Individuals and organizations can gain great benefits from marketing.  All too often marketing is seen as a tool only a business would use.  As an organization or an individual marketing can have an enormous effect on your success.  Let’s consider someone who is unemployed.  Having a blog or a networking page can lend to your credibility and increase your sphere of contacts to aid in your job search.  Having a resume professionally designed and printed can set you apart from competition with similar skills.  Having a personal contact card (business card) is a must for any job seeker.  How many people do you meet that will not remember your name or phone number?

So build your network, utilize your connections and make sure your contact information is readily available!

4C Studios purpose is to market small businesses. We are founded on the idea that effective marketing is possible on a limited budget. Smart marketing built around the internet, traditional advertising and social networking is attainable to any business!

The top 5 things your company must have:

1. Business cards with yourname@yourdomain.com along with your web address. An email address that is @yahoo.com (for example) makes you look like a very small company and unprofessional.

2. A Company phone number. Not your home phone, not your cell phone…a company phone number. There are many solutions out there; one we recommend in particular is VirtualPbx. This is a virtual receptionist that has a follow me feature. Plans start at just $10/month.

3. A Website; this gives you virtually instant credibility along with access to your company information 24/7.

4. Be able to identify who and where your customers are; your “target market”

5. A well strategized marketing plan that allows you to reach that “target market” and the ability to communicate with them.

Contact 4C Studios for an analysis of your current marketing plan and materials. We will get to know you, your company and your goals then develop a plan that not only works to achieve those goals but also fits your budget.

Remember; just because you are a small business doesn’t mean you have to look like one.

In today’s marketplace it is critical that every company take advantage of all the technology and resources that are available to them. Any way that you can communicate with the public to get your message out there is usually beneficial. We have summed this up into the 4C’s of Marketing…

CONNECT. with customers through content that is exciting and accessible. Make it available many ways so your customers can use it the way they expect. Websites, blogs, text messaging, newsletters, rss feeds, social media, interactive tags. Don’t limit how your customers can come back for more.

COLLABORATE. customers, employees, partners…leverage your personal and professional connections to your advantage. Use your connections (see connect) to share information and trade ideas. Connecting people to the best ideas (even if they are not yours) is always in your best interest.

CREATE. you are unique, celebrate it. You have your own ideas, techniques, products. Don’t show that you can do the same things as your competitors. Show how you have created differences in your business that your competition can’t match. If you sell the same product as the competition, maybe your installation techniques are better. Maybe you are an expert on the product and the competitors barely know the basics. Maybe you have unique ideas on how the product can be used. Don’t paint yourself into your competitors box. Create your own shape and think outside the box.

COMMAND. the respect of everyone. Your competitors will respect your knowledge and innovation. Your customers will respect your information and service. They will enjoy being able to use your content how they want. They will follow you loyally. Vendors and partners will respect the ease of communication and collaboration.

Page rank results can be classified into two groups. The first group is paid advertisements that are displayed as sponsored links. The second group is organic results based on site content. Many companies that offer to improve your page rank simply overcharge you for a pay per click campaign. A pay per click strategy can get you on the first results page in the sponsored section. The issue is most users only look at the organic results. Improving your organic results is infinitely more complicated than pay per click, but the rewards are much greater. Click through rates are much higher for organic results. Pay per click links can be exploited to drain your marketing budget (known as click fraud). The best strategy is to improve your organic results first, then supplement with pay per click if desired.

Your customers don’t want your products or services. Your customers have problems and needs. The company that solves their problem will win the sale.

For example: Let’s pretend we are selling an MP3 player. On our materials we list our specifications as “MP3 player has 1GB storage capacity”. Our competitor lists their similar MP3 player as “stores up to 12,000 songs”. When our customer who has 8,000 songs compares the two MP3 players, he will probably choose our competitors because they have met his need. He has 8,000 songs and he’s reasonably sure that our competitors player that holds up to 12,000 songs will meet his need.

Don’t talk in general terms, instead use specific scenarios and detail ways in which your products or services will solve a problem or meet your customers need.

The design of a business card is extremely important. Not only does it say a lot about your company, but it also leaves a lasting impression on the person you hand it to. Sometimes trying to make a good impression means going overboard, and doing too much with your card. Oftentimes, less is more.

For starters, identify the key contact information that’s needed and then simplify it. Don’t try to fit everything on one side of a business card. Allow the text or key information to have “breathing room” or “whitespace” around it. Too much text or information in a small area can be offensive and hard to read. Simple business cards that allow the messaging and visuals to speak for themselves have personality and are much more impactful.

Also, consider using both the front and the back to communicate. Too often people only use “half of the real estate” of a business card, and they shouldn’t. It’s a great way to spread out your information, make it easier to visually digest and more exciting.

Finally, include the information that’s most important to you, and where you want people to connect with you. If you want them to connect with you online, then include your Twitter handle as well as a link to your website or blog.

Use caution when selecting a company to set up your web presence. Some companies appear to have the pedigree and experience, but turn out to be scam artists. When you sign up for a website with any company make sure your domain name gets registered to you and not the web design company! If you decide to switch companies later and the Domain is not registered to you, the old company can make you buy your domain from them! It may cost you thousands to buy back your domain or sue for rights to it. Ask these three questions before siging up with a web developer.

1. Where will my domain be registered?
2. Will the domain be registered to me?
3. Where will my site be hosted?

These questions will help you retain your web presence in case of a falling out or a switch from your current web developer.

Figuring out how to cut costs and improve service can be really hard for a small business owner. Products designed to improve your business tend to cost more, and dropping expenses often means losing valuable assets. That’s why it’s important to know about things like telephone services from Virtual PBX, which can reduce costs while improving your business. But most business owners have never heard of it.

So what makes Virtual PBX so great? Image, control, flexibility, and cost. Virtual PBX provides the kind of phone service that is used by major enterprise, making your company look bigger and more reliable, without costing the hundreds to thousands of dollars you’d need to provide that image with your own hardware. And it’s no smoke-and-mirrors trick, it actually gives you the entire corporate kit. By having your phone calls go through a Virtual PBX, you can get them routed to any phone, any place, and any time. There’s unlimited voicemail, customized greetings, personalized phone messages, the works.

Work from home? Virtual PBX makes it sound like you have a full office. Work from the field? Get your calls routed to your cell without having to give out your cell number. Multiple offices? Virtual PBX has you covered. And all at as little as $10 per month. Even for a one-man operation, that’s just $10 to get a full-featured, big business look and feel. For everyone else, it’s a way to make routing your calls to the right person easier and cheaper while also getting a full-featured, big business look and feel.

Best of all, there’s no obligations, no setup fees, a 14-day free trial, and no strings attached. Check it out at no cost, and use it without any obligations. So even if you’re uncertain, you’ve got plenty of time to find out for yourself how much Virtual PBX helps you run your business, and how much easier it is than systems that are far more expensive.

An interesting fact: there are about 252 million internet users in the US alone. So if your company does not have a web presence you’re missing out on alot of opportunities. Today search engines overshadow the once highly regarded “yellow pages”. If someone is looking for a product, service or solution to a problem they will most likely search for it through their favorite search engine, such as Google or Yahoo!. Don’t wait any longer to develop your web presence…there are affordable solutions.

And always remember: Marketing is an investment, not an expense!