Thursday, December 9, 2010

What does a small business marketing consultant do for your business?

A good small business marketing consultant gives accurate information about the business circle and its surroundings. He is aware of the pros and cons of your business environment. A business marketing consultant has many things to do, which can lift your business to the mark of success and heights. Today small to big business firms hires a smart marketing consultant for making his business more popular and keen. You too can try that for making your small business shine like a star in front of other existing business in the market.
Becoming a marketing consultant can also give lots of profit to your career because it is one of the best going businesses in the world. You can even find online consultancy firms, which are growing money like anything giving support to small and big online businesses. A marketing consultancy can be start with the help of low capital and no inventory. It is just amazing to start up with marketing consultancy because no business can be so profitable and successful like the marketing consultancy.
A good small business marketing consultant is one who can find information from anywhere in the world! A good small business marketing consultant will create a good
small business advertising plan for your business.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Target Your Clients and Attract More Customers

Small business marketing consultant provides you with innovative, resourceful and creative ideas to survive the tough competition in the market. Because some of your competitors are giants compared to your venture, you need to find ways to make your business stay on the top. Do not underestimate the size of your venture; in the global financial crisis, most of the surviving businesses are the small-scale types. What you have to focus on is how to target your clients and attract more customers.

Focus on your Target Market

You have to face it, not all people have interest in your products or services. If you keep on believing that your business caters to everyone, then you will only be employing an expensive marketing tool to target all people. To be successful in your venture, your small business marketing consultant will tell you to focus on your target market. When you give attention to them, you can reduce your marketing expenses.

Determine how to Get the Attention of Customers

To target your target client, you have to know the ways on how to reach them. Determine how they access their information. The television, newspaper and radios are common ways to promote your products. If you find these strategies very expensive, you can hand out flyers in areas that your potential clients frequent.

Use Inexpensive Strategies

Your marketing plans need not be expensive. You can promote your business and reach your target clients with your everyday activities. Keep the name of your company in every paper or communication that goes out from your office. You do not have to be giving away your cards at all times to keep your company visible. By simply making sure that your company’s logo is in your external communication letters, you can market your product to more clients.
Engage in Promotions

People love freebies and discounts. If you want to attract more customers, think of different promotional activities. It does not have to be too expensive. Giving discounts, small free items or launching a raffle draw are effective ways to draw the attention of your clients to your company.

Your business, whether big or small, needs to employ marketing strategies to target the clients. Without them, your sales will go down and you will end up on the losing side. If you are not very certain about which technique to employ, ask the help of a small business marketing consultant. Their expertise in the field will help you win the competition.

How to Compete with Large Companies

Small business marketing consultant knows how difficult it is for a business to survive in the market considering the presence of large firms who offer similar products. Aside from their huge capital, they make partnership with other large firms, making the competition harder. However, you can get ahead of them by knowing your assets and focusing on them. Forget about your deficiencies; what you need to think of are your positive features and how you can use them to your advantage.

Improve your product quality

Although you have the same product with a larger company, you can make yours stay on the top by improving its quality. Focus on what the customers are looking for and try offering it with your product. Continue your quest in providing better products. You can benchmark with your number one competitor but still find something unique about yours and highlight it. Listen to your customers. They are the best people who can rate the quality of your product.

Invest on the packaging

Small business marketing consultant will tell you that packaging can either make or break your product in the market. People judge a product by its cover. Therefore, if you have poor and cheap-looking packaging, expect that your item will stay on the shelves unnoticed. Keep the packaging attractive. Hire a professional designer to do this. Remember, even the best items remain ignored if packaged in the wrong way.
Take advantage of free promotional ads

You have to face it, you do not have the huge funds to pay for expensive advertisements. Probably, this is the biggest advantage of larger companies. They have the money to use even the most expensive forms of advertisements. They can even afford to get popular television personalities to make the endorsement for them. For a small venture like yours, think about the free ads, like press releases and online advertising.

Focus on customer service

You may not have the money. But as small business marketing consultant puts it, you have the manpower, which can be your best asset. To attract more customers, focus on these assets and make it better than your competitor. Train your employees to provide excellent service to your customers.
Even if you are running a small venture, you can compete with the larger firms in the market. Your small business marketing consultant would tell you to focus on your strengths in order to cover up for your weaknesses.

Tips to Maximize your Marketing Campaigns

Small business marketing consultant tells you that your marketing campaigns are crucial tasks that need your utmost focus. They are your ways to bring your product or services to your desired target market. You do not have to spend a big amount of money for your campaigns. For as long as you know the right techniques to employ, they can be your most efficient ways to increase your sales. To help you with the challenging task, here are some tips.

Focus on your Advantage

Your marketing campaign is the time to put your best foot forward. When planning it, think on how you can highlight your best asset and make it appear visible to your audience. There are many good companies with good products that failed to make it in the market because of improper advertisement. Customers are looking for your distinction from other existing companies offering the same product. Therefore, during the planning, enumerate the different pros of your company and, from there, choose the top two to stress.

Create a Consistent Image

Once you know your best asset, focus on creating a remarkable advertisement emphasizing on it. Try to be as consistent as possible with your promotional theme. Keep your ads within the image that you want to boost. If you want a family-centered image, keep that in mind when formulating your marketing campaigns. According to small business marketing consultant, it will be easier for the public to remember you every time they see the image that you create.

Be Specific with Your Target

For small businesses, it will be too costly to cater the public when promoting your product. If you want to save money from advertisement costs, specify your target market and focus your campaign on them. Study how they access information and use that to reach them. Grab their attention by promoting your product as one of them. Speak their language and promote how you can meet their needs.

Ask Feedbacks

One important lesson that small business marketing consultant will teach you is to ask for feedbacks from your customers. When a new client comes, ask how they learned about you. It may be a simple thing, but for a wise entrepreneur, it will tell you which among your advertising strategies work best.

If you have other concerns on reaching your target customers, ask your small business marketing consultant. There are still many things to learn to make it big in the business.

Develop Powerful Marketing Messages

Small business marketing consultant helps you to develop a powerful marketing technique. If you have a great message, it will linger in the minds of your target audience and your clients will remember you longer. It is your way of communicating your uniqueness amidst the crowd of companies offering the same product. When you formulate your communication, make it compelling and meaningful to catch the attention of your market.

Make it Specific and Clear

You do not have to create complicated slogans to make a powerful marketing message. Small business marketing consultant makes it clear that you have to make it as simple as possible. This is the challenge to your staff. Be straight to the point. Avoid going around the bush. Tell your audience what you have and why they should get you. If you have to add “decorations” to your communication, make it as brief as possible. Do not let it overpower your point.

Speak the Language

If you want to create an impact to your market, speak the same language as they do. Your customers will feel your compassion over their needs when you are one of them. The key to staying on the same wavelength with them is to initiate a survey to be able to hear their side. Consider their feedbacks in developing your campaign and be their voice in the market.


Create a Call to Action

If you want to convert your clients to become buyers, small business marketing consultant suggests making a call to action message. It can be in one or two phrases and presented in the language spoken by your target clients. A powerful message will ask your audience to make appropriate action based on your communication. When you have good call to action phrase, you can increase your sales.

Bring Life to your Message

Small business marketing consultant stresses the importance of bringing life to your campaigns. When you make your advertisement, be sure that it truly represents the actual happenings in the society. People want to see the factual things delivered to them. By incorporating the status of your target market in your ads, they can relate better with you and your message will linger in their minds.

To target your market and create an impact to them, keep your message as a true representation of them. Your small business marketing consultant stresses the need to create a powerful message to make your campaign stand out from the hundreds of ads out there.

Mistakes to Avoid Failure in your Campaign

Small business marketing consultant warns small businesses to be careful when investing in their promotional campaigns. Although it can be your best way to reach your target audience and increase your sales, mistakes with them can lead to failure and can prove to be very costly. To make the campaign effective, beware of these common mistakes in promoting your product or services.

Inappropriate Marketing Message

Your audience cares less about how many years you have been in the business. What they are after is how you can efficiently solve their problem. When you deliver your communication, mention on how you can specifically address a specific issue. Focus on the best quality of your product. Although you can mention about your other features, make it minimal.

Using the Wrong Words

Words are your powerful tools to communicate with your clients. Because one word can have several meanings, be extra careful in choosing your words. Although your goal is to speak the language of your client, make sure you do not use terms that may offend other groups. Otherwise, your small venture will lead to failure and it will be very difficult to retract something that you have already delivered. If you are uncertain about which words to choose, go to your small business marketing consultant for help.


Lack of Motivating Factors


Your small business marketing consultant will tell you about the need to motivate your clients to make action. The goal of your advertisement is to inspire them to try your product. If you lack the motivation, your campaign will not give a good return of investment. When you plan your marketing strategy, make your packaging appealing and include compelling call to action phrases.


Lack of Follow Up

Small business marketing consultant points to the lack of follow up, which is why many potential buyers go away. Although there are many customers who buy based on your first campaign, many of them still needs frequent reminders about your company. When buyers are familiar with the product, they will include you in their list of choices. Keep your company visible. Although it may be quite expensive, your small business will benefit well from it.


Inappropriate allocation of Resources

Marketing is expensive. Failure to know which among your techniques generate more customers makes you spend inappropriately. If you want to save on the technique, get feedbacks. Determine which technique gives the best return of investment and focus your resources on it.

There are many other mistakes committed by beginners. To avoid wasting your resources, seek help from small business marketing consultant.