Reasons To Join A Networking Referral Group
If you are a small business owner, have you ever considered joining a Networking Referral Group? Just about every community has a networking organization where business people and entrepreneurs meet and try to build their businesses. The networking group offers a lot of benefits for your business. By joining one of these groups, which is a nominal fee, you have the opportunity to meet with some really great people within your community and form business alliances. I belong to a group called Tiger Networking and since I joined a few months ago, my business has increased. I highly recommend joining any group that build business relationships for you. Below are five benefits that you gain by joining one of these groups… This article was originally published by this author, James Fowler, on www.myfivebest.com.
The Testimonial
Testimonial: Basically, a written statement from someone who has used your product or service and have found it to be worthwhile. This powerful form of advertisement was first used in the 19th century and is still in use today. Testimonials emotionally appeal to the consumer rather than directly to their logic. For this reason, they are not always accurate, but extremely effective. Testimonials are used to provide justifications for purchasing or for taking some action.
So, how do you get to use this form of advertisement for yourself? You ask people. Feedback is generally heard from those who are not happy with your service or product. If a consumer is happy, you most likely won’t hear from them. They are satisfied with their purchase and will most likely become a return –but silent – customer. Targeting those customers that verbally tell you of their contentment is essential for a good testimonial campaign.
For example, if a customer comes back and tells you that they were pleased with your product, ask them if you can get that in writing. Have them email you the information or get them to write it out while you have them in your business. Make sure to have them sign the testimonial (or state you have their permission to use the testimonial in their email).
Testimonials are comprised of two parts –the body, or text of the testimonial, and the signature.
The one way I have found to gather testimonials is to put a space for them on your warranty card or create a card for the customer to return to you for an incentive. On this card, place a testimonial space with the disclaimer that their comments can be used in this format.
No matter how you collect your testimonials, you will find that they will help you in your business. People will read and believe them. Good luck on your endeavors and let others do your advertising for you.
Categories: Blog, Marketing In General, Small Business Tags: marketing yourself, self-marketing, testimonial, Testimonials, word-of-mouth
Three Ways To Promote Your Web Site
You just got your web site completed. You are on the web but you aren’t noticing much traffic coming to you after all the work that has gone into it. What can you do to make the internet work for you? How will people remember to come to your web site?Most people look at their web site as either an informational tool for their customers or an additional store front. Their web site is often both. The natural progression of their efforts is for the web site turning a profit. The problem arises that no one can find your site and you have little to no experience with web marketing to do what needs to be done to drive people to your web site.
Wrong!
By following three easy steps, anyone can drive people to their web site without ever knowing a scrap of HTML (that is the language used to create a web site –it is an acronym for HyperText Markup Language – meaning you can jump around from one page to the next.).
Read these rules. Follow them. You don’t need to spend a fortune getting customers to your web site, you need only lead them there. Customers will find your web site if they know where to look. So, direct them.
Rule One: Go Back to the Basics.
You’ve been doing this for years, but when a web site is born, people seem to forget how they used to market their business. Talk about the web site. Tell everyone you know that you have a web site and that they should go see it. Every single customer that comes into your store, office, or shop should hear that you have a web site. When a customer is on hold, make sure the web site is mentioned and that they may find the answer they are looking for online.
You know word-of-mouth advertising works. Use it to your advantage. Be proud of what you have and tell people about it.
Rule Two: Write it Down.
People need to hear something several times before it registers in their heads. This is why you need to follow rule number two. Put your web site address on EVERYTHING. Have it on a sign when they walk into your waiting room or storefront. Put it on your business cards. Put it on your invoices. Put it on flyers announcing your web site. In a flyer, you can even tease them with what is on the site and give them a reason to go there.
This is probably the one thing that most people overlook when trying to get people to come to their web site. It is very simple. It is extremely effective.
Rule Three: The Final Step.
How many emails do you write a day? Now that you have a web site and people have access to your email, this number will increase. Every email you send out should end in the following way:
Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your email address
http://www.yourwebsiteaddress.com/
Note the final line. Your web site address. It doesn’t matter who you are writing to, this needs to be on your email. For those of you unfamiliar with the signature feature in most email accounts, this can be set up to automatically appear every time you send an email. Look at the options in your email account and set it up. If the web site is there, people will click on it.