Top 15 Marketing Ideas………………………
Over the years I have shared hundreds of marketing ideas in this daily blog. My top 15 list varies from time to time. The variation may have to do with the economic climate, the status of my target marketing and also what I experience myself and what I learn from others. When asked what my top 15 marketing ideas are today I composed the following list, not in any specific order.
- Face to face meeting with a prospect: my best closing ratio is when I have an opportunity to present my benefits in person. This is a structured presentation and is constantly being worked on and improved.
- Small group education: making a presentation to a group of 5 to 10 people has been very effective. I share something of value with the participants (content based upon my topic) and follow up with a phone call for an appointment.
- Snail mail newsletter to key clients and prospects: e-newsletter are great, but for a select few I send a printed, special newsletter. I find that it has a longer shelf life and I get calls weeks and months later regarding an issue.
- Asking for business: too many times I find myself hinting that I could use more business. By structuring my conversation to let the person/persons know that I am available for new clients I get better results.
- Endorsements: what other people say about my services often times means more to my prospects and clients than what I say.
- Having a personal brochure: so many brochures and other written marketing materials are written in an attempt to get someone to buy. A brochure telling my story makes a much more powerful presentation.
- Meeting with 4 new people every week for coffee: I find that people will meet with you when you present a benefit to them. In my case, I ask for a meeting to share how I can help grow their businesses at no cost. I prefer to meet with them somewhere other than their office, I get more of their attention.
- Blog: credibility is important and the fact that I have been blogging five days a week for over three years and have had my blogs read as many as 10,000 times a month helps me to build that credibility.
- Volunteering. I volunteer as a mentor for the Arizona Small Business Association and for ASU SkySong. I mention these activities to my prospects and clients.
- Working business exhibits: I attend these, not by having a booth and waiting for someone to come to me, but by going to those who are exhibiting. These people came to “talk”, and I find that good connections are easily made.
- Consistency: clients are not usually “signed” in the first visit. By having a planned follow up system I find that new clients can be cultivated through these efforts.
- Helping others: not just in business but any other way that I can help another person is personally rewarding for me, and in the long term I always get back more than I give.
- Increasing my data base: having a good data base of people that know who you are and will help you when asked is one of the most powerful marketing tools available. I maintain several different data bases, and use them for different purposes.
- Social activities: I believe that it is important to be seen “socially”. This can be at a charity function, a church function, a social with your peers as well as with your friends.
- Social media: although I am just learning how powerful social media is, I learned a lesson this past week when my daughter posted my birthday day (not year) on several social media outlets and I received birthday wishes from people I have not had any contact with in years.
This is a great exercise, make a list of your top 15 marketing methods and then follow them.
“Listening requires giving up our favorite human pastime – involvement in ourselves and our own self-interest”.
Sonya Hamlin
Nick J. Petra CFP
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