Marketing
How Content Marketing Beats Traditional Marketing
Content marketing is a popular trend in marketing circles. While the goal is the same – to promote your business – there are many ways in which content marketing varies from traditional marketing.
Are You Blogging for Your Business? If Not You Could Be Missing Out
Most business owners are familiar with traditional forms of marketing. Ads and direct mail campaigns, for example, are well-established ways to increase awareness of your product or service and to direct customers to your company. Social media also presents a means of attracting attention, and while digital marketing is still relatively new, it offers effective methods of garnering interest in your business.
Marketing in a Foreign Country
In many ways, the principles of marketing are the same no matter where you apply them. However, a marketing strategy should also reflect your specific target market, and a failure to do so can lead to poor results from an otherwise promising venture.
Starting a customer rewards program
There are pros and cons to starting a rewards program. You’re able to reward loyal customers, and it’s generally easier to convince existing customers to come back than it is to find new business. On the other hand, you run the risk of wasting money and resources, or alienating your existing customer base if they have no interest in your program.
Small business holiday celebrations
For many companies, a holiday event is a staple of the season. Before booking a venue for your holiday party, be sure to decide if you should have one at all.
Should I stay or go? Evaluating networking opportunities
Canadian business owners collectively invest hundreds of thousands of hours attending networking functions. Knowing which ones are worthwhile for your business could save you time and money.
Handle these networking nightmares
Meeting new people is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be exciting. It should be productive. And, hopefully, a new connection will become a relationship that benefits your business.
What to say on camera
If you’re drumming up media coverage, be your best in front of the cameras with these three tips.
Solutions Spotlight: Sales & Marketing Tool
The ability to attract and retain customers is the backbone to any successful business. And the best way to win more business is to complete or update your marketing plan.
Avoid losing your way with your brand
In order to grow your business, you must be willing to change it. And that may include updating or evolving your brand.
To network successfully, give more than you get
Marketing activities are meant to bring in business. So, understandably, giving away your resources may seem counterintuitive. Yet that’s exactly what successful networking requires.
Keep it personal, suggests networking expert
Networking is widely accepted as one of the most affordable, powerful and productive business-building tools available to entrepreneurs.
5 business networking mistakes
Your next customer is ready to meet you. Are you ready for that conversation?
Low-cost marketing strategies
Effective marketing doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Marketing results can be more about what you do rather than how much you spend.
Using LinkedIn to build your business network
There’s strong debate among entrepreneurs about LinkedIn – called the worlds’ largest social networking site for professionals.
Stick to marketing basics to bring in business
While walking to work earlier this month I passed by my neighbourhood barber shop.
Build your business by following up
It seems everyone these days is looking for affordable techniques to bring in more business. One source of new business might be lurking in that stash of business cards collecting dust inside your desk drawer.
Get your business noticed in a crowd
Powerful branding doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. If a business sticks to a basic customer promise it can build a unique position in its marketplace without spending a fortune on marketing.
How to keep your best customers happy
During a period of economic uncertainty business owners wisely move to fortify existing customer relationships. A solid base of current customers contributing to a predictable cash flow will allow you to plan ahead with confidence.
Selling to Baby Boomers
By Roger Pierce
Turning a profit in your business could be easier if you elect to serve Canada’s largest demographic group known as Baby Boomers.
DIY customer surveys
Market research doesn’t necessarily need to be complex or time consuming and it can be essential for success. You need information about the feasibility of your ideas, the preferences of your customers and the demand for your products. A survey can be a useful tool to help you dig deeper and gain a fuller understanding of who your customers are and their level of satisfaction. Here are some of the common types of surveys and their related pros and cons:
Easy and effective market research
To grow your business you have to know your market and your customer. Good market research will help you better understand what customers want to buy, what they are willing to pay and how you can better position your business to be their preferred vendor.
Establishing and maintaining a brand
A pair of generic canvas sneakers can be picked up for less than five dollars, but a pair of brand-name shoes of the same material and style may cost more than five times as much. This illustrates the power of branding. Good branding can dramatically improve your profit margins and growth potential, but it takes immense work to build a brand – and only slight negligence to destroy one.
Market research challenges for small business
Knowing your market is essential for success. Unfortunately, market research is an area where many small businesses feel they are at a disadvantage. Many of Canada’s small enterprises lack sufficient resources to dedicate to original research, and external firms can be cost prohibitive. This often means small businesses have to rely on second-party information… media reports, trade journals and government. While these can be useful, they are also accessible to competitors and may not provide distinct advantages.
Build an interactive Web presence
Have you taken the time lately to evaluate your Website? Is it social-media friendly? Is it engaging your customers? If not, you are missing a golden opportunity to extend the reach of your brand and business. Just five years ago, most Websites were passive: You could read about a business, find out about products or services, and make a purchase.
Positioning a Business for Success
In the previous two articles we discussed the importance of marketing activities and the related marketing functions that go with each opportunity to add value. We also introduced the concept of USP, or unique selling proposition — what makes your service or product unique when compared to competitors. In this last article we'll take the USP one step further and look at a competitor grid which will show you where your product or service is in relation to the customer-perceived personality of the competition.
Sales and Marketing Worksheet
To begin creating an effective Sales and Marketing strategy, start by identifying your primary target market by customer segment. Then make sure you clearly understand them and their buying habits. This worksheet will help you with brand, messaging and deployment tactics.
Cutting through the clutter
Successful marketing involves hard work. It means improving on your products and services, building a memorable brand, and always getting the message out. This month’s article shows you how to improve your marketing efforts with some simple strategies.
Marketing in a Changing Economy
If you didn’t scale back on marketing during the economic downturn, your business will be well positioned as we enter a period of recovery. There is evidence that such investments pay off not only during recessions, when most companies tend to reduce their marketing and advertising spending, but also for years afterwards – placing you ahead of your competitors.
Know Your Customers and Your Market
You may have a great idea for a product or service, but will people want it? To find out, you need to conduct some market research.
When your business gets bigger, you may be able to pay for consumer surveys on an existing product or one that's in development. Until that happens, you're probably going to rely more on astute observation and sound judgment.
