WOW - What a week! Met 14 new people, saw my visions falter, and return. Learned some great stuff, and am loving program so far!
Sure it's only the first week (and fairly easy), but despite feeling good about everything, I was starting to feel a bit tapped out. My brain hurt. I am a thinker. I think constantly about a lot of things; I'm forever active with brain activity. But man, by Friday....I didn't know if I would be capable of having a decent thought for awhile!
Friday brought us to one of my most favourite topics. Marketing. Never formally trained in the art of consumer strategy, I've loved the concept of finding that right process to boost sales, form loyal customer/client relationships, and produce value added; through promotion of products or services. There are so many different forms of marketing, and with the ever evolving online world, and the way people buy products or find interest in certain products...there is always something new to learn, different to try, and lessons from failed campaigns. Too me - Marketing IS business.
However - before marketing, comes - MARKET RESEARCH and it's not something everyone likes to do. It takes time, can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start; and if you're like me, and starting a business that has no point of reference in your community, can be a lot harder then the guy starting a restaurant or roofing business.
All I can say is thank goodness - I dig research. And will actually get a kick out stats, and feeling out competitors, and finding where my alliances are. We all know Market Research is integral to any business and business decision. You don't leap into something that can cost you the shirt off your back without fully studying and researching every angle. Plus - if you want your business plan to help you succeed towards that dream, you need to be concise; the proof, needs to be in the plan that your MR has proven your business viable.
I am a big believer in Social Media Marketing, and Hijack Marketing; primarily because it's the consumer that runs with the product. You do the work, and consumers run with the product. Through my reading of several books on Hijack Marketing, people don't want stuff shoved at them anymore....It needs to happen slowly, quietly, and by making the consumer think it was their idea. Psychology for need - that's what I call it!
I love the way the world is shifting into Social Media, I have no idea why I've become such an advocate on this style of marketing. Perhaps because it's cheap, reaches hundreds, if not potentially millions (Facebook has now reached over 350 million users as of July 2009, and would be the world fourth largest country in the world). if you market yourself effectively and unobtrusively. With so much happening on the web each day, consumers can become overloaded if the information is constantly being thrown at them, so sometimes SMM mixed with a healthy dose of Hijack Marketing could be the prescription to your business and products success.
Social Media Marketing, will also be key or should I say, a critical factor to the success of my business. With no wall to stop my services, it can be a benefit to what I plan to do - it can also become tougher competition wise. When I originally Googled the words Virtual Assistant - I was greeted with over 4 million sites on the subject. Locally I have an advantage, but as I branch out, and tackle the millions of people who would use the services of a VA, I will need to become more competitive, knowledgeable, and provide higher value added then any other the other VA's that are all virtually at your fingertips.
That being said - marketing, and the marketing research are going to be my key elements to my success.
See you Monday!
Sure it's only the first week (and fairly easy), but despite feeling good about everything, I was starting to feel a bit tapped out. My brain hurt. I am a thinker. I think constantly about a lot of things; I'm forever active with brain activity. But man, by Friday....I didn't know if I would be capable of having a decent thought for awhile!
Friday brought us to one of my most favourite topics. Marketing. Never formally trained in the art of consumer strategy, I've loved the concept of finding that right process to boost sales, form loyal customer/client relationships, and produce value added; through promotion of products or services. There are so many different forms of marketing, and with the ever evolving online world, and the way people buy products or find interest in certain products...there is always something new to learn, different to try, and lessons from failed campaigns. Too me - Marketing IS business.
However - before marketing, comes - MARKET RESEARCH and it's not something everyone likes to do. It takes time, can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start; and if you're like me, and starting a business that has no point of reference in your community, can be a lot harder then the guy starting a restaurant or roofing business.
All I can say is thank goodness - I dig research. And will actually get a kick out stats, and feeling out competitors, and finding where my alliances are. We all know Market Research is integral to any business and business decision. You don't leap into something that can cost you the shirt off your back without fully studying and researching every angle. Plus - if you want your business plan to help you succeed towards that dream, you need to be concise; the proof, needs to be in the plan that your MR has proven your business viable.
I am a big believer in Social Media Marketing, and Hijack Marketing; primarily because it's the consumer that runs with the product. You do the work, and consumers run with the product. Through my reading of several books on Hijack Marketing, people don't want stuff shoved at them anymore....It needs to happen slowly, quietly, and by making the consumer think it was their idea. Psychology for need - that's what I call it!
I love the way the world is shifting into Social Media, I have no idea why I've become such an advocate on this style of marketing. Perhaps because it's cheap, reaches hundreds, if not potentially millions (Facebook has now reached over 350 million users as of July 2009, and would be the world fourth largest country in the world). if you market yourself effectively and unobtrusively. With so much happening on the web each day, consumers can become overloaded if the information is constantly being thrown at them, so sometimes SMM mixed with a healthy dose of Hijack Marketing could be the prescription to your business and products success.
Social Media Marketing, will also be key or should I say, a critical factor to the success of my business. With no wall to stop my services, it can be a benefit to what I plan to do - it can also become tougher competition wise. When I originally Googled the words Virtual Assistant - I was greeted with over 4 million sites on the subject. Locally I have an advantage, but as I branch out, and tackle the millions of people who would use the services of a VA, I will need to become more competitive, knowledgeable, and provide higher value added then any other the other VA's that are all virtually at your fingertips.
That being said - marketing, and the marketing research are going to be my key elements to my success.
See you Monday!
Good luck
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