Entrepreneurs – Page 3 – Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2024

It’s a dilemma that most small businesses and startups face: You must market and advertise, but you’re strapped for cash. Fortunately, ideas, energy and imagination can make up for meager marketing budgets. Whether you’re an established company or a nascent business, the marketing formula is the same. You’ll need to start with:
1. The right message
2. To the right audience
3. At the right time
Here are a few ideas for stretching your marketing budget:
Maximize Internet marketing opportunities
The Web has opened up a world of low-cost marketing opportunities, from email and e-newsletters to blogs and podcasts. Also, consider search engine marketing and programs like Googll Ad Words, which charges on a pay-per-click basis.
Ideas and Resources: If you want to send an e-newsletter or conduct a low-cost email marketing campaign, try ConstantContact.com (as low as $15 per month). To build a list of prospects, sign up visitors to your Web site (a no-brainer) by offering a gift (a short report, 10 tips from an expert, or something humorous) or rent a targeted email list at Postmaster Direct.
Seek publicity
Send out press releases and look for “hooks” to get your company covered in print or on TV or radio. Also, make the most of trade showsby speaking on industry panels to position yourself as an expert in your field. (Speakers and panelists at trade shows often receive free registration.)
Ideas and Resources: PR Newswire.com details the components of a press release and offers other tools for publicizing your business. MarketingSherpa.com also features many publicity tips.
Adopt Guerrilla Marketing techniques
Guerilla Marketing is described as “a proven method of achieving profits with minimum money.” After 14 million books in 41 languages, Jay Conrad Levinson’s low-cost tactics are still going strong. Some of his tried and true tips include writing a column for your local paper, sending “off-season” cards (instead of holiday cards), and even slipping your business cards into relevant books at the bookstore or library.
Ideas and Resources Learn more about Guerrilla Marketing at www.gmarketing.com.
Harness the power of Word of Mouth marketing
Word of mouth, or buzz marketing, has been generating buzz of its own as a powerful and inexpensive marketing discipline. Create your own customer evangelists and let them spread the good word.
Ideas and Resources: Visit Bravenet.com to add a free “tell-a-friend” tool to your Web site, e-newsletter, or emails, or try the low-cost Tell-a-Friend Wizard. For more ideas on how to generate buzz, visit www.womma.org, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
Consider low-cost, “do-it-yourself” media options
Before you invest in an elaborate direct mail campaign, consider sending less expensive mail such as postcards or birthday cards to clients. Piggybacking on existing community promotions such as participating in town days, and developing loyalty or frequent-buyer programs are other “frugal” methods.
Ideas and Resources: Try a low-cost postcard service such as Modern Postcards.com. Your business can join an existing loyalty program such as MyPoints.com or establish a custom loyalty program with companies such as Maritz. Find dozens of frugal marketing tips at FrugalMarketing.com.
Additional Tips & Tactics:
* In a world of spam and impersonal emails, try sending personal, hand-written notes.
* Find a related but non-competitive partner and join forces to share marketing efforts.
* Do “grassroots” marketing research by talking to your customers one-on-one.
* Join newsgroups and online discussion groups to position yourself as an expert.

Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.

Have you ever wondered what it would take to leave the corporate world behind and own your own business? Are you tired of being the go-to girl, a small fish in a big sea, earning money for someone else? Is it time to take charge of your future and really be in control of your destiny?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then you’ve thought about business ownership – but something has stopped you from moving forward. Was it lack of experience? Couldn’t think of a unique concept that would compete with established brands? Fear of the unknown? If so, you are not alone.
That’s why so many people have turned to franchising – and a record number of those franchise owners have been women. When you buy a franchise, you have help setting up and running your business. The concept and brand name are established and recognizable by the public. And there are experts to “hold your hand” and answer any questions along the way.
In the United States the number of women-owned businesses grew at twice the national rate for all privately held companies from the period of 1997 to 2002, according to census data. One reason may be that business ownership is a way for women to crack through that proverbial glass ceiling. Another reason is that it can give a woman more flexibility, something greatly desired by those with a home and children to manage.
For many women, owning a franchise can be the easiest way to achieve their dream of business ownership. No one claims that every franchisee is successful; however your comfort level will be greatly increased if you follow a tried-and-true system instead of building something from scratch.
Here are some of the ways a franchisor may help their franchisees:
• Build-out/Site Selection. From the look and layout of your store to the location to the signage, a franchisor knows what works to draw customers. Most franchisors will offer guidance in these areas and some even have employees who will work one-on-one with a franchisee to accomplish each of these tasks.
• Marketing. Most franchisors have a marketing strategy that takes into account the demographics of the franchisee’s territory and the best way to get business. Many also require the franchisee to contribute to a national marketing fund, which buys national advertising. A national TV ad, for example, will increase brand awareness and the buying power of many contributors will allow greater penetration into markets.
• Proprietary Software. If your business will rely on technology, many franchisors have specifically designed software to keep track of customer lists, inventory, accounting, or whatever is needed to keep the business running smoothly.
• Employees. When a business has many open locations, they have significant data to draw upon. This can be of great help when you need to hire, manage and retain employees. A franchisor can tell you what type of person to hire, where to advertise for employees and may even provide employee manuals and other resources.
• Buying Power. A major advantage of being a franchisee over being on your own is having the buying power of a large business. Whether your product consists of bread or batteries, or your service is house painting or dry cleaning, you will benefit from the greatly reduced prices you pay for supplies and inventory because of the quantity purchased by the franchisor.
• Training. Say you want to own a window tinting business but you don’t know a Cavalier from a Camry. No problem. A franchisor will train you in most everything you need to know to run your business – including how to hire the people who do know their way around cars. You will still need to have innate business skills and a great work ethic to succeed in your business but most specific parts of the business can be learned.
This is the safety net a franchise provides: a tried and proven concept with operations, marking, distribution, accounting, technical support, brand, etc. all in place, tested, retested and ready for a sharp, hard working entrepreneur to join the team. Growing a business through franchising obviously works. U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that franchising accounts for approximately one trillion dollars a year in sales and is increasing at a rate of about 8% per year. For a woman who is preparing to run her own business for the first time, it can be the best of both worlds. A franchise provides the help and guidance of a big company along with the control and flexibility of a small business.
If you’ve been thinking about owning your own business, buying a franchise may provide you with the security you need to make the commitment. A good franchisor will provide you with training, support and continuing help – after all, they don’t succeed until you do. With over 1,600 franchise concepts in the US today, there’s never been a better time or a better place to follow your dream of business ownership and you will find lots of company – women populate all areas and all sectors of franchising.
Kim Ellis is the President of Bison.com, a leading online resource for franchise and business opportunities. She has been quoted as an industry expert in USA Today, Wall Street Journal and a variety of local and regional publications regarding trends in business and franchising. Kim combines her entrepreneurial spirit with a diverse background in marketing and operation to help others succeed in franchising.