Cost Effective Marketing Ideas

By Chris Twaites

Here are a few cost-effective ideas that will help you increase your sales, without exhausting your budget.

Focus on benefits not features

Focusing on how your prospects will benefit if they purchase your product or service. For example, if you're selling central air conditioning units, don't sell the power of the unit. Sell the benefit of comfort. Selling insurance? Don't sell the coverage amount. Sell the benefit of security.

Be persistent

Persistence is power when it comes to increasing your sales and profit. Far too many firms fail because they don't follow-up long enough to produce results. Most sales are made after the seventh or eighth contact – the sale is rarely made after just one contact.

Distribute informative literature

Make sure that you get your product benefits, features, and ideas into the hands of your prospects. If people don't know what you have, how can they make a decision to purchase it?

Target

If you're trying to target everybody, then chances are, you're not targeting anybody. For example, if you're selling something that homeowners would want, as opposed to renters, then target homeowners. State your target clearly in all of your marketing materials.

Network

Networking is a great way to get your message out to a large number of people, for free. Since each person knows about 250 other people, you can spread the word about your business pretty quickly. Go to your local Chamber of Commerce meetings. Shake hands at business functions and remember to give out your business cards.

Talk to your customers about them and their needs

Most company publications, ads, letters, and sales literature are filled with words, photographs, and information that does nothing more than toot the company's horn. Talk about your customer’s needs instead. Rather than using the words, "I," "me," "my," use "you" and "your."

Chris Twaites is the Marketing Manager at Track21 Graphix Inc., A Printing Company, Dashwood, Ontario. Phone (519) 237-3838 Email: info@track21graphix.com. www.Track21graphix.com

Published in Networking Today, November 2002