Message

Make Your Business Loud and Clear to Consumers

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Feel like your brand isn’t getting enough love from consumers? If that is your mindset, what do you intend to do about it moving forward?

Unfortunately, too many business owners do not do enough to get their brand’s name out and about. As a result, they pay the consequences in terms of sales numbers slipping. When that happens, the writing could be on the wall that one’s business is headed for a slippery slope.

So that you can make your business loud and clear to consumers, you have to make sure you are promoting it anywhere and everywhere.

This also means that your employees (unless you are a one-person show) are doing all they can to get the word out there.

With this in mind, is it time for you to make your business more loud and clear to consumers?

Working In-House and Outside the Office to Promote Your Brand

For you to get the most attention in and out of the office for your brand, remember a couple of important tips:

  1. Message and Your Employees

Without a clear and concise marketing message, how do you expect most consumers to find you?

Make sure each and every marketing message you send out has had some thought put into it. Secondly, it is also important to know your audience each time you reach out to them. Lastly, the vehicle or vehicles you use to transport your message (email, social media, texts, press releases etc.) also need to be thought out before you hit send.

As for the messengers, your employees and current customers (see more below) are two of your best resources.

When it comes to the former, be sure your workers are up to speed on a whole host of ways to make your brand as relevant as possible. Two such means are video conferencing and webinars for your business.

With video conferencing, you can greatly reduce one of the issues that many growing businesses run into.

That would be when offices are spread out both nationally and globally. When this happens, getting all the employees together as one can prove challenging.

By turning to video conferencing, you can bring your group together, allowing for both information and thoughts to flow freely. Best of all; the company feels like one big family.

As for webinars, this is another valuable tool that too many businesses fail to capitalize on. Webinars allow your company to spread your brand’s name online, with the added advantage that they are available in essence 24/7/365.

If you are not using webinars now, think about doing them sooner rather than later. In doing so, be sure to promote them anywhere and everywhere.

This is especially true on your social media channels, channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube etc.) that should be getting plenty of action.

  1. Message and Your Customers

As great as your employees can be at delivering your company’s message, never forget your customers.

By giving them some incentives to promote your brand, you can get more marketing bang for your dollar.

For instance, don’t take your long-term customers and/or those who spend a fair amount of money with you for granted.

You can offer them items such as rewards programs, first shot at sale items before they go on sale to the general public etc. In doing so, many of your customers will be more than happy to help spread your company’s message to friends, family, even strangers in some cases.

As you can see, your message and the messengers both play key roles in your company’s ability to be successful.

Take a step back and see where your brand might be coming up short at the moment. In moving forward, make sure your business is heard loud and clear by consumers. 

 About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.

 

 

 

 

Let Your #Brand Be Heard

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Does it seem sometimes like your brand gets taken for granted?

hearIn today’s combative business world, business owners must do all they can and then some in order to have their brands stick out from those of competitors.

That said your brand has the ability to do wonderful things as far as its advertising and marketing initiatives, that is of course if you put the time, effort, and money into it.

So, is your brand distributing the right message?

Let Your Brand Be Heard

For your brand to get the full recognition it wants and needs, here are some tips to make sure you have your bases covered:

  • Target – For starters, what is your brand’s target or targets as far as promoting itself? You are better served when you have a good idea of what your demographics are. Instead of sending out promotional messages and hope some things stick, know which consumers you want to reach, where they are most likely to be found, and what kind of message you should be targeting them with. Yes, gathering such demographics is not an overnight chore, but it is one that can pay huge dividends for you over time;
  • Vehicle – What kind of vehicle or vehicles will you use in order to get your brand’s promotion out there? Whether you rely on old-fashioned means or more digital methods, you should do your best once again to hit as many targets as possible. In making a strong effort when it comes to advertising distributors, work on a number of fronts. Having a vendor who specializes in the printed message (brochures, flyers, pamphlets, business cards etc.) is still key today, even though the world seemingly goes more and more digital each year. In producing those printed materials, make sure you have a message that will resonate with consumers, yet not sound like a blatant sales pitch. Those printed items should also be void of looking drab and dreary, yet not knocking people over with loud colors and logos. Work with your printing vendor to see what best suits your needs, your message, and of course your budget;
  • Distribution – Once you have the printed materials ready to roll, where exactly will you distribute them and to whom? For starters, networking events (conferences, trade shows, chamber of commerce socials etc.) are great distribution points for brochures, flyers, the handing out of business cards etc. Always make sure any printed materials you disperse have your company’s main contact information, along with your website address. You can also end any messages in such brochures and flyers with a call to action, allowing the consumer to want to learn more about your products and/or services;
  • Socialize – What some brands fail to do is take advantage of all social networking sites have to offer. For instance, do you have accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other such top sites? If not, you are missing out on what is essentially free marketing and advertising opportunities. With the right amount of social media promotions, your brand can be seen by countless eyes, some of which could belong to your next customers. Always remember that social media is for promoting your brand, not trying to sell someone something 24/7. Also do your best to communicate with consumers and other businesses on your social platforms. In doing so, you are likely to get some of them to share your posts, giving you even more exposure. In kind, be sure to do the same for other businesses, building a chain of networking opportunities that can end up stretching pretty far.

From printed promotional materials to utilizing the Internet for your website, social media, mobile marketing and more, you literally will never run out of ways and means to promote your brand.

The key is knowing when and where to distribute your brand’s message, along of course with which individuals should receive it.

Given the fierce competition many business owners face in the day-to-day business world, properly promoting one’s brand is as important as ever.

That being the case, will you distribute a winning message to consumers time and time again?

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

Get in the Business of #Brand #Promotions

/ nancyrubin

How do you make sure your brand is far and above the competition when it comes to brand promotions?

For some business owners, the trick is making sure that competitors never get the upper-hand on them when it comes to marketing and advertising.

If you’re letting your competition get the better of you when it comes to selling your brand to consumers, is it because your message is not on target or because you’re not putting enough firepower (money, promotions etc.) behind your message? Either way, you could be missing out on some great opportunities, opportunities that can translate into an increased revenue stream when all is said and done.

So, are you ready to get in the business of more brand promotions? brand

Printing the Right Message and Selling It

In the event your company needs to step up its game when it comes to brand promotions, keep these ideas at the forefront:

  1. Message – First and foremost, what kind of message are you trying to send consumers? If you feel like your products and/or services are second to none, then explain that in everything from flyers to blog posts. When you have a product or service that the competition simply can’t touch, you need to alert consumers to this fact;
  2. Printing – Even if your message is the best in the world, you have to get it out to the public for it to be heard. You can do that via myriad of means, with flyers, emails, blog posts, social media, mobile marketing being among the best ways to do this. For those flyers, pamphlets, business cards, brochures, posters and other such needs, finding the right printing company is something that one should never take for granted. Having not only the right message, but a colorful design that turns heads, is critical. You want to leave an impression with consumers each and every time they pick up one of your promotional products. In choosing the best printer for such needs, get lots of samples with which to work from. As important as pricing is, the quality of the job is worth spending the extra dollars if necessary;
  3. Distribution – With the right message printed on the right materials, you now move into the distribution mode. Where will you be best-served when it comes to distributing your promotional items? One of the best venues is when you’re attending networking conferences, trade shows etc. These places are ripe for the picking when it comes to drumming up new business. Be sure to not only hand out your promotional items, but also place them strategically throughout the facility hosting the event. If you have a booth at a trade show, not only place your stuff in front of and inside your booth area, but also by the door leading into the show etc. The more eyes seeing your company name, the more chances you have of landing new clients;
  4. Socializing – Any pamphlets, flyers, business cards etc. that have your name and contact information on them should be plastered all over social media. For example, your banner header on top of your Facebook page can include your company’s logo, website address etc. This is a great way to get some promotion that is essentially free. You should also make sure you engage both consumers and others businesses (except the direct competition typically) with your social media posts. Once again, having your logo and business details printed on various items allows you to promote them on social sites. If you’re not all that experienced with social networking, you should be promoting your brand on sites such as the already mentioned Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and more.

When you know what message you want to deliver to consumers, make sure you have the right printer at your side.

The time and effort that goes into those printing details can mean the difference between winning more business and standing pat.

Get in the business of more brand promotions the second half of this year and moving forward.

When you do, you can all but guarantee you will be printing more success.

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business and marketing topics on the web.

Strategies for Communicating with Your Customers

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socialCommunication doesn’t happen when a message is sent. It happens when that message is received and accurately understood.

Learning how to effectively communicate with your customers is essential for business success, especially in today’s world where more companies are competing for the attention of consumers.

Here are some tips for making sure your company’s messages are being received by your target consumers:

Define your Target Market

You can’t possibly know how to communicate with your customers if you have an inaccurate view of who those customers are. Learning more about your market is the first step to communication success.

Analyze your sales data to learn more about the age, locations and other details about your past and current customers.

Obtain additional consumer demographic information from your business’s social media pages and other outlets. Gather as many of these details as possible and compile the information to gain a more accurate image of your target market.

After you’ve hammered down those details, you can begin to select the methods of communication preferred by those target consumers.

Select Communication Methods for your Market

Are the majority of your consumers young or old and where do they live?

These and other demographic details impact the ways that you should be communicating with your target customers.

For example, younger consumers prefer to interact with companies through social media, text messaging and other online platforms. Older consumers often prefer face to face interactions or phone calls.

As the following article looks at, it is important that you “Get to know your customers’ communication preferences” so that you can select the proper communication platforms.

Determine the Accurate Frequency

Choosing the proper communication platforms is the first step.

The next step is to determine how often you should use those platforms to communicate with your customers. Send out messages too frequently and your customers will quickly tune you out. Communicate too little and they’ll forget about you.

A first step in determining the accurate frequency of communication is to research frequency standards within your industry and within your target market.

You can then adjust the frequency of communication based on future data.

Track and Analyze Data

After you’ve selected communication platforms and frequencies based on industry standards, you must then begin tracking data linked to your sales messages.

For example, if you’re using social media to connect with consumers, begin tracking how often they’re engaging with your posts as well as the comments that those posts are receiving.

If email is your primary method of communication, track and analyze open rates, click through rates and other details.

By analyzing the data, you can more finely tune your communication tactics to the specific interests of your customers.

Create a Conversation

In addition to tracking data linked to your communication tactics, one of the best ways to hammer down your customers’ communication preferences is to ask them.

Consumers love to give their opinions and will appreciate being able to voice how and when they’d like to receive information from your company.

Of course, if you ask customers for their communication preferences, be sure to follow through on their requests and provide updates on your progress in this realm.

Matching your consumers’ communication preferences is essential to business success.

By knowing how your customers want to interact with your company, you can more accurately tailor sales messages to ensure that they’re received and understood by target consumers.

About the Author: Shayla Ebsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional writing experience both in the corporate and freelance settings.

Is Your Pitch Winning Over Consumers?

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There’s a saying that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and the same is true of your products.

megaphone_400Your sales pitch is your first chance to let your customers know what your products or services can do for them.

Unlike written copy, a spoken sales pitch can’t be edited afterwards, but there’s no need to worry – follow these tips to help you perfect your sales pitch.

Distil Your Message

The heart of a good sales pitch is getting what you want to say across in a concise and easy to understand fashion.

To create your sales pitch, start by narrowing down what you want to say.

Focus on one or two key points and stick to the information your customers most need to know; anything else can be discussed during a follow up.

Prepare Thoroughly

As the article “Tighten up Your Elevator Pitch” points out, a good pitch is a skill like any other, one that can be learned.

You don’t have to rush in unprepared. Take the time to figure out and perfect your pitch, and don’t be shy about practicing it.

By rehearsing your pitch front of the mirror, friends, a trusted colleague or even the camera, you’ll get a better feel for how well it hangs together.

Think About How You Say It

It’s not just how you say; it’s how you say it.

A pitch will only work well if your customers can see that you believe in what you’re saying. Aim for a natural approach with a good shot of positivity and authenticity; you can probably spot a phony sounding pitch a mile away, and so can your customers.

Mind your body language too.

Open, friendly, confident body language will back up what you say and inspire trust.

Focus on Benefits

Your customers don’t want to know about features, they want to know what those features will do for them.

Say for example you’re selling the latest energy efficient freezer. Don’t talk about the specs, talk about how it will save your customers money on their energy bills.

You don’t have long – a great pitch doesn’t ramble – so get right to the heart of why your customer needs what you’re selling.

Be Prepared for Objections

It’s perfectly natural to run into some objections and questions.

Be prepared for those ahead of time, with clear and helpful answers that address issues directly and honestly. If it turns out your product really isn’t a good fit for your customer, say so and look for another solution.

Honesty and helpfulness will earn you more respect (and a better chance of a sale) than being pushy.

Listen as Well as Talk

It can be tempting to take a deep breath and just launch that pitch, but wait a moment.

Effective selling is a conversation, not a monologue.

Take the time to really listen to your customers and find out what they want, what problems they need solving. That way, you can focus your pitch to address their issues and show why your products are a good choice for them.

Pay Attention to Follow Ups

Follow up is your chance to answer questions and concerns, learn more about your customer and build a positive relationship.

Prepare for your follow up just as you prepared for your pitch, by thinking in advance about what you might say, and how you might guide the conversation to a satisfactory (and hopefully profitable) conclusion.

Giving a pitch is a useful skill that, when perfected, can help you to get your point across clearly and in a way that appeals to your customers.

A good pitch is the first step towards a sale, so start practicing today.

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a wide variety of topics, including social media, branding, and how to perfect your sales pitch.