| Success in business isn't about always | | | | basics like direct mail, telemarketing, |
| knowing what will work ahead of time. It's | | | | email, etc., and then continue with more |
| about taking action, paying attention to what | | | | cutting edge approaches.Now, run down the |
| does work, and being flexible enough to adapt | | | | list. Which options are inexpensive or free? |
| and change.When it comes to marketing tactics | | | | Since they are less risky, you have nothing |
| like direct mail, print advertising and | | | | much to lose by trying them.A few good |
| telemarketing, the harder you try to pick a | | | | examples would be telemarketing |
| guaranteed winner, the longer it will take | | | | (cold-calling), sales letters, speaking, |
| you to actually get your marketing off the | | | | submitting articles to local media, etc. |
| ground and where it belongs-out into the | | | | These are relatively easy to implement, take |
| world.Planning is critical, of course, but | | | | little or no money, and can at least start |
| analysis can too easily replace action. A | | | | getting the word out while you work on more |
| sales letter is never quite perfect enough, a | | | | complex marketing tactics.Next, group the |
| mailing list never as long and accurate as it | | | | choices that may be more expensive or time |
| could be. In the search for perfection, for | | | | consuming. Of these, which have the greatest |
| guaranteed results, nothing happens. You | | | | potential for sales and can be rolled out |
| overanalyze your options, hoping to choose | | | | quickly and in small tests?Your experimental |
| the one "right" approach. When you finally | | | | marketing plan will have most or all of the |
| pick "the sure thing", you put all your | | | | tactics from group A, and as many from group |
| resources into that one tactic. If you get | | | | B as possible, starting with the least |
| really lucky, it hits. But that approach is | | | | expensive to test.The point here is to avoid |
| closer to gambling than it is to running a | | | | blowing your entire budget on 1 or 2 tactics |
| business.No matter how perfect you try to | | | | without having first considered all your |
| make your marketing tactics and materials, | | | | options and tested as many methods as |
| you'll never know how good they are until | | | | possible. Of course, the results from some |
| they are released into the wild. The point to | | | | approaches, like writing articles, will be |
| marketing is not a perfect ad, but your | | | | very hard to measure in the short term. But, |
| response and sales from that ad. Until you | | | | since these tactics take so little time and |
| actually test each marketing tactic, you will | | | | money, you can afford to automatically |
| have absolutely no idea what will work.Think | | | | include them as part of a much larger |
| of yourself as a marketing scientist. Your | | | | long-term marketing plan. A direct mail test, |
| job is to discover a successful marketing mix | | | | on the other hand, should generate concrete |
| by trying a lot of different approaches, | | | | measurable results almost immediately in |
| tracking results, and keeping what works. You | | | | order to justify rolling out a larger |
| start with a hypothesis (target market, | | | | campaign.By Marcus Schaller, Managing Editor |
| target message, offer, etc) and test it using | | | | of Purple Dot Magazine ( a free online |
| as many variations as you reasonably can, | | | | publication covering marketing, sales and |
| depending on your budget and schedule.Before | | | | public relations for small businesses and |
| you fall in love with any one approach, list | | | | self-employed professionals. |
| as many tactical options as possible. Include | | | | |