Why You Dont NEED a Marketing Plan
If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you'll see my Web site listed on page 10, along with a good amount of promotional copy. How did I get featured in a major, national magazine? Do I have a great PR person? Did I know someone at the magazine? Was this part of my carefully-crafted marketing plan? No, no, and um, no. I'll tell you exactly how I did it. Are you ready? I picked up the phone. A few months ago, I was flipping through a past issue of Entrepreneur and saw they had a section that listed Web resources. I looked at the bottom of the page and saw the name of the author. I flipped to the front of the magazine, found the masthead, and located the phone number for their editorial offices. I called that number and asked for that guy. He picked up the phone. I asked how I could submit a resource. He told me. I submitted mine. He ran it. Serendipity? Well, I do believe when you put energy out, you get good things back. But honestly, I just picked up the phone. I see this as a great example of that you don't have to be perfect. I didn't wait until I had a marketing plan. I didn't wait until I had all my ducks in a row. In fact, I'm proud to share that I've never been fully prepared for anything I've ever taken on. I just knew who I wanted to reach and what I wanted to say. (I wanted to reach small business owners and solo professionals, and I wanted to let them know about all the valuable, free information at my Web site.) And you know what? That's also all YOU have to know! Listen, marketing plans are swell. If you have one, more power to you. I often wish that I did have a nice, neat plan to follow for the entire year. In fact, it's been on my to-do list for about five years. It just doesn't look like I'm ever going to do it. I've realized that what works better, for me, is to simply jump at opportunities as they arise, even if my pattern is haphazard. Otherwise I'd still be where I was two years ago, waiting until I worked out a plan. I'll never move forward if I keep waiting for everything to "be ready." I just attended one of highest level Internet marketing conferences for entrepreneurs in the world. And one of the speakers, a man who has made millions from his Internet business, uttered a sentence that has since stuck with me: "It's amazing how much money you can make in this world without being perfect." Are you trying to be perfect? Trying to plan everything ahead? Standing in your own way? STOP. Right now, this minute, I want you to do one thing, just one thing, that you know would push your business forward. Especially something simple you've been putting off. Perhaps it's picking up the phone and introducing yourself to that important person your friend referred you to. Perhaps it's replying to that e-mail regarding a great opportunity but you've been more occupied with more "urgent" things. Perhaps it's sending one of your articles to the editor of that e-zine with 100,000 subscribers who are your target market. Perhaps it's completing that proposal to speak at a convention that's going to put you in front of 500 pre-qualified prospects. Please, just do it. (c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Do You Really Need a Brochure?
The phone rings. Good news... it's a potential client. You say, "Thanks for calling, I'll send you our brochure."
20 Power Marketing Tips
Use these powerful yet simple tips from the national best-seller, "Secrets of Power Marketing: Promote Brand You" - the first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers.
7 Great Ways to Market Yourself and Your Business to Help Increase Sales
Do you own a business and need ideas on how to market your products or services to your customers? Well, the one thing that every business owner needs to know is that in order to survive, you need customers willing to spend their hard earned money for your products or services. The only way to drive customers to your business is to market yourself and your business in a way that customers believe in you and willing to spend money. There are defiantly many ideas about marketing, but I have listed 7 great ways to help you get started. These are all intended to help drive up sales and therefore help make your business successful.
The Easiest Marketing Plan Youll Ever Find
When it comes to marketing there's simply too many choices. I often find clients are totally perplexed about which marketing tools they should use and how to use them.
Postcard Direct Mail Marketing: 15 Ways To Grab Attention
If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or sell a product or service, you need to create postcards that grab your prospect's attention. The place to do that is Side A, the side that doesn't have the stamp and address on it. Here are some creative ways to get the attention of your potential buyers, some of which have worked extremely for well for my clients.
Is Your Marketing Working...
That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I'm sure. But is it really!
Target Your Market
Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses assume. It is the
people/organizations who need, want, have the money--and the willingness--to
pay for what you are offering. Identifying them can be complicated and expensive,
or it can be relatively painless and cheap.
Small Business Marketing Tip - Focus on a Niche or Target Market
I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit like talking to a brick wall and that in interesting metaphor to help grasp the importance of niche marketing especially when it comes to small business marketing. Imagine for a moment that you are attacking that brick wall with a hammer, randomly hitting it everywhere. What would be the effect? Practically no effect at all. You might knock off a few chips but come back a day or so later, there will be no evidence you were even there.
Marketing Strategies: What Choices Do You Have?
Most business people want to see improvements in sales and profits. But how do you get there? What choices do you have?
Key Marketing Strategy - You Need To Stay Visible!
If you want to get consistent results from your marketing, you need to stay visible to clients and prospects. But, how do you do that?
If My Work is Good Enough
"If My Work is Good Enough, I Shouldn't Have to Market, Right?"
Secrets of Trade Show Success
The ropers at Annie Oakley's Real Western Dudette Ranch were all
riding high in the saddle. It was just before their first ecotourism and
adventure travel trade show in Chicago, and they just knew they would
rope in big sales.
Want To Impress Customers, Win Clients and Influence People?
Remember the baseball cards kids traded while chewing their way through kilos of noxious bubblegum, all for about a nickle a pack?
No? Then ask your Dad.
Are you familiar with the latest digital CD Cardz that look like traditional sports trading cards and play interactive video, triva, bios, stats, music, as well as desktop goodies?
No? Then ask your kid.
Seriously, my point is that times are changing and you no longer have to feel that you are either a stereotypical blue collar worker or a red necked Luddite. The truth is, you too can jump on the multimedia gravy train ? (just ask for 1st class compartment Serious) and utilize these cool mediums within your corporate environment.
Over a career year, you probably hand out small forests of business cards with merely your contact information printed on them right? So what if you were to hand out a business card-sized CD-Rom instead, that not only had your contact information on it, but held your company website or a pertinent presentation, video, music, a free corporate screen saver etc, all hyperlinking to your on line site too?
So we are talking a talking business card and there are two routes to take. If you want professional help in creating the all singing and dancing marketing tool, come to us at http://www.serious.com, where we will hold your hand and do the work for you. However in truth this is only viable for larger orders of cardz and you might well be a small business or a freelancer with no need for huge quantities, but yet still want to make a lasting impression. If this is the case, then you can buy our transparent blank 50 MB CD-R cardz from us and create your own! These come in starter packs of 10, with a label applicator, label and presentation software, including web site templates and there are also refill packs available.
Spike TV - Know Your Audience
What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all have in common? They hold the fascination of every male on the planet - and they make frequent appearances on Spike TV. Spike TV, which totes itself as a network for men, is the perfect example of the power of knowing your audience and giving them what they want.
The Beginners Mail Order Business Guide
No claim is made that the steps outlined would be successful for someone else. Each individual should obtain whatever professional advice may benecessary for his particular operation.
Five Mistakes Absolutely Guaranteed to Drive Away Your Best Clients
We all work hard to attract even one paying client. In fact, we work hard to attract serious inquiries. Yet amazingly, many business owners seem determined to drive away business! Every example cited here is based on true, thoroughly documented experiences, with both newbie business owners and five-star marquee players.
4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics
Some of the simplest marketing tactics often produce the most profitable results. Here are 4 examples that have proven highly effective for any business.
A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None
You've heard variations of that saying your entire life.
Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos
A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a marketplace well-worth looking into and with plenty to see--once you get the labels straight.
The Importance of Interpersonal Communcation Skills
Interpersonal Communications is the transmission of information from one person to another and their understanding of it through the use of common language or symbols. It is a way of interacting and happens always at all times whether you want it to happen or not.
|
