You are here: Home / Archives for How To
July 18, 2011 By

Exhibiting Your Small Business – Why Exhibition Stands Make Sense

Why should a small business invest in an exhibition stand? The costs can seem prohibitive. However, those businesses that present themselves to the public not only earn back everything they put into the exhibition stand, but they generate tremendous amounts of potential revenue. In any business, retaining customers is essential, but creating new ones is equally vital.

In many ways, an exhibition stand functions as one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising and promotion. By securing a physical locale at a trade show or venue, a business can literally attract people who are interested in a particular product or service. By exchanging information with them at the stand, these businesses quickly build a base of people with which they can send product announcements or service launches. This highly targeted approach enables a company to create new customers at a much faster rate than with more blind avenues of advertising.

Meeting people in person is also highly underrated in an age where many transactions occur virtually. Small businesses may or may not have a large number of walk-in customers. In some cases, small businesses do not even have the facilities for a traditional reception area. An exhibition stand functions as a temporary reception area in a region swarming with likely customers. By being able to physically shake hands, hold a conversation, and generally communicate about interests, ideas, and requests, a small business can grow its sales. This is partially because people enjoy the human aspect of communication, and are more likely to buy a product from someone they feel they “know” than a company which has no human representation.

In this way, exhibition stands offer a competitive advantage against businesses that do not exhibit. This can be especially useful in “virtual” industries such as computer software or gaming. A product display, even if it is as simple as being able to view a function on a computer screen, is far more effective in person than in isolation. Generally speaking, exhibition stands should be staffed by highly genial, friendly members of the small business. If the small business owner does not choose to work the stand, he should send his most affable sales representative to do so.

By creating a positive impression in people’s minds, positive word of mouth invariably follows. Exhibition stands excel in this regard, especially if people feel welcome and informed. If a visitor to the stand meets a friendly representative of the company and is given a short but informative tour of the product or service, that visitor will ultimately describe her experience in positive terms to anyone else she meets. This kind of personal recommendation is invaluable, and will only aid in the acquisition of more new customers.

Small businesses should research local events, gatherings and other business oriented locales to determine the best time and place for their exhibition stand. The question is not whether or not to invest in a stand, but rather whether to do so now, or a few weeks from now.

Resource:

Find out more about exhibition stands at the the Nimlok website.

File under: Advertising, Business, Communication, Marketing, Products & Services
October 18, 2010 By

The New Brand Advantage

In a lot of ways starting a business and giving birth to a new brand can be an exciting process. No one knows who you are yet, so they have nothing to build an opinion on. On the other hand, since there is no formal introduction yet, everything about you is essentially rumour at this stage. A good place to start your brand is PR. Having a basic introductory website, and a weekly update to media, will help build interest and keep your information factual.

Any contact with suppliers and potential customers should alway be cordial. How you treat any contact at this initial stage, could set the tone of your new brand. Determine how you would like to be perceived and then strategize as to how you might influence this. Developing a positioning strategy that makes you the leader or the best at something will give your new brand resonance with your market. The worst thing you could do, is “follow the leader.” In doing this your brand offers nothing to the marketplace. Why bother existing at all? Every decision you make should assist in differentiating your new brand.

In discovering your difference, your launch can be exciting. You could be on your way to building a remarkable brand. Dream big! Don’t strive to be one of the best – strive to be the best. Just delivering good customer service isn’t enough – deliver the best service. Discover ways to over-deliver. Never forget that every thing you do affects the success of your brand. Don’t take designing your brand image lightly. An amateur attempt just reflects back on you. I’ve known some small businesses who took more interest in their decor than their brand image. Ultimately this shows in their success or lack there of.

Your brand is in your hands. Ignore it and the competition will step up to define you.

File under: Branding, How To
April 6, 2010 By

Practical Guide to Creating an Information Product

Please Welcome Angela Wills as a New Contributing Author to Small Business Branding!

Too many people slow themselves down in business by making projects larger than they need to be. Creating an information product is a prime example.

How long have you wanted to create an info product? Have you been waiting for the ‘right time’? Have you been putting off writing it until you have more experience? Do you feel it won’t be good enough unless it’s 100 pages or a huge package?

Well if you said yes to any of the above, you’re putting up barriers to your own success!

The bottom line is you have experience that people are willing to pay for.

Now let’s go over a practical guide to creating your first information product, step by step:

Step 1 – Define Your Target Market

This is an important step. Know exactly who you’re talking to and what their needs are. This will require market research if you’re not already fully immersed in the market. It may be that you are already working in a specific market and they’ve clearly expressed a need to you – that works too. Many people ARE their target market. Being part of your target market gives you an even better understanding of the needs and issues faced by that market, giving you a competitive edge when creating your products.

Step 2 – Create Your Product

Don’t get stuck in the perpetual mode of creating perfection. Nothing is perfect. Get your product created and move with it. You can always tweak after you release it and improve based on customer feedback.

Step 3 – Create Your Salespage

You’ll need to tell people about your product and why they should buy it. This can be an intimidating step for many people as they feel they are not good at writing to sell. The thing to remember here is your target market. Convince them that your product will help by providing clear descriptions along with examples and customer feedback where appropriate. A salespage doesn’t have to be a huge piece of writing, it only needs to be as long as it takes to give your potential customers all the information they need to make a buying decision.

Step 4 – Set up Payment & Delivery

You need to get people’s money for your product. Setting up payment is another challenge for some. Start off simple with Paypal or a simple shopping cart system. It’s a learn as you go process. Again, don’t expect to get it perfect the first time and just get something set up. Take payments, watch the process, tweak and make it better.

Step 5 – Promoting Your Product

Now you’ve got everything set up and you’re ready for tons of sales. Don’t forget about the promotions! Here are some of the most popular ways to get information product sales:

  • Partnerships with your niche influencers.
  • Pay per click marketing.
  • Email marketing.
  • Blogging.
  • Social Media.

Now you might be thinking you don’t know how to set up paypal, or a shopping cart, or make a pdf. I’m going to tell you something here you don’t often hear from people teaching you stuff –> Google it.

If there’s something you don’t know how to do I promise you that you CAN figure it out. I learned about 90% of what I know about online marketing through trial and error because it’s just the easiest way to learn. Don’t let the excuse “I don’t know how to do it.” stop you – ok?

Many of the marketing methods require that you already have a following. Without a market to bring your message to you shouldn’t expect your product to be an overnight success.

No matter where you’re starting from creating your information product is a real step towards creating passive income. Before you know it you’ll be getting emails saying ‘you’ve made a sale!’

File under: Featured, How To, Marketing
September 19, 2009 By

How To Boost Brand Recognition

When you think about running shoes, you probably have a company that comes to mind. Think about soda pop and another company comes to mind. This is because some companies are great at creating superior brand recognition. They’re the first place you think of and the first place you go when you need what they sell. Positioning your company, building brand recognition, is a very profitable strategy.

Here are a few tips and strategies to boost your company’s brand recognition:

#1 Provide an exceptional customer experience. Treating your website visitors and customers like gold is a great way to motivate them to remember you and think of you first whenever they have a need. It also boosts word of mouth and that’s a very powerful tool. Remember that an exceptional customer experience begins the moment your prospect lands on your website and doesn’t stop. It’s good customer service, and a wonderful product or service too.

#2 Interact. People don’t know who you are unless they’ve been exposed to you. Experts say that people need at least three exposures to a brand before they remember it, which means you need to be out interacting online with your prospects and customers to make sure they know you. This is what makes social media such a powerful tool. Three positive interactions with a prospect create brand recognition and social media opens you and your company up to thousands of potential prospects.

Blogging, guest blogging, publication, press and publicity, and advertising all help to build brand awareness and recognition. Make sure they’re an integral part of your marketing strategy.

#3 Offer value. Share knowledge and industry information with your prospects. Articles, reports, published books, and white papers all help establish brand credibility in your industry. And credibility translates into recognition. You know Donald Trump is an expert in commercial real estate because he’s published, and the guy gets a lot of press and publicity.

#4 Be consistent. Use your logo, colors and graphics consistently throughout your web content, marketing materials and communications. Create a theme and an image you want to portray and stick to it so prospects and customers can begin to recognize you.

As a successful internet marketer and business owner, branding and brand recognition plays a critical role in your overall marketing strategy. Brand boosting tactics, designed to increase familiarity, result in awareness, trust, and ultimately purchases. Boosting your brand recognition is a profitable business strategy.

File under: How To
October 1, 2008 By

How To Write a Vision Statement

When writing a business plan one of the first things you’ll be asked to do is to write a vision statement. This isn’t a trivial moment.  In fact, your vision statement can guide your success for years to come.  Here’s how to write a vision statement that will help you accomplish your business dreams and goals.

Your vision statement is defined as what you want for your business. It is different from a mission statement because your vision is all about you. Your vision statement defines what you want your business to become.

It may answer the following questions:

* Who is your ideal customer?
* What is your business product or service?
* Do you have a geographic reach?

Your vision statement will also be stated in the present tense – as if it is happening now even though you may be looking a few years into the future.

Your vision statement will be emotional. Remember this is about you and your definition of success. If you’re not emotional and passionate about it, no one else will be either.

Your vision will be powerfully descriptive. Add as much detail as you can muster. Know that this isn’t a test. There isn’t a right or wrong answer. Your vision statement is personal. You can write out a very rough draft and then hone it to make it fit your vision perfectly.

Your vision is the foundation for your business. It is the tool you will use to measure your success by and the tool with which you’ll base your business decisions on, so this is an important step. Your vision is allowed to change – this isn’t set in stone.

Ready to Write Your Vision Statement?

Step #1 Write a list of facts about your business.  List your goals, strengths, benefits and so on.

Step #2 Now write a statement about what you want your business to be.

Step #3 Combine your statement and the items in your list that stand out, create your vision statement.  Remember, this is only an exercise, you may write and rewrite your vision statement twenty times before you hit on one that resonates with you.  In fact, it’s a great idea to let your vision statement sit in your thoughts for a couple days before deciding.

Remember, your vision statement is an essential part of your business plan. Imagine creating a business without it. Many do and they’re short lived. Imagine trying to make a decision about hiring, about your business model, about marketing without knowing what it is exactly that you want your business to be and where you want it to go. You can’t.

Your vision is the foundation for your success. It is the starting place on your roadmap to riches. Combined with your mission statement, you’ll have what you need to build a successful and sustainable online business.

File under: How To
October 1, 2008 By

How To Use a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is the first step to developing a successful and profitable business however once you have it written putting it in a drawer to yellow with age is the last thing you want to do.  Your business plan is powerful!  It will help guide your every decision and strategy, and your business plan isn’t a commandment set in stone, it’s a plan, which means it changes as your business changes.  Your business plan is an ever evolving business tool, and one of your best assets.

Once you’ve created your business plan, it will:
* Guide your decisions based on your company mission and vision
* Help you create marketing strategies to attain your financial and sales goals
* Help you create a budget
* Outline how you’ll track money, incoming and outgoing.
* Provide lenders a financial blueprint for your business
* Gives flow chart of all aspects of your business from marketing to accounting so that all your bases are covered.
* Defines your target market.
* Documents your goals and your plans to attain them.

So knowing your business plan can help you accomplish all this is great but how is a more important question.

How to Use Your Business Plan

Step #1 25% of your time, at a minimum, will be spent planning your business.  Your business plan is the foundation for this planning.  If it’s comprehensive, it will guide your decisions, outline your goals and help you create strategies to achieve them.  So, schedule a planning day each week.  If you plan to work 10-12 hours a week then three hours of that time will be planning time, schedule it in and make it happen.

Step #2 When planning make sure to refer to your vision and mission statement to make sure you’re staying on course.  If your vision is to become the single biggest online source for chocolate chip cookie recipes then your strategies and decisions should reflect that.  If you’re offered an opportunity to partner with a baking website then you’ll need to see if that partnership supports your vision.

Step #3 Use your tracking tools to keep you on target.  Your business plan will have a budget in it as well as a financial analysis and cash flow forecast.  These are items that you’ll want to maintain and use on a monthly basis so you stay on top of your cash and create optimal cash flow management policies and procedures.   However, tracking tools don’t stop there.  You’ll also want to use the tracking tools to analyze traffic to your website and so on.

Step #4 When planning, don’t forget to use your business plan to stay on track with your target audience.  You’ve defined it in your plan however, as time goes by and as you track your sales, visits and so on, you may find your target audience changes.  Update your business plan to reflect your target audience and make decisions based on that information.
Planning is one of the most important tasks an entrepreneur faces and your business plan is your most effective planning tool.  Create a thorough business plan and use it regularly to grow your business.

File under: How To
October 1, 2008 By

How To Make More Affiliate Sales

Affiliate marketing is a wonderful way to make a living.  Finding and promoting products you believe in can earn enough to make it possible to work from home or your moneymaking website can be a source of extra money to save, spend on travel or whatever your heart desires.  And of course, the more affiliate sales you make, the better.  Let’s take a look at a few ways you can make more affiliate sales.

#1 Consistently publish content. Whether you have a blog or a website, the key to drawing attention and earning top page ranking is through content.  It’s also the best way to ‘presell’ which we’ll get into next.  So what type of content can you publish?  Here are just a few options:

* Autoresponders.
* E-newsletters.
* Blogs posts
* Social networking via forums, social networking sites, and chat rooms
* Articles
* Press releases
* Reports
* Ebooks
* Reviews
* Audio and video posts
* Ecourses
* Workbooks
The list could go on and on…

Step Two – Network. Networking, online and off, is a great way to spread the word about your business.  Social networking in particular can be extremely effective for sharing your unique knowledge and expertise.  You’ll drive more traffic to your website and thus increase your affiliate sales.

Step Three – Pre-sell. Your job as an affiliate is to pre-sell.  That means you don’t have to give the heavy pitch just sharing information is enough. In fact, blatantly selling on your website may actually decrease your affiliate sales.  Pre-sell by writing articles, courses, reviews, blog posts and other valuable and informative content about the products you have chosen to represent.

Step Four – Chose your affiliate products carefully.  You not only want to choose quality products, you also want to choose products that have a good conversion rate.  If you’re working hard to send traffic to their sales page, you deserve a sales page that converts.  This leads to the next step.

Step Five - Track and test.  Tracking and testing not only who comes to your site but how many conversion you make with each product and each promotion and/or marketing tool is the only way to ensure you make money and continue to increase your affiliate sales.

Finally, look for unique affiliate products and/or complimentary affiliate products.  For example, if you’re an affiliate for a pet training business, a complimentary affiliate product might be pet training tools.

Being an affiliate can be a fantastic way to make a living and increasing your affiliate sales makes it all the more enjoyable.  Creating your content is only the beginning, look for ways to broaden awareness of your website through networking and other internet marketing strategies, presell your products and share your knowledge and expertise with others.

File under: How To
« Older Posts