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New Radiance Updates
December 2001
~~ NEW RADIANCE NEWS ~~
The New Radiance Florida Directory is the only statewide Directory of body, mind, spirit professionals published continuously since 1990.
(1) You still have time to mail your ads and listings!
Because of the Christmas rush of mail, I've extended until December 24th the deadline to send in your ads and listings for the new 7th Edition of the Florida Directory. Ad sizes and rates, as well as listing order forms, are online at http://www.newradiance.com.
(2) The quickest, easiest way to get your display ad in on time is to mail your business card along with your two free listings and a check for $60. But you only have until the "night before Christmas."
(3) The November newsletter has now been added to the Archives on the New Radiance website. November's issue includes Part II of "Recession Proofing Your Business;" links to websites containing lists of literary agents; marketing tips for free publicity; and writers and artists to help you market your products and services. Find it at http://www.newradiance.com.
(4) I'm very pleased to announce that New Radiance has received permission to include an excellent booklet called "Wellness From Within: The First Step" in the upcoming 7th Edition. It's a "how-to" guide by the American Holistic Health Association that helps us understand that we are each responsible for our own health, that wellness involves the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves and that partnership is the ideal relationship to establish with our health practitioners. I hope you are planning to be one of the "partners" -- you still have time to send in your listings for the 7th Edition. The AHHA is online at
www.ahha.org.
The other mini-book included free in the 7th Edition is called "Living Your Real Life: How to Discover Your Life Purpose" -- a 30-page "fill-in-the-blanks" guide by Barbara Casey which is currently only available in the Niche Marketing Manual "Marketing with a Mission."
This will be a very special edition of the New Radiance Metaphysical & Holistic Florida Directory -- one which readers are likely to keep for some time. Hope to see your name there!
There's still time to print the order form at http://www.newradiance.com and mail it in by December 24.
~~ NEW YEAR'S MARKETING RESOLUTION FOR 2002 ~~
"I will create and consistently follow a 3-part marketing plan in 2002."
If you don't have your marketing plan in place for 2002 yet, here are a few ideas you could include. The trick to marketing is to stay visible in a number of places, both to attract new clients and gain repeat business from current clients.
You want people to think of you first when they have a need for your product or service. You also want people to be very clear on how you can help them. If your marketing is focused toward a particular group of people, you are more likely to attract members of that group when they need your help.
For example, if you are a massage therapist specializing in stress reduction, you would advertise in the local publications most likely to be read by people in high stress jobs. Do your city police or firefighters' unions allow advertising in their newsletters? Do local associations of stockbrokers, attorneys, physicians or women executives publish bulletins for their members in which you could place a classified or display ad?
Part 1 of your marketing plan:
Make Part 1 of your marketing plan a well-placed focused ad written for your target market. For example, even though massage therapy helps relieve pain, improve circulation and more, if your main interest as a massage therapist is helping people lower their stress levels, that's the focus of your advertising.
People will remember you for one thing. Which one thing do you want to be known for?
If you're a massage therapist using energy healing modalities, your focus shifts to a slightly different clientele. You'll be looking for people who are receptive to alternative therapies and who likely have an understanding of vibrational frequencies. Place your ads in one or more local body-mind-spirit magazines -- and the Florida Directory, of course! Mention how you can help specific conditions and why your combination of modalities is more effective for them.
If the purpose of your ad is to collect leads, offer a free report or informative brochure. If its purpose is to encourage new clients to make an immediate appointment, try offering a free mini-session or half-price introductory offer, so that people can test your capabilities before they commit further. If your ad's mission is to sell a product, make sure to include an order form and request that your ad be positioned for easy clipping.
The key to display advertising is targeting your prospective clientele and then advertising in the publications they read.
Part 2 of your marketing plan:
Part 2 of your plan should include a consistent method of staying in touch with your current clients.
It's essential to have an automated mailing list -- whether regular mail or e-mail -- so that it's easy for you to inform clients when you have a new class schedule, a new product or service, a special offer or a convention appearance, just to give a few examples. Your type of business and marketing budget will dictate the type and frequency of your communications.
Phone calls are also a good way to stay in touch. They take more time than mailings but they are more personal and immediate. Use the telephone to let clients know when you have openings in your schedule or a special event coming up.
If you have snippets of time available daily, keep a supply of note cards and your mailing list handy, to write greetings to your clients. Send a few each day, and enclose an article or news clipping you think they'd find helpful.
Staying visible to current clients doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming, but it does need to be consistent if you wish to build a solid business.
Part 3 of your marketing plan:
For Part 3 of your marketing plan, pick one marketing idea from the suggestions below and test it to see if it's the right fit for your personality, your budget and your sense of fun. Marketing is how we inform people about the benefits of our products and services. Consistent marketing is necessary to build a strong business. But let's have fun while we're doing it!
For example, I love to write, so a newsletter is a perfect tool for me. As long as I provide useful news and practical information, my newsletter will be read. The one or two "commercial" messages remind readers how I can help them:
(a) get statewide recognition by advertising in the Florida Directory
(b) be seen as a respected member of Florida's body-mind-spirit community by participating in an 11-year old trusted publication
(c) get 12 months of advertising for just $25 -- plus a free Directory that includes two mini-books.
Here are nine additional "Part 3" methods to consider. They range from minimal expense to costly. A marketing budget is usually figured as a percentage of your estimated sales dollars -- anywhere from 3% to over 10%, depending on your business and your competition. Once you have figured out the dollar amount of your monthly budget and have fixed the display ad portion of your budget, you'll have a better idea of how much you can spend on "Part 3."
(1) Plan a monthly press release campaign to targeted publications for the purpose of obtaining news stories about your business in the various media. (See below for info on a company called PR Leads.)
(2) Obtain word-of-mouth referrals from existing clients by offering rewards such as referral fees, discounts, gift certificates and free services.
(3) Give speeches and demonstrations at bookstores, libraries, trade shows, churches and association meetings. Get the names of attendees and follow up with a phone call or mailing.
(4) Form a networking group of businesses with a similar target market, to share the expenses of mailings, to co-host special events, to purchase supplies in bulk, to brainstorm ideas.
(5) Sponsor events attended by your target market, making sure you're visible in print and in person.
(6) Exhibit at expos and trade shows, collecting attendee names for follow-up after the shows.
(7) Write frequent articles for the publications read by your target market. This adds credibility to your paid ads and demonstrates "what you know" to people in need of your service.
(8) Create a website. Pretty soon we'll all need our own websites, partly because clients expect it, but more so because it's a terrific venue in which to "show your stuff." Don't forget to advertise your website, using traditional and web-based marketing tools.
(9) Develop a sequential direct mail campaign to your mailing list of prospects and clients. If you don't have a prospect list yet, you can purchase mailing labels for the demographics that fit your target market, or you could trade mailing lists with a business whose prospective clients are similar to yours. Direct mail is one of the best ways to reach people directly in their home or business and it lets you explain your products and services fully. You can mail brochures, flyers, sales letters, postcards, news releases, promotional items and more.
(10) What marketing idea can you think of that will be both fun and profitable?
If you're consistent with (1) your display ads, (2) your client follow-ups and (3) your "fun" marketing, you should get all the business you need with just a three-part plan -- as long as you target your market and focus on the "one thing you want to be known for."
~~ DIRECTORY ADVERTISER UPDATES ~~
(1) Jeff Bohrer, MS, LMT returned to the Tampa Bay area in early December after a two-year stay in Arizona. Jeff makes house calls, offering massage therapy and Reiki sessions in your home or office. He also teaches Reiki I, II and Reiki Master classes. Please call (727) 455-1407.
(2) Kathy Doner, MD has added hypnotherapy to her practice of mind-body medicine. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Doner offers hypnotherapy for stress relief, weight and pain management and release from phobias and fears. Her office is in Sebastian; phone (561) 581-0221. Additional information is at
www.kathydonermdchangeworks.com.
(3) Nancy Finck has moved The Herb Room to Healing Alternatives, 201 Keene Road, Suite 6 in Largo. The phone number is (727) 524-6684. Nancy has nutritional products from Hanna Kroger, Nature's Sunshine and Market America Isotonics. She also teaches Reiki and a certification class in Herbalism. Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 am to 6 pm or you can e-mail orders to finckshomeofhealing@msn.com.
(4) Russian-trained bio-energetic healer Andrei Luzin has a new informational website at
www.gcswholesaleclub.com/andrei.html. Andrei employs special techniques to rebalance the aura, energizing the natural ability of the body to recover and maintain good health. Reach him at (727) 443-7530 or andreiluzin@yahoo.com
~~ MARKETING RESOURCES ~~
-- Bill Montgomery of www.healthshaman.com has started a call center service for outbound telemarketing. If "cold calling" is part of your marketing plan, he charges 10 cents per call to either a live person or answering machine. Bill's company has a phone list of 104 million numbers, which you can target by zip code, phone prefix or business SIC code. To discuss conducting a call campaign, phone (503) 659-5390.
-- A new service called PR Leads helps authors, speakers and experts get publicity and press interviews. PR Leads has built a database of reporters who submit requests when they need expert information for their articles. A partial list of topics includes: aging, cancer, careers, children, cooking, dieting, diversity, education, exercise and fitness, financial planning, gay/lesbian, health care/wellness, inspiration, publishing, relationships, religion, seniors, travel, whole life balance, women's issues. If you're an expert in your field and would like to use the media as a way to garner publicity for your business, you may wish to check out the website:
www.prleads.com. A year's subscription for an unlimited number of qualified leads is $295 (under $25 per month if you're adding it to your monthly marketing budget).
Please note, since this newsletter was published, the prices at PR Leads have
increased.
~~ E-MAIL MARKETING TIPS ~~
Virus, Virus, Who's Got the Virus?
If you're conducting business via e-mail, make sure your computer is protected with the most up-to-date anti-virus program you can buy. Most virus protection companies give you free updates for a year and the software automatically scans your e-mail. That way you won't inadvertently send viruses to your clients and prospects, and you'll be protected if someone unknowingly sends you one. New Radiance uses the Norton Anti-Virus program, which also lets you renew your subscription for a second year at a very reasonable rate.
What's in a Name?
If you're a business owner communicating by e-mail, are you using your spouse's or kids' e-mail name? Can you create a short, pithy e-mail address that reinforces your business name or that describes the service you offer? Make your e-mail name and "signature" (see below for my sig) into a marketing tool that works for you every time you send a letter. It's cheap (or free) and it's automatic.
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Barbara Casey, Editor
New Radiance Florida Directory
The 7th Edition of the Metaphysical & Holistic
Florida Directory will be published Winter 2002.
You can include your business for just $25
and receive a free Directory, too.
Details online at www.newradiance.com
PO Box 86674, St. Petersburg, FL 33738
(727) 397-2702 newradiance@earthlink.net
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New Radiance
