By Mark Anthony McCray
CEO
First Capital Commercial Finance
10 Ways to Maximize Your Marketing Returns
It’s not always necessary to spend a lot to spread the word
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a huge market- ing impact. In fact, the following 10 tips require more creativity and
guts than monetary output. Some of
the best ways to let people know about
your business are also among the most
cost-effective.
All of them can bring you more market awareness and prospective customers. The rest is up to you.
Send cookies to Realtors. 1. We’re not
talking about a box of small cookies that someone can take home
and eat in front of the TV. Instead,
send a huge cookie with your company’s name and phone number
written on it in icing. Make sure
it’s so big that no individual person would be brave enough to eat
it alone. This way, everyone in the
office will take a piece. They’ll also
talk about who sent it.
Host a seminar. 2. Choose a topic on
which you have some expertise.
Pick a controversial topic or atten-tion-capturing title. Make sure to
target the people from whom you
want business.
Attendees often bring possible
deals and business opportunities with them. Allow a lot of time
after your presentation. If you do
a good job, people will want to
speak with you one-on-one. What
occurs during this time often is
more important than the presentation itself.
Hold a contest. 3. People like to be
asked for their opinions. If your
company needs a new logo, consider asking people to enter their
design ideas. This will help you
make new connections and assist
you as you craft the appearance of
your brand and your future marketing materials.
Write notes. 4. Personal postcards still
work wonders. When was the last
time you used an actual pen to write
words on an actual sheet of paper or
card and mailed it to someone?
There must be something distinct
about your site for it to reach its full
potential. Again, you don’t have to
spend a lot of money. Online classified pages and local colleges abound
with people who can spin together
something slick for a few shillings.
“Being a successful marketer is more about
being fun, fearless and persistent
than it is about having deep pockets.”
Use air mail. 5. When you really need
to get a proposal in front of someone, spend a few extra dollars to
have it sent by next-day air mail. It
likely won’t end up in a pile of unread sales circulars, and it certainly
won’t be thrown into the round file.
When you send something using
next-day air, your prospect will at
least be curious. That’s often half
the battle.
Write an article. 6. You might be surprised at how many letters and
calls you can attract by marketing
yourself as an authority on a topic.
Publications are always looking for
content. Plus, writing can challenge
you and can be fun.
Be sure to choose a subject for
which you have enthusiasm and
passion. Writing articles also will
likely help you improve your search-engine ranking when people look for
the topic online.
Go live. 7. Let local radio programs
know about your area of expertise
and your willingness to be interviewed on the air. Or better yet, you
might even consider pitching your
own show.
Radio stations and programs are
always looking for content. If you’re
persistent, you’ll eventually end
up on the air. When you do, be animated and energetic.
Also, make sure the station records your segment and ask for a
digital copy. Consider posting this
on your Web site or blog. You also
can link to it in e-mails you send
prospects as an audio introduction.
Allowing people to hear your voice
helps transform you from a name on
a page into a real person.
Be sharp online. 8. Your Web site often is the first thing many people
look at after you reach out to them
or someone refers you. Make sure
your picture is there and that the
site has a brand look. Don’t settle
for a generic site.
Also, make sure to get an e-mail
address with your own domain
name. Using a free Internet-mail
account can seem unprofessional.
And don’t be silly: People won’t
take you seriously if your e-mail
address ends in @prettyinpink123.
com or @star warsfanforever.com.
Join something. 9. Become a member
of a local business group, church
or booster club. Don’t be afraid to
let people know what you do professionally, but don’t be pushy
either. If you become known as
“the club mortgage broker” or
“the church real estate finance
expert,” business surely will come
your way.
Why only network at industry
happy hours where everyone else
is in the same business as you? This
can be a great way to make friends,
but it won’t lead to much new business. People outside the industry,
however, are looking for solutions
you can provide.
Be relentless. 10. Keep pressing. Keep
looking for new angles and ap-proaches. Being a successful marketer is more about being fun,
fearless and persistent than it is
about having deep pockets.
You could double, triple or quadruple
your leads with a little bit of money and
a lot of creativity. •
Mark Anthony McCray is CEO of Houston-based First Capital Commercial Finance
( www.dealsdone.net) and an associate with
Managed Mortgage Investment Fund (www.
privatemortgagefinancing.com). First Capital
is a commercial mortgage-banking firm that
has helped its clients leverage millions of dollars in financing for their real estate acquisitions, developments and investments. MMIF
is a direct lender specializing in short-term
private mortgage financing and investments.
Contact McCray at mark@dealsdone.net or
(832) 566-2001. You can find him online at
www.markanthonymccray.com.
