For most people, owning a business is a dream come true. The freedom that comes with being your own boss and succeeding to the best of your ability are facts of life for small business owners. Of course, it's more stressful than you probably imagined when creating your grand plans, but with a little strategy and planning, you can overcome any tough spot. Successful marketers have developed seven tactics that will make your business as successful as theirs.
1. Create a unique selling point
To stand out from the crowd, create a unique selling proposition that emphasizes the benefits customers will receive from doing business with you.
Will they get faster service? Dramatize it, but keep the focus on the customer: "Get free overnight delivery!" This tells customers that they will receive quick service and a discount on shipping. Two benefits in one statement!
Why should someone buy from you instead of your competitor? I hate to burst your bubble, but it has nothing to do with you, your product, or your service. Yes, it's a bit self-centered, but customers are attracted to offers that highlight the benefits for them.
Don't create new products and services just to get attention. Just add a special benefit to the ones you already have. Maybe it's quicker service. The most effective benefits to emphasize are ones that your competition cannot or will not provide.
2. Use testimonials
We all know business owners think their products or services are the best, but what current customers think really matters to prospective ones. Prospective customers see things from the point of view of current customers, so what current customers say about the business has an impact.
Testimonials play an important role in advertising, especially for small businesses. Big businesses with well-known names don't have to worry about that.
Think about it.
How else can we gain credibility besides creating a group of satisfied customers and publicizing their feedback? Now, let's explore ways to make testimonials an effective part of our marketing campaigns.
As soon as you have first customers, ask them to provide feedback on your products and services. To encourage them to take the time, offer them something for free, even if it's a free product, to help boost your credibility.
3. Upsell
Upselling is one of the most successful marketing trends today. Everywhere you go, someone is trying to get you to buy more. From McDonald's supersize options to clothing stores trying to sell you matching shoes, everyone's jumping on the bandwagon.
Why? Because it works!
Your customers already know that you have great products and provide satisfactory service. They trust you to come through for them. It's much easier to make sales to someone you already have a relationship with, so think about it.
Take every opportunity to increase your sales volume with your existing customer base.
Do you have a complementary product to offer with their purchase? Offer it to them at the register. This is a proven and effective method for increasing sales. You may be shocked by how much more you can sell to people who are already buying from you.
4. Make your price seem smaller
Divide and conquer. This old war tactic works in marketing, too!
When the price seems too high, break it down into smaller, more affordable amounts. For example, a $120 item could be broken down into 12 monthly payments of $10. A $365 purchase would cost just $1 per day.
Now that sounds affordable!
5. Paint the benefits pretty
Customers buy things because they want to enjoy the benefits of their purchases. For example, a woman might buy a dress because she wants to feel sexy, and a man might buy a book because he enjoys reading.
Emotions are the key element that drive purchases.
Use word pictures to stir up the emotions that will instigate the sale. Let customers feel the benefits, and they'll be more likely to head for the cash register. Put them where you want them.
6. Create attention-getting headlines
Are you ready to capture your reader's attention with great copy? The headline is the place to start.
How often do you scan newspaper headlines before deciding whether to read an article? That's where we gain or lose the reader's interest, so headlines are a pretty important part of an advertisement.
A good headline should convey its message in twelve words or fewer. Double-check those headlines. Do they promise a positive benefit or ask a provocative question? Don't settle for anything less than attention-grabbing statements.
7. Provide an offer they can't resist
Is your deal too good to pass up? If not, you need to improve it.
I'm not suggesting you cut prices further; you still need to make a profit. You can sweeten the deal by increasing the reader's knowledge of the product's value, or by adding valuable bonuses that cost you little.
Motivate buyers with expiration dates.
An open-ended offer encourages procrastination, which leads to nowhere. When customers know they have until Saturday to purchase an item they'll pay more for on Sunday, they'll prioritize heading to your shop.
Using scarcity in marketing is an extremely effective strategy. The media does everything it can to keep people scared, worried, and negative. This is useful if you want to employ a scarcity tactic to increase sales, or heavily using emotions.
