Small
Business Marketing Magic
Once upon a time, in 1969,
there was a young woman who had a dream of starting her own
company. She had ideas, talent and work ethic to spare but what she
didn't have was cash. After careful research she found that
marketing would cost more than all the other aspects of her
business combined. Out came the credit cards, family loans and
savings. After a few months the woman realized that she had
mortgaged her future to the hilt and she still couldn't make enough
money to buy her way out of debt. Sadly, she closed up shop and
went back to a job she hated at an uncaring corporation.
Fast-forward thirty years and meet a young man working at an
insurance company who dreamed of starting his own small business as
a financial planner. He had the education and experience but what
he didn't have was cash. The year is 1999 and after a few weeks of
research the young man realized that marketing and promotion were
vital to the success of his business. However, the young man knew
about a magical method of promotion that wasn't available to the
young woman in 1969. What was the magical method he used to start
his business part-time and build it into a full-time thriving
practice after six months? The answer, of course, is the
internet!
It's true that the internet seems like a capricious magician that
selectively waves a magic wand over some small businesses. However,
the reasons for this became glaringly clear to the young man after
he completed his research. He discovered that success is garnered
by avoiding scams such as "business opportunities" that seem too
good to be true. In addition to hard work and patience he stayed
away from spam, Free For All Links (FFAs), pyramid schemes, network
marketing, sweepstakes and investment fraud. He used
http://www.scambusters.org to avoid anything that remotely
resembled a scam.
The young man developed a marketing plan focusing on the internet
and after six months he found the following free or nearly free
strategies worked best:
Press Releases - Particularly helpful if the release is tied to an
upcoming holiday or a recent event.
Creating Content - Offering articles and case studies is by far the
most reliable way to find clients and brand yourself as an expert
in your field.
Book Reviews - Some on-line
books stores like Amazon.com allow you to post reviews of books
you've read. These reviews will be tied to an "About Me" page that
can include information about you and your business and your
URL.
Forums - Joining forums that cover your area of expertise is a good
move. Help people by answering questions about your topic and
include your URL in your signature.
Testimonials - Wise marketers ask every existing client for
testimonials to be used on their website and/or printed marketing
material.
Newsletters - Keeping in touch with customers and prospects with an
on-line e-zine is a good way to build a steady stream of loyal
clients.
Teleseminars - A small investment in a bridge line allows a group
of people to sign up for a free or fee based seminar on your area
of expertise.
Referrals - Proactively asking clients for referrals works better
if they are offered a discount on products or services in
return.
Solo E-zine Ads - Solo ads are an advertisement or article sent by
itself to a list of newsletter readers. Many solo ads are
competitively priced and offer a generous amount of room for your
message.
The young man learned a lesson that we can all appreciate. There is
no "get rich quick schemes" that work on or off-line. The only way
to prosper hasn't changed over time... build client relationships
with hard work and excellent customer service. Cultivate patience
and find your own internet magic by following in the footsteps of
the young man.
(c) , Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights in all media
reserved.
About the Author
Bonnie Jo Davis is a Virtual
Assistant and Publications Coordinator. She has been using her
favorite marketing technique, article submissions, for herself and
her clients for over ten years with great success.
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