Nine Effective Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

Small businesses (SMEs or SMBs) need marketing as much as large corporations. The good news is that there are various cost-effective marketing tools around. These tools are a mix of traditional and new – together, they are highly effective.

1. Have your Own Website and Blog

Every business needs a website. Potential customers are searching online to find out what your business is all about. For branding and to position yourself as a leader, you also need your own blog. Blogs are easily created using Wordpress or Blogger - free of charge!.

2.Use business cards

It is still worth while to hand out business cards. A printed business card stays around, which is good for your branding. At exhibitions and at a first business meeting, business cards are still handed out.

Depending on your target audience, make sure that it has the correct format and language (e.g., Chinese at the reverse side of your English one. Pay attention to the format of your phone number; make sure to include the country code for clients abroad.

3. Brand your collateral

Use your invoices, receipts, proposals, price quotes, and order confirmations to brand your company. Put your logo, slogan, tagline, and contact details on documents that you send out.

4. Create brochures, flyers and PowerPoint presentations

A brochure, flyer or PowerPoint presentation will explain who you are and what you are offering in an appealing and easy to grasp way. Once you turn them into a PDF, they are easy to distribute by email and to post online (LinkedIn, website).

5. Create and update your own website

Potential customers want to check you out. They expect you to have your own website. Your business domain name is ideally the name of your company. In case you cannot register a .com, try .biz. Make sure that you update your website regularly and also check that is opens correctly in all major browsers.

6. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To reach potential customers, you need to be found. Online searches are the key; people search on search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) and on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, forums, blogs, etc.). SEO helps you to be found by potential customers that are searching for you or your product/service.

7. Use social media

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the main social media to reach your target audience. They provide a highly effective way to interact with your target audience. It is also easy to spread news about your company and announce special offers.

8. Provide freebies

People like to get free information and advice. One way of leveraging this, is by having your own blog and to post your own articles (e.g., on ezine) that provide useful tips to the readers. This not only positions you as an expert in your field, but also builds brand loyalty. Other excellent marketing tools are having a free download on your website for white papers and free webinars.

9. Make Yourself Visible

Attend seminars in your area, promote a cause your target audience care about or sponsor a charity event. People need to get to know you and your business. If your business is completely online, opt for a (humorous) YouTube video.

These nine tools provide a great way to promote your business - success! Please leave a message how if works out for you.

(Image courtesy of directory.ac)

Guideline for Conducting Your Own Marketing Audit

You put a lot of effort in your marketing, so you want to know how you are doing.

A marketing audit will show how you are performing.

Following is a guideline on how to conduct a marketing audit.

1. List all the social marketing media you use:

• Website
• Blog
• Forum
• LinkedIn (corporate page, own group)
• Xing (corporate page, own group)
• Facebook (corporate page, groups)
• Twitter
• Newsletter
• Webinar
• White papers
• Articles

2. List your target audience for each one:

• Customers/clients
• Potential partners
• Investors
• Media (newspapers, journalists, reporters)
• Analysts
• General public
• Employees

3. List what your business, sales & marketing goals for using social media are:

• Reaching new customers (lead generation)
• Retaining customers
• Communication with customers (announcing news, special deals, updates such as recalls)
• Entering new markets
• Market research
• Branding

4. Compare your social media with those of your competitors:

• Do they use the same social media?
• Do they reach the same target audience as you do?
• What social media do they use that you don’t?
• How frequent do they post, tweet, hold a webinar, publish newsletters?

5. Rate how your SEO and news coverage score compared to your main competitor(s):

• Are you covered mainstream (e.g., Yahoo news, Reuters, FOX) and industry media?
• Are being blogged about?
• Are you being covered by analysts and journalists?
• How many followers do you have?
• Do people leave comments for you (e.g., on your blog)?
• Do people share your content with others (LinkedIn, retweet, Facebook wall post)?

6. Rate the quality of your content.

• What content does your target audience like to see from you?
• What are they in general interested in (e.g., discounts, product updates)?
• What is the responses?

7. Do you have a social media policy in place?

• Did you formulate goals?
• Do you measure results?
• Do you have a crisis management plan?

8. Who conducts your social media?

• Internal employee (Marcom, business development, marketing)
• External expert (e.g., Tip Top PR)
• PR company

9. Are you happy with your social media?

• Yes, it does what I want it to do!
• No, it does not contribute to my branding
• No, too many negative reactions
• No, not enough new leads

Once you analyze the answers, you will be able to take action. It will tell you if your social media campaign fits your company and how to improve and/or adjust it. Success!

Posted by Tip Top PR at 6:00 PM

Perfetti Van Melle Uses a Perfect Mix of Social and Traditional Media Marketing

For its US product launch of Mentos UP2 stick gum, Perfetti Van Melle started its advertising campaign on social media. Mentos UP2 has already has a Facebook fan page, at facebook.com/up2u. The first 1,000 visitors who clicked on the “like” button got free gum. Up till now, already more 96,000 people “like”. In July, the company plans to post an invitation to on the fan page. People who “like” will be asked to provide the name of friends so they can also get free samples.

The logic behind the Mentos UP2U product name is as follows. Each 14-stick package contains seven sticks of one flavor and seven sticks of a second flavor. The slogan is: “2 flavors. 1 pack. You decide.”

According to Mehmet Yuksek, executive vice president for North America at the Perfetti Van Melle office in Erlanger, Ky, the strategy to introduce Mentos UP2U “is very much 360-degree marketing, starting with very compelling and unique social media content.”

The idea is to first create media buzz on social media, followed by advertising in traditional media like television. The social media are handled by Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Perfetti Van Melle is also using Lizzie Grubman Public Relations in New York to distribute samples of Mentos UP2U at events in locations like Las Vegas and Miami.

Social media are empowering consumers with greater control and they aren’t shy about posting their feelings online about products and brands. The UP2U marketing campaign illustrates once more how important the combination of digital and traditional marketing has become.