Why Your Business Needs Effective Marketing

They want you out of business. Believe it or not, everyone doesn’t want to see you show up for work tomorrow. There are people who have agendas they want you to follow. They aren’t interested in your business success unless it coincides with their plans. There are companies and other business people who not only want to see you fail, but they are welcoming your failure. The government isn’t helping you. The government is increasing your taxes, and finding new ways of getting money from you. As a business person in today’s world, you have to grow your business’ customer base constantly, finding new customers and clients…or you’re done! That’s what effective marketing does for you. You have to keep your name in front of your prospective customers constantly to ensure you grow your customer base, and your business.

 How (a Successful) Business Works

The purpose of a business is to make money, right? Yes, and no. If the purpose of a business is to make money, where do you get this money? The bank? Not a chance. Investors? No. The government? Definitely not. The money comes from your customers. They pay you for your product or service, and the money left over after paying your costs is called profit. The business owner gets to keep that, reinvest it in his business, pay bills, go on vacation, whatever she wants.  This may sound like common sense, but it’s not. According to the late business management authority Peter Drucker “the purpose of a business is to create a customer.” This is perhaps one of the wisest and truest principles of business management, and one of the most overlooked. So how does a business get new customers? The business owner starts to tell people about what you do and help solve a problem for them. Marketing efforts put the business name, product or service in front of people. We (as business people) and our prospective customers (prospects) mutually determine if there is a good fit for our products or services and our prospects. A transaction takes place, and we all live happily ever after (or so it may seem).

What is in a Successful Marketing Mix?

Social media, blogging, Search Engine Optimization of a business web site (SEO), and web presence are great ways to start marketing activities. They are extremely inexpensive and require little upkeep (until something changes at the business). Business cards are an essential, and print advertising is a little more expensive and a little more effective. Pay-per-click advertising, like Google AdWords and Bing/Yahoo ad services, is more expensive, but proven ways to generate buzz. What about press releases? Press releases are how businesses, government offices and charitable organizations maintain their relationship with the general public. This is an often overlooked facet of the marketing puzzle that can play a big difference in the success of a business’ marketing campaign.

Sales and Marketing Collateral for Every Occasion

Sales and marketing collateral are the brochures, sales letters, post cards, direct mail packages, etc. that keep your name in front of your prospective customers. It is these items that sell your products or services to your customers when you aren’t there. Stay in business! Get your next project working! Contact me for a free proposal to create the collateral around your next marketing project or campaign!