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Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Advertising
Every business and professional
practice MUST be in the public eye. You need customers! Folks need your goods
and services -- it's a mutual alliance for mutual benefit! But if potential
clients and customers don't know you exist, or can't find you, you will go
bankrupt! They won't benefit from your services, and you won't make any money.
So, marketing is a necessity. Advertising is one form of marketing, but it's
terribly expensive. Here are the Top 10 alternatives:
1. Contact 5 past customers or referral sources to thank them for their business
and ask them to evaluate the quality of your service. Let them know they are the
most important part of your research and development program. Listen to their
suggestions!
2. Re-do your business cards, brochures or letterhead. Up-date your slogans, be
certain your use of colors, textures and headlines is appropriate and represents
precisely the image you want to convey. Hire a graphic designer. Don’t skimp on
your first impression!
3. Announce a new program, new products, new hours, new personnel or new
policies. So long as it is real and improves the quality and level of your
service, this is news that customers, clients and the media will want to know
about.
4. Attend and participate in networking opportunities. From business open-houses
to neighborhood picnics, to greeting people you’ve done business with when you
see them around town, always look for ways to remind people of who you are and
the services and benefits you provide.
5. Cooperate with other organizations to achieve name and brand recognition you
couldn’t achieve on your own. Sponsor a local softball team, join with a radio
station to sponsor a contest, or participate in a charity golf tournament.
Partnerships can bring huge rewards!
6. Offer a seminar, class or workshop. Local news media will often cover an
interesting topic, and it’s a great way to make people aware of your services.
Charge little or no admission, have great handouts and materials, and get a
crowd together.
7. Use direct mail. Typically, we think of this as "junk mail" going to
thousands of people, but more often it’s a matter of using your word processor
to write a personal letter to 200 past customers, colleagues, or even
competitors. Make it interesting, personal, and remind them of your special
niche or unique services. Include a coupon or certificate. Make sure your direct
mail is not "junk"!
8. Form an alliance with your suppliers, colleagues or (even) your competitors
to offer a "combo" package that neither of you could offer alone and share the
marketing expenses. Attorneys and accountants can offer compelling packages. A
massage therapist might pair with a Chiropractor, a gym, or a weight-loss
program. Who can you team up with?
9. Review everything a potential customer sees or hears when they do business
with you. How do you answer your phone? Do your signs needs re-painting, is your
lobby attractive and comfortable? Is your desk a mess? Do you take pride in your
appearance and take time to make clients comfortable? It’s all in the details!
10. Re-submit your web page to at least 5 search engines this week. Each search
engine has it’s own rules and you don’t want to flood them, but it is wise to
up-date your listing at least every few months. (And, if you aren’t on the web,
well, that’s tip #11)
"Written by Dr
Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr.
Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and
resources for your success, including a great newsletter.
It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com"
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