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Ten Week Marketing Methods A quick and convenient way to learn the fundamentals of marketing for your business. This guide covers all aspects of marketing including social media marketing, email marketing, offline marketing and basic guerrilla marketing. No need to buy expensive books when you have BaseKit’s 10 Week Marketing Methods available to you online.

Contents Marketing Basics 10 How to advertise offline With the expansion of the internet, it is only natural that extensive growth in online advertising would follow. However, the value of offline advertising is still extremely relevant and effective...

Social Media Marketing

10 part beginner’s guide. Marketing made simple from the marketing team at BaseKit

10 Marketing through Facebook effectively Facebook is extremely powerful in the world of social media and if used correctly can serve as an effective marketing tool. Marketing your business through Facebook can seem like a daunting process but...

10 Marketing through Twitter effectively How do you market your business using only 140 characters? While it may seem restrictive, the reality is that it is actually highly advantageous for your business. Every word counts so you’ll really need to maximise...

10 How to use Google Places for your business Google+ is still relatively new on the scene having launched their business page in November 2011. The social network has been attracting attention worldwide as more and more businesses are catching on...

Beginner’s Online Marketing 10 Beginner’s guide to email marketing Facebook is extremely powerful in the world of social media and if used correctly can serve as an effective marketing tool. Marketing your business through Facebook can seem like a daunting process but...

10 Beginner’s guide to blogging How do you market your business using only 140 characters? While it may seem restrictive, the reality is that it is actually highly advantageous for your business. Every word counts so you’ll really need to maximise...

10 Beginner’s guide to guest blogging Google+ is still relatively new on the scene having launched their business page in November 2011. The social network has been attracting attention worldwide as more and more businesses are catching on...

Intermediate Online Marketing 10 How to use Google Places for your business Facebook is extremely powerful in the world of social media and if used correctly can serve as an effective marketing tool. Marketing your business through Facebook can seem like a daunting process but...

10 Creating online surveys for beginners How do you market your business using only 140 characters? While it may seem restrictive, the reality is that it is actually highly advantageous for your business. Every word counts so you’ll really need to maximise...

10 Guerrilla marketing for newbies Google+ is still relatively new on the scene having launched their business page in November 2011. The social network has been attracting attention worldwide as more and more businesses are catching on...


How To Advertise Offline With the expansion of the internet, it is only natural that extensive growth in online advertising would follow. However, the value of offline advertising is still extremely relevant and effective. This is particularly important for small businesses as the power of local adverting remains strong. There are many ways to advertise your business offline and you may be surprised at how easy and manageable the traditional methods really are. It has also been proven that offline advertising can boost online interest and sales by almost half. It’s only natural that consumers will take to the web after showing initial interest in an offline advert. Here are the best methods to advertise offline.

Newspapers and magazines Advertising in newspapers and magazines is a great way to get your business seen both locally and nationally. A lot of local newspapers and magazines will allow you to post advertisements either for free or a low fee. If you’re a local business then this is an excellent way to build up awareness around your area. Specialised magazines are guaranteed to target your niche audience which increases the chances of generating genuine interest. Newspapers tend to attract a loyal and dedicated following. Therefore the readers who read the advertisement section are likely to return to this section weekly. You’ll need to create an advertisement that is attention grabbing and represents your business brand accurately. Powerful headlines, engaging copy and great design will help your advertisement travel.

Contact newspapers and magazines directly for more information on publishing your advertisement.

Flyers This form of paper advertisement is intended to go widespread in a short amount of time. This form of advertising has added appeal due to its cost effective nature. Flyers are great for promoting events, making announcements and generally spreading messages. They are normally distributed in the street, posted through letter boxes and also pinned up on notice boards. As they are produced in bulk, they can be shared easily and handed out to a large amount of people. Get in touch with your local printing company for more information on printing and pricing.

Notice board advertising Although notice board advertising may seem rather old-fashioned, it is still a highly effective way to gain recognition. Notice boards can be found in newsagents, supermarkets, schools, colleges and many other public areas. The great thing about notice boards is that the sole purpose of them is to display useful information. This means that anybody visiting the notice board is already looking for information and your advertisement could be what they are searching for. Visit your local supermarket and other public areas to find out more information on placing your advertisement on notice boards.


Moo Custom Business Card Ordering

Business cards

offline advertising can boost online interest and sales by almost half

Business cards are still commonly used and frequently handed out at events and conferences. They carry important information such as your company’s purpose and contact details. A business card serves as a good physical reminder of your company and has proven to leave a lasting impression. They are cheap to produce and are a necessity for any business. Check out http://uk.moo.com/ for more information on getting some of your own business cards.

Radio Radio advertisement remains popular as people continue to tune in to their favourite radio stations. It has the power to audibly reach thousands of people. Radio advertisements also offer a human outreach in the form of a voice. This therefore appeals more to the listener’s emotions and allows them to relate to your business on a more personal level. Time restrictions on radio adverts mean that your copy will need to be precise, to the point and deliver your message immediately. Get in contact with your local radio station to find out more.

Television Although television advertisements can be costly, it’s still worth considering if you have the budget. You’ll need to work on a campaign and address your target audience directly. It’s also a good idea to have a CEO or member of staff appear in the advert so that your viewer is able to relate to your company. Television advertising proves to be extremely powerful due to its visual and audio nature. Always work with professionals to ensure your advertisement is of high quality. Start by contacting local television channels for more information.

As you can see, offline advertising is not dead! All of the methods mentioned can prove extremely effective and can generate a lot of interest especially if you’re looking to target local consumers. Depending on how much money you want to spend and how you want to approach your customer, there are many options in offline advertising to consider. This is also directly related to your online success. When your potential customers see an advertisement in the newspaper or while they are walking down the street, they’ll take note of your company name and check out your website. So, next time you’re considering a new advertising campaign, give the offline method a go!


Marketing through Facebook effectively Facebook is extremely powerful in the world of social media and if used correctly can serve as an effective marketing tool. Marketing your business through Facebook can seem like a daunting process but it doesn’t have to be. By following a few a simple steps you can ensure that you keep your Facebook page on track while connecting with others around you. Luckily, Facebook does not require anything too technical and you can get your company page up and running easily.

Target your audience Be specific when targeting your audience. Content tends to be more successful when targeted at a particular group. It’s better to have a smaller group of people that are interested and dedicated to your content rather than a large group of those only half interested. Identifying your audience early on will ensure you are create a dedicated following on Facebook.

Consistent content There is where the social part of social media comes in. To build and form relationships with your Facebook fans, you’ll need to produce consistent content and engage regularly. The nature of your content should be relevant and engaging. You need to give your fans a reason to reach out and interact with your brand. Once you get some interaction going you can create a community of fans who are genuinely interested in your company.

How do I achieve this? Create varied content – mix it up with images and videos too. Ask questions. Let your fans respond to generate discussion and content. Be as human as possible so that your fans can relate and talk with you. Once you have built this relationship ask them to share your content.

BaseKit’s Facebook Page

Images Use a strong image for your profile image. It should be relevant and represent your brand – it could be your company logo. This will be the image that will come up when you post content and comment on other pieces of content. Avoid changing your profile picture too often as this will be the image that your fans will recognise your company by.


Invest time Although posting on Facebook is very easy, it does not mean that it can be rushed or always done in a short amount of time. Time management is important with Facebook marketing. The best way to manage this is by setting aside a time each day or every couple of days to post. Bear in mind when people are going to be on Facebook the most. The busiest times are around 11am, 3pm and 8pm – use these times as guidelines on when to post. Automated publishing tools can be used to make things a little easier. Tools such as Postcron allow you to schedule your posts so that they remain consistent at weekends and through holidays. Once you get responses to your posts it’s important to respond to them as quickly as possible. There’s nothing worse than leaving a fan waiting around for a response. You need to carry on the discussion or conversation while they’re still engaged and the content is fresh.

Tag The tagging feature is great for interacting with your fans. You can tag fans in both images and posts. Tag people that you think would be genuinely interested in the content that you are putting out. You need to be careful that you don’t tag absolutely everybody or it’ll look spammy. Targeting a more relevant circle will increase the likelihood of them sharing it with others.

Insights Apart from the general response to your posts, you can also use Facebook insights to see how much traffic and interest your page and posts are receiving. This is a great indicator to see what works well and allows you to plan even more successful content for the future.

Once you have mastered Facebook marketing, you’ll be able to push out your own campaigns confidently through the social networking site. Remember to keep your Facebook page updated with fresh and current content. There’s no point putting lots of hard work into your campaigns if you don’t follow it up. Getting into the habit of using Facebook for your marketing


Marketing through Twitter effectively How do you market your business using only 140 characters? While it may seem restrictive, the reality is that it is actually highly advantageous for your business. Every word counts so you’ll really need to maximise the potential of the word limit. The popular micro blogging site is really quick and easy to use once you know how.

Spotify’s Twitter Profile

Bio

Tweeting

To start with you’ll need to make sure your Twitter biography is accurate. Keep it short and to the point making sure it is clearly highlighted who you are and what you do. As well as making your website look trustworthy, it’ll also give the viewer an indication of what your company does. Add links to your company website and any blogs you may have. This will redirect your visitors to your other websites giving them some more information about your company.

You need to think about what you want to say before you send out your tweets for all to see. With your followers in mind, construct an engaging tweet which accommodates plenty of room for response.

Your followers

Twitter is a great place for sharing links and directing your followers to external content. When sharing links, you should format the URLs into easy formats that are easy to share. Use Bitly or TinyURL to shorten your links and make them more digestible and easier to share.

It’s not difficult to gain lots of followers but it is tricky to gain a lot of useful and relevant ones. Target people who you think would be genuinely interested in your company and enjoy responding to your tweets as well as sharing them. There are tools you can use such as Follower Wonk which will find people with similar interests in your area. You can then steadily build up a following of people who actively engage with your tweets on a regular basis.

It could be a question or image which will spark discussion. Writing for your targeted audience will generate a better quality of response. It’s also beneficial to show personality as you need to remember that this is still very much human interaction and you’ll be communicating with real people.

How much should you be tweeting? There isn’t really a set amount. You could aim for three or four spread over the morning and evening. Depending on the feedback you receive you’ll be tweeting out responses and retweeting your followers which will all add to your overall Twitter content.


Your profile background is a very important space to place information

GroveMade’s Twitter Profile

Share and interact Interacting with your followers is a big part of the whole Twitter experience. To make the most of your account you should respond and communicate with your followers. It’s not enough to simply send out tweets. You’ll need to follow them up each response you get. Retweet positive comments and respond individually to questions. This will automatically enable you to build relationships with your followers, make them feel valued and encourage others to join in with discussions and conversations.

Timing With a little time management, you can get your tweets out quickly and manage them efficiently. Some of your tweets can be planned for the future around certain events. Planning these tweets mean that they will be ready to publish straight away and you can then dedicate more time to your day-to-day tweets. Tweeting at similar times in the day will increase the chances of more people seeing them. Click through rates are at their highest around noon and 6pm. It’s worth bearing in mind as this is the time when people are likely to be more responsive and sharing content. It can be hard keeping track of your tweets, especially at the weekends and during holidays. Luckily, there are many tools available which can help you with this. Hootsuite is a multifunctional tool as it allows you to automatically publish your tweets at a given time while enabling you to see what people are saying about your company on Twitter. These are all useful insights which make managing your Twitter account a lot easier. Once you get the hang of using Twitter for your business, it won’t seem so daunting. As you build up a dedicated following and get into the habit of tweeting, it will become like second nature to you. You’ll begin to wonder how you ever lived without it!


+

How to use Google Plus for your business Google+ is still relatively new on the scene having launched their business page in November 2011. The social network has been attracting attention worldwide as more and more businesses are catching on. The Google powered platform allows businesses to create a Google+ page, build a following and interact with different circles. With many similarities to Facebook, it could well become just another social networking site. So what is all the fuss about? Read on to find out…

Create a profile When creating your Google+ business account, it might be wise to sign up with a company or team Gmail address rather than an individual one. This means it’ll be more accessible and multiple people can log in to interact and contribute to the page. Like most social networks, Google+ offers your business a profile page. On this page you should include a profile picture and tagline. For businesses looking to embrace their brand it’s a good idea to use a company logo and slogan in these fields. Before you start promoting your Google+ page, it’s worth customising your page beyond the basic level. Promote and share some links as soon as you’ve set up your account. You can add recommended links under your About section. This will generate more traffic and leads for your business and will prompt other people to add you to their circles.

Circles The Circles feature on Google+ is perhaps one of the defining aspects of the social networking site which makes it stand out from Facebook or Twitter. Once your profile has been customised, you can start adding people to your circles. Your circles can be split up into various groups such as family, acquaintances, work colleagues etc. There is content that you’ll be sharing that you don’t necessarily want to share with everybody. Because Google+ allows you to categorise the people you connect with into groups, you’re able to customise your posts making it visible to certain groups over others. For example, you might not want to share the same posts you do with your clients as you do with your partners. You’ll also be able to see what other people are sharing in your related circles depending on their settings.


The Circles feature on Google+ is perhaps one of the defining aspects of the social networking site which makes it stand out from Facebook or Twitter. Share Photos prove popular time after time on social networking sites so it’s just as well that Google+ fully accommodates them. Photos are significant on Google+ as lots of individual images are shared by multiple users. Rather than upload whole albums as you would on Facebook, upload a single image. It could be a graph or infographic – anything that is interesting and relates to your business. Images that are likely to spark conversation and interest will always do well for your business. When you share content and links, ask others to share it within their circles. This is similar to asking people to retweet on Twitter. It’s so easy to do on Google+ and will ensure that your content is exposed quickly.

+1 button The Google +1 button is a handy tool for sharing and generating awareness to posts. If you +1 something, this shows you give it your approval. You can then comment or share the post with your circles. Your +1’s will be collected and stored in a special tab on your page. You can either share this tab or make it private. If you have posts that gain a lot of +1’s then it shows it is useful and worth reading. People are more likely to click on your content giving you an improved click-through rate. These can be embedded onto other websites much the same as the Facebook ‘Like’ button. Although this is just another sharing button, the importance of it should not be overlooked. They provide an effective call to action and it has been proved that the Google+ button generates 3.5 times more traffic to content.

Google+ Search Google’s advanced search tools mean that it can help you network better within the site. Google has an advanced insight into all your interests, what you are sharing and which contacts are most valuable to you. This means Google+ will pick up on trends and interactions at an impressively speedy rate. Google will have the full picture of your networks and relationships. This means accurate recommendations of which pages to promote can be made.

It looks as though Google+ is here to stay With new features being constantly rolled out, it’s definitely worth investing your time into. The Circles feature means you can manage your posting and sharing like no other social network. As you begin to see the Google + button everywhere around the web, you’ll begin to realise the impact it will have for your business. Good luck! Google+ is also wise when it comes to cheats and spammers. Google can determine who is spamming and how this affects search results. Google are able to detect suspicious behaviour and uncover spammers to keep searches and interaction organic.


Beginner’s guide to email marketing If you have never dabbled in email marketing, you have most likely been a target of it. If you have ever received a piece of email marketing in your inbox, you will know that the there is a difference between promotional emails that you appreciate and emails that make your blood boil. Even though we refer to sending emails out to customers as marketing, it is not a hard sell. Hard selling in your emails does not work and can seriously disillusion your customers. If you want to get started with email marketing but don’t know where to begin, then this is the guide for you. You’ll need to create an advertisement that is attention grabbing and represents your business brand accurately. Powerful headlines, engaging copy and great design will help your advertisement travel.

Build a contact list If you want to send emails to your customer, you need to make it easy for them to sign up for your emails. You can do this by adding an email sign-up box to your website. When somebody makes a purchase from your store, offer them the option to sign up for your email list. If you run a brick and mortar store, leave an email list sign-up sheet at your checkout desk. A simple start to email marketing is to send emails straight from your business email account. Be sure to Bcc all the addresses in your list so that all email addresses are invisible to the recipients. If you want to try an online email manager, MailChimp is relatively easy to use.


Give people a good reason to join your email list Think about what would make you want to sign up for an email list. Think about what you can offer to people who sign up. Do you have tips and tricks of your trade to share? Can you offer special discounts on your products or services? Give people an incentive to sign-up for your email list.

Define your customers and the target your email marketing to them Create a profile on your ideal customer and write your emails as if you are writing to him/her. Always have this ideal customer in mind when you put together your marketing email.

Create compelling subject lines Treat your email subject lines like you would approach writing a newspaper headline. It is your one chance at grabbing the attention of your readers. Keep it short and descriptive. Build some excitement in your subject lines.

Be brief and do not ramble In other words, cut to the chase. Do not fill your emails with fluff. Divide your emails into a few sections. Maybe you want to include an offer, some news about your company and a few tips and tricks. Be concise with your writing and use headings for each section. Now that you have made your way through the beginner’s guide to email marketing, check out our simple and effective email marketing tips to take your emails to the next level.

One of the biggest challenges can be getting people to sign up to your newsletters. Once you have steadily built up a strong readership, you will be sending out emails with ease while continuing to expand your email marketing network.

Give people an incentive to sign-up for your email list.


Beginner’s guide to blogging If you want to get started with blogging and you don’t know where to start, this is the guide for you. Blogging can increase the awareness of your brand and help you build a professional presence on the web. What exactly is blogging? At its most basic, blogging is just writing. It’s a way to share your thoughts with potentially anybody anywhere in the world. People can visit your blog through searches that they make through search engines such as Google. They can also visit your blog directly when you share a link to your blog address with them. After that short introduction, it’s time to get started.

Sign up with a blogging service Sites such as WordPress make it easy to start a blog for free. Sign up is quick and simple. When you sign up, you will have to choose a name for your blog. Pick a name that is easy to remember and represents what you want to talk about. It’s also a good idea to keep your blog name as short as possible.

Choose a template Most blogging services will include a number of templates. Choose a template that you like and adjust the settings to make your own unique changes. A good tip is to choose a template that is as simple as possible. You don’t want a template that is too distracting. Simple templates allow your writing to stand out on the page.

Research blogs in your industry Google is your friend. Do some searches for blogs in your industries and take a look at what they are writing about. Read their most popular articles and check out the comments that they get at the end of their posts. Identify areas where you can potentially add value to the chatter in your industry.


Abduzeedo (Abducted by Design) Blog

Brainstorm topics that you want to write about Consider what you are knowledgeable about and what you would enjoy writing about. Spend 30 minutes thinking up topics that you can write about. Record all your ideas down in a list. Continue to add to this list over time. Every time that you have a topic idea, add it to the list. It is also important to consider what you would enjoy reading about.

Start writing It’s time to write your first blog post. Aim for at least 400 words and be sure to include some pictures. Pictures can really help make your blog posts stand out as they increase the visual appeal. Remember to proofread your post before you publish. Include links to other websites in your posts.

Publicise your writing If you have any social media accounts, share the link to your blog post through them. Email the link to your friends and family. If you have any customers that have subscribed to your email list, send them an email letting them know that you have started a blog.

Write regularly You do not need to blog everyday but you need to blog consistently. Decide how often you want to blog and then stick to it. Blogging even once a week on a consistent basis is better than four times one week and then a long period of inactivity. Blogging requires a commitment to do it regularly.

Invite people to guest blog for you The great thing about having your own blog is that you can invite people to write for you. It creates a win-win situation as you get a great blog post for your site and they get a link back to their website. Email people in your industry who you think would be a good fit for your blog and offer them the opportunity. You can suggest topic ideas or you can give them the freedom to conjure up their own.

Engage in the community Visit blogs that are in the same industry as you and leave comments at the end of blog posts that you like. Include a link back to your blog in the appropriate field. Engage in online conversations and see how you can help people. Blogging is a great opportunity to cover topics that you are interested in while expressing your opinions. They make an excellent partner for your website or serve as a great platform on their own. Updating your blog regularly and frequent interaction will certainly get you far in the blogging community!


Beginner’s guide to guest blogging What exactly is guest blogging? In a nutshell, guest blogging is writing blog posts for other people’s blogs or websites. In return, you get a link back to your website and some online promotion of your brand. If you want to market yourself and your business, guest blogging is a great opportunity to increase the reach of your brand. It is a tremendous way to build awareness of your brand, network online and develop professional relationships. Your brand will reach an audience that has not been exposed to it before.

Social Media Examiner Blog

Research blogs and websites that you can potentially write for Spend some time on Google researching popular blogs in your industry. Get a good idea of what exists out there. Also spend some time researching less popular blogs in your industry. These blogs can be good targets for you to get started with guest blogging as they may get less requests than the most popular blogs in your sphere.

Start making initial contact with bloggers that you want to connect with Start following them on Facebook and Twitter. Retweet some of their blog posts that you appreciate and engage in light conversation across social networks. Make these bloggers aware of your presence. Social networks are for socialising so don’t be scared to interact with people.

Reach out to your target bloggers Send a friendly email and introduce yourself. Explain that you would like the opportunity to guest blog for them. Make some suggestions on topics and titles that you have thought up. Research what has already been written on your suggested topics and come up with a fresh approach to the subject. Ask for feedback on your ideas as they may want to tweak your ideas a little bit.

Write the best blog post that you have ever written This is your chance to shine. Now that you have been given the opportunity to guest blog post, you want to hold up your end of the deal. Research your topic fully and always check your copy for typos. Include a link back to your website but do not be overly promotional.

Submit your guest blog post and wait for it to be published Once it has been published, be sure to share it across your social networks. Include it in your next email newsletter and share it with your friends and family. Congratulations, you are now a guest blogger!


How to use Google Places for your business It is estimated that 97 % of consumers search for businesses online. On top of that, a further 73% of online activity is related to local content. With this in mind, it’s not hard to see the importance of Google Places and listing your business online. Placing your business firmly on the map both metaphorically and literally is by no means an easy task. Luckily, Google is always at hand to make life a little easier which is why Google Places is such a popular choice for businesses worldwide. Google Places is a free resource which allows businesses to sign up and place their business as a listing on Google maps which will then appear in location related searches. For example, if you’re a plumbing company in Victoria then when a Google search is carried out using the words ‘plumbing’ and ‘Victoria’ your business will be listed in the search results. What else? You’re able to add photos, videos and respond to customer reviews which is a sure way to boost your company profile. There is no doubt that using Google Places will make your business stand out but how do you ensure you make the most of this incredibly useful tool?

Signing up to Google Places Signing up to Google Places is a simple and straight forward process. All you’ll need to do is enter some details about your business which includes contact information, photos and descriptions. You’ll need to verify your account to complete the registration either by phone or postcard. You will then be given a pin code to enter. After this you’ll just need to wait for your account to be verified which could take up to 30 days. Google will also find third party information about your business such as reviews and information from Yelp and Yellow Pages. This will add to your business profile and ensure that when a customer finds you through Google places they will have important information to hand. You should try and provide as much relevant information as possible including opening times, working hours, street address, payment options and details about facilities e.g. parking.

Keywords Try and include some keywords in your business description but don’t go overboard. Using your strongest and most relevant keywords will be enough. You don’t need to stuff all your keywords into your description as this will not prove useful for your visitors. Google will also latch on to this which could lead to them removing your page.

Categories When choosing categories try and keep it simple. You are able to select up to five and it’s best to choose some of the suggested ones. If your business only falls into one category then stick to that one category. Don’t over complicate things.

Contact information The importance of simple contact information such as phone numbers should not be overlooked. An address and telephone number is vital in ensuring that your visitor feels comfortable about contacting you. The phone number should be a local phone number so that it matches with the location on Google Places. Include a web address with a URL so that visitors can be directed straight to your website for further information.

Photos Adding local photos of your business will allow your visitor to see if it looks reputable and professional. Google are constantly advancing their photo features so that visitors can get as much information as possible. The Street View feature which allows users to see the location in a 3-dimenional view has proved extremely popular.

Reviews Having your business listed on Google Places means that customers can read reviews about your business. Your customers can add their reviews to sites such as Yelp. These will then get posted to your Google Places page and give your visitor some extra information when visiting your page. This will also help to boost it up higher in the rankings so that your business will show up higher than your competitors. Take the bad with the good – you can comment on your reviews which means you’re able to say how your company has dealt with the poor review. Responding to reviews is a great way to show the human side of your business.


Creating online surveys for beginners If you want to get a better idea of who you are marketing to, you can’t go wrong with creating an online survey. By creating an online survey, you can get direct feedback from your customers in an easy and efficient manner. The insights that you can gain from an online survey can be used to improve your marketing methods. Want to know how to create your very own online survey? Then you have come to the right place.

Survey Monkey

Choose what program you are going to use for your online survey. A quick google search for “free online survey software” will give you plenty of results. If you want to avoid the searching and cut straight to the chase, Survey Monkey is both reputable and reliable. Survey Monkey is easy to use and you can create free surveys with it. It has more than enough features for you to get started with creating an online survey.

Establish your objectives. Establish what you want to learn from your survey and how you plan to use the results. Limit yourself to a maximum of three clearly defined objectives. Too many objectives will make your survey too long and too complicated. Plus, you will find it too difficult to change too many things at the same time.

Create your questions. Limit the number of questions you ask and make them easy to answer. You don’t want to put people off from completing your survey. Include a variety of types of questions. Multiple choice questions are generally easiest to answer. Create a couple of questions where your respondents can fill out some details.

Test your survey. You never know what you might have overlooked when creating your survey. Having a fresh set of eyes look over your survey is hugely beneficial. Ask friends, family and fellow co-workers to fill out your survey as apart of a trial run. They can help you simplify complicated questions and check for typos amongst other things.


The insights that you can gain from an online survey can be used to improve your marketing methods. Wufoo

Promote your survey. If you want people to answer your survey, you need to promote it. Share the link to your survey across your social networks and through email. If you have an email marketing list set up for your business, send your survey out to the list. You can also add an incentive for people to complete your survey by offering a discount voucher or something similar for all completed surveys.

Analyse your results. Once you have finished collecting all the information from your surveys, it’s time to look at what the fresh information can teach you. Now that you know what your customers like and do not like, you can cater your business to them better than ever before.

Implement some changes. Now that you know what to do, it’s time to make some changes. Try making some small tweaks to your business first and see how it goes. You can then create a new survey a few months later to see the impact of the changes that you have made. Creating your first online survey will always be the most challenging. However, once you have your first one completed, you can set about planning for future online surveys. You’ll have your initial survey to use as a base and can decide what additional information you need to find out.


Guerrilla marketing for newbies Guerrilla marketing is a marketing term that was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book aptly named Guerrilla Marketing. If you have an eye for the unconventional and love to think outside of the box, then guerrilla marketing is for you. It involves taking an unannounced approach to your marketing tactics and surprising your targeted customers seemingly from out of nowhere. It is an incredible way for small businesses to generate buzz around their brand. Although it does help to have a big budget, guerrilla marketing involves using the resources available at your fingertips creatively and to maximum effect. It can be a low cost approach to generating seriously high returns.

To understand guerrilla marketing, you have to understand your customers. You have to understand how they spend their days, what makes them tick and what appeals to their emotions. Take some time to thoroughly research your target audience and create a profile on them. Really try and imagine their mindset. It is crucial that you do not try to target everybody. Target a specific group and target them well. Understanding your customers is a cardinal rule in all types of marketing.

What you might be saving in money, you will be spending in time, energy and imagination. You only have one opportunity for your guerrilla marketing campaign to make an impact. If your guerrilla marketing campaign has fallen flat, assess what went wrong and consider another unique approach.

Aim for the unexpected. Consider the context of your campaign and then do something that is completely out of context. If you want to create something memorable, you want to create something that your target audience are not expecting to see. You want to interrupt a regular routine with something that stands out.


The power of guerrilla marketing lies in the power of word of mouth

Make your audience feel like they have just discovered something secret. People get excited when they feel like they are a member of an in crowd. When people discover something cool, they want to share it. The power of guerrilla marketing lies in the power of word of mouth.

Break the rules. Forget about everything you have learned about traditional marketing and see things from a fresh perspective. Yes, throw out the rule book! Above all, remember to have fun with you guerilla marketing campaign. This is your chance to be creative and to leave a lasting impression on your target audience. With so many great campaigns out there, you’ll be itching to create your own!


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