March 17, 2010

Eight Inexpensive Marketing Strategies to Help Your Business,
Part 3... Utilize the Power of DIY to Keep More Money in
Your Pocket... Never Forget to Ask Yourself this Simple
Question... The Handy Info Marketer... and More.

My previous two articles have revealed five of eight inexpensive marketing strategies to help your business. These have included hosting a contest, contacting the press, "piggyback" advertising, using branded merchandise, and networking. Today, I reveal the final three marketing strategies that could give you the most bang for your buck:

6. E-mail

The Internet has made it very easy for business owners to get the word out to many people in a very simple manner. E-mail is a great way to promote your business and you can do it from the comfort of your desk.

Have your customers fill out a customer mailing list with their e-mail address. Make sure that they are receptive to getting your e-mails. You can get a better response by offering things like discounts, coupons and extras in your e-mails. Otherwise, the customer probably won't want to receive them.

And, remember, you must have permission to send them an e-mail. It's part of the Can-Spam Act and it's the law.

7. Your Web Site

Along with sending out e-mails, a web site is a convenient way to reach a lot of people with very little money and effort.

On your web site, you can offer your customers the opportunity to interact with you via e-mail. You can have information about your product/service and information on upcoming events and promotions.

Another option is to have a blog on your web site. A blog is the nickname for a web log. It's like an on-line journal. On a regular basis, you would share your expertise about the industry and interesting tidbits about your business with customers.

They have the option to read it, so it's not being forced on them. If you have interesting content, the customer will want to read your blogs. Don't blatantly advertise. Rather, inform them of your expertise and what you can do for them.

8. Word of Mouth

A good word-of-mouth campaign can be your best weapon, even more so than the most expensive television commercial. Hearing from actual customers that a product is worth buying or that a business offers a great shopping experience is more convincing than a commercial.

As consumers, we believe other consumers. Ever hear a friend talk about an honest and efficient mechanic they found? Well, it's almost guaranteed you'll be asking that friend for that mechanic's address.

We believe that other people know a good deal and they know quality products and worthwhile services.

To help this strategy along, you can have family and friends spread the word for you. Do it discretely, but make sure that they spread the message about your business. You can also ask a loyal customer or two for a testimonial.

You can put a good testimonial on your promotional material and your web site for all to see. It is free and can be very effective. All you have to do is find the right people to help you promote.

I'll admit, it took me too long to finally embrace and enjoy DIY.

DIY, short for "Do It Yourself," can be one of the easiest ways to keep more of your money. You could save thousands each year just by taking a few extra minutes and figuring out for yourself ways to turn any task into a DIY project. Take it from me, a former skeptic: DIY can and does work.

Now, I didn't become a DIY expert overnight and, honestly, I feel I still have a long way to go. But, it's the little steps -- the ones that get you started -- that can be the most challenging.

For me, these first steps included learning to sew buttons back on a jacket and learning to seal a leaky drain. This is all simple stuff, now that I look back on it all, but these were big steps to take.

You see, I believed that, if you wanted something done right, you had to go to the experts. A button falls off; time to go to the tailor. That little drip is making puddles under the sink; time to call a plumber.

It was $20 here and $75 there... Every time I called in an expert and watched them as it took just seconds to mend or tighten something, I knew I could do it myself.

But, I was afraid of failure. What if I did it wrong? Would I make an even bigger mess than I started with?

Well, I tried a few minor repairs and I learned right away that I would make mistakes. It's a part of the learning process, but I found out that mistakes often don't result in bigger messes. They just yield new challenges, ones that will give you confidence to try more.

That's how it all started. A simple DIY project, sewing on a button, has completely changed my outlook on what it should cost to get anything done.

And I'm not alone.

There is an entire DIY culture out there, ready to help you fix, alter or build whatever you need. Web sites like http://www.ehow.com and http://www.instructables.com even have step-by-step instructions for doing everything yourself. And I mean everything.

As an entrepreneur, you may already have a DIY ethic for your business ideas. By extending your DIY skills to basically any task, you'll get the practice you need and the confidence it takes to improve your life and get the money you need.

If you're considering starting a new business, there's a very important question you should ask yourself: why?

This is probably the most important question you can ask, and the answer will likely be able to foreshadow the success your business will experience.

How can there be so much power in one little question? Easy. Here's how an honest answer to the question "why?" can show you whether or not you're on the right path.

The question has a number of answers and can apply to a number of different areas, which is the main reason why it's so significant. The question addresses what your motives are. Are you starting the business because you think it'll make you rich, because you're passionate about it, or both? If your answer is all about money, you may want to reconsider your decision.

Sounds crazy, right? It's not. In order for an entrepreneur to have a successful start-up, especially when it's your first venture, you need to be passionate. You'll be working hard and pulling long hours to get your baby off the ground, so if you don't love what you're doing, you'll be making life extremely difficult for yourself.

After all, it's pretty difficult to stay motivated if you don't really care about what you're doing. As an entrepreneur, motivation is one of your most important qualities. It's what keeps you moving when the going gets tough.

Next, you'll want to answer the question while thinking about the potential success of the business. Is this a product that your target market needs? Would you buy one? Have people told you that your idea is great and they'd definitely buy what you're selling? If the answer can't offer positive answers to these questions, then you may need to go back to the drawing board.

You want to make sure that you and, most importantly others, believe in your product. You want to know that, when it's ready, there will be customers waiting to buy it. If there is no indication that this business will make sales -- or even worse, you don't completely believe in it -- you can almost guarantee you won't experience the success you desire.

Before you get too involved in starting a business, be sure to have a clear understanding of why this business should come to fruition. It may take some work to get to that point, but at least you can be confident in your decision to proceed with a successful venture!

** The Handy Info Marketer
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

I always try and give info marketing advice that is simple. That is to say, something you can start up right from your own home and with the absolute barest of materials. Sure, an information newsletter on quantum physics for graduate students is great. But let's face it: that audience is pretty specific. It's not something a lot of people are into or can apply in their day-to-day lives.

When I say starting an info marketing business with the barest materials around you, I mean it. When you look around your home, you probably don't see a goldmine of information. But believe me when I say that it's there. And if you have ever had to work around your home, you are already on the right track.

In this day and age, there are a lot of people who are more "book smart" than they are "handy." They've been schooled to death and are quite well-educated, but when it comes time to fix a leaky faucet, they are often clueless. This is just something that has changed a lot in society. A lot of generations coming up now were raised with a heavier emphasis on education. That has a lot of benefits but, well, these people need help. They need information.

That's where you come in. You might be one of the few young types who went the route of the trades or a seasoned pro handyman. Or you may just be someone who knows something about how to maintain a sound household and can articulate that kind of valuable information to an audience. Either way, you really are sitting on an info marketing goldmine.

There are loads of areas you start an information marketing business on, but here are some of the most common:

--- Plumbing info: This is something I would like to know more about. I've dealt with drippy showerheads, busted toilets, and clogged pipes more than once in my life. More often than not, I had to wait for my landlord to get moving and get someone over to fix the problems. Plumbing skills are just something I don't have, but I envy those who do. I'm told it's something of a science and you really have to have some experience in the field of water mains, valves, dealing with water pressure, and all techniques in between. But even the smallest advice from a pro to the public on how to deal with plumbing problems in everyday homes can be valuable. The public learns what they can do on their own and the pro can become a successful info marketer in the process. If you are one of those pros, consider your plumbing knowledge to be a valuable info marketing resource.

--- Painting and decoration: I worked as a house painter two or three times in my life and I have no desire to ever do it again. I don't mean any offence but, well, it's just not my trade in life. However, I can say I really learned a lot on the job. What different types of paints there are, how to fill wall holes, what techniques to use to save time painting -- these were all great skills to have and occasionally I have used them to restore old furniture and paint some of my family member's homes. Moreover, hiring a painter to do these things is pretty costly these days. People want accessible info to help save money and do their painting/decorating jobs themselves. If you know how to make a house look better with good painting and decorating info, you will always have an audience interested in that kind of info.

--- Carpentry and restoration: In my hometown, almost every guy has a complete toolbox and electrical saw set in their garage. They make whole bookcases and door frames right at home. These days it's not as common. But there are still quite a number of young people and new retirees who have a genuine interest in carpentry, whether it's to restore an old home, to save money by performing their own repairs, or just as a hobby. In any case, they need some sort of guidance to know what tools to buy, what costs they should expect, what safety matters they should consider, etc. Got information on carpentry? Think you can do a nice newsletter or info book about it? Fantastic. You and your knowledge will be popular.

--- Electrical info: This might be something for a more seasoned and certified pro. As the local electrician's truck bumper sticker read in my hometown: "Wiring is not a hobby." But if you are a trained electrician, a regular electrical info tip sheet is valuable to both the public and industry pros. How to rewire a heritage home, electrical trends in new housing, basic fuse box fixit info...this is all valuable to everybody.

This sort of handyman information is similar to the articles you read in your local paper. But those journalists are limited in how much they can write and how they can issue the information. You, on the other hand, have total freedom. Your info product, be it a regular newsletter or thick book, can bring entrepreneurial success by sharing your skill's information with the rest of us.