Benefit from a Marketing Mix

Marketing is a Constant Activity
So what's your marketing plan and campaign for the next business quarter? If it's not flashy or cutting edge (whatever that term means) don't worry about it. And if it doesn't have a "wow" effect don't sweat it. Let Microsoft, Toyota, Home Depot and other major corporations spend their millions in testing messages with focus groups and rolling them out.

If you're a small business owner, you want to keep pumping your name to your target clients or customers and you will need different methods of getting out your message. Why? You want to reach your prospective customers where they are so they'll remember your product or service when they need it or decide they want it. And they're not always surfing the Internet. If you're a retail business or you offer a service in a local area, then include some form of print in your marketing in addition to online activities.

A marketing mix is used by the one person business owner and multinational corporations. The scales and cost are completely different! Let's say you're a pet store owner and you decide you're going to contract with a groomer as an "add-on" service. How do you get out the word? Here are some ways:

Postcards
A stamped announcement can be mailed or hand-delivered to zip codes where you want to develop new customers. You may have to plan on one "drop" per month for the next few months. You can get them printed inexpensively and quickly off an Internet-based printing service.

Your Investment: 1 - 2 hours for writing simple copy and less than $120 for printing a few hundred standard size cards.

Create a Lasting Impression
Here's a way you can add a memorable twist to using postcards. On a Saturday or weekday evening around dinner, dress up in a dog costume, or hire someone with an out-going personality, and have them knock on 100 doors to introduce your new grooming service and drop off a coupon for 20% off. You can bet you'll be remembered. Then continue to keep doing groups of 100 homes for at least a month.

Your Investment: A fee for a costume rental and, in a city, perhaps 2 hours to reach 100 homes.

The Poor Man's Mailing List
Send a letter to a chosen profession in your town or city. Simply get the names out of the yellow pages and let them know about your new service. Talk it up at a Chamber of Commerce function. Otherwise, your local library web site may be helpful.

Your Investment: 1 -2 hours to write a letter or up to $100 to hire a writer.
Up to 4 hours of your time pulling names out of the phone book or offline.

Reward Your Current Customers
Hand paint a sign in your store and offer up to $15 of merchandise to your current customers who have their friends bring in their pets for a grooming. How about a fun contest? Let's say you have people bring in their picture with their pet. Then have them displayed in the store and your customers vote on which is the best. The winner, or the top 3 winners, get a free grooming with your new service.

You'll notice I haven't said anything about advertising, driving traffic to your web site, direct mail, or taking time to network. A marketing mix doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. But if you're going to introduce a new service, or expand your customer base, then use your imagination, create a message and make sure you market consistently so people take notice. You'll find out at the cash register if you're succeeding and on the right track.