Free Recorded Seminar – Low Cost – High Impact Marketing

View this Recording of this Seminar

If you’re in construction, I don’t have to tell you how dismal the industry is. Times are tough and the economic outlook is bleak. At least that’s what the media keeps telling us.

The truth is there is still a lot of commerce going on. Just take a look at the parking lots at the malls and restaurants. They’re full of shoppers.

Did you know that there are contractors that are actually growing their businesses right now? You heard right, growing. They’re doing it and not by cutting prices.

What are these contractors doing?

• Actively marketing their business
• Continually educating themselves
• Watching their expenses

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Joy Gendusa, CEO of PostcardMania to discuss marketing. We talked about how business owners are paralyzed right now because of what’s going on in the economy. People just don’t know what to do next.

Joy’s company works with businesses of all sizes to help them get unstuck and she knows what she’s talking about. She started her company in 1998 and has grown it into a very successful business employing over 150 people with revenues of 22 million.

If you haven’t seen it, you need to check out her website PostcardMania. Her company helps businesses set up and implement post card mailing campaigns from start to finish. She also offers a ton of free marketing advice that all of us can use right now. It’s good stuff!

Joy has a wealth of information to share and has agreed to do an online seminar with us. Joy will discuss some strategies and techniques you can use to market your business and get the leads coming in again.

One thing you’ll notice right away is that her philosophy of helping people is very apparent. Even if you never work with her company you’ll come away from this seminar with a lot of good information that you can implement into your business right away.

I look forward to having you join us for this free seminar

Dan Baumann

PS. If you decide to work with PostcardMania, just mention my name Dan Baumann and you’ll receive 1000 free postcards with your first order.

Why Should Your Company Have a Website?

The answer to this question is neither short nor easy. With a little research you can find hundreds of reasons, but there are a few general statements that may help you realize your needs.

1. Your competitor has one! People refer to the internet as the first source of information, so chances are, if you have a website new potential customers will find you.
2. Presence on the web. A website can reach millions of people that might otherwise not be available for you. Peoples’ habits are changing. People move to a new area and very often rely solely on the Internet to learn about the new area, research and find out who to go to for what.
3. Selling tool. Customers can view products, services, or whatever you want to share from the comfort of their own home. No matter what type of business you are in, there are ways to grow and make money on the web for you.
4. Most people expect that any professionally run business will have a web site. With a well-designed site you can make an impressive first impression; thus potential new business.
5. Add your Web Address to your stationary; business cards, other advertisements and you’ll have visitors knowing exactly where to go for answers to their questions and where to send their friends to for great service.
6. The more people know about you and your company the greater the chances you have for attracting new customers.
7. More Advertising for Less Money. With a web site you can have pages of full-color advertisements that run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You get to present yourself and your services to your customers using many descriptive pages, images, etc. This tends to build peoples’ trust, which in turn, makes them more likely to purchase your products and services.
8. Bolster Your Current Ad Campaign. Include your web address in your current ad campaign and people will turn to your site for more information. Gathering more data is often a first response to a well-run ad campaign. With your site address listed in your ad, you will have people coming to you to get that information and your services. A better return on your advertising money is a great reason for a web site.
9. Save Time with Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Online. Do you spend time answering the same types of questions for each of your clients? Well that may never stop but there may be some hope! With a web site you can put the answers to these frequently asked questions online and ask your new customers that you have begun working with to visit these pages. You can even email them out a link to these pages. Your customers will appreciate the knowledge that you will be providing them.
10. Educate Your Customers. The first step of any sale is getting the client familiar with what you are selling. In this day and age more and more people are looking on the Internet to get the information they need to make educated buying decisions. Include articles of interest telling your potential clients about your services. When they call you to discuss your services, half the sale is already done; you’ve already given them your “pitch”. You will even save time (and money) because the ones who do call are interested, warm (and sometimes hot) prospects, not just someone calling to gather data.
11. Get Referrals. Referrals are a number one way for small businesses to get new clients. On your web site you can add a “refer to a friend” link where your current clients (or just visitors) can send your link to a friend who may be interested in your services. This will increase your number of referrals.
12. Create a New Customer Base. Many people are turning to the internet rather than the traditional sources of information (newspapers, yellow pages, etc). With a web site you will be able to reach a whole new segment of potential clients that may have missed your current ad campaigns. A good, informative web site will attract many people who may not have heard of you otherwise.
13. Get Email With your web site you will also get email addresses for your business. On your site will be a link where people will be able to email you for additional information. This is a fast and effective form of communication that enables you to get the answers or information needed for the client at your convenience and send it along.
14. Establish a Relationship with your Clients. People generally prefer to do business with people they “know.” On your site you will give people the opportunity to get to know your business (and perhaps you) and feel more comfortable with you. Once this is established they will be more likely to want to do business with you as compared to the other, similar company about which they know nothing. A picture or profile of you or your associates will make you more real to the client and make the client more likely to contact and communicate with you.
15. Gather Contact Information. A newsletter can be an expensive promotional action. With printing, postage and time spent, the costs can add up. With a website you can have people who would like to receive your newsletter send you their email address. You can then email your newsletter to all of the people in your database. You don’t need to pay for printing or postage for these newsletters. Continual contact with prospects leads to more clients.

This list should get you thinking. A website is a great invesment in your business and knowing how to do a website, what to add and how  to keep it current will pay back in the form of more sales.

Here are the recordings of the class for members of ChiefExperts.com Seminar on Websites. 

Check out this great software for creating a website called XSitePro. If you can type a letter you can create a website. You’ll see XsitePro and other solutions you can use to create and maintain your site.

Another great product that is true;y WSSYWIG is Xara Web Designer

To Your Success!

Dan Baumann

Do You Really Need a Website in Your Business?

Can a website make that much difference in your company?

It really doesn’t matter what the economic climate is. If you’re not online, you are losing business to your competition who is.

Remember 10 years ago? When you needed a service or product, you would go to the yellow pages and find what you were looking for. How about today? If you’re like most consumers, you probably open your computer and search online for information. You can bet that your potential customers are doing the same thing.

Ask yourself -

• Are the people looking for the services you offer able to find you online?
• Do you have a website or want to improve what you already have?
• Has it been a couple of years since you updated your site?
• Do you know how search engines work?

In the 17 minute video below, you’ll get some tips about how your website can become a better source of leads for your company.

I’m not going to mince words here – You have to have a website and you have to get involved online if you really want to be found on the internet. Best of all, it’s really not that hard to do.

How much time did you spend marketing your business in the last few months? Did all of that marketing drive people to your website? You need to get every advantage you can today and your website must be a large part of it.

Join us for an online seminar at
MyConstructionBiz.com on February 6 and 7 to discover:

• Getting Started with a Website
• Posting Information on the Web
• Getting Noticed (Search Engine Optimization, or SEO)
• Developing Content
• Using and Editing Graphics (Photos)
• Making Friends on the Internet
• Blogging
• Email Marketing (Permission-based Email)

If you want to kick start or energize your website, the information in this seminar will get you there.

You can find out more about this seminar here:

I’ve been asked by many about this class and here are a few things you may want to know.

This website class is for everyone that wants to learn more about the internet. If you don’t have a site, you’ll learn how to set one up and what to put on it. If you have a site you’ll learn how to enhance it and get better search results.

This is a 9 hour information packed seminar over 2 days. I know it’s impossible for everyone to make that sort of a commitment so it will be recorded, edited and available for viewing online and/or download for all members at MyConstructionBiz.com (MCB).

This seminar is open to all members at MyConstructionBiz.com. Membership at MCB is a one-time payment of $97.00 and then if you decide to stay on, it’s only $12.95 per mo.

The web is here to stay people! Get on it and get involved in it. Your efforts will be rewarded for years to come.

Please use the comment box below if you have any questions.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Dan Baumann

PS – After you watch this 17 minute video posted at HardhatConnect.com, go ahead and create a free online account and make me your friend. It’s easy and will give you a chance to experience and get involved in an online community focused on the construction industry.

Great Post Card Marketing Help

If you’re looking to jump start your marketing in 2009 (and who isn’t), there’s a company that I want to tell you about – Postcard Mania.

We first identified them as a resource for direct mail marketing for contractors. They offer outstanding industry specific marketing pieces, free post card samples, free marketing newsletter, free marketing advice like this: “Ten Ways To Grow Your Home Improvement and Remodeling Business Using Direct Mail“, website design services, and really interesting weekly emails. I mean it, they send a great email. This is where I discovered their post card design critiques. 

I really enjoy watching and have learned a lot from their post card design critiques. Anyone can send them a sample post card (or marketing brouchure) and ask for their critique. They are very honest about what they like and don’t like about the design, pictures, wording, logos, etc. Watch the post card design critique videos here. You do need to register (for free) on their site to view them, but it’s very easy and you get access to tons of other marketing information.

You can learn a lot by watching a few of these and then apply that same critical eye to your own marketing pieces or you can always send them your piece and see if they’ll critique it for you.

You should check out Postcard Mania, whether you’re looking for a direct mail service, marketing advice, marketing ideas, or an honest critique of your marketing pieces. They really seem to know what they’re talking about and in these tough times, we all need to be smarter in our marketing.

Good luck with your marketing!

Caron
ChiefExperts.com