Smart Marketing

Small Business Marketing: We Hold These Small Business Marketing Truths to be Self-Evident...

In today's world, it's difficult to find hard and fast truths in the world of small business marketing. But after helping hundreds of small businesses with their marketing, I have landed on a couple Small Business Marketing Truths. They are:

The most effective marketing comes from dialogues with your market - Too often we marketers presume to know what our market wants. Or even worse, we research our market, yet do it only once. The most powerful marketing efforts spring from ongoing dialogues we have with a market member. And the ongoing nature of these dialogues provides us with the up-to-the-minute knowledge to make shifts and adjustments in our marketing efforts.

There are no standard ways of marketing, only standard marketing conventions - Every business is different, and these differences show up in their seasonality, culture, product mix, pricing structures, vendors, partnership agreements, and hundreds of other facets. To say one marketing tool will produce the same response for every other company, is the worst kind of marketing ignorance.

Momentum and activity are 2 of the most valuable internal outcomes of marketing - When a small business begins a marketing initiative, the greatest returns, at first, are often internal. Employees sense a new energy and are naturally curious. Some may see that "we're finally marketing this company". It may take time for your market to generate external returns like leads, sales or revenues. But internally, if you pay attention, you'll see a host of more intangible rewards come to fruition immediately.

Marketing arguments must be backed up with rationale, otherwise they’re just opinions - Too many marketing discussions lack quantitative metrics to reinforce the points made. For example, I hear the comment "I don't like our advertising" all the time. And that's fine. But when I probe further with the question "Why?", the rationale ends there and I'm met with the response "I don't know, I just don't like it".

Ultimately, your market holds the final answer - Let's face it, we marketers don't know everything. And despite all our posturing in the board room, or the rationale based arguments we make (see above), if our market hates our new marketing, then they hate it. Period. Even if it wins awards, the fact that it generates few sales lands back in our lap. Be sensitive to what you know and don't, then look to your market for the final answer.

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Best Small Business Marketing Books for 2008

Here are my votes for best small business marketing books for the new year ahead. I should clarify that these are not newly released small business marketing books. Instead, they're small business marketing books that EVERY small business marketer should own. They will teach and inspire you to grow your business:

Type and Layout; Are you Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes? – Colin Wheildon – This is probably the BEST marketing book I’ve read in 10 years. And that’s because it offers practical, research based advice on what works (and what doesn’t) in marketing communications. For example, did you know a headline that is in all caps is significantly harder to read than one in lower case? Then why are so many headlines these days still in all caps? Another example: Wheildon proves that body copy is much easier to comprehend when it’s presented as black type on a white background. Why then do so many publications suppress comprehension by placing colored copy on top of a tinted color block? If you have graphic designers who are hell bent on generating “creative designs”, keep this book nearby to convince them that it’s not about winning awards, but communicating effectively with your buyers. VERY highly recommended.

Don't Make Me Think; A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug - This is probably the most entertaining book on website design I've come across. Krug identifies the most common mistakes when designing websites and then gives recommendations on how to address them. But the way he writes the book is the real clincher. All throughout, he uses cartoons to help you understand what's really going on inside people's heads as they navigate through a website. A fun read.

Words that Sell by Richard Bayan - This is a must-have desktop reference if you write marketing copy. It lists more than 2,500 high-powered words, phrases, and slogans, and provides instant access to key words that will move your readers. If you're stumped about how to write a convincing call-to-action, crack it open. If you wonder how you can creatively begin a letter with a generic salutation, open it up. If you've overused a word and need to find another way of saying the same thing, crack it open. Just for starters, it gives you 62 different ways to say "exciting" and 57 variations on "reliable". If you write copy (and what marketer doesn't), this book will expand your vocabulary every time you open it. This book was so successful it spawned Phrases that Sell and More Words that Sell. Five stars.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my two books: The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses and Stand Out from the Crowd; Secrets to Crafting a Winning Company Identity.

Happy reading to you in 2008...

Small Business Marketing: Set a business card goal at each networking event

If you're a small business leader, responsible for the marketing of this small business, here's a great tip for when you attend a networking function:

Networking Tip: Every time you attend a networking event, put a certain number of your business cards in your pocket. Not 100, not 50, but a specific number of business cards that you can realistically give away during the function. For me it's 5 business cards.

Then, do NOT leave the networking event until you have given out all of these cards. Too often small business marketing folks wander aimlessly around a networking event and struggle with boosting their awareness.

What this 5 Card Giveaway networking strategy does is provide a goal, (I will give away 5 business cards), and then provides an incentive for achieving the goal (I will leave the event). You will feel proud and a great sense of accomplishment after giving away that 5th card...believe me.

PS Make sure you put your 5 business cards in one pocket (or portion of your purse) while storing any business cards you receive in another. That way you don't mix up the cards.

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Advertising and Promotion in South Africa-5 Questions for Johan Bester

I recently caught up with Johan Bester, CEO of Communication Works, a marketing communications expert based in South Africa. Here are 5 questions I had for him:

1. How is marketing in South Africa different from marketing in the United States?
Marketing in South Africa tends to be more subdued than in the United States. One has to consider the cultural differences between the two countries; South Africans are generally less expressive. South Africa has also been in the grips of a very repressive regime until a mere 13 years ago. That has had an enormously stifling effect on the population. The good news is that in these past few years there has been an explosion of entrepreneurship, so that right now South Africa is a very exciting place to be. Lots of innovation taking place… it’s a hub in the process of waking up and finding its feet… It will be interesting to see where SA lands over the next few years.

2. Are there any unique marketing methods you see in South Africa that you may not see as often in America?
The Stormhoek winery has had phenomenal success using a combination of highly innovative marketing methods, including making great use of their own and other people’s blogs. They have capitalised on the new media in an innovative way. Nothing unique in any one of their methods; but the way in which Graham Knox, owner and previous advertising professional, has blended the various methods, quite phenomenal. To use a tiny budget ($7,000) and massively outperform rival estates using much larger budgets ($3 Million) quite astounding. Growth in exports is also quite phenomenal.

It is of interest to note that Stormhoek has also won the “Grand Prix” award in the South African Sunday Times Marketing Excellence Awards.

3. If you had to boil your marketing advice down to 5 words or less, what would it be?
Let your customers market you.

4. Any advice for American firms wanting to export to South Africa? What combination of marketing strategies seems to work best in South Africa?
Bear in mind that South Africa is a small market as compared to the United States. Relatively, there has been a massive growth in Internet usage. Seek out blogs and find ways to contribute to them. Note too, that Facebook has close on a million users in South Africa. In the end, however, it depends on what it is you want to market...

5. In your opinion, who are (were) the best marketers of all time and why?
Claude Hopkins for his uncanny ability to see the obvious things. Jay Abraham for his inspirational ability to leverage combinations of things that were there all along, but nobody thought of doing it quite that way.

Thanks Johan and best of luck...

Small Business Marketing: How do you market your small business in a recession?

Most small business marketing efforts are now coming to grips with the possibility that our economy is heading into a recession. If you are a small business owner in charge of your marketing, here are two marketing plan adjustments found in my Special Report "How to Market Your Small Business during a Recession":

Keep firing your marketing guns - The tendency in a recession is to reduce the frequency of your marketing communications. But, be careful with cutting your frequency. Cutting it in half means your prospects will hear from you 50% less often. Using an eight-mailing direct mail campaign as an example, why not stay with eight mailings, yet reduce the costs of each mailing? Print one-sided versus four-page. Eliminate enclosures. Print black & white. Reduce paper sizes. Mail third class for postal savings. Anything to reduce costs of the mailing, but retain your frequency.

Offer bite-sized nuggets - During a recession, your selling cycle will be longer. Uncertainty about the future prompts prospects to postpone buying, or even making a decision, until they absolutely must. To counteract this, give your prospects “bite-sized” ways to purchase your products. Offer a scaled down version of your regular product offering. Produce an informational product that allows prospects to "do-it-themselves". TActics like these let people “try a bite” of your company without a long-term commitment.

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Market your Consulting Firm: A Tip for Promoting Your Consulting Firm

I just got off the phone with a consulting client of mine and we were devising ways to market her consulting firm. One of the tools she's using to market her consulting firm is article-writing. She writes numerous articles about her subject and includes them in mailers and collateral materials.

But I learned in our conversation that she was not listing a RESOURCE BOX at the end of each article.

What is a Resource Box?
A resource box contains a very brief bio of the writer and then includes a variety of ways the author can be contacted. It's very important to include this Resource Box in any articles you write when marketing your consulting firm, because you never know where these articles will end up. And if your articles contain valuable enough information, you can count on them getting passed around.

What should a resource box look like?
Here is my resource box that I include at the bottom of all my articles. You can see that it contains these 3 elements--1) My name and my consulting firm's name 2) My qualifications and any publishing citations and 3) A call to action (sign up for my e-newsletter). Any good Resource Box explains who you are, why you are an expert and a way for prospects to get in contact with you:

Author Bio
Jay Lipe is president of EmergeMarketing.com, a firm that has helped hundreds of small businesses and Fortune 500 clients grow through strategic marketing. He is the author of The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses and also writes the very popular e-newsletter “Marketing Tips & Tools” Sign up for it at http://www.emergemarketing.com/e-newsletter.shtml

Website marketing: 3 phrases that should never make their way onto your home page

Small businesses should pay a lot more attention to the copy on their website's home page. After all, along with the graphics, it's the first thing a visitor is greeted with that deepen that visitor's understanding of what that company is all about.

To improve small businesses website copy, I'd like to point out some copy phrases that should never appear on your home page:

1) "Established in 1994, we..." - Visitors are looking at your home page to see if you have what THEY need. This phrase belongs in the "About Us" page where the visitor will click to learn more about your company.

2) "Congratulations...." - This phrase is lifted from an actual website's home page. It then goes on to congratulate Heather Cornsquatter on winning the flat screen TV during their open house. Not many visitors really care. Announcements like this are better served in the "News" or "Announcement" pages of your site.

3) "Welcome to XYZ's website..." - When visitors arrive at a website, they're really not looking for a welcome. Maybe when they enter a building, but not a website. Save this greeting for in-person.

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Small Business Marketing Tip: How NOT to Ask for Referrals

Too many small business marketing people ask for referrals the wrong way. Here are two ways a small business marketing person will incorrectly ask for referrals, and then the better way for the referral to be requested:

1) Wrong: Asking " Is there anyone else you know who could use this product or service?" - Not only is this a closed ended question, with "no" being too easy an answer, but it also doesn't help the recipient narrow down their network to come up with a name.

Right: Instead, the small business marketing person should ask "WHO in your network is looking for ......?"

2) Wrong: Asking "Who do you know who may want a ........ (your product/service)" - The problem with this approach is many people in your recipient's network may not know what product or service their looking for. In addition, if they've talked with your recipient about their needs, they've probably expreessed that need in terms of a current problem they're facing.

Right: Instead, you should ask for a referral based upon a common problem your buyers face, for which your product or service is the solution. For example, you could ask "Which small business owners do you know who have a mental block about doing their own marketing?"

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Small Business Marketing: How to Get More Referrals for your Small Business

Any small business marketing effort relies on referrals to grow. But I find many small business marketing folks are reluctant to ask for referrals. Here's one surefire way to ask for, and get, more referrals for your small business...

The next time you are one-on-one with a networking contact, or introducing yourself in front of a group of colleagues, say the following: "I am looking for..." and then define the type of company and situation that makes for an ideal client.

For example, I typically say "I am looking for growing companies with between 10-100 employees who need a marketing plan".

When you state upfront to your audience, exactly what you are "looking for", you do two things. First, you define an ideal client for your audience. And second, you subtly ask for a referral. The nice thing about this approach is that you aren't directly asking for a referral, but instead, you're indirectly asking your audience to keep on the lookout for this kind of ideal client.

If you use this approach in the next 10 conversations you have, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what referrals start coming your way.

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