Out of the Fog Marketing

This week and next, I'll offer the last two parts of the "Marketing Tips for Tech Companies" series.

8) Use pay-per-click. Sure this sounds obvious but it's amazing how many companies do not use PPC. They either are afraid to try or had a bad experience because the campaigns were not setup properly.

The Internet is an efficient and inexpensive way to reach your audience. Tradeshows and print ads can be expensive and are aimed at mostly passive buyers - people that are simply browsing with no intention of using your services. If someone searches “marketing firms in Southeast Michigan” then they are more than likely actively searching for just that. This makes it more likely that they will click through to your website. For example, a full-page advertisement in a trade magazine can cost between four to ten thousand dollars, compared to a trial pay-per-click (PPC) campaign that might cost $500-$1,000.

Try using exact keyword matching instead of broad match for even bigger bang for your buck. Once you have mastered exact keyword match campaigns, Google Adwords’ embedded match is an exciting alternative for ad targeting. For a great training video on embedded match techniques, see http://www.stompernet.net/goingnatural3/vid1_adwords_triangulation_method.

9) Ask for Referrals. If you know your customer is satisfied, which hopefully they always are, then you should ask if any of their friends, colleagues or partner companies need your services. Referrals are very simple because all it takes is one simple question to your client. Although this sounds easy, many companies do not do this, and lose potential business. There are several firms out there that automate referral reminders and gifting. Check out Automatic Referrals for detailed advice on how to get more referrals and even phone numbers from your current clients.

10) Cross promote your product or service. Cross promotion involves using two or more companies or organizations combine forces to advertise a product or service (think an OEM and reseller). Each company or organization helps promote the others' product or service. By teaming up with synergistic companies you will save time and money. It will allow you to gather more information than you could on your own, for example lead lists. Also, other companies have different techniques, thus learning from them can be of great advantage to your company. In addition, the cost of advertising and renting booth space at a trade show can be very expensive; by teaming up with another company you can save money.

11) Integrated Marketing. Diversification is a key to more than just stock portfolio success. To reach your target audience you must use many different marketing techniques at once. You should be using different forms of marketing in parallel such as internet marketing, public relations and advertising. Used in combination marketing efforts are so much more powerful than ad hoc campaigns.