Tips on Building your Marketing System
Marketing is a lot like farming......there is something about tilling the soil, planting the seeds, added the right amount of fertilizer, providing steady moisture (dripping) and pulling out the weeds that is therapeutic and even magical. Life is coming from the ground which will later give life to people and animals.
Marketing is like that.
You have to nurture your clients and the whole marketing system you have available. This is vital for your continued growth and that of your business.
So, how do you build that money-generating marketing system that you need? There are several steps that can be helpful as you undertake this important task.
- Tool For Building Customer Base (Contact Manager, Word Processing Document, Notebook, Etc.)
- Follow Up System & Tools (Post Cards, Phone Calls, Letters, Etc.)
- System To Prompt You.
- System To Do It For You.
- Autoresponders.
- Consistently Provide Attention Getting Messages (Think Value).
You need some type of tool to hold the names. Many people use Outlook, ACT!, Maximizer, MS Access or other database tool to process the names and contact information for customers. I’m using ACT! and find it to be easy to use and quite powerful. It has the ability to send out letters and forms that can be either text-based or graphical (HTML).
This is something very powerful to have. ACT! is a great tool for keeping in touch with the important contacts you have in your life, both in business and on the personal side.
Once you’ve made contact, you have to stay in touch with people. This is where you need a multi-pronged approach to stay in touch. By this I mean don’t use just one method. If you’re using e-mail, that’s nice, but make sure you have customized e-mail messages (different that the mass-produced messages). Use postcards. Use letters, use audio and video. Hey, use whatever you can to make it work for individuals in a powerful, real way.
You’re only human. You can’t be expected to remember everything you’ve committed to doing. Many successful people use a calendar to prompt them for important meetings. I find that a PDA works very well with it’s alarm. I also like the way I can synchronize it with Yahoo on the web. That generates an automatic alarm on my Palm. Another nice feature is that Yahoo sends an e-mail reminder at the time I’ve specified. If I’m able to receive e-mail, that is a nice reminder. If I’m not near e-mail, it is good that it is also available as a tie-in with my Palm.
You need a system that takes care of the details. A lot of people use a secretarial staff and support system here. This is a good idea, however, make sure you have a check-up system in place to make sure they are doing what is needed. Don’t micromanage and watch their every move. Instead make it a point to periodically review key details of your assignments to insure they are being implemented as you want.
These little jewels are marvelous. They are software tools that you can set up to send out specific e-mail messages at a specific point in the future. I’m using them with my Shopping Cart, 1 Shopping Cart. I can set up a series of messages to be sent to those that purchase my products so that I make sure they get the recommended information at a given time that works.
One example where you could use an autoresponder would be when someone purchases a product from your on-line store. At the moment of purchase they receive a certain e-mail message with information. You might include a link there for them to find further information. Then two days from their purchase, they receive another message from you. Then, say, five days from there, they receive yet another message. You can program these messages to take place automatically.
Let’s face it---you’re busy!
You honestly want to do a lot of various tasks, but in the real world, other demands get in the way. You need a system that takes what you need to do and makes it happen with or without your action. It should be like a royalty coming in for a hit song that a performer sang years ago. That performer doesn’t have to do anything more except go to the mailbox and pick up the check. Of course, the smart artist today has the check sent automatically to their bank account!
I recommend that you get into autoresponders. Learn what can be done and set up a marketing system that works for you. You need a system that can help you and work for you.
Drop us an e-mail at fiona@kandobusinesscoaching.com if you have any questions about how to make this happen or how you can use it in your work.
Today’s world doesn’t lack for messages or information. I’ve yet to meet someone today who says they have too little to read. Usually it is the opposite.
The same situation exists for your prospects and customers. They are swamped with information possibilities. You have to stand out in the crowd. You have to gain their attention in a positive, pleasant way. This is something you have to constantly experiment with to get the right approach. Never stop testing. Always keep checking out what is possible and what your target market is looking for and how you can help them best.
It’s an exciting journey building a better business. All the Best!
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