Five Strategies for Entrepreneurs to Make Money Quickly

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Action Steps, Advertising, Business Marketing, Business Messages, Business Planning, Business Sales, Call to Action, Coupon Offers, Customer Language, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Demographics, Entrepreneur, Get Customers to Purchase, Marketing, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Profitable Business, Promotions, Prospecting, Roadmap, sales, Small Business, Start ups, Target Marketing, Tips

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It’s a good practice for business owners to pre-plan marketing strategies and efforts. However, when a business needs an immediate (or even a consistent) sales boost, there a five strategies that can be performed to generate income.

1) What’s The Value? People always want to believe that a purchase is really worth more than what they pay for it.  Have an enticing offer. It is a great concept to create a very tempting or exciting offer that will drive people toward making a purchase. What would they want or need from your business right now? What discount or promotion can you offer so that it will be a no-brainer for people to purchase? What’s the savings if a customer buys now?

2) Hit the Bulls-eye. Narrow down ideal customers. Connect the business with and target only that specifically defined market. In other words, it is pretty much wasting efforts and marketing funds to promote a message/offer to the general public. Reach the market that is most likely to purchase what your company sells and you will consistently reach the right audience. You will in fact, hit the bulls-eye with your marketing every time.

3) Mix It Up. Use various marketing techniques. A variety of marketing mediums (i.e., text messages, Facebook, direct mail, e-blasts, print advertising, etc.) should be used to reach prospects with the business offer. The consistency of the offer will reach more of the target audience and frequency will cause the message to stick. Most likely those that are interested in the product/services will take action on the offer. (Offer codes can help identify which strategies in the marketing mix are most effective.)

4) What Now? Include a call to action. Now that the offer has been presented, with added value on the product or service, it is time to tell customers what you want them to do. How do they take advantage of the offer or promotion? Call now. Order today. Email us. Visit our web site. Come in the store. Fax your order. These are all calls to action. Whatever you want people to do, tell them.

5) For a Limited Time Only. The offer should include a very limited timeframe for prospects to respond to the call to action. The more appeasing the offer and the shorter the deadline, the better and faster responses should be. This short timing will create a mindset of immediate action-taking with your prospects, thus filling orders quickly. The limited expiration date will cause the market to be more prone to acting on the offer more quickly, as opposed to procrastinating on their decision to purchase.

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Action Steps: Creating a Roadmap to a Successful Business

28 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Action Steps, Business Marketing, Business Messages, Business Plan, Business Planning, Business Sales, Customer Retention, Demographics, Entrepreneur, Get Customers to Purchase, Marketing, Motivation, Profitable Business, Promotions, Prospecting, Roadmap, sales, Shoestring Budget, Small Business, Start ups, Target Marketing, Tips

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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. -Henry David Thoreau

Creating a concrete pathway or plan for your business is critical in being able to bring to fruition the visions you desire for your company. A clearly defined business plan is a roadmap or a guide that leads to where you want the business to be after a specific timeframe and how you intend to get there. Having a detailed plan will enable you to have something written and solid to review and to check the business’ progress, successes, procrastinations, benefits and things that you may be doing that are not working or that are unnecessary. Think of it as a mild-mannered coach that keeps you on track.

Creating an action plan is fairly simple once you recognize that one is needed. Sticking to an action plan is another story. You must be as dedicated to the business plan as you are to the business itself.

To create and write out a simple and quick business plan, use the following steps:

Know the mission of the business. What are your business goals? What is the purpose of the business? What problem does your product or service solve for its customers? What solutions does the business offer? Why is your business beneficial to prospective clients and customers?

Company Structure/Legal Formation. Determine the best legal formation of the business. Research the various options of business structures and determine what will work best for you and your needs. (Samples formations include: corporation, sole proprietor, llc, etc.)

Products and services. What does the company sell? What do customers want, need and expect from your business?

Market Analysis. Who is your target market? Where can you find your target market? How can you reach the target market? What’s the best way to package or deliver the business messages or marketing materials to your target audience?

Strategies and Prospecting. Create a few simple marketing strategies or methods of gaining exposure, creating business/product awareness and reaching potential clients for the business. Make sure that these steps are simple enough that you will follow through with them. If you develop marketing strategies based on what “the book” states or what others are doing, you may find yourself overwhelmed and not implementing any of the action steps and worthwhile tasks that you have laid out.

The chosen marketing strategies should be strategies and formulas that you can check, track and measure. For instance, if you distribute postcards, include an offer with an offer code or discount code. With each sale, the code is provided by the customer, therefore you can easily track and measure the results of the redeemed postcards. The math may look similar to this:

If you purchase 1000 postcards for the business at $100.oo and spend $44.oo on stamps to mail the postcards, the total spent is $144.oo to reach 1000 prospects. 100 people redeem the postcard offer by the expiration date. To determine the cost per conversion, divide $144.oo (the total spent on the postcards and stamps) by 100 (the number of redeemed postcard offers) $144/100=$1.44. So, the cost to reach 100 customers is $1.44 each customer.

This cost may or may not be cost-effective for converting sales. It depends on what you’re selling, the wholesale and retail cost of the item, time involved and the profit margin. You must decide what works best for the business and at what cost.

Staff and Support Management. Who are your employees and extended staff and support members? What are their specific roles and duties within the company? What must they be doing on a regular basis to contribute to the success of the business?

Financial Projections. Profit/loss analysis, what sort of sales, profits and losses do you project for the business?

Simple enough? You have just received the steps to creating a simple plan for your business. These are a simple set of Action Steps that will work for any business, that can be implemented immediately. These Action Steps will allow any business owner or entrepreneur to begin moving forward in their dreams. You will have a clear direction of your vision for the business along with a roadmap or path to get you there. Refer to your roadmap whenever you need to get back on track or if you lose focus.

Keep in mind that you may make changes to your plan as you see fit. Additionally, when you are comfortable and preparing a business plan seems less overwhelming, you can work on developing a more extensive business plan. Until then, you have a great, actionable roadmap to making strides and moving forward toward the goals of the business.

Will you begin working on your simple business plan today? Are the above ACTION STEPS simple enough for you to take action NOW? Are you excited to get your pen and notebook or your laptop to get started on your roadmap? Or, does this still seem like a little too much for you? Are you not a writer or a planner? Is there a section that seems too extensive, difficult or detailed for you? If so, and you’re feeling like you’ll be unable to complete the section, skip that area for now. The idea is not to make things stressful, but to make things so simple that you are easily able to TAKE ACTION. Do what you can or what seems easiest to accomplish, then return to the other sections later. More importantly than having a vision, is acting on that vision. Write out the vision and make it plain. Have tenacity and move forward.

Email me at stilettobusinesscoach@yahoo.com. Tell me your visions. Let me know if you get stuck in any areas. I’d be thrilled to assist you in creating your ACTION PLAN!

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Is Frugality Killing Your Business’ Image?

21 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Branding, Business Marketing, Business Sales, Customer Language, Customer Loyalty, Frugality, Get Customers to Purchase, Marketing, Profitable Business, sales, Shoestring Budget, Small Business, Start ups, Tips

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There is a fine line between being frugal and appearing unprofessional when it comes to business image. Saving money may actually cause a business to lose money, if the savings are applied in crucial areas of the company. Of course, everyone wants to save money, the key is being aware of when to practice being frugal and knowing when to go for the gusto.

There are three areas of business, which give potential customers “first impressions” of a company. Frugality should be eliminated in these three areas since they can be initial deciding factors of whether or not someone will do business with a company. Customers will decide with the first few seconds of visiting a web site whether or not they would like to make a purchase. Also people determine if they will do business with a company from the business cards and the level of customer service (or telephone skills) provided.

How Cheap Was Your Company Domain Name?

Example: A custom domain name (yourcompanyname.com) may cost anywhere from 99 cents through $12.00 a year on average from a company like Godaddy.com. A domain name such as yourcompanyname.whateverhostingserver.com is usually free. You’ve probably heard the phrase, pay now or pay later. Don’t let frugality kill the business image or the company will be doomed from the start.

The custom domain is certainly more professional and more memorable. Custom domains are more eye-pleasing in print and gives off a more positive image of the company. The other domain name is lengthy and has a feel of unprofessionalism or an amateur just starting out. Which web site would you be more inclined to visit just based on the domain name? If there is no effort put into securing a custom, professional domain name would you wonder what the web site must look like? Would you assume that the company did not hire a graphic designer or web developer? Funny how the mind works isn’t it?

Whether we admit it or not, people are prejudice in every aspect of life and business. People make choices based on past experiences, what they know and believe, what is seen as normal or abnormal. It is not as typical to see an advertisement or brochure for a company that lists the domain name as yourcompanyname.whateverhostingserver.com. More frequently than not, a company’s name is its domain name. Therefore, it may be in a company’s best interest to allocate funds toward a custom, professional domain name. Never before internet have businesses been so inexpensive to operate. The cost for a domain name is $1 monthly or less, $12 a year or less. You can’t beat that with a bat!

Did You Order Free or Premium Business Cards?

There are several companies that offer free business cards. Yes, there is a catch, actually there are three. The free cards must be selected from a small variety of templates and the company will offer the business cards to those that are willing to have the company’s advertisement or promotional offer on the back of the cards. Additionally, the customer will pay for shipping. This is a win-win situation for the printing companies. It’s a win-lose-or-draw opportunity for businesses. You decide.

Companies such as Vista Print (whom I love dearly, but only for custom products with no VP branding messages) win by printing their offer on the back of other companies’ business cards. This form of marketing is extremely low cost to Vista Print, as their only cost is to print the cards. Their volume is so high that their printing the cards really costs little or nothing. The business taking advantage of the free cards and its employees will feverishly distribute those business cards to everyone they know, see and meet, again exposing Vista Print to hundreds of potential new customers. The idea is that those customers will order marketing materials other than the free items and consider Vista Print for all of their printing needs, thus, creating customer loyalty for Vista Print.

Now, this is not to say that the free business cards won’t be beneficial for your business. They can be beneficial or detrimental; it just depends on the nature of the business. If you’re a crafter, they may work. If you offer professional services, I’m not so sure. It’s just really not professional to have a message on the back of your card that pretty much tells the world, “The company listed on the front of this business card is cheap.  These business cards were free and whoever has this card in their hand should order free cards too!” It sort of takes away from the interest in your business. People LOVE free. So, the company offering the FREE item may win over the customer. The winner is Vista Print, not whatever your company name is at whatever hosting server dot com. (Chances are companies that have the free business cards, with the message on back, opted for the free domain name also.)

Additionally, Vista Print and the other printing companies normally offer a very inexpensive premium upgrade to the free business cards. The upgrade excludes the message and promotion of free cards on the back. The upgrade is only a few bucks, maybe $5-$10 at the most. Let’s be frank, we’ve all been in a bind, but if a few bucks for business cards isn’t affordable, the small fee would be worth the effort to solicit sales and drum up business, right? Don’t let cheesy business cards kill the company image.

Free business cards can be a WIN-LOSE-OR-DRAW situation. A business will win by capturing the attention of whoever has possession of the business card. A company loses if that attention is diverted to the free business card offer on back. Then, it’s a draw. If no one is calling our office or visiting your web site, get back to the drawing board to design new, more customized business cards. This time, don’t be too frugal to pay a little for the upgrade.

Example: You may take a business card from someone at a meeting; you tuck it away and look at it later when you are at home. You skim over the front of the card and gather all of the important details. You like what you see. You flip it over to see if there is any other info on the back. There is! You notice a message that states check out our web site to get your FREE business cards – visit myfreecards.com. What will you do? It is likely that you will visit the web site, if not to order cards of your own, out of curiosity, or to view other product offerings.

So, what has just happened? You have been taken away from your original interest in the person and company that you met earlier and have been driven to take action in a totally different arena. BAM! That’s marketing at its best.

Is Your Personal Phone the Company Line Too?

If a personal phone line is also the company phone and the voicemail message is totally irrelevant to the business, this is poor customer service. You are killing the business image. The business message should be clear and geared toward serving customers. The message should not leave callers wondering whether or not they have reached the right number. The person on the other end of the phone gives the potential customer a quick vision of how the company operates and how well or bad the services/products will be. (Or at least we believe so.) Phone etiquette is sort of a determining factor of the type of customer service that will be provided when doing business with a company.

Example: If you call a business establishment and the phone is answered, “Hello”, what will you think? I’d think I dialed the wrong number!

When the company line is answered, it should be answered professionally, stating the company name and possibly the name of the person who answers the phone. In other words, “Thank you for calling New Business Venture, this is Garciella. How may I assist you today?” 

What are you doing to kill your business image? What changes can you make immediately that will change others perspectives of the image of the company? Are you so frugal that you didn’t even know you were killing your business’ image? Would you like assistance restructuring the image of your business? Let me know. I’d love to hear from you! – Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

6 Strategies to Get Customers to Purchase From Your Business, NOW!

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in Advertising, Business Marketing, Business Messages, Business Sales, Call to Action, Coupon Offers, Customer Language, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Demographics, Get Customers to Purchase, Loyalty Programs, Marketing, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Profitable Business, Promotions, Prospecting, sales, Shoestring Budget, Small Business, Start ups, Target Marketing, Tips, Uncategorized

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In order to get the types of clients you want and to keep them coming back for more, there are a few things you must know. More importantly than what you are selling is WHO you are selling to. Before titling oneself an entrepreneur, a better title would be “marketing entrepreneur”. Here’s why: What good is being an entrepreneur if there are no customers purchasing? Let’s be frank, a business without customers is more like a hobby, right?

It is extremely important to understand the nature of your business, why the company exists, how the company benefits its customers, how to reach those customers most frequently and cost-efficiently and what strategies to implement to get clients to purchase when you want them to.

1) Know who your clients are. If you believe that “everyone” is in your target market, or that all sorts of people will buy what you are selling, you are sadly mistaking. Defining your customer base is essential in reaching prospective buyers successfully. If the right people aren’t being sought out, how can they purchase from the business? Narrow down the customers that are a perfect mesh to your business.

Example: i do not usually travel to cold climates. I do not ski and I really dislike snow. Therefore, if you sell skis, I would not be your ideal customer and any time or money you spend marketing skis to me would be a complete waste. I would not be likely to purchase skis no matter how awesome or “different’ your skis were from the average skis. I would not be more inclined to purchase, even if you offered great a deal. If you sold skis for $1000.oo/pr and were willing to sell them to me for $5.oo, I would not buy. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not at Christmas time. Not ever. WHY? Because I do not ski. I do not like snow. I do not like being cold. I do not need skis! I AM NOT THE RIGHT CUSTOMER FOR SKIS!

Do you see how important it is to know your customers?

2) Know what your clients want. If a company is not selling what the customers want, then those customers may not be the “right” customers, or the right target audience. However, if indeed you are reaching the right customers, for instance, you have a women’s clothing store and a nice percentage of customers come in looking for accessories (jewelry, belts, handbags) to match their apparel, those are items that can be added to the product line. The complementary items will increase upsells to those that are already satisfied customers and will essentially increase the company’s profit margins.

3) Know how often customers want or need your company’s products or services? Knowing exactly how often a customer or client is likely to purchase will benefit the company in the long-run. You will be able to create intentional purchases and on-purchase traffic to your establishment or web site. Believe it or not, you will be able to pre-determine an average of how many sales you can make with your efforts and how much the company will profit from the marketing strategies that are proven and that work. (Considering that you have been tracking and measuring the company’s marketing efforts.)

If you know that loyal customers make purchases practically every week, it may benefit the business to offer some sort of discount or special offer. This will encourage customers to continue shopping frequently and to possibly purchase more during each visit. Offers and promotions can assist in tracking what’s working and what’s not, what customers are buying and what they are not. If the majority of your customers are impulse buyers, create multiple impulse desires every time they shop. If your customers only need your services once a year, develop a strategic marketing plan. Create HUGE buzz factors with added features and continual marketing, to ensure that when the time comes, your customers will indeed shop with your company – again.

4) Know the best methods of reaching your clients. Some business owners believe that only expensive, traditional advertising campaigns will bring in a good ROI (return on investment). This is SO untrue. Would you believe me if I told you that since my first business (where I had more advertising and publicity than all of my competitors – including multiple billboards, radio, national magazines, local magazines & newspapers, etc.), I have never since PAID for advertising? Would you believe me if I told you that my companies (the other is a marketing firm) are still EXTREMELY successful? Well I haven’t and they are. There you go!

With the internet at our fingertips and so many companies competing for sales, business owners are able to leverage the costs of advertising, marketing, etc. Inexpensive options to reaching customers include direct mail, social media, brochures, business cards, networking, email, newsletters, events, loyalty programs, community forums and tons more!

Testing a mix of marketing options will help to determine which methods work best. It may be a good start to simply ask customers how they prefer to be contacted.

5) Speak your clients language when delivering your business  messages. All of the industry jargon should be thrown out of the window when it comes to speaking to customers. It is key to always speak the language of your customers. If the customers are corporate executives, the business messages would be much different than if the customers were teens. Think suits and ties, maybe boardrooms for the corporate image. Giggles, groups and texting would be proper visions of the teen image. HUGE variances, right?

Examples: Corporate language may be Powerpoint presentations, full-color, professional documents, with very detailed descriptions of the products/services/benefits of the company. Teen language could possibly be a Facebook status “SALE” update, or a text of the special offer. (A corporate client may not take a text as serious, nor professional.)

6) Have a compelling offer, a deadline AND a call to ACTION that prompts customers to buy NOW! No matter what language your customers speak or what methods work best to reach them, there are always three elements of information that MUST be included in all marketing for it to be effective.

An offer must be provided. The offer will capture the customer’s attention and should prompt them to want to purchase. An offer can be a sale, a free gift, a discount, a complimentary consultation, etc.

A deadline encourages customers to TAKE ACTION! The shorter the deadline, the faster customers have to react. Customers will respond with less delay if they believe they may potentially miss out on a good deal. The longer the deadline, the more inclined customers are to postpone the purchase.

A CALL TO ACTION puts the seal on the deal! Basically the call to action tells the customer what to do to claim the offer. Get the customer to move when you want them to. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. CALL NOW! ORDER NOW! EMAIL US TODAY! Come in the store! Get Yours Before It’s Gone, Order Today! Pre-Order Now! SND US A TXT NOW! Refer a friend today! BUY ONE NOW!

These are all calls to action. Feel free to be creative. Create calls to action that are in alignment with your customers language. The calls to action may be different for each piece.

What will you do now or what strategies will you implement, that will Get Customers to Purchase From Your Business, NOW?! I’d love to hear from you.

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Starting a Business on a Shoestring Budget

16 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Business Planning, Motivation, Profitable Business, Shoestring Budget, Small Business, Start ups, Tips

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One of the greatest deterrents for budding entrepreneurs is the mere thought of financing a business. Most people have the notion that starting a business will be extremely costly. As a result, a good percentage of people may not move forward with their business dreams. The truth is, it may be expensive to start a business, it may be not. An entrepreneur with limited funds may be very discouraged about stepping into their dream because they may believe that any business takes A LOT of money to start.

Let me share a short story of a VERY profitable company that I started with a zero budget. It was profitable, however it was a service based-business where clients are typically not “repeat clients” and business is seasonal. Okay, I’ll spill the beans, I was a wedding planner, which I loved dearly. However, it wasn’t until I made a small shift in the company that I realized how to basically have hundreds of brides beating my door down to buy what I was selling. The change was made and there was an immediate difference. That profitable company became VERY profitable, to say the least!

The change in the company took only $150.oo, ($75.oo of which was borrowed from my husband when my original “partner” backed out of the deal) and new accounts were rolling in immediately! I focused my marketing efforts and strategies, stepped out on faith while applying major A-C-T-I-O-N and voila! Before I knew it, my dreams had come true. I, who had previously struggled to get the clientele I wanted, had more clients than I had ever thought possible! Let’s just say, I have NEVER turned back. Not once. Not ever.

So, back on point…Owning a business is a very attainable idea. Depending on the type of business (product-based, service-based, home business, brick & mortar, mobile, etc.), the requirements and funding will differ. It may help you know to that all businesses don’t require huge bucks upfront  and loans that will put you in debt. Ever heard of a shoestring budget? That’s exactly what I had when I started my first business. Actually, shoestring means there are a few funds available. I had zero dollars. Yes, ZERO!

It is my recommendation that entrepreneurs NOT focus so much on the funding side of the business so much during the initial planning and start-up phase. It is more beneficial to focus on getting all of the basics in order first. Working backwards, so to speak, is a good process. You will be able to determine what you want out of the business without worrying about how you will get there. Knowing your goals/mission and business purpose is half the battle!

- Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Create Customer Loyalty Programs to Increase Business Sales

13 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Business Marketing, Business Sales, Coupon Offers, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Loyalty Programs, Marketing, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Profitable Business, Promotions, Prospecting, sales, Small Business, Target Marketing, Tips

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Every business owner wants their customers to be loyal and not shop around with the competition. Customer loyalty programs can be beneficial and somewhat essential to client retention. Following are some basic tips to starting a successful customer loyalty program:

1)Determine the goals of the loyalty program (ie, to generate consistent, on-purpose, repeat traffic-daily, weekly, monthly.)

2) Determine the frequency that customers must purchase to receive the promotional offer (ie., purchase five meals, receive the sixth free, 10% off each purchase – once tent purchases are made receive 50% off, 15% off of each purchase with loyalty card).

3) Create compelling sales offers regularly to entice customers to shop time and time again and your business

4) Have multiple ways of reaching and delivering messages to your loyal customers (email, text, direct mail, in store signage, punch cards, etc.)

5) Create experiences for your customers. Impress them above and beyond what they expect. Wow them. Over deliver and they will become loyal customers! (Eventually loyal customers will begin to refer their family and friends and you may find it necessary to set up a referral program!)

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Selling When People Don’t Want to Spend

07 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Business Marketing, Coupon Offers, Customer Retention, Demographics, Marketing, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Profitable Business, Promotions, Prospecting, sales, Small Business, Tips

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Selling to ideal clients has nothing to do with whether or not the economy is down. Getting customers to buy has everything to do with defining a target audience. When companies target those people that are interested in what they are selling, the sale becomes “easy”. People buy what they want, regardless if they want to spend money or not. I may not want to spend any money, BUT if I see a beautiful pair of stilettos in my favorite color, by my favorite designer, guess what? I’m buying! In fact, everyone spends money when the purchase just makes sense to them.

When businesses reach their target market, offering that audience exactly what they want and need, those customers will buy over-and-over again. It will not be necessary to offer discounts or change a set pricing strategy when there’s a downturn in the economy. Offering small discounts or promotions is an awesome tactic for customer retention, but not just because you want the sale. Too many impulse discounts will guarantee lots of sales, but will also guarantee there eventually there will not be much desirable profit. Discounts should be strategized and included in a marketing plan.

Being sure to impress customers by giving them exactly what they want, over-delivering and providing top-tiered customer service is a sure-fire way to get customers paying your price. Set the company apart from the competition and the company will be able to command top-dollar, generate ideal customers and run a satisfying and profitable company.

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Make Your Product Famous and It Will Become a Media Magnet

08 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by in Advertising, Branding, Business Marketing, Celebrity, Editorial, Media, Product marketing, Publicity

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You have a great product, now what? How can you get your product noticed by media, press, and bloggers without allotting a fortune for traditional publicity campaigns? How can you garner editorial placements in well-known outlets without stressing over whether or not you have a good enough storyline? The answer is fairly simple. Celebrity association can make your brand or product famous. Your brand can instantaneously become a media magnet! How’s that sound for gaining attention to your business?

Celebrity association with an awesome brand or product can propel a company’s publicity to levels that typically only businesses with large publicity budgets and lengthy pr campaigns are able to afford. Celebrity instantly adds credibility to new and existing brands or products (and services too). Additionally, in this celebrity-obsessed world, the media is always interested in and scouting for products that celebrities use, love and enjoy in their daily lives. Why not have the media scouting for your product?

On another note, you may be wondering, “How do I gain celebrity association with my product”? You may even think that celebrity association is really expensive. In fact, celebrity marketing or celebrity gifting is extremely affordable, especially in relation to traditional publicity campaigns. Long-term publicity campaigns through larger agencies are much less affordable than celebrity-brand integration through a boutique agency. Surprisingly some companies may even notice a larger ROI! Would you believe that? Isn’t that exciting news? Any business, large or small, has the potential to expand their company through celebrity integration and make their product a media magnet.

Partnering with a celebrity gifting firm, such as Celebrity Chitt,  and placing your brand with a variety of celebrities is the first step toward a successful marketing and publicity campaign. Once celebrities begin wearing/using your product and being “spotted” wearing/using your product, or providing notes, testimonials and feedback, your company is on its way to lots of free media attention! Yes, FREE!

This newfound media attention can multiply and expand into other media opportunities. As with any marketing or pr campaign, it’s best to plan long-term instead of seeking a quick fix. As long as you continue to market to celebrities, capture sightings and celebrity feedback and most importantly, inform the media of those sightings and feedback, your company may receive top media placements at NO COST! The media will not necessarily, automatically, recognize a particular product or brand (especially newer brands). Therefore, it is mandatory to inform the media of such success with your brand and celebrity placements. Generally, the firm that handles your celebrity gifting campaign will assist in this area.

The more celebrities that are publicly enjoying your product, the more sought after your brand will be.  As more and more celebrities become fans of your product, your company will potentially have the ability to receive countless media placements. Be sure to contact the media with every celebrity sighting and/or celebrity testimonial and feedback. Include the celebrity pictures/testimonials on your company web site, marketing materials and social media campaigns. You have the ability to propel your company’s image and media attention to levels you could’ve never imagined. With a strategized celebrity gifting campaign, before you know it, your product will become famous and your brand will become a media magnet!

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

Business Messages & Target Marketing

27 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in Business Marketing, Business Messages, Marketing, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Promotions, Publicity, Small Business, Start ups, Tips

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Business messages have to stand out from the masses, be clear and frequent enough for people to remember. Messages and tone should be similar across the board (online, print, biz cards). The business and its offerings must be attractive enough to get people to come and buy. Before that will happen, however, you must reach the right people, the targets. A consistent, concise and adequate marketing campaign to a niche market will create awareness of your company and attract your ideal clients.

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

How Small Businesses Can Benefit From Daily Deal Sites

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in Business Marketing, Coupon Offers, Customer Retention, Online Marketing, Product marketing, Promotions, Prospecting

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Daily Deal Sites are popping up frequently, catching the attention of national chains as well as small businesses. Daily Deal Sites can be completely beneficial or totally detrimental to a company’s bottom line, if there is no action plan in place beyond the immediate coupon sales.

Small businesses considering taking part in the coupon craze must be very strategic in their marketing and planning. The initial coupon deal should not be an act of desperation to bring in a rush of customers or quick cash. In business, there is no such thing as a profitable (long-term) quick fix. Quick fixes are immediate, but temporary. If not executed properly, businesses may find that not only did they not truly profit from the coupon effort, but they may even take a loss.

Entrepreneurs should always consider long-term outcomes prior to beginning any marketing and promotional efforts. Business owners should consider Daily Deal Sites as they would any other marketing. It is my recommendation that companies thoughtfully develop a plan to attract new consumers with the coupons. Then, using more cost-effective angles, bring the customer back into the location time and time again with other offers and strategies (i.e., SMS messaging, email, direct mail, loyalty cards, special events, etc.). In order to maximize the benefits of utilizing a coupon promotion, before the small business owner agrees to move forward with a campaign, he should be sure to:

1) Have a system in place to capture the customers’ information upon purchasing the coupon offer and again upon redemption.
2) Prepare follow-up strategies for the months following coupon redemptions and geared around customer service, focusing on customer retention.
3) Consistently follow-up with the new customers in an effort to bring them back into the location as soon as possible and as often as possible.
4) Create compelling offers that keep consumers interested in the business (i.e., exclusive events, customer appreciation day, etc.) and the products or services.
5) Wow every customer that enters the business location.
6) Service customers well and they will not only remember the great service, but they will give you repeat business and referrals.

Following the tips above will ensure a more successful coupon marketing campaign. Companies will be able to monitor coupon conversion and consumer buying habits. Having a system in place prior to launching the coupon campaign will enable the business owner to have a better hold on monitoring the offer’s ROI. The ROI will be maximized by marketing to the coupon customer consistently after the offer has been redeemed. It’s totally up to the business to consider Daily Deal Sites as a means of generating new prospects. With long-term planning, Daily Deal Sites can be the start of a prospect conversion program. Once the prospect agrees to become a customer by purchasing the coupon and redeeming it, it is up to the business to invest in some sort of customer retention system. Otherwise, they may find themselves seeking another quick fix.

-Sone` Tramble, Stiletto Business Coach

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