When the economy starts to tank, it’s time to step up your business marketing. Big time. Consider it an investment, not an expense. Lucky for us, there are many low cost and free marketing opportunities out there that can and should be utilized by all businesses, rich or poor.
TIP: Utilize the automated signature at the bottom of your email.
It only takes you a few seconds and you’ll quickly save lots of time because you’ll never have to think about how you should sign the email or what information to provide. This area is often overlooked which is unfortunate because it’s FREE MARKETING SPACE! A real no-brainer so use it! In addition to signing your name, you should include your website, phone number, business name, and tag line.
Depending on your business, you can place monthly specials or discounts in this area.
For example:
10% off your next purchase.
OR
December Only: free coffee with purchase of a pastry when you mention you mention where you this signature promotion.
OR
Free tax consultations now through December 1.
Another idea is to keep it fresh with weekly or monthly tips for your customers and contacts. If you’re a website designer, give them one-liner SEO pointers or tips for a more attractive website. Personal organizers can give clues on how to keep clutter at bay. Use your imagination.
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Yesterday a good friend of mine reminded me of two important Diva Mogul lessons.
Lesson 1: Never underestimate the power of temp agencies to find a job.
Last year, fresh back from a year of adventures around the world, a dear friend of mine began job hunting in our so-so economy. After sending out resume after resume with no response, my highly competent friend (having her on staff would be the equivalent to winning the employee lottery) finally gave in and visited a temp agency in hopes of finding a temporary fix to her financial woes.
In a matter of days, a very well known corporation was on the line asking to hire her for a few weeks. My fabulous friend took the temporary position and was soon offered an hourly pay raise because managers were so impressed with her work. She was also given a couple of highly-evolved tasks, usually not reserved for temporary employees.
When the couple of weeks were up, Company XYZ offered to hire her on a full-time basis. However, during her temporary position at this company, she began getting bites from those many resumes she had sent out weeks back. It was a tough decision, but she decided to leave Company XYZ for a try at Company ABC.
My friend has now been working at Company ABC for several months. A few days ago, she received a phone call from Company XYZ asking her to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE come back and work for them.
Tune in Monday for Lesson 2!
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Interested in getting ahead in your career?
Whether self-employed or enslaved by big corporate machines, everyone wants to advance in their careers. While it’s helpful to work hard, sometimes getting ahead is more about relationship building. Here it is in caps: THE KEY TO GETTING AHEAD IS SCHMOOZING WITH THE HEAD HONCHO. Whether it’s your boss or an important client, BUILD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. The hardest worker doesn’t always get the raise or pushed up the corporate ladder faster (this is not to say you shouldn’t be working hard).
If you haven’t already, it’s time to work on relationship building:
Step 1.) Identify who can get you that raise or ladder boost. These people are also known as the “powers that be.”
By schmoozing with these people, you need to be super careful to send off the signals that you actually care and are genuinely interested in them, their work, and what they have to say. Be careful about faking it, sometimes that can have the opposite effect you desire because anyone can spot a brown-noser from miles away. Remember that annoying little Sally in second grade? Don’t be like her.
Step 2.) Know and do what has to be done to get ahead.
(Disclaimer: I’m not talking about anything illegal or sexual. Rather, going to the birthday party of the manager’s kidlet or cocktails with the boss and spouses.)
It’s the small things you find in common that count in the long run. The birthday party appearance could be worth literally thousands of dollars in the coming years or months.
ACTION: Figure out how to geat ahead in your job or increase your salary. Start now!
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Did you reply to those emails you received today, yesterday, last week? If you haven’t yet replied to emails from last week…you’re in bad shape. You need to get with the program and start a better PR campaign for your business. Not replying to customer inquiries or other important emails in a timely manner reflects negatively on both you and your business.
Admittedly, emails can be very overwhelming. You’re probably involved in various organizations and have contacts all over, so keeping up with the inquiries and information can be a difficult task.
If replying to emails is a problem, it’s time to devise a system that works for you. Maybe you need a half hour at the beginning, middle, and/or end of the day to reply to urgent emails. Make an email date with yourself and reply to all of those people you’ve been ignoring over email. If typing emails is not your thing, perhaps you can follow up with phone calls instead.
Think about ways to can keep your mailbox organized. Would it help to create specific folders for people you correspond with often? I try to read an email, respond, and file it away in that person’s file for future reference. Doing this saves time and time saves money!
Have you submitted your name and company name to an online search engine lately? If not, you should be doing this on a regular basis (at least every month) to see what comes up.
Check what type of personal information is available. Does your private phone number and address pop up? Do you want to have this type of information available to the public? If so, what can you do to make this information private? Checking up on your online image is important in case there are any crazy party photos from your college days that don’t exactly match the refined Diva Mogul image you project today.
Check what is written about your business online. With sites like TripAdvisor, you never know what people are saying about you. If you’re a restaurant owner, what type of reviews have people given your establishment? As Diva Moguls, customer satisfaction is our number one priority so if there is something unsavory online, you need to know so you can take steps to solve the issue or review.
When you have your own business, identifying your market (ideal client) is one of the most important things. In today’s world, it’s almost the kiss of business death to assume everyone is your market.
Have you ever met a small business owner who told you “everyone” is their ideal client? I have met many entrepreneurs who think like this and hearing this type of response is like listening to nails on a chalkboard. It’s always interesting to follow that up by a polite, “so…how’s business going?” Try it next time. For those who assume everyone is their potential client, I have found two things they all have in common:
1. They sound like they don’t know what they are doing.
2. Business isn’t going so well.
This is why doing your market research is important and comes in handy. Trust me, it will save you and your business lots of time, money, and embarrassment (see above).
Think about who will be using your products or services.
How old are they? What is their gender? How much money do they have? What are their habits? Where do they live? Why would they want to buy your product over the competitor’s product? Where do they find your product or service?
Do research.
Once you think you’ve identified your ideal client, look further. If hiring a professional market researcher is out of your realm of possibility, visit your local Small Business Development Center and get their take on the matter. You should also ask friends, family, and other acquaintances for their input.
Develop a client profile.
Once you have collected the information above, include your client profile in your business plan. Check back every month to compare this with those who are actually buying your products or services. Don’t be afraid to tweak or change the client profile as you go along.
To be continued…check back next week for more information on how to identify your market!
