3 Key Elements Every Marketing Message Must Have:

1. Element #1 – You need a specific target market
   
   It’s important to identify specifically who your ideal client is. Determine the demographics and psychographics of your client-base so you know who you will be targeting your marketing message to.
   
   
2. Element #2 – Identify your target market’s problems and emotions
   
   You can uncover this information by talking to potential clients on the phone and subscribing to the same publications. In doing this, you are going to discover what problems your target market is dealing with, what emotions they experience (e.g. – are they frustrated with slow computers), whether or not they know how to make smart technology decisions, and what problems they have with their business that technology can help them solve.

3. Element #3 – Explain the benefits of your serviceA big mistake that I see IT business owners make all the time in their marketing is they list out what their service IS but they don’t list out what their service DOES.The reality is, people don’t care what your service IS – they hire you for what it DOES. They hire you because they have a problem and they want it fixed, but they don’t care what you do to fix it.The easiest way to determine what the benefits are of your service is to first list out all of the FEATURES that your service provides and then list the BENEFITS of each feature.  For example, if you are marketing a virus removal service, example features might be the amount of time it takes you to do the work, a special technique you use to perform the work, steps you take to remove the virus, and your response time to emergency calls. For each one of these features, you would then list out the benefits they provide your client.  Example benefits might be an end to your client’s frustration or the productivity that your client gains due to their computer running faster and more efficient. Once you discover the benefits of your service, list them in bullet point form in your marketing. Use the benefits of your service as the centerpiece for your marketing, because they will generate the largest emotional response from potential clients.

KEY TIP  - Whenever possible…market to PROBLEMS! Marketing to problems is powerful, especially in the IT industry, because problems are “hot – buttons” that motivate buying behavior.  This is due to the fact that we all endure problems and we are “wired” to want to solve them.  When you talk to someone about problems in your marketing, 2 things happen:

First, you grab their attention by talking about something they truly care about. Second, just the fact that you can identify the problem they are experiencing makes you more credible because they will assume that if you know what their problems are then most likely you know how to FIX their problems.  This will make them much more inclined to hire you.

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Just like with all of your marketing, you must create a systematic process to cultivating referrals. Even if you are already asking for referrals from your clients, imagine how much MORE business you could secure if you were aggressive and thorough in your approach!

So What Is The #1  Secret To Generating A Flood Of Referrals?

You’ll be surprised to know that the answer doesn’t involve slick sales letters or cute marketing campaigns. The best way to generate massive referral business is to earn it by WOWING your clients.

Here’s the thing…

If you provide good service that meets your clients expectations, they will not refer you to their friends and family. If you successfully EXCEED their expectations, deliver MORE than they expect from you, and hand them a total WOW experience, they will become super clients.

• Super clients will happily pay premium prices for your services.
• Super clients will buy from you often.
• Super clients will tell everyone how much they love your company and gladly bring you a ton of new business

So ask yourself this: Are your clients just satisfied with your work or are they RAVING about it? What can you do to blindside them with incredible service?

Case In Point: Consider The iPhone

Apple sold over 13.7 million iPhones in 2008 alone. They sold 3.7 million MORE iPhones then what they expected to sell from the marketing they put in place. Why did sales growth explode beyond their expectations without any additional effort? It’s because of the PRODUCT. The iPhone is such a “WOW” product and delivers features that consumers have never experienced before. Buyers are so impressed after they purchase and start using their iPhone that they become super clients and do everything in their power to tell their friends and family how amazing the product is and how everyone should buy one! This kind of word of mouth is free and priceless. Apple doesn’t solicit for referrals. They don’t offer affiliate marketing and cute referral campaigns. They just focus on delivering an incredible product and let the product sell itself. For Apple, this approach brought them an additional 3.7 million units sold.

To “WOW” your clients, you need a knockout punch of a unique service, an organized and systematic customer service and support follow-up plan, and marketing that educates clients on the value they are receiving. You may be delivering a “WOW” service but if you don’t educate your clients to the point that they truly understand and appreciate every detail of value you are providing them, they will not realize how much you are helping them and ultimately not turn into super clients.

My Computer Repair Business In-A-Box teaches you a “WOW” computer consulting service you can provide and comes with 1-year’s worth of “done-for-you” marketing campaigns that are designed to sell your service, position your company as unique, and educate prospects and customers on the value you are providing.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that now that you’ve serviced a client, you can check them off of your list and plan on steady repeat business from them for years to come. The reality is, while your existing clients may love your work and have every intention of hiring you again, they probably won’t. That is, they won’t if you let them forget. Your clients get so caught up in their own lives that your company will slip further and further to the back of their minds after you last worked with them.

Consider yourself for a moment. When was the last time you had your oil changed? Did you have it done at exactly 3,000 miles? Did you put it off? Did you forget? Are you going to the dentist regularly? I bet you put things off and forget to do them just like everyone does. It’s ok. You’re only human, but you have to recognize that so are your clients.

Imagine the current state your repeat business is in. Are you getting a lot? Now, imagine what it would be like if you reminded your clients about your products and services on a monthly basis. Since neither you nor your clients know when they are going to need help again, you have to keep your relationships connected.

You can’t expect your clients to remember every service you provide. Many times, a client will need something they didn’t realize you offered, and so they hire your competitor to do the work, and then all of a sudden your competitor steps in and takes over completely. This won’t happen if you implement the following ideas.

Here are 3 ways you can triple your recurring business:

1. Communicate with your entire client database every month. The best way to do this is online and offline through a newsletter. You can feature one client every month and showcase how you’ve helped them increase productivity, save money from virus removal, etc. You can also provide a little tip column featuring monthly advice that provides useful tips to your clients on how they can maximize the use of their computers and network. At the end, of course, you will want to pick one service or product you offer and feature it.The key is repetition. And mailing your newsletter will have far more effective results than if you just posted to your blog or website. A great way to cover the costs of print and mailing is to offer ad space to a company with similar interests in your client market.
2. Add some kind of subscription element to every service you provide. Providing break-fix is the quickest way to go broke-fast. You have to secure monthly recurring revenue to grow your business. This monthly revenue will keep your clients loyal and triple their lifetime value with you. Some ways I’ve set my coaching clients up with this kind of revenue is through managed service contracts (of course), web hosting, phone systems, and spam filtering.
3. Establish a formal referral system. Put it in all of your communication with clients (newsletters, invoices, email signature). Offer a bonus or discount to your service in exchange for 3 or 4 names of friends or associates who would benefit from your service. Offer an even better bonus or service discount if any of those names hire you. Putting a formal referral system in place will create the kind of stucture your clients need to effectively bring you more business. Plus, you will be providing them with something of value and positively encouraging word of mouth.

So before you start spending money and time trying to get new clients, work on the ones you already have. Your chances of success are extremely high because you’ve already established rapport. It is much easier to get a client to say yes again than it is to get a stranger to say yes for the first time. Remember that.

To learn more strategies on marketing your IT business, and to receive a full year’s worth of ‘done for you’ marketing campaigns, consider investing in my Computer Consulting Business In-A-Box.