http://www.bridlington.net http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=1015 The icons and badges of social networks seem to be everywhere, on web sites, business cards, E mails and adverts. There are so many social networks to choose from, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, U Tube and Google plus, not to mention a few more obscure ones. What is the point of social media and can you afford to ignore it? Why you need to tweet, follow and post!Your clients and customers are doing itTo spread the word about your business to a wider marketTo recruit staffTo promote advertising and marketing campaignsFor market researchTo show case your expertiseTo promote news and eventsTo send prospective customers and clients to your web siteTo see what your competitors are doingFor handling complaints and criticismsA little bit more about social networks:Who is using which Social Network?Linked In - 53% of businesses use Twitter and the majority of users are selling business to businessTwitter -- 71% of businesses use Twitter and the majority of users are selling business to businessFacebook -- 56% of businesses use Facebook the majority are selling business to consumerYou Tube -- 41% of businesses use U tube and the majority are selling direct to consumersGoogle plus -- relatively new, used largely by businesses Pinterest -- used in the U.S. mainly by crafts, fashion and arts people in the U.K. used mainly but businesses. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=995 Everyone seems to be doing it, some are interesting others are neglected but a blog is an opportunity to show your expertise and attract new business. Use your blog with your web site and social media networks to create a buzz for your business. Step 1 -- How to set up your blogYou have two options, when setting up your blog. Use free blogging sites such as Word press and Google Blogger. These are easy to set up and you can add text and images. Alternatively set up your blog as another page of your web site or as a sub domain of your web site. From an optimisation point of view how you set up your blog makes little difference. Which method to choose? If your blog contains specialist information, is distinct or controversial in any way from your main business a Blog platform such as Word press would be ideal. Otherwise add a blog to your web site. Step 2 - Why you need a blog -- deciding what's it for?A blog is a more relaxed way of talking to your customers in a more relaxed format. If you work business to business the content of your web site will not change much but a blog gives you the chance to add information, reviews, images case studies, advice articles and news. For many businesses a blog is a fantastic way of introducing new products and competitions. Step 3 What content for your blog?News from your businessNew products and servicesGuest blogsListsEventsArticles to show your expertiseSurveysOpinionsResearchEvents you have hosted with imagesCase studiesInterviewsStep 4 - How to promote your blog?Tweet it with links back to your blogPost the first line of your blog onto LinkedIn and add a link back to your blogAdd blog titles to your web site with a link back to your blog‘Add this' to encourage people to ‘like' your blogOptimise your blog for your business using popular keywords for your products and servicesUpdate your blog regularlyAdd your social networks to your blog and link to your web siteDon't miss the opportunity to include some sort of sign up or way for readers to contact you to join your mailing list. Make sure your blog contains useful interesting content and your readers will be back for more. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=970 Professional copywriting is often discounted by small businesses in favour of writing copy in house, often from different contributors. Doing this usually leads to disjointed text that doesn't flow or engage readers. There are so many benefits to using a professional copywriting that the advantages of doing this far out way any fees involved. A professional copywriter will be able to write copy for your web site, blogs, marketing literature, ads and direct mail letters. On and offline you have just seconds to grab the attention of your audience, by using a professional copywriter you will increase response rates. Professional copywriting makes the difference between: Web site visitors leaving your site without signing up to your mailing list or interacting with your web site in any wayDirect mail going straight into the binAds disregardedProfessional copywriting will generates leads, enquiries and sales and converts prospective customers into sales. The benefits of using a professional copywriter: To save time so you can concentrate on what you are good at, running your business!A professional copywriter will know the words that sell and convince, will understand and use text structures to make copy interesting, readable and grabs attentionWill write in the right tone of voice for your audienceShowcase your products and services in their very best lightUnderstand and sell the benefits of your products and servicesSimplify complex informationAdd an outside perspective something that is difficult to do on the inside!Research and include the words your audience will use searching for your products and services onlineIncrease the response rate from direct mail campaignsAdd an extra little touch of something special!Produce enticing offers and punchy news storiesUse words to bring your products and services to life! http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=945 Flexible and easy to use Slideshare is suitable only for presentations. However with a bit of lateral thinking there are very few businesses that can't make good use of Slideshare. All you need to produce a presentation on Slideshare is a power point presentation or pdf's. A few Slideshare factsSlideshare has 45+ million visits per monthIt's powerful means to send more visitors to your web siteIt's easier and cheaper than Tube & you can turn your presentations into videosYou can add a voice overIt's easy to embed your Slideshare presentation on your web site and you can tweet about it or post it on Facebook and LinkedInBuild a library of presentationsYou can embed videos into your presentationsWhy do I love Slideshare?You can create an account for FREEYou can add power point, pdf, open office or Apple keynote filesIt makes it easy to share presentations with people -- you just give them the linkIt enhances your reputation as an expert in the area of your presentationsYou can link Slideshare to your LinkedIn profileYou can add Slideshare to your Facebook pagePeople can download the presentation from Slideshare (or not, you decide)It helps position your business and you as a thought leaderYou can use it to get leads -- there is a paid facility that means you can have an email link at the end for people to contact youYou can see how many times your files have been viewedPeople can share your files with others via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Word Press and bloggerAnyone in the world can see your presentations What to use Slideshare forYour portfolioTraining presentationsBlog articlesYour brochure As with everything social networking you need to optimise your presentation and let everyone know its there. So add a description and include your most valuable keywords. See my Slideshare presentations..... http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=920 Think of Pinterest as a giant notice board on which you pin notices and pictures of events, what you are doing, things you like, your hobbies and news and offers from your business. It really is as simple as that. You can have as many ‘notice boards' as you like and the idea is to theme them. So if you run a B & B set up boards for ‘rooms', our gardens and ‘things to do locally'. Run a retail shop? Set up pin boards for product ranges, sale items, new season, collections and your favourite things. You can also capture ‘pins' of interest from other people's boards and attach them to your board.Pinterest is not simply a means to promote products and services, it is a very useful source of information and research, where you can find new products and new designers. You can also use Pinterest for research and study.Why join Pinterest?Yes, it's another social network but Pinterest offers a visual means to promote your products and find a whole new range of followers. Selling a product online or you have a retail shop? Pinterest is a fantastic place to showcase your products and collections visually. Link your Pinterest account back to your web site.Pinterest does not have as many users as other social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, but is catching up rapidly. Sign up now and get noticed!It's quick and easy to set upIn the U.S. Pinterest is mainly used by craftspeople but in the UK is mainly used by business. So if you are looking to attract other businesses or business owners...Pinterest is a visual social network, so appeals to a different following, who prefer to shop and buy visually. Spread the reach of your business!Pinterest does not take a lot of setting up or maintenance. If you have access to lots of images and have a very visual business such as a hotel or shop all you need to do is organise your boards and pin your images on. Add a link to your web site and followers will come.If you are a consultant or your sell business to business use your Pinterest boards to show your expertise. For example turn advice articles into images and pin to your boards.Create catalogues to bring in sales. Set up boards by product types and pin images of those products. Add a link on your web site and direct readers to your Pinterest board. Don't forget to promote your Pinterest presence in the real world! Tell shop visitors and guests in marketing material.Follow me on Pinterest http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=894 Buyers today are more ‘savvy' than ever. Consumers and business buyers alike now make buying decisions based on recommendations and reviews and there is no doubt that reviews will become increasingly important. We all need to take note and use reviews and recommendations in both our on and offline marketing and promotion. 52% of consumers reported that positive customer reviews make them more likely to use a local business compared to just 28%, who make their selection based on other factors like location and price. Even more encouraging for businesses, 52% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations -- provided they look authentic, of course. (Source Hub Spot). The majority of us are familiar with and use Trip advisor when choosing holidays, looking for holiday accommodation and days out. Now every business, not just those involved in the holiday industry, can use reviews to their advantage when promoting their business. The more familiar social network sites such as Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn and the larger high street stores all allow users to post reviews and recommendations. Given the increasing importance of reviews and recommendations it seems likely that the social networking sites will increase the opportunities to post reviews. Interestingly Yelp started out as a review site and has developed into a social community with forums for users. Rated People.com has thousands of recommended tradesmen across the UK listed. Reviews sites and SEOSearch for a product you are looking to buy or for holiday accommodation and posted reviews from business buyers and consumers alike will appear in Google search results. Google Places allows businesses to register with Google and be listed on Google Maps. Once listed, users can leave reviews for your business directly on your Google Places page. These show up on Google searches for your business products and services. The Google Places bot also searches the internet for other review sites with your company's reviews and recommendations and these will be listed along with Google places reviews. Amazon reviews are one of the big ones when it comes to books, electrical and clothing and reviews posted on Amazon also show up in Google search results. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=885 E mail marketing is an important tool in promoting business online and increasing visitors to your web site. Time spent designing and writing the content of your E mail is time well spent and having a few templates ready will reduce the time it takes you. Plan your content and offers carefully. Given that you are sending an E mail as part of a campaign or as a regular mailing you have to do as much as you can to make sure your E mails are opened and read. A few hints and common sense marketing advice will help you to improve the numbers reading your E mails, clicking through to your web site and acting on your offers and news. Do this and convert E mail readers into bookings and sales! The title of your E mails. Don't spend hours coming up with a stunning or sensational heading and don't include ‘Free'. These E mails go straight into the spam of people you are mailing. Include your business name in the top title of E mail. Your readers have signed up to receive mailings from you so should recognise your business name. Include also something like ‘News from', ‘July offers', ‘what's happening in June' and ‘New this month'.When you send out your welcome E mail, tell your reader how often to expect your mailing, what content and offers they should expect and what to look out for in their in box.The mere act of getting people to sign up to your mailings, means they are actively seeking the sort of products and services you provide. Include valuable offers and your E mail list are much more likely to open and act on your mailings.Be realistic and don't overestimate your success rate. E mailing is generally free or very reasonably priced. The success rate of E mail is much higher than direct mail. Depending on the E mail company you are using to host your E mails an opening rate of 20% is excellent with a click through rate of 2% to 5%.Make your mailings interesting and original. Include genuine time limited offers, free information that will really help your reader and interesting news.Send out your mailing when people are more likely to read them. To some extend this depends on the type of business you are in. You can test the timing of your mailings to monitor times with the best opening rates. However unlikely it might seem if you are selling business to business Friday afternoons are good and if you have holiday accommodation Monday mornings work well.Finally make the sign up to receive your mailings on your web site compelling. Make it clear what they will receive and your readers are much more likely to open your mailings. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=863 The key with this is to align social networking with the marketing, promotion and advertising you do now. Doing this makes social networking simpler, will save you time and most important of all be effective and help you to achieve your business goals. So rather than ask ‘How much time can I devote to social networking? ask ‘Which social networks can I use to make more of the marketing, advertising and promotion I do now? ‘. The following checklist should help you to make the decision on which social networks that are right for you and your business. Then all you need to do is every time you do any marketing, advertising or promotion to post, tweet, pin, and present on your social networks. Do you sell a product? Social network Pinterest is perfect for you. Think of Pinterest as a series of notice boards, where you can pin images of your products and collections with links back to your web site. Post your pins on your Facebook page.Do you run a B & B or hotel? Use your Facebook page for customer reviews top quality images your rooms and gardens and the surrounding area. If you have videos add to U tube, which is very quick and easy to use. To make the most of your U tube profile, create your own U tube channel.Facebook is good for building your own community of contacts, customers and potential buyers. If you produce something post news of products, offers and competitions.Do you advertise? Include your social media logos as QR codes to take readers to an offer on your Facebook page.Are you in retail? Twitter is one of the quickest social networks to use. Tweet news, offers, details of sales and new collections. Use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to schedule tweets.Do you provide training? Slideshare is perfect for presentations and it is very easy to use. Slideshare allows you to tweet your new slideshare presentation, post on Facebook or add to your LinkedIn profile.Are you a consultant or do you sell a service? LinkedIn is the network for business professional which includes solicitors, accountants, consultants, builders, hotel owners, tourist attractions, retail and web designers and more. Use to make new contacts and to join your industry groups. LinkedIn is an excellent way to search for work and find new staff. Make the most of everything you do by posting on whichever social network feels tight for you. So whether adding a new presentation on Slideshare or a video on U tube, tell your twitter followers and add your video or presentation to your LinkedIn page. Finally make sure the logos and badges of the social network you belong to are on your web site, E mail signature and your marketing material. Doing even a small part of this will increase your reach and exposure on the internet. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=833 One of the most powerful tools in promoting your business online is the content of your web site and blog. Not simply from a web site optimisation point of view but by giving your web site visitors what they are looking for and a reason to enquire, buy online or book. If you can provide your web site visitors with what they have been searching for and make it original you will attract more visitors, increase the time they spend on your web site and convert more into enquiries, sales and bookings. In the UK most searchers use Google and Google rewards high quality sites with original content. So not only does great content make a better website, it also improves your site's rankings. Too many businesses update their web site only occasionally, or update in a hurry copying and pasting with the potential errors that can occur when you do this. Updating your site regularly encourages visits from search engines and so helping with your site ranking. Why is the content of your web site important?Quality content will interest your web site visitors and interest leads to buying and booking Interesting content will keep visitors on your site for longer and the longer they stay on the site the more likely they are to buy and book Interesting content will keep visitors coming back and are more likely to spread the word about your business on and offline, on review sites and on the social networks So what makes interesting content?Original content with strong headlinesStrong reasons to sign up for downloads, regular updates and offers and newsDiary of eventsWhat to do locally when they stay with youFamily activities close by when they stay with youVideos Badges and links to professional organisations, review sites and the social networks you belong toQuality images of eventsYour downloadable brochureA blogLinks to other sites for more specific information and other interesting and useful content for your visitors TestimonialsIf you are selling business to business case studies can help prospects visualise what your services can do for them Whatever content you add to your web site optimise everything you do. In other words add the keywords (search terms) people use when searching for your products, services or accommodation site. Your web designer will be able to help you with this. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=803 Social networks provide all businesses with the opportunity to reach a global audience and more often than not the networks are free! The social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are an easy way to send out fast changing, short term information and offers to a wider audience. Increasingly consumers and business buyers alike are using review sites and social networks to check out reviews and recommendations before they buy. Add feedback and recommendations from happy customers from review sites such as Trip Advisor and Yelp to your web site, or link to your Trip Advisor page for direct viewing of recommendations. If for no other reason you use the social networks this is probably the most important. There are many ways to use social networks to promote your business. Use in combination with your other marketing and promotion to have more impact and: To promote short term offers, late bookings and last minute training dealsFor launching competitions and prize draws and to announce competition winnersUsing offers and free downloads to build a mailing list of prospects for your businessTo spread the news of and launch new products, new services, awards and press coverageTo announce new season events and family days outExclusive offers for social network followers and friends - keep it specialTo collect reviews, recommendations and testimonialsTo show your business and what you are doing in images and videosTo create a ‘community' of loyal customers who love what you do and tell othersTo link up with other businesses for research and joint promotions Social media isn't complicated and you do not have to spend hours on posting and tweeting to achieve any of the above. What you must do is include links to your web site from your pages on the social network sites. Include Facebook, Twitter and other network icons on marketing material, menus, on your business cards and in your E mail signature. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=783 1. What is the lifetime value of your customers? This is the key. Know this & you know how much to invest to attract new customers and clients. Here's how to calculate it. Average value of a sale x how many times they will on average buy from you again x Average Retention Time in Months or Years 2. Are you using testimonials and positive reviews from review sites? Testimonials convince and now more than ever consumers and business buyers check out online reviews. Sign up to review sites such as Trip Advisor and Yelp. Add the review site logo to your business cards to encourage people to post reviews. 3. What marketing and advertising brought in most sales in 2012? Knowing the answer to this will save you both time and money in 2013. Invest in the marketing and advertising that works and review that which hasn't brought in so many enquiries. Don't know the answer? Then you need to set up monitoring systems. 4. Are you monitoring enquiries including on and offline and social media. Simple monitoring systems can be very revealing and highlight poor conversion rates in specific marketing actions. Monitoring systems do not have to be anything too complicated, but should include, responses from different ads, direct mail, networking, social networks and web site enquiries. 5. Who else has access to your customers/clients? If selling B to B referral businesses are an excellent source of new prospects and clients. Can you come up with mutually beneficial agreements, or enhance the services your business offers the customers of partner businesses. 6. What problems does your business solve? Analysing this is the means to understand what your customers are really looking for. For retail it might be ‘How to look good' or ‘What to wear this season'. For B to B it could be ‘Providing the best IT training for staff'. 7. Are you using irresistible offers and powerful guarantees? Offers and guarantees sell. Look beyond the traditional 10% off. Offer time limited discounts, discounts at weekends or ‘Friday Flyers'. Whatever business you are in these really do work. Think ASOS and Debenhams. 8. Does your business stand out from similar businesses in your market place? Or are you just another player. Standing out makes you memorable and enables you to target niche markets. Stand out on product, price, service, choice, product range, design, by specialising, selection. Essential for both B to C and B to B. 9. How can you use an expert to save time and money? Sounds counterintuitive, but calculate the time you spend mastering new skills compared to your hourly rate or sales you could be making. Using an expert can be viable proposition and they will have additional knowledge. 10. Are you making the most of your existing resources? Listing all the communication channels you have access to can be very revealing. It's almost always more than you think. Are you using them in the most effective way? Can you use more channels in combination to have more impact? http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=766 When you write a proposal you are aiming to persuade a prospective client to buy or an existing client to buy from you again. Writing a convincing business proposal that does justice to the services you can provide and the professional you would bring to another business is one of the most difficult things you have to do if you provide a service. Consider the time you spend putting your proposal together if you do not win the business can feel not only like a major disappointment but also a big waste of your valuable and precious business time. The good news is that there is a formula you can follow that will save you time and make your proposal stand out from your competitors. Key Elements of Winning Business ProposalsBegin with a lead paragraph on the company's needs and problems. Keep it short and precise and use bullet points. Follow this up with a solid presentation of how your business will provide solutions. Only promise solutions you are confident you can deliver and that will solve your prospects needs. State with certainty the results you expect and the steps that will be taken to achieve this. Remember whoever is reading your proposal will have little or no idea what you are proposing, so you have to walk them through the process. Do this by starting at the beginning and clearly, simply, and logically moving forward by making your points one at a time. Your proposal must not only be specifically created but must read as if it were created especially for this particular client or customer Start with the big picture and drill down as you go along Make a Good Argument and Counter Possible Obstacles. Make your offer irresistible to the reader. Pull together the top facts and arguments in your favour. Have a theme and reinforce it again and again. Take the reader down a path that leads but to one conclusion, that hiring you makes the most sense for them. You also have to put yourself in the readers' position, think of what counter arguments they might consider and deal with those potential obstacles honestly. Include the benefits of what you can bring to the business and make these clear. If your small business can offer complete confidentiality and meet tight deadlines state this in your benefits section. Include the benefits you know will solve your prospects problems and that will appeal to them. Next you need to convince and the easiest way of doing this is with testimonials If you have worked with clients in the same field as the business you are proposing to or have worked with someone they know and respect all the better to include a testimonial from them. Other things that convince are examples of your work and you can do this as an attached case study or as a power point or video presentation on your web site. If you do it this way include a link in your business proposal. You can also include graphics in your proposal. A winning business proposal is all about communication. Speak in a language spoken by your intended audience and show your Personality. LayoutPull all of this information together in a logical progression. Start with your lead paragraph. Follow this with a paragraph ‘What you need to do'. Next paragraph ‘How to do this'. Follow this with ‘What I can do/what my business can do'. This is where you include your benefits, explain why do it this way and counter any potential objections. Follow this with information about your business, including your contact details and testimonials. Triple-check for typos, don't oversell and avoid jargon. Always Keep the Reader in Mind, and while price is important and must be discussed, do so only after you have wowed readers with your clear writing, powerful arguments and an abundance of potential benefits. Then you can go in for the sale! http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=733 QR stands for Quick Response Code. They are bar codes or painted squares that when scanned by a smart or I phone and take the user to a page on a web site. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them a perfect marketing tool for small businesses. Consumers today want immediate access to what's relevant. Now many brands worldwide are using QR codes to do just that, producing ever inventive marketing and promotional campaigns. Can QR codes work for your business?QR codes cost noting to produce and have infinite possibilities. While they are easier to use for businesses selling directly to consumers they work perfectly well for businesses selling B to B, you just need to be a bit more inventive. 12 ways to use QR codes In advertisementsOn marketing materialOn your business cardOn food or drink packagingOn vehiclesTake out cups and packagingOn training course informationAdd the code to biscuits to give out as promotional giftThe sides of trucks and trailersRestaurant menusPoint of sale receiptsOn your business coupons, offers and gift vouchers Wherever you use QR codes think about where you are sending readers who scan your code. Don't restrict it to the home page of your web site. Add a page on your site that relates to the service you are promoting or to an offer page. Whether you are selling business to business or business to consumer think offers, promotions and give aways. Be inventive with your QR code With a little innovation you can come up with any number of ideas for using QR codes. Send people to your Facebook or other social media pages, where they can join in the conversation, find an offer or take part in a competition. There's no limit to how, or even how much, you can share using QR codes. Videos and landing pages are easily shared. Sharing is one way to build community and one of the favourite places for doing this is on Facebook. Use QR codes with E mail opt-ins to build your mailing list and use QR codes to link to specific blogs posts. Using QR codes efficiently and effectively. Where you place QR codes is important, but more important is planning what it is you want to achieve, for example to drive more traffic to your web site and to add a review to an online review site Make sure you make it clear where readers will be sent when they scan the code and tell them why they should do this. In other words what's in it for them... http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=719 Though not generally high on the list of priorities one of the most important actions for any business new or small is to make connections. However you do it, take time to make connections: For support and new ideasTo build a mailing list and find new customersFor joint promotion and marketingTo keep up with business trendsTo find the best suppliers of products and servicesTo find new audiences for your products and servicesTo give and receive referrals Today we are lucky, we can make connections for our business on and offline. In the real world connect at business networks, at meetings of professional and trade groups, at training events and seminars. Online make connections through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, U tube and Foursquare. In addition connections can save you money and give your marketing and advertising a boost, if you connect to related businesses. Accommodation providers for example can link with tourist attractions. Tea rooms and coffee shops can link to local museums and galleries. Using joint advertising, leaflet drops, E mail marketing and sharing stands at expos and all make excellent use of joint resources and have more impact. Take it one stage further and supply discounts, vouchers and offers exclusively to customers coming from the businesses you are linked with. Business to business can also make good use of connections in a similar way by passing referrals or by offering specific deals for referrals from connected businesses. Making connectionsThrough social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn LinkedIn -- link to the people you work with, clients and customers and suppliersLinkedIn groupsNetworking & Business clubsProfessional and trade networks Making connections online has an additional benefit, improving your web site ranking and your profile on the internet. Include links on your web site to all the social networks you belong to. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=700 Whatever business you are in and whether you are selling direct or selling services to other businesses everyone loves an offer. It doesn't matter if you run a shop, a B & B or work as a consultant an offer is an excellent way to promote your business and boost enquiries.Here are a few ideas for you..... RetailFirst chance to buyBuy one get one free daysFree product trialsProduct demonstrations and tastingsPre sale first chance to buy Birthday offer‘Call in to collect your gift'Time limited offerFree recipeGroup together one or two products with an offerNew collections -- first chance to buy HospitalityFree glass of wine on quiet days10 and the 11th eats for freeSeasonal special menus for spring summer, etc.Enjoy a piece of cake for your birthday when you buy a coffee or a teaTime limited offers Offers for specific groups e.g. walkers, anglersWelcome pack with vouchers to spend locallyFuel vouchers for bookings over...Gift vouchers if you spend overEarly bird booking offers Consultants and B"BFree E books when you join or mailing listGuides and how to'sExclusive access to slideshows or presentations of interesting and useful informationExclusive access to best practice and industry case studiesHigh value industry insight and researchFree templatesFree introductory face-to-face, telephone or web based consultations time limitedFree fact sheetsPreferred customer ratesGroup services together for a special rate and time limit it Remember to use every channel available to promote offers to your customers, clients and prospects via E mail and text message. Post on your Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare pages and listings. To make them more tempting put your offer exclusively on your facebook page for your followers. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=664 It doesn't take much effort to provide the sort of customer service that's gets your customers talking. Most businesses provide a reasonable quality service but few take it to the exceptional level. The benefits of exceptional customer care are increased customer loyalty, increased sales and an improved business reputation which works to bring in new customers. Selling direct to consumers or business to business? Truly impressive customer service increases referrals through word of mouth. Quality customer care, give your loyal customers a thank you in the form of:Special deals First chance to try new products or servicesSpecial deals on new products and servicesInvite to join you at corporate and fun days outReferralsKnow your customer anniversaries and the dates that matter to them. Customer satisfaction surveys are one thing but a few simple things that your customers and clients really appreciate will make you memorable. Send out birthday cards, congratulations and little gifts for special events. Personalise the gifts and send to remember the anniversary of their business start up. Tailor what you do to your customer's style. Do they prefer contact by e mail, phone or personal contact? This also applies to times, when do they prefer to be contacted? Exceptional customer care: A gift shop in Penrith has a sofa for customers and provides tea and coffee as they browse. Definitely brings in more sales than the costs of the coffee.A hotel in York left Easter eggs outside the door of rooms where children were stayingA professional consultant sends out gift baskets to clients for weddings, engagements and new babies. The gifts are personalised to suit their client's style.A clothing company takes images of the clothes their customers buy to go into their own personal album. The shop then contacts their customers to let them know of new stock based on previous purchases in the album.A craft shop selling painting kits for children made personalised birthday cards which were sent out for every enquiry made. Don't take your customers for granted. Keep up to date with what is happening to your customers. You need to know if they are expanding, taking on new staff, introducing or developing new services or products. Put them in touch with other businesses that can help solve their problems. It's all about them not about you! http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=647 Despite the poor reputation of direct mail it is very successful way to increase sales and enquiries. Social media marketing and the internet are the current buzz in marketing and they are powerful ways to promote a business, but nothing beats the direct contact and impact of a well written sales letter. Why is direct mail so criticised? The main reasons are:People believe the best way to win new business is via the web, through social media or E mail marketing.The majority of sales letters are not well writtenThe details of who to send the sales letter to are not up to dateSales letters are too general and the information is of no interest to the recipientLeads are all coldHeadlines are not strong enoughContents of the sales letter are of no interest and not specific enoughCalls to action are not included or not strong enoughWhatever marketing and advertising you do it makes sense to make your message specific to a target audience. This is even more important with direct mail. Some simple planning and keeping your reader in full focus throughout will make sure your sales letters and mailings are successful.Picture who you are selling to and the type of business you are targeting and write your letter with that in mind throughout. Learn the essential techniques of writing powerful sales letter and this combination will bring in the enquires and sales you are looking for. Direct mail responses are generally quoted at 1 in a 1,000 but eye catching headlines, guarantees that give genuine value, irresistible offers and powerful calls to action will all improve responses to direct mail. The benefits of direct mail for a small businessCost effectiveAn easy way to keep in touchReinforce your brandGreat ways to generate leadsA method for accurately targeting prospectsEasy way to monitor marketing activityIf you are sending out sales letters to cold prospects you can increase your chances of successful responses by being specific in who you are targeting by business, customer type or geographical area. Consider this. Of the 21.9 million UK adults to respond to direct mail, 6.2 million went online to order something, and 7.3m went to a store to order something in person (Royal Mail, 2011).8.3 million of those who received a mail piece kept it to view again in the future (Royal Mail, 2011).9 out of 10 people open direct mail (FastMAP).49% of adults are more likely to open direct mail if they are intrigued by the package (British Market Research Bureau, 2010).75% of customers like receiving special offers and vouchers via direct mail (British Market Research Bureau, 2010).The opening rate for direct mail sent to prospects stands at 91%, making it the best way to bring on board new customers (Billets Media Monitoring).17.7m people ordered after receiving a mail order catalogue in the past 12 months (Royal Mail Consumer Panel, 2010).Catalogues have the lowest cost per lead of all direct mail, followed by inserts (Direct Marketing Agency).The ROI of Direct Mail has increased year-on-year for the last decade, standing at £3.20 in the last OMD Brand Science report. So now you can see why direct mail has been successful for many years and why despite the increased use of the internet it is still successful http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=608 When your business is established and you feel you have reached capacity with existing products and services developing a new idea can be the way to further grow your business. If you are looking for inspiration there are many techniques for generating new ideas, but before you look at completely new ideas there are richer sources for business growth.What is our best selling product?Can we bring in a linked product or service?What naturally follows on from selling........?What would happen if?What demand is there for?New ideas and innovation might come in the form of new products and services but also in the way you sell and deliver your products and services. Other potential sources of new ideas:New approaches to how you sellNew markets and new audiencesPartner with other businesses to offer joint promotions and services?Combine products and services together and repackage?Introduce gold, silver, bronze servicesOffer training to accompany the products and services you sellOffer annual reviews or an annual serviceNow you have your new idea how are going to promote it? As an established business you have more options. Ten ideas for you...Most important of all make sure your existing clients, customers and visitors know about your new products and services with an opening offer or voucherBe very clear who you are selling to and use the best ways to reach them e.g. direct mail, E mail, adsPlan a launchUse Twitter and Facebook to countdown to your launchInclude time limited offers for purchases of new products and servicesOffer free trial periodsPress release and invite journalists along to your launchSend journalists a free trial of your productCheck your contacts list -- let them know about your new products and servicesBus or radio ads. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=589 Big business does it successfully and the Internet is full of businesses of all shapes and sizes doing it and benefiting from it. But exactly what is branding and brand building? How does branding fit with small businesses and how can you successfully brand your business? The majority of small businesses do not use branding to good effect or do not do it effectively. In reality branding is as much a way to stand out from your competitors as it is to build awareness of your business on and off the internet. If you are in a competitive market branding is crucial. Branding is simple, with just a few essentials to bear in mind. The main design elements of branding are:Your business nameYour logo -- including size, colours and position Your straplineYour chosen typeface All of these are vital to build a consistent brand that is easily recognised on your web site, on social networks and in your marketing material to produce a consistent brand that is easily recognised. When branding your business it is definitely worth the investment of a professional designer to produce a logo and colours. This one simple action will position your business above competitors who have chosen a logo from the internet, thrown something together themselves or even worse used clip art. The other main elements of branding are what your brand stands for:How your customers perceive your companyHow you communicate with your customers and visitorsYour brand is more than a logo. It represents your business ethics, personality, values and tone of voice. A successful consistent and well designed brand will help to create both customer loyalty and position your business firmly and strongly in your market place. Top Branding TipsBe consistentWho are your customers? Keep them in mindMake it relevant to your business and your customersYour logo should reflect your business valuesKeep it simple -- makes reproduction cheaper and easierYour logo and design is an investment, not an expense When we see the logos of multi national companies such as Virgin, Apple, Coca Cola and McDonalds they immediately bring to mind an overall view of what each business stands for and what they sell. Local businesses also brand successfully on a smaller scale. East Yorkshire based Three Little Pigs produce rare breed pork and salami on the Yorkshire Wolds. They successfully communicate the message about what they do, what they stand for and the quality of the products they make. Peel castle B & B in North Yorkshire, once featured on Grand Designs have successfully created a brand that reflects their boutique B & B. This and their logo incorporate the history, location, romance and luxury of the B & B at the castle. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=546 Despite the poor reputation of direct mail it is a successful way to increase sales and enquiries. Direct mail is a much-criticised sales and communication tool. The main reasons for this are: Businesses believe the best way to win new business is via the web and social mediaThe majority of people are not very good at writing sales lettersPeople do not have the correct details of who to send the sales letter toData lists are not up to dateThe sales letter is too general and the information is of no interest to the recipientLeads are coldHeadline is not strong enoughContents of the mailing is of no interest and not specific enough Learn a few techniques and you will be able to produce powerful and successful sales letters that l bring in the responses. What you must includeA powerful headlineThe benefits to your reader of buying your products and servicesGuaranteesTestimonialsAn irresistible offerCalls to action And you must set realistic objectives for what you want to achieve and the responses you want from your sales letter e.g. visit to your web site, to call you, follow you on facebook etc. Do all of this and you will receive above average responses even from cold leads. The benefits of direct mail for a small businessCost effectiveAn easy way to keep in touchTo build your brandGreat ways to generate leadsEasy to monitor Make sure you target your mailings to the right peopleExisting customers and clientsWarm prospectsCold prospectsLapsed customersYour target market (by business, customer type or geographical area) Hints and tipsUse the word you and yours throughout rather than IRather than discount add valueMake offers time limitedInclude a benefit of buying your products and services in your headline http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=525 Why do you need to keep in touch withcustomers and clients?Did you knowthat existing customers are cheaper to sell to than new customers? Makes commonsense really doesn't it? But if you areto tap into those valuable repeat sales, whether you are selling a product orservice, you must not give your competitors the chance to get a foot in thedoor while your attention is diverted. Regular mailingsand communications will keep you in the mind of your existing clients. Mailingsin whatever form are not just for existing customers, use them to persuade prospectsto buy from you and to remind lapsed customers of what you do. Ten ways to keep intouch with customersA newsletter on paper or as an E mailBy phoneOn facebook or twitterWith a letterA birthday cardAn invitation cardA giftA CD of informationA catalogueA brochure, flyer or leafletAll of these have their merits but as important as the formyour communication takes is the content of your mailing. It must be relevantand interesting and use a form of keeping in touch that suits your customers.Some customers will prefer social networks but others prefer paper copies and phonecalls. How often should you send out mailings andcommunicate with your customers?While it isimportant not to bombard your customers and prospects with information that isof no interest to them, more important is to send out information when youpromise to do so. So if prospective customers sign up to a monthly newsletter youmust send your newsletters out monthly and if your mailing list sign up to newsand offers make sure that's what they receive. What do you send?If you are running a retail business send out informationabout new products and lines, sales news, pre sales offers, new collections andnew seasons stock. If you are selling business to business send information,news and links that will help your clients. In the tourist business, send seasonalnews, events and things to do. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=504 Somehow newsletters have an old fashioned ring about them andwe often think of them as irritating spam that we ignore. But consider how successfulyour marketing would be if your mail shots were read by 50% of the people yousend them out to. This response rate is easily achievable with a web based Email. Newsletters andmailings take many formsPaper copy A4, A5 or foldedA conventional E mail A word document attached to an E mailA web based E mail style newsletterBoth print and E mail newsletters have merits. It all dependson what sort of business you are in and who your customers are. The customersof an IT business would expect a web based E mailing while the customers of a localjoiner or furniture maker would perhaps prefer a paper mailing. There is nodoubt that newsletters and mailings are a fantastic way to keep in touch and keepyour business top of your clients mind so they think of you when they are readyto buy. Many web based E mail newsletters either go into the spam orwe delete, them. Give recipients a good reason and a clear way to sign up toyour newsletters on your web site and recipients will be genuinely interestedin your mailing and much more likely to open them and act on your offers ornews. How often should you send a newsletter out? Again thisdepends on your customers and your business but it can be monthly. Alternativelysend out seasonally or when you have an offer. What you must do is send outyour newsletter or mailing when you promise to. If you promise a mailing on the first of every month you must stick tothis.Things not to do Don't disguise an advertising promotion as a newsletter Making an offer in the headline but not explaining how to take up the offer in the body of your newsletter Not checking links to your web site from your newsletterPlacing too many references to your products in every article Things you must do Use Bcc' to protect the privacy of your recipients Give recipients a simple way to unsubscribe Spell check then proof read yourself. Spell checker is not perfect!Keep the design very simpleInclude your logo calls to action and easy ways to get in touchKeep your file size small, helps prevent going into spam and doesn't jam up recipients E mail boxMake each newsletter and mailing specific to one theme or offer and make it clearSpend time and effort on your subject line, include an offer keep FREE out of it or it will go into the spamInclude a ‘forward to a friend' button.Add social icons and links to your web siteMonitor the success of your newsletter with responses and analytics http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=469 It costs businesses about five to ten times more to acquire a new customer or booking than it does to sell to existing ones. For retail businesses on average current customers spend 50% more than new customers. So how do you keep customers coming back for more? A loyalty club is one way and there is a loyalty scheme for most businesses. It's all about reward and building loyalty.As with everything marketing and promotion, keeping it simple is your key to a successful loyalty scheme and: Make it easy for your customers to understand your schemeAvoid discounts but give extras or ‘first chance to buy' offersGive rewards with clear benefitsMake it easy to redeem points or claim giftsWhat type of loyalty scheme?The simplest schemes use a points system. Tesco and Boots both do this. In the U.S. American Express offer many benefits by partnering with other companies. Partnerships work very well particularly if the businesses involved complement one another. Other businesses have successfully used games and competitions as a loyalty scheme and Dorset Cereals do just that. Visit their web site for an example of what's on offer, which includes spin the milk bottle. Prizes vary from boxes of cereal to picnic hampers and gypsy caravans. When you are considering a loyalty scheme think about the banks and insurance companies who offer benefits for new and swopping customers. They hook with additional offers such as discounts for multiple car ownership. This has attracted bad publicity and resentment from existing customers and banks such as the Halifax have started to address this by offering a £10 reward to existing customers.Larger businesses are beginning to see the benefits of social media when it comes to loyalty schemes and the potential of social networks with loyalty schemes is huge for business small and large. Your loyalty club cardsGive out branded cards with your logo and contact details. Use the business card format which are small enough to go into purses and wallets. Once your customers have signed up to your loyalty scheme, aim to keep in contact by E mail monthly with offers. Here are my 7 favourite ideas.First chance to buySale previewBirthday thank you'sRewards for specific amounts spentNew product launch New menu notificationsPrize draws http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=442 Keeping track of marketing and advertising spend isadvisable at any time. With an uncertain economy this is even more important asis making the best use of the resources you already have. The first important step is to be clearwhat is it you want to achieve. Setobjectives based on business goals, for example suppose you want to increasesales of a specific product or service or bookings by ?%. Set marketingobjectives to achieve this. Make your objectives SMART, that is, specific,measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. Specific --how are you going to achieve your objectives? For example send out or deliver? numbersof fliers or direct mail letters.Measurable-- Can you monitor enquiries and sales by phone, your web site etc? How manyenquiries and sales do you need?Achievable-- how will you achieve your objectives? In other words is your plansomething that is achievable? Do you have the resources in terms of staff,investment and is it physically possible.Realistic-Is your plan something that will meet your objectives? Is it practical?Timed --Set a time frame for your campaign. Doing this will increase your success. Leavinga campaign open ended results in plans put to once side, abandoned or campaignsdrift. Plan marketing as a campaign rather than as an ongoingprocess. Name your campaigns, plan the objectives of each campaign and set abudget. Who you are aiming your products andservices at? This iscrucial for the success of your campaign. Being clear about the audience foryour products and services makes it easier to target them. Your audience mightbe young professionals so your ad must talk in the way your audience talk. Makean offer that will appeal to them in a publication they will read. Doing thiswill put you on track for achieving your objectives. Which marketing and advertising brings inmost sales for you?Your next step for successful marketing on a budget is tolook back over the campaign. What marketing, advertising and PR did you do,which brought in most enquiries. Did most enquiries come from your web site? No matter how small or large your campaign your evaluationprocess is vital for the success of future campaigns. Monitor the number ofenquiries, sales and bookings you received and if online the number of mentionsyou receive. How many contacts and followers have you gained on the socialnetworks?Successful marketing on a budgetSet a budget and stick to it. Don't use any marketing activityin isolation. Use on and offline marketing together for maximum impact. Forexample combine a mail out with an offer on your web site. Announce its comingon Twitter. Take the cost of each marketing activity and compare sales fromeach activity to find return on investment. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=418 You can't do anything about the weather, but if you areworried about how to fill rooms and get more bookings, read on for somepractical ways to do just that and at the same time build a fantasticreputation.First you need to consider there are only three ways toincrease sales1. Increase the number of bookings2. Increase the number of repeat bookings 3. Increase the amount bookings spend with youIf you increase each one of the above by only 10% and you willhave increased bookings and sales by 30%.So to increase the number of bookings you receive, firstlook at your existing visitors. Who are they? Check your bookings for lastyear. Then categorise them. It is very important that you complete this step,as this information will show you how to bring visitors back again and again.Are your visitors:Young familiesRetired peopleYoung people on holiday for the first timeFishermenGolfersWalkersBird watchers etcYou have to do this so you know which types of visitors doesyour B & B or hotel appeal to. Which groups have made most bookings? These are the people you need to target.Before you use this information to find new visitors I am going to show you howto simply change what you offer so visitors who have stayed with you before comeback again and again. As important when you have completed this step your visitorswill tell their friends what a fantastic time they had with you.It doesn't matter which type of visitor makes most bookings?Next you need to look at some simple ways to make your visitors experience evenmore special and this is something that need not cost you lots of money. A few simple ways toimprove your visitors stay with you and amaze them and make them want toincrease bookings.Offer afternoon teaTell visitors what there is to do locally and be specific, evening entertainment, the best pubs, child friendly pubs, amusements, Sewerby Hall attractions, historic houses, shopping, museums rather than providing a stack of general leafletsBe available and offer breakfast at times to suit your visitors, within reasonOpen at times that suits your customersNegotiate vouchers from attractions and shops for visitors to spend locallyGive them specific information about their interests- best fishing spots, where to hireProvide a good quality mattressDrying room for wet clothesBe friendlyOffer and negotiate parking spacesA small gift for childrenMark your visitor's birthdays with a cake or cardMark your visitor's anniversaries and special daysProvide colouring books and pens for childrenUp to date popular games for childrenIndoor and outdoor gamesLocal walks with a mapTea/coffee on arrivalOffer re bookings your best room rather than a discountMark memorable days such as Mothers DayI know that most of you already provide a fantastic serviceand many extras but most important of all when you have added your value andthose special extras you must make sure you tell visitors and potentialbookings what you offer to make their stay even more special. Whatever you doshout about it and be specific:When you E mail to confirm bookingsOn your web siteOn your Facebook pageOn TwitterIn your newsletterOn booking formsOn leafletsIn information at your B & B or HotelOne hours troubleshooting £95 ann@summitup.co.uk http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=400 All too often marketing material, leaflets and fliers are lastminute efforts to meet campaign and advertising deadlines. It's almost as if weall accept that marketing material is simply an add on to a campaign or it's somethingwe send out that might just bring in some enquiries and sales. But marketing material should be the heart of your campaignand well thought out with a powerful message, branded and well designed you can increase the enquiries you receive andbuild your brand at the same time. Here are what I hope are a few inspirational ideas to helpyou along with promotional campaigns. Whether you are planning fliers, posters,marketing material for conferences or a banner I've plenty of ideas for how toget the most from your marketing material.It's a.....Poster (A4) -- Forpromoting events, new products and services internally or externally A4 postersare spot on for reception and staff areas. Make it bold with large print and add original images. Use special designand printing effects for more impact and keep wording to a minimum.Newsletter -- A4 or A5 postersizes make impressive newsletters. When everyone else is sending out E mailnewsletters have more impact with paper copy. Bring your newsletter outquarterly and make it seasonal or theme it. Use both sides and gloss for aquality finish. Include news of what you have done, what you can do and yournews of future products and services. Menu -- an A4 sheet makesan excellent menu, whether you are fitting it into a menu holder or laminatingit for your tables. Once you have the format and design it's easy to changemeal options at a later date to make them seasonal or themed for events andspecial days. A timetable of events -- Ifyou are holding a seminar or attending an exhibition or trade show develop your own timetable of events ratherthan simply manning your stand all day. Organise simple demonstrations, videoviewings or question times. Use your A4 timetable of events to generate asteady steam of visitors. Send it out pre exhibition and include a voucheroffer to redeem for a gift or service discount, when they visit your stand.Training day schedule -- Do you hold training days, in house or for other businessesand individuals? Use A4 sheets to list your schedule for the day. Brand thetraining list schedule and include an offer for further training. For short runs go for top quality laser copies and forlarger runs traditional quality printing. It's definitely worth the investment and theimpact and responses will be greater.More ideas like this� Business cards are the perfect size for loyaltycards� Send out invitation cards to the contacts,prospects and people you want to make meet with at expos. Invite them to visit your stand, hand in the invitationfor a reward or gift. � Include a small gift card (use business cardsize) in your direct mail or promotional mailing. Customers can redeem for agift. � Include a code on flyers so you know whichpromotion is bringing in sales and donations� Always use both side of flyers. � Use your own branded postits to include apersonal message with direct mail, promotions and customer correspondence � Laminated business cards make excellent club andentry pass cards� Include social media icons on all your marketingmaterial Loyalty Clubs are perfect for many businesses including hairdressers, mechanics and beauty salons!For June/July only loyalty club set up only £175 includes, loyalty cards, 24 ideas on how to generate more sales and club set up. To make an enquiry contact me at ann@summitup.co.uk http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=377 IntroductionAnalytics are simply web site statistics. Google analyticsare the most commonly used but they are not the only provider of statistics aboutyour web site. Analytics are acomprehensive source of information and incredibly useful in discovering what'sgoing on, on your web site. More important correctly interpreted they will helpyou to improve your communications and optimise your web site to attract newcustomers.Why are analytics important?Every business now has to have a web site and thanks to thedevelopment of the web, many businesses no longer regularly up date their website using instead blogs and social media for communications. Google analyticswill help you to see which sources are bringing the hits to your site,including your E mail newsletter, social media and blogs. Even the most basicof information from analytics will help you to increase the efficiency of youronline marketing strategy and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). A goodanalytics package will also give you the following information about: How many visit your siteWhat pages they visit -- so which content isinterestingHow long they spend on your site -- more than 2minutes is goodHow many pages they visitedWhich part of the world they have come fromWhich part of your country they have come fromHow they found your siteWhat search engines visitors usedWhat site directed visitors to your siteWhich keywords they usedWhat they were looking for How to set up Google analyticsGoogleanalytics and many of the other packages are free to use at least at the basiclevel. Step 1 - To set up Google analytics onyour web site you will need a Google account. Step 2 - Go to http://www.google.com/analytics andclick "Create an account" button. Follow the on-screen instructionsto create your account. Step 3 -- Add your web site. Click the Admin tab at the top right of anyAnalytics page. Click the Google accountto which you want to add a property. Click ‘add new web property', this could beyour business name, then the URL of the website you want to track. Step 4 - Next you will need thetracking code for the website you want data for. Click the Admin tab. Check that the URL at the top matches thatfor your website. Click the TrackingCode tab the top right of the Profiles tab. Select all the code and copy it foryour web designer to add to your web site. Managing Google Analytics http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=332 Before you sign up for a stand or pitch decide what it is you want from the expo or show and is it the right one for your business? Its worth asking the organisers for some stats on last years audience, for example numbers attending. What audience is the show or expo is aiming at and who exhibited last year. Will the products and services you plan to promote appeal to the audience who will be attending? What publicity is planned? Who is speaking and what workshops and seminars will be running? You need to know that organisers will be pulling in visitors. Ask about your listing as an exhibitor on the organiser's web site. If possible write your own listing. Use the event for research, what are your competitors doing and what are prospects asking for/looking for.Your standSo many business fail on this one. You have to draw people in and be welcoming! Your stand is your business shop window for the day. Whether you sell a service or a product, don't have everything flat on the table, use stands and wooden blocks covered in material. Make sure your banner says what it is you do as well as your business name. Don't stand or sit behind your stand and expect people to engage you in conversation. Have one person in charge of every aspect of your exhibition. Can you provide demonstrations? This applies whether you are selling B2B or B2 consumers. If you sell jewellery use a real model in addition to displays. Nothing sells better than showing people how a product or service in use. Use demonstrations to sign up prospects for more information. Send out invitationsInvite your clients/customers and contacts to visit your stand. Make it worth their while to come along to be:The first to seeThe first to orderTo enjoy some on stand hospitalityTo collect a thank you gift or product sample PublicityTurn your newsletter into an invitation. Before the event set up an exhibition web page on your web site and include your itinery and the times you will be running demonstrations. Use the expo to announce new products and services and make sure you tell everyone that is what you are doing.Your web sitePromote the event on your web site, on Twitter and send out a press release. Send out invitations with you monthly newsletter and to let customers and prospects know you will be there and what you will be doing. On the dayListen to what people are interested in and what they are looking for. This will help you generate more leads and convert more prospects into and actual sales. Follow up leadsNow you've got a stack of leads you must follow them up. Classify them into hot warm and cold. Then tackle the hot prospects first. Keep in contact for up to a year. Marketing literature let them downMake sure your marketing material is appropriate for the expo or show and if you can include a show offer. Make sure you have enough marketing material for people to take away. Your offer for May and June - 1 hour marketing and advertising troubleshooting £95 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=290 When you write a press release your story must benewsworthy. This often holds business owners back from submitting pressreleases. After all how exciting can the day to day of your business be. But this belief that your story is notinteresting or newsworthy enough can be a lost opportunity. What's a newsworthystory? 1. The first business to..... 2. Link what you do to a topical news story e.g.during a military campaign there was a great deal of publicity about theshortage of security equipment for UK soldiers. A company developing safetyhelmets with communications facilities latched on and gained valuable interestin their business.3. For larger businesses new staff members and appointments.4. Charity sponsorship5. Launch of new products and services. 6. Staff achievements7. Events and conferences8. Inventyour own newsworthy story. Use statistics that are relevant and that allow youto introduce an opening for your business. For example you have started adating agency. Find statistics on the web that provide data on the number of singlepeople who suffer from depression. Good sources for statistics are governmentdepartments and the national office of statistics. Writing your press releaseThe mostimportant part of your release is your headline. It has to be eye catching andinteresting. Editors typically receive more than 200 press releases daily soyou have to catch their eye. Headlines can be as simple as ‘It's official --more than 50% of men over 45 now live alone and 35% of men over 45 admit toreceiving treatment for depression'. Follow yourheadline with an introductory paragraph that brings your headline and storytogether. Add some facts and substance to your pressreleaseWho isinvolved in your story? What is happening? For example ‘Cookery school launching anew course for diabetics'When is theevent happening/or happened? Where didthe event take place or where will it take place? How did theevent happen or how will it happen? Include a quote in your press release.For example Mel Davison marketing director for W. R. Browns said ‘At Smiths webelieve in giving new designers a chance. Allowing three members of staff theopportunity to introduce new designs is a first for our company. All three showtrue originality and we are hoping that this will be a new innovation both forthem and for the company'. The format of your press releaseSend yourpress release by letter or e mail. Try to obtain a named person to send it to.Space your press release at 1.5 or 2 spaces. Include somebackground information about your business, your web site and all other contactdetails and a bit about what you do. Include animage and use short sentences Who should you send your press release to?LocalnewspaperRegionalnewspaperNationalnewspaperBusinesspages of publicationsLifestylemagazinesRegionalmagazinesOnline PR - add to your web site and announce on socialnetworksTrade pressTVRadio --national and local Plan yourpress releases and get into the habit of sending out regularly. Think aboutyour target audience. Are you aiming at a specific audience? If so check which publications they read. All newspapersand magazines have information about the types of people buying their magazineor newspaper. The same applies to TV and radio. A press release for your business only £75 in May. Get in touch at ann@summitup.co.uk ©CopyrightSummitup Marketing May 2012 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=283 It might sound obvious but as part of your overall marketing and promotion, planning a campaign increases the successes you will have and the sales you will make. Not only that it means you can plan ahead, finely tune your marketing strategy for future success, target your most profitable customers and make marketing simpler, easier and more efficient. Planning will save you time and more important will increase your success rate. What is your campaign for?To launch a new product or serviceTo target a new audience for your products and servicesTo launch a new businessTo increase sales to existing customersTo find new customersSet some objectives for your campaign and be specificTo generate x number of enquiries and salesTo make sales to the value of?For a service business it might be to make x number of new contacts To increase visits to your web siteTo generate enquiries from your web siteTo achieve a higher profile for your business on the internetThe next stage is crucial to the success of your marketing campaign. You need to decide: Who are your audience?Where do they buy?How much is your marketing and advertising budget?The last three are perhaps the most difficult to decide on and to plan. Take time understanding who your audience are. For example if you sell luxury home goods are you selling to private individuals with a specific income or is it interior designers?Understanding where the audience for your products and services buy makes selling easier. This might be online, from catalogues, from specific shops, from local shops or in response to direct mail offers.Whatever marketing and advertising you do, make sure your ads, marketing material and web site has: A powerful headlineBenefits and specific benefitsPowerful calls to actionOffers -- not discounts with deadline dates not opened ended3 ways to contact you http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=271 Whatever business you are in you will need some sort of marketing material, even if it's only the humble business card. We take it for granted that a business card is a specific size and simply a business card and a brochure is often a 3 fold gloss sheet. But with a little inspiration you can use existing formats for a variety of different uses. Here's a few ideas for using the format of a modest business card.It's a........Business card -- essential for every business, don't just give them out at business network events, include with mail outs, invoices and letters. Even better add a QR code to send prospective customers and clients to a page on your web site. Loyalty Card- Business cards are the perfect size for loyalty cards and another fantastic opportunity to spread the word about your business, to generate more sales and to keep customers loyal. Use one side of the cards for your contact details and the other for loyalty card information. Loyalty cards work well for a wide variety for businesses including, coffee shops, tea shops, hairdressers, gift shops and delis. Vouchers- A well designed business card style voucher with a few spot prints really look the part. Once you have a standard design in place, update for Christmas, Valentines Day, Mothers day and Fathers day. The sky's the limit! You could even build up a range for birthdays and anniversaries.Club entry & pass cards -- Do you run a club? Use the business card format for club entry and pass cards. Laminate them or spot print for real impact. Invitation to events -- Have one side of your cards designed with your contact details and use the other for your invitation. Invite customers, clients and prospective customers to come along with the invitation to redeem for a gift to be handed in on the day of the event. It's an easy way to make sure they visit you! Charity donations -- Be one of the first to use this technique to generate donations. Use one side for contact details and include a QR code on the other side. Instruct readers to scan the QR code which will take them to a specific page on your web site which has details of your projects and how to donate.What's really good about using the business card format in this way is that a small print run of 200 makes good economic sense and gives you the chance to update regularly. Get your business cards, vouchers and invitations professionally designed and keep your business logo the same but change the design with the seasons and make them specific for expo events and seminars. I've a portfolio stuffed with ideas for how to get the most from marketing material and everything you do!Need a little help? 200 business cards (format ) designed and delivered to you for £95. Simply ring or E mail me for more>>>> http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=232 The icons of social networks seem to be everywhere, on websites, business cards, E mails and adverts. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, U Tubeand Google plus, not to mention a few more obscure ones. What is the point ofsocial media and can you afford to ignore it? Ten reasons why you need to tweet, followand post:Your clientsand customers are doing itTo spreadthe word about your business to a wider marketTo recruitstaff To promote advertisingand marketing campaignsFor marketresearchTo show caseyour expertiseTo promote newsand events To sendvisitors to your web siteTo see whatyour competitors are doingFor handling complaints and criticismsA little bit more about social networks:Linked In -53% of businesses use Twitter and the majority of users are selling business tobusinessTwitter --71% of businesses use Twitter and the majority of users are selling business tobusinessFacebook --56% of businesses use Facebook the majority are selling business to consumerU tube -- 41%of businesses use U tube and the majority are selling direct to consumersGoogle plus --relatively new, used largely by strongly branded businesses Blogs -- Are used more by companies selling businesses to business. Use a blog to give advice, voice opinions andfor reviews, all part of positioning yourself as an expert in your field. Ask your web designer about setting up a blogor use Google Blogger When youfirst join the social networks they can be intimidating. There is always the worrythat whatever you do can be seen by 1,000's on the internet. But by thinking ofsocial networks as extensions of what you already do, you can use them to increasethe effectiveness of the marketing and promotion you do now. For example if you are holding a springsales, you can use twitter to promote your sale to a wider audience. Your social media planDecide whichsocial media is most suitable for your business and what you want to achieve. Ifyou sell direct to the public and run forexample a nail salon, gift shop or provide holiday accommodation facebook workswell. Post exclusive offers and news and invite friends to ‘like' and postimages If you sell direct to other businesses then twitter is a good option andLinkedIn essential. How often should you post?A lotdepends on your business, but realistically once or twice a day and trydifferent times so you are meeting different people. Need help setting up your social media and how to use - £95to make an enquiry>>>Help setting up a blog and what to write £95 to make anenquiry >>>Next time -- E mail marketing is it worth it?@Copyright summitup Marketing March 2012 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=201 For many businesses as they develop, sales are haphazard and typically come in peaks and troughs. The reasons for this are a combination of factors. At the new business stage sales are made to one group of customers and word of mouth generates sales within this group. The other factor is marketing, which tends to be intense as businesses start up and then becomes sporadic. Identifying your ideal customer makes marketing and advertising easier and more effective and helps to smooth out the peaks and troughs of sales. If you are an established business, when it comes to identifying your ideal customers many of them are already with you. Existing customers and this applies whether you offer services or sell products are the most lucrative area you can sell to. All businesses need new customers at some point and if you are new in business the likelihood is that you will not have sufficient customers to make your business profitable. Ideal customers Pay on timeMake decisions to buy from you in a short space of timeRecommend you to other peopleRespond to your communicationsBuy from you again and againThe trick to planning and identifying your ideal customers is to find a group of customers, by type, that you want to target and then break down the categories you have selected further. For example if you are a service business perhaps you are targeting solicitors. Drilling down are you targeting new businesses, small practices or large? Where are they located, in the same area as you or UK wide? When you are looking at who to target first think carefully why they will want to buy your products and services. How will they use it and what will it do for them? When you are targeting potential customers think beyond simply selling to them to how many people they influence. In other words how likely are they to recommend your business? When you do decide who are you targeting why you think they will buy from you what it is about your product or service they will want to buy.If you are selling directly to consumers, what age are your ideal customers? Where do they live? What do they like? What service do they expect? What disposable income do they have and where do they buy, on the high street or online?Separating out groups of potential customers allows you to target each group separately, by how and where they buy, by the publications they read and the types of ads they respond to. Make an offer that will appeal directly to them and chances are you will increase enquiries and sales. http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=166 Great headlines grab reader's attention and make them want to read on, but most businesses fail to produce punchy attention grabbing headlines. The good news is that the best headlines are not necessarily the clever ones and by using a few clever techniques you too can have real impact. Great headlines:Increase the response rate from direct mailIncrease responses from adsMake your business memorableIncrease the take up of press releasesGenerate more enquiries from web sitesWithout being too clichéd or clever you need to engage your readers attention. Having a few headline structures will make writing your headlines easier. Shorter headlines make more of a statement and generally have more impact so make your headlines short and punchy. Not for example ‘Of all the bacon I buy I think Pink's bacon is the best' rather ‘Pink's bacon is the only bacon I ever buy'. Write your headlines before or after you have finished your piece of writing, whichever you find easier. Use a few headline ideas for writing great headlines for your E mails, your web site, blogs, direct mail and press releases.How to write great headlines1. Use a question for your headline e.g. ‘Who knows?', ‘Would you like to', ‘Are you?', ‘Want to try?', or ‘Did you know?' Starting with ‘How to' or ‘Now you can' are great starting points. 2. Make your headline an invitation for example ‘Be one of the first to snap a bargain in our sale, visit our web site by 1/1/11'.3. To challenge your reader make your headline a true or false e.g. ‘Farm shop produce is 20% more expensive than supermarkets true or false?'4. Headline with a leading question for example ‘How will RD Legal debt recovery policy recover your company bad debts?5. Quote statistics, this works really well for press releases as newspapers love statistics. Visit Britain, the National Office for Statistics and government web sites are a good source for stats. 6. If all else fails the simplest and most effective headline of all is to include a benefit in your headline. This is very powerful. 7. Lastly collect headlines -- sounds geeky but really helps with inspiration. Check out web sites and magazine ads for more ideas. Finally make sure your headline is relevant to your article or press release you are writing. @ Copyright Ann Brown Summitup Marketing February 2012 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=137 QR CodesEver heard of QR codes or used them? QR stands for Quick Response Code. They are bar codes or painted squares that when scanned by a smart or I phone and take the user to a page on a web site. They were originally developed in Japan around 10 years ago as tracking codes for car parts.Today QR codes are used successfully by many businesses in this country as part of advertising and marketing campaigns. Now you see them appearing in magazines ads, on vehicles and billboards. The UK has the highest number of Smart phone users in the world, so there is great potential. Can QR codes work for your business?Small and large businesses can all make good use of QR codes to increase response rates from ads and other publicity. Start in a simple way and you will soon see the potential of these bar codes. Initially use a QR code in your ads, in your marketing material and on postcards to send people to your web site when they scan the code. A few ways to use QR codes in advertising and marketingInclude in your adsAdd on to your vehiclesInclude in marketing material, leaflets, flyers, postcards and postersAdd to postcards for your B & BPut on your business cardsAdd to paper drinking cups Put onto envelopes when you send out mailings and invoicesInclude on direct mailTo generate your own code go to http://qrcode.kaywa.com/One hour master class on how to use QR codes £75 exclusive to Bridlington.net http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=115 Twitter started out as a quick way for friends to keep in touch. Since then it has been rapidly taken over by businesses small and large keen to spread the word about their products and services. Twitter is a fantastic way to link with businesses you would not otherwise come across.Before you jump in decide what you want to use Twitter for. Knowing this and having a simple plan will make Twitter easier to sue and more effective. It will spread the word about your business and what you sell. Although plenty of businesses use Twitter for direct promotion of products and services it is not Twitter etiquette. What to use Twitter for?To become a market leader -- Short tweets telling you followers what you are doing and linking to your web siteTo post blog updates -- if you write a blog promote it and send a linkFor market research -- search for your competitors or businesses by industry to see who is doing what and selling whatTo build relationships -- follow conversations and if you see something of interest join in to offer help and suggestions, To get help sourcing goods and services -- looking for something specific ask your Twitter followers for help, by the same token you can help your followers when they need helpTo find the movers and shakers in your industry -- follow then to see what they are up to!Setting up your Twitter page is simple to do. Create a name that fits with your business, add a photograph or logo and personalise the background. Then you are ready to go! It's a good idea to go on to Twitter and follow some of the people you sell to or who supply you. Then you can get to follow some Tweets to give you inspiration. Who to follow?Build followers who will help you achieve your objectives for Twitter. Depending on your business it is generally quality over quantity when it comes to numbers of followers.What to tweet?Build some followers before you start tweeting. Then tweet:Business achievementsStaff achievementsBlog updatesMarket newsLaunch of competitionsSurveys Need some help? Twitter set up with 20 followers & 20 tweets £55Next time.......'Wish you were here!' @ copyright Ann Brown Summitup Marketing 2012 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=92 7 in store promotional ideasWhy do in store promotions?An in store promotion can increase sales, create a buzz for your business, build a mailing list, increase customer loyalty, sign up more people to your loyalty club, attract press interest and bring in out of season sales.What in store promotions work?There are many different ways to use in store promotions that increase sales. Here are a few I've used for my customers.1. Hold a loyalty club preview day and offer members the chance to be ‘the first to buy' and the first to try'. 2. Have a day to promote and sample new products, but take it one stage further and tell the story of how you developed your new products. How you found a new product and how a local food producer developed their new products. Ask customers to fill in responses to show you value their opinions. You can then use this with their permission to build your mailing list.3. Hold seasonal and special events, but take it one stage further and invent your own specials days. For example ‘first fruit of the season day', ‘early spring' or ‘new season event' and ‘tea time special'.4. Hold children's competitions in the school holidays, seaside drawing competition or seaside trail. Make sure you have the space to accommodate large numbers safely. This promotion can bring in large numbers of existing and new customers. Make sure you have plenty for sale that will appeal to young families. 5. Hold a charity day. Support a local charity and give 10% of all sales to the charity.6. ‘Monday specials'. Choose a day when your shop is usually quiet. Package items together if you are a food shop provide a recipe. Food stores can use cookery to show how to use what you sell. The smell of food cooking alone will increase sales. 7. Link up with another shop or business and hold a joint in store day, promoting each other and offering joint purchases with special add on offers to upgrade gifts. In every promotion you hold, build and use your mailing list, promote events in store and with staff, on Twitter. Whatever promotions you hold don't forget the PR opportunities, you will soon be seen by the media as a business to watch and to contact to find what you are doing at??? Follow up your special days with news and photos of the event in your newsletter, on your web site or on your Facebook page.Copyright Summitup Marketing January 2012 http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=58 Advertising is a big subject. It can be an expensive option and all too often we are tempted with short notice offers. So it pays to plan ahead, to have a budget in mind and a stock of ads ready to roll out. Planning advertising aheadTo begin with you have to find the publication your customers, or the customers you would like to have, read. You need to know circulation numbers, geographical circulation area of the publication and the cost of your ad. Divide the circulation number by the cost of the ad and you will have the cost per reader. Not only will this help you 'target' advertising it will also help you make a decision on which publication to use. Bear in mind that apart from local press readerships are generally falling so negotiate the cost, the size of your ad and how long you are going to run it for.And you have to considerThe design of your adHow long to run your ad forThe size of your adIf online advertising the right keywords to useThe style of your ad, whether to run a straightforward ad or to include an editorial bit What does your ad say?An ad can tell a storySolve a problemMake an offerMake an announcementFulfil a safety needTell readers they can be a winnerA voucherWherever you are advertising be it in a magazine or on the net the publication you are paying to advertise with will probably offer to write and design your ad. However you would be well advised to at least provide the text and some idea of where you want your ad placing. After all you know what is important to you and the message you want to get across. The design of your adIf your ad is in a colour publication, use your corporate colours. Break up the ad with sections of colour. Include an image if your ad is big enough and make it both a quality image and an original image.Use a call to action for example ring 1234567 for more details, to take up your offer or to visit on a specific dayInclude your logoContact details - if you want customers to ring you make the phone number large and boldUse a powerful headline or offerMake sure it is clear who you are and what it is you are sellingMake it is a tone that will appeal to the customers you want to attract Include your web addressOpening timesSocial media buttonsAnd remember to check for spelling!!Need a little help?An ad designed for your business �25 or two for �40 January and February 2012 only Eitorial style ad �110Copywright Ann Brown Summitup Marketing http://www.bridlington.net/community/manage.numo?module=blog&component=display&show=post&id=20 Reviewing and Improving what you offer your customers.In today's up and down economy everyone is looking for good value and at the same time is demanding a quality service with added value. So how and should you provide this? The answer is definitely YES, giving customers what they want and giving them added value encourages them to buy again, book again and tell their friends.First look at what you offer now, be it holiday accommodation, consultancy, a retail outlet, products you sell or a service you provide:How can you improve on what you offer? Are you offering the best service you can? Do you refresh your displays regularly, make them seasonal?Do you remind customers it's time to book for next year, for specific events or for a celebration?Another way to review your offer is to segment your customers in groups to see if you can improve your offer. For example if you run a B & B booked by people on walking holidays can you offer packed lunches, walking maps or boot drying facilities. Think about what your customers need to make there break or holiday even more special, something that they will see as adding extra value. Doing this will encourage your customers to spread the word and re book.Think about what your customers are asking for; is this something you can provide?Going that bit extraGive that bit extra by added value. Everyone who buys loves this and doing this need not cost you much. For example if you run a gift shop you can offer a gift wrapping service. Take it a stage further and offer a choice of wrapping for different occasions with a gift tag. Alternatively introduce a birthday or anniversary reminder service that can be done very simply using your E mail account.Marketing and advertising is all about communicating so don't forget to tell your customers what you are offering.