Now is NOT the time to sit around in your business holding on to your wallets and sitting frozen on what to do next. It’s time to develop new streams of revenue, find new ways for your current customers to buy more and look at possibly targeting a different market as well – ones that HAVE money to spend.
In these series of articles I’m writing, I want to specifically talk about the 8 Steps to Starting Your Own Online Information Marketing Business. Because this is by far one of the only types of businesses out there that is still generating millions of dollars and doing it via the internet (so you can make more and spend less time).
Ok so step 6 is to Hit the Ground Running!!
You guessed it, finally the marketing part of this whole equation.
So where do you start?
What do you do?
Well, I like to start with ‘free first, then pay’ options…how does that sound to you?
I usually recommend marketing options based on 3 different categories or types of marketing, they are:
1. Database Marketing
2. Referral Source Marketing
3. New Business Marketing
The reason I break it down like this is because most small business owners focus most of their efforts in only one area, going after new business, and they forget or choose not to do much to market to their databases or referral sources which are the easiest to go after! (Let me explain each and some examples for you.)
Your Database Marketing is marketing to everyone and anyone you know….regardless of your relationship. This includes your hair dresser, dentist, neighbors and friends. More than likely everyone you know could be a potential prospect or referral source (but we’ll talk about referral sources separately for this example).
Database Marketing needs to be done via email, mail, phone, visits and fax if you can – the more ways the better! The goal is to be on top of mind with everyone you know (and those you add to your DB too) all the time so if they or someone they know needs your products or services, you are the first person they think of.Database Marketing can be:
Sending out bi-weekly or weekly ezines (monthly don’t work)
Holding regular teleclasses or events they can attend
Mailings to them often and consistently
Reminder phone calls and follow up calls
Networking or speaking at events where they can attend
Your Referral Source Marketing is marketing to all those individuals, companies or groups that directly target your target market. They are comprable businesses to yours or big fans of yours that will be most likely to refer business to you. You want to go through your database and build a big list of these people, companies or groups that you can market to.
You may even want to do a search via industry to find or connect with more individuals or companies to add to that list and market to.The marketing messages that you’ll send to Referral Sources will be slightly different than the ones you send to your regular database of prospects and contacts and a lot different than the ones you send to new businesses.
Referral Source Marketing can be any or all of the above plus:
- Invite referral sources to be guest on your teleclasses or speak at your events (and offer to do the same for them)
- Invite referral sources to use your articles or information in their ezines or websites (and offer to do the same)
- Build an automated online referral program (typically called an Affiliate Program – I have one, check it out online!)
- Send referral sources prewritten email or web copy or mailed materials they can send out to promote your products, services, events or classes (making sure you have a tracking system in place of course)
Your New Business Marketing will consist more of direct marketing to a targeted list of prospects. You can buy a list if you want so you can do a mailing but make sure you’re very clear on the demographics and psychographics of your prospects in order to narrow the list down.
In addition to mailings for New Business Marketing here are a bunch of other ways to reach potential prospects, here are a few:
- Social networking is one of the most popular these days – there are hundreds of sites and places to find prospects online but you can get sucked in and spend a ton of time so watch out!
- Finding blogs and forums online where your target market congregates and post on them often; answering and asking questions.
- Speak at events where your target market attends
- Run ads or give articles to people who send out ezines to their lists who are also your target market
Most of all however, for all types of marketing, the goal should be to get them into your mailing and email database so that you can continue to market to them. You’ve got to build relationships with them over time; that’s the most effective way to market to anyone. People will do business with people they like, trust and connect with so make it easy for them to do business with you and refer their friends to you too!
Now, if you want more specific examples, steps and samples of ways to do all this then you really want to pick up a copy of my Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System where I lay out everything you need to do to market in all 3 of these areas. I give you the steps, the implementation cheat sheets basically on how to do this, what to say, when to send stuff, how to send it and how to even delegate it all so that you can concentrate on getting MORE prospects into your contact list.
This follow up and marketing tasks and stuff can totally be delegated BUT you have to have the easy and proven SYSTEM that you can pass off and delegate!
© Copyright 2009 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/
