Duct Tape Marketing

It was not so long ago when I was watching my nephews eagerly upload their MySpace pictures and create their profiles. All the rave with teenagers and music bands, MySpace has become so much more!

It is now the mecca of small business owners and networkers the world over!

MySpace, like Ryze.com and others,allows you to create a profile, share some pictures and add a bit about your interests. You can even post to your own blog and upload music for "your sound" when people click on your home page.

Now I know some of you are already shaking your head "no" because you've heard some of the negative publicity surrounding MySpace, or you think it's just for fun.

I would counter with the simple, yet sad, truth that you can meet unsavory characters anywhere and, with a few precautions, the benefits far outweigh the risks!

Here's just a few of the ways you can use MySpace for your business:

1. Networking.

Once you set up a home page and profile (it took me THREE minutes!), you can start meeting "friends" and inviting them to join your network. You will soon notice that others will also invite you to join their networks as well.

MySpace will put a notice on your private page letting you know that someone wants to be your friend -- YOU then have the power to accept or deny them based on their profile. The more friends you have, the larger your network. You can also choose to keep your network small and focused only on those people who fit in your target audience.

2. Share a little more.

While you want to remain professional and not share things you wouldn't share in a face-to-face networking environment, your MySpace page gives you the ability to share a little more about yourself than you would on your standard website home page.

I, for example, put up some photos of our "children" (dogs and cats) as well as pictures from recent trips -- not things you will see on my usual site.

3. Cross-pollination for increased traffic.

You can increase your website traffic by referring readers of your MySpace to your website and vice versa. You can also post your standard blog posts onto your MySpace blog -- it takes about 30 seconds and will further help to drive traffic.

4. Sell your stuff.

Do you have an e-book, regular book or other item to sell? If so, you can include them on your MySpace home page and capture some sales that you otherwise may have missed.

5. Send an announcement.

MySpace lets you send announcements to your friends -- the announcements appear in their private inboxes.

Are you offering a new teleclass? Selling a new product? Hosting a workshop? Send an announcement and let your friends know!

It's quick and painless to set up an account. You don't need anything fancy and can add to it anytime you wish. This is a great task for your virtual assistant! Don't have one? Don't despair -- any kid on the block will be happy to do it for you! :-)

While you may not have a thousand friends or make a million dollars overnight, MySpace is yet another great (and free!) way you can market yourself AND your business.

Are you ready to take the next step in no cost marketing?

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

Do you need to get more clients? Are you trying to get your first client? Is your marketing budget equivalent to the cost of a Happy Meal?

The following tips and techniques are not hidden secrets by any means, but they are some of the most overlooked ways to market a small business today.

1. Know your target audience.

As silly as it sounds, many small business owners kick off a marketing campaign without regard to whom they want to target. If you send out a coupon for NASCAR tickets to the first 1,000 people in the phone book, some will undoubtedly be thrilled and will do what’s necessary to earn the tickets (akin to dropping 1,000 mailers from an airplane -- some will hit the target).

But just imagine the response rate if you sent out the same 1,000 NASCAR ticket coupons to only those people who attended a NASCAR event in the last year.

You’ve gone from wildly shooting to steadily aiming your campaign, thus increasing your response rate and decreasing your cost per customer.

2. Publish an e-zine (or newsletter).

Publishing an e-zine or print newsletter (even as short as a page) is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and clients. You can produce one online using a program such as Constant Contact for little to no money and can even set your e-zines up in advance using easy-to-understand templates.

3. Have a website and keep it updated.

All businesses, no matter your size or field, need a website these days. You can get a domain name for as little as $2.95/year and, using templates, have a basic design done in a few hours. Or, you can use free software such as Wordpress to set up your site.

Once your customers, clients, and potential customers and clients have visited your website, they will find fresh, quality content in the form of new e-zines, articles, blog posts and tips. This will keep them, and the search engine spiders, coming back for more.

4. Opportunity is calling.

While not usually viewed as a marketing technique, answering the phone and following up is critical in this day and age of limited valuable time and impersonal service.

Have you ever called someone only to not get a call-back or sent an email and waited days for a response?

More clients and prospects become lost revenue these days due to inadequate, or non-existent follow-up. If you receive a phone call from a prospective client or from an existing client, call him back as soon as possible or, better yet, immediately!

5. Get involved online.

Find out where your target audience hangs out and participate in those online discussion groups and forums. Yahoo Groups is a great place to find a wide variety of discussion groups. Several business owners also belong to Ryze -- an online networking forum. By consistently offering your help to others, you will position yourself as an expert while letting others get to know you.

6. Get involved offline.

Getting involved with local organizations can help to build your reputation as a “doer”, a “go getter” or just a really dependable individual (all things which will help your business). Just remember that you are representing your business in everything you do and act accordingly.

7. Word of Mouth/Referrals.

We’ve all heard the saying that a happy customer tells somewhere between 1 and 3 people about her experience while an unhappy customer tells up to 12 people about hers. Keep your customers happy, ask for feedback as to what you could do better, and once you know they’re happy, ask for a referral. People generally are willing to help those they like.

8. Use postcards.

Whether you are an online-only business, a brick & mortar establishment or a hybrid, you can effectively use postcards to market your business. Postcards are easy to do, inexpensive to mail and have a high readership. Many people associate postcards with personal notes from friends and family and don’t even think before they turn it over to read the message. With this method, you have already gotten into the hands of many people that wouldn't take the time to open what they perceive as junk mail.

9. Have others do it for you or with you.

Never underestimate the power of cooperation and reciprocal agreements. Is there a vendor that has a related, but not directly competitive, target audience to yours? If so, form a strategic alliance where you recommend his products/services and he recommends yours. For example, a movie theater and a restaurant could share customer information and play off each other for promotions.

While many of the above tips and techniques may elicit the “DUH” response, it’s constantly surprising to me how many businesses – small and large – overlook these basic items in their day-to-day marketing and operations.

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

It's the question you are asked most often, but how much thought have you ever given your answer?  Learn a powerful re-frain to create more clarity and strengthen your business results.