Typically it is said that when you open up a new venture, it takes fro 2 to 5 years of steady growth before you can call it a success. All things considered, this is true and because it is true, it is all
more important to do everything correctly, right from start! So here are 7 guidelines on engagement for every business entrepreneur.1)GET AN ON-LINE PRESENCE: It is a different world out there and worldwide access can increase your sales dramatically. It’s just like fishing. If you are on a lake with 100 fishermen and only 10 fish in lake, odds are slim you are going to get anything unless you have perfect spot and perfect bait. However, if you are on same lake with same number of fishermen and there are 10,000 fish. The odds are you will have a great day out on water. That’s exactly what a web presence does for you. It allows more fish to check out your bait! OK, enough with fish! Getting hits on your site is another topic.
2)GETTING HITS: One thing about building a web site, they all start at bottom. Where they go from there is a matter of money, tenacity and hard work. If you have funds you can do pay-per-click. A good place to start is http://www.kanoodle.com/return.cool?query=pay+per+click. Other than that, if you want to manage your own site, right keywords, manual site submission and tweaking will become a way of life. Getting know-how will also become a way of life. There are a lot of e-zines available to help you out. One of my favorites is http://www.merlesworld.com/newsletter.htm.
3)FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED ALTERNATIVE MARKETING: Naturally word of mouth is by far best and eventually, no matter how big your audience, truth about your company will spread far and wide. In mean time, if you are doing business locally, business cards, fliers, mailers and door hangers are very effective parts of your marketing arsenal. Especially if you are in a localized business such as Real Estate or Mortgage Business. As a rule of thumb, for every 100 you send or give out, a 2 % return is considered standard. None of these techniques by them selves are worth very much nor will they bring you a stream of business. But used in tandem and with consistency, business will continue to build. You should also keep in mind that some of these applications work better for certain business’ then they do for others but generally speaking; you can judge your effectiveness by 2% rule benchmark.
a.Business Cards: One should make it a personal habit to hand out a minimum of 20 business cards per day. It doesn’t matter if you gave them one last time you visited. When you send out your monthly bills both personal and business, drop a card in envelope. When you eat out at a restaurant, leave a good tip and a card for server. If you hand out 100 in a day, you can consider yourself done for week. Good steady habits will help you win in end!
b.Fliers: We have all seen them on telephone poles, car windows and trees. They have their place depending on your type of business. They are mildly effective and very business specific for example, home based, weight loss, etc.
c.Mailers: If your budget allows, mailers can reach a larger area and you have ability to pinpoint your target audience by zip code, income level, recent car buyers, recent mortgages, new home owners, etc. I have tried different types of mailers including form letters, postcards, special delivery looking letters and even tube type mailers. Unless you target a very specific need such as wheel chair sales to wheel chair users, 2% is rule.
