Marketing with Notepads
Small and solo business owners love finding new and innovative ways to stay in touch with clients. It doesn’t seem that new ideas exist, but new products to express appreciation do.
That’s one reason I attended The Stationery Show, held last week at New York’s Javits Center.
One item that I often give to clients is a notepad. Everyone has a reason to write notes for anything from a shopping list to goals that appear in bulleted form within a PowerPoint presentation.
Why not give them a good-looking item to keep their notes organized and easy to find?
Wellspring sells such items. I absolutely love their Flip Notes and Auto Notes.
Flip Notes fit into a briefcase, purse, or pocket, while Auto Notes are clipped onto a vehicle’s visor. Both support a label that you customize and place onto the product to remind clients who provided them with these handy tools.
Consider giving your customers an attractive notepad when searching for a mid-year or end-of-year appreciation gifts.
Technorati Tags: The National Stationery Show, Wellspring, Flip Notes, Auto Notes, small business owner, solo business owner, small business marketing, notepad
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Weekend Ideas and Inspiration
Twice this week I left the office get work done. I returned to my cubbyhole at the library, which was extremely helpful, and I went to The Stationery Show at New York’s Javits Center. I hope to share some show products with you next week.
Anita Campbell posted a fantastic review of MySpace.com on her Small Business Trends blog. I’ve read articles that say MySpace holds promise for business owners, but I didn’t believe it. Now that I’ve read Anita’s review, my thoughts are vindicated. Read and consider it for yourself.
MarketingProfs.com features an article entitled, “Five Components of Effective Sales and Marketing Communication,” by Mark Organ. It details the importance of creating a tailored message and multi-step campaign to get your target market to say “yes.”
Claire Tompkins of Productivity Goal interviewed me this week for her One Question Series. Liz Strauss of Successful Blog was the interviewee last week. Claire dared to reach into our minds to find out what top three productivity techniques we favor most.
Which of the three links inspired you most?
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Lubricate Your Business’s Weak Spots
Ridge revealed that the company not only decided to create new packaging (pen sized and a blast can) for WD-40, but they also bought a few cleaning companies that don’t compete directly with the core product.
What I found of benefit to small and solo business owners were the five tips shared by Ridge. The tips focus on selling household brands, but they are also beneficial to us. Here are the tips, shown in quotes, along with my own take on how each relates to the one-person enterprise.
1. “Don’t slap your name on just anything to make a buck.” Customers won’t hear the passion or fire in your voice when speaking with you about such products or services. It’s a dead giveaway that you don’t believe in what you’re selling.
2. “Find weaknesses with existing products and fix them. Then you can charge more.” If a report or service is highly priced, cut it up into smaller pieces that customers will buy quicker than the whole pie. I talked about this in Sell Small Pieces of Large Reports.
3. “But raise prices cautiously; make consumers feel they got more than expected and don’t hide company inefficiencies behind price hikes.” Offer an incentive that’s easy to add yet seen by the client as a worthwhile bonus.
4. “Seek new consumer bases, and design for them.” Client feedback uncovers great ideas. The question is: do you hear what they’re saying?
5. “Invest in products that consumers will always need.” This is possible through affiliates and other partnerships when your budget doesn’t allow for an outright purchase.
Technorati Tags: Wall Street Journal, Garry Ridge, WD-40, solo business owner, small business owner, small business marketing
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Web Strategies Keep Clients Clicking
It’s not a new Web topic, but it is one that’s very popular and is sure to get the attention of thousands of couples who will soon tie the knot.
I was very impressed with the layout and especially enthused to see so many links to every conceivable wedding concern.
There’s information on:
*Cermony options
*Vow samples
*Wedding FAQs
*Planning
*Pre-Marital counseling
She even has a newsletter and chatroom. It’s all laid out in an organized manner so that brides and grooms get the full benefit of her support before and after the ceremony.
Small and solo business owners must assess the data contained on their Web sites as often as possible. You might have a timetable to review it every quarter, semi-annually, or other schedule. This very-important component of your overallmarketing plan is crucial to your online strategy.
One part of your review may be to look at competitive sites to compare what others are offering. Most of all, you should listen to what clients request. Don’t just hear what they say. Read between the lines and develop new information that clients want before they ask. That will keep you firmly ahead of anyone in your industry.
What do you think of completing a site assessment before July 1? That’s my goal.
Technorati Tags: solo business owner, marketing plan, small business marketing, small business owner
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Shirley George Frazier - Solo Business Expert, Author, College Mentor
When you hire me to speak at your conference, college or special event, attendees will thank you for a great program. Media interviews also welcomed. Call or Email me. 973-279-2799 or shirley@shirleyspeaks.com.
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