Four Ways to Start Marketing Your Product or Service with No Money

You have a great product and your services are in demand. You need to let people know that you have something they could use. Cashflow is always an issue for new entrepreneurs and business owners. Even if your business plan was successful and you were able to secure funds for your organization, you have to maximize every penny.

Marketing your product and services can be tricky but your passion and belief in it is the very first ingredient to success in this area. Without a passion that may sometimes annoy people, you will quickly be discouraged by people's lack of enthusiasm and give up. Giving up is not an option. I repeat, giving up is not an option. So here is what you do:

An Online and Offline Content Marketing Mix

To be truly successful in the marketing of your product and services, a proper mix between online and offline marketing vehicles is what small businesses need to achieve their goals. While many more people use the internet to do research before purchases, and learn more about vendors, services, and products, word of mouth advertising still reigns as the most tried and tested method for success. 

The first step to creating a proper mix of online and offline marketing efforts involve creating a realistic budget for the entire marketing department. Which funds will be allocated to marketing and PR? Blurred lines between what is considered marketing and public relations allows companies to execute strategies that market services and relate directly to consumers. What percentage of the budget can be dedicated to each strategy?

Offline Strategy

Every marketing vehicle used to reach customers offline or away from the internet is considered offline marketing. This can be network marketing, advertisements, newspapers ads, billboards, radio, television, posters, direct mail, postcards, or any other medium used to notify customers of  products, services or specials.

For local products and services, placing ads in magazines or newspapers that target your market within your city or niche can produce great results. Check out any marketing data associated with the periodical, including the geographic territory for readers and how often it is distributed. Smaller newspapers that only service a small section of a city or a specific population may have more competitive prices and longer run times than larger newspapers. 

Companies with complementary products or services may also be willing to give you window space for a flyer or counter space for cards. You will never know unless you ask, and the worse thing anyone can say is no. Attending community events is also essential to put a face behind your product or service. People are more likely to refer new clients when they feel they know you better and can vouch for your professionalism and quality of work. 

Introductory offers and limited free services can also build credibility, a client base for future services, and allow customers to "try before they buy."

Online Strategy

Marketing online gives small businesses access to customers beyond their local area through blogging, online ads like Google Adwords, social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Triberr, etc) and classified ad services like craigslist, Thumbtack.com, or ebayclassifieds.com. Be prepared to invest time, money, or both for an online marketing campaign. Landing pages, ebooks, and article marketing are also highly effective for internet marketing. 

Some business owners will immerse themselves in every vehicle available online, not realizing that every medium is not beneficial for them. For instance, travel agents can use sites like TripAdvisor to get ideas, see about placing ads, and engaging prospective clients. Business to business services might benefit more through forum marketing and answering questions and commenting on other business owners blogs. 

Regardless of the online approach, it is important to do research prior to committing funds. Consult with knowledgeable colleagues about their experiences and get feedback. Read reviews and any books that offer facts and projections about your industry and applying internet marketing for maximum results. Content  marketing like newsletters and updating clients via email help businesses stay in touch with clients, solicit information about what they need, and how services can be improved. 

Do you have any tips for business owners and the effectiveness, success, or failure about your online or offline marketing efforts?

Listen. Engage. Write. Repeat.

ChrissyBiz Solutions provides clients with customized, results-driven internet marketing strategies. Our primary business writing duties include: article marketing,  search engine optimized web copy, blog management, social media, press releases, and newsletters, designed to drive traffic to your website and influence buyers’ decisions when purchasing products and services.

Contact ChrissyBiz for a complimentary consultation today to discuss the impact that web marketing copy can have on your business.

Help in Writing a Complete and Successful Business Plan

The explosion of small businesses in the past decade is characteristic of free market driven, democratic republic societies like the United States of America; but also a direct result of the internet. Privately held corporations and sole proprietors have endless earning potential if they can execute the right ideas and products such that they meet a need for their consumers. Writing a good business plan takes time, diligence, research, multiple edits, constructive critique, and of course a good business idea. And while many companies offer software or other general templates to complete a business plan fast, the care taken to compile your business plan will help you in running your business overall. Imagine your business plan as several plans compiled into one whole blueprint for how your business will be formed, financed, operated, grow, and ultimately dismantle (in case of failure). It will definitely help in identifying risks, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and other hindrances to success. Knowing about these issues beforehand will undoubtedly guide you towards more effective decision making as well.

View your business plan as 'ironing out the kinks' before they cause a problem. 

Every business plan consists of: 

• Executive Summary - What is the business? Describe your entire plan within a two pages or less

• Marketing - How will you get people interested or spread the news about your business? How much does it cost? Who is your target market? What appeals to their needs? How do they go about solving their problems? How can you position yourself in a place to grow? What Marketing Mix should you employ for maximum ROI?

• Operations & (Technology Part II)- How will your business be ran when you are there, when you are not? Workflow, management, processes .. How many staff? Working hours? 

• Financials - Are you compliant with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles of your industry? What is an Income sheet, P & L statement? How soon will you be able to pay back a small business loan? Which method best projects your earnings within the next year, two, or 5? How will you maintain your petty cash? Payroll, taxes, net income

More details are required, of course. Appendices might show marketing surveys used to pick the proper marketing mix, or other data relevant to your financial projections. Many more posts will go into greater detail for each component, beginning with the Executive Summary and why it must be written last or how to choose the best financial model to project first year sales or gross income.

Besides the fact that you must have a business plan to get funding for your business, what are some other benefits YOU receive from a complete and successful business plan? It is difficult to embark on such a time consuming task not knowing whether you will gain anything in the process (like funding), but here are some benefits you receive from a business plan:

• Shows diligence and necessary preparation
• Allows you to address potential problems beforehand (SWOT Analysis)
• Gives you significant knowledge in how to actually run your business
• Gets you acquainted with your target market and their needs; how do you meet them?
• Exposes possible competitors and provokes you to brainstorm ways to overcome, grow, and focus on ways to make your business better
• Details every facet of your business -- even things you never thought of

Your ability to attract customers, investors, and grow will begin with the business idea foremost. But execution is what has helped or hindered many business women and men, not the idea. Proper execution requires diligence and preparation, hence the need for the business plan. 

Do not become overwhelmed at the amount of information needed to make your business plan a success. You can contact a professional to compile it, of course, but YOU must be well versed in it to exude confidence when you present it. You must be able to answer hard questions about YOUR business. Faith that it will succeed alone is not enough. 

I will post up-to-date and relevant materials needed to write a complete and successful business plan! Topics such as your competition, an adequate and plausible exit strategy, human resources issues, and much more are coming soon!

ChrissyBiz Solutions provides clients with customized, results-driven web marketing strategies. Our primary business writing duties include: article marketing,  search engine optimized web copy, blog content, social media, press releases, and newsletters  designed to drive traffic to your website and influence buyers decisions when purchasing products and services.

Contact ChrissyBiz today to discuss the impact that web marketing copy can have on your business.