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Marketing tips ebook sneak preview

Written over the course of 2 1/2 years, this marketing ebook was written with small business marketing in mind... how to make small business marketing easier for small business owners.

"Marketing in a Minute" covers print marketing, online marketing, branding, email marketing, Web sites, direct mail, newsletters, press releases and more, but all in simple, plain speak for you--the small business owner--not the professional marketer.

And it's a bargain because it's free! Imagine, 104 tips, for no cost at all. Compare that to:

The cost of a marketing consultant ($100/hour and up)
A cumbersome, hard-to-read marketing book ($25 and frustration)
A marketing class at a community college ($50 or more)
And since each tip is free, when you consider these tips took me years to learn and about an hour each to write, well, wow!

It's like getting 10 hours of our time for no cost at all! For a sneak preview, here are 3 free small business marketing tips for you to sample. Like what you read? Request the marketing tips ebook and get the other 101 marketing tips.

Tip #33 Tell them what to do!

In marketing terms, we call this a "call to action." Be sure to include one in all your marketing materials. A call to action prompts your readers, commands them even, to do something. Some typical calls to action include telling the reader to contact you for more information, bring a coupon into your store, sign up for something at your Web site, or even just "stop by today." A call to action can be as blatant as "send now for your demo CD" or as innocuous as "expect my call in a few days." Now, most prospects are like kids: They won't follow your directive, no matter how emphatic. Just the same, a few will, so never, ever let a promotional piece head out the door without giving the recipient something to do.

Tip #56 Write a better tagline

Finding myself expounding on what a tagline should and shouldn't be one day, I decided to sum it up in seven points to consider when writing one:

Taglines should be easy or fun to say. Imagine yourself answering the phone with your tagline: How would it feel?

Taglines should look good in print. So print it out and try it out.

Taglines should either explain or intrigue. Obviously, the more complicated your differentiator, the harder it is to sum it up in a tagline! But if you can intrigue with that tagline, and then your potential customer gets an "ah ha" when they learn more, it works.

Taglines are like a shadow of your business name, either clarifying what you do, or clarifying how you differ from your competition. Taglines shouldn't be generic slogans that can work for your competitor's business as easily as for yours.

Taglines should not be cliché. Consumers get far too much of the "save time and money talk" already and lots of overused words like "quality" and "service" that have ceased to mean anything.

Tip #81 Use specific words and numbers

Writing in general terms doesn't do us much good when we're pitching our businesses. So use specific words and numbers to improve your communications with your customers. For example, when I write the word "car," you as the reader could envision any type of vehicle. However, if I write "black convertible" or "red slug bug," I stand a much better chance of creating the image I want in your mind. Here's another example: Compare the vague statement that says your company saves customers money to a specific statement like "ABC Corporation saved $40,000 per year after switching to our product." People relate to saving money in a fuzzy sort of way: It's a nice thought, but an abstract one. But saving $40,000 per year? That's a concrete thought that's much easier to get excited about! Be specific with words and numbers so you can paint a better picture for your prospect.

And if you do have some spare time and you want more in-depth marketing insight, check out past issues of our marketing e-newsletter or my marketing blog.

Contact us for your small business marketing tips ebook right now. Or if you still aren't sure, read the praises sung by others who have used the book.