Customer Recommendations Beats Other Marketing By A Mile For SME Businesses

When marketeers approach a small business it is wise to bear in mind they will exist initially due to word of mouth recommendation than any other marketing medium.
When was the last time you recommended a business just because you wanted too?

We all say we will recommend our local guys but unless they ask us we plain forget. So the challenge for the business owner is not to be good enough to recommend but to be good enough at asking in the right way to get recommended.

Depending on the product and market One of the social platforms Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or You Tube should fit.
Once the best of these has been selected then the right approach must be implemented and remember.

"Interaction Creates Consumer Action"

The better the relationship you build with existing customers the more they come back and use you.

For more on how to do this get in touch :-)

When You Get your Marketing Right People Just Appear Everywhere

Why is it that people suddenly appear in the strangest places? Coincidence is there such a thing?

Have you ever decided to buy a certain kind of car and suddenly there are hundreds of them passing you every day? This can be classed as coincidence or as many people understand it's more an awareness thing its being open to the opportunity of it.

Do you remember the unlucky guy in Paul McKenna's programme about the "Lucky Dog Statue"? His problem wasn't about being unlucky but not being open to the idea that good luck was all around him until he became aware of it. The same happens for the car above and for business opportunities to grow. You have to take action to create the interest then you have to be open to the possibilities of the business coming in.

I have as you are probably aware been taking action to interact with many Leicester businesses through numerous ways to create the interest in joining me to build something special. I have networked, taken voluntary roles with organisations, helped charities, spoken to many on a one to one basis and been very active on Social Media.

I have been working very much at bringing benefit to the Leicester Businesses by building a Community of Excellence to serve the people of the city. This is made up of independent locally recommended businesses so we know they are providing great customer service.

Sounds pretty straight forward until you try to do it, then you find it's like moving a super tanker you have to keep pushing forwards without any noticeable change for months, then it moves a little and then a little more and now it's got momentum and growing naturally.

As a result of all my efforts and being open to possibilities I am now finding exactly the kind of businesses we want just turning up and contacting me. The human nature of curiosity is amazing as people notice me in one network they want to connect with me through another and then another until before you realise it you know each other well and doing business becomes second nature.

This is all brought about by lots of little efforts of engagement on my part as adding value to them and the more value I add the more they want to join in what I'm doing. This build a mutual respect between me and the prospects as it becomes obvious that by doing business with me we both gain which is how it should be.

Now people are connecting on LinkedIn and then through Twitter and then seeking me out on Facebook, sometimes through a chance meeting in the streets of Leicester or at a networking event but the result is the same. Look out for those opportunities to add value to everyone you meet and before long the same will happen for your business.



Looking forward to hearing from you soon. P.S. Remember you have a choice how you feel about things in life don't let others or the inner voice of doubt stop you from being who you really are! Enjoy life and have a great day... :-)

Why Return On Investment No Longer Works In Marketing

We have all heard how we must get a ROI or return on investment for everything and that has been fine for many years in marketing to people and other businesses.

Although you will still be able to use this form of marketing for your business it is not as effective as it used to be and in many cases will damage your long term relationship with your clients and yes even your prospects.

The buying public have become sensitive to pushy or transaction marketing and tend to pull away from it as soon as they feel their choice is being taken away from them.

How then can you get them to buy from you?

Well it's called relationship or community marketing where it's not about ROI but ROE return on Engagement, how much you are valued as a reliable source of advice and information rather than how cleverly you can sell to them.

What has to be taken into account here are a number of factors:

1) At any one given time only 3% of the people you are marketing to are likely to be looking to buy right now.

2) With the rise in the internet and Social media platforms such as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and LinkedIn just to name but a few, there is so much choice and opportunity for people to research before they buy.

3) Customer service is not just about remembering their name when they come into your shop / business they want to feel you care all the time not just when they are buying.

4) Once people decide to buy they want to be able to buy NOW! and get on with their lives so being in touch often is key to getting and keeping them as clients.

5) The real value of a business is not how good your product is but how a customer feels when they buy from you.

Bearing all this in mind have a look how you are interacting with your customers!
Are you meeting them on their level? i.e. do you have a Facebook page? Twitter profile? You Tube channel?

These are all places where you can interact with your customers freely and easily (if set up correctly) for just 10 mins/day and as a result you will be the place they come to when they are ready to buy, you will be the place they recommend to their friends and family and yes you will be the place they mention in their social networks for the whole world to see.

This is why a return on your Engagement is much more powerful than your Investment.... if you want more information on this subject then let me know and I will post further blogs or you can email me direct if you have a specific query that needs resolving at realtimemarketingonline@live.com



Looking forward to hearing from you soon. P.S. Remember you have a choice how you feel about things in life don't let others or the inner voice of doubt stop you from being who you really are! Enjoy life and have a great day...

Community Marketing and what it really means to you

Well this is where marketing has been heading for some time.
There have been so many clever people showing how you can make people believe you are this or are that.
The old addage of people buy people is so much truer today than it has ever been. Your community buy from you first and foremost or rather it's what you stand for that they buy.
If you are looking for a one off sale then traditional advertising and marketing can work for you buy even then people research.
When was the last time you bought something new without checking it out on the internet or with a friend or member of the family?
Facebook and Twitter have formed their own communities and this kind of thing is going on all the time. So if you are not in touch you have no way of making sure your voice is heard.
From a business point of view interaction and communication have become the keys to success and these are major parts of community marketing. Positioning yourself as the expert in your field AND someone you can trust to do the best by their customers.
This isn't about being clever or trickery it's about being true to you, your business and your community whether it be a local community or an online community.
For help and advice on how to do this for your business get in touch I really am here to help : )

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For The Businesses Who Are Not Sure If They Should Be Using Social Media As Part Of Their Business And Marketing Strategy

Well I just thought some simple statistics could make a little difference to your opinion of social media lets have a look:
Facebook has over 500,000,000 registered accounts with over 600,000,000 monthly searches that's over 2300 every second.

Twitter the new kid on the block only has 100,000,000 registered accounts but have a massively higher number of searches at around 18,000,000,000 to put that in context that's nearly 70,000 per second every second.

Just for the fact that people are searching for the services you offer or at least are interested in them should be enough for you to think and re-think about the value of social media. But the real value is not in the searches it's in the contact and relationship building you can do with clients and prospective clients.

There you have it a very short Blog but hopefully a though provoking one.....

How Do You Feel About Your Social Media Presence?

This is a question many business owners are asking themselves right now so you are not alone. I have been working with hundreds of businesses in the Leicestershire area and many of them have no idea how to start with social media let alone understand it.

This is not a slight on the businesses in this area but a cold fact that could give you the chance to get ahead of your competitors. The great thing with Facebook Twitter Linked-In etc is that they are all very versatile and you can generally set up a marketing model that works for any business.

Do you want to know how to set up your business with a clear and planned way to generate more business and keep in touch with existing clients then give me a ring on 01858 829 400 or 01162 029 689 if you would prefer you can email me on realtimemarketingonline@hotmail.co.uk