Procrastination: Enemy of Business Marketing

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procrastinateIt’s already one month into the new year and have you considered your yearly marketing plans yet? Are your plans in place, and did you actually begin the first step in January? Somehow January has slipped away, and like most business people’s marketing plans, likely those have been shelved too. It’s important to begin your marketing today, as we’re sure that most owners wouldn’t say no to a bit of extra business during this slower time of year.

Sadly, procrastination remains one of the biggest enemies to business marketing. Every morning you may start out with good intentions, but then something happens. There are ways to help you get started though.

Like many businesses social media is left to the employees. Some employees love doing this as they live on Facebook, while others hate doing it. Peruse your social media business accounts. Is content being regularly provided, or are your pages dead?

If your employees have no time to do it, then you have two remaining options. This first is going to involve you shutting the door and turning off the telephone. You’ll need to have a look at that marketing plan that you should have started at the beginning of the year. If not, create one.

After you have a few steps listed, get onto your social media accounts and start plugging in the posts. This is where social media becomes like a chore, as you have to adjust the posting times and dates schedule. But it’s a task that must be done.

Your second option is to contact Direct West Media Group and have them tackle the challenges of your business marketing for you. Most people have a marketing plan that comprises three or four different types of media.

Social media marketing is one of the top tools today. Advertising is next and can be done through a wide range of channels: Facebook ads, newspaper and magazine ads, radio spot ads, cable TV ads, and brochures and flyers.

DWMG is proficient in handling every aspect of advertising, no matter how small or big the project. In fact, start out small with us and see the results.

There is almost no business out there that can say it’s so busy that it doesn’t want any more profits. Yet being busy is a part of doing business, but much of that is the backend of the business: accounting, management, and marketing. You could make extra money with creative accounting practices, and most know how corporate management makes money, (neither method recommended!) but marketing is one of the best ways to directly bring new paying customers and clients to your business.

It doesn’t matter if your business is online, run from home or office, or you own a brick and mortar shop. Every entrepreneur can benefit from having an effective business marketing plan.

Don’t let your marketing plan sit on the shelf. Dust it off, have a look at it, and consider delegating some of the more complicated tasks to Direct West Media Group.

How Do I Create My Business Startup Marketing Plan?

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computer_PhoneThere are many tasks to starting a new business besides registering business and domain names. Stores and restaurants need to be built and decorated. Supplies and products need to be ordered, then unpacked, and displayed. Employees will need to be hired. During all this time who will do your business marketing? If you have a small business you may not be able to hire someone full-time to do it. Do you want to risk it to your neighbor’s kid, or do you want to hire a qualified and professional business marketing firm such as the Direct West Media Group?

Many newcomers to business may not fully understand the intricacies of business marketing. They may believe that you can set up your Facebook and Twitter accounts and hope that one or two posts per day will draw them in. But it’s further from the truth.

You’re going to need to create not only a brick and mortar presence, but an online presence too. Most businesses rely on both sources of potential income. So many people don’t have time to visit in person—they’ll pick up the telephone to call—or they’ll place an order through a mobile-optimized site.

There is so much to do. Mobile optimize your website. Have someone post up to twenty or thirty times a day with interesting and engaging content. Have someone regularly checking email, social media, and telephone messages to see if customers/clients have any inquiries about products or services.

Plus you’re fairly certain that you should be inviting the media to attend an opening party, as well as placing ads in papers, and perhaps even have a local cable TV ad too.

When you hire an experienced business marketer such as Direct West Media Group you’re not only hiring someone to tackle this end of the work, but their vast experience as well. They’re knowledgeable about which services are effective for which types of businesses. Plan A may not work for all—perhaps your business needs Plan Z. They can advise you on how to get started.

Marketing plans can begin with an affordable plan to get you recognition in the busy marketplace. They can be as simple or as complex as needed for your type of business. The more services and products you sell, including from a number of locations, could mean that you need escalating marketing services to ensure that your business is bringing in the profits it deserves.

Please contact Direct West Media Group today and learn how our marketing services are the best solution to how to bring your business to the forefront in a busy marketplace.

How to Extend Your Reach

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Business owners may be under the delusion that they should only advertise or market their business with one form of media. Perhaps you advertise your company in your local newspaper. You have a basic website and Twitter account set up. But the more avenues you use, the wider the reach to your audience.

What are some different methods to advertise or market your business? Wading through the options can take some time. Most businesses have a website but you’d be surprised at how many don’t. With today’s tech savvy shoppers, if you’re not online, you’re likely not going to get a visit.

Today, a savvy shopper will do their research before deciding if your business is worth a visit. They’ll check Yelp and Google Reviews to see your rating. They’ll visit your business’s website to see the range of services and products you provide. Can they order products online? How about ordering services? Can they order a meal online for takeout? If you run a restaurant, the menu should be posted online.

Customer testimonials posted to your website are a great way to advertise. Reading favorable reviews can draw someone to your business. You can place comment cards on your counter and offer a prize draw at the end of the month, to people who filled out the comments form.

Many small business owners refuse to use social media, claiming it’s a waste of time. But if you’re a business owner, and you ignore the value of social media, you’re missing out on a whole different consumer market. There’s thousands of social media sites, but Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, and Tumblr are holding steady for being the most popular.

Each social media site draws their own niche crowd. Social media can be used to promote your business. Once you’re set up, accounts should be updated daily. If you have coupons or specials, they can be posted online. If you have a shopping club card, you could talk about it. You may want to post photos of merchandise. Social media accounts don’t need to constantly promote your business. You can provide some fun articles and photos here too. For example, if you run a catering company, you could have a blog with party ideas. That way you’re not tiring your audience with constant chatter about coming in for a visit.

Video killed the radio star may be true, but podcasting is in, particularly with the younger crowd. Listening to radio and audio over the net has been steadily growing. There are many popular podcasts to listen to. And, advertising on a podcast is one of the options to advertise your business. It can be a whole lot cheaper than advertising on your local radio station too. So, give this a consideration.

Large format visual display billboards are often overlooked by small business owners. They are a highly effective way to reach that part of your audience who doesn’t have time to be online. They’ll effectively advertise your business on billboards near popular transit flows.

Television ads don’t have to be expensive. Most cities have a local cable channel where they run local programming. You can have an affordable 30 second spot and your message will directly reach your target market.

You can see that there are several different advertising and marketing models for you to choose from. Please contact Direct West Media Group Inc. and they’ll help you organize the best marketing plan for your business.