Watch for News in Your Field

by Barry Brennan on March 23rd, 2012 / No Comment

Category: Mentoring Questions, Sales & Marketing

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG By Barry Brennan, Marketing and Business Development Mentor, Mentors.ie

Barry-Brennan

It doesn’t matter, what industry or field your business is in. There are a variety of factors that impact success. Marketing is certainly one of the primary ways to grow your business. This tool is used to attract new customers, as well as, to connect with existing customers. It is impossible to provide the needs of customers without understanding them.

News related to your individual field is important. Current stories can show you trends that matter to your customer base. The news is a good resource for finding out what the competition is up to. At the same time, you can modify your marketing campaigns by learning from the mistakes of similar companies. Products are most effective when they answer a legitimate need or desire. News trends will assist you to supplying the best products in your field.

Subscribe to Newsletters

Newsletters from good resources in your field can be helpful. This is a way to find out about top-products in certain areas. Knowing what similar businesses are doing is a great way to target your own marketing campaigns. These are usually something informative in virtually every credible newsletter source.

Research Product Sites

The internet has made competition more and more potent. This medium has also allowed businesses to know what their competitors are up to. A good news source for your field is going to be found through product sites. Products and services in your industry or area of expertise are often changing. The more that you learn from news on these issues, the better you are able to market to your base.

Make Necessary Changes

The most successful businesses these days are those that are flexible. They are willing to shed marketing processes that don’t work. These are also businesses that are in touch with their customers. Making necessary changes or even adjusting methods can significantly impact your productivity. You can learn what has worked in your field by staying abreast of current happenings.

Processing the news in your field or industry doesn’t mean totally re-vamping your business model. This is an avenue, however, to make your operations better. Some will find that re-designing their websites is necessary. Others will make changes to their webstores. Marketing is not simply about advertising products and services. It is about steering customers to you and making the shopping process pleasurable.

Why Use Social Media to Market?

by Barry Brennan on February 29th, 2012 / No Comment

Category: Sales & Marketing

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG By Barry Brennan, Marketing and Business Development Mentor, Mentors.ie

Barry-Brennan

Decades ago there were limitations when it came to opportunities for marketing. The internet has opened the door to alternate marketing methods. Businesses and companies can now use traditional marketing tools and those central to the internet. Using free marketing methods like social media has become a staple for many businesses.

It doesn’t matter, what field or industry that you represent. You can benefit from the use of social media. Twitter, Facebook, and various other outlets are terrific when it comes to marketing new products. They are also opportunities to gather diverse clientele through simple techniques. Social media has served to transform the way that business is conducted. At the same time, you can change your own model for success by using social media daily.

Introduce Businesses and Products

Many businesses utilize their social media presence in order to introduce themselves to new customers. You could be a boutique owner or niche café location. Social media is a terrific option for making that first impression on the public. This is a massive spin on word-of-mouth marketing. Businesses count on the use of their followers to earn them even more business.

From Followers to Customers

The uniqueness of social media is very beneficial to businesses and companies. You can attract followers even before they become your customers. If these customers love your products or services, they will likely share it with their friends and contacts. This becomes an renewable source of business. It allows you to constantly market yourself, while gaining customers.

Increasing Productivity

You can use social media to increase your company’s productivity. Having multiple avenues to earn profits is essential to any business. The internet is certainly one of those realms that businesses seek to master. Linking tweets, comments, and blog posts to your webstore helps you to benefit from your social media presence.

Social Media started as a way for people to simply communicate. Today, these outlets are used to conduct business. They are avenues to reach out to many people in a semi-personal way. You can use social media to stay connected with existing customers. This method of marketing also ensures that your products will be seen by a host of potential customers as well. Social media gives you an additional opportunity to make your business a success.

Partner for Promotion

by Barry Brennan on February 22nd, 2012 / No Comment

Category: Sales & Marketing

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG By Barry Brennan, Marketing and Business Development Mentor, Mentors.ie

Barry-Brennan

There are benefits connected with partnering for promotions. Recently retailers like Toys R Us and Aeropostale partnered with eBay to benefit online customers. This partnership offers these customers with coupons that can be used at physical store locations. Partnerships of this sort are used in a two-fold way. They encourage customers to shop both via the internet and in store locations. Depending on the savings of coupons, these promotions could encourage customers to make multiple purchases. This is a smart way to attract new and existing customers to take advantage of sales. Partnerships work to benefit both businesses and customers. Small local businesses, as well as, large popular chains can use these techniques to inspire customers and to get sales.

Multiple Benefits

There are multiple benefits to online retailers when they enter into partnerships like the one with eBay. Using specific guidelines for acquiring deals and coupons is a part of this process. Some promotions may require specific payment methods. This one in particular led people to make purchases through PayPal. Coupons can then be redeemed within the time frame of one year. The goal for these relationships is that everyone gain a benefit.

Combining Business

A company cannot success if their in-store sales aren’t as good as online sales. This is why partnerships are beneficial across the board. Customers who shop primarily through the internet are happy to redeem in-store coupons. This is a way to combine business formats and objectives, as well as, meeting productivity goals.

Diversity Instead of Competition

Partners can find businesses to work with that are polar opposites to them. You don’t have to select a partnership that will pit you against your competition. Diverse businesses working together can more easily benefit from a partnership. This is a way to encourage a long-term relationship whether you use it seasonally or monthly.

Partnerships from local businesses is a unique way to apply big-business models. Those that have an internet presence can have even more of a significant benefit. This type of promotional idea showcases thinking outside-of-the-box. It also provides customers with savings that they wouldn’t otherwise encounter.

Use Proven Marketing Methods

by Barry Brennan on February 15th, 2012 / No Comment

Category: Sales & Marketing

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG By Barry Brennan, Marketing and Business Development Mentor, Mentors.ie

Barry-Brennan

There’s no need to recreate the wheel as it relates to marketing methods. Proven methods for marketing are great ways to improve and increase your business. No successful business these days can operate effectively without the internet. This medium offers business owners the opportunity to connect with existing customers. At the same time, they can attract new customers to their business.

Simply existing on the internet, however, will not provide you with the success that you want. Businesses that have achieved this level of success have used marketing methods that work. It doesn’t matter, whether you are selling goods, services, or resources. The public must know who you are and what you have that benefits them. Finding the best way to market is the key to your overall success.

Offer a Good Product

No company or business is going to be success if their products are not good. Customers will not be attracted to substandard products. They certainly will not be interested in becoming a repeat customers. It is important that you provide offerings that meet customers’ needs. You will find it easier to market a useful product than one that is outside of normal fields.

Provide Intriguing Content

In the process of marketing, content is very important. This is the case whether we are talking about articles, website content, or product descriptions. Successful companies have found out the secret of blanketing the internet with content about their offerings. This content must be professionally written and to include keywords that steer potential customers to you. These techniques have proven successful no matter what your industry.

Connect with Your Traffic

Successful businesses connect with the traffic that visits their sites in a variety of ways. They first must have an effective product. This needs to be something that is priced well and answers a specific need. Search engine optimization is critical when it comes to improving your rankings online. The easier it is for people to find you and your product, the more business you are likely to receive.

There are effective tools available to help you to steer people to your products. It is important to deliver a product that is useful and well-designed. At the same time, you must market your product to the public. Utilizing search engines and the right content online are important as well. Iterro offers the products that are needed to sufficiently market businesses and to attract new customers.

Brand Awareness Marketing Strategy is Essential

by Barry Brennan on July 13th, 2011 / 63 Comments

Category: Sales & Marketing

If no one knows your product or service exists, it matters not how exceptional or useful it is. Every business needs to focus some of their energy on increasing brand awareness. This is done in various ways, but one of the primary ways to achieve it is through carefully planned marketing efforts.
Before you embark on implementing a plan, you must first identify the target market. Better results and increased revenues are realized when the advertising is aimed at people who are likely to buy your product or service. One of the biggest mistakes many businesses make is not identifying their target market.
A brand awareness marketing strategy is a task that is ongoing. It is not for the impatient business owner because it takes time. A well rounded plan is the best marketing approach. This means not limiting your marketing efforts to only one type of ad campaign. Here are a few ideas for increasing brand awareness:
* Social media marketing
* Google AdWords
* Article marketing
* Media ads
* Billboards
* Email marketing
* Direct mail campaigns
* Promotional products
The methods that work best depend largely on the type of business. The competition is another factor that must be contended with. It requires some creative endeavor to go up against a popular competitor who already holds a high percentage of the market share. It is important to implement memorable brand graphics and labeling so that over time, seeing it is automatically associated with your brand or product.
Not every method of marketing is best for every business. When getting the information out there to promote your brand, it is not just the exposure that accomplishes this. What is in the content being circulated is also important. Otherwise it won’t catch the attention of your prospective buyers.
Increasing brand awareness does take both money and time, but it is essential if your product or service is to stand out among the competition and make the business profitable. There are businesses solely dedicated to providing this service, and many companies find it invaluable in their marketing strategy when it comes to return on investment.

Marketing Made Easy

by Barry Brennan on April 30th, 2011 / No Comment

Category: Sales & Marketing

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG By Barry Brennan, Strategic Marketing Mentor, Mentors.ie

[/caption]The value of

 effective marketing for SME business owners can’t be stressed enough in today’s economy. Aside from the tangible assets that a company posses, the company’s customer base has definable and concrete value. Consider this – if your rate of repeat clientele is 10%, your customer base alone (contacts, sales history, etc) is worth a minimum of 10% of the total value and future revenue for your company. 

The downside to this realization is that your customer base is constantly under attack from competitors, who will try to leech your repeat business. Marketing is your company’s tool for fending off that attack, not only growing your customer base with new clients but also enriching your existing base with brand loyalty.

No one knows this better than Barry Brennan. Barry is a marketing expert, having worked for such companies as Adidas, Independent News and Media and Johnson Press. Barry has left his mark on every company he’s worked with.

After more than 25  years in the industry, Barry has gained expertise in the areas of planning a marketing strategy, training staff, developing an effective sales team, and recruiting personnel for any company. She has achieved a broad spectrum of experience in the sales and marketing fields and provides insight and revolutionary approaches for business owners.

Escaping From the Clutches of Recession

Barry's skills are especially of value in the current world market. While the world is taking baby steps out of the recession, it is easy for SME business owners to hesitate in implementing their marketing plans, or make the wrong decisions, influenced by doubt and fear. 

Barry's advice – it is important for business owners to re-evaluate their marketing initiatives. Her top tips for SME owners include:

• Image advertising is a waste of hard-earned profit. If you are using this form of advertisement be sure to know your cost per lead and most importantly, the lifetime value of a customer. 

• Revisit your USP (Unique Selling Proposition. In a competitive marketplace, you must offer something different from your competitors – something hat is arresting enough to draw your customer’s attention and hold it. Get into the minds of your customers look at your products or services from their point of view.

• Prepare a Plan B. With economists openly discussing the downsides of a recession (unemployment, budget slashing, increased competition), you need to be educated and aware of the risks to your business. Adopt a strategy which will be flexible to the economic climate, and prepare to overcome purchaser objections quickly and expertly through effective marketing. 

• Cash in on cheap advertising. As more and more businesses pull out of the radio and television advertising space, prices fall. For a company which has previously found those channels to be unprofitable, the lowered cost of entry could make this a viable option.

With expertise, effective strategies and proper planning, companies can gain a secure foothold on their market, even in these tough times, and come out further ahead when the economy rebounds. 

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