I was at a networking event the other day, explaining to someone what we did. In response, I received a smile back and the comment "well, marketing doesn't really work anyway does it?"
Interesting question! And I can completely understand why he said that. For a lot of small business owners, that's exactly what they find - that marketing doesn't work. The result is that many business owners feel frustrated with marketing and give up on the process, choosing to rely instead on referrals and word of mouth.
But actually the answer to the question "Does marketing work?" is yes, absolutely. In order to make it work for you though, it's important to understand why marketing doesn't work.
There are three main reasons why marketing doesn't work for small businesses:
1. Whenever you do some marketing, it's important to understand that not everything you do will get you business. What I mean by this is that most of the marketing methods you use will be great a making people aware of what you do and will also be good for building your reputation as an expert. However, there are very few marketing activities that are just good at getting you customers. There's something else you need to do to accomplish this which I'll come onto in a minute.
2. The second reason is that most business owners don't follow up with people. They do a marketing activity just once and when they don't get the results they're looking for, they just drop that and move onto something else. Marketing though requires persistence and once you have contacted someone, you must follow-up in order to properly see results.
3. The final reason is just not doing marketing. Marketing can be very frustrating especially if you're not seeing results. As a result, after a while, most small business owners just give up and rely on word of mouth and referrals so not doing marketing is another big reason why marketing doesn't work.
So what do you do about these three reasons? Well, here's how to make marketing work for you.
The first thing we need to do is turn marketing activities into customers. To do this, whatever marketing activity you choose, you MUST find a way to capture the contact details of people. The easiest way to do this is to offer them something that's free and of value to them. If people give you their contact details, what they're telling you is that they're interested in what you do. It's now up to you to find out how interested they are.
How we do this is to follow up with people. I'm not talking about hassling people here. I'm talking about building a relationship with them so that they feel comfortable buying from you. As they say, we do business with people that we know, like and trust, so the more people know you, the easier they will find it to work with you.
Once you understand this basic principle of marketing and find that it does work for you, hopefully you'll be more motivated to do marketing. This is absolutely vital if you want to get business from your marketing. Especially in these turbulent times, it's not enough to sit back and wait for business to knock on your door. You have to go out there and generate it.
So, marketing does work. You just have to know how to work the system to your advantage. Have a go and see if this difference works for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Dowling
Do you need help with any aspect of your marketing be it online or offline visit www.newhomebusinessadvice.com
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
10 Reasons For Women To Start An Internet Business
Starting an internet business is in my opinion, one of the fastest and smartest ways women today can make money. Here are 10 reasons for starting an internet business, and one reason why you shouldn’t!
1. Money. Pure and simple, we all could use a more of it. Whether it’s to get out of debt, build a retirement, or just simply make ends meet. With the right guidance, an internet business can start generating income almost immediately.
2. Family. Let’s face it Moms, a lot of you want to be home with your kids. A work at home job is great for just that reason…unless you have to leave home for appointments, parties, or sales calls. Then you’re right back to babysitters and being away from your kids. An internet business truly lets you run it from home.
3. Self Esteem. Many of us are so busy being Moms, and wives, and community members, we forget to forge something in our lives that reflects our inner selves. Starting (and becoming successful) in your own business can boost your feelings of self worth, and that makes everyone in your life a winner!
4. Community. Our communities that we live in are better off for us having started businesses. It provides good role modeling for our children, provides tax base for necessary programs such as police and fire, and a community where people exhibit pride and hard work is a better place to live for us all. Perhaps you will inspire more women in your community to start a business!
5. Tax Benefits. Most women who start a business at home are going to be able to take large tax deductions for their home business. Less taxes means more money in your pocket, and that’s a good thing!
6. Work at Home Household Savings.Working at home means no expensive wardrobes. The average professional suit for a woman can cost over$150! Can you imagine NOT having to buy expensive work clothes anymore, and how much money a year you can save your families budget? Also, how much do you think a work at home mom uses expensive convenience foods and restaurant take out?
7. Flexibility. Because I work at home, I can arrange my schedule to be available when a child is home sick or heartbroken, for a field trip at school, or to just take a mental health day once in awhile and sit at a park and read. How many bosses would give you the day off to read?
8. Being in charge of your own business means you are no longer at the mercy of layoffs. Don’t get me wrong, a home business can crash too…but at least YOU hold the reins and make the decisions, not someone else.
9. You determine how much you work, and how much you make. No more being paid less than you are worth, no more begging for a raise. If you educate yourself right, you can pretty much combine hard work + persistence=unlimited income.
10. You can sell your business later on down the line…it’s an investment! Build it large enough and successful enough, and many website owners have sold their sites for hundreds of thousands of dollars…and started out knowing very little about building an internet business.
One reason NOT to start an internet business…
DO NOT start a business to please anyone else. There is so much pressure on women today to do it all….many times we feel we are not successful unless we make a lot of money, are perfect moms, never gain a pound…you get the idea. Start a business for you, and your dreams, not to convince the world, or the mother in law, or your next door neighbor…that you can do it all. Running a business is not for everyone, but if you want to follow your dreams, work at home, and make a good income, starting an internet business is a great place to start.
For further information and assistance on all aspects of Internet Marketing Visit www.newhomebusinessadvice.com and receive your hot free special report.
1. Money. Pure and simple, we all could use a more of it. Whether it’s to get out of debt, build a retirement, or just simply make ends meet. With the right guidance, an internet business can start generating income almost immediately.
2. Family. Let’s face it Moms, a lot of you want to be home with your kids. A work at home job is great for just that reason…unless you have to leave home for appointments, parties, or sales calls. Then you’re right back to babysitters and being away from your kids. An internet business truly lets you run it from home.
3. Self Esteem. Many of us are so busy being Moms, and wives, and community members, we forget to forge something in our lives that reflects our inner selves. Starting (and becoming successful) in your own business can boost your feelings of self worth, and that makes everyone in your life a winner!
4. Community. Our communities that we live in are better off for us having started businesses. It provides good role modeling for our children, provides tax base for necessary programs such as police and fire, and a community where people exhibit pride and hard work is a better place to live for us all. Perhaps you will inspire more women in your community to start a business!
5. Tax Benefits. Most women who start a business at home are going to be able to take large tax deductions for their home business. Less taxes means more money in your pocket, and that’s a good thing!
6. Work at Home Household Savings.Working at home means no expensive wardrobes. The average professional suit for a woman can cost over$150! Can you imagine NOT having to buy expensive work clothes anymore, and how much money a year you can save your families budget? Also, how much do you think a work at home mom uses expensive convenience foods and restaurant take out?
7. Flexibility. Because I work at home, I can arrange my schedule to be available when a child is home sick or heartbroken, for a field trip at school, or to just take a mental health day once in awhile and sit at a park and read. How many bosses would give you the day off to read?
8. Being in charge of your own business means you are no longer at the mercy of layoffs. Don’t get me wrong, a home business can crash too…but at least YOU hold the reins and make the decisions, not someone else.
9. You determine how much you work, and how much you make. No more being paid less than you are worth, no more begging for a raise. If you educate yourself right, you can pretty much combine hard work + persistence=unlimited income.
10. You can sell your business later on down the line…it’s an investment! Build it large enough and successful enough, and many website owners have sold their sites for hundreds of thousands of dollars…and started out knowing very little about building an internet business.
One reason NOT to start an internet business…
DO NOT start a business to please anyone else. There is so much pressure on women today to do it all….many times we feel we are not successful unless we make a lot of money, are perfect moms, never gain a pound…you get the idea. Start a business for you, and your dreams, not to convince the world, or the mother in law, or your next door neighbor…that you can do it all. Running a business is not for everyone, but if you want to follow your dreams, work at home, and make a good income, starting an internet business is a great place to start.
For further information and assistance on all aspects of Internet Marketing Visit www.newhomebusinessadvice.com and receive your hot free special report.
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