Advertise Your Business

                        

 Advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communication that has an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It might be a song on the radio, a video on television, even a poster and the also the use of online markets which are growing popular these days. Basically, advertising is a very artistic way of communicating with the customers.
Advertising is one thing which has become a necessity for everybody in today’s day to day life, be it the producer, the traders, or the customer.

 Advertising has become an important part of today’s age of competition and therefore business usually introduce objectives. Let’s take a look on these various types of these objectives;

1. Trial: the companies which are in their introduction stage generally work for this objective. The trial objective is one which involves convincing the customers to buy the new product introduced in the market. Here, the advertisers use flashy and attractive ads to make customers take a look on the products and purchase for trials.

2. Continuity: this objective is concerned about keeping the existing customers to stick on to the product. The advertisers here generally keep on bringing something new in the product and the advertisement so that the existing customers keep buying their products.

3. Brand switch: this objective is basically for those companies who want to attract the customers of the competitors. Here, the advertisers try to convince the customers to switch from the existing brand they are using to their product.

4. Switching back: this objective is for the companies who want their previous customers back, who have switched to their competitors. The advertisers use different ways to attract the customers back like discount sale, new advertise, some reworking done on packaging, etc.

Advertising is one thing which has become a necessity for everybody in today’s day to day life, be it the producer, the traders, or the customer.

So how is advertising necessary to everyone. Let’s have a look;

1. Advertising is important for the customers

Just imagine television or a newspaper or a radio channel without an advertisement! No, no one can any day imagine this. Advertising plays a very important role in customers life. Customers are the people who buy the product only after they are made aware of the products available in the market. If the product is not advertised, no customer will come to know what products are available and will not buy the product even if the product was for their benefit. One more thing is that advertising helps people find the best products for themselves, their kids, and their family. When they come to know about the range of products, they are able to compare the products and buy so that they get what they desire after spending their valuable money. Thus, advertising is important for the customers.

2. Advertising is important for the society

Advertising helps educating people. There are some social issues also which advertising deals with like child labour, liquor consumption, girl child killing, smoking, family planning education, etc. thus, advertising plays a very important role in society.

For a small business owner, advertising can be of advantage in the following ways;

• provide basic information such as your contact details and website address
• increase sales by telling potential customers about your product or service
• tell customers about changes to your service, new product launches, special offers and improvements
• stimulate specific action - perhaps getting customers to visit your premises or website, or use a discount voucher by a specified time
• remind existing customers about your business
• change people's attitudes and perceptions of your business
• help to create or develop a distinctive brand for your business
• generate awareness of your business
• develop a particular market position

For a small business owner, the main characteristics one should have to get on their objectives and achieve all advantages are, great communication skills and very good convincing power only.

By Sheba Joy

Intern

Kyusa

The concept of Online Marketing in a Small business.

Online marketing is the promoting and selling products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium. Online marketing is also known as internet marketing, web marketing, digital marketing and search engine marketing (SEM). Digital marketing methods such as ecommerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, e-mail direct marketing, display advertising, e–books, and optical disks and games are becoming more common in our advancing technology. In fact, digital marketing now extends to non-Internet channels that provide digital media, such as mobile phones (SMS), callback, and on-hold mobile ring tones.

 There are many ways to promote your home business and reach potential buyers online including:

 Websites: can be the Internet equivalents of offline brochures or mail order catalogs and they are a great way to establish your business domain. They can use text, images, and audio and video elements to convey the company's message, as well as inform existing and potential customers of the features and advantages of the company's products and/or services.  

Email marketing: Along with a website, email is viewed as one of the best ways to maintain a connection between a business and potential and existing customers. Email addresses of customers and prospective customers may be collected or purchased, although results are best from emails you collect from your website. You can entice people to give you their emails through a quality free offer, called a lead magnet. Once you have the email, you can send a newsletter, special offers, and other information your target market would be interested in. 

Banner advertising: You can buy ad space on other websites that cater to your target market. Pricing can vary depending on the volume of people who visit the website, and the size and placement of your advert.

Publicity: You can submit and post to the press regarding something newsworthy about your home business online or through an online press release distribution service. While press releases can work, they are time consuming and do often get ignored.

Participation on blogs, forums or discussion groups. Answering questions, posting comments, expressing opinions, or making announcements in a discussion forum is a great way to connect and help your target market, while showing off your expertise. 

Article marketing: Writing articles related to your business and submitting them to be published on other websites or email newsletters is another great way to reach your target market for free.  Although mass distribution of a single article across the web doesn't have the same benefits it once had, submitting exclusive articles to a specific site can still reap many rewards, boosting your credibility, and reaching a market that might not otherwise know about you. Plus, some website will pay for your article.  

Social Media: In an increasingly connect world where consumers expect the companies they do business with to engage with them, social media is an ideal way to interact with prospects and customers.  They key to social media marketing success is to choose the platforms your market is mostly like to use whether it's Twitter,  Whatsapp,  Facebook,  Instagram,  etc. Further, because it can be a time suck, you need to develop a plan and use effective tools to maximize your results. 

Internet marketing is effective and very affordable, and as a result, it should be part of your business plan and your marketing strategy. However, Internet marketing is so vast that it's nearly impossible for a single-business owner to do it all. But, there are certain online marketing tactics that all business owners should have. At the very least, a home business should have:

1) A web presence: Depending on your small business, this can be a website or blog, or as basic as a squeeze page. You need a central place to send all your prospects that you own. While many people have turned to sites like Facebook to create their web presence, because you don't "own" the space but Facebook can (and often does) change it's rules so you should have your own site.

2) Email list: Many new small business owners put this off, which is a mistake. While some people might think social media replaces email, it doesn't. People who connect with you through email have made a greater commitment and are more likely to see your messages, than simply following you on social media. Further, research shows that email marketing has one of the highest marketing strategies. Email marketing gives you one of the best results for the cost in time and money.

 The use of digital marketing in the digital era not only allows for brands to market their products and services, but also allows for online customer support through 24/7 services to make customers feel supported and valued. The use of social media interaction allows brands to receive both positive and negative feedback from their customers as well as determining what media platforms work well for them. As such, digital marketing has become an increased advantage for brands and businesses. It is now common for consumers to post feedback online through social media sources, blogs and websites on their experience with a product or brand. It has become increasingly popular for businesses to use and encourage these conversations through their social media channels to have direct contact with the customers and manage the feedback they receive appropriately.

Online marketing can deliver benefits such as:

• Growth in potential
• Reduced expenses
• Elegant communications
• Better control
• Improved customer service
• Competitive advantage

Word of mouth communications and peer-to-peer dialogue often have a greater effect on customers, since they are not sent directly from the company and are therefore not planned. Customers are more likely to trust other customers’ experiences. Examples can be that social media users share food products and meal experiences highlighting certain brands. This was noted in a study on Instagram, where researchers observed that Instagram users' posted images of food-related experiences within their social networks, providing free advertising for the products. And therefore, it is increasingly advantageous for companies to use social media platforms to connect with their customers and create these dialogues and discussions.

By Sheba Joy

Intern

Kyusa

Rules For Good Customer Service

                

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won't be profitable for long.

 Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy - happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback.

 If you're a good salesperson, you can sell anything to anyone once. But it will be your approach to customer service that determines whether or not you’ll ever be able to sell that person anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a relationship with customers – a relationship that that individual customer feels that he would like to pursue.

1. Build trust and they will come back;

          If your company is answering a phone by the first ring, is straight forward with all buying information, and is giving customers a personalized experience when they need it, then you are building much-needed trust. Your product or service will attract them initially, maybe even bring them back a second time, but what consistently entices customers to return is trust that they're going to have a good, barrier-less customer experience. If you can provide the customers what they're looking for, when they need and expect it, then that trust built between your company and the customer will evolve into invaluable customer loyalty.

2. Don’t make your customers wait;

    Patience is a virtue, but don’t depend on it when interacting with customers. In one survey conducted, 69% of those interviewed defined good customer service as receiving a quick resolution to a reported problem. On the other hand, 72% of respondents blamed their frustrations on having to address an issue to multiple employees at different times. If you've ever had a similar experience, then you know how aggravating it can be to call back or be transferred only to re-explain your problem over again (and again), while seemingly never actually getting any closer to a solution. Failure to respond properly to customers can negatively impact a business’ bottom line for years to come. According to the same survey, only a quarter of respondents said they would continue to seek out a vendor two years or longer after a bad experience, while 39% said they would avoid vendors for longer than two years. To avoid damaging lulls in service, make sure that the employees who will be working most closely with your customers actually have the authorization and training to offer solutions when issues arise.

3. Don’t make promises unless you will keep them;

         This may well be the most important of all of these rules for good customer service. Don’t  plan to keep the promises you wont keep. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say to a customer, “Your purchase will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don't say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc. Think before you give any promise - because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.

4. Be helpful even you’re not getting an immediate profit;

     Take an example, a guy popped into a local watch shop because he had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When he explained the problem, the propertier said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to the guy’s watch band – and charged him nothing! Where do you think he'll go when he needs a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think he has told this story to? The shopkeeper made nothing during their exchange in his store. But the customer will certainly be taking his business to him in the future and who knows how many other customers will be visiting him because he has told them how well he treated him? To provide good customer service, keep your eye on the customer, not on the profit.

5. Listen to your customers;

          Is there anything more annoying than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn't been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? If you're truly interested in providing the best customer service, let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.

6. Throw in something extra;

          Whether it's a discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. A local art framer attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated.

7. Take an extra step;

                For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, don't just say, "It's in the back shelves". Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people. And that good word of mouth will win you more customers.

8. Deal with complaints;

               No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, "You can't please all the people all the time". Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to get the benefits of good customer service. Properly dealt with, complaints can become opportunities.

9. Train your staff;

          Train your staff (if you have any) to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn't) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, "I don't know, but so-and-so will be back at..."

10. Have transparency in transaction;

               In stores, good customer service leans on signs or posters  and verbal communication. The last thing you want is for a customer to make incorrect assumptions while in your store. If you’ve adopted a no-return policy for certain items, for example, this should be made clear to customers before they purchase. Also, don’t expect customers to read fine print; any important data should be shared upfront -- if there's transparency throughout the transaction, you'll minimize surprises on both ends.


By Sheba Joy
Intern
Kyusa
       

How to ensure the survival of your business in and out of season

I’m sure you’ve all heard the old saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”  For many small businesses, it’s advice that should be taken quite seriously--especially in this digital age when product life cycles and customer demands change rather too quickly. Usually a business with one product or service is prone to shutting down compared to businesses with more services or products.

You don’t want that to happen to your small business. The answer to this is diversification, You need to strap the thinking cap on tightly for this one, and tap the most creative minds in your small business. Sounds easy? Think again. Diversification is something that is much more easily offered than implemented. So you will need to think way out of your to achieve it.

So here is how you can successfully diversify your:

1. Adapt. Tweak your product or service so it appeals to a new group of consumers or users. If you have an expensive product or service, consider a less-expensive version. You need to be careful that you don’t undercut yourself and land yourself into losses but instead increase profit.

1. Find related products. Are there products that go along with what you sell or do that your customers or clients purchase from a different vendor? Perhaps there are training materials that you can offer as well. For example, a jewelry business can diversify into making hair accessories.

3. Offer an integrated solution. This flows from the previous idea, and the basic question you need to ask yourself and your team is, “Can we do more?” This might be anything: training, apps, additional gear, servicing, the possibilities are endless.

4. Find out what’s next. Are technological changes beginning to erode your base? Don’t be the last in your industry to sense where things are going. Devote part of your business to meeting the needs of the “early adopters,” and then you’ll be ready if a major shift occurs.

5. Sell online. If you don’t offer your products over the Internet, add an e-commerce element to your website. If you already sell online, sell online more. Look at the various “marketplace” programs like OLX and Amazon. Consider opening an e-store, especially if you have miscellaneous overstock items in your warehouse. Rather than marking them down to next to nothing and undercutting new products, sell them online.

6. Open another location. If you’re exclusively online, consider a physical location. If you have one physical location, consider opening a second one.

In conclusion, diversify your business can save you from huge losses and also gives you a chance to expand your small business and in the long run ensuring its mortality.

By Sheba Joy

Intern

Kyusa

How to segment your customers

Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing your customers into groups or units of individuals that are similar in specific ways relevant to marketing, such as age, gender, interests and spending habits.

To introduce customer segmentation into your business, you should operate under the fact that every customer is different and that their demand for your product or service would be better served if you target specific, smaller groups with messages that those particular customers would find relevant and lead them to buying something.

Customer segmentation relies on identifying those key differences that divide customers into groups that can be targeted. Information can be professionally sorted into groups such as:

Customers' demographics (age, race, religion, gender, family size, ethnicity, income, education level), there are many common segments within the clothing industry, for example—including men and women, fashionable, thrifty, conservative, casual, and business.

 Geography (where they live and work),

Psychographic (social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics) For example, musician customers can be segmented into commercial, retail, drums, live sound, guitars, professional, beginner, collector, live sound, or recording,

Behavioral (spending, consumption, usage and desired benefits).

If is such tendencies are taken into account when determining customer segmentation practices.
Customer segmentation can have a great effect on business management in that, by dividing customers into different groups that share similar needs, the company can market to each group differently and focus on what each kind of customer needs at any given moment. Large or small, niche customer segments can be targeted depending on your businesses' resources or needs.

Customer segmentation will bring the following opportunities:

• To create and communicate targeted marketing messages that will reach out to specific groups of customers, but not with others (who will also receive messages tailored to their needs and interests, instead).
• Select the best communication channel, which might be email, social media posts, radio advertising, or another approach, depending.
• Identify ways to improve products or new product or service opportunities.
• Establish better customer relationships.
• Test different prices.
• Focus on the most profitable customers.
• Improve customer service.

Customer segmentation can be practiced by all businesses regardless of size or industry and whether they sell online or in person. It begins with gathering and analyzing data and ends with acting on the information gathered in a way that is appropriate and effective. It brings hope to gain a deeper understanding of your customers' preferences and needs with the idea of discovering what each individual or group finds most valuable to more accurately tailor products for them.

By Sheba Joy

Intern

Kyusa

SELL THE VALUE, NOT THE PRODUCT

Many people dive head fast into business and we want to sell, sell, sell and get the money, money, money. And so we forget the processes that are within when it comes doing business. One of which is Value Proposition. This is the promise of value to be delivered; the reason people should buy from you.

Take for example on a cold Monday morning, if a lady selling porridge walked in to your office and said, “Good morning. I am selling porridge. Big cup 1500 shs, small cup 1000 shs,” and another lady selling food warmers walked in and started by greeting you, then engaging you in a short conversation that went a little something like this;

Lady: “Good Morning sir/madam.”

You: “Good Morning.”

Lady: “Sorry about the weather. It has been very cold these past few days.”

You: “I know.”

Lady: “And you know food tends to cool very fast.”

You: You start to think about how you don’t like cold food

Lady: “I have some food warmers here with me…”

Now I am almost positive that although lunchtime is hours away, you will be more convinced to buy the food warmers, and not the cheaper hot porridge that will probably solve your problem now.

After you have identified the target market (the potential customers), insight is key when coming up with a value proposition. You must identify the target’s biggest most unmet need and then decide to give them benefit by focusing on providing the solution. Do not have multiple benefits. Have just one that will solve the most pressing, most significant problem to the target market and by doing so, your value proposition increases.

Look out for the alternatives in the market i.e. the other places that the customers would most likely turn to solve their problem. Find out who directly or indirectly already delivers against that problem? And then go further to find out what they leave out and how you can address that.

Last but not least, offer your unique selling point i.e. “We can deliver benefit to the highest degree of superiority over everything else that exists in the market, therefore you should come to us.”

If your value proposition makes people go “hmph?”, you’re doing it wrong. Yes, sufficient information and selling the product is crucial for business, but you need to draw them in with a clear, compelling value proposition first.

By Rebecca Nabejja
Intern
Kyusa

Beating Competition

“Gundi is doing it better so why bother?”

This is sadly the reason why many of us don’t want to start doing things. Because we think the other person is doing it well or even way better than we ever could. Many of us fear to venture into business because we are afraid of the competition. We are so quick to think about the negative outcomes and leave out the positive even before even we start.

Well let me interest you for a minute…

Riham Cola, a carbonated soft drink bottled locally by Hariss International Limited, was introduced to the Ugandan market in February 2013. Most of us wondered how it would battle against Coca Cola or Pepsi products. But lo and behold! Century Bottling Company is said to have cut prices for most of her products by almost 70% in response to a new and aggressive rival in December 2013.

While Coca Cola and Pepsi increased the prices of their sodas, especially the Kamini which was brought to counter Riham Cola as a strategy, Riham Cola chose to instead reduce the quantity of their 350ml to 320ml and kept the price at 1000 shillings. Coca Cola had its Kamini price at 1200 shillings and has recently increased to 1500 shillings.

The average Ugandan would obviously want to save the 500 shillings if they had the chance to. In a price sensitive market, 200/500 shillings means a lot and the customers can reject the brand faster than you can blink your eye. Riham Cola went further and targeted the untapped market in the villages and by doing this, its market shares rose by 5%.

So maybe you thought of something that probably already exists. Truth is, there is nothing new under the sun.  That should not stop you from doing it, and doing it in a better way. Realise what makes your product different from the rest. Find that gap and exploit it. It is up to you to make a difference; to be better.

No matter how competitive the market, you can still succeed. Competition should not scare you. It should motivate you.

By Rebecca Nabejja

Intern 

Kyusa