Hi

I thought you might enjoy my latest article on marketing.  With today’s economy we need to do everything we can to generate business.  Hope this helps! 

Marketing Success Begins with a New Business Image

Many of you are already established in business with your website in place, your business cards tucked away securely awaiting the next networking opportunity, and your promotional materials printed and filed away. You are set — Or are you? 

Think back, when was the last time you revisited this area?  When was the last time you recreated your promotional materials and added a new image?  Have you actually read your website lately from the prospective of a potential client? If so, did it portray you in the best light and did it convince you to utilize your services?  Did it have all your latest PR successes and latest services?  If not, it’s time to jumpstart your marketing.  The results, more clients and a new and improved you.

Here are just a few ideas:

Your Web Site

When doing your website or reviewing your website, take your time. This isn’t a race to the finish.  Take it a page at a time and give it your all.  Ask yourself:

Would it hold their interest?  You need to make sure they aren’t bored with long paragraphs or unnecessary long wordy descriptions.  They want to find what they came for quickly. 

Is it personalized?  When people come to your site, do they get to know you and your business or do they hear the same ole’ same ole’ that’s on all the websites in your Industry.  It’s important to have you in there.

Get to the point.  Go back and cut out unnecessary words, paragraphs, graphics, anything that just isn’t essential to the bottom line of providing the benefits of what you provide. 

Is it understandable?  Sounds simple, right?  Go back over your site and make sure that you’ve clearly spelled out what you do.  You know you’re the best, but have you adequately described this to your potential clients?

Can you add a few new graphics or colors or something to jazz it up?  A change of your website’s theme colors can make a big difference in adding to a fresh new look. 

Press Releases & Articles

How often do you write a press release and submit it out?  Or better yet, when was the last time you did send one out?  Ouch-that long.  If you want to fine tune and bump up your marketing, then you absolutely need to write a good press release and get it out there. The main point in that sentence is — write a good one.  How do you do that?  Easy, make it something that informs and inspires.  Make it newsworthy.  Tie it into what is happening in today’s times and then connect your business to how you can make a difference.  Did you remember the “call to action” paragraph, where you are telling them what you want them to do? And finally, just having a release isn’t enough. You need to actively submit it out and post it on your website, blogs, social networking sites, etc.  Email us at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com for our free PR informational package for tips and places you can submit your press release for free. 
Social Networking

You need to do this.  Actually you will want to do this.  Once you get started you’ll love it too.  So go ahead and do it.  Most businesses will tell you that doing this makes a considerable difference in their business.  Don’t have time to, hire a virtual assistant to do it for you.

Now, find the sites that interest you and get active and involved.  Remember to succeed you need to be committed.  You can’t just show up once every few months and expect it to work. 

Your Promotional Materials

Just think how impressed your clients or even more important, those potential new clients, will be when they receive a letter on your new letterhead, with your new business card, a matching brochure, and maybe even a matching magnet with your business information on it.  It’s time to jazz it up a bit and recreate a new image.  You have so many more years experience in your business, let it show with your new promotions.

How about changing your slogan?  When you think about it, it goes out with every e-mail, it’s on your website, all your marketing, etc.  My slogan has always been “Virtual Assisting At Its Best.”  I recently changed it to, “Our Commitment to Excellence is Our Finest Achievement.”  My clients noticed the difference right away.

Your clients have probably seen your slogan over and over and over—Give Them Something New.

 You’ll see how great you’ll feel with your new marketing image. Make it a goal to do this often.  You and your pocketbook will be glad you did.

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Diana Ennen specializes in publicity and marketing and helping businesses get the most out of their publicity efforts.  She’s the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant the Series:  Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA.  Stop by for free information on starting a virtual assistant business and our free PR Informational package.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains intact.