Ten secrets to marketing your best ideas
In the 2004 Zach Braff and Natalie Portman independent feature film, "Garden State," one character is reaping the financial rewards of his patented invention — Velcro that doesn't make noise when you pull it apart. He lives in a mansion with a sprawling lawn, a fireplace and a pool. His friends just shake their heads, wishing they had thought to patent their many ideas, too.
Everyone has great ideas that they wish they could turn into reality. Sometimes we all just need a little push and shove to learn how to develop, test, market and sell these ideas. Howard Bronson and Michael Bogart, authors of "The Best Darned Book on Marketing" (The Bogart Group, www.thebogartgroup.com or 877-327-6331), say there are more than 60 ways to market your ideas without taking a huge financial risk. Here are some of their breakthrough methods that can help turn your ideas into a profitable business:
1. Learn all you can about marketing. Read the latest marketing books, talk to colleagues about their strengths, and pay attention to successful businesses. No matter how good your concept is, marketing it properly is the only way that you will achieve success.
2. Study your competitors. What are they doing? Find a way to differentiate your business from theirs. Ask your competitors why they're so successful. Their answers will help you develop a customized marketing plan.
3. Decide on a marketing vision. Think about what you want to accomplish in one year, five years, even 10 years. Be overly optimistic yet realistic in your goals.
4. Define your budget. Be sure you have a way to pay for your marketing. You'll need to account for adequate start-up funding in your budget so you can effectively implement your marketing plan. Don't rely on projected return-on-investment income. Marketing will pay off, but it does take time.
5. Develop a well-trained team. You and your colleagues are marketing your concept with every business interaction. That may mean training your staff in phone etiquette, scheduling and sales. Each person must understand his or her important role in the project or company.
6. Define your target audience. Think about who will need your products or services. Try writing a specific profile of that person, combining attributes of your dream and your realistic customer. That's your target audience.
7. Create a marketing plan. You have to know how to achieve your vision. That's why you need a marketing plan to achieve success. It doesn't have to fill countless pages, but it needs to identify your market and have specific steps that you will take to achieve your goals.
8. Professionalize your logo. Get a logo designed that best reflects your message. It should be attractive in both black-and-white and color. That way, it will project an appropriate first impression.
9. Devise a mission statement. Define your customer-oriented goal in two or three sentences. Post it in brochures, on business cards and on your office walls to help build a relationship with your customers.
10. Build a Web site. The Internet can help you generate solid and ongoing leads. Make it an informational resource that will inspire customers to buy your product or call you to learn more. To generate traffic to your site, make sure you are listed in major search engines as well as related directories.
Bring your ideas to life, and wake up each day loving what you do.
