Become a Marketing Maven Mom
admin Posted in Work at Home | 5 Comments »
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Whether its direct sales businesses such as Arbonne, Discovery Toys, Mary-Kay, Pampered Chef or a business we started from scratch, everyone struggles finding the right way to market their business. Many of us moms barely have time to think, let alone market our business. On the other hand, if you don’t market yourself, you won’t have a business to market.
Here are five steps to get you started.
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1. Build a company profile
From a marketing perspective, we need to ask ourselves, what do I want the company to look like? This is one of the most important questions in business and it should be reexamined every six months to a year, even more often for start-up businesses. Concentration in a specifically defined market will actually bring the right kind of clients, rather than bringing headaches. We cannot be all things to all people. Know who you are and stick to it.
2. Think of the client first
Look at getting a new client like dating. In most cases on the first date, a person in not looking for a marriage proposal and if they are, turn and run. Most people are interested in getting to know the other person. Start looking at your initial business contacts the same way. By having similar interests with our clients, it gives us talking points. Common ground is vital to creating a lasting relationship – in business or in dating.
3. Develop a marketing strategy
Determine the format that will give you the best bang for our buck. Our marketing strategy is about having a multiple stream approach. Just issuing one direct mailer or one press release is not enough. Marketing tools and tactics must be implemented over and over again to see a return on our investment. It is important to be in front of your potential clients on a consistent and persistent basis. Turn those multiple streams into a rushing river to your business’ door.
4. Define a marketing calendar
This means giving our selves deadlines for completing the steps outlined in our marketing strategy. If the marketing strategy is not done yet, make that the first item on the list. By assigning a specific date to each task, it makes the task concrete and attainable.
5. Implementation
Now that the marketing strategy and calendar are complete it is time to get started. If you are now motivated to get the job done – great! If you are like most of us and not very
self-motivated to market your business, find a marketing partner that will hold you accountable. Meet with that person as often as you need to stay on track. Things change quickly in business and not meeting the deadlines in our marketing calendar will derail our efforts.
Follow each of these steps and things will begin to change for the better. Mastering marketing is about taking small steps on a daily basis and then watching our future business change drastically.
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Kris Aoki is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International as well as a marketing coach, writer and editor. Contact Kris at 303-868-3789, visit her website
www.KrisAoki.MyArbonne.com or email her atKris.Aoki@gmail.com
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Tags: marketing, success in business
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March 25th, 2010 at 6:27 am
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
March 25th, 2010 at 6:29 am
Well said? Great information, keep up the great work!
March 25th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Thanks for those tips. It is true that working at home is not easy as 123. Everything has to be planned accordingly, learn from the wrong tactics committed and know your customers completely. Learn how to connect with them to establish your good reputation.
March 25th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Hi Kris,
A step by step guide to establish yourself as a business woman.And the point of common interest was a good highlight when it comes to build client relationship.
March 25th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Great advise about creating a marketing calendar.
And if i may, I’d like to add a bit of advise about marketing calendars and marketing plans.
Mo marketing plan or calendar should be set in stone! No matter how effective your plan may be, chances are, it will have to be altered at a given time; due to what your competitor(s) is doing.
We have all been in a situation in which, we feel heavy frustration from the fact that we have to change the plan – that we once considered our ‘baby’ – in order to counter what it was that another company was coming to battle with.
Even the actions of your clients, future clients or suppliers can take you by surprise – to the point of startling you – and force you to change the way in which you had set out to do things. In other words, you must be ready for anything. You must have flexibility. You must expect the unexpected!
Now, don’t feel as if you have to be a psychic. Don’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of needing a business and marketing plan so flexible that it takes away from the overall aim and goals that made you ‘hungry’ to run your particular business in the first place!
There is an easy way to be sure that you can continue to have success in the future – if you just start off with flexibility in mind! The best way to do so is to have a marketing calendar that is flexible and built to adjust itself when the time comes to do so.
With that said, if it’s OK with you. may I Introducing http://www.FastMarketingPlan.com. Created for the business owner who are too busy putting out fires and wants a fast easy way to create a marketing plan & calendar in 7-minutes or less. Anyway, check it out for a buck for 21-day, you’ll be glad you did.
Sandy Barris
CEO
Fast Marketing Plan.com
P.S. here is a quick video demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVYBvPT09Qs