Jerry

Some work better than others, but each has been proven effective in growing business. (in alphabetical order)

1. Advertising (paid placement of message, incl. sponsorship)
2. Articles & Publishing
3. Direct Outreach (one-to-one direct mail, email blast, phone calls)
4. Keep In Touch (newsletters, auto-responder email)
5. Networking (events, lunches, committees, Board of Directors)
6. Online (search optimization, banner ads, webinar, blog, comments)
7. PR (earned media/press mention)
8. Referral (word of mouth, viral marketing)
9. Speaking, Presentations, Workshops
10. Special Events (industry conferences, open house, customer events)
11. Strategic Alliance / Joint Venture

Thanks in advance,

Jerry

Nice article! You hit the nail on the head.
There’s alot of businesses out there doing
“band-aid” marketing and I’m just as guilty.

Thanks for your insights!

Jerry

We have been in positions before, where we’ve been too busy to market the business. And you really do suffer further down the line.

I bet many of us get in the same situation you did with the postcards when they’re desperate too.

Your points are great – have an overall marketing strategy. And, as I’ve learned by my mistakes – don’t stop marketing, even if you’re completely snowed under.

1. Vision – Within the next 2 years, how do you want to be seen or perceived by your audience. This also is a good spot to incorporate organizational values.

2. Mission – Ultimately what do you want to accomplish. Why is this venture in place?

3. Objectives – How will you measure success using the S.M.A.R.T. format.

4. Strategies to achieve Objectives – There are 11 marketing strategies to work consistently in professional services. Choose the top 3-5 that help you reach your objectives. (I can provide the list of strategies if you ask nicely)

5. Plans – detailed action steps using the aforementioned Strategies to accomplish the stated Objectives. Each step must have a due date associated with it.

And that’s it. In five sections, we’ve defined the big picture direction and purpose of the business, determined which overarching marketing strategies will be used to reach goals and generated a list of actionable items with due dates to get started.

This is more than enough of a plan for 99% of all businesses. If you really put some thought into the answers, objectives and plans, you’ll have a roadmap to meet your stated goals.

I do gain business from marketing though just in different forms. My business relationships are very important to me. I use http://www.referralkey.com/ to exchange referrals with other complimentary professionals.

Its not the most elaborate method buts its a proven and successful way of serving new clients.

Cheers,
Lisa

You are right in that the small business, the “business” is an extension of the household. Many households do not have a budget or an organized plan on how to function. The best most families do is to plan what to do with the annual tax refund or bonus check.

Many business owners take that attitude to work and fail to plan for their future.

Thanks for the great insight.