3 Creative Marketing Ideas To Rejuvenate Your Business
Tags: creative marketing ideas, creative online marketing
You Already Know The Internet Is The Place To Be .. You Just Need To Know How To Make It Work For Your Business
As a former small business owner myself, I know first hand the difference between “old school” marketing for the small business owner and “the new internet era of marketing” for small businesses and I can tell you that the internet can change the dynamics of your business forever.
For most small business owners TARGETED LEAD GENERATION is a constant struggle, it’s like reaching for the stars.
However much effort you put in to your advertising the ideal numbers always seems to be just out of reach.
The offline business model is a familiar one :-
Large premises with rent, rates and high energy bills
Show models/stock that need replacing and kept up to date
Staff overheads to meet and the responsibilities that go with it
A good reputation for excellent service
High un-targeted advertising costs in local newspapers, magazines and the Yellow Pages
Plus a “dated” looking website website that you do not know what to do with.
So many business people I meet are either self employed tradesmen, small builders, electricians, plumbers, accountants etc,
Or they have showrooms, retail shop, salons and restaurants that need a constant flow of people to make enough sales to survive on
The bad news is that in this economic downturn they have seen a huge drop in footflow this year making “reaching for the stars” even harder than before.
The retail environment in the UK is pretty stagnant and nothing much has changed in the way the shops, restaurants or businesses interact with us yet .. 
Yet SO MUCH has changed about the way in which we love to INTERACT ourselves.
So here are 3 good-as-gold ideas to give your business a mini “face lift”
1. Get More Sociable With Your Customers
50% of employees report that they ignore company policies regarding social networking while at work so a great way to engage more with your customers and potential customers is to get a Facebook Business Page and start interacting with them.
Think about Orange Wednesdays here in the UK, the only day of the week where it’s basically buy one cinema ticket, get one free ( bring a friend) …
It’s hugely popular with everyone and the cinemas are packed out on most Wednesdays because of it. The additional revenue will come from the concession stands that night!
How can you incorporate an element of that into your business?
If you are a restaurant, throw out an invitation for a free bottle of wine with the first ten bookings for this Friday on Facebook & Twitter and watch what happens.
Or send out a One Day Sale Only starts this Saturday on Facebook and watch the word catch on fire!
2. Freshen Up Your Website So It’s Not All About You
This is probably the biggest mistake that website owners make.
Unfortunately nobody really cares much about you, they are far more interested in what you can do for them.
How many websites do you see going into depth about their history, their awards, their new offices and yet they forget they are in business to provide a service to their customers.
Today’s consumer is smart they have access to all kinds of information about anything they want to know more about so the smart entrepreneurs and small business owners have taken a fresh approach to their marketing and made themselves totally transparent.
Consumers today want to know that you appreciate them and above all they want you to be honest!
Unless you “tune in” to what they want today from your business you are going to have a hard time for a long time to come.
3. Freshen Up Your Customer Approach
Nobody likes to be “jumped on” the minute they walk into your showroom or retail store, but a warm 
welcome is always appreciated, and it is also extremely rare these days on the High Street.
If you staff look like they are more interested in adding new friends on Facebook via their mobile phone than they are in serving your customer with a smile .. then you are in deep trouble.
People do notice customer service, good or bad and now they can tell their hundreds of friends on Facebook all about it!
Your best sources of additional profits and increased business are your existing customers.
They have already invested their time, energy and money in you but if you haven’t even said “hello, how are you today” in the last few months then that should be something you add to your “To-Do List” this week.
When it comes to the modern day customer, you have to step up to meet their higher expectations .. this is a people driven economy and you are going to have to work harder than ever before to excel in your business.
How often do you communicate with your customers by post or by email?
How often do you spend thinking about an exclusive offer for your customers this month?
When did you last say “Thank You” to your customers?
It’s time to stop sitting there worrying about falling footflow and start looking at your business through your customer’s eyes.
Stop doing any marketing that isn’t working and do more of everything that is.
Diane Cossie, Creative Online Marketing
