Did you create a marketing strategy to justify your vision or focus your effort?

More often than not, when helping a small business develop their website, I discover they have NO marketing strategy.  Those who have written a strategy, more often than not, did so to justify their vision.

If you’ve never heard the phrase, then please allow me to introduce you to a new concept.  Niches bring riches!

If have not already created a Marketing Strategy, start today.  If you have created a Strategy that identifies EVERYBODY as your target customer, start your first rewrite today.

Your marketing strategy is a road map to using limited resources to succeed in your business.  Identifying fewer, more focused target customers will improve your conversion percentage.  Do some soul searching, and start with who you DON’T want as a customer.  Starting with who you don’t want will help you focus on the personality traits of those you do want as customers.

Why narrow your customer focus?  Because you do not have enough time in the typical work year to meet with everyone, you must prioritize your prospects by conversion opportunity.  Those with whom you have a natural personality clash with should be eliminated from your marketing strategy.  At some point in the transaction, your personality clash will become apparent and the business relationship will halt.

Develop a clear personality profile for your preferred client.  Then identify the things this personality type does for fun.  Find ways to market to those people where they are having fun.  Avoid the direct sales presentation and authentically injected your own personality into the presentation.  Let the laws of attraction bring your new customer to you and you’ll be impressed with how easy closing deals becomes.

There are a great many correlations between fishing and marketing. In fishing it is important to define what type fish you are looking to catch. Then you can select the proper equipment, lures and techniques. You will have little success reeling in an 8’, 400-pound Sturgeon on an ultra-light Trout Pole with 4- pound line. On the other hand you may not even feel a Trout on a Sturgeon rig.

I am amazed at the number of business owners who join networking groups who are filled with people who would seldom if ever utilize their products or services.

To be successful in business you need to determine who is your target customer.
•    How old are they?
•    What type of cars do they drive?
•    Do they rent or own their homes?
•    Why would they want to do business with you?
•    What can you offer, that is better then your competition?
•    What needs do you fill? Are they Physical or Emotional?
•    Are you simply the lowest price and hoping for high volume of sales or are you the company offering a high quality product, which will provide you with high margins?

Your Competition:
•    How many other companies do the same thing?
•    Is the market growing or shrinking?
•    Are there any pending regulations, which could change the market?
•    How will your customers find you?

Once you know your customer and competition, you are now able to determine a potentially successful marketing strategy. But until then, fishermen would say you are hoping rather then fishing.

If things are not going well, it maybe time to rethink what you are doing.

See You At The Dock.

Ken Bear Cole
Fishing with Bear LLC

Do you feel like you are trying to market your business from the upper deck of Yankee Stadium during a game against the Mets? The crowd is overwhelming, the noise is deafening and you don’t think anyone hears you…

Marketing messages require a measurable feedback loop in order to improve sales. Poor sales from expensive marketing leads to frustration. During times of recession, frustration can turn to panic. Panic-based reactions lead to mistakes.

What should a small business person do?

First, stop and take a breath. Don’t plan while emotionally charged.

Lets get started:

1. Complete a SWOT analysis of your business (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats).
2. Seek out professional guidance such as a local small business development center to evaluate the SWOT results and help you plan.
3. Set a realistic time frame for recovery.
4. Create an ironclad method of measuring results. Measurement could be as simple as adding a tick-mark to a form: Counting the number of messages going out versus the number of responses.

No response? Make one minor change and repeat. Keep repeating until you can influence action on the part of your target customer.

Don’t give up and don’t take money from the government–unless your business could be run better by congress?

Here is the most important part: Kiss your spouse, pet your dog, and spend time with your children. Keep in focus that which is important in your life. Running your own business is hard and knowing why you do it will help you over come the obstacles. Oh yes, and occasionally watch the ball game.

Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

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You have heard your friends talk about Business Blogging and Social Marketing; you know it has something to do with writing articles on the internet, but what should you say AND why?

As a diligent business owner, you have spent a great deal of time identifying your target customer, designing graphics to appeal to your audience and creating copyright to building business relationships.  Have you spent enough time planning for the “other” web site audience?

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