How to Spark Your Marketing

Question: I came out of a corporate background before starting my own business last year. The stodgy marketing my former employer used always struck me as wholly ineffective. The marketing folks were unimaginative bean counters. My new business is small, but I want my marketing to have some real purpose and pop. Ideas please!

Answer: Bingo! You've nailed a crucial marketing point that every small business owner should heed: "Stodgy" marketing is toxic to your business. Ho-hum ads, brochures, tag lines, sales letters or other materials will doom you to entrepreneurial oblivion.

Here are seven strategies from some of today's most street- and tech-smart marketers and entrepreneurs:

1. Juice it up. "The whole point of any promotion is to be noticed and get a response," says Steve Cone, head of advertising and brand management for Citigroup Global Wealth Management. Over a 30-year career, Cone has built a reputation for developing imaginative solutions to tough marketing issues. Businesses spend $35 billion per month in the U.S. alone to grab consumer attention. It is absolutely vital, Cone says, to make your marketing strategy visually exciting, newsworthy and with a compelling call to action.
   
   
2. Make your offer irresistible. Forget gimmicks, says marketing guru Mark Joyner, author of The Irresistible Offer, just published by John Wiley & Sons. Instead, focus on the one thing that truly makes a different in every sale: the offer. An "irresistible offer" communicates the customer's return on their investment so clearly and efficiently that they realize they'd be foolish to pass it up. You need three elements, says Joyner. First, offer customers a flat-out good deal. No sales trickery needed. Now create a message that says clearly what you are selling, what it costs, what's in it for the customer and why they should trust you. It should be clear, simple, brief and immediate. Lastly make it believable by offering proof via endorsements and credibility.
   
   
3. Tap personality and people power. If you have a powerful personality, put it to work as chief spokesperson for your business. If you enjoy public speaking, great. Get out and do it. If not, learn to enjoy it. Your personal appearances will add great weight to your marketing strategy. Use photos of yourself, your staff, customers and other real people in your marketing materials, not nameless models. Add quotes and captions. And the personality need not be human. It could be an animal or animated character as well.
   
   
4. Be super attentive to your top customers. In most businesses, a mere 10 percent of customers account for 90 percent of revenues, says Cone, whose new book is Steal These Ideas (Bloomberg, 2005). Your marketing strategy should lavish attention on them. Create a customer recognition or loyalty program that oozes real value. For example, if you offer a reward for regular purchases, make it simple and easy to earn. Offering just one good reason for customers to take part will be enough.
   
   
5. Be a shameless self promoter. Some entrepreneurs think that their ideas alone will get them noticed. Perhaps. But usually it takes determination, commitment and know-how, says Debbie Allen in her new book Confessions of a Shameless Self Promoter (McGraw-Hill, 2005). Push yourself. Develop some gutsy goals that make you stretch. "In today's competitive marketplace, you can't afford to be humble," says Allen.
   
   
6. Tap the broader benefits of advertising. According to Cone, there are multiple reasons a business should advertise. One, of course, is to generate new leads. Another is to attract and motivate good employees and make them proud of whom they work for. Advertising reminds existing customers of why they are customers and can also get you noticed by the press. And finally it helps build your brand. More awareness is always good.
   
   
7. Gear up your online effort. With online sales growth continuing to soar, it is vital to get savvy about marketing your business on the Web, says online marketing stalwart Mitch Meyerson, who has trained thousands of business owners. Use permission marketing to pull thousands of prospects to your Web site. Generate profitable joint ventures through affiliate programs. Create low-cost giveaways that prospects can request.