Good marketing is key to every startup, and with smart choices, it doesn’t have to break the bank. Larry Mersereau, author of Stand Out! How to Position and Grow Your Business, offers these tips to jump-start your promotional campaign.
1. Find Realistic Prospects. Focus marketing on your most likely customers; e.g., don’t run an ad in a community newspaper if only a small percentage of readers will buy.
2. Invest in Quality Marketing Materials. Print nice business cards, brochures and direct-mail pieces.
3. Use Bold Headlines. Some people mistakenly put their company name where a headline should be. “The first thing [prospective customers] see or hear is what will make them decide whether they will stop and listen to anything else,” says Mersereau.
4. Be Consistent. It takes seven exposures for people to get to know you, says Mersereau, and each time your message should be the same.
5. Offer a Freebie. Your marketing should generate leads, so offer something free, like a booklet or coupon, to your most desired prospects–but make sure it’s something of value and interest to them.
Photo by MSDesigns.
Shirley on April 25th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I just came across this site for the first time today. Glad I did, a couple of these tips have given me a few ideas.
Thank-you!
Shirley Anderson
Ontario, Canada