Welcome to my new blog!

Rick Gee said on July 7, 2009, 5:21 pm:

Go ahead. Don’t be shy. Leave a comment. What is your biggest marketing challenge? Or do you have another comment?

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 9:03 am:

Michael Wise:

There are some excellent copywriting courses out there. AWAI has a good one; so does Clayton Makepeace.

I find, however, that most business owners don’t have the time to learn effective copywriting, let alone actually WRITE the copy. A good copywriter does not come cheap, but has the ability to provide you with a healthy return on investment.

Now, if you can afford $30-$50k plus 5% royalties, you can hire someone like Dan Kennedy, Clayton Makepeace or Craig Garber (if you can even get on their calendar within a year!) to write your promotion for you. If you have a need, I can probably point you in the right direction. In addition to my marketing consulting services, I also occasionally take on copywriting clients myself. Depends on your goals and your budget.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 9:04 am:

Michael Senoff:

Thanks, Michael. Looking forward to my UPS shipment to arrive today!

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 9:05 am:

Blair:

I noticed that, too. Looks like a feature of the theme I’m using. I’m assuming it’s intentional. I may search for a different theme when I have time.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 10:22 am:

Bernadatte:

Thanks!

Your challenge is one I hear often. Another thing I often see is people using various “tactics” instead of a well-planned and -executed overall marketing strategy.

What sort of tactics or strategies are you using now? Do they have a strong call to action and a mechanism for your prospects to respond? Do you have a way to track responses?

Since you’re a new realtor, one of the best strategies you can use is to position yourself as an expert in your field as a way to attract qualified prospects. A couple of the ways you can position yourself as an expert is to write and speak.

You could write a FREE report, something like “The 7 Things You MUST KNOW Before Selling Your House.”

If you’re not already doing so, you should start publishing a monthly newsletter that you send to clients and prospects.

Thanks for your question, Bernadette, and please let me know if I can do anything else to help.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 10:23 am:

Al Padilla:

I look forward to collaborating with you on your project. Let’s plan for next Tuesday morning or afternoon.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 9:57 pm:

Toddman said at 11:30 am on July 8th, 2009:

Hey Rick,

What is the best to increase exposure for a brand new business? I have a new business and I am trying to get our company name and services out there.

Todd,

Exposure is important for a new business. No matter what you are selling in your new business, I think it’s important to initiate and cultivate a relationship with your ideal prospect. Provide valuable information up front and become a resource, even a trusted advisor. Don’t feel like you have to go for the sale right away.

The value in a any business, even a start-up, is in a list of customers and qualified prospects. If you can get your ideal prospects to “raise their hands” and identify themselves as such, you can market to them over time until they are comfortable with you and ready to buy.

I hope that helps. Let me know if I can do anything else.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 10:07 pm:

Helen said at 11:41 am on July 8th, 2009:

I love it Rick! My biggest challenge at the moment is getting contact information on my target market.

Helen,

You don’t say what business you’re in or who is your target market. I’m going to assume (sorry, Felix Unger) that you’re in a business-to-business (B2B) environment.

Depending on who you’re targeting, there may be a trade association(s) that has lists of members. You could buy or rent a list of those names and create a direct mail campaign to reach out to them.

Or, you could approach the association and propose some sort of Joint Venture with them where you would obtain the list for free in exchange for sharing in the revenues the campaign generates.

You might also use the www.(WildWackyWeb) to do some research on Google Groups, LinkedIn, facebook and other sites to find target prospects.

If you give me a little more information about what you do and who you’re targeting, maybe I can give you more detailed feedback.

Thanks for your comment.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 11:02 pm:

Darcy said at 1:57 pm on July 8th, 2009:
Hi Rick!

Your video is great, and I’m so glad you showed a bit of our beautiful NM landscape!
I’ll subscribe and look forward to your posts.

My biggest marketing challenge is Competitive Intelligence. How do you find out information on your competitors without spending too much money?

Congrats on this new venture!

Darcy

Hi Darcy,

Thanks for your comments. I had a lot of fun shooting the video. In fact, I did so many takes I had a sunburn by the time I finished!

Your question about competitive intelligence is a good one. Are you in an industry where it’s hard to identify the competition?

Though it’s important to be aware of the competition and what it’s up to, I think it’s more important to develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your own company as a way to differentiate yourself from the competition (whoever they may be). Once you have your USP–assuming it’s truly unique–you can almost ignore the competition by integrating your USP in all your marketing efforts and position your company as the “go-to” solution in your industry.

Please let me know what else I can do to help.

Rick Gee said on July 8, 2009, 11:03 pm:

KEADRON said at 8:38 pm on July 8th, 2009:

Looks like a good start. It will be fun to track how you develop your blog….I love having a chance to read peoples challenges and your responses…I’ll be checking in on the activity…

Keadron, thank you. I have posted some responses so far. Do you have any marketing challenges in your business I can help you with?