"I know this business inside out," Laura told me the week
she started her new business. "I just don't have the foggiest idea of
how to market it!"
It's a problem that almost everyone starting a new business
faces. You can be the best plumber, tax accountant, or doctor in the
world, but if you don't know how to get the word out--how to
market your product or service--there's no way you can get the
customers you need.
Here are five essential steps to follow to get great marketing
that doesn't cost a fortune.
1. What is your market?
Decide who your main customers are. As a group, how old
are they? Where do they live? How much money do they make?
What kinds of jobs do they have and what are their interests? The
better you can sketch a detailed profile of the kinds of people who
will be your main customers, the better you'll fare in the next four
steps.
2. What kinds of media do your main customers use?
Each type of media has its own target audience. Each radio
station, newspaper, magazine, or TV program tries to interest a
specific segment of the population. The trick is to match your main
customers with the kinds of media they use.
A Top 40 radio station tries to reach teenagers and 18 to 34-
year-old women. The local newspaper may be geared to
homeowners over the age of 35. An industry trade magazine might
be read mostly by senior managers scattered all around the country.
If you aren't sure what group a media outlet is targeting, ask their
sales department.
Maybe you have a service business that will be of interest to
people living in a certain neighborhood. Flyers delivered door-to-
door could be the best way to let prospects know about you.
Remember that media isn't just TV and newspapers.
Effective media can be anything that conveys your message. Media
choices range from million dollar commercials in the Super Bowl to
a few free pens with your name on them.
3. Limit the media you use to what you can afford to use
consistently.
The key to effective marketing is consistency. You have to
hit the audience with your message again, and again, and again.
Marketers use the Rule of Seven. Prospects must see or hear your
message seven times before they consider buying.
Don't blow your entire marketing budget on a one-shot
media blitz. Choose a less expensive type of media that you can
afford to use week after week. That's how you get marketing
success.
4. Sell the main benefit of your product or service. Make
your marketing client-centered.
How does your product or service improve your customer's
life? Talk to your customer from their own perspective. Does your
product or service save them time? Make them richer? Make them
more attractive? Your marketing should drive home this most
important benefit as clearly and directly as possible. Customers buy
benefits! When you advertise the features of your product or
service, connect those features to the benefits they will bring the
customer.
5. And finally, don't miss out on FREE publicity. Radio,
TV, newspapers, newsletters, and magazines are constantly on the
lookout for good stories. Prospective customers will be impressed if
a media outlet features a story on what you do.
Is there something about you or your business that would
interest other people? Is there something about your business that is
newsworthy? Maybe you have useful information to share with
others. Consider sending a press release to your local newspaper.
Better yet, make a phone call to the news desk. Radio DJs can
often be persuaded to talk about your business, especially if you take
them a free sample. Consider your cable TV company's community
bulletin board and an article for the trade publication that covers
your industry. (Drop me a note and ask for my free report on
media publicity.)
Last, but certainly not least, remember to promote your
business on-line. The net is open to everyone. It's the only "big"
media that allows the small business person to get their message out
at very low cost. Bulletin boards and newsgroups may appreciate
helpful information that you provide, and most won't mind if you
sign your name along with four to six lines about your business.
These are the five essential steps to effective marketing.
Keep them in mind as you decide how to market your new business.
They are the single most important reasons why some marketing
fails while other marketing brings loads of new customers and
profits.
Kevin Nunley helps small and mid-sized businesses build effective marketing. Reach him at DrNunley@aol.com or at (801)253-4536. Ask for his free marketing report and list of Special Reports and Tapes that make you a marketing whiz in dozens of areas. Also ask how he can help you build your on-line presence.
