How to drive in customers using white papers

Research shows that 69% of people who download a white paper and find it useful, will forward it to their colleagues. And 36% of white paper downloads will be passed to a manager. However, there are millions of links to white papers on Google. So how do you make yours stand out? Here's how to create successful white papers.

12 common mistakes to avoid when writing white papers

Want to sell more? One way to do this is to attract more prospects to your website and then use something that will convince them that you are THE people to deal with. One very good 'something' is a white paper. Discover the twelve basic mistakes to avoid when it comes to white papers.

How to get good creative work done on a tight budget

Bad marketing is not just a waste of money, it has a negative effect. For many businesses, though, marketing is a major dilemma: you need it to improve sales and build customer awareness, yet you don't want to divert capital from other areas of the business such as production. That's why it's important to get marketing done for as little as possible, without sacrificing quality. Here are 8 clever ways to reduce costs.

Advertising vs. PR - their strengths and weaknesses

Marketing is about getting the right product to the right people at the right price at the right time. This involves promotion - whether that is advertising or public relations. Understand the pros and cons of each and discover some hints to help you get the most of your chosen medium.

Avoid the cardinal sins of most brochures

Brochures are an effective way of communicating information to existing and prospective customers. But how do you ensure that yours conveys the best impression of your business? The pitfalls to avoid, what to do, plus insider hints.

How to get more business by using loss-leaders

Sometimes it pays to sell products and services at a loss - and even to give things away. This is what shops do when they offer 'Two for the price of one'. They hope, having enticed you in with irresistible offers, that you will buy other things more profitable to them. Here's how to make it work for your business.

Building a more effective customer database

You've probably devoted much time and effort to building up a data file on customers, but such data is perishable. So how can you keep this valuable resource up to date and active? And how can you capture more information about your customers without bothering them too much? Follow these simple strategies to get the most out of this potential goldmine.

Working with charities - using it as a marketing tool

Helping out in your local community might cost you a little time, but it could win you an army of new friends - and potential customers.

How marketing can help you outshine your competitors

Marketing is not just for big corporations with vast budgets - it is of vital importance to EVERY business. We show how it can make a difference and offer an overview on positioning your business, how to define your business, and how to segment your market for greater profitability.

How to harness the selling power of brands

Think of top name brands - Coke, Pepsi, Nike, Adidas, Apple - the names trip off the tongue ... Huge companies, with huge advertising and PR budgets. Not much relevance for small business, right? Wrong! How every business can harness brand-power. Here's how to create your own.

9 marketing pitfalls and how to avoid them

Marketing is a complex business. Some approaches that might appear quick and easy can actually cause grave problems. Here are the common pitfalls most people dive into!

What to do to avoid the feast famine effect

Insight from how one service-based business avoids swinging from feast to famine when it comes to managing workloads and finding new customers.

Ten easy steps to get more from your marketing strategy

The ten Ps of marketing to help you transform your marketing efforts.

Using 'mass exclusivity' to sell more

Mass exclusivity may sound like a contradiction in terms, but here is a strategy that is based on a simple principle yet has wide promotional possibilities for any business.

How to win business awards and gain extra marketing clout

Winning a business award is more than about preening feathers - it makes you more bankable. Nice though it is for the ego, and worthwhile though the prizes sometimes are, the real value is the exposure and the endorsement. 20 insider tips to help you win business awards.

How to make your claims truly credible with testimonials

You can say what you like about your terrific product or service. Unfortunately, people won't just take your word for it. So who will they believe? Here's how to get hold of some good testimonials for your product or service.

Marketing on a shoestring

Marketing a small business needn't mean spending money. Here are ten ways to get heaps more business for next to nothing and often for free.

Turn your business card into a powerful sales tool

Business cards are the most common, but the most under-rated, sales tool around. Yet they could be business winners for you! They could even be interactive. Find out how to make your business card more memorable and effective, plus how to use business cards to extend your reach ten-fold.

How to use a contact database to boost sales

Customers respond better if you contact them at the right time with the right offer and if you appear to know them as people rather than just order-placers. So keeping good information about your customers in a database can boost your business dramatically. Follow these tips to get many more sales from your contacts.

How to raise your profile and credibility to get more work

How small businesses and independents can land big new contracts by raising their profile.

How to get your foot in the door

How can you convert a prospecting call or a letter into an appointment? And an appointment into business? Here we show how to turn it into straightforward and logical process. Just follow the simple steps for successfully converting corporate prospects into customers. Includes an action table.

What to do if you're told to 'Keep in touch'

No contacts, no customers! Nine simple ways of 'keeping in touch' with hesitant prospects to turn them into buyers.

Smarter marketing

Everyone needs customers - but some are better than others. These six steps will give you a strategy to help you broaden your appeal to new markets.

Get the packaging right

One accountancy firm 'packaged' their intangible services in box so that they could demonstate their services. Packaging is about creating the right impression in the mind of your prospective the buyer. Whether you are creating a box for a product or 'service', presenting a brochure, or creating a label for organic spice kits, here are the issues to consider.

Does your brand sum you up?

Branding is every bit as important for a small business as a large business - because it should sum up everything that is good about you. But what is 'branding'? We see just how far it goes beyond fancy logos and advertising.

Put yourself in the picture

Editors love pictures, especially ones that tell a story. So good pictures of your business are a good way to persuade editors to publish your news. Here's how to get some good ones on a shoestring.

Fend off the copycats

Having an idea for a new product or service is only the beginning. Now you have to exploit it while protecting it from the copycats. Here's how to protect your secret, be the first to launch and develop strategic barriers to keep out the competition later.

Get a marketing makeover

When was the last time you sat down to look at your business - from your customers' perspective? Maybe it's time for a marketing makeover! Here's your checklist for success.

Using booklets to raise your profile

A top entrepreneur reveals how she sold more than 400,000 copies of a small booklet without spending anything on advertising or PR. In the process she raised her credibility and positioned herself as an authority in her field.

Using added value to build a successful business

Generate more clients with a fun idea, imagination and a PC. We examine how one entrepreneur did just that with his 'Slogo Register', which has turned into a hugely successful on-line business.

Building rapport with customer newsletters

It's four times easier to sell to an existing customer than find a new one - so how do you maximise the chances of that happening? Bombarding them with sales literature can be counter-productive - and they will probably go straight in the bin. But create a newsletter, and something changes: you create a sense of community. Here's how to go about it.

How to put your marketing bang on target

Businesses have always sought more 'bang for their buck' in their advertising. To get this, it helps if you can define your current position, where you want to be, who your prospects are and how you will appeal to them. Knowing these answers may prevent your marketing efforts sliding down 'the slippery slope of irrelevant brilliance'. So before you put pen to paper or cheque, here are the 13 simple steps to developing a more strategic approach to creative marketing.

How to use the radio to boost business

A radio journalist reveals how to get free publicity on air. Includes how handle interviews and sound relaxed, and how to increase your exposure six-fold when you are invited into to the studio for an interview.

How to get ahead of the pack

So you want to find new business and get ahead of the competition - but what do you do? There's plenty of business out there for people with imagination and determination. Here are 8 steps to more sales.

Dare to 'think different' and sell more

Simply by holding some company-wide brainstorming meetings, one businessman put himself ahead of his competitors. Solutions explored in this guide include: how to increase the distribution of mailshots, how to gain sales appointments, how to make more memorable presentations, how to generate more business from lapsed customers,and how to find new outlets for your services. Discover, too, how to come up with new ideas for your own business more easily.

Tactics to keep in touch

You get the order. Well done - another satisfied customer. But what do you do next? You can't keep saying: 'More please'. So how do you keep in touch with customers?

How to set up a customer loyalty programme

Customer loyalty programmes, such as store cards, have become a standard tool on the UK marketing scene for large corporations - but they can work equally well for smaller businesses, too. Success is not automatic, however. There are several critical factors involved.

How to make those follow-up calls work

How much time do you put into your sales follow-ups? Chances are, you're wasting a lot of it. Follow this strategy of who to pursue - and how to close those deals and you will sell more, more often.

Headlines that make people buy more

You want to create a newsletter, a brochure, an advert. But how do you then make people pick it up, let alone read it cover to cover? You give it a headline that makes them want to read more. Here's how.

How to plan and develop your brand identity

Business image is more than just a fancy logo and smart offices. It needs to run right through the company and play a part in everything you do. Here's how to define your image and make it the glue that binds you. Then we show you how to use this information to define your new brand.

Attention Please

In the white-hot world of the 21st century, getting someone's attention is critical to winning their business. There are three simple laws of attention. Discover how to harness their power.

Want to grow? Get the show on the road

Think trade shows are expensive? So they are, but a well prepared stand at the right stand can transform your business and put you in the fast lane.

Corporate entertaining takes centre stage

Summer is approaching. Now is the best time to book your company's corporate events and plan them to derive maximum value and measurable long-term benefits.

Turn your business into a top brand

In today's competitive world it is not enough for your business to simply 'get by'; you need to create a strategy for success. And at the heart of that strategy should be your brand: what it is you do and what you stand for; in other words, how you want to be perceived by your customers. To create an effective brand, you need make sure your team is as passionate about what you are doing and what you believe in as you are. You also need to convince people to buy into your brand. The CEO of Shoulders of Giants offers his insight.

How seminars can help you attract new customers

Finding sales an increasingly hard grind? Then it's worth taking a look at seminar selling, where you get potential customers coming to you to hear a presentation.

Mapping out your marketing route

If there's one area where small businesses often fall down, it's failing to plan their marketing campaign. We explain the importance of a plan - and how to put one together.

Do you know your USP?

To sell effectively to the right market, you need to define what you do best. Here's how.

Driving your business forward with the power of branding

We all know the pulling power of the big brands - but branding can be a powerful tool for small businesses, too.

Get your products on those shelves!

Every small producer would like to get a product on the shelves of a store like Waitrose. But how do you go about it? We look at how to refine your offering and market niche to make the 'impossible' come true.

Success with e-mail newsletters

Don't ignore your existing customers - they are your best bet for repeat sales. We explain how a simple e-mail newsletter can generate significant extra sales for your business.