PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS

"The most important thing small business owners need to know about marketing is that it's simply about letting as many people know that you exist as possible. It's all about just making it easier for people to find you. They won't come to you unless they know you're there."    

     Ñ Julie Morgenstern, President of Task Masters

*Get your name in front of people as often as possible. Repetition boosts credibility and it makes it easier for people to find you. Postcard mailings, done with frequency, for example, are a good way to reach people.

*Go for consistency. If your material has a consistent lookÑwhether it be your logo, the color you choose, or the paper stock you use, people will be more likely to recognize your material, and your company will start to form an identity in people's minds.

*Use many media to reach people-fax, mail, emailÑand don't be seduced by the ease of email. If you rely exclusively on email, it's harder to create an identity in people's minds because you won't have a Òlook.Ó In addition, junk email has become a big problem. If you simply email promotional material to strangers, you're wasting your time and theirs. Email works best to reach people who already know you.

*Be focused on value. Don't just focus on getting your name out there, give your potential clients something of valueÑshow them you have something to offer by giving them something.

*Don't be afraid to be generous. People are afraid they're giving away all their information. But the more generous you appearÑwithout overwhelming the personÑthe better. People will decide that, if they're getting so much for free, you must have even more to offer if they hire you.

*Never lose an opportunity to market yourself. You should be marketing your company all day, every day.

*Think like a consumer. When you are designing your marketing campaign or any piece of writing, think like the consumer who is overwhelmed and over-stimulated with too much information and too many choices. How can you stand out, how can you pack a punch? How can you be really clear about what sets you apart from your competition? When you think like this, you're most likely to find your market.

Julie Morgenstern is President of Task Masters, a professional organizing service that works with individuals and businesses to help people get better organized. She is also author of the best-selling book, Organizing From the Inside Out (Henry Holt/Owl Books, 1998). Check out her new book, Time Management from the Inside Out, as well (Henry Holt/Owl Books, 2000). Learn more about Julie by visiting http://www.juliemorganstern.com.

How Coffee News can help...
Coffee News helps you fulfill many of points Ms. Morgenstern talked about in her article...from consistency, to getting your name in front of people as often as possible, to media usage. But also, your local Coffee News publisher can help you design an ad that works best in the Coffee News format and helps you stand out from the crowd of ad messages your prospects are bombarded with every day.