1. +
30 Marketing Tips in 30 Minutes:
Faster, better & cheaper with less stress
Mary Bahr
President & Creative Director
MAB Advertising Inc.
NAWBO Day at Metropolitan Club 10/14/10
5. + #3 Only print material that is evergreen
Don’t waste money on expensive brochures,
folders, if you don’t need to
Choose the right materials and quality of materials based
on your audience
Print as many as you think you’ll need in the next 2-3 years
URL should be printed on EVERYTHING!
6. + #4 Make your email signoff work harder
List all the ways people can reach you,
or find out about your company
9. #7
+ If you’re not using social
media to market your
business, you’re not
where your customers are
10. + #8 Leverage your marketing efforts
in multiple channels
Make it easy on yourself
Monitor all of your social media efforts in one place
Hootsuite.com my personal favorite,
as free version works for most businesses
Post from one place, place information in many places
Ask friends and customers to repost and retweet and forward
11. + #9 Add video!!!!!
Video improves open rates in email dramatically;
browsing rates on websites and blogs
Keep it short (under :60 secs)
Doesn’t have to be fancy, but does need decent audio
Flip Mino is one of the easiest HD video cameras to use,
and comes with editing software
Consider: message from you, product review, testimonial,
event footage, product demo
12. + #10 Optimize your website
Be sure you pop up on Page One!
Understand the difference between paid and organic search
Use free tools available from Google and Hubspot
Google alerts (google.com/alerts)
Google ad words (google.com/adwords)
Google analytics (google.com/analytics)
Websitegrader.com (free SEO tool fro Hubspot)
13. + #11 EVERY PAGE of your website must have
contact information prominent
Especially if you prefer contact via phone or live first!
Address, phone, email contact on every page: don’t make
customer work hard to find out how to reach you.
Think through what a customer will need to find you:
Parking? Public transportation? Directions?
Mapquest directions can be embedded for free
14. +
#12A Email marketing
If you’re not doing it, you’re missing an opportunity
to stay connected to customers and prospects
Well-known and easy to use email marketing machines
Constant Contact
Mail Chimp
Emma
Exact Target
15. +
#12B Email marketing
Rules of the road
Don’t spam, ask permission
Keep it relevant, make content unique
Keep most important information “above the fold”
Hyperlink and credit attributions
Link to your other social media pages
Ask for feedback
17. #14
+ Survey your customers
They know you best. Ask them:
-what you’re doing right
-what you’re not doing
-what’s bothering them
-what else they need
18. +
#15 Be selective in how you
choose to engage
22. + #19
What’s the deal with twitter?
Do I really have to do it? I don’t want to.
You might not want to, but you might be
missing opportunities to get your message out.
23. +
#20
Before you fall in love
with the name of a
company or product,
check it out here
uspto.gov/trademarks
24. +
#21 Direct mail is not going away
Despite predictions to the contrary, DM is still one of the best
ways to communicate with your current customers.
Use it sparingly, and with communications that count
Moving, Bday, Important news, new product
Link DM to your other social media pages
Measure your results: Ask for a response
Follow up
Letters work better than postcards,
but cost significantly more
26. +
#23 Bloggers are powerful
Find out where YOUR influentials are talking,
then engage
Great to have a blog, but if you can’t commit, then don’t
Engage on other sites where your customers are talking
Be transparent
Link back to your own sites
27. +
#24 Ask for help!
Find experts, leverage connections
WBDC, NAWBO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
All offer low-to-no cost resources
Ask friends and colleagues to help spread the word
Interns, interns, interns
28. +
#25 Facebook is your friend
Use it to help with customer service and
conversations
Facebook places
Post customer service information and policies
on your FB page
Ask open ended questions
Post pictures and video
Tag your posts and businesses
Never say anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see
29. + #26 Keep your database fresh
Accurate contact information is critical.
Over 30% of people change their email address each year
Even higher for work email addresses
If possible, get both professional and personal email—
market to address customer prefers (both if they allow it)
Get pertinent additional information (will change by
business type)
B’day, children’s ages, pets, age, schools attended, affiliate groups
30. +
#27 Wrap your car or truck
Mobile marketing that’s cheap and impactful
31. +
#28 Use new technologies wisely
Figure out what works best for your company
What’s cutting edge today, will be commonplace tomorrow
QR Codes, Jag Tags
Google Mobile
Iphone and Ipad apps
Mobile messaging and apps
Proof of concept, test
Don’t spend # on new technologies without testing first