Can you believe it is September all ready? Marketing Made Simple took a hiatus and revamped our style. I’d love to know what you think about the new layout, so please drop me a line at heather@valleyva.net. Many thanks to Connie McVicker of Signature Worx for the new design.

Marketing Made Simple has added an editor to its team and I’m grateful to be working with the very talented Laurie Dart of Writing Wisely. Laurie and I have worked together in the past and she’s wonderful at taking my thoughts and ideas and turning them into something phenomenal.

The coaches (myself included) at VATraining.com have put together an e-Book entitled 25 Ways to Revolutionize Your Virtual Assistant Business. This 74 page e-Book is free to download. While the title targets VAs, the information applies to any service based business owner. We had a lot of fun putting the book together. You can download your free copy today at http://www.virtualassistantrevolution.com/25ways.pdf.

Marketing Made Simple is back in full swing – low-cost and free advertising included.  You can find all the details at http://www.valleyva.net/Marketing-Made-Simple.

Have a great September and Happy Marketing!

Until next time...

Use It or Lose It

Let’s face it…people like free stuff. You probably know people who attend Home Shows and Expos and go from table to table with a bag and gather as many freebies as they possibly can.

Because we know that people like free stuff we often try to send our own products to them as a sample so they can see what we have to offer. Many times we even take it a step further and personalize it for them. We have the mindset that just because they like free stuff, it’s an automatic in. That pen or calendar we send will last a while and, in turn, our telephone will ring off the hook with their orders.

Your customers are no different. They come to you, the distributor, to purchase promotional items to give away because they too know that people like free stuff. The next time you are at an expo take notice of how many people walk by a booth because there are no goodies on the table. It’s just the nature of the beast.

But, as a business owner, you are aware of the amount of direct mail you get each month. What sets one company apart from another? Do you think it’s a pen or a calendar? With a pen, something we all have too many of, it goes into the drawer typically never to be seen by the recipient again. In my home, they are stolen by one of my children who seem to think pens are disposable after one use.

The calendars? How many calendars do you get around the first of the year? How many calendars does one person possibly need? What makes your calendar different from the one they got from their insurance agent, their realtor, or the local dry cleaner?

While these are both inexpensive products that you can give away to your existing and potential customers, what other items do you have in your arsenal that might have a longer shelf life? This can include items that people don’t realize they need but can’t seem to live without once they have them or items that you can never have enough of.

Items that people don’t realize they need but can’t live without once they have them

• Jar openers

Most everyone struggles at some point in time opening a jar lid. The average person does not know that there is a solution to the problem. So, when they go to the store, they are not looking for something to rectify the issue. They deal with it.

When they are introduced to the jar opener, they see they can easily open the lid with a flimsy piece of plastic. It becomes a necessity for them over time and when they lose it they truly realize the value in it. It becomes something they can’t live without.

• Travel Alarm Clocks

How many times have you traveled for business and were so afraid that you would oversleep and miss that important meeting in the morning? When you are away from home you often feel out of your comfort zone and typically the alarm clocks in the hotels are different from the one to which you’ve grown accustomed. Rather than lugging your own alarm clock across country, wouldn’t you rather have a personal travel alarm clock that you know how to operate and you know is going to wake you up in the morning?

• Zippy Letter Openers

A letter opener is a letter opener is a letter opener. Not necessarily. One of my clients recently discovered the Zippy letter openers after I recommended that she purchase them to give away at the conference she was attending with administrative professionals from all over the state.

It’s the little things that make people happy. I no sooner showed it to her and she began opening every envelope she could get her hands on. Shortly thereafter, that old point letter opener found its way to the trash can.

The average consumer would never make a special trip to the office supply store for a simple letter opener. It is one of those items that never seem to make it to the list of items needed. Before the Zippy letter opener was discovered I used my finger and oh how attractive those paper cuts were!

Items You Can Never Have Enough Of

• Sticky notes

Can you imagine your life without sticky notes? They have been around since 1977 and by 1990 Post-Its were one of the top five office supply products sold in the United States. We now have computerized versions and those annoying pop-ups while surfing the internet are starting to look like them as well.

You can never have enough sticky notes! How many creative messages can you send with your sticky notes to a potential customer? Perhaps it’s a note pad in the shape of a foot with a little note that says, “Just wanted to get my foot in the door.”

Sticky notes are not going to go in the trash or into an unused drawer and more often than not will be seen by many.

• Flashlights

How many times do you find yourself in need of just a little more light? There is always one place in your home, office, or vehicle that you wish you had a flashlight but always seem to forget to pick up an extra one.

For me, I wanted one in the office but never made it out to get one. When I need to plug something in to the back of the computer the extra light is always nice. A realtor gave me the one that I have now and I’ve had it for 4 years. It’s made 2 moves with me. The best part is I don’t have to traipse all over the house to find a flashlight when I need one. I’m now on a quest for a flashlight for my glove compartment.

We’re no different than anyone else. We like free things. As consumers, we are drawn to the word free. We all go to conferences and events only to slip away to see what everyone else is giving out. How many of us come home with promotional items that we didn’t bring with us? I normally come home with a big bag of goodies that I give to my children only after I’ve taken the cool gadgets out for me.

That’s right. The kids get the pens, pencils, plastic key chains and candy. Most of these items end up in the trash at some point in time. I keep the Zippy letter openers, sticky notes, travel mugs and jar openers.

Go through your inventory. Ask your friends. Determine what they use and ask them what promotional items they have in their home they just cannot live without. Make sure that what you give your potential customers will not find its way to the circular file or the bottom of a toy box.

About the Author:
Heather Jacobson is an expert in marketing and implements marketing campaigns for companies on a budget. Her favorite topic is frugal marketing, and her latest book, "Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer" demonstrates how to maximize your marketing budget. For more information visit www.HeatherJacobson.com

The Real Meaning of Advertisements

New - Different color from previous design.

All New - Parts are not interchangeable with previous design.

Exclusive - Imported product.

Unmatched - Almost as good as the competition.

Foolproof Operation - No provision for adjustments.

To be continued...

Congratulations to Julie Ensor, this month's winner of our drawing for Andy Wibble's Blog Wild. Please contact heather@valleyva.net to claim your prize!

Next month, we'll be giving away another copy of Blog Wild and all you have to do to win is be a subscriber!

Q: What is the best way to market your business online?

A: Marketing online is a great way to market your business if you’re virtual and it’s also one of the more cost effective ways to market your business.  There are numerous ways that you can do so, but I’ll hit on the ones that have worked best for me.

Article Writing – Article writing is a free way to market your business and it’s really much easier than everyone thinks.  When you write articles, it sets you up as an expert in your field and the link in your resource box, when submitted to the various article directories provides a one way link back to your site which helps with your search engine rankings.

For more information on article writing, I recommend these articles that I’ve written:

1. 6 Red Hot Tips To Get Your Article Read
2. What Do You Mean You Don't Have Anything to Write About?
3. The Way To Your Customers' Wallets is Through Articles

Or check out the free eCourse on article marketing at http://www.valleyva.net/article-ecourse.html

Download this F.R.E.E eBook Today!

$50 offer from Marketing Made Simple

Use Coupon Code VALLEYVA50SETUP to waive your set up fees

Use Coupon Code VALLEYVA50 for $50 off your yearly hosting fees!

To view past issues of Marketing
Made Simple, visit http://www.valleyva.net/Marketing-Made-Simple/

MMS is edited by:

Graphics By: