ì  16  Marketing  Tips  

ì Focus  on  the  customer  

Does  your  company  sell  a  great  product  or  offer  great  services?  Marke8ng  is  not  only  about  products—it  is  about  the  promise  you  make  to  your  customers.  The  most  important  thing  to  remember  as  you  develop  a  marke8ng  and  public  rela8ons  plan  is  to  focus  your  a?en8on  on  your  customers.  

1  

ì Back  to  basics  ì Target  audience  ì Channels  ì Message  ì Measurement  

2  

ì Rebranding  Now  may  be  the  best  8me  to  freshen  up  your  image.  Evaluate  your  company’s  strengths,  weaknesses,  uniqueness  and  promise  to  its  customers.  Then,  posi8on  yourself  with  a  new  look,  messaging  and  promo8onal  plan,  staying  true  to  who  you  are  and  what  you  want  to  be.  3  

ì Monthly  Mailer  Deliver  a  unique  monthly  piece  (postcard,  newsle?er,  email  or  brochure)  to  your  customers  on  a  specified  date.  Offer  advice  and  8ps  about  your  products  and  services–don’t  just  sell  your  business–provide  value-­‐added  informa8on  that  people  can  use  and  will  want  to  read.  Allow  three  days  for  mailing.  4  

ì Business  Cards  Carry  business  cards  with  you  at  all  8mes  and  leave  a  few  in  the  car  just  in  case  you  forget.  

Be  sure  to  take  advantage  of  the  back  side  of  the  card.  

 5  

ì Open  House  Are  there  things  your  customers  don’t  know  about  your  business?  Speaking  engagements  (internal  and  external)  build  your  business  and  are  an  excellent  way  to  showcase  your  business  and  exper8se.  6  

ì Blogging  There  are  many  free  plaRorms  for  blogging  available.  Create  your  own  or  partner  with  another.  Posi8on  yourself  as  the  expert  in  the  field.  Remember  that  you’re  sharing  the  control  of  your  message  with  the  audience–it’s  a  two-­‐way  conversa8on.  7  

ì Volunteer/Sponsor  Show  that  you  truly  care  about  your  customers  outside  of  the  business  realm  and  garner  publicity.  

8  

ì Network  GeVng  involved  in  local  groups  like  this  chamber  and  others,  young  professional  networks,  and  city  boards  and  commissions  provide  opportuni8es  for  you  to  network  and  pursue  business-­‐to-­‐business  partnerships.  9  

ì News  Releases  Write  news  releases  with  a  feature  a?ached  to  them  or  as  a  public  service  announcement/event  for  your  business.  Be  sure  to  approach  it  from  a  humanis8c  angle—reporters  want  to  know  how  this  affects  people.  10  

ì Bulk  Mail  You  can  get  a  permit  for  bulk  mailing  from  the  post  office  and  get  lists  of  target  data  for  businesses  and  poten8al  customers  in  your  community.  Or,  send  to  a  smaller  list  of  businesses  that  will  offer  referrals.  11  

ì Signage  Place  signage  outside  of  your  business  or  nearby.  Check  local  ordinances  regarding  signage  codes.  

Sign  companies  can  produce  affordable  sandwich  boards  that  can  be  reused.  Promote  special  events,  sales  or  ac8vi8es  with  them  in  front  of  your  business.  Follow  city  codes  regarding  placement  and  size.  12  

ì BulleKn  Boards  You’ll  find  these  inside  local  coffee  shops,  laundromats,  health  clubs,  neighborhood  markets,  and  car  washes.  Bring  plenty  of  your  own  thumbtacks  and  leave  some  extras  behind  for  good  business  karma.  13  

ì CerKficates/Coupons  

Give  them  to  local  chari8es,  local  spor8ng  events,  fundraisers,  and  other  businesses.  Place  them  as  adver8sements  in  the  local  newspaper  or  other  publica8ons  (keep  track  of  them  for  measurement).  14  

ì Online  AdverKsing  Online  adver8sing  can  be  very  affordable  and  extremely  targeted.  MySpace,  Facebook,  Google,  Yahoo  and  Bing  offer  adver8sing  opportuni8es.  Consider  promo8ng  your  business  at  other  specific  websites  as  well.  15  

ì Measure  Define  what  success  looks  like  to  you.  Create  customer  surveys,  conduct  phone  interviews,  monitor  your  website  with  Google  Analy8cs,  use  a  “call  to  ac8on”  in  your  adver8sing  (coupons,  discount  codes  and  special  offers),  and  listen  to  the  “word  on  the  street.”  16  

Lance  Kissler  Senior  Community  Development  Officer,  STCU  Secretary,  INBA  Board  of  Directors  LanceK@stcu.org  509-­‐344-­‐2152