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TOPIC: How can I grow this business?

How can I grow this business? 12 years 3 weeks ago #2392

  • Cisscoza
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hello everyone, I have started a small business which is not that popular here yet so it is not really faring very well. I have tried to do some marketing such as giving out brochures and posting online. I also made a simple website for it. However, I think there is really little success so far. Or maybe I am not just doing it right. I tried to ask around for like large-scale advertising such as inserts in publications or even billboards but the cost is just too much for my start-up business. I am like desperate for advice. I know I have a service/product to offer and allows people to save a lot of money! really!! but i don't know why people are not buying. Anyone, care to give me some advice? by the way, my website is www.ciss.co.za. thanks in advance!
Last Edit: 12 years 3 weeks ago by Cisscoza.
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 3 weeks ago #2393

  • Dylan Phelan
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It is impossible for us to give advice if you don't tell us what it is that you are trying to market...
http://www.MSBonline.co.za - Web design, hosting, internet marketing & CRM
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Last Edit: 12 years 3 weeks ago by Dylan Phelan. Reason: spelling!
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 3 weeks ago #2394

  • Cisscoza
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Hi Dylan,

My product is called Continuous Ink Supply System (CISS) and my website is www.ciss.co.za. It is a system that you attached to an inkjet printer. It allows inkjet printer users to save a lot of money because once a printer is converted into ciss, then there will be no further need to buy ink cartridges. The system can practically let you print thousands of pages before the next refill as it comes with almost 400ml of ink for a 4-colour printer. The refill ink, which is very reasonably priced, can be easily added onto an external tank that is part of the CISS. You don't even have to remove any part of the system to refill, just open the tank and pour!

My estimated cost for printing a full colour A4 page can range from about 5 to 12 cents per page using the CISS depending on the document that you are printing. The ink can also be replaced with the type of ink used to print on heat transfer papers for printing on t-shirts, caps, mugs, plates, etc. 1 unit of cis system is equivalent to about 10 to 12 sets of ink cartridges depending on the printer model. Say for example 1 set of ink cartridges costs R400 x 10 compare that to 1 ciss which costs R750, you can see the cost saving proposition.

I will really appreciate any suggestion on how I can grow my business. Thank you in advance!

Note: I have attached here one of the brochures I have given around. This shows some of the printers I am selling which are already converted to CISS. But customers can come and bring their printers in for conversion or they can buy also the system and I provide instructions on how to install.
Last Edit: 12 years 3 weeks ago by Dylan Phelan. Reason: Brochure removed. No advertising in the forum
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 2 weeks ago #2428

OK, to get sales you need traffic. You are going to have to learn some SEO or pay someone to doit for you.

Are you on Facebook and Twitter?

Have you shot a video about your service and put it on YouTube?

If not, get started now!
"Horsepower is how hard you hit the inevitable brick wall, torque is how far you go after you have gone through it!"
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 2 weeks ago #2430

  • Michelle
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Hi Gary. How long has your business been running? Entrepreneurs know that starting up is the hardest part in handling any business. You should continue your efforts in marketing your business online and offline. Know your market and come up with campaigns that fit your target clients. You can't just do general marketing. Be involved with your market.

But another important thing to do is build your network. You have to find the "right" people who can support you and spread the word about your products and or services.
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 2 weeks ago #2441

  • Jacques
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I think a very cost affective strategy for your kind of business might be Google Adwords.

www.google.com/ads/adwords2/

You can do it all yourself, but it can be a bit complicated. You will have to read up a lot about how to setup an affective campaign.

You can also check out Marketing Moter. They basically make AdWords much easier.
I think they charge $90 per month excluding the cost of your AdWords campaign, which you can set to any budget you like.

marketingmotor.net/
Here is more about it.
petesweekly.com/2011/01/still-driving-a-ford-model-t/

I haven't used it myself, but their approach seems sound to me. I think it is probably one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site and get sales.

Good luck.
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 1 week ago #2454

  • ALAN
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Great idea and has very good potential,but you need to get to the user through 'show and sell'people are so skeptical these days and as you well know internet marketing has to be really innovative to get on liners to respond.Demo's at shopping malls and shows really work well for a lot of start up business and you could also have a 20 to one deal with potential customers whereby they supply you 20 of their friends /family/business email addresses that will respond to a email with there names as reference.this ensures that the recipients opens and responds to your business and does not delete as spam.if you get 20 positive responses the info supplier gets a free refill.
hope this helps we started this way with a unique product and the results were amazing.the price of a stand at a mall or show was more profitable than a 1/2 page add in a daily newspaper.
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Re: How can I grow this business? 12 years 1 week ago #2459

  • Silas
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To sell/market online there are a couple things that need to be considered.

1. A well designed and professional looking site. With so many scams and useless products out there people look for a site that delivers a professional image, user reviews, detailed product information, refund policies etc that help them feel comfortable to purchase the product or service.
2. Social Media integration is a must these days. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Etc.
3. Blog articles on your own site and blog affiliates. This helps drive traffic to your site.
4. SEO is a key factor! It can be a very complex and time consuming process to go through. I suggest you get a professional to do this for you. We offer this service at R1000 per month and have proven some great results for our clients.

Feel free to contact me should you need any information about how www.TheHostSpot.com can assist you.
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Re: How can I grow this business? 11 years 11 months ago #2574

Have you given it some time to actually start working for you? Sometimes people start trying out a strategy, wait for a bit, and then automatically assume that it's not working. A lot of people quit too early because of this. Why don't you try gathering some feedback first and see whether or not people are noticing your efforts?
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