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Cost effective marketing. Aileen Hunter Little Voice Communications Ltd 07918 083951 www.littlevoicecommunications.com. Main Challenges. Value for money – what to spend and where to spend it
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Cost effective marketing Aileen Hunter Little Voice Communications Ltd 07918 083951 www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Main Challenges • Value for money – what to spend and where to spend it • Acquiring customers – converting sales (brand, local presence, reach, selling your services, conversion) • Making the most of the Web • Marketing and advertising • Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter) • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) • Time (and expertise) www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Value for money • Selling to existing clients is easier and cheaper than finding new ones • Always check for satisfaction • Keep in touch • Personalise special offers • Help them with their business • Test new ideas/products on them (sparingly) www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Value for money • Promotion doesn’t need to cost the earth • Research is vital • Short run printing can be cost effective • Press releases are free! • Email/Twitter/Facebook are free • Register with as many free online directories as you can • Also look at Google Maps, Gumtree and reciprocal link swapping with business associates and clients • Email newsletters are free! www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Acquiring Customers • Word of mouth is better than anything – so take every opportunity to exploit it (sphere of influence) • Be visible – consider • Car graphics (your own and charm your friends) • Web presence is a must • Leave business cards/flyers everywhere • Press releases (new products/services) • Sponsor locally • Voluntary work • Remember the number 1 rule of selling – people buy benefits not features • Mailshots are much more effective if you follow up by phone or in person www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Acquiring Customers • Your messages • Know your target audience (continuously check your understanding) • Relate everything you say to a customer requirement/aspiration • Keep it simple, concise and clear • Be true to your values in everything you do/say (and ensure that your employees do the same) • Remember it’s not about you – it’s about them www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Acquiring/keeping customers • Information is key • Find a way to record everything you know about a customer and review it regularly • Every interaction is an opportunity to learn more – encourage dialogue • Allow them to easily know more about you (social networking – more later) www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Making the most of the web • A web presence is vital, but a website poorly designed, written and coded is your worst enemy • Design it for the user, not the organisation • Bigger/fancier isn’t necessarily better • Label information clearly (links, headings) • Don’t write a tome! • Keep it up to date! • It must work properly across a variety of browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and, increasingly, mobile) www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Making the most of the web • Don’t spend a fortune! • Do you need site wide content management? • Don’t buy expensive SEO • Pick your key words carefully • Make sure your key words are prevalent throughout the site (in text and in the background code) • Exploit any free directory or link • Google free tools – analytics and maps are vital www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Making the most of the web • You can’t ignore social networking – Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin • It’s free • It’s immediate • It’s easy to update • It can massively extend your reach • It humanises your organisation www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Time (and expertise) • Marketing takes time and knowledge • You need to make that time and you need a level of expertise • If you can’t – you need to get help • Find someone you trust and who is on your wavelength • If it frees you up to make money – it’s not money wasted • If it gets you more customers it’s a good investment! • No-one can be good at everything! www.littlevoicecommunications.com
Useful Links • www.freeindex.co.uk • www.littlevoicecommunications.com/The%20benefits%20of%20audience%20driven%20communications.pdf • www.google.com/analytics • www.maps.google.co.uk • www.twitter.com • www.twellow.com