Why you might ask.  The answer is simple.  Your clothing influences how you feel about yourself and how others feel about you.  If you don’t look professional or appropriate, people my not want to work with you.  For example, I heard a story about a salesman going to sell to farmers in a suit and expensive clothes.  He was visiting the farmers in a field and stepped in all types of mud, etc with his expensive shoes.  All the farmers did was make fun of him for being foolish enough to dress that way when coming to see them.  He didn’t get the sale,

A better approach might have been to wear jeans or casual clothing in this situation.  If you are in a business, such as landscaping, suits are probably not the best approach when talking to potential clients.  They probably won’t expect them.  However, having a logo on your polo shirt or t-shirt goes a long way towards a more professional appearance.  Another way to make casual more professional is to have a dress code.  For example, your company logo on shirts with navy or khaki pants for all employees.  Everyone looks the part without being formal.

You do need to wear suits when it is appropriate for your business.  Occupations like banking, financial services, attorneys scream for a suit.  Not too many people want to take advice from an attorney in t-shirt and shorts.   Are you going to give your money to the person with a scruffy t-shirt and holes in their jeans – probably not.

The key is to analyze the customers you are trying to attract and dress in a way that makes them feel comfortable doing business with you.  Make sure you are not over or under dressing.  Remember that you are representing your business at all times and you never know who you may meet at the store.  Also, don’t forget referrals.  To get referrals you must be referable and when you are presentable people feel more comfortable referring you to their friends and colleagues.

For many people, the idea of social media is intimidating.  However, there is no way to get away from the fact that almost everyone who is old enough, even some who aren’t, have a Facebook page.  The idea of everyone knowing intimate details about you may turn you off, but this shouldn’t stop you from having a page for your business.

You can set the page up initially with your information, then turn it into a business page. Facebook allows you to post your hours, location and a continuous stream of information about your business.   You can post fun photos of satisfied customers or events you’ve had so all can see.  If you have a restaurant or you perform a service, you can post pictures of satisfied customers or your business in use.

The other great thing is that people can like your business and get updates, such as specials or sales.  In short, it is a great marketing tool that can send people to your website for more information.  If you’re not saavy with social media, by all means get professional help to set it up initially.  It is not difficult to keep posts going, but if writing is not your forte, or you are just plain busy, get someone to do it for you.  It is important to keep up the activity.  Hope to see you on Facebook, and by the way, like my page and become a fan.  Thanks.

I just attended a seminar and wanted to pass along a few tips for marketing in the current environment.

1. Don’t forget your current clients.  Keep in contact with them on a regular basis.  Did you know that you should be in contact at least 12 times a year.  Successful people are in contact up to 60 times a year.  This not necessarily by phone, it can also be e-mail, mail etc.

2.  If you are doing a good job for your clients, don’t be afraid to ask for the referral.  If you want to ask them to refer their friends or colleagues, consider holding a lunch or other client appreciation event and asking them to invite thier friends, or ask whether you may invite them.

3. Post your name, in addition to your company name on your website.  Post it there more than once.  If you think about it, people most often refer you by your name, not the company.

Hope these tips help you have a successful month.

I can’t believe it’s February already.  We are going into the second week of February and I don’t know where January went.  We’ve had a tough winter and unless your business is snow removal or snow shovels, you’ve probably been impacted in a negative manner.

However, it’s not the time to whine.  Your customers probably feel cabin fever as well and are ready to get out and do business.  Take advantage of this!  Give them a call to see how they are and invite them over to see your latest offering.   You can make it fun by having a Super bowl, Mardi Gras or summer theme in your office with goodies to go with it.  Make it fun.  Between the weather and economy, everyone can use a little lightening up.

If you are looking for new prospects, consider inviting them to an event at your place of business – a getting to know you type of function.  You can send a mailing, invite or evite.  Make it fun, but appropriate to showcase your products.  Having an inexpensive drawing can also bring people out.

Also, many malls are having shows.  Consider getting a table and meeting prospects that way.   I recommend having edible goodies or promotional products when you do this.  People are generally in a rush so need a reason to see you.  Have your elevator speech prepared and be able to offer a brochure that explains your business in a clear concise manner.  And Always make appointments with the truly interested people right away.

Planning something fun will get you excited and help your customers get out of the winter blues.  Many people have a months worth of activity to make up.  These types of activities will help jump start your sales.

It’s that time of year again where we have shopping to do, holiday functions to attend, and we still have work to do.  Too often people take a mental time out at the end of the year and don’t work towards a strong finish.  I’m not saying it’s easy to stay focused.  It’s more fun to enjoy holiday cheer and indulge in fresh baked cookies.

The secret is to allow yourself time for fun, but devote extra time to promoting your business and contacting your clients.  People still want to buy, and not just toys.  How can you have both?

• Plan visits to clients bringing cookies or other goodies.  It reinforces good feelings, plus allows you to socialize.  No one will throw out someone bearing goodies this time of year.
• Post interesting materials on your web page.  Maybe something fun like holiday trivia.   Let people know you’ve got a fun side too.  Make you you promote your products and services as well.  Just let people enjoy doing business with you.
• Get an automated store front for your website.  Let your site do the work while you’re out having fun.
• Coordinate schedules so that all of your staff get to have good time off.  By good I mean time that is important to them.  Maybe they are planning a big party and need time to shop.  Maybe they celebrate their holiday on Christmas Eve.   Maybe they love to go out for New Year’s Eve.  You get the idea.  Happy staff mean happy customers.
• Work extra hard a few days to make up for planned days off.  Set up a schedule for when you get back or set up a monster schedule for those few days.  So – you’ll be tired – but you are planning time off – right?

You get the idea I’m sure.  With the internet, landing pages, key word searches, etc. there is no reason not to be productive.  Have a wonderful holiday!

When you have your website, you need to start doing things to make it interesting, such as the layout and colors.  Next you should have photos, hopefully of satisfied customers, but samples of your products work too.  Most adults are visual learners, liking to see the products and what they do.  Today you can record a customer testimonial, put it on You Tube and link it to your site!

After the visuals are taken care of, it’s time to set yourself up as an expert in your field.  Or, if not an expert, at least someone who has interesting things to say.  If you don’t have that, there are ways to get around this as well.   What I’m talking about is creating a blog for your business.  Talk to your webmaster and ask how you can get started on your site.  You can also start blogging on numerous sites out there for this purpose.  The reason that you should is, first, you help the rank of your web-page, second, you increase the visibility of your business.

If you stink at writing, there are ways around it using other people’s blogs, or maybe hiring someone to do them for you.  Definitely investigate this great way of letting people know what you do, or even what you think.  Other ways to go about this are to read other blogs and comment on the ones that interest you.  You can request a link back to your site, which will help your site rank higher.

There’s an art to increasing your web page ranking and I encourage you to investigate SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  What it does is take all of your marking efforts and super sizes them.  You’ll be amazed at the response you’ll get.  If you start hearing “blah blah blah” when you hear SEO, get an experienced person involved to help you navigate through this form of Marketing.  Contact IOPrint for more information 732-349-9499.

What an important topic. Sometimes we as small business owners forget the we even have a voice in politics.
Rieva Lesonsky wrote:

Politics has been on everyone’s mind lately due to the recent midterm elections. In California, where I live, there was much debate (as always) about whether certain propositions on the ballot would actually help citizens—or were simply smokescreens for big businesses to profit. And two of the candi…

We all know the role that big business plays in politics and the influence large corporations have on government via lobbyists and donations. But did you ever consider that your small business could have the same kind of influence?…

Continue reading

Many more great articles at ioprint.com

We often forget the simple, obvious, things that are key to marketing efforts.  I attended a seminar given by Jeffrey Gitomer ( which was excellent-by the way) and he spent time talking about how we spend time doing things, but not always the right things.

One thing that we often forget is how important an attitude is.  Maybe we have a product that everyone needs and they buy from us.  If we don’t treat them well they won’t be coming back.  They might be happy wit the product, but if they aren’t happy with you, you won’t be getting referrals – not a good thing.

Another thing we forget is to make it exciting.  Do we have the same old boring voicemail or business card, or do we have something exciting.  Something compelling that makes people want to call us and find out more.  How do we brand ourselves and stand out in our communities?

Speaking of brand, are you fully utilizing yours?  Do you have a great concept, good name, but got lost along the way?  Do all of you materials and your website reflect your brand and promote it they way they should in a way easy for customers to use?

Spend some time looking at you and make sure your brand is consistent with your business and is doing what you want it to do.  Make you and your business exciting and interesting.  You want your brand to stand out and be unique.

I often talk about building a marketing program and collateral materials, but don’t often talk about why it is important to use a company you can rely upon to provide guidance about the best way to proceed with your program.

It’s up to you to have a great concept for your business and to understand who your market is and why they should buy from you.  However, just because you are great at pet grooming or landscaping, doesn’t mean you are great at business card design.  A lot more thought goes into making a great card than slapping on a name and address.  A wrong logo can confuse customers that have your card, sending out a different message than you intended (i.e. a lightning bolt for plumbing – when it symbolizes electrician to most people.

Brochures and sales materials can often be done at home.  The problem is that they usually look like someone did them at home.  There are many components, such as ink quality, paper quality and what to leave out that make key differences to the way your business is perceived by others.  Shoddy materials may lead your customers to think that your service is shoddy as well.

And I’m not sure what makes so many people think they can design their own website.  Some people may be talented at design and have the computer know how to do it on their own.  Most times though, it is readily apparent that you did it yourself.  These sites remind me of when a person who knows nothing about home improvement tackles a major project, like re-doing plumbing or installing a kitchen.  One of two things tend to happen – you call in a pro to fix it, or you live with the leaks, uneven cabinets, etc.

Professionals also help you narrow your focus to ensure the success of your program.  There are many ways to attract more customers and measure success.  We spoke about landing pages.  There are also key words you can use and links you can use to increase the visibility of your web page.  It seems that new ways to reach customers come out daily.  It helps to have guidance with choosing the ones most appropriate to your business and the customers you are trying to reach.

To reach our professionals, please call 732-349-9499.

If your attitude about Internet marketing is not to educate yourself or at least investigate options with a professional that can help, you are leaving money on the table.  In other words, old marketing techniques alone are not enough anymore.  They still work really well with other types of campaigns, but Internet marketing opens up a whole new world.

The beauty of internet marketing is that it gets a person’s attention while they are thinking or investigating a purchase.  You are getting connected with people that have a need.  When you do a direct marketing campaign on its own, you are going on more of a fishing expedition.  Not that you shouldn’t send one, but make sure to include your website or landing page in the contents.

I love in-person events and networking, but there is a limit to how many people I can see and where I can meet them.  With hundreds of millions of people using the Internet, belonging to social networks, or just surfing the “web”, it makes sense to have a presence there.  A person can look for my offering, instead of the other way around.  I can reach people 24 hours a day and get customers that I would never have thought to contact.

The key is to target the market you are trying to reach, same as you always have.  The younger the market, the more a robust internet presence is essential.  Also, the more you need to make sure that your message is in the right spots.  This is how a pay per click service can really help.  It actually puts your information in from of the customer.  There is an art to this, but it works very well.

When done right, an Internet campaign, paired with a direct mail and great sales materials, can be more successful than a direct mail campaign alone.  The key is to gather e-mail addresses and build a great mailing list.  Now, resolve to add at least the Internet basics to your marketing program.  You’ll be glad you did.

Landing pages are a key part of on-line marketing.  The internet has changed the way we do a lot of things, including how we buy and sell.  Most businesses have a website, with different pages to talk about who they are, what they do and how to reach them.  Landing pages are designed specifically for giving people more information or to let them know about your offering.  Usually a customer will come to a landing page from a link in an e-mail direct mail piece, banner ad or blog post.

The advantage of having a person go to a landing page instead of your home page is that they will go right to what they want to see without having to search your entire website.  You can also conduct a pay per click campaign, in which your landing page is customized to enhance the effectiveness of the campaign.  The additional benefit is that you can receive details about how many people were interested in your offer and you can assess how effective the campaign is.  These types of campaigns can be tweaked to improve them, like any marketing campaign.

The key to the landing pages success is to design a page that prompts the visitor to take the action you want them to, whether that is to fill out a form, order something or download something.  Your landing page should have your sales pitch in a simple direct format that keeps the person’s interest.  Content is key.  Also, avoid too many distractions.  Ideally there should be one button “Yes – I want to buy” or what ever it should be.  Similar to meeting with someone in person, the more distractions the less likely they will buy.

Landing pages are an important part of your overall plan.  Usually they are an integral part of a well planned campaign.  The rest of the campaign points the customer to the page and it theoretically closes the “sale”.

For more information contact 732-349-9499.

Last week we talked about planning for 2011.  Part of your plan should be to have a presence online.  This can be anything from an online directory listing, a landing page, a website, to a full fledged store front with catalog, ordering, etc.  Relying only on print, such as phone directories, is slowly becoming a thing of the past.  I believe that Verizon recently announced that they were no longer printing their phone directories, instead making them available online.

It is important to keep up with the changes happening in technology.  Depending on the demographic, many people go right online to find you.  If you aren’t there, they go somewhere else.  What you will need to determine is how big of a presence you need.  You may have the type of business that people only need to know your address and phone number.  Perhaps a landing page is fine.  This perfect if you are, for example, a doctor’s office where only limited information is needed online.

For businesses with more options, such as restaurants that may want to display a menu or offer online ordering, more pages will be needed.  Also, if you like the idea of an online catalog, which is great for crafts, collections, etc.  that can also be created.  If done right, your website will be an extra marketing or sales representative and help you grow your business and bring in more profits.

Once you decide which type of site is best, content is the next challenge.  To figure this out you need to analyze what you are looking for your website to do.  Is it to have people call you?  Is it to sell and advertise your services?  Once you determine that, it makes the design easier.

For more information, please contact 732-349-9499.

I received a request to write a blog about goal setting and thought, what a perfect idea.  This is the time of year to start planning for the next year.  While we still need to focus on a strong finish, it’s not too early to plan our budgets.  In fact, many larger businesses start planning now because they have to submit budgets for approval.  If you deal with larger businesses, make sure that they include your service or product into their plans.

A good way to begin planning is to come up with your minimum budget – i.e. rent, payroll, utilities, marketing, etc. and develop a financial goal.  Predict your next year’s goal by looking at what you’ve done, and honestly assessing what you will do next year.  I always recommend adding 10% more to what you have done so far.  You can add more, but make sure that it is realistic.  100%, for example, might be be a nice dream, but unless you have a good reason for predicting that, it may be unrealistic.

Next, think about how you are going to hit your target financial goal.  Think about who you will target your sales to.  Also, think about who your target market will be and the best way to reach them.  Once you know the who, you can figure out the how.  Maybe you’ll do a combination of direct mail, walk ‘n talk, seminars, signs and an updated website.  Maybe you’ll increase your online marketing activities.  What ever you think will increase your business is the key.

Once you’ve figured out the how much and how, you need to quantify everything.  Make goals for how much revenue you have to bring in, how many accounts this equates to and how many direct mailings, seminars, etc that you have to do to get to your goal.  Finally, put dates on everything.  This will let you know you are on target.

So, in summary, to set good goals you need to know financially where you need/ want to be, know how you’ll get there, then put an action plan together with target dates, realistic objectives, and monitor yourself to make sure you are on track.  The great part is, you can always adjust.  Not knowing, however, makes it tough to navigate your business.

Why is branding important?  It is becoming more and more of a buzz word in marketing and for good reason.  You’ve heard of McDonalds, Kleenex, BandAid – right?  They are all masters of branding.  Today we have a large amount of competition going on.  With the large amount of lay-offs, many people have decided that they are tired of the corporate world and they know how to run a successful business.  With the larger number of businesses competing for the same market share, branding helps to differentiate your business,

One way to brand yourself is to set yourself apart as an expert in your field.  Go out and make yourself visible.  Speak at meetings, etc.  Pick a venue appropriate for what you do.  Organize seminars and hold client appreciation events.  Another way is to write an article for a local paper or blog on the internet.  Make sure that you select a method that reaches the customers you are trying to gain.

Another way is to make sure your logo and other collateral materials clearly indicate what your company does and what sets you apart from your competition.  You can have the best concept ever, but if your logo or materials are poorly done or have artwork or designs that send a completely different message, they will not help you be successful.  This includes your website as well.  Also, make sure that any other social networking tool sends the same message.  In other words, be consistent!  No one will take you seriously as a CPA if they see you partying in your bikini on face book.  Unfair but true.

Lastly, make sure that you communicate your brand through marketing campaigns, such as letters, post cards, brochures, flyers, meet & greets, etc.  You want to get the word out about your product or service.  Also attend networking events or join local business groups.  The more you do to promote yourself, your company and your brand, the more successful you will become.

A lot of what we do is focused on getting customers for our businesses.  However, we do have customers already and are constantly receiving additional input from responses to mailings, e-mails, trade shows, etc.

Having customer information in a big pile is not going to help your business or your customers.  If you are king or queen of sticky notes – it’s time to get organized!  There are a number of systems you can buy to manage your customers.  There are some online that you can access for a fee, or if you are on a budget, you can use Exsel or a similar program.  Just set up columns for name, address and phone numbers and you can enter you data and eventually use a mail merge to incorporate the information into a document.  Another is to use accounting or other software you already have and key in all of the information about your customers and print a report.

Whichever method you use, it makes sense to design forms for data collection to match the system you are using.  The more you have, the better you can taylor marketing programs.  Addresses, phone numbers and e-mail are basics.  Today a cell phone is also key, especially for your good customers.  You never know when you’ll need to reach them in a hurry.  Birthdays or other important dates are good to know as you can use you database to remind you about birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and allow you to send a card, e-mail or cake.

The more information you have the easier it is to construct an e-mail, postcard or other type of mailing.  Having a database also makes it easy to inform customers about sales or happenings at your business.  If you also include details of what they bought, you can customize mailings to their needs, making it more likely  that you will receive a response.

As you can see, being organized with customer data is important and can definitely help your business.  For people that are not yet your customers similar rules can be followed.  Just keep in mind any do not call or do not mail restrictions the customers may have in place.

E-Mail Marketing is an important part of your marketing strategy.  What it does is allows you to keep customers and potential customers in the loop about your business and offerings in a pretty much instantaneous way.   This means that times sensitive material – such as a special sale or offer – can be communicated right away.  This allows you to tailor specials when you need them without a lot of lead time.

You need e-mails for this to work.  You may have more than you realize for existing customers.  Check your accounting software, it may require that you enter e-mail addresses, and also often allows you to export a list or file that can be used to create an e-mail list.   If you don’t have many, you can send a letter to your customers to ask for  their address.  Below is a sample, you should also include a form for them to fill out and send back to you.

I would like to ask you for your e-mail address as I am planning send e-mails with product specials and coupons.   From time to time, I may send e-mail invitations to special events I hope you can attend. You’ll be able to R.S.V.P. directly on the e-mail. You also can send return messages requesting information or telling me about your special needs — or just to say hello — at any time.

Or other wording that you feel comfortable with. 

Another way to get addresses is to create a form and use it during trade shows or networking events and ask people to fill it out for you.  You can offer prize drawings in exchange for personal information.   You can also collect e-mails from your web-site and use these as well.

The other key is, most people like their privacy, so respect it.  Don’t send too many e-mails or spam.  If you do this you will end up alienating the customer.

Once you are ready to send e-mails, you need to develop an e-mail that captures the customers attention and makes them want to act – like any other marketing material.  However, when people are reading e-mail they want fast – so try not to make it too wordy. 

Putting together e-mail marketing pieces can be confusing, so it may make sense to consult with your marketing professional for help in creating a campaign.

10 Incredible iPhone Photographs: http://bit.ly/clEPbm

So you’ve finally had enough of your boss or you found yourself at the wrong end of a “pink slip” and have decided it’s time to strike out on your own.  Good luck!  There is nothing like your own business.  You have the freedom and power to do whatever you want with it, but it also requires discipline and commitment.  Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1. Create a mission statement and business plan to keep you  focused.  A business plan can be flexible as you change direction, but will keep you traveling in the right direction.  It also helps you determine if this is a good idea financially.
2. Develop a Marketing plan to determine where you will focus your efforts, who you’ll see and how you’ll reach them.  Make sure that what you do appeals to a large enough market.  You don’t want to run out of customers.
3. Think about how you’ll brand yourself.  This consists of everything from your e-mail address to your business card to your web page to your social networking.  Branding is the key to setting yourself apart.
4. Go out and tell the world about what you do.

At this point you’re probably thinking, I know how to paint, design, sell etc, how do I put all of this together?  It helps to get input from people who’ve done it, maybe friends family, but also professionals who do it for a living.  There are also small business groups that can help as well.

Most of all, keep a positive outlook and don’t give up.

RT @marketingprofs How to Use Direct Mail to Drive Targeted Website Traffic : MarketingProfs http://bit.ly/9LMkzV

No one can argue that social media is a key way to promote your self and your business.  The tricky thing is that some sites are being used both for business and personal reasons.  This makes content all the more important.  There are stories that potential employers, business partners and clients search the web for background on businesses and the key people that they will be dealing with.  Can you imagine their shock to find a compromising picture instead of you instead of a glowing business report.  It is important to realize that sometimes people can view things you thought they couldn’t, so be circumspect about your personal and business reputation.

Another way to unintentionally sabotage yourself is to add a co-worker or business associate as a friend on a personal account.  These people can view whatever goes on between other links you have and can see correspondence from family, which can include an embarrassing personal fight (true story) or even risque jokes which would otherwise be funny if not viewed in a business context.

Even on business sites, be careful of who you link with.  They now have access to your contacts.  If they are a competitor, you’ve just welcomed them in.  They can also see any comments you put out.

When setting up your site you do want to consider what data you put out there when building your information.   You do have control to put as much or little as you wish, but it should be relevent.  People are constantly searching the sites so if you want to be found, you need to be sure to put proper words in that catch a searcher’s interest.  Also put in a good blurb that summarizes what you do for anyone that does look at your information.

For more tips and help setting up an account contact us at 732-349-9499.