So of course now the world is trying to figure out how to use it for marketing.

I will be honest, this is not something I have looked into much. Not as a marketing tool. I text. I have a teenager so of course I text. And I have done the things where you text a certain word to a certain number to vote at a sports game or to get a coupon for something.

But I am starting to see more and more people talk about using text messaging as a way to market their business.

The first time I ever experienced true useful texting in a business environment was at a conference here in Arizona. When we got there they asked everyone to “register”. It wasn’t required, but it was talked about so much all morning that you kind of felt left out if you didn’t.

I figured, why not.

But I thought how they used it was actually pretty cool.

A few minutes before each session started back up they would text you to let you know. A the end of short breaks and at the end of lunch.

And they have a vendors area at this event. Throughout the weekend each vendor did a give away. To enter the giveaway you would text a specific code to the number. Then they would text you back when it was time for the drawing. You had to be present to win…

But you didn’t miss the drawings because they told you when they were having them.

And they didn’t have to interrupt the event to make these types of announcements. Only the interested people knew about it because they were the ones that had “opted-in” or entered the drawing in question.

Some of the speakers also used the system to send out addresses where you could go to download extra tools or free stuff.

I actually found it really useful. And like I said this was the first time I had ever seen text messaging used to this extent in a business setting.

Now the contact management system that we use in our business has teamed up with another provider and they have integrated text messaging technology into the system. So I can set up my followup campaigns to not only include emails but also text messages.

But I am still not convinced….

I understand that in other countries texting is how they survive. And it is getting closer to that here in the US.

I also like the way that they used text messaging in that specific setting during the conference.

But I have to admit that I might get annoyed if I was still receiving text messages from the speakers now that it is 4 months later.

So I pose the question to you…

What do you think of text messaging as a marketing tool? Have you seen a good use of it that you found to be helpful in that situation? Would you “opt-in” to receive text notices about blog updates or newsletters being available? In what situation can you imagine text messaging being helpful to you from a marketing standpoint Incoming or outgoing)?

Please share your thoughts…really…I want to know….

Big companies spend millions each year on market research to see what they should be selling in order to grow their businesses. Small businesses don’t need to spend this kind of money to find out the same information. Your existing customers are your best resource to find out what they want to buy. It’s pretty simple, just ask them.

By using surveys in your business you can get a ton of information from your customers and find out exactly what they want from you. You can actually get them to tell you what they would be willing to buy from you if you offered it. How cool is that? It’s not that hard and you can easily grow your business by just offering more to your existing customers instead of chasing new customers all the time.

So let’s talk a bit about how to get your surveys out there and make them the most effective.

So what questions should you ask? First off you should be finding out if your customers are happy with your current services. Let them rate you. Find out how you can improve your overall business and make them even happier.

Then, ask questions like “What other services would you like to see us offer?” or “If we were to offer ______ service, would you be interested in being part of our pilot program for it?”

Questions like that will get you some additional feedback to help your customers give you more information about what they would like to see you offer and if they would be interested in the products you are considering offering.

You could also ask questions like “If we were to offer a monthly program of _______, what price range would you be willing to pay for a service like this?”

These are great questions also because you an see if people would actually be willing to pay the prices you are wanting to charge before you spend the time to build out the new product or service. It doesn’t do any good to put in the work to create a new product if your customers won’t pay enough for the product that you can make a profit on it. This is a great way to make sure that you are focusing your efforts on the right products and services to grow your business.

By using surveys to find out what your customers actually want, you get not only the ability to get a great idea of what they would be willing to pay for but it’s also a great way to get the stage for a big launch of your next product or service and create anticipation for the new product way before you actually put it out there.

So, go out there and ask your customers what they want from you. Next step… Sell it to them. It really is that simple!

Do you use surveys in your business? Comment below and tell others your experiences with using surveys and how they helped your business grow….

Here’s a few tips to help you narrow down your niche and become THE go to company for your specific niche.

Take your list of products and services right now and see which of them are your hot products. What is it that you sell a ton of? Who is it that buys those products the most? Maybe you have one product that you sell the most of that a specific type of person buys more than anyone else. Maybe you have an insurance product that you sell a lot of to busy professional women more than anyone else. That’s a perfect niche. Why is it that those women buy your product the most? Figure that out and you have a perfect niche to focus on.

Get more research on why it is that those people buy that specific product more than anything else. This is a great way to get more information on your target demographic and also use that opportunity to ask them for testimonials. You can also ask for references at that time. You can get more information about why they buy, get testimonials for your marketing AND ask for referrals all at the same it.

Once you’ve found your target sub niche that you already are working well with, how do you find more of those customers? Where do they hang out? What magazines or newspapers do they read? What websites do they go to?

These are the places you should be advertising. If you find that the majority of them read the same magazine or newspapers, you could write an article and submit it to those publications. Many times, publications are looking for fresh content all the time. It’s a great way to get some free publicity. You can also talk to them about advertising costs. Since you know that your target market reads these media sources, it’s a perfect place for you to spend your advertising budget and you’ll get much higher returns.

You asked for testimonials when you first surveyed your existing clients about why they buy from you. Now use those testimonials to your advantage. People are much more trusting when they hear testimonials from other people just like them. If your product solves a problem for our example of busy professional women, then other “Busy Professional Women” will relate when they hear great things about your products or services from other “Busy Professional Women”

Finding a sub niche of prospects that you specialize in working with doesn’t mean that you stop working for other customers or clients (unless you want to). It just means that you are specializing in that area and makes it much easier for you to target your perfect target market and save a small fortune on marketing and advertising costs.

You want to position yourself as the expert to your target market. Once you’ve found your first sub-niche, you can perfect your marketing message and advertising to cater specifically to that target market. The results of doing this can easily increase your bottom line, make it easier for people to refer you and get you more clients that fit this group. All positioning you as the expert and increasing your business’s image and awareness in your marketplace.

Specializing allows you to not only target your marketing better but it also allows you to charge more for your services. A general family doctor doesn’t charge as much as a brain surgeon. This model works in pretty much any business and if you can specialize your business marketing and image, you can target your perfect client much easier.

Find The Largest Group Of Your Clients
So how do you know what to specialize in? Well, there are two easy ways to specialize and determine exactly what your specialized focus and marketing should be.

The first is to analyze your existing client base. If you are business to business you might want to look at your client list and see what industries the majority of your clients are in. You could be the expert in that industry. I know a web design company in my local area that specializes in building websites for Pool and Spa businesses.

If you are work with consumers, what are their demographics? Are they a specific age? Are they busy executives? Find out at much as you can to see what they have in common. You’ll likely find a few traits that the majority of them have in common that can easily be your focus.

Become The Specialist In That Area
Next you want to put together a marketing message and even a special package for other people in that group. When you write your advertising messages, you want to talk specifically to that group. What was it that sold your existing clients in that group on your services or products? Talk about those. Cater your message to those people.

You can also use testimonials from those clients to help sell your product. This tells your new prospects that you understand their needs and have a solutions that solves their problem.

Where Do Those People Hang Out?
Next you need to find out where those prospects hang out. Do they belong to industry organizations? What magazines do they read? Do they shop in the same stores? Do they have networking events specifically for their industry?

Find out where your target market is and then you need to be there. Whether it’s being part of their industry association or advertising in the magazines that they buy, you need to be the first one there offering your services to help them.

Specializing doesn’t mean that you are not going to work with anyone outside of your perfect client box. It just means that you will become known as the go to person in that industry or to that target group of people thus making you the expert in that area and making you the authority.

This will make it easier to find your target prospect, cut your marketing costs and build your business as a specialist instead of a generalist.

So, beyond the main sale, what is it that your customers really want? Have you ever actually asked?
There are a few great reasons why you should be asking your customers what they really want.

It gives you a better connection with your customers. Most businesses never even actually ask. You’ll make them feel special. You actually care what they think. This alone is gold in your business. You are now building a better relationship with them and making a connection with your customer.

Asking your customers what they want also gives you a ton of research for additional products or services to sell to your existing customers. It’s always easier to sell another product to an existing customer than it is to find a completely new customer. If they tell you what they want, they are basically telling you that if you offer that new product or service to them that they will give you more money. Hmmm… Think about that. Someone actually telling you that they want to give you their money… IF you give them what they want.

So here’s three ways you can ask your customers the questions and get what you need to offer a better product and make more sales in your business.

Ask the question
Just ask them. It seems simple but simply asking the question isn’t done in most businesses. As a customer checks out at the register, simply asking if they found everything ok is a great start. What about asking them if there was anything else that they might have been looking for that you didn’t have.

As you are taking the order either in person or over the phone, you could also ask leading questions like, “was there anything else that you’ve needed that I might be able to help you with?”

And the good old, calling the customer up and asking them, “Now that you bought ______, is there anything else we can help you with? Did you have any questions?”

Simple asking gives them the opportunity to open up and you’ll be surprised how much more information they’ll give you if you simply ask.

Feedback Forms
Feedback forms a great way to ask for more information from your customers. Having a simple fill in the blank form that you leave with a client when you deliver the order, or as they leave with their product is a great way to ask the question.

If you come in to their homes and do a service, leave a feedback form with them that they can mail back. Be sure to leave it postage paid so they don’t have to find a stamp for it. Along with the “how was the service?” questions that you should be having, be sure to ask them “What other service would you need that we can offer you?” Again, it’s not complicated but is extremely powerful.

Surveys
Online surveys are a killer way to also get more information from your customers. If you are looking at adding an additional service or product to your business, ask you customers if they would be interested in such a service. There are a few great systems out there that you can use to build online surveys that you can send to your clients. Survey Monkey and Survey Console are just a couple. Do a search on Google for “Online Survey Programs” and you’ll find a bunch.

If you don’t ask the questions, you’ll never know what it is that your customers really want. You’re missing the boat and potentially loosing a ton of extra cash for you business if you don’t know what it is that your customers really want. Once you have this information, you can start adding your new products or services and marketing them to your customers with a built in list of already qualified products. You then have the ability to add these products in to your marketing message and you might find a ton of new business that you’d been missing for years simply because you didn’t know it was there before.