Successful Promotion is a State of Mind

Every good marketing plan should have a section on ongoing promotion and publicity, which outlines ways of reaching your target market. These tools can do many of the same things paid advertising is supposed to do, at a fraction of the cost. With an on-going publicity strategy, you can enhance your image and bring in new business.

Your first step: examine your marketing plan. Does it outline a carefully selected target market and identify its needs? Does it list your products and services that will meet those needs? Your marketing plan should describe how you will make it easy for your potential customers to buy what you sell. And, it should describe how these people will learn that your business exists - i.e. your promotion.

Next, take a look at your business itself. Do you know who you are? Are you using your image as a consistent marketing tool? In a world of intense competition, credibility and trust are crucial. This stands true for corporations, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Establish a company message you believe in and repeat it over and over in your promotional materials.

Fortunately, consistent promotion is a state of mind - once you start promoting your message, you'll find opportunities everywhere you turn. By reinforcing your image and repeating publicity, you'll begin to see dividends accrue for your organization. As your company's stories appear in the media, your clients and prospects will perceive you as more credible. You are positioning yourself as the expert. As you send out materials such as newsletters and ezines, you build a relationship with people over time. They feel like you are a friend, not a pushy salesperson.

If you're not sure where to start or where to go next, a professional agency can help you refine your existing strategy and create marketing tools to meet your specific goals.

Here are some marketing tools to consider:

1. Newsletter: A newsletter can establish you as an authority. It makes a great direct mail piece that will give you ongoing contact with your customers and prospects. A dynamic and interesting newsletter can mean new business. Formatting tips: Provide a lot of useful information in easy-to-read paragraphs. Use short words. Make sentences brief. Illustrate your ideas with cartoons, photos, and graphics.

2. Brochures: Brochures can convey extensive information about your business. The best brochures include graphic images - use photos, graphs, illustrations, and diagrams. But, make sure you also include written copy about your organization and the services that you offer. Offer your brochures to current customers to pass along. Hand them out at events and trade shows.

3. Press releases: Make sure your press releases are well written and news worthy. Your release should reinforce and build upon your business identity. If you are submitting it to a newspaper, include an appealing photograph. Tell a story about a client you have helped, or discuss new technology your company is implementing.

4. Special events: Events raise awareness of your business and they provide a service to the community. Try creating or sponsoring an event that will be of interest to your target audience. As people begin to associate your organization with the event, you derive publicity, goodwill, and new leads. Another option is for a business to partner with a non-profit organization as fund-raising co-sponsors. Try offering seminars and workshops that feature you as the expert.

5. Ezine: Publishing an ezine will help position your business as an expert in your field. In addition, you will be providing tips to your customers that will help them. It sets you apart from your competitors and instills confidence and trust in your readers, making it easier for them to do business with you.

Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven, is the owner of Kinesis. Kinesis specializes in marketing, graphic and website design, and business writing. Visit http://www.kinesisinc.com for more articles and free marketing wisdom.

Want to harness the power of kinetic marketing? Sign up for Kinesis Quickies, a free bi-monthly marketing e-newsletter: http://www.news.kinesisinc.com

---

Branding With Banners

You might have heard that banner advertising is dead. Nothing... Read More

11 Awesome Ways To Attract More Orders

1. Create a free ebook directory on a specific topic... Read More

Google Pagerank ? Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains Certified Master Point of View

Google is the most popular internet search engine and even... Read More

Tips to Maintain your Website to Keep Visitors Coming Back

When you design a website you should create it so... Read More

Marketing Your Website

Market my website? Why should I have to spend time... Read More

A New Twist To The Signature File Idea

After the incredible success of Hotmail.com, the use of signature... Read More

Web Advertising: 5 Uncommon Ways To Generate Online Business Ideas

Success in business thrives on ideas.The more creative you're the... Read More

The Definitive Link Building Strategy

If you've gone through all the hard work of a... Read More

How To Get Your Visitors To Tell A Friend

Does your website offer visitors a quick and easy way... Read More

I Have A Web Store?? So What?

Just because you put up a web store doesn't mean... Read More

The Basics Of Free Web Site Promotion

It's easy to forget the fundamental components of Web site... Read More

Get Listed at DMOZ

When you are deciding on the major search engine directories... Read More

7 Ways to Promote Your Website Locally

Now that you've built your new website you can sit... Read More

Do Not Post To FFAs (Free For All Sites) & Link Farms

With learning about online promotion, there is so much information... Read More

Promote Your Website - Link Popularity

What is link popularity?The quantity of links in different websites... Read More

Online Promotional Strategies For Start Up Entrepreneurs

As a small business owner are you looking at promotional... Read More

How To Make Your Online Testimonials More Believable

In order to have more trust in your visitors' eye,... Read More

Capturing Leads on Traffic Exchanges

There are 3 basic components to capturing leads on free... Read More

You?ve Created a Business Website: So Now What?

Congratulations! You and your designer have just finished creating your... Read More

Can What You Dont Know About Web Analytics Hurt Your Site? Yes is an Understatement!

Web analytics. Don't worry, it's not as boring as it... Read More

Streamline Your Training Costs with Streaming Media

Streaming Media?now a well accepted Internet technology. Yet streaming is... Read More

Is Your Website Content Worth Reading or Obvious Search Engine Bait?

Webmasters are always looking for ways to increase their traffic... Read More

Website Promotion: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Can Triple Sales

Website promotion is no longer easy to do.But if you... Read More

Wasters and Energy Suckers

Stop wasting your time and having your energy sucked dry!... Read More

Promote Your Web Store

After spending substantial time and efforts the big day came... Read More

Writing Quality Articles to Promote Your Business

Writing and distributing articles is fast becoming a popular method... Read More

Website Promotion: 10 Power Secrets To Keep Your Profits Rolling

Here are 10 power secrets to help your website promotion... Read More

Effective Affordable Website Promotion Can Be Achieved

Seeking effective affordable website promotion should begin with listing your... Read More

Types of Keywords

Keyword can be classified into three categories :-Single word Keyword-Multiple... Read More

Free Tee Shirt

Sorry, there's not really a free tee here, but... Read More

The Top 10 Most Ludicrous Things You Can Do on Your Web Site

We have a running joke in our office that one... Read More

Donuts Anyone?

When we ran the contest back in 1998 we had... Read More

Ineffective and Unethical Web Site Promotion Methods

In this article I discuss some ineffective and/or unethical website... Read More