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Building Trust and Value through Permission Marketing

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We all know marketing done right is amazing. Done wrong, not so much. That’s why it’s so important to build your business on trust and the value you offer.

permission marketing [Read more…]

Smart Marketing: 5 Affordable Ways to Get the Word Out

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Creating a marketing plan is one of the best investments of time you can invest in your growing business. But for many flourishing businesses, cash flow issues brought on by “growing pains” can often dampen the best laid plans for big and bold marketing ideas.

marketing [Read more…]

Do You Know the Difference Between Features and Benefits?

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It’s not about what you do. It’s about what you do for them. 

My team spent a lot of time developing some new website content for a client. And in doing so, we carefully broke down the business in terms of features and benefits. When you’re marketing your products and/or services, are you promoting the features of your business, or the benefits they provide?

Do you know the difference between features and benefits? It’s not about what you do. It’s about what you do for them. My team has been developing some new website content for a client this week. And in doing so, we’ve been carefully breaking down the business in terms of features and benefits. When you’re marketing your products and/or services, are you promoting the features of your business, or the benefits they provide? Are you aware of the differences between features and benefits? If not, don’t worry. You’re not alone! It’s easy to confuse the two. A feature is a fact about a specific product or service, and a benefit is something meaningful that feature offers the end user. In this article, we will attempt to explain benefits vs. features while giving you tips on how to use them both in your marketing message . To make this simple, let’s imagine we're selling a chocolate bar that will appeal to health-conscious young mothers. Our chocolate bar is made with vegan ingredients. It is 100% organic, free of refined sugar, and contains no gluten. It is made with fair trade chocolate grown by working mothers in a developing country and its wrapper is biodegradable. Those would all be features of the chocolate bar. Do you follow? Features: • vegan • organic • sugar-free • gluten-free • fair trade • supports working women • biodegradable wrapper Now, what would the benefits of that chocolate bar be? Benefits: • enjoy a chocolate treat knowing it hasn’t been made with any animal products • consume a chocolate treat without consuming pesticides • indulge in a sweet treat without suffering dietary damages caused by refined sugar • have a chocolate bar without having a gluten attack • feel good about your chocolate break knowing that the cocoa was grown and sold in a fair manner that benefited the female farmers • good until after the last bite, this chocolate bar does not have a negative impact on the environment as its wrapper will biodegrade Do you see how, by breaking the features down into benefits, you can see a clearer picture of why the target customer really cares about buying this chocolate bar? By nailing down the benefits you have to offer, you can make a much better argument about why the customer should choose your product (in this case, your chocolate bar) over competing products. Instead of touting your features, promote your benefits! Your customers and clients need to be reminded about why you are the best option, so make it easy for them to see that. Get inside your client’s head and really become familiar with what it is you have to offer that can make his or her life better. Then make a list of all of those things. Those are your benefits. The client doesn’t really care about the fact that your chocolate bar is vegan. They care about the fact that no animals have been used in making it, because they feel strongly about not eating animal products. They don’t care that your bar is gluten-free. They care about the fact that their stomach won’t puff up and feel bloated for a day or two like it does when they eat products with gluten in it. Do you see the distinction? As a great practice, study your competitors’ marketing materials and see which benefits they are promoting and which ones they are missing. Then get to work on promoting your business in a whole new way. [Read more…]

You know you need a Press Release. Here’s how to write one.

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Earlier this year I wrote about Public Relations. Specifically, what it is and why business owners should include a PR strategy in their marketing plan. This post we’ll delve into one of the key components of your PR strategy, the mighty Press Release!

You know you need a Press Release. Here's how to write one. [Read more…]

My 5 Most Successful Marketing Tactics of the Year!

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Yes, I am aging myself here, but when I started my business (back then it was called Fastype), there was really no publicly accessible Internet to speak of. Let alone social media or digital marketing. So, I would market the same way everyone else did in those days of the early 1990’s—print, direct mail, a hope and a prayer.

My 5 Most Successful Marketing Tactics of the Year! [Read more…]

Do You Look at Cost Over Value and Benefit?

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Investing in your business is a good thing. So, it sometimes confuses me when business owners are reluctant to invest in products,  systems or services necessary to move their businesses forward.

value and benefit [Read more…]

Are You Taking Advantage of The Power of Testimonials?

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Having a strategic marketing plan in place is essential if you want to get your message out in front of your target market and ideal client.

testimonials [Read more…]

How to Manage Your PR and Marketing When You Don’t Have Time!

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When I mention PR and Marketing, I get the typical … “What do you mean Public Relations? What’s that? Is it something I need?”

public relations [Read more…]

20 Simple Marketing Updates You Can Implement Right Now

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Most of us who are in business for ourselves fall into the same trap; we’re “too busy” working in our businesses to work on our businesses, doing silly things like marketing our services.

marketing [Read more…]

Sometimes You’ve Got to Spend a Little to Make a Little!

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If I’ve learned anything over the 25+ years I’ve been in business, it’s that you can’t do it all yourself, and you can’t run a small business (or any business) without spending a little money.

small business [Read more…]