I was recently working with a customer who wanted to kick off a new marketing campaign to drive more business to his auto repair and maintenance shop. In fact, he never really used marketing as a tool to drive new business because he didn't have a lot of competition up until a few years ago.

He was very anxious because his dollars are very valuable and he wanted to make sure whatever tactics (postcard, direct mail, email marketing, etc.) that he chose would bring customers into his shop. Of course, there are no guarantees and marketing can be trial and error, but taking a close look at what the competition is doing is a good start to see what might already be working in his industry.

So we started putting thoughts on paper. I had him tell me about his local competitors as well as those in his industry who also seem to be doing the right things to drive business. What were they doing to get more customers? Did they have a promotion or guarantee or something that made their auto repair shop bring customers in the door? He also made a roadtrip to their stores to see what kind of specials they had.

What he discovered what that his competitors did a great job of using local advertising combined with website promotions to drive traffic. They had specials of the month and each time a customer came in, they received a coupon towards their next oil change. They also had a punch card that they sold to customers giving them a reduced price on common maintenance like windshield wiper replacements, coolant flushing and filter changes. And no matter what, they always received a car wash with each service.

Wow, in just a little google searching and a visit to his competitors business we were able to quickly put a coupon mailer in place as well as some cool internet promotions. Last I heard, sales were up and he's excited about getting into punch card promotions.

Research shows that almost 90% of Web users find sites through search engines. For the small business owner, effective search engine marketing can mean the difference between high-profit visibility and growth-choking obscurity. Many business owners are surprised to learn that a well-placed listing on Google or Yahoo can bring more visitors to your site at less cost than many other marketing options, including e-mail, banner ads, print media, and even television ads.     

Search Engine Marketing – the term the pros use to describe steps you take to improve your ranking on major search engines – is definitely worth the time and money it may take to re-tool your site for maximum visibility.           

What should you do to get started?

• First, carefully identify and incorporate the words and phrases your best prospects are most likely to use in searching for whatever you provide;
• Get specific.  Include your city and state to raise the odds of attracting visitors in your market;
• Avoid using flash on the home page of your web site
• Link your site.  Search Engine visibility increases when links to your website appear on other sites…the more traffic to those sites, the better. 

As you dive deeper into SEM, there are lots of other things you can do to increase your rankings like linking campaigns, submissions to directories, etc. But it's good just to have a basic plan to get started. The long-term benefits include highly targeted traffic comprised of visitors who need what you have to offer, greater brand awareness for your business and increased value when it comes time to sell.

Worldwide, web surfers perform more than 500 million searches every day.  It’s an astounding figure and underscores the value of search engines in guiding the right people to your site. Without search engines, finding your web site would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Why not come to the top of the stack!

At the PRstore, I recently met with a potential customer and small business owner who has a successful industrial lumber company. He has a nice stable business but the slight downturn in the economy and the "Green Movement" is starting to impact his business. He hasn't had to do much marketing in the past so is now looking for some marketing help to see if he can go after a larger customer base.

One of his first comments was this, "Help me with this mysterious thing called marketing. We know we need it, but we're not sure what it's all about. Where do I start?"

It's a pretty common question actually and I can quickly determine what part of the marketing cycle a customer is in. There is a pretty easy way to look at it by asking yourself some simple questions:

Do you have a logo? Your logo reflects who you are and what your business is about. It should be a logo you're proud of and something you want to share with the world! If you don't have one, get one!  Just letter type on a business card doesn't do much to ensure people know who you are right away.

Do you have a corporate identity (letterhead, business cards, envelopes, etc.)? If so you're off to a good start, you have a brand image.

Okay, you now have some basic tools ready to help you start to make contact with customers, business associates, etc. But what do you give customers to tell them about your business? You need "leave behinds" or sales tools. Print a nice brochure or single page flyer and make sure all your contact information is on it. Having a few slots for a business card doesn't hurt either.

But a brochure alone won't do. You need a website. Boy do you need a website. People look for information about companies on their website. Get one and get it optimized with keywords so you come up quickly on search engines. If you sell high performing bmx bikes in Richfield, Minnesota then I would assume that every page of your website has a reference to bmx bikes and Richfield, Minnesota. Optimizing isn't difficult, but you need to be consistent and persistent.

So now you have a place for people to find out who you are and a brochure to hand out when you're on a call. Now how do you get business in the door? This is where the fun begins and it also involves a little skill in determining who your target customer is. What does your target audience read? Newspapers? Magazines? What do they do in their spare time? Hunt, Race Cars? Do they listen to the radio? If so is it classic rock or light rock? And so on… You can do postcards, email marketing, space advertising, radio spots, etc. once you embrace your audience and find out a little bit about them. Then go to town. If you're dealing with 35 year-old fishermen then you might want to invest in a classic rock radio station, sports fishing magazine ads and a postcard campaign that gives them free bait on saturdays. Appeal to what your customers want, then provide the best darn customer service and continue to entice them to buy from you.

It's not rocket science but it does mean you need to get very close to your customer and figure out how they buy, what they buy and why they buy.

This is obviously a very simple way to look at this, but it's a good start. Getting into PR, social media and marketing events is a whole nother topic!

Often scorned as junk mail or spam, direct marketing is actually a very effective marketing tool. When businesses target a mailing to their specific type of customer, it can reap impressive results and help build a company’s brand. Not bad for such an inexpensive form of marketing. 

According the US Postal Service, every year Americans spend over $500 billion in response to direct mail advertising. It’s also been determined that the most effective types of direct mail are postcards and their electronic counterparts, e-blasts. In fact, the USPS says that only 14 percent of direct mail letters are opened, as opposed to an impressive 94 percent of postcards which are read. Effective direct marketing depends on a compelling design and a clear call to action. Give them something free, tell them something they don't know or entice them to come in your business to experience something very cool! Even a large postcard must still be small enough to fit in a mailbox, and due to that small size the message must be simple, timely and relevant. The design also needs to be strong so that the piece acts like a mini-billboard. 

Of course every business owner is most concerned with one thing – cost. Direct marketing is arguably a very affordable way for a business to get its message out to a large group. For example, PRstore sells a Big Hit postcard, including writing and design, for under $600. The cost to print 500 cards is also under $600. Then it’s just the cost of postage which can vary from .30 to .50 cents each depending on the size of the card. An eblast is even less for the whole package at $700 for writing, design and programming. And it’s a mere $50 to send it as long as you have your customers emails. 

The “catch” to direct marketing is a highly targeted, research-based list of recipients. This is a crucial step in any direct mail or e-mail program. The business must target their customers – or people who would likely be their customers – or the whole program is a waste of time and energy. If the business doesn’t have a snail mail list, they are available for purchase from a host of companies. A direct e-mail list, however, should never be purchased from a third party. These lists must be permission-based to be legal and require a direct opt-in from the recipient. 

A direct marketing campaign is most effective if the business establishes a regular mailing or e-mailing program. By frequently targeting the same list of recipients with offers, news, specials and promotions the business will stay top-of-mind with consumer which will positively affect the bottom line. Not everyone is ready to buy right now, but chances are if you send them enough information they will be ready to buy at some point.

I was just in Mexico for a much needed vacation. It was fabulous, by the way. All-inclusive hotels are really the way to go. We had tons of fun and the place was absolutely packed full of sun seeking, foo foo drink lovin' vacationers. So once we had our fill of the free stuff we headed into town for a light dinner and a little shopping. They had both the malls as well as more of a bartering flea market.

I must say I have become quite comfortable with the soft sell approach (and sometimes lack of selling skills) provided by retail sales people in the US. In Mexico, you couldn't walk two feet without a pushy salesperson inviting you to shop inside their store. It didn't matter if it was the mall or a flea market, they don't stop talking to you. It got to the point where it was down right annoying. I wanted to shop in peace at my own pace. If you did happen to wander into a store then the sales rep followed you trying to show you things. So I guess the question is…does anyone like that type of sales approach? I love to shop and I truly didn't want to shop anymore. To me, it was a huge turn off.

Showing people that you're interested in what they have to offer and available for help if they need it is great, but to not allow them a little freedom to wander and take in all you have to offer can do you harm in the end. So I guess a little lesson to us all. Don't show your desparation for a sale. Make sure your customers like and appreciate you and all you have to offer. First impressions are huge!

I often get the question, "Are giveaways at tradeshows really worth it?" Do people really want flashlights, pens, stuffed animals and stress balls? From a branding perspecitive, anywhere a small business can get its name in front of potential customers is always a good thing. First off, every time customers pick up a pen or look down at a mousepad with your logo is a reminder that they may need your service. But does it pay to give them away at tradeshows?

Being in marketing, you would think that I would always have promotional items to give away at a tradeshow, but being that I am a small business owner, I ran out of time and didn't order them in time for a rather larger dental show where I was exhibiting. I showed plenty of promotional items they could buy through the PRstore, but I didn't have anything to give away from PRstore.

The guy next to me was much smarter. He gave away aloe chapstick in tons of different flavors. Citrus seemed to be the most popular. How do I know that? Because his booth was constantly flocked with people picking up their chapstick. At one point I told him he would have to pay me booth fees because his crowd of chapstick lovers was using my booth space to get to at his many flavor sticks. But here's the key to it all. He didn't just let them grab the chapstick and walk away, he took the opportunity to tell them about the chapstick and every other aloe thing he sold. And yes, many stayed to listen to his pitch and yes, many more heard his pitch than mine.

So are tradeshow giveaways really worth it? Absolutely! If you give them away and give your pitch at the same time. And obviously if you've got aloe flavored chapstick, it's even better!

Okay let's face it, thinking of headlines is fun. Watching superbowl commericals and thinking of some of your own is really fun. But it's also important to know that you shouldn't put that fun to paper unless you're really good at it and other people think you're really good at it. No, I don't mean your mom or Aunt Betty thinks your really good at designing your own brochure because you made exceptionally good stick figure people pictures in the sixth grade. Do yourself a favor…hire a professional writer and designer.

At the PRstore, I have seen so many marketing brochures that are - no doubt - hand done and they look like it! Small business owners find some pretty clip art, four different kinds of funky colored type and a color printer, and presto they think they have a brochure or business card or logo or whatever. Yes it saves money but they just lowered their credibility. If you're trying to sell businesses a premier software package that retails for $20,000 but your marketing materials looks like it costs .50 cents, do you really think people believe you are selling a quality product? Do you really think they will want to invest in you? When you are picking out a new flat screen TV for your home, don't you select name brands with nice logos and literature? Why… because those brands have earned your trust. You know they are quality because they invest in themselves and believe in themselves. You started a business. You work hard. Make sure everyone sees just how good you look! Your mom would be proud.

Branding is one of those marketing concepts that isn't always easy to grasp. Maribeth Jenkins, PRstore owner out of Gastonia, North Carolina had a write up in her local paper that pretty much sums it up from a small business perspective: "Why Small Businesses Should Act Like Big Businesses." Check it out. A good, quick read! 

 http://www.gastongazette.com/news/businesses_19038___article.html/branding_brand.html

Writing my own blog is truely a kick, but I must tell you that reading other people's blogs is just as enjoyable, especially when you find those true gems. Check out http://www.marketingcbus.com/ and view the video that Justin "Marketing Guy" has front and center on his blog. It's an inspirational talk from a man who is dying but chooses to live life to the fullest until his last breath. He offers great advice how to enjoy life and let Charma work for you. As small business owners, we run into obstacles all the time, but never one so great as death. So the next time your sales are lower than expected and you spend time worrying rather than embracing the challenge and moving forward, pick yourself up and grow your sales even bigger!

Laurie Englert
www.prstore.com

Sure, you're proud of the way you started your business with a few hundred bucks and a business card. You've lived on two hours of sleep for three consecutive years and sacrificed countless hours and a small mound of bitten fingernails to get where you are today. What do your customers think about all this? Actually, they don't care.

What they are more interested in is, "What's in it for them?" And that's just what your marketing collateral, whether printed or electronic should tell them.

When you think about what you want to say in your next brochure, e-blast or direct mail campaign, check your ego at the door and focus on your customers. What are their biggest problems? How does your product or service help solve those problems? What specific benefits will your customers realize by choosing you over the competition or another option? The more specific you get the better, as clarity is key to marketing success.

Want to make the most of your marketing dollars? Save your war stories for the golf course and tell your customers what they really want to know - what you can do for them again and again. And don't forget to say thank you.