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| | The Minding Your Own Business Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | Views: 2381 | | Jul 04, 2007 8:44 pm | | Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Lynn Taylor | | Hello,
I am wondering how everyone goes about advertising/marketing/getting their name out to help their business grow?
Ive been in business 2 years and Want to get my name out there or just find a few more clients..
What does everyone do to promote their business?
Thanks.
Lynn Taylor
Admin Professionals on Demand
www.adprosondemand.comPrivate Reply to Lynn Taylor | | Jul 04, 2007 11:31 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Lori Jones | | A great way is to have your own personal website that you can promote yourself, plus earn money by promoting other businesses, google adsense, links to other services. Here's the link where you can read all about it. http://www.sitewizardseo.com/2177 build your own niche site for very little. Great training and support. Wishing you success.
Plus feel free to download free the 7 great lies of network marketing. http://www.ljsolutionsnow.info
Lori
Achieve The Real Success You Deserve.
http://ljgethealthy.comPrivate Reply to Lori Jones | | Jul 05, 2007 11:52 am | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Fred Keller | | Hello Lynn,
That's a great question! Boy, who isn't looking to increase business?
The key is to bring interested prospective clients to you (kinda like a magnet). Magnets don't advertise. They don't chase anything. They just sit there and collect.
A business without traffic = no business potential. ouch.
That said: may I point you in the direction of:
http://website-that-works.first411.com ?
Be sure to spend a lot of time researching it. There are many, many Nuggets, some of which may be quite valuable to you, just in the intro.
I'm very enthusiastic of how this concept helps anyone - anywhere.... regardless of level of interest.
Good Fortune to You with your Enterprise.
Keep Smiling!
Fred
Release Your Best Kept Secret: http://passion.first411.comPrivate Reply to Fred Keller | | Jul 06, 2007 5:28 am | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Martin Russell | | Hi Lynn,
First of all this is a great post for everyone to tell you about their businesses and how they can help you.
I'm no exception.
www.WordofMouthMagic.com
And
SendOutCards.com/martin - as a really useful tool for client retention.
[And you can offer these cards as part of your service to all your clients once you are set up. Just use a subaccount to keep it all clean and charge them a pro-rata fee.]
So you can guess that my answer will basically be to work your current customer database. You're in an online networking forum so that's no surprise to that answer.
Two more suggestions however.
1. Re-Post a variation of this on a busier forum because I was sure you'd get much more response than this. I'd suggest B2B as one of the top busiest ones.
2. If you want to get more than referrals in your marketing, develop a USP. I don't see one on your website other than one that explains what a VA does ie "Let us handle the "piddly" stuff. & Professional Service When You Need It Most!"
Regards,
Martin Russell
www.WordofMouthMagic.comPrivate Reply to Martin Russell | | Jul 08, 2007 7:22 pm | | re: re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Kurt Schweitzer | | Don't do one thing - do MANY things!
How much are you investing in marketing? Marketing costs aren't expenses, they're investments. Manage your marketing costs the way you would your investment dollars. Put together a "marketing portfolio" and then monitor the returns on your investments. Put more money into those avenues that give you the greatest return, cut back on those that aren't working, and don't be afraid to try new things.
For example, I'm placing ads in local "alternative" newspapers. Customers coming into my store say "I saw your ad in ... and thought I'd drop by and see what you have."
I also put an awning up in front of my store. Yes, this is marketing! The awning seems to have eliminated the "boy you were hard to find!" comments, and has started generating "I was just driving by and thought I'd drop in" comments.
In terms of return on investment the awning is not doing as well as the ads, but that's because its a big, one-time investment. In six months I'll still be paying for ads, and the awning will have become more cost effective.
Another marketing technique I'll start soon is co-marketing. I plan to place my products (scooters) in the showrooms of related businesses (motorcycle repair shops and RV dealers) along with arrangements so that they receive a piece of the profits from each sale they generate.
I'm already doing something like this with business cards. In three months I've distributed close to 1,000 business cards in part because other businesses are handing them out for me. As are current customers. I can measure the return when a customer comes in with one of the cards in his hand.
Yes, this all costs money. My sales, however, are growing faster than in any of my previous businesses where I used the "tightwad" approach to marketing. I'm well on track to meet my first year goal of $100,000 in sales, which I only matched once in the third year of one of my previous businesses.
Please note that I don't advocate throwing money at marketing, but expecting to get rich with absolutely NO marketing budget is unrealistic.
Kurt Schweitzer
Urban Village Scooters
Private Reply to Kurt Schweitzer | | Jul 08, 2007 9:03 pm | | re: re: re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Reg Charie | | I did something similar several years ago and it worked very well Kurt.
I was working as the sales manager for our power equipment lines in a motorcycle shop.
I approached every tool rental place I could find and offered them a deal they could not refuse.
Buy two pieces of our Honda power equipment at a 10% discount, rent one out and put one on the floor for sale.
On the next order they got 15% off, and after 5 sales, 20%.
This worked so well I improved monthly sales from around $5000 to over $40,000. I outsold the motorcycle department in a few months. No mean feat as they sold 9 brands.
This really worked well for me also as I was on a low base with a high commission.
Reg
http://DotCom-Productions.com Private Reply to Reg Charie | | Jul 09, 2007 4:32 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Colleen Connery | | As some folks have stated, this is a multi-faceted answer...
First, I know what you mean by saying "getting your name out there". But as a strategic marketing person, please let me tell you one thing...it's not about your name, but about the benefits in using your services. Most small and medium sized business owners don't have the money or resources to just get their name out there...unless of course, you're the next Nike or Coca-Cola.
Second, networking is going to be key for your business, from what I read about you and your business on your website. There's very little that large scale advertising will do for you. Your business is about who you know and who can benefit from your services. First of all, find a networking group in your neck of the woods. There's several organizations, two of which I know are all over the states: LeTip and BNI. See if there are chapters close to you and check them out. See if anyone's a fit. Next, look at the chambers in your area. Small chambers, specifically, are very good by way of helping you networking, get into a position of helping (on committees and the board) and then that way, your name is truly getting out there.
For your business, it might be beneficial to see if there are any small executive suite businesses locally that need administrative help to hire out to. A lot of the bigger companies offer this as a part of their package, but the smaller ones usually run a tighter ship to keep the expenses minimal.
And lastly, I'd recommend a targeted letter to strategic alliances that will help them market YOU. Give them a rack card of your services so they can put it out in their shop. I'm thinking about the smaller postal shops who compete with the bigger UPS stores, or the smaller independent copy shops, etc. (A rack card, by the way, is about the size of a trifold, but it's simply a double-sided piece of card stock that talks about the benefits and features of your business...think about when you walk into a hotel lobby and see the rack full of ad cards for the local attractions...same thing for your business).
BTW - take your prices down...ASAP! Never never never have your prices online...this helps your competition know what you're doing, and for all those folks price-shopping out there, you're dead in the water because you haven't had the ability to bring value to using your services yet...this is a HUGE gigantic marketing no-no!
One final thing is look at your website and think about revamping it a bit. It's very basic, and doesn't start off with the kind of language that is benefit and feature rich. Remember your services are helping someone else...think about how (look at your bullet list mid-way on the home page...that should be up top more, and get rid of the introduction...
I have more information that might be helpful if you're interested. Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk. Or email me directly. I'd be happy to help with some advice.
And good luck! I know a lot of us small and medium sized businesses out there can definitely benefit from your services!!!!
Cheers, Colleen
President/Creative Director
CoCo & Associates, Inc.Private Reply to Colleen Connery | | Jul 14, 2007 2:51 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Felicia Slattery | | Hi Lynn,
I have three suggestions for you:
1. Read the book, "Get Clients Now" by CJ Hayden. This was one of the best resources I have found on creating a solid marketing plan for where I am in my business. (BTW I'm not an affiliate or anything-- I just love the book b/c it helped me so much!!)
2. I took a course from Alicia Forest about building my list last fall and it was invaluable to me. Sign up for her list at: http://www.clientabundance.com/. Each week she sends out a free ezine with lots of helpful ways to get clients.
2. Public speaking. CJ Hayden and many other marketing experts say that public speaking is one of the most powerful forms of marketing and I couldn't agree more!
I just posted some details on another thread here about creating a signature speech and offering pro bono presentations. I have a class where I teach small business owners how to develop a talk suitable for audiences of all sizes and how to vary the length to fit 20 minutes up to about an hour. I walk you through the entire process. And then I teach you where to find places who are looking for speakers in your area (there are MANY!!). Public speaking does a number of things for you:
1. It generates immediate results: at the end of every speech I give, I come home with a list of new leads to add to my database-- people who asked me to send them my stuff.
2. It generates immediate credibility: If you're the one in front of the room being introduced as the expert, you will be perecived as an expert (because you are!!).
3. It generates income now: The leads you get from your presentations today will become your customers tomorrow (and it can be that quick!).
4. It generates income later: Many people will wait a while, read your newsletter or ezine, and get to know you before they buy. That's great for you. Once you have a customer who has taken this time, you can rest assured they will likely buy again and again and again...
5. You get your name out there in your community as the "go to" person for anything related to your product or service.
There's so much public speaking can do for you. Read more about it and my class at: http://www.cashinonspeaking.com. PM me if you have any questions!
Warmly,
Felicia
Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed.
Communication Consultant, Speaker & Coach
Discover how to Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility -- FREE e-course http://www.communicationtransformation.com/creating-credibility-ecourse.htmlPrivate Reply to Felicia Slattery | | Jul 14, 2007 11:17 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
CedReynolds.com - The Entrepreneurial Pastor | | Lynn,
Great question. So far you've received a lot of good info. I'm actually very thankful to everybody here because it's helped me already getting better exposure for my business.
I do have two groups I can refer you to.
The first one is GoSmallBiz.com. This one will allow you to ask questions about anything you want regarding business. There are multiple drop down menus you can use for free. It does offer a paid version that provides assistance from professional business consultants and attorneys.
The second one is Veretekk.com. This is a platform that offers various traffic portals (all for free) to promote your business via the internet. They also provide training online at various times everyday.
Hope this helps at least a little.
Stay in the game,
Ced - The Entrepreneurial Pastor
Private Reply to CedReynolds.com - The Entrepreneurial Pastor | | Jul 15, 2007 12:32 am | | re: re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Reg Charie | | >>BTW - take your prices down...ASAP! Never never never have your prices online...this helps your competition know what you're doing, and for all those folks price-shopping out there, you're dead in the water because you haven't had the ability to bring value to using your services yet...this is a HUGE gigantic marketing no-no!
I'm sorry, but if you are doing this you are chasing sales away. A recent study showed that displaying prices immediately resulted in more sales.
If you are selling online then your prices HAVE to be shown somewhere, so you are not hiding them from your competitors.
If you are not displaying them immediately then you are forcing your visitors through extra steps to find out your pricing.
Reg
http://DotCom-Productions.com Private Reply to Reg Charie | | Jul 15, 2007 2:00 am | | Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Lori Jones | | I have a question I wonder if some one can answer. I keep receiving all these ads that want me to buy and ebook on getting google adwords free. Does any one know anything about this system?
Lori
Achieve The Real Success You Deserve.
http://ljgethealthy.comPrivate Reply to Lori Jones | | Jul 15, 2007 5:50 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Fred Keller | | Hi Lori,
It's part of Adsense.
Hope that helps.
Fred
No Suits, No Commute: http://work-from-home.first411.comPrivate Reply to Fred Keller | | Jul 20, 2007 8:01 pm | | Lynn: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Biana Babinsky | | Lynn,
To get your name out, promote your business and get clients you need to create an online marketing plan that you can follow step-by-step. Here is what I recommend:
- Start a mailing list for your business. Most of the people you come in contact with won't buy from you the first time they hear about you. Ask them to subscribe to your newsletter, so that you can keep in touch with them and promote your business to them on a regular basis.
- Publish your newsletter on a regular basis. People need to hear from you 7-10 times on average, before buying from you. Keep in touch on a regular basis and you will get MORE customers.
- Get more newsletter subscribers. More subscribers means more buyers down the road. Promote your newsletter on a regular basis and take at least one action EVERY DAY to get more subscribers.
- Get more web site traffic. MORE web site traffic translates into MORE buyers. Use search engine optimization, business blogging, article marketing and other techniques to get more traffic to your web site.
I discuss how to do this in more detail in my FREE Special Report, Top Strategies To Get More Clients at http://www.avocadoconsulting.com/free_report.html.
Biana Babinsky
Need MORE New Business?
FREE Report, Top Strategies To Get More Clients
http://www.avocadoconsulting.com/free_report.html. Private Reply to Biana Babinsky | | Aug 20, 2007 5:09 pm | | re: Lynn: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Kris Tomb | | My goal is to provide valuable content through blogs, forums, groups and other information shaaring entities like FreeIQ and Squidoo. Private Reply to Kris Tomb | | Sep 04, 2007 12:42 am | | re: re: re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Lynn Taylor | | Hello, I am finally getting around to getting some more networking done! As I am reading over everyones notes I came across this..
Keep prices up? or Take them down? Im offering services not really products!!
Help!
Lynn Taylor
Virtual Assistant
Admin Professionals on Demand
http://www.adprosondemand.com
Private Reply to Lynn Taylor | | Sep 04, 2007 3:25 pm | | re: re: re: re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # |
Colleen Connery | | The marketing answer to that questions is this:
If you are a commodity business competing on price alone (think $ .99 store), and you're competing for the cheapest shopper, then please...post your rates.
However, your business, from what I've read, is NOT this type of business. I'd strongly recommend against posting your rates. I think it's detrimental to you showing value in your business. You will be out of business before you start this way.
Some have suggested that showing your rates is the proper way via some statistics...yes, those statistics are accurate, however, they talked about certain kinds of businesses that I described above...not yours.
I'd definitely stay away from the frugal bargain shoppers, as they will not be your type of customers, let alone repeat or loyal customers. If you'd like to talk more, please feel free to PM me. I have about 20 years experience in this particular area of strategic marketing.
Best of luck! Cheers, Colleen
President/Creative Director
CoCo & Associates, Inc.
www.cocoassociates.comPrivate Reply to Colleen Connery | | Nov 14, 2007 10:42 pm | | re: Marketing- Getting Name Out- Rounding up new business | # | 
Keith Haskell | | I supply marketing materials to help you get the word out on your business with promotional products.
There are hunderds of companies that claim to do the same thing but we are a NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR and we pay attentiton getting to know more about the type of client you are trying to reach before we come up with a product ro plan.
Check out some ideas at our FREE site where you dont even have to log in....http://TheNetSOurce.LogoMall.com
Call me - I'd love to discuss it 651-552-9460Private Reply to Keith Haskell | | |
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