Marketing
Five Essential Marketing Platforms
January 26, 2012 | 
Author Although we’re in the world of the Internet, using online platforms is just one of the essential platforms you should consider when developing your marketing plan.
Research the following 5 platforms, and choose at least three of them that you can use to research your targeted demographic successfully.
1. Print: newspaper ads, magazine ads, postcards, flyers, brochures, billboards, bus boards, posters…and more
2. Online: pay-per-click advertising, chat forums, press releases, web sites, sales pages, lead capture pages, social media, blogging…and more.
3. Referrals: They don’t usually occur by themselves, so make sure you ASK for them!
4. Cold Calling/Cold Walking: We all hate it, but it can be extremely effective. How more targeted can you get, for example, than directly approaching a hospital with your green, inexpensive anti-microbial cleaning products?!!
5. Networking: Face to Face interaction can cement the relationship!
Consider where your target audience is, research how you can reach them, and use the above platforms to engage.
The 3 T’s of Marketing
As we all know, launching a business is not enough. Marketing is essential in order for every business to survive.
Here are the 3 T’s of Marketing that outline the fundamentals you need to understand in order to create an effective marketing campaign.
1. Targeted Message
You need short, concise ad copy that is tailored to your specific target demographic.
2. Targeted Demographic
It’s essential that you do your research in advance to identify who your ideal customer truly is and to find out what that customer needs and wants.
3. Targeted Marketing Platform:
Based on your prior research, you should execute a marketing campaign that specifically targets your demographic and will reach them. Choose marketing platforms that your target demographic engages with regularly.
You’ve problem come to the conclusion that “targeting” is the key in all of this! The research will take you time, and the results will be so worth it!
Understanding Your Target Demographic
Marketing truly begins with understanding your target demographic. If you do not understand this essential element, then you simply don’t know who you’re marketing to. And if you don’t know who you’re marketing to, then the questions of what to market and where to market cannot be answered.
Some of you may say, “Everyone is my target. My product and service is for anyone – all people of all ages.” This may well be. However, for the purposes of marketing, it’s essential that you narrow your demographic. This is not to say that you will turn away clients who do not fit into the target demographic. Not at all! You’re just going to identify what demographic you can market to most effectively for business growth.
Here are some questions to consider when defining your target market:
1. Who is currently buying your products/services (including competitors)?
2. Who might need your products/services?
3. What do those people read?
4. What do they watch?
5. Where do they hang out?
6. What commonalities are shared by a majority of your target market (age, occupation, hobbies, etc.)?
7. Do your prospects have particular likes, dislikes or interests?
8. Are they accessible and in what ways? (Geographically? Through mail? By phone or email?)
Consider these questions, and record your answers. Look for trends and areas that overlap.
Once you have a picture of your ideal client, you can use the answers to the above questions to help develop your marketing strategy.
For example, it’s a waste of money putting together an ad and running it in a publication that is not read by your target demographic. Similarly, if you spend money on a radio ad that is played on a channel your target demographic does not listen to, again your money has been washed down the drain.
These questions will help you get clear about who you’re marketing to as well as how and where to reach them. From there you can launch a marketing campaign that you know is reaching your target audience.
The Truth as We Know It about Online Advertising
You want the truth? Here it is…
A number of years back when online advertising was new, the companies using it effectively saw great success? Why? They didn’t have a lot of competition and they had the advantage of employing a novel and fun platform (the Internet) for promoting their businesses.
Now everyone is doing it! Everywhere you look there are banners popping up in your face asking you to fill out a form or ads you can click to visit a website that will solve all your problems.
The power and impact of online advertising are gone because the market is absolutely saturated!
Online advertising is not the way to go. Blended online marketing, however, is! What’s the difference? That question can make the difference between you throwing thousands of dollars down the toilet each month on ineffective campaigns and truly harnessing the power of the Internet to brand you as the best in your industry and increase your revenue.
So, what’s the difference?
Blended online marketing is about using social media and other relevant platforms to build relationships, engage the audience, and brand a company as “the best” without the in-your-face guerilla tactics of typical online advertising.
Blended online marketing campaigns will lead to increased organic search engine rankings and increased credibility…not simply appearing in the “paid ad” side bar on Google.
If you go online, which of course you should, go the route with social media and blended marketing to build relationships with your target market.
And there you have it…the truth as we know it!
Understanding Marketing – What It IS and What It’s NOT
Everyone who owns a business or works for a business (and that is just about everyone) needs to have some basic understanding of marketing in order to succeed. Without effective marketing, a business can fail; with it, it can rise to the top. Without effective marketing, an employee can lose his or job; with it, he or she can rise to the top.
What is marketing?
First let’s look at what it isn’t…Marketing is not advertising. Advertising is simply one component of a complete marketing plan.
Marketing is ongoing; it begins the moment a business is born and it never ends unless the business dies. A company must first have something to market, a product or a service, and a brand that embodies the company as a whole: who they are targeting and what they are offering. That is what needs to be marketed. A business must market its brand in conjunction with what in can do for its target market.
As a whole, marketing involves all of the activities that expose the public to a given brand. Marketing shapes and is shaped by the brand.
There are a few key pieces of marketing that should be in place initially. For example, a company’s website and other essential collateral, such as business cards and letterhead, must be in place. From there additional forms of marketing can begin.
There is outbound marketing, which involves a business sending out information to its target market (i.e. mail outs, newsletters, banner ads on other websites), and inbound marketing, which includes the systems that are in place to communicate with potential clients who approach the company first.
Literally almost every opportunity for communicating is part of the marketing process:
networking
print
television
radio
mail outs
newsletters
articles
tradeshows
telemarketing
cold calls
voice mail messages
social media
banner ads
pay per clicks
press releases
search engine optimization
mobile (text message) marketing
niche marketing
referrals
And of course guerilla marketing: that flashy attention-getter that is hard to miss. Whether it’s a person in a gorilla suit standing out on the highway promoting a big sale at the local furniture store or a group of naked cyclists riding together in support of a cause, this type of marketing is sure to be seen. Of course a business must choose wisely when to use this tactic. If used too frequently, it loses its impact. Just think of the boy who cried wolf.
So, what is the best form of marketing to begin a campaign? That depends hugely on time and budget, as does all else when business development is involved. Free marketing typically takes much longer to take effect, so the best option is likely a mixture of no-cost and paid forms of marketing.
Once a budget is set, it is essential for a business to locate its target market and create a marketing plan that will engage potential customers where they are.
Here is a sample scenario of the beginning to a marketing campaign (once website and initial collateral are in place):
1. powerful call-to-action ad placed in a relevant publication that reaches the target market and set to run for 3 months
2. grand opening event with a promotion tied to it
3. social media site, like a Facebook page and/or Twitter profile to generate interest
4. radio ad (if in the budget) – they are much cheaper than television and often very effective
An effective marketing plan will combine a variety of types of marketing: some offline, some online, some free, some paid. This will help stay within budget and ensure that a business does not “put all its eggs in one basket,” so to speak.
Marketing today is not about selling but rather about communicating with the public and establishing a solid brand. It’s powerful, it’s real, and it’s essential for business growth.
Maritime Web Design
Developing a maritime web design project can be a demanding project if you’re not prepared with the right information…and if you don’t have the right tools and team to help.
As you start planning your Maritime web design project, you should consider this: What is your goal with your website? What you want to accomplish will determine what type of website you want to have.
Do you want to sell products? Provide information? Update content frequently?
All those decisions will help you and/or your web design team to create a static or dynamic website. A static website is one that remains relatively the same whereas a dynamic website changes more often and allows for regular customer communication.
Next you should consider whether you want to create your website from already existing templates or if you want to choose a full development option that allows you to create a totally unique website from the ground up.
Template options are typically easier and more affordable, and if you plan to design your website yourself this is definitely the way to go. Full development options could be more expensive but will give you a completely uniquely developed web identity.
Keep in mind that your Maritime web design project can usually be completed for much less than you think…and that you can find affordable options, regardless of the type of website you want to create!
You shouldn’t have to break the bank to have a good website! If you are looking to hire someone to help you with your project, make sure the company you find is dedicated to your needs and to helping you establish an online presence at a reasonable cost.
So, happy Maritime web design!
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Tags: internet marketing, online marketing, web 2.0, web design, web site | 
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How to Market a Small Business: Blogging
Many business owners struggle with the very notion of how to market a small business. While the task seems overwhelming, there are many simple tasks that, when added to a complete marketing campaign, can make a huge difference in a company’s presence both on- and off-line.
One such task is blogging. Yes, this seems like such a tedious task, but in reality it isn’t.
A blog is simply a “weblog” of thoughts and ideas that further communicate a company’s core values to its potential client base. It’s a dialogue that you, the business owner, can have with your target audience to convey the ways in which you can help.
Think about the things you’d like to offer to your potential clients. What topics would you like to address? Consider helpful information that you could provide.
Remember that this is not a sales pitch but rather an avenue of educating your target market with information that they truly need. This, in turn, will build rapport and establish you as an expert in your field. Ultimately you’ll have your clients seeking you out because of the information you offer in your blog.
When you consider how to market a small business and make the decision to include blogging as part of the marketing strategy, you must then decide whether this is something you want to take on for yourself or hire someone else to do.
There are marketing firms that will provide you with all your marketing needs, including setting up and maintaining your blog should you decide you don’t want to do it yourself.
Either way, blogging is a powerful component of how to market a small business. Consider making it part of your marketing plan!
Posted in Marketing | Tags: blog, blogging, internet marketing, marketing, online marketing, social media | No Comments »