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FIVE ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR MARKETING YOUR NEW BUSINESS
by Dr. Kevin Nunley
DrNunley.com
"I know this business inside out," Laura told me
the week she started her new business. "I just don't
have the foggiest idea of how to market it!"
It's a problem that almost everyone starting a new
business faces. You can be the best plumber, tax
accountant, or doctor in the world, but if you don't know
how to get the word out--how to market your product or
service--there's no way you can get the customers you
need.
Here are five essential steps to follow to get
great marketing that doesn't cost a fortune.
1. What is your market?
Decide who your main customers are. As a
group, how old are they? Where do they live? How
much money do they make? What kinds of jobs do they
have and what are their interests? The better you can
sketch a detailed profile of the kinds of people who will
be your main customers, the better you'll fare in the next
four steps.
2. What kinds of media do your main customers use?
Each type of media has its own target audience.
Each radio station, newspaper, magazine, or TV
program tries to interest a specific segment of the
population. The trick is to match your main customers
with the kinds of media they use.
A Top 40 radio station tries to reach teenagers
and 18 to 34-year-old women. The local newspaper
may be geared to homeowners over the age of 35. An
industry trade magazine might be read mostly by senior
managers scattered all around the country. If you aren't
sure what group a media outlet is targeting, ask their
sales department.
Maybe you have a service business that will be
of interest to people living in a certain neighborhood.
Flyers delivered door-to-door could be the best way to
let prospects know about you.
Remember that media isn't just TV and
newspapers. Effective media can be anything that
conveys your message. Media choices range from
million dollar commercials in the Super Bowl to a few
free pens with your name on them.
3. Limit the media you use to what you can
afford to use consistently.
The key to effective marketing is consistency.
You have to hit the audience with your message again,
and again, and again. Marketers use the Rule of Seven.
Prospects must see or hear your message seven times
before they consider buying.
Don't blow your entire marketing budget on a
one-shot media blitz. Choose a less expensive type of
media that you can afford to use week after week.
That's how you get marketing success.
4. Sell the main benefit of your product or
service. Make your marketing client-centered.
How does your product or service improve your
customer's life? Talk to your customer from their own
perspective. Does your product or service save them
time? Make them richer? Make them more attractive?
Your marketing should drive home this most important
benefit as clearly and directly as possible. Customers
buy benefits! When you advertise the features of your
product or service, connect those features to the benefits
they will bring the customer.
5. And finally, don't miss out on FREE publicity.
Radio, TV, newspapers, newsletters, and magazines
are constantly on the lookout for good stories.
Prospective customers will be impressed if a media
outlet features a story on what you do.
Is there something about you or your business that
would interest other people? Is there something about
your business that is newsworthy? Maybe you have
useful information to share with others. Consider
sending a press release to your local newspaper. Better
yet, make a phone call to the news desk. Radio DJs can
often be persuaded to talk about your business,
especially if you take them a free sample. Consider
your cable TV company's community bulletin board and
an article for the trade publication that covers your
industry. (Drop me a note and ask for my free report on
media publicity.)
Last, but certainly not least, remember to
promote your business on-line. The net is open to
everyone. It's the only "big" media that allows the small
business person to get their message out at very low
cost. Bulletin boards and newsgroups may appreciate
helpful information that you provide, and most won't
mind if you sign your name along with four to six lines
about your business.
These are the five essential steps to effective
marketing. Keep them in mind as you decide how to
market your new business. They are the single most
important reasons why some marketing fails while other
marketing brings loads of new customers and profits.
Kevin Nunley works with small businesses and
organizations providing affordable marketing advice,
copywriting, and Internet promotion.
Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com or (801)253-4536.
Get his FREE email course "Make Your Website SELL!"
by sending an email to bizguru@aweber.com.
See all Kevin's articles on his Marketing Info Supersite:
http://www.DrNunley.com
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