As any business owner is aware, the most significant way in which we can increase both the profile of our business and boost sales is through effective and almost aggressive forms of marketing.
A successful business can only be so if the market is aware of its existence. Just ‘aggressively waiting by the phone for customers to ring’ will not guarantee that your business will succeed, or even survive. However, by following these 7 simple marketing tips and tricks, you can confidently plan and meet your sales targets for 2011 (with even the potential to exceed your sales expectations).
7 Marketing Tips to Impact Your Sales
1) Competitive Analysis
To effectively use marketing for improving your sales, you first need to identify what your current situation is in terms of the success of your business and how you are currently positioned within the market. Look at your competitors’ current successes, observing and what has worked well for them or where they have failed in their marketing efforts. Think about where you would like your business to be within the next 3 years and what steps you will need to implement to make these targets achievable. Remember that being able to plan your marketing strategy effectively will require you to fully understand your business’ current status.
2) Marketing Budget
Although effective marketing strategies require some financial resources or budget, not all effective methods cost a ‘chunk of change.’ Look at your budget and what you will be able to afford and based on this number, investigate the most effective means of marketing which would work best within that target budget. Most modern online marketing tools are inexpensive or even free in some cases, which make them a perfect option for small businesses or firms stretched financially in the current economy.
3) Nurture Customers
Marketing should not just be used to gain new customers, but also to keep your current customers up to date, helping to maintain your relationship with them. Using different marketing tools to inform your customers how much you appreciate their loyalty to your company. Use email campaigns, newsletters and promotions directed at existing customers. Personal touches such as personalized emails are a great way to make customers feel special and not simply a number in your email list which can help your regular sales to continue.
4) Blogs, Articles and Backlinks
While your focus on existing customers is important, your focus on new prospects needs to be more aggressive. Whether you are a start up business or an established business, online sales content is a great form of marketing which not only promotes you, but can also help generate online sales through back links to your website. Blog content and article marketing is one of the most popular forms of online marketing today and has proved to be extremely effective when successfully executed. If you have the money required, you can also look to invest in banner ads on others’ related websites and/or blogs which will help to increase your overall traffic and increase your sales.
5) Marketing Resources
Although you can increase your sales effectively by using marketing tools which are popular at the moment, educating yourself on new and evolving trends can help you stay one step ahead of your competitors and increase your longer term overall sales. Using professional marketing books, the web, market research and in some cases, even the help of mentors; you can keep your knowledge of marketing fresh, helping to evolve new ideas to help you reach your sales targets.
6) Automation Marketing Tools
As your marketing efforts help you hit sales targets, now would be the time to use your profits effectively to further help with your marketing campaigns. Investing in marketing software, for example email software which can send out newsletters, promotions, etc. to your client base at the click of a button will not only save you time and money but will be a productive use of your time and your resources. Investment in other marketing tools can help attain specific targets.
Online marketing tools can rewrite a sales letter or article for you up to hundreds of times with minimum effort on your part. Yet another internet marketing tool will submit your articles, eBooks and white papers to article directories or eBook distributors online with the press of a button. These are all inexpensive and productive.
For example one set of marketing tool writes sales letters for you (almost). Another use your sales copy experience or the use of an outsource service to create effective, unique copy which is guaranteed to make your clients keep reading. Email is also useful since it can be a source of viral marketing. Should your customers become excited by what you offer, they can forward your email to their friends and family, providing you with a free form of advertising.
7) Marketing Plan and Strategy
Finally, as you gain the benefits of an effective marketing strategy and see your sales targets met, that would be the time to re-evaluate your situation once again and look at how you can change your marketing plans to help you reach new, higher targets.
Remember, your aim is to reach your targets and increase your sales so it’s important to stay motivated and strive to make your business as successful as possible.