themiddleshelf.com

Marketing your products and services is a constant, ongoing process that is a never-ending job. Especially if you’re looking to generate revenue and increase your customer base and of course, hold on to your current customers. The good news is you don’t need much to market your small business successfully. Here are some tips of low-cost marketing tactics you can apply to your marketing plan today!

BLOG IT UP

If you don’t have a blog for you and your business, then start one. If you do, crank it up! Think about what your customers want to know about that you can help them with. What are the key words your customers search for? Combine those two and start creating content. And don’t forget to add an RSS feed for your blog so people can subscribe and be kept updated.

Get YOUR Content OUT-THERE

Take your blogging to the next level and create some great articles from your content, then get that content out there to the world to build reputation and focus on you and your business. How-to’s, tips, strategies, interviews, positive stories and lessons learned, just to name a few. Your articles can go onto your website, into your newsletters, and then submit them to various media, content websites (eg: PRweb.com, ezinearticles.com, etc.), and blog directories.

DATABASE Contact

If you don’t have your past customers and prospects already in a database, spend time doing that and then make it a habit to update it as new contacts are made. If you do already have databases, when was the last time you got in contact with those people? You need to talk to and “touch” your people at least every 6 weeks for them to remember you. Email them, call them, text them, just do something to be sure you are talking to them regularly. But make sure what you have got to say is interesting and helpful, otherwise you are just noise.

Reward REFERRALS

For those wonderful customers who tell others about your great business, make sure you reward them. Anything from a phone call, to movie tickets, to discounts on accounts go a long way to make them feel appreciated. All you have to do is weigh up the cost of acquiring a new customer from scratch vs the cost of the reward to ensure you stay ahead and create goodwill!

Speak UP

Search for the 2010 conferences that are happening in your industry, especially where your customers will be. Create a speaker profile that says all about YOU and your expertise. Then submit your profile with some great ideas for speaking topics you can cover for each of the conferences and secure some face time for yourself in front of your peeps. You can also get help with this through PR consultants, if writing is not really your thing!

WEB Wonders

Get clear on the key words that your customers use when searching for you (or possible you’s) and ensure you have those key words wherever possible on your website (or otherwise known as Search Engine Optimization).

Create a Facebook and Twitter accounts for your business and then send it out through your networks for members to join and follow you. Make sure you keep your profile(s) updated. 

Post videos on YouTube, Vimeo and other video sites to bring your content and business alive.

Get your site listed on StumbleUpon, del.icio.us.com, digg.com, Squidoo.com and Yelp.com and any other directories that your customers may use.

Create separate landing pages on your website for different segments of your customer base.

Create a professional LinkedIn.com profile for yourself and connect with people you know through the network. Update your profile with recent projects.

Team Up

What other businesses can you team up with that will add value for your customers with complimentary services/products? Personal trainers and healthy catering company, bookstore and Christmas gift wrapping, GPS and travel companies. Think about who targets the same customers as you do and see how you can team up together.

Old Fashioned Snail……………………………………………Mail

Yep – consider going back to some personalized letters. All it costs is the paper, printing, envelopes and stamps plus, of course, some creative juices to put together an interesting and engaging letter. Either send it out cold to a new list, or to your past customers to say “hi.” The key is to get the message right in the letter and a compelling message that urges action.

What savvy marketing moves are you doing in your business right now? I’d love to hear form you.