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Personal Promotion: Marketing Tips for Today's Market

The Internet is a wonderful medium for sharing information and communicating with customers. And while it's a relatively cheap marketing medium, neglecting other important marketing activities could mean losing out on new customers. Here are a few tips:

1) Paper isn't dead. You have a great website, but what happens when you attend a meeting or conference? How can you present your company to a potential client? A corporate brochure describing your products and services is a critical piece of marketing material.

2) Quality matters. So your brother-in-law put a website together for you about five years ago, and it's never been updated since. If you intend to use your website as a marketing tool, it should present your company in the best light. A good, strong design that is updated regularly will draw visitors in and keep them coming back. If it's been awhile since your site was designed, you may want to consider a fresh look. Internet technologies have also changed, so updating your site could improve your search engine rank as well.

3) Tie it all together. Creating a unified corporate identity is important. Your logo, business card, sales sheets and other marketing materials should have a similar look that symbolizes your company's character. Repeating design elements will cement your corporate image into the minds of your potential customers.

4) Some corners shouldn't be cut. Don't skimp on design or print quality — while you may be able to design your marketing materials yourself in MS Word and print them on your inkjet, they will likely lack that professional touch. Customers want to know they are working with a professional. If your printed materials don't measure up, they may think your company doesn't either.

5) Sticky notes. When writing a note to a prospect, use the back of your business card. They'll have much more reason to hang onto it.

6) Hello! My Name is ... When attending meetings, wear your name tag on your right side. When you shake hands with others, their eyes will immediately go to your name.

7) Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. Repeatedly sending out your message is important. Potential customers need to see your name at least three times before they will take an action. When prospecting, mail postcards three times within three to six weeks, then follow up every two months. If you don't start getting a response in six month, re-examine your message.

8) Hold the spam. Email...it's cheap and easy. But it has several shortcomings. It lacks the impact and retention value of printed pieces. Messages are easily deleted or captured as spam and never read. People are so overloaded with email they don't have the time for complex or detailed sales messages. Save email as a follow-up tool. Rely on printed communications for prospecting and customer retention.

9) Dear Customer. Make sure every communication to a past customer is personalized with their name. It will reinforce your relationship and make your customers feel special.

10) More baskets, more eggs. Take advantage of a variety of marketing opportunities from the internet, to flyers to conferences. The more you put your company name out there, the more people will remember you and pursue your business.