Small business marketing categories «Aim It Media

Smart Marketing via Time Tested Tips

Sunday, 23rd of May 2010

All entrepreneurs and small business owners have to learn this marketing mantra: “Everything is Marketing and Marketing is Everything.”

Marketing can be summed up as the art of figuring out the best combination of graphics, headlines, offers and delivery methods to get the highest response rates. A marketing plan must be part of every business’ operational foundations, but it is often overlooked by small businesses.

Whether you’re just starting a new business venture or you’ve been established for a while and just need to increase sales, you’ll find this list of marketing tips an indispensable value.

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Build a Better Business Card

AimItMedia

Sunday, 16th of May 2010

Did you know that the business card was first used in China in the 15th century and then later in Europe in the 17th century? Back then it was originally called a “calling card” or “visiting card” and had all sorts of etiquette surrounding the proper use and presentation of it.

Business cards have come a long way since their early inception. They serve as an extension of you and your business and need to immediately make a statement to that effect. They need to tell a story or create the opportunity for a conversation to happen. They need to contain the answers to the basic questions of who, why, where, when and what.

Think of your business card as a miniature billboard along a busy highway. It has the potential to have a multitude of viewers, but usually only for a few brief seconds, so it must compel those viewers to look closer and learn more.

Here’s a little list of ideas to stimulate your creative juices so you can be unique when you build a better business card. Don’t miss the BONUS IDEA at the end of this article.

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Holistic Marketing with 6 Key Components

AimItMedia

Sunday, 9th of May 2010

Wondering what I mean by “holistic” marketing?

Holistic = relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into disparate parts.

The most important component of ALL of your marketing is the definition and targeting of your “ideal customer” … this is the Holy Grail of marketing rules and therefore doesn’t need to be listed as a component itself. Your ideal customer is now, and always will be, your #1 commandment of every marketing effort you’ll ever conduct.

Whether you’re just starting a new business or trying to grow your existing one, use these other key components to create a holistic marketing plan to help your business survive and thrive in the years to come.

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Multi-location promotion -Scavenger Hunt

AimItMedia

Wednesday, 24th of March 2010

Does your company have multiple locations, or are you part of a bigger franchise?

I recently had a client with multiple coffee-cart locations needing an inexpensive marketing promotion to get her customers to visit those other locations.

We were looking into custom printed paper coffee cups (or cup sleeves) with scratch-off or pull-off pieces for an “instant win” effect. As you can imagine, this type of promotion is cost-prohibitive and didn’t fit into her marketing budget.

My creative solution was to develop a Scavenger Hunt game using branded printed cards, where a customer has to visit each location, purchase a drink, and find the scavenger item. Here’s a break-down of how we created our game:

1. Decide upon the dates, duration, and rules for running your game. For this client, we chose to run the game during the month of August, starting on the 1st and running through to the end of the month. This worked well for this client because most of her customers are daily visitors and all of her locations are within driving distance of each other.

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