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Article Title: Gear Up Your Marketing For Fourth Quarter
Author: Andrew Pritchard
Word Count: 1192
Article URL: http://www.isnare.
Format: 64cpl
Author's Email Address: info[at]inspire-
[at] with @)
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The fourth quarter of each year presents a huge opportunity for
many businesses. Consumers often spend more as they prepare for
the holidays, and many businesses increase their spending in
the fourth quarter as they prepare for the new year.
All of this can mean increased sales for you and me... but only
if your marketing is effective.
So how do you get your marketing in shape? Simple. Set some
goals for quarter and create a plan to take you there. The
following is a list of some activities that you might want to
include as part of your fourth quarter marketing efforts.
1. Plan
Create a detailed plan for the next 90 days that includes a
huge push for increased sales. Set a sales target for the
quarter, look at the work that you have already booked, and
then plan where the extra sales you need to reach your target
will come from.
What marketing activities can you do that will help get you
there? What existing clients can you approach for additional
work or referrals? How can you increase the size of your
network so that more people know about your business and what
you do? Make the plan as detailed as possible and then take
daily action in executing it.
2. Review Your Website
Review your website and ensure that it is doing a good job of
interesting and educating your prospects about your services.
Be sure to stress the benefits of your services and give
prospects plenty of reasons why they should do business with
you rather than your competitors.
Your site should request that visitors leave their contact
information. This can be done by having them sign up for a
newsletter, request more information, or arrange a free
consultation. You can increase response by offering an
incentive, such as a free report or a discount. If your website
doesn't ask for this vital information, then make some changes
to it so that it does.
3. Write Articles
Write several articles on topics related to your product or
service. The articles should contain tips or advice that your
target market will find useful and that will help them solve
their problems. Post the articles on your website and get them
published on other websites and in journals that your prospects
read.
4. Publish a Newsletter
Start sending out an ezine or newsletter to your clients and
contacts. Include a signup form on your website and offer an
incentive for visitors to subscribe, such as the articles you
wrote in step 3. Use the ezine to provide more help, education,
and how-to advice to your prospects.
5. Speak
Get a speaking engagement at an event that your prospects are
likely to attend. Make the talk informative and pack it with as
much valuable information as you can. Do not make it an extended
sales pitch! Mention the services your company provides by all
means, but make sure that you also provide plenty of relevant
and useful information to the audience.
During the talk, be sure to promote your newsletter and the
articles that are available on your website. Be sure to get the
contact information of as many of the attendees' as possible.
If you don't already have their contact information, a good way
of getting it is to offer a bonus item that can be mailed out to
attendees afterwards, such as a recording or transcript of the
presentation, or another article or in-depth report. In order
for the attendees to get the bonus item, have them leave you
their contact information on a signup form or have them give
you their business card. It's important to solicit this
information immediately after the talk. If you refer them to
your website to signup, the response rate will drop
significantly.
6. Advertise
You should review your advertising and ensure that is
cost-effectively driving a steady stream of prospects to your
door. If you don't already advertise regularly, now would be a
great time to start.
Begin with some small advertisements in publications that your
prospects read, and test what works. If the response to your ad
is encouraging you can increase its size. If the response is
poor, make some changes to it and try again.
Conduct a direct mail campaign that educates your prospects on
the services you provide. Provide as much information as
possible and don't make the material overly "salesy" or it will
be ignored. You might consider promoting your newsletter in this
way as an easy, low-risk way for prospects to get to know your
business. The bottom line with direct mail is to be informative
and focused on the benefits that your prospects receive. Follow
up the direct mail campaign with phone calls or even a visit to
the prospect.
7. Utilize Your Current Clients
Study your current clients and look for ways that you can
provide additional services to them. Look specifically for ways
that you can really help them develop their business. Ask them
for referrals.
8. Network
Meet with people in your network and exchange referrals.
Generate some business for them and educate them on the types
of prospects you're looking for. You'll be amazed at how
quickly they'll be able to come up with names of people you
should speak to, especially after you've helped them.
9. Offer Additional Payment Options
Offer flexible payment options such as payment by credit card
or payment by installment. Sales can often increase by as much
a 30% simply by being a little bit more flexible in the way you
get paid for your services. If it's appropriate to your
business, try offering free samples of your products, free
trials of services, or a no-risk "test-drive" period.
10. Community Involvement
Get involved in your community by volunteering to help in local
events. You could serve on the board of a charity, help organize
a special event, or donate your business' services to a worthy
cause. If time is in short supply (and what business owner has
an abundance of time?) then be highly selective in the ways you
get involved and choose only those activities that get you in
front of influential people and decision makers.
Gear Up Today!
There you have it: ten ways to ramp up sales for the fourth
quarter!
Get started on this immediately. At the very least, complete a
plan for your marketing within the next week. You don't have to
do everything outlined above, but you should pick at least a
couple of activities and take action before the end of
September.
The fourth quarter can be a great time for sales, but you have
to be prepared. That means getting started now.
About The Author: Andrew Pritchard is the owner of
http://www.inspire-
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Inspire Consulting specializes in
helping businesses advertise more effectively both online and
offline.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.
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