8-31-17 Three basic marketing ideas to help increase business

When you’re thinking about how to best use your dollars for marketing, here are the three concepts that I believe can guide you:

 1)      It is always easiest to sell more to those who are already buying your product or service;

2)      You are more likely to sell to new customers who are much like the customers you already have or who have been referred to you by current customers; and

3)      It is hardest to sell to new people who know little or nothing about you or your business.

Item 1 assumes that you do everything to keep your customers happy so they’ll want to keep coming back to you.

Item 2 is based on the idea that the kinds of people who really appreciate you, what you sell, and how you do business are likely to want to do business with you….once they know who you are….and especially if they have heard good things about you from their friends.

Item 3 means it can be very expensive to simply place an advertisement without knowing details about the audience that will see the advertisement.

In a small community, like Whidbey, word-of-mouth can often be more valuable than any paid advertising.

The most effective ways to use your advertising dollars are to promote your business to current satisfied customers, and let your customers know how much you appreciate having them refer others to you.

And, remember….a satisfied customer may tell many people.  A dissatisfied customer often tells everyone they meet.