Stacy Karacostas from SuccessStream here with another quick audio marketing tip. In case you don't like listening to audio, below are the transcripts from today's podcast:"Encourage Customer Loyalty Cheaply and Easily with this Small Business Marketing Idea". Are you looking for a simple, inexpensive way to get people to buy more now.And come back to buy again later (Duh, who isn't)? Instead of putting your products or services on sale, or giving out coupons, consider offering credit towards future purchases for every so many dollars spent between now and a future deadline. For example, I might say "For every $50 you spend with me before December 31st, you'll get 10% back in Stacy Bucks you can spend anytime in the next year." Then simply let customers or clients know how much credit they've earned when they make a purchase. And be sure to send out one or more statements, ideally along with a catalog or promotion, to encourage them to come back later and use their credit. The outdoor store REI, which is technically a co-op, does a version of this where members are credited a percentage of all purchases at the end of the year. This comes in the form of an annual mailed "dividend" that is good towards any purchases for a limited amount of time. I'm sure other variations on this theme exist. As long as the format you choose is low-cost to you, rewards customer loyalty, gives you a great reason to stay in touch that they'll appreciate, and encourages them to buy again from you, you've got a winner. Do you have thoughts on this idea? Have you done something similar, but different, and had great results? Please share by leaving a comment below.

Have you ever spent hours and hours putting together your latest product or service, only to have it bomb miserably? Maybe you spent years perfecting your prototype and bringing it to market, sure people are going to eat it up once they understand the wonders of what you’ve created. Only once you launched it you discovered no one was interested. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve seen this happen time and again… All too often, small business owners make the fatal mistake of trying to sell what they think their customers or clients need, instead of what their customers and clients really want. That’s always going to be a hard row to hoe. Because, let’s face it, most of the time we buy what we want and not what we need. And if we do buy something we need, it’s because we really, really need it. So how do you know which products or services are likely to be winners and which ones you shouldn’t waste your time and money on creating and marketing? Try this simple, 3 question test I learned from Internet Marketer extraordinaire Eben Pagan at last month’s Glazer-Kennedy Info-Summit. #1) Is my prospect experiencing pain plus urgency or irrational passion (either a really strong negative or positive emotion), and/or do they have an emotional need or drive? Most small business people create logical products then explain how they make sense. You don’t want to be in the business of talking people into wanting something. That’s time consuming, difficult and usually expensive. There are a million people out there with a huge problem, or an irrational passion, who are looking to buy. So you need to figure out what they want and sell it to them. #2) Is my prospect proactively looking for solutions? According to Even (and I’d have to agree) search engines are the greatest way to study, ever. It’s easy to do a little keyword research to see exactly what people are searching for. You can also check out message boards on sites where you know your customers are, and see what questions they’re asking. Or, write a Google ad and see what kind of response you get. One of the reasons Eben suggests testing pay-per-click is because your customer is searching proactively. People have even tested book titles on pay-per-click and picked the one that pulled the best (one of the best known recently was “The 4-Hour Work Week”). #3) Does my prospect have few or no perceived options? If they have a pain or problem, or an irrational passion, once they find what they’re looking for they’re going to buy. Why? Because they don’t see many (or any) other options. This also speaks to making sure what you sell is clearly differentiated from what your competition sells. If you have what they want, and you’re the only one selling that specifically, they’re going to buy it from you. In other words, as Eben put it, “Look for customers who are looking for you”. The big mistake is to create something you think is a good idea instead of what people are looking for. So do a little Internet research…Survey your current customers or clients to find out what they want…Then give it to them. They’ll thank you and your small business will grow. Have you found other ways to determine which products or services to bring to market? Do you have thoughts or questions about this process? Please do share by leaving a comment below! [tags] Small business growth, marketing, products services launch, customer client survey, bringing to market [/tags]