MassNet Marketing Blog

Effective and affordable local marketing can be as simple as sending a coupon, greeting card, or other type of “touch” communication to your customers and prospects.

For example, a florist might use this method effectively by notating when someone orders a bouquet for a friend’s birthday or anniversary. The florist then contacts the sender eleven months later. They not only remind the sender of the occasion, they also include a discount coupon - then ask if they would like to send another bouquet?

Restaurants often use this type of marketing, and other companies may even take it a step further by knowing when their customers will need a re-order of their product. They’ll send a coupon or other discount in order to make another sale (for example, an oil change).

Nowadays, supermarkets and chain stores not only capture everything you purchase and when; they also send you coupons and discounts for those products you regularly purchase.

You may also know, for example, that Amazon sends emails about books (similar to ones you have purchased in the past) when they are released and they often will include a savings opportunity for “pre-release” items!

Consider starting your own “coupon club” for your business. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your clients and they will appreciate the extra savings, while rewarding you with continued business!

Contact us for more information about how you can start your own coupon club for your business…we offer complete, affordable, and managed marketing solutions for local Kentucky businesses…

Today, I want to discuss the various things that you need to check to ensure that your website is ready to receive traffic.

Think of this: If you were expecting company at your home, there are certain things you might do in advance. You would make sure your home was clean, that there was fresh soap and clean hand towels in the bathroom, and you might prepare some snacks, or even an entire meal.

Preparing your website follows the same concept. You want to make sure that things are neat, tidy and pleasing to the eye. Check to make sure that your navigation follows a logical sequence. Make sure everything is spelled correctly and update your website regularly with plenty of good content. (Don’t under estimate the importance of updating your website frequently – nobody wants to visit an ‘outdated bulletin board’…and search engines are notorious for rewarding frequently updated websites with higher rankings!)

If your site isn’t pleasing and welcoming, any traffic generation activities you do from this point on are wasted. Take the time, and put forth the effort to make your site is as good as possible – and learn to look at it from your visitor’s point of view.

After you do this, make sure that you are using all of the best Search Engine Optimization techniques, such as making sure that you have clean HTML code and that you’ve used your keywords effectively. If you’re not familiar with SEO strategies, find someone who is. (Kentucky small businesses can contact us for a free SEO consultation.)

Once your website is ready for company, only then are you ready to start inviting that company…

You bet it is! In today’s economy, people are absolutely looking for ways to save money. Every little bit helps, and consumers are actively searching for discounts on everything from medical expenses to car repairs…

Why is this important to you as a local business owner? There are many reasons, but the one thing you should realize is that customers will often choose one business over another just because they have a coupon! By offering coupons, you are in essence telling your potential clients that you care about their needs (moreso than your competition) and you want to help them save money.

 How many new customers per year do you need? What is each new customer worth to your business? Do your current advertising methods provide you with verifiable returns on your marketing investment?

You should take some time to answer those questions…then consider the fact that coupon marketing provides you with an opportunity to effectively meet each of those goals – with verifiable returns!

As marketing consultants, our job is really about making your marketing efforts easier. As a small business owner myself, I realize how much easier it is to have others assist me with tasks that either; 

A. I don’t have time to do myself, or

B. I would simply prefer to place in the capable hands of other professionals.

The old saying goes something like this “SMART PEOPLE PUT SMART PEOPLE AROUND THEM’  -  which simply means you can’t do it all yourself. 

I truly believe that many business owners should try and put aside a small amount of time to examine whether or not they are asking for help when they really need it…  

But, how do you know when your business needs help?

It’s simple; the time to enlist the assistance of others is not necessarily when your business is sinking: 

The time to ask for help is before you leave the dock.

The time to ask for help is before you fall behind your competitors.

The time to ask for help is before the next sales rep comes knocking on the door.

The time to ask for help is before you lose money on outdated advertising methods.

Put yourself in a position of continuously being one step ahead, anticipating the next opportunity, recognize you can’t do it all yourself, and then find qualified professionals to help you get where you’re going.