Act Local, Target Global

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Time was, I was just a 'local agent.' It was important I worked in the town, heck the same neighborhood, as my clients. Wow what a difference five years makes.

The Secret to Connecting With New Customers Using Door Hanger Marketing

Remember a time, not so long ago when we could market a product or service easily? We could buy advertising on a couple of stations and most of the time we would see results. Ah, the good old days..

If you're like most, you know marketing isn't that easy anymore. Still, you've got to wonder, is there any other of way of reaching your targeted demo and getting similar results? The answer is yes...

Learning Can Be Fun!

"Why does it always feel so hard?" One of my clients said this to me last week when we were talking about what it takes to grow a business. Have you ever felt this way?

Then I say to you - you're doing it all wrong. Yes, growing a business can be hard work - in the words of my mentor, Larry Winget: "They call it W.O.R.K. for a reason", LOL.

Local Store Marketing: "Be" The News!

What person knows the most about what is happening at your store? You!

It is your responsibility to create news about your store - don't wait for others to do this for you. Being proactive with the local newspapers to generate news coverage on your store is an excellent way to get third-party endorsement. Many of the editors - and in particular, the beat reporters - are constantly looking for news stories on area businesses. It's up to you to entice them. Feeding them with ongoing news and information regarding your store helps establish a relationship that they will appreciate.

Common Tactics of Reputation Management Services

A reputation management agency is employed by individuals and companies to promote their good points, and to correct any false statements that may be adversely affecting them. People love to read gossip. This is evident by the number of gossip rags that are for sale beside every check-out counter. When the gossip is detrimental to the reputation of a person or a company it can cause them financial hardships as well as many personal hardships.

Why You Need To Make Article Marketing an Important Part of Your Business

Chances are when you started your online business you had no idea just how much of an impact the "written word" was going to have on the success of your business. You may be one of those many people that find it difficult to put your thoughts to paper or in this case onto a screen, and have had to rely on professionals to take care of this part of your business. There is nothing wrong with this, but the problem is this can be an going expense as you must be constantly marketing your business to enjoy a steady growth rate and it takes written content to do this.

Attractions and Activities for the Whole Family

1. The Atlantic City Aquarium is hands down one of the finest family attractions around, boasting a large variety of exotic sea life. The jewel of the crown is the massive 25,000 gallon "Fish of the Mid-Atlantic" tank, along with 17 other tanks burgeoning with fishy-related wildlife. The excellent "Dive and Dine" show allows you the sight of professionally trained divers swimming alongside nurse sharks. The audience is encourage to get involved with an interactive Q&A section throughout the show. Furthermore, the interactive element is extended via the "Touch Tank" opportunities, so guests can feel and stroke the creatures situated in a shallow tank, including sea urchins and crabs. Kids can also enjoy an Arts and Crafts section, where they can make glittering pieces of art utilizing neon and glow-in-the-dark paints.

Does My Startup Business Need a Website?

Websites range from brochure sites to blog sites to programming sites. Assuming that your company doesn't have a website on the internet, but that you want to create one in order to market your business; we'll try to provide some tips on what to look for.

7 Mistakes to Avoid When You Trade With French People

1) Use a free online translation tool for your website

This is not good. Worse: to do it yourself.

Work At Home Moms - About Online Business Models and Strategies

Being a work at home mom and starting your own small business can exciting and scary at the same time.

There is so much to learn about the business and really all you want to do is get started making money to supplement that income you lost when you left your job.

Quality Management Systems and Their Increasing Business Significance

The Significance of Quality

Starting from the property that it is the customer who keeps a business running, it can be said that the primary goal of any business must be to provide high-quality products and services that satisfy the requirements of their clients. After all, it is the clients who buy their products and services, and it will be the customers who suggest them, as long as their general buying experience declares so.

Nonprofit Marketers Should Understand People

if you want your nonprofit to evolve and to reach your audience,should understand marketing. To understand marketing, you must understand people and their nature. Even if your number one objective is to save the whales, you have to understand what makes people tick. Therefore, marketers should take it upon yourself to learn more about their target market.

Helping Your Business Adapt To Change Through The Right Marketing Partner

There are a lot of changes these days that require companies to change how they operate as well. There are the extreme ups and downs of the economy, the changing behavior of consumers, and of course the coming of the digital era. Businesses that don't realize the need to adapt to these changes might bring them to their end since they become weak and eventually obsolete.

Why Business Cards Are Still Relevant in a World of 'Clouds'!

In this age of ultra-fast on-line connectivity, 'cloud-based' technology and smartphones, many companies both start-up and established may ask - "is it necessary to continue with the use of professionally printed business cards"? For a number of very good reasons the simple answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes"!

Why Email Is Still a Viable Marketing Tool

With all the talk of Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other social media, it's easy to start feeling like perhaps older protocols like email are on the way out in terms of marketing power. While it's certainly true that methods of online communication have changed and evolved dramatically over the past few years, it's important to remember that email has some benefits that other marketing methods don't have, and as such shouldn't be ignored as an essential component of your online marketing strategy.

Top 10 Benefits of Submitting Your Business Profile to Local Online Directories

It won't be wrong to say that along with the normal physical existence, today everyone leads a parallel life in the virtual world of internet. The web has penetrated almost every sphere of life and has come to play an especially significant role in trade and business.

What Does It Take To Lead A Product Team?

So you are a product manager? Just exactly what does that mean? I can tell you that it's not all about creating the perfect product development definition. I mean, sure you are in charge of a product, but in order to get your job done you need to work with other people and get them to do what you need them to do for you. Just exactly how are you supposed to do that?

Merchandise Marketing for Tattoo Shops

Merchandise is a great way to market your tattoo shop and take advantage of the customers who love your shop and artwork. There are both less and more expensive options for merchandise marketing. I will go through ideas for different types of merchandise, and how to sell or give them to your customers.

Changing Trends in Healthcare Marketing

Healthcare Marketing is continuously evolving. A shift in healthcare marketing strategy is required for the sustained growth and evolution of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. The question however that one is confronted with is - what will be the role of healthcare marketing in the future?

Top Marketing Tips for 2013

So you've been trying to figure out how to market your business for a while now. You see others do it. And it seems like everyone makes it look so easy. But for some reason, success keeps eluding you. Every time you get close to generating a consistent amount of prospects, something happens and you end up back where you started. Not this time. Because this time you're going to be armed with the same tips, tricks and secrets that the most successful marketers know. So give these tips a try and see if they don't work for you too.

Working With a Virtual Assistant - Getting the Job Done

When you take the step to work with a virtual assistant, you empower yourself to accomplish so much more. You hand off the tasks that someone else can do, so you can do more of what you do best.

What 50 Shades of Grey and Your Website Have In Common

One of life's deepest pleasures for someone who loves to read is browsing for a new book to lose yourself in.

You enter a bookstore brimming with traditional paper books, nestled tightly together on the shelves - coyly only displaying their spines.

Where to Purchase Quality Blood Collection Sets

Blood collection is an important process performed in relation to diverse diagnostic and treatment procedures.Though it is a simple process, there are many health risks - for both patient and lab personnel - involved if it is not handled properly.Therefore prime consideration has to be given to the purchase of quality sets which can eliminate such risks.Such sets are available only with established lab equipment suppliers.

Why Multimedia Is Important in Online Marketing

If we had to pick one word to describe today's online experience, "dynamic" might be a good choice. Whereas the early days of the web featured mostly static pages with lots of text and not much else, the sites you see now are bursting with information of all kinds, with a lot of two-way interaction and audience engagement and activities. The advent of multimedia, of course, has played a huge and important role in this evolution.

Multi-Task or Focus? The Truth About Which Work Style Gets the Job Done

Do you feel like you are rushing through your day and not giving any one thing your full attention? I know how easily this can happen because many people use a multi task approach which leaves them feeling scattered and their projects incomplete.

Let me share what I do. First, I have a mantra that I live by, "A strong focus now creates a different future later." My team knows not to just walk into my office. If they do, I will just say, "I'm sorry. I can't talk right now, I'm focused." This might seem abrupt, but when I'm doing one thing, I need to do that one thing only.

Selling Big: Finding the Right Marketing Partners

Once inventors have a product ready to sell, they need to decide how to market the product. They might choose to sell the product themselves, which generates the most profit per sale, but the main drawback is that sales might get off to a slow start or never get started at all. Another option is to land a marketing partner-another company already selling into the target market-which has the potential for very fast sales growth, but the main drawback is they will need to give 20 to 25% of their sales volume to the marketing partner to cover sales and marketing costs. At first glance the 20 to 25% seems high, but in reality most consumer products companies spend approximately 20% to cover sales and marketing costs. Selling through a marketing partner may not be viable if you have small margins, but it is often the best course for fast sales growth for inventors with high margin products, where the product's wholesale sales price is at least twice the product's manufacturing costs. This article covers how to find a strong marketing partner to sell your product.

How to Make Money on Your Product for Years, Not Months

New products are being replaced by newer products at an increasing pace. This means that each new product sells for a shorter time that products previously sold. This greatly impacts how much money inventors are making. How do you know if your product will stand the test of time? Will your product sell long enough to make back your investment or will it keep on selling so you can actually make money? How much does your product's longevity depend on your marketing and how much depends on your product? Of course, some products only can succeed for a short amount of time, but with a well thought-out marketing plan, you can extend the life of almost any product. Let's look at Shrinky Dinks, a product invented in 1973 by Betty Morris.

How to Make the Most of Your Idea

One night, while working as a patrol officer, Brian Quittner was writing a ticket. He was trying to hold his flashlight under one arm so he could see what he was writing and then the flashlight slipped, fell and broke, leaving him in an awkward situation. He said the classic phrase of the inventor, "There has got to be a better way," and the next day created his hands-free mobile light source.

Quittner's device can be worn around the neck and uses LED light, which doesn't interrupt night vision, meaning your eyes don't need to readjust, helping officers stay alert and perceptive in potentially dangerous situations. He has been selling his Quiqlite since 2000 to police officers and security guards worldwide.

I've Hired a Business Coach - Now What

Congratulations! You've joined the ranks of successful entrepreneurs who work with a business coach. For many of you, for whom this is a new experience, you're now asking yourself: "Now what?"

That's pretty normal, just so you know. What people don't often tell you is HOW to work effectively with a business coach - so let me give you a few tips that have worked well for me.

Promote Your Business With Attractive Banners And Display Flags

Marketing plays a very essential role in the promotion of any large or small scale business. Any firm providing services or offering products with its strategies and policies need to plan out advertising techniques to attract customers and the public. Marketing involves various techniques and ways to promote any business. The major means of promotion is an advertisement. We can see lots of advertisements and firms doing promotion everywhere.

The Anatomy of the Perfect Content For a Starting Affiliate Marketer

In today's internet marketing landscape, content is king. Right after Google's Panda and Penguin updates, the search engine algorithm has favored information rich pages. This simply makes quality copywriting one of the best affiliate techniques today. It brings in traffic, and it favors the Google spiders. The gold standard of the effective affiliate techniques is measured through the traffic and the conversion that it delivers to the site. So what makes a good content that every affiliate marketer should know?

Tips to Create Captivating Window Displays

Remember that your retail window displays are like billboards for your retail shop. Thus, they can either attract or put off your customers the moment they enter to your shop or walk past it. So here are some tips in coming up with captivating window display for your store.

SEO And Other Marketing Strategies Still Trending Today

Contrary to the speculation of some skeptics that the online marketing strategy is dying away, the Search Engine Optimization arena has never been this alive. Although there may be some changes, still the age of this online technology has not shown any signs of wavering. There are new polices drawn, however it can be managed given the marketers think of a new approach. Whether it is an old or new business, they are still turning to SEO for effective marketing. Again, there may be some impact on the changes drawn up by leading search engines however it is not stopping the businesses from using SEO services to achieve that much needed online presence.

The 3-Step Copywriting Formula That Does Everything From Get You a New Job to Sell Printing

One of the secrets of great copywriters is that many pieces of writing use simple templates or formulas as a base. If you know the formula, all you need to do is follow along with the recipe and you will get a great result.

The Benefits of Applying the Law of Attraction in Business

The Law of Attraction is an ancient philosophy which has been taught and practised by spiritual gurus and teachers throughout the ages. Millions of people practise this philosophy in their personal life to bring them peace, happiness, health and prosperity, among other things. In today's modern, often unstable economy, increasing numbers of business owners are applying the Law of Attraction in their business for business growth - and are achieving remarkable success as a result.

How To Give Presence To Your Web Marketing Voice

One of the most amazing books which can help is "Presence" by Patsy Rodenburg. Patsy is a voice coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her book is actually about personal voice tone, style and presentation presence. However, on reading "Presence", you will find a great deal there to apply to business and web marketing too.

Why You Should Turn Your Niche Upside Down

No matter how much you think everyone will need what you offer, you still will need to determine who you're trying to reach, otherwise you won't be able to sell to anyone. This may seem counter-intuitive. If everyone needs your product, why wouldn't everyone buy it?

The 5 Myths Copywriters Wished You Knew

As a copywriter, my job is to discover your story and then tell it in a way that weaves magic over your audience. I am a professional storyteller - a teller of tales of heroes and daring adventures. Of quests and battles. And of love and connection.

A Few Tips on Selecting Lab Equipment for Your Needs

Purchasing the right kind of lab equipment can be a challenging task for lab professionals. Prompt and accurate results for laboratory tests mainly depend on the quality of lab equipment used. Leading manufacturers offer innovative lab devices incorporated with advanced technical specifications and functionalities. Analytical devices that ensure high performance can provide accurate and timely results for diagnostic procedures. Moreover, it is very important to buy quality instruments to enhance lab productivity and workflow. Here are some key factors to consider while purchasing lab instruments:

The Power of Host and Parasitic Business Relationships

Most businesses overlook a very unique concept in marketing known as the Host/Parasite Relationship Model. This area of marketing makes everything a business accomplishes 100 percent more profitable. The Host/Parasite Relationship Models occurs when two businesses enter a joint venture for mutual gain. This essentially means two companies playing offer each other's business for substantial profit.

The Single Most Underused, Powerful Marketing Tool For Solicitors

Whilst it's true there is no 'magic bullet' in terms of client acquisition, there is one marketing technique which is more powerful than just about any other. Yet it's astonishingly underused because of several key misconceptions. Customers have long sought the opinions of others before making a purchasing decision. Online, the source of those opinions is in the form of reviews and testimonials.

The Working Principles of Self Replicated Websites

Not only promoting its products and services, the distributors of a MLM company also need to follow up with their prospects and customers. They need replicated sites that offer a professional and automated web based system. The best systems should have replicated sites ready for immediate use with automatic follow-ups and other advanced features to increase sales and conversion.

iPad: The Retail Mobile Commerce Champion

As more studies are conducted, it is becoming increasing clear that the iPad is becoming the champion of mobile commerce. According to the 2013 Adobe Digital Index, it has been found that retailers generate greater sales through tablets than they do through smartphones (see our most recent blog, "Why Retailers Should Focus Their Mobile Commerce Strategy on Tablets"). Although Android-based tablets have gained a larger global market share over Apple's iPad, with the statistics and studies available, the iPad

Landing an Inside Contact - The Easiest Way to Sell Your Product

Inventors will have a far easier time striking a deal with a marketer or distributor when they have a strong supporter inside the potential partner company. You want to find the supporter early before you make any formal sales calls. The contact can then help you fine tune your presentations to the company's needs. They will also advocate for your project inside the company, urging management to move ahead with your offer. Typically you want to find either a regional manager or a marketing manager to help you.

Merits of Using Customer Surveys in Your Marketing Strategy

The market is a competitive place. Your target customers are scattered and spoiled for choice. Their attention span is short and divided among innumerable avenues. It is no wonder that marketers are constantly and increasingly feeling the strain of retaining their customers, leave alone growing revenues in the present day economy.

List Building: Don't Touch Your Business Until You Have a Customer List!

Why you need a customer list and how to get it is the very bane of most companies and businesses around the world. Getting, and keeping, loyal customers is one of the most difficult prospects in the working world. But gaining one is one of the most important things you can do as an owner/employee.

Making the Most of Your LinkedIn Page

For many years, it seemed like LinkedIn cruised along without making many changes. As a result, many people, both on a personal and business level, set their accounts up and then left them to stagnate. Over the past year, however, LinkedIn has made a lot of improvements to the site, so if you haven't updated your profile in a while, now is a great time.

Marketing Myth Number 2 of Traditional Marketing

Marketing Myth #2 of Traditional Marketing and the New Reality of Attracting Perfect Customers.

Here is the second in our series of 10 tips that are occurring in the sales and marketing world as a result of introducing the Strategic Attraction™ Planning Process. These shifts are movements away from the misconceptions and myths held as truths in traditional marketing methodologies and toward a new sales and marketing reality.

Marketing Tip: Don't Be Creepy

There are many ways to market your business. Some are in-your-face and others subtle... and then there are the ones that are downright creepy.

Humans are hardwired for creepiness. Hearing extra footsteps following you down a deserted path is creepy. Seeing the same stranger constantly popping up near you is creepy. Someone repeating seemingly random actions over and over is creepy.

Ways to Market Your Business Using Personalised Print Products

Marketing your business to the people who matter must be conducted offline as well as online and personalised print products and stationery can ultimately present a united front when promoting your company in the public domain and wider industry. There are a comprehensive range of print products available but knowing how to use them to your advantage is the driving force behind the most successful offline marketing strategies.

Coast Right Through Your Business Promotions With Promotional Coasters

If you are looking for a fun, easy and surefire way to promote your business, why not think about using promotional coasters to get the job done? These are simply drink coasters which are imprinted with the name of your company, or the message that you are trying to get across to your customers.

How to Overcome Your Fears and Self Sabotage

Could you be experiencing self sabotage? Sometimes as a new business owner gets clear about what they offer and their marketing message, good things start to happen. But then, you might hit a bump in the road where resistance shows up. For example, you might meet prospects who are excited to work with you, but they don't become clients for a variety of reasons.

Don't Lose Out On Money By Writing Bad Sales Letters

Are you frustrated with writing sales letters that don't bring in money? Are you wasting time writing sales letters that don't grab your reader's attention? Are you willing to put in the time and effort needed to create a winning sales letter? People just like you are paying top dollar to experts to write copy for them but you don't have to because we're going to go over exactly what you need to do to craft the best sales letter possible to increase your profits.

Five Steps to Make Your Website a Client Attraction Magnet

If you want your website content to attract clients, you need to know how to speak their language. Here are five steps that will make your home page a client attraction magnet:

Content Media Marketing Via Video Sharing

"A picture is worth a thousand words." - is a logical saying indeed. People prefer photos over reading text. With the advancement in technology, viewers are more interested in graphics, pictures, photos and videos. Video content is gradually replacing textual content on the world wide web. It is easier to understand a cooking recipe by seeing someone prepare it with the required ingredients in a kitchen; as opposed to reading instructions online. Visual impact always overpowers reading.

The Contribution Of Marketing In The Business Boardroom

There is an unfortunate, not to mention utterly baffling reality occurring in organisations today of all different sizes, scopes and industries: the under-appreciation of the function of Marketing as a significant and valuable force in conducting successful business. Instead of seeing Marketing as it should be, that is, a powerful engine of research, innovation, development and communication, the Boards often misjudge it as a pseudoscientific art that has little impact on their bottom line.

How Checklists and Templates Can Turn You Into a Communications Rock Star

What's some of the fastest ways to tick off a client of a service business or trade? Don't tell them what is going on with their project - so they feel like they have to constantly hound you to follow up. Give them the wrong information or only give them information so drenched in jargon they need a translator to make sense of it. Expect them to know what you doing and the difference you are making (even if they are not in your industry) without you telling them.

How to Get Started With Content Marketing for Your Small Business

There are various modes of content marketing and it is vital for every small business to identify the vehicles that can be the most effective to their business. When you use the right content marketing tools, it will leave a lasting impression about your brand. One very important point to get started with content marketing is to remember not to hard-sell you your prospects and clients. Although it is quite natural to encourage users to buy through your content, your focus should not be on selling. Let us take a look at some useful content marketing tools you can use for your small business.

How to Manage Your Tattoo Shop's Online Reputation and Reviews

Do you know what customers are saying about you? Do you know what your online ratings are? Have you ever responded to a review? If you answered "No" to any of those questions, then you need to manage your tattoo shop's reputation.

7 Simple Secrets to Discover Your Purpose and Get Paid For Your Passion

Are you living your purpose and sharing your passion while being handsomely rewarded for doing it? I am. You? This week's topic is all about discovering your purpose and getting paid for your passion. Today, I'm so excited to share with you my seven simple secrets to discover your purpose and get paid for your passion.

Business Lessons From Plastering Holes Punched in the Ceiling

Up until this week, my house had holes punched in the ceiling. To be more exact, there were four squarish holes carefully scattered like stars in the night sky across my ceiling... except they didn't twinkle and they let the dust into the lounge room and kitchen. And I hated them!

9 Website Tweaks You Can Do This Weekend (Even If You Are Not a Web Copywriter)

Many of my copywriting projects are website renovations where businesses have an existing website but find that it isn't converting lookers to clients. Or they may have a website that isn't performing well in the search engines, which means that potential clients can't find them.

Building Attendance For Your Events

You are organizing the event of the year. What's your worst nightmare? No one shows up.

So whether you are organizing a conference, customer event or a tradeshow, it's often what you do before (way before) the event that makes it a success-building attendance.

10 Quick Checks That Will Instantly Boost the Effectiveness of Your Words

We rely on written communication to share information and to prompt action. But once we hit send or publish, our words are out there for all to see. Make a mistake, and on Google they are etched as permanently as a tattoo on your forehead.

A Web of Social Logins

When asked to fill in information on a website, most people will think twice. It's not a matter of putting their information out there, the majority of these people have some form of social media profile; it's a matter of taking the time to do so. There is now a way information can be linked from one site to another with the click of a link. What better way to share user information and save time than to have one database connected to the rest? Businesses have been utilizing this concept allowing a person to connect via their social media page and register quickly. The business has all the information when access is granted by the user and the user benefits from not having to spend time filling in registration forms.

Email or Text Marketing - Which Is More Beneficial?

Being in business means always staying alert to discover the most lucrative, cost effective, methods to bring more traffic into your establishment or onto your website. It's not enough to simply open your doors or launch your site and expect that you will be a success. Customers have to find you and know what it is that you have to offer. It used to be that direct mail or some other form of print media was the most commonly used method. Pretty costly though when you consider the expense when compared to the actual return on investment. Some of you reading this may still be effectively using print media and I commend you. However, may I suggest that you're not maximizing your reach or profitability.

All About the E-Patient Revolution

The growth in information technology has sparked various revolutions. It has led to breakthrough advances in the field of medicine and available treatment options. Patients are now demanding better services as well as hold an expectancy of being a part of the decision making process concerning their health.

Growing Your Business With Gratitude!

I know that many women entrepreneurs work really, really hard in constant efforts to achieve more. I am often asked about my approach to this.

The one habit that has served me well, both in good times and in bad times, has been to have an attitude of gratitude. With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the corner, I want to devote this article to the whole concept of gratitude - in efforts to shift some of your thinking to the present moment.

Marketing Sustainability

Many businesses attempt to navigate today's economic landscape using the same old marketing gimmicks. It just won't work. Today's organizations need to understand marketing sustainability and how to utilize it.

Are You Executing a Modern Direct Mail Campaign?

You've got to admire direct mail marketing. One of the oldest forms of advertising around and it continues, in 2013, to be a relevant part of many businesses' marketing budgets. While many marketers are jumping from the hot next digital trend to the next, direct mail is the old workhorse that continues to create brand awareness and generate new customers (it might surprise you to know that several digital giants like Google also uses mail marketing).

The Importance of Call Scripts

As soon as your employee answers the phone your customer's experience with your business has begun. Setting the tone with a helpful, professional call can mean the difference in gaining a lifelong customer or sending them running to the competition. A powerful customer service call script that trained employees follow can increase sales and improve customer loyalty.

More Clients More Money - 8 Mistakes Coaches Make When Marketing Their Services

1. You aren't clear on your target market

Simply saying I'm a leadership coach isn't enough. What type of leaders do you coach? What type of company do they work for? What challenges do they face? What outcomes do they want? Being clear on this stuff means you can quickly engage potential clients in conversation. And not waste time nurturing false leads.

The Importance Of A Marketing Plan

In today's world, the marketing buzz seems to be surrounding the internet much more than print media. For all the clients I deal with, I have to remind them of the basics of marketing before they launch money at any advertising. There is an amazing rate of new companies opening up these days with a contagious energy to be busy and to work. After a while they see the need to advertise and want things done fast. 99% of the time, they have overlooked the importance of walking before they run. This is perfectly understandable, and I encourage them to maintain their enthusiasm for advertising. First, I provide the list below to them and talk about why they are in the business they are in. With all the points listed in mind, after a brief discussion, most realise the biggest flaw they have is not having a clear Unique Selling Point. Advertising anywhere without a clear U.S.P. is simply adding more noise to the already noisy advertising mediums. In the greater picture, advertising dollars can be saved by knowing what you are advertising before you decide where. Most companies can cut their advertising budget in half, and retain the same return on investment with a better understanding of their own business marketing plan. Have a look through the list below yourself and see if you can use any of the points to change what you advertise, where you advertise and revaluate how much you spend .

Calendar Printing - A Potent Marketing and Visibility Augmentation Tool

This is the age of iPhone, iPads and other breeds of Smartphone. Within a blink of an eye one can download business apps. These apps not only help them to schedule and plan their processes, but also provide timely notifications. In this age of digital dominance, one might find the place of an organization calendar grossly outdated. The reality though is far from that. In fact, the organization peripheral has more than one use to render.

Get Fresh Leads With Newsletter Advertising

Did you know that 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email?

That's why companies like eBay, Amazon, Zappos and other online stores put a lot of effort in their direct marketing materials. Their newsletter subscribers are their best customers and best marketers.

Do You Have Staying Power?

This is the question that your potential clients are asking when deciding if they will work with you or not.

You've heard the saying that actions speak louder than words. What do I mean by that, you ask? I'm glad you ask. Just telling someone that you've been doing what it is you do for years isn't enough, often times. What they really want to know is that if they purchase your product or service will you be around for the duration. If they have a problem or question can they count on you to be there?

How To Get Marketing Results

One way to enhance your marketing results is to stay focused on your niche by narrowing your focus to market only one service at a time. You may have multiple modalities you are offering, but you can't effectively market them all. The more you are clear of what your focus is, the more effective your efforts will be.

When you have to decide about what to do with your marketing, decide first what niche you are offering. If you are a nursing staffing agency, you might decide whether to market your company with Hospitals, nursing homes, or ICU vs. Medsurge. Each one of those might be a good niche to pick, depending on what you are offering.

Honing in your efforts. Example, "This week I will work on getting more clients for medsurge in hospitals within a five mile radius" As soon as you make that decision, you will have a strong focus to reference and make decisions. The path will reveal itself once you focus on your marketing tasks.

Stay focused on the moment:

At this moment what do you need? What is the one thing that you need to accomplish today? What is so important that needs to be addressed quickly? Answering questions like this will help you determine what your main objective should be for your marketing moment.

Example: Get a new client by next month or two new ongoing clients by the end of the year or send out a new marketing mailer to potential clients.

Make sure you include a deadline for your marketing moments. If you want a new client by the end of the month, it is unlikely it will happen by attending networking events or increasing your social media activity. You will need to focus your marketing moment on developing and enhancing relationships.

Narrow down your tasks to do:

Having a huge list of tasks can get difficult and overwhelming to do. This is especially true if those tasks are vague and general. Consider what your niche is and what you need to accomplish immediately. What activity can you do today that will most likely take you in a direction to give you results? Get very specific
when doing this task.

Example:
Contact three new potential clients this week and ask them if you can bring donuts in the morning for coffee.

Focus on only listing activities for that week only. Revisit the list next week or revise or add to it. Activities that are not producing results may need to be modified and or enhanced. Each week decide on what is working and what is not working. Don't keep looking at ideas or tasks you aren't currently working on: that is a sure road to overwhelm.

Marketing results are based on focusing on tasks that can and will produce results. All you need is a simple, targeted plan. Follow these ideas above and you'll soon find that your marketing efforts are producing results with less effort.

It is very easy to get completely overwhelmed when trying to market your staffing business. You have marketing plans, tasks and all the same time learning new skills. You can only afford to pay for so much help. Is it possible to get staffing clients with your current marketing plan?

Marketing: It's All About Communication

Most businesses use marketing to attract new customers. However, it's also a great way to engage with you existing customers. It helps build relationships and reminds them who you are and what you do.

Before you read any more, go to your customer database, filing cabinet or diary and just spend a few minutes looking at all the names of your customers. Think about all the customers you've not actually done business with in the last three months or so. Think about all the customers you used to do business with who may now be using your competitors.

You might start wondering what happened to those customers and where they went. Why haven't you heard from them? Where did they go? And why? Business owners often make the costly mistake of selling to a customer once and then assuming they'll remain as a customer without spending time on nurturing a relationship.

So, assuming you've overcome the biggest obstacle of getting them to use you in the first place, how do you go about ensuring they continue to do business with you? Well, the easiest way to engage with your customers is to communicate with them. You need to let customers know you appreciate their business and want them to buy from you again and you need to develop a marketing plan to target your existing customers. Here are our tips on how to go about it.

You've Got Mail

Everyone has customers they don't deal with very often. These are the ones the competition will find the easiest to poach, because businesses don't spend enough time building relationships with them. A monthly or even quarterly mailing helps remind your customers that your there; email versions tend to work best and there are lots of free packages out there to help you get your message into print. Don't make it "salesy"; no-one will want to read about that. Instead offer advice or share some news; in other words, fill it with interesting content. Think about it, no-one would read a magazine full of adverts; they read them for the content.

You've Got More Mail!

Never underestimate the power of something received via "snail mail". It's always uplifting to receive something in the post that isn't a bill, so consider sending cards or postcards to thank your customers for placing an order, paying their invoice on time or just generally enquiring if there's anything you can do for them. It's only a small thing, but as so much business is done on a "right time, right place" basis, you need to make sure that if your customer needs the service you provide, you are the first business they think of. Make sure anything you send is handwritten; the personal touch makes all the difference.

Just Say Hello

Don't be afraid to talk to your customers, if you build a good relationship with them they will become customers of yours for a long time to come.

Think about it. If you didn't speak to your friends for months on end, they wouldn't be your friends very long, would they? Your customers are no different, so it's a good idea to go back and contact those customers you have sold to before and re-acquaint yourself with them. Ask them how they have been doing and how they feel about your product. You might be surprised that not only will you probably get some business, but you might also be able to ask them for a recommendation. There are lots of ways of doing this; you can give them a quick call, you can mention them on Twitter, or include them in a discussion on LinkedIn. It doesn't have to be much, but a little goes a long way, so it's an easy way to keep in touch. Plus, a mention on Social Media raises their profile as well as yours so everyone wins.

Blow their Trumpet

If you regularly speak at networking events or seminars, don't be afraid to draw attention to a customer in the room by including them as a reference point or illustration in your presentation. For example, if you're talking about the importance of LinkedIn and having a great profile shot and one of your clients is a photographer, point them out and let everyone in the room know that are great at what they do. Not only might this help grow their business, but they'll remember your input and hopefully mention what you do to people they meet, thus helping to grow your contact base.

Most businesses have a marketing strategy. Unfortunately, this is often focused on attracting new customers and businesses totally overlook the clients they already have. Shouldn't you develop a marketing strategy for them too? When you think about it, this has to be a better plan, because you're dealing with individuals who already understand what your business is all about.

Do I Have to Use Hype in Marketing My Business?



Many of my clients say to me, marketing just feels so unnatural to me, so much like hype. Do I really have to do that to get people to learn about my products and services?

In the olden days, say a couple of decades ago, marketing was often about hype. It involved overstating your product's benefits, underplaying those of your competitors, and painting a dire picture if you didn't buy that brand of toothpaste.

Those days are gone.

With widespread use of the internet, the consumer has access to so much information, and has become knowledgeable about their options. It's not enough to paint a pretty picture, whether or not it's supported by facts.

You've got to back up your marketing with a solid foundation, or you quickly lose credibility in the eyes of your prospects.

When it comes to marketing hype, it isn't just about these practical considerations of what works and what doesn't work - that's not the whole story. Those practicalities are too limiting.

The bigger picture is how you feel about what you're telling your clients and prospective clients.

It's just as important, and perhaps more so, to consider your own integrity and the energy of what you are making available to others.

So when you're considering how to market your product or service, know that you get to be you.

Your authentic Self is the best place to come from in marketing what you offer. It's what sets you apart and makes you unique. It even eliminates competition, because only you are you. If you can allow yourself to be that, all of who you are, then you've truly distinguished yourself.

A successful business is not just about a unique product or service. Sure, a small percentage of businesses do offer something truly unique. More likely though, you are one of many who offer your product or service.

So what sets you apart? The HOW of your business. How you structure your offering, how you interact with customers and clients, how you present yourself. That's where the unique You comes in.

Identify what's unique about you, and emphasize it, amplify it. Repeat it in your marketing in various ways to make your distinctiveness clear.

Here's a quick exercise for you, to get you started on how you can do this in your own marketing:

1. The first action is a quiet one. Sit. Close your eyes. Think about what makes you and your business unique. What do you think those things are? What have others told you, clients, prospective clients, friends?

2. Write them down. Describe each one, and add examples, to flesh them out and bring them more to life. Add visuals if you have them. The more you can bring them to life in your descriptions, the easier it will be to make the transition to the next step.

3. How can you emphasize those aspects? What can you add to the marketing you are already doing? What can you do that is new to bring out your uniqueness? Be creative! Entertain even far-out ideas, even if only briefly, to stretch the limits of your current thinking and beliefs about what works.

You can even take this a little further.

4. Do a little research. See what others who offer the same product or service are doing. The purpose of this is not to compare, put yourself down, or one-up the 'competition'. Its sole purpose is to give you new ideas about how you can further emphasize your own unique qualities.

No matter what your business, you have an opportunity to be truly unique and distinctive. Do that by getting down to the true You, your authentic Self, and making that a dominant aspect of all your marketing.

There's nothing more powerful than authenticity in reaching out to your clients, customers, and prospects.

Clinical Research In India - Will It Survive

The Indian clinical research industry desperately needs a growth booster.

The Indian clinical research industry since the year 2005 has been a very traditional player driven by purely bioequivalence studies for off patent generic drugs on healthy human volunteers. The business of bioequivalence studies is by and large a "least" risk associated business. The business was also associated with guaranteed returns in its prime growth years post 2005 till 2009.

The business till 2007 was smooth and has been the source of the growth of the markets for CRO's who have been doing bioequivalence studies for Indian Pharmaceutical companies

Bioequivalence studies of US based Pharmaceutical /Pharmaceutical companies outside India have been the growth drivers of the Indian CRO market.

A similar story holds true for patient based clinical trial studies at specified, registered and recognized hospital sites.

However with the Indian government with an aim and effort to streamline laws in the country for clinical research has started applying brakes even on the routine submissions at the CDSCO.

As a result of the same, many existing clinical research units with proven track records are facing setbacks. Many key industry leaders have united together and voiced their concerns to the government bodies.

The government has reassured from its end that it will speed up the process but needs to be seen as to how long the wait will be. The government has said that it has detected "possible flaws" in the clinical research companies' pattern and process of conducting the clinical trials.

The Government has sent circulars to all major Indian CRO's and India Pharmaceutical companies to furnish data on adverse events and deaths in the clinical studies. The same is generally declared on a routine basis by all and has been forwarded to concerned committees of the CDSCO for further action plans. These committees after analyzing the details have suggested certain recommendations for the process. Some of the key recommendations have been:

1. Mandatory Registration of the ethics committee

2. Mandatory registration and filing of all adverse events in all clinical trials

3. Mandatory registration (on a yearly basis)of the facility where the trials are conducted

4. Stringent norms related to investigators and training of all relevant people for emergency activities during the occurrence of adverse events

5. Ensuring compliance to Schedule Y and ICH-GCP guidelines for the conduct of clinical trials

During the time the above norms have been outlined, most of the regulatory clearances/NOC certification processes have been kept slow or on hold for longer time than the stipulated period for approval.

As a result majority of the western clients have withdrawn their outsourcing business and decided that the clinical trials will be conducted in other emerging nations.

The countries which have gained because of the slowness of the Indian regulatory system are China, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam and are continuously on the gaining spree.