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Business Marketing Strategy

by: Joy Gendusa

The term might sound like it is esoteric or stratospheric, so let�s take the mystery out of it so you can devise and implement your own business marketing strategy that fits in to your small business plan.

Strategy comes from a Greek word �stratagein� meaning �to be a general�. Think of a strategy as an overall plan of action needed to win a war. The smaller, detailed actions are called tactics. You can have tactical plans which help you achieve your strategic marketing plan or overall business marketing strategy. That�s simple enough, isn�t it?

A business marketing strategy or strategic marketing plan is an overall plan of marketing actions you intend to take in order to accomplish a specific goal for your company.

Start with a goal: $2 million in sales this year; expand into new premises by a certain date; double the size of the company in 2 years� whatever the goal may be. Something realistic but challenging. That's the "war" you want to win. Guess who the general is.

Then work out a simple, overall plan of the major marketing steps needed to accomplish that (for example):

1. Publish a newsletter for all existing customers and mail out quarterly.

2. Work out 4 special offers in the year and promote them to all our customers.

3. Set up on-line shopping and expand the web site.

4. Direct mail campaign promoting the web site to all customers.

5. Get mailing lists of (target markets) and do a series of 3 mailings of postcards to them and follow up on and close all leads.

6. Etc.

You get the idea. Don�t rush this. Do your homework. What worked in the past? Read up on successful marketing campaigns.

Your business marketing strategy needs to be laid out in the right sequence and you should have some idea of budget when you write it. �Run a series of 30 second TV ads during the Superbowl� might sound like a good thing to do but can you afford it? On the other hand, when you build your business marketing strategy you mustn�t try and cut corners. If you don�t promote heavily, it doesn�t matter how good your product or service is, no one will know about it and you will go broke.

What really works when it comes to marketing?

Many business owners don't have a good enough answer to this important question. I learned by a combination of study and trial and error.

From my own hard won experienceI have discovered that a real marketing campaign will take into consideration at least the seven points which are outlined below:

1. Target Your Market

Your marketing will produce the best results for the lowest cost when you target prospects with the greatest need for what you offer.

Identify the best people to send your postcards to. Design your postcards to appeal to their greatest need.

If you are able to break down your target market into sub markets you can then write postcards that specifically speak to the needs of those people (an example is breaking down your own customer list into customers who buy most often, customers who spend the most money with you, customers who have been your customers the longest and then making them special offers based on the category they fit into).

2. Create A USP For Your Business

USP stands for "Unique Selling Proposition".

It is a statement of what is different about your company and its products. Your USP gives the reason people should do business with you. It amplifies the benefit of doing business with you and your company. My USP is POSTCARD MARKETING EXPERTS.

Create your own USP and put it on all your promotional materials, invoices, shipping labels etc.

Use your USP to communicate the benefit of doing business with you and why you are better than any of your competitors.

3. Always Make an Offer

Make sure you ask your prospects and customers to do something when they receive your postcard. By offering them something you know they are likely to want and giving them a smooth path to respond on, you are making it easy and desirable for them to respond.

4. Create and Maintain a Database of The Customer Information You Collect From The Responses To Your Mailings

Most people who receive a postcard from you won't contact you the first time they receive one.

But once they contact you, you must create and maintain a database which allows you to repeatedly contact them with offers to respond to.

Fifty percent or more of many businesses' sales come as a result of following up with people who were previously contacted, but didn't buy right away.

No kidding, repeat contact does drive sales. One-time mailings can get response, but are bound to leave sales on the table. Those sales can be picked up with repeated mailings.

5. Take Away the Fear of Loss

People don't want to be fooled, plain and simple. Unfortunately trust does not run high today between customers and businesses in general. People have been disappointed too many times by being sold one thing and getting another.

A guarantee or warranty is a good way to reduce or eliminate the customers� risk of getting something other than what they bargained for.

Guarantees and warranties increase response and sales by reducing customer risk.

6. Expand Your Product Line

Getting new customers is more expensive than selling to existing ones. By regularly developing new products and services to sell to your customers and offering these new products and services to them, you can expand your business efficiently and easily.

7. Test Your Postcard Promotions

Track the effectiveness of your postcard mailings. How many people responded to your mailing? What dollar amount of sales resulted from those responses?

Is the money you are spending to attract new business giving you a good return? What can you do to make your marketing more effective? Change your offer, headline, price, the timing of your offer. When you do track the results and improve your response.

These are the points to follow when designing your own marketing strategy. When you are done, you will have laid out the steps needed to accomplish your goal using existing resources to achieve a great marketing ROI (return on investment).

After that, you simply have to get those steps executed and that might require further planning but it is all in the context of your main business marketing strategy.

About the author:
Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she�s sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at

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E-Z GRO Opt-In Mailing List Techniques
by: Shon Christopher

An opt-in mailing list can be your most solid internet marketing tool. Think of it as a foot in the door � or better yet, a standing invitation to drop by anytime. Research has shown that it takes an average of seven contacts with a prospect to make your first sale.

It�s hard to count on someone returning to your web site seven times � but if you get them there once, and convince them to join your opt-in mailing list, you have a standing invitation to contact them with your offers, at your convenience.

The trick, of course, is turning your web site visitors into opt-in list subscribers. Opt-in list building is easier than you think. There are a number of tried and true methods of list building that you can use � but don�t be afraid to think outside the box to sign up folks who drop by your web site for a short visit.

Start with a good reason for people to join your opt-in list.

People don�t join opt-in lists out of the goodness of their hearts � they opt in because you�re offering them something of value. What have you got to offer?

� Get a 10% discount on all purchases over $25 � exclusive to members of our mailing list!

� Find out about our newest products through our opt-in mailing list!

� We�ll keep you up to date on the latest developments in [insert your field here].

� Special discount prices and offers exclusively for members of our mailing list.

Get the picture? You�re not saying, �Hey, can I keep bugging you to try to sell you stuff?� You�re offering a service � �I�ll let you know when I�ve got good stuff you want to buy.�

Post the invitation to join your opt-in list prominently on your web site. Simple list building truth number one is that people can�t join your opt-in list if they don�t know about it. Put an invitation to join your email list on every single page of your site � and make the invitation enticing.

Practice opt-in list building everywhere.

Include a short invitation to join your opt-in email list as part of your email signature so that it goes out every time you email someone. If you do a presentation or event, personally invite participants or booth visitors to join your opt in email list.

Bribe people to sign up with a free gift.

Bribery is a tried-and-true fast list building technique and website promotion tool. Selling weight loss products? Put together an e-book of weight loss facts about nutrition and offer it as an incentive to sign up for your opt in list. Be creative, and watch your list grow like a weed.

Offer incentives for referrals.

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