Defining your target market

Underpinning any marketing strategy is your target market i.e. who your customers or clients are.  But tackling this question is surprisingly difficult for most business owners.  Answers are usually vague and when asked for specifics, many reply with demographics such as gender, age group, income – answers that are not quite enough for strategy formulation. When I try to tease the answer …

Price vs Loyalty – How to price your services so your customers stay

The price of a relationship I found myself in an unenviable position recently, caught between loyalty to a service provider and an irresistible offer. I had an established relationship with my current provider and had no complaints or issues.  The service and relationship were good enough that I would happily provide a recommendation.  But the offer was irresistible.  My mental calculations …

Blogs vs Newsletters

I’m confused.  What’s the difference between a blog and my newsletter? This question comes up time and time again with business owners who are just starting out with their online presence.  Already stretched for time, producing content for a blog seems like a big task. Newsletters are easier to understand.  They are digital versions of paper newsletters that we have …

Are you advertising your “tools” instead of a “solution”?

If you saw a plumber advertise in the following way, you’d probably think it was a joke. “I have the latest xyz spanner which can tighten your nuts and bolts with 30% greater efficiency”  And sadly it’s not a joke.  Many businesses advertise like this, especially therapists and health practitioners.  The assumption is that your audience knows what your tools …

Use my name, please!

Consider what happens when you hear someone use your name.  If you are within earshot, your ears prick up.  Whether you intend to or not, you start to pay attention. So when you send emails to your customers or prospects, use their name if you want them to pause before hitting “spam” or “delete”.  Using a person’s name implies that …

What is the price of authenticity in marketing?

Quite a few marketing messages have been crossing my desk lately and they have been making me quite uncomfortable.  Most have been like the following in some shape or form: Double your practice in 90 days! From $xx to 6 figures in 90 days! Very catchy.  Very persuasive.  Elicits an emotional response.  I get how powerful these messages are.  After …

Marketing techniques that annoy!

I have been researching the internet marketing space for a little while and as a result have got myself onto more mailing lists than I care for.  Yes, time I started following tip #4 from my Time Management Post! I thought I would share some of the most annoying ones that I’ve come across so far. The Persistent Upsell “Would you …

Is your niche catching fish?

What is your niche?  And why do many marketing experts recommend that tighter niches are better niches?  If  you think of your niche as the net that you use to catch fish in the sea, this might give you some idea.  Many people mistakenly believe that if they cast a very wide net, they will catch more fish.  Unfortunately, wide …

What is the problem?

When is a financial problem a marketing problem and a marketing problem a financial one? Quite often in a small business, they are so intertwined that it’s difficult to extricate one from the other. This is the conundrum – which do we address first? Neither.  In this situation, the “picture” has to be taken apart and completely reconstructed. Inevitably, the situation has arisen from poor foundations …