Mentors to America s Small Business

Transcription

1 Mentors to America s Small Business 01/29/12 Economic Gardening Since 1964

2 SCORE is the Premier Source for Small Business Advice and Mentoring in America... Established in 1964 SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small business 13,000 volunteers at 364 chapters nation provide individual mentoring 01/29/12 Economic Gardening Since 1964

3 SCORE District 515 Services FY 2012 District Chapter Chapter Volunt Total Face-to-Face Local On_Line Local Name Local Workshop Services New Follow-on New Follow on Attendees Detroit SCORE Kalamazoo Score, Traverse City Tip of the Mitt SCORE Grand Rapids Muskegon SCORE Ann Arbor Area SCORE SCORE Holland SCORE Ludington Northwest Ohio ,814 2,952 2, ,029 Service Corps of Real Experience 01/29/12

4 SMALL BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT MARKETING AND SALES: A VERY SHORT COURSE

5 right place The objective of a good marketing/sales strategy with the yourself is to get right people at the in the right time to make the right tactical presentation

6 I. START WITH A PLAN II.COMMIT TO THAT PLAN

7 Positioning Definition: How you differentiate your product or service from that of your competitors and then determine which market niche to fill

8 THE FOUR QUESTIONS What's your customer really buying from you? Who s the competition? How's your product or service different from those of your competitors? Why should they buy from you?

9 The Market A detailed description of your market A detailed description of your niche and why you chose it An explanation of the market demand for your product or service offering Your Competition

10 The Strategy What Image/identity/brand To whom Positioning product Weapons Plan Tactics- activities and time Execution and commitment Reassessment and change

11 About Marketing 1) You must have a commitment to your marketing program 2) See to it your program is consistent 3) Make your prospects confident in your firm 4) You must be patient in order to keep a commitment 5). You must aim to run your firm in a way that makes it convenient for your customers Guerilla Marketing Rules Jay Conrad Levinson

12 6. Put an element of amazement in your marketing 7. Use measurement to judge the effectiveness of your weapons 8. Prove your involvement with your customers- follow up 9. Use marketing to gain consent from prospects, broaden consent to get sales 10. Sell the content your offering rather then style; sell the steak and the sizzle

13 Small Business Strategic Marketing Tool Set These are in a state of constant change

14 marketing Brochures Business Cards Catalogues- electronic, pdf, paper Newspapers Bulletin Boards electronic and posted Trade papers and news letters Door to Door Trade/hobby shows

15 Online newspaper ads Online news paper/letter contributor Blogging Google Adwords Groupon

16 Radio show Cable TV show Infomedia ads Speaking Engagements

17 Push Marketing The McKinsey Quarterly describes push marketing as "one-way" communication between advertiser and audience. It includes passive marketing methods such as print advertisements, radio and television commercials and billboards.

18 Engagement Marketing Engagement marketing is providing customers with great experiences and encouraging your customer to tell your story through socially visible word of mouth referrals.

19 Engagement Marketing Two way communication marketing Integrated external and internal marketing: Permission-based communicate offering useful information: Track relationships, one prospect at a time: Get face-to to-face: Motivate Make sure promises are delivered

20 Engagement Marketing It is speaking with customers rather than to them Because for good or bad they will be speaking about you There is no marketing cure for sucking Mark Schmulen

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22 6/5/2012 Social Media Landscape 2012

23 Social Media What is it? Social media is a means of communication that: Creates communities of interest Creates two or more way conversation Has broad reach distribution channels Has ever changing content Easy to access Easy to use 6/5/2012

24 Why use it? 2010 Internet retail sales $ 142 Billion 142 million on line shoppers Estimated Number of Social Networking users are more than 940 million 93% of US Internet Users are on facebook 1 1 out of ever 6 minutes online is on social media Social networking has become an effective medium for advertising and marketing. 9 9 out of 10 Marketers use Social networking to promote their business 6/5/2012

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26 Engagement Marketing Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

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30 Engagement Marketing Wow Experience Consider what it s like to do business with you from the first point of contact to customer service Make the customers the central focus of your business What are the customer objectives-how do I meet them Little touches matter Ensure your employees can deliver the WOW Listen Listen- surveys and feed back Learn Adapt Extend the customer experience beyond the initial Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

31 Engagement Marketing Entice to stay in touch Encourage customers to stay in touch News letters Special offers Free tools Know what you want Let people connect instantly Close the permission loop Respond to communications It s about quality not quantity Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

32 Engagement Marketing Engage people Types of interesting and relevant content Question and Answers Surveys and polls Sharing knowledge on topics Discussions Promotions, News and Announcements Events Distribute broadly Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

33 Engagement Marketing Driving People to Your Door Engagement Drives Social visibility People Learn about your business When people engage, they also endorse Engagement enhances all other marketing Nurtures new prospects as well Increase search relevance Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

34 Engagement Marketing Tips 1. Make your customers the star of the show 2. Create content for specific platforms 3. Time phase your posts 4. Stimulate the conversation 5. Ask people to like you Engagement Marketing Gail F. Goodman

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36 Barriers to Engagement Marketing 1. Too many different things to learn. Changing to quickly 2. I don t have time 3. I don t like imposing on people 4. How do I find content and inspiration? I am not a marketer 5. I don t want to post personal information 6. My business is boring. Why would anyone follow us? 7. No one is reading my Facebook Posts

37 Barriers to Engagement Marketing 1. Too many different things to learn. Changing to quickly Quality Not Quantity Start Testing Contents and Grow from There Focus on One Initial Engagement Destination 2. I don t have time Set up a Schedule Enlist your Employees ( family, friends, students) Outsource IT

38 Barriers to Engagement Marketing 3. I don t like imposing on people Set Goals Run Contests Make It Easy and Fun to Connect Have a Great Enticement Offer 4 How do I find content and inspiration? I am not a marketer Watch What Others Are Doing Emulate Others (READ DO YOUR RESEARCH) Talk to Your Customers

39 Barriers to Engagement Marketing 5. I don t want to post personal information Not Your Life Story ( not a Novel) Make It Pertinent to Your Audience Reference to other sources 6. My business is boring. Why would anyone follow us? Make It Interesting Post Related Items Make you Brand Fun 7. No one is reading my Facebook Posts Needs to Relevant and Interesting Stretch Your Audience Facebook Measures Engagement

40 6/5/2012 My Brother: an example of reach

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42 Driving Traffic To Site/Transactions Google + 6/5/2012 Leverage your assets

43 Here are five tips from Susan Guneliusto improve your social media literacy: 1. Play first. Choose a social media tool such as a blog, Facebookpage, Twitter page or LinkedIn profile to get familiar with and create a personal account. Guneliussaid said she encourages new users to create a personal blog on 2. Look for help online. Make a habit of visiting websites designed to help you get the most out of your social media efforts. 3. Focus on long-term goals. Once you find a platform you wish to use, whether it is Wordpress, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, focus on long-term goals of building relationships, and creating quality content. 6/5/2012

44 4. Follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time, focus on providing quality content to your customers. Twenty percent of your conversations can be self-promotional, she said. To illustrate, she said, if you meet a customer offline you can work to befriend them by talking and sharing information with them, or you can walk up and hand them a 20 percent off coupon, tell them to come to your store and leave. 5. Pick something you like. Choose a platform that appeals to you. If you are uncomfortable writing each day, then a blog on Wordpress might not be the best choice. Choose something you can use and have fun with. 6/5/2012

45 Content is King, so Don t Skimp on Design Do Make It Multimedia Don t Go for the Hard Sell Do Strike a Balance Don t Leave Any Dead Ends Do Make Sharing Easy 6/5/2012 Don t Forget About Off Line

46 Delivery is the ACE, so Choose Your Channels to Meet Your Objectives Leverage the channels you choose Track your Analytics and make adjustments Schedule your time Keep an eye on competitors 6/5/2012

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50 Five traits of people who are great under pressure: focus, discipline, adaptability, being present,and a a mix of entrepreneurial desire and fear of losing your business