ForumsAdvertising, Sales and Marketing

How are your public speaking skills? I think a very effective way to market this would be face-to-face with the busy professionals who make up your prospective buyers. You might consider putting together a short speech or presentation on something like "Coping with Stress" where you offer the basic guidelines (diet, exercise, rest, perspective, coping resources, etc.). Certainly, as a physician, you have the credentials to speak on the subject. Local chapters of professional associations, meeting planners for regional conferences, etc. are always looking for credible (but free) speakers, and are generally willing to let you do some "back of the room" selling in exchange. You get a captive audience and a chance to educate them while presenting a solution to a problem they want to solve -- so it's not a "pushy" style of selling at all. You can offer "tonight only" discounts to close sales, and offer to extend the discount to anyone that a new customer refers during the next week. (On a service like this, the potential for someone to sell a friend or family member on trying it is very high.)

Hope that helps. Welcome to the community and best wishes.

Don't forget your local markets. Many consumers are looking there for healthy choices and you can bring those healthy choices to their doors.

Like someone else said public speaking is great. Get involved with your local wellness Meetup.com groups and be a good participant and pitch when you are able.

As to your PPC campaigning, always be testing! It's difficult but you need PPC to pay for itself, if its not, it's not working.

Lastly write for your local journals. You may not realize it but most all publications are pitched to. You should have some alternative health journals, local "creative loafing" style weekly periodicals. Pitch them a few good stories on eating well and the ease of burden a delivery service helps with.

Lastly, hire a professional. If this is sinking too much of your time, and time is money, get some pros to work with you, set out good goals and work towards them.

Scott, why dont you use www.apons.nearu.us

It allows you to send out immediate texts/sms to your clients about special offers like free drinks with any purchase etc. You can also save money from printing

Antony

Docscott358,

I can understand some of the comments in your search for advice. The issue with the internet and websites are that people are not educated in the matter which get trapped into spending and not understanding which these website builders take advantage of. I believe that anyone can go online and take tutorials on web design and search engine optimization and wing it, not to say some have not been somewhat successful but it really takes creative approach and mindset which creates the results a company desires. Nowadays anyone can build a website and claim results without true credibility and creativity to make a fast buck. There are thousands of people that are trying to reach the American Dream by winging it without the true industry experience which in many ways is why there are people that are skepticle about web design because they have been burned. There is no excuse for a business becoming a learning curve for a web master but that business owner is also to blame because they are shopping around to cut costs and cut corners. I am not saying that you need to spend thousands upon thousands for the internet marketing company to take your business to a new level but you generally get what you paid for.

I applaud you for the passion in your product which is the first step in making a business work but I want to ask you a few questions.

1. Have done your research on the product?
2. Have you researched the market for your product?
3. Have you studied market trends?
4. Have you researched market saturation of your product?
5. Have you researched all the different marketing stratagies for your product?
6. Have you pin pointed your target demographics for your products?
7. Have set a budget in your marketing that will be the building blocks to your success?
8. Do you have a business plan?

I ask these questions because long ago I was really into health, wellness and fitness but attemped to become successfull without asking these questions and then once I have done my due diligance executed my plan. I know you are a very educated individual and as a physician you believe in the food plan for weight loss which myself at one point being a licensed nutritionist preach myself.

Not that I want to promote myself but after much education and ample experience in marketing, internet marketing, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web development and business development I recommend the fallowing:

Assumming that you are going to conduct your business through the internet marketing avenue...

1. Invest in a creative web design which is not way too flashy nor way too conservative
2. Invest in real view flash video because if you hire a model it is too expensive and not always will attract the right clients. example: Why is Bally Total Fitness, LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness and Life Time Fitness struggling to rack in true revenue? It is because they are getting what I call recycled traffice which means people switching from gym to gym and part of that problem is because they are not attracting and advertising for the right people. They need to have a balance in their advertisments. When I see a Bally's commercial I see beautiful people working out but what about regular people that work hard and have a family that take up alot of their time?
3. Invest in a company which is creative and the only way to do so is to be intuitive when interviewing them because it is your investment and it needs to be protected.

I leave it at that and I wish you the best.

James Real
President/CEO
Innovative Technologeis
www.innovativestores.com

Lighthouse24,
Thanks for the suggestions. I like the idea of speaking to groups and I'm sure I can find some kind of meeting planners here in south Florida
Scott

Hi Scott,

Pay per clicks can get REAL expensive, especially if people aren't buying! I have an advertising business, and before that I was a small business owner (photographer) and I completely understand the frustration of letting people know that you exist. I can get an ad set up for you in the zip codes that YOU choose for as little as $50/month ON THE INTERNET! You do NOT need a fancy web site. Those are expensive too. In my business, you can upload photos, coupons, and even videos of your business! Please go to this web site to see what it's all about. www.localadlink.com We will push your business out there so that you can finally be seen! You really have nothing to lose! Please let me know how I can be of assistance. By the way, your idea IS great!

Sincerely,
Muriel

Hi Scott,

I hope I'm not yet too late, since you mentioned that you already advertised your products on TV and gave little or no result I think you are missing one vital tool in advertising - having an easy to remember toll free number. No question about it-TV advertising remains one of the best ways to get
a time-sensitive marketing message in front of prospective customers.Pair it with a vanity toll free number, and you're maximizing the
chances of a direct response to your campaign. Try this site for a customized toll free number http://www.customtollfree.com