issue 105

December 2, 2009

a note from Lori

Happy December! Before you know it, we'll be ringing in the New Year, and getting ready to make 2010 an incredible year. But before we get there, its time to have a little fun. Yes, I'll admit it - I'm a cookie nut. I bake a ton of cookies during the next couple of weeks. And to make sure I don't eat them all, I also give a ton of plates of cookies away! I guess it's my release during the holidays. This year I have a new cookie book, so I'm trying a couple of new recipes. My daughter has caught the bug too, so she's usually covered with flour too. Ah, I love the holidays.

We're working hard on a couple of new projects. But for the past week, Andrew's been fighting off a virus - computer virus that is. We've been PC for so many years. But he's been talking daily of heading out to the Apple store. We'll see how it goes. It is hard to have so many things on your to-do list, and have your computer sitting blinking at you to reboot again and again. At least we have a great tech guy that's trying to solve it quickly - keep your fingers crossed.

In today's article, I cover a common problem people face when deciding how to market to potential customers. Changing this one thing in your business can set you up for a great year next year.  

Enjoy!

Lori

Six figure training

 

Who are you marketing to? Who do you hope to capture as the majority of your clientele?

 

According to the latest US Census, about 37 percent of the total US population is 50 or older. By 2015, that number will increase to around 45 percent. Over 30 percent of this population is online regularly, and controls an incredible 80 percent of the top income bracket.

 

Sounds good, right?

 

Well how about today's Generation Y (born 1977 to 1997)? This population has grown up with a greater degree of affluence than any other generation before them. Most grew up in two income families, and were provided four times as many toys as the generation before them. They are self sufficient, mature, and know exactly what they want.

 

And of course there are many other subsections to analyze as well. Seniors. Generation X. So my question to you is, "Who is your primary target market?"

 

I guarantee you that marketing to one category is completely different than another.

Gen Yers grew up with the Internet. They distrust traditional marketing, and love social. It's integrated in everything they do.

 

Yet baby boomers may know how to access the Internet and use it regularly. But they are still open to more traditional marketing forms. They use Facebook, but they also love picking up a magazine and reading it cover to cover.

 

How you reach out to each of these target markets needs to match their comfort factor. Investing all your time on Facebook is great - unless very few of your clients use it regularly and find you that way. If you're not speaking to the right client in the right manner, your marketing time and dollars may be a complete waste of time.

 

So let's start with the basic question one more time. Who are you marketing to?

If its females 20-35 that are planning a wedding, head online and start reaching out.

But if its 35-50 year old moms with kids in school, be willing to try different methods. Facebook may work. But a traditional postcard may also work just as well.

 

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How do you define success? As a small business owner, I've had my shares of success. As I sat down over the weekend to write about success, I discovered something interesting:

 

Every time you meet with a big success, there are several failures that lead up to that success.

 

So in essence the more you fail, the more you'll succeed.

 

Here are 12 of my top failures that actually helped lead to my success.

 

1. Talk is cheap.
Spend a week listening to what you say. Do you tell your co-workers, "Someday I'm going to start my own business." Or "I really want to work from home to spend more time with my family."

 

What have you done to work towards that goal? If you truly mean what you say, then you need to create some action steps to make sure you accomplish it.

 

"Someday I'm going to star my own business." Is completely different than "I'll have my first client for my own business by April 1st." Give yourself solid goals with timelines you can manage on your current schedule.

 

2. Listen to your own advice.
Ever heard the phrase, "A shoemakers children have no shoes?"
What advice do you give your clients regularly? Do you follow your own advice?

 

For me, I always talk about creating systems and making sure you have everything in place to run effectively. Yet I still have to stop a couple of times per year and analyze my own business to make sure I have my own systems in place. It's easy just to do things yourself, and put off creating an easier way of getting things done. But in the long run its this small tasks that will end up eating away all of your time. 

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lori recommends

 

As you are finishing up client work for the holidays, how are you planning to prepare for the New Year?

I love December because it means it's time to reflect on what I've done the previous year, and use all of my new knowledge to help plan for a successful coming year.

One of the things I'm planning on doing this coming year is become more skilled at some of the software packages we use every day. I know how to use Photoshop and Illustrator, but in order to accomplish some of my goals, I'm going to have to improve my skills and learn even more.

Luckily it isn't going to take thousands of dollars, flying to a new city for a week intensive training course, or starting out in a college-style course. Instead, I've found a great tool that I really love.

lynda software tutorials make it easy to learn anything, anytime, at the lowest c0st possible. I love lynda and am learning a lot by watching their helpful videos. If you've never seen lynda, head over and check it out. I know you're going to love it as much as I do.

 

Get started with lynda software tutorials today >>