because he’s offering 95% of Americans a tax cut or because he’s an incredibly charismatic politician who’s mastered the art of soaring.The only reason he won is because HE IS A GOOD MARKETER.Well let me explain (Here is a truly fascinating MARKETING case study that you shouldn’t neglect studying, even if you don’t like politics).~~~~~~~~~~MARKETING CASE STUDY~~~~~~~~~~~~Obama’s team has created the most powerful marketing machine ever heard of.His message is everywhere and his PRIMARY objective is - LEAD GENERATION.When you click on any of Obama’s ad like the one that was on www.washingtonpost.com, you will be lead to a landing page where you are “squeezed” for your contact info before you can get any of the free “goodies.”Why?Well it’s because he want’s to build a list of supporters.Here is another excerpt from www.Salon.com about Obama’s marketing machine. Love this.~~~~~~~~~~Articles from Salon.com~~~~~~~~~~~Barack Obama’s super marketing machineHe knows your neighbourhood, your favourite products and even when you open your e-mail. How Obama is betting on vast, corporate-style voter outreach to win the White House.By Mike MaddenJuly 16, 2008 | WASHINGTON — About every week or so, you get an e-mail from Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, or top deputy Steve Hildebrand, or maybe Obama himself. They’re breezy and informal, addressing you by first name at the outset (before they ask you to donate money at the end). But that’s just the beginning.You know, of course, that Obama has your e-mail address. You may not have realized that he probably also has your phone number and knows where you’re registered to vote — including whether that’s a house or an apartment building, and whether you rent or own. He’s got a decent estimate of your household income and whether you opened a credit card recently. He knows how many kids you’re likely to have and what you do for a living. He knows what magazines and catalogues you get and whether you’re more apt to get your news from cable TV, the local newspaper or online. And he knows what time of day you tend to get around to plowing through your in box and responding to messages.The 5 million people on Obama’s e-mail list are just the start of what political strategists say is one of the most sophisticated voter databases ever built. Using a combination of the information that supporters are volunteering, data the campaign is digging up on its own and powerful market research tools first developed for corporations, Obama’s staff has combined new online organizing with old-school methods of voter outreach to assemble a central database for hitting people with messages tailored as closely as possible to what they’re likely to want to hear. It’s an ambitious melding of corporate marketing and grassroots organizing that the Obama campaign sees as a key to winning this fall.~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF Article~~~~~~~I believe that by now Obama would have grown his list past 5 million because this articles was written in July this year.Because he had a list, he can email his supporters to vote with a click of a button. He can push more people, more quickly, easily and efficiently, to take action on his behalf, than any other politician, company or individual.So why did Obama won, it’s because HE was A GOOD MARKETER.So let learn from Obama, if you want to know what to create a cash surge in your business. You need to have your database in order. Compile ALL the information on your past and present clients, your prospects, PR contacts, strategic alliances, and entire sphere of influence and hub them in a common HUB, then use the information you’ve gathered to market your services.I use ACT to manage my database and it works fantastically.Excel is also another system but it has limited capabilities to maintain a database, It a basic tool for organizing basic info about your contacts.But it’s far better to start with that to stuff names and addresses into your desk drawer.Being a successful marketer requires identifying and leveraging your marketing assets.There is no better way of leveraging than leveraging your client database. These are a list of people who know, like and trust you…and could buy from you.So, if you want to win the game of marketing - if you want to dominate your local marketplace and quickly become the “obvious expert” in your area, you MUST start with building and utilizing an actionable database.Pay close attention to this quote from the article…“About every week or so, you get an e-mail from Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, or top deputy Steve Hildebrand, or maybe Obama himself. They’re breezy and informal, addressing you by first name at the outset (before they ask you to donate money at the end).”This reveals three of the secrets to RELATIONSHIP building that are so crucial to effective marketing (and something the vast majority of business owners do incorrectly. Frequency is key.Big hugs to you...Online entrepreneur Joyce Oladipo, "Business Growth and Marketing Mentor," is creator of the winning Business Abundance E-zine to Immediately and Exponentially Growing Your Business offline and online. To Discover the 19 Secrets to Immediate and Exponential Business Growth, visit http://www.BeAWealthyEntrepreneur.com
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