Five Things You Must Know to Expand Your Business and Make it More Profitable

by A. Ray Thomas

You don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company to expand your business globally! With the numerous resources and methods available through ZANA Business Network, expanding into the international marketplace may be easier than you realize. If you’re like most small business owners, you’ve entertained visions of running a successful company that meets increasing customer demand for your product or service. Maybe you’ve dreamed of regional, national or international expansion that would garner huge profits. That this is a typical entrepreneur’s dream is not surprising. What may shock you is that only four percent of American businesses export their products and services around the world. That translates to about 230,000 companies that do business overseas. No doubt, the percentage is low compared to other countries because many small and midsize companies don’t seriously consider international trade for the following reasons: • They are doing well domestically and don’t see a need to market overseas. • They don’t know the economic and political climates, the culture or the language in other countries. • They assume that international transactions are too risky. Now, these are all valid concerns and if you share any of them, you may be surprised to know that you can find everything you need to enter the inter-national marketplace from the U.S. government – including support. The key is making sure you do your homework beforehand. Here are five global marketing tips that will help you determine if going global is right for you and your company. If you would like to dig deeper to learn how you can access more ways to go global, become a free member simply by visiting our website: www.zananetwork.com. Global Marketing Tip No. 1: Utilize Government Resources to Identify Opportunities and Support Tools There are many U.S. government resources that SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) should utilize prior to exporting their goods and services. No doubt, through them you will find numerous international trade opportunities in developed and emerging markets. Many small businesses in developed and emerging markets are constantly looking to partner and do business with American companies. You will find free access to these government websites all in one easy to use portal (see location below). • Department of State • Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) • Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) • U.S. Export Assistance Center • U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service • International Trade Administration, • U.S. Department of Commerce • Office of Intellectual Property Rights, U.S. Department of Commerce • Caribbean-Central American Action (CCAA) Global Marketing Tip No. 2: Know the Benefits of Emerging and Developed Markets In emerging markets, there are privatization opportunities due to governments divesting from state-owned firms. In addition, there are often high rates of growth. If a market doesn’t have what you’re selling, that could be an excellent opportunity to export new consumer goods to that market. Even better, the greatest opportunities in emerging markets are with small businesses looking for partners for joint ventures to import and export. Now naturally, developed markets in English-speaking countries, such as Canada, Mexico and England, are often recommended for SMEs just starting out. These particular countries fall under the North American Free Trade Agreement, so the rules and regulations help with strategy. Beginning in a developed country will be far more comfortable for you and your business. Global Marketing Tip No. 3: Consider Becoming a Sub-Supplier to a Larger Company In emerging markets, there is often a high demand for infrastructure projects, such as waste disposal and energy. Think about it. The larger companies often come into these regions first for these jobs, but they need suppliers. These projects often last years and allow you to become part of the supply chain. It is also a good way to test the marketplace while mitigating your risk. Identify the Risks The perception is that greater risk comes with international trade. In actuality, the risks are just different. Government agencies and thousands of companies offer tools to help you, as well as propose other areas of concern that you may not have contemplated. Know this: The more questions you ask your resources, the better prepared you are to market your products and services internationally. Below are just a few areas you need to consider: • Time and distance it takes to ship products • Making sure that you’re going to get paid for the transaction • The political climate • Restrictive trade policies • Calculating your sale properly so that you don’t lose on foreign exchange • The local legal practices of a foreign country Global Marketing Tip No. 4: Know Who Your Foreign Partners Are It is important that you get to know your foreign customers or partners. You will want to pre-qualify them by using international credit-report services through companies, such as Atradius or Dun & Bradstreet (available via ZANA Business Network). You will also want to know if they have lawsuits against them in their country, including liens. Global Marketing Tip No. 5: Use the U.S. Government Resources, Foreign Commercial Service, State Department and the Various Publications That Are Available Make it your business to be briefed on the local political and business community, which is fairly small and closed. In addition, you will want to know who your U.S. contacts are in that country, should you need their help. Follow these global marketing tips and leave your competitors to battle each other for the limited profits. And now we would like to invite you to claim your free membership and the opportunity to market your products, services and ideas at no cost when you go to http://www.zananetwork.com Are you a small to medium business that is tired of struggling to market your products, services and ideas globally? Do you want to maximize your global business opportunities? Now you can! Combine your business talents with the power of Global Internet Marketing and watch your income soar! Visit http://www.zananetwork.com and join the new revolution of international business.

Article source: ArticlePros.com

Marketing Strategies Outlined

Author: Gopal D

The Marketing Strategies you intend to implement will be a very important section of your formal business plan and should address the following core questions:

How you will promote your business? How you will get your product or service to your customers? What will promotion and distribution of your products/services cost? How you will measure the effectiveness of the methods you plan to use?

Once you've completed the Market Analysis section of your business plan, you'll know more about your customers, your competition, and your company. That information should make writing the Marketing Strategy section of your business plan easier. If you are looking to obtain financing from an outside source a detailed marketing plan will help potential lenders/investors clearly understand what your attack plan is and how you intend on making it a reality.

Your marketing plan needs to discuss all the ''weapons'' in your marketing arsenal and what roles each will play. Many marketers call this your ''marketing mix'' and have labelled the fundamental components, the ''5 P's of Marketing''. Here they are with the main questions that your marketing plan should raise, and answer.

Product – What product or service is your business is offering? What does your product/service do and what are its technical specifications? What sets it apart from those of your competitors? What problem can it solve for potential customers and benefit their lives?

Price – How you will price your product/service so that the price remains competitive but allows you to make a good profit? How will your price compare to that of your competitors? How will this respond to your fixed and variable expenses? How long before you recoup your initial investment and break even? How will profits be re-invested, and on what facets of the business?

Place – Where will you sell your products/services and provide information about your business? How will you deliver your goods to your target market? How will shipping, billing, credits, customer service etc…be managed?

Promotion – What methods of promotion and advertising will use to communicate the features and benefits of your products or services to your target customers? How much is this all going to cost? Will you offer promotional discounts? How will you monitor what methods work best and which can be dropped? What will your Internet marketing strategy be? Will you cold call prospects or rely on relationship marketing, or both? What about offline methods like business cards, flyers, classified ads in local papers?

People – Will you employ others to help you? If so, in what capacity? How much can you afford to pay them? What about having partners instead if they are willing to invest their time now in hopes of getting paid later? What contracts will you have drawn up? How do you plan to measure customer satisfaction?

Essentially, these elements will form the basis of your marketing plan. Answer the above questions honestly and with as much detail as possible to cover all your bases. A thorough analysis of what your business needs are will help you focus and build consistently in both good and bad times. Your marketing strategy is all about the long-term so keep your eye on the prize and get it!

Gopal (The Musical Mad Scientist and Entrepreneur)

http://www.boom.thevfusiongroup.biz/

About the Author:

I am the musical mad scientist. I have a Masters in Biochemistry, drum in the rock band "the Integral" and have my own Marketing Company. Nice to meet you!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/marketing-strategies-outlined-737478.html

Three Key Elements to an Effective Marketing Campaign

Author: Robert Johnston

"Creativity is an outstanding asset, especially in the business world. Not everybody possesses creativity, so it is extremely valuable. Most companies face so much competition that it takes a creative idea to make them stand out from the pack. Creativity contributes to your business success at every step along the way. It helps to build a more effective business plan; it boosts your ability to bring in customers after opening; and it usually makes for a better product. When it comes to marketing your company, however, creativity just is not enough. Creativity is one part of your strategy – in fact, a major part – but it cannot produce results on its own. I like to say that there are three key elements involved in an effective marketing strategy: creativity, quality, and persistence. Each element is essential, because an advertising campaign that lacks even one of them will almost surely fail. Creativity As I mentioned earlier, creativity is very important. It will certainly play a major role in the development of your company’s “brand”, or identity with customers. Your logo and overall company image will benefit greatly from a healthy dose of creativity. Use the benefits of creativity in every aspect of your advertising. In your television ads, flyers, posters, even in your business card printing, use the elements that have been designed by your creative department to add a stunning visual element to your efforts. Quality Again, if any one of the three key elements is missing from your marketing campaign, it will fail. Imagine if you had a brilliantly creative design for a business card printing, and you were persistent in handing them out, but you had them printed yourself on cheap paper. The quality suffers, and so does the power of your business cards. When you hand your cheap, low-quality card to a customer, they almost instantly reject you. Do not skimp on costs when you get your advertising literature printed. The initial expense will quickly be forgotten when the increased revenues start rolling in down the road. Persistence Sometimes, even a creative and quality advertising idea does not catch on right away. But if you are persistent, more often than not it will pay off. Keep trying until you either succeed or get sick of the campaign. Persistence is the one element that is most often overlooked. Many companies panic when their marketing campaign does not take off the way the anticipated. If they would stick with it, though, and continue to let their creativity and quality speak for them, they would see positive results in the end. As you plan your next marketing strategy, remember the key three elements: creativity, quality, and persistence. Be careful not to leave one out.

About the Author:

Visit this site for more information on business card printing .

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/three-key-elements-to-an-effective-marketing-campaign-730782.html