The 5 Digital Marketing Strategies Businesses Say Work Best | Fox Small Business Center
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, December 27, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Thursday, November 07, 2013
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Friday, May 03, 2013
The Purple Egg
The Purple Egg
6 Ways to stand out from the crowd
By Stacey L.
Friedlein, Photog.,Cr, PPA-ABI, CBM, PPANI-S
Creating an identity for your
business is essential to helping your potential clients understand who you are
and what you have to offer. In marketing
vernacular it is called creating a USP or Unique Selling Proposition. The marketplace is overcrowded and noisy
making it essential for your business to find ways to rise above and be heard.
1.
Know your
market. There is gold in them there hills if you know where to find it. Before you can begin marketing you need
to know your target customer, where they are and how to effectively reach them.
To determine your target customer think about the product or service you are
offering and who can use it. Now
research to see if there is enough of a demographic base in your market area to
support the product or service you are offering. As an example, if you are promoting children’s
photography your clients might include new parents and grandparents. How many children in the age range you wish
to photograph are in your market area, how many grandparents? How many births per year and what is the
income bracket of those targeted. Are
there enough families in your desired income level to support this market? What are their current buying habits? Who else is in the market, how are they
attracting customers, what is their reputation, price level, their targeted
demographic? Knowledge is power and this
is the kind of power which can bring you success.
2. Dare to be different. Be a Purple Egg. Imagine you buy a dozen eggs and get home and
find eleven white eggs and a single purple egg.
Which egg would draw your attention?
The purple one of course! So you
want to be the “purple egg”. This is done by understanding what is happening in
your market place, knowing what the competition is doing and doing something
else. Preferably something opposite of
what they are doing. Creating uniqueness
in your marketing creates attention and interest from your target market.
3. Find an underserved niche. Be where they are not. The easiest thing you can do is what
everyone else is doing it is also the worst thing you can do. As you look to grow or expand your business
you should look for areas which are not getting a lot of attention from your
competitors. It is much easier to develop business in a market where you are
one of a few or the only player. Find out where there are opportunities in your
market which are not being served adequately or which are being overlooked
completely. Utilize the steps outlined above to analyze them to see if they are
feasible and if there is money to be made by creating products and services to
fill the need.
4. Exploit your uniqueness. You are the
business of choice. Tell your clients why.
Tell your clients why you are different. What is it about your differences which make
you the choice for them? In creating an identity for your business which
reflects you and your business you help build an expectation for your client. If you can’t figure out your identity create it
or make it up. There is an old saying
which goes, “fake it ‘til you make it”. Define
yourself, make it unique, memorable and tell your clients why your difference
is important to them. Your differences
are a big part of your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Use them to your full advantage.
5. Market against your competition, mount a
counter offensive. Use your competitors
marketing efforts to your advantage.
Find the types of marketing they are doing, the kind of promotions they
are running and do the something different.
When you have several businesses competing for the same market it
becomes that much more important to create a unique marketing approach. Some ideas would include offering bonuses if
they are offering discounts, bundling items if they are selling a la carte, or
offer delivery and pickup services, or sell in person if they are selling
online.
6. Do the unexpected. Make your clients experience memorable. Going the extra mile for your client is
always good business. Create an unforgettable
experience for your client. Maintain
excellent customer service from your initial contact through delivery of their
purchase. Remember to follow-up with your
client after the sale. Send them a hand
written thank you note. This shows you
are interested in more than just getting their money. It is also a great opportunity to ask for
referrals. Exceptional customer service is maybe the most important thing you
can do to assure a happy client and happy clients are clients for life.
In a crowded and competitive market
place you have to create an identity which will capture the attention of your
prospective customers. Utilize the steps
above to make your business the “Purple
Egg”. If you need
further assistance feel free to contact me at Stacey@itsc123.com or visit us on the web
at itsc123.com. Sunday, April 21, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
The word of the day is Profitability
Profitability, “The state or condition
of yielding a financial profit or gain. It is
often measured by price
to earnings ratio.” This definition
comes from businessdictionary.com. When
you break the word down you have ‘profit’ and ‘ability, your business’s
‘ability’ to make a ‘profit’.
What does profitability mean to you? What is should mean is
that you are able to conduct your business in such a way that you cover your
expenses, cost of goods sold and after you pay yourself you still have money
left to reinvest in your business. Sound complicated, confusing, impossible
maybe! Maybe you just don’t care. In which case you can stop reading now and go
on to doing something else.
Now, if you are still reading you must be interested in
finding ways to improve your business’s profitability.
- What are your costs of goods sold, your general expenses, what are your ratios for cost of goods against sales, or expenses against sales?
- What should they be?
- How do you get them to where they should be? Are you paying yourself? Should you be?
- Are there expense leaks? How do you stop cash from leaking out?
- Paying yourself? How much? Are you making a living?
- Is your pricing appropriate for your business, your quality, your desired growth?
- Who is your client? What are their expectations? Are you priced to attract your target demographic?
- What goals do you have for your financial future and that of your business?
- How do you assure profitability? And the list goes on…
Scared, frustrated, confused, lost, all of the above? The good news is there is help for you. We have more than thirty-five years of experience in creating profitable, custom price lists for businesses just like yours. We will begin by addressing many of the questions listed above and then help you create a pricing model which will be appropriate for your business and your future goals.
And we won’t leave you there. We will consult with you once a quarter for one year after the initial pricing structure is complete to assure what we have created with you is right for you and your business. If necessary we will make modifications along the way to help you reach your financial goals.
Call before May 1st and
save 30% on these services!
Find us on the web at itsc123.com
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
"I care about the unfortunate, downtrodden, and needy enough to offer the fruits of MY OWN labor to help them succeed.
I care about them enough to NOT enslave them by way of dependency.
I care about them enough to raise them up with a hand up, not degrade them with a hand-out.
I care about them enough that I want to see them succeed, not subsist.
I care about them enough that when I am in their shoes, I don't claim to be entitled to any of those things.
I care about them enough that I want to actually help them master their own lives, rather than make them my de facto slaves.
I care about them enough to reward them for their success, rather than punish them.
I care about them enough to let them receive the consequences for their own failures, but ensure that their neighbors have every ... (show more) freedom to help them survive said consequences
I CARE ENOUGH TO GIVE THEM LIFE AND LIBERTY RATHER THAN DEATH AND SLAVERY.
Who cares more than this, I ask you? The man who enslaves you with 'entitlements'? The man who takes your real liberty in exchange for a false security? The man who starves you by spreading poverty, in the name of spreading wealth?
If you honestly believe that that man is more compassionate, then my heart goes out to you all the more, for slavery only breeds despair. Freedom breeds hope."
THAT is a compassionate conservative message