Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Business

MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - Mar 8, 2012) - (Family Features) Just like any good sports team, every business needs a good coach. Marketing consultant John Jantsch, bestselling author of "Duct Tape Marketing" and "The Referral Engine," has some low-cost ideas that will help you create a strong message and communicate it to the right people.

• Keep Score - If you want to determine who your ideal client is, go through your entire client list and rank your clients by profitability. Then look at your most profitable clients and identify those that are already referring business to you. Figure out the common characteristics in this group and you've got a pretty good picture of your ideal client.
  
  
• Find Your Zone - Once you've identified who you're marketing to, you need to fine tune your message. Ask how you're really different from your competitors, Jantsch advises. The best way to find out is to ask your customers. Get with five to eight ideal customers and ask them to tell you one thing they love about your business. Listen closely to words they use. There's a good chance the words your clients use to describe what you do that's unique should be part of your value proposition -- no matter how simple they may sound to you.
  
  
• Be a Coach Yourself - Instead of advertising your products and services, promote valuable content that tells your prospects how to do or get something you know they want more of. This can be an ebook or video, but make sure you're creating awareness for educational content and you'll have the chance to build the trust required to start a sales conversation.
  
  You can use print collateral materials to help you promote that content and your services. Straightforward language and well-designed materials can help set your business apart from the others. For a limited time, take advantage of the 25-cent color print sale at participating The UPS Store locations and give your materials even more impact. Find out more at www.Facebook.com/theupsstore.
  
  
• Know Your Fans - A lot of small business owners want to know how to make social media pay off. Jantsch recommends that you go through your client list and append every record with the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles for each. You can do this by hand or use a service like RapLeaf. Now every time you make a client call you'll know a great deal more about what's going on in their world.
  
  
• Grow Your Local Team - Small business owners have to wear a lot of hats. But doing too many things can take the focus off of the main reason you got into business in the first place. Take advantage of local resources, like The UPS Store, to take things off your to-do list. For example, they can handle the logistics of printing and delivering direct-marketing mailings through the Every Door Direct Mail™ Retail initiative with the U.S. Postal Service to every address in a neighborhood. Things like that free you up to do what you do best.
  
  

For more small business solutions, and to find out what print, mail, shipping and other services are available, visit www.theupsstore.com.

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