Preparing for the Upcoming Year

I realize that this is the time of year when most are focused on the holidays, families, friends, and gatherings.  However, as a business owner it is important to not lose site of your business during the end of the calendar year.

One of the things I recommend for clients is to review the past business year in terms of their overall marketing and reflect on the big picture: 

• Where did you market your business and how was the return?  Was it in print advertising? 
• Did you utilize online resources such as directories and social media?  
• Did you give the source of each marketing tool at least six months minimum to prove its worthiness for next year's marketing plan? 
• How many free methods of advertising did you try?  Did those methods have a higher or lower payoff?
• Did you really stay in front of your clients with newsletters, social media opportunities, letters, emails, postcards and phone calls?  Sometimes staying in touch is all that is needed to create repeat business AND referrals.
• Did you advertise on your automobile?  Magnet signs are relatively inexpensive and can be seen by thousands of people where you drive and shop, particularly if your business is locationally driven.

What new marketing tools do you want to deliver in 2011?  Perhaps I can assist you.

Vicki Christensen
Creative Writing & Design
480-705-0095 | CreativeWriter@cox.net 

I just read some most interesting stats on Facebook and thought you might appreciate knowing them, also. This is certainly the wave of the future for business marketing.

"Facebook, the largest social networking website, surpassed Google, the leading search engine for the week ending March 19th, 2010. The social networking website captured 7.07 percent of the market share and online traffic, whereas Google captured 7.02 percent in the same category. Social networking has been on a surge reshaping how users get their news, and competition with search engine Google is a new chapter." (Source: www.examiner.com)

The average user:

-Has 130 friends.
-Spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook.
-Is connected to 60 Pages, Groups and Events
-Creates 70 pieces of content each month.

People spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook.
-35 million+ users update their status each day.
-60 million+ status updates are posted each day.
-3 billion+ photos are uploaded to the site each month.
-3.5 million+ events are created each month.
-20 million+ users become fans of Pages each day

This is the direction of business marketing and networking. If you are not maximizing this free opportunity, contact me on how you can be online in 1 hour with a business group or page today!

Join In The Flow Marketing on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=118198741534889&ref=search&sid=100000480085315.1154071248..1

Join Creative Writing & Design on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=58787836505#!/pages/Tempe-AZ/Creative-Writing-Design/58787836505

Website update:
http://www.creativewritinganddesign.com/

Building Customer Relationships

To the ordinary entrepreneur, closing and finalizing the sale is the completion of serving the customer’s needs. But for the pro, this is only the beginning. Repeat customers are the “backbone” of every successful business. So, how do you keep them?

- To ensure you don’t drop the ball on follow-up, check out one of the many contact management or sales software program on the market.

- Make it easy for customers to contact you – by phone, fax, email, website, social media, etc. – to share ideas, frustrations and suggestions.

- Create external incentives to keep customers coming back. Offer customers free merchandise or services after they buy a certain amount. This gets them in the habit of buying again and again.

- When customers are happy with your service, ask them for a testimonial. Get permission to use quotes from the testimony in your print ads, websites and brochures. Ask if you can use their name and phone number to certain qualified prospects so they can get a solid recommendation about your business firsthand.

- Offer referral discounts to loyal customers who refer new clients your way.

- Go above and beyond. Hand deliver merchandise. Call the customer personally. Take 20 percent to 30 percent off the cost. Invite customers to a showing of your new products.

Customer loyalty is hard to win and easy to lose. Going above and beyond with your customer service, you’ll soon see your sales going above and beyond those of your competitors.

In The Flow Marketing has a group on Facebook!

In the Flow Marketing now has its own Facebook group! Join us for this online business marketing exchange and network. This new online group will allow us to expand and grow in unimaginable ways and you've all been invited to join!

Receive pertinent business tips and advice for small business owners, upcoming events for business growth, "outside the box" marketing ideas and more in your Facebook in box. And, market your business and events to the In The Flow network.

Let's continue to build businesses with this new wave of marketing. Join us now!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=118198741534889&ref=search&sid=100000480085315.1154071248..1