Marketing

Even in a downturn, if you don’t get in front of people and explain your unique value proposition then your chances of selling will be restricted to current customers or accidental passersby.  Marketing is what sets you up for selling.  However, there are three important things you should appreciate before you start.

1.    Your target customers need to hear your marketing messages at least 7 times to influence a buying decision.  Sounds like a lot - it is. People just don’t always take in all the information at any given time. Especially the first time they hear it, so you need to choose strategies that allow you to repeat them often enough to work for you.

2.    Expensive ads don’t guarantee sales – even when they are popular with the public. Companies have gone broke over big ticket ads. Every marketing dollar has to translate into sales.

3.    A sure way to improve sales is to use multiple marketing channels. Your underlying message should be consistent, but you need to get it out in a variety of mediums.

So, if you’re a small to mid-sized business on a limited budget your tactics should be to optimize your spending so that you get in front of the right customers regularly and in a variety of ways.  Here are four techniques you can use to achieve that.

Identify and target niche customers
Unless you are a major player with an unlimited amount of money to devote to scatter gun marketing - go narrow. Do your market research and focus on niches - those groups of customers you can clearly identify who would be interested in your offering.  Customers who are affordable for you to reach! Then get your message out into local clubs, trade shows, industry publications, niche newsletters, anywhere you can reach those specific prospects.  continue

Target every new contact for follow up communications and watch customer loyalty – and your profits – grow.

A good quality customer and prospect database for email or direct mail can mean the difference between business survival and failure, especially during times of slow growth. The same list, combined with smart communications, will make the good times even better. It costs more money to find new customers than it does to nurture repeat customers through regular contact, so you need to make accurate list-building a daily habit.

Here’s a checklist of ways you can effortlessly add more potential customers:

Direct web traffic
Put a prominent message on your website inviting browsers and customers alike to sign up for regular contact. Your pitch needs to be more than an exercise in collecting names and addresses. Make it clear you’ll be rewarding customers with discounts, sending regular free tips or professional advice too, by mail or email. You must also clearly stress up front, the ease of ‘opting out’. People are more likely to give you their details if they are sure they can leave your list as easily as they joined it.

Customer lists
If you already have clients’ addresses for purchasing, invoicing or other purposes, invite this already ‘warm’ list to receive marketing news too. It may also be appropriate to ask them during regular contact, to recommend or refer like-minded colleagues, particularly if you can offer an incentive for them to add to your list. continue

Despite the benefits of online contact any time, from anywhere, personal interaction is as good for business now as it was 20 years ago. In the world away from your desktop, your competitors are shaking hands with your potential customers over lunch or a laugh right now. What are you waiting for? Get out of the office and network.

Making personal business connections may take longer, but they are potentially as important as driving web traffic and planning your advertising campaigns. For relatively little expense, seeking industry events and other face-to-face business opportunities should form an equal part of your marketing strategy.

When business is slow, mass marketing or email marketing your existing clients seems the obvious low-cost option to generate sales, but forging personal networks with face-to-face contact brings a unique set of advantages. And there’s no ‘delete’ key.

Networking builds trust

The important thing missing from online contact is the real connections that create genuine trust.

The advantage good networkers enjoy is access to more private or useful knowledge only available through personal contact. Filing unmanageable amounts of downloaded documents or exchanging emails is no replacement for conversations that spill over into further mutual contacts and unexpected opportunities.

Meeting with people also brings different skill sets to a business relationship. Online, you tend to stick to one topic or problem. Where a gathering incorporates socializing, common interests outside business tend to crop up too, leading to wider networks and experiences. continue

Professional Painters - Do YOU want to show up on Google’s first page in the top ranked search terms for painting contractors in your local area and get leads?

Advisors On Target has added a new service and we want our clients and newsletter readers to have the first opportunity to see what we have going on and to participate if you are interested. Advisors On Target and Web Strategy Lab have teamed up to launch Pro Painting Net, which we believe will be of tremendous value to our clients.

Are you ready to get better business results online?  Then claim YOUR local service area now with your own Pro Painting Net Mini-Site!

All 3 of our On Target Beta-Testers are on the front page of Google for the top ranking search term with their locale! This happened within days.

Some of you may be able to say you are already on the top 10 listings in Google, if so, Congratulations. But most of you are not ranking where one of your sites have the best chance of being found.

Would you like to be here? Look at these results for Painting Contractor and On Target group member, Mario Guertin

Now you too can be a part of Pro Painting Net - a network of websites built around the highest volume painting-related keywords on the search engines. What’s in it for you?

• You get your own 3-page ‘mini-sites’ optimized for local searches for your painting services in any of your service areas.
• You get exclusive rights on any PPN Domain to any service area you choose - and you define the service areas.
• You get quality backlinks to your existing website.
• You benefit from the success of every other member of the Network.
• By the way, it’s very affordable

Your Mini-site is meant to be a piece of your online presence – another way to get you found and will in most cases rank faster and higher than you can get your “main” website to rank for the top search terms

But does it really work? We asked 3 On Target Members to be beta-testers for this new program, one in a small market and two in larger markets but using a the name of a local service area within the larger market as a key word. Here are our Beta Tester stats from March 1, 2009 for the term “house painting” followed by the local name: continue

I just returned from New Orleans (I’m still in mourning about having to come home) where I participated in PACE 2009, the annual national convention for the painting and decorating industry.  Between manning the Advisors On Target booth at the trade show and presenting an educational program on web strategies, I had the opportunity to meet and talk to hundreds of painting contractors about their online efforts and results.

Not surprisingly, I found a wide range in the general level of web competence among the business owners I talked to.  Some were pretty savvy internet marketers, looking for subtle ways to improve their already strong results online.  Others were just getting going – either starting from scratch or looking to revamp old, tired websites and strategies that aren’t up to 21st century standards.  But nearly everybody had one thing in common.  Everybody was aware that online performance is critical in today’s business and social climate – that your web presence it the most cost-effective way to promote your business, and that more and more consumers rely exclusively on the internet to find and evaluate local businesses.

I was pleased to see so much awareness and so much determination to master the tools and techniques of internet success.  But I was shocked by the number of business people who mangle their credibility by overlooking a simple thing – their email address. continue

A lot of things need to come together to create a great email newsletter, including well written content, attractive formatting and an accurate match of the content to the interests of your target audience. But sometimes even a great newsletter ends up the victim of the subscriber’s Delete button before it even gets opened. Here’s how you can improve the chances of your subscribers actually opening and reading your e-newsletter.

1. Avoid the spam filters: ISPs use rigorous spam protection mechanisms to trap and delete suspect email before it gets into their customer’s inboxes. To make sure your emails don’t get filtered out as spam avoid overdoing ‘come on’ words such as ‘free’, ‘$$$’, ‘save’, ‘discount’, etc. in both the subject line and content of your email. Also, ISPs will blacklist you if you do not remove any invalid email addresses they inform you of.  If that happens, even messages to legitimate addresses may be blocked and that could include things like order confirmations as well as your e-newsletter.

2. Encourage subscribers to whitelist you: Spam filters that come with email clients can create a whitelist of addresses from which mail is always acceptable (safe senders). Subscribers can be coaxed to put in the effort of whitelisting you in a number of ways:

• On your order confirmation page suggest that they whitelist you to ensure they receive order and shipping information
• Run competitions that necessitate them receiving your emails to participate
• Near the suggestion that they whitelist you, provide a link to ‘How to whitelist’ information covering the most popular email clients continue

Customer loyalty programs work big time for big companies but small business owners are often deterred from developing one because of worries about how much it would cost or how difficult it would be to organize and manage. As a matter of fact, the very same principles that keep customers coming back to big companies can be utilized to develop a small business scale loyalty program without a lot of cost and drama.

Make customers feel like ‘members’

Creating a ‘club’ that provides special incentives to members is one of the best ways to retain customers. This approach works because it is based on the primal human need to ‘belong’ to something - especially where belonging also makes us feel we are being treated as special.

Who gets to be a member? A customer loyalty program based on membership should convey a feeling of privilege for those selected so it can’t be open to all and sundry. Customers may qualify for membership either by purchasing their entrée or by dint of their past support and loyalty.

General Nutrition Centers, a specialty retailer of vitamins and supplements, offers a Gold Card membership program that provides discounts on products, personalized mailings and email on health related topics, product news and exclusive offers. GNC found that they could even use their program to actively iron out lows in their sales pattern by offering a special discount on sales made on Tuesday, traditionally their slowest sales day. continue

Large companies often leave smaller market segments unserviced since they don’t represent, for them, a sufficiently profitable target. A small business can capitalize on these unmet needs by developing a product or service that fills the gap. You can think of a niche market as a narrowly defined group of potential customers.

A niche market can be a built on developing a product for a particular consumer demographic, such as manufacturing kosher milk products to meet the dietary requirements of particular religious groups. Many service firms have grown their business by deciding to build up expertise in how a certain industry works and focusing on attracting clients from that industry based on the expertise they can offer. Others will concentrate on a particular service line such as a dentist who specializes in pediatric work. Still other businesses concentrate their resources on marketing to a particular region, so they could be said to operate in a geographic niche. The competitive advantage of being in a niche market derives from being alone there and of being able to offer a level of expertise others can’t match or perfectly filling a particular need.

Niche market businesses are frequently small scale since they tend to focus on identifiable sub segments of a larger market such as cleaning blinds instead of cleaning offices in general. But it’s an error to think that that is a necessary association. The First Commerce Bank, in Charlotte, N.C became hugely profitable concentrating on servicing small business clients and some accounting firms have moved into the big league through providing advice to clients in specific industries or occupations.

There are three basic ground rules for making niche
marketing work for you.

1. Develop a detailed marketing plan:a well developed marketing plan is the key to successful niche marketing. It has to be very specific about the basic business concept - what you are selling, who you are selling it to, why they would buy it (the benefit to the customer) and how you will make money out of it.

2. Appoint a niche champion:the secret to tapping into a niche market and working it to get the best return is to know just what it is the consumer will really value from the product or service you are offering. If you need to, find a niche champion with the knowledge and experience in the product/service that will enable you to develop just the right package. If your niche marketing initiative is really a subsidiary line of business within a larger organization, for instance preparing a line of gluten-free products within a general bakery business, ensure the project is properly funded and the niche champion has sufficient authority and respect to be able to keep the project on track. Don’t throw away the opportunity through bad planning and execution.

3. Market hard: niche marketing succeeds or fails on its success in connecting with exactly the right kind of customer. Both the target market and the marketing channels that will most likely reach them should be closely defined. Give careful consideration to what marketing messages will work best as ‘hot buttons’ for prospects and will prompt them to purchase the product. Marketing spend may not need to be large but it does need to be well focused so as to get your name known within the target market and educate them to the benefits of using your product/service. In the case of gluten-free bakery products, you could advertise in health food stores, food bars, natural healing centers and healthy living publications.

The famous entertainer Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know what the secret of success is, but I know the secret of failure and that was trying to please everybody.” The same wisdom applies in business as in entertainment. For many businesses, large and small, creating a product or offering a service that satisfies the needs of a niche market has been a recipe for success.

Information for this article is sourced from RAN ONE.

Every economy and every business has its ups and downs. The trick to weathering the storms successfully is to be prepared for them.

Reactivate Dormant Accounts
The quickest and easiest way to do this is to sit down with your list of past customers, call them, say hello, and see what’s going on. Don’t make this a hard sell call, just a reminder that you have done business before and you are interested in working with them again. You don’t have to ask for work directly but when you end the conversation you might say something like, “Well, it’s been good talking with you. Keep in touch, and if there’s anything I can ever help you with, don’t hesitate to give me a call.” If you are uncomfortable about phoning, send a letter, flyer or brochure that mentions new products or services and includes testimonials from other customers.

Provide Superior Service To Current Customers
When business is slow you want to do everything you can to hold on to your existing customers. The best way to hold on to them is to give them not just their money’s worth, but more than their money’s worth. Now is the time to go the extra distance, give that little bit of extra service that can mean the difference between dazzling them and merely satisfying them. The best protection against a downturn in business is an active list of delighted customers.

Have Existing Customers Drum Up New Business For You
It’s probably fair to say that the customers you’re currently dealing with associate with like-minded people - people who are in a similar income bracket, have similar interests, hobbies, and buying habits. And therein lies your sleeping giant. A referral system can harness this giant by encouraging existing customers to refer these people to you. If it’s true that most of your customers are happy with your business and the products and services you sell, then it follows that most would be quite happy to refer you given an easy way to do so, such as displaying your brochures in their business. Slow times also provide the opportunity for more active networking, looking for opportunities that may only present themselves when talking to people.

Plan An Ongoing Marketing Campaign
Slow business presents an opportunity to increase the amount of your time spent on prospecting for new business. During a lull in business you need to make this extra effort to attract clients or customers, follow up on leads and close sales. What types of marketing work best in slow times? Use a combination that includes direct marketing (direct response print ads, sales letters, self mailers, postcards, special offers) plus low-cost/no-cost visibility enhancing publicity techniques (press releases, articles, speeches, booklets, seminars, newsletters). Avoid costly image building marketing such as large space ads, slick corporate brochures, expensive annual reports and other marketing communications that can drain your budget without producing sales.

Add Value To Your Existing Services
In a slow economy customers are more concerned with price than ever before. Actually, their real concern is making sure they get the best value for their money. You can win new customers and retain existing ones by enhancing your services and providing your customers with more value for their money. For instance, if you are selling a commodity item you could add value by offering faster delivery than your competitors. Or a wider selection. Or easier payment terms. Or a better guarantee. There is no need to give away the store and promise an excessive amount of extra service. The extras you provide need not take a lot of time or cost a lot of money.

Keep Busy By Working ON Your Business
A slow period in your business is a good time to busy yourself with internal projects that will improve the business, such as developing a new marketing strategy, making technical improvements to an existing product, auditing and improving your customer service procedures, revising your newsletter or website, or any of a hundred things that you couldn’t find the time for previously. Now you have the time. So do them.

Information for this article is sourced from RAN ONE.

‘Cause’ marketing that links your company or brand to a non-profit group or charity enables you to promote your business while you give something back to your community. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this kind of marketing is that it’s been shown to make customers feel better about deciding to purchase and that translates into an increase in repurchase intentions.

Consumers transfer their emotional bonds

Many people have emotional bonds with a non-profit group. They may even be regular financial contributors or do volunteer work for a non-profit organization. When these people see a business that’s supporting this organization they’ll often be predisposed to purchasing from it. “Look at what you sell and understand the targets you’re trying to reach. Then align yourself with causes that will bring out the emotions of that audience, from a grassroots, a community and a media standpoint,” advises Rodger Roeser, of Justice & Young Public Relations in Cincinnati.

Employees feel better about their employer

Surveys consistently show that whether candidates are choosing an employer or employees are deciding whether to stay with their present company, the degree to which a business demonstrates a social conscience is perceived as increasingly important. In fact, a majority of employees of companies in many industries have said they’d work for less money if they felt their employer was socially responsible.

It’s good for PR and community relations

Naturally, there are a lot of positives about supporting a cause that will benefit the image your business has in the community. You’ll be seen as a good corporate citizen and as an organization that contributes to the welfare of everyone in the community.

Seek alignment with your business and your customers

There are thousands of causes and some will no doubt relate to your business activities. Find a cause that has a link with your company, no matter how tenuous, so that people will understand how your business fits into the cause overall. The cause needs to also be related to the interests of your customers. It should align with their feelings and beliefs, and not be in conflict with other organizations they might want to support.

Tell the world what you’re doing

Although it might seem a bit ‘commercial’, your business will only benefit if it tells the world at large about your involvement with the cause. You need to spell out what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It will also help if your business becomes a conduit for your customers to help the cause by making donations through your website or at your business premises.

• Your cause marketing activities should be part of both your external marketing and your internal communications. It should be featured in your promotions, your packaging and your website, as well as referred to in your employee newsletters.
• Give your employees and your customers a chance to participate in the cause by hosting a function or sponsoring an event where the proceeds go to the cause.
• Ask the cause you’re supporting to promote your association with them. They have every reason to do this; the non-profit world depends on donations and they like to tell prospective donors that they’ll be in good company when they part with their funds.

In today’s competitive world consumers want to know what a business stands for. Cause marketing will tell them about your business values and reassure them that part of their purchase money is going to a good cause.

Information in this article is sourced from RAN ONE, Inc.