Greetings from Robert Schow, VP of Customer Relations
Now that we are in the second month of 2008, I hope you have started putting your goals to the test and are reaping the rewards of doing so. Last month we went over adding credibility to your site by using Testimonials. This month we will touch on some suggestions for Marketing Offline.
Marketing Offline
Customer acquisition, the process of gaining new customers, can be an ongoing saga for business owners. In a business, customer acquisition is more important than buying office furniture, designing business cards, purchasing computer systems and son on.
To make a profit and stay in business, business owner need a reliable way to get more customers in the door that are willing to spend money. One of the best ways to acquire more customers is through a direct response marketing system with the capability of carefully tracking and accounting for the source of the traffic. This simply means that whatever method a business owner chooses to seek out new customers, there should be a built-in way of tracking the response in order to know where the customer came from.
You must tell your potential customers where they can find you and give them a compelling reason for doing business with you. All marketing practices can be boiled down to this one thought. It sounds so simple when you think about it, but this is one of the major stumbling blocks to a successful business. The owner thinks potential customers will spend time and energy searching out a company to do business with. This is simply not the case.
Most potential customers will only shop at places they already know about. If they do not know how to find you, they will not come to you to buy anything. You must find a way to tell potential customers where your business can be found.
You can accomplish this by following a few of these basic steps:
1. Distribute a press release detailing the latest breakthrough in your business field, available only at your place of business. Include a special telephone number for customers to call for more information.
2. Place an ad in your local yellow pages publication. It doesn't have to be huge, elaborate, or expensive. Something modest and consistent will do. Readers become comfortable with ads they have seen before. After your ad runs a few times, you will be surprised how many people begin to feel they can trust giving your ad a try. Additionally, it can be quite an added attraction to couple your local ad with such things as special discount offers in the ad.
3. Send everyone in your zip code a postcard announcing a sale at your place of business. Have them bring in the postcard to receive the discounted price.
4. Become the local expert in your business field by being interviewed on the radio. Include a special phone number for customers to call during the broadcast to get more information.
5. Give a speech at the Chamber of Commerce. Hand out problem solving brochures with your address, phone number and a special code number for customers to use to get a discount.
Many business owners regard marketing only as a necessary evil. They would rather concentrate on their core business activities. But when they use these simple methods to harness the powerful secret to getting more customers, they can eliminate the pain of marketing. Their businesses will then be truly successful in bringing in more customers, more money, and more profits.
New Software Features
Product Reviews: StoresOnline Pro sites now has a Product Review feature that allows visitors to rate and review their products. This feature can be enabled by navigating to the Site menu, then going to the Options tab and clicking the checkbox next to "Show Product Reviews". Below a product will appear a list of reviews as well as a review form that can be filled out and submitted. You can approve, reject and delete submitted reviews.
Introducing the Avail 24/7 Communication System from StoresOnline. Make Your Small Business Look, Sound, and Feel Like a Big Business! Get your own toll free number now by calling customer support at 801-434-8582. Manage your account online and view your voicemail, email and faxes in one location.
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Our financial specialists are standing by to help you with any of your financial needs.
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Featured Testimonial
"It was the tools, the marketing tools, that make the difference. And StoresOnline exhibited all of the marketing tools that I needed."
Karla with a K
www.proclubgear.com
Click Here to read Karla's story >>
Best of luck in all your endeavors this new year and we'll see you next month.
Robert Schow
VP of Customer Relations
StoresOnline, Inc
