The Need
Your business needs new customers in order to thrive. No matter what industry you’re in, word of mouth only goes so far. Whether your goal is wider recognition or increased sales, it can be achieved by communicating clearly about what your company offers and how it satisfies your customers’ needs.

But it can be challenging to decide when and where to spend your hard earned money on increased exposure. Whether you use the Internet, print, or digital media to communicate with potential customers, quality and cost-effectiveness are paramount. Your time is precious, and hiring additional full-time employees is not always feasible. Members of the Apple Solution Experts programme are skilled at utilising the Web, database and e-communication tools offered by Apple, and they are experts at working within your budget to help grow your business.


Every company has unique needs. Members of the Apple Solution Experts programme are experienced and certified in the technologies necessary to provide personalised solutions, such as:

With this wide variety of expertise, you can customise your team on a per project basis. Hiring a consultant reduces your overall development costs by ensuring your money is used effectively.


Step 1: Preparation — Determine needs, audience and budget
First, assess your current customer acquisition process. How are customers finding you, and what are you doing to find them? Decide whether your needs are related to spreading the word about your company (advertising), finding new customers (lead generation) or closing the deal (sales).

Next, decide on the desired outcome. Are you focused on increased revenue, new customers or additional exposure? Understand who your current customer is and who you want to attract. Knowing your target audience and how they are affected by what you offer will inform you on how to reach them most effectively.

Finally, develop a budget based on the type of materials you want to deliver to your audience and the infrastructure required to handle the resulting increase in traffic. Apple Solution Experts can assist throughout this preparation, to ensure you begin your promotional efforts with the information and planning necessary for success.

Step 2: Development — Incorporate solution technologies
To communicate effectively with your target audience, you must be equipped to design, deploy and track your communications. Whether you’re designing a Web site or a sales presentation, this development begins with hardware, such as: the Apple display for high resolution visual design, Power Mac with SuperDrive for fast processing and DVD burning, and Xserve for Web and database hosting.

Apple Solution Expert members can advise you on hardware purchases, and offer a wide range of set-up and training services to get you started. They can also help you realise the full potential of software such as FileMaker Pro, for managing your customer database, and Keynote for creating high-quality presentations. In addition, Solution Experts increase the benefits of Apple products such as iLife and .Mac, by using these tools to design and deploy your e-communications. And for digital media development they’ll help you to use tools like iDVD and DVD Studio Pro.

No matter how you choose to promote your business, high quality multimedia, such as QuickTime movies or digital photos, will enhance the effect of your message. Many members of the Apple Solution Experts programme are creative professionals experienced in design tools such as Adobe suite of products, QuarkXPress and Macromedia Flash.

Step 3: Implementation — Design, deploy and track
your communications
Determine your key message by focusing on what you’d like to achieve and who you’d like to reach. Then design the layout of your materials to fit your audience and message. Apple Solution Experts can help create attractive design templates for advertisements, mailings and presentations — to create a consistent look for your business and to enable use of the same designs in the future.

Deploy your message in the way that best reaches your audience. Presentations and e-commerce Web sites are often utilised for sales, while email blasts and online or print advertising are common marketing vehicles. No matter how you reach your audience, members of the Apple Solution Experts programme can help ensure the success of your efforts by tracking your response rates, maintaining a database for managing leads, and providing follow-up with new customers.

Step 4: Retention — Maintain and support your success
Based on the success rate of your initial efforts, you may want to reassess your target audience and how you approach them. Apple Solution Experts provide training and follow-up support to ensure that your promotional investment doesn’t end when you complete your first DVD or send your first email. Your relationship with a member of the Apple Solution Experts programme can be ongoing, utilising different aspects of their expertise as your business grows and your needs change.