Free internet lead generation techniques for local businesses

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There are quite a few free and low-cost ways to generate leads for your local business on the internet, even if you don’t have a website. (Though I do highly recommend having one)

I’m going to quickly share a couple of the ones I’ve used.

The best part is: Using these techniques doesn’t cost you a cent, and they are relatively painless to set up, even if you don’t have a ton of computer experience.

Google Maps and Local Business Center:

If you’ve ever searched Google to find the website of a local business, you may have seen this in action. Say you are looking for some marketing advice and you live in Stratham, NH.  You would type “marketing stratham nh” and you’ll get about 10 results, including www.crestviewmarketing.com,  from Google Maps.

All you need to do is go to www.google.com/local/add and sign up to add your business for free. It takes five to ten minutes to create an account and add your specific information.  That’s it!

Rockingham County NH Business List

I signed up on this local site a few months ago and have received several leads that flowed to my website. It’s a free local business listing and if you want, you can upgrade the free listing to a paid one.

Their website is www.rockinghamcountynhbusinesslist.com.

Basically, you create an account and setup a company profile that gets attention  You can upload pictures if you want.  Like Google, it only takes a few minutes to get yourself listed.

Obviously unless you live here in NH too, you won’t use this site, but there are many other local business directories online. You’ll just need to spend time researching and finding them.

Just make sure your online profile contains a compelling and interesting Bio of yourself and business giving prospects a reason to conact you instead of your competition.

FACT:
According to a recent survey by TMP Directional Marketing, a whopping 82% of online searchers contacted a business offline, and 61% of those made purchases.

Those are some pretty startling numbers.

So what are you waiting for? Go set up some accounts and start getting found!

To get more information about this post, marketing advice, or about my sales copywriting services,  e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140.

Merrill Clark
Website and offline copywriter
Crestview Marketing Services

 

 

Marketing your business in a recession – without a bailout

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If you’ve stopped advertising and marketing, waiting for the government to give you a bailout package, well… let’s just say you’re out of luck.

I shake my head at the “big businesses” as they ask to be bailed out with billions of dollars.  And it’s not the government’s money.  It’s our money!  You know, we the taxpayers.

I’ve talked to a number of business owners, and often hear… “Maybe Washington will bail us out, too.  After all, it’s my money.”  Granted, it’s mostly in fun… but during these rough times, it’s a serious situation for many.

Business owners and sales professionals alike need to belly up to the bar, and make some smart marketing moves now instead of waiting for the “bailout” that will never come or just as bad, waiting for the economy to turn around, which could be many months, or even years.

Not to be a doom and gloom type of guy, but this is the best time for you to continue implementing a sound marketing strategy, while your competitors are shriveling up in their turtle shells, trying to wait this whole ordeal out.

I know you want to spend your hard-earned money wisely, so do I.  But spend it on marketing activities you can directly track ROI, not on “branding” or your “image”.  Then, when this craziness is over, you’ll have some new customers to thank, while your competitors go by-by.

Keep in mind, some of the most successful companies were born in the Great Depression and other “bad” economic times. Hewlett Packard and Sony are just two that come to mind.

So, write the right sales messages to the right people, using the right media at the right time and you will be far more profitable than anyone else in your industry.

If you want to improve repsonse to your marketing materials or website today, shoot me an email or call me at 603-686-5140.

Visit Crestview Marketing Services website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services.

Sign up for my free Marketing Tips 101 Newsletter on my website today!

Merrill Clark
Crestview Marketing Services 

Any business can improve their marketing response rates with“killer” headlines

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Do you use headlines in everything you write to anyone in the outside world?

I’m talking about letters, emails, business cards, brochures, website copy, and much more… In short, any written materials that anyone else can see, online or in print.

If you do, go ahead and give yourself a big pat on the back.

If not, why aren’t you?

I’m sure you want to take advantage of every possible way to get noticed, generate more leads, and make the dough you’ve been dreaming about.

And one simple way is to make sure that every piece of marketing material (and even some non-marketing materials) that the public sees, includes a compelling subject line or headline to grab the eyeballs of the reader and force them to read further.

Frankly, if there is no immediate benefit to the reader to read your website or sales letter or whatever, then you just lost a lead or a sale. Your cost to produce or display that material is a complete waste, and I’m sure you are carefully watching every penny spent.

You see, the only purpose of a headline is to get your attention enough to entice the reader to take some sort of action, whether it is to just read the next paragraph of a letter or email, or to call for an appointment or for more information about your company.

It still amazes me that most companies don’t include a headline at all in their ads. Then they think the particular media doesn’t work, or the economy is the reason.

The truth is, (and statistics show it over and over), a great headline can improve the response you get from an ad, an email, or a website by as much as 300%.

So what are you waiting for? Watch your response rates soar when you start using headlines on EVERYTHING you write.

Writing good headlines takes a lot of time and practice. (I write 20-30 possible headlines before I write any website copy, ad, or sales copy) and it’s worth it.

If you want to improve repsonse to your marketing materials or website today, shoot me an email or call me at 603-686-5140.

Visit Crestview Marketing Services website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services.

Sign up for my free Marketing Tips 101 Newsletter on my website today!

Merrill Clark
Crestview Marketing Services

Effective marketing during a recession

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There’s no question about it…

The economy is in utter turmoil, and will be for the foreseeable future, negatively affecting orders, profits and cash flow.

Most business professionals I talk with don’t seem to know what to do about it.

So what do they do?  Well, the first thing they do is slash every possible expense to the bone, and unfortunately, that usually includes advertising and marketing.

My recommendation to my clients is just the opposite. I can understand cutting costs, just not the ones that help you attract more business in the first place.

Think about this from a contrarian point of view: Most of your competitors are significantly reducing or completely freezing marketing dollars. Now, the total number of marketing messages (ads) clients are getting now are way down.

 As long as you continue to market to them during this time, you’ll have much less competition, since all they see are your ads, not your competition’s.

And if the sales copy in your ads, sales letters, postcards, and website pages is even remotely compelling, you should see increased sales while everyone else is losing their shirts, waiting for this recession to end.

If you need someone to write effective sales copy for you, email me at mclark@crestviewmarketing.comor call me at 603-686-5140.

So don’t be afraid! If your product or service is good and people still need you, tell them you’re there to serve them.

Visit Crestview Marketing Services website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services

 

Merrill Clark
Crestview Marketing Services

 

 

 

 

 

When writing sales copy isn’t simply 'writing'

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Huh? Of course writing means writing… or does it?

Well, the simple answer is yes. When someone puts a pen to paper or starts pecking away on their keyboard, then yes – it’s writing. In those cases, it’s pretty cut and dry.

But, on the other hand… depending on the reason that person is writing to begin with…it may involve much more than simply writing or typing some words on a page.

And most people don’t think much about it – but what really happens before that person starts to write?

Let’s take Bob the Copywriter, for example:

XYZ Corp wants to promote their new high-tech printing services to businesses in the area. So they decide to hire Bob the Copywriter to write a really compelling sales letter they will mail out to all of these business with the hope that they will generate a bunch of new leads.

They agree on a fee of $1000. Bob simply gathers some product information on XYZs new services and whips up a quick sales letter. In 3 or 4 hours, he’s done and gives it to the company to mail out to 1000 businesses.

After waiting 2 weeks from the mailing date, they have received a grand total of ZERO new leads.

Unfortunately for XYZ, the promotion failed miserably!

This time is different.

Bob gathers the same product information as before, but instead of just writing up a down and dirty sales letter again, he decides to spend the necessary time to do some deeper research. He wants this letter to be as successful as much as his client does. (and the fee is the same $1000)

So here’s what Bob does:

• He gathers the service information, studies it, weeds out the biggest customer benefits
• He researches and studies information about the company itself
• He researches and studies the “target market” that will get the letter and tries to figure out their “hot buttons”
• He researches and compares XYZ’s biggest competitors and what they offer
• He researches and studies different alternatives to the “service” itself
• He  reads trade magazines and online forums that the “target market” uses
• He may survey others in the business about their thoughts on the service
• And, at each step, he takes lots of notes

Then…

• He compiles and sifts through his notes, finally coming up with a “main idea” for a letter
• He writes 10-20 possible headlines
• He writes a first rough draft, including everything he has learned that could possibly be important to the final  reader of his letter
• He re-writes and revises the letter, maybe 5-10 times, removing unnecessary words or ideas, adding ideas, and tweaking words or paragraphs so they will be more compelling
• He puts it aside for a day or two, then reads it aloud and maybe even has others read it
• He makes the final version of the letter, and finally submits it to XYZ for the okay and mailing.

XYZ generates 16 new leads.

This time, Bob is a hero (well, maybe not), but… hecause he put in the time and effort to make this mailing as successful as it could be, and the results proved it.

What was the difference?

As you can see, instead of Bob spending 3-4 hours total to just write a simple “letter”, if you tallied up all the time he spent, it was over 15 hours.

But 10 of those hours were spent before he wrote a single word.

That, my friend is why.The hours of thorough research and time spent studying all the different aspects of this service, the company, and the target market was the difference.

This is when writing (or I should say effective and compelling writing) isn’t just writing. It’s actually spending all the time researching and studying BEFORE the actual writing begins.Someone who writes without that preparation just isn’t looking out for your best interest and success.

The bottom line is this, when you are quoted a price to write any sales materials, whether it is a postcard, a sales letter, an e-mail, a website, or whatever…

Keep in mind that the lowest estimate you get will probably get you the lowest response, just like the Scenario #1.You almost always get what you pay for.

And specific results are not ever guaranteed either.  What I can promise you though, is that any writer who spends the time to do the necessary homework before writing will have a much higher chance of success than a writer who simply writes the quick letter.

For more details or information on my copywriting or marketing services, go to my website at www.crestviewmarketing.com, e-mail me at mclark@crestviewmarketing.com or call me at 603-686-5140.

Merrill Clark
Crestview Marketing Services

Effective marketing takes persistence

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Thanksgiving is over now, and what a great Thanksgiving I had.  My son came home from Iraq the day before for a 2 week leave. And let me tell you, we were sure surprised!

Anyway, now is the time for all of us to get back to work and also to work on on marketing our businesses.

Many people know they should do some marketing, whether it’s updating their website, posting articles, ads, or sending out some postcards or sales letters.

But unfortunately for them, most do absolutely nothing!  Why?  Because they feel that they have to go in all or nothing, and don’t want to start anything that will cost time or money.

This is just plain wrong.  You should do something!  Even if you just send out a few postcards a day, or write one blog post, but something is better than nothing.  With time, there will be an accumulative effect.

Here’s how I think of it after I heard this saying recently:

A very successful business owner was once asked what was his big secret to getting so many new clients was, and his answer was:

I dont know of one way to get 100 hundred new clients, but… I know of 100 ways to easliy get one new client!

Basically, what he says is to keep plugging away, doing at least one thing, no matter how small it seems, every day to promote and market yourself.  Be persistent!  It isn’t all about hitting the home run each time.

Visit my website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services

 

How I can write more effective sales copy for my clients

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After spending 3 incredibly intense 14 hour days at a copywriting conference, I’m happy to be home.

Now comes the monumental task of sifting through the mountains of information, notes, business cards, presentation materials and such so I can follow up with all the new friends I made in the marketing and sales copywriting business.

After watching one of the world’s masters of writing sales copy feverishly taking notes during someone else’s presentation; it hit me like a ton of bricks – He is continuing to learn new writing tips and techniques just like the rest of us.

I was amazed… The “teacher” learning from others.  It was then I realized that no matter what profession you’re in, you need to continuously learn and practice your craft.  Even the pros keep learning.

What it means to my clients is that I can write even better, more effective sales copy for websites, sales letters, email promos, or whatever because I am also still learning new techniques; it never stops.

So remember this, you can never know everything, so keep learning about your trade every chance you get.

Your clients and future clients will thank you for it!

Visit my website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services

Market yourself by developing new relationships face-to-face

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The rest of this week will be incredibly hectic for me as I prepare for a 4 day copywriting and marketing seminar in Florida.

Actually, they call it a Bootcamp.  And it’s called that for a reason.  14 hour days from 7AM to 9PM each day.  Fortunately, there are short breaks between presenters to get up and stretch my legs and get a drink.

I’ve had a few friends ask me why I’m going.  It’s not cheap, you know.  Between the seminar cost, hotel, and airfare plus the cost of not doing any “real” work for 4 days, it adds up fast.  After thinking about it for a couple minutes, the answer is obvious.

Other than continuing my education and learning the secret tricks from some of the worl’d best marketing and writing minds, the biggest reason is networking.  You know, not computer networking, but people networking. I’ve already set goals to introduce myself and talk to some of these gurus between sessions. I also will be meeting other attendees, others who are there for the same reasons I am.

We seem to forget how important these new relationships really are.  Often, a simple conversation can turn into a full fledged job or new partnership of some kind.  Last year, I met 5 other people who live within 40 miles of me.  now, we stay in touch by meeting for dinner once a month and brainstormig ideas, and providing moral support for each other.

And that’s what it’s all about!

You can (and should) advertise and market yourself with online and offline methods, but you should also remember to always network yourself at trade shows and other networking events where you can meet other people that share your ideas.

So, time’s running short so I need to finish getting ready.  It will be a long 4 days, jam packed with information and meeting new friends… but it will be worth it.

Visit my website to get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services

Generating new customer leads…The Kirby Way

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My wife shouted so loud that it scared me and the cats darned near to death as they bolted out of the room.

Jumping up and down like a 5 year old ripping open their Christmas presents, she screamed, “I won a $1000 gift certificate from the vacuum cleaner salesman.”

By the way, this is a true story and a little longer than usual but it shows first-hand the brilliant use of  a great marketing technique.

  Meet the friendly neighborhood Kirby dude

He was a well dressed Kirby salesman.  You know, the $2000 vacuum cleaners that will suck your heart right out of your body. After the complimentary carpet shampoo, he proceeded to give the wife a big honkin stack of green raffle tickets to fill out with a chance to win some (alot actually) free of groceries.

I still didn’t “get it”.  Why would a vacuum cleaner salesman do that?

This guy actually gave up 3 hours of his evening at my house to shampoo one of our carpets (for free, nonetheless), PLUS he knew we already had a Kirby and were not interested in spending more money for a newer model. So his chances of making a sale to her was umm…slim to to none.  But to him, that was OK.

Now, as most of us know, nothing in life is completely free.  What I found out next intrigued me.

If my wife gave him a list of 25 names and numbers of friends and relatives, he would give her these tickets with a chance to win a valuable contest.

Ahh…There was the tradeoff, giving him a list of 25 leads to contact in exchange for a good chance to win a contest.

He didn’t give a high pressure sales pitch to her at all.  He tried, of course to get her to buy a new Kirby (very low key), but he knew the low odds going in.  

So I asked him about his closing rate, and he said that on average, he closes 75% of his appointments.

Think about it… 75 percent closing rate.  Or put another way, he sells new vacuum cleaners to 3 out of every 4 appointments he goes to. 75%… I don’t know of too many other salesmen in any business that can boast that high of a closing rate.

 Here’s the valuable marketing takeaways I got from him

#1. This very personable salesman spent significant time and resources on my wife, but went away without a sale, BUT he left with a list of 25 leads to follow up on. 

#2.  Even though we were a “no sale”, he continued to be nice and professional, so if we (or my wife- she talks a lot more than I do) happen to run across someone else looking for a vacuum, guess who she would recommend?

 #3. Without acting all disappointed and unprofessional knowing he wasn’t going to get any money from us directly, he still didn’t give my wife a long, drawn out high-pressure sales pitch.  He was very low key.  He knew that a) it wouldn’t work with us and b) he got a bunch of new leads to work on.

 #4. He mentioned he gets at least 15 leads per appointment (in our case 25) no matter if the prospect buys or not.

 #5. He has learned that a sales pitch usually doesn’t work.  Most of us (me included) HATE a sales pitch.  I was actually surprised when he didn’t give one, but I guess that’s the “Kirby” way of sales.

 #6. The better option is to ALWAYS keep develop new leads to work.The more leads you have, the more sales you make!  It’s as simple as that.  You figure out the numbers.

The truth is; every kind of business or sales professional could stand to use this lead generation.

The bottom line: No leads = No Sales!

After all, if a Kirby dude can be successful selling $2000 vacuum cleaners door-to-door without a hard sales pitch, can’t you do follow the same formula to generate more leads and ultimately, more money?

Hmmm…Maybe I should become a Kirby salesman.

Visit my website to Get more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services.

Create non-stop marketing content that sells

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How would it feel if you never had to worry about figuring out what to write about ever again?

My own answer is this:

It feels awesome, like someone lifted the burdens of the whole world off my shoulders.

 

I just recently finished a book that gives you so many ideas, you couldn’t possibly ever run out of topics to write about. The content and ideas in this book are invaluable and worth their weight in gold!

In reality, if you are in charge of marketing for any business, whether you own it, work there, or are a freelance copywriter or consultant, then you already know just how vital it is to constantly write relevant content.

Your website, your blog, newsletters, articles, books, whatever – this book gives you the secret formula (so simple a 5 year old could use it) to create new ideas and content…and you’ll never be at a loss for words or ideas ever again!

Roger C. Parker, brilliant consultant and best-selling author of 38 marketing and design books wrote this step-by-step book that anyone who needs to market should have on their bookshelf.

It’s titled The Content Catalyst, and you can get your very own copy right now with a deep discount if you visit his sales page below.

Pick up your copy of The Content Catalyst here!

Don’t procrastinate.  With so much valuable information, the discount will surely be gone soon! 

For more information about this post, on website or print copywriting, or marketing consulting services, please visit my website at www.crestviewmarketing.com.