Written by Jayna Lowe | 29 June 2010

- Smile and introduce yourself. (The one who introduces themselves first is the more confident person.)

- Show a keen interest in the person you are meeting.

- Spend a few minutes asking them questions about their family, business and what they like to do for fun. (The one asking the questions controls the conversation.)

- Memorize their name, and repeat it back to them several times in the conversation.

- Have your 30 second elevator pitch ready and rehearsed.

- "The fortune is in the follow-up." Send them an email or thank you card and be personal.

In the end, building a business is always more about building PEOPLE!

Written by Jayna Lowe | 23 April 2010

Today my post is a little longer than usual. I like to keep a running list of marketing ideas for my business and my clients. Scan this list for ideas, and pick a new marketing strategy to add to your business every day.

The Basics:

• Display brochures at other local businesses (If you are a seamstress, place brochures in bridal and clothing stores advertising alterations.)
• Have eye-catching business cards (Make your cards double sided and list your products or services. Don't waste free ad space!)
• Buy ad space (Ideas for Kelowna: www.castanet.net, Kelowna Daily Courier, Kelowna Capital News, Astral Media
• Write and submit press releases announcing milestones etc in your business
• Get 'wearable marketing' gear (T-shirts or jackets for your employees, free give-aways, or even add them to your products for sale)
• Send thank you cards, birthday and holiday cards to your clients
• Offer birthday specials
• Offer your product as a prize in a local contest
• Go above and beyond in your service (research what your competitors offer, and up your guarantee, delivery or expand your product)
• Follow up with existing and old leads (a nice email or phone call often works well)
• Increase your store front signage
• Place decals on your company vehicles
• Start cold calling (Make a goal to call 200 people a day. You will have a 90% chance of making at least $10,000 in sales from those calls alone if done right.)
• Ask for referrals
• Ask for and use client testimonials
• Upsell when possible (and make sure your clients are doing most of the talking)
• Place signage in other complementary businesses (and let them do the same at yours)
• Develop a unique company culture and train all your staff to represent what you stand for
• Ensure all your marketing material is consistent with your corportate identity for brand recognition
  
• Think: “How can I make someone else successful today?”

Online:

• Have an awesome website (which is easy to update)
  
• Blog (and comment on other blogs)
  
• Engage in Social Media (Linked in, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, flickr, reddit)
• Poll / survey your clients & see how THEY think you could improve your service / business
• Post videos on your website and position yourself as the leader / expert in your industry
• Get listed in online industry directories
• Start sending email marketing campaigns – they are gold
• Schedule a free webinar or create a podcast
• Have an email signature that represents your brand
  
• Build several websites that work together and promote each other
• Hire a professional company to handle your online marketing

Become the Expert in your Community

• Offer a free seminar and position yourself as an expert in your community
• Sponsor or host a conference or event
• Set-up TV's at your business and play a video of your company testimonials
• Enter Trade shows & Exhibitions
• Hold a contest

Networking:

• Start a networking group of professionals and meet at least once a month
• Join an existing networking group (Groups in Kelowna: Chamber of Commerce, OSTEC, Women in Business, BNI, Downtown After 5)
• Host a networking event at your office or place of business
• Volunteer for a non-profit organization or club
• Join a networking group Board of Directors
• Talk to everyone you meet about your business

We are always looking for new marketing ideas – so if you an idea which isn't on the list, please feel free to add it to the comment section below. Thanks!

Written by Jayna Lowe | 29 March 2010

"Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search result
Wikipedia - Search engine optimization.

The following are a few techniques which will help search engines, such as Google, increase your website ranking:

First of all, the design of your website must be search engine friendly, meaning limited flash and Java content. One way to quickly check if your site is SEO friendly is to see if you can highlight the text on your site. If you can't, search engines won't be able to read the text.

Next it is important to plan your website and key words well. Fill your website with the keywords that discribe your business, and lots of relavent information. Incorporate links to other websites, as well as links TO your website from other related websites.

Finally, continually update your website with new articles, a blog, new links, and interactive forums. Remember it will take time (from a few days to several months) for search engines to pick up on the changes – so give your website some time to gain in ranking.

Dream [on] Media specialized in easily updatable websites which perform well in search engines. You will be able to simply login to the 'backend' of your website and update the content any time you choose!

Written by Jayna Lowe | 16 March 2010

Way back in 1930 during the great depression, almost all companies where pulling back on their advertising budgets, hunkering down, hoping to survive. Even Pepsi was slashing back on spending. Coke however, was doubling and quadrupling their budgets right at a time when it seemed crazy to do so. In fact, in the 1930's, Coke had 300,000 billboards, 20,000 building walls painted with their logo, over 5 million soda glasses with their name printed on them, and over 400 million newspaper and magazine advertising impressions. Increasing their marketing and advertising dollars while competitors where pulling back is how Coke has built the brand it stands on today. //

Now is the perfect time to increase spending towards marketing – while your competitors are cutting back. I'm talking about an intelligent increase in targeted action-oriented advertising. This doesn't mean you need a billion dollar budget, but it does mean you should take a good look at your competitors, and come up with creative, targeted, mass marketing ideas to increase brand awareness. Take the time to find out what your advertising budget should be this year and meet with a marketing professional to help you build your brand.

Written by Jayna Lowe | 08 February 2010

According to comScore, 178 million people viewed over 33 billion online videos in December 2009. Analysts predict this number will continue to increase by 40% every year until 2014.

Most of us are visual learners, add the fact that most of us are in a hurry and like to be entertained, it is no wonder video is becoming a leading form of online communication. Video is much more likely to capture the attention of an audience, and it communicates a message much quicker than reading text – and when it come to communicating online, time is of utmost importance.

One of the objects of marketing is to create brand awareness and inspire people to act on your message. The benefit of online video is that it is linkable, and can be forwarded. When you produce your video, you want it to trigger an emotional response. The goal is for your clients to respond and forward your video on to others. This is called viral marketing. Before you know it, vast numbers of people have viewed your video, and responded to your offerings.

Video is now more affordable than ever. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it We would love to speak with you.

Written by Jayna Lowe | 01 January 2010

So I've had a bit of spare time over the holidays and have dug into some fantastic books I would highly recommend for reading if you have a few more days before going back to work. I read the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell about a year ago and loved it. Recently I was on a train travelling from Delhi to Mussoorie (Breathtaking town in Northern India overlooking the Himalayas.) And found the book 'Outliers' for sale at one of the train stations. Another brilliant Malcolm Gladwell read. I learned it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. That it matters where you come from. How to break cultural legacies and the gift of opportunities. I learned about the power of persuasion, entitlement and the secrets of successful people. You will just have to read it for yourself!