Lots of people teach how to market a business and what
tools to use, but rarely do you see advice on how you
should allocate your resources of time and money.
In other words: where do I spend my first dollar and my
first hour?
Here are some tips:
1. Get control of (or start) your client/patient database.
Marketing to people who know you, like you and find you
interesting is far more effective than marketing to the
'masses.' Thus, you need a data base of folks who have said
to you "Market to me." Every time someone asks for
information or visits your place of business their name
goes into your database to be marketed over and over again.
2. Make yourself the "guru"—become an author. There is no
better way to establish your self as the wise man/woman at
the top of the mountain than to become an author. In
today's world of print on demand you can go from idea to
publication of a "real" book in a week. Do it one time and
you'll soon be on your way to becoming an multiple book
author.
3. There are two types of media, "inbound" and "outbound."
"Inbound" media is the media consumers are using when they
are hunting for you. Today, its the Internet and (still)
the Yellow Pages. Perfect these media for your business
before spending tons of money on "outbound" media.
"Outbound media" is TV, radio, print and anything else
where you are just sending out a message and hoping it hits
someone who might just need what your business offers today.
4. Work on making an irresistible offer. What would almost
force the consumer to contact your first? It should be
unique. For many, that irresistible offer can be an offer
of information that will help the consumer solve their
problem. We are in a 'research' world.
5. Develop your "Shock and Awe" package.When the consumer
raises their hand and says "I'm interested in what you have
to say about my problem," have a multi-media package ready
to send to them. Reports, books, CD's and video's. I can
almost guarantee that no one else in your market it doing
this.
6. Master the Internet (or at least know how to talk to
your webmaster). It doesn't' matter how pretty your web
site is if it isn't on the first page of Google. As the
business owner you need to understand search engine
optimization or hire someone who is an expert. The great
thing about this is that its easy to test. If you are a
dentist in Houston and typing "dentist in Houston" doesn't
put you on the first page of Google, then you have work to
do.
7. Develop your newsletter system. There is no better way
to stay in constant contact with your database than through
an interesting print newsletter mailed (not emailed)
monthly. Don't use a canned newsletter. Become a
personality. Be interesting.
8. Associate with folks who do this better than you do.
Most business owners put "learning about marketing" too far
down their list of things to do. As Michael Gerber says in
the E-Myth, we are too busy working "in" the business to
work "on" the business. You have to reverse that and find
the time to work "on" your business. A great way to do this
is to find or start a mastermind group of like-minded
entrepreneurial business owners who will commit to getting
together frequently to help each other think about their
businesses and, importantly, their marketing. This is not a
business "cross-referral" group. This is a thinking group.
Far too many business owners are willing to throw their
marketing resources of time and money at the glitzy TV ads
without really thinking about the effective ways to build
and nurture a relationship with customers and patients
through a system of attracting their attention with
interesting advertising and irresistible offers and then
maintaining that contact through frequent newsletter
"touches."
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Ben Glass is a personal injury attorney in Fairfax,
Virginia. He is the creator of the Ultimate Personal Injury
Practice Building Toolkit. He runs mastermind and coaching
groups, and conducts marketing seminars for attorneys,
teaching "Effective, Ethical and Outside the Box Marketing."
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