Marketing Consultants Baltimore MD

When you sit down to write your marketing materials—whether it’s Web content, a sales letter, an ad or anything else—what are you thinking about? How about when you’re getting ready to talk to a prospect?

If you’re like most small business owners, you’re thinking about what you want people to know about you, your products or services, and your business. And you’re also probably thinking about your own wants, needs and goals (IE: getting the client or making the sale).

This is perfectly natural and all well and good. But if you really want to make more sales with less struggle, you’ve got to shift your mindset and put yourself in your ideal client’s or customer’s shoes. Then talk about what’s important to them.

Make It All About Them

Because here’s the thing…your prospects don’t care about you, your goals, your background, your training, your company history, or your processes—at least not right off the bat.

What your prospects care most about is what you can do for them!

First they want to know if you have what they need. Then they want to know how your products and services will benefit them. Without that info most prospects aren’t going to buy.

Why would they? Very few people spend money for no good reason—especially these days.

So give ‘em a good reason!

Explain exactly how what you offer solves their problems, fills their needs, fulfills their wants or helps them achieve their goals. Then, they’re going to be very, very interested.

Author: Stacy Karacostas

Copyright 2009 StartupNation, LLC

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The small business owner has to do whatever he/she does better than the competition does. Successful marketing efforts in the current marketing environment need to address the consumer of today who is drastically different than the consumer of yesterday. Today’s consumers are not interested in being preached at – they want two-way communication channels – hence the rise of the importance of social media. Today’s consumer no longer blindly believes business owners – they want businesses to prove and earn their loyalty. Small business owners have to “play” in the same arena their potential customers are “playing” in. They need to be accountable and have a presence. They need to capitalize on their marketing strength/advantage/edge. They need to engage their target or niche on social media platforms. They need to listen to what the consumer wants and needs and be sure they are addressing those wants and needs. It is a tough time – but the savvy business owner will realize the importance of relationship building in business and focus his/her attentions on the relationship – both on and off the Internet.

The Internet has become so important and actually makes it easier for the small business owner to find out exactly what and where the competition is – and that is EXACTLY where he/she needs to be too. There are some really neat free social media marketing tools like HowSociable and Socialmention that can help you monitor what your competitors are doing in the social networks as well as your own traction on the social web. Small companies can create a large presence on the Internet thereby putting them in the same playing field as the larger companies (unless the players are major, well-renowned brands like Coca Cola and Dell)

The power of the Internet is boundless. There are so many free ways to reach ones’ target market. For instance, Google and Bing offer free local listings. Merchant Circle is another free site with an option for an upgrade for a fee. Manta is an outstanding marketing resource because it offers a platform for businesses to provide company details such as company name, address, number of employees, estimated annual sales and more. Do yourself a favor and do a Google search on your niche. You will be surprised at the enormous number of resources that will literally be handed to you on a silver platter. Seek and ye shall find.

Attribution: New Horizons123 is a small business Internet marketing consulting company helping small business owners integrate the Internet and social media marketing into their overall marketing strategy.