Marketing new year's resolutions

Here are 10 highly effective marketing tips to help any business find customers and generate sales quickly. Adopt these as your New Year resolutions to improve your chances of marketing success.

Resolution 1: Reactivate lapsed customers. Find out who has stopped buying from you and contact them to find out why and what you have to do to regain their business.

Resolution 2: Review all your marketing material and messages. Make sure all your messages are written from the customers’ point of view. Marketing is all about targeting the right people, creating the right message, selecting the right methods to reach your prospects and customers contacting people at the right time and getting the right response. Ensure you highlight your points of difference. Make sure you include your promise. What will be the result of using your product or service?

Resolution 3: Make a mailing list of everyone from whom you would like to win business. Include past customers, present customers, prospects and referral sources, past, present and prospective. Mail to this list at least every 2 months.

Resolution 4: Every month, find reasons to stay in touch with everyone on your mailing list. You might send a newsletter. Ask people on your list to pass it on to someone else they know who may be interested. Remind people on your list that you accept new clients and referrals.

Resolution 5: Collect testimonials from clients and referral sources. Testimonials build credibility. Use relevant testimonials and case studies in your marketing material and do not forget to send them to customers, past customers and the press.

Resolution 6: Build urgency into your marketing message so prospects act now, "let me think about it", means no. Use stories as case studies to show the benefits of acting and the risks of not acting. Use phrases like, "write now", "respond by", "only 50 samples available".

Resolution 7: Call to action. Make sure all your marketing material and business communication includes a call to action. Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. Readers will not act if they do not know what to do.

Resolution 8: Market to referral sources. The more your referral sources know about you the more they can help you. Keep them informed through your newsletter, articles that appear in the press about you, thank you letters. Make a list of all your services and then send with a covering letter saying you welcome new customers and you would be grateful for referrals and mail to everyone on your mailing list.

Resolution 9: Measure everything. You need to know how customers heard about your services, the results of your mail shot the results of your advertising. How many enquiries do you get how many orders etc? Keep records and compare different activities. Do more of the ones that produce results and drop ones that do not work.

Resolution 10: Know your competition. Make sure you know as much as possible about your competitors. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are your points of difference? Why do you win business against them? Which of your customers are being courted by your competitors and how will you respond?

How does GAP help its clients?

My clients gain clear competitive advantages by combining their know-how with my methods, knowledge and experience. I focus on improving the performance of their sales and marketing plans. I keep marketing real, practical and cost effective.

Need personal help?

I will help you answer the question "what do I need to do to give customers what they want?" My marketing diagnostic can review and revitalise your marketing, suggest new ways and recommend changes. Give me a call on 01226 290288 or email gareth@gapmanagement.co.uk
Whether you need a lot of help or a little please call me. Tell me what you want to achieve and over what period of time. I will explain the most cost effective and efficient ways to achieve your goals.