The Foxy Marketer Blog

The headline of this is a bit misleading really, because these aren’t just tips, ideas or suggestions to be considered, but absolute MUSTS. If you do not have at least the first 3 in place already, immediately launch a plan of action to do so.

1. Have a website

I was in a small business the other day and asked what their website was since I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere. The girl replied that they were thinking about getting one someday. WHAT!?! Everyone has a website nowadays, it is expected. There is simply no reason or excuse not to have one. They are not very costly at all and add volumes to your exposure. Much more on websites to come…

2. Get feedback

Have a survey or feedback system in place for your customers. You need to know what your customers think. Every national business has an online survey, 1-800 number and place on their website for feedback. This is overkill for a small business. It can be as simple as a form by the register, or a follow-up call or email.

3. Have a newsletter

Whether quarterly, monthly or weekly, have a newsletter that you either snail-mail or email to your customers. Announce new products, upcoming events, anything special that your loyal customers need to know. This can be simple or extravagant, depending on your time and budget.

4. Belong to a networking group

Every town has a chamber of commerce or other professional business organization, and http://www.meetup.com is a goldmine of groups looking to network for breakfast, drinks, weekend networking, card-exchanges, you name it.

5. Have business cards

The days of swapping cards have not yet come to an end, so having your details on a card ready to hand out is vital. Don’t spend a fortune or even a dime if you don’t want to. Visit http://www.vistaprint.com for free business cards. You can have an offer printed on it and hand them out to people you’re in line with at the post office or wherever you are to make natural connections.

6. Know your competition

Make it a point to see what your competitors are doing. What’s new, what’s great, how do their products and services compare to yours? Do you know their prices, how they market? This makes you even more confident and knowledgeable.

7. Have a mission statement

What’s your vision? Why are you doing the things you’re doing? Having a clear purpose, concisely written in front of you will do wonders for clarity. Take the time to do this. It can be just a sentence, no more than a paragraph. 

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Small Business Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.