Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

Community Based Marketing Tips

Many leading companies have integrated community relations into their corporate cultures. Even small and micro businesses have taken cue from these companies and have started integrating philanthropic efforts into their business philosophies. By tapping into the community you belong to, you will be able to double your business marketing efforts.

Your business should support the community that is supporting it. This is one of the major reasons why many small businesses are successful,

I've listed a few tips that you can use to help your business become more community active and reap the benefits of participating in community affairs:

• Become a member of the Chamber of Commerce and host a mixer

• Advertise in newsletters or Booster Club Schedules.

• Sponsor a community event for kids.

• Donate gift certificates and Door Prizes to Silent Auctions.

• Ask an employee to join the Kiwanis, Rotary, Elks or any other local service club.

• Make your business property available for a fundraiser or donate a room for a local club meeting

• Make it known to the community that you will support them in promotional advertising.

By following these tips, you will not only motivate your present employees, but attract better ones in the future. Additionally, community based marketing increases your brand name recognition and also increases sales, productivity and profits.

A community based marketing strategy should be profitable for your business and the community. It also encourages customer loyalty and generates more referrals to your business.

Using Teleseminars for Business Promotion

Teleseminars are an ideal solution for any growing small business. It is similar to holding a business conference, and is one of the best ways to launch your product or service in the market. Holding a teleseminar can be very cost effective – and you will gain even more customers if you sell your product or service during the seminar.

A teleseminar is an interactive system, using a single phone line connected to several others, where a group of people can communicate. It is a method of sharing information and connecting with your clients — and saves you time as well as money.

Below are a few simple ways to promote your business through teleseminars:

• Spread information. Hold a free teleseminar for your customers that gives them information about new products and services. A great idea is to hold short training sessions, product information sessions, or surveys.

• Organize paid teleseminars. If you organize a paid teleseminar for your customers, make sure that it generates some income. You can introduce new products and services, or cross-sell existing ones.

• Entice your customers. Try to attract your customers by offering free transcripts of recorded basic teleseminars.

• Charge for your services. Offer pre-recorded training teleseminars for download and charge a small fee.

Teleseminars are a great way to make use of technology and assess the needs of your customers. It helps you to achieve that personal approach that you need to market your products and services effectively.

Managing International Marketing

As a small business owner, there is no reason why you should limit yourself to just marketing your products domestically. The advent of the Internet has made it possible for just about all businesses to go global.

If you are considering making a foray into the international market, before you so much as take the first step, make sure you do your research. The markets outside the U.S. are very different from what you may be used to; it is very easy to make fatal mistakes in an unfamiliar market, on unfamiliar turf.

Remember that social, culture, and religious nuances of the country you are targeting may affect your business. International demographics are bound to be different from what you are used to in the domestic market. In addition, you should try to find out the exact size of your target market and be able to conduct effective market segmentation and positioning for your brand and products.

Strategies

You need to develop media strategies for consumer marketing as well as business-to-business marketing, and come up with an affordable plan. In addition, you will have to come up with affordable channels of distribution to get your product to where you want it to go. Copyright and trademark laws may be different (even nonexistent) in the foreign market that you are targeting, so that you may have to examine your products and services to decide if marketing in the international market will be profitable.

Resources in the international market of your interest may be either plentiful or scarce. The ability to secure enforceable contracts with your customers, as well as your vendors and distributors, may be limited by the different laws in the foreign market. There may be differences to be considered in the areas of staffing, training, and labor laws; there are also local customs and cultural idiosyncrasies that have to be learned and observed in international business, so as not to offend the people you deal with.
Managing international marketing isn't easy, but it can be done. Do your research, and you will be well on your way!