I had an experience the other day that has made me think about how too many customer service experiences unfold in the business world today, and about the difference that really good service can make.I have two dogs. Earlier this week, it was time for them to get their summer haircuts so that they will be able to comfortably cope with the Houston heat.The newest addition to the house is Jason, a miniature schnauzer who had been the prized pet of...more
The written word is king of the marketing hill these days. Between the intangible nature of services and the intangible marketing challenge known as the Internet, having content that increases interest and drives sales is a service firm imperative.When selling services, content is your "free sample," the equivalent of the people in supermarkets giving out little cups of various kinds of food products for you to try before you buy. OK, well, maybe...more
Internet marketing is a new place with the same old purpose. When I first learned about Internet marketing, it felt as if I had been there, done that. I reached back in time to find how Internet marketing today was something I already did, years ago. I was a nerdy kid who was more interested in commerce than dolls. I persuaded my dad to help me setup a lemonade stand on the lawn in front of our one-story home. I mixed up a batch of fresh squeezed lemonade, grabbed my mother's favorite milk glasses, and hung up a cardboard sign with the words, "Lemonade 10¢." I greeted my first customer within the hour. It was fun stuffing all those 'In God We Trust" dollar bills into an old cigar box. Today, dollar bills fly across space and deposit themselves into my bank account. That's different! But commerce is still the exciting challenge that left my dolls unattended on the shelf. The Internet has opened up endless possibilities for commerce. And just like the sign I hung up years ago, we still put signs out to attract buyers. It's not so different.You meet people, show them your wares, let them know why your lemonade tastes better than anyone else's and after they buy a glass and take a...more
Do you know who your target audience is? If you don't know, you are not maximizing your advertising and/or marketing efforts.A marketing strategy blends the elements of the marketing mix, also known as the four P's (product, price, placement, promotion). The promotion element involves communication, and one type of communication is advertising. ...more
When faced with diminishing sales or a shift in profitability, sometimes a company will seek opportunities to expand sales by using different marketing methods. These time-tested marketing principles are used by businesses to seek out new opportunities to satisfy the needs of the consumer.There are 4 ways to increase sales and expand revenue for...more
If you make your living by selling hand-made crafts, you've undoubtedly spent many hours at local and regional craft shows. As you already know, finding the right shows, getting accepted, and creating the display takes a great deal of creativity and time, but a good show makes the trouble well worth the effort.Another possible way to sell your crafts, through gift shows, is often overlooked by people who sell hand-crafted products, even though these shows can be quite profitable. Trade shows are attended by shop owners on the lookout for new and innovative gift items to add to their inventory, and a good show in a large market can bring in enough orders to keep you busy for weeks. Of course, items ordered at the show will be sold at wholesale prices, and the shop owners will expect delivery of the items in a reasonable amount of time.When I sold my collectors' dolls through gift shows, the high volume of orders actually became a problem for me, because it was difficult to keep up with the production on my own. If I were still selling the dolls, I would 'fix' this problem simply by increasing the price enough to slow down the number of orders, without (hopefully), bringing the...more
The internet is growing daily with folk who are looking for ways to earn a comfortable living from their home base. However, the sad truth is many online business owners never make a profit online! Sadly, even in today's online market, many business...more
Part 1 This article is written from my own experiences, on the many problems facing South African based internet marketers. As a South African, myself, I have been trying to establish myself in internet marketing, for the last three years, but have...more
There are many ways businesses can use Mini-CD's to promote themselves. Here are a few facts about themand how you can use them to your advantage.Flexibility of shape and size. Most Mini-CD's are 80 millimetres wide, with approximately 180 MB of...more
"Top-down" marketing was dying a slow, unattractive death, even before the Web took over the world. The advertising dollars, creativity, number of repetitions needed for retention, and everything else needed to launch, maintain, and build a brand...more
Internet Marketing Basics Almost all of the articles on Internet marketing lacks coverage on all the basics and all the avenues of Internet marketing because there is just too much information to cover in a few words. Here I am going for an attempt...more
"Think Different"Remember that ad campaign from Apple? I believe it was the first after Jobs came back.At the risk of seeming about three years behind Steve Jobs, which, come to think about it, isn't a terrible thing, thinking differently about what...more