Enjoy the TD

When I take my car to the service station, the rep types my work request into his computer. That generates a work order which I sign before the job begins.

A custom message is printed along with the work order, which the rep tears from the bottom of the printed paper and hands to me. The message is divided into three parts:

A suggested maintenance service according to my car’s mileage
A thank you message for choosing them
A free battery test coupon

Can you think of a single or multiple message that’s appropriate for marketing your business at the bottom of every mailed letter, brochure, or flyer?

The exact message that I received on Friday at the service center is shown in the above picture.

Here’s another example, from Microsoft’s template page, of how to segment the bottom of your mailed material. It’s not an exact replica of the above photo, but I believe you can take what you see and turn it into a continuous marketing approach.

Once you determine your message, set it up in the footer section of your letter template so it’s automatic and also customizable for different prospects and clients.

© 2008 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is an excavator who uncovers smart marketing solutions for small and solo business owners. She’s also a professional speaker and author of Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit the SoloBusinessMarketing.com Web site and blog for tips, videos, and more.

Have you enrolled, in the past, or plan to enroll in any of Hewlett-Packard’s online courses?

I occasionally receive notice about their roster because I’ve participated in past classes. I took a look at what’s on their agenda this season. You may find something of interest.

I’m preparing to travel to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Orlando, and Miami to present seminars, but if you can attend courses at your computer, that’s a cost-saving alternative in the short run with technological benefits.

Start with this page to see the complete list. Take a close look at the courses in the Business Skills section. Each topic sounds attractive, but don’t overload yourself with too many classes at one time. Pick one or two primary lessons, and build from there.

© 2008 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is an excavator who uncovers smart marketing solutions for small and solo business owners. She’s also a professional speaker and author of Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit the SoloBusinessMarketing.com Web site and blog for tips, videos, and more.

In the fourth and final installment of our branding series, Tony Richards discusses two very important aspects of your branding efforts: great writing and solid strategy.

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Many of us have invested in fancy technological gadgets to create CDs and online recordings, but the one item that continues to work well for me is Sound Recorder, which is part of Windows XP.

I use Sound Recorder and an external microphone, purchased from any office supply store, to record several minutes of text that’s included on a Web page. Here’s how I access it on a PC computer.

Start - All Programs - Accessories - Communications - Sound Recorder

Before recording, it’s important to set Sound Recorder to record at CD quality. This setting ensures that you hear no feedback and other external noises within the recording. To set the quality, open the Sound Recorder program, and click on:

1. File - Properties. Look for the “Format Conversion” box, which will have the “all formats” option highlighted.

2. Click on the dropdown box to change “all formats” to “recording formats.”

3. Then click the “Convert Now” box next to it. Another box appears that says “sound selection” at the top.

4. Under “Name,” click the dropdown box. Find “CD Quality.” Choose “CD Quality,” and click the “okay” box.

Each time you start or edit the audio part of the script, you must choose CD Quality to ensure that no static is part of the recording.

When done, I save the recording in a folder I call My Recordings and copy the file to a Web page when I’m ready. Label your folder as a name you’ll easily recognize.

You’ll also need Windows Media Player or similar product to embed the recording on a Web site.

Sound Recorder is easily controlled by you to distribute an audio message worldwide.

© 2008 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is an excavator who uncovers smart marketing solutions for small and solo business owners. She’s also a professional speaker and author of Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit the SoloBusinessMarketing.com Web site and blog for tips, videos, and more.

This weekend, one of the adult schools where I conduct classes sent me a contract for the October semester.

You may not be thinking about the fall now, but schools around the world are preparing teachers and students for courses that are just weeks away, which brings me to a question to consider:

Does your industry expertise allow you to share ideas, insights, and information in an adult education class?

Classes I teach are one or two nights at most. I walk away with monies gained from the materials’ fee charged on the first night of class and, about two weeks after the last session, a check from the school for time invested in sharing my knowledge.

Best of all, I’ve marketed my skills to individuals, some of who may move from student to prospective client or refer my expertise to others.

It’s too late, in most areas, to create a course for the fall, so plan on making connections now for spring classes. Here are some tips to expand your marketing through teaching.

1. Start with a course that’s no longer than two hours long.

2. Decide what materials you’ll distribute and how much you’ll charge each student.

3. Determine your worth to prepare and conduct the class so that you know how much to request from the school.

4. Prepare a complete outline to discuss in class, and be ready to give students plenty of time for questions.

5. Consider how to market yourself while you teach through examples, case studies, and demonstrations.

Most professions can be molded into a course. Insurance, interior design, niche business skills, and physical education are just four ideas. How can you mold what you do into a classroom marketing opportunity?

© 2008 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is an excavator who uncovers smart marketing solutions for small and solo business owners. She’s also a professional speaker and author of Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit the SoloBusinessMarketing.com Web site and blog for tips, videos, and more.

Logo creation, blog version updating, and technical writing are three projects I’ve outsourced with great results. But one internal job that I’d like to farm out, but cannot due to my own paranoia, is my accounting.

I have a feeling that most solo marketers keep their accounting records in-house. However, I’m sure some have outsourced keeping the records to a reliable source.

Others may not have great memories of giving this task away, even in-house. The person who may come to or work in your office and have access to your records may not be as trustworthy as you think.

An article about keeping track of your accounting records while in another person’s hands arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Here are four tips from it that will keep you from becoming a victim of accounting fraud.

You’ve probably heard of and practice these tips; it’s good to have this as a refresher.

From the 2006 Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners:

1. Lock up all signature equipment.

2. Sign all checks rather than give this task solely to another person.

3. Ensure all statements arrive at your office and that you’re first to open the statement, or have a duplicate statement arrive at your home.

4. Account for every check once it’s returned.

This two-part article will help you choose the right accounting software, a product that statistics say many of us do not purchase.

© 2008 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is an excavator who uncovers smart marketing solutions for small and solo business owners. She’s also a professional speaker and author of Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit the SoloBusinessMarketing.com Web site and blog for tips, videos, and more.