If you’re a small business owner or marketer, you’ve probably heard the term “tools of the trade” before. These are essentially the fundamental tools that every successful marketer has at their disposal. They include various methods of promotion, from traditional marketing methods to more modern Internet-based strategies. There are so many different tools out there, it can be overwhelming to know where to start or what to focus on.
List building is the most important tool in any marketing small business should have. Without a list of qualified leads, you won’t generate any sales. In fact, you’ll have virtually no chance of survival. To build a solid list, follow these simple steps:
It’s easy to create a list. First, try and find a free list building service like list builder for WordPress or a similar website. Next, write your signup form and offer a free eBook or gift to your visitors. Offer them something that’s related to your niche, and then collect their names and addresses in exchange for their contact information. Don’t worry if you haven’t actually sent out an email yet – that’s where the follow-up comes in.
Email marketing tools are probably the most effective method for a small marketing business. Most successful Internet marketers tell you that email marketing is their bread and butter. The problem is that people hate to receive unsolicited email, even when it comes from someone they trust. But by following these few simple steps, you can dramatically increase the number of leads you capture and subsequently market to.
Don’t try to hard sell your customers. The majority of marketers have spent countless hours trying to get their email campaigns down just right. They don’t want to spend another minute on email marketing after sending out thousands of promotional emails already. Instead, focus on providing useful information, letting your visitors know about other things your site has to offer, and letting them sign up for future newsletters. This will save you time and make it easy for you to follow up with your list in the future.
Don’t keep your list to yourself. Everyone likes to be offered something for free, but people also want to be marketed to as well. You may not want to market to everyone on your list, but you should definitely sell to some of them. If you’re targeting parents for instance, you can’t just say “stay away from me”. You have to offer useful products, free reports, or other stuff that can help them solve a problem that’s hurting your business.
As mentioned above, spam filters are an important part of email marketing. If you send out hundreds of emails to the same address, the spam filter will catch most of them. You need to avoid this, and don’t bother with any cheap spam software or freebie sites that promise to filter your email for you. There are several good paid services that you should definitely try out. Most of them are easy to set up and don’t cost much.
Use an autoresponder to automate your email campaign. Autoresponders allow you to schedule emails to be sent out based on certain criteria, so you don’t need to be concerned with manually adding these emails to your subscribers’ inbox. With an autoresponder, you can save yourself a lot of time when it comes to email marketing.
If you’re selling physical products, consider creating a subscription form on your website. Offer a newsletter or a free eBook that your visitors can download immediately. Don’t try to sell anything in your newsletter. Instead, simply use it as a lead generator and a place to collect your visitors’ contact information. Once you have their contact info, you can then send them away to your sales page.One of the best ways to do this is to use a reputable mass SMS service.
Make sure to include freebies in every package you send out. Freebies are the best way to get people to join your list, but you have to make sure you’re actually giving them something of real value. This will make them trust you and your products, which are what you need to succeed in the online world. You can find freebies almost everywhere on the internet, including in the form of ebooks, reports, audio or video tutorials, free coupons, and more. There are also free promotion events happening all the time, where you can promote your products for free.
Once you have built up a good list of customers, use social media sites to promote the products you’re selling. If you don’t know how to set up an account on one of these sites, make sure you know someone who does. Social media helps you reach a wide audience that’s always on the go. When you’ve finally built up a large enough customer base, it’s time to use your tools for small marketing.
