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@MarketingForYou It has been delightful speaking with you, Kim! Thank you for this opportunity.
Below is my contact information:
Raia King
Email: marketing@raiaking.net
Website: http://www.raiaking.net
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MarketingForYou
Phone: 610-251-0777
@MarketingForYou Make sure that navigation on the website is intuitive. If people have to spend too much time looking for products or information, they’ll be less likely to come back. The novelty of technical bells and whistles wears off quickly, and if they slow down a user’s experience because the files are big and slow to load, customers soon grow tired of them. Generally a nice, clean, streamlined site is the best way to go.
The other important feature is regularly adding fresh content that is valuable to visitors. This will give them a reason to visit on a regular basis, especially if you have an opt-in email system that lets them know when you have added new products or content.
@MarketingForYou As you can imagine, journalists, editors, and producers are practically assailed with press releases. Below are tips to improve your chances of getting the press coverage you want:
1) Focus your efforts toward publications and TV/radio programs that appeal to your target audience.
2) Make sure your press releases provide real news and value to media outlets.
3) Journalists, editors, and producers have very tight deadlines, so send them exactly what they ask for when they ask for it.
4) Make sure your press release answers: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
5) Be brief, professional, and friendly in all of your dealings with the media.
6) Pestering the media will not help your cause. While the process can be frustrating, try to remain focused and positive. Building publicity for your business is a process that will take time.
7) Work to build a positive relationship with the media. By providing stories that have value and by being easy to work with, you’ll increase the chances that journalists will remember you the next time they need a quote for a story related to your area of expertise.
In regard to what should be included with the media message, I find that TV producers like to see video clips of the business owner on TV. If you have video clips, include a link with your press release so the producer can see how you perform in front of the camera. If you haven’t been on TV yet, it can be helpful to post a video clip of yourself briefly talking about an aspect of your business.
I try to avoid paid press coverage because it doesn’t give the same impression of objectivity that free press coverage does. Customers are more savvy than ever, and they know an advertorial when they see one.
@MarketingForYou I often hear clients wonder aloud, “What do customers want?” My answer is simply, “Ask them.” Believe me, customers are not shy about giving you their opinions. If you ask, they will tell you the good and the bad points about your business.
Getting new customers is significantly more expensive than retaining existing customers, so time and money spent finding out how to satisfy and even delight your existing customers is certainly well spent. It can pay off tremendously by helping you increase your sales.
Whether you use a traditional written survey or an online survey, the methods of ensuring that you get useful information are the same. Below are tips to ensure that your survey is successful:
1) People are busy, so an effective way to give them a reason to take the time to fill out a survey is to offer some kind of reward for completion. You could offer a coupon for a discount on a future purchase, a gift certificate, or a sweepstakes entry for a bigger prize.
2) Make your survey questions clear and concise because the longer your survey is, the less likely people will take the time to complete it.
3) Make sure you can use the information you get. You not only want to know how your business rates, but why. Knowing about customer approval or disapproval without knowing specifically why customers feel that way won’t help you make the necessary changes.
4) At the end of your survey, have a few blank lines where people can give any comments about issues you may not have asked about in the survey questions. This section of the survey can often be the most revealing because you will learn about unexpected problem areas you can correct.
@MarketingForYou There are a multitude of ways a business owner can market a business, but advertising is a very important component of any successful marketing plan. The best place to advertise is wherever your potential customers are likely to be. You want to get your message in front of them no matter where they are. If they are an affluent demographic that listens to talk radio, then place ads there. If they are a young, hip demographic that spends a lot of time online, you may want to buy banner ads on the music websites they visit. The biggest mistake I see people make when purchasing ads is blasting their message out to a huge, untargeted audience. That is a surefire way to burn through the marketing budget without getting good results. Targeting your advertising as finely as possible is the key to a successful advertising strategy.
@MarketingForYou Ideally, as soon as possible, but many entrepreneurs don’t have the money to initially cover such expenses. It’s important to present the most professional image possible at any given time, so if a new business owner can’t afford to hire a graphic designer right away, perhaps he or she can exchange services with a designer. Both parties get what they need and both get closer to achieving success.
Fortunately, the tools that can give a small business a big presence are becoming more affordable all the time. There is also lots of free marketing information online. On my website I offer free weekly email newsletters containing marketing tips. I’ve also scheduled some interviews that will cover marketing strategies from professional artists and entrepreneurs in various fields. I’m interviewing professionals who have used marketing techniques very effectively over the years to maintain a loyal customer base and a solid revenue stream.
As soon as it is reasonably affordable to start hiring professionals in fields such as graphic design, marketing, and PR…do it. This can be the step that finally takes a new business to the next level. While it is a cost, it is also an investment. These people are experts in their given fields and can dramatically contribute to driving sales.
A: @MarketingForYou Hi, Kim, it’s wonderful to speak with you. I am an independent marketing and PR consultant and freelance writer. I work primarily with entrepreneurs and entertainers. I help them build their brand equity and increase their revenue. I also give marketing seminars specifically geared toward the specific needs of entrepreneurs and entertainers. I have been involved in this field for over 20 years.