The Basics of Branding

 

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does “branding” mean? How does it affect a small business like yours?

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors’. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can’t be both, and you can’t be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.

The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials–all of which should integrate your logo–communicate your brand.

Brand Strategy & Equity

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company’s products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command. The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built a powerful brand equity, it can charge more for its product–and customers will pay that higher price.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it’s not just the shoe’s features that sell the shoe.

Defining Your Brand

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:

• What is your company’s mission?
• What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
• What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
• What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?

Do your research. Learn the needs, habits and desires of your current and prospective customers. And don’t rely on what you think they think. Know what they think.

Because defining your brand and developing a brand strategy can be complex, consider leveraging the expertise of a nonprofit small-business advisory group or a Small Business Development Center.

Once you’ve defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested tips:

• Get a great logo. Place it everywhere.
• Write down your brand messaging. What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.
• Integrate your brand. Branding extends to every aspect of your business–how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.
• Create a “voice” for your company that reflects your brand. This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the gist.
• Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.
• Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent.
• Be true to your brand. Customers won’t return to you–or refer you to someone else–if you don’t deliver on your brand promise.
• Be consistent. I placed this point last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip I can give you. If you can’t do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

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John Williams is Entrepreneur.com’s “Image & Branding” columnist and the founder and president of LogoYes.com, the world’s first do-it-yourself logo design website. During John’s 25 years in advertising, he’s created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies like Mitsubishi and won numerous awards for his design work.

How to Effectively Use Testimonials

What do people who’ve actually purchased and used your product or service think about it?

Answering that question is one of the most fundamental tasks your website needs to accomplish–and it’s as simple to do as it is important.

By using testimonials (reviews and comments from your satisfied customers) in text, audio or video format on your website, you not only answer the question, you also transform your sales pitch into a credible, unbiased recommendation for your product.

Overcome Buyer Skepticism
Adding testimonials is probably one of the easiest ways to improve your website, and a good one can generate more selling power than some of the best sales copy out there.

So why are testimonials so effective?

• Testimonials build trust. Whether your customers are raving about what your product has done for them or about the great service you gave, they’re telling your visitors first and foremost that they had a positive experience with your products and company.
• Testimonials aren’t “salesy.” Because testimonials aren’t written in your “voice,” they stand out in your copy as candid and unbiased accounts of how well your product works.
• Testimonials overcome skepticism. A good testimonial has the power to convince even your “tough sell” visitors that your product or service really made a difference in your customer’s life–and can help them, too.

How to Choose the Right Testimonial
When you’re choosing testimonials, there are a few key ingredients to look for that make the difference between an ineffective testimonial and one that sells. Here’s an example of a glowing, but ultimately ineffective testimonial:

“I love this product! I can’t get enough! I’m so glad I bought your stuff and I’ll definitely be back to get more!”

What could be wrong with that? It sounds like you have a happy customer on your hands!

But what does this testimonial really tell your visitors? Does it prove the product works, or explain exactly how your customer benefited from using it? While the feedback is definitely positive, the testimonial doesn’t provide enough detail to have any real impact on your visitors.

Here’s an example of the kind of effective, benefits-driven testimonial that’ll turn a visitor into a customer:

“I used the methods you told me to use, and for three days my phone’s been ringing! I sold over $3,500 in goods and services in three days! It’s the first time in five months that anyone had really purchased anything.”

What makes this testimonial so powerful? Let’s break down the elements of an effective testimonial in more detail:

• A good testimonial is filled with benefits. A comment like, “This product is great!” is nice to hear, but it doesn’t tell visitors what your product can actually do for them.

• You want the benefits of what you offer to be front and center in every testimonial: “This product doubled our profits in a month!” or “This product made the pain in my back disappear completely–and did it fast!” or “We’ve never seen any product that could get the rust off our car without damaging the paint–until now.”

• A good testimonial substantiates your claims. If you say your product can do something, your testimonials should back up your promises, complete with actual facts and figures. How much money did your customers save by using your product? How much time did they save by using your service? How did it solve their problems or improve their lives?
• A good testimonial is from someone your audience can relate to. You want your visitors to see that your product helped someone just like them. Make sure your testimonials come from someone with whom your target market can identify.

• If you sell primarily to seniors, for example, ask your customers if you can include their age along with the testimonial. If you’re selling to moms with children, ask if you can mention how many kids they have or include a photo of their family.

• A good testimonial is credible. Accompany each testimonial with the first name, last name and hometown of each testimonial-giver to show that your endorsements come from real people. Always try to include a photo as well.

• And if you can, take it to the next level by including audio or video testimonials for maximum effect. Do anything you can to help your visitors connect with your testimonial-givers on a personal level.

• A good testimonial endorses the key benefits of your product. It’s fun to hear that your super-duper floor cleaner smells nice or that the bottle doesn’t drip–both things that matter to people who would consider using your product. But have you established that it cleans their floors well?
• A good testimonial is comparative. Did your customers try another product that didn’t work before they found yours? You want your visitors to know what your product can do that other products can’t. Choose testimonials that set your product apart from your competition.

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a testimonial, how do you actually gather the reviews you need from your customers?

Getting Great Testimonials–Even if You Haven’t Sold Anything Yet
If your customers have given you positive feedback on your product already, then you may already have some great testimonials to add to your site. However, if your customer response is a little scarce–or if you’re just starting out–getting testimonials from your buyers might take a little more effort.

So how do you collect the testimonials you need and keep them coming as you grow your business?

One easy way to collect testimonials is to include a link on your site with a form that allows your customers to give you their vote of confidence: “Tell us how this product changed your life!” or “Click here to let us know what you think!” Put this link next to some testimonials that you’ve already gathered to give customers an example of the kind of feedback you’re looking for.

A more effective method is to create an autoresponder that contacts your buyers after they’ve purchased your product to ask how they’re enjoying the product, as well as giving them a chance to offer feedback on their experience with your business.

And, of course, anytime you receive a great letter or e-mail from a customer, ask them if you can use their comments on your website to recommend your product to others. If they were happy enough to let you know, they’re bound to want to spread the word.

If you haven’t yet begun selling your product and have no feedback yet, offer your product or service for free to a select group of customers in exchange for their thoughts on the product or some details on their experience with your site. The impact that testimonial will have on your bottom line will be well worth the initial expense.

Strategies For Using Your Testimonials Effectively
Once you’ve got some testimonials to share with your visitors, you need to make sure you’re putting them to the best possible use on your site. Always make sure that you:

• Include your best testimonials front and center on your homepage, like in your sidebars, or even above your headline.
• Place some testimonials right in the middle of your homepage sales copy to keep your readers focused on your credibility as you outline the features and benefits of your product.
• Set up a whole page dedicated to your glowing testimonials, as well as including snippets of their comments throughout your site. Be sure to put a link to your testimonial page next to each of those snippets.
• Include testimonials on each and every page of your website. No matter where your visitors click, you want them to find a positive customer review of your product or service.

Now let’s look at a few mistakes to avoid when using testimonials on your website:

• Don’t edit your testimonials to exclude a comment or add information you want to hear! If you can’t post a comment “as is” and feel comfortable with it, it shouldn’t go up.
• Never use a customer testimonial without permission.
• Never, ever invent testimonials! This is fraud, plain and simple, and lying never results in a positive impact on your business.

Final Thoughts
If you’re not using testimonials on your website, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful, easy-to-use and cheap marketing tools available to you.

Most of us would rather act on a referral from a friend than make a purchase based on a sales pitch alone. We want to know that the product actually works before we take the leap to buy, and we’re bound to put more trust in someone who has already used the product successfully than the person trying to convince us to buy it. Using glowing, fact-filled testimonials on your website will let your visitors know that you’re worthy of their trust.

Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com’s “E-Business” columnistand the CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own online businesses.

The Importance of Sales in Networking

Editor’s note: The article below is based on material from Dr. Misner’s recently released New York Times bestselling book Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths.Truth or delusion? If you’re getting all the referrals you need, you don’t need to sell.

Delusion. Anybody who’s experienced and successful in referral marketing will tell you that sales skills are absolutely essential. And they’re needed in every part of the process–not just in closing the sale with the prospect.

First, you have to sell yourself to your potential referral source–she has to buy the concept that there’s value in introducing you to someone she knows. A referral is not a guaranteed sale; it’s the opportunity to do business with someone to whom you’ve been recommended. You still have to close the deal.

You have to make it clear that you know how to sell, that you can and will provide the products or services you’re expected to provide, and that your customer will be happy with both the process and the result–which will reflect favorably on the provider of the referral. If you can’t make that first “sale,” your potential referral source won’t become your referral provider, because she won’t be inclined to risk her relationship with the prospect. That is, she won’t do her part to sell the referral. Two separate studies, the one I conducted in the early ’90s and another one conducted in Florida in 2006, found that approximately 34 percent of all business referrals turn into sales.

This is an outstanding number, but it’s still not 100 percent. Therefore, sales skills are still important in networking. Having the knowledge and skill to generate the referral, then having the knowledge and skill to close the sale, gives you the one-two punch.

Beyond selling yourself to the referral source, you have to sell yourself to the prospect to get that first appointment. Yes, the referral helps a great deal, but you’ve still got to convince the prospect that the appointment is worth his time and likely to result in a favorable outcome. You should avoid being aggressive, indecisive or evasive at this point; the prospect, having been in contact with your referral provider, is expecting a high level of respect and professionalism in your approach. You can and should be confident that a mutually beneficial deal is in the works, and you should communicate this to the prospect by your attitude and actions. Strive not to embarrass your referral source.

Then, once you’ve made the appointment, you have to persuade the prospect to buy your product or service. This is the part that usually comes to mind when you hear the word “sale.“

Your integrity is paramount at this stage. The prospect should know exactly what to expect–no hidden charges, no unexpected exceptions, no bait-and-switch.

Even if you’ve created a highly efficient system of generating referrals for your business and you see a steady stream of referrals being funneled to you, there’s no guarantee you’ll be capable of closing any of them.

Note, however, that in referral marketing, closing the deal with your prospect is neither the beginning nor the end of the selling process. To get to this point, you’ll have made at least two other “sales,” as noted above. And in order to build and maintain the long-term relationships that characterize referral marketing, you have to follow up with both your new customer and your referral provider–again, part of the total sales process.

Remember, the number-one rule in referral marketing is to make your referral provider look good. You need to demonstrate that you know how to sell to the prospect in a way that doesn’t embarrass the source of your referral–that you’re going to consult with the prospect, discover his needs, offer solutions based on those needs, give him some options and not force a sale if you know you can’t provide a good solution.

On the other hand, if your technique is to hold the prospect hostage at his kitchen table until he breaks down and buys, your referral source won’t be pleased that you’ve abused your relationship with her and damaged her relationship with the prospect. You may get the deal, but you’ve shut yourself off from further deals with that client–and with any future referrals from your source.

The bottom line about sales in referral marketing is this: If you’re not comfortable with sales, or if you haven’t been professionally trained, sales training is an investment worth your while. It’ll serve you well in every aspect of relationship marketing and referral networking.

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Called the father of modern networking, Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder of BNI  and the senior partner for the Referral Institute. He has written nine books, including his recently released New York Times best seller Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths. 

Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand

If you’re like other entrepreneurs, you know a good logo is important to branding your company. Let’s say you already have a great logo. Then what? You need to create a variety of marketing materials that’ll help build your brand.

How can you do that? In a word: Coordinate. All your materials should graphically connect to one another. They should convey the same look and feel, include common images, and evoke similar emotional responses in your customers. When viewed side by side, your stationery, brochures and other promotional materials should look like a cohesive family.

Of course, your materials don’t need to match each other completely, but some elements should remain consistent from one piece to the next:

Color: Color is one of the most important components of brand identity because it plays a large role in memory retrieval. Choose a primary color (preferably a Pantone Matching System, or PMS, color–ask your printer about it if you need help) that’s appropriate for your company’s image, then use it as the dominant color on all your marketing materials. You can also select a secondary color to use as well, but make sure you use it sparingly. Preferably, the dominant color you choose will appear in your logo. You may find a book on colors and their perceived meanings helpful when selecting your dominant color.

Key Graphic Elements: Consistently use distinctive symbols, shapes and borders that convey the image you want to communicate. For example, a high-tech company might feature bold, angular graphics, while a clothing store might use rounded, soft shapes. Selecting some similar basic graphic elements helps customers recall your brand faster. Also, choose a photographic or illustrative style and stick with it. Black-and-white photos, for instance, are often a unique way to make an impact while setting your brand apart.

Fonts: Select just a few fonts for use on all your materials, including at least one primary serif font and 1 primary sans-serif font. (Serif fonts have “feet” at the bottom of the font, like Times New Roman. Helvetica is an example of a sans-serif font.) These two fonts should be the ones you use most frequently. Serif fonts work well in paragraphs and most text blocks, while sans-serif fonts should be reserved for headlines, numbers in charts, very small text and text reversed out of a color. You should avoid using more than two different fonts within the same document.

Messaging: The tone of your copywriting helps convey your image. Use the same voice on all your marketing materials. For example, is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it expensive or exclusive? Be more formal. It also helps to create a tagline or positioning statement–something memorable, meaningful and concise that summarizes your brand or your offering. Taglines often appear under a logo.

Logo Usage: Your logo is your brand’s most basic graphic element. It should appear on all your materials, and, when possible, it should appear at the same size and be placed at the same location on the page. Proportionate resizing is OK, but your logo should never be altered or redrawn. Consistency is paramount.

Remember, awareness and recognition are keys to growing your business. Creating a family of marketing materials that tie to one another helps differentiate you from the competition and builds brand loyalty.

 

By John Williams

Making a Knock-Out Trade Show Display

Your trade show exhibit serves as a direct, powerful reflection of the quality, image and service your company and its products offer. To be effective, the visual impact of your display must make a strong first impression and communicate your message in a matter of seconds to attract prospects to stop at your booth and learn more about your business.

Getting Started
As you begin considering the type, size, design and configuration of your trade show exhibit display, answer these questions:

1. What do you want to accomplish through trade show participation?
2. How do you plan to use your exhibit to meet your objectives?
3. How large are the events in which you plan to participate? Do they attract local, regional or national audiences?
4. What location type (in-line, corner, end, island) and size of display space will you reserve?
5. How many events will you participate in annually?
6. How will you transport your display to each show?
7. How much money are you willing to invest in your exhibit? The cost of your booth, lighting and accessories can range from under $1,000 to more than $20,000 for a top-end customized display.

Types of Trade Show Exhibit Displays
Whether you decide to produce a custom display or adapt a used or rental unit, the type of booth you need will be based on the kind of shows you attend and what you want to accomplish at each one. Here are some standard types of displays:

• Pop-up displays consist of lightweight folding frames covered with magnetic-backed fabric, vinyl or plastic panels that create curved or angled walls.
• Panel displays are a flexible option that consists of fabric-covered rectangular sections that are connected to make a wall. They can be readily adapted to different booth sizes and configurations.
• Tabletop displays are inexpensive, lightweight displays that sit on the top of a table and are typically used for smaller events. These displays usually have three panels with Velcro-attached graphics and headlines that can be easily changed and updated.
• Pull-up displays are a lightweight, easy method to accent your booth. These function like a window shade in reverse and can be placed together or in different booth locations based on your design needs.

Choosing a Trade Show Exhibit Display Company
Search the internet for trade show exhibit display companies, and it’ll be readily apparent that there are many suppliers from which to choose. Let me warn you: It may be daunting to figure out which company has the expertise you want, can effectively communicate and service your needs, will deliver your booth on time, meet your budget requirements and guarantee the work.

Therefore, the best place to start sourcing a supplier is to visit a trade show and talk with exhibitors in noncompeting fields who have the type of booth you like. Or you may want to get referrals from professional organizations, your chamber of commerce or colleagues. Once you have a list of possible suppliers, check references, meet with them and understand how they work, and check how long they’ve been in business.

Graphics and Signage
You want your trade show graphics and signage to grab people’s attention and draw them into your booth. Most suppliers provide graphic services either in-house or on a contracted basis. Check out the work they’ve done for others. If you don’t like what you see, hire your own graphic designer to help produce artwork for your booth.

Be sure signage with your company or product name is highly visible, well-lit and features large easy-to-read type. You may want to have multiple signs in different areas of your booth. Keep your message succinct and direct. After all, you only have about three seconds to make an impression and turn a prospect into a viable lead.

Jules Sowder is an executive marketing advisor with 20 years of experience developing strategic marketing and sales solutions for businesses. For more information, visit her resource website www.Trade-Show-Advisor.com.

By Jules Sowder

Bling Your Business Cards

Just as your eyes are the windows to your soul, your business card reveals more about your business than just your contact information. “It’s often someone’s first contact with a brand,” says Michael Schneider, president of Los Angeles based cohesive branding and web development agency Fluidesign. What can a transformation do for your brand? We found three entrepreneurs who went the extra mile and created business cards that truly reflect their businesses.

Kathryn Goetzke White switched her business cards from paper to recyclable plastic for her Annapolis, Maryland, marketing consulting company, Innovative Analysis. When she started a new division of the company in 2004 launching a mood-enhancing product line that includes lights, teas and scents–White decided to use the same recyclable, hard, clear plastic she used for product packaging for the new business’s cards. She succeeded in reinforcing both businesses’ images of creativity. “People feel it, look through it and say it truly is innovative,” says White, 35. White named her new venture Mood-factory and developed another version of the plastic business cards. She projects 2007 sales of about $1.5 million.

It was only fitting for Anthony Dadika to hand out a business card resembling a woven label, since his business, ITC Manufacturers Group Inc. in New York City, manufactures woven labels for garments. Ever since he switched from a plain paper card in 1990, people have been asking Dadika to manufacture cards for them (unfortunately for fans of his cards, it would be too expensive for him to do so). “I’d say more than anything, [the card has] gotten people to remember us,” says Dadika, who projects 2007 revenue of about $6 million. He says that plenty of business continues to come from people who love the ingenious cards.

Every time John Costigan of John Costigan Companies hands out one of his metal business cards with a custom cutout of his own profile, he’s giving away $2. But Costigan, whose Cary, North Carolina, sales training firm expects revenue of $2 million for 2007, says it doesn’t hold him back one second. He estimates that he’s gained over $100,000 in business since debuting the cards in 2003. “Metal represents what my company is–sharp, different, bold,” says Costigan, 43. He hands out a card to every person who takes his class, reasoning, “The return on investment is more than worth it.”

10 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007

 

Throughout 2006, I’ve been watching and interpreting the marketing stats and studies that impact small businesses to give you tips on staying one step ahead. Now, with 2007 fast approaching, let’s look at a roundup of the hottest trends, from changes taking place among consumer audiences through what to watch for in traditional and online marketing. Here’s the info you need on the most important trends and how to make the most of them to increase sales and grow your business in the New Year. 

Consumer Trends

1. College Grads
If you’re searching for the most effective way to reach this desirable prospect group, move your marketing dollars into online media. The internet is now the primary source of media and entertainment among college grads, whose top planned purchases upon graduation are professional clothing, travel/airline tickets, health insurance and furniture according to the “Y2M: eGrad College Graduate Survey”. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are online purchasers, making them ideal candidates for your online campaign. 

2. Affluent Working Women
The big news is that this group is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. About half are now considered heavy users of the internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has all declined within this group. To increase sales from this expanding audience, alter your media spending to place greater emphasis online.

3. Asian Population Growth
The southern region of the U.S. boasts the fastest Asian population growth rate (31 percent), followed by the Midwest (24 percent), the Northeast (23 percent) and the West (19 percent), according to an analysis of Census Bureau data in the “American Community Survey” by Kang & Lee Advertising. Asians represent a prospect group with higher than average household incomes and education levels. Can you offer a product or service that will appeal to this growing market? 

4. Word-Of-Mouth
Want to build buzz? Lucid Marketing’s study, “U.S. Adults: Word of Mouth Communications,” found that women were more likely than men to share a positive experience with a business or recommend an enjoyable product; full-time employees made substantially more daily contacts than those not in the workforce; and people with household earnings of more than $100,000 were more likely to make recommendations than those earning less. So buzz marketers should direct efforts to these three “chatty” groups.

Trends in Traditional Media

5. Yellow Pages
According to a study from the Kelsey group, marketers targeting younger demographics should transition away from print. Only 28 percent of teens said they would turn to print Yellow Pages first to find a local business, product, or service, while 47 percent said their first choice would be search engines. And just 44 percent of respondents between the ages and 18 and 34 favored print Yellow Pages.

6. Simultaneous Media Usage
There’s no longer such a thing as a captive media audience–consumers are frequently participating in more than one form of media at any one time. Seventy percent of web users, for instance, watch TV occasionally to regularly while online, according to BIGresearch’s “Simultaneous Media Survey.” It also found that nearly 65 percent watch TV while they read, and 51 percent of radio listeners read the newspaper while listening. The rise in multitasking among consumers mandates an integrated media approach and an increased emphasis on advertising within the most relevant and engaging content.

7. Newspapers
This past year, many of the websites of major newspapers have become the number-one portals in their geographic markets and are drawing a larger, younger and more affluent readership. The audience that reads a newspaper’s website but not its print version accounts for 2 to 15 percent of the Integrated Newspaper Audience, according to Scarborough Research, and that represents hundreds of thousands of readers for many newspapers in larger markets. They’re successfully attracting 18-to-34-year-olds to their sites, and the online readers are more upscale, which can make them a more desirable audience. If you’re an advertiser in the “print” newspaper, you can negotiate for a combo rate to run online as well to reach these additional readers. And if advertising in the print newspaper is too expensive for your business, you may find more affordable rates online by drilling down past the main pages to place ads on content-rich, but less frequently visited web pages.

Hot Online Trends 

8. Web Conferencing
As business travel becomes increasingly challenging due to increased security, advance check-in times and transportation delays, online workshops and meetings that require no travel are coming to the forefront. It’s more desirable than ever to demo your new product to a group or make a sales presentation without anyone ever leaving home. Participants can watch your presentation on their computer monitors and hear you live on their computer speakers or by phone. In fact, I’m now transitioning to this technology to deliver webinars, and you can, too. 

9. Online Research
Whether you sell exclusively online or primarily through a brick-and-mortar site, online search will have a profound impact on your sales in 2007. When asked how often they researched products online before buying them in person or in a store, 87 percent of nearly 7,500 respondents to a BIGresearch “Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey” said they did so occasionally to regularly. And a comScore research study showed that 63 percent of searchers completed a purchase in offline retail stores following their search activity. So no matter whether you sell online, off-line or both, you need a great website with deep, persuasive content that keeps your prospects and customers shopping on your site or sends them to your store.

10. Local Search
Want to know where to invest your online marketing dollars in 2007? Aim for higher rankings in the top search engines. Sixty-two percent of searchers click on a link within the first page of results, according to a report from iProspect and Jupiter Research. To win higher rankings in natural search results, you can optimize your site by sprinkling the keyword phrases your best prospects will be searching for throughout all the pages of your site, in your page descriptions and in metatags. You should also secure links to your site from other high-ranking websites. But to guarantee you’ll turn up in the top search results, invest in a paid search campaign. Local search campaigns are often the most affordable and will bring traffic from your immediate market area in the New Year.

Kim T. Gordon is the “Marketing” coach at Entrepreneur.com and a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. Over the past 26 years, she’s helped millions of small-business owners increase their success through her company,National Marketing Federation Inc.Her latest book,Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars, is now available. 

Low-Cost Marketing Trends for 2007

 

Businesses, especially small businesses, continue to fight the pressures of improving their bottom line. This means they don’t have a blank checkbook to spend on marketing. Enter guerrilla marketing: Getting the word out about a business without investing in traditional or Yellow Pages advertising is the challenge at hand. Using time, energy, knowledge, information and especially imagination will be the best practice of the most successful marketers.

So what will guerrilla marketers be doing in 2007? Emphasizing PR, positioning, communication of benefits, networking and more. Take a look:

Local Search
Though we’ll discuss globalization later, most small businesses market locally because they tend to do business within their community, suburb or city–typically staying within about a 50- to 100-mile radius. If this sounds like your business, you don’t need to invest in marketing that reaches beyond your local audience, like search engines that reach the whole world. The desired goal is to isolate your search engine listings and related online advertising dollars in an area where you do want to do business.

To learn more about targeting your search engine advertising dollars to your local audience, start with the list of local search engines at LocalSearchGuide.org.

Podcasts
Never before has the online community had such an opportunity to reach its audience offline. On top of that, the spammers and hackers haven’t yet found a way to infiltrate podcasting. (They probably will, but not like they’ve done with e-mail.)

Podcasts, like any information you put out, should be of interest and value to your target market. What do they need to help their businesses or their personal lives? What solutions do you have that they would like to hear more about? These are the things people find interesting in podcasts. A once-a-month delivery promoted through all your other marketing channels will give a real synergistic boost to your marketing.

Blogs
There are 100 times more blogs than there were three years ago, according Sifry’s Alerts’ August post on the State of the Blogosphere. At first, it was only the most tech-savvy businesses that had blogs. Now blogging is on the increase with all types of businesses because it’s a cost-effective way to create marketing buzz and communities of support.

Blogging is like having a conversation with your target market. It also provides an interactive forum for your target market to talk back to you. And a blog done in conjunction with your website gives you one more way to reach your prospects.

The best part is, many blog programs allow you to set everything up yourself with little or no technical know-how. If you’re not sure you’ll be able to support a blog on your own, contribute to someone else’s. This’ll help you gain exposure and position you as an expert in your field.

Online Advertising
Ad dollars are continuing to shift to the internet and will continue to do so as new opportunities such as video open up. Online ad spending increases have been driven by the growing ability to measure campaigns effectively and a relatively high ROI. As a result, for many businesses, the question isn’t whether to advertise online or even where or when, but rather how to stretch every dollar spent.

For the everyday entrepreneur and guerrilla marketer, this translates into a focused pay-per-click campaign on Yahoo! or Google AdWords. You can focus on a particular target market searching particular keywords and test your campaign instantly, all for fewer dollars than the old mass-market banner ads and certainly for a lot less than the cost of print ads.

Expanding to Global Markets
Borders are being removed in the business world because international labor rates and talent levels make location irrelevant on the internet. No longer is going global just for large corporations; Sally’s e-commerce bead shop that’s operating from a home office can now do business in as many countries as have internet access.

For the aggressive entrepreneur, marketing globally is done mostly online. Using pay-per-click campaigns, a focused opt-in e-mail campaign or other traffic-generation techniques, a local entrepreneur can easily reach a global market.

The internet has also greatly reduced language barriers. A lot of e-commerce is done in English, so there’s not necessarily a huge need to translate. However, translated websites do open up new opportunities.

Expanding to global markets can be done with your e-commerce website or as an affiliate of the many thousands of retail portals available online, like Amazon.com and eBay.

Direct Marketing
No longer are awareness ads or even branding ads generating enough results to justify their use. Today’s consumers want to know what’s in it for them. They want a deal, a discount or something special. These all have implications for increased direct marketing. In addition, with all the technology available to us for managing databases, target markets can be more tightly defined, segregated, sorted, compiled and marketed to, providing a higher return to those employing direct marketing.

For today’s entrepreneur, direct marketing can start with a simple postcard campaign to 1,000 prospects. Doing this frequently will generate interest and awareness in your products and services and motivate prospects to buy from you. Learn more about direct marketing at our “Direct Mail and Coupons” page.

 

Al Lautenslager is the “Guerrilla Marketing” coach at Entrepreneur.com and is an award-winning marketing and PR consultant and direct-mail promotion specialist. He’s also the principle of Market For Profits, a Chicago-based marketing consulting firm. His two latest books, Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days and The Ultimate Guide to Direct Marketing are available at www.entrepreneurpress.com.

15 Sites for Promoting Your Local Business

The advertising of the future is going online–and going local. This hot trend is growing rapidly and shows no signs of letting up. In fact, according to a report by Borrell Associates, local online advertising is expected to grow by 31 percent this year, hitting $7.7 billion. The report also predicts local paid search will skyrocket by 86 percent this year, up to $1.8 billion. Local e-mail marketing will experience growth of about 54 percent, reaching $233 million.

There’s no question that consumers are using the internet to navigate their way to local brick-and-mortar retailers. A recent study by ROI Research Inc. and Performics shows that online searches influence 20 to 30 percent of purchases made at retail locations–and that number is only increasing. More and more sites, like Local.com, are making their presence known by competing against major search engines like Google and Yahoo!. So study up, plan your budget and get in on the online advertising game.

1. Website: Google AdWords
How It Will Help You: AdWords helps you target local online customers by setting your pay-per-click ads to appear only when people search a particular city, state or region. There’s no minimum spending requirement–your daily budget is up to you.

2. Website: Yahoo! Local Listings
How It Will Help You: Local Listings will promote your business to customers looking for information in Yahoo! Local. Choose from three different plans (one is free) to meet your company’s needs.

3. Website: CitySearch
How It Will Help You: CitySearch offers online advertising tools to easily open your account, manage your daily results and receive ad placement on MSN, Yahoo!, Google and Ask.com. Similar to the idea of pay-per-click advertising, CitySearch offers two paid plans, “Web Connect” and “Call Connect.”

4. Website: Ask.com’s AskCity
How It Will Help You: Ask.com recently launched AskCity, a new local search application that’s a one-stop destination for making plans. In one screen, consumers can map a route, make dinner reservations, purchase movie tickets and e-mail plans to others. Pricing for advertising on Ask.com varies.

5. Website: AOL’s CityGuide
How It Will Help You: AOL’s CityGuide specializes in providing local entertainment information to AOL service members. Advertising with AOL allows marketers to target consumers specifically by lifestyle and market.

6. Website: Craigslist
How It Will Help You: Craigslist gets an estimated 10 million unique visitors per day. With an online classified ad format organized by region or city, Craigslist connects buyers and sellers in more than 300 communities; for the most part, posting on the site is free.

7. Website: MerchantCircle.com
How It Will Help You: This free site offers a local business listing service that allows you to better manage your online reputation and become more visible in search engine results.

8. Website: Dotster
How It Will Help You: Dotster is a web domain registration and hosting company offering a local web advertising package called “Local Site Promotion.” You set your monthly budget and Dotster will make your ad visible on all the major search engines.

9. Website: Local.com
How It Will Help You: Advertising on Local.com will give you access to their 10 million-plus monthly customers. Choose from a free basic listing or pay-per-click options.

10. Website: Froogle Local
How It Will Help You: Google’s shopping search engine allows users to search for specific products by location. It’s a great way for users to find retail stores regardless of whether you use e-commerce.

11. Website:ReachLocal
How It Will Help You: This site provides a central location for businesses to set-up, maintain and track local search advertising campaigns. Pricing varies.

12. Website: RegisterLocal
How It Will Help You: RegisterLocal is a service, costing $199.95 per year, that allows you to create a master profile they submit to search engines and directories on your behalf.

13. Website: TrueLocal
How It Will Help You: This local search engine features full-text searching and offers advertising opportunities for businesses. Currently indexing more than 13 million local businesses, TrueLocal starts at just $1 per month.

14. Website: YellowPages.com
How It Will Help You: YellowPages.com is a large online local directory site featuring city guides and advertising solutions. Basic listings are free.

15. Website: Web.com’s MyEzClicks program
How It Will Help You: MyEzClicks lists your business on more than 30 major search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and MSN for a monthly fee.

Don’t Sell to Your Network–Educate Them

 

When entrepreneurs try to develop a qualified, consistent and dynamic circle of networking partners who are going to provide them with referrals for new business, their tendency is often to “sell” those individuals on their product. It’s as if by showing them all the finer points of what’s available, convincing them to try their product and closing the sale with their networking partners, they’ll somehow realize an influx of referrals.

I don’t disagree that in order for the members of your networking group to refer you effectively they must be familiar with what you have to offer; however, it’s important to resist your urge to sell to group members. What do I mean by that?

Educating your networking group’s members about the type of referrals you want–specifically, where applicable, even the names of the individuals with whom you want to meet and develop relationships–is much more important to the success of your networking in a closed contact network than selling to other members. This demands a shift in how you see your networking partners. They’re not the clients; they are, in effect, your sales force. And for your sales force to sell you effectively, they have to know who to sell you to and how to sell you.

Below are four tips for incorporating this educational style into your networking meetings:

1. Teach your network members what your “dream referral” looks like. If you could go to your next networking meeting with a walking, talking dream referral in tow, what would he or she be like? Describe this person in detail to your networking partners. The more details you can provide, the greater the chance that your partners will recognize that person when they come across him or her outside the meeting.

2. Share customer profiles and case studies of current customers. This is a highly effective way to educate your networking partners about what it is you’re looking for in a new client. By sharing the qualities of your current clientele, you’re illuminating the canvas for the rest of the group so they can see the picture you’re painting for them. When appropriate, consider bringing in a customer or client to talk about how you’ve helped him or her. These kinds of interactions go a long way toward educating the group as to the type of person you wish to have referred to you.

3. Break your business down into its lowest common denominators. It’s very tempting to start your personal introduction with a statement like: “We’re a full-service XYZ.” Resist this urge! When you have 52 opportunities over the course of a year to talk about your products and services, don’t waste the opportunity to highlight one aspect of your business by painting with the full-service brush. Get detailed! Educate your networking partners week by week about the specific things you provide. Bring support material to provide a visual. Do demonstrations, when possible.

4. Ask specifically for the referral you want. I often hear members of networking groups say things like “Anyone who needs . . .” or “Everyone who’s looking for . . .” Usually, when I hear “anyone” or “everyone,” I tune out, because I know so many anyones and everyones that I end up referring no one. This is an interesting dynamic that has to do with information overload. When you’re asking for a specific type of business referral, your request from your networking partners should be specific. Using a broad, generic catchphrase will limit the effectiveness of your results.

By keeping your focus on educating your networking partners about what type of referrals you wish to receive, you’ll find that the referrals you begin to get will be of a higher caliber and offer more chances of becoming closed sales than if you try to sell the members on what you’re offering. You should be trying to educate a sales force instead of trying to close a sale. Shift your intention in the group, and you’ll find that the quality of your referrals will improve.

Dr. Ivan Misner is Entrepreneur.com’s “Networking” columnistand a New York Times bestselling author. He’s also the founder and chairman of BNI, the world’s largest referral organization with thousands of chapters in dozens of countries around the world. His latest book, Masters of Success, can be viewed at www.MastersofSuccess.biz