From Contractor talk (Ed the Roofer):
Credit for the list belongs to; Eric Lyon - Scorpion Agency
Illustration Design |
Design Services
240 Marketing Ideas - My personal Checklist -
Here's the Marketing Checklist I use myself, provide to all my site visitors, & add to from time to time. Enjoy!
Eric
1.) Never let a day pass without engaging in at least One Marketing Activity.
2.) Determine a Percentage gross income to spend annually on Marketing.
3.) Set Specific goals every year; Review & adjust quarterly.
4.) Maintain a tickler file for later use.
5.) Carry business cards with you every day, ALL day. (They do not do any good in the box!)
6.) Create a personal name tag or pin w/your company logo, wear it at high visibility meetings.
7.) Stay alert to trends that might impact your target market, product or promotion strategy.
8.) Read market research studies about your profession, industry, target market groups, etc.....
9.) Collect competitors ads & literature; study them for information about strategy, product features & benefits, etc...
10.) Ask clients why they hired you & solicit suggestions for improvement.
11.) Ask former clients why they left.
12.) Identify a new market.
13.) Join a list-serve (e-mail list) related to your profession.
14.) Subscribe to an Internet Usenet newsgroups or list-serve that serves your target market.
15.) Create a new service, technique or product.
16.) Offer a simpler, cheaper, smaller version of your (or another existing) product or service.
17.) Update your service.
18.) Establish a marketing & public relations advisory & referral team composed of your colleagues & or neighboring business owners to share ideas, referrals, & to discuss community issues. Meet quarterly for breakfast
19.) Offer a fancier, more expensive, faster, bigger version of your (or another existing) product or service.
20.) Create a suggestion box for employees.
21.) Create a suggestion box for customers.
22.) Attend a marketing seminar.
23.) Read a Marketing Book.
24.) Subscribe to a marketing newsletter or publication.
25.) Subscribe to a marketing list-serve on the Internet.
26.) Subscribe to a marketing Usenet newsgroups on the Internet.
27.) Train your staff, clients, & colleagues to promote referrals.
28.) Hold a monthly marketing meeting with employees or associates to discuss strategy, status & to solicit marketing ideas.
29.) Join an association or organization related to your profession.
30.) Get a marketing intern to take you on as a client; it will give the intern experience & you some free marketing help.
31.) Maintain a consultant card file for finding designers, writers & other marketing professionals.
32.) Hire a marketing consultant to brainstorm with.
33.) Take a creative journey to another progressive city or country to observe & learn from marketing techniques used there.
34.) Analyze your fee structure; look for areas requiring modifications or adjustments.
35.) Establish a credit card payment option for clients.
36.) Give quickpay or cash discounts.
37.) Learn to barter; offer discounts to members of certain clubs, professional groups, & organizations in exchange for promotions in their publications.
38.) Give regular clients discounts.
39.) Offer financing or installment plans.
40.) Publish a newsletter for customers & prospects. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.
41.) Develop a brochure of services.
42.) Include a postage-paid survey card with your brochures & other company literature. Include check-off boxes or other items that will involve the reader & provide valuable feedback to you.
43.) Remember, business cards are not working for you if they are in the box. Pass them out! Give prospects two business cards & brochures. One to keep & one to pass along .
44.) Produce separate business cards & sales literature for each of your target market segments. Gov., Commerce, Business, & Consumer
45.) Create a poster or calendar to give away to customers & prospects.
46.) Print a slogan & or one sentence description of your business on a letterhead, fax cover & invoices.
47.) Develop a site on the World wide web. www
48.) Create a signature file to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details including your web site address & key information about your company that will make the reader want to contact you.
49.) Include testimonials from customers in your literature.
50.) Test a new mailing list. If it produces results, add it to your current direct mail list or consider replacing a list thats not performing up to expectations.
51.) Use colored or oversized envelopes to pique recipients curiosity. Also try using the Mail Bumps Technique. Simply place a small object in the letter that creates a bump, retroactively creating curiosity to open it rather than throwing it in the trash.
52.) Announce free or special offers in your direct response pieces. Include the offer in the beginning of the message & also on the outside of the envelope for direct mail.
53.) Update your media lists often so that press releases are sent to the right media outlet & person.
54.) Write a column for the local newspaper, local business journal, or trade publication.
55.) Publish an article & circulate reprints.
56.) Send timely & newsworthy press releases as often as needed.
57.) Publicize your 500th client of the year or other notable milestones.
58.) Create an annual award & publicize it as an outstanding employee of the year.
59.) Get public relations & media training or read up on it.
60.) Create your own TV program on your industry or specialty. Market the show to your local cable station or public broadcasting station as a regular program. Or, see if you can air your show on an open access cable channel.
61.) Write to the editor of your local newspaper or trade magazine editor.
62.) Get publicity photo taken & enclose with press release.
63.) Consistently review newspapers & magazines for ideas.
64.) Take an editor to Lunch.
65.) Appear on a radio or Tv Talk show.
66.) Submit "Top" articles to newsletters & Newspapers.
67.) Conduct Industry research & Develop a press release or article to announce an important discovery in your field.
68.) Create a press kit & keep its contents current.
69.) Ask your clients to come back again.
70.) Return phone calls promptly.
71.) Use answering machine or voicemail system for after-hours phone calls. Include basic information in your outgoing message such as business hours, location, etc...
72.) Record a memo or "tip of the day" on your outgoing answering machine or voice message.
73.) Set up fax or e-mail system to respond to customers.
74.)Ask clients what you can do to help.
75.) Take clients to a ball game, a show, or another special event - just send them two tickets with a note.
76.) Send hand written thank you notes.
77.) Hold a seminar at your office for clients & Prospects.
78.) Send Birthday cards & appropriate seasons greetings.
79.) Photo copy interesting articles & send them to clients & prospects with a hand written "FYI" note & your business card.
80.) Send a book of interest or other appropriate business gift to a client with a hand written note.
81.) Create an area on your website specifically for your customers. (Community, Services, Forum, Link Exchange, Classifieds, etc.)
82.) Join a Chamber of Commerce or other organization.
83.) Redecorate your office or location where you meet with your clients.
84.) Join or organize a breakfest club with other professionals (Not in your field) to discuss business & network referrals.
85.) Mail a brochure to members of organizations to which you belong.
86.) Serve on a city board or commission.
87.) Host a holiday party.
88.) Hold an open house.
89.) Send letters to attendees after you attend a conference.
90.) Join a community list-serve (E-mail list) on the internet.
91.) Advertise during Peak seasons for your business.
92.) Get a memorable phone number.
93.) Obtain a memorable URL & E-mail address & include them on all marketing materials.
94.) Provide rolodex cards or phone stickers pre-printed with your business contact information.
95.) Promote your business jointly with other professionals Via Cooperative direct Mail & or e-mail.
96.) Advertise in a specialty directory or in the yellow pages.
97.) Write an ad in another language to reach a non-english speaking market. Place the ad in a publication that market reads, such as a hispanic newspaper.
98.) Distribute advertising specialty products such as pens, mouse pads, mugs, etc...
99.) Mail "Bumps", Photo, samples, or other innovative items that create a small bulg in the letter to create curousity.
100.) Create a direct mail list of Hot prospects.
101.) Consider non-traditional tactics of advertising such as bus benches, bus backs, billboards & popular web sites.
102.) Project a message on the sidewalk in front of your place of business using a light directed through words in a glass window.
103.) Consider placing ads in your local newspaper classifieds section.
104.) Consider a vanity automobile tag with your company name.
105.) Create a friendly bumper sticker for your car.
106.) Code your ads & keep track of the results.
107.) Improve your building signage & directional signs inside & Out.
108.) Invest in a neon sign to make your office window visible at night.
109.) Create a new or improved company logo or slogan.
110.) Get a booth at a fair or trade show attended by your target market.
111.) Sponsor or promote a contest or sweepstakes.
112.) Sponsor or Host a special event or open house at your business in cooperation with a local non-profit Organization.
113.) Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a high school.
114.) Teach a class or seminar at a local collage or adult education center.
115.) Volunteer your time to a charity or non-profit Organization.
116.) Sponsor an "Adopt-a-Road" area in your community to keep roads litter-free. People that pass by the area will see your name on the sign announcing your sponsorship.
117.) Donate your product or service to a charity auction.
118.) Appear on a panel at a professional seminar.
119.) Produce & Distribute an educational cd-rom, audio, video tape, MultiMedia presentation (Virtual).
120.) Write a "How to" pamphlet or article for publishing.
