There has been a steady rise in the amount of people who use the internet to search for and buy goods and services.
Last year the BBC recorded a 50% increase.It is the increase in users that has made the internet a potential market that businesses need to tap into.The main tool for tapping into this market is a website.
A website is irrelevant to businesses that believe potential customers are unlikely to search the internet for their services or products.That aside every business needs a website.
Why I hear you ask,what can a website do for me that I am not already doing?
Well it will:
1.Help generate sales leads by way of appearing on search engine rankings.A website that targets the needs of your potential customers is bound to attract a lot of potential customers to your website where you can sell them your products or services.
2.It enables you to tap into a global market regardless of the geographical location of your potential customers.Customers who would normally not be able to buy from you will be able to do so through the website.
3.A website enables you to communicate with potential customers about your products and services through your website.
4.A website will enable you to build a community online using either a forum or blog to provide information potential customers have requested this will instill trust in your potential customers consequently leading to more trade between yourself and customers.
5.The use of a website to address customer support and services will lead to significant savings in the cost of hiring staff to answer telephones.
6.A website would enable to display products or services in a gallery online or as a downloadable catalogue which would reduce printing and mailing costs.
7.A website can serve as a market research tool by enabling you to undertake surveys and polls online to measure customers' interest in your products or services.
8.A website can also be used to provide an internal information system for business.This will enhance communication among your staff enabling them to communicate faster and more effectively.This can be achieved by using a password protected part of the website
On the strength of the abovementioned points I believe a website is a very valuable marketing tool that no serious business can afford to ignore.
Till next time goodbye and good luck.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Sunday, 22 July 2007
11 Steps to Boost Sales
The role of sales in increasing revenues and consequently profits leading to the success of a business is one that cannot be underestimated.
In order to succeed at sales you will have to persist as most people tend to give up too early as a result they miss out on success they have put in work for.
It is important to have a marketing plan to organise what you are doing from day to day to boost sales.Whether you are sending out postcards, writing monthly press releases or creating weekly e-mail campaigns.
This following steps will help to boost your sales:
1.A good way to boost sales is to follow-up your first sale to the customer wwith a "thank you" email in which you list other products and services you have for sale.Alternatively you could send a "thank you" postcard with your business name and other products and services you have on it.
2.Upselling can be used to boost sales.It involves stirring your customers' interest in other products you sell as they are about to make their purchase.In Online business it involves listing other products for sale that the customer could easily add to their order on the order page.The offline equivalent would be the placing of other items for sale near and around the supermarket checkout that you could easily add to your purchase.
3.A customer reward system is a brilliant way to boost sales.For example by informing customers that for every five customers they refer to you they would get a full rebate on their purchase price you will be turning one sale into four.This system does not only boost sales but also increases customer loyalty.
4.Encouraging commission sales or affiliate marketing is another way to boost sales.When customers buy a product or service inform them of the option to make commisions buy referring customers to you.It is important to state clearly that a connision is nade only when the referred customer makes a purchase and keeps it for at least 28days.That way you protect yourself from scammers out to get your commission and return the product.Thankfully this would not apply to services.
5.An effective pricing strategy is another way to boost sales.Use your production costs and he prices of your competitors to set your price.Set a price that would increase your profit without exceeding the highest price your customers are willing to pay.Make your unique selling point clear to your customers and let them know why your pricing is competitive.
6.Cross promotion of your product or services with other businesses' products or services that compliment yours.This is the promotion of your product and services with the products and services of other businesses based on a joint venture arrangement and vice versa.This approach is a good way to boost sales.For example if you were selling razors you could promote your product together with the products of a business that sold shaving cream and vice versa.
7. When you are delivering your services or product.A flyer or coupon listing other related products or services you sell is a great way to promote your products or services.in the package. This will increase customer awareness about your products and serices and boost sales.You could also use your invoice as an advertising tool.
8.A catalogue is a very good tool for increasing sales.For example after you have sold a bicycle to a customer you can include with the purchase a catalog of add-on products for the bicycle such as special reflectors,cycling helmets and protective clothing.If the customer is happy with bicycle the chances of buying bicycle accessories from you are very high thereby increasing sales.The catalogue could be a hard copy as well as in pdf form.This is a good way to boost sales.
9.Gift certificates or vouchers can also be used to boost sales of your products and services.This comes in very handy where a customer wishes to buy a product or service as a present for some but is not sure as to which product to buy.You could sell the gift voucher or certificate to the customer who then gives to the recipient to buy what they would like from you.
While the recipient is cashing in the certificate or voucher it gives you the opportunity to introduce other products or services to him or her.
10.The use of free products is also a good way of increasing sales.For example if a customer is buying a book from you,you can include free bookmarkers with each book bought.These book markers should have your business name,address and telephone number on them and should clearly state the kind of business you are.If this takes off you could even offer to sell advertising on the bookmarkers so long as the advertisers are not competitors.with their product package. The freebies should have your ad printed on them. It could be bumper stickers, ball caps, t-shirts etc. This will give your business more publicity and boost sales as a result.
11.A multichanneled marketing approach is another way to boost sales.This makes it easier for your customers to buy your product or services at their convenience.It would enable your customers to shop online,at your shop or via mail order.This makes your products or services available for purchase 24hours a day and 7days a week.
The abovementioned steps should provide a guideline as to how to boost your sales.
Till next time goodbye and goodluck.
In order to succeed at sales you will have to persist as most people tend to give up too early as a result they miss out on success they have put in work for.
It is important to have a marketing plan to organise what you are doing from day to day to boost sales.Whether you are sending out postcards, writing monthly press releases or creating weekly e-mail campaigns.
This following steps will help to boost your sales:
1.A good way to boost sales is to follow-up your first sale to the customer wwith a "thank you" email in which you list other products and services you have for sale.Alternatively you could send a "thank you" postcard with your business name and other products and services you have on it.
2.Upselling can be used to boost sales.It involves stirring your customers' interest in other products you sell as they are about to make their purchase.In Online business it involves listing other products for sale that the customer could easily add to their order on the order page.The offline equivalent would be the placing of other items for sale near and around the supermarket checkout that you could easily add to your purchase.
3.A customer reward system is a brilliant way to boost sales.For example by informing customers that for every five customers they refer to you they would get a full rebate on their purchase price you will be turning one sale into four.This system does not only boost sales but also increases customer loyalty.
4.Encouraging commission sales or affiliate marketing is another way to boost sales.When customers buy a product or service inform them of the option to make commisions buy referring customers to you.It is important to state clearly that a connision is nade only when the referred customer makes a purchase and keeps it for at least 28days.That way you protect yourself from scammers out to get your commission and return the product.Thankfully this would not apply to services.
5.An effective pricing strategy is another way to boost sales.Use your production costs and he prices of your competitors to set your price.Set a price that would increase your profit without exceeding the highest price your customers are willing to pay.Make your unique selling point clear to your customers and let them know why your pricing is competitive.
6.Cross promotion of your product or services with other businesses' products or services that compliment yours.This is the promotion of your product and services with the products and services of other businesses based on a joint venture arrangement and vice versa.This approach is a good way to boost sales.For example if you were selling razors you could promote your product together with the products of a business that sold shaving cream and vice versa.
7. When you are delivering your services or product.A flyer or coupon listing other related products or services you sell is a great way to promote your products or services.in the package. This will increase customer awareness about your products and serices and boost sales.You could also use your invoice as an advertising tool.
8.A catalogue is a very good tool for increasing sales.For example after you have sold a bicycle to a customer you can include with the purchase a catalog of add-on products for the bicycle such as special reflectors,cycling helmets and protective clothing.If the customer is happy with bicycle the chances of buying bicycle accessories from you are very high thereby increasing sales.The catalogue could be a hard copy as well as in pdf form.This is a good way to boost sales.
9.Gift certificates or vouchers can also be used to boost sales of your products and services.This comes in very handy where a customer wishes to buy a product or service as a present for some but is not sure as to which product to buy.You could sell the gift voucher or certificate to the customer who then gives to the recipient to buy what they would like from you.
While the recipient is cashing in the certificate or voucher it gives you the opportunity to introduce other products or services to him or her.
10.The use of free products is also a good way of increasing sales.For example if a customer is buying a book from you,you can include free bookmarkers with each book bought.These book markers should have your business name,address and telephone number on them and should clearly state the kind of business you are.If this takes off you could even offer to sell advertising on the bookmarkers so long as the advertisers are not competitors.with their product package. The freebies should have your ad printed on them. It could be bumper stickers, ball caps, t-shirts etc. This will give your business more publicity and boost sales as a result.
11.A multichanneled marketing approach is another way to boost sales.This makes it easier for your customers to buy your product or services at their convenience.It would enable your customers to shop online,at your shop or via mail order.This makes your products or services available for purchase 24hours a day and 7days a week.
The abovementioned steps should provide a guideline as to how to boost your sales.
Till next time goodbye and goodluck.
Monday, 16 July 2007
10 Ways To Market Your Business On A Low Budget
Home based startup businesses tend to be low on funds as a result marketing comes low on their list of priorities.This is a very important issue when one considers the role of marketing in the success of a business.Marketing is what gets the product or service to the target market, promotes it, influences the market response to the product and enhances sales.
The prime objective of marketing is to establish what your clients' expect your service or
product to deliver, exceed their expectations and building a reputation based on exceeding their
expectations.In this article we would look at 10 ways to achieve this objective.
1. Write an article about your business. An article about your business will bring you a lot of
publicity as well as give people an insight into the kind of business you are running.For example
if you are running an ink cartridge recycling business an article about your business and how it
supports recycling and saves used ink cartridges from being dumped into land fills an
environmentally friendly option will bring to people's attention the ethics behind your business
the need to support your business because it is enviromentally friendly.You can then post this
article on your website or blog if you have one.Alternatively you could write the article for
your local magazine.
2.Offer your assitance to your local community by offering to take part in fundraising activities
such as sponsored activities like parachute jumps,marathons and the like.You could offer to teach a skill you know ,for example if you know how to build websites you could teach a class of people from your community .This way you give to your community by providing a valuable service and you gain by getting customers through word of mouth referrals.
3.Contests,Raffles and DrawingsContess,Raffles and Drawings can be used to market your business.A list of all contestants names and addresses or email addresses are taken as part of the registeration process with permission to contact the contestants with information on your service or product.It helps to link the contest to a local event. This form of marketing is ideal for businesses such as restaurants or those that have high traffic.It is a great way to build a database of potential customers.
4. Use small low priced ads in your local newspaper as opposed to large expensive full page ads
in a national newspaper . Instead of a single large ad in the local paper, try several smaller
ads in local shoppers papers.Make use of the classifieds section of your local paper. These can
sometimes give you more value for money than one large single ad.
5. Use creative ways of drawing attention to your business. This could vary from giving out
flyers with information about your business to fridge magnets bearing your company name logo and phone number.Everyone has to go to the fridge at some point.
6.Business Cards
A business card is a very good marketing tool that is very often not used to its maximum
potential.The front and reverse of the business card can be used to convey important information about your business such as special dates and contact numbers.A business card could be attached to all your correspondence,this will help the recepients of your correspondence to have you in mind. If you are given a business card ensure that the information on the card is stored in your contacts file and send them a short note about 48hours after meeting them to ensure your meeting is still fresh in their mind.
7. Always remember to show the customer appreciation for their custom.Express your gratitude by saying "Thank You".This may be done by writing a letter or making a phone call.It is important that the customer knows that you appreciate them spending their money on your service or product.Customers who feel appreciated are more likely to send you referrals.
8. Joint Venture Promotion Collaborate with another company who has products or services that compliment yours and promote each others products or services.For example if you have a business that sells printers you could collaborate with a business that sells paper and ink.They would then promote your printers alongside their ink and paper whilst you promote their ink and paper alongside your printers.The possibilities with this form of marketing are endless.
9. Bonus Offers. Bonus offers can be used to market your business by arranging special offers with businesses who want to share your market.This is achieved by giving the customer a bonus packet with the various offers from the other businesses when they buy a minimum amount.The other vendors gain exposure,whilst you get something extra to offer you customers and the customers get great value for purchase. For a bonus offer to be successful it is paramount that all participating businesses are committed to the offer.
10. Associations Associations related to your market are a great marketing resource.An association provides the opportunity to network, make presentations and publications. Networking ,presentation and publications all increase visibility and consequently publicity
which is a great way to market your business. In some associations your visibility may be increased by using the following tools:
-Search Engine listings
-Links to you website
-Networking opportunities
-Business referrals
-Special events
-Education seminars
-Business directories
Remember persistance is all that matters goodbye and good luck.
The prime objective of marketing is to establish what your clients' expect your service or
product to deliver, exceed their expectations and building a reputation based on exceeding their
expectations.In this article we would look at 10 ways to achieve this objective.
1. Write an article about your business. An article about your business will bring you a lot of
publicity as well as give people an insight into the kind of business you are running.For example
if you are running an ink cartridge recycling business an article about your business and how it
supports recycling and saves used ink cartridges from being dumped into land fills an
environmentally friendly option will bring to people's attention the ethics behind your business
the need to support your business because it is enviromentally friendly.You can then post this
article on your website or blog if you have one.Alternatively you could write the article for
your local magazine.
2.Offer your assitance to your local community by offering to take part in fundraising activities
such as sponsored activities like parachute jumps,marathons and the like.You could offer to teach a skill you know ,for example if you know how to build websites you could teach a class of people from your community .This way you give to your community by providing a valuable service and you gain by getting customers through word of mouth referrals.
3.Contests,Raffles and DrawingsContess,Raffles and Drawings can be used to market your business.A list of all contestants names and addresses or email addresses are taken as part of the registeration process with permission to contact the contestants with information on your service or product.It helps to link the contest to a local event. This form of marketing is ideal for businesses such as restaurants or those that have high traffic.It is a great way to build a database of potential customers.
4. Use small low priced ads in your local newspaper as opposed to large expensive full page ads
in a national newspaper . Instead of a single large ad in the local paper, try several smaller
ads in local shoppers papers.Make use of the classifieds section of your local paper. These can
sometimes give you more value for money than one large single ad.
5. Use creative ways of drawing attention to your business. This could vary from giving out
flyers with information about your business to fridge magnets bearing your company name logo and phone number.Everyone has to go to the fridge at some point.
6.Business Cards
A business card is a very good marketing tool that is very often not used to its maximum
potential.The front and reverse of the business card can be used to convey important information about your business such as special dates and contact numbers.A business card could be attached to all your correspondence,this will help the recepients of your correspondence to have you in mind. If you are given a business card ensure that the information on the card is stored in your contacts file and send them a short note about 48hours after meeting them to ensure your meeting is still fresh in their mind.
7. Always remember to show the customer appreciation for their custom.Express your gratitude by saying "Thank You".This may be done by writing a letter or making a phone call.It is important that the customer knows that you appreciate them spending their money on your service or product.Customers who feel appreciated are more likely to send you referrals.
8. Joint Venture Promotion Collaborate with another company who has products or services that compliment yours and promote each others products or services.For example if you have a business that sells printers you could collaborate with a business that sells paper and ink.They would then promote your printers alongside their ink and paper whilst you promote their ink and paper alongside your printers.The possibilities with this form of marketing are endless.
9. Bonus Offers. Bonus offers can be used to market your business by arranging special offers with businesses who want to share your market.This is achieved by giving the customer a bonus packet with the various offers from the other businesses when they buy a minimum amount.The other vendors gain exposure,whilst you get something extra to offer you customers and the customers get great value for purchase. For a bonus offer to be successful it is paramount that all participating businesses are committed to the offer.
10. Associations Associations related to your market are a great marketing resource.An association provides the opportunity to network, make presentations and publications. Networking ,presentation and publications all increase visibility and consequently publicity
which is a great way to market your business. In some associations your visibility may be increased by using the following tools:
-Search Engine listings
-Links to you website
-Networking opportunities
-Business referrals
-Special events
-Education seminars
-Business directories
Remember persistance is all that matters goodbye and good luck.
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