Mega Marketing for Mega Money Part 6

You can have a great Product or Service however if you keep it a secret, there won’t be any Sales.  Of course the missing part of the puzzle is always Marketing.  Many people in Business feel that Marketing is an expense that can’t afford.  Nothing could be further from the truth and in this series of Articles I’ll cover many ways to market your Product and/or Service for little or no money.

[31]  Promote Holidays:

Depending on which ones you count, there are 10 or more Holidays per year.  Many Businesses thrive through them and most suffer because of them.  How many can you profit from by starting a promotion using that particular theme?  You might have to push the envelope a little like the TV Ad I saw recently promoting a Pap Smear as “The perfect Holiday Gift for the Lady you love”.  That's a little crazy even for me however it did get my attention.

[32]  Are you Selling or Solving:

Instead of always touting the Benefits or Features of a Product or Service, try appealing to your Prospect's or Client's needs, wants and desires.  With a few exceptions, the majority of people are motivated by either Fear or Greed.  Recognize their concerns in your Headline, show empathy in your Presentation, offer them a solution in your Summary and of course you should add the all important Call to Action at the Close.  If you demonstrate a sincere desire to Solving Problems you’ll enjoy a dramatic impact to your bottom line.

[33]  Certificates:

Add value to your Customer's experience with you or your Company with Certificates.  There is an excellent perceived value when you offer $1,000 worth of Groceries for completing a Survey or a 3 day Vacation to an exotic location for simply increasing their normal Order size or $500 worth of Dining Coupons for providing you with 5 Referrals, etc.  These Certificates are available in bulk for only pennies on the dollar.

[34]  A Picture is worth a Thousand Words:

That can be true however what are those "words" telling your Prospects.  Rather than just showing a picture of your Product or Service, how about a Before and After example?  You see, relevance is more important than ingenuity.  Let's say you have a Machine that helps people make a purchase much faster.  One Shot shows a long line of 15 unhappy Customers waiting to pay and the Clerk tearing their hair out.  The second line has only 2 Customers in it and they and the Clerk are all smiling.

[35]  Produce a Video:

Video is a great way to promote both Companies and Individuals.  Consider a Corporate Image Video on your Web Site, a short Video to explain the benefits of a Product or Service, a Video with brief Testimonials from happy Customers or a teaser Video for a new Promotion to email to your Customer and Prospect List.  Plus, there are over 100 Sites on the Web to post those Videos for World wide exposure.

[36]  Give Something Back:

You can reap large benefits for months and even years, by giving something back to your Community.  It could be as simple as volunteering to keep a Mile of a Highway clean or planting some Trees in a Park.  If your budget allows, consider sponsoring a Kids Softball Team or paying to build a complete Baseball or Soccer Field with your Company name plastered all over it.  Why not have a Survey among your Employees and get their ideas on how you can get more involved in your Community.  At least do some Volunteer work and get some great Press coverage.