The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Marketers enable the kind of transformational marketing that changes brand trajectories, career paths, sometimes entire companies and even industries. The six habits of highly effective marketers include:
1. Making Marketing Dollars Work Harder.
Highly effective marketers know that like any other investment activity, marketing decisions can be carefully evaluated based on return-on-investment criteria. To download more about this habit.
2. Challenging Conventional Approaches to Targeting.
Highly effective marketers recognize that no one—NO ONE—can possibly know a priori the best way to segment the market or which target will be most profitable. To download more about this habit.
3. Taking a Position—Make Your Brand Stand for Something
Highly effective marketers know that without a strong positioning, their brands will falter. To download more about this habit.
4. Selecting the Most Profitable Product, Not the Most Appealing.
Highly effective marketers know that managers cannot, flying by instinct and gut feel, simply pick the most profitable product or service from among all the possible design combinations. To download more about this habit.
5. Connecting Inputs to Outputs in Marketing Plans and Compulsively Implement Them.Highly effective marketers don't rely on divine intervention and good luck to develop and execute the marketing plan. To download more about this habit.
6. Building a Great Brand While Your Competitors Commoditize
Highly effective marketers recognize that a brand's equity is comprised of different components, which can and should be studied separately. To download more about this habit.
Relationship Marketing...What Are The Benefits?
Relationship Marketing (RM) has really become the forefront of marketing for any business because you cannot afford not to implement this is your marketing business model. Relationship Marketing opens the door for you to engage and communicate with your clients. Especially now with the explosion on social media-marketing and the technology available, you should be creating various streams of revenue for your business.
Relationship Marketing takes on forms such as: (1) Creating Customer Satisfaction, (2) Building Brand Equity, and (3) Creating and Maintaining Relationships; which of all provides some success with any other marketing communication strategies. In other ways, you are trying to achieve a strong brand loyalty for your business through building meaningful relationships with your clients. Your brand equity consists of mass media advertising, public events, sponsorships, marketing collateral and communications strategies that all play a part of the engagement process.
If working with small improvements and implementing small steps in your marketing would afford you by costing you less to serve long-term customers and understand that loyal customers will pay a price premium and they also generate word-of-mouth referrals to other prospective customers.
RM is all about making your loyal client base both more loyal and more profitable. So what are you doing to create a stronger Relationship Marketing campaign for 2010? You cannot afford not to implement this process in your marketing model, because it will only increase your MROI.
Relationship Marketing takes on forms such as: (1) Creating Customer Satisfaction, (2) Building Brand Equity, and (3) Creating and Maintaining Relationships; which of all provides some success with any other marketing communication strategies. In other ways, you are trying to achieve a strong brand loyalty for your business through building meaningful relationships with your clients. Your brand equity consists of mass media advertising, public events, sponsorships, marketing collateral and communications strategies that all play a part of the engagement process.
If working with small improvements and implementing small steps in your marketing would afford you by costing you less to serve long-term customers and understand that loyal customers will pay a price premium and they also generate word-of-mouth referrals to other prospective customers.
RM is all about making your loyal client base both more loyal and more profitable. So what are you doing to create a stronger Relationship Marketing campaign for 2010? You cannot afford not to implement this process in your marketing model, because it will only increase your MROI.
A Few Of Ways To Save Money in Marketing
Because businesses are struggling in this economy, saving money has become a "must do" in business in order to make a little profit. There are some things to think about when looking at cutting back on marketing; although, you cannot cut out marketing totally and still be successful in business, because no one would know that you exist. So here are a few things to ponder over.
Eliminate Waste
Over the years I've looked at hundreds of marketing programs, and I can tell you honestly that nearly all of them have some kind of hole that either drains money directly or allows leads to be lost.
Before you cut anything, take a good hard look at what you're doing. Are there programs that aren't delivering the results you anticipated? Fix them or get rid of them.
Is there anything that can't be traced to increasing sales opportunities? Unless you have a pile of extra money, now is not the time to be spending money on marketing efforts that don't generate more leads or develop the ones you have.
Make Fewer Mistakes
Another way to say this is: turn to people who know what they're doing.
Marketing - which has never been exactly simple - has changed a lot in the past few years. Customers and prospects are in charge now, and they're looking for you online. If you're not on the internet, you're not in the game.
While I admire business owners who try to figure marketing out for themselves, it wastes a lot of time and it leads to mistakes that could be avoided with some experience.
You may not need a proven marketing pro on staff, but if you don't have one somewhere on your team you're probably wasting money.
Consider Outsourcing
To have a successful marketing program today requires skills in multiple disciplines - some of which didn't even exist a decade or so ago. For example, you need website strategy and development, search engine optimization, paid search marketing, prospect conversion optimization, lead nurturing and web marketing - just to name a few.
Staffing an in-house team with all of this expertise would cost more than most small to mid-sized businesses are willing or able to invest. Yet you can easily - and cost effectively - get this expertise from an outside firm or group of individuals.
Eliminate Waste
Over the years I've looked at hundreds of marketing programs, and I can tell you honestly that nearly all of them have some kind of hole that either drains money directly or allows leads to be lost.
Before you cut anything, take a good hard look at what you're doing. Are there programs that aren't delivering the results you anticipated? Fix them or get rid of them.
Is there anything that can't be traced to increasing sales opportunities? Unless you have a pile of extra money, now is not the time to be spending money on marketing efforts that don't generate more leads or develop the ones you have.
Make Fewer Mistakes
Another way to say this is: turn to people who know what they're doing.
Marketing - which has never been exactly simple - has changed a lot in the past few years. Customers and prospects are in charge now, and they're looking for you online. If you're not on the internet, you're not in the game.
While I admire business owners who try to figure marketing out for themselves, it wastes a lot of time and it leads to mistakes that could be avoided with some experience.
You may not need a proven marketing pro on staff, but if you don't have one somewhere on your team you're probably wasting money.
Consider Outsourcing
To have a successful marketing program today requires skills in multiple disciplines - some of which didn't even exist a decade or so ago. For example, you need website strategy and development, search engine optimization, paid search marketing, prospect conversion optimization, lead nurturing and web marketing - just to name a few.
Staffing an in-house team with all of this expertise would cost more than most small to mid-sized businesses are willing or able to invest. Yet you can easily - and cost effectively - get this expertise from an outside firm or group of individuals.
Relationship Marketing
Relationship Marketing is a based on the creation of a mutually beneficial exchange between business partners, business to business or business to customer. This relationship requires personal communication and interpersonal skills that could be built upon as the relationship grows. Relationship marketing is not the "Free for all" missing piece when it comes to a marketing strategy but it plays a major role in the process. There are many examples as to why marketing strategies don't work and that is because some of the applications are not conducive to client's background, capabilities, and their business model.
Relationship marketing is only to recall enhance the existing marketing business model that is already in place; therefore, making the campaign more capturing and innovative. The basis for relationship marketing is that it builds a commitment to customer loyalty of the interdependence and interactive communication between partners and clients.
In building marketing strategies that are based on customer satisfaction, building brand equity, and creating and maintaining relationships that would provide a greater sense of customer commitment and satisfaction. With the growth of marketing databases and the Internet, the ability to reach customers individually became a viable strategy for a wide range of firms including consumer products companies.
It has been concluded in some instances that relationship building contributes to the costing of less to serve long-term customers, loyal customers will pay a price premium, and that loyal customers will generate word-of-mouth referrals to other prospective customers.
Relationship marketing is only to recall enhance the existing marketing business model that is already in place; therefore, making the campaign more capturing and innovative. The basis for relationship marketing is that it builds a commitment to customer loyalty of the interdependence and interactive communication between partners and clients.
In building marketing strategies that are based on customer satisfaction, building brand equity, and creating and maintaining relationships that would provide a greater sense of customer commitment and satisfaction. With the growth of marketing databases and the Internet, the ability to reach customers individually became a viable strategy for a wide range of firms including consumer products companies.
It has been concluded in some instances that relationship building contributes to the costing of less to serve long-term customers, loyal customers will pay a price premium, and that loyal customers will generate word-of-mouth referrals to other prospective customers.
Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategies
Internet Marketing has become the new-age of marketing, please don't waste your marketing and advertising dollars on traditional marketing with your magazines, newspapers, television and radio. Internet Marketing has attracted twice as much more people than the traditional marketing. It attracts more people to your website, increase customers for your business and it really enhances the branding of any company. Here are a few strategies to keep in mind when preparing your Internet Marketing Strategies:
1. Learn how to blog and become interacting with your clients and even your potential clients.
2. Learn how to use the best email Marketing tools for your company, because all of them may not fit into your marketing mix.
3. Dominate your marketing niche with reseller, associate programs, and affiliate programs.
4. Build a creative and responsive "Opt-In" email list by offering something for free (ex. newsletter, white paper) that will entice your potential clients.
5. Publish articles and get them noticed.
6. Write and publish online press releases to your particular industry leader websites and associations.
7. Create and facilitate a contest or a giveaway on your website.
8. Get noticed and ranked in your industry and search engines.
9. Start by planning an Internet Marketing strategy that is within your budget.
10. Market your business and Test, Test, Test!!!
Watch how you market your business and see it grow by leaps and bounds through Intenet Marketing.
1. Learn how to blog and become interacting with your clients and even your potential clients.
2. Learn how to use the best email Marketing tools for your company, because all of them may not fit into your marketing mix.
3. Dominate your marketing niche with reseller, associate programs, and affiliate programs.
4. Build a creative and responsive "Opt-In" email list by offering something for free (ex. newsletter, white paper) that will entice your potential clients.
5. Publish articles and get them noticed.
6. Write and publish online press releases to your particular industry leader websites and associations.
7. Create and facilitate a contest or a giveaway on your website.
8. Get noticed and ranked in your industry and search engines.
9. Start by planning an Internet Marketing strategy that is within your budget.
10. Market your business and Test, Test, Test!!!
Watch how you market your business and see it grow by leaps and bounds through Intenet Marketing.
Questions For Finding a Marketing Consultant
Questions for Finding a B2B Marketing Consultant
When looking for a B2B Marketing Consultant the most important objective is to find what the possible MROI is and how that outsourcing would fit into the overall piece of the marketing budget. There are essential tools that the B2B Marketing Consultant must have that would ensure quality and a fit for business.
10 Possible Questions Include:
1. Who will I be working with on a day to day basis? Who will be supporting that person?
2. Could you share examples of your work that communicate your track record?
3. Do you see special issues around marketing products and services to businesses?
4. How would you get to know our niche and target audience?
5. Could you help us compare different ways of marketing?
6. Could you help is use social media like blogging, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business?
7. Could you help us get emails to clients and prospects and prospects opened and read more often?
8. How should you gauge success in this engagement with your firm?
9. Do you have an inbound marketing approach, or more of an outbound approach?
10. Could you help us rank higher than our competitor in search engine results?
When hiring a B2B Marketing Consultant, they should perhaps be a trainer and show their proof of performance and capacity to create a working relationship that will ensure success for both parties. To engage B2B decision makers, companies need to prove their value through a strong business case, build sites and other communications vehicles in a way that fosters trust, and pull in prospects. Helping companies get that done requires that special marketing skill.
In addition, when looking at B2B marketing consultants, the qualities considered should include their methodologies, marketing disciplines, Internet marketing concepts, and how they test the results. There should be test, test, and test to steadily improve a company’s marketing ROI.
When looking for a B2B Marketing Consultant the most important objective is to find what the possible MROI is and how that outsourcing would fit into the overall piece of the marketing budget. There are essential tools that the B2B Marketing Consultant must have that would ensure quality and a fit for business.
10 Possible Questions Include:
1. Who will I be working with on a day to day basis? Who will be supporting that person?
2. Could you share examples of your work that communicate your track record?
3. Do you see special issues around marketing products and services to businesses?
4. How would you get to know our niche and target audience?
5. Could you help us compare different ways of marketing?
6. Could you help is use social media like blogging, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business?
7. Could you help us get emails to clients and prospects and prospects opened and read more often?
8. How should you gauge success in this engagement with your firm?
9. Do you have an inbound marketing approach, or more of an outbound approach?
10. Could you help us rank higher than our competitor in search engine results?
When hiring a B2B Marketing Consultant, they should perhaps be a trainer and show their proof of performance and capacity to create a working relationship that will ensure success for both parties. To engage B2B decision makers, companies need to prove their value through a strong business case, build sites and other communications vehicles in a way that fosters trust, and pull in prospects. Helping companies get that done requires that special marketing skill.
In addition, when looking at B2B marketing consultants, the qualities considered should include their methodologies, marketing disciplines, Internet marketing concepts, and how they test the results. There should be test, test, and test to steadily improve a company’s marketing ROI.
Move Your Company Forward With An Outside CMO
Many companies are finding that they get more bang for their buck by consulting with outside experts instead of hiring new staff people. Here’s the logic:
Executive Level Talent without a long-term commitment. Most companies avoid hiring the senior level talent they need due to the long-term overhead commitment. Bring in an executive to set a new course and when they hand over the new plan you existing staff can execute. If you are expecting your existing staff to get you any farther than they already have, you are likely expecting too much.
Ability to insert an entire team. Many organizations have an area of their business that is behind the competition. People on your team are already too busy to fix this, but you can easily insert an outside to completely revamp an area of your organization. We have found many companies have failed to keep pace with web / online marketing. Good news is help can be on the inside of your organization in about a week.
Ability to scale up or down at will. Having contractors on staff is much more like dating, as opposed to marrying a full-time employee. If your needs change, so can the people you have working for you.
Fresh Ideas. The new team comes from a variety of experience and backgrounds. All companies suffer from group think and limitations based on what they see. Outsiders avail you to an entirely new set of thoughts and ideas. They will provide a unique perspective that will increase the productivity of your existing workforce.
Peace of mind. Would you like a chance to try before you buy? The risk of hiring someone into your organization is significant. The reality is you can try before you buy at most any level of the organization. Hiring an employee into your organization means you have made at least a short-term commitment. If you hired your CMO or web designer on a contract / consulting basis and they are not a culture fit, making a change is fast and easy.
The concept of outsourcing your CMO is new, while outsourcing your CFO or CIO is more common. Ultimately outsourcing the CMO function makes more sense. Companies with more than $ 1B in revenue must have a CMO, about half of smaller companies are better off with a strong VP and they bring in an interim CMO for 3 months a year to set strategy. The quality of your marketing will increase and the cost saving is tremendous.
Executive Level Talent without a long-term commitment. Most companies avoid hiring the senior level talent they need due to the long-term overhead commitment. Bring in an executive to set a new course and when they hand over the new plan you existing staff can execute. If you are expecting your existing staff to get you any farther than they already have, you are likely expecting too much.
Ability to insert an entire team. Many organizations have an area of their business that is behind the competition. People on your team are already too busy to fix this, but you can easily insert an outside to completely revamp an area of your organization. We have found many companies have failed to keep pace with web / online marketing. Good news is help can be on the inside of your organization in about a week.
Ability to scale up or down at will. Having contractors on staff is much more like dating, as opposed to marrying a full-time employee. If your needs change, so can the people you have working for you.
Fresh Ideas. The new team comes from a variety of experience and backgrounds. All companies suffer from group think and limitations based on what they see. Outsiders avail you to an entirely new set of thoughts and ideas. They will provide a unique perspective that will increase the productivity of your existing workforce.
Peace of mind. Would you like a chance to try before you buy? The risk of hiring someone into your organization is significant. The reality is you can try before you buy at most any level of the organization. Hiring an employee into your organization means you have made at least a short-term commitment. If you hired your CMO or web designer on a contract / consulting basis and they are not a culture fit, making a change is fast and easy.
The concept of outsourcing your CMO is new, while outsourcing your CFO or CIO is more common. Ultimately outsourcing the CMO function makes more sense. Companies with more than $ 1B in revenue must have a CMO, about half of smaller companies are better off with a strong VP and they bring in an interim CMO for 3 months a year to set strategy. The quality of your marketing will increase and the cost saving is tremendous.
Performance of Emails and Company Sales
Email metrics fall into two general categories: "process" metrics that measure your email program's performance currently and over time, and "output" metrics, which measure how your email program contributes to your company's strategic marketing and business goals.
You employ both kinds of metrics in four basic measurement approaches:
*Analyze performance of a single message or campaign and diagnose problems.
*Gain insights into customer/subscriber behavior that can help you deliver more relevant messages.
*Benchmark your program against your peers or your own past performance.
*Measure your email program's performance against specific marketing or company goals.
Most of these uses of metrics measure email processes, such as deliverability rate, open or click rate, or list churn. Unfortunately, this seems to be where most email marketers focus their measurement efforts.
Instead, spend more time measuring your email program against company goals. When you can show how email helps solve some of your company's most pressing concerns, you speak the language your executives understand. Your reward is increased management mindshare and resources.
You employ both kinds of metrics in four basic measurement approaches:
*Analyze performance of a single message or campaign and diagnose problems.
*Gain insights into customer/subscriber behavior that can help you deliver more relevant messages.
*Benchmark your program against your peers or your own past performance.
*Measure your email program's performance against specific marketing or company goals.
Most of these uses of metrics measure email processes, such as deliverability rate, open or click rate, or list churn. Unfortunately, this seems to be where most email marketers focus their measurement efforts.
Instead, spend more time measuring your email program against company goals. When you can show how email helps solve some of your company's most pressing concerns, you speak the language your executives understand. Your reward is increased management mindshare and resources.
Jumpstart Your Marketing In a Recession
Jumpstart Your Marketing For The 3rd & 4th Quarters
Is your business profiting in this recession or are you barely staying a float? Is your marketing strategy strong for 2010 to increase your sales by 15 percent or more? Are your marketing concepts consistent with your business vision? Or the better question should be “Have you written your marketing and business strategy out?” It’s the beginning of the year and it is traditional to make New Year’s resolutions, but you should have your strategies in place for building your business. According to the market researcher Dr. Steven Kraus, author of “Psychological Foundations of Success,” only 15% of the people who have made New Year’s resolutions manage to keep them, but have you? So what are you planning to do the rest of the year to assure that your business is on pace for success?
Planning and strategizing consists of clear defining priorities, considering in advance the resources available, monitoring performance, breaking the strategies down into clear measurable objectives based on a timetable that are easier to achieve along with fostering a well organized team around you. All of these of which are to create an environment of success for your organization. It is always excellent business practices to have strategies in place for business growth because without these commitments, businesses will fail. A lot of businesses are failing because of choosing goals and strategies that are not in relation to the business vision and some are not measurable or realistic. Without these strategies in place, it is hard to convert annual declarations into your daily action plans which then convert to business slipping away in light of other responsibilities and conflicting demands of your time. If this happens the business will go throughout the year without having completed any of the goals set and having to revamp for business failure.
Some of the top business strategies to increase success that are suggested for 2009-10 are that of the following:
1. Commit to your business success by making a decision to pursue your goals consistently.
With each passing day, your business success should be your number one priority. You should have a commitment to work on your business daily with specific goals in mind of what you want to achieve that day, whether it is working on the administration on Monday, marketing on Tuesday, business development on Wednesday, client work on Thursday and finances on Friday. As long as you have a plan that you are working on daily basis you are measuring your success daily with small wins. It makes you more excited that you have accomplished something daily and you look forward to working towards your dream.
The reality is that no one is looking over your shoulder as an entrepreneur or business owner and you are the one that is making things happen. So prioritizing will assist you in making it more enjoyable. For instance, if you have a huge proposal to get done and you have a deadline of three weeks out, would you work on it daily or would you wait to the last minute? Which one will give you the most enjoyable satisfaction, or course, the daily option would be better as opposed to procrastination. Your intentions have to be deliberate in order to be successful.
2. Know exactly what you want, what it will take to get there and how long.
When you are building or operating your business, it is easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” of business such as, “You should be looking at specific territories,” says the sales representative. “You should be going after the big accounts,” says the industry veteran. “You should be advertising your business,” says the advertising agent. All of these which are somewhat necessary, but you knowing what your business needs to succeed is the key. You may not need all of those things at that particular time, but know what is needed to build your business to the specificity of proven strategies for that particular industry.
By being self-employed, you can make your own agenda and do what you need to perform and operate. As a business owner, you cannot operate your business and do the marketing, finances, business development, administration and all that it entails without being overwhelmed. A good suggestion for an entrepreneur is to surround themselves with professionals that have the expertise that you don’t have or don’t have time to do, so that the business can prosper. In other words, know your strengths, weaknesses and limits. You have to make decisions that are best for the business, but with trusted support.
3. Keep your strategic plan reasonable, yet stretch the business for success.
Normally, the straightforward and simple the plan, it will be easier to execute. If you have too many people involved in the assisting with the plan, it will be a challenge and perhaps slow your progress down. Understand that if you have a simple plan you can stay focused on the tasks on a smaller scale as opposed to a complex plan that will perhaps never get done. Strategic plans need to be:
• S-I-M-P-L-E. It doesn’t need to be elaborate.
• But it needs to be where you or your employees can execute within a reasonable amount of time and with excitement.
• The results need to be seen as tangible measurements that can be completed within 30 to 90 days. Make sure that the measurements are noted and celebrated even for the smaller tasks.
Is your business profiting in this recession or are you barely staying a float? Is your marketing strategy strong for 2010 to increase your sales by 15 percent or more? Are your marketing concepts consistent with your business vision? Or the better question should be “Have you written your marketing and business strategy out?” It’s the beginning of the year and it is traditional to make New Year’s resolutions, but you should have your strategies in place for building your business. According to the market researcher Dr. Steven Kraus, author of “Psychological Foundations of Success,” only 15% of the people who have made New Year’s resolutions manage to keep them, but have you? So what are you planning to do the rest of the year to assure that your business is on pace for success?
Planning and strategizing consists of clear defining priorities, considering in advance the resources available, monitoring performance, breaking the strategies down into clear measurable objectives based on a timetable that are easier to achieve along with fostering a well organized team around you. All of these of which are to create an environment of success for your organization. It is always excellent business practices to have strategies in place for business growth because without these commitments, businesses will fail. A lot of businesses are failing because of choosing goals and strategies that are not in relation to the business vision and some are not measurable or realistic. Without these strategies in place, it is hard to convert annual declarations into your daily action plans which then convert to business slipping away in light of other responsibilities and conflicting demands of your time. If this happens the business will go throughout the year without having completed any of the goals set and having to revamp for business failure.
Some of the top business strategies to increase success that are suggested for 2009-10 are that of the following:
1. Commit to your business success by making a decision to pursue your goals consistently.
With each passing day, your business success should be your number one priority. You should have a commitment to work on your business daily with specific goals in mind of what you want to achieve that day, whether it is working on the administration on Monday, marketing on Tuesday, business development on Wednesday, client work on Thursday and finances on Friday. As long as you have a plan that you are working on daily basis you are measuring your success daily with small wins. It makes you more excited that you have accomplished something daily and you look forward to working towards your dream.
The reality is that no one is looking over your shoulder as an entrepreneur or business owner and you are the one that is making things happen. So prioritizing will assist you in making it more enjoyable. For instance, if you have a huge proposal to get done and you have a deadline of three weeks out, would you work on it daily or would you wait to the last minute? Which one will give you the most enjoyable satisfaction, or course, the daily option would be better as opposed to procrastination. Your intentions have to be deliberate in order to be successful.
2. Know exactly what you want, what it will take to get there and how long.
When you are building or operating your business, it is easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” of business such as, “You should be looking at specific territories,” says the sales representative. “You should be going after the big accounts,” says the industry veteran. “You should be advertising your business,” says the advertising agent. All of these which are somewhat necessary, but you knowing what your business needs to succeed is the key. You may not need all of those things at that particular time, but know what is needed to build your business to the specificity of proven strategies for that particular industry.
By being self-employed, you can make your own agenda and do what you need to perform and operate. As a business owner, you cannot operate your business and do the marketing, finances, business development, administration and all that it entails without being overwhelmed. A good suggestion for an entrepreneur is to surround themselves with professionals that have the expertise that you don’t have or don’t have time to do, so that the business can prosper. In other words, know your strengths, weaknesses and limits. You have to make decisions that are best for the business, but with trusted support.
3. Keep your strategic plan reasonable, yet stretch the business for success.
Normally, the straightforward and simple the plan, it will be easier to execute. If you have too many people involved in the assisting with the plan, it will be a challenge and perhaps slow your progress down. Understand that if you have a simple plan you can stay focused on the tasks on a smaller scale as opposed to a complex plan that will perhaps never get done. Strategic plans need to be:
• S-I-M-P-L-E. It doesn’t need to be elaborate.
• But it needs to be where you or your employees can execute within a reasonable amount of time and with excitement.
• The results need to be seen as tangible measurements that can be completed within 30 to 90 days. Make sure that the measurements are noted and celebrated even for the smaller tasks.
7 Steps To Direct Mail Targets
7 Steps To Direct Mail Targets
Increase Your ROI?
The new age of the technology has taken over, but it is still the style of marketing communications to provide your clients and customers with printed materials. Direct mail is still the main communications tool to get in front of your clients and customers. It brings about brand loyalty and also you can have complete control of the marketing. Print, radio and television advertising, along with online-mail and your website are uncontrollable, whereas you cannot direct who is going to receive it, but going out to the masses, where it is not controlled.
For anyone who is in business knows that most of their clients will come from marketing and sales leads where they are depending on customer contact information, they have to be able to located those meaningful prospects that will bring in the business. The marketing collateral can target the prospects by flyers, postcards, letters, personalized notes and catalogs of your products by getting them directly in form of them. If the marketing collateral is well put together, eye-catching, and has the message that you would like to say, then it is more cost-effective to target those clients. Yet that is not all. It must have the right presentation, offering something and has a call-to-action, you can close a sale faster than it reaching the masses.
With the right tools, time and great execution, your direct mail efforts will result in great payoffs.
The main key is to know who your target audience because getting in front of them is not wasting our time, it is increasing their awareness of your product of service, so you cannot go wrong with direct mail marketing. Yet, the information technology is good to drive people to your website and boost sales, but it is not as effective as getting directly in front of your client. The prospect’s eye is who you should be focusing on. A great sale is getting the right message, product or service in front of the right prospect at the right time. Some experts say that 40 percent of the direct mail success is depending on our own lists of prospects.
If you are looking to increase sales, for example, look at the marketing consultant who is sending out postcards in his campaign to get prospects to come out to a seminar on marketing your business – to clients who needs marketing but doesn’t have time. Or think of the real estate agent who would send out an invitation to an open house or a home buying seminar - those are directed towards special targets that can be captured not to the masses of people on an electronic tools.
1. Know Your Expectations
We know that when you send out targeted mail to a potential client that you are running a risk o them opening your mail that doesn’t guarantee that it will result in a sale, yet if they see your information long enough and when that need comes available, your company would be one of the ones that they would call. It takes at least seven times for you to get your company brand in front of a client before they can recall your business. So your expectations would need to be realistic as you grow your lists. Having a well-targeted list will increase your odds of success.
Knowing that the average response rats varies with seasons, holidays, and other many factors that could increase or decrease your mail response; therefore, being strategic in your mailings is key. The average response rate depends on the package’s overall appeal, the offer, what the product or service is and the quality if your mailing list.
The expectations should be realistic because statistics show that the average response rate on a mailing is .1 percent to 5 percent and a 2 to 3 percent response is great. All responses near a 5 is considered excellent. Therefore, when mailing to your top 10 percent of prospects, you should expect returns to be 30 percent and higher.
Your mailing should be based on clear cut and defined goals to specific target audiences to yield the best results.
2. Know Your Target Audience & Clients
Who is most likely going to purchase your product of service? Who is going to get the most from your company? Will they be repeat customers? Am I reaching my target audience? Is how I’m reaching my audience effective for my business? All of these questions should be answered before sending out a direct mail. Because you don’t want to waste money nor time going after those prospects who don’t have an interest in what you offer.
So know who your clients and prospects look like, how much money they make and what location are they in. You must be specific in who you are targeting so that you will not fall into the trap of reaching the masses if the masses is not who will purchase from you.
Create your own lists of prospects whether you place them in an electronic database or a manual written list, which ever works best for you. Your list should grow as you meet others by networking and referrals. You can get lists from trade groups, list broker, professional organizations or your own personal referrals. Segment them by your needs such as age, geography, income, education, occupation or gender; whatever you need to assist you in your business. Then set a goal on how many you are going to target each day, week and month and reward yourself on accomplishing those goals.
Learn not to sell to everyone, because everyone is not your client.
3. Set Clear Defined Goals
You must have a strategy that will bring about a win-win for everyone. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is really the truth. Know who you are targeting and understand who they are and your goals. If you do your homework and understand what you are trying to accomplish, you will have excellent results. By choosing direct mail as a marketing tool you can:
• Acquire new customers or referrals
• Expand your market to a wider audience
• Act as a warm-up for later cold calls
• Stimulate higher purchases from your existing clients
• Generate sales
• Build brand recognition and awareness
• Upgrade customer service
• Test the appeal of new products and services
• Respond to competitors
• Support other marketing initiatives, like radio and newspapers
• Deliver company news such as a upcoming sale or new employee
Surveys show that the top three reasons for direct mail is business growth, expansion, a change in strategy and an introduction of a new product or service. Therefore, set goals that are obtainable and that will result in success.
4. Know What You Are Offering
The 3 S’s for your offering should be Keep It Simple, Specific, and Showcase
Simple. Keep it to the point and tell what your benefits and features are of your product or service. Don’t try and cram everything in about your company, it is not the time.
Specific. Be specific in what you are going to offer what they will receive. Don’t make it complicated for them to find. Keep it to the point and be clear about the offer so there won’t be any misunderstandings.
Showcase. Offer items that will draw attention to your business or to get them to purchase. Make sure that what you are offering is tamper-free because people can and will find loopholes. Offer gift certificates, coupons, discounts or free samples; these are always easy to control. If you are in the service businesses offer discounts, white papers, or seminars, but don’t forget the call to action. The more options you give clients to respond to you, the better the response. Options include: e-mail, pre-paid postage, fax-back, and toll free numbers, long-term payment plans and more. Be creative.
5. Your Direct Mail Marketing ROI (Return on Investment)
How much are you looking to make on your direct mail campaign? How much profit did you receive from your last direct mail? You must be strategic in what you want to yield in profits and set a goal to achieve it.
Figure out what you should earn from your direct mail efforts, not the total number of sales. It would always be advantageous to test a small population of a select group, (which is referred to as a nth mailing, because the goal is to get a fraction of the list used). This small test group will give you an idea on what should be done in refining the packaging and the budget. Be clear on what you are trying to accomplish.
6. Acknowledge Your Clients
When a client brings in one of your mailings, coupons, gift certificates, always try and recognize them by offering something extra to them for using your call to action. You are rewarding them for doing what you called them to do, so rewards should be in place.
The coupons, gift certificates and flyers should be attractive and easily identified when the client brings it in to be redeemed. It would be good to include an increase in your budget campaign for bonuses and extra giveaways for clients who bring in referrals. However, you would want to acknowledge your clients for your call to action.
7. Have a Variety
Don’t just send the same letter to the same clients. You would want to have a variety in what your prospects would receive, such as a postcard with a teaser, letter with a call to action, or sign up for a free seminar, something that would engage them into your business yet not looking uniformed. You would still want to include your brand on everything that your prospects and clients see, but it doesn’t have to be the same. Be creative in setting up expectations and recognition of your business. If you know your audience, the cost of your mailings and what your budget says you will be successful in giving a variety to your clients.
Make sure that you are measuring your results because direct mail you can control and it can be measurable. Always be proactive in gathering information when your clients and prospects use your service. Ask where did they hear of you so that you can keep track of what is working for you and what is not. Every marketing tool doesn’t work for everyone, but direct mail works for most and you have to give it time to work for you. You can’t just send out a direct mail piece for one month and not do it again and says that it doesn’t work, you much consistently try it for a minimum of six months to see if it is worth it for you.
Continue to have great success in your marketing.
Increase Your ROI?
The new age of the technology has taken over, but it is still the style of marketing communications to provide your clients and customers with printed materials. Direct mail is still the main communications tool to get in front of your clients and customers. It brings about brand loyalty and also you can have complete control of the marketing. Print, radio and television advertising, along with online-mail and your website are uncontrollable, whereas you cannot direct who is going to receive it, but going out to the masses, where it is not controlled.
For anyone who is in business knows that most of their clients will come from marketing and sales leads where they are depending on customer contact information, they have to be able to located those meaningful prospects that will bring in the business. The marketing collateral can target the prospects by flyers, postcards, letters, personalized notes and catalogs of your products by getting them directly in form of them. If the marketing collateral is well put together, eye-catching, and has the message that you would like to say, then it is more cost-effective to target those clients. Yet that is not all. It must have the right presentation, offering something and has a call-to-action, you can close a sale faster than it reaching the masses.
With the right tools, time and great execution, your direct mail efforts will result in great payoffs.
The main key is to know who your target audience because getting in front of them is not wasting our time, it is increasing their awareness of your product of service, so you cannot go wrong with direct mail marketing. Yet, the information technology is good to drive people to your website and boost sales, but it is not as effective as getting directly in front of your client. The prospect’s eye is who you should be focusing on. A great sale is getting the right message, product or service in front of the right prospect at the right time. Some experts say that 40 percent of the direct mail success is depending on our own lists of prospects.
If you are looking to increase sales, for example, look at the marketing consultant who is sending out postcards in his campaign to get prospects to come out to a seminar on marketing your business – to clients who needs marketing but doesn’t have time. Or think of the real estate agent who would send out an invitation to an open house or a home buying seminar - those are directed towards special targets that can be captured not to the masses of people on an electronic tools.
1. Know Your Expectations
We know that when you send out targeted mail to a potential client that you are running a risk o them opening your mail that doesn’t guarantee that it will result in a sale, yet if they see your information long enough and when that need comes available, your company would be one of the ones that they would call. It takes at least seven times for you to get your company brand in front of a client before they can recall your business. So your expectations would need to be realistic as you grow your lists. Having a well-targeted list will increase your odds of success.
Knowing that the average response rats varies with seasons, holidays, and other many factors that could increase or decrease your mail response; therefore, being strategic in your mailings is key. The average response rate depends on the package’s overall appeal, the offer, what the product or service is and the quality if your mailing list.
The expectations should be realistic because statistics show that the average response rate on a mailing is .1 percent to 5 percent and a 2 to 3 percent response is great. All responses near a 5 is considered excellent. Therefore, when mailing to your top 10 percent of prospects, you should expect returns to be 30 percent and higher.
Your mailing should be based on clear cut and defined goals to specific target audiences to yield the best results.
2. Know Your Target Audience & Clients
Who is most likely going to purchase your product of service? Who is going to get the most from your company? Will they be repeat customers? Am I reaching my target audience? Is how I’m reaching my audience effective for my business? All of these questions should be answered before sending out a direct mail. Because you don’t want to waste money nor time going after those prospects who don’t have an interest in what you offer.
So know who your clients and prospects look like, how much money they make and what location are they in. You must be specific in who you are targeting so that you will not fall into the trap of reaching the masses if the masses is not who will purchase from you.
Create your own lists of prospects whether you place them in an electronic database or a manual written list, which ever works best for you. Your list should grow as you meet others by networking and referrals. You can get lists from trade groups, list broker, professional organizations or your own personal referrals. Segment them by your needs such as age, geography, income, education, occupation or gender; whatever you need to assist you in your business. Then set a goal on how many you are going to target each day, week and month and reward yourself on accomplishing those goals.
Learn not to sell to everyone, because everyone is not your client.
3. Set Clear Defined Goals
You must have a strategy that will bring about a win-win for everyone. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is really the truth. Know who you are targeting and understand who they are and your goals. If you do your homework and understand what you are trying to accomplish, you will have excellent results. By choosing direct mail as a marketing tool you can:
• Acquire new customers or referrals
• Expand your market to a wider audience
• Act as a warm-up for later cold calls
• Stimulate higher purchases from your existing clients
• Generate sales
• Build brand recognition and awareness
• Upgrade customer service
• Test the appeal of new products and services
• Respond to competitors
• Support other marketing initiatives, like radio and newspapers
• Deliver company news such as a upcoming sale or new employee
Surveys show that the top three reasons for direct mail is business growth, expansion, a change in strategy and an introduction of a new product or service. Therefore, set goals that are obtainable and that will result in success.
4. Know What You Are Offering
The 3 S’s for your offering should be Keep It Simple, Specific, and Showcase
Simple. Keep it to the point and tell what your benefits and features are of your product or service. Don’t try and cram everything in about your company, it is not the time.
Specific. Be specific in what you are going to offer what they will receive. Don’t make it complicated for them to find. Keep it to the point and be clear about the offer so there won’t be any misunderstandings.
Showcase. Offer items that will draw attention to your business or to get them to purchase. Make sure that what you are offering is tamper-free because people can and will find loopholes. Offer gift certificates, coupons, discounts or free samples; these are always easy to control. If you are in the service businesses offer discounts, white papers, or seminars, but don’t forget the call to action. The more options you give clients to respond to you, the better the response. Options include: e-mail, pre-paid postage, fax-back, and toll free numbers, long-term payment plans and more. Be creative.
5. Your Direct Mail Marketing ROI (Return on Investment)
How much are you looking to make on your direct mail campaign? How much profit did you receive from your last direct mail? You must be strategic in what you want to yield in profits and set a goal to achieve it.
Figure out what you should earn from your direct mail efforts, not the total number of sales. It would always be advantageous to test a small population of a select group, (which is referred to as a nth mailing, because the goal is to get a fraction of the list used). This small test group will give you an idea on what should be done in refining the packaging and the budget. Be clear on what you are trying to accomplish.
6. Acknowledge Your Clients
When a client brings in one of your mailings, coupons, gift certificates, always try and recognize them by offering something extra to them for using your call to action. You are rewarding them for doing what you called them to do, so rewards should be in place.
The coupons, gift certificates and flyers should be attractive and easily identified when the client brings it in to be redeemed. It would be good to include an increase in your budget campaign for bonuses and extra giveaways for clients who bring in referrals. However, you would want to acknowledge your clients for your call to action.
7. Have a Variety
Don’t just send the same letter to the same clients. You would want to have a variety in what your prospects would receive, such as a postcard with a teaser, letter with a call to action, or sign up for a free seminar, something that would engage them into your business yet not looking uniformed. You would still want to include your brand on everything that your prospects and clients see, but it doesn’t have to be the same. Be creative in setting up expectations and recognition of your business. If you know your audience, the cost of your mailings and what your budget says you will be successful in giving a variety to your clients.
Make sure that you are measuring your results because direct mail you can control and it can be measurable. Always be proactive in gathering information when your clients and prospects use your service. Ask where did they hear of you so that you can keep track of what is working for you and what is not. Every marketing tool doesn’t work for everyone, but direct mail works for most and you have to give it time to work for you. You can’t just send out a direct mail piece for one month and not do it again and says that it doesn’t work, you much consistently try it for a minimum of six months to see if it is worth it for you.
Continue to have great success in your marketing.
Engangement Marketing: Increase Your Profits Without Increasing Budget!
If I could show you how to increase your sales by 40% without increasing your marketing budget, would you be interested? Of course you would, what marketing professional or business owner wouldn't be interested? By the time you have finished this article you will have figured out how to do just that.
Take a few moments and think of all the inactive customer files you have in your file cabinet. Business owners often make the costly mistake of servicing a customer once then assuming "they'll stay" as a customer or client without maintaining and growing that relationship.
A year later that business owner is wondering what happened to that customer and where did they go. Why haven't they hear from them? Did they leave? If so, why?
There are many reasons a customer or client may leave you, but the ones you will hear most often are:
• They took a competitors offer.
• They had an unresolved complaint.
• They left because they felt you didn't care.
• They felt your pricing was too high or unfair.
When you consider that the last two make up the majority of why a client or customer will no longer use your service or buy your products - it can be a hard pill to swallow. After all it means they are an inactive client because they felt you didn't care about them and your competitor did.
This makes sense when you consider that customers often purchase your service or product because they have developed a relationship with you, they owned another product or yours, or they were referred to you by a friend or associate.
When faced with the above facts why is it businesses spend 80% of their marketing dollars going after new customers and clients rather than nurturing, retaining, and maintaining the customer relationships they already have?
Before you spend your time and money going after new customers and clients you do not currently have a relationship with consider the following statistics:
• Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.
• Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers.
• It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer.
As you can see your marketing dollars will go further if you use it to build, nurture, and develop your customer relationships. This isn't as difficult as you think. Building these relationships just means treating your customers and clients as if they truly are your strategic partners and showing them that you truly care about them. It's important to try to satisfy them with the right products and services, supported by the right promotion and making it available at the right time and location. Customers can easily detect indifference and insincerity and they simply will not tolerate it. Long-term client and customer loyalty is a long-term challenge that you must strive for every day and with every transaction no matter how big or small.
While a growing business needs to constantly capture new customers, the focus and priority should be on pleasing your existing customer base. Companies that fail to nurture and retain their customer base ultimately fail. You will also spend twice as much to get new clients as you will in maintaining your existing customer base. You will also be limited in your ability to attract new clients if you can't hold onto and satisfy your existing customers and clients.
The bottom line is that one of the key components in marketing and business growth is to spend the majority of your time and effort nurturing customer relationships, so that you get business from existing clients and customers. This is a strategy that will move you forward in increasing your sales by 40% without increasing your budget.
Take a few moments and think of all the inactive customer files you have in your file cabinet. Business owners often make the costly mistake of servicing a customer once then assuming "they'll stay" as a customer or client without maintaining and growing that relationship.
A year later that business owner is wondering what happened to that customer and where did they go. Why haven't they hear from them? Did they leave? If so, why?
There are many reasons a customer or client may leave you, but the ones you will hear most often are:
• They took a competitors offer.
• They had an unresolved complaint.
• They left because they felt you didn't care.
• They felt your pricing was too high or unfair.
When you consider that the last two make up the majority of why a client or customer will no longer use your service or buy your products - it can be a hard pill to swallow. After all it means they are an inactive client because they felt you didn't care about them and your competitor did.
This makes sense when you consider that customers often purchase your service or product because they have developed a relationship with you, they owned another product or yours, or they were referred to you by a friend or associate.
When faced with the above facts why is it businesses spend 80% of their marketing dollars going after new customers and clients rather than nurturing, retaining, and maintaining the customer relationships they already have?
Before you spend your time and money going after new customers and clients you do not currently have a relationship with consider the following statistics:
• Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.
• Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers.
• It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer.
As you can see your marketing dollars will go further if you use it to build, nurture, and develop your customer relationships. This isn't as difficult as you think. Building these relationships just means treating your customers and clients as if they truly are your strategic partners and showing them that you truly care about them. It's important to try to satisfy them with the right products and services, supported by the right promotion and making it available at the right time and location. Customers can easily detect indifference and insincerity and they simply will not tolerate it. Long-term client and customer loyalty is a long-term challenge that you must strive for every day and with every transaction no matter how big or small.
While a growing business needs to constantly capture new customers, the focus and priority should be on pleasing your existing customer base. Companies that fail to nurture and retain their customer base ultimately fail. You will also spend twice as much to get new clients as you will in maintaining your existing customer base. You will also be limited in your ability to attract new clients if you can't hold onto and satisfy your existing customers and clients.
The bottom line is that one of the key components in marketing and business growth is to spend the majority of your time and effort nurturing customer relationships, so that you get business from existing clients and customers. This is a strategy that will move you forward in increasing your sales by 40% without increasing your budget.
Engagement Marketing
What is Marketing Engagement? Well, overtime marketers have overused "engagement" and it has lost its meaning. “Engagement" is more than just an industry buzzword and has become a cornerstone for savvy marketing. It is a way of communicating relevant marketing messages for cultivating your brand and gaining legions of loyal customers that would ultimately increase your sales and profits.
Engagement is an approach that-more or less is in direct contrast to the traditional brand and direct marketing. It is allowing your customers and prospects to build your company's marketing. With so much new technology and people have the capability to connect in various ways, engaging prospects is the entire key; however, this allows potential customers to choose what messaging they will receive and through what channels.
With engagement marketing, it initially starts when someone begins dialogue, such as going to your website and signing up for your email, participating in a blog or reading about a new product review and then requesting information. So how are you engaging your customers and prospects? What are you doing to stay in front of your customer and keeping in contact with them?
Stay tuned to a series of "Powerful Strategies of Engagement Marketing" over the next few weeks that you are able to implement in your business so that you will increase profits and brand awareness.
Elyshia Carr, MBA
CEO/President
Kreative Group, Inc.
Engagement is an approach that-more or less is in direct contrast to the traditional brand and direct marketing. It is allowing your customers and prospects to build your company's marketing. With so much new technology and people have the capability to connect in various ways, engaging prospects is the entire key; however, this allows potential customers to choose what messaging they will receive and through what channels.
With engagement marketing, it initially starts when someone begins dialogue, such as going to your website and signing up for your email, participating in a blog or reading about a new product review and then requesting information. So how are you engaging your customers and prospects? What are you doing to stay in front of your customer and keeping in contact with them?
Stay tuned to a series of "Powerful Strategies of Engagement Marketing" over the next few weeks that you are able to implement in your business so that you will increase profits and brand awareness.
Elyshia Carr, MBA
CEO/President
Kreative Group, Inc.
Keeping Marketing Consistent
There is a point I continue to stress with every business person, entrepreneur, and sales person I speak with is to be consistent in marketing your business. Ad hoc marketing produces ad hoc results.
Just as you need consistent fuel for your health, your business needs consistent fuel for its health and future success. Fuel for your business is leads, prospects and clients. Without demand generation, your pipeline eventually dries up and your business falters. I realize that sounds logical but sometimes it just doesn’t seem to resonate with business owners. I continue to see them spend money on marketing tactics that are not well planned and result in a disappointing return on investment. This type of behavior leads business owners to believe that marketing is an expense that is easily cut in difficult times. Just the contrary.
Small businesses need to think seriously about making marketing a consistent, long-term activity for their business, develop a plan and budget and stay on course. It’s the only way you can continually stay ahead of your competition and build visibility for your products and services.
Just as you need consistent fuel for your health, your business needs consistent fuel for its health and future success. Fuel for your business is leads, prospects and clients. Without demand generation, your pipeline eventually dries up and your business falters. I realize that sounds logical but sometimes it just doesn’t seem to resonate with business owners. I continue to see them spend money on marketing tactics that are not well planned and result in a disappointing return on investment. This type of behavior leads business owners to believe that marketing is an expense that is easily cut in difficult times. Just the contrary.
Small businesses need to think seriously about making marketing a consistent, long-term activity for their business, develop a plan and budget and stay on course. It’s the only way you can continually stay ahead of your competition and build visibility for your products and services.
Turn your Company Into a Heavily Quoted Source
Follow these steps for making your company a heavily quoted source.
Ever wonder why your competitors keep cropping up in coverage - whether it be national dailies, on big-time TV broadcasts or even in local business magazines - while your company's relegated to the back of the trades?
The fact is, a lot of media pickup isn't always driven by stellar press releases, according to Dan Forbush, president and founder of ProfNet, a PR Newswire service that puts journalists in touch with experts and sources for breaking stories. "There are two essential approaches to media placement. One is to persuade reporters that your organization has news worth reporting - this approach is deliberate and release driven. The other is to persuade reporters that there are individuals within your organization who - because of their industry perspective or some form of expertise - are worth interviewing. This approach is opportunistic and pitch driven."
His tips for effectively playing the expert game:
Play reporter. "Forget for a moment your own organization's objectives, and read the world as a reporter would," Forbush advises. "Given your beat and the readers you must satisfy, what topics are of interest? What angles do you find fresh and provocative? With which sources - with what expertise - do you want to be in touch with?"
Become a matchmaker. "Having performed that analysis, you can now lay the role of matchmaker," he continues. "Ask yourself, 'Which individuals within my organization or my clientele can satisfy these reporter needs? And what presentations will be most persuasive?'"
Identify ideas for the masses vs. tailored pitches. "When you write a news release, you're packaging ideas for reporters in masses," Forbush says, "but when you write a pitch, you're tailoring an idea for a single reporter. You're saying 'I think you'll be interested in this person because' - and you have a good reason for thinking so because you've done your homework. You've read the publication, or you've watched the show, and you know what works and what doesn't. Via Lexis-Nexis or Google, you've researched the reporter's work, and you're familiar with his or her recent reporting."
Adopt a long-term perspective. "In all of your relationships with reporters, adopt a long-term perspective," he cautions. "You should craft your pitch carefully in such a way that - even if the reporter doesn't take you up on your offer this time - you can be confident your next pitch will be read. This helps cultivate your standing as a reliable source."
Perform an Expert Audit. "You can be a reliable source only if you have a thorough knowledge of your organization and have identified everyone who can be helpful to reporters and how," Forbush says. "For this reason, when you join a new organization or take on a new client, you should always perform an 'expert audit.' Sit down with colleagues or clients and identify who can talk effectively about what."
Develop platforms for spokespeople. "By profiling your spokesperson(s) on your websites and expert resources for reporters, you provide easy accessibility to these experts," Forbush says. "If you have an expert who can speak on a 'hot topic' that is currently in the news, consider sending out a media advisory alerting reporters to the availability of your spokesperson, and his or her position on the topic," he suggests.
Follow these simple steps and soon you will find reporters seeking you - or one of your experts - out for a quote again and again.
Ever wonder why your competitors keep cropping up in coverage - whether it be national dailies, on big-time TV broadcasts or even in local business magazines - while your company's relegated to the back of the trades?
The fact is, a lot of media pickup isn't always driven by stellar press releases, according to Dan Forbush, president and founder of ProfNet, a PR Newswire service that puts journalists in touch with experts and sources for breaking stories. "There are two essential approaches to media placement. One is to persuade reporters that your organization has news worth reporting - this approach is deliberate and release driven. The other is to persuade reporters that there are individuals within your organization who - because of their industry perspective or some form of expertise - are worth interviewing. This approach is opportunistic and pitch driven."
His tips for effectively playing the expert game:
Play reporter. "Forget for a moment your own organization's objectives, and read the world as a reporter would," Forbush advises. "Given your beat and the readers you must satisfy, what topics are of interest? What angles do you find fresh and provocative? With which sources - with what expertise - do you want to be in touch with?"
Become a matchmaker. "Having performed that analysis, you can now lay the role of matchmaker," he continues. "Ask yourself, 'Which individuals within my organization or my clientele can satisfy these reporter needs? And what presentations will be most persuasive?'"
Identify ideas for the masses vs. tailored pitches. "When you write a news release, you're packaging ideas for reporters in masses," Forbush says, "but when you write a pitch, you're tailoring an idea for a single reporter. You're saying 'I think you'll be interested in this person because' - and you have a good reason for thinking so because you've done your homework. You've read the publication, or you've watched the show, and you know what works and what doesn't. Via Lexis-Nexis or Google, you've researched the reporter's work, and you're familiar with his or her recent reporting."
Adopt a long-term perspective. "In all of your relationships with reporters, adopt a long-term perspective," he cautions. "You should craft your pitch carefully in such a way that - even if the reporter doesn't take you up on your offer this time - you can be confident your next pitch will be read. This helps cultivate your standing as a reliable source."
Perform an Expert Audit. "You can be a reliable source only if you have a thorough knowledge of your organization and have identified everyone who can be helpful to reporters and how," Forbush says. "For this reason, when you join a new organization or take on a new client, you should always perform an 'expert audit.' Sit down with colleagues or clients and identify who can talk effectively about what."
Develop platforms for spokespeople. "By profiling your spokesperson(s) on your websites and expert resources for reporters, you provide easy accessibility to these experts," Forbush says. "If you have an expert who can speak on a 'hot topic' that is currently in the news, consider sending out a media advisory alerting reporters to the availability of your spokesperson, and his or her position on the topic," he suggests.
Follow these simple steps and soon you will find reporters seeking you - or one of your experts - out for a quote again and again.
Developing Your Internet Marketing Plan
What is your goal for your website? When it comes to business websites, a return on investment expected. To get any kind of return, your site needs to have a goal to which all actions will be compared.
Do you want your website to inform, share news and information, communicate with different locations, entertain, or make a profit by selling information, services, or products? Imagine that you can have only one action on the website. What would it be? That's your website goal. Beyond this, only you can define what exactly you want other people to do on your website.
From this goal, you can research and develop your audience, keywords, site structure, site design, content, and promotion for your website. Ask yourself:
* What am I offering? . Who needs this? . Where are they online and offline?
* What action do I want them to take?
* What sets my site apart from others like it?
* How can I attract more attention?
* How much time can I invest in updating my site?
* How much money can I invest in Internet Marketing?
* How do you plan to reach that goal?
* The marketing goal is always to attract and convert your target market into customers. Internet marketing techniques are a little different than conventional marketing, but the general strategies still apply. People still buy based on their needs and you still want to make it obvious that your product or service will fulfill one or more of these needs.
People are also tired and annoyed by intrusive advertising, so you will need to be natural in your techniques. Instead of trying to break through barriers and blast your message through the clutter, try earning your target market's trust by building relationships.
Internet Marketing Strategies:
Provide Value To Your Market
On the web, people can leave you with one click if you do not provide them with what they want.
Communicate Respectfully - No one likes SPAM. No one wants to wait on hold when they call Customer Service. No one wants to wait a week for a response to an email.
Be Trustworthy - People buy from people they like and people they trust.
Be Personal - Websites are visited by individuals not organizations.
Build Relationships - Your customers will feel comfortable with you and talking about you to others.
Internet Marketing Techniques:
* Network - Online and Offline the best way to grow is through personal connections and interaction. Online social networks and communities can be a powerful resource for finding customers and creating relationships with them.
* Create An Email Marketing Database - Sending regular emails create and maintain relationships with your customers. It is very important to be trustworthy and honest in these emails. DO NOT SPAM! Do not sell your client's information, and do not send mass emails more than once a week. DO provide value, do allow people to opt-in and opt-out of every email, and be personal in your communications.
* Create A Network Of Links - Links are the key to the Internet. You want to make sure you only add outgoing links on your site if you are sure they are useful to your customer. Only link to helpful and trustworthy sites. The same goes for sites linking to yours. Every link to your site is an online referral for your business. While you can't stop anyone from linking to your site, you can seek out and develop relationships with your vendors, online communities, and other trustworthy and helpful sites that your customers visit.
* Create Attractive Content - Content has always been king. Write a blog, post articles, make a Top 5/10/50/100 List, create a photo gallery, or any other content that will attract your customers, links from other sites, and attention from the search engines.
* Organic and Paid Search Results - Search Engine Optimization techniques can only get you so high in the rankings. However, you can always jump to the front of the line with a little cash.
You can buy Pay-Per-Click ads on your core search terms; you can hire a good, trustworthy SEO expert, or buy links on popular websites and directories. When are you finished? Never! Unless you close up shop or sell your site to Google for millions of dollars, you are going to want to continually update your website, evaluate your marketing plan, add new techniques, expand your niche, and continue to grow.
The minute your site becomes stale your audience begins to move on. With the millions of websites available in the world, someone is posting new information or creating new techniques to reach your target market every day. Developing an effective online presence is becoming more and more similar to any brick and mortar store. If have to use the old elbow grease, network, and actively seek out new customers to grow your business.
Keeping Your Website Fresh:
* Share your news and press releases on your site. . Ask your customers and vendors to share information.
* Take part in blogs, forums, and social sites online.
* Post to your own blog on a regular schedule.
* Create a space for your customers to help you improve your site.
* Reward active participants on your site with gifts and gadgets.
* Watch your competitors and other experts in your field.
Do you want your website to inform, share news and information, communicate with different locations, entertain, or make a profit by selling information, services, or products? Imagine that you can have only one action on the website. What would it be? That's your website goal. Beyond this, only you can define what exactly you want other people to do on your website.
From this goal, you can research and develop your audience, keywords, site structure, site design, content, and promotion for your website. Ask yourself:
* What am I offering? . Who needs this? . Where are they online and offline?
* What action do I want them to take?
* What sets my site apart from others like it?
* How can I attract more attention?
* How much time can I invest in updating my site?
* How much money can I invest in Internet Marketing?
* How do you plan to reach that goal?
* The marketing goal is always to attract and convert your target market into customers. Internet marketing techniques are a little different than conventional marketing, but the general strategies still apply. People still buy based on their needs and you still want to make it obvious that your product or service will fulfill one or more of these needs.
People are also tired and annoyed by intrusive advertising, so you will need to be natural in your techniques. Instead of trying to break through barriers and blast your message through the clutter, try earning your target market's trust by building relationships.
Internet Marketing Strategies:
Provide Value To Your Market
On the web, people can leave you with one click if you do not provide them with what they want.
Communicate Respectfully - No one likes SPAM. No one wants to wait on hold when they call Customer Service. No one wants to wait a week for a response to an email.
Be Trustworthy - People buy from people they like and people they trust.
Be Personal - Websites are visited by individuals not organizations.
Build Relationships - Your customers will feel comfortable with you and talking about you to others.
Internet Marketing Techniques:
* Network - Online and Offline the best way to grow is through personal connections and interaction. Online social networks and communities can be a powerful resource for finding customers and creating relationships with them.
* Create An Email Marketing Database - Sending regular emails create and maintain relationships with your customers. It is very important to be trustworthy and honest in these emails. DO NOT SPAM! Do not sell your client's information, and do not send mass emails more than once a week. DO provide value, do allow people to opt-in and opt-out of every email, and be personal in your communications.
* Create A Network Of Links - Links are the key to the Internet. You want to make sure you only add outgoing links on your site if you are sure they are useful to your customer. Only link to helpful and trustworthy sites. The same goes for sites linking to yours. Every link to your site is an online referral for your business. While you can't stop anyone from linking to your site, you can seek out and develop relationships with your vendors, online communities, and other trustworthy and helpful sites that your customers visit.
* Create Attractive Content - Content has always been king. Write a blog, post articles, make a Top 5/10/50/100 List, create a photo gallery, or any other content that will attract your customers, links from other sites, and attention from the search engines.
* Organic and Paid Search Results - Search Engine Optimization techniques can only get you so high in the rankings. However, you can always jump to the front of the line with a little cash.
You can buy Pay-Per-Click ads on your core search terms; you can hire a good, trustworthy SEO expert, or buy links on popular websites and directories. When are you finished? Never! Unless you close up shop or sell your site to Google for millions of dollars, you are going to want to continually update your website, evaluate your marketing plan, add new techniques, expand your niche, and continue to grow.
The minute your site becomes stale your audience begins to move on. With the millions of websites available in the world, someone is posting new information or creating new techniques to reach your target market every day. Developing an effective online presence is becoming more and more similar to any brick and mortar store. If have to use the old elbow grease, network, and actively seek out new customers to grow your business.
Keeping Your Website Fresh:
* Share your news and press releases on your site. . Ask your customers and vendors to share information.
* Take part in blogs, forums, and social sites online.
* Post to your own blog on a regular schedule.
* Create a space for your customers to help you improve your site.
* Reward active participants on your site with gifts and gadgets.
* Watch your competitors and other experts in your field.
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