MarketingBoss

My business got itself into a little bit of a pickle recently. My business creates pamphlets, flyers, and posters among other things for people. Anyways, we had a project recently to print out a thousand pamphlets to another local small business in the Richmond area. Unfortunately for us our main printer decided to break down on us before we could get the project started. It was an older printer that was literally on its last leg. We needed to find another printer and we needed to find it quickly. The project was time sensitive, so the quicker we could get a new printer the better.

So, the search began. My business partner and I searched for a Richmond office printer and copier service provider. We found one that was extremely well rated and was very knowledgeable in the printer industry. This particular company carried all the name brands, but beyond that they were able to figure out what was best for our business. They start out by examining our current business and the amount of workflow we deal with using our printers. They recommended a printer that would fit our needs, which was extremely helpful.

Next they were able to come deliver the printer to us and install it. This process was extremely quick and efficient. Of course with every new printer came a new set of instructions. However, they were able to teach us how to use our new printer, which was much more convenient than thumbing through a bulky instruction manual. We were able to get back to business in no time and complete the job. We highly recommend this printer service for any business!

There’s an old saying that goes, “Free advice is worth what you pay for it.” In some cases that’s true. But in this blog we like to say, “Our advice is worth five times what you pay for it.”

All kidding aside, there are so many directions to go in if you’re looking at expanding the marketing for your company, or even if you’re just getting started, that they can sometimes cause “analysis paralysis”. So in this blog, we’re giving you the one piece of advice that cuts through all the noise. If you can do just one thing to market your company, this is the one to do. Ready? It’s just three simple letters: S. E. O. Search engine optimization.

One of the first things you did when you decided to start a business was get a website put together, right? Either you did it yourself or you hired someone else but you knew you had to have a “presence” on the web, if for no other reason than to have something else on your business cards. And maybe that was the end of it. Maybe you didn’t think about it again.

But there isn’t any question anymore, you have to think about it. Practically anyone who is looking for your service is going to search on the internet first. And unless you’re incredibly lucky, you won’t be found. Why? Because all your serious competitors are hiring SEO guys to make sure their site is found among the top search listings.

So how do you get a piece of the action? Do a search of your own! Go to Google and type in “SEO company Richmond VA” (or whatever city is nearest you) and you’ll be presented with a list of professionals who can get your business noticed on the web. After all, there are about a trillion web pages out there. What’s the likelihood that someone will stumble across yours by accident?

There is a long established set of rules known as the four P’s for marketing any product, assuming there is potential demand for it. The P’s of marketing are product, place, price, and promotion.

Product. This is the tangible good or actual service that is in question. Does the product satisfy a need, providing value to a potential consumer? You need to understand what about your product is appealing to people. If you are selling windows, for example, you need to understand what attracts people to one window over another. Color, insulation, number of glass panes, and hinge versus sliding styles are all factors in this category.

Place. A good or service might thrive and be tremendously profitable in one area, but fail miserably in another. Know the economic status and price sensitivity of the demographic in your area. Is the target audience looking for this product in stores, online, or in catalogs? In our example of replacement windows, an urban area with lots of 20 something’s will probably buy more vinyl windows that are less of a long term investment, while later middle-aged couples in the suburbs are more likely to make a bigger investment in a product like windows from Renewal by Andersen.

Price. A high price tag can scare some buyers away. On the other hand, a price tag that is too low will ruin your profit margin. Also, a low price tag for luxury products takes away from the prestige of the item and can make it less desirable to big spenders. Discounts and sales are another aspect of this P category.

Promotion. Finally, the one marketing element that we are all too familiar with. I bet you didn’t think it was just one fourth of the equation though, did you? Also known as advertising, promotion can happen in a number of forms. TV, radio, direct mail, and billboards are all traditional forms. More and more businesses are spending more of their marketing budget on digital channels. For example, many customers want to do research before buying, so they might Google “replacement windows Rhode Island.” There is a lot companies can do these days to make sure their product shows up when that search happens. The best promotional strategies have streamlined messages and/or discounts across all forms of communication.

Time to start marketing your product! Remember, use the 4 P’s for a successful campaign.

You know, we get email from folks all over, and it’s interesting how often the concerns are the same no matter the geography. An email from Ontario, Canada was from a fellow who is thinking about going into business for himself but is concerned about how to market it. And we say, believe it or not, that concern is a good thing. Too many would-be entrepreneurs dive into the deep end of the pool with a ton of knowledge about everything but marketing, then learn the hard way (which is also the expensive way) that their business can’t survive without customers. Avoiding that fate should be a top priority.

An all-too-common tale, in Canada and the U.S., is the ambitious fellow who starts his own business from scratch but cuts corners on the marketing, either doing it himself or farming it out to the cheapest person he can find because he didn’t provide enough in the budget to do it right. A variation is the entrepreneur who finds time for everything else in the business (and of course, there are a lot of time demands) but lets the marketing go until the work dries up, and then scrambles to get new business coming in. That kind of cycle is full of stress and no fun at all.

One potential solution is to buy a franchise business in Ontario, Canada, rather than building from the ground up. From a marketing standpoint, this idea is a winner. You get all kinds of help from the franchisor in the form of advertising, marketing materials, logos, ad copy, and lots more. Having professional, high-quality marketing materials at your disposal – without having to carve precious time from a busy schedule to procure them – can be a godsend for the new business owner, and can help slingshot a new business into profitability.

Most of the time it feels like there isn’t enough time in the day for even the most important and life sustaining activities, like eating lunch or reading bed time story to each of my kids. When you are the CEO of a successful marketing company, there is always something that needs your attention. If a client’s sales are declining, they are angry. If a client’s sales are doing well, they want to know how they can expedite maintain the growth for longer periods of time. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned from years leading a marketing and advertising company is the importance of delegating responsibility and motivating others to lead and perform well themselves. If you make smart decisions when building your team, you should have the human capital to begin getting your life back in balance.

Letting go of control is hard, but my family sure has enjoyed seeing more of me in the past months. My wife and I are getting to tackle projects that we have wanted to do for years now. When we bought our house, we knew the yard was the first priority, because it looked abysmal. After 8 years, our yard is a masterpiece, but our windows and doors look like they are from the 1960’s. My wife had already done the research for replacement windows California and found Anderson Windows to be the best. They are better insulators than wood and have the maintenance ease of vinyl windows. I looked at some reviews from other customers, and it seems that their installation team is great too. Getting the replacement windows installed in a neat and timely fashion is important to me. Days with workers walking about the house and spraying sawdust everywhere just means less precious time with the family. After this is done, a freshly painted patio and sliding glass patio door is next on our list.

Until then, my marketing managers seem to have a hold on the things I was able to give them control over. Our clients’ sales have increased 12% overall from last year, and our revenue has grown by more than that with a phenomenal sales team bringing on new clients every month. Being a leader is about working hard, but also inspiring those around you and making sure ever y resource you have is being used to its full potential. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

Marketing opportunities abound. As the owner of a marketing company, I am conditioned to always be on the lookout for opportunities to not only increase awareness about my clients’ companies but also to get the word out about my own. There is no shortage of advertising options, of course, but spending your money wisely is another thing entirely, and determining if a particular medium will reach your desired audience as well as provide a reasonable return on investment is the first rule of deciding if an option is right for you.

Here is an example: a few years ago, my daughter took an interest in swimming, so we googled “find swim lessons in the Richmond area” and got her under way. To use the old cliché, she took to it like a fish to water. Before we knew it, she was ready for competitive swimming. So we found a league in our area and joined the local team.

Many people might have just looked at this as a pleasant diversion for the family (which it is), but I also looked at it from another angle. I was aware that many of the parents belonged to the club where we swam, and that there were quite a few business owners among them. That fulfilled one part of the marketing equation: finding the audience. And this was a good audience for me.

The other part of the equation was fulfilled when notice came around that there were team sponsorship packages available. The rate was extremely reasonable, plus it supported a good cause, so how could I say no? Not only did I get my logo on the schedule page of the team website, I also got a banner in a highly visible area by the concession.

The advertising more than paid for itself the first season, as I signed two new clients from our team, and in subsequent years, I have even acquired clients from visiting teams who saw the banner. It just goes to show that great opportunities exist, if you train your eyes to see them.