Promote Your G-Business


To effectively promote your business, you need to create a balanced marketing strategy by utilizing all your marketing channels - Web advertising, direct mail and public relations. An integrated strategy contributes to a company's overall success.

DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN

Review and update your marketing plan monthly to ensure you stay focused and on budget.
The marketing plan is your first step in promoting your business and is a roadmap to help you focus on and define your overall business strategy.

INGREDIENTS

1. Define your objectives. What do you want your marketing to accomplish? List changes occurring in the market, including environment, economy, customer perceptions, etc.
2. Create a competitive analysis worksheet. Your spreadsheet should include your competition and competing products. How do your products stack up to the competition? Compare all the features/benefits of your product to your competitors. Include a statement of your company's and/or product's unique or outstanding strengths.
3. Create an advertising and promotion plan. Map out promotions by product, marketing medium and month. Include promotion costs, expected response rates and estimated revenues.
4. Develop comprehensive budgets and timelines. Complete down to individual profit & loss calculations for each promotion.

• Inexpensive
• Quick and easy for prospects to learn about you
• Offers unlimited space to provide as much information as you want, including photos and graphics
• Your business's location and size don't matter-you become a global player online

• Drive visitors to your site: Include your Web address on every promotional piece and correspondence you send.
• Create a general viewing area and a private viewing area for members only, stockholders, distributors or your sales reps. Viewers must enter a user name and password to gain entry into their assigned area. Information may include annual reports, distributor reports, etc.
• Accept purchases online. Make it easy for customers to purchase your product. Don't bury shopping cart access.
  Incorporate internal and external promotion plans.

- Internal promotion includes developing a marketing plan for marketing your Web site and determining what     information to make available for viewing.
- External promotion includes expanding your market reach by using discussion groups, newsgroups, e-mail     marketing, pop-up and banner advertising and private user sites.

• Make your site easy to navigate-organize menu options carefully. Don't bury pages or make them hard to find.
• Highlight new products or update information on your home page.
• Include information about your company-who you are, what you do and how long you have been in business. Consider including a list of clients but remember, your competitors surf your site too. Don't give away too much information!
• Make it easy for customers to reach you. Provide phone, fax, mail and e-mail contact information.
• Keep pages simple for quick loading. Test how long it takes for each page to load using a dial-up connection. If a page takes 15 seconds or longer to load, the visitor will lose interest.
• Include a listing of your products, complete with photos. Make sure pictures are large enough to show detail or include a zoom option to enlarge the picture.
• Offer a shopping cart complete with credit card ordering capabilities (if you're selling products). List your toll-free and fax numbers as alternative options.
• Keep information on your Web site fresh. Updating it regularly will keep customers coming back to see what's new.

• Keep your promotions to one contact per month.
• Vary your methods of communication with a mix ofe-mail, mail and telephone.

• It's an effective way to reach a broad audience.
• It creates the feel of being "endorsed" by a print or broadcast medium.

PRESS RELEASE VERSUS MEDIA ALERT

A press release is sent to all print and electronic publications and news personnel and provides a more detailed description about a product or service as well as information about the company.

A media alert is used to publicize events to radio and TV. It is an invitation to the media to attend a presentation or ceremony and it includes only basic information.

FOUR WAYS TO GAIN PUBLICITY

• Write a column in your local newspaper educating consumers about your area of expertise
• Conduct a seminar on a topic related to your business.
• Sponsor an industry or community event.
• Create a community contest or industry awards program.

1. Create a media list of trade and local and national publications relevant to your business.
2. Keep the list updated.
3. Segment your list by type of publication or type of editor.
4. Send press releases only to interested media

FOUR KEYS TO PR SUCCESS

1. Know what reporters consider newsworthy.
2. Follow the release format, and include storytelling in your release.
3. Use proper grammar and proof your communications for typos.
4. Understand reporter routines, competitive concerns and content constraints.

PRESS RELEASE VERSUS MEDIA ALERT

If your company is new or unfamiliar to a reporter, he/she may ask you to provide more information about your company through a press kit. Build a press kit with a pocket folder and printouts with the following information:

• Press release
• About your company
• About your company leaders
• Photo of president or sponsored event
• Product information sheet and a sample of products
• Testimonials touting the product or service you are promoting
• Include current awards or recognitions your company has recently received
• Include a catalog and pertinent brochures of products (if you don't have a catalog)
• Include information of how your product is unique or heads and shoulders above similar products

• Make your copy sizzle. You may have more space to write but flat copy is dull.
• Provide clear, fast benefits, right now.
• Present tense outsells future tense.
• The Internet offers immediate results for customers who want immediate satisfaction. Provide information to them today, and get to the point quickly.
• Don't make customers search for the purpose of your existence. Spell it out.

• Make your copy sizzle. You may have more space to write but flat copy is dull.
• Provide clear, fast benefits, right now.
• Present tense outsells future tense.
• The Internet offers immediate results for customers who want immediate satisfaction. Provide information to them today, and get to the point quickly.
• Don't make customers search for the purpose of your existence. Spell it out.

1. Headline - usually at the top of the page and should be large enough to attract the eye. Keep it short—one line or no more than five words long.
2. Subhead - placed below the headline, although not as large; it provides more detail.
3. Copy or body copy - describes your product, offer and contact information.
4. Graphics - an illustration that makes a visual statement. A graphic statement may be a logo, a mascot or a photo of the product or staff.
5. Signature - the company's trademarked version of its name.
6. Slogan - a short phrase or motto associated with the spirit of the product or service.
7. Contact information - may include Web site, phone number, and/or address information.

• Rates are generally higher than display advertising but provide more flexibility.
• You can insert sizes from 5" x 9": up to 11" x 17".
• Pieces may be two-sided.
• Pieces may be in full color.
• Distribution may be limited to specific regions or zip codes.
• As a full-size, stand-alone piece, your insert is easier to see than a 4" display ad.
• You have the ability to test promotion materials and offers by geographic area.

• Classified ads are less expensive than display ads
• The classified section is located in a specific section of the paper, making it easy to find
• Display ad may be placed anywhere and may be hard to spot
• Flag main ads with classified advertising
• Cheaper to produce than a display ad

• Subscription versus single copy or newsstand sales
• Target market - includes demographic and geographic information of subscribers/readers
• Rates for a single insertion or discounts for multiple insertions
• Closing and artwork due dates
• Available ad sizes

1. Compiled lists - names are collected from a source such as a directory and are not updated frequently. Compiled lists are already six months old by the time they are published and are only updated periodically.
2. Response lists - include subscribers, sweepstakes respondents, buyers, seminar attendees. These lists will generate a better response than a compiled list, because the individuals on this list have already responded to a mail offer and are buyers.

1. Send to hundreds or thousands of addresses without overtaxing their Web server—or activating internal spam filters
2. Guide you through the legalities of offering "opt-out" options
3. Handle bounce-back e-mails without clogging the server Offer extra services like tracking link usage within your e-mail message, and other reporting, refer-a-friend and Web-based services.
   
   

• Your best performing package is called the "Control Package." Testing allows you a way to try to "beat the control package" with a newer, better responding promotion piece.
• Test packages should always be mailed against the control package and the control package should make up 80% of your total mailing quantity.
• f a test package produces more than a 20% increase in response, retest the test piece during the next mailing to verify the increased response is sustainable or was a fluke. Each test group is called a "cell."
  

1. If you plan to mail 50,000 pieces, your test group should equal 10,000 pieces.
2. Split test cells into an A/B split (equal quantities selected by using a random nth selection).
3. Mail 5,000 with a new offer and 5,000 to a list you have never mailed before.
4. Mailing results are only considered significant if one test package generates a 20% increase.

• Sending e-mail is inexpensive
• It saves time—you can get your message out within a day
• It includes automated tracking so you can see response rates Use broadcast e-mail to:
• Alert prospects and clients to new product or service announcements
• Distribute special discount offers
• Send out e-Newsletters
• Spread "forward to a friend" coupons and other promotional offers
• Traditional direct marketing

1. Capture customer e-mail addresses when you get their order. Be sure to include an "opt out" checkbox if they don't want to receive e-mails.
2. An informative e-Newsletter or online publication and ask people to "opt in" to receive e-mail notifications regarding it.
3. Do the same for a "members-only" section of your Web site.
4. Update your list every time you send out a broadcast e-mail—people change their e-mail addresses frequently.

1. Who are you? How long has your company been in existence? Include your Web address for company information.
2. What products/services does your company provide?
3. When will the new product/service be available?
4. Where are you located?
5. Why is your story newsworthy? Why is this product/service different?
6. How is your company different? How will your product/service benefit the user?

• If your release runs two pages, include "- more -" in the center bottom of the page.
• At the end of your release include four pound signs # # # # or "- end -" to let the reporter know your release has concluded.
• Use bullet points to highlight key points in your announcement.