If you are attending several "networking" meetings that you feel are "cheesy", it is time for a change. Most business should come from referrals. The best way to get referrals is to get to know people and to teach them about your business.
- One way to get to know people better is to put some time in higher quality groups such as a volunteer organization or a well run chamber of commerce. Before you join either one investigate, talk to people who are NOT on the board about why they…
Added by Frank Gomez on September 17, 2010 at 1:35pm —
No Comments
MAKE MARKETING EASIER
There is one thing that makes marketing easier. A great product. Ford has been in marketing news over and over because it is…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on September 3, 2010 at 10:59am —
No Comments
As we have covered before people want to be able to customize almost everything from their cell phones to their cars. This especially true for young people. If your target market includes young people it is time to pay attention. Take the time to figure out ways you can make it easy for them to customize your product or service. Need help. Ask a friend or business partner to brainstorm with you.…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on August 27, 2010 at 8:38pm —
No Comments
Recently I've had a couple of clients who asked: "Do I have to have a Facebook page for my business?"
My response was absolutely not. If you DO have one then you should use it to your advantage. If you DON'T WANT ONE then you probably aren't going to use it anyway.
Marketing should include efforts on several fronts but not necessarily all of them (spend money on what your target audience will notice most):
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on August 20, 2010 at 2:12pm —
No Comments
Any company would love to have several brand ambassadors: People who know and love your brand that will represent you and your company well. There are three types:
- INFORMAL
Unpaid people who are so passionate about your business that they know it well and tell everyone about it
- FORMAL
Paid employees or contractors
- YOU
if you are the owner of a business
Wait a minute! If you already have employees they can be…
Added by Frank Gomez on August 13, 2010 at 8:52am —
1 Comment
Over the years website SEO has gotten a lot of press. Usually with mystery and high costs involved.
Unless you are selling nationally or internationally your website just needs a few tweaks to perform better in your market.
You can make your website work harder today by changing just a few things. If you need your webmaster's help ask them to do it for you. It should only take an hour or so so make sure you establish the cost for the work ahead of…
Added by Frank Gomez on August 6, 2010 at 3:47pm —
No Comments
Recently I've noticed articles about electric cars and people's expectations.
- In the past people expected electric cars to cost more, now they expect them to compete with similar gas powered vehicles.
- In recent history people expected electric cars to do what gasoline cars do (go 300 - 400 miles on a tank of gas), Now they are smart enough to realize that most of their trips are short and a car that goes 40 or 100 miles without recharging is OK too.
If you…
Added by Frank Gomez on July 30, 2010 at 9:16pm —
No Comments
No matter what size your business is, it is important to give back to your community. It shows that you care and that you are more than just another company vying for dollars. There are many ways to give back:
- Donate Money
- Donate Products…
Added by Frank Gomez on July 23, 2010 at 10:05am —
No Comments
http://formula350.org/downloads/Funny/duct-tape-demotivational-poster-1231179433.jpg">
In every situation it is always good to admit your mistakes fast AND the Fix the problem fast (at no charge).
Recent Examples including the Toyota Recall(s) and the iPhone 4 reception / antenna problem show how a mistake can make you look bad but it is much worse if you don't do something about it.
Tell people, Admit it, Offer a free fix…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on July 16, 2010 at 8:59am —
No Comments
Smart USA is struggling. Sales are down.
1) Fuel Efficiency: 40MPG on the highway is impressive BUT people expect it to be better. Many cars have similar or better fuel efficiency without the size sacrifice (Hybrid sedans like the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight) and other small cars like the Toyota Yaris, Ford Focus which are small but not nearly as small as the Smart Car.
3) Appearance: Smart is unique in this…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on July 9, 2010 at 1:54pm —
No Comments
Many small businesses (mine included) have trouble getting
recurring income. For example if you sell a product that lasts a long time (durable good) then it is challenging to get your past customers to come back because they have what they need and probably won't come back until they need to replace that product or WORSE, they buy a new one somewhere else.
You can almost buy anything anywhere so...
1) Diversify your product mix to include both…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on July 2, 2010 at 2:46pm —
1 Comment
Lately people have been asking me whether advertising really works. The answer is Yes and No.
Advertising actually does work BUT not for every kind of business and especially not if your company is advertising in the wrong place.
If advertising didn't work nobody would do it.
If you want to advertise the first question you should ask is "who is my target market?" and then you should go from there to find out what the best way to advertise is to…
Added by Frank Gomez on June 25, 2010 at 6:05pm —
No Comments
This subject is near and dear to me because like many of you I run a small business, heck. I AM a small business. How does small businesses compete with larger businesses or other small businesses who may have some cash to throw around.
Uniqueness is often touted as the way to do it but uniqueness in itself isn't enough if nobody knows you exist.
First of all you need a brand/ a company identity/ a cohesive look and of couse you and…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on June 18, 2010 at 12:07pm —
No Comments
If you have been paying attention you already know about Zappos.
Good business practices (putting the customer first) =
great customer retention =
great marketing
Zappos also had very happy, empowered employees who loved to work there...
Unfortunately the board got nervous and wanted to fix…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on June 11, 2010 at 1:57pm —
No Comments
My favorite recent news: Customers love Customizing. So make your product easy for them to tweak
Examples:
SPECIALIZED Bicycles:
FORD…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on June 4, 2010 at 12:21pm —
1 Comment
Q: What is the best way to market your company?
A: Anything that works efficiently (as long as it is legal and ethical)
This example is pretty inoffensive and unintrusive compared to waiting through a "commercial" to listen to music online or having to watch ads on cable TV. (Remember when Cable TV didn't have Ads?)
Creative Labs recently gave us an awesome example. Free Food on Horizon Air! Free? Really?
Yes F-R-E-E and YES! There…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on May 28, 2010 at 11:00pm —
No Comments
Headlines that shouldn't surprise you if you have been paying attention to the Marketing Tips of the Week
Surprise Surprise: McDonald's is keeping Ronald McDonaldWhy do you think? He is still a strong part of their brand, AND he is working to get the attention of kids which leads to long term customers...…
Continue
Added by Frank Gomez on May 21, 2010 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
Some people like to hand out referrals like candy on Halloween. Others never do it even if they love your product or service. The former give them away so much that people might not trust them. Maybe they are recommending someone or some thing that they really don't have experience with so they can stay in a leads group that encourages referrals. Real referrals are much better but how do you get more?
- ASK! Yes, ask by telling them that you appreciate referrals
- TELL them to…
Added by Frank Gomez on May 14, 2010 at 9:00pm —
2 Comments
A month ago I didn't even know who Lady Gaga was, what she was famous for, I know absolutely nothing. Just heard her name on the radio and I was like who? Whatever...
You might think I live in a cave but the real reason is that I choose not to watch television. We don't even get television in the house. Just Internet and phone.
Back to the point... Today I saw in an online news article that Lady Gaga is the new creative director for Polaroid so…
Added by Frank Gomez on May 7, 2010 at 6:30pm —
2 Comments
How NOT to toot your own horn:First of all don't bash your competition.
Speak about your strengths instead. What are the benefits of hiring your company? What makes you different?
This past week Steve Jobs bashed Adobe's Flash software blaming flash apps for Apple for being:
1) too power hungry, I have no expertise in this area however Adobe defended its software vigorously.
2) the number one reason Macs crash WHAT?…
Added by Frank Gomez on April 30, 2010 at 10:00pm —
No Comments
