The most effective situation is when you know the name of the person you need to speak with, or even better, you have received a recommendation to contact them (referral).

Firstly, conduct your own research of the contact, their business and industry and be prepared before you call (use Google or speak with other suppliers). Also, find out if there are times to avoid ringing – it would be unwise to phone a busy restaurant during lunch time and ask to speak with the head chef.

Cover the following points in your initial call “Hello Barry, my name is Megan Walker from Market Savvy, Scott from Archer Gowland suggested that I give you a call about increasing your brand profile, which is an area that we specialise in. Is now a good time to talk further?”

If they are busy when at the time of your initial call (more than likely), make a date and time to talk by phone. Ask for their email address and send a meeting confirmation with your company profile / link to your website. This will position you as an important person to talk to and give them time to prepare. Ring at the designated time and confirm that they are right to talk. Start by letting them know you understand their business and ask them about their current situation and what they would like to achieve.

If the phone call is sounding like you are genuinely the right person to assist, let them know how you could help them and ask for a time to meet in person to share some insights regarding what is working well in their industry and give them a chance to assess you. Make a date and time. Also, ask if other key decision makers can be present so you can provide them with useful information as well. Confirm the appointment the day before the meeting so it is a priority for the contact.

Be well prepared for the meeting – research the company, bring useful information for your contact, demonstrate how you have improved the similar situation of others and let them know how you would help them. Make sure you ask key questions and do more listening than talking (remember it is about them).

Learn how to secure appointments (with and without referrals), build your own sales plan, gain confidence, know what to say, learn how to negotiate and close successfully at “Savvy Selling Skills for SMEs” on Tuesday 21 February www.marketsavvy.com.au/events. A half day, high powered workshop for business owners.

For more information, please call me on 07 3899 8335 or megan@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

“We are pleased to have the support of Market Savvy to underpin our future marketing direction,” Chris Hudson, General Manager.

Now is a great time for you to get noticed and stay “top of mind” with key industry contacts, existing and potential customers, suppliers, employees and referral sources.

The following low cost marketing activities will increase your profile in the New Year: 

1. Communicate regularly with your existing customers by inviting them to events, subscribing them to your newsletter, sending them a mailout or phoning them. Choose activities and frequency that are relevant and add value to your customers
2.  Identify your raving fans. This could include past or present employees, suppliers, existing customers or industry contacts. Meet and engage with them regularly so they understand your products and services and can advocate for you on your behalf. This will effectively expand your sales team and give a third party endorsement to your business
3.  Speak at industry events where potential buyers and referral sources are in the room. This will increase your credibility as an expert in your industry. Be generous and genuine and you will attract leads for your business
4.  Submit newsworthy articles to media and industry publications. You can also start a blog or comment on other blogs and become a thought leader in your industry
5.  Use social media and other online tools so existing and potential customers can engage with your business. Provide information of value and interest to expand your contact base and drive traffic to your website
6. Host your own event. Plan an information or networking event for your existing and potential customers. Make sure you have support on hand to keep your guests engaged and clearly communicate your products and services while adding value and enjoyment for the attendees
7. Engage in selective networking. Attend industry networking events where your potential buyers and referral sources will be present. Once you find the group(s) that work for you, attend regularly, become known, add value to others and clearly communicate the benefits your products and services create
8. Enter award submissions. Applying for and winning industry awards is a great way to generate positive publicity and news stories for your business. Plus, your award will give your business added trust and credibility and appeal to wider audiences

Market Savvy specialises in developing strategic marketing and sales plans that establish the right activities for your business and resources. Reach your target audiences in clever and effective ways, retain your existing customers and increase your referrals.

For more information, please contact me on 07 3899 8335 or megan@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

You can listen to what experts in your industry have to say, set up news alerts, learn from your peers, find industry events, and most importantly, build your business. Of all the online tools, LinkedIn is perhaps the unsung hero and in my opinion, it’s where business gets done.

Here’s a few tips for getting more out of this free tool:

1. Announce significant news about your business and follow up your contacts with a phone call
2. Launch new products and ask to meet with your contacts to explain the value of your new product for them (remember the ‘what’s in it for them’)
3. Seek out old contacts, people who you like. Let them know what you are doing now and the success of your business. Keep in touch and encourage them to become your advocates, effectively expanding your referral network
4. Run free polls with your colleagues or customers and unlock important insights. You could ask your customers how long they will be away over Christmas to help with planning or scheduling
5. Ask your key contacts for recommendations and give them recommendations as well. This is a great way to show mutual appreciation with customers, suppliers or employees

A great person to connect with on LinkedIn is Richard Dunks from Vantage Performance. He is an avid LinkedIn user and regularly posts excellent articles and useful information for business owners. Richard’s profile is a great example of how to set up your own LinkedIn profile.

Here are some other tips for enhancing your LinkedIn presence:

• Include key words in your profile that describe your professional achievements
• Add a list of specialties and skills gained through your work experience
• List causes you are interested in
• Include any publications that have printed stories about you or your business

With over two million LinkedIn users in Australia, you have a great opportunity to expand your professional network. Would you like to become a contact with me on LinkedIn?

For more information about establishing your digital marketing strategies, please contact me on 07 3899 8335 or megan@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

Developed by university students, it was originally established to communicate with students across campuses in the United States. It then branched out to schools, then corporate organisations and in 2006 become open to anybody with a valid email address.

Closer to home, I hear local business owners continually question the purpose of Facebook for the corporate sector – “it’s just for kids”, “it’s for your personal life” and “nobody does business on Facebook”.

On some occasions I agree with these statements. However Facebook, like any marketing tool, is only effective if it aligns with your brand, your products and services and, most importantly of all, your target audiences.

If your customers don’t use Facebook or wouldn’t look for your products or services in that arena then it’s not for you. BUT it does work if used correctly for the right applications. Three examples of commercial uses are as follows:

1. Support tool to drive online sales. Facebook can be used to engage potential buyers with stories or interesting information, communicate the benefits of products or services, tell stories and build a sales database of followers. Post daily to maintain a presence in your followers’ news feeds. A great example is the Haggus and Stookles Facebook page, a Brisbane e-tailer that offers travel products for children

2. Market research. Find out what your audiences are thinking by using polls or asking open ended questions. Set up polls on your page by adding the poll application and then creating your own mini survey. You can also search on your industry, company or brand names by typing key words into the search field to see what people are saying about you and identifying market trends

3. Search Engine Optimisation. Claim your vanity URLs (company or product names) on Facebook and other social media sites. Make sure you include relevant key words that people will use to find you in the name of your pages and in your text. Over time and with regular posting, you will appear multiple times in search results effectively giving more attention to your business and pushing your competitors lower down the page

Being online (relevant to your business and your target audiences) is an integral part of your business strategy.

For more information on building a powerful Facebook presence or outsourcing your social media writing, please contact me on 07 3899 8335 or email megan@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

One of our industrial clients was resisting upgrading their website until they missed out on a job due to their outdated online appearance. The potential customer told them that they didn’t think the quality of their workmanship would be any good based on the poor quality of their website.

Your website needs to achieve trust, be likeable, demonstrate how your offer is the best, show potential customers how you will solve their problems and create a strong call to action.

Here are some ways you can do this:

1. Include a short welcome video (30 to 60 seconds) from the owner on the home page. Include who are you to your customers, what will you do for them, how will you make a difference to their business and what you promise to deliver
2. Phone number on top right corner of every page. If you want people to enquire about your products or services make it easy for them to reach you
3. If you have won any industry awards, make reference to these on your home page. Accolades build trust
4. Keep your language about meeting the needs of your customers not ‘you talking about you’. Present your products and services as solutions. Keep the content short, sharp and easy to digest. If you do need to provide lengthy sections of information, provide the top facts in a few short paragraphs and offer the reader the ability to <read more> or download a PDF for the finer details. This will prevent the reader from being overwhelmed or being put off by large sections of text
5. Make sure you keep your website updated so it remains the powerful marketing tool that it can and should be

For more information on creating an effective website or developing attractive website content, please contact me on 07 3899 8335 or email megan@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

The most effective is seeing your customers in person.

Meeting face to face can be daunting for some business owners, and some would prefer to avoid their customers in case they receive any negative information. 

At Christmas however, you have the perfect opportunity to put those reservations aside, call on your customers, show your appreciation for their business, gather some important information and boost your working relationships.

Besides, if they do have any concerns, you want to know about them so you can rectify the situation. With a tight economic climate, you can’t afford to have disgruntled customers. Taking the time to see them and listening to their comments (good or bad) might be what’s needed to keep them in 2012.

Make a time to see your customers, take a gift (appropriate to you, to them, your business, your relationship and your brand) and thank them for their business.

Make sure you gather some market intelligence while you are there – how has their year been, what are their plans for 2012, have they enjoyed working with you, any areas for improvement and how do they intend on working with you in the coming year? This information will assist in your planning and making sure your offering meets the market.

For more information contact Megan Walker on megan@marketsavvy.com.au or 07 3899 8 335.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

While these core ingredients are still key, the absence of a quality website is now holding some of these companies back. Potential customers are judging the quality of your products and services by the quality of your website. And further, they expect you to ‘look and feel’ like the major players in your industry.

Maurice Kindermann from Kintek, Brisbane’s leading website development company, has the following top tips for creating a successful and reputable online presence:

1. Design – without a modern design, your website can be perceived as out of date and your site can impact negatively on your brand
2. Critical information – think about the type of people who will visit your site. What are their needs and what do they need to know? Phone number, hours of operation, payment options, parking information etc? Present this information clearly and logically
3. Blog / news – if your website has information that is outdated, your visitors may think your business has stagnated. Have fresh information on your site (blog, news or twitter feed) to show your are active and interested in communicating with your customers
4. Social media links – people are increasingly turning to social media to see what their network thinks of your brand. If you don’t have a social media presence, customers may think you aren’t interested in engaging with them. You can use social media tools to gain rich market research information as well
5. Search engine optimisation – use the right content on your site to improve your Google ranking and help your customers find you (Kintek specialises in SEO)
6. Get mobile – roughly 12.7 million mobile handsets will be sold in Australia this year and Australia currently has the highest smart phone penetration level per capita in the world. It’s becoming increasing important to have a phone friendly version of your website. Think of the iTunes Store and the Android Marketplace as other great places for your brand to be found
7. Ecommerce – are you taking payments online? Payment can be for selling products or services or paying bills. More and more people expect their commerce transactions to occur online – are there payment processes you could automate online to make life easier for your customers and increase their brand loyalty?
8. Video – nothing improves the tangibility of your business online more than video. Videos of your products, client testimonials or business overviews are a great way to stand out among your competition and communicate quickly with your customers

Marketing websites – fast facts:

• We are now seeing the majority of marketing budgets being directed towards website development, email marketing and social media
• We will also start to see a greater complement between online and physical stores
• Eight-five percent of shoppers with an internet connection do extensive due diligence online before entering a store and making a purchase (BRW, September 15-21 2011 page 8)

For more information on creating an effective website or developing attractive website content, please contact me on 07 3899 8335 or info@marketsavvy.com.au.

Kind regards
Megan Walker

“Market Savvy has developed an integrated marketing plan, branding structure and website to support our future growth,” Dirk Pretorius, Chief Executive Officer, Frosty Boy Australia.

“Being a start up business with a modest marketing budget, Market Savvy helped us produce a marketing plan which maximises the resources we do have and importantly can be measured for success. I would have no hesitation in recommending Megan and the team,” Mark Higginbotham, General Manager, Fortus Physiotherapy.