2k for marketing

[MrFrost1982]

We have earmarked a budget of £2000 initially to market and advertise our new IT business.

As novices to marketing, can anyone suggest a wise way to invest this to get the best response.

We are targetting both home users and small to medium businesses.

 

[neildigital]

Where are you based?

Neil

 

[MrFrost1982]

Doncaster. We will be covering the South Yorkshire area.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

If you have a website get some proper sales copy and get the site optimised for sales first before you push any traffic towards it.

That way, you're going to get far more clients out of your marketing spend.

 

[GreatSEO]

SEO
Website
Leaflets
Letter - Direct Mail
Advertising in Papers
PR
Viral Campaign
Direct Door to Door
Telemarketing
Email Marketing

And the list goes on. In fact there is so much that you can do you will probably end up getting lost in the jungle that is marketing.

I have a few questions but not something that I would be willing to write up as it will take me ages.

I can offer you a completely free consultancy where I will need about 20 minutes of your time to assess your business and what you do. I will need to understand your typical type of target market and I will need to know a little more before I can make some decent suggestion.

To put it bluntly you will need to take that budget and try a number of things so that you can measure and test what works and do more of it as you go forwards (what works that is).

Please don't get wrapped into the possibilities of spending your whole budget on 1 service that may not benefit you. There are a lot of services out there that could work for you but the best ones are the ones that are tailored to your business.

If you would like to chat to someone that has been helping small businesses market themselves effectively for over 12 years now please feel free to PM me your number so that we can have a chat and it will be just that.

No fee's no costs whatsoever just a chat to hopefuloly give you some food for thought. Your call but the offer is there should you need it.

I hope this helps and be careful there are a lot of people out there that will take that money with no issues and not deliver a return on your investment.

Regards

Dave

 

[KM-Tiger]

Please don't get wrapped into the possibilities of spending your whole budget on 1 service that may not benefit you.

Excellent advice.

 

[neildigital]

Unfortunately, the guy I was going to recommend, lives and work around Berkshire.
Probably a bit far for him. If you would like me to give you a call, maybe he can give you a little help over the phone, let me know.

Neil

 

We have earmarked a budget of £2000 initially to market and advertise our new IT business.

As novices to marketing, can anyone suggest a wise way to invest this to get the best response.

We are targetting both home users and small to medium businesses.

£2000 sounds large - it is not in terms of most conventional media.

So do one or two things well, not a long list badly.
In many cases when you approach them your potential customers will not have a problem that requires you yet , that makes it vital to build lists and relationships.

So Your first objective should be to list build, get a lot of qualified prospects to whom you can begin an email dialogue ultimately leading to sales - the emphasis on giving good information, and not just pitching.

Now it depends what you are hoping to sell - IT equipment or IT support?

eg Assume IT support/fixing to home people - then maybe create a guide "3 things you can do today to speed up your home computer" - which you require sign up at your site - once you have email addresses, keep send interesting stuff - and then promotions for whatever you are trying to sell

Business people may be interested in speed - or security - you can do guides - and in the case of businesses offer a priize of a FREE security audit worth £200 or something, again with the objective of sign ups - the audit becomes your chance to prove you have something they want.

Homes - a Direct flyer aimed at achieving the sign up can get results with good copywriting. - also dont ignore freebie stuff like cards in newsagent windows.

A proper direct marketing letter with attachment in the case of a business
- approaching rich businesses and specific target customers you can get a good conversion out of a short camtasia video about their problems specifically, addressing them by name....on a DVD that plays when they plug it in...can impress the hell out of some.

The WORST thing you can do - is send out flyers /place adverts that say..
"this is who we are , this is what we do, please call us"
You need a big promise or offer - prove of value. credibility, a reason why it has to be now, and a simple action they can take right now

It all depends on who your targets are and what you sell ...but the key is list building and direct marketing a specific action.

If you actually have a great introductory offer you want to pitch - find a HUB business with a lot of similar customers - eg a print business, and do a deal for them to promote you to their list. Just offering to do their IT free in exchange for promotions visible on their premises or in their literature can be worthwhile too. JVs are a way to kick start

 

[dan_1985]

Try giving Public (their website is here) a call - they are a full-service marketing agency based in Doncaster. They will most likely arrange a meeting with you and discuss all of your needs, then put together a plan based upon your specific needs and budget.

I used to work for them - if you call 01302 730303 and ask to speak to Kirsty, tell her Dan said to call her.

 

[liams7]

£2000 sounds large - it is not in terms of most conventional media.

You are joking arent you?

Any way, You are entering in to a very competitive market and for this reason you need to be very very careful about where you spend your money.

Im guessing that as its a start up there are only a handful of people involved?

If so try some networking meetings. Put your self about a bit. it takes time to build relationships but try it. BNI is a great start and you have others like NRG, FSB, 4N but to name a few. There about £10 a breakfast some have yearly memberships but give it ago.

If you can get in to a good BNI chapter it is worth more than you can imagine.

As for other things you can do.

PR can cost little if you are good at writing press releases. Its not easy to get people to read them though and this is where some one in PR comes in handy. We charge out PR at about £225 a day but thats more local stuff but knowing the editors ETC will be invaluable and this is where some one who is good at PR can help.

People still look for IT companies in the yellow pages ETC but your not going to get much big work from it. You can try out freelance sites they some times have some nice work on there to get you up and running.

I cant remember the name of it but its something like peopleformoney.com or something sorry cant be more specific.

You can do flyers but your return is likely to be 1 - 2% maybe 2 - 4% if designed well and the concept is good. so a thousand flyers = 20 enquiries = 1 or 2 jobs and god knows what they will be.

Marketing is hard and if you can find some one to help you then thats probably the best thing.

Look at social media. It is something you can do yourself but be careful its not easy. its not a case of opening a twitter account and off you go there is so much more to it than that and doing some research on it might help.

Any way there is my 2 pence worth.

 

[dottylou]

You need to get your brand identity sorted. You can then put adverts in local papers, get some flyers done - offer a promotion or discount to get people interested. There's lots of marketing ideas you can do. It's important to get your identity established and get yourself out there in the market.

Happy to discuss further with you.

 

[Seal-tech]

Can I just jump on here and say how helpful the information is from admagic - I too am thinking about marketing etc and that has helped give me some direction.

Thanks again.

 

You are joking arent you?
.

No.

Read what I actually wrote. "£2000 sounds large but is not in terms of CONVENTIONAL media"

Check out the prices of much advertising and quality materials, telesales and so on and see that I was right. You cannot afford many experiments Too many people on this thread IMHO are suggesting spreading the OP too thin - in my view the OP should try a few well targetted and testable things , do them well and make them work.

Also allow for the fact that the most precious resource the OP has is time BNI will cost him (say)2+hours a week. That is very expensive if it does not produce a return, and I dislike the ethos of BNI completely.
You are recommending people just because they are in your chapter, not because they are either the best at what they do, you may not even know how good they are at the point you are first required to recommend them. That is dishonest and false recommendation, and I for one dont want any part of it. I wonder how many people who are given the recommendations , know that they are just being traded as leads, and know that the recommendation you were given was not because they thought the company was best placed to help, but just because they hoped to get some sales back in return.


Also focus on the fact that most people he contacts dont need him yet, so listbuilding is the key - your entire remarks are about promotion not marketing process: I think the OP should think marketing process first.

And then check out the suggestions I made - which do not use expensive media, and in as far as there are costs, they are testable and scaleable. The one thing I think the OP should invest in is good copy - because as a copywriter , I know the difference is dramatic. But I am not on the thread to volunteer just to help

Joint ventures can be really good to kick start - to enter them my suggestion is they do free stuff for the list owner first - choosing a hub business with lots of their types of customers - to prove they are up to the job, then with a good offer, and a guarantee so that there is no possibility of it backfiring on the list owner - a JV can be a good way to go.

But big but - we come back to marketing process - it can all fall very flat, if they need you randomly - eg to fix computers, and they dont have the problem yet. That is why listbuilding is vital.


So If the OP describes his business more, then clearly we can all help more.

 

[MrFrost1982]

Thank you all for the advice.
When I am home this evening i'll have a proper read through to digest it all when I have a bit more time, and will probably be in touch with further info.

 

Thank you all for the advice.
When I am home this evening i'll have a proper read through to digest it all when I have a bit more time, and will probably be in touch with further info.

IT is a very broad thing.

It would help to know which sector or sectors, service or services you intend to enter...otherwise ideas can only be vague.

 

[MrFrost1982]

We will be serving domestic and small to medium businesses.
Home services include general repairs and upgrades, as well as new systems and parts available to order online through our website.

Business services would include in house support (ie companies who do not have an IT department would call us and we would attend to deal with the problem), network management, business pc systems etc, web hosting.

We are also thinking of developing some kind of warranty package for home users but this is in an early stage at the moment.

 

We will be serving domestic and small to medium businesses.
Home services include general repairs and upgrades, as well as new systems and parts available to order online through our website.

Business services would include in house support (ie companies who do not have an IT department would call us and we would attend to deal with the problem), network management, business pc systems etc, web hosting.

We are also thinking of developing some kind of warranty package for home users but this is in an early stage at the moment.

All a bit general.

A couple of thoughts for you
1/ productize what you do as a service - and that way get paid for sales calls!!

Mind game - 2 very different reactions according to the question you ask..

Mr X... Can we come and talk to you about IT support - both speeds and security can be suffering , if your system has been around.
Reaction.
How can I get this irritating B*gg*r off the phone, I have far more pressing matters , and the last thing I want is hard sell from a salesman!!

.. 30% speed improvement, no new hardware.
Mr X - did you know that is a typical slowdown of IT kit- now as an introductory offer we are doing a 17 point site and web access computer speed audit and checkup- and because we are testing this service out (always use reason why in your copy) , all we will ask you for is half an hour of your time ( or somebody in your organisation - and just £27. And heres the deal. If you are not totally happy with the service, or we dont manage to improve anything at all, we give a full refund (try to get the money before you go).... and if we see anything nasty in security , we will tell you about that too...
Reaction
Sounds a good deal - how can I lose? and it is high time somebody looked at that heap on my desk.

Net outcome? you get paid to ask all the same questions, and get first hand knowledge of his kit...you can do a couple of positive things, and list the rest that needs doing with prices.....as the report.. And you dont waste time on sales calls.

2/ Target specific niches...
If everyone is your customer, nobody is.
PC mend companies are ten a penny...

Companies that specialise in supporting accountants or retailers, who do things specifically tailored to retailers or accountants and can speak their language are far less common.. and that opens big avenues of targetted advertising., joint ventures and so on... so try niche targetted in what you do.... try promotions to specific sectors, with copy specific for that sector.

3/ put the warranty on the back of a paid audit or checkup...
" one year warranty built into every 20 point PC cleanup and speedup and security audit... "

That way you get to see the thing you are putting a warranty on, record serial numbers so they dont switch bits , and if it is not working when you come - you are not stuck with a warranty on something you dont dare warrant!!!


Most of all > build a list give it good information , and when you promote You will get sales on demand...

 

[liams7]

Also allow for the fact that the most precious resource the OP has is time BNI will cost him (say)2+hours a week. That is very expensive if it does not produce a return, and I dislike the ethos of BNI completely.
You are recommending people just because they are in your chapter, not because they are either the best at what they do, you may not even know how good they are at the point you are first required to recommend them. That is dishonest and false recommendation, and I for one dont want any part of it. I wonder how many people who are given the recommendations , know that they are just being traded as leads, and know that the recommendation you were given was not because they thought the company was best placed to help, but just because they hoped to get some sales back in return.

You completely missunderstand the ethos of BNI you do not HAVE to recommend any one. Also it does work and is proven. It generates more revenue for its members than any other networking orginisation.

Its not for everyone but no one can argue that it doesnt work.

As i said you need a good BNI group.

 

You completely missunderstand the ethos of BNI you do not HAVE to recommend any one. Also it does work and is proven. It generates more revenue for its members than any other networking orginisation.

Its not for everyone but no one can argue that it doesnt work.

As i said you need a good BNI group.

Alas. There is a very visible in your face referral process - so you are "on show" to prove you are referring work to other chapter members. So if someone wants an accountant, who are you going to recommend, with the best will in the world, and like anyone who gets a kick back for recommendation, it can never be impartial. Read the psychology of influence.

And I accept, much business is done this way - so is it on MLM and I would never do that either, and I accept that is just me.

My standards are, I recommend the best people I know to do a job, not because I feel guilty in a deliberately visible accounting ceremony that I havent referred anyone for a while....

It is like any other direct sales management process in which they make you ring a bell, or they write up the stats on a board, when ever you make sales, so itis very visible who is delivering sales and who is not, and the rest feel as guilty as hell - that is what makes them act.

I admit. A long time ago, I visited only one chapter, and once was enough. The oddity was at least four of those asking for referrals would never deal with the small scale of businesses that made up the rest of the chapter. I wanted an accountant for something, but despite the fact the large practise was sacking staff, it did not want the scale of account on offer, or any other work likely to come from the type of member present. The bank gave a ten minute presentation to say it only wanted prime multimillion customers and would only deal with them, so what were they there for? and how dare they waste the time of the members to say "we are so snotty we wont deal with any of you, but we might if you have some rich friends". Totally dysfunctional - completely wasted seats in the chapter.

all IMHO.

 

[Dot Design]

I've just posted this on a similar thread on here, might be of help...

"I've not read all the comments here but surely if its a website you are promoting you need to be promoting it online?

So... Twitter, Facebook, Forums where your age group and personality type are hanging out, ok so with all those how much have we spent so far, ok £0.

All those avenues will take time but are where your audience is. Then get a banner on a website that your target audience use. I think that traditional advertising is also dead on a some scale unless you can keep spending money and having bus shelter poster campaigns, bus ad's etc I think you need to keep it online.

Just my 2p worth though..."

 

[rickyhelmore]

We have earmarked a budget of £2000 initially to market and advertise our new IT business.

As novices to marketing, can anyone suggest a wise way to invest this to get the best response.

We are targetting both home users and small to medium businesses.

First need to know the theme of your business to suggest you the exact way of investing it into market.
In general you can look for SEO of your website and social media optimization, these all works must be done by a SEO Expert.
We have been working with a guy, if you want we can tell u.