Getting Top Returns From Your Marketing

Build your business through multi-channel target marketing. Target marketing offers you the potential to gain further sales from existing customers or clients, and new sales from new customers. This guide offers you an overview of what’s involved and how direct marketing works.

So what is target marketing? Target marketing is really quite simple. It is the building of targeted, close relationships with your customers and prospects. It works with and on different marketing platforms so you are put in front of your target when and where they are. It means marketing your product or service to the people that are most likely to buy what you are selling. In putting a program together I find the best place to start is to build a list of all your customers, past customers and all those you might have send proposals out to. Then use this list as a launch pad to your program. Target marketing can be one of the most cost-effective ways of expanding your sales. It has the great advantage of being trackable. This means (unlike some other forms of advertising) you can measure the results, know who is reading and seeing your message.

Will Target marketing work for your business? Targeting your direct marketing The people most likely to buy from you are: Your existing customers and People and or companies who are similar to your existing customers. Pretty simple so far? Because you're not using the 'shotgun' kind of approach, the far more focused tactic of target marketing means you get much better rate return on your marketing investment. The more accurately you can nitch your 'best and perfect' customer, the better your chance you will have in finding more just like them. Answering these questions to segment the market makes your message even more direct. It allows you to focus maximum effort on the right people. So, how do you get started? Call Larson & Associates! Just kidding, not. Target marketing is built around your list and database(s). Existing customers Your most cost-effective option is to keep on building your database of customers. Keep your messages going out to these wonderful people.  It is always easier and less expensive to sell more to existing customers than to go out and find new ones. If you are not already doing it start to capture all the details you need for list creation. You know those important things like names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses from enquiries coming into your business. Think of it as trying to date a person you really want to take out and what you need to know about them. Once you've defined your perfect customer based on your existing customers, you can set about finding out where there are more people like them. Some sources include: A joint venture with another business List services are a valuable resource if you're selling to businesses. List brokers rent lists. Other sources of prospects include business directories, Your Chamber of Commerce

Do your homework first! As with any marketing exercise, you need to do your homework first. Set a budget for your direct marketing campaign and work through the following questions: Have I identified my target market? What am I going to offer them? Do I have the stock/capacity on hand to meet possible demand and fulfill orders efficiently? You should also complete a break-even analysis to work out what increase in sales is needed to recover the cost of your direct marketing campaign.

Tips for using direct marketing Because existing customers are the lifeblood of your business, it's vital that you keep hold of them. You know how difficult it is to lure a loyal customer away from a competitor - the same should apply to you and your customers. Your first efforts in target marketing should therefore be directed at keeping your regular customers happy and informed. For example: Keep in touch at least once every 60 days. 15 or 30 days is even better. People like to feel special and individual. Show them that you know who they are. Tell them what is new and how they can benefit from your services or products. If you don’t tell them, who will? Keep them informed about what is happening in your business. Offer them a special preview of your new product lines or promotions. Send your customer’s updates of new products or services, details of discount offers only for regular customers, reminders of a list of your products. Ideas for them when you know they will be buying. For example, a florist might send a product list before Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Think up fresh marketing ideas that no one else uses New customers Send new customers a follow-up letter or card thanking them for their first purchase. Offer them products or services that complement what they have just bought. Future customers These are the future growth of your company. If you can narrow your target market down to exactly what you want to have as your future customer you can just go out and find some more of them or go out and buy lists of more just like them.

Summary Every business, large or small, or even what I call 1 person armies can use direct target marketing. It starts with your highly quality nitch directed databases and lists as the key to effective direct marketing. It is less expensive and more efficient to collect names yourself, but you can also rent pr buy lists or work in alliance with other businesses that have good databases. Then content development but that my friend is another story.