Local Mission: To effectively spread general marketing
and business prowess to small business communities like Niceville,
Florida, located in the Florida Panhandle. Small business owners
are slow to embrace the full marketing and advertising capacities
of the World Wide Web, which offers vast potential for growth
and exposure.
Worldwide Vision: To educate all businesses, small or corporate,
in the ways of cost-effective marketing on the Internet with maximum
benefits and results for all businesses, either online or brick-and-mortar.
Business
Cardsare one of the most effective marketing tools.
Business cards are a very powerful, compact way to get exposure
for your company. They are versatile, affordable, and portable.
Business cards are a symbol of legitimacy, conveying to business
associates and potential customers your professionalism. Business
cards act as mini billboards that reflect your business image.
They have to have the right impact and convey the best message.
Extra business cards in your wallet, purse, or briefcase increase
your chances to spread the news about your business. Distribute
business cards to happy customers, place your business card in
classified sections of publications such as newspapers and magazines,
employ the help of your family by giving them business cards
to pass out to their friends and business associates, pass cards
out at parties, and exchange business cards with friends. When
you are at an appointment, leave your business cards at a physicians's
office, beauty salon, etc. Tack your business cards on bulletin
boards at schools, in your local grocery stores, health clubs,
libraries, and community bullentin boards. When you send mail,
enclose business cards, even in your bills. Effective business
cards are well-designed and include all pertinent contact information.
Over 90 percent of all business cards are thrown away without
a second glance. Professionally designed cards can increase their
effectiveness. An attractive, well-thought out logo can "brand"
your image.
Brochuresand other printed materials are high-impact ways to increase
your company's exposure. Use printing companies that offer professional
quality at lower prices. Flyers
offer an inexpensive way to jumpstart your marketing efforts
with a small or nonexistent budget. If well-designed, business
flyers are equivalent to your target market perusing a full-page
ad. A simple and to-the-point business flyer catches your prospective
customer's eye within the first few seconds. Colored copy paper
adds attention-grabbing opportunites and only costs slightly
more. Aggressively distribute your business flyers on car windshields,
under doors, on counters, bulletin boards and light poles. Get
youth groups to distribute door to door for you or exchange flyers
with other businesses.
Letterhead
Packaging Materials
Postcards are a cheap and effective way for prospective
consumers to get your marketing message without even opening
an envelope.
Premiumsenhance brand awareness while increasing sales. Consumers
need a reason to buy your products or services. Premium promotions
reward them for trying your business. With premium promotions,
merchandise is used to get potential buyers to try out, purchase,
or remain loyal to your product brand or service. Value is added
to their purchase with premiums. Premiums can be packaged in,
on, or near a product brand, consumers can purchase items at
lower costs or mail in free offers which encourage brand recognition,
frequency programs give premiums to loyal customers by rewarding
them for repeat business, gift-with-purchase promotions encourage
consumers to make or increase their purchases at the point-of-sale,
and promotions with prizes
grab consumer attention and increased traffic into brick and
mortar stores, as well as online traffic. Premiums offer instantaneous,
tangible rewards to consumers. Gift-with-purchase premiums is
a popular marketing strategy because everyone wants something
for FREE. Frequency marketing attracts long-term customers.
Promotional
Giftswith your company logo or message imprinted
on them, along with sound marketing strategies increase brand
awareness. Good items for promotional giveaways include pens,
glassware, calendars, desk accessories, clocks, watches, magnets,
housewares, tools, personal products, and games.
Contests and Sweepstakes.
Build your online audience with effective promotions.Web
surfers are drawn to incentive sites.
Coupons and Rebates promote customer loyalty and sale
increases by repeat buying.
Consistent,
affordable, long-term ads, especially e-zine advertising
can strategically increase your profits. Locate e-zines that
reach your target market, write and submit authoritative articles
to e-zines that showcase you as an
expert in your field, and consider publishing your own e-zine.
Most businesses fail because they run out of resources to continue
marketing. Spreading your money out over the long haul is more
cost-effective. Marketing requires a clear and consistent message
delivered to your target market over and over again. It may take
up to seven times before someone "gets the picture."
Persistence, commitment, confidence, and patience
are attributes you need to incorporate into your self-perception
of your business ventures. Most business ideas do not succeed
on the first, second, or third try.
Premium pricing of high quality products and services
is more effective. Consumers are more concerned with quality
versus price.
Product tie-ins to current events and trends
Personable, top-of-the line promotional materials
Fear of loss
Become an acknowledged expert
in your field. Experts are always in demand. Consumers want
to buy from experts.Promote your business free on newsgroups,
be a guest speaker on talk radio, write
articles and submit to e-zines. Start an e-mail newsletter
that can greatly increase your subscriber base and customer lists.
You can either write the content yourself, or employ
the professional writing services of companies that specialize
in ghost writing content for Web sites. Good articles with
high impact may even lead your readers to forward the e-mail
to friends and associates or print and save for later. Submit
articles you have written to other e-zines for free. This is
a great way to advertise without being pushy because your byline
with information about your company usually appears with it.
Articles receive more attention than ads because people are always
searching for information.
Offer a vast arry of useful products and services. "Sell
wide, sell deep." Offer lots of products and services with
variations on the best-selling products. Introduce a low-priced
product, then upsell to more expensive items later, when customers
have grown to trust you and willing to pay for advanced services.
Approach projects from customers point-of-view. Sometimes
customers request things you would have never considered that
can turn into a very profitable avenue for your business. Unexpected
suggestions by customers and prospects are a great way to tailor
your services to your target market's needs. Client-center your
marketing by showcasing the benefits that you offer. Headlines
energize all aspects of your marketing machine. Every marketing
tool that you employ needs
a snazzy headline. Headlines should include the benefits
that you offer to your consumers.
Be confident about your business; don't worry about the
competition
Customer response is better to illustrations and photos
of products and services being used versus standing alone
Place attention-grabbing images in upper left corner of
product catalogs and business catalogs.
Focus on smaller markets with less competition. A
tighter focus will help you stand out in the crowd. Narrow and
define your target market into the perfect niche that complements
your business objectives.
Professional Web design. Good Web design with attention-grabbing
headlines that convey your marketing message to your target market,
carefully arranged Web pages that maximize sales, and forms that
gather e-mail responses from your visitors are important to your
online presence. If your Web site isn't receiving the attention
you believe it deserves, consider
having a professional writer rewrite your copy more persuasively
and creatively.
Customer service functions are perfect for the Web. It
is easier for consumers to navigate a catalog on a Web site for
specific questions about the types of products sold. A step-by-step
visual tutorial or product demonstrations are the pefect avenue
to feature your products and services. Customers can track their
orders. Business owners can implement return policies via their
Web site and offer dynamically-generated interactive databases
where customers can automatically get answers to questions.
Test marketing and product ideas by phone with minimal
cost
Know your customers and their demographics. When customers
fill out a personal profile via your Web site, you gain all types
of useful information that can be used to increase your effective
marketing strategies. Remember to be respectful of consumer privacy.
Cater to customers with disabilities, a big market that
is being slighted
Track special request and needs from customers and clients
Have 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year customer-oriented
service. Train staff on ways to effectively respond to consumers
in a timely manner. Failure to respond to e-mail messages or
requests for information can alienate potential customers and
clients. Customer relationships must be nurtured once established.
From the moment a consumer shows interest in your business, the
sale cycle begins. Follow-throughon delivery and ongoing support.
Be efficient and encourage impeccable professionalism and customer
service by your employees.
Collaborate with other businesses, small and corporate.
Co-marketing and brand-building are paramount to business
success. The Internet connects your business to a world wide
network of businesses - Capitalize on it! The Internet offers
the perfect opportunity for small
businesses with limited resources to place their company strategically
among the best. Strategic banner advertising on popular,
high traffic sites can increase customer perception of your business.
Reciprocal linking with other businesses is a good way to increase
your company's exposure on the Web.
Increase credibility by business and personal associations
with well-known groups and/or organizations. Supportng charities
is a great way to promote your business while providing community
service. Donation of a small percentage of your business sales
is a positive way to encourage non-profit organizations into
promoting the use of your business products and services. An
added incentive is that your name will be placed on their promotional
materials. Provide
them with a logo, short ad copy, and flyers to promote your business.
Form valuable contacts wth business, political, and community
leaders who are also involved with charities.
Ask friends and family to critique your business with
fresh views and opinions
Glean information from suppliers and vendors about your
competition
Attend trade conventions
Start affiliate programs and reward other Web sites
commission for bringing your business traffic and increased sales.
Online Employee Training and
Recruiting Tips
Recruiting. Your business Web site offers an avenue
for recruiting new employees via a job opportunities board.
Bulletin Boards. Password-protected areas of your
Web site can be used to disseminate employee benefit information,
such as sick leave, 401K retirement plans, health insurance,
annual vacation leave days; and company announcements and reports.
Internal communications. Processing expense reports
via an online system can increase the productivity and effectiveness
of your business.
Training. Posting reports, lectures, books, and instruction
manuals, as well as graphics, audio, and video slides, give employees
the ability to learn at their own pace. Business owners save
money because you don't have to book big conference rooms for
meetings or employee orientation.
Corporate stores save employees time and money because
they can run basic errands between working hours, such as breaks
or lunches. Corporate stores stock logoed wearables and convenience
items. Upper management can gauge employee morale by the volume
of logoed merchandise purchased.
E-Commerce
E-commerce
is the buying and selling of goods electronically. The
Internet offers an open, global electronic cybermarketplace.
Choosing to implement all or partial elements of e-commerce technology
requires good planning and thought. Who will build your site?
How will you promote it once it is
online? Have you mapped out a fool-proof online security plan
and ironed out legal questions? Can you provide efficient, close-to-perfect
online customer service? With an online storefront you can operate
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, worldwide,
which can open up new markets you would not have been able to
reach with a local audience.
Don't believe the hype! E-commerce is not equivalent to
instant money. The same tried and true marketing techniques
businesses use for brick and mortar companies applies to the
Internet. The "if I build it, they will come" marketing
strategy is false. Visability will make or break a business
no matter whether it is a virtual store or physical store. Business
owners and investors are drawn to e-commerce because of the vast
potential for customers at low cost. Customer relations are important
at every aspect of e-commerce. First-time visitors can become
faithful buyers with the right sales and customer service strategies.
Easily identifiable
products and services are ideal for e-commerce business ventures.
Familiar, uncomplicated products that customers do not have to
try on or try out are ripe for online buying. Effective online
marketing requires extensive planning and re-evaluating sales
and business objectives. For small
business owners, cybermalls offer a cost-effective way to
enter the online business arena without full committment of all
your time and resources.
Effective Web design is a must to make your business
Web site stand above the millions of other business and personal
Web sites. Many business owners question the validity of operating
a business on the Web. For many, they dish out hundreds to thousands
of dollars each month to maintain a Web site and are not noticing
the benefits or reaping the rewards. But they experience a sense
of "Catch 22." Without a business Web site, they are
relegated to a lesser status. Today's market is very competitive.
Business owner have to remain innovative to stay among the cream
of the crop.
Internet marketing
an online store or company goes beyond the ability to sell
goods and services on the Web, and accepting credit cards over
a secure server. This direct-channel point of sale is the perfect
business opportunity to increase profits, because it is one more
avenue and distribution channel for business owners to operate
from. E-commerce is basically an upgraded form of telephone selling,
without having to hire telemarketers and phone clerks. Basic
marketing strategies and sound business plans and principles
are even more important in the online business arena. The structure
of your business model can either break you or make you.
From a business point-of-view, transforming your company
Web site from static pages to interactive
customer-oriented service centerscan drastically increase
your profits. E-commerce and Internet marketing offer a wealth
of technological advances and applications directly related to
business. A virtual business can expand and contract with the
growth of your company; and, it can interact closely with your
customers and clients through order processing, tracking, customer
service, and training. Online spending is at an all-time high,
despite market trends showing otherwise. Acceptance of the Internet
by the masses is prevalent.
Maintaing an easy-to-find, clear privacy
policy is the #1 priority for businesses operating on
the Web. You have to earn customers' trust. E-commerce offers
ideal access to your target markets.
You gain the ability to collect information about your consumers,
which better enhances your ability to market your products more
effectively to them. You can forge e-mail communications, track
satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and gain feedback.
Small businesses have equal
access to their share of the Internet profit pie. 75% of
Internet businesses are small businesses. Versatile small internet
businesses can easily adapt to a changing economy instantly.
They do not have to worry about huge inventories, retraining
a huge amount of employees, or breaking a lease.
Relationship Marketing
Strategies
The Internet offers businesses two major advantages over
traditional media: target marketing and relationship-building.
Although traditional forms of mass marketing, i.e. print
and broadcast, still are more prevalent than the Internet, the
Web offers a greater potential to target consumers, without the
usual hit-and-miss of newspaper and magazine demographics and
with a less expensive investment of business funds. Voluntary
submissions of consumer e-mail addresses are an easy, spam-free
way to communicate with your target market.
Effective sales and marketing strategies take priority
over high glitz and glamour. Your Web site design should
be styled in a way that your target audience will develop an
interest in returning periodically, preferably when they are
in a buying mood. Be clear on what you can offer your target
market. Tell them why they should visit your Web site over your
competitors.
Static sites that act only as electronic brochures, product
catalogs, and organization histories are out-dated. Dynamic
sites that require interaction with consumers offer an economical
way to build a consumer and visitor database. What other medium
offers you the perfect way to communicate with people directly
interested in your products and services, who voluntarily give
you information about themselves and buying habits? Interactive
sites are an innovative way to build your consumer database.
Surfers will provide e-mail and home addresses without a second
thought, in exchange for the ability to ask questions, play games,
socialize in chat rooms, and redeem incentive offers.
Content
is King - people access the Internet for three reasons: as
a source of information, online shopping, and entertainment.
Surfers of the Internet can find what they want, when they
want with the advent of the Internet. Develop your Web site content
into pages potential consumers and clients will want to visit
and re-visit repeatedly. Offer useful, timely, and objective
information about your products and services, as well as up-to-date
related information on closely related topics.
Launch your business worldwide. The web expands your
business into the four corners of the word. You can conquer your
particular target market.
Online Promotional Tips
Advertising
Traditional Advertising is still important for online
business ventures. Corporate Web sites employ print, TV, and
radio to maximize their exposure with minimal effort. A
small print ad and short commercial can have great results.
Inclusion of your Web site address with speical offers is one
avenue. Commercials can convey your marketing message quickly.
Once the consumer visits your site, they can tap into the details
of your business. Traditional formats already have an established,
loyal audience. Print Ads in daily newspapers can become
very costly. Small, cheaper ads in Sunday
issues can increase marketing productivity. Contact media
and public relations departments of media you are interested
in advertising with and ask for a rate card. Broadcast Advertising
with radio is an inexpensive way to target specific age groups
and lifestyles. Cable television is a low-cost alternative that
gives you access to a wide audience; rates are similar to radio
advertising.
Content is King.Good
Web site design increases repeat visitors. Choose a target audience
and capitalize on its interests. Engage consumers when they are
in an information-seeking mode, so that when they are in a buying
mode your business Web site will be at the forefront of their
memories. Web surfers go online for free information. Post articles
on your site to feed their hunger for instant information. The
most common reason for failed Web sites is that no one visits
their site. A working plan is required to drive traffic to your
business Web site. Good Web site design includes conveying in
a clear and concise way what
your site is about. Your ordering infomation must be easily
recognized and comments from satisfied customers can peek potential
consumer interest.
Search engine Web site Positioning. Search engine
positioning results have long-term results because when someone
enters your site from one of them, they are a valuable potential
customer, versus someone who simply surfed to your site. Register
with the top 20 search engines and directories first, these include
Google, MSN, Altavista, Go, Excite, Lycos, HotBot, GoTo, Iwon,
and Northern Light. When consumers search by subject on a category
they are interested in, through effective Web site design, your
business should appear in the top 20 searches. If not, consumers
might not ever notice your business. They will only scroll the
first couple pages of a search results page before moving on
to the next big thing on their Web surfing agenda. Get listed
in directories and speciality search engines. Trade strategic
reciprocal links with other Web sites. Prominant search engine
listings are a must for a vital Web site. Search engines make
up over 70 percent of Web traffic. Search engine optimization
requires a skill and web-savvy. If you are not successful in
this endeavor, consider
outsourcing. Search engines rank sites based on certain criteria:
the Web page title, actual words on the Web page, the Web page
URL, and Meta-tags. Even after successful ranking, your
placement can be affected by new listings and various ranking
formulas within one search engine. It is important to keep track
of the rise and fall of your rankings, so you accomodate your
pages accordingly.
Advertise.
Drive traffic to your site with minimal cost by employing
banner advertising campaigns on the most popular sites. In all
your business endeavors, including offline ventures, promote
your Web site address. Put your URL on letterhead, business
cards, checks, and e-mail signature files.
E-mail. Opt-in e-mail lists are a spam-free way to
reach your target audience and build Web site traffic instantly.
Search engine listings produce a steady flow of traffic over
time. For short term solutions, e-mail promotions can greatly
increase your traffic significantly. The most effective e-mail
promotions are targeted to well-defined markets and focus groups.
The best way to collect e-mail addresses is through everyday
online business practices. Existing web visitors make qualified
prospective buyers. There is power in e-mail. Artful use of autoresponders
deliver your marketing message each time someone e-mails you,
plus allow you to automatically respond to all e-mails. Information
via autoresponders is welcomed if it includes information valuable
to the potential customer. Use your own domain name e-mail, so
that each time you send out e-mail, or pass it out on busines
cards and other promotional materials, you are advertising your
Web site address for FREE. (i.e., info@dvercity.com
)
Promotions. Build your online audience. Send press
releases to the media who can increase
your press coverage at no cost to you, but the price of having
a press release drafted. Increase the number of visitors to your
Web site and you will notice an increase in sales.
Newsgroups and e-mail discussion lists. Become a valued
contributor to discussions and an expert in your area by providing
genuine information of value to those who ask. This good relationship
can lead to positive word-of-mouth interest in your company.
Don't overtly promote your business, leave that to your Web site.
The key is in getting traffic to your business - good Web design
should do the rest.
Media and Public Relations Tips
Press
Releases distributed to news professionals, Web sites,
and newsgroups offer greater exposure of your business. Web site
traffic will increase and email inquiries will skyrocket. Target
newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and news
wires. Press releases are an effective way to announce a new
Web site, recent awards, introduce new products, and promote
an event. A well-written, professional press release can
stimulate business in a positive way. Factors that contribute
to an effective press release include timeliness and newsworthiness.
Publicity is the most cost-effectve marketing tools, plus it
builds credibility. Consumers are not interested in overblown
hype. As "readers", they will put their trust in reviewers,
columnists, reporters, and broadcasters. Press releases influence
media heavy hitters into covering your company.
