Monthly Archives: October 2014

Where are your customers hiding? Choose the right marketing strategy.

When you decide to start a new business venture, filling out the corporation paper work, create the actual product or service offering, developing the marketing materials may be the easiest part of process.  Now that you are ready to go, you will need find customers so your business can thrive. The question is how to find customers and how can the customer find you . Picking the right marketing strategy will be key.

Depending on the nature of your business and your marketing budget, you will need to strategically decide how you will promote your business.  From traditional to digital marketing, you will need to fine tune your strategy and choose wisely where spend your marketing money.   Some examples of marketing campaign elements that will help put your offerings in front of prospective clients are:

 

Tradeshows

Every industry has their own tradeshow event where buyers meet sellers.  However, some are more popular than others. Do your research, checkout if your competitors are attending, attendance numbers. In terms of cost, a small booth space (10×10) can range from a few hundred to a several thousand dollars. A base cost to which you will have the added expenses of graphics and travel for your team.

 

Industry Membership

Just like tradeshows, each industry has their own organization to develop partnerships with other industry leaders or connect with potential customers. Memberships are usually affordable and offer benefits like networking events, business listings, and industry contact lists. Before registering, make sure the organization meets your business target needs, review  benefits and existing members.

 

Website

A 24/7 sales representativewebsites are where prospective client can learn about your business while browsing online.  An e-commerce business that has navigation hurdles or latency could mean the loss of a sale. A website is also a reference for the potential buyer that may judge your services by the quality of your site. Having a website is a must for every entrepreneur. Consider the expense of a couple of thousand dollars to build the site. Then remember to allocate a few hundred dollars a month to gain market visibility with search engine optimization.

 

Customer Referrals

There is nothing better than have an existing customer recommending your business to prospective client. It is very important to bring incentives to your customers, so they remember to spread the word.  Offering existing customers discounted price or a freebie for offer a referral and bringing new customers is an easy way to increase your sales. 

 

Advertising

One of the oldest marketing method to bring customer to your business.  From traditional to digital, from billboard to message board, you will need to choose the right placement and publication for your industry. But remember it  may  be difficult to track the return on investment on traditional advertising  On the contrary, digital advertising will allow you to fully track the return of each campaign.  Keep in mind that advertising will repetition that depending on the publication could be expensive.

 

Social Media

By listening to the social media platforms, salespeople can learn about the needs of their prospective clients. They can also determine how their brand is perceived. Through social media, particularly LinkedIn, salespeople can also research the right person to contact within a targeted company. Before you start your marketing effort, make sure your targets are using social media. This research will be time consuming but effective if your prospects are accessible through social media.

 

 What is your favorite method to acquire new customers?