INTERESTING FACTS
- People looking for services expect service providers to have a professional looking website that provides convincing information.
- Tests show that the visual appeal of websites is the key, because internet users judge any website in just 50 milliseconds.
- Most purchasing decisions are made in the unconscious.
- Repetition is the secret to accessing the unconscious mind of people. The most important rule in marketing is repetition. Too many marketing programs give up too soon. On average, you have to have seven to nine repeats before you will see results in your marketing program.
- Your marketing can be twice as effective if you aim it at both right-brained (emotional, aesthetic) and left-brained (logical, sequential) people. The Australian population is about evenly divided, so if you use only one approach, half your advertising budget will be wasted.
- The more data you have, and the more you know about your customers, the better your marketing will be. This data is available from many published sources, or you can collect your own by asking your customers lots of questions.
- Children are influencing family purchases more today than ever. These are the results of more mothers working and children's greater access to media.
- You can't rely on consumers to provide accurate information on their buying behaviour. They don't always do what they say they will! Therefore, be careful in interpreting consumer surveys.
- There are two bonds to make a sale - the human bond and the business bond. People would much rather do business with a friend than with anyone else. So become their friend.
- People are human beings and like to be treated as such. Don't treat people as prospects; don't treat them as demographic groups.
- People have a basic need to belong. Let them belong to your club. Recognize the 20% of your customers that give you 80% of your business.
- Getting a person to say yes to a sale works best if you establish momentum first with lesser questions to which it is easy to answer yes.
- Your customers will be buying a lot more than merely your product or service. They are buying your personality, your reputation, your service, and your status in the community.
- People will remember the most fascinating part of your marketing and not necessarily your product or service. That is why you need to be very careful every step of the way.
Advertising:
Finding new customers is the key challenge for most small businesses. Through creative advertising and promotion your business can attract new customers and generate revenue. As a small business, it is especially important you spend your money effectively by targeting the type of customers your business wants. Options available include:
- advertising
- personal selling
- image and branding
- sales promotions
- publicity
- e-marketing
The aim of advertising is to get customers' attention and influence their behaviour, usually to buy your product or service. It can be expensive, so you need to ensure that you are getting the right message to the right people.
Newspapers and Magazines
You can choose daily, weekly or local newspaper outlets.
Daily newspapers generally have the widest circulation, but also the highest advertising costs.
Local papers target one geographical area and will tend to have low business readership. They are often effective for personal services.
Magazines will be useful if you are trying to reach a more specialised target market, eg restaurants, specialty shops, travel.
You need to match your target customers with the newspaper readership and be certain the ad is placed in the appropriate section of the paper.
Radio
Radio advertising is often not cost effective unless you have a strong geographic or demographic target.
You need to ensure frequency of advertising to be effective.
Effective for press releases or community service announcements. Be sure to identify the right station and prime listening times for your target market. Check the station's audience profile.
Television
TV advertising is very expensive and reaches a mass market, so you may be paying for people who are not in your target market.
Consider joint advertising with similar businesses or submitting your products to a lifestyle program or shopping channel.
Yellow Pages
This can be one of the most effective advertising outlets, as potential customers are looking to buy. If that's how customers are reaching you, spend as much as you can afford. Stand out from the pack and look different from your competitors.
Brochures/Mail Outs
Personally-addressed mail outs have a better chance of success. Letterbox drops are generally not effective.
Build your own lists or use a database in line with your target market. Visit your local Business Advisory Service to use Dunn & Bradstreet's Business Who's Who.
Marketing and promotions:
Marketing is more than just selling and advertising. It's about what you need to do to capture and keep your customers over time. Your marketing plan needs to answer the question: Why am I in business, what do customers want and why will customers buy from me and not my competitors?
Developing your marketing plan covers four main aspects:
- market research
- marketing goals
- marketing strategies
- monitor and control
Promoting Your Business
Personal Selling
All business involves face-to-face selling in one form or other, especially to complete the selling process, so it's worth developing your skills.
Selling success is based on understanding the customer's needs and wants and tailoring your approach to suit.
Personal selling helps you build relationships with your customers.
Make sure you prepare and follow up.
Image and Branding
Your business image and appearance will influence how your customers perceive you. It needs to be consistent and match your customers' expectations and needs.
Think about your customers' experiences:
What do they hear when they phone, eg receptionist, messages?
What do they see when they visit, eg office decor, signage?
What do they receive, eg stationery, marketing material, logo?
Even a small business can have a strong brand presence which can help it differentiate itself in the marketplace. Branding is about the values that a client attaches to your business and product/service. Offering a consistent, clear business image will help you build your brand. Critically, your product/service offering must also reinforce the image you are creating through its quality, appearance, packaging, distribution outlet, etc.
Sales Promotions
Sales promotion techniques are effective in providing an incentive for the potential client to sample a product or service.
Typical promotions include: specials, giveaways (pens, T-shirts, etc), sampling, eg taste testing, bonus on purchase, entry to competitions, frequent usage promotions, eg 5th purchase free, special events, loyalty cards.
Aim to value-add rather than discount.
Promote with other businesses where possible.
Publicity
Publicity can have more credibility than paid advertising.
It is about increasing your visibility and is relatively low cost, but requires time and skill.
Publicity techniques can be as simple as good signage or involve targeted press releases, media information kits, public speaking and publishing articles.
Community involvement such as sponsoring events or supporting charities can generate powerful publicity.
e-Marketing
The Internet offers business many market opportunities, but your e-marketing strategies need to match your business and customer needs.
Email offers a low-cost, rapid communication tool for delivering marketing material, notifying specials, sending e-newsletters, providing customer support, etc. However, privacy laws make it essential to gain your customers' permission to receive this information.
Event if you don't sell over the web, a business website can give you credibility, promote your image and provide up-to-date publicity for your products and services.
You can have a lower cost web presence through online directories or networks, eg advertising your B&B accommodation on a local tourist site.
If you have a website, make sure you can be found via search engines.
Design:
At krycha.com we make it our business to keep in touch with the australian as well as world's trends in graphic design and visual communication. Thanks to AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) we are up to date with australian standards. AGDA is the peak national organization representing the Australian graphic design industry. With more than 2,600 members distributed throughout the creative, visual communications, applied design and technology sectors, it is dedicated to advancing the profession through an interrelated program of state, national and international activities in education, advocacy and professional development.
UK based Computer Arts is our connection with the european design world and Webaward will name the best Website in 96 industry categories.
Google:
Google is the most popular search engine on the internet and it's popularity is growing fast
Copyright:
Copyright is a type of legal protection for people who express ideas and information in certain forms. The most common forms are: writing, visual images, music and moving images.
Copyright protects the form or way an idea or information is expressed, not the idea or information itself.
General information on Copyright:
What is copyright?
What is intellectual property?
What law governs copyright in Australia?
What does copyright protect?
How do you obtain copyright protection?
Who is a copyright owner?
What are the rights of a copyright owner?
How long does copyright last?
When is copyright infringed?
Are there any exceptions to infringement?
How can copyright rights be enforced?
Can copyright be bought and sold in Australia?
Is Australian copyright material protected overseas?
Is overseas copyright material protected in Australia?
FAQs (Frequently Asked Copyright Questions)
How can I obtain permission to use Commonwealth copyright material?
Where can I obtain more information?
Collecting Societies