Trish Beach Marketing

Don’t ASSUME People understand what you do

Trish Beach — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:11:54 +0000

This past week at a networking event, we discussed how people assume everyone knows the lingo that is used to describe our business. Here’s a video that shows that even some common words that many of us “assume” others understand what they are, can leave others confused.

Have you ever left a brief interaction with someone and realize they walked away with a puzzled look after you told them what you do? Next time use words that are generic and a that 5th grader could understand.

Not sure how to do that? Consider asking a friend if you can borrow their 5th grader for research purposes. Ask Johnny, “Do you understand what my business about?” “Do you know what I sell, do?” “If you were my customer, would you buy what I have? Why or why not?”

This 5th grader’s answers to these questions will be very insightful for you. They’ll give you a sense if you told your story clearly, particularly what your business is all about, and tell you if you were clear in your call to action. These parts are some of the most vital in your first impression of a 60 second introduction.

Social Bookmarking

Trish Beach — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:28:11 +0000

Since Social Bookmarking is a great way to help increase the popularity of your website, linking to them helps increase awareness and higher google positions. Doesn’t it make sense that the more places your link is in, the better chance it will be noticed? Check these out for starters:

StumbleUpon.com
Delicious.com
Digg.com
myweb.Yahoo.com
Simpy.com
Biznik.com
Faves.com
Twitter.com
Bloglines.com
Myspace.com
Google.com
Blinklist.com
Librarything.com
Mister-wong.com
Wikio.com
Tumblr.com
Multiply.com
Citeulike.com
Tigblog.org
Folkd.com
Mystuff.ask.com
Claimid.com
Gather.com
Esnips.com
Twine.com
Thisnext.com
Wink.com
Plazoo.com
Blogblogs.com
Cocomment.com
Flashbookmarks.com
Alltagz.com
Kaboodle.com
Mylinkvault.com
Searchles.com
Link2mark.com
Spotback.com
Startaid.com
Thethingsiwant.com
Web2list.com
Riffs.com
Sitejot.com
Bookmax.net
Gaia.com

STARS Symposium Series

Trish Beach — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:22:09 +0000

Trish Beach Marketing is in the process of creating STARS Symposium Series. STARS stands for Strategic Training Action Relationship and Success. These valuable workshops are created with the Small Business owner in mind to build on the foundation of “We’re in business for ourselves, not by ourselves.” I will be bringing together awesome professionals to teach us aspects of our business for growth and success. Such categories as –

Networking Basics
Organization
Social Media
Leadership
Business Law
Marketing
Finances
etc.

Stay tuned for more details.

Holiday Marketing Ideas

Trish Beach — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:02:25 +0000

Whether your business depends on the holiday season for a substantial part of your annual revenues or you find it to be a slow time of year, it’s never more critical than now to remain engaged and connected with your prospect and customer base. And that means embracing the holiday season as part of your marketing strategy.

Sending holiday greetings are important, however, try other online and offline marketing tactics to ensure you remain relevant and top of mind throughout the season and into the new year.

Here are some ideas to put in your holiday toolkit.

You don’t have to break the bank for effective Promotions, Incentives and Giveaways

Promotions and incentives needn’t be restricted to brick & mortar stores. There is season-appropriate discount, bundle, or giveaway that you can offer your customers, no matter what your industry.

Create a compelling reason for them to act now by thinking about the season and what you can do to help your customers get through the stress and expense of the holidays. For example rather than simply discounting your services, offer a packaged offering: “Buy X service now and we’ll provide Y for free in the new year.”

We’re the society of instant gratification and giveaways are always popular. However, they needn’t be expensive. Even something as simple as providing holiday cookies or apple cider when they visit can make you stand out.

Get your Web Site Ready for the Holidays

If you have an online presence, there’s some simple and inexpensive ideas for prepping your site for the season.

Ever watch what Google does to their logo during different seasons? Decorating your logo doesn’t cost much and can be reused each year. It’s simple yet often overlooked, adds a human touch to your operations and makes online shopping that much warmer.

Consider customizing your Twitter page and Facebook logo for the holidays too.

Be Festive in your Email use

While some feel email is overused, you can’t argue that it is an inexpensive option for connecting with your customers. Just remember the rules of “Permission Marketing” and only use it to communicate with those who have asked to receive email from you, those you have already made a connection with or who have expressed an interest in your business or services.

First and foremost, Be festive in your design! It IS the holidays after all! Keep the e-mail short, sweet and with direct links to your promotional offers rather than the home page. You want to make the process as easy as possible for your customers. And be sure to check that all of your online merchant tools are working properly. There is no surer way to lose a customer than broken links.

Clearly state the intent of the email in the subject line – For example, “To thank You for your business in 2009, here’s a Special Offer just for you”.

Segment your customers. Most email list management programs have a variety of tools that can help you make sure your readers only get messages that are relevant to them. Contact me to learn about who I recommend.

Charity Goes a Long way

Pick a favorite local charity, and make it known that every purchase made at your business benefits that charity. It can be a simple percentage of holiday purchase profits, or even a flat donation for every shopper. Have a beautifully decorated container for patrons to donate additional funds for when they feel extra charitable. Contact me for a list of charities I recommend.

New Vendor Partners

Trish Beach — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:54:51 +0000

I’ve always loved meeting new people but put that with new business owners and I’m giddy. I’m proud to be associated with local companies that not only meet my needs as a Marketing Consultant, but ones I am proud to refer on to others.

I am getting new calls and emails from businesses across the United States saying “We’d love to be on your Vendor Partner page.” I want to respond, “Oh I’m sure you would? Who the heck are you? Have we met for coffee? Are you local? Do we have each other cell phone numbers in case there is ever a problem with someone I referred to you?” And the list goes on.

Relationship Marketing can be defined as “Marketing with the conscious aim to develop and manage long-term and/or trusting relationships rather than the individual transtion with customers, distributors, suppliers, or other parties in order to increase and improve overall profitability and success.” I will add it’s knowing I can count on that business owner to do the best they can to make that referral happy and vice versa.

Does Marketing leave you feeling Puzzled?

Trish Beach — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:18:20 +0000

Marketing can be defined in as many ways as there are businesses. Everyone defines it differently, and there are so many moving parts–it’s nearly impossible to know every solution or possibility. And after you get the answers, how do you turn them into results? Trish Beach Marketing can help you define your strategy by making sense of the puzzle with the proper tools to execute. In marketing, there’s no “one-size-fits-all.” What works for one doesn’t always work for another.

Strategic Planning

Trish Beach — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:05:51 +0000

Every company needs a marketing plan. Whether you’re a start-up, part of a MLM, or been in business for several years, there’s no time like the present to talk to a Strategic Marketing Consultant. Creating a marketin plan is your road map to optimal profits, sales, competitive advantage, and success in business management. Trish Beach Marketing knows how to put a workable plan together dedicated to your success.

Does your desk look like this?

Trish Beach — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:04:02 +0000

How many times have you said “One day I really need to get organized.” Purging files, choosing computer software, evaluating systems, updating your database with all those business cards you’ve collected from the networking groups you attended throughout the entire year, or tackling the unread emals & newsfeeds frequently gets pushed to the bottom of your list of priorities while you put out today’s fire.

Who is your target market?

Trish Beach — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:02:48 +0000

Today’s business owners must know WHO their target is. It isn’t enough to know how to gain new customers. Acquiring new customers costs nearly three times as much as retaining existing ones. Several factors impact customer loyalty and value. However, simply acquiring more customers would not address the core issues of keeping your customers loyalty.

SWOT Analysis

Trish Beach — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:45 +0000

SWOT Analysis is a difficult technique to grasp – you need help to get your head around this method. The biggest advantages of having a Marketing Consultant help you with your SWOT analysis is that together you can generate new ideas as to how you can use a particular strength to defend against threats in the market. By being aware of the potential threats, it can have responses and plans ready to counteract them when they happen.