KDB Business Services- Business Reviews and Tips

Sunday, October 23, 2005

I was reviewing this latest affiliate program that I joined last night. It is for the SiteBuildIt or SBI. It is a wonderful program with the most information and support I have seen in a program yet. The products to sell are also top of the line and I have just puchased the complete package so I can design my own website and get products selling myself.
The one thing though I noticed was the free products and information packages available to offer to help get sales boosted. All useful information that is easily passed on to the perspective buyer that he/she can use in their business on a daily basis. I realized that that was one of the true keys to success. There are all the promotional offers of "buy one, get one free" deals out there but you still need to buy to get it. With the bonus free informational or useful product option though it allows the perspectives to feel they can still enjoy something for nothing. They will remember that. There are several reasons why people don't buy right away. They are unsure of the product/service and need more time to research and think, they don't have the money right now, or are just browsing for useful tidbits to keep in mind for later when they need something specific.
Offering a free useful product allows them to taste what you have to offer, try it out and keep them thinking of you for the future(especially if the free offer benefits them).
The following article came across my desk today and I thought it was perfectly timed. I hope it will get you thinking of something you can incorporate into your daily strategy.

Give Them Something Useful - A Small Business Marketing Tip
Copyright 2005 Marketing Comet

Naturally my wife wanted a new Burberry purse when my
father in law asked her what she wanted him to pick up in
Europe. She's all about purses. He bought her a beautiful
purse in Rome and sent it to her when he got back in the
States.

Along with the bag, there was a card-stock envelope
containing the receipt and something very interesting - a
map of Rome. It was one of those little tourist maps and it
had all the Burberry stores in Rome marked off so you could
find them.

Absolutely brilliant. First the map is useful, a great
marketing tool is something people will keep around. This
is why magazine advertising is so effective. It's also
something you might pass on to people you know who are
traveling to Rome - and now they'll know where to get a
nice purse just like yours. Also, while you are in Rome you
might just decide to pick up a second purse for Aunt Clara
and now you can find your way back to a shop.

Companies of all sizes have used giveaways in marketing
forever. Gillette had the brilliant idea of giving razors
away, and then charging for disposable blades which you had
to throw away frequently. Cracker Jacks are known for the
toy surprise inside. Food vendors give away free samples to
get you to buy more.

The psychological urge to reciprocate when somebody gives
us something is so strong that Cialdini wrote about it in
his seminal book on Influence. That urge is stronger the
more valuable the giveaway. Reciprocity is not the only
factor that can make giveaways useful small business
marketing tools.

Some of the features of great giveaways:
-They are tools or information that customers will use
repeatedly
-They have a positive emotional component
-They can be passed along to others building the marketing
effect
-The benefit of the giveaway is overt
-The giveaway builds a strong mental link to your business
-The giveaway helps the customer buy from you.

I personally believe that well-tailored informational
products are probably the best giveaway ever. Kraft foods
sends out a free monthly magazine full of recipes (all
using Kraft foods). That giveaway has all of the above
features. So does the tourist map of Rome.

If you're in business in 2005 you need to take small
business Internet marketing very seriously. The Internet is
a great medium for giving away information products. If you
run a lawn care business, maybe you have a printable
planting calendar on your web site. If you own a restaurant
near a theater district, maybe you publish a calendar of
upcoming shows with your phone number for pre-theater
reservations.

I love to go to conventions and walk the floor with a bag
picking up tons of free stuff. Honestly, most of it goes
right in the trash. I keep pens and other useful stuff, but
who has time to look through 500 company brochures? While
they are cute, wacky toys and stress relief pillows just
clutter up my office. That stuff is very expensive, and I
think the marketing value is very small.

This year I went to the Boston wine expo - two days of
drinking wine! Some pear grower's association was there
giving out samples of pears. Their giveaway was a cardboard
wheel that you could use to match a varieties of pears with
a types of wine and types of cheeses. This is particularly
useful if you are a chef looking for ways to put a menu
together.

My friend who owns a car repair shop is pricing out travel
mugs. This is a pretty good giveaway. Ideally, when people
have car trouble they'll have their coffee with his phone
number on it in front of them.

What can you give away that is useful? It may just be
information in a form that costs you nothing, or it might
be a something you budget for. Remember the list of
features when you look at your giveaways.


----------------------------------------------------
J D Moore - Marketing Comet
http://www.marketingcometcoach.com
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