Summer Sales at Treasure Maison

Check out the fabulous new items now available at online retailer Treasure Maison. www.swanneerivers.ecrater.com. Many items now offer free shipping and handling, and the summer special is- for every five items ordered at Treasure Maison, your 6th item is available at 50% off (up to $70) value. Take a look today and see how you can spiff up your wardrobe.

 

A Little PR Can Go a Long Way

Hiring a publicist or doing your own PR isn’t something most small business owners or entrepreneurs really want to do. You’re busy running the day-to-day operations that keep the doors to your business open and investing the little time and money you may have just doesn’t seem feasible or realistic.  Sound familiar?   But think about this. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a few years, media exposure is valuable to your success — just a little work on your PR campaign a day can produce tremendous results.

 

At the very least you have to have a strong brand and message. They’re what define you, and what will help differentiate you from your competition. When creating your brand and message, look to combine what makes you a) unique and b) valuable to your target market. Valuable and unique messages produce great PR campaigns and will attract better and more loyal customers.

 

After you’ve created your brand and message it’s important to employ consistency into all aspects of your business. You have to give the same message(s) over and over again through interviews, your pitches and your press materials, so be consistent and make your message your mantra. A repeatable and unique message is what will make you stand out from the crowd, forcing people to remember you and your product.

 

Your logos have to be a direct reflection of your branding and messaging too, along with all the little things like your voicemail message, how you answer your phone, your website design, etc. Think about it: If you’re branding your business as a fun and carefree company and your voicemail is dull and unenthusiastic, you’re not really holding true to your brand.

 

The thing about PR is that it’s in everything you do. It’s not just about landing interviews on television, it’s about how you interact with the public — how you deliver your message to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

 

Author: Drew Gerber

 

 

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1676164_15.html

About the Author: L. Drew Gerber is CEO of Blue Kangaroo, Inc. and the creator of PitchRate.com, a free media tool that moves the best interviews to the front of the line for journalists and producers. Gerber's business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed. Contact Gerber at: drew@publicityresults.com or 828-749-3182. For more great free publicity advice, visit PublicityResults.com.

 

Are You an Entrepreneurial Spirit?

Many people have the desire to run their own business, but not all have what it takes to successfully do so. Having the right tools can put you on the proper path to business success. Click here for additional details.

3 Ways to Attract More Ideal Clients

Author: Allison Babb

 

As a small business coach, almost without exception, my clients need to work on gaining greater clarity on their target market.  We all start out thinking we are clear on it.  I know I did, until my own coach really challenged me to go deeper and deeper along the path to becoming intimately familiar with the market that I serve.

 

Here's an interesting outcome of doing that work... When business owners contact us on how to sell services effectively, they often comment that reading some of my web pages made them feel like I was reading their mind.  And that's pretty much the outcome you'd want for your own market as well.

 

You want to get so intimately familiar with their needs, challenges, frustrations and burning desires, that you can resonate quite strongly with who they are.  That's when you know you've got powerful clarity on your target market.

 

If you're not there yet, here are a few things you may want to do:

 

Who are they?

 

Start with your favorites.  Your favorites are those clients you really enjoy working with.  These are the ones who didn't even blink an eye at your fees.  They happily paid you because they truly valued what you do.  They were eager to work with you and continue to rave about your services.

 

Profile them.  Get as much information as you can about this type of client.  Demographics, psychographics, where they came from, etc.  Because this is the profile you'll use to get more of this type of client.

 

Don't have any clients yet because you're a new biz? No worries, just brainstorm on who you might want to have as an ideal client and start there.  For new businesses, resist the urge to get this perfect by the way.  The definition of your target market will evolve and will get more refined as you begin to experience working with your clients.  Just choose who you think it may be and dive right into working with them and better understanding their needs.

 

Where are they?

 

Most likely, your target market shows up in large numbers or in groups either online or offline.  Do a bit of research (google searches etc) on where they may be and show up there too.  You'd show up to make connections and to better understand the needs of your target market as well.  Listen to what's at the top of their minds, how they express their main challenges, questions they're asking, solutions they are seeking, etc., and take lots of notes.

 

If you're not quite sure where show up, an easy way to find one person and ask them where they meet with others in their industry.  Ask them if there are groups online or offline where they gather.  They'll tell you and you may just hear of meetings and other gatherings you didn't even know existed.  And what's even better is you can probably go speak at those venues too - excellent opportunity to position yourself as an expert in front of your ideal target market.

 

What do they want?

 

Surprisingly this is one of the most overlooked questions for us as business owners.  We often want to give people what we think they need.  Instead, ask them what they want. Use surveys, or listen intently to the questions they ask while they're working with you as your client, etc.  Get clarity on their most pressing problems in your area of expertise.  Resist the urge to interpret what they are saying to you by the way.  Instead pay close attention to the descriptions they use.  This is powerful information for your marketing.

 

If you have past clients, call them up and ask if they wouldn't mind helping you out with a little market research.  Most would say yes.  Then ask questions about what brought them to you, what were the key problems that prompted them to seek help, what were they hoping to have as an outcome, what did they most value, how did your services help them?  All the while, you'd want to be listening intently to their words.  Again, resist the urge to interpret.  You're understanding the language of your people so that you can magnetically attract them and to truly serve their needs in your area of expertise.

 

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And now I'd like to offer you the FREE one-hour audio seminar for solo entrepreneurs on "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients For Your Solo Business" at: http://www.moreclientsaudio.com Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

 

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1669807_15.html

 

About the Author:

 

 

Purchasing a Business Can Come with Obstacles

Rather than develop a business from the ground up, some make the decision to purchase a business. This may be the way right way to enter the business arena for many, but for others they may face many obstacles. Being prepared can make the transition flow smoothly. Here are a few tips to aid you along the way.

Struggling to Manage Your Business Time Wisely?

Are you running a business, but still struggling with time management? Check out my latest article for added pointers.

Have You Got Your Groupon?

I recently signed up to start receiving my daily Groupon email. Are you a participant? Well, I have to say I am enjoying it. To make a long story short-it is a fabulous way to capture some awesome business deals within your city. A sign up for free, and incredible deals offering tremendous savings are put on display. You will receive a great offer each day and if enough people go in to purchase the deal-Bam! you have a tremendous savings.

It is a terrific way for businesses to share the news about what they have to offer and attract customers as well. Perhaps this is something worth taking a look at. To learn more about Groupon click here.