5 Ways to Upgrade Your Existing Marketing Materials for Practically Nothing!

In addition to direct marketing strategies you want to bensure your existing passive, or indirect, marketing activitiesnare as effective as possible. When is the last time you tookna good look at your existing marketing activities?

Here are some fast, easy (and free to inexpensive) ways tonupdate and upgrade your existing marketing activities.nn#1 YOUR VOICE MAIL MESSAGE
Does your voice mail message give additional informationnabout your business? Use this opportunity (you have ancaptive audience) to provide some additional information.
You can mention your website or newsletter, promote annupcoming event, or offer a free report.nn#2 YOUR E-MAIL SIGNATURE
This is a chance to send a marketing message along withnevery e-mail that you send. Remember, e-mails are oftennforwarded. Think viral marketing (if this term is new tonyou, check out Seth Godin. It’s a good thing). Do you havenan upcoming event? Do you offer a free article or report?
Are you having a sale? At a minimum put a link to you
website in your e-mail signature. In addition to interestingncontent, think about the color and font of your e-mailnsignature and create something that is attractive and fitsnwith your brand.nn#3 YOUR BUSINESS CARD
Use the back of your business card. Don’t leave thisnvaluable space blank. Make an offer for something like anfree report, your newsletter, a sample of your services,na discount, etc. Get your business cards out into thenworld so people can hear about your offer. Ask fornpermission to leave a few cards at places your clientsnfrequent like stores, restaurants, gyms, waiting rooms, etc.nn#4 YOUR EXISTING PROFILESnI hope you have profiles on networking websites, directories,nclubs, industry associations, and the like out there. Hasnyour marketing message, your offer, and/or you
products/services changed since you first created you
profiles? I am betting that is a yes! Review all you
profiles to make sure they are up to date. This is a greatnchance to take inventory of all of the places where you havenprofiles and create a list you can refer to later. If younhave a photograph of yourself to add to your profiles, pleasendo so. Add your photo to your own website if it isn’t alreadynthere. Connecting your face with your company makes you
company more human and personal. Remember, people buy fromnpeople they know, like, and trust. It will also help peoplenrecognize you at events.nn#5 YOUR COMPANY LETTERHEAD
This may seem like a no-brainer but I have seen businessnowners who don’t have their contact information on thei
letterhead. Your letterhead needs to include your phonennumber, e-mail address, and website. This goes for you
printed hardcopy letterhead as well as the electronicnversion.

The only way to know which marketing strategies are workingnfor you is to keep track. This includes the activates abovenas well as all of your other strategies (networking,nreferrals, direct marketing campaigns, etc.).

Always, I mean always, ask people who contact you how theynheard about your business and record this valuableninformation. It is easy to do, simply create a list of allnof your marketing strategies and how many people respond toneach one. It is easiest to do this electronically using anspreadsheet so you can easily calculate percentages andntotals. You can also use old-fashioned pen and paper ifnyou must. Whatever method you prefer, just make sure youndo it!

It’s time to get into action. Take some time and go throughnall of your marketing materials. What marketing tools do younhave laying around that could be dusted off and upgraded up tonwork even harder for you?nn(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward