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 Greetings!  

When you do not follow basic marketing rules, it's hard to reach sales goals.  Marketing has substantial numbers of rules and best practices, some longstanding and some newly developing, due to the ongoing changes of online platforms and how people interact with them.

Regularly, I come across companies that manage their own marketing and complain that their efforts are not showing results.  In many cases, after a review of the marketing strategy or tools it becomes apparent that an important marketing best practice or process was not followed.  Why?  Because:

"Marketing is easy to do, but hard to do well."

Here are some best practices that are sometimes overlooked and that negatively impact the effectiveness of marketing tools:

• Websites that are not coded or structured for basic Search Engine Optimization.
• Direct mail pieces that have too much information on them or lack a clear call to action.
• Google AdWords campaigns that maintain Google's default options.
• Email newsletters that are too long or are hard to read.
• Stores without signage or indifferent sales help. 
• Facebook pages that don't invite engagement.
• Business networkers who tell you only about themselves and don't follow up.
• Companies whose print advertisements appear occasionally.
• Phones that are answered in an unintelligible way.
• Business cards with a dark background, that prevent people from writing on them.
• Trade show booths that don't indicate from afar what the company sells.
• Missed sales opportunities because of no upsell or crossell strategies.
• Inconsistent branding across marketing outlets.

This is just a brief list of some of the most egregious issues I encounter regularly - within each marketing tool there are several best practices that help maximize the tool's potential.  For example, white type on a dark background is a no-no because it's hard to read.  Not capitalizing all the main words in a Google AdWords ad has proven to suppress click-through rates.

If marketing seems overwhelming and you feel that

your marketing tools aren't delivering what you expect, using outside help isn't an admission of failure.

I look forward to seeing you at the Javitz Center on May 2!

      

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Solutions for Growth is a marketing consulting firm that helps small businesses grow by increasing their sales through practical and achievable marketing tools.

Services include marketing advice and strategy, online and offline customer acquisition and retention tools (new and revised websites, email marketing, social media and printed material), sales development, retail layout and signage.

Solutions for Growth is a "Partner" of Constant Contact.

We're also "Local Experts," a designation that indicates that Solutions for Growth is among an elite group of "Partners."

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We're also proud to have won the "All Star Award" given to the top 10% of Partners based on results achieved on their clients' email campaigns.

"We've been using Solutions for Growth for over a year to prepare, manage and send our monthly newsletters.  Like clockwork, after a newsletter is sent, people come to the store.  Solutions for Growth provides us with a professional, sharp looking, well written newsletter that consistently achieves solid open rates - and our customers tell us they like receiving them.  The email marketing by Solutions for Growth is an important and effective tool to drive customers to the store and helps grow our sales."