Archive for the ‘Website promotion’ Category
My good friend Michelle Salater has just launched her new company, Sūmèr, LLC. This woman is an incredibly gifted writer and marketer…and I’ll let her tell you about her company herself.
This is from Sūmèr’s website at www.writtenbysumer.com:
“Sūmèr, LLC, specializes in web copy writing, SEO copywriting, and the promotion and marketing of websites after they launch.
Professionally written, optimized copy produces results. When your message is clear, you attract targeted customers, have higher conversions, and rank high in the search engines.
Sūmèr stands for more than effective marketing web copy. Our promotion and marketing services maximize your online exposure, increase sales, and generate a higher return on investment.”
Check Sūmèr out and tell them Grab More Customers sent you.
Let’s be honest. Most businesses, especially offline businesses, don’t treat their current customers like the gold they are.
Once customers buy, there they sit – largely forgotten. Oh, they might get a sales flyer now and then, but they’re not marketed to very effectively.
By and large, businesses are so busy chasing those shiny new customers that they let current customers fade away. Sometimes “old” customers drift into indifference (forgetting about you completely), or they’re miffed that you don’t check on them to see how they like your product.
After all, they spent good money on your product and are seeking a relationship with you — and you’re blowing it.
These customers would be your biggest cheerleaders if you’d just put forth a little effort to contact them. Instead, they aren’t impressed…and worse, they let others know it.
Don’t Make the Huge Mistake So Many Do
Is it easier to sell to someone who has already bought from you and knows the value of your product, or someone who doesn’t know you from Adam?
And is it cheaper to keep in touch with current customers or go after new ones?
You don’t have to do much to keep up with customers, especially if you have their email addresses. You can create a list and contact them whenever you want to. They want to hear from you, especially if you treat them like the preferred customer they are.
Keep Your Customers Close
If you haven’t yet done this, send them a letter offering some kind of freebie or bonus if they’ll just give you their email address. Let them know you’ll be contacting them regularly with tips and information.
Then do it. Build your list and contact them once a month or so. Give them some killer info to help them with their problems (I can help you with this if you can’t or don’t want to.) Make them feel appreciated with special deals or coupons. Get them in the door or to your website by offering something free. Heck, send them a card on their birthday, or send their spouse or child or dog a card.
Make it a Win-Win
If you find quality products others sell that you think they would like or use, you can offer them and make even more money from the same customers. I’m not saying you should cram their inboxes with sales pitches, but if you find something you know would benefit them, offer it.
A word of warning here: that product better be relevant and it better be good, or you’re not doing yourself any favors. Customers can smell hype and insincere pitches a mile away.
The name of the game is relationships. Establish a trusted relationship with your customers, and not only will they buy from you, they’ll send their Aunt Sally and the receptionist from work to buy from you too. When your competition tries to sell these folks, they’ll be loyal to you and turn them down.
If you need help getting started building relationships with your customers, let me know and I’ll be happy to see what I can do.
What do you do now to make your customers feel special?
Any ideas on how to improve on what you currently do?
Would you believe that the average 13-17-year old sends or receives 1,742 text messages every month? That’s 58 messages a day, every day. Nielsen Mobile, a division of the Nielsen Company, also shows that the typical cell phone user under the age of 45 sends and receives more text messages than calls. According to Nielsen, in the second quarter of 2008 the number of text messages was up 450% from 2006.
How would you like to take advantage of all this cell phone traffic to increase your business?
2du Media is a real-time promotion company with an innovative, inexpensive service for businesses to inform and market instantly to consumers on their cell phones.
Unlike other text message marketing services, 2du does not spam cell phone users. Everyone signing up with 2du Alerts sets up his or her own account with a profile that determines which businesses will be allowed to send text messages. Consumers can specify what they like to purchase and which companies they want to do business with. The technology 2du uses makes sure that all messages sent are consistent with the profile and within an hour’s drive of the cell phone user.
Companies use the 2du service to send coupons, specials, and up-to-date information such as show times for theaters and wait times for restaurants. This real-time promotion is targeted to those most likely to visit the business or use the service.
Businesses find 2du’s service especially beneficial because:
–It’s a cost-effective way to advertise.
–They can quickly and easily build relationships with current and prospective customers.
–Ads are sent in real-time and can be changed on the fly.
–They can test several different messages to get quick feedback on which messages are effective and can be used in other marketing.
–Businesses can form joint ventures and promote each other. By leveraging effort and advertising, they can drive traffic to all participating businesses.
Consumers like the 2du alerts because they get…
–Information delivered instantly in real time
–Control over the texts they get
–Messages that are relevant to them about things they want to buy and do–and
– No spam.
Check out 2du’s website and see what they can do for you and your customers.
What do you think about this new type of cell phone marketing and how could it help your business?
