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ANNOUNCEMENT
"This page reveals dozens of powerful, time-proven marketing 'secrets,' as used by the world's largest corporations' marketing departments! Why re-invent the wheel? Use what has already been tested -- and proven to work."
Excuse the dramatic headline. But, seriously, if you're thinking about or already running a small business in Westport, this page provides many carefully selected resources that you can start using today. It's a long read. But stick with it.
Whether it's small business advice podcasts or direct marketing copywriting Blogs, you should find something useful here. Keep checking back to this part of the site, as we hope to add lots more valuable stuff for small businesses in and around Westport.
Whether it's small business advice podcasts or direct marketing copywriting Blogs, you should find something useful here. Keep checking back to this part of the site, as we hope to add lots more valuable stuff for small businesses in and around Westport.
What are other small business owners in Wesport, CT, discovering on this page?
- Useful headline examples that are proven to work.
- The best ways to get referrals for your business.
- The essential steps in building a brand from scratch.
- The difference between massively successful brands and average brands.
- How to avoid the most common mistakes when writing text ads.
- Useful phrases that drive people to call your business.
Lessons in entrepreneurship
Do you enjoy watching the Donny Deutsch show? You'll love this, then. The following videos from the U.K. are excellent if you are running or thinking about starting a business. The videos contain interviews with very successful entrepreneurs from a wide range of industries and experiences. There are a total of 37 tips for running a small business. Watch these, listen carefully and you'll avoid some of the most common mistakes. It's great viewing because it focuses on the practical . . . not just: "Hey guys! You can start a business!"
Some very useful, quick tips from a very successful business builder are also available here.
PODCASTS AND BLOGS
This excellent podcast focuses on the small- and medium-sized enterprise. It has many successful entrepreneurs as guests, and provides useful information and practical tips for people thinking about starting their own business. Lots of fantastic stuff here, especially in the archives.
YELLOW PAGE ADS
If you are using Yellow Page ads or Google ads in the Westport area, it's important that these ads are written in the correct way if you want them to work for you.
For example, many Yellow Page ads make the mistake of having the company name as a headline. This is a big no-no. Far better to write a headline or word that stops people in their tracks! Bang! Here's one my father used for his electrical store:
"WANTED: DEAD or ALIVE"
The ad then went on to explain what the store was offering (in this case, a trade in on your old washing machine, no matter how old it was). Bottom line, keep your company name at end of the ad -- along with a contact number/e-mail address and some kind of incentive to call:
"We want your business! Call now and ask about our special, we-will-never-be-beaten-on-service deal for new customers."
"Call now to find out why we are the most popular choice in Westport!"
Also, many Yellow Page ads are nothing more than a list of services. This is a waste of space because people already know what they are looking for when they go to the Yellow Pages. The same is true when they do a search on Google. What people want to see is a reason to call you instead of the other advertisers! So forget listing ALL your products or services and make that ad work for you. Include some or all of the following:
- an iron-clad guarantee to remove the risk of doing business with you
- an incentive: a coupon code, a discount or a freebie (a useful one) for new customers
- any awards or special technology that you use
- detailed testimonials (yes, they do work!)
And don't forget to tell the reader to call. Spell it out:
"Call now, mention this ad and get a 20% discount!"
or
"Use this coupon when you call to knock $20 OFF your first order."
"$10 OFF any service with this card."
You also can create a bit of urgency by implying that there is an element of scarcity to your offer:
"* We have the right to remove this offer at any time."
"* Company ABC reserves the right to cancel any special offer at any time."
The above may even be more believable than the tired "Offer expires on Date XYZ" or "Offer good until Date XYZ."
Another scarcity ploy is the "Limit of 5 per household" statement you see in those "rare" gold coin or commemorative plates commercials. (Oooh! You mean, I can only get 5 of those pieces of junk?)
Believe it or not, people want to help the "small man" and will be pleased to know that you are both the owner of the firm and the person doing the work. Big firms' staff often don't give a damn (partly because large firms pay peanuts to their "valued staff," right?). It is in the area of customer service where owner-operator firms can thrash the so-called big boys in terms of SUPERB customer service and care. Go for it!
YellowPagesProfit, written by Alan Saltz, offers some first-class advice on how to make your Yellow Page ads do what they're supposed to do: choose your company over competing companies on the same page.
ADS AND FLYERS
Here are some tried-and-tested tips for writing an ad, flyer or sales letter for your small business in Westport:
1. The purpose of the headline is to encourage the reader to read the first line of the copy.
2. The purpose of the image is the same as the headline, to get the reader to read the first line of copy.
3. The first line of copy is to get the reader to read the second . . . and so on, until all the ad has been read. You want the ad to be read in its entirety.
4. Stick with black font on a white background. Image above the headline -- nothing fancy here -- it's selling, not an art competition.
5. These days, marketing is all about conversations. Conversations are between equals, so don't talk in jargon or talk down to readers.
6. With simple products, use technical language. "This sun-ripened, organically sourced, omega-rich grain. Estate-grown coffee. Our laser-cut watch face. etc."
7. With complex products, use simple language. "A worry free 3 percent return on your investment. You'll be sharing your digital photos in a snap. etc."
7. The copy should talk to the individual reader not a group or "a market." Put yourself in the reader's shoes: why should they care about your business?
8. Write about the people you're trying to help, not your firm. Use language that describes how your firm can solve the reader's problems or make his or her life easier. "Let us take care of the driving, so you can take care of business."
BASIC AD ELEMENTS
A flyer or ad should have:
1. An attention-grabbing graphic. Combined with . . .
2. A headline that immediately gets attention. Simple, bold, BANG!
3. Benefit-rich content that is relevant to the reader and maintains her attention ("What's in it for me?").
4. Include testimonials from satisfied clients. Be specific: "Bill did a great job of our kitchen floor. It looks fantastic and he was MUCH cheaper than some of the big stores."
5. A call for action. E.g., "Bring this coupon and get a FREE coffee on us when you buy a muffin." Or: "Never tried our service? Receive a FREE upgrade to our premium, synthetic oil with this card."
The bottom line is: make an irresistable offer that even Scruge couldn't ignore.
For a great advertisement check out this one. Even though this ad doesn't have a response mechanism, it would be easy enough to add one. Simple and very powerful. It gets the message across. Effective.
SELL THE CURE NOT THE PREVENTION
When writing the benefits, it's a good idea to offer a cure rather than prevention. For example, "Get rid of those love handles in two weeks!" is far better than "Prevent excess weight gain." Now you know why wrinkle cream (cure) is much more expensive than sun block (prevention).
USE FORMULAE
You don't have to re-invent the wheel when writing headlines. Try these tried-and-tested headline templates that you can adapt for your own small business needs. There are dozens of other great copywriting tips on the Copyblogger Blog. It really is an excellent resource.
If you are a small business owner in Westport and you need some headline ideas, look at these classics for some inspiration. You can adapt the basic structure to your own business (i.e. change the content).
Social Proof: Testimonials are very effective because they provide third party endorsement of your business product or service in Westport. You should always try to include testimonials in your business cards, ads and brochures. Why? Because new customers will believe what other people say before they believe what you say about your business in Westport. You can also use social proof in headlines and the tagline for your small business services in Westport.
Below are a couple of headlines that come from some old, classic ads. The principles that they use still work today!
"I use a Gillette," say 9 out of 10 corporate executives.
"More people smoke Camels than any other cigarette."
McDonald's: "Billions Sold."
"The hottest fragrance this summer."
"Our most popular coffee roast."
"20,000 customers can't be wrong."
"The sociable prefer Pepsi."
You should also check out the Drayton Bird Web site for other examples of first-class copywriting. The stuff available on this site has made its writers very wealthy. You can check them out for free.
Once you get the basic structure of your ad for your small business in Westport, you have to come up with the content -- what you will actually write. This is not always easy. But if you know your industry and the customers you wish to serve, it helps. You may also want to interview some potential customers in Westport to get valuable insight direct from them. You'd be surprised what you may learn from this process.
NEWS
Doing business in Westport, CT? Grab our small business marketing guide. It contains seven easy-to-use marketing tips you can start using tomorrow. It normally sells for $6.99 (on Lulu.com), but you can get a copy free direct from us (we wrote it). Call Gordon at (203) 803-8721 or contact us. You can see a sample below (Flash required):
Westport Wire Marketing Tips Sample
LESSONS IN MARKETING FROM THE STREETS OF NEW YORK
"I was walking around Manhattan a while back when I saw a man standing at a busy intersection with a sandwich board hanging from his neck. He also had flyers in his hand offering $11 haircuts for men. I noticed that the man wasn’t actually approaching people, but men would read the sandwich board, walk up to him and take a flyer. I had been telling myself I was due for a haircut, so I took one and headed to the barbershop, which was just up the street on the second floor. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the chair getting a haircut.
Now, you can think what you like about the simplicity of the sandwich board as a marketing tool, but it worked. Why? It worked because it brought a new customer, somebody who had previously only been thinking about getting a haircut, into the barbershop. The simple tactic of having a guy on the street with a sandwich board and a bunch of flyers had done one very important thing -- it had . . . "
To get the complete small business marketing tips book, drop us an e-mail at support(at)westportwire.com
** This offer for the marketing tips is only available to small business owners doing business in Westport, CT.
SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES
HOW TO BRAND YOUR BUSINESS
Never, ever, underestimate the power of an excellent product in combination with a strong brand.
Let's kick off with a few brand-related quotes. Some serious, others less so.
"What you stand for as a brand is as important as what you sell, because everybody is selling the same thing."
- Roy Spence, GSD&M Agency
"Brands are like concealer."
- Anon
"With a good brand, you CAN make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
-Anon
"Brands are like concealer."
- Anon
"With a good brand, you CAN make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
-Anon
Modern consumer society is obsessed with brands. This obsession, however, is not universal across all categories: an individual may not care much about what brand of t-shirt he or she wears under a shirt, but that same person could be nuts about their choice of hi-fi, hair salon, car, or university. How many times have you heard somebody boast about the school they attended? Or the car they drive . . . or a vacation destination?
You name it, you can brand it
Why firms need brands
If you are the owner of a business, there are many reasons for building a brand. The mains ones are: 1) A strong brand helps you stand out amongst a sea of similar products or services. 2) A strong brand helps you avoid competing on price alone.
Everybody knows what a brand looks like -- logos are everywhere these days, but what does a brand actually do? What is a brand's function from the perspective of the consumer?
A brand's functions tend to vary by product category. Here are some of the main ones:
1) a brand simplifies the buying process for customers by creating a mental shortcut ("I know what I'm getting here. I trust this firm.");
2) a brand helps us express our individuality and -- at the same time -- satisfies our desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves;
3) a brand shapes and reflects our quest for meaning ("This is me. This is what I value. I'm part of this.") and;
4) from the standpoint of a business, a brand allows you to charge a premium for your specific product or service. In other words, a brand gives you pricing power ("This limo service is reliable even though it's more expensive. It's on time, every time.").
You don't always have to be a high-end brand. If you truly believe that you can undercut the competition on price, you can do that, too. But only if your overheads allow it. Plenty of firms manage to do this and have built "low-end" or "no-frills" brands (Think low-fee, online stock brokers, Exchange Traded Funds, low-priced supermarkets or budget hotels/motels). This usually involves stripping off the fluff from a product offering -- the stuff that costs your firm money and the customer doesn't really want anyway.
Once you get a precise idea of what your brand stands for (i.e., The "point of view" or the "purpose-idea" behind the brand); how it is different (its position) and what it means, then you can go on and choose a name, logo, Web site domain and all that other stuff. The physical/visual elements of a brand are relatively straightforward and should always come at the end of the brand building process.
Building a brand is not rocket science, but it requires discipline, clear thinking and the confidence to say "no" to certain customers. By turning people away from your brand, you create rifts - a good thing in brand building. Successful brands need both fans and enemies (think of Starbucks: some people hate 'em, some people love 'em; Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay, Mel Gibson, Hummer, Fox News, Microsoft, Apple . . . the list is endless.)
Iconic brands: the super brands
Certain brands seem to be much more popular than others. Some -- the lucky ones -- enter the public consiousness to such an extent that they become part of the culture. Attempts have been made to understand how and why this occurs. For example, why do people have strong feelings for McDonald's while Burger King doesn't raise much in the way of emotions?
Certain brands seem to be much more popular than others. Some -- the lucky ones -- enter the public consiousness to such an extent that they become part of the culture. Attempts have been made to understand how and why this occurs. For example, why do people have strong feelings for McDonald's while Burger King doesn't raise much in the way of emotions?
One of the best attempts at understanding the reasons for this comes from the author of Primal Brands, Patrick Hanlon. According to Hanlon, brands are "belief systems" and super-successful brands contain the following assets, or elements, that work together:
- a creation story (who are you?)
- a creed (mission/purpose)
- pagans (non believers/an enemy)
- icons (sight/sound/smell)
- rituals (lemon on the Corona)
- the leader (a human face)
- sacred words (e.g. Big Mac, Grande).
Note: The above article places great emphasis on brand building, which is great! But let's not get too carried away with this who branding thing ! Brands are no substitute for a crappy product or service. Focus first on providing a stellar product/service!
"Don't waste cash attempting to build a brand from day one. Instead, you must focus on driving sales and meeting customers' expectations. If your start-up delivers on its promise in the early years, the brand will take care of itself."
- From Brad Rosser, Business Builder
The following PowerPoint presentation on how to build a brand, Al and Laura Ries' branding Blog and these videos on branding are good places to start.
If you need more info on brands or help establishing a brand for your own small business or products in Westport, give Gordon Graham a call at (203) 803-8721. I can also arrange a stimulating, hands-on workshop that will help you think differently about brands. (I offer a "don't-pay unless you're satisfied" guarantee.")
PRESENTATIONS
If you are in any way interested in improving your presentation skills, especially presentation visuals, PresentationZen.com is a must.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Although this blog and podcast is aimed at managers, it nevertheless offers excellent, practical tips and advice that entrepreneurs can use.
Small Business Resources
Business owners in Westport often ask us about useful resources. Things like business cards, car magnets, flyers, postcard etc. are things that small businesses need all the time. Here are some of the companies that we recommend. We love these because they provide a great product at unbelievable prices.
For business cards, we just love Vista Print. If you are reasonably good with a computer, you can make very high-quality marketing material with this company! From car magnets to professional-looking business cards, it's all here.
Got a small business in Westport and need a quick, clean logo without spending too much? Try the online logo maker and design your own. Perfect.
Small Business Quotes
Ever presented a business idea and somebody tells you that somebody else is already doing that? Well, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's far better to a small piece of a large market as opposed to a large piece of an empty one, right? And, besides, you can always offer an experience or service that is uniquely yours!
Here are some quotes that are both inspirational and educational:
"If at first you don't succeed, you're fired."
- Anon
"The reality of strategy lies in its enactment, not in those pronouncements that appear to assert it."
- Robert Burgelman
"If at first you don't succeed, you're fired."
- Anon
"The reality of strategy lies in its enactment, not in those pronouncements that appear to assert it."
- Robert Burgelman
"Love is as love does."
- Forest Gump
“You don’t necessarily have to have the best idea to succeed.”
- Duncan Bannatyne, successful entrepreneur (day care centers, fitness centers).
"The market for something to believe in is infinite."
- Hugh Macleod, Gapingvoid.com
"Some good experiences will always be scarce."
- Matt Mason (2008), author of The Pirates' Dilemma.
"In the factory we make cosmetics. In the stores we sell hope."
- Revlon Founder, Charles Revson
"Passion on fire is better than knowledge on ice."
- Anon
"Fear is the greatest inhibitor of innovation."
- Gregory Berns
"Failure isn't falling down, it's staying down when you fall."
- Peter Sage
"If you talked to people the way some advertising talks to people, they'd punch you in the face."
- Hugh Macleod, Gapingvoid.com
Elevator Pitch
It's often useful to have a short summary of what your business does for people. Answer these key business questions: how does what you do help people? How does it make people's life easier? What problem does it solve? These summaries are often called elevator pitches because they can be expressed in the time it takes to go from one floor of a building to another in an elevator.
Here's an example from Guerilla Publicity (p. 13) of a good elevator pitch:
"My name's _______ . I free folks from financial worry. Give me a call and I'll do the same for you."
You can adapt these to your own business in Westport:
"I'm George McBride. I save my clients a bundle each year with my no-hidden-fees at-home oil change."
"My name's Gordon Graham. I help small business owners build great-looking Web sites without spending a fortune. Call me and I'll do the same for you."
"My name's Tess Cassandra. I help women get rid of their weight problems once and for all - without dieting. Give me a call and will do the same for you."
Remember, people don't care too much what the job title on your card is, they want to know how you can help them.