A Sweet Way to Get Attention
I appreciate the early review of what will be on sale in the upcoming week.
One area of interest is the coupon brochures. The more I can save on items at the supermarket, the more money I can invest on marketing items for business.
Mars Incorporated, the confections giant, added a coupon for a free 8 oz. bag of custom printed M&M’s with any order. It’s a consumer promotion with business potential. I visited the M&M’s Web site to see the options and pricing.
Custom printed M&M’s are limited to words totaling eight characters place on two individual lines, which makes sense because of the small candy-coated surface. After choosing your custom message, the candies are packaged in either an 8 oz. bag, silver tin, gift bag, clear box, or fabric bag.
The silver tin looks promising as a promotion for small and solo business owners, and the $4.25 price per tin, before shipping, is affordable.
You wouldn’t buy chocolate candies right now, but using them as part of your fall or winter marketing campaign may be worthwhile.
What I appreciate about this product is the alternatives you might consider if M&M’s don’t mix with your image. For example, bank tellers at one of my bank’s branches distribute Red Hots. A slogan such as “Work with us, and we’ll make your business sizzle” attached by label onto the packaging is an idea that may cost less than custom chocolates and bring you just as many sales.
There are plenty of confections that create promotional opportunities for your business. From now on, I bet you’ll never look at a store’s candy section the same way.
Reply to this post if you want the code for the free 8 oz. bag with any custom-printed M&M’s order.
Related Post: A Sweet Way to Say “Thanks”
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Site Maps Point Visitors in the Right Direction
I’m enjoying a mini vacation this week.
My mom is on vacation from her part-time job, so I decided to join her and visit new and different places within our state.
We love to shop, but we browse more than we buy. Then we have lunch and extend our travels before returning home late afternoon.
One day we traveled three hours to Atlantic City. Gambling is not on our agenda. AC contains outlet stores along Atlantic and Michigan Avenues. While my mom was in one store, I stayed outside and snapped a few pictures.
The top photo is of stores and the back of Caesar’s; the other shows the outlet directory map.
This map is consulted frequently by visitors who want to make sure they’re not overlooking a favorite store or location.
The directory made me think about Web site maps. Have you created one for your site?
It’s imperative that small and solo business owners simplify the task of locating information on their sites. Nothing drives a buyer away quicker than confusion. Site maps make navigation easy.
A site map uncovers page contents. Best of all, it’s simple to create. Massive sites may take time to map, but after all the work it’s taken to optimize your site and market your business, it’s smart to create a directory for people who enter your virtual door to buy products or services.
I created a site map for the Solo Business Marketing site and my other site. Do you make finding information on your site easy for visitors?
Technorati Tags: small business owner, solo business owner, small business marketing, site map, navigation
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Where Marketing Books are Plentiful
I’ve also noticed that these same bookstores have removed numerous chairs and tables. Perhaps it’s an attempt to turn browsers into buyers.
There’s still one place where small and solo business owners can find hundreds of books on marketing, and some are brand new, just like the ones found in bookstores. It’s the library.
Before the Internet became the place where we surf for marketing ideas from the seat of our pants, the library was the only location to learn basic and advanced marketing concepts. It’s the place where I learned to:
1. Promote myself for television appearances. I’ve appeared on CNBC, Food Network, Channel 5 New York, New Jersey Network, and The Discovery Channel.
2. Market my expertise by writing books. My first book was a self-published, spiral-bound marketing manual, and now I’m working on my third mass-market book contracted by a publisher.
3. Employ guerilla tactics, swim with sharks, and click with customers. I could have purchased these books, but I rented them at the library and put the money I saved into a business that’s both rewarding and fulfilling.
After all these years, my stomach still becomes knotted as I enter the library. I can’t wait to browse through the new book section and 651 rack. Most of all, I use the information found in those books to practice tried-and-true marketing techniques.
In Business Las Vegas features an article about the untapped resources found in Nevada libraries. The same is probably true about libraries in your area.
Visit your local library this summer if you find yourself with some spare time. I can almost guarantee that the inspiration you seek is waiting in a book available free of charge for 30 days.
Technorati Tags: small business marketing, small business owner, solo business owner, library, In Business Las Vegas
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My On-the-Road Marketing Kit
I’m preparing to speak at the Philadelphia Gift Show on Sunday (the picture at left shows my two programs at the January trade event). Getting ready takes a lot more than creating a PowerPoint presentation. It’s just not that simple.
This seminar is all about gift baskets, which means I must design multiple baskets to show buyers how to create their own. In addition, I talk extensively about finding customers through as many marketing options as possible.
I love sharing ideas with seminar attendees, but before I go on stage, I create my own list of marketing items to accompany me. This includes:
1. Postcards promoting my two Web sites and blogs.
2. Business cards for both sites and the specialty for each.
3. Videos and marketing CDs sold at a cash-and-carry price.
4. Handout, previously submitted to show management for duplication and seminar distribution.
5. Camera to capture the seminar room’s appearance, filled with attendees, just before I present the program.
Materials promoting your Web sites and how attendees can contact you after the presentation are mandatory for all marketers, whether speaking to a few people or a few hundred.
The best way to remember all materials is to create a master list that’s pinned to an office cork board, housed in your Palm, or written in a permanent binder that’s consulted before each trip.
Is there something missing from my marketing products’ list that’s a must at your program?
Technorati Tags: small business owner, solo business owner, small business marketing, Philadelphia Gift Show
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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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