photo credit: birgerking
theVisionaryBlog will feature the “Top 10 Social Media Success Stories” for small businesses beginning in September, 2011. The Great Success Story Hunt is on and we want to hear how you rocked the world with your social media strategy.
7 Kinds Of Collateral That Enrich The Buying Experience. photo credit: Steve Snodgrass
Back in the day, marketing collateral for small business meant brochures, sales scripts, annual reports and a couple of pens with your logo. The use of these materials has typically been to promote the company and is rarely about the prospect.
Today, successful businesses have changed what and how they use marketing collateral. Bottom line…your collateral should be about the prospect and NOT about you. Taking this approach will heighten the desire for your products/services and infuse positive brand awareness in everything you do.
Critical success factors are the benchmarks by which you determine if you’re still on path to achieve your goals. They alert you in advance that your goal is on track or in peril.
The old model for many small business owners has been to develop strategies, create a timeline to deploy the tactics and hope it all comes together. The bold truth is, the competition is more prevalent and they’re now all on the same level playing field. You can no longer “hope” you’ll stay on target – you need a leg up. It’s more important than ever to know where you want to go, develop the strategies and put critical sign posts in place to assure a strong ROI.
3 Essential Tactics That Super Charge Traditional Marketing Strategies. photo credit: Abulic Monkey
There are hundreds of tactics available that will maximize the budget you created on Day 1. Depending on your target market, many will help you gain exposure, customer loyalty and a larger piece of the pie. The 3 examples below are low to no cost. You will see how and why these tactics work and how you might use them. They’re my top 3 because they work across most industries and target markets and, they integrate well with traditional marketing like print advertisements, billboards, direct mailings and email campaigns.
Test market these tactics by adding one or all to your current marketing campaigns.
Break The Rules.Today, the business that gets noticed in the sea of marketing images breaks all the rules.
Over the past 7 days you completed grunt work that will be your strategic road map. Digging beneath the surface and becoming clear about your value, puts you ahead of most small businesses.
Next step – Create strategies that put oomph in your connection to the target market giving them reasons to clamor for more.
