Small business owners generally have small marketing budgets.  They often feel like there isn’t a lot of room to try out different marketing avenues.  So, instead they throw money at Yellow Pages advertising or put together a website with nice colors and photos.  While this type of marketing might be safe, it is most likely not as effective as it could be.

Don’t be afraid to be different.  In fact, a different form of advertising or a different marketing message will help you stand out from the crowd of competitors in your industry.  Consumers have enough of a challenge trying to find the right product or service that meets their needs.  It doesn’t help that when they open the Yellow Pages, every ad looks the same.

How can you be different?  There are a few ways.  Look at what other people are doing in your field and do the opposite.  Create a free offer that entices prospects to contact you.  Develop a series of videos on the Internet that speaks to the questions going through the mind of your target audience. Jazz up your ads with interesting headlines that capture people’s attention.

You can learn a lot from successful entrepreneurs. Find out where the smart Northern Virginia business owners are gathering, by visiting Glazer-Kennedy-Virginia.com.

Social media is still confusing for many people.  While you might understand the usefulness it has in connecting with your friends and family members, you might not see the relevance it has on your business.  However, many entrepreneurs swear by social media and are using it to grow their businesses.

The Success magazine blog had some great advice on how you can use social media to thrive in today’s economy.  Here are a few of those tips:

Get to know your customers. You can learn a lot by reading blogs and social network updates.  In a way, social media allows you to learn how your customers think. It can even help you discover new opportunities to better serve your target market.

Share information. Write social media updates and blog entries or create Web videos that would interest your customers.  If you write interesting content or create compelling videos, people will share them, which can help you reach a pretty wide audience.

Build relationships. Social media sites, such as Facebook, give you a unique opportunity to show your personality and expertise to your potential customers.  They will feel like they know you and will be more apt to turn to you when in need of your products or services.

There are a lot of benefits of social media and it is definitely a marketing avenue worth exploring.  Read our blog entry, Social Media Could Be Good for Your Bottom Line, for more information.

Find out where the smart Northern Virginia business owners are gathering, by visiting Glazer-Kennedy-Virginia.com.

To maximize your advertising budget and to get more people walking through the door, you must have a tracking system in place.  This system needs to monitor where your leads are coming from and how long it is taking these leads to contact you after being exposed to your marketing message, but that’s not all. You also need to track how long it takes from the initial contact to the point in time when that person becomes a customer.

Depending on your type of business, it could take months from the time that someone hears your message and becomes a client.  This is information you need to know.  If you don’t track your leads, you might quit your marketing efforts too early.  How many businesses don’t follow through after the initial contact made by a lead? Don’t be one of them.

If you don’t have a tracking system in place, you need to get one.  You also need to create a follow up marketing campaign that will allow you to stay in constant contact with your leads.  There are many programs out there that are completely automated, so there is no excuse for not getting something implemented.

To find out where the smart Northern Virginia business owners are gathering, visit Glazer-Kennedy-Virginia.com.

Business owners often complain that they don’t know how to market themselves.  They whine that consumers aren’t spending like they used to and that competition is fierce.  Instead of working on differentiating their business from the other one down the street, they basically throw their hands up in the air and declare – “I give up!” Maybe they don’t say those actual words, but their actions make this statement.

It starts with your marketing message.
Too often, business owners engage in nothing more than random chance marketing. They look at what all the other businesses in their area are doing and copy them. The problem is how do you know if these marketing messages are working? Just because other people are shouting the same message, it doesn’t mean it is an effective one.

As a business owner, you need to position yourself so that you are the one and only choice for your prospects.  You can accomplish this by creating a compelling marketing message that will provoke your prospects to call you first.  When you draft your ads, think about what would get them to stop their search and contact you. Is it a free offer, such as a CD or a book? Is it something else that they will consider valuable?

It continues with your follow up marketing.
Once you get your customers to walk in the door, your work doesn’t stop there.  You need to stay in front of them even when you are done helping them.  That means you need to remain in constant contact, whether that is through a newsletter, social media or mailed postcards. You need to keep your position as their obvious choice – one in which they won’t stray from.

To find out where the smart Northern Virginia business owners are gathering, visit Glazer-Kennedy-Virginia.com.

Here’s the issue:

President Obama is attacking the banks, encouraging them to “lend more.”  He says (to banks) “you are making too much money and “you guys caused the problems.”

In my discussions with small business owners, its not “bank lending” that is at the core of their issues but its

1. how can I get more customers in the door — I’d be fine if I could get that fixed; and

2. I’m not sure what the rules will be next year (i.e. will health care costs and/or increased taxes affect my bottom line)  so I’m not going to risk a bunch this year on increased marketing and/or hiring.

So I wonder….if you are a small business owner….which is it for you?

If its “none of the above,” then maybe you are having a break out year and will share what you have done.

Here are my responses to these short sighted objections to implementing a complex marketing system:

Most leave disappointed. They were looking for the magic bullet—the ONE thing they could do to get more clients. The easy thing. The tweak in their yellow page ad that would make the phone ring or the quick tips for internet marketing that would help them dominate Google in their market area. They can’t believe that I don’t meet with every client who wants a free consultation and that my marketing material dissuades certain clients from even calling for an appointment.

Getting new clients, customers or patients can a complex problem, especially in a recession. No matter what your business, there’s usually a ton of competition out there. By and large, consumers don’t know how to buy what it is you  are selling, particularly if you sell professional services. For some, ethical rules appear designed to make your entire marketing program look just like your competitor’s. Finally, your marketing message competes with 3,000-5,000 other marketing messages a day.

Read the rest of “Your Marketing SHOULD be Complex“

Dan argues that we should just let the car companies that are failures die a natural death. (Just how many cars do you have to sell to repay $20 billion?)