How Can I Market My Lawn Business?

Services,

I have looked up marketing on the Internet countless times, and everyone wants to sell you something. I don’t care what kind of a tip it is like yellow page ad or flyer tip. Just something to get people to call. Or is there a web site I could get free information about marketing?

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If you already have clients, then ask for referrals.

When you’re working, make sure your vehicle/clothing clearly has your name + contact info.

After you’re done working, go door-to-door and distribute flyers on the same block (your neighbor at 123 Main Street is using us, and we’d love to have you as a client…)

Target new home owners. Welcome them and give them a gift of a free consultation, etc.

Talk to existing lawn people. Perhaps they have too much work or there are jobs they don’t want and would be happy to pass along to you.

Talk to your local garden center. See if there’s a referral board there.

Hold a free class on “How to Make Your Lawn Easier To Care For” (for example). Really give value. The point is that you’ll position yourself as an expert in their eyes.

How Can I Promote A New Film?

Publicity, , , ,

I’m trying to promote a new film for this ad agency I’m interning for…. how should I go about it? Any good ideas ??

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If you’re looking to get web traffic to your film’s site, create teasers/trailers of the film and post on free video sites such as YouTube, Google Video, etc.

Cross-promote it with a relevant partner. If your film is about babies, consider: baby products, new moms’ website/blogs, parenting magazines, etc.

What Canned Responses Should My Online Store Generate?

eMarketing,

I was trying to find a website that offers free canned responses that I can send out to our customers after they have made a purchase at our online shop (order confirmation-thank you for your order…etc.) also a canned response that is responding to a customer inquiry.

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If you do want to “borrow” some canned responses, I’d suggest modeling them on Amazon. They’ve got the email response language down.

See also: commentary on the canned responses

What Is A Good Name for An Executive Coach’s E-Zine?

Names + Taglines,

My client is a successful executive resume writer and coach dealing predominantly with the $100k+ marketplace. Has built a solid reputation producing effective resumes, cover letters, interview training and general career coaching. Looking to re-launch a monthly ezine aimed at main target audience – the $100k executive, but also likely to be read by recruiters and others who deal with the target audience. Business is global with a North American focus. Highly experienced, well connected, well thought of. Want to come up with a title for the monthly ezine that portrays their business. Their attributes include: ethical, collaborative, high personal attention, connected, and knowledgeable.

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Here are some suggestions:

  • C-Level Planning
  • C-Level Growth
  • Executive Fuel
  • Executive Insights
  • Corporate Ladder Insights
  • The Upward Spiral
  • Growth Without Sacrifice
  • Success and More
  • Work, Life, and Dreams
  • Collaborative Intelligence
  • The Corporate Soul
  • Executive Excellence
  • Execullence
  • The Intuitive Leader
  • Better Leadership
  • The Well Considered Executive
  • The Well Rounded Executive

How Can I Make Money With An Idea For An Invention?

Products, Starting Out, ,

I have this idea for a great invention but I don’t know were to start, tips?

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Right now, you have only an idea, which unfortunately isn’t worth anything.

If your invention is something tangible (a product), then before you spend any time trying to build it, first see if the idea has already been patented (Google Patents or USPTO Office). If it hasn’t been patented, then your next step is to build a prototype. Either do it yourself, hire someone, or convince someone to help you create it. If it doesn’t do what you want, keep iterating.

If you have an idea for a new graphic/logo/book (intellectual property), then create it and copyright it. That will protect the words/images.

If you have an idea for a new process (way of doing something), then you’ll need to first confirm that your process works. You won’t be able to patent it (you can patent the algorithm if it’s part of something tangible).

Once you have tested your idea, then you’ll want to decide what to do about it. Patents are useful if you have the money to protect them (in court) and/or you want to sell the idea to someone else. Otherwise, simply build it and realize that the more people that see it, the greater the likelihood someone may want to copy it. However, people will only copy it if it’s something that’s already making money or they can figure a way to get it to market easily.

Eventually, you may want to create non-disclosures, etc. For more information, I recommend the book: Patent It Yourself.

What Is A Good Name For A Quiz Contest?

Clubs + Associations, Names + Taglines

Please help me name a quiz Contest and also a tagline for the same. This quiz contest comprises of four rounds: business, literature, sports and current affairs and finally a rapid fire round. It is a quiz contest that would be conducted at my high-tech company where around 100 participants are expected. The name of the quiz contest should be one word like “Quest”.

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How about:

  • Dataphobia
  • Arcania
  • Quibble
  • Obscura
  • Minutia
  • RandomBits
  • Rapidata

Taglines:

  • Go To The Head of the Company
  • Show Your True Employee Value
  • Are You Smarter Than Your Boss?

How Can I Generate Traffic To My Website?

eMarketing, Starting Out, , ,

I am looking for an online service/website that will generate quality traffic to my site so my sales will increase.

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You actually have 2 questions: “How to increase traffic” and “How to increase sales”. The second question is actually more important. Just because you get more visitors doesn’t mean you’ll get more sales. You need to be selling the right thing to the right people at the right time. That means your site should clearly identify who your audience is, what problem you solve of theirs, and how you solve it.

Once you’ve crafted this compelling benefit statement, only then it makes sense to find sites that drive traffic to you. And what type of traffic? You only want to attract that matches your audience. If you’re selling a product for men, and you only get women visiting your site, while it’s possible some women will buy the product for a man in her life, you would get many more conversions if you started by getting men to visit your site.

 

See also: Marketing 101

How Can I Have A Successful Website Launch?

eMarketing, ,

I am looking for a clear, concise ‘how to” on the steps necessary to successfully launch a new web site. What are the things I need to think about in terms of my audience (bankers), the press, trade shows, email blasts, direct mail, and other marketing tactics.

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A website is a business. Make sure you have a clear strategic plan for what you’re trying to accomplish, who you’re trying to sell to, how you differentiate yourself, etc. Here’s an article to get you started.

If you’ve already done your planning “homework”, then after your site is up, your next step is traffic. This is a function of targeting your website’s solution to your market’s problem. Each campaign is different, because each market is different and you want your site to standout from the others. In general online solutions can include: emails to existing clients, co-marketing with other sites, back-links from other sites, press releases, white papers, SEO, PPC, videos, eBooks, and articles.

How Can I Better Advertise A Clothing Sale?

Products, Publicity,

I’m faced with the challenge to think of a creative way to promote a sale of my retail products. I want to give the 2nd item off a purchase at a cheaper price (e.g. buy 1 and get the second at 20 or 30% off).

I have thought of conventional means of communicating this.: “Buy more save more”, “More savings with us”, “Your brand, your savings”, but I am searching for a more creative message.

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The key is in the value of the 2nd item. Offer to donate the 2nd item (buy one and we donate one) to a homeless shelter, orphanage, etc. Your client gets PR + a potential write-off, the shopper gets their product (and feels like they helped), and the non-profit can help with the advertising as well.

If the product’s price point is high for the demographic (adults, teens, etc.), you can try another direction. Create a matching service for people who want to buy 1 of the item. You’ll match them with someone else who wants to buy 1, they both get their item for less, and once again you’ve got the opportunity for goodwill + PR. It requires additional work on your client’s behalf, though.