Training Magazine Middle East December 2014 | Page 20

BY SOHAIL KHAN

MARKETING THAT WORKS!

In this feature article we will cover the many low cost and even free, high-impact guerrilla marketing strategies you can start adopting to create some quick profits within your training or consulting business.

Business Cards

Let’s begin with the obvious; almost everybody I know that runs a business has a business card of some sort. Most people include basic details on their business card such as business name, email and website, etc. However, many people don’t utilise the back of the business card, mentioning the benefits of what they offer, a strong call to action (for example, ‘Download a FREE Report at…’) or even a special offer if someone produces the card or mentions a code on the business card.

Here’s a tip: when producing a new business card leave out your contact/cell number so that when you meet people you can write it on the card. This not only looks more personal (people get really excited when I write my contact number on my card for them) but also when they take all the business cards they have gathered from networking home, yours will stand out!

Also, we now have ‘QR Codes’—basically symbols that can be read by any smartphone—which direct people online to your website, social media page or special offer by people using a QR Code Reader on their smartphone.

Word of Mouth

In the not-too-distant past having one customer recommend you to another was seen either as a pleasant surprise or a random bonus but times have changed. We now see highly specialized agencies forming around the concept of word-of-mouth or WOM. What’s more, for a guerrilla it represents one of the lowest cost promotional options of all.

According to research, 75 percent of us trust personal recommendations more than we trust advertising. Consequently, any product or service news that arrives by word-of-mouth via an acquaintance or a peer is more likely to be treated favourably and acted upon.

Smart marketers have realised that instead of paying to advertise, with a prompt and using the right strategy, others could do the promoting for them.

4.Confirm the approach—will they contact them or hand them over to you?

5.Measure the outcome against your targets.

5 Steps To A Perfect Influencer Strategy

1.Identify the influencers—those with the potential to influence buyers.

2.Set targets for the number of buyers you want and the number of influencers needed.

3.Market to the influencers—give them a reason to be interested in you and your message. (I cover how to connect with influencers in a later chapter.)

4.Market through the influencers—give them tools to carry out your message.

5.Measure the outcome against targets.

DEVELOPING MARKETING

STRATEGIES FOR YOURSELF

AND YOUR TRAINING BUSINESS