creative marketing tips whitepaper
TRANSCRIPT
CREATIVE MARKETING TIPSFOR SMALL BUSINESSES
[email protected]/prservicesuk 0207 737 3128
PR Service UK
Friday, 25 May 12
Creative Marketing Tips For All Businesses...Creative marketing tips include the exploration of venues that can be carved to conform to any number of products and services if business owners are savvy enough to approach them with enthusiasm and expertise. Some of these illuminating tips for small businesses may be slightly unconventional, but that's what the "creative" component is all about.
Free creative marketing tips
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Marketing Tip 1:Investigate Co-op FundingCertain manufacturers and companies offer co-op money to vendors in rebate form who meet certain advertising criteria. Sometimes co-op funds are available, but businesses may not be aware of their existence, so it's smart to pursue every possible opportunity to discover overlooked savings.
Successful Example of co-op funding
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Case Study: Co-op FundingA soletrader who owned a small outdoor furniture and accessory store wanted to find a way to offset TV advertising costs. The manufacturers of the furnishings he sold did not offer any form of co-op reimbursement, but he didn't give up. He eventually learned that the local supplier of natural gas would cover 30% of his television commercial airings if the company slogan and logo were displayed for a certain number of seconds. So he ended up advertising his gas-powered patio items on TV, which ultimately brought people into his store, and helped him ignite sales in a part of his business that had previously laid somewhat dormant.
Creative marketing tip 2
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Creative Tip 2: Create or Join a Marketing Association
Whether in a shopping centre, on the internet, or somewhere in between, consider joining or creating an association of like-minded entrepreneurs who share common marketing goals. This opens the door to prove the old saying that two heads are better than one because business owners who pool their talents, marketing funds and creative ideas gather momentum and power. Imagine four business owners gathered together. Maybe two are proficient in website development, one is a financial expert, and the other has a marketing degree. Now imagine the possibilities of such an alliance, then consider how to become involved in one of your own.
Creative marketing tip 3
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Creative Tip 3: Flaunt Your Expertise
Participate in as many school and university career days as possible. Dress sharply, and be entertaining and informative so that you will perpetuate a high level of professionalism. If you leave a deep enough impression, your students will tell their parents or peers. Word-of-mouth reputation-building is a priceless form of advertising that money can't really buy.
Creative marketing tip 4
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Creative Tip 4: Community OutreachJoin community-oriented associations to build networking opportunities, and participate in as many public forums, events and fundraisers as you can fit into your schedule. These goodwill-building efforts will pay off two-fold as they benefit your business as well as your community. You can also consider sponsoring a sports team, which means every kid on the team will be wearing a sports kit with your company's name. Every parent, sibling, grandparent, extended family member and friend who attends a game to watch little Suzy play will definitely know the name of your business by the time each game is over, and will most likely develop a positive sentiment toward your company because of your sponsorship.
Creative marketing tip 5
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Creative Tip 5: Blog Like CrazyBlogging allows you to promote your business expertise through informative or entertaining content and create referral traffic to your website- great for generating leads and SEO. Blog like crazy on your own website and also offer your articles to non-competing blogs with readers in your target audience. For example, if you own a salon then offer your articles to hair and beauty blogs in return for a byline and a bio with a link back to your website.You can also submit your articles to dedicated article sites like HubPages, Squidoo, Stumble Upon, Tumblr and Digg. You cannot use your business name on the article sites, but your personal byline featured on professional-looking "how-to" articles can offer an added element of credibility to your business. You can then refer customers, clients and prospects to check out your articles that might offer information they seek. Be sure to feature links to your written works on your company's website.
If you’re not a writer or don’t have time to write blog articles or market them- you can outsource this task to companies like PR Service UK for as little as £25/article.
Creative marketing tip 6
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Creative Tip 6: Social NetworksSocial networks are free and present outlets in which blogs and websites can be promoted. Social media marketing has multiple benefits- the more visibility your company grabs on the internet, the higher the chances of maximizing search engine optimization (SEO). Be sure to select the social networks that best suits your business- each of the main social networks have their benefits.
Best Social Networks For You
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Best Social Networks For You*Facebook: Great for sharing videos and images to mainly aged 18-24, and 35-44 demographics. Opportunity for virality and sharing popular content amongst friends.
*LinkedIn: Great for professional networking and careers opportunities. You can initiate group discussions to demonstrate industry experience and thought leadership. Demographics: people aged 25-54.
*Twitter: Great for distributing timely news, brand monitoring and prospecting customers. Demographics: people aged 18-29 and 31-49.
*Pinterest: Fast growing social network - community uses visual online pinboards to display images from the web. Great for visual brands i.e. design, food, interiors etc. Great virality through sharing within the community and Facebook and Twitter. Mainly women.
*Google Plus: Google’s newest social network and content shared here get an SEO advantage. Create “circles” to send different messgaes to different audiences. Demographics: 69% male in technology, marketing and academia.
Still Unsure? Research each social network or contact PR Service UK for a free social media marketing consultation [email protected] or call 0207 737 3128
Creative marketing tip 7
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Creative Tip 7: Write and Submit Press ReleasesPress releases can add an extra dimension to marketing efforts by generating media coverage. Your press release should consist of two or three paragraphs explaining your news, making sure you include the five Ws: who, what, where, when and why, with the most relevant Ws in the lead sentence. Make sure you include important contact details so that customers and the press can follow up with you. You’ll need to have a list of relevant media to send your press release to. Think about the purpose of your press release and your target audience when creating this list. Next you’ll need to submit the press release. If you have a media list, you can do this yourself. For maximum exposure you can use press release submission services (PR Service UK provides this service), who will send your release to hundreds of media outlets.
Final Thoughts
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ConclusionYou should use as many creative marketing methods as you can conjure up to let the public know about every aspect of your business. The information and ideas mentioned in this whitepaper represent the mere tip of the vast marketing iceburg.
Next Steps...
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Connect With [email protected]/prservicesuk twitter.com/ritaautauk.linkedin.com/in/ritaauta
Rita Auta is the founder of PR Service UK and has over 5 years experience working for some of London's top marketing agencies, managing large accounts like Barclays, Dove and Fox Entertainment. PR Service UK brings big company experience to small business marketing. PR Service UK helps small businesses find creative and affordable ways to increase their marketing reach. Core services include social media marketing, content writing, SEO and PR.
If you would like to discuss creative affordable ways of marketing your business contact Rita Auta at [email protected] or 0207 737 3128. You can also reach her on the details below.
About The Author
Friday, 25 May 12