Everyday marketing tools

By Lee Rossini

Besides spending money on specific marketing events, there are other cheaper and less onerous ways of gaining the attention of your target market.  Here are three suggestions:

1. Marketing brochure

A well-designed marketing brochure that contains information that is most relevant to prospective clients can be an invaluable marketing tool. The brochure should set out the value proposition of the business and an outline of the services and products offered. In the interests of transparency, the fees and any other costs that a client may incur by engaging your business should be listed.

Guidelines for drafting a brochure:

Employ an expert to assist with the layout of the brochure. Even though it adds to the costs initially, it is important that the brochure is professionally done as it is the first point of contact for a prospective client.

Key features of a brochure:

• The wording in the brochure should clearly represent what the business does, the services it offers and the value proposition. 
• The contents should be simple and to the point.  Be aware of filling the brochure with too much information.
• Naming the employees and their roles that the client is most likely to meet adds a human dimension to the business.
• Include practical information such as address, phone numbers, social media and website details.

Although in most cases, the brochure can be sent to a prospective client electronically, it is also useful to have some printed copies.  These can be handed out as a tangible reminder that your business has the potential to address the needs and concerns of clients.

2. Website

Your website should form part of an integrated, well-planned communication strategy. It should be easy to navigate, allow for speedy access and contain information that both clients and prospective clients need. If the business already has a website, ask a person unrelated to the business to visit the site and check whether it works in the manner it is supposed to. So many websites are difficult to navigate and do not provide the necessary information.   

Guidelines for setting up a website:

• Use a professional website designer to set it up.
• The ‘stickiness’ of a website is important. This refers to the ability of a website to encourage repeat visits and by keeping people engaged with the website through an interactive process.
• The website address should be easy to remember.

As a website is often the first impression of a business, it is worth spending time and money on the set up and the content. 

3. Writing a blog

Blogs are becoming a popular way of means of communicating. A blog can be described as an online journal or a source of information. The author of the blog usually writes on areas of interest. Unlike a website, a blog engages the reader as they can post their experiences, opinions and comments. A blog is very useful to gain insight into the issues your readers are finding challenging and the services and products they are needing.

Guidelines for writing a blog:

• The information must be topical, accessible and to the point.
• A well-indexed and navigable search system makes it easy for readers to access the information they are looking for.
• The blog can be used to ask clients for feedback on changes you would like to make to the business.
• A blog is a useful medium to filter the overwhelming amount of information that is available to clients. Summarise the main points of interesting topics and you will make clients for life!

These tools are a means of keeping in contact with existing clients and providing prospective clients with information. To be useful to clients, any information posted should be relevant, easy to understand and accessible. The main objective of the tools is to make it simple for people to do business with you.