Promoting Your Business Archives - Her Business Directory™

Why It’s Important to Study Your Competition

With millions of websites, companies, and blogs, competition today is fierce - especially on the internet. The internet and most especially social media are responsible for creating waves of interest. With that in mind, it is important to know and study that competition fast and furiously. Rather than spend so much time trying to outsmart the competition, studying and making them your ally is a wise choice. Studying Your Competition Go on other blogs; check out their services and the quality of those services. They may have other products or services that you have not yet incorporated into your business model, for example: * EBooks * Videos * Newsletters * ECourses Go on their Facebook fan pages and follow them on Twitter. See how many likes they receive, how long they have been around, and how they follow the trends. Marketing and Social Media Check out the competitions marketing strategy. Take a look at what may or may not be working for them. * See where and when and…

The Functions in Marketing Management

Marketing management involves choosing target markets that not only get new customers but also retain the existing ones. It is a business subject, which is based on research and study of practical applications of marketing techniques and management of the marketing resources. The one who excels in this field is known as marketing manager. The job of the marketing manager is to influence the timing and level of customer demand so as to help the sales. It actually depends on the size of the business and environment in the corporate industry. Like if he is working in a huge production company, he will be the general manager of a particular product category assigned to him and he will be responsible for profit and loss with respect to the product. And in small business there is no marketing manager as his job is taken over by the partners of the company. Creating and communicating best customer values can increase the number of customers. The steps taken and resources utilized t…

Embrace Freelance Work

Melody wanted to start her own business. After years of climbing the corporate ladder at a marketing agency, she was tired of the politics, the long hours, and the time spent away from her growing family. When Melody started researching other options, she came across a Facebook group filled with moms like her – who wanted to start their own business. Melody quickly posted, curious about her options. Another mom in the group, Erica, introduced Melody to the idea of freelance work or offering a virtual service in exchange for money. What Do Freelancers Do? Erica explained that many people offer freelance services. These can include editors, writers, graphic designers, programmers, and more. If you have a skill that others are willing to pay for, then you could be a freelancer. As a freelancer, you’ll find clients, complete a project for them, and get paid. Some freelancers go full-time, earning six figures from their online business. Others prefer part-time hours a…

Differences Between Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and Advertising, although they sound similar, in reality are not. Advertising is only a part of the bigger game called Marketing. Marketing encompasses complete conceptualization of a brand beginning with research, to designing to advertising to sale. Advertising, on the other hand is a component of the marketing process which is conveying the message through a variety of mediums to promote the product. Advertising is one of the most important components of a marketing strategy and can also be the most expensive. Advertising constitutes sending the message through a variety of means - sharing about your company, product or services. It also constitutes behind the scenes work like the process involving formation of various strategies and coming up with a right one to target the viewers. The strategy consists of planning things like placing ads, deciding what media to use, what time, frequency etc. The advertisements are generally placed via ad channels like televis…

Small Business Success Secret

The real secret to small business success has nothing to do with technology tools, the internet or anything like that. In fact, it isn’t even a real secret. It has been around since man started to communicate. It’s WORDS! Words carry enormous power. They can make you laugh hysterically, or destroy a relationship or friendship. Words have more power in them than any other tool at your disposal. Effective use of words, especially in business, means skyrocketing sales, satisfied clients, happy employees, and a profitable and secure future. Yet, less than 1% of small entrepreneur businesses use words with full power. The power of words can be learned and used effectively by anyone, and when this power is harnessed there’s nothing on this earth that can stop you. This art of using words is what is called copy writing. It makes or breaks your sales and advertising material. One of the ways an “amateur” copywriter who is writing for his own product or business can bea…

How to Make Money before You Have Products to Sell

If you’ve decided that you want to work from home running your own business, you may need to have a form of income while you finish creating products and developing your business infrastructure. There are a number of ways in which you can bring in some income while you get your business off the ground. * Provide a Service – If you plan to make your own products and sell them, you likely have skills that other people will want to use. Try finding out if anyone needs the types of service you could offer. Perhaps you’re good at graphic design, database management, transcription, or something else entirely. Put it out there and people may buy your time. * Get a Part-Time Job – If you can’t wait for services to take off, you can get a part-time job. Sign up to be a substitute teacher or a temp at an agency, or head over to your nearest fast food place and you’re likely to be hired on the spot. * Get a Work-at-Home Job – There are also work-from-home jobs that you can get pr…

Storytelling – There’s Power in Words

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." ― Philip Pullman [bctt tweet="Did you know that some of the most successful business owners and copywriters are exceptional storytellers? Advertising executives know this too. Story-telling is one of the most effective ways to influence a prospect." via="no"] What is Storytelling? Storytelling is the tactic of creating an image about your company. Officially, storytelling is “the conveying of events in words, images and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment.” In the world of marketing, storytelling offers a number of advantages and opportunities. 1. Storytelling establishes a brand. Many of the world’s most popular brands were built on stories. Ford Motor Company for example, was built and still thrives on the story of Henry Ford. Think about the other stories that are connected to brands. They don’t just have to be about the founder of the company either. Man…

How To be Successful at Small Business Bartering

Running a small business can be pricey. This is the main reason why businesses look to barter with each other and save money. Bartering comes in all forms and applies to many different aspects of the business – goods, services or even advice. Seeking out a business to barter with may not be as difficult as you may think. See below for some ideas on how to get your business started with bartering. Business bartering is trading goods or services with another business’ goods or services. The idea is to save money, yet gain the tools needed to run your business. Bartering is the exchange of items without forking out the cash. However, be aware that you are still expected to report to the IRS the value of the items which you have traded. If you find that your company is slow to grow or is not bringing in the cash flow needed to sustain, bartering may work out better for you. Bartering can help to preserve your company’s capital assets. If you find that you are moving inventory…

Five Strategies to Quickly Get More Clients

More clients means more money, right? It also means more awareness and rapid company growth. However, it can be a challenge to ramp up your client list quickly. It takes a solid strategy and a proven plan. Here are five smart strategies to get more clients fast. #1 Partners! Partnerships can help you double your list overnight. Multiply your list and you multiply the number of opportunities you have to turn prospects into customers. And there are a number of ways you can make a partnership work for you. For example, you could promote a partner’s e-book or product on your website in exchange for them promoting your e-book, product or service on theirs. You could swap reviews or even exchange advertisements. However, one of the best ways to optimize a partnership is to cross-promote each other’s opt-in list and free giveaway. Then, when people sign up, you have permission to communicate and market to them. Have a product promotion ready to go and really capitalize o…

What Your Potential Clients Wish You Knew

Your market is out there, and they are looking for you! It doesn’t matter if you’re a health coach for seniors, a dating coach for middle-aged women, or a business coach for crafty people. You have a large audience, and they are eagerly anticipating the help only you can provide. But you’re missing the mark in some important areas, and it’s causing them to turn away in favor of another coach. Make it Easy for Them When you’re selling your products and services online, the one rule you must abide by is to make it easy for your customers to buy. It sounds simple, right? Yet you might be shocked how often coaches (and others) break this rule. They don’t make the “buy” buttons obvious. They don’t make contact information easy to find. They don’t provide clear calls to action on their website. They don’t create easy website navigation so readers can quickly find what they need. They don’t offer the next logical product via a well-planned funnel.…

The Story You Tell

Storytelling can be a powerful component in a marketing strategy. It can be the driving force behind developing, and more importantly, establishing a brand that connects and resonates with your target audience. The story you tell, and the method in which you use to weave that story throughout your marketing campaigns will be based on your overall goals but one thing remains the same: Your story will be designed to introduce your brand to the world in a way that helps you stand out and apart from the competition. Storytelling is a testament to our hard work; it highlights the efforts we’ve taken to create an outstanding brand, and it helps deliver large pieces of content in a way that people can connect to. It’s also the easiest way to express emotions and illustrate your commitment to providing value. There’s nothing more powerful than a carefully crafted story that fulfills the needs of your core market. Have you ever used story-telling to launch a produc…

Product Promotion Tactics that Work

When it comes to promoting a product there are definitely tools and tactics that work best. Much of the success of these tools will depend on when in the promotion cycle they’re implemented, the type of product and of course your target audience. Assuming you’re marketing to an opt-in list, here are a few suggestions for perfect product promotion strategies. Make sure you’re not over-promoting in your email communications Email communications, like ezines and newsletters, are meant to be informative first and promotional second. That doesn’t mean you can’t promote in them, but it’s important to keep it to a minimum. A general rule of thumb, and this is by no means a hard and fast rule, is to make sure at least 80% of your content is valuable and informative. How-to articles, reviews, case studies and so on are great ways to provide value to your opt-in list. The other 20% can be promotional content. This can be an advertisement, links within your content, banner advert…