0Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on July 27, 2010 at 8:24 am
Let’s face it; most businesses today need to have a presence on the Internet. The problem is, that most small business owners are quite honestly scared of the work it will take to get their business online. I can completely relate to this because as a small business owner, I have been there before. My experience with selling on the Internet actually started back in the early ‘90’s. Shopping carts were very clunky and complicated. Domain names cost hundreds of dollars compared to just a few dollars now and SEO wasn’t invented yet.
We have come a long way since those days. Now your choices are too many to count. As a small business owner you basically have a couple of choices to make. First, you can just decide to hire someone to build and manager your website and shopping cart. After all, not all small business owners have the expertise to build an online business. Your second choice is to do it yourself. While this sounds impossible, if you have the right ecommerce system or shopping cart, it really isn’t that hard. With a little help and time, you can easily put your business online. So, if you don’t feel comfortable building your own site, then hire a professional, but if you want to try it for yourself, then I have 10 things to look for in a shopping cart that will make it easier for you to set up and manage. So here we go:
Ease of use. Ok, I know that this sounds obvious, but let’s be honest, if you have to read a War and Peace manual to get your business online, then it isn’t worth it. You aren’t likely to try and set it up your self and you will just end up frustrated. You want a shopping cart program that is easy to use and set up. It should contain easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on getting your site set up.
Web-based control panel. You want to make sure your shopping cart system has an easy to use web-based control panel. It should be secure, but most importantly laid out and easily managed. Your inventory, website design, company information and customer database should all be easily accessed from your control panel.
Integrates easily with a wide array of payment processors. For the newbie, a payment processor is the gateway in which you can accept credit cards or other forms of payments. The one most people recognize easily is PayPal. Your shopping cart system should integrate with a variety of payment carts so it does not limit your ability use a processor that you are comfortable with and one that gives you the best deal.
Real Time Shipping Rates. Your e-commerce system should easily integrate with the most common shipping programs, UPS, FedEx, and UPS at a minimum because these are your most common shippers. Your shopping cart program should allow you to pull real-time shipping rates so you can ensure you are making your money for shipping and your customers are getting the best shipping rates possible. More shipping systems gives your customers more options on how fast they receive their products and the cost.
Safe & secure, reliable web site hosting. You have to rely on your shopping cart host to keep your information safe & secure. You also want to make sure that it stays online 24/7. After all, when your web site is down, you don’t make sales so reliability is a powerful selling point. You should look for a company that has fast servers, hacker deterrent security systems and redundant backups so you never have to worry about your shopping cart and web site being down. Your store should always be ready to accept orders and instill confidence in your customers that their private information is secure.
Easy to use, already built templates & designs. In order to get your shopping cart and web site up and running as fast as possible, you want to have a wide variety of store designs and templates you can chose from. With pre-built templates, you can simply add your store information, products, photos and start selling quicker. If your shopping cart has several designs available, then you will have a better chance of finding a design that matches your business colors and products.
Ability to change the layout and templates without hiring a programmer. Your shopping cart system should allow you to easily make changes to your layout and design without having to hire a programmer. Shopping carts that use WYSIWYG, which stands for “What You See Is What You Get” allow users to type real time information and see how it will look as you enter it. If your shopping cart allows you to move blocks around so you can arrange how your pages look and feel, it gives you even more creative power.
Flexible and easy to update product options. The reason you get a shopping cart program is because you want to sell products online. You want the process for entering products to be as easy as possible. You also want options when entering products. Your shopping cart should have options to show various product views and allow you to put up as many photos as it takes to truly show your products. The ability to zoom in and out also allow customers to get a good look at what they are buying which helps to reduce returns and customer dissatisfaction. Your e-commerce system should also allow you to easily use videos or YouTube to give your customers even more ways to view your products online.
Simple, effective marketing & promotional tools. Your shopping cart system should have several options to allow you to market your business successfully. The ability to add coupons or discount codes is the minimum that you need. You should also have integration with Google AdWords, Google Base product support and the ability to share products on Twitter and Facebook. Your customers should be able to set up their RSS feeds to always get your newest products and changes. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. You might be familiar using RSS feeds to stay on top of your favorite blogs or news agencies. The best shopping carts will allow you to interface and set up a web store directly on your Facebook page. Your e-commerce system should offer as many options as possible to market your business and get your products in front of potential clients.
Unlimited support and lifetime updates. Finally, your shopping cart system should have unlimited support and updates. There are always going to be times when you just can’t figure something out. If your shopping cart provider has a good FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) then you will likely be able to get the majority of your questions answered without intervention, however when you have a question that you can’t figure out, you wan the ability to call or email tech support to get a quick solution to your dilemma. You should also expect updates to your software for as long as you are using the system. The Internet is an ever-changing platform that requires shopping cart providers to make constant changes to their software so it aligns with the advancing technology. You want a shopping cart system that does this for you so you don’t have to do anything.
That’s my 10 best requirements for a good shopping cart, e-commerce system. Do you research and be sure to check out what others say about the e-commerce system you are reviewing. I recommend that you look for shopping cart programs that offer a free trial. The longer the trial, the better chance you get for analyzing the program and making sure it is a fit for you. My last bit of advice is that your e-commerce system should be scalable which is to say it should be able to grow with you. If you only have ten products right now, you don’t want to pay for a system which hosts one thousand items if you don’t have to. Get a program that can grow with you.
Finally, I can’t finish this without my own recommendation. First, I will tell you that I personally use this product and the link provided is my affiliate link. Yes, if you sign up under me I make a little bit of money. (Thank you!) I have used several different programs over the past many years, but I honestly have to say that the best program I have found is the BigCommerce, E-commerce system. It has all of my ten requirements and more. I have yet to find a program that is easier to use than BigCommerce. All I can say is, try it and see. If you click here or the banner below, you will get a 15 Day FREE trial of the BigCommerce system. Try Big Commerce FREE for 15 days! See why it’s the best way to sell online!
If you are not sure or have questions, please feel free to email me or make a comment below. I am happy to tell you my experience. You can check out our online store at http://www.obbpensacola.com. You can also view my YouTube Testimonial. As you can see, I feel that this is the best shopping cart that I have worked with in my opinion. Good luck on your decision!
0Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on February 28, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Are you a small business owner who is still trying to decide if your business should be on the internet? I came across a video on YouTube yesterday by Jesse Thomas that really makes you stand up and take notice about the internet. We have come a long way since the day that I started messing with the internet back in 1991. Watch this video and form your own opinion.
For as many bad things that come from being on the internet like spam or viruses, there are also some very good things. Many businesses have found great success by marketing online. If you are still thinking about getting your business online, stop thinking and just do it. Don’t do it half way though. If you are not sure how to start, hire a professional. You will save a great deal of frustration by hiring a professional to set up your web presence. Once your site, blog, or social network is up and running, you can let the professionals manage it or get trained to manage it yourself, after all it’s not rocket science.
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David Beckham, MBA Marketing, small business developer, writer, consultant, and advertising specialist.
22Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on January 28, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Has anyone seen the recent Office Depot commercial about the small business barbershop? Dan, the small barbershop owner has a look of concern as a big chain barbershop opens across the street from his little shop. The sign out front of the big chain store says, “$6 Haircuts”. The grand opening was full of the normal pomp and circumstance that you see in most openings. The manager of the big chain looked confident and sure.
The story is about Dan, who saves money because he shops at Office Depot. He reinvests his savings and buys a huge banner that says, “We Fix $6 Dollar Haircuts”. Six months later, the big chain store goes out of business.
I am not necessarily promoting Office Depot or their claims of savings. What I love about this commercial is the idea of the small business owner taking on the big giant chain store. This really hits home with my wife and I as owners of THE original basket boutique, a custom gifts and gift baskets shop in Gulf Breeze, FL. We find ourselves always competing against “big chain” stores who flood the market with cheap gift baskets. This is the nature of being a small business owner in America today.
Small business owners today, have to be smart, creative and forward thinkers to compete in this market place. This isn’t a new story. When Wal-Mart came in to towns many years ago, everyone thought it was the end of small business America. At first it probably looked like small business wouldn’t survive, but this wasn’t the case. Small business owners needed to adapt and find creative ways to effectively compete with the chain stores.
In this commercial, while it isn’t outright said, Dan’s strategy was to sell quality. He couldn’t compete on price and survive, but his advertising banner that says, “We Fix $6 Haircuts” made a huge statement about quality. Small business owners that survived the onslaught of the big chain stores learned to adapt to a new target market. Instead of competing directly with the chain store, they competed around it. The fact is there is enough market for a lot of business if you can figure out your target market.
One of the best examples of overcoming big chain stores that I know was my In-laws’ gun shop in Fairfield, IA, Outdoor Ventures. For the longest time, Outdoor Ventures was a very successful gun and archery shop in a small rural town in Iowa. People would travel from hundreds of miles away to buy guns from my father-in-law. Why you might ask? Because he carried what people wanted, unique guns and archery equipment, hard to find ammo and so on. Then one day, here comes Wal-Mart. There was no doubt that my in-laws were concerned. Instead of quitting thought, they changed their strategy.
They couldn’t compete with Wal-Mart for selling standard ammo or arrows, but they had something Wal-Mart didn’t. My father-in-law was a master wood worker and gunsmith. Wal-Mart sold cheap guns and ammo, but my father-in-law could fix them. Once a person saw the quality of his work, they were more likely to use him for special orders and work. He adapted to a new target market. They sold the business several years later to retire in Florida.
It is easy to see why I love this subject. It is a part of my life now and in the past. There is no reason a small business can’t be successful in a market with big chain stores. So what are my recommendations? Figure out your target market. Then analyze your target market for opportunities that are not being met by the chain stores. Once you identify your opportunities, change your business focus and strategy to capitalize on your findings.
Most importantly you need a plan. Don’t go at it half hearted and think everything will be ok if you just keep doing what you have always done. Your business plan will keep you on track and focused on your goals.
I would really like to hear some of your ideas. Leave me a comment or send me an email. Make 2010 a great year!
David Beckham, MBA
MarketProMBA Small Business Developer
1Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on January 4, 2010 at 11:42 pm
I guess we have all heard the old saying, “Don’t dwell on the past”, but I think in order to move forward, we sometimes have to look at where we have been. It goes without saying that 2009 presented many challenges both on an individual level and from a business owner’s prospective. The economy seems to be the topic of choice when talking with most people. Whether you own a business or work for one, the economy has had some affect on your year.
As a business owner, we were not untouched by the economic woes of 2009. Sales were soft, vendors were often short of products, and we found ourselves constantly adjusting and readjusting our marketing and business plans. Still, the year proved to be better than 2008. We sold 5 new franchises in the U.S. and many more in Canada. So even with the touch economic times, we still saw growth. We also picked up many new customers and managed to secure more market share in our region.
Working for AT&T Advertising Solutions in 2009 was also filled with challenges. Since many businesses were having a tough year, it goes without saying that we saw a decline in advertising revenues. This decline forced the company to make some very tough choices, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Many of these people were personal friends, so it was not an easy to watch this happen.
Last year I made a commitment to become more involved with our Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce. I took over as chair of the Small Business Development Committee and was picked for the 2010 – 2013 Board of Directors. I was also nominated for 2009 Emerging Leader of the Year and our business, THE original basket boutique was nominated for 2009 Small Business of the Year. So despite the challenges, I will still look back to 2009 as a good year.
Now that 2009 is behind us, we need to look forward to 2010. I truly believe this year will build on the successes of the past and I expect 2010 to be another year of recovery and growth both personally and professionally. In order to make 2010 a great year, we have to add some structure around our plans. To be honest, it is January 5th and I really hadn’t thought about any plans for 2010 until I read a January 1st post on Chris Brogan’s blog. (A big thanks to my friend Betsy Wuebker of www.passingthru.com for introducing me to Chris Brogan!) I really like Chris’s approach to goal setting. He selects three words to guide his goal setting and keep him on track to his objectives. I think this is a very good way to plan your year and it is easy enough to keep you focused.
As I started to ponder on my three words, I realized that this wasn’t as easy as you might think. I was having trouble with one word, let alone three! Chris describes his three words as something that would take more than one sentence to describe. His word sits upon his actual goals and acts as his guiding principles. These words need to have meaning and life to them and not just be a description. In the past, like many people, I have set resolutions for each new year but like many years previous, they didn’t have any solid goals or structure to back them up. By the 2nd quarter of the year, many of my resolutions were already just a memory because life has a tendency to throw new challenges in your path which takes the focus away from your “new year resolutions”.
After some careful deliberation and a little soul searching late into the night, I came up with a list of words that had some meaning to me, but I still needed to narrow them down to three. Growth. Flexibility. Vision. Bend. Flexible. Change. Stretch. Expand. Teach. Spread. Time. Fix. Course. Tack. Tool. Path. Plan. Gift. All of these words have some meaning to my goals for this year, but when I narrow it down, my three words are: Expand. Tool. Bend.
Expand: This year, my personal growth plan is to expand my horizons and education. I want to become better at online marketing & business strategy. I order to achieve this goal; my strategy will be to become better educated by reading more expert blogs and books. As a business goal, Expand means that I am going to increase our business footprint, regionally and nationally. This goal will be achieved by my increased knowledge of online marketing and business strategy.
Tool: You can’t build a house with out a hammer. In this decade, you can’t build a business with out a website, blog or social marketing. These relatively new marketing tools have become the norm in business. This year, my goal is to build more tools for our business. I plan to develop more sites, better email marketing and increase blog posting. I am also going to start pod casting, twittering and an online video blog. My strategy for “Tool” builds on the “Expand” goal to become better educated on alternative marketing.
Bend: You might have figured this one out. I need to learn to bend, be flexible and embrace change much better. The only constant in this day and age is change. Bend means that I need to be ready to change on a moments notice to capitalize on opportunities. My goal is to be flexible and open minded to new ideas. I will look at challenges as opportunities for growth and development. I will bend, but I won’t break in 2010.
Well, there you have it, My Three Words for 2010. I hope that my three words help you to come up with your own so you can effectively plan your 2010 to be one of the most successful years of your life. Good Luck & Happy New Year!
0Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on December 3, 2009 at 10:13 am
I read an article called “Secrets of Success in Daily Practice” on a friend of mine’s blog, www.tamiross.com that got me to thinking about my goals and dreams. I think everyone had dreams when they were kids. Some of us wanted to be a firefighters, others doctors or maybe a sports celebrity. During my teens, I really didn’t have a career in mind, but instead I focused on life goals. I set these goals young and they have been the driving focus in my life today, even though I might have lost a little focus on the overall dream for my life. My goals were simple:
Education – I wanted to have my undergrad before I was 26, my graduate degree before I was 40 and my PhD before I am 50.
Travel the world
Marry my dream girl
Have 2-3 children
Be successful enough to live comfortable.
Out of all of my goals, I have achieved all but one. I checked them off as I went through each one.
I finished my undergrad at 30, my MBA at 41 and I have planned on starting my PhD before I am 45. So I feel my education goals are on track or close to completion. Check.
I traveled the world thanks to the Army. I met that goal even though my military career delayed my education, it was still worth it. Check.
I married my dream girl Sheri and I have 2 wonderful children with her. Check. Check.
I have a very good career and business. Plus I can’t complain about our life style. Check.
So, I have achieved all but one of my goals, I’m done, right? No, it isn’t that easy nor should it be. What I have realized is that while I pursued by goals, I lost sight of my dreams. Your dreams may or may not come true, but they are your driving force to get you to the next hurdle. When I was in college, I had big dreams. You could go in my office at my house and see pictures of cars, homes, vacations, and a host of other “lofty” dreams or dream items hanging on my wall and bulletin board. I always kept those dreams in front of me because I knew that if I believed it, I would achieve it. Everything I did in my life was working toward achieving my dreams. I listened to motivational tapes, read books, attended seminars and met with people who I looked up to and aspired to be like. I did all this because I had dreams. You could walk in my house and see what I dreamed of.
Each step of my life from the time I as a teenager was outlined in the goals that I hoped helped me achieve my dreams. Now truthfully, my dreams changed many times as I grew older, but my goals never changed. I adjusted goals on occasion to make them more achievable but I never changed them drastically because I used them as my life’s map. Until yesterday though, I had truly forgotten about my “dreams”. Sure my goals are there and I have achieved all but one, but for some reason I lost sight of the dream. When I lost sight of the dream, I stopped setting goals. For all intents, I was done.
Today, I woke up with this thought on my mind. What are my dreams? What do I really want to do with my life? Where do I want to be in 5 years? All of sudden, I am starting to dream again! As I started to consider my dreams, I began thinking about my goals. I need new steps to guide me toward the dream. At 43, my dreams are a little different from when I was 23, but they all have the same premise and focus.
My plans have changed, but my life’s decisions or dreams really haven’t. My dreams now include my family and our lives together. What I want for them is part of my new and improved dream. Life today is too hard to just go through it on cruise control. Your dreams give you power and hope for a better life or at least a different life than what you have now. Your dreams should be achievable but should be just far enough out of reach to make you stretch and achieve the next goal.
What are you dreams? Write them down, cut out pictures, and then put them in your office or your special book. Look at them often. Ponder or “dream” about them. Now, set your goals. What do you need to do in order to achieve your dreams? Take a good look at your life. Have you lost sight of where you want to be and what you want out of your life? Give this some thought. Sleep on it tonight and tomorrow, write it down. I think it can change your life or at least give you greater purpose than you have today.
Whatever you do, don’t stop dreaming. Where would we be today if people didn’t dream or stretch themselves to go beyond their current situation and reality? Don’t stop dreaming. Reach for the stars and you won’t be disappointed if you only get the moon.
8Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on November 20, 2009 at 7:26 pm
David Beckham, MarketProMBA Consultant
My first and most important tool for our business, THE original basket boutique, is the business card. The business card, while it sounds so common and conventional is actually a very powerful guerrilla marketing tool when it is employed properly. Your business card can be unconventional or conventional. It depends on your business. Ours is unique in that it is a smaller size with rounded corners and has a hole in the center of our “O” in the logo. You can make your card unique by adding full color pictures or logos. Have it printed on glossy, heavy paper as apposed to regular business card stock. Sure it costs a little more, but it’s not so much that it cost prohibitive.
You might also consider a folded card that has traditional information on the outside, but on the inside and back, it might have product information or details about your services. Perhaps you can even put a small map on the fold out so people can find your business. Think outside the box a little with your business cards. Perhaps a magnetic business card would work better for your business. People love magnets and you will find your card on someone’s filing cabinet or refrigerator more often than not.
You could make your business card a design such as your company truck or if you are a painter, have your card created in the shape of a paint can. The only thing I caution you with unconventional size cards are they might not fit in people’s rolodex or through some card scanners. Still, unique shapes are certainly an attention getter and will usually spark a conversation about what you do. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have been in with people about anything other than business and when I flip out one of my business cards, I always get the same reaction, they hold the card up to look through the hole and they say, “Wow, neat card.” Then, inevitably we break into a conversation about what THE original basket boutique does.
Now that you have the “perfect” business card, what are the best ways to use it? I like to think of my business cards as bait. I know that sounds funny, but let me explain. Your business card is your mini-billboard. It gives your business name, contact information and other information, but most importantly it builds your brand. You might think that you don’t have a brand but even if your business is just called “David Beckham, Consultant”; your brand is your name. So my card is my bait and I am a fisherman. Does a fisherman catch a fish every time he casts out his bait? Not likely. If you fish like I do, you drown a lot of worms before you catch something. Using your business card works the same way.
When I am out and about in town, I leave a trail of business cards everywhere I go. Remember, you have to cast a lot of bait to catch a good mess of fish. It’s the same with our business cards. I have left my cards in Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Publics and even Wal-Mart. These places seem like an unlikely place for anyone looking to buy gift baskets, but remember you are fishing. Almost everyone at one point frequents a hardware store or a grocery store. Perhaps the person visiting the store isn’t our “perfect” client, but what if their wife or husband with them is? See where I am going? What’s the best way to catch fish? You fish where the fish are.
If you are at your doctors, perhaps you leave a card in the waiting room. When you are at a restaurant, leave a card with your tip. Write a little note on your card to thank them for their service. You can bet that card won’t be tossed. You can leave your card just about anywhere that people frequent. Your business card does not cost as much as a billboard, so leave them everywhere.
Be creative and think out of the box. Remember, this is guerrilla marketing! You are building your brand, even if people don’t use your service they are still being exposed to your brand so hopefully, one day when they do need your service, they will remember your business brand. Your business card is the first tool in your tackle box. Use it and catch some fish, or I should say customers!
What are some creative ways you have used your business card? Leave us a comment and give us a few of your guerrilla ideas! Happy Fishing!
4Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on November 20, 2009 at 7:17 pm
In our last segment, Marketing in a Tough Economy – Revisited, we talked about an important business success factor, Customer Retention. As a recap, we know your current customers are one of your most valuable assets. Small business owners need to focus energies and resources on keeping these customers happy. Over time, not only do these customers support your business, but inevitably, the hope is they help you gain more customers through their referrals and testimonials. So, besides your current customers referring business to you, how else do you get your name out to the world? How are you going to get new customers and build your brand?
Many businesses think that getting new customers is a costly venture. When times get tough, businesses will too many times cut their marketing budget when in fact they should be expanding it or at least refining where their marketing money is going. During tough economic times, your competitors are doing one of three things:
They are closing their doors
They are scaling back operations or standing still
They are increasing their marketing budget & growing market share
There is no doubt that t the economy is going to drive some of your competitors out of business. In my town, I can drive down the road and I see one out of every three businesses that have closed their doors. It may be more or less where you live, but the reality is they were there one day and gone the next. Yet, there are some businesses that are holding their own. I have talked to some of these owners and they give me all kinds of stories about how they are cutting budgets, laying off people or taking loans (if they can get them) to stay afloat. Still, there are other businesses that seem to be growing and thriving no matter what the economy looks like. Are they harboring some sort of a secret about marketing that other businesses don’t know about?
The truth is the businesses that are thriving in a downturned economy do know a secret. The secret is simple. Don’t cut your marketing budget. During downturns, some of your competitors could go out of business. Who is going to pick up their market share? If the economy is affecting your business, then isn’t it most likely affecting consumers as well? Current, new and your competitor’s customers could be price shopping or looking for alternatives to your product or service. How are you attracting these switching customers? It is easy to see why cutting your marketing budget or standing still could hurt your business. You could be limiting your opportunity to gain new market share.
So, what can a small business owner do to increase their market share during a down economy? Marketing your business doesn’t have to expensive or cost prohibitive. You can actually market your business on less money than you think. When most people think of marketing, they assume we are talking about advertising. Well, you are partially right. Advertising is part of marketing but it isn’t the only thing. I am a firm believer in low budget / no budget marketing for small businesses. You have probably heard it referred to as Grass Roots marketing or the most familiar term made popular by marketer Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing.
The definition of guerrilla marketing is loosely defined as; “unconventional methods of marketing that require a relatively low budget or no money at all”. There are hundreds of ideas you can use to market your business and when we are dealing with a downturned economy and budgets are cut, guerrilla marketing may be your saving grace!
Over the next several weeks, we are going to dive into some guerrilla marketing tactics and ideas. As you are reading some of these ideas, jot down your own thoughts and share them with the readers. Who knows, you may be harboring the next great marketing secret and you didn’t even know it! By no means will I be able to teach you all there is to know about guerrilla marketing. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend getting your hands on some of Levinson’s books or do further research on the internet. There are so many great ideas that it will seem a little overwhelming at first, but in time you will find the right marketing tools that work for your business. So let’s look at some tools and get started marketing your business!
0Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on October 30, 2009 at 9:33 am
David Beckham, MarketProMBA Consultant
Let’s face it; your current customers are your business life’s blood. They are generally your primary source of revenue you should be spending a good percentage of your marketing budget focusing on them. A good rule of thumb is that 60% of your marketing budget should be spent on your current customers or marketing directly to them. Remember, it costs far more to gain a new customer more often that it does to keep a current one.
Take the time to get to know your current customer’s better. Phone calls, visits or emails that just check on them and get to know them better will do wonders for your relationship. Do you have a newsletter for your company? Let your customer’s know what is going on with you as well. Of course, you want to get permission from your customer’s to be put on your email list, but most of them will do this without issue.
Newsletters can also be used to let customers know about upcoming promotions and specials within your company. Online eNewsletter programs like Constant Contact, Mail Chimp or iContact are excellent marketing tools because they give you important measurements like open rates and click-through patterns. During tough times, marketing efforts have to be scrutinized to ensure they are returning results. The analytics from eNewsletter programs helps you justify your marketing expense and gives you data to help you change and adapt your message to ensure maximum impact and sales. If you aren’t using one, you need to seriously consider doing so.
Recognize special events with your customers. Send them a gift basket on their business anniversary date and just say “thanks for being a customer!” Is there a significant date in your customer’s life or an event that is important to them? If you are getting to know your customers you will learn this information, then you can simply send a card or a small gift to congratulate or let them know you are thinking about them.
Holidays are always a great time to recognize your clients. Be careful though about what you send. Don’t just get something off a shelf and think it will make an impact. Remember, other businesses might have them as clients too and how embarrassing would it be to give them the same gift basket from a “big box store” that some other business gave them. Your gift needs to be unique, original and stand out from others to get you noticed. This will help keep your business top of mind with your customers. Also, brand your gift with your colors and logo whenever possible. This also keeps your business top of mind and extends your brand. Remember, your gift could be seen by other potential clients that may be in your client’s office so make sure you are always branding anything you send. (For more information on gifts that stand out, see THE original basket boutique)
Hold a special event or meeting for your current customers. An open house for your customers will give you a chance to know your customers better and offer an opportunity for them to introduce you to more potential clients. Get with your local chamber of commerce and offer to hold their monthly business afterhours meeting. If you are not a member of your local chamber or commerce, then you should certainly rethink that decision. Local chambers are normally very good opportunities for networking and typically have low annual costs. Larger metropolitan areas might have several chambers. Don’t feel like you need to join all of them. Find out which ones are the most active by asking around and talking directly to the chambers. Then you can make a decision that will give you maximum return for your investment.
Referral business is critical to your clients businesses and yours. Initiate a referral program for your clients. When you refer a client, make sure your client knows you sent them a customer. If one of our customers sends you a new client, reward them with some kind of a thank you. This will help reinforce their actions and let them know how much you appreciate the new business.
These were just a few ideas on customer loyalty. There are many more that you might come up with. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. How do they think? If you were your own customer, how would you want to be treated? Sounds easy enough but you would be surprised at how many small business owners lose track of this. As small business owners, we tend to get wrapped up in the management of our day-to-day activities that we sometimes overlook the simple things that help build our business and keep our customers engaged with us.
In our next segment, we will talk more about marketing ideas that are not going to break your budget and help you generate more sales and build brand awareness.
