Market your Biz w/out Advertising
Easy ways to build a Business your Customers will Love & Recommend !!!
from Nolo Press, 4th edition 6/14 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
As an Entrepreneur, you must understand that what counts is not what your business says about itself, but rather what others say about it. This book written by Michael Phillips & Sally Raspberry, provides valuable lessons on how to ensure the success of your business by “inspiring” customers to rave about it.
Basic Premise of this Book, is that promoting personal recommendation is the best way (yet often overlooked), strategy to attract & keep customers. The authors contend that advertising, which they define as “broadcasting your message to mostly un-interested members of the public,” doesn’t work. Its expense often does not compensate for the results; and the customers that are lured by advertisements are often not loyal.
Customer Trust is crucial element in any good Marketing Plan. Personal recommendations are what works best, and not advertising. Other people’s recommendation is a very powerful factor that could improve the profitability of your business, because it is more cost-effective than advertising as the customer who is referred comes to you at a lower cost.
10 Steps. The authors recommend 10 steps to help you develop a successful, “low-cost” Marketing Plan that is not based on advertising:
1. Offer the best & up-to-date Product or Service. To make people recommend your business, they have to know and be convinced that you are offering a top-notch product or service. In addition, they need to know what sets you apart from others in your field.
How will they know this? Well, you can tell them yourself (without sounding egotistical). While they can probably see this in the way you run your business, you also need to make an effort to give your customers information that allows them to judge the quality of your business for themselves. But better still, you can have someone they trust, tell them how good your business is. Positive re-inforcement from a trusted person can be extremely effective way for them to try you.
2. Create an “easily under-stand-able” Business Description. If getting a personal recommendation is a key part of your Marketing Plan, your customers must be able to communicate to others, what it is that you really do. You must provide them with the basic information about your business, so they can tell others about you. After all, you do not want customers mis-representing your business. Instead of gaining new customers, you might hear comments like, “I thought you were doing this-and-that, because so-and-so told me.” From positive recommendation, your job will now turn to damage control.
[ Articulate your Mission, 3. Educate customers about your Business, 4. Ensure a clear Pricing structure in Premium Content ]