1. Little Known Ways to Kick Start Your Marketing Efforts
Posted on February 1, 2012 by Maya Pillai
“If you wait until there is another case study in your industry, you will be too late.” Seth Godin
(Author of Permission Marketing)
If you want to remain in business, marketing is the key. It is not about having a great marketing
plan in hand, you need to have a marketing strategy laid out. The reason being, once you have
your potential customers, how do you plan to convert them into loyal clients? How do you plan
to follow-up with the contact? If you have a marketing strategy in place, you should know how
to play around it so that your business flourishes.
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Top Marketing Tips
Before we delve into the matter you need to realize that times have changed and you have to do
away with the traditional form of marketing. Your marketing efforts will diminish if you do not
understand what works today and plan your marketing tactics and strategies as per the market
situation.
Make your own email list – One of the cost effective marketing tools that a startup
enterprise or an established small business can use is email marketing. Instead of buying
an email list, build your own email database. To make your list, gather a list of your
existing clients and ask them for their email address. From time to time, you can send
newsletters or special discount coupons via email. Another way to gather email addresses
is through your blogs or website. You can offer free e-books for those who join your
subscriber list. Do not forget to ensure them that you will never share their information
with anyone else.
Build an influential network – Networking is one of the requisites for successful
marketing. It’s not about the number of networks that you have but the numbers of
influential people who can help you establish good contacts. Many prominent marketing
experts do not agree with wasting time swapping business cards at networking events,
instead, they want SMB owners to target influential people who can really help increase
the commercial value of their business.
Give a thought to attraction marketing than pursue marketing – Instead of pursuing
new clients and those people who do not respond to your emails or telephone calls, you
should revamp your website and blog. For instance when a good looking woman or a
man enters a crowded room, the conversation ceases and all attention is directed to them.
There are a few of us who would be ready to buy them a drink. These physically
attractive people attract the attention and interest of the others. Similarly, if you want to
increase your sales by attracting clients/customer, you need to make your overall package
more attractive. For instance, if you have a blog, ensure that its content is informative.
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.

3. The website should be easy to navigate. If this is the scenario, your clients wouldn’t mind
spreading the word by telling their friends and family.
Charge as per your promise – Do not compromise on the quality of your
service/products. Ensure that your fees/charges match the quality of your
product/services. Genuine customers will understand that quality never comes cheap.
Keep an eye on your competitors - You should always be aware of what your
competitors are up to and plan a marketing strategy accordingly. You should know about
the prices and special offers they distribute. This will help you make a better and more
attractive offer to lure potential customers. Understanding what your competitors are
offering will also help you measure the quality of your products/services.
Scan the industry news – Subscribe to your industry related news articles online or e-
magazines. Take time to read about the latest happenings. It’s important to keep your
blog up to date with upcoming news. This is a way to let people know where turn to
when they want information. This will attract a good number of quality customers.
Feel free to share your little known ways to kickstart the marketing efforts with us.
Flickr image by ramelectronicsdotnet
© 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.