Today we’re going to describe one effective way to excel your marketing efforts for your start-up or small business. We’ll also show you an example at the end.
Does your start-up or small business set out to solve a social or environmental problem? If so, a marketing video outlining the problem you’re solving is a great way to get the word out about your business. This is effective whether you’re solving a niche problem or a broader global problem.
Here are some guidelines:
It does not matter if your start-up or small business addresses a niche or larger problem. If your story and message is inspiring, people will champion your cause and want to share it.
1) Make the video content exclusively about the problem, not your organization. If the video is done well, people will share it, and those viewers will want to know who made it.
2) Keep it short. How short? Absolutely under three minutes. As long…
I have a friend who asks for a discount on every single thing he purchases. He is a business owner, but he doesn’t just ask for discounts when signing contracts or making purchases for his business. He asks for a discount on every single thing he buys, business or personal. A lot of the time his inquiry is done in humor and good taste. I finally asked why he does this and he explained that if he does not get into the habit of asking for discounts or negotiating, you may miss your opportunity or not have the confidence when the time comes for it to really make a difference.
This makes sense. How many times have you bought something where you knew you could of negotiated but felt uncomfortable to ask? Well, you just left money on the table. In some countries negotiating is a part of the culture. I’ve heard from several people…
Has anyone ever built a successful business without a business plan? Sure they have. However, I’m hard pressed to believe many interested partners, private investors or investor organizations give money to entrepreneurs with out seeing a well outlined business plan and a professional presentation first. Unless this individual or group has started many great businesses prior, blind investing won’t happen. If it does, the investors are most likely betting on the “jockey” (individual), not the “horse” (business concept).
Chances are you’re here because you don’t have that reputation of turning out more million dollar businesses than you can shake a stick at. To help, here are two very useful tips for business plan writing and presenting.
1) Being to the point wins people over: Don’t lengthen content because you feel it looks more legitimate. Audiences tend to pick up on that and will get irritated their time is being wasted. This goes for writing and presenting. Explain…
I’m going to introduce you to someone who should be a “household” name in the online entrepreneurial community. If you know Seth Godin, great. I’ll share two pieces he’s written about entrepreneurship for you. If you haven’t heard of Seth Godin, even better! This may be one of the most important blog posts you’ve ever read about entrepreneurship/marketing.
Godin is a marketing genius. I’ve haven’t had the opportunity to read 100% of what he’s written between his books and blogs, but from what I have read, I’m sold. And so is almost anyone who comes across his writing.
Now that I’ve shared a link to his bio, and you’ve gotten to know what he’s all about, let me share two great books he’s written. First, is a free e-book called The Bootstrapper’s Bible . This literally is a manual on how to get over the hurdles of financing your own start-up. Everything about this to the point e-book is hands-on…
A few blog posts ago I spoke about the term “eco-guilt”. I came across a blog post, written with a great sense of humor by Stephanie Kanter at www.greennurture.com that elaborates on the topic.
Here’s an excerpt:
“A common misconception regarding sustainability is the all-or-nothing attitude. How can we justify turning down the air conditioner one more degree (it’s 110 degrees in the summer) or driving to work even though it is close enough to bike (did I mention that it is 110 degrees during the summer)?”
Check out both posts if you haven’t already. Enjoy.
