Under the Oak Tree

July 2008

 
 
In This Issue
Carving Out Your Niche
Is Your Marketing Profitable?
Web Design: Keep it Simple, Easy on the Eyes and Fresh
Quick Links
 
 
Carving Out Your Niche
 
Who is your buyer? When I ask business people that question, I often get the response, "Everyone!" But once they start to think about it a little more, they realize their business does in fact cater to a specific audience, or a niche market. Niche markets often serve one or more of the following categories:  
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Income level
  • Life stages (brides, parents, senior citizens)
  • Professions

Knowing your niche market is important from a business standpoint because it can help you distinguish your business from your competitors and allow you to focus on how to best serve your particular niche. When it comes to your marketing plan, knowing your niche will help you choose the best weapons for reaching your niche market. For instance, if you are selling yachts, you will likely advertise in an upscale magazine. If you are selling wedding invitations, you might try to advertise on a website for brides or have a booth at a bridal expo.  
 
Just as it is important for you to finding your niche market, your niche market must be able to find you. There are many ways you can position your business so it can be found. Make sure your business is properly categorized in your local telephone book and you are listed in pertinent trade directories. And in this day and age, make sure your niche market can find you through a search engine, which can be accomplished through Search Engine Optimization and keywords. For example, if you own a plumbing service specializing in new construction, make sure your site can be pulled up with the words "new construction plumbing in [your city]."
 
I have merely touched the surface on the subject of niche marketing but I would be happy to discuss this issue with you at greater length. Please Contact Me for more information.

Is Your Marketing Profitable?

The primary measuring stick for success in Guerilla Marketing is profit. Is this the way you view your marketing efforts?
 
When Guerrilla Marketing was first published in 1983, Jay Conrad Levinson was considered a pioneer with his innovative, take-no-prisoners approach to marketing for the small- and medium-size business owner. Nearly 25 years and half a million copies later, Guerrilla Marketing is now considered the bible of marketing and entrepreneurial advice.
 
For one-on-one help in applying Guerrilla Marketing to your business, please Contact Us
Web Design: Keep it Simple, Easy on the Eyes and Fresh

In order to compete in business these days, you need to keep a web presence. Is yours more appealing than your competition's? Does it sell you and your message? Here are three simple ways to increase your web appeal.
 
Keep it Simple.
Put yourself in your customers' shoes. When they reach your website, you want them to be able to purchase a product or find the information they need - quickly. They don't want to sift through irrelevant information to find what they need. Customers in a hurry won't waste time clicking from page to page to navigate your site. Make their visit pleasurable, and give them a reason to come back again and again.
 
Keep it Easy on the Eyes.
Most businesses should avoid dark and busy backgrounds that distract from content and make the text difficult to read. A dark or black background for a photography site makes for a dramatic effect - but it is easier to view and read dark text against a lighter background. Font choice has been fairly limited for website design, and that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Arial and Verdana fonts are two of the most popular and easy to read.
 
Keep it Fresh.
If you have a website and rarely update it or look at it, you might as well have no website at all. Many small businesses may be able to get away with updating on a quarterly or monthly basis. But if you are trying to make your site a "must visit," or your company provides weekly or daily communications, you must make updates a priority. To keep your customers coming back, you can post promotions on line, create a carefully worded professional blog, or feature an accessible, downloadable quarterly or monthly newsletter in PDF format.
 
The bottom line is, always put yourself in your customers' shoes. Once you've got a clean, effective site, keep it updated by adding new content or updates and moving - or removing - older material. To drive customers to your site, promote your website in every piece of printed material you hand out!
 
This article was taken from the Summer 2008 issue of Small Business Matters, which is available on my website

Helping Your Acorn Business Grow Into A Solid Oak™