41 Fresh Marketing Ideas Report PBMDSFDSF

41 Fresh Marketing Ideas for Your Business
41 Fresh Marketing Ideas

for Your Business
Solid strategies to breathe new life
into your marketing
By Lucy Thornton
Copyright 2012 Lucy Thornton - Perfect Balance Marketing

www.PerfectBalanceMarketing.com
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Introduction
41 fresh marketing ideas for your business: solid strategies to breathe new life into
your marketing offers ideas that produce results and inspiration for small
businesses.
Its written by Lucy Thornton, director of Perfect Balance Marketing Ltd, who works
with companies to create effective marketing strategies and content.
Feel free to distribute this ebook to colleagues, friends and associates who could
benefit from the suggestions included. You may print or reproduce this book in its
entirety, with links and credits unchanged.
You could even use it as a way of marketing your business.
3 ways to use this bonus gift to grow your business:
Print it and send it as a thank you with your orders
Offer it to newsletter subscribers to build loyalty
Add it to your website as a free download
If youve got any queries about how to grow your business with effective marketing,
email lucy@perfectbalancemarketing.com.
PS Share this report but please dont edit or claim you wrote it (as if you would).

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Table of contents
Build up a bank of ready-made customers
What do people want to read about?
Collecting data
Referral system
Be different
Design & layout
Karma
Get emotional
Social media
Events & PR
Conclusion
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6
7
8
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10
11
11
11
12
14

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Build up a bank of ready-made customers

Getting people to sign up for your newsletter isnt easy. Junk mail and spam havent
done much for our trust in marketers.
I signed up for a photography newsletter last year, hoping to get emails containing
tips on taking great photos (a hobby of mine that Id love to be any good at).
Instead I got emails about the photographers latest clients, his office move, new
staff, latest equipment. I was pretty disappointed and didnt hesitate after three
newsletters (I gave them a fair chance) to click the unsubscribe link.
So how do you get those contacts to trust you with their details, and then to stick
with you?
1. Be predictable
Deliver your newsletter when you say you will. Send a newsletter once a month,
once a week, twice a week. Whatever your publishing schedule, stick to it, even if
you go on holiday or are feeling a bit ropey after a bout of flu (see below on how to
prepare for these days).
2. Be creative when you feel like it
Some days youll be like a Duracell bunny with enough ideas to write a novel. When
you have these days, make the most of them and jot down those ideas while theyre
flowing to include them in future newsletters. Then when youre having a dim day,
youll have plenty of ammo to call on for inspiration.
3. Trust your computer, not your memory
If you promise a weekly newsletter, then send a weekly newsletter. Set up
reminders on your computer so you dont forget. If your newsletters are sent by
email, you can set up delayed publishing, so they can be sent to recipients on the
normal day, even if youre sunning yourself on the Costa Del Snooze.
4. Keep content interesting
And short.
5. Dont waffle
You may be very passionate about the latest addition to your product range: the
Whizzy Toaster 5000. But your readers probably wont be, unless you can
demonstrate its value. Keep its technical specifications, history of development and
exact measurements to yourself. Readers want to know how it makes their lives
easier, so stay focused on your audience and their needs.

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6. Offer something of value

Just like me and my disappointing photography newsletter, your subscribers expect
to receive something useful. They dont just want a weekly email telling them to buy
your product, or attend your event, or visit your website.
Offer tips that will help them overcome their problems (you need to know your
audience here. More on that later).
7. Give away free downloads
Can you offer any templates or printable worksheets that your customers could
benefit from? Here are some examples:
A plumber providing directions (with diagrams) on how to drain a radiator
A baby clothing site offering a reward chart for well-behaved toddlers
A nutritionist giving away a printable food diary online
A web designer offering free desktop wallpaper to download (with their logo and
web address on of course)
8. Hold a contest
Design our Christmas card. Send us your photographs for your chance to be
included on the [insert business name] 2013 calendar. What new product do you
want to see from us?.
Get your clients and others involved in your business - it brings your brand to their
attention, builds relationships with potential customers and enables you to gather
names and addresses for future direct marketing.
9. Publish an Ezine
An ezine is basically a magazine that you make available via your website. The only
real cost is time. Include articles that are relevant to your audience. Invite guest
contributions from related businesses (that dont compete directly with you of
course). You can even charge other businesses to advertise in it if you get enough
subscribers/readers.
Then add links to it from your website, your email signature, and publicise it on all
your materials (You can do this for free online here: www.paper.li)

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What do people want to read about?

10. What are the hot topics?
What will get readers signing up to your newsletter without a moments hesitation?
Technology moves on, fashions change, fruit and veg come in and out of season, but
some things remain the same..
People will always want to know about.
Relationships:
How to find the perfect partner
How to stay happily married
How to be more romantic
How to be a great husband/wife
How to win him/her back
How to get over him/her
How to make money:
Quickly
Morally
Legally
Technology
Top 10 must-have apps for your iPhone
Five steps to filming your first YouTube video
The idiots guide to social media
Buying online
Finding the best deal for your new mobile phone
Comparing prices
How to barter online
The best sites for buying new media
Hobbies and crafts
A guide to stamp collecting
Making your own stained glass window
A guide to quilting
Design and make your own jewellery
A guide to simple woodwork
If you can include a variation on one of these in your next newsletter (relevant to
your customers of course) monitor the impact on opening rates and click-throughs.

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Collecting data
11. Know your audience
Youre not selling to everyone - really, youre not. Your target market will comprise
mainly men, or women, or young, or old, or retired people, or students, or young
mums, or yummy mummies, or young couples, or professional women. No you
cant pigeon-hole people, but your customers will fit a profile. Make sure you know
what it is and talk to them directly in your marketing communications.
12. Keep a customer database
When someone buys from you, keep a record of their name, address, email address,
and what they bought (for how much). If you also get information on their job,
salary band, age and birthday, then you can target your communications even more
but be aware that the more information you ask for, the more wary people will be,
and the less likely they are to sign-up.
13. Talk to each customer directly
Depending on their individual needs and situation (and of course you know this from
your customer database) send messages that are timely and relevant. Happy
birthday from Perfect Balance Marketing! on their birthday.
Too cheesy? Okay, how about a report on the latest Government budget and how it
affects their sector? Better. Just remind them that youre still there and that you
remember them.
14. Housekeeping your data
Of course you cant just leave your customers details in a cupboard in your garage.
There are laws to protect us from careless banks, government departments and
insurance companies that could lose your personal data. Be familiar with those laws,
and adhere to them.
Treat your clients data as you would your own. Shred printed names, and
addresses, store them somewhere safe, look after them, and keep them updated
and accurate.
15. How are you doing?
Do your customers love you? Do they eagerly anticipate your weekly email? Do
they recommend you to their friends?
If you dont know, then find out. Ask them. How could you do better? Ask for
feedback and make it easy for them to complain.

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Referral system
16. Referral system
Give your customers the opportunity to recommend you to others - include a
postcard with their order, with space for them to add a friends details. Offer an
incentive (vouchers for them and the new customer) when the newbie orders from
you.
17. Devise a loyalty scheme
Reward your best customers. I recently saw a sign in a hair salon offering 10%
discount to new customers. What about the customers who already spend their
money in the salon? If I was an existing loyal customer Id be pretty irritated that I
wasnt getting the discount.
So dont ignore your existing clients. Recognise the fact that they repeatedly buy
from you, despite the opportunity to shop elsewhere. Give them points when they
buy from you (like Tesco or Boots do), or a free coffee for every four they buy, or
give them a discount off their third order.
Whatever method you choose, communicate it clearly on all your materials.
18. Partner with another business
Talk to another company that your customers may also buy from (one that doesnt
compete directly with you) and put together a package of products. You and the
other business benefit when a customer purchases the package, plus there is twice
as much media promotion. Win, win.
Be different
19. Have a niche
Selling everything to everyone isnt easy - there are plenty of multinationals doing
just that very well and youd struggle to compete with them (and their marketing
budgets).
But if you target a niche, you are offering a specialist product to a highly targeted
audience.
Here are some tips on finding that niche:
Find something you enjoy doing - you will need to commit a lot of time and effort
to establishing your business and if youre not 100% interested in what youre
doing, youll rapidly lose interest
Find something you know about - you need to be an expert in your chosen niche
in order to deliver a quality service to your clients, so do your homework. Even if
you dont have the knowledge yet, then commit to doing your research and
getting the expertise you need
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Define your market

a) Make sure theres enough demand for your proposed product/service selling blue gnomes that are accessorised with glasses and stripy hats is a
niche product, but Im pretty certain theres not much demand for that
product
b) Do your keyword research - use a keyword tool such as Google keywords
to identify key phrases that are linked to your product - is there much
competition for that phrase? Be specific - searching for plants (at time of
writing) returns 92.5 million results but searching for Summer-flowering
pink roses returned half that. Use the results to really narrow your niche
c) Create your own unique selling proposition (USP) - there are plenty of
companies selling t-shirts, but if you sell t-shirts that are personalised, made
with organic cotton and guaranteed to be delivered within three days of
ordering, then you have a USP that could realistically compete with other tshirt sellers
20. Get inspiration from other websites

If youre struggling for niche products or services, visit other websites and search
around. Check out eBay and Amazon, and drill down from main categories to very
specific ones:
Toys, Children & Baby
Baby
Nursery Dcor & Bedding
Bedding
Blankets
21. Keep up with whats current
Follow news stories, check out Google Trends to get a feel for whats popular. Setup Google alerts for key phrases relevant to your business and your customers. As
well as generating ideas for niches, this technique is also useful when writing content
for your website. Tie in with a topical news story and you can benefit from more
traffic to your site.

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Design & layout

22. Make your content easy to read
Use bullets, lists and subheadings to make it easier to skim. We read very differently
online than we do on paper, with far more skimming. You probably havent read
every single word of this report. Maybe you dipped in and read the bits that grab
you as you glance through the headings. How can you use this approach in your
materials?
23. Paint a picture
A picture says 1,000 words. Use pictures throughout your marketing to make an
impact and reinforce your point.
Be consistent with the type of images, concentrating on:
People or
Cut-outs of everyday objects or
Computer-generated pictures or
Pencil drawings and sketches
Whatever style you choose, stick with it, at least on the front pages, to develop your
branding.
24. Take photos
Most of us are secretly nosy and love taking a peak into other peoples lives. Satisfy
this curiosity and take some pics of your business, your staff, the production process,
the office, and share them online (on social networks such as Flickr, Facebook,
Twitter and Pinterest).
Giving your business a face means personality and openness, which are both good in
the world of marketing.
25. Cut your content by half
Editing is one of the hardest jobs of copy-writing, because the writer thinks its all
relevant and cant decide what to rip out (Ive been through this report about five
times already and cut it down).
Look at your sales copy and be brutal - highlight and delete. Make your content
more concise and to the point - less waffle, more substance.
26. Have a tagline
Im loving it (McDonalds), Just do it (Nike), Lick the lid of life (Muller), Beanz
meanz Heinz (Heinz beans).
Loads of advertising straplines have become everyday slang. Whats yours? If you
dont have one, get one and include it on all our marketing materials, including
online.
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Karma
27. Talk about other companies
You probably come across other websites and businesses every week that you
admire. Why do you admire them? Is it their messaging? Their consistent
branding? Their web content? The free advice they offer on their website? Their
customer service?
Tell your customers about them, share your experiences. Being complimentary
about other businesses makes you more genuine and less salesy.
Tell them youre doing it and hopefully theyll post it on their website, bringing more
traffic to yours.
Get emotional
28. Appeal to more than their logic
As much as we all think we make rational decisions based on sensible arguments and
statistics, emotions play a key part in our buying decisions. How else can you justify
spending 64 on a metre of designer fabric when you could use a much cheaper
alternative which looks exactly the same (or is that just me who does that?)?
Appealing to buyers emotions gives you a stronger personal connection that will
build loyalty.
Social media
29. Network like never before
Use social media to drive traffic to your site, connect to new groups and find more
business. Get a Facebook business page, start a blog, get a Twitter account, and
make it easy for people to share your wonderful website by adding share buttons to
all your pages.
30. Content is king
Heard that before? Having a blog or other social media platform isnt enough to
bring traffic and sales. You need to add content but not just any content.
You need to publish good quality stuff that people want to read about. Lists are
always good (Top 10 Christmas gifts, 7 ways to lose a stone, 3 steps to shiny hair,
etc.) but make them relevant to your readers.
31. Share and share alike
Share content published by others online retweet your favourite tweets published
by others, tweet links to blog posts you enjoy, link to other useful and interesting
websites from yours. Being generous with your links and your promotion of other
peoples content is a great way of building credibility in your industry.
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32. Build up a bank of ready-to-publish posts

When you get that writers itch, scratch it (even if you have got three posts already
written for the next few weeks, and are annoyingly smug about your preparedness).
Write as often as you can, so youve got more choice of articles when your blogs
publication date comes around.
33. YouTube
Its free and you can share your business, your wisdom and your face with a huge
audience. Consider filming a series of educational videos related to your industry,
then add links to your website and all your social media platforms so your clients can
see the whites of your eyes.
Events & PR
34. April Fool
Have you ever watched the news on April 1st, looking out for the comedy story about
aliens landing in Margate, or a pig being cross-bred with a chicken. How could you
get your business in the press on April Fools Day? Use seasonal events to
compliment your PR activity and maximise press coverage.
Just be careful you dont take it too far and make your customers feel silly when they
realise it was all a gag.
35. Gail Porter and FHM
One of the greatest PR stunts of recent years was the projection of naked model and
TV presenter Gail Porter onto the side of the Palace of Westminster in 1999. The 60
foot image of Porter cheekily peering back over her shoulder was planned by mens
magazine FHM to create headline news throughout the world. It worked. The
magazines profile rocketed.
You may not want to go to these lengths, but get creative and brainstorm with your
team to come up with some stunts that could work for your business.
36. Organise a conference or seminar
Share your knowledge. An industry event such as a conference in your niche is a
great way to raise your profile and bring potential clients to your door.
By freely giving your advice to others (clients and other businesses) you establish
yourself as an expert and further build that credibility. An interior designer may
offer an evening design workshop (with a 10% discount off all products purchased on
the night).
Oh, and make sure you film your own presentation (search engines love video) and
embed it in your website and YouTube.

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37. Giveaways
Freebie branded pens and bags are as predictable at events as name badges. So why
not surprise and delight your delegates with something a bit different:
sun cream at a beach volleyball event
waterproofs at a music festival
dummies at the launch of a baby gifts website
Use your imagination and give them something they cant wait to use - just make
sure whatever you give away is branded, and is perfect for your target market.
38. Publish a white paper/report
Put all the knowledge that you shared on YouTube and in your newsletter into one
report. Or take your most popular blog posts and turn them into a single document
and sell it via your website. Or give it away for free.
39. Build a bank of testimonials
Do you know who your best customers are? Who recommends you to their friends
and buys from you time after time? If you can identify customers who will enthuse
about you (perhaps through the referral system) then ask if theyd mind you
including their quotes in your marketing materials.
Have a testimonial section on your website. Add positive feedback quotes to your
sales literature. Other people saying great things about you are far more believable
than you saying youre the best.
40. Contribute
Contact your local school and offer to give a free presentation about your industry
(and mention your company, give out freebies for the students to take home).
41. Organise a treasure hunt
Hide tiny items around your website and offer a prize for the first 10 people to spot
them all and tell you about it. This gets people hunting around your website - make
sure you have share buttons on every page so visitors can tell all their friends.
Advertise your treasure hunt on your blog, Facebook page, in your email signature
and anywhere else you can think of.

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Conclusion
So are you inspired to market the butt out of your business? Ready to ask questions,
listen, and add real value to the experience your customers get when they buy from
you?
Marketing is simply about communication its about knowing who youre talking to
and how you can help them with your product or service.
But its also about enjoying yourself if you love what you do, love what you sell,
and are passionate about helping your customers, then that will come across in your
marketing and the business benefits will follow.
I hope you can apply some of these ideas to your own business and bring more
customers to your website, increase your income and build your reputation. Let us
know how you get on:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/PerfectBalanceMarketing
Twitter:
www.Twitter.com/ThorntonLucy
Every day I work with companies to apply solid marketing strategies that bring them
results, whether theyre looking for more web traffic, sales, referrals, or leads. We
also offer training in how to use social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn to achieve business success.
If youd like to know how Perfect Balance Marketing can help you and your business
grow, get in touch.
Wed love to hear from you.
Email lucy@perfectbalancemarketing.com
Web www.perfectbalancemarketing

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