Tag: marketing

To successfully start and run a business and earn consistent profit, the business needs to be based upon certain fundamental tried and test business platforms. These platforms are independent of the business and it is believed that the reason for failure of many business of the failure to pay attention to certain core elements of business.

The information provide is not exhaustive but in the opinion of the author these core elements when implemented will service to act as a sure and solid foundation for your business whether it is home based or whether you are running your own business unit within a larger corporation. Pay attention to the four areas below and work out a plan to constantly refine and update.

Category Marketing : You should know and should take time to sit down and plan out which category of the market your product or service fits into. What is meant by this ? consider the manufacturer’s of cars – when they are planning to produce a new car they determine the category of car which will be produced at the design stage. That is to say, the car could be a Mini Car, a Sports Utility Vehicle, a Multi Purpose Vehicle, a Sports Car, a Soft Top convertible and so the list can goes on.

A car is not just a car – the master category of car (your product or service) can and must be split up to provide a solid foundation from which to launch your business. To define the category for your business, take a blank piece of paper, consider the example of the cars and try to come up with at least five different categories in which your product or service can be placed.

Market Segmentation : This deals with the other side of the spectrum after considering Category Marketing, this looks at the end users or the market place whereas Category Marketing focusses on you, your product and your company’s services. Marketing Segmentation looks at splitting up the target market into group for which you can use to target your product and service to.

The market can be segmented by Race, Age, Earning Capacity, Living Area, Maritial Status, Disposable Income etc, etc which when devised correctly will give you a firm base for which Category of product you can sell to a particular Market Segment.

Channel Marketing : Every product or service must pass through a Marketing Channel in order to reach the end user. Most successful businesses today use multiple channels through which to reach their target market and your business should be the same. Examples of marketing channels are Retail Store, Networking Events, Distribution Warehouses, Shopping Malls, Telephone, Mail and the Internet. You should consider what you wish your primary channel to market to be and focus on this and then work on having a few secondary channels to market.

Develop most of your sales and communication tools for your primary market which will be in line with the Category of product and the particular Market Segment which you are looking to address. I consider the internet to be one of the most important Marketing Channels no matter what business you are in and I find the vast majority of my clients on a worldwide basis this way as I have developed significant expertise in this field.

Ideal Client Profile : Based on your definition of all of the above you should be able to develop and ideal client profile, this will tell you the type of person who is most likely to buy from you and with whom you are able to develop and long term relationship. The client profile will show which segment(s) of the market your client come along with the category of product that they prefer to purchase from you. Along with this you will understand through which marketing channel they prefer to purchase from you.

When working on your business focusing in on these key points will serve you will to take your business results to the next level.

Source by Stephen Campbell

Joint venture marketing and camouflage marketing together form a great strategy that will bring success to your Internet business. Joint venture marketing is a type of marketing and advertising that centers on forming a partnership with one or more other business to maximize profits for all of the companies involved in the partnership.

Camouflage marketing is implementing the use of a well-known trigger where people draw conclusions about the nature of something based solely on its appearance. It is human nature to do this, and the combination of joint venture marketing and camouflage marketing uses this principle to maximize marketing strategy for the utmost benefit to the parties engaged in the enterprise. This combination of joint venture and camouflage marketing can:

– Bring qualified prospects and leads to your website
– Maximize offline prospects
– Minimize your out-of-pocket costs

Camouflage Marketing

Joint venture marketing is a fairly straightforward concept to grasp, but camouflage marketing is a newer concept, which requires a bit more attention to understand.

Camouflage marketing is a way of marketing that is hidden (hence, camouflaged) in everyday language and images. It implements a psychological mechanism that is at work all the time in the human brain, where we draw conclusions about the actual nature of something based solely on its appearance.

This form relies upon the old belief that “if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck.” This principle is at work in our brains all the time and is the basis for many of the split second decisions that we as human beings make all the time.

Make your advertisement look like an article

Camouflage marketing, in combination with joint venture marketing, can create a tremendously successful campaign – especially in how your advertisements come across to potential customers. One trend that helps lend credibility to your advertisement is to craft your ad so that it looks like an informative article; this will lend credibility to your product and ultimately get more people to pay attention to your ad and your company.

The format of an article promises substantial and factual information, which will make your advertisement more authoritative. The editorial style carries the weight of integrity with it, as well as a positive emotional trigger, which can mean a boost in your sales!

This concept may initially sound a little suspect – as though you are manipulating your customers. This is not the case at all! Most people know when they are looking at an advertisement vs. a scholarly article – there is no trick here. The thing that you are capitalizing on is the illusion of a factual, editorial article. And, let’s face it, all marketing and sales is about creating an illusion; we know that the pretty watch or the sexy car isn’t going to improve our looks or our love lives, but that is the way that many products are marketed, and what we, as a consumer society, happily buy into.

This type of camouflage marketing, combined with joint venture marketing, has the possibility of taking your business to a new level.

Source by Christian Fea

The term Digital Marketing is gaining popularity gradually.Till date it is not a very well defined term.Digital Marketing is a broad term that encompasses marketing tools like search engine optimization,pay per click and banner advertising.But this will be a narrow definition of the term.

Digital Marketing also includes blogging,RSS,SMS,email,podcasting,voice broadcast,fax broadcast,instant messaging,wireless text messaging,social bookmarking and video streams.It never includes traditional methods like print media,TV, radio or billboard.

It is because those mediums do not give the opportunity to count the number of people who had seen or heard or read an advertisement.In traditional forms even if you get some response it takes time to get feedback from the customers.Moreover those forms do not allow you to reach global audience at a time.

With Digital Marketing it has become easier to communicate with the audience and track the viewer or listener or reader statistics.Change in the technological field has enabled you to interact with the client immediately.It mainly concentrates on Internet marketing strategies.

Internet has grown a strong communication vehicle over the years and it has been recognized as a powerful marketing medium as well.Digital Marketing allows you to examine the success of a campaign on the basis of some factors like what the audience is viewing,how often are they viewing and for how long are they viewing the campaign.You can also track the response rate or number of purchase made and so on.

But it is important to remember that Digital Marketing encompasses a number of marketing tools and all of them can not provide the same kind of reports.Different tools are effective in different ways and it is also important to note that a number of new technologies are evolving now and then.

With instant messaging you can converse with the clients.Webcasting also gives the same opportunity.If you want to chat with the clients you can go for email and social networking sites.And if you have podcast in your website it is just like having a small radio station of your own.

Digital Marketing can be considered as a combination of “push” and “pull” marketing techniques that helps to execute the marketing campaigns.Push is when you get in touch with a consumer and encourage them to buy your product and service.You can send SMS on the mobile phones of your customer or send them emails.Detailed tracking and reporting is possible in Push marketing.It also offers high return on investment.

On the other hand pull is when the customers take the initiative to find you on the web world with the help of Digital Marketing.When the customers know about your website they can easily contact you. The customers establish a link with your company through podcasts,streaming video and so on.In Pull marketing there is no restriction regarding the type or size of the content.Since the customers find you,you don’t need to use any technology to send your message to them.

Digital Marketing can boost your business in a great way.

Source by Steve McMains

Nowadays, people choose medical practitioners based on their perceptions rather than relying on endorsements from local authorities and so on.  It has become increasingly important for doctors to market their medical practices in order to build their brand, reach out to new patients, and increase business from current patients.

No matter how great of a doctor you are, your skills will mean little if no one knows you are out there.  Some doctors are reluctant to embrace marketing strategy because they think that being a great doctor is all you need to do in order to find new patients and keep your current ones.  However, the truth is that visibility is incredibly important in this competitive marketplace.  The only way to achieve visibility is through launching a medical marketing campaign.  Here are the 5 Ps of medical marketing.

1. Product

The product of a medical practice is the service you are offering your patients.  For example, if you are a cosmetic surgeon, your product is the cosmetic operations and treatments you offer.  The atmosphere of your practice is also important.  It is crucial to make a very good first impression so when patients come to your practice, you must ensure that the atmosphere of your practice is relaxing, comforting, and friendly.  Make sure that your practice is clean, well-maintained, and well-lit.  The colors of your décor and the lighting can make a massive difference in the way patients perceive your practice.  Although the most important aspect of your product is providing excellent cosmetic operations and treatments, you have to give the overall impression that your practice is ideal for your target market.

1. Price

The price of your products is not only what you charge for your services – it is also defined by the perceived value of your services.  The expectations of your customers will depend on the price you charge.  For example, if you go to a five-star restaurant, you expect to receive top level service and food.  If you service you receive at the five-star restaurant is comparable to the service you would receive at a fast food restaurant, and the food is mediocre at best, you will be disappointed and feel that you did not receive the perceived value of the product.  This will probably lead you to tell everyone you know to avoid the restaurant.  Likewise, people will spread the word that your practice should be avoided if you do not live up to the perceived value of your product.  On the other hand, when your service matches its price, you will get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals.  This provides you with free viral marketing benefits for your practice.

1. Place

The place of your medical practice is where it is located.  The location of your practice is essential to your success.  Factors such as its visibility and whether or not there is public transport that takes patients there will make a big difference in how many new patients you can attract on a consistent basis.  If there are any logistical challenges that get in the way of patients arriving at your practice, try to eliminate them if possible.  If your practice is far away and hard to get to for the majority of your target market, you may want to consider relocating, unless you offer such highly specialized services that people would be willing to travel far to receive them.

1. Position

Your position in your market is defined by the competitive advantages you offer.  What makes your practice unique and stand out from the rest?  You must define your unique position in your market in order to develop an effective marketing plan.  Your perception of your practice may be very different from how your patients perceive it.  Determine how your patients perceive your medical practice in comparison to competing medical practices by doing surveys and providing them with feedback cards.

1. Promotion

Although many people mistakenly believe that medical marketing is solely about promotion, the truth is that promotion should be the very last step in your marketing campaign.  In order to promote your practice successfully, you have to plan extensively.  The first 4 Ps are very important and must come first because they help you determine your competitive advantage and which areas of your practice you need to change or improve.  Promotion of your medical practice involves a combination of PR, advertising, and direct marketing.  Promotion requires a lot of resources so it is very important to plan carefully in order to ensure that you get a high ROI on your medical marketing campaign.

Once you define what the 5 Ps of your medical practice are, you need to find a professional medical marketing firm that can help you put your plan into action and build a highly successful medical marketing campaign.  There are several medical marketing firms to choose from so your best bet is to narrow down your choices and compare them based on the results of their previous campaigns.  Results must be measurable so you can be sure that the firm will be able to live up to their promises.

Source by johnwhites

Mobile marketing is marketing, which is in vogue across the world. This marketing form is mainly incorporated by means of the mobile phones in order to offer info, promote or advertise certain products or services. It spells a great worth to the product because of its ability to reach the right person at a right place and at a right time. Thus mobile marketing acts as an apt mode of promotion and permits the customers to get the right selection whenever they have the requirement. Thus businesses reap great benefit from it by getting the access to the hordes of targeted customers. The mobile phones have turned out to be one of the most essential accessories of your lives. Now, one can’t just think of leaving home without carrying one’s mobile. It is the communication gadget that assists you to stay connected throughout with family, friends and acquaintances. You can have correspondence with your near and dear ones by means of e-mails, text messages and hence wherever you are, the world is always with you. Therefore, it is just impossible to do without the small device called cell phone as otherwise you will be shattered as an entity in a far away islet.

When a device, as useful as mobile gets associated with the contemporary marketing techniques, then the consequences ought to be fantastic. Then it becomes a versatile gizmo-keeping people very much in touch and at the same time fulfilling all their requirements at the right time and the right place. Hence, mobile marketing enhances the rate of both convenience and affordability. Mobile marketing always performs the right thing at the right place. It has a limitless approach in rendering the right set of action to promote a business. The mobile marketing through the mobile devices will be reliable and also be a dependable method to introduce your product or service to your target audience. It makes the person inform about the details of the product and also reaches countless hands. This makes it perfect for the mobile marketing companies to promote their new product or services.

By mobile SMS marketing one will be able to send more messages about the new product or service that would help the customer to make a decision. Sending mass alerts to such targeted audience will help the customers to understand more about their products and go forward to buy the product. This method of campaign keeps the customers informed about the happening within a short period of time. The mobile marketing is also effective tool to be used as a reminder for the customer who wishes to buy a product or use a service. The mobile marketing does boost your business and makes you reach more customers in short period of time within your budget.

Source by Harjeet