Posts filed under 'Worth Reading'
Tired of spending all your money on advertising and marketing that just doesn’t work? Here are 10 cheap ideas to grow your business without breaking the bank!
1) Market to Former Customers and Clients. It costs less than marketing to new customers. Make them an offer they can’t refuse, such AS $5 off their next purchase.
2) Join Associations, professional organizations, and civic and charitable clubs. Get involved and become a leader. You’ll make great contacts that can lead to future business. Also, thank new members who join your organization by offering them a coupon or sending them a postcard for a discount or something free.
3) Reward Repeat Customers. Offer a frequent-purchase card to track their spending.
4) Use Coupons to enhance your sales. Give them a reason to TRY your business.
5) Follow the Rule of Three:
*Forget cold calls. Make three warm calls a day to prospects whom others have referred to you.
*Collect at least three business cards a day.
*Send at least three notes each day to people thanking them for their business or something they did to help your business grow.
6) Encourage Word of Mouth from Your Family, Friends and Associates. Your best advocates will be those who already know you and like you. Encourage them to tell others about your products and services. Sometimes they just need the nudge to get started. And then reward them for doing so.
7) Send press releases prior to having an event or a contest or write articles for publications in your industry.
8) Create and send a newsletter or e-zine (newsletter sent via e-mail) to your customers to keep your business at the top of their minds. Include tips on flower care, positive news events, specials, discounts and coupons.
9) Give Stellar Service with a 100-percent, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. It will give your customers a sense of ease in doing business with you and build their trust.
10) Partner with Other Companies to promote your business. Find companies with similar customer demographics that are not in competition with your business and create ways to joint venture with them either on a one-time, long-term or event-by-event basis.
For more tips like these check out Rose Marketing on a Daisy Budget: How to Grow Your Business Without Spending a Fortune by Heidi Richards Mooney
July 27th, 2009
Although today is March 21 some say the first day of spring begins today. Depending on where in the world you are. However, Yesterday, March 20th, the first day of spring officially began in the US. Spring is the season of flowers, spring fever, outdoor celebrations and more. Spring is usually when flowers bloom, animals are hatched or mating begins. The first day of spring is also known as the vernal equinox (Equinox means “equal night”) – the time of year that symbolizes the change to spring. With the center of the sun positioned right over the equator, the day and night are about equal in length around the world. (Equinox means “equal night”.) From now until September, there will be longer and warmer days in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here’s Some Spring Trivia:
The ancient Greeks celebrated Mother’s Day in spring. The ancient Greeks celebrated Rhea, “Mother of the Gods,” with honey-cakes, beverages, and flowers at dawn–the earliest known Mother’s Day celebration.
Four-leaf clovers are thought to bring good luck, but there’s no scientific evidence to support that claim. Cut out some green four leaf clovers (or buy them at a specialty store such as Michaels crafts) and put “lucky sayings” on them. Include them in your business correspondence and statements.
The area along the California-Oregon border, is known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World” because it produces 95 percent of all bulbs grown in the world for the potted Easter lily market. They produce more than 11 million bulbs annually. Send your best customers an Easter Lily or other spring flowering plant.
Did you know “Spring Fever” is a real physical condition which commonly occurs when a sudden warm spell follows a long cold period. When the temperature rises, the body has to get rid of heat; thus there’s a dilation or expansion of the blood vessels so that blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly. Some people experience an energetic feeling when this change happens due to the body’s reaction to the great amount of internal work going on.
Big companies recognize the benefits of marketing SPRING to their target audience with spring sales, spring promotions, longer hours and more. What could your business do to acknowledge the first day of Spring? How about a Spring Fever sale? Or a Company picnic inviting your customers to attend.
Or maybe a spring cleaning tie in with a local charity or school? Sponsor a car wash and get out there and work side-by-side with a local youth group, sports team or other non-profit organization.
If you have not yet listed your business in Merchant Circle, Spring is the perfect time to do so. http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/sponsoredListing.html.
While you’re at it find out what’s happening in the world of Business when you check out Business Week online. http://www.businessweek.com/
For other ideas to market your company, check out Quirky Marketing, 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays at www.QuirkyOffer.com
March 21st, 2009
They both have their own days!
February 28th is Floral Design Day - If you are a florist you could host a design day at your shop and invite your customers to participate. Or invite your local elementary, middle and/or high school to take a field trip to your shop and show them how to make something simple like a corsage or a bud vase. If you are not a florist, you could partner with one and cross promote the day – by sponsoring the event, to help offset the cost of the supplies and refreshments. Be sure to send a media release announcing your plans. Who knows, the media could show up – it’s a nice story for your local paper.
February 28th is also Romance on a Budget Day – save money on romance today – check out the book “Romance on a Budget- 199 Cheap Thrills, Romantic Antics and Love Changing Experiences” then Host a Romance Sucks Contest – we asked our customers to “Tell us why Romance Sucks! In 250 words or less, tell us your Valentine Horror Story!, And we offered prizes including a dozen roses a month for a year, the Romance on a Budget Book, and dinners for two… and more.
One of my clients is a financial advisor and for Valentine’s Day she ordered 50 copies and gave them to her top clients as a thank you with a little note to help them keep their relationships strong in these economic times. GREAT IDEA!
February 28th, 2009
That’s right! February 18th is Play Doh Day ~ created in 1956 by Joe McVicker from modeling clay out of wallpaper paste for his sister’s pre-school students. Rainbow Crafts in Cincinnati, Ohio distributed the off white modeling compound known as Play-Doh to department stores and schools.
Kenner later aquired Play Doh, made it into a rainbow of colors. In 1991 Hasbro toys acquired the rights. Play Doh comes in a variety of products and is sold worldwide!
Have you heard of Play Doh Marketing? According to Doug Hall, Author of “How to Jump-start Your Brain” getting the creative juices flowing can be as simple as opening a can of play doh and what else? Playing with it! Remember when you were a kid and played with this crazy clay and came up with all sorts of shapes. If you were like me you probably even invented a few new “animals” like the the corse (a combination cat and horse) or the allimonkey (an alligator with long arms that swings from trees and eats people AND bananas.
My brother and I would spend hours with our play doh coming up with goofy shapes! Fast forward today. If you had a can of play doh in front of you right now, what would you create? And what would it remind you of?
If you are having trouble coming up with “fresh ideas” in business, take a drive over to Toys R Us or Target or let your fingers do the walking online and buy some play doh! Heck, have a play doh party at work and see what happens!
Feel free to share your play doh memories below. I’d love to read about them.
Happy play doh day!
For more on Play Doh products, go to http://www.hasbro.com/playdoh/default.cfm?page=products
For more ideas like this, check out my new Quirky Marketing Calendar at www.QuirkyOffer.com. More than $2,000 worth of bonuses when you get your copy.
February 18th, 2009
They were all “born” on February 6th!
February 6th is a day of celebration for many. In fact, on this day in history the following people and companies had something to celebrate:
1895 ~ Baseball Sports hero Babe Ruth was born.
The most celebrated player in American baseball history, Ruth’s home run hitting prowess and charismatic personality made him a larger than life figure in the “Roaring Twenties”
1911 ~ Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United Staes was born. During his term in office Reagan implemented bold new political and economic initiatives. His supply-side economic policies, dubbed “Reaganomics,” included deregulation and substantial tax cuts implemented in 1981.
Also in 1911 ~ Rolls-Royce adopts the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ figurine, the silver-winged hood ornament, as the company’s symbol.
1926 ~ First Doughnut Making Machine: In Dubuque, Iowa the first doughnut-making machine was launched by a company called Trausch Bakery.
1935 ~ Monopoly Board Game goes on sale in stores across America (at the height of the Depression).
1935 ~ Waitangi Day celebrated in New Zealand marks the coming together in friendship of the Maori people and the white European settlers
1943 ~ Frank Sinatra makes his singing debut on the popular radio show “Your Hit Parade.” His career takes off after that and he eventually becomes one of the most respected vocalists of all time.
1954 ~ Mercedes introduced the 300SL Coupe, the car is far advanced of anything else with its gull-wing doors a six-cylinder engine and a top speed of 155mph. Only 1,400 300SL coupes are ever produced but many consider it to be the most impressive sports car of the decade.
1971 ~ Golfing on the Moon ~ The first golf ball is hit on the moon by Alan Shepard during a two day walk from Apollo14.
2009 ~ Quirky Marketing Calendar by the Redhead Marketing Maven (me) hits the Internet Book Stores, blogs, forums and more! Filled with more than 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays, this book is a must for your internet library. Get your copy today at www.QuirkyOffer.com (and more than $2,000 worth of bonuses too).
Ps. Today was also my mother’s birthday and the anniversary of my middle child, Alexis Lee Richards death. They are watching over us today and in their own Quirky ways, helping Quirky Marketing get noticed.
February 6th, 2009
The classic, Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath was selected by Fortune Magazine as a “must read” in their October issue. You can get a copy of Selling to Big Companies at Amazon.com.
Jill’s book is filled with great ideas for how to sell to large companies. And in today’s challenging sales environment, this is a book whose time has come.
You can get a preview of the book by downloading the first two chapters at Jill’s website at http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com/content_display.jsp?top=8497&mid=8925
November 14th, 2008
